October 2011

The know zone

• From barred to worse
  Why don’t legislators pay more attention to the facts when they attempt to adjust the law on exclusions, wonders Richard Bird. More
• Lead vocals
  Quotes from Pericles the Olympian, John W Gardner, Sam Ewing, Joan Wallach Scott and Florence Nightingale More
• Life lessons
  Keith Sudbury spent 31 years in education, the last ten as head of two schools in Nottinghamshire that he successfully led out of special measures. His retirement plans were overtaken by a tragic family illness, however, and he’s back in schools again to inform teenagers about blood, stem cell and organ donation with the support of the Anthony Nolan charity. More
• A safety .net
  Trainee teachers and NQTs are the focus of the latest set of resources from award-winning charity Childnet. More
• Adding value
  On the piste? Check the smallprint... More
• Concerns over 'free' status
  Is the government right to pursue its policy of free schools? Many in education have expressed scepticism but are there contexts in which free schools are beneficial? Leaders share their views. More
• Nomograms: they're not what you think...
  Think spreadsheets are tricky? Bamboozled by equations? Sam Ellis has an old-fa shioned technique for calculating pupil-teacher ratios which just might help. More
• Focussing on new benefits
  Social mobility needs to focus on more than getting disadvantaged students into university. Changes to curriculum and qualifications need to help tackle the problem and should draw on the experience of school and college leaders first and foremost, says Brian Lightman. More
• Deal or no deal?
  The nerd? The idler? The incessant sniffer? Find out who’s coming with this game of student teacher top trumps. More