Author: stephencurran

Why the tutoring debate is missing the point, why quality matters

Why the tutoring debate is missing the point, why quality matters

There’s an interesting debate unfolding on LinkedIn about demand for tutoring versus the number of tutors in the marketplace. From my perspective, this isn’t really about whether there are enough students or enough tutors. It’s about the quality of tuition being offered. There are good tutors and bad tutors. In my view, tutoring should be delivered by professional teachers unless…

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Tough love is still love

Tough love is still love

For many years now reports and surveys have shone a light on the plight of white, working-class children in our schools. We know they perform more poorly than any other demographic and that the problem is generational. And we know that if children come out of school without qualifications and being unable to read and…

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Education is not indoctrination

Education is not indoctrination

A recent poll for the NEU (National Education Union) has shown a massive collapse in support for Labour, but a huge leap for the Greens. The NEU is the biggest teaching union. The poll asked for teachers’ voting intentions compared with how respondents voted in the last general election. Predictably it shows vast support for…

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Breeding a Nation of Zombies?

Breeding a Nation of Zombies?

The cost of educating children with special educational needs is putting enormous pressure on council budgets. And there is one condition that is receiving a great deal of attention at the moment – attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is defined here as ‘a neurodevelopmental difference (that is, a difference in the way the brain develops as…

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