Events, books, articles, announcements and news by and about NVEG Council members
NOVEMBER 2024 NEWS
Warwick Mansell has written two reports commissioned by the Campaign for State Education (CASE). The first is Systems Matter – the costs to classrooms of the Academy System and the Impact on Staff which can be accessed at https://www.campaignforstateeducation.org.uk/resources.
Warwick’s second report, contributing to CASE’s work on the fragmented school system, shows how many different providers of education there are in each local authority – https://fragmentedschoolsystem.org.uk.
OCTOBER 2024 NEWS
Colin Richards has just published two new pieces following on from his Alternative Big Listen report
The first, co-authored with Frank Norris, is a critique of Christine Gilbert’s Ofsted learning review (Independent learning review for Ofsted). This piece is co-authored with Frank Norris – https://thealternativebiglisten.co.uk/f/renewing-ofsted-governance-post-gilbert
The second piece comments on the proposal to introduce OFSTED report cards –https://thealternativebiglisten.co.uk/f/report-cards-too-easy-a-win
Malcolm Groves
Malcolm has co-authored So What Now? Time for learning in your school to face the future (published 2022) https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/so-what-now-time-for-learning-in-your-school-to-face-the-future
Malcolm also has a chapter in Beyond Belief – why school accountability is broken and how to fix it to be published in January 2025 https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/beyond-belief
Deb Outhwaite
A co-authored blog from August 2024 Addressing the crisis in the professional education and development of teachers in England https://fabians4education.edublogs.org/2024/08/27/addressing-the-crisis-in-the-professional-education-and-development-of-teachers-in-england-brian-hudson-and-deborah-outhwaite/
Jo Boaler
A Statement from Jo Boaler Nomellini-Olivier Professor, Stanford University on the politics of mathematics education –https://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Boaler-Statement-4.8.24.pdf
Helen Gunter
How do we develop an education fan base? BERA blog (April 2024) with Manchester colleagues https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/how-do-we-develop-an-education-fan-base
Under surveillance? BERA blog (February 2024) https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/under-surveillance NVEG gets a mention
A Political Sociology of Education Policy https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/a-political-sociology-of-education-policy. This was first published in early 2023 as a hardback and May 2024 as an affordable paperback.
Intellectual Leadership, Higher Education and Precarious Times is co-edited by Helen Gunter (May 2024) https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/intellectual-leadership-higher-education-and-precarious-times-9781350291805/
Critical Education Policy and Leadership Studies: The Intellectual Contributions of Helen M. Gunter December 2023 https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-36801-1
Warwick Mansell
JVisit Warwick’s Substack account, currently free at https://substack.com/@warwickmansell
For example: Seeking to marginalise outside voices is a mistake for the academies policy – and for the teaching profession as a whole https://warwickmansell.substack.com/p/seeking-to-marginalise-outside-voices?subscribe_prompt=free with links to his subscription work on Education Uncovered https://www.educationuncovered.co.uk/
Brian Lightman
Read Brian Lightman on Substack, also currently free – Brian’s Lessons Learned https://substack.com/@brianslessonslearnedblog
The first Lesson Learned from August 2024 is 2024-5 A year of new opportunities for school leaders? https://substack.com/home/post/p-147513393
Rob Higham
Rob’s recent research was featured in an Observer piece in August Gove’s free schools increase segregation and harm nearby schools, says study https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/aug/17/goves-free-schools-increase-segregation-and-harm-nearby-schools-says-study
The research The Free Schools Experiment: Analysing the impacts of English free schools on neighbouring schools can be found here https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10195862/
Paul Morris
Paul has co-authored Measuring and misrepresenting the missing millions: the OECD’s assessment of out-of-school youth in PISA for Development published in Critical Studies in Education (July 2023) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17508487.2023.2227227?_ga=2.1535673.986884914.1730278483-853011079.1730278483#abstract
Alan Wood
Alan had this piece in SchoolsWeek (July 2024) – Labour must go further to truly rebuild faith in Ofsted: Removing one-word judgments may take some of the heat out of inspection, but that alone won’t make the process more constructive https://schoolsweek.co.uk/labour-must-go-further-to-truly-rebuild-faith-in-ofsted/
David Gillborn
David Gillborn has co-edited Critical Race Theory in Education https://www.routledge.com/Critical-Race-Theory-in-Education/Parker-Gillborn/p/book/9781032838946
Mick Waters
Mick has co-edited Unfinished Business: The life and legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse – a tribute and a call to action which contains four pieces from New Vision Group members https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/unfinished-business
Bethan Marshall
Bethan has published her novel The Last Letter (2023) available from Amazon etc. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Letter-Bethan-Marshall/dp/1649604130/. Bethan is also a co-author of The Pedagogy of Watching Shakespeare (2024) from Cambridge University Press https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/pedagogy-of-watching-shakespeare/AC878987E06D5A17FFB79D935EDF4A9C
Dave Wilcox – tribute
Derbyshire County Council placed this tribute on its website after Dave’s death died in July https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/tributes-paid-to-derbyshire-county-council-alderman-and-former-council-chairman-dave-wilcox-obe.aspx
Richard Pring – tribute
Oxford University Department of Education has published https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/professor-richard-pring/ following Richard’s death earlier this month.
