Irena Barker

Writer and editor

United Kingdom

Hello and thank you for taking the time to visit my portfolio.

I am a journalist with more than 20 years' experience in news and features journalism, specialising in producing and editing compelling content for online and print.

I have long-standing expertise in UK and international education and am the founding editor of the leading schools website schoolmanagementplus.com.

My writing speciality is profile interviews of leading professionals in education, design and the arts.

"Her prose is often marked by a subtle sense of empathy, making her writing resonate with readers who appreciate a reflective and nuanced approach to storytelling." -ChatGPT

Please ask about my experience writing and editing commercial content and case studies.

Please contact me by email using the button below - I will answer it.

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Portfolio

Latest

Tes Magazine
03/22/2024
Could a four-day week work in schools?

As more schools in the US move to four-day weeks in a bid to save money and boost recruitment and retention, Irena Barker looks at how the model is working - and whether it could make sense in the UK

Tes Magazine
01/20/2023
Should food-based resources be banned in EYFS and primary?

"Don't play with your food." It's a phrase we all remember from our own childhoods, bringing back memories of building mashed potato mountains to hide the cabbage we didn't want to eat. But as the recession bites and food bank use booms, the phrase has recently taken on new significance, as we all learn that food is a more precious resource than ever.

Tes Magazine
Why are safeguarding referrals resulting in 'no action'?

"You go home over the weekend, and you think about all these things, and you feel sick to the stomach." Many school leaders and teachers will recognise education leader Michael Merrick's description of the churning anxiety caused by knowing a pupil in your care could be in an unsafe, neglectful or dangerous situation outside of the school gates.

Tes Magazine
Could paying students boost their GCSE grades?

Much research has been carried out into whether offering cash and other incentives makes teachers more effective, and the results have been mixed. But what about pupils? Could offering them rewards if they work harder at school actually raise their GCSE grades?

Tes Magazine
Would more teacher freedom keep you in the job?

Teenagers need it, toddlers love it and many workers feel stifled if they don't get enough of it. Autonomy, loosely defined as the freedom to direct one's own course, is generally regarded as a good thing, both in life and in the workplace.

the Guardian
08/21/2019
Knife crime: using the power of drill music to tackle gang culture

Like the rap duo Krept and Konan, Jinx Prowse, who runs the Music Fusion youth project in Hampshire, believes a police clampdown on drill music is not the answer to knife crime. "Gangs and their culture exist first. This then informs the music.

Tes Magazine
04/17/2023
How to tackle maths anxiety in your class

The vague churning in the bowels, the horror of impending humiliation, the strong desire to sink into a hole in the floor. These are all familiar sensations for those who suffer from maths anxiety. And, oddly, breaking out in a cold sweat over algebra or arithmetic is regarded as culturally normal - in Britain at least.

Tes
Can we trust the results of high-stakes tests?

When teachers and schools are under intense pressure to get results, how can we know if a jump in attainment represents a real leap in learning? Daniel Koretz warns Irena Barker that the more we tie assessments to accountability, the less reliable they become

News

Comment

Features

Tes
Do classroom renovations boost pupils' learning?

The Prince of Wales School, a primary in Dorchester, Dorset, is not housed in an enormous warehouse. Neither does it have a huge car park outside. And there is definitely no deli counter. But, according to headteacher Gary Spracklen, the school's recent classroom renovations, embarked upon to boost learning, were partly inspired by supermarket giant Tesco.

Mas & Pas
01/10/2019
10 stress-free ways to get kids helping around the house - Mas & Pas

139 views Irena Barker Your little ones are too busy having fun to notice the mess. You're tired out from cleaning and tidying, but it's more than possible to get kids helping around the house, and enjoying it. Underpants on the light fittings, smelly socks under the sofa cushions, splashes of wee on the toilet seat.

the Guardian
02/21/2015
Steamy secrets of my grandparents' private letters

After Chris and Bessie's deaths, Irena Barker's family opened a box of 500 love letters written while the second world war kept them apart. The couple held little back as they expressed their longing

TES
01/05/2013
Teachers in transition

Coming out as transgender is daunting for teachers, and can have tragic results. We look at what schools can do to help Pic: Nick Youngson http://www.nyphotographic.com/

Elgazette
12/01/2017
A radical rethink | ELgazette

School profile: One school at the sharp end of European immigration to the UK tells Irena Barker how it is supporting its many English language learners

TES magazine/online
01/08/2013
The French connection

In these risk-averse times the traditional school foreign exchange trip is under threat

Print and Online Editing

Independent School Management Plus
2024
Independent School Management Plus

Founding digital editor of the leading platform for news, opinion and resources for independent & international school professionals worldwide.

Copy Writing/Content

Creative Writing

Personal creative work
12/16/2024
Other writing

Poems and observations