In February of 2016 there was an article by Secret Teacher in the Guardian, ‘We’re not to blame for Poor Social Mobility’. ‘….The government looks to schools for failing to hot house youngsters who are raised in poverty. They’d rather do this than fix the actual conditions that determine their life ...

I completely agree Debbie. The issues are complex but I think that we're all agreed on the vital importance of good early years Synthetic Phonics teaching for all young children. It's also essential to provide high quality early intervention programmes.The most effective programmes involve children ...

Children in northern England being failed by educational divide, study finds Figures showing academic attainment in the south consistently outperforming the north are stark, with Liverpool particularly badly off https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/30/children-in-northern-england-being-faile...

Primary school teachers' suicide rate nearly double national average, figures reveal Three in four suicides among teaching professionals are primary and nursery school teachers, statistics show, amid warnings it is 'one of the most highly stressed occupations in the country' http://www.independent.c...

Teachers must ditch 'neuromyth' of learning styles, say scientists
Eminent academics from worlds of neuroscience, education and psychology voice concerns over popularity of method

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... -education

Inspirational Ursula to take reading exam aged 87 Ursula Shepherd, the 87-year-old who is being taught to read by Learn Devon, Devon County Council’s adult education service, is planning to take her first exam this year. And following on from her inspirational story today (Friday 10 March), Learn De...

Ofsted to investigate schools 'gaming system' to move up league tables Incoming chief inspector of schools says it is a scandal that pressure on schools to perform means some are moving pupils off GCSE courses https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/10/ofsted-to-investigate-schools-gaming-sys...

Ancient technique can dramatically improve memory, research suggests Cultivating a ‘memory palace’ can make long-lasting improvements to recall, say scientists, suggesting many of us have untapped memory reserves https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/08/ancient-technique-can-dramatically-impr...

Dear Justine Greening, homework widens the gap between rich and poor children

Homework is now part of the school curriculum but you forget many children have parents who just can’t help

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... hael-rosen

I have a lot of sympathy for Quirky teacher's analysis but it was the piece about Ofsted that I found myself in agreement with.

It’s time for a real revolution in Britain’s schools Peter Hyman, a former adviser to Tony Blair and now headteacher at School 21. Some interesting ideas, I'm especially interested in his ideas on Ofsted. First, Ofsted requires a complete overhaul. It was once perhaps essential, a way of ensuring mi...

Parents pushing for special needs diagnosis for children, survey says YouGov poll finds some parents are pushing for SEN statements to help their children, while others slip through the net https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/feb/24/parents-pushing-for-special-needs-diagnosis-for-children-sur...

Repeated versus wide reading: A randomized control design study examining the impact of fluency interventions on underlying reading behavior Abstract Repeated readings (RR) has garnered much attention as an evidence based intervention designed to improve all components of reading fluency (rate, accu...

Is Reading about Getting Meaning From Print? Nowadays, if you want to be promoted to the upper echelons of the Education Establishment, there is one big claim you have to repeat with endless enthusiasm: “Reading is about getting meaning from print.” This phrase (and variations of it) are ubiquitous ...

A piece by David Berliner on Inequality,Poverty and the widening Education gap which is worth a read. The PISA data were also looked at for the percent of children in a nation that came from disadvantaged backgrounds and still managed to score quite well on the test. That percent is over 80% in Hong...