Four principles to ensure lesson observations make the grade Observations have been an evolving part of education’s quality assurance for 25 years and must continue to evolve to deliver real value, writes Steven Tucker
The Staffroom: The road to employment for students with SEND Students with SEND are massively under-represented in the workforce but high aspirations and simple actions can begin to change that, says Gail Stonier
Sustainability: One giant leap on FE’s journey to net zero Barry McCarron introduces a new sector-led proposal for sustainability action and says providers urgently need to get better at measuring and reporting their carbon footprint
Apprenticeships: Bounce-back stalls and disparities persist The post-pandemic bounce-back in apprenticeships starts doesn’t appear to be sustained and age disparities continue to widen, writes Lisa Coulthard
How to ensure ESOL meets learners’ and employers’ needs A pilot programme in Leicester has shown what ESOL provision can achieve and how to develop even more impactful interventions, writes Caroline Fox
GCSE re-sits: ‘Wrong’ grades drain students and resources Ofqual’s own methodology shows the re-sits policy is wrongly affecting enough students to fill a moderately-sized stadium every season, writes Dennis Sherwood
How to relieve Reflective Achievement Deficit Syndrome Maths GCSE re-sit students don’t need the subject to be more ‘relevant’, says Tom Broomhead. They need us to understand their specific context and needs
Apprenticeships: A consultation to urgently accelerate uptake Increasing apprenticeships uptake among young people is an urgent priority and a newly launched inquiry gives FE providers a say on how to achieve it, explains Hilary Leevers
Qualifications in apprenticeships require informed debate The new consultation on qualifications in apprenticeships is welcome, writes Terry Fennell, but its evidence base is skewed and misinforms an important debate