“I am committed to continuing to stand up for parents who feel that their children are not getting the best education they possibly can.”
As a teacher and a tutor, I have always had a passion for helping children reach their full educational potential. This desire to see each child fulfil their academic promise is what drives me and can be traced back to my own school days when, not fully comprehending the explanations of the teachers, I had to find my own ways to understand the subjects I was struggling with. Many years later, having qualified as a teacher, I quickly came to realise that children were finishing their primary education without the literacy and numerical skills that they needed to effectively progress through their secondary education. This was a constant source of frustration for me.
“My philosophy is to build strong foundations …”
When I started tutoring, I discovered that I could make a substantially greater difference to a child’s education by subsidising the skills they learn at school with more traditional teaching practices. Since the 1960s, successive governments have introduced ‘progressive’ methods, focusing on problem-solving at primary level. I believe that before problem-solving can take place, children must first be taught the methodology that underpins each subject. This focus on teaching children the foundational building blocks of each subject is a philosophy that has underpinned both my tuition centre and the Accelerated Education series of educational books.
“Giving children the best education possible.”
I am committed to continuing to stand up for parents who feel that their children are not getting the best education they possibly can, and will continue to petition the government to move back towards the traditional teaching methods that worked so well for our children in the past.
I am dedicated to helping create a world-class primary education system in the UK in which every child can reach their full potential, and I will continue to use my influence wherever possible to achieve this.
“The results speak for themselves …”
With the traditional approach used in my teaching methods annually demonstrating success (80-86% of students attending my tuition centre attain a grammar school place of their choice) and parents consistently telling me how frustrated they are with the current progressive education system, I decided to take parents’ concerns to the ‘top table’. I approached the then opposition, Nick Gibb, to share my experience and views. When he became Minister of State for Schools, Mr Gibb approached me to join the panel to advise on and discuss the changes and improvements to the maths national curriculum. The new curriculum was launched in 2014.
“We need to return to traditional teaching methods …”
The aim of the new curriculum is to drive an improvement in mathematics standards across the UK. The UK is currently placed 25th out of 27 developed nations in numeracy* (benchmarked against age-related expectations in other nations). I have been making clear the need for changes in the way maths is taught in this country for a long time. It is interesting to note that a number of countries that were previously part of the British Empire have retained traditional approaches to teaching maths. Singapore, for example, uses a more ‘traditional’ maths curriculum and is consistently ranked as the best in the world.
* Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) world rankings
I was interviewed on BBC 1 for Heath Check UK to talk about the concern parents currently have around their children and homeschooling.
I appeared on BBC Scotland with Gordon Brewer to talk through my views on including a more traditional approach to education within the Scottish curriculum.
This story was picked up by the Daily Express the following day. The interview was in response to my latest blogs on the Scottish curriculum.
Links
As part of my passion for education and giving children a chance at a brighter future, I have is committed to helping educate underprivileged children in Asia through both donation and support. Read more here …
Since the launch of AE Publications in 1999, over 60 workbooks and testbooks have been written, classroom-tested and released to the public. Also due for release in 2018 is my own book on screenwriting: ‘Screenwriting Teachers 1911-1922: Their Origins, Contribution and Legacy’. Read more here …
When I took up tutoring in the early 1990s, I had already resigned to the fact that the more progressive teaching methods that had been introduced in the 1960s were not working. Read more here …
I am dedicated to helping create a world-class primary education system in the UK in which every child can reach their full potential, and I will continue to use my influence wherever possible to achieve this. Read more here …