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With now under a week to go until the General Election, I read with interest the outcome of the National Foundation for Educational Research’s recent Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey where they asked teachers and leaders which education issues were most important to them in the lead up to the election.

As we hit the home straight of this odd general election campaign, I wanted to outline one of the greatest fears I have for the education sector which no manifesto pledges seem to fully address.

Why is it that research carried out by SSAT reveals that only 1.6% of all schools and pre-16 educational provisions receive an inspection 5 Ofsted judgement comment that states “Pupil behaviour and conduct is problematic” when the DfE national behaviour survey stated that 73% teachers said “Pupil misbehaviour had had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing in the past week,” and “76% teachers and pupils reported that misbehaviour had interrupted their work in at least some lessons in the previous week.”

As an international student who has lived and studied in both the UK and Spain, I’m very interested in comparing the two education systems.

In March 2024, the NFER published its report into the Teacher Labour Market in England. The stark headlines are…

Special schools provide excellent outcomes for some of our most complex learners. They are led and staffed by colleagues who understand the needs of individual learners.

Whoever comes into power next month, there are a number of key priorities that need to be added to the in-tray of the new cabinet.

Two of my stand-out memories from primary school are learning about the general election and the Spanish Armada.

We know that the SEND figures are rising year on year. We know that we will have a legacy of poor mental health resulting from the pandemic for years to come. We know that most LA’s high-needs budgets are overspent. We know that specialist provision and specialist services are at breaking point.

As we approach the General Election, little has been said by either of the major parties about what will happen to qualifications if they are elected. This is despite the curriculum and qualifications framework having been in place for at least 10 years.