News Archive 2010 - 2011
Note: All links within the archive are held for posterity and may no longer be up to date.
Re-launch of Faculty Website
Mon, 01 Aug August sees the launch of the new styles and top-level navigation for the Faculty website.
Robin Alexander elected as Fellow of The British Academy
Mon, 25 Jul Professor Robin Alexander is one of thirty eight new Fellows to have been elected members of The British Academy at its Annual General Meeting on 21 July, a list that includes eight from Cambridge. Read the full article
The British Academy is a national academy for the promotion of the humanities and social sciences. It is the counterpart to the Royal Society, which exists to serve the natural sciences. The British Academy aims to inspire, recognise and support excellence and high achievement across the UK and internationally. Established by Royal Charter in 1902, it is an independent, self-governing body of more than 900 Fellows.
Professor Robin Alexander is Fellow of Wolfson College and Professor of Education Emeritus at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on culture, pedagogy, curriculum, policy and development education, especially in the primary phase. His cross-cultural studies have won book prizes in both Britain and the USA. Since 2006 he has directed the independently-sponsored Cambridge Primary Review. Based at the Faculty of Education, this is the most comprehensive enquiry into English primary education since the 1960s.
Summer Faculty Newsletter
Mon, 18 Jul Our Newsletter, 'EducationCambridge' Issue 7, is now available for download. Articles include: Pedagogy and Teacher Education, Children's Capabilities and Human Development, The Cambridge Homerton Research and Teaching Centre for Children's Literature, Viewpoint: Mary James.
Camtalk Project new funding
Mon, 11 Jul Sue Brindley and Anne Bowker have been successful in securing a second tranche of funding (£65,000) from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to develop the Camtalk Project, researching Dialogic Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School.
Commemorating Tim Everton
Thu, 07 Jul On Sunday 3rd July, family members, colleagues and friends of Tim Everton gathered to commemorate Tim's life and achievements. Tim, who died in March 2011, had been Head of Faculty 2001-06 and Vice-Principal of Homerton College, 1991-2001. Tim's wife, Val, unveiled a plaque in the Faculty, naming The Everton Library in Tim's memory, and Kate Pretty, Principal of Homerton College, announced the establishment of the Everton Prize for Mathematics. Obituary.
Saving School Mosaic
Mon, 04 Jul Cathy Burke, Principal Investigator, and Peter Cunningham, being Faculty members of "The Decorated School" network (an AHRC funded project) are part of a "town and gown" community initiative making sure sections of a huge mosaic on the wall of a former school in the Cambridge"s Wadloes Road, Abbey, is preserved, as the building - originally an air raid shelter - was demolished. See www.thedecoratedschool.blogspot.com/ and Cambridge-News.co.uk
TDA National Scholarship Scheme to support professional development
Fri, 01 Jul The Faculty is delighted that the DfE/TDA have recently announced a National scholarship scheme to support professional development for practising teachers: TA Website The maximum scholarship value will be £3,500. The priority areas are Maths, English, Science, SEN. Please check the eligibility criteria carefully. Applications close: 30 September 2011. Scholarships will be awarded in November 2011 and unsuccessful applicants informed in December 2011.
TES: Latin & State Schools
Mon, 20 Jun Research carried out by the Cambridge Schools Classics Project (CSCP) reveals that, in England, 511 comprehensives now offer Latin, compared with 104 grammar schools and 403 independent schools. This represents a 9 per cent rise in the number of comprehensives offering Latin since May 2007 and a dramatic quadrupling since 2000. CSCP director Will Griffiths largely credits the surge to initiatives introduced under the previous Government, and to campaigns and outreach work by classics groups. Mr Griffiths said that making quality teaching and learning resources available online had been significant, as had greater variety of assessment. See the full article: TES 17th June 2011.
Successful Science Bid
Thu, 16 Jun Elaine Wilson and Mark Winterbottom, have been successful in their joint bid with the East of England Science Learning Centre. $58,024.10 has been approved by the Amgen Foundation to support the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotech Lab Pilot Program (UK version). Dr Karen Stephenson will run molecular biology courses for our science PGCE students and partner school science teachers in the SEC during the next academic year. Amgen are also funding Karen’s travel and training costs in Los Angeles in July. Karen was formerly a research scientist at the Sanger centre who trained with us in 2005 and went on to teach science at King Edward VI School, a partner school in Bury St Edmunds.
