Wednesday 26 February 2025
09:35 - 10:15
Laura McInerney is an education journalist, former teacher, and co-founder of Teacher Tapp, the daily app uncovering teachers’ secret lives. She started her career teaching for six years in east London comprehensives before being taken to court by Michael Gove for asking a difficult question about free schools. (She eventually won). Following this, Laura became a journalist, writing a monthly column in The Guardian and editing Schools Week, where her team won national awards for their hard-hitting scoops.
She is now the co-founder of Teacher Tapp, a daily survey app of 10,500 teachers, which reveals previously unknown insights about teachers’ lives. For example, it recently found that teachers working in Outstanding schools more often go to the pub together on a Friday (though causation is not yet proven!)
Laura has authored several books, including Leading Academy Trusts with Sir David Carter, and The Juggling Act with Professor Toby Salt. Known for being blunt, Laura is also known for being fair and an equal critic of politicians on either side of the spectrum. She is also a mastermind on past education secretaries – having maintained a database since 2013 detailing the particulars of each one.