The triangulation of speaking to colleagues, being in lessons and looking at students’ work is crucial to appreciating the quality of the curriculum. When looking in books recently, I have seen two things which have made me think. Firstly, the…
This much I know about…Huh and the power of curriculum conversations
“Through conversation…we may whet and sharpen our wits by rubbing them against those of others.” Michel de Montaigne [1] Huh is the Egyptian god of endlessness, creativity, fertility and regeneration. He is the deity Mary Myatt and I have adopted…
This much I know about…why the quality of time spent in classrooms matters, not the duration!
There is a lot of publicity about the DfE’s declaration that schools must be open for 32.5 hours a week. Accepting that most schools are already open for longer than 32.5 hours a week, what the DfE need to realise…
This much I know about…Primary curriculum design and the “Huh” project
Collaborating with Mary Myatt on our Huh project has been a blast! Our new book, Primary Huh, was signed off this week. It is a moment of unadulterated relief when the copy editor says we’re finished and we can send…
This much I know about…Hannah Lowe’s “The Kids” and the sonnet form
I have written about sonnets many times; Hannah Lowe’s “The Kids” is a striking volume written entirely in that particular poetic form. “The Art of Teaching II” will resonate with every teacher in the land. You can read it here….
This much I know about…the time I was closest to my dad
Some 37 years to the day since he died, this much I know about the time I was closest to my dad. I was closest to my dad for two days in the summer of 1978 when I was just…
This much I know about…three very personal reasons why I think Boris Johnson has to go
I need to get this out of my system. My mother died of Covid-19 on 18 April 2020, in a care home 260 miles away, alone. I said my final goodbye to her via mobile ‘phone as I was not…
This much I know about…how ignorant I have been about the Primary curriculum!
Since Mary Myatt and I began the HUH project just under a year ago, I have felt increasingly ignorant. I have come to realise that for the duration of my two secondary headships – a full 18 years – I…
This much I know about… Seven starting points for curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders
What follows is an introduction to my Curriculum Masterclass on 6 January, part of Tom Sherrington’s Curriculum Masterclass series. You can book a ticket for the live event and/or access to the videos, here. As part of our HUH project,…
This much I know about…why the L7 Masters combined with Apprenticeship is a qualification of unique genius
My two favourite leadership gurus are Viviane Robinson and W. Edwards Deming. I use them in the same slide deck on the science of change. On this slide, the industrialist who was central to the emergence of Total Quality Management…