Science Year 9 Visit
Tue, 07 Jun Ninety Y9 students from partner schools attended a Y9 chemistry day in the SEC centre on Thursday 26th May 2011. The students were accompanied by our Secondary PGCE novice teachers who had taught the young students during their professional placement. As well as doing practical work in the SEC the students had lunch in the great hall at Homerton College. The day was funded by HE STEM to encourage young people to carry on with science beyond compulsory education and to consider applying to Cambridge to study science.
The Future of Teacher Training
Fri, 27 May In a commentary piece in today's TES, John Bangs discusses the debate around the future of Teacher Education in Schools and Universities, arguing that "To cut back on the number of trainee teachers would be a major mistake." The commentary is at the bottom of the full article.
School Leadership in Interesting Times
Fri, 27 May School Leadership in interesting times, a one day LfL: the Cambridge network conference led by John MacBeath , looked at some of the current key issues in school leadership. The key questions asked included:
- How do we stay focused on learning in such uncertain times?
- What do we know about successful leadership for learning?
- How can leadership be nourished and sustained?
The Best Undergraduate Education
Mon, 16 May The Education Tripos has once again been acknowledged as the best undergraduate degree in Education in both the Guardian and Complete University Guides. The degree is rated highly by our current students, and there is a forthcoming open day on the 8th of July. If you are interested in studying Education at Cambridge come and visit!
Children's Literature Centre Open Day
Fri, 13 May Over 150 visitors attended the Cambridge Homerton Centre for Children's Literature Open Day yesterday. The well attended event saw visitors engaging with the wide variety of work undertaken by the centre, with students from the associated Critical Approaches to Children's Literature Masters Route and PhD students sharing their work. The highlight of the event was author and ex Children's Laureate Michael Rosen's lecture on Children's Poetry which capitvated a large audience.
Young children's reasoning about everyday chemistry
Thu, 12 May The April Edition of the Leverhulme Trust Newsletter features an article by Dr Michelle Ellefson about the new research project examining Young children’s reasoning about everyday chemistry. The Lerhulme Trust sponsored project is lead by Michelle Ellefson with Dr Anne Schlottmann (Department of Psychology, University College London) and Dr. Keith Taber. The article is highlighted on the cover of the issue.
The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research
Wed, 11 May An important political and educational event involving two of the Faculty’s past students took place in Cyprus weekend 6-9 May. Chara Makriyianni, president of the Cypriot Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) (who completed her PhD under the supervision of Peter Cunningham), and Stavroula Philippou (whose PhD was supervised by Madeleine Arnot and Michael Evans) have leading activists in the creation of the Home for Cooperation (H4C). This newly restored historic building in the UN policed buffer zone of the divided city of Nicosia has been created as a centre for intercultural dialogue, for teachers and educational activities. It has been achieved with European funding and UNDP support and was officially opened this weekend by Dimitris Christofias and Derviş Eroğlu, political leaders from each side of the divided island.
Chara and Stavroula conducted their individual research projects in the faculty on aspects of curriculum and children’s political awareness drawing on history, sociology and social psychology. An inaugural conference at H4C on 9 May drew prominent scholars from across Europe to discuss citizenship education and conflict resolution with children and young people.
The photo attached show Dr Makriyianni presiding at the H4C opening with political leaders of Turkish and Greek Cypriots. More information can be found on the AHDR website.
Memorial Event for Tim Everton
Mon, 09 May A memorial event for Tim Everton will be held on Sunday 3rd July, at 12 Noon. The event will begin with a small memorial event in the Faculty of Education, to be followed by a buffet lunch reception at Homerton College. We anticipate the event will conclude by 2 pm. We hope as many colleagues as possible will attend to show their appreciation of Tim's contribution as Head of Faculty (2001-06) and as Deputy Principal and Senior Tutor of Homerton College and to meet Val and Tim's daughters. At the event a book of recollection and remembrance will be presented to Val and the family. If you would like to contribute to this, please send your recollections and memories of Tim, to Nikhil Gomes at ndg24@cam.ac.uk.
Children’s Capabilities and Human Development Conference: Researching Inside and Outside of Schools
Thu, 28 Apr On the 11-12 of April the Faculty of Education hosted an international conference on the capability approach in relation to children and education. Overall 26 academic papers were presented along with 5 roundtable discussions involving academics from institutions in Europe, Africa, India, the Caribbean, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. It is anticipated that some of the papers presented will be published in special journal editions of the Cambridge Journal of Education and the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. Further details can be found by on the ![[pdf]](../../images/fileicons/pdf.gif "[pdf]"){kind=small}
full briefing paper, by visiting www.capabilityapproach.org or by contacting Caroline Hart at cfsscr2@cam.ac.uk.
