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The Times Newspaper in blinkered mode I am a great fan of The Times newspaper, appreciating its comprehensive coverage, especially of the arts and the breadth of the perspectives it brings to bear on a range of issues, but I am often puzzled by the narrowness of its treatment of educational issues. The leading article in Monday 5 August’s edition was a potent example of how naïve its stance can be in its ill-deserved and misjudged critique of the appointment of Prof. Becky Francis as the chair of the team to review Curriculum and Assessment. The headline, itself, gave enormous cause for concern: Back to Basics – Labour should keep ideology out of education and not endanger good teaching. What a contradiction in terms! In its support of Back to Basics, a whole set of ideas is being promoted to do with a return to an illusory golden era of education when there was ...

This blog reminds me of a popular 1964 song called 'Where have all the flowers gone' by Pete Seeger. Yes, I am showing my age. I must tell you about the NAPE SEND Conference which occurred on the 26th April at the University of Bedfordshire (UoB) in Bedford. As Chair, I am bound to say it was very successful and went very smoothly. Well, it was and did according to the feedback we received. The venue was light, modern and spacious with 100% University support. The 100 students who came, as part of their timetable, really enjoyed themselves and had a free lunch! To add to the interest, there were three exhibitors displaying PSE, education books and Historic Workshop artefacts. This was very popular.  UoB bent over backwards to provide everything needed for a conference including four members of staff to support the eight speakers with the technology, in seven sepa...

A tribute to John Coe.  I knew of John Coe and his reputation as a fierce defender of child-centered primary education, long before I met him. Through his role at NAPE he visited the school I worked in, regularly offering advice and support to myself as Deputy, to the head and staff. I was both impressed and encouraged. When I became a headteacher, John continued with his support, gained the respect and the trust of my staff. John ran meetings and guided us through a residential weekend on child development where, much to his delight, our early years team took the lead. The classroom implications of that weekend led to a substantial reorganisation and introduction of more extensive reading areas around our school. Children, their future, and their development were at the heart of any conversation he had and decision he made as an educator. That also meant teachers and their...

A bit of inspiration at the Reception Concert In December, wearing my governor’s hat, I attended a Christmas concert, given by the Reception children (almost 100 of them), singing seasonal songs, loosely linked to the  nativity theme and delighting their parent/carer audience with a combination of hearty renditions, rhythmic vitality, physical actions and plenty of smiles. The capacity to remember the words of the songs was formidable, and I was also struck by the burgeoning social maturity of the children in the way in which these novices took on board the discipline involved in participation in whole year group events. Of course, there were a few who were less than absorbed in the proceedings and whose commitment to artistic performance has yet to blossom. I was reminded of my own sense of embarrassment when one of my infant sons many years ago crowned a splendid musical ...

Serious concerns about OFSTED are raised by the formal inquiry led by Sir Jim Knight which reported recently.  Beyond Ofsted states that the inspection system is toxic and has created a culture of fear within schools exacerbated by the suicide of a headteacher when her school was judged to require improvement although most aspects of the provision were praised.  Beyond Ofsted makes it clear that the organisation has lost the trust of the teaching profession and, increasingly, of parents.  One-word judgements after a brief visit from a single inspector cannot capture the complexity of what schools undertake.  Knight recommends reform of the inspection system; the current edition of Forum, and an article by the editor address these significant issues comprehensively:         FORUM: Volume 65 Issue 3 (2023...