Reposted by Jon Severs
⏱️ In our special Year in Review newsletter this morning, we revisited some of Tes magazine’s most-read stories of 2025. You can catch up via the link below (and as a new year bonus, all the stories within are currently free to read).
➡️ Read here: buff.ly/HeTe08h
➡️ Read here: buff.ly/HeTe08h
December 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
⏱️ In our special Year in Review newsletter this morning, we revisited some of Tes magazine’s most-read stories of 2025. You can catch up via the link below (and as a new year bonus, all the stories within are currently free to read).
➡️ Read here: buff.ly/HeTe08h
➡️ Read here: buff.ly/HeTe08h
This took a long , long time to put together and it was great to see the (largely) sensible debate it prompted over the month after it was published a few months back.
The scientific debate is still where it was, but the cultural debate has certainly become even more polarised.
The scientific debate is still where it was, but the cultural debate has certainly become even more polarised.
Have social media and smartphones ‘rewired’ today’s teenagers? Jonathan Haidt argues they have in 'The Anxious Generation' – but critics say that banning phones won’t bring the salvation he promises
Is Jonathan Haidt right about smartphones?
In ‘The Anxious Generation’, Haidt makes the case that social media and smartphones have ‘rewired’ today’s teenagers, but his critics say the evidence tells us something very different - and that…
www.tes.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This took a long , long time to put together and it was great to see the (largely) sensible debate it prompted over the month after it was published a few months back.
The scientific debate is still where it was, but the cultural debate has certainly become even more polarised.
The scientific debate is still where it was, but the cultural debate has certainly become even more polarised.
Reposted by Jon Severs
Heads warn that mainstream schools opening specialist provision risk coming under pressure as ‘magnet schools’ – despite the government pushing more schools to open these resource bases
SEND: Opening resource bases ‘risks making you a magnet school’
With the government wanting mainstream schools to open specialist provision, heads warn that this can lead to increased pressures from parents and other schools
www.tes.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Heads warn that mainstream schools opening specialist provision risk coming under pressure as ‘magnet schools’ – despite the government pushing more schools to open these resource bases
Reposted by Jon Severs
There will be no extra funding for next year's teacher pay award, the Treasury has confirmed. The DfE would have to fund any award from existing budgets.
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
No extra funding for teacher pay, Treasury confirms
Treasury says the DfE must fund any teacher pay award from its existing budget, with no additional money being provided beyond spending review settlements
www.tes.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:23 PM
There will be no extra funding for next year's teacher pay award, the Treasury has confirmed. The DfE would have to fund any award from existing budgets.
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
"If nearly 40 per cent of the reviews of marking discover and correct a marking error, how many marking errors are there in the 97.1 per cent of marks that were not reviewed?"
Interesting take here from Dennis Sherwood on new Ofqual remarks data
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Interesting take here from Dennis Sherwood on new Ofqual remarks data
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
What Ofqual’s new exam data reveals about grading errors
New Ofqual data on the number of GCSE and A-level marks changed on review after the summer 2025 exams provides more clarity on the accuracy of marking, explains Dennis Sherwood
www.tes.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:19 PM
"If nearly 40 per cent of the reviews of marking discover and correct a marking error, how many marking errors are there in the 97.1 per cent of marks that were not reviewed?"
Interesting take here from Dennis Sherwood on new Ofqual remarks data
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Interesting take here from Dennis Sherwood on new Ofqual remarks data
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Does the funding formula need to shift away from per-pupil to enable schools to survive falling rolls? Policy experts say no, and trusts in favour of a few different options, finds @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Superb analysis here:
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Superb analysis here:
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Can per-pupil funding keep schools afloat as rolls plummet?
Demographic decline is squeezing school budgets and forcing political choices. Is it time to rethink the way schools are funded?
www.tes.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Does the funding formula need to shift away from per-pupil to enable schools to survive falling rolls? Policy experts say no, and trusts in favour of a few different options, finds @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Superb analysis here:
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Superb analysis here:
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Do you know why reading a screen and a physical piece of paper differs? Or why handwriting is processed differently to typing? Or how multiple-choice quizzes are poorer for memory than narrative answers?