NUT Award for Professor Robin Alexander
Fri, 22 Apr The National Union of Teachers, at their 2011 Annual Conference, presented Professor Robin Alexander with the Fred and Anne Jarvis Award for Campaigning for Education, with particular reference to the Cambridge Primary Review and his work for the cause of primary education. Robin Alexander used his acceptance speech to raise concerns about the current National Curriculum Review and the latest attacks on the role of universities in initial teacher education. Download Robin Alexander's acceptance speech.
Pedagogy & Teacher Education, Formulating an Agenda for the Future
Mon, 11 Apr The Cambridge Symposium on Pedagogy and Teacher Education which took place over 24-25 March 2011 brought together a number of leading educational scholars from across the UK and internationally to examine the current situation and possible future directions in school pedagogy and teacher education in local and international contexts. The symposium offered a forum for discussion and open exploration of views, in which participants debated the future of teacher education and pedagogy, and explored how the government might best maintain a world class teacher education system in the UK. A Symposium Summary is available for download.
Tim Everton, book of remembrance
Mon, 4 Apr An event to celebrate Tim's life will be held in Cambridge later in the year, at which a book of recollection and remembrance will be presented to Val and the family. If you would like to contribute to this, please send your recollections and memories of Tim, to Nikhil Gomes ndg24@cam.ac.uk.
Jamie's April Fools
Sat, 2 Apr As many of our readers will have noticed, the story carried in the TES on Friday about Jamie Oliver's PGCE was an April Fool's.
People Like Us
Fri, 01 Apr A new book published today by Palgrave MacMillan White Middle Class Identities and Urban Schooling co-authored by Professor Diane Reay delves into the assumptions and motivations of liberal parents in making decisions about secondary schools.More information on the book can be found on the University News Website
New Directions for Voice, Civic Action and Learning
Wed, 23 Mar On Friday the engagED project held its final conference and launched its good practice guide - New Directions for Voice, Civic Action and Learning. Led by Hilary Cremin, the research project was funded by the Society for Educational Studies (SES) in order to better understand the civic action and learning of young people from socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The conference included key contributions from young people involved in the research project and a keynote lecture from Madeleine Arnot.
Living Energy
Tue, 29 Mar Trainees from the Faculty's Early Years and Primary PGCE worked with the Faculty of Biochemistry this term, to set up and co-run the Biochemistry 'Living Energy' science festival day on March 19th, attended by 600 children and their families. This new partnership was praised by Biochemist Jenny Mortimer who said: The PGCE students were unfailingly enthusiastic, and really helped to offer a more complete experience for our visitors. I also know that it was very reassuring for some of the scientists to have some "child experts" helping them.
Science Festival Success
Mon, 28 Mar On Saturday over 150 visitors of all ages visted the Faculty as part of the Cambridge Science Festival programme of events. Claudia Uller's Infant Cognition Workshops attracted a large number of parents and babies, while Michelle Ellefson's Hands on Instruct Lab science activities enthralled many budding scientists. In addition to this, a large number of potential PGCE science trainees attended a session given by James De Winter and Elaine Wilson. A fantastic day was had by all!
Tim Everton, 1951-2011
Fri, 25 Mar It is with great sadness that the Faculty announces the death, on 23 March 2011, of Tim Everton, former Head of the Faculty of Education. Tim died on Wednesday at home with his family after a year-long battle with prostate cancer. A full obituary is posted here.
Give children the riches they deserve
Tue, 15 Mar In today's Education Guardian, an article by Robin Alexander, Director of the Cambridge Primary Review discusses the new national curriculum review for England's schools and the government's review of primary schools' capacity to teach a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum to the highest possible standard. For more information visit the Cambridge Primary Review's website. If you are in the eastern region you may be interested in the Eastern Region Network Special Launch Event.
Outstanding Teacher Training
Fri, 11 Mar The Faculty of Education is delighted to report the outcomes of the recent Ofsted inspection of its Early Years / Primary and Secondary PGCE initial teacher education / training (ITET) provision. Inspectors concluded that the course was outstanding on every one of 22 inspection criteria, and uniquely, offered no recommendations for consideration or further action. This is a remarkable outcome, and testimony to the quality of the partnership between the Faculty and local schools.
Inspectors identified particularly strong features of the ITET partnership:
o the highly professional attributes demonstrated by trainees who aspire to become excellent practitioners
o the ethos of care, the consistently high quality of personal, professional and academic support and the flexible allocation of resources to ensure trainees' well-being
o the outstanding well-established and collegial partnership based on positive relationships, mutual respect, high expectations, a pursuit for excellence and a detailed and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the theory and practice of teaching
o the university's national and international reputation and its place at the forefront of many educational initiatives which ensure high quality training is immersed in research and current practice enabling trainees to become critically reflective practitioners and employable classroom teachers.
