C.E. Jottings

Reading blogs this evening. Here's one .. the role of the educator & quantum dynamics

"The role of the educator can be understood in terms of quantum dynamics: each moment you stand before a group of learners, many possibilities exist, yet only one will emerge." Different. Makes a change from the trite "unlocking potential" of so much edubabble. A challenging read. But worth it. Cracking open the curriculum. Begins with a great quote from Jeanette Winterson, The Stone Gods: “‘I hate it when you talk like this . . .’ ‘I merely observe that this... Read more →

Not disabled. Just different. How about Not SEN. Just different?

From a favorite blog, Mark Nearty's "Love, Belief and Balls": For a long time now I’ve struggled with the idea that autism is a disability. Instead of a nice neat “disability” label that firmly establishes the power dynamic, I’ve started to see Steven’s autism just as a difference. Different framing. Different relatedness. Different communication. Different priorities. Different frequency. Different connectedness to the world around him. It’s easier for us to categorise this as a disability because to think any other... Read more →

Re-imagining potential. Now that's more like it.

One meeting I enjoyed last week, was welcoming Constantin Court (Headteacher) and Karen Chester (Admisions Manager) from Brantwood Specialist School to Paces and Paces Campus. That led me to the School's website. Actually, I'd been to the website before so was suprised that I had not then noticed in the header their tag-line "re-imagining potential". Now I tend to bang on about potential. Particularly, objecting to glib formulations such as "unlocking potential" or "releasing potential". You'll find a couple of... Read more →

"This is an Outstanding School" - Ofsted on Paces School November 2013

Read the Ofsted Report Read more →

Is Personalisation failing? The founder of 'In Control' thinks so.

Is Personalisation failing? Professor Simon Duffy, the founder of "In Control" thinks so. ("Personalisation was supposed to empower vulnerable citizens. It has failed." Guardian 30 January 2014. Some of the Comments are interesting, too.) Intended as a more flexible and efficient system with people having more control to create solutions built around their own lives, Simon Duffy says Personalisation has become in too many cases, an excuse for abandonment or the new bureaucracy or an excuse to cut costs Worth... Read more →