Category Archives: Education

The 1.30 Club

Posted on June 5, 2015 by

I was watching ‘Born Naughty?’ on Channel 4 last night. The mother of a young boy thought her son had a chronic sleep issue which manifested as frequent periods of stressful wakefulness throughout the night. The knock-on effect of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Home and Family | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

For the Love of Books

Posted on February 10, 2015 by

  “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird As a very young child, like so many others, my school reading consisted of Janet … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

2014: Top 5 blogs.

Posted on January 1, 2015 by

These are the posts of mine that got the most views in 2014. Thank you to everyone who read, shared and commented. 1. Ofsted – carrying on regardless May 2014 In which I wrote about the traumatic Ofsted experience of my job … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

British Values and Character: “You will be judged on this.”

Posted on December 9, 2014 by

Last month the DfE released (non statutory) guidelines for schools , for the somewhat thorny issue of the ‘British Values’ that we are now required to nurture in our schools. Having read the document, I must stress that I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Does Blogging Empower Teachers?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by

Late in 2012, I decided I’d start writing a local history blog. Although, having been an English teacher for the last 19 years, this possibly wasn’t the most logical choice. I did write one history post, but it wasn’t long … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Thoughts on Tristram Hunt’s Teacher Oath Idea

Posted on November 19, 2014 by

The problem with the teacher oath idea is that we have very few agreed values in teaching. We are still arguing about what constitutes a quality education. Of course, we can all agree that we want the best for kids, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Resourcefulness of Teachers.

Posted on November 14, 2014 by

“Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” Isaac Newton I’m sure there must be other professions that are similarly prone, but it does seem to be that schools are … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Lesson Observations: Progress at Last!

Posted on November 10, 2014 by

Today I had my latest lesson observation. For those who may not be aware, I’ve had a long, drawn out, and, at times, deeply unpleasant battle with my school’s management team over the accepted internal lesson observation process (and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Nine go to Ofsted

Posted on October 31, 2014 by

Today I went to a meeting with Mike Cladingbowl at the Ofsted office in Birmingham. There were nine of us Twitter teachers present (@FKRitson @maddymoran @JamesHu63571530 @LouRegan1 @llewelyn20 @schamberlaincca @ShellTurner4 @MissDCox and me @cazzypot) and very pleasant meeting it was too. … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Ofsted Clarification for Schools: Spread the Word!

Posted on October 22, 2014 by

I am delighted to see that Ofsted have produced a clarification for schools document. At last, it seems, Ofsted have accepted their responsibly to offer some guidance for schools regarding what Ofsted do/do not expect to see. As much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments