Category Archives: Uncategorized

I have a new job. And I’m not sure I’m ready. I’ve known this first day has been on the horizon for weeks but now it’s here I’m not entirely sure I’m ready. Tomorrow, I start a new job, after seven years in the same role. Tomorrow, I start as the parent of a secondaryContinue reading “No More Plimsolls”

In the same way it brings ice creams, day trips and, “phew what a scorcher” headlines, summer inevitably brings the age old debate about classroom display. Should one have a corporate approach to classroom décor; or a spartan mindset; or a room so highly decorated it is like the lovechild of Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen andContinue reading “Rightmove and the wrong sideboard. The classroom display debate”

There is a something deeply unsatisfying about a microwave meal. Yes, some may be nutritionally balanced; some may be a suitable option for those who are time pressed or lacking in the tools or know-how to create the dish themselves but no one, absolutely no one is ever likely to say: “I should like toContinue reading “A Popty-Ping Curriculum”

In two training sessions I’ve led this week, (ironically both using PowerPoint), I’ve momentarily had somewhat of an unscheduled rant about PowerPoint. I began teaching in 1998 when the only person to have a computer was the headteacher and the only board available was a chalk board or maybe (if you were lucky) a whiteboardContinue reading “Flight Attendant Teaching – The trouble with PowerPoint”

I’ve worked with early career teachers for decades now. I’ve worked as a mentor, an induction tutor, a trust NQT and RQT lead, an ECF facilitator and will be delivering keynotes for our local ECF provider next year as part of our region’s offer. But one of my favourite elements is working with our SCITTContinue reading “Getting off on the right foot”

Curriculum Triage In the world of the medic, the process of triage is well understood. It involves performing a rapid assessment of a patient, swiftly identifying the presenting problem alongside a basic history and ascertaining the patient’s current physical and psychological condition. It is worth noting at this stage that during the triage process itContinue reading “Curriculum Triage”

I love education research. It’s my job and I also spend a lot of my spare time immersed in it. Let’s get that straight from the get go.  I love education research. But there’s a problem with the current fixation on education research. Yes, it is important to engage with it to avoid edu-myths, folkloreContinue reading “The problem with seductive research”

There are over 24000 schools in the UK. That’s an awful lot of schools. Some are huge organisations serving thousands of children; some are tiny schools of barely more than a dozen pupils. Some are selective, teaching only those children who have already demonstrated a certain level of achievement, some are specialist settings serving childrenContinue reading “The need for nuance – a bit of a wrench”

The Interconnected Curriculum – the difference between bricks and mortar Individual subject teaching, or subject specificity is currently very much the topic du jour. The EIF, despite its associated protestations to the contrary, is very much an advocate of single subject teaching and the recently published subject reports make very little or no reference inContinue reading “The interconnected curriculum – The difference between bricks and mortar”

The problem with curriculum implementation – the Forth bridge and gluesticks Curriculum Bridges For the last few years, conversations around curriculum design have dominated all phases of the sector. No one would ever argue that a high quality curriculum is a not a key driver in raising achievement or that it isn’t a core partContinue reading “Curriculum – the Forth Bridge and Gluesticks”