Why NOW is the time to re-shape education!
Since the government announced that this year’s A Level and GCSE exams will once again be scrapped I have heard numerous comments from students and staff along these lines… “Well what’s the point in the rest of the year’s lessons…
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Which is most important? Character or Competence
(Or why 74 million Americans voted for Trump) Character or competence? I wonder what your instinctive reaction is… “Depends on the context” you might say? In a friend? In a teacher/ mentor? In a boss? In a political leader? Of…
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A Crisis of Hope: How Covid is affecting mental health in schools.
Recent surveys have shown that: two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown. young people are more likely to have experienced poor mental health during lockdown than adults.[i] more than 50% of teachers report…
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Letter to my Daughter starting University
Dear Amy-Beth It feels crazy that you are leaving for university so soon after being born! The past 18 years have been amazing but they have flown by far too quickly. I worry that I have not told you…
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#doingschooldifferently
I will add to this blog on a regular basis over the next few weeks. I will be tweeting my additions at @PRadfordSpeaker on Twitter. Please follow me there: but I will also keep adding them here so that it’s…
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The secret to understanding people!
All behaviour is communication. I came across this statement whilst assessing a special school for Unicef’s Rights Respecting School Award. Mountjoy School in Dorset caters for children aged 4-18 with severe learning difficulties. Many children there are unable to communicate verbally,…
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36 suggestions to transform the teaching profession!
These 36 suggestions have come out of lots of years working in and with schools. The teaching profession is haemorrhaging teachers at an unprecedented rate: 20% plan to leave in the next two years, 40% in the next five years! Lots…
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Leadership lessons from Bananarama
Before the summer, having booked to see Michael Buble in concert at Hyde Park with my wife for our anniversary, we discovered that one of the support acts was Bananarama. Who ended up being the highlight of the show since…
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GRIT predicts success better than any other measure
How long do you stick with a task or project when it’s not going your way? How long do your kids, your students or your staff keep attacking a problem before they conclude: “I can’t do this.” According to recent…
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What’s the ONE thing your staff want most?
What drives human beings? If we could nail this one then success might be less elusive? According to Daniel Pink in his book Drive, two basic drives of human behaviour have dominated our understanding and practice: Motivation 1.0 is the drive to…
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