EdBlogs

I wrote the following letter to one of my classes a few years ago. I've removed a few specific comments – feel free to share this with anyone you see fit. Hey guys/gals, You are awesome and I want you to know that. You are a special group and I want to leave you with a few pointers/ideas/life lessons. This is a general list – don't take any of it t...

​School governance has changed in recent years. Gone are the days of light-touch oversight with a good dose of jolliness; governing boards are now expected to be more business-like rigorous, ensuring that the school fulfils their duty to their students and their budget. Never, then, has it been more important for school leaders and g...

When it was announced earlier this month that sex and relationships education (SRE) was to be made compulsory in England's schools, it was met with relief from many teachers, parents and other groups who have long campaigned for the move. Young people have also been crying out for a more coherent approach to SRE; a recent survey from Barnados found...

I recently taught a PSHE lesson to a year 8 group on the assumptions we make about people. I started with the word "Australian" – students said common judgements were that they would say "g'day", wear cork hats, like beer, wear shorts, have barbecues all the time and be good at rugby. Then we moved on to "American" – apparently they like burgers, a...

​Ever-decreasing budgets, a new national funding formula (NFF) and reports of headteachers asking parents to plug holes in finances – schools in the UK are feeling the pinch. This leaves many governors with the difficult task of trying to raise standards while having no option but to make cuts. We spoke to three governors to get a fr...