The Great Post Office scandal is now getting full exposure thanks to the ITV dramatisation, but I remember listening to the BBC Radio series about this a few years ago. I was driving, listening to the podcast with my mouth wide open. ‘Can you believe this?’, I cried out to my wife and kids. ‘This… Read More Capitalism Out Of Control

This time last year, I tried to outline what I felt were the biggest priorities for those charged with leading in education. I plumped for Parenting, Early Years, SEND, Accountability and Attendance. Well, I could probably copy and paste the same for 2024 as these priorities most certainly remain. We could probably add behaviour which… Read More A New Covenant

It’s that time of year again. Appraisal targets have been met and set, improvement plans are underway and reports are beginning to be compiled for Governors/trustees. Government performance tables pop up in tweets, WhatsApp messages and emails. The ISDR will hit school leaders before Christmas. Throughout my career, it has been a time of great… Read More Understanding Complexity

Over the summer break last year, almost everything I read contained a reference to ‘a good life’, in one way or another. I felt energised, and comforted that my beliefs, those that are central to my vocation, were shared by authors across a wide range of literature. It has continued again this year, partly by… Read More The Good Life of Richie and Rishi

Muddle (noun) – an untidy or disorganised state or collection. We really have got ourselves in a muddle. A muddle over so many things, but hugely so when it comes to accountability. Back in 2019, Amanda Spielman could not have been clearer. The era of judging schools through crude measures such as SATs was over.… Read More What A Muddle

This weekend, I attended the funeral of Christopher, whose life ended in a car accident a few weeks ago. He was 20 years old. He was also a past pupil. I should admit to a little bit of poetic licence here, in that, strictly speaking, Christopher started school the term after I left as headteacher.… Read More Past Pupils

OK, I resigned from Ofsted well over a year ago, so the current, prolonged criticism doesn’t surprise me one bit. It is an organisation that has been struggling for years, with a very high turnover of staff. If you want to read my resignation letter from February 2021, it’s at the end of this blog.… Read More Ofsted

We use the word ‘paying’ quite plentifully in the English-speaking world. It can be used in a transactional way e.g. we are paying down on our debt, or paying into our pension schemes.   Or it can be used in a slightly punitive way, even masochistic. We are paying for the sins of the past,… Read More Paying the Price

As we begin 2023, here are my top 5 areas for urgent attention. I apologise to secondary/FE colleagues as I’m sure there are pressing issues in your phases too, but I’m going with those where I feel most at home. If we are to reduce inequalities, we need fundamental change in the value we give… Read More The Year Ahead

Prologue In 2019, I wrote this https://allencompasscouk.wordpress.com/2019/08/11/future-of-catholic-schools/  in an effort to stake out a vision for Catholic state schools in the modern era. Now, after all the disruption of the past couple of years, it seems a good time to revisit this, adding some practical examples to elaborate on some of its themes. It should… Read More A Catholic Ethos

Last week, I heard a curious story. One which, I believe, is absolutely true. What I was told is I think symptomatic of the current dysfunction in education. The tale revolves around a well-respected Maths teacher who has been at his current school for some time. He knows his students well, and they obviously like… Read More Drop In

Rhetoric and Reality: sustainability in schools Stonyhurst College, where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went to school, and the place where JRR Tolkien gained much of the inspiration for the Lord of the Rings. Set in acres of meadows, woods and hills, near the Trough of Bowland and Pendle Hill, it is an area of outstanding… Read More Sustainability and Climate Change: Rhetoric and Reality