Huh? is my usual response when I enter a Year 6 grammar class! But little did I know when I began working with the indefatigable Mary Myatt that Huh would prove to be the perfect title for our current curriculum…
This much I know about…sticking stuff in exercise books
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,…