-
The Dark Alleyway
To my mind, Creative Writing (CW) currently languishes like a frightened animal in one of the curriculum’s darker alleyways, shivering and rather worried about its prospects. Having been an English teacher for twenty-five years in various comprehensives and now a Lecturer in PGCE English at Goldsmiths, which involves visiting many schools, I have both taught…
-
We need to reform the academy system – and stop the power-hungry super-heads
Our schools have become joyless, stressful places, run by principals who behave like football managers obsessed by tables. Why do we put up with it? This week’s Newsnight investigation into greedy “superheads” of academies coupled with headline claims about other heads involved inmoney-grabbing and cronyism has thrown a spotlight on to the role of headteachers.…
-
Lines of Work: Francis Gilbert on Rousseau’s Emile
This is the transcript of the Radio 3 Essay I wrote and read in May 2016. You can find the podcast here. Rousseau’s Emile and my life I’m a young English teacher, it’s my second year in an inner city school in London, and I think I’m doing well with my tutor group, a class…
-
Has your child missed out on a primary school place? Our expert guide for worried parents: The New Day
This article provides some invaluable advice for parents, helping them deal with the disappointment of not getting their preferred place for their child at a school of their choice.
-
Illness as an educator #lessonswecanlearnfromteachers
This article is an extract from a forthcoming book, The Long Game: The Lessons We Can Learn From Long-Serving Teachers. The aim was to interview long-serving teachers, listen to their stories and see if I could draw out any lessons from their experiences. Constructive comments are welcome; they will help me make it a better book.…
-
The perks and perils of competition #lessonswecanlearnfromteachers
This article is an extract from a forthcoming book, The Long Game: The Lessons We Can Learn From Long-Serving Teachers. The aim was to interview long-serving teachers, listen to their stories and see if I could draw out any lessons from their experiences. Constructive comments are welcome; they will help me make it a better book.…
-
A headteacher confesses: Naughtiness is sometimes a sign of being clever #lessonswecanlearnfromteachers
This article is an extract from a forthcoming book, The Long Game: The Lessons We Can Learn From Long-Serving Teachers. The aim was to interview long-serving teachers, listen to their stories and see if I could draw out any lessons from their experiences. Constructive comments are welcome; they will help me make it a better book.…
-
Spare the rod and save the child? #lessonswecanlearnfromteachers
This article is an extract from a forthcoming book, The Long Game: The Lessons We Can Learn From Long-Serving Teachers, which will be published in the near future. The aim was to interview long-serving teachers, listen to their stories and see if I could draw out any lessons from their experiences. Constructive comments are welcome; they will…
-
What my footballing father taught me: get a good education #lessonswecanlearnfromteachers
This article is an extract from a forthcoming book, The Long Game: The Lessons We Can Learn From Long-Serving Teachers. The aim was to interview long-serving teachers, listen to their stories and see if I could draw out any lessons from their experiences. Constructive comments are welcome; they will help me make it a better book.…
-
Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: The Study Guide Edition
Aimed specifically at pupils reading the book for exams. The complete text is punctuated by analysis and questions on every chapter with answers provided at the back. Essential reading for all students and teachers!
-
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Study Guide Edition
This edition of Shelley’s classic horror novel contains a comprehensive study guide, as well as extensive questions for students to help their understanding. Buy the paperback, and you get the e-book for free, so you can use the embedded web links.
-
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: The Study Guide Edition
Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, with a detailed introduction that outlines the historical context of the novel, the ways in which it was influenced by the other genres/writers and how it is structured.
-
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: The Study Guide Edition
This edition of Brontë ‘s classic novel contains a comprehensive study guide as well as activities that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, there are detailed instructions about how to understand the challenging language, to appreciate the novel’s context and to write effective essays.
-
Corbyn? Blimey, yes!
We need him to move the Labour Party forward. Why is Jeremy Corbyn so popular? Here’s a backbench Labour MP, a serial rebel during the Blair/Brown era proclaiming the same ideas he’s spouted for decades and no one has listened to. Now he’s the favorite to win the Labour Party leadership. Even people, like me,…
-
‘St. Cupid’s’ by Kevin Oldham
Young teacher Paul Flynn arrives at a secondary school in the heart of London’s east end, and encounters a daunting and alien world: poverty-stricken children, incompetent managers and teachers who are wilder than their students.
-
‘Learning Matters’ by Roger Titcombe
This book argues that there is an urgent need for a fundamental change in the direction, governance and public accountability of the English education system. It is written by a teacher but it is not exclusively for teachers.