by Richard Ige | May 9, 2026 | Belonging, Continued Professional Development, Disadvantaged Pupils, Early Intervention, SEND & Inclusion, Teaching & Learning
Nationally, we’ve seen an increased focus on inclusion. Whilst there may not be a consensus on how inclusive practice can be achieved (how this should be funded, or how it might be implemented), a discussion that’s centred on the experiences of our most vulnerable...
by Raj Blanchard | Mar 22, 2026 | Uncategorised
Early Teaching Career My career in education began over 25 years ago. Originally from the West Midlands, I moved to South-East London to teach at my first school in Camberwell. I still remember my Headteacher, Florence Olajide, and remain in contact with her to this...
by Yamina Bibi | Feb 22, 2026 | Attainment Gap, Continued Professional Development, Disadvantaged Pupils, Teaching & Learning
My story in teaching and education begins similar to so many teachers’ stories: I graduated at 22, completed my PGCE and then went straight into teaching English. Since then, it has been a pretty linear career pathway up until a year ago. I credit this to many of my...
by Diane Thompson | Feb 3, 2026 | Disadvantaged Pupils, Primary Education, SEND & Inclusion, Uncategorised
Leadership in education has never been about comfort for me. If it were, I would have turned around on day one of my first headship and quietly pretended I’d taken a wrong turn. That first school had a ten-year history of Requires Improvement. The trust was under a...
by Richard Ige | Jan 17, 2026 | Department for Education, high suspension rates, Permanent Exclusion, SEND & Inclusion, Suspension Rates, Uncategorised
What a start to the year it has been. My understanding of leadership has fundamentally changed. Stepping fully into my role as Founder and CEO, transitioning from senior leadership, has reinforced a simple but powerful truth: life is neither binary nor linear. We will...
by Richard Ige | Dec 20, 2025 | Disadvantaged Pupils, Early Intervention, Primary Education
If you had asked me this time last year where I thought I would be, I would have said I’d be a Deputy Headteacher, working within one school and continuing to play an integral role in providing pupils with the platform to fulfil their life aspirations. Instead, I now...
by Genevieve Bent | Dec 13, 2025 | Attainment Gap, Disadvantaged Pupils, Early Intervention, SEND & Inclusion
As 2025 comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on the year through the lens of attainment, opportunity and what it truly means to support every young person to thrive. National data continues to prompt important conversations about outcomes, but this year reminded me...
by Nana- Kofi Okyere | Nov 23, 2025 | Disadvantaged Pupils, high suspension rates, Permanent Exclusion, SEND & Inclusion
Partnership, co-production, teamwork, unity are all essential in supporting young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Without a collaborative approach, young people with SEN risk being failed. This partnership must be evident and consistent at all levels,...
by Kady Channer | Nov 8, 2025 | Department for Education, Early Intervention, high suspension rates, Permanent Exclusion, Primary Education, SEND & Inclusion
At PGS-Educators, we believe that early intervention can rewrite the story for pupils most at risk of exclusion. As the Primary Programme Director, I spend a lot of time listening to schools describe the same painful pattern. A child leaves Year 6 with potential,...
by Frances Akinde | Oct 25, 2025 | Attainment Gap, Early Intervention, SEND & Inclusion
The 5th Annual Aspiring Heads Summit 2025 in London brought together Black educators, global majority leaders, and allies for bold conversations and practical insight. As a former headteacher, local authority advisor and now SEND and Inclusion Consultant, I found the...
