Taking place in January, National Mentoring Month is a yearly event, to highlight the impact and effect of mentoring. A time to appreciate and celebrate the contributions and hard work of mentors, while encouraging individuals to become mentors themselves. Launched in 2002, MENTOR and the Harvard T.H. School of Public Health created National Mentoring Month…

Happy 2024 to you all! How odd it seems to be writing this date – 2024, and how quickly the years zoom forward. What a pity that the state of the world often fails to move with it. In this blog I want to talk about the National Curriculum, that prescribed learning document originally introduced…

Have you read 1984? Previously published in 1949, I cannot believe that I have only just read George Orwell’s chilling satirical novel. What insight into the predicted power of the spoken and written word! Language can be dangerous – as well as good and uplifting.  Let’s first consider what Orwell defined as ‘Newspeak’ – the…

Life is a journey. We surely agree, though our respective journeys follow varied pathways. Whether long or short, smooth or bumpy, your journey should always represent and characterise YOU. Our journeys help us to find and understand ourselves. I have just completed my memoirs, and I hope they represent my personal journey – travelled my…

This week saw the celebration of ‘World children’s day’.  It’s a day for children and young people to speak out about the issues that matter to them, to help create a better future. Written from three decades of first-hand knowledge and experience as a Teacher, Deputy Head and SEND Support Service Manager, my latest range…