Let’s Talk English is all about reimagining what English means for today’s learners and exploring what the subject could (and should) look like in classrooms across the country. Since launching in March, the conversation has continued to grow, with educators from across the sector joining the discussion and sharing their views.
In the next instalment in our Let’s Talk English blog series, we heard from Bob Eaglestone, Lead on Cross Sector Educational Policy at the English Association, on his thoughts on what English is and what it’s for. He shares how English isn’t just a subject in education: it is a subjectfor education, and why it’s so important for students’ futures.
As part of our Let’s Talk English campaign, we’re asking two big questions: What is English? What is it for?
This month, we heard from Barbara Bleiman, Education Consultant at English and Media Centre, who shared her thoughts on the value and purpose of this vital subject.
GCSE English will be our first exams in a core subject to go fully onscreen, subject to Ofqual approval. But why GCSE English first?
The answer builds on ongoing research, pilot schemes and conversations we’ve undertaken to better understand how onscreen assessments might work, why and in what way they’re useful for students (and schools and colleges) and importantly, why and when we should implement them.
Authored byMaddie Short, Programmes Lead, Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Authored by Dee Reid, founder of Catch Up
Hear from leading voices from across the sector about how to support KS3, EAL and SEND learners to make progress with reading.
The education sector is predominantly made up of white people. White teachers and senior leaders, in fact only 3% of headteachers in the country are black. The lack of diversity in education however spreads much further than the school walls: the majority of those working for exam boards, publishers, illustrators, even DfE Ministers and management are white. In addition to the work that needs to be done to bring more diverse people into these groups, , there are many organisations within education who can and should at least be ethical leaders in what they produce.
Knee-jerk: “a quick reaction that does not allow you time to consider something carefully”
When a topic or issue becomes very present in the public eye (often despite having always been of paramount importance, as is the case with genuine diversity and inclusion in education) or it begins to feel more urgent, there can be pressure to actively resist or even just to react.