This is the fourth successive inspection, going back to 1997, in which the Faculty of Education has been confirmed as an outstanding national provider of ITET, and we are delighted on behalf of our colleagues, students and partnership schools in the region with whom we work. The full report is available here.
BERA Meeting of Minds Fellowship 2011
Thu, 03 Mar Dr Pam Burnard and Dr Kerry Chappell from the Graduate School of Education at University of Exeter have been awarded a BERA Meeting of Minds Fellowship 2011. The award of the Fellowship will allow Pam and Kerry to collaborate on developing an interdisciplinary dance and music education research project and accompanying AHRC bid. Working with Professor Anna Craft, also of Exeter, the pair are keen to investigate arts-based collaborative creativity in professional and community spaces.
Nanotechnology day
Wed, 02 Mar 20 chemistry graduates who are PGCE trainee teachers recently took part in a one day training event organised by Nanoyou in conjunction with the Nanoscale Science Laboratory, University of Cambridge. Dr James Bendall from the Cambridge centre introduced the research being done in Cambridge in this area and Dr Luis Luisa Filipponi, Scientific coordinator at the Interdisciplinary nanoscience center (iNANO) at Aarhus University introduced the excellent practical activities in the Nanoyou teacher's guide. The new teachers are now using the ideas in school and two of the new teachers have chosen to use these materials as the context for their extended classroom based research project.
Cambridge Primary Review Eastern Region Network Special Launch Event
Wed, 02 Mar On Wednesday April 6 10.30am to 3.30pm the Eastern Regional Network of the Cambridge Primary Review will be officially launched at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford! The one day event includes a keynote address by Professor Robin Alexander (Director of the Cambridge Primary Review) and a series of workshops for schools focusing on Achieving Excellence through a Community Curriculum. For more information please see the event flyer.
Children's Capabilities and Human Development Conference
Tue, 01 Mar The Children's Capabilities and Human Development: Researching Inside and Outside of Schools is a conference being held from 11-12 April 2011, at the Faculty of Education. This conference will be a joint event between the international Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) and the Capability Interest Group (CIG), based in the Faculty of Education. 30 papers for this exciting international conference on Children's Capabilities and Human Development. Presentations and discussion groups will focus on a range of topics related to education, children and capabilities. Key themes include social justice, poverty, migration, children's rights, gender issues, disability and measurement of children's capabilities. Delegates will be coming from a range of countries including India, US, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Switzerland and the Dominican Republic. Registration for this event closes on Monday 14 March and places are available on a limited basis.
Who Gets The Best Jobs?
Wed, 09 Feb The recent BBC2 documentary, Who Gets The Best Jobs? examines social mobility in Britain today, and features contributions from Professor Diane Reay. The documentary is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. (note: the iplayer link can only be followed for 7 days)
Primary school staffing: government acts on key recommendation of Cambridge Primary Review
Mon, 07 Feb One of the key recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review (CPR), whose final report was published just over a year ago, was that the government should undertake an enquiry into the capacity of primary schools to deliver a broad curriculum to a consistently high standard across all subjects, regardless of how much or little time each is allocated. This follows the Cambridge Review's finding that although curriculum breadth and balance are vital at the primary stage and are enshrined in law, in many schools they have been severely compromised by recent policies on standards, teacher training and school inspection, all of which have tended to narrow the curriculum and diminish the quality of teaching in the arts and humanities as well as the amount of time devoted to them. Secretary of State Michael Gove has now written to the Cambridge Primary Review's director, Professor Robin Alexander of the Faculty of Education, accepting the importance of curriculum breadth allied to high standards across the board, and announcing the launch of the recommended enquiry. It will run alongside the recently-announced review of the national curriculum and the CPR will be fully involved. The CPR's statement and its correspondence with the Secretary of State can be found on the CPR website, and further coverage of the news can be found in the TES from Friday 4 February.
Sutton Trust Summer School
Mon, 31 Jan The Faculty of Education is delighted to announce that we will be running one of the 2011 Sutton Trust Summer Schools for Year 12 students from UK state-maintained schools. The Sutton Trust Summer Schools aim to provide an insight into life as a first-year undergraduate studying at the University of Cambridge, and the Education summer school will include a combination of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, group supervisions and social activities. Apply Now!
