Tes magazine

Why schools and trusts should ‘grow their own’ teachers Developing support staff to step into teaching roles is an effective recruitment solution, writes Sam Gibbs, but the challenge lies in creating the right pathways to let talent grow and flourish

Is your trust having difficulty recruiting teachers? One answer lies in ‘growing your own’, says MAT development lead @samgibbs.bsky.social – and this is how to do it

War in the Middle East: Schools pull together in adversity The chair of British Schools in the Middle East reflects on how, with the conflict causing huge uncertainty, the international schools community in the region - and beyond - has rallied together

‘Through this conflict, I’m so proud to have seen collaboration and support rise to the top’: the chair of British Schools in the Middle East says international schools in the region have rallied together amid the huge uncertainty caused by war

DfE estimates of schools’ costs ‘disingenuous’ Leaders say the government’s claim that schools can afford teacher pay rises ignores their growing costs, including the prospect of energy price hikes due to the Middle East conflict

The cost pressures facing schools - which could now include energy price hikes due to conflict in the Middle East - make DfE claims about 'financial headroom' completely wrong, leaders warn.

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Why schools should stop pushing reading for pleasure Reading for pleasure has become central to school literacy strategies, but there are increasing calls to ditch it, with research suggesting it has done little to turn pupils into avid readers

A few months back, I started looking in detail at the responsibility on schools to focus on reading for pleasure.

Despite a decade of it being pushed in schools more and more, young people are reading for pleasure less and less.

What is going on?

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Schools must create their culture, not inherit it A deputy CEO explains how you can set about changing the culture in a struggling school to one that helps it thrive

A trust leader explains how a deliberate focus on a school’s culture can create the foundations for sustained improvement

Voting at 16: why students should practise what we teach The plan to lower the voting age makes sense because our current system denies students who are learning about democracy the chance to participate in it, says this teacher

Lowering the voting age to 16 makes sense, writes teacher Simon Lightman, because it will give students the chance to participate in democracy at the time when they’re learning about it in school

Why schools should stop pushing reading for pleasure Reading for pleasure has become central to school literacy strategies, but there are increasing calls to ditch it, with research suggesting it has done little to turn pupils into avid readers

Should schools stop focusing on reading for pleasure? The widely held belief that the strategy improves attainment has been called into question by research, finds @jonsevers.bsky.social

Cambridge extends coursework deadline over Middle East war Conflict in the Middle East causes another international provider of assessments to shift its submission dates because of disruption to students’ learning

Cambridge International has announced an extension for coursework submissions due to the conflict in the Middle East

Allegations of cheating in primary tests continue to rise Number of investigations into ‘maladministration’ reaches highest level since Covid, despite the Reception baseline assessment no longer being monitored

The number of allegations of cheating in primary assessments, including KS2 Sats, has risen for the fourth year in a row

Female leadership: 7 questions – and honest answers Female leaders reflect on lessons they have learned in their careers, to help inspire others considering taking the step up to leadership

Women from across the education sector answer career questions – from what they would say to their younger self to how to manage imposter syndrome

Tes Wellbeing Report: Teachers warn of SEND and workload pressures Tes’ Teacher Wellbeing Report 2026 also reveals what teachers really think about pupil behaviour, career progression, flexible-working opportunities and more

@tesglobal.bsky.social 2026 Wellbeing Report reveals over 70% of teachers now find their workload “unmanageable,” up 10% since 2024. Workload remains the leading cause of work‑related stress and the top reason teachers cited for wanting to leaving the profession.

DfE estimates of schools' costs 'disingenuous' Leaders say the government's claim that schools can afford teacher pay rises ignores their growing costs, including the prospect of energy price hikes due to the Middle East conflict

Excl: DfE said last week that mainstream schools will have enough “financial headroom” equivalent to £1bn over next two years.

However, analysis suggests schools could face a funding shortfall once pay awards and non-pay cost pressures are factored in.

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Social media ban for under-16s rejected by MPs Defeated amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was supported by the House of Lords and teaching unions

A proposal to ban under-16s from using social media, supported by the House of Lords, has been rejected by MPs in a vote on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

DfE estimates of schools’ costs ‘disingenuous’ Leaders say the government’s claim that schools can afford teacher pay rises ignores their growing costs, including the prospect of energy price hikes due to the Middle East conflict

Exclusive: The DfE’s projections of schools’ costs, which it says show that schools can afford teacher pay rises over the next two years, are ‘entirely misguided', leaders warn

What if... setting by ability was banned in schools? As part of our thought experiment series, David Hatchett argues that banning setting in schools would greatly enhance outcomes for students and the skillsets of teachers

"Arguably, setting only really benefits the teacher. It’s uncomfortable to say that out loud, but we should be prepared to think about it honestly."

