Working with Teaching Assistants Effectively (Not Just Supervising Them)
The Education Endowment Foundation's research is clear: the Velcro model of parking a TA beside the same pupil, lesson after lesson, tends to hold that pupil back rather than…
THE INSPIRE HUB · TOPIC COLLECTION
Ofsted & Inspection
Perspectives on school improvement, leadership and inspection, gathered in one place.
Explore the articlesYOUR NEXT READ
Articles to explore
1–12 of 17 articles
Staff Wellbeing: What Actually Moves the Needle (Beyond a Wellbeing Day)
The DfE's Education Staff Wellbeing Charter and this year's Teacher Wellbeing Index tell two different stories, one of formal commitments, one of workload still driving staff to breaking point.…
Marking and Feedback That Actually Helps Pupils Improve (Not Just Your Workload)
Deep and triple marking became standard practice in many schools despite a thin evidence base, driving teacher workload to breaking point for little pupil benefit. This piece unpacks what…
School Marketing and Admissions: Filling Places Honestly
With primary rolls falling across much of England, schools are under real pressure to fill places. This piece looks at what the statutory Admissions Code actually permits, and what…
Teacher Retention: Why Good Staff Actually Leave (and What Keeps Them)
The national data on why teachers leave rarely matches the staffroom rumour mill. Here's what actually predicts departure, why leaving the school and leaving the profession need different fixes,…
What Does the Designated Safeguarding Lead Actually Do? A Guide for Staff
Every school has a designated safeguarding lead, but plenty of staff aren't quite sure what they actually do once a concern lands on their desk. This guide walks through…
Differentiation That Doesn’t Mean Three Versions of Every Worksheet
Differentiation used to mean three worksheets and a lower ceiling for the low table. This piece unpacks the real DfE/EEF/Ofsted shift to adaptive teaching, the evidence that fixed grouping…
SEN Funding: Understanding High-Needs Funding and EHCP Costs at School Level
SEN funding is one of the most misunderstood parts of a school budget, moving through three separate layers before a penny reaches an EHCP placement. This guide walks headteachers…
Preparing for an Ofsted Lesson Observation Without Performing
Ofsted's current School Inspection Toolkit is blunt: individual lessons and teachers aren't graded. Here's what that means in practice, why a performance lesson usually backfires, and what actually helps…
Assessment for Learning: Quick Checks That Actually Tell You Who’s Got It
Hands up only tells you who's confident, not who's understood. Here's how hinge questions, mini-whiteboards, exit tickets and cold-calling give you a true read on the whole class, and…
Classroom Management Strategies That Actually Work
What actually holds a classroom together isn't personality, it's technique. From day-one routines and seating plans to praise that works and restorative conversations after an incident, here's what the…
How to Plan a Lesson: A Framework for Busy Teachers
Most lesson-planning advice starts with activities. This framework starts with what pupils actually need to learn, builds in real checks for understanding and differentiation, and gives you a one-page…
