Key concept
The main theme or keyword of a particular post, maybe with reference to a teaching or national curriculum topic.
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The councillor in charge of my LA’s schools will tell parents not to send their children to my local comp if it becomes an Academy…
Last night, I attended a meeting convened by the National Union of Teachers about my local secondary school, Bethnal Green Technology College, becoming an Academy. The school has already had a public meeting about this – as I noted in a previous post. Alex Kenny, a prominent NUT activist in east London, Alasdair Smith of […]
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An introduction to A2 Media Studies OCR, Collective Identity
Task: Devise your own Prezi which explores all the groups you feel a part of and which ones you feel define you, and which definitely do NOT. My collective identities on Prezi
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The unfair representation of a collective group in two media platforms
Ryan Linham has written interesting answer to an A Level OCR Media Studies question here. What are the strengths and weaknesses of his answer?
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Media Studies: John Dunford, Head of Media Studies, and student blog links.
The Head of Media Studies at my school has his blog here. It is full of useful links and information. A2 students: http://linhamr3m4.wordpress.com/ http://danielbmedia.wordpress.com/ http://alexoconnor2.wordpress.com/ http://missemilystevens.wordpress.com/ http://joannebones.wordpress.com/ http://www.lukedarlingslifeblog.blogspot.com/ http://mollycliftona2.wordpress.com/ http://rachelhelsby2.wordpress.com/
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Collective Identity — Media Studies, Youth Demonisation
There’s a useful blog on Collective Identity connected with Youth Demonisation here, devised by a chief examiner at OCR.
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The classroom should be a place of learning – but not for teachers
Michael Gove’s plans to move teacher training out of universities will provoke protest at teachers’ conferences No article on matters educational is complete without a disquisition on standards. So here’s one, right at the top. The coalition’s plans to replace teacher-training at university with on-the-job learning will mean that standards – standards in teaching, that […]
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Yoga for all pupils, and other alternative schools
Schools with a difference are enjoying a renaissance — but what sort of education do they offer? Yoga, meditation, gardening and learning through play — not your traditional school fare. But “alternative” education has never been a hotter topic for many parents in Britain. Tired of a diet of uniforms and exams that many schools […]
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My joy that my son is going to the local, much-improved comprehensive
My wife and I learnt today, on National Offer Day, that our son, in Year 6, is going to the local comprehensive in Tower Hamlets, our first choice school. We are both delighted that he’s going to the school for several reasons. Firstly, the school really is “on the up”. My son will certainly get […]
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The omens don’t look good for Gove’s Troops To Teachers programme
Guess how many military personnel have applied to become teachers as part of the Teach First Leadership Development Programme this year? Five. And guess how many have been hired? Zero. The Teach First figures for last year are similarly dismal with eleven military personnel applying, and two being hired. To put these figures in context, […]
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Birbalsingh has changed her tune since she was Head of Languages
IMPORTANT NOTE: “Katharine Birbalsingh has asked us not to name any of her previous schools in our blogs and comments as the ‘Ordinary School’ featured in ‘To Miss with Love’ is fictional.” Since reading her fictional diatribe against state education, To Miss With Love, and writing a review of it for The Observer, I’ve been starting to investigate […]
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Should the state be funding schools which were founded by a racist mystic?
The news that there are 25 Steiner schools seeking to be funded as “free schools” and that there is already one which has state funds should be deeply troubling for most right-minded people. Steiner schools have the reputation in this country for being rather progressive, liberal schools with some quirky ideas, but basically perfect for […]
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Our analysis challenges the idea that free schools will save money or improve standards
Exclusive analysis conducted by the LSN shows the free schools project is going to be a very inefficient use of resources and will not, in all probability, raise standards. This is because the vast majority of free schools that are going to be set up will be small in size and our analysis of the […]
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Why does Gove believe dead languages and Ancient History are more important to learn than the Arts, R.E, Sports and Technology?
It’s official. Finally, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has proclaimed that Ancient History is more important than a whole raft of subjects that might actually teach our teenagers something of value. If you look at the list of “approved GCSEs” for the English Baccalaureate, you’ll see that Ancient History sits proudly there as an approved […]
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If Gove likes Finland’s schools so much, why doesn’t he imitate them?
The new results from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are about to be published which compare the achievements of education systems across the globe. The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is expected to show the achievements of UK and Swedish schools falling behind, while Finnish schools are surging ahead. Michael […]
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Latest Ofsted report proves co-operation, not competition, improves schools
Ofsted’s new report on the London Challenge needs to be taken seriously by the Coalition government because it conclusively shows that when schools co-operate with each other, everyone is a winner. The London Challenge enabled schools to work with other and share best practice and pool resources. It appears that everyone benefitted from this: good […]
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Why are “free” schools getting so much money when most schools are seeing their budgets cut?
The news that schools will not see a rise in spending in real terms in the coming four years is very troubling for parents and teachers like me. The government had said that spending would rise by 0.1% and it had been touted that the pupil premium for our poorest children would be £2500. It […]
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New research claims to show “for-profit” schools are great, but can it be trusted?
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) new research publication, Schooling for Money: Swedish Education Reform and the Role of the Profit Motive looks at the role of for-profit schools in Sweden and for the first time attempts to provide valid quantitative evidence regarding how these schools perform. The results claim to show that the competition […]
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PISA versus SATs — which assess reading the best?
The key question that arises from much of the data that’s generated about pupils’ attainment is what test best assesses pupils’ ability in reading. We know that the current government like the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) a great deal and are suspicious of Key Stage 2 tests, which they don’t like because they […]
Should climate change be dropped from the national curriculum?
was shocked to read today that climate change may be dropped from the national curriculum. As a teacher in various state schools for 20 years, I’ve seen how much the education on this issue has really improved in the past decade and how everyone has benefited from it being a prescribed part of the curriculum. […]