A very interesting 'What If' for March from David Hatchett...

www.tes.com/magazine/lea...

Pleased to (briefly!) appear on today’s @goodmorningbritain.bsky.social to highlight the staffing and resource challenges behind these pressures.

Why Uta Frith is wrong about girls and autism Don’t dismiss the female presentation in the rethinking of the autistic spectrum, argues Dr Sue Franklin

@tesmagazine.bsky.social Our recent interview with professor Uta Frith on autism has generated a lot of discussion.

Dr Sue Franklin has written a response arguing what she thinks Frith got wrong - but also where her challenge to the status quo was welcome.
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Tes Wellbeing Report: Teachers warn of SEND and workload pressures Tes’ Teacher Wellbeing Report 2026 also reveals what teachers really think about pupil behaviour, career progression, flexible-working opportunities and more

Half of school staff experience major challenges supporting students who have special educational needs and disabilities, according to the Tes Teacher Wellbeing Report 2026. Full story here: www.tes.com/magazine/new...

How many international schools are led by women? Is the dominance of white men in international school leadership waning? Tes gathers data from more than a dozen organisations to investigate the gender gap – and looks at why, despite positive signs, there is still more work to do

Is the gender gap in international school leadership narrowing? @emmaseith.bsky.social investigates

What if... setting by ability was banned in schools? As part of our thought experiment series, David Hatchett argues that banning setting in schools would greatly enhance outcomes for students and the skillsets of teachers

Imagine if setting was outlawed in schools: MAT leader David Hatchett argues that this would improve both students' outcomes and teachers' skills

Why Uta Frith is wrong about girls and autism Don’t dismiss the female presentation in the rethinking of the autistic spectrum, argues Dr Sue Franklin

While Dr Sue Franklin welcomes the challenge to the concept of an autism spectrum by Professor Uta Frith in a recent Tes interview, she argues that the model Frith uses is wrong and that her ideas could be harmful for autistic girls

Tes Wellbeing Report: Teachers warn of SEND and workload pressures Tes’ Teacher Wellbeing Report 2026 also reveals what teachers really think about pupil behaviour, career progression, flexible-working opportunities and more

Exclusive: Nearly three-quarters of teachers think their workload is ‘unmanageable’, according to the @tesglobal.bsky.social Teacher Wellbeing Report 2026, which also reveals the pressures staff are facing on SEND

IB extends coursework deadline due to Middle East conflict International Baccalaureate says it is seeking to 'minimise disruption' for schools affected by war in the Middle East - but it is unclear if the deadline change only applies to schools in that region

International Baccalaureate says it has extended its coursework deadline because of the conflict in the Middle East – although it is not clear if this new April deadline applies to all schools internationally

What a South Korean mayor’s visit to UK private schools reveals Demand for international schools is changing how countries are enticing schools to their shores, with British private brands well placed to benefit

International-school expansion is no longer driven solely by schools seeking markets; increasingly, markets are seeking schools, writes Tony Atkinson

On-screen exams could widen disadvantage gap, EEF warns Education Endowment Foundation says the introduction of digital assessment must not have a ‘detrimental impact’ on disadvantaged students, in its response to Ofqual consultation

Responding to Ofqual’s digital exams consultation, the EEF says no rollout should take place until the impact on disadvantaged students is known. EEF fears attainment gaps could widen. @tesmagazine.bsky.social

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Why we stopped posting pupils’ faces in photos A leader explains how his school audited its approach to marketing materials in response to emerging safeguarding concerns

Safeguarding pupils online: one leader explains why his school is no longer posting pictures showing students' faces

How a small change to the English curriculum could cut teacher workload Tweaking the requirement for GCSE students to read a 19th-century novel could add diversity while maintaining rigour and reducing teacher workload, argues Robert Eaglestone

Changing the requirement for GCSE students to read a 19th-century novel could help to add diversity to the curriculum in English, argues @bobeaglestone.bsky.social

Primary libraries pledge includes converted cloakrooms and corridors Treasury has committed to ensuring that every primary school has a library by 2029, but these facilities could include former ‘storage spaces’, Tes can reveal

The government’s plan to make sure every primary school has a library by 2029 includes converting cloakrooms and corridors

Average school needs no extra teachers until 2029, says DfE Government says falling rolls will require fewer teachers - but this would maintain larger class sizes and ignore regional differences, say experts

The average school will not need to grow its teaching workforce for at least two years, according to DfE predictions

Social media must be banned until 16 to tackle in-school misogyny Education cannot outpace algorithms, which is why the government must be bold and take action against social media – something teachers nationwide would welcome, says NEU chief Daniel Kebede

Teachers are ‘reporting a rise in misogynistic language, attitudes and behaviour among pupils - and they are clear about where much of it is coming from’: @danielkebedeneu.bsky.social writes in support of a ban on social media for under-16s