Our team sorts through all blog submissions to place them in the categories they fit the most - meaning it's never been simpler to gain advice and new knowledge for topics most important for you. This is why we have created this straight-forward guide to help you navigate our system.
And there you have it! Now your collection of blogs are catered to your chosen topics and are ready for you to explore. Plus, if you frequently return to the same categories you can bookmark your current URL and we will save your choices on return. Happy Reading!
I was always vaguely aware as a child that there were “good” schools and “not so good” schools but beyond the blindingly obvious differences, I was largely ignorant to the “Type” of school I attended. There were no banners strung outside the gates or “OUTSTANDING”’s emblazoned under the headteacher’s name. We were relatively untouched by the competitive force of the education system back then.
Of course, that was when all schools were under the control of Local Authorities and postcode catchment areas meant that there was less squabbling over bragging rights. I knew friends who moved house when they reached a specific age but I never knew it was due to school admissions.
OFSTED was a word that we heard in school but it was pretty mysterious. I once heard my year 2 teacher talking about “supply teachers” and was convinced she said “Spy teachers” and that is what I believed OFSTED to be!
We knew we needed to be well-behaved during these visits where serious faced men and women would enter the classroom silently and stand, arms crossed, at the back causing our teachers to stutter, sweat & act strangely. But, I never really knew where these secretive operatives were sending their information back to.
Now we scream the status of our schools for all to hear: an accolade or act of shaming. “Outstanding!!”, “Requires Improvement”…. And these labels stick as firmly as the school logo on a child’s jumper. They know. They understand.
They see the fish market that the education system has become and they know they are the merchandise. Who has the healthiest catch? Who casts the widest net? Who offers the best price? Who guarantees bulk orders?
Since training in the early 2000’s, I have been utterly baffled by the competitive nature of UK education. It makes no sense. Surely we are all better together? Unity? Collaboration? A COLLEGIATE approach?
The politics of which school helps which and who feeds to where has had me scratching my head thinking “shouldn’t ALL schools be fighting for better? TOGETHER?”.
I understand the competition in swimming galas, sports events, etc. It is healthy if managed well. I do not fathom the necessity of making progress in a competition. It seems to defy the whole point of “individual progress”.
Should we not be celebrating each achievement on its own merit rather than holding it aloft for scrutiny and invidious comparison against other achievements? What are we teaching young people about their successes? About their own internal and external validation?
Even in the nuances of Twitter, there is division and contest. Prog/Trad, Left/Right….. Pen licence/No Pen licence.
Yet there is so much more that unites us than divides us. Especially when businesses profiteer from our children’s hard work, politicians use our profession as a scapegoat and the press vilify us with increasing regularity.
Now is not the time to quibble or buy into divisive tactics. Divided we fall.
Let’s set a new motto for every school: “United nos vigemusque” (Together we thrive/are stronger).
The author
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Are you looking for solutions? Let us help fund them! Nexus Education is a community of over 11,000 schools that come together to share best practise, ideas and CPD via online channels and free to attend events. Nexus also offers funding to all school groups in the UK via nexus-education.com
Established in 2011, One Education is a company at the heart of the education world, supporting over 600 schools and academies. Our unique appeal as a provider is in the breadth and synergy of the services we offer, supporting school leaders, teachers and support staff to achieve the best possible outcomes for their pupils and staff.
School Space is a social enterprise that has empowered schools for over 12 years through their profitable and hassle-free lettings services. So far, they’ve generated over £5 million in revenue for education, helping to connect over 200 schools with their local communities.
Operoo is a school operations and productivity platform. We help thousands of schools and trusts to eliminate slow, expensive and repetitive tasks. Operoo helps schools streamline and digitise processes, drastically reducing the associated costs: From student pre-admissions, permission forms, payments, and school trips; to medical information and emergency contacts, incident reporting, staff agreements, and more in over 100 languages.
Unify is an online sales and marketing tool that allows users to create tailored personalised documents in moments.
There’s nothing special about the energy we sell. In fact, it’s exactly the same energy as all our competitors provide. But there is something special about the way we do it. Where others complicate the process, we simplify it. Where others confuse customers with hidden terms, we’re an open book. And where others do all they can to make as much money from their customers as possible, we do all we can to make as little. Everything we do, we do it differently. Our customers are a privilege. One we’ll never take advantage of.
Securus provide market-leading monitoring solutions to safeguard students on ALL devices both online and offline. We also offer a full monitoring service, where we carry out the monitoring on behalf of the school, freeing up valuable staff resources. From the smallest school to large MAT groups, Securus offers safeguarding protection for all!
As European leaders of Time Management Solutions, Bodet offer Lockdown, Clock, Bell & PA Systems. Harmonys, our five-in-one IP/PoE Bell System, provides a unique customisable lockdown or panic alarm alert. Melodys, a Wireless Bell System, is useful where wiring can be difficult.