Since the first series of Channel 4’s “Educating…” strand aired in 2011 on Channel 4, I have been amazed at how often a topic that I have been reading about or discussed has featured in that week’s programme. The finale of the latest series was of particular interest following a local news story which seems […] Continue reading
If ever there was a week in education that cemented my view that politicians should not be allowed to direct education policy, this one has been it. Last weekend the national press reported further evidence that cast severe doubt on the current inspection and accountability regime. Following that, the announcement and analysis of a fall […] Continue reading
If you live in Brentwood, Ongar or Harlow you will have been forgiven for missing the front page story in last week’s Observer. Due to distribution issues, the paper was unavailable to purchase here last Sunday which may have come as a relief to prominent free school supporter and local MP, Eric Pickles. It was […] Continue reading
So, following my blog from just over a week ago (“Business failure rates should not be the model for education” http://wp.me/p2dr6s-hW) , the Ofsted report for IES Breckland free school in Brandon, Suffolk has finally been released. It does not make happy reading for anyone who cares about the education of young people and the primary […] Continue reading
Those of us who have been wondering why it has taken five weeks to release the report into the first Ofsted inspection of Suffolk free school IES Breckland may have had their answer this morning. The first “for profit” state school was used to illustrate a piece in the Daily Telegraph by editor of The […] Continue reading
I have been deeply affected this week by on-line commentary and social media reaction to the latest, apparently spontaneous, changes to school accountability measures announced this week by the Department for Education (DfE). The new policy, effective immediately, states that only the first grade gained by a pupil when taking a GCSE or A level […] Continue reading
We are now well into this year’s round of open events in Brentwood’s schools and I have been fascinated to see how each of the secondary schools that serve the five parishes of the town has set about attracting students for next year. It has underlined to me how important it is to visit schools […] Continue reading
