Author Archives
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Why Sex Education Matters to “Nervous” Young People
With schools taking a vacation from the National Curriculum and a renewed focus on traditional ‘academic’ subjects, many schools have already laughed subjects like Sex Education off their teaching roster. “Teaching about condoms?” they say, “Ha! How quaint. These days… Read More ›
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On Not Ignoring Ofsted
This month my column in the Guardian Education looks at Ofsted and the problem of being a teacher trying to meet standards when they seem to be constantly shifting. Writing about Ofsted when you’ve never been a headteacher is a… Read More ›
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Debunking ConservativeHome on Unqualified Teachers
Spending time debunking guff written about unqualified teachers could be a full-time job, so I usually don’t bother. But this piece from Conservative Home on Twigg’s announcement today tested my limits. So here is my take on it: What they… Read More ›
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Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?
Just read the marvellous 2011 essay from Mark Edmundson “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?” about the purpose of education, especially a degree. There are many wonderful parts, in particular this on why we should read a… Read More ›
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Top 5 Myths About TeachFirst
People inevitably differ on opinions about TeachFirst, the training route for “high-achieving graduates”. We can debate those opinions all day and I’m happy to do so. But too often those debates are hampered by ideas about TeachFirst which simply aren’t… Read More ›
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#Blogsync: How would I improve the status of the teaching profession?
Teachers don’t need their status raised in the eyes of the public. Telling people that you’re a teacher, especially one who works in a secondary school, generally garners immediate respect. People will tell you that you’re brave, and how they… Read More ›
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Gove’s Visits to Schools
A recent Freedom of Information request asked for the % visits Gove has done to local authority controlled schools versus academy and free schools. When the department finally answered (a long time after the first request), ,the answer was not… Read More ›
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The Black Sheep of Ofsted Hope
Having listened to @oldandrewuk‘s extensive evidence about Ofsted I am happy to accept that Ofsted has a problem with teacher talk. However, I also have a story that has always heartened me in the face of people arguing that… Read More ›
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“You get what you Gove”
New teachers quickly learn that demanding behaviour from students that you’re not willing to demonstrate yourself is entirely pointless. Calmness, courage, patience, thoughtfulness – you want them? Model them. Over, and over, and over.* Gove is often a pro at… Read More ›
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The @redorgreenpen Problem
If you haven’t been reading @redorgreenpen‘s penetrating “7 kids in 7 days” blog, then you’ve missed out. By describing in searching detail the behaviours of seven students, anonymous blogger redorgreenpen gives the most authentic descriptions of challenging students’ lives I have read… Read More ›
