Outside In

OFSTED has a problem with its image problem. Acutely aware of its disastrously low standing within the profession of which it is supposed to be the guardian, it has sought to transform its austere and inward-facing image into that of an open and responsive organisation capable of addressing the concerns…

From Labour Teachers: The reality of being a teacher is very different from what one supposes when first reflecting on whether to enter the profession. For here, giddy notions of broadening horizons and expanding minds abound; the Grind, which we all know so well, does not tend to feature. We…

There is a paradox in contemporary education. It concerns teachers, who have been simultaneously raised to the status of luminary and relegated to position of functionary. There has arisen the fad of the celebrity teacher, and the odd belief that the future of children depends almost exclusively on the pedagogical…

One thing the holidays brings to bear is the extent to which the intensity of our job can turn us into Jekyll and Hyde characters, with our term-time selves often a poor reflection of the person we are and aim to be during our holidays. Whilst we focus so intently…

Not so very long ago the OFSTED hordes descended upon Cumbria, appearing shortly after Michael Gove had made a speech saying many of our schools were failing. Unsurprisingly, OFSTED duly came along and decided that many of our schools were failing. In something that felt more like the Visitations (with…

Michaelmas term, dark night, deluge outside, beer in hand, sparsely lit back room of a quiet provincial pub – a school chaplain and an RE teacher plot. Or at least, that’s how I’d write it if this were a (clearly scintillating) Hollywood plot line. Alas, it’s not, and so I suppose I…

In our schools, right now, there are many students who spend 60% of their entire time in a classroom studying just three subjects. Come the end of the year, or perhaps already for some, this will increase, and for those deemed to be falling short there will be up to…