Latest thinking

Getting a buzz from the RSA Academy

Blog

15 Jul 2010

Matthew Taylor

A short post on my way back from the RSA Academy.

Academies - a long journey to who knows where

Blog

27 May 2010

Matthew Taylor

I have a chequered history when it comes to Academies. When I first went into Number Ten I marginalised myself by allowing it to be known that I shared some of the concerns being expressed by the Treasury and the local government department about what was then a new policy. Picking an argument with Andrew Adonis was a fast track route to internal exile.

Rose Among Thorns – What now for the primary curriculum?

Blog

19 Apr 2010

With all the focus on the election there has been little media attention to the abandonment of the Rose reforms as part of the rushed progress of the Children, Schools and Families Bill in the haste to dissolve parliament. Yet, this potentially represents a catastrophe for primary schools, the vast majority of staff at which were relishing the return to a more flexible and less prescriptive curriculum; and many of whom had already invested time and energy to curriculum planning and development to incorporate the changes (which had been presented to schools as ‘in the bag’).

Collectively thinking about the curriculum

Blog

01 Mar 2010

As promised, Friday's seminar on the implications of social brain theory for how we think about the national curriculum resulted in a fascinating discussion.

The social curriculum - how who we are affects what we learn

Blog

25 Feb 2010

Social brain theory, which looks at insights from a range of disciplines that deal with human brain, mind and behaviour sciences, posits that our rationality is more emotionally driven, that we are more socially responsive, and that our decisions are made more unconsciously than simplistic models of rational, individualistic beings making rational decisions allow.

Michael Gove's response

Blog

19 Jan 2010

Matthew Taylor

Here is Michael Gove’s reply to my July Questions. As I said yesterday, I am very grateful to him for finding the time. Instead of giving my response to his response today – which would make an already long post even longer – I’ll wait until tomorrow, by which time I hope also to be able to draw on comments from other readers.

Schools - back to basics

Blog

09 Jan 2010

Matthew Taylor

Sometimes a series of unconnected events conspire to turn a vague conviction into a firm opinion. Try these three:

Manchester Curriculum Case Study: Whalley Range School

Report

01 Dec 2009

'Our Manchester: Our Whalley Range' project witnessed year 7 students produce a documentary about the history of Manchester.

Manchester Curriculum Case Study: Parklands School

Report

01 Nov 2009

Parklands School underwent a process of transition to become the Manchester Enterprise Academy, opening in September 2009 under the sponsorship of the nearby Manchester Airport.