Human beings experience the world in a vast variety of ways and their perceptions are often thought of as determined by a heady mix of nature vs nurture or genetics vs upbringing and even character vs culture. These differing factors and terms are used interchangeably and are, in a way, trying to make sense of... Continue Reading →

There have been a number of studies which report that if you do a Masters degree you are likely to earn 25% more a year than without. Now this might be true in the heady world of business, but I’m not sure that this would be as true with a career in Education. I can... Continue Reading →

At a time when education has been thrust into disarray due to the instability of contemporary living, the questions many teachers are asking are – “How can I adapt to teach online? Will the education of my students suffer?”. However, issues we need to (re)consider are; ‘what is an education? who is it for?’ and... Continue Reading →

1) 95% of what I need to do can be done from home. I normally wear a smart white shirt, shorts and trainers – ready for a day of zoom conferences. 2) Meals take on iconic status and are subject to much planning. They are the focus of the day. Last year I stockpiled baked... Continue Reading →

Pupils due to take GCSEs and A-levels in 2021 have so far missed two weeks of live teaching in the  Spring term and five weeks of live teaching in the summer term so far.  For the two year groups concerned, Years 10 and 12, most have had online teaching instead.   They have not yet fallen... Continue Reading →

Which of these do you think will have most influence on a pupil’s A-level or GCSE grades this year? How hard they have worked. How intelligent they are. The grades their teachers predict. The results got by the pupils in the school last year. Correct answer: 4 In August GCSE and A-level pupils will be... Continue Reading →

Recruitment, Retention, Talent Spotting and Succession Planning are recurring themes for the #womened community, I have not been to an event in the last 5 years when this has not come up in conversation. A while back I attended a conference by the Guardian Education team who had published a report on their research into... Continue Reading →

There will be a number of consequences of the cancellation of GCSEs and A-levels.  Firstly, there will be a vast number of 16 and 18-year-olds who are bored and idle between March and September.  They are confined to their homes. Their schools may attempt to set work online.  This is important because private schools need to justify... Continue Reading →

If you don’t “get” this, you won’t be able to understand “that”. Schools are feeling the impact of curriculum and accountability reforms. There are heartfelt pleas for the future of the arts which are being squeezed out to make space for subjects included in accountability measures. There is also a decline within subject provision. Science... Continue Reading →