and then I laughed out loud...

I have been pondering lately the prospect of restarting my subscription to the TES newspaper.  It was something I used to have delivered for a long time and then stopped it some years ago when I found myself pulling the plastic wrap off of it so that I could put it in the paper recycling box without feeling that I had infected the local authority paper pulping machine with unwanted plastics.  Why was I unwrapping my paper and chucking it straight in the recycling?  Well at the time I was existing on 20 hour days, mostly spent in front of one screen or another crunching a data sheet or three for the purposes of monitoring progress and identifying another common cohort of young people who would benefit from some intervention or support on their specific need. It was a monster I have to take responsibility for creating and had a huge impact on the outcomes for all in terms of achievement but did however mean I barely saw daylight, was referred to as 'the mushroom' by my close colleagues and in turn never found a minute to read the TES or any other article unless it was poking itself out of the top of my bulging to do list as evidential research towards a discussion planned on an upcoming SLT agenda.  It is true to say that prior to my job description taking on the shape and form or an assiduous giant I used to enjoy a Sunday morning coffee and toast with the TES spread out on the breakfast table and was an avid fan of the words of Ted Wragg every week.
So in my pursuit of a decision over whether or not to restart my subscription I bought last week's copy and have thoroughtly enjoyed using some rest time this week to enjoy many articles contained within.  I especially enjoyed the article by Kenneth Durham, headteacher of University College School in 'tes comment' giving clear and concise opinion on the subject of Lord Adonis and his scathing reports suggesting the Berlin wall between state and independent schools is in need of demolition.  It was a breath of fresh air to read that:

"We want to be involved. At local level, we frequently are.  At national level, ministers and members of the House of Lords cannot seem to find the time to talk (nor, apparently, to listen).  Instead they make do with repetitive political posturing.  It all gets a bit tiresome."

Quite amused me to feel that we have in this country a government department that claims to know what is best for the future of education yet is failing on all counts to engage the independent or the state sectors and yet the key academies driving force tells anyone that will listen that closer links between the two is the way forward.  Lord Adonis would do well to listen to his own advice, he is basically saying the best learning goes on when the schools have as little as possible to do with the control of the government in terms of funding, curriculum design and assessment and are allowed the autonomy to decide on the vision and ethos that is right for their specific community, not an academy blueprint parachuted in from on high.

This it must be said was not the be all and end all of my joy of returning to the TES as I then laughed out loud at the column from Anne Thrope (Ms) and her comparison between the differentiation of old and the modern approach to seating plans as well as enjoying the picture or chaos painted by the words of Steve Eddison.

Well decision made, I am off to the TES website to set up my new subscription and enjoy the paper whilst my weeks harbour enough leisure time to really savour it's contents.