The School I'd Like
Wed, 26 Jan This week's Education Guardian revisited the School I'd Like competition which was one of the largest informal surveys of children's attitudes towards schooling ever conducted in the UK. The article features Dr Catherine Burke who was closely involved in the initial competition.
The Review of the National Curriculum
Mon, 24 Jan Professor Mary James has been appointed to the Expert Group asked to led the review of the National Curriculum. The other members are Professor Andrew Pollard, who also has connections with the Faculty, Tim Oates from Cambridge Assessment and Professor Dylan Wiliam, formerly of the Institute of Education in London. Further details are available at the Department for Education Website.
The future of citizenship education: Transforming our schools and communities, strengthening our democracy
Wed, 12 Jan Today Hilary Cremin will be attending a consultation event about the future of Citizenship Education at the House of Commons. The event will provide an opportunity for MPs, Peers, to meet those with an expertise in citizenship education.
Music Education in England, 1950-2010
Tue, 11 Jan In a new book, Music Education in England, 1950-2010, The Child-Centred Progressive Tradition, John Finney examines the child-centred progressive tradition to create a fresh way of evaluating ideas and practices that have evolved since 1950, that have shaped the lives of music teachers and their pupils, and that have now become disfigured, residual and altogether lost in the light of social, cultural and political change. John presents a compelling, analytical account and provides fresh inspiration for practitioners, new challenges for researchers, and a landmark in the field of arts and music education. The first chapter is currently available to read free online.
The Impact of Schooling on Poverty: Subjective transformations or aggravated inequalities?
Mon, 10 Jan The 11th UKFIET International Conference on Education and Development is to be held at the University of Oxford between the 13th and 15th September 2011. In a symposium co-convened by Professor Madeleine Arnot, Dr Shailaja Fennell and Dr Nidhi Singal, participants are invited to submit papers which address the global challenges to educational processes, to social welfare and to environmental/emergency crises through the lens of people's private, community and public lives. Further information is available here.
Turkish Visitors
Fri, 07 Jan Professor Margaret Sands, Director of the Graduate School of Education and Mr Amran Ersev , School Coordinator from Bilkent University in Ankara are visiting the Faculty with a number of trainee teachers and newly qualified teachers. The teachers and trainees will be shadowing trainees on the Maths, Science, Design and Technology, English and Modern and Foreign Languages secondary PGCE courses over the next three weeks.
Science and Religious Education in Schools
Fri, 07 Jan This summer, the Faraday Institute is hosting a one-day conference in Cambridge called, Science and Religious Education in Schools: New Possibilities (25th June 2011). The day is organised by the LASAR (Learning about science and religion) project team for those with an interest in the teaching and learning of science and religion. It will suit teachers and trainee teachers of science and religious education in primary and secondary schools. Speakers include Prof. Sir Colin Humphreys, Prof. Mary James (Chair), Dr Keith Taber and Prof. Michael Reiss. The cost is £20 and you can register now via the conferences section of the Faraday Institute's website.
Rex Walford
Wed, 05 Jan Colleagues at the Faculty have been deeply shocked to hear of the tragic boating accident on the Thames involving Rex Walford who is missing presumed drowned. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Wendy, his wife. Rex was University Lecturer in Geography and Education from 1974 until the late 90s, and served as Head of the then University Department of Education in the early 1990s. Rex has been a leading international name in geographical education over the last three decades, inspiring successive cohorts of young teachers entering the profession, and contributing - in a very influential manner - to the transformation of the teaching of geography in secondary schools throughout the United Kingdom. An early advocate of the use of games and simulations in geography, he used his love of drama, music and the arts to inspire and motivate teachers and taught alike. His strong Christian faith pervaded all his work, and sustained his belief that all children should be offered the opportunity to succeed, whatever their background and circumstances. A truly brilliant teacher, Rex will be missed by so many colleagues, friends and teachers, across the world. A Full obituary has been published here.
Children's Capabilities and Human Development Conference
Tue, 04 Jan Colleagues may be interested in the Children's Capabilities and Human Development: Researching Inside and Outside of Schools is a conference being held from 11-12 April 2011, at the Faculty of Education. This conference will be a joint event between the international Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) and the Capability Interest Group (CIG), based in the Faculty of Education and will provide the opportunity for international academics and post-graduates working in the field of children's capabilities, inside and outside of schools, to meet with colleagues at the University of Cambridge. For full information visit the HDCA website.
EducationCambridge Magazine
Fri, 10 Dec The new issue of EducationCambridge is available to read online now. The latest issue includes a focus on outreach linked to the Faculty through the NRICH Mathematics and Cambridge Schools' Classics Projects