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath explains all
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath explains all
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Pupil tech and memory: what schools should do next
Many schools have become reliant on tech to deliver lessons, but we need a more reflective approach if we are to avoid lost learning, says neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath in an exclusive extract f...
www.tes.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Do you know why reading a screen and a physical piece of paper differs? Or why handwriting is processed differently to typing? Or how multiple-choice quizzes are poorer for memory than narrative answers?
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath explains all
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath explains all
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
"My view is that England should have no more than 400 trusts and that we should try to achieve this by 2030"
Agree with him or not, this is very thought-provoking indeed from Mark McCourt - many in policy circles do agree, but tend to whisper it...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Agree with him or not, this is very thought-provoking indeed from Mark McCourt - many in policy circles do agree, but tend to whisper it...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Why England only needs 400 academy trusts
If we want a trust-led system that works for pupils, staff, communities and the taxpayer, we need to drastically reduce trust numbers, argues Mark McCourt
www.tes.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:05 AM
"My view is that England should have no more than 400 trusts and that we should try to achieve this by 2030"
Agree with him or not, this is very thought-provoking indeed from Mark McCourt - many in policy circles do agree, but tend to whisper it...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Agree with him or not, this is very thought-provoking indeed from Mark McCourt - many in policy circles do agree, but tend to whisper it...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Reposted by Jon Severs
A former schools minister has warned that a failure to ensure home-to-school transport policies cover breakfast clubs could mean the most in-need pupils miss out
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Warning over breakfast clubs transport ‘barrier’
Former schools minister asks DfE officials if home-to-school transport to breakfast clubs will be a legal entitlement
www.tes.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:55 PM
A former schools minister has warned that a failure to ensure home-to-school transport policies cover breakfast clubs could mean the most in-need pupils miss out
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
"The headteacher role is the most critical in education: on that we now seem largely agreed. But we’re failing to do the hard bit of creating a system that is geared to reflect that"
Today's Tes briefing: email.tes.com/cr/AQiOjhAQu...
Links to @vicgoddard.bsky.social @davemcpartlin.bsky.social
Today's Tes briefing: email.tes.com/cr/AQiOjhAQu...
Links to @vicgoddard.bsky.social @davemcpartlin.bsky.social
The reconstruction of the role of headteacher
email.tes.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"The headteacher role is the most critical in education: on that we now seem largely agreed. But we’re failing to do the hard bit of creating a system that is geared to reflect that"
Today's Tes briefing: email.tes.com/cr/AQiOjhAQu...
Links to @vicgoddard.bsky.social @davemcpartlin.bsky.social
Today's Tes briefing: email.tes.com/cr/AQiOjhAQu...
Links to @vicgoddard.bsky.social @davemcpartlin.bsky.social
A lovely positive piece (with caveats) from @samgibbs.bsky.social on teacher training targets
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Teacher recruitment is turning a corner - let’s accentuate the positives
Positive ITT data should be welcomed by the sector - and used to shape a narrative about why it’s a great profession to build on ‘fragile’ green shoots, says Sam Gibbs
www.tes.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:21 PM
A lovely positive piece (with caveats) from @samgibbs.bsky.social on teacher training targets
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
"The policy improves the home environment for some children, but it doesn’t remove the pressures schools experience every day," says @vicgoddard.bsky.social
Important analysis from @ellencph.bsky.social on the impact on schools of the two-child benefit cap removal
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Important analysis from @ellencph.bsky.social on the impact on schools of the two-child benefit cap removal
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Will lifting the two-child benefit cap really make a difference to schools?
