University of Buckingham
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is the most important international measure of the proficiency of 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science. It is run by the OECD and the last test was in 2022. Comparing the results of 2022 with those of previous years shows how well individual countries are doing compared to... Continue Reading →
March was an easy month for a blog. I had many initial ideas, all essential and linked to a year in teaching. Metacognition, Memory, Mentoring, Mistakes. I decided to write about mentoring and share some of my earlier experiences of mentoring as a trainee teacher. Mentoring is one of the most important elements in teacher... Continue Reading →
Invited to contribute to one of The Big Education’s ‘Big Conversations’ I was excited to join a stellar line up including Sir Tim Brighouse, Karen Giles and Nadine Bernard. Each speaker contributed a perspective on leadership which we all agreed should be underpinned by values, integrity and authenticity. However, we realised that in order to... Continue Reading →
All universities are required by the Office for Students to increase the proportion of students they take from ‘low participation’ areas. One of the main ways they do this is to flag up on applications the ‘Polar quintile’ the applicants live in. POLAR is an acronym which stands for Participation of Local Areas. The UK... Continue Reading →
Twenty years ago this week – on Indian Republic Day, 26 January 2000 – I wandered into the slums behind the Charminar, in the Old City of Hyderabad, and my life changed. Building on my PhD at what is now the UCL Institute of Education, I had become an expert on private education. Twenty years... Continue Reading →
It is now thirty years since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was globally ratified by nearly two hundred States, recognising education as being a fundamental right. In 2005, The UN Committee clarified the practical application of Article 12 by saying that a child’s right to express their views should... Continue Reading →