THIS WEEK 9-15 JUNE 2012
SATURDAY
STORM FRONT
A new meteorological term was coined this weekend when the “European monsoon” hit these fair shores. It caused floods in Wales, 70mph winds on the south coast and major damage. Quite a few schools shut, too.
SUNDAY
EYE OF THE TIGER
Michael Gove leaked details of his primary national curriculum. It decrees that by Year 6 every child should be able to recite poetry. Cue classrooms across the country ringing to the sound of William Blake’s The Tyger.
MONDAY
CELEBRITY MEMOIRS
Children’s author Michael Rosen, television chef Jamie Oliver and, erm, wife of England footballer Wayne Rooney, Coleen, celebrated the start of National Bookstart Week, which encourages reading from an early age.
TUESDAY
DOWN ON THE FARM
The first details of the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Games were unveiled. Nearly 1,000 pupils from East London will be involved in the event, which will transform the Olympic stadium into a farm. Seriously?
WEDNESDAY
A DICKENS OF A SALE
A signed first edition of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield was sold at Christie’s auction house in London for #163;50,000. It is believed this copy of what the author called his “favourite child” sat on his own bookshelf.
THURSDAY
THEY DID IT ‘MY WAY!’
Henry Winkler, aka “The Fonz”, began a tour of UK schools as part of a campaign to raise awareness of dyslexia. The My Way! reading tour aims to build the self-esteem of the one-in-five children who suffer from the disorder.
FRIDAY
NOT-SO-HAPPY DAYS
What with the joys of exam season, endless rain and the summer break a long way off, you could be forgiven for scoffing at psychologist Cliff Arnall, who says today is the “happiest day of the year”. Try again, Cliff.
NEXT WEEK 16-22 JUNE 2012
SATURDAY
DO THEY FEEL LUCKY?
Education’s very own Dirty Harry, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw, will be talking at a National Governors’ Association conference about the role of governors in inspections. So, governors, make his day.
SUNDAY
DADS DO THE FUNNIEST THINGS
Fathers across the country are recognised for their numerous talents, with “hilarious” greetings cards depicting them as being bad at golf, sleeping in front of the television or, invariably, walking around the house naked.
MONDAY
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
It’s National School Grounds Week, a campaign by Learning Through Landscapes to promote teaching and learning outdoors. One piece of advice before taking the class outside would be to don some waterproofs.
TUESDAY
SOCCER MADNESS
England’s final group game in Euro 2012 is against co-hosts Ukraine, so it could be a tough battle to stay in the tournament. Forget homework marking for one evening - it’s all about the football.
WEDNESDAY
THE LONG DAY CLOSES
Science teachers should be pointing out that today is the summer solstice, when the northern hemisphere of the Earth is most inclined towards the Sun during its orbit. But from now on, the days will get shorter.
THURSDAY
SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE
Today is World Music Day and everyone, not just music teachers, can blow their own trumpet. More than 430 cities in 100 countries around the world will celebrate the day with open-air concerts and live gigs.
FRIDAY
SUN STROKE
On this day in 1633, the Pope forced Galileo to retract his view that the Sun, not the Earth, was the centre of the Universe. The Leveson inquiry now proves beyond doubt that The Sun is at the heart of everything.