The government’s announcement that it will remove the limit was welcomed by anti-poverty campaigners. But to what extent will it help schools? Ellen Peirson-Hagger finds out
www.tes.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:28 AM
"The policy improves the home environment for some children, but it doesn’t remove the pressures schools experience every day," says @vicgoddard.bsky.social
Important analysis from @ellencph.bsky.social on the impact on schools of the two-child benefit cap removal
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Important analysis from @ellencph.bsky.social on the impact on schools of the two-child benefit cap removal
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Is the flagship RISE school improvement initiative for ‘stuck schools’ at risk of running out of money without a significant new funding commitment?
"it’s pretty clear the funding assumptions were off," one CEO tells @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Exclusive analysis below
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
"it’s pretty clear the funding assumptions were off," one CEO tells @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Exclusive analysis below
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Revealed: how RISE money is being spent
Nearly £19 million has already been spent on the government’s school improvement plan - but there are concerns over where the rest will come from
www.tes.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Is the flagship RISE school improvement initiative for ‘stuck schools’ at risk of running out of money without a significant new funding commitment?
"it’s pretty clear the funding assumptions were off," one CEO tells @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Exclusive analysis below
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
"it’s pretty clear the funding assumptions were off," one CEO tells @jabedahmed.bsky.social
Exclusive analysis below
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Reposted by Jon Severs
Reading is not an easy skill to assess, says @alexjquigley.bsky.social, and so one type of test is unlikely to give the full picture
Why we need to rethink secondary reading assessment
Opportunities for teacher-led diagnostic assessments are being missed amid overreliance on reading ages and standardised reading tests, suggests Alex Quigley
www.tes.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reading is not an easy skill to assess, says @alexjquigley.bsky.social, and so one type of test is unlikely to give the full picture
Reposted by Jon Severs
Getting accountability right is a "key" area being looked at as part of the government’s planned SEND reforms, schools minister Georgia Gould has said
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Getting accountability right is ‘key’ to SEND reforms, says minister
Schools minister Georgia Gould was taking part in the first public online event in a series discussing the government’s planned SEND reforms
www.tes.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Getting accountability right is a "key" area being looked at as part of the government’s planned SEND reforms, schools minister Georgia Gould has said
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
The English school system is awash with attendance data, but is the government using it responsibly – and does it tell us as much as we hope it can?
@ellencph.bsky.social with an excellent deep dive analysis on attendance this morning - read below
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
@ellencph.bsky.social with an excellent deep dive analysis on attendance this morning - read below
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Why attendance data tells you less than you think
The government is focusing huge amounts of attention and funding on trying to solve the attendance crisis. But how sure are we that steps to tackle persistent absence will actually lead to a significa...
www.tes.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:46 AM
The English school system is awash with attendance data, but is the government using it responsibly – and does it tell us as much as we hope it can?
@ellencph.bsky.social with an excellent deep dive analysis on attendance this morning - read below
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
@ellencph.bsky.social with an excellent deep dive analysis on attendance this morning - read below
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
"In my interview for my second headship, a woman on the panel asked me how I thought I could be both a mother and a headmistress"
Searing honesty, challenging experiences, and beautiful reflections in this Julie Robinson How I Lead for December
www.tes.com/magazine/lea...
Searing honesty, challenging experiences, and beautiful reflections in this Julie Robinson How I Lead for December
www.tes.com/magazine/lea...
Julie Robinson: ‘Leaders have a responsibility to be positive’
In our How I Lead series, we ask education leaders to reflect on their careers, their experience and their leadership philosophy. This month we talk to Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools C...
www.tes.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:02 AM
"In my interview for my second headship, a woman on the panel asked me how I thought I could be both a mother and a headmistress"
Searing honesty, challenging experiences, and beautiful reflections in this Julie Robinson How I Lead for December
www.tes.com/magazine/lea...
Searing honesty, challenging experiences, and beautiful reflections in this Julie Robinson How I Lead for December
www.tes.com/magazine/lea...
Reposted by Jon Severs
The ever-present difficuly of the 'spend to save' paradox.
Superb analysis from @warrencarratt.bsky.social that tells schools leaders what they need to know about the fallout from the Budget regarding SEND.
