Liz Truss, nurseries, hothouses and economics

Liz Truss. Let’s cut to the chase. She’s a neo-liberal economist who now has responsibility for education and childcare in this neo-conservative government because of her far-right Friedmanite Chicago School beliefs in the power of the free market to remedy … Continue reading →

Gove’s Extended Hours for Learning

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There’s been a period of relative quiet from the Secretary of State for Education since he was forced to back down on plans for a single examination board for each GCSE subject, and since he “decided” to maintain GCSEs, against … Continue reading →

Thatcher’s Legacy for Learning

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In the Guardian this week, the headline piece in the Education Section was written by Peter Wilby under the heading, “This Lady’s Not for Learning”. Good title and an interesting piece too but there’s one key point of contention, regarding … Continue reading →

National Curriculum Response

STOP PRESS: National Curriculum Consultation – 24 hours left Once more we encourage readers to submit their responses to the National Curriculum Consultation. Our own response is somewhat lengthy – the longest response is to the first question but we … Continue reading →

Tests, Lies and High Stakes . . . (Sorting Sheep from Goats)

Reading an article on Michael Rosen’s blog this morning started me thinking about my own schooldays, and how in many ways today’s intellectual climate and mainstream ideas about education, schools and testing haven’t really moved on in this country since … Continue reading →

The Wellbeing of our Young People

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Ask most parents what they want for their children and the response is “to be happy”. Ask the same parents what “being happy” actually entails and you may get a vast array of responses. What we can all agree on, … Continue reading →

Education and the Real Enemies of Promise

Recently we commented on an important letter signed by over 100 academics which was published in The Independent newspaper. Amongst other things the letter said, “We are writing to warn of the dangers posed by Michael Gove’s new National Curriculum … Continue reading →

Custodians of a Reading Tradition

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How many of us love a good read? When teaching a child to read, what are we aiming to do – equip them with a key skill for life or encourage a love of reading? Obviously both are important. What … Continue reading →

Custodians of Knowledge, and other Idiocies.

I’m writing this post in response to a teacher’s blog I’ve stumbled across that claims teachers are “custodians of knowledge”. Where to begin with this? One of the most distressing and depressing aspects of conversations about education in countries like … Continue reading →

National Education Framework in Bhutan: Part Three

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Relationships and Values This week the philosopher Alain de Botton said the following on his twitter account. “If school curricula were determined by subjects’ contribution to future happiness, at least 50% would be on relationships.” Our response was to agree … Continue reading →