Best frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of the best frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 11th November 2013 – from the right to protest to the Police and Crime Commissioners one year on, the bedroom tax debate in the House of Commons, overcrowded housing and education.
Academies – more reasons why they’re not the answer
“The issue of how successful are academies has come to the fore yet again in a number of ways. Potentially most significant could be the Select Committee’s decision to carry out an investigation into the academies programme as a whole.” Education for Everyone looks at the emerging evidence base on how successful academies are.
Most read posts this week 1st November 2013
Here’s the most read frontline and independent blogs this week based on their combined views on Guerilla Policy and Guerilla Feed – from the Work Programme school accountability, foodbanks to revolution.
Accountability, assessment and the new National Curriculum (a work in progress)
“This extended disjunction between curriculum and assessment …has created unnecessary and potentially avoidable difficulties, for the Government and stakeholders alike.” Gifted Phoenix examines whether three major reforms – the new National Curriculum, its assessment and school performance tables – amount to a coherent policy package.
Klaxon during Claxton – ’21st Century Skills’ alert!
The next session at the Festival of Education, the 5th that I attended, was Daisy Christodoulou, Jan Hodges and Guy Claxton on “What is the Future for Schools?” I was looking forward to this session more than any other. Mainly because I’ve just read Daisy’s book The Seven Myths of Education and agree with her […]
When is a free school not a free school? When it’s a parent academy
Stephen Twigg’s speech this week was long overdue. Labour have been woefully quiet on education policy, despite Michael Gove’s high profile and contentious policy agenda. It was a first chance to hear how Labour plans to position itself on education at the next election and, though lots of questions remain, there were some interesting ideas to […]
The anatomy of high expectations
A lot has been written in the last week about the experience of able learners in state schools. The OfSTED report published last week was widely reported in terms of failure, despite using a small evidence base of 41 schools and subsequent articles and posts have focused on the issues in different ways: David Didau, @LearningSpy captures […]
14 things Stephen Twigg could do
Originally posted on Labour Teachers Tony Blair has laid down a challenge for Labour to avoid being a party of protest and show ourselves as an alternative government. Below, Michael has sensibly asked for Labour-led discussion about education policy. In that spirit, I offer the following suggestions in no particular order for Labour education policy […]
Responding to Michael Gove in the Daily Mail and The Blob
Snow in late March is as unexpected as Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, embracing the world we live in today. Unlike the weather, Gove does not disappoint. True to form Gove uses his media platform of choice, Mail Online, to articulate clearly his contempt for those who oppose his reforms, castigating them […]
Guerilla Voice: Why some issues are off the Government’s evidence agenda
The Government’s ‘evidence agenda’ appears beguilingly apolitical, with its implicit promise to take the politics out of policymaking. In fact, it’s highly political – not in what it focuses on, but in what it chooses to ignore.
What might stop excellent academy chains from “scaling up”?
“The Coalition’s education ministers seem convinced that academy-chains are ‘the next big thing’. Money is available for academy sponsors to take over failing(ish) schools, and chains are an increasing player in upcoming ‘Free Schools’.” Laura McInerney outlines five things that could stop academies from scaling up.
Gove’s billion pound spree
“Is your school short of cash? Have you been warned of “hard times ahead” and possible redundancies.” Classroom Teacher argues that schools are facing cuts whilst Michael Gove’s pet academies programme is £1bn over budget.