Sheffield!

I had a great session in Sheffield today planning some really interesting work for next term.  Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, recently told headteachers at The College's Annual Conference that “At school, British 15-year-olds’ maths skills are now more than two whole academic years behind 15-year-olds in China. In the last decade, we have plummeted down the international league tables: from 4th to 16th place in science; and from 8th to 28th in maths. While other countries – particularly Asian nations - have raced ahead we have, in the words of the OECD’s Director of Education, “stagnated.” For any politician anxious to ensure the next generation enjoy opportunities to flourish in an economy that is growing, in a nation that is confident and in a society that believes in progress, there is no escaping the centrality of mathematics and science. The imperative for maths and science education only grows as the strategic significance of cyberspace becomes daily more apparent. Our capacity to innovate - vital to our security and resilience - is utterly dependent on education.” 

As an ex-physics and maths teacher I am passionate about this agenda and I will be working with some great colleagues who, working with colleagues in the business sector, are really keen to re-imagine, re-engineer and re-invent learning provision and develop excellence pathways into the world of work for young people in this great city. Watch this space!

Chris