Articles
Letter to The Times' re “I felt like an alien” article
The Times newspaper of Saturday 15 February ran a typically one-sided and vindictive article alleging that what they labelled as unschooled home education was dangerous. They took the case of one (only one) female who claimed to have been unschooled and learned nothing. She particularly raised the issue that she and others had not been helped to be literate. I...
Learning matters. But does education matter?
In our research on highly effective people in work they mention a wide range of qualities and competences that make them effective. Mostly these are learned not genetic. They also mention a very wide range of ways in which they learned that can include travel, having a good boss, reading, having a mentor, talking to colleagues, family influences, challenging...
If children are free to learn whatever they want, how do they learn what schools provide?
This is a common question when parents visit. One basis for this assumption is that somehow schools provide a rich, broad, child-centred curriculum that prepares them well for their careers and future life. Nothing could be further from the truth as the National Curriculum is narrow and unbalanced. It emphasises academic learning and undermines the chance for young people...
Debunking Educational Myths: Empowering Parents for Informed Choices
How about a fun twist on the 'Would I Lie to You' TV programme to uncover some common myths about education. Let's debunk them! Myth 1: "School is the preferred option for children's education, and parents can only home educate with permission." Truth: The law says that both school and 'otherwise' education options are equally valid: school is not mentioned in...
How can education prepare children to lead a good life - ABC Magazine
I would guess that no one ever said on their deathbed: “I wish I had got better grades at GCSE”. In fact, research on deathbed regrets suggests that people in different parts of the world show similar responses. A top regret, for instance, is around relationships - and people feeling that they may have neglected friends and loved ones...
This is the Best Thing in School - SML at Uckfield Community College
Written by Andrea Hazeldine, Deputy Principal and Head of College, Uckfield Community Technology College Introduction The title is taken from a comment made by a Year 8 student at the College. This article outlines the approach that prompted that comment – and others such as ‘I’ve learned more from these five sessions than in my whole school career’ from a Year...
The importance of well-being in education
Published in the May 2022 edition of ABC magazine. It may surprise some parents that research on adults has shown that the best predictor of life satisfaction is wellbeing in childhood and not factors such as academic achievement and exam grades. In fact test results in general, and whether a person is successful in them or not, does not predict...
Marcus Rashford as a model for learning
Published in RSA COMMENT May 2021. Marcus Rashford has made an enormous impact for a young footballer. Ian Cunningham FRSA argues that Rashford is an exemplar of an effective learner and that there are lessons for the educational world from this. In a tweet posted on 12 May 2021, by Marcus Rashford MBE, he wrote: “I stood on the seat in...