Francis Gilbert

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Metal detectors at Paddington Academy

Very interesting to see that Paddington Academy is one of the few schools to bite the bullet -- or pull the knife if you like -- and introduce metal detectors to stop knife crimes in the school. Even more interesting to note, that it was the pupils who wanted it. As I argued previously on the BBC and elsewhere, teachers need this power and pupils appreciate it when it's rational, compassionate adults who are running the show and not the yobs. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23490534-details/Head+whose+pupils+died+brings+in+metal+detectors/article.do

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1311114,00.html

The Road Home wins -- and now perhaps Tremain will get the recognition she deserves

Rose Tremain has deservedly won the Orange Prize for her brilliant, complex and beautifully written novel, The Road Home. Now perhaps, she will be viewed as the writer she is: I think she IS our major British novelist, putting the likes of others from her generation in the shade -- Amis, McEwan, Barnes. Will she now get the recognition she deserves?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/on-the-road-of-excess-rose-tremain-follows-a-migrants-progress-in-a-bloated-britain-453123.html

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Appearance on BBC Breakfast

Appeared this Tuesday on BBC Breakfast giving my views about homework. A recent survey shows that not many parents understand their children's homework and don't have much of a clue about how to help. I spoke about the two types of parent: the nagger, who is always hovering over their child, checking to see if the homework is done, and the neglector, who scarcely bothers to supervise anything, failing to provide their child with a good place to work or a routine to work in. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4579313.stm

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Casual violence that children learn to live with

A disturbing analysis of the current state of gangs in Britain: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3950162.ece

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Girl gangs

A fascinating piece on the evolution of girl gangs which ties in with some of the stuff I point out in Yob Nation

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/05/14/do1403.xml

Appearing on the Wright Stuff

Had a great time appearing on the Wright Stuff, a channel 5 morning chatshow. I was an expert talking about Parent Power and answering calls from the general public about schools. Matthew Wright was so pleased with me that he invited me back onto the show to field more questions, apparently they were inundated. I talked at length before the show with Katie Despres who is setting up her own school in Bristol and finding it difficult (http://www.yourspaceuk.com/). We both agreed that it needs to be much, much easier to set up a school, particularly in the state sector so that there is real choice. We've decided to set up a Facebook group as an initial step about this. I tangled with an expert guest on the panel about this: she was arguing offering more choice was divisive, while I argued that it was very patronising towards parents not to allow them the schools they want. On the way back, I shared a cab with another guest Christopher Biggins, who phoned a friend of mine who's a fan: the call was hilarious but a little rude!

Monday, April 07, 2008

BBC Interviews

Spoke at length on two radio interviews today: BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Scotland. The Ulster interview asked for my comments on the Tories' new proposals to stop the parents of excluded children appealing against a headteacher's decision to exclude them. I said it was all a bit of a sound bite and that it could backfire: what would happen to the children once they were out of school? As my book Yob Nation shows it can cause chaos in the streets. I said what was needed was more resources in mentoring these difficult children, better management systems in schools (currently in too many schools it's the teachers' fault) and a cultural shift whereby parents and pupils are held more accountable for their actions.

In the BBC Radio Scotland interview I talked about the effect of the internet on schools and teachers: the prevalence of cyber bullying, and the way in which it's outrageous that pupils can get away with libelling and defaming their teachers left, right and centre. Again, I noted the cultural shift in the last decade whereby teachers are endlessly expected to meet the needs of the children, with very little onus put on children to actually work.

Waiting to be interviewed, I met Patrick Cockburn, the amazing journalist who has reported so bravely upon the Iraq conflict, exposing the US and the UK's lies about the war. His summation of the five year occupation in the Independent was devastating a few weeks ago.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Tender is the night

Finished reading Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender is the Night' and was struck by the author's deep psychological insight, his ability to scrutinise the tiniest reactions of people when they are confronted or challenged, his uncanny, enlightened cynicism that sees multiple causes behind every gesture, every flick of the eye, every glance. The scene where Dick Diver is beaten up by the police is truly horrific but it's great the way you think he's completely sunk, with his eye poked out, his whole world shattered, and then, next thing you know, he's back to helping other people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tender_Is_the_Night

Violence in the classroom

A depressing survey that shows violence in the classroom is on the increase:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article3564297.ece

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/onethird-of-teachers-threatened-796778.html

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Interesting article on the brain controlling accent

Great article for English Language A Level students on how the brain controls accents here.