EARLIER
Professor Eric Bolton
NVEG members have been saddened to hear of the death of former Senior Chief Inspector Schools, Professor Eric Bolton. Eric was a stalwart supporter of the Group. His former colleague Professor Colin Richards has this to say –
“Eric Bolton joined the Inspectorate in 1973 and left in 1991 as Senior Chief Inspector just before the demise of HM Inspectorate in 1992. An English specialist, college lecturer and local authority inspector he was appointed SC1 by Sir Keith Joseph despite having served as a labour councillor. Eric’s predecessor, Sheila Browne, was a hard act to follow . But like her, perhaps even more so, he spoke truth to power and reported without fear or favour, sometimes to his cost. He fought hard to preserve a measure of independence for the Inspectorate which became increasingly difficult towards the end of his tenure. He saw the demise of HM Inspectorate as a regrettable “tragedy, small in the great scheme of things, but regrettable nonetheless.”
He was kind, had a knowing sense of humour, was self-deprecating and was only too aware of the human frailties of those he worked for and with. He was always quick to prick pomposity and pretentiousness. He was a well-liked and well-respected leader who in turn respected and, where necessary, strongly defended the judgment of those who worked under him.”
Professor Colin Richards
Together with education adviser Frank Norris MBE, NVEG member Professor Colin Richards has established the Alternative Big Listen (ABL) as a response to the “Big Listen” set up by OFSTED to gather views on its operations and methods following the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, and the publication of the Coroner’s Report on her death.
The ‘Alternative Big Listen’ has offered an opportunity to remedy major deficiencies in OFSTED’s survey by asking respondents to review the inspectorate’s current and past performance. Its survey included many of the key statements used by Ofsted but asking very different questions. ABL’s report now published, raises serious issues for the new Secretary of State who has committed to the reform of school inspection in England.
The findings from the ABL reveal that OFSTED has lost very significant levels of trust and confidence from the school sector and strongly suggest that fundamental, not piece-meal, change, is required to craft an inspection system fit for purpose in the second quarter of the twenty-first century.
Click to download the report
Richard Andrews
Teaching the World’s Teachers,
Many countries confront surprisingly similar challenges in preparing K–12 educators for success, while national contexts also make for surprising differences. Teaching the World’s Teachers, edited by education historians Lauren Lefty and James Fraser (Johns Hopkins University Press 2020), makes a convincing case for approaching these shared challenges from a more global and historically minded perspective. The book includes a chapter ‘Crisis and Opportunity in Teacher Preparation in England’ by NVEG member Richard Andrews.
Sir Peter Newsam and Sir Tim Brighouse
We report with great sadness the death of NVEG member Sir Peter Newsam, pioneering educationist who expanded comprehensive schooling in London and went on to chair the Commission for Racial Equality. and that of the NVEG co -founder and Past Chair Sir Tim Brighouse described as one of the great educators of the century and a delightful human being.
Kate Frood
The A to Z of Primary Maths by Kate Frood available now from Amazon
Warwick Mansell
The New Political Economy of Teacher Education co authored by Warwick Mansell together with Viv Ellis and Lauren Gatti
Melissa Benn
Education policy – Why we need long-term vision and bold opposition
Melissa highlights concerns about the detrimental impact of short-term policymaking on England’s education system and discusses the need for a more dynamic approach
Dame Alison Peacock and Melissa Benn
NVEG members Dame Alison Peacock and Melissa Benn sat as members of the Beyond OFSTED Inquiry which reported on its findings on 20th N0vember 2023 calling for an end to school level inspections. Go here to read the report and see too a commentary from University College London
Professor Eva Lloyd OBE
A Public Good Approach: Learning from Ireland’s Early Education and Childcare Reform
A brief written by Professor Eva Lloyd OBE on the development and implementation of Ireland’s new funding model for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) describing how successive governments in Ireland worked with external partners, including academics, sector experts, unions, parent groups and voluntary sector associations to develop and implement fundamental reforms. The paper aims to offer opportunities for learning to enrich discussions about routes to reform in England.