Schools always define their behaviour expectations positively, and that’s right. But when a student is doing the wrong thing, they also need to be told explicitly by the teacher what…

Once we are beyond babyhood, we all lead - in different ways and at different times for sure, but the basic point holds true. So this is a question for…

‘Often wrong, but never in doubt’ Some people refuse to ever change their mind. ‘Once I’ve made up my mind, that’s it!’ they say, zealously. And there’s often a hint…

There are many factors that might influence an individual student’s achievement at school, and the key ones might well vary between students, each one of whom is unique; that doesn’t…

Or, the ability to get things done is under-rated ‘The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention’. John Burroughs There is a lot of talk in education about the…

The dread of criticism is the death of genius’ – William Gilmore Simms What is ‘criticism’? In the Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘criticism’ has two main definitions: 1) The expression of…

You might say you wouldn’t put one first, that both matter equally. Or that you think young people’s wellbeing and happiness far outweigh everything else. But schools in this country…

I am currently reading a book by the philosopher, A C Grayling, which is prompting me to think about we mean by ‘success’, in the general sense. For each of…

‘Attention is the primary gatekeeper of learning and relearning and the ultimate commodity of our classrooms’ (Kristian Still, 2022*) We sometimes forget to focus on the simple things that are…

We are often wrong, every one of us. That’s not a criticism, it’s a function of the daily challenges thrown at us by this messy, complex, often topsy-turvy world, and…