Blog


Welcome to my blog. I'll be updating it frequently and share views and ideas that I hope you'll find interesting. Schools bring hope Two examples this week of the hope and positive life that education can provide. There’s a lot of uncertainty and apprehension surrounding it at present so it’s worth reaffirming one of its enduring values. If education, particularly school education, is about anything it is that of creating a strong and successful future. Taking young lives and developing them so that their futures, and those of the communities and societies they live and work in, achieve as much as possible. Twice in the last few days I’ve been reminded of this. Read more ... Posted on: 29th May 2010 in . Words of union or division? Are we really about to experience a new era in our politics and government? Less than two weeks into the Con/Lib Dem coalition it’s too soon to say but some of the communication surrounding it is worth looking at. Read more ... Posted on: 20th May 2010. Conservative if not Tory I chaired a public meeting in the Walker area of Newcastle on Monday. Walker is a traditional working class community, with the emphasis on community, a place where there are still generations of families living close by one another. There are regeneration plans but some of them have stalled and the new primary school that's been planned is welcomed by the residents. The meeting , as part of the competitions process for new schools, heard proposals put forward by two organisations that wanted to run the school.Both bids are good ones, strong in vision and practicality, and it's now up to Newcastle City Council to choose which one will be succesful.One was from the Church of England Diocese, who provide an existing primary school locally and who, in fact, look after the primary education of more than 40% of Newcastle children. The other bid brought together Newcastle College, Newcastle Education Business Partnership, Read more ... Posted on: 13th May 2010 in . Vince Cable and Head Teachers The first time I met Vince Cable he looked a forlorn figure. As Director of Marketing for York City Council I was looking after the media at the General Election count in the city in 1987. Dr Cable was the Lib Dem candidate and the count was showing early on that he would be in third place. As a York native it probably felt even worse for him than it would otherwise. Coming in to the current election there was a lot of conjecture that Cable would be the star of the Lib Dem campaign. His reputation and authority was held high and he was regarded by many as a stronger asset to the party than Nick Clegg. Ninety minutes of the first TV debate propelled Clegg upwards, and it’s been him rather than Vince Cable that the media have focused on. The cult of the personality in selling ideas writ large. Right or Read more ... Posted on: 4th May 2010. Hundreds more Academies Hundreds more Academies will follow a Conservative election victory according to the TES. We’ll soon know whether Michael Gove is to determine education policy but, regardless, the landscape of school organisation is changing. We’re now in the third year of the requirement for all new maintained schools to be put to competition. Across England parents’ groups, faith organisations, FE and HE colleges, existing schools, and others have been successfully putting forward proposals to run these new schools. I’ve been leading the DTW team that’s responsible for all competitions in the North and we’ve helped bring these "alternative" proposers to the table and develop their ideas. Read more ... Posted on: 25th April 2010 in Education. 1 2 3		We want an inspiring Head who can lead with vision and raise standards, say schools The identikit of a desirable headteacher is one who is an inspirational and visionary leader, and with the ability to improve a school’s standards. That’s the finding of a study into what are the characteristics and attributes schools looked for in a new headteacher, and what the priorities for the job are. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of ads identified Leadership Skills, slightly more than Inspirational ones (60%). Just over half (51%) wanted heads to focus on school improvement, and 46% said they were looking for someone with Vision. Read more ...