Since the focus of the OFSTED inspection framework changed in England in c.2018, schools have spent a great deal of time thinking about the content they want pupils to learn and the sequence in which that content should be taught. They have spent less time thinking about how that…
Next week I will lay my hands on the first copies of my two latest books, about truly great teachers. I am unbearably excited! Like a six year-old on Christmas Eve… The genesis of the books lies in a disagreement I had with Professor Rob Coe at last September’s…
I stepped down from headship in July 2021, nearly four years ago. In my role as an educational consultant, my currency has inevitably and inexorably waned since then. And yet, I have become better at some things than when I was a headteacher. I would argue that I now watch…
I taught every year for 33 years, 18 of those years as headteacher of large state secondary schools. So what? Well, on Thursday Claire Stoneman’s tweet made me reflect upon what I do now, as an educational consultant, since I stepped down from headship. One thing I learned whilst…
Our dad died 40 years ago today. All my family were there the night before he passed away except me. I returned to university in the January. I don’t know why I did that now. It's something I still regret. The night he died, family myth has…
Once you notice sports commentators’ insistence that this game, or that moment is “massive” or “huge” for the team/player involved, you cannot stop noticing it. Their assertions become comic. “That was a massive putt to make for McIlroy.” “This is a huge moment for Liverpool in the title race.…
“Pedagogy trumps curriculum (content).” So said Dylan Wiliam in his seminal text, Principled Curriculum Design. It is an important point. Whether a pupil learns what they are taught depends largely on the teacher’s ability to create the conditions in the classroom where pupils pay attention, think hard about what…
I love January. The whole year is ready to unfurl before us. Almost imperceptibly, the days are getting longer. The daffodils have appeared in the florists. And while the weather is cold, there are odd moments on a bright day when you can enjoy apricity – the warmth of the sun…