THIS WEEK 31 DEC 2011-6 JAN 2012
SATURDAY
NOTHING LIKE A DAME
Heads, teachers and lollipop people scattered around the country were allowed to tell friends that they’d received a gong from Her Maj in the New Year honours list. Just one dame this year, and no knights.
SUNDAY
A TWO-PIPE PROBLEM ...
A hungover nation sat waiting for the start of the new series of the modern adaptation of Sherlock. Would it match up to its cinematic equivalent? Who was it going to be? Cumberbatch or Downey?
MONDAY
RIGHT ANSWERS, WRONG ORDER
In an unlikely development, the head of Britain’s private school sector, Barnaby Lenon, a former Harrow head, told the Times that multiple-choice questions should be used more widely in A-levels to help raise standards.
TUESDAY
ILLUSTRATIONS OF ANARCHY
The family of Ronald Searle, the creative genius and cartoonist behind both the St Trinian’s and Molesworth school-life parodies, announced his death. Sadness all round.
WEDNESDAY
AN ACADEMIC SOLUTION
Not content with having more than half of secondaries signed up for academy status, Michael Gove made a speech in New Cross explaining why primaries should pick the same route.
THURSDAY
SO, WILL THE GRASS BE GREENER?
Hundreds of heads and educationalists sat down in Leeds for the first full day of the North of England Education Conference. They listened attentively to the new shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg.
FRIDAY
PENSION DECISION PENDING
With the jury still out on the government’s latest pensions offer for teachers, members of the NASUWT’s executive meet to decide on the union’s next move. Ministers will also be waiting to hear from the NUT.
NEXT WEEK 7-13 JANUARY 2012
SATURDAY
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
Speaking at the Association for Science Education conference in Liverpool, What the Romans Did for Us’s Adam Hart-Davis will show how to introduce children to science using simple home-made apparatus.
SUNDAY
A TEST OF TEACHERS’ PATIENCE
The tenth anniversary of George W Bush’s No Child Left Behind legislation being signed into US law. Its controversial repercussions are still being felt Stateside and to a lesser extent over here.
MONDAY
HONESTLY, THE ADULTS OF TODAY
A man will appear at Chelmsford Crown Court for attempting to incite a riot in Colchester, Essex. He is alleged to have used BlackBerry Messenger to send: “Anyone want to start a riot in Colchester? 100pc serious.”
TUESDAY
DOG ATE YOUR HOMEWORK, EH?
Days after most teachers dragged themselves back to the chalkface, MPs deign to return to work. But you’ll have to wait until Monday 16 January for the first education questions.
WEDNESDAY
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
All through London’s Tube network you can play “Spot The ICT Teacher” as it’s the first day of the BETT exhibition in Olympia, Europe’s biggest education technology show.
THURSDAY
DRAWN FROM CHILDHOOD
For those mourning Ronald Searle, it would seem apposite to head to the Foundling Museum in central London to take in the first day of its new show, “Quentin Blake - As large as life”.
FRIDAY
GHOST IN THE MACHINE?
Expect sparks to fly following the publication of a new secret report from the Royal Society on computing in schools. Timed to coincide with BETT, its findings are likely to cause furrowed brows among attendees.
