Warm weather this week means the government is telling us to stay in. Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer has resigned because she didn’t. And then the Queen spoke. Despite the detached weirdness of working remotely in lockdown, there are elements about it I’ve secretly enjoyed. In our whirlwind world there is something attractive about being solitary … Continue reading I am because we are

He'd known for a while it was coming. But he got the news this week. My 21-year old son was told by his university that his finals were cancelled. They were planning to ask the biochemists to 'sit' an online essay style exam across 24 hours, but even that imperfect possibility had been pulled. We … Continue reading “Nothing is Wasted”

It felt awkward – just clapping our hands outside our front doors as a sign of support for NHS staff on the frontline of their fight against CV. And yet, reluctantly I stood there in the dark hoping I wouldn’t be the first, or the only one. Armed with my instruments: a saucepan and wooden … Continue reading More than I expected

Once there was a dreaded plague which came to the Kingdom of Albion from the desert across the sea. The first signs were coughing. Next came sickness, and then some of the elders began to die. And the villagers were very sad because the people of Albion were a loving people who cared deeply about … Continue reading The Village of Albion

Choirs are mushrooming across the country. I first joined a choir at the tender age of six and I’ve never really shaken it off. Tuesday nights are special for me. I look forward to the camaraderie of the choir, the collective endeavour, the hope that we will crack this tricky piece, the soaring sound of … Continue reading Our Singing Curriculum

Driving back home along the M5, my son and I are listening to Sherlock Holmes. Watson is stunned by Holmes’ all round ignorance, and gives an informal school report: “Knowledge of literature – nil; philosophy – nil; astronomy – nil; politics – feeble; botany – variable (well up in belladonna, opium and poisons generally, but knows nothing … Continue reading Detecting the curriculum: Holmes, Hirsch and Jim Hawkins

My young son and I cycle around Strumble Head, in wild west Pembrokeshire, squeezing through tall, mossy hedgerows on tarmac made glass-smooth by years of sheep droppings. We leave our bikes on the dry Prehistoric drystone wall and walk round the peninsular towards the lighthouse. The wind hugs us tight to the cliffs and as … Continue reading Dolphins and Butterflies

This post looks at what the teaching profession can learn from what the US education system has got wrong. It follows  Getting our teachers back. Getting our teachers' back.. 1. Born in the USA: Many features of the American education system are impressive. According to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019, 15 out of … Continue reading Born in the USA

"I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning." Stevie Smith 1. Getting our teachers back: The moment it hit home for me was when I heard that X had left teaching. I knew then with absolute clarity that we had a problem. Why in that moment? Because she was simply brilliant. … Continue reading Getting our teachers back. Getting our teachers’ back.

This, the third of three blogs about teamwork, looks at the qualities of world class teams and what sets them apart. Here are the first two: Teamwork 1/ Building teams, building trust Teamwork 2/ Organising your team James MacGregor Burns, writing Roosevelt's biography, said: "Great teams happen when people engage with others in such a way … Continue reading Teamwork 3/ Characteristics of world class teams