David and Goliath
‘So’ – Laura says – ‘I lost’. A mix of sympathy, disappointment, frustration hit me all at once. The education tweeters among you might have guessed that I am talking about a recent David and Goliath...
View Article‘A world class’ teacher in every classroom?
Two weeks into a new term and by now teachers are back in the familiar routines of school life: early starts, emotional undulations, reality TV programmes to dramatise their daily conversations. This...
View ArticleLessons from Ofsted
Groundhog Day again. I am heading off to a conference centre tucked away in the light-starved basement of a city centre hotel. My job? To chair another conference for headteachers about Ofsted...
View ArticleLeadership crisis? Politicians might learn from school leaders
Half-term can be a time for reflecting and agonising. Some school leaders review assemblies to see if their ‘topline message’ is getting through. Some consider whether the dynamics of the team are...
View ArticleA black belt in teaching
My friend just got his black belt. While he’d love it to be of the Karate Kid variety, it is actually because of his ninja skills in the world of ‘process improvement’ – in short, he is an expert at...
View ArticleLondon elite? New mayor could make London schools world class
Apologies. This is a piece about London and its schools. With Tessa Jowell announcing she wants to replace Boris Johnson and other Labour contenders circling, there is an opportunity to discuss the...
View ArticleEducation: May the force be with us all
It has been a good week for talking points. First, the new Star Wars teaser was released. Second, talk of social mobility has been doing the rounds, spurred on by calls for manifesto commitments on...
View ArticleMoving targets
Reform Time this week comes with a health warning. We are getting statistical and this week’s column is the nasty cough mixture – awful in the taking but ultimately good for you. Here is the bombshell....
View ArticleReforming Ofsted
As I sit here, trawling through our curriculum to check if we are ticking all of the ‘British values’ boxes, it has never been clearer to me that Ofsted needs reform. Teachers, school leaders and...
View ArticleBuilding schools for the future … and the past
After an education-free election, schools are back. Nicky Morgan wants to do more about ‘coasting’ schools, all the Labour leadership contenders are talking about aspiration, and Liz Kendall has...
View ArticleAlmost ‘dead cat on the table’ territory
The secretary of state has published her new draft education bill. As Tristram Hunt pulls together the team of MPs who will be working on it, it is essential that we provide a smart opposition to this...
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