One of the features of being a parent of more than one child is that you can view the curriculum of an older child through the eyes of a younger one. On the basis of my observations, can I share with you my impressions of what’s happening in secondary education? The story starts with Pisa-envy: the misplaced view that the international Pisa tables represent a useful and valid way to compare education systems, and that politicians should command a country to fit the Pisa worldview. Read more from Michael Rosen
Careers advice is part of any school’s role, but teachers shouldn’t waste time fretting about this next generation’s job prospects because of economic or geo-political change, writes one educational consultant. Whether it’s teachers being replaced by robots or the curriculum is being damned for not being 21st-century enough, there’s a blinkered utilitarian demand that refuses to lie down, no matter how many blows it receives to the head. Read more
A few months ago, the world heard about teenager Nathan John-Baptiste, who built a £50,000-a-year tuck shop empire from the boys’ toilets. Dubbed the Wolf of Walthamstow, the schoolboy had 11 employees working across three schools before his operation was shut down. It’s entrepreneurial spirit we don’t expect to see in children. But it’s not as rare as you might think. Read more
In almost every class, there will be those who find learning a challenge – the children who perhaps cause teachers to wake in the night, or to feel that they are having to manage certain behaviours beyond their usual areas of expertise. Teachers often report that schools’ more general behaviour policies don’t seem to work for these particular students – so what can we do to best support these children? Here are some pointers