It was a depressing moment when this news story made the front page of the BBC website ‘ Pupils forced to listen to Mozart’. The head of West Park School in Derby, Brian Walker, punishes his students in detention by making them listen to classical music, “featuring Elgar, Mozart, Verdi and Bach.” They are often… [Read More]
The earthquake in Haiti 8 days ago wreaked untold pain, and the international community is right to exert every effort to help those affected by the tragedy. The EU has announced that it will send €430 million of humanitarian aid (the 2 biggest contributions coming from Britain [€25 million] and France [€20 million]).
‘We haven’t done enough in the past to support dads… All the evidence is if fathers are properly engaged and involved… then… they’re supportive to their children, they do all the things which then lead to better child outcomes.’ Question: Guess who said that?
As the greasy smell of soggy chips and nondescript chicken wafts around the overflowing bin full of mangled newspaper, you may mistake the entrance to my classroom for the local kebab shop. And that’s only for starters. For many pupils, a greasy-fingered session of identifying nouns is promptly followed by feast of lurid, sugary snacks.
You can tell the Tories are being advised by Richard Thaler, the famed ‘nudge’ economist. It’s now, apparently, part of their life and blood. Public health, after the latest health policy announcement yesterday, may just as well be called ‘nudge’ health. Here’s the idea. Point one. Cash for public health initiatives will be separately identified… [Read More]
On Monday 11th January, Baroness Catherine Ashton faced a 3 hour hearing in the European Parliament (EP) to confirm her recent appointment as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Following her “grilling” by MEPs, one witness commented: “her answers necessarily had the sense of newly-learnt policies”.
It is reported today that the issue of whether gay marriage should be recognised in law in the USA may be headed for final resolution by the Supreme Court. For an excellent, courteous and informed discussion of the issue, watch the debate on it organised by Princeton University’s Anscombe Society, just posted on its web-site.
In a widely reported speech last week, former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion urged schools to reinstate the rote learning of classic poetry. He said: “Learning by heart has got a very bad reputation of being dusty and putting people off poetry. But if you learn poetry by heart… it allows it to become interesting.”… [Read More]
The international health policy research community is tuned in to the United States this month as Congress inches closer to passing the most extensive healthcare reform bill in 45 years. But what will these reforms really change?
In the Daily Telegraph this week, David Conway writes on the subject of his new book, Liberal Education and the National Curriculum, published by Civitas. ‘Critics of the national curriculum – and they are legion in our classrooms and teacher training colleges – seem curiously unaware that the first person to propose such a curriculum… [Read More]