Reflecting on Teaching Curriculum and School Leadership

For this episode of Mind the Gap hosts Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner cover a wide range of topics, from the recent difficulties faced by the teaching profession to the importance of curriculum clarity and the need for passion and commitment in educational leadership.  The duo also discuss Emma’s new book Simplicitus Altius: Leading the Interconnected Primary Curriculum

School Leadership 

The episode began with a discussion of recent events in the UK teaching profession, including the difficult situation with Ofsted inspections and the tragic story of Ruth Perry, a teacher who took her own life. “The fact that someone would give their life to their school and end up feeling pushed over the edge is wrong,” said Turner. “There’s been a groundswell of reaction to Ruth Perry’s story and suicide, with many feeling that it shouldn’t be this way.”

Understanding Curriculum 

One of the key themes of the episode was the importance of curriculum clarity, and recognizing that children arrive at secondary school with more proficiency in certain subjects, while still developing in others. It can be challenging to teach standalone subjects in primary school, especially with children still novice in multiple areas simultaneously. Thus, the primary curriculum should be taught in interconnected ways rather than as isolated subjects.

“The precision and purposefulness of knowing why these subjects are being taught leads to a more holistic approach to teaching,” said Sherrington. “Teaching standalone subjects in primary school is difficult because children are still novice in multiple areas at the same time. The curriculum’s individual subject disciplines should not be taught in isolation, but rather interconnectedly. The teacher should have a recognition of how each subject feeds into others as prerequisites.” Emma emphasized the importance of  finding the right match with a deep sense of passion, worth, and achievement in the job. 

Reflecting on Past Guests 

The episode also reflected on past guest including Jim Knight and Vic Goddard, both highly respected in the education field. Tom and Emma discussed the coaching systems in the US and England, with full-time coaches in the US and a need for more structure and support in England due to limited time. “There’s a difference in the coaching systems between the US and England,” said Turner. “In England, we need to provide more structure and support due to limited time, but we can still learn from the full-time coach model in the US.”

Overall, this episode offers critiques, reflections, and insights into the education profession while providing resources for teachers and school leaders to improve their practice.