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
The Budget was light on detail on plans for SEND, but presented critical questions for school leaders. Trust leader @warrencarratt.bsky.social looks to provide some answers
November 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The ever-present difficuly of the 'spend to save' paradox.
Superb analysis from @warrencarratt.bsky.social that tells schools leaders what they need to know about the fallout from the Budget regarding SEND.
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
The Budget was light on detail on plans for SEND, but presented critical questions for school leaders. Trust leader @warrencarratt.bsky.social looks to provide some answers
5 questions for school leaders on the Budget's implications for SEND
The Budget was light on detail on plans for SEND, but presented critical questions for school leaders. Trust leader and SEND expert Warren Carratt provides some answers
www.tes.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Superb analysis from @warrencarratt.bsky.social that tells schools leaders what they need to know about the fallout from the Budget regarding SEND.
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
"Reforms will all require, in the short term, more funding, not less, if we are to turn this system into one our country can be proud of"
Parent allegations against teachers have risen by a third in just one year, according to data shared exclusively with @tesmagazine.bsky.social
Story from @cerysturner.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Story from @cerysturner.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Parent allegations against teachers rise by a third
Research showing an increase in allegations highlights a ‘fraying of relationships’ between families and schools, warns parents’ charity
www.tes.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Parent allegations against teachers have risen by a third in just one year, according to data shared exclusively with @tesmagazine.bsky.social
Story from @cerysturner.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Story from @cerysturner.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
"To a certain extent, you could say you have a policy and attach it, and it could be blank document"
Big investigation into the LA safeguarding audits all schools have to complete - superb work from @ktorm-social1.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Big investigation into the LA safeguarding audits all schools have to complete - superb work from @ktorm-social1.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Warning over ‘unchecked’ safeguarding audits
Trust leaders tell Tes that the process of submitting safeguarding audits to councils is ‘like marking your own homework’, and putting unnecessary pressure on school staff
www.tes.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:27 AM
"To a certain extent, you could say you have a policy and attach it, and it could be blank document"
Big investigation into the LA safeguarding audits all schools have to complete - superb work from @ktorm-social1.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Big investigation into the LA safeguarding audits all schools have to complete - superb work from @ktorm-social1.bsky.social
www.tes.com/magazine/new...
Even more important to read this after today's budget: why the Send crisis is a financial/funding crisis, not a crisis of levels of need.
Are EHCPs driving the SEND crisis or a symptom of it? Is SEND demand in 2025 any larger than it was in 2010? Will scrapping EHCPs actually achieve anything productive?
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Are EHCPs really driving the SEND crisis?
Education, health and care plans have been blamed for an unsustainable rise in special educational needs in schools, but would scrapping or limiting these plans fix the problem?
www.tes.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Even more important to read this after today's budget: why the Send crisis is a financial/funding crisis, not a crisis of levels of need.
All you need to know about the implications of today's budget for schools
THREAD: SEND costs to hit central government budgets
The cost of SEND support will shift entirely onto central government from 2028, and the OBR warns the DfE has no plan for how to pay for it, according to the OBR's Economic and fiscal outlook, published in error.
The cost of SEND support will shift entirely onto central government from 2028, and the OBR warns the DfE has no plan for how to pay for it, according to the OBR's Economic and fiscal outlook, published in error.
November 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
All you need to know about the implications of today's budget for schools
Are EHCPs driving the SEND crisis or a symptom of it? Is SEND demand in 2025 any larger than it was in 2010? Will scrapping EHCPs actually achieve anything productive?
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Are EHCPs really driving the SEND crisis?
Education, health and care plans have been blamed for an unsustainable rise in special educational needs in schools, but would scrapping or limiting these plans fix the problem?
www.tes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Are EHCPs driving the SEND crisis or a symptom of it? Is SEND demand in 2025 any larger than it was in 2010? Will scrapping EHCPs actually achieve anything productive?
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from Margaret Mulholland
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...