I led Huntington School from 2007 to 2021. During that time, school budgets were cut by 9% in real terms, the biggest reduction in 40 years. I wrote at length about how I managed the impact of the drop in…
This much I know about…the principles and parameters of curriculum design
“What should be taught to whom, and with what pedagogical object in mind? That master question is threefold: what, to whom, and how?” Jerome Bruner What gives teachers the authority to decide what our children should be taught? Why don’t…
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…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…
This much I know about…the NCE Level 7 Apprenticeship Masters in Education Leadership & Management
We know that students’ outcomes depend upon the quality of teaching which, in turn, depends upon the quality of school leadership. As we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic and find all our students struggling to counter the impact…
This much I know about…how senior leaders like me are often curriculum chocolate teapots
A question was bugging me: “How on earth can senior leaders support subject leaders with developing the curriculum in subjects beyond the senior leaders’ own subject specialisms?” Consequently, a few months ago I published this tweet: The response to the…
This much I know about…headteachers as guardians of a set of values
I am off to fresh woods and pastures new. I am in my eighteenth and final year as a secondary school headteacher. In September, for the first time in over three decades, I will not be a member of school…
This much I know about…why I love reffing at lunchtime!
I am off to fresh woods and pastures new. I am in my eighteenth and final year as a secondary school headteacher. In September, for the first time in over three decades, I will not be a member of school…
This much I know about…doing unnecessary/pointless “stuff”
I am off to fresh woods and pastures new. I am in my eighteenth and final year as a secondary school headteacher. In September, for the first time in over three decades, I will not be a member of school…