For the benefit of those that are not science teachers, I want to try to demonstrate, through this example, the power of practical science lessons to inspire, engage and promote understanding. By practical, I mean real, hands on, tactile, feely-touchy, noisy, smelly pupil experience that cannot be replicated by any DVD or on-line representation. The topic of 'electricity and magnetism' is ... read more and comment →
Surreal discussion on the Today programme this morning on the sharp rise in private tutoring, particularly in London. The item was based on an Evening Standard article, which reported complaints from Ben Thomas, head of prep school Thomas’s Battersea, that there is now far too much tutoring in the capital — and that pupils’ childhoods are being “swallowed up” because ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Ernest Blackledge: "Buying expensive houses close to state schools and spending swingeing sums on private tuition for those same state pupils is by far and away the most pernicious example of wealth buying educational advantage. It is also the most selfish and parasitical ......"
Comment + Debate
Does anyone else have experience of being in a school in Special Measures where staff can leave at a moment's notice? The normal notice periods for staff wishing to leave, or support for struggling staff, don't seem to be there anymore and I'm sure my school can't be alone in this. Lots of new staff seem to be agency so ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Tubby - this article from Full Fact looked at the "200,000 school places cut" claim and said: "Data published by the DfE in May 2012 estimated a national surplus of primary school places of 10.4% with 444,410 unfilled places in 2010/11." Despite ......"
Comment + Debate
Last week I decided to write my Guardian column on the issue of performance related pay for teachers which the Coalition government wants to introduce from this autumn. You can click on this link to read the full text of the article. Before I started writing it, I put out a request for opinion and evidence on Twitter and received a huge ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Ian Bolton: "'As time went on Old Herbaceous found himself isolated in a most peculiar fashion. Nobody took any notice of him.'..."
Comment + Debate
Five major points emerged from last week’s meeting of the Headteachers’ Roundtable, a group of heads who first met on twitter and share a concern about what’s happening in education. The five points are: • Major change should be separated from party politics; • No child should be excluded from the qualifications system; • Policy development should start with identifying what young adults should ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Ivan Godfrey: "What is particularly interesting about this is the composition of the headteacher group. It comes from across the spectrum, including academy and grammar school headteachers. I really feel that Toby and those who have written so vociferously in ......"
Comment + Debate
The Correct Answer While it is commendable that the Secretary of State has realised that there is a problem with GCSE it is a pity that his ideological compass has pointed him 180 degrees out of true and directed him to the wrong answer. His prescription of ever more layers of synthetic rigour leading to an increased likelihood of divisiveness is ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Roger - getting rid of high stakes tests at 16 would remove the problem of schools being judged on these tests. Getting rid of exams at 16 makes it more likely that pupils will receive a broad, balanced education ......"
Comment + Debate The favourite remedy of Michael Gove for the alleged failings of our teachers, and consequently our schools, is performance related pay. The argument goes that teachers vary in their ability to get their pupils to pass exams so they should be paid by the exam results of their classes. Only by dangling financial incentives can excellent teachers be properly rewarded ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Ally coops: "There is nothing in draft PRP documentation that indicates how teachers returning from maternity leave will be treated. At present those on the main scale move up automatically on their return from maternity leave. How will it be ......"
Comment + Debate
The educaton system in much of the UK has become the plaything of remote politicians who want to experiment with their theories whilst avoiding responsibility by passing the blame to teachers. read more and comment →
Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I'm not part of the LSN but I always feel able to express my views - which are also based on practical experience (teaching in several schools - being a HoMaths in a school in special measures and so on ......"
Comment + Debate Cheers and whoops greeted Alastair Campbell when he told an Any Questions audience in Lancashire that Mr Gove’s only success was in persuading his media friends that he was a success. The applause became louder when he said Michael Gove had been the biggest disaster for education in England and Wales than any previous Education Secretary. But there were groans for ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Roger - thanks for the list. You're probably already aware of this - the DfE deposited a table in the House of Commons Library on 19/04/12 which showed academy results when equivalent exams were stripped out. It reveals ......"
Comment + Debate Tougher tests for prospective teachers are needed, the Government says, to raise the status of teaching, raise educational standards and “help Britain compete and thrive in the global race and spread privilege across our country”. It’s unclear how setting harder entry tests for teacher trainees will raise standards when academies and free schools don’t have to hire trained teachers. And how ... read more and comment →
Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Sorry, Leonard, perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't suggesting that qualifications at 18+ should trump later qualifications (ie the standard of degree). I was proposing that the pathway to teacher training (either via university degree + ......"
Comment + Debate