Over the period from September 2018 to August 2022, Blackpool secondary schools engaged in a major whole school project to improve the reading ability of pupils in Key Stage 3. The project was a collaborative effort involving: senior leaders, teachers & support staff; Right to Succeed and critical friends including Alex Quigley and Professor Jessie Ricketts. The academic paper below explores part of that collaboration.
Continue readingMany think this summer’s examination replacement consultation is a bit of a dog’s dinner. The Department for Education/OFQUAL consultation seems more interested in re-establishing an examination system that’s not an examination system, then looking at ways to create a meaningful alternative in these pandemic times. Some have already expressed the fear that this summer will be as chaotic as last year.
Continue readingWithin the Department for Education/Ofqual’s consultation on this year’s exam replacement there are a whole series of distractions and much confused, woolly thinking. The key challenge that requires addressing – and was missed last year in the need to move rapidly to a centre assessed grade – is the comparability between grades awarded in different schools/ centres. This is the basis for having a national examination system and is totally missed in the consultation in favour of some ill-defined “external quality assurance by the exam boards” in June.
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