Tes is dedicated to supporting the world’s teachers. Our mission is to enable great teaching by helping educators find the tools and technology they need to excel, supporting them throughout their career and professional development.

Tes

Editorial • To fully understand the English language, effing can be blinding

Stop, look and listen: a whisper in the ear for 2021

The right equation to boost motivation

7 reasons why teaching is still the best job there is

10 questions with… Colin Hughes, chief executive of AQA

No topic should be taboo in our schools • When state schools were established in the Victorian era, the curriculum was designed to avoid discussion of contentious topics – to keep the public in line, says Mick Waters. Now, 150 years later, teachers are still shackled by the curriculum – so let’s set them free to explore the full scope and intrigue of their subjects

Should teachers learn to love the F-bomb? • The use of swear words can provoke a visceral response and is usually considered a no-no in the classroom. But are we doing our students any favours by banning ‘bad’ language or should teachers’ approach to expletives be more nuanced? Henry Hepburn reports

The five categories of swearing

Scotland’s ‘fabulous’ approach to swearing

Tes focus on… Not being a dictator • Being a dictator-style leader is easier to slip into than you might think – and sometimes, in certain contexts, people may even look to you to adopt that style, finds Christina Quaine. She takes a nuanced look at ‘authoritative’ school leadership

How to make distributed leadership work

A behaviour surprise is a lesson well learned • As a new teacher, the experience of seeing a student waving around a dildo in class taught Stephen Lane about the importance of preparing for the unexpected

How I… used tech to transform my nurture groups • Before Covid-19, technology didn’t play a big role in the nurture provision at Katherine McGreal’s school. But lockdown forced it to invest in laptops – and giving vulnerable students access to a device has boosted their engagement and wellbeing

Can we trust the robots to teach children to read? • Artificial intelligence is muscling in on the reading tuition market, so how long is it until the process of teaching pupils to read is handed over to a machine? Simon Creasey finds that a wholesale takeover is unlikely, but a role for software is likely to be found

The use of AI to teach reading

How to ensure your data isn’t just a rabbit’s foot • Schools invest a lot of time and energy collecting information to establish which approaches work. But when such data is applied without due care, it’s about as useful for improving outcomes as crossing your fingers or wearing lucky pants, finds Jo Clemmet

Is there a case for psychometric testing in FE? • Aptitude assessments can help colleges to understand a student’s strengths and attributes, along with any additional support that they may need. But before introducing such tests, care must be taken to establish their integrity and any results should be viewed with caution, finds Carly Page

What to consider before introducing psychometric testing

What are psychometric tests?

Cryptic crossword and Quiz