In a couple of weeks, my new book, ‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap‘, is released. Happily, I wanted to alert those people who may be interested in picking up the book …
Rethinking Assessment
It is decades since Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam opened up the ‘Black Box’ to reveal the crucial importance of assessment as learning, but it would appear the messages from …
How to Train A GCSE Essay Writer – Part 2
Thinking about better assessment is not always at the forefront of the mind of a busy English teacher. We are so hassled by marking, planning and well, teaching lots, that …
The Problem with Past Exam Papers
Over the weekend I had the joy of watching my little boy, Noah, play one of his football matches (there was a little pain too – just don’t mention the …
The Feedback ‘Collection’
Since 2012, I have written numerous posts about feedback and marking. This is no surprise given our school system has been seemingly addicted to making ‘progress’ visible, with feedback becoming …
Beyond National Curriculum Levels: One Year On
Let me recall a tale of two Parents’ Evenings. My colleague attended the usual fare at his son’s primary school and he learnt that his son was working at a level …
Breaking the Shackles of National Curriculum Levels
“We need to switch to a different conception of children’s ability. Every child, during Primary, being capable of anything, depending upon the effort that they have put in and how …
A Cautionary Tale of Educational Evidence
Let me first say that I am a big fan of educational research and undertaking trials in schools. Of course, we are not doctors and surgeons dealing with the clear …
Moving Beyond National Curriculum Levels
A fair few months ago the government announced the end of KS3 levels. Only there has been little real change – to my knowledge – in the status quo because …