High house prices and private tutors are said to be driving an education gulf between wealthy and disadvantaged students. The Sutton Trust – which campaigns for social mobility – has released figures, which says the use of private tutors is rising and is twice as likely to be used by wealthier families. Combine this with…
When I was asked to advise the government three years ago on the new maths curriculum I was hoping for a return to more traditional teaching methods – and to a time when we used to lead the world rather than lag behind everyone else. In fact, our brief was to emulate the world’s most…
It’s taken long enough but at last education chiefs are recognising the need for children to get the basics right in maths. A key part of this is learning their times tables. The government has announced that all 11-year-olds will be tested on their times tables before leaving primary school. During the progressive education revolution…
With China leading the way in academic achievement, it makes sense for us in the UK to observe the Chinese schools’ methods of teaching and see what, if anything, can be learnt from the Chinese education system. The three episodes of BBC2’s programme ‘Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School’ aimed to do just that…
Reading forms a central part of the English curriculum in schools and the benefits that children receive by encountering a range of different texts in an academic setting are varied and many. Spelling, grammar, creative writing ability and comprehension skills are all improved when children are introduced to challenging literature at an early age. As…