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…how to get better at using mini-whiteboards in your classroom
I like the notion of simplexity: making it is as simple as possible to complete a complex task. Teaching a class of 32 students on a wet, windy Thursday afternoon in November is incredibly complex; there are, however, a number…
This much I know about…when an A grade at A Level is not enough to teach for understanding
‘What stuff do you want your students to know, understand and be able to do if you have taught them a rich, challenging subject curriculum?’ This question is at the root of all our conversations in our new book Huh….
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…my old hobby-horse (all SLT should teach!)
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…Huh: curriculum conversations between subject & senior leaders
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…how to develop the school curriculum and take everyone with you…(long read)
This is my fourth and final post on curriculum development. Here I propose a way of developing the curriculum which takes everyone with you, is user-friendly, is based upon sound principles, is academically aspirational and is focused upon developing teachers’…