A bit of inspiration at the Reception Concert
In December, wearing my governor’s hat, I attended a Christmas concert, given by the Reception children (almost 100 of them), singing seasonal songs, loosely linked to the nativity theme and delighting their parent/carer audience with a combination of hearty renditions, rhythmic vitality, physical actions and plenty of smiles. The capacity to remember the words of the songs was formidable, and I was also struck by the burgeoning social maturity of the children in the way in which these novices took on board the discipline involved in participation in whole year group events. Of course, there were a few who were less than absorbed in the proceedings and whose commitment to artistic performance has yet to blossom. I was reminded of my own sense of embarrassment when one of my infant sons many years ago crowned a splendid musical ...
By: Robert Young
On:31-01-2024
Read More
Serious concerns about OFSTED are raised by the formal inquiry led by Sir Jim Knight which reported recently. Beyond Ofsted states that the inspection system is toxic and has created a culture of fear within schools exacerbated by the suicide of a headteacher when her school was judged to require improvement although most aspects of the provision were praised. Beyond Ofsted makes it clear that the organisation has lost the trust of the teaching profession and, increasingly, of parents. One-word judgements after a brief visit from a single inspector cannot capture the complexity of what schools undertake. Knight recommends reform of the inspection system; the current edition of Forum, and an article by the editor address these significant issues comprehensively:
FORUM: Volume 65 Issue 3 (2023...
By: Wendy Scott, National Council Member
On:28-11-2023
Read More
As Halloween approaches it is perhaps time to face some of our fears about education. There are some people who haven't asked their school what is in the SRHE policy. It is clearly time to put your concerns to one side and make sure the policy, which is probably already available on the school website, is about teaching SRHE and not some imagined monster waiting to ensnare children into a life of degenerate behaviour.
Another scare is the prospect of not having enough money to meet the school budget set before the numbers were changed and less money was there. This was achieved through a magical piece of sleight of hand which can surely be undone with the wave of a fiscal wand.
Don't worry, help is at hand, Oak Academy are getting an extra £2 million to make sure that AI can be added to the £43 million of lesson plans they have already given you. It is rumoured ...
By: Ed Case
On:30-10-2023
Read More
Our Crumbling Schools, in more ways than one. The government announcement that schools built in part or full, with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) need to close those teaching areas affected. Of course, this was reported just before the beginning of the school term by the Independent Newspaper. Unfortunately, this could be indicative of the crumbling infrastructure of our schools in general. To understand the extent of this particular disruption to school communities, look at the statistics. By the 6th of September, with the warning that there were more schools to come, 82 primary schools out of all the 147 schools had potentially dangerous RAAC according to the Independent Newspaper.
You might say that the crumbling infrastructure of schools is overstated. So let us look at another recent headline. ‘England’s special educational needs crisis ‘out ...
By: Mike Aylen
On:20-09-2023
Read More
An Early Years Perspective: OFSTED: reform required
This message adds to the blog that Mike Aylen wrote in April, when he commented on current concerns about Ofsted. They are not new. Early years provision has been persistently misunderstood and poorly served by Ofsted inspections.
Early Years is a complex phase, involving provision in the private and voluntary sector as well as a decreasing number of maintained nursery schools. It also includes the reception class in every primary school. Research commissioned by the Froebel Trust, led by Dr. Susana Castro-Kemp of the Institute of Education at UCL, reported in May 2022 that “interactions with Ofsted inspectors are characterised by a power imbalance” (1).
She quotes findings from a Nursery World survey which show grave failures in the Ofsted inspection process (2). Although there is general ag...
By: Wendy Scott, National Council Member
On:11-06-2023
Read More