SchoolsWeek 6

 

The SATs FUBAR – the gift that keeps on giving

Five years ago I wrote about what a disaster the National Tutoring Programme was, especially in its first iteration under the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). I found myself musing on it again this week, watching the angst over Pearson’s admission that it will deliver this year’s KS2 SATs results nine days late (16 instead of […]

2 months ago Education More
 

AI and Edtech investing

For a year now the impact of AI has been moving more directly into the economy. As with all tech adoption, it has been uneven, with the focus on big companies cutting headcount, e.g. Amazon 14,000, Afterpay/Square 40% and UPS 20,000. While AI has been touted in edtech for many years, from an investor’s perspective […]

6 months ago Education More
 

2023 in Review – a few not entirely random thoughts

In my experience the business of edtech (education) swings wildly between the apogee of happiness, fulfilment and inspiration, and perigee of confusion, rancour and despair. For me 2023 was no different, with some great ideas and people and some tough choices and disappointments. At the top of the scale it was meeting and getting to […]

2 years ago Education More
 

Ethics and edtech

Edtech and education are as full of hypocrisy, cant and mendacious action as any part of the economy. The sooner we accept this, the better we can, as individuals and as organisations,examine and calibrate our attitudes and ideas. The recent possible boycott BETT, is but one example. I had a minor role in raising the […]

4 years ago Education More
 

Tall Poppy Syndrome and Oak National Academy

I grew up in Australia where the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’ is part of the national DNA. You criticise a person or organisation’s success in order to cut them down, deflating arrogance and pomposity. Unfortunately, it’s also about levelling down anyone who has the temerity to succeed. In the UK I have seen it in the […]

5 years ago Education More

Edu news or partisan spin?

Education remains a topic of interest and debate at every level of society. This should be positive but much of what I hear from well-known commentators is thinly-disguised politics or an attempt to make news rather than report it with any semblance of fact, depth or balance. Does this matter? Yes, I think so. Take […]

5 years ago Uncategorized More