I was very fortunate to attend the annual CISC (Catholic Independent Schools Conference) gathering last week, in Liverpool’s Hilton Hotel. It really helped me focus on my New Year’s Resolution – to be unstintingly positive about everything in the world of education, even when things get tough. A key theme of the conference was ‘hope’,… Read More CISC Conference and HOPE

Just what does inclusion mean? The word ‘inclusion’ means many things to many people and is a staple of educational discourse and public policy. Chiefly used in the context of including children of all different abilities, backgrounds and behaviours in school life, it also espouses a desire to bring together cultures, languages and historical traditions… Read More Inclusion…with a bit of help from Eddie Izzard.

The family are just about to complete the Christmas and New Year fortnight here in Northern Spain, ready to sail back over this weekend. Our last act was to watch the cavalgata of the three kings in Oviedo. Like all Catholic countries, the country marks the feast of the Epiphany, when the infant Jesus received… Read More Lights from the East

Twelve months, twelve predictions. Not to be taken seriously. January After Storm Gertrude brings up to 50cm of snow across the country, all schools are told to stay open in order to showcase the great resilience of British children. Many parents rebel and keep their children at home, citing their children’s human rights. They all… Read More Predictions for 2018

My family and I have arrived in Spain for Christmas, and, during the long ferry journey yesterday, it occurred to me that I have visited three of the key ‘hotspots’ of European independence movements this month. Flanders, Scotland, and now Northern Spain (OK, it’s not Catalunia, but not that far away). And in all three,… Read More Independencia

I’m dreadfully guilty of dishing our country at every opportunity and behaving like a bitter Remainer. It’s not healthy and I’m aware of that – my wife keeps telling me. So here are a few words about something which is gloriously British and spiritually uplifting – the Saturday morning Parkrun. The Parkrun movement was set… Read More Glorious Parkrun

Just back from a highly enjoyable couple of days in Flanders with our friends and partners in Veurne, especially Marieke, the directeur of our partner schools there. I am trying to do some research around the impact of Catholic schools on their communities and, in particular, for those children with special educational needs and disabilities.… Read More In Flanders Fields

I’ve become a huge fan of the BBC R4 programme, ‘The Moral Maze’. The beauty of technology means that, thanks to the gift of the podcast, I can listen to it as I’m driving from one training session to another (not mine, my boys). It’s a brilliant chance to hear highly intelligent people debate, probe… Read More Curriculum Moral Maze

Following Mr O’Keefe’s time in the armed forces, a ‘fast-track’ conversion to primary headship gave him the chance to re-launch his career in one of the country’s most vibrant cities. His interview at Brookside Primary School went swimmingly; governors were hugely impressed with his views on uniform standards and school discipline in particular. Mr O’Keefe… Read More The Headmaster’s New Job

If you are reading this from outside the Narnian land of education, you would be staggered just how much we use the word ‘disadvantaged’. It peppers policy documents, development plans and inspection reports. I have tried searching through the Internet and social media for some semblance of criticism of its use. I can find none.… Read More The Language of Social Mobility.

We spent our final day in China in the district of Beibei, outside the main city of Chongqing, where we saw what happens when you combine the private equity of a real estate company with excellent architecture and educational rigour. The new Chongqing Hechan Bashu Primary School, completed last year, is immense and has facilities… Read More Chinese Reflections: Tao Xingzhi.

Day 1 of the Bashu Summit, which brought together educationalists from all over China. Some of my scribbles:- Now I know what it feels like to have a translator chatting away to you through an earpiece, rather like I’d seen on the news. I have massive respect for the translators – though it made me… Read More Bashu Summit, Chongqing.