Louise's Blogs

There is a structural dissonance at the heart of our education system that has long gone unacknowledged. Once latent, these foundational contradictions are now becoming increasingly visible as inequalities in student outcomes widen and scrutiny intensifies. Since the Attlee government’s landmark attempt at social democracy in 1945, education in the UK has been attempting to improve the life chances of disadvantaged children. Despite neoliberal elements creeping in, our educat

For many years, schools, understandably, have been focusing on the gender attainment gap. We are asking questions about how the system is failing boys and the barriers they are facing. Is it a lack of a clear social role? Is it the feminisation of education? Is it a confidence issue? This article isn’t going to dispute the clear attainment gap, or state that boys don’t need our focus (they do, very much so). The purpose of this article is to flip the gender focus, because, ir

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve lost count of the amount of twilight sessions or INSET days I’ve attended where I’ve been excited to go, thinking ‘Yes! A chance to get better and do better!’ but I’ve come away feeling angry and let down. When I sit back and reflect on the provenance of my negativity, it inevitably points back to one thought: my time was wasted because I have learnt nothing new or tangible. CPD is meant to be one of the highlights of working in education, and

As teachers I think it’s expected that we know who we are, what we stand for and where we belong. I am unsure if anyone else feels the weight of this identity pressure, but I feel it. I arrive to my classroom each day suited and occasionally booted, with a laptop and a planner in hand. I know why I’m there. I know why I chose to get up and drive to this school and I know what difference I want to make in each lesson and interaction. I rest easy knowing I am lucky enough to be