Hilary Wilce Site Map

13 Aug 2009 - Local authorities now have to offer out of school activities by law, but children in many deprived areas still aren’t getting any. What can be done?

30 Jul 2009 - We pay school fees, and taxes for education. Why should we also pay to ‘prove’ our children’s school is a charity?

22 Jul 2009 - I’m doing A levels and supposed to be aiming at university, but I’ve got no motivation for what I’m doing.

16 Jul 2009 - I’m the head of a primary school where pupils are getting fatter. What can I do? We already teach about diet and exercise.

06 Jul 2009 - Now the national strategies have been abolished won’t we just return to the old free-for-all that harmed so many children?

02 Jul 2009 - Should we set up a parents' council at my daughter's secondary school. How do they work? What do they do?

25 Jun 2009 - What’s so great about schools in Sweden? Are they really so good we should copy them?

18 Jun 2009 - I’m a teacher who feels out of step with my school’s rewards-based culture. Children are applauded for every little thing they do.

11 Jun 2009 - Why should learning about computers and technology be put at the heart of the primary school curriculum?

04 Jun 2009 - Should my children go to a good local maths tutor who is rumoured to behave suspiciously with pupils?

28 May 2009 - How can we make our children’s new school provide for them as gifted pupils? The head makes us feel pushy.

21 May 2009 - I have been asked by my school to look into how we can teach first aid, and am very anxious to get any advice right.

07 May 2009 - What’s wrong with giving primary schools more independence? Why do teachers hate change?

30 Apr 2009 - Our son graduates this summer and is thinking about doing a Masters. But will it improve his job chances?

23 Apr 2009 - One of my pupils seems to have signs of abuse but she comes from a good family where this would be unbelievable.

16 Apr 2009 - Is there anything that can help schools provide better for children with summer birthdays? My grand-daughter falls into this category.

09 Apr 2009 - My daughter’s school is not preparing students for the new A* level grade at A level. What should she do?

26 Mar 2009 - I don’t want to see disgraced bankers as teachers. Teaching now seems to command no respect.

19 Mar 2009 - At my daughter’s pre-school staff walk around with hot drinks. I am worried but don’t want to make a fuss.

12 Mar 2009 - I want to apply for a school headship but worry that I might not be able to stand up against government interference

05 Mar 2009 - My school mentor is always criticising me and talking to me as if I’m an idiot. What can I do?

26 Feb 2009 - Can cricket be used to raise school standards? Or is this just another education gimmick? I’m not a cricket fan.

19 Feb 2009 - Should schools really teach children moral values, like a new report says? Or is this a job for parents?

12 Feb 2009 - I found my 13-year-old watching a vile rap video on the Internet. Do parents have any idea what their children look at?

05 Feb 2009 - Multiple choice questions can be harder if you read the question carefully or have a deeper understanding. Surely this is wrong?

29 Jan 2009 - My son is quite disorganised. Could I get him labelled as dyslexic, and get him extra time in exams?

22 Jan 2009 - Isn’t it daft it is to push people into university then have to set up special employment schemes for them?

15 Jan 2009 - Should you stream children or have mixed-ability classes? The schools near us all do it differently.

08 Jan 2009 - As a teacher my wish for 2009 is for the Government to get off our backs. What do others want?

11 Dec 2008 - My daughter cannot take GSCE triple science, despite the government saying it is her "entitlement". What can I do?

04 Dec 2008 - Lots of parents in my area are putting their children in for Kumon maths. Should mine do it, too?

27 Nov 2008 - Now my children are older I’d like to get a qualification, but I didn’t do well at school. What are access courses?

20 Nov 2008 - Why are we excluding so many under-fives from school? It is ridiculous. Are their carers and nursery workers no good?

07 Nov 2008 - My primary school children get only twenty five minutes for lunch and no time to play. What I can do?

01 Nov 2008 - The Government wants more team sports in schools. My daughter would hate this, but needs exercise. Shouldn’t schools be helping children like her?

30 Oct 2008 - If so many teachers want caning brought back as a school punishment, surely there must be good reasons for it?

16 Oct 2008 - We are moving in the New Year. How will we find a primary school without league tables?

09 Oct 2008 - I am a geographer who has been asked to teach some maths classes at my school. How can I brush up my rusty skills fast?

02 Oct 2008 - Is my local Steiner school a hippy sort of place, or worth thinking about for our daughter?

29 Sep 2008 - I believe the experience of parents is undervalued in the workplace. But will Sarah Palin help my cause?

25 Sep 2008 - Text spelling in school? Are we mad? Why does everything have to be made so easy for children today?

11 Sep 2008 - My child has headlice and his teacher says he is likely to get re-infected. How can I best keep him nit-free?

04 Sep 2008 - Why should Academies be put in charge of primary schools? What do they know about primary education?

28 Aug 2008 - How can we help support our son who is starting school this autumn aged just four and two months?

17 Jul 2008 - Our 11-year old wants to be a vet. He is above-average academically but not outstandingly so. Should we encourage him?

10 Jul 2008 - Help! After a year at secondary school our 12-year-old daughter has become a rebel whose work is going backwards.

03 Jul 2008 - My daughter was ill during A levels. What can she do? She doesn’t want to spend her gap year doing re-sits

26 Jun 2008 - What is wrong with the Early Years Foundation Stage? I’m a childminder, and haven’t seen anything that bothers me.

05 Jun 2008 - School cadet corps -- good or bad? As a woolly liberal do I cheer when my boys want to join?

29 May 2008 - How can I tutor my 13-year-old London pupils about violence on the streets without making them even more anxious?

22 May 2008 - My daughter often gets after-school detentions, and then I have to drive to fetch her. Why not have lunchtime ones?

15 May 2008 - Can you ever make a good film about teaching? In the recent Happy Go Lucky the girl made a completely unconvincing primary teacher.

08 May 2008 - I am a PE teacher in an inner city school. How do I get reluctant teenage girls moving? Nothing works.

30 Apr 2008 - One of my maths teachers is in a relationship with a former pupil. What, as his head, do I do?

24 Apr 2008 - Our daughter wants to take the new diploma in IT. We like the idea, but worry there could be problems.

17 Apr 2008 - Why should we fund public youth projects that teach youngsters things like how to record violent rap songs?

10 Apr 2008 - Our seven-year-old’s teacher resents her because she is bright and precocious. Our daughter is unhappy. What can we do?

27 Mar 2008 - I teach more and more children on the autistic spectrum. Why is the incidence of this going up so fast?

20 Mar 2008 - If exam boards put more modern novels on the syllabus and squeeze out the classics, isn’t this dumbing down?

13 Mar 2008 - Our daughter’s teacher has criticised her for not being willing to share her feelings at circle time.

06 Mar 2008 - Does it matter if a pupil does a double science award at GCSE, instead of three separate sciences?

28 Feb 2008 - My daughter doesn't have a good memory, which is a real handicap for her in exams. Can we do anything to help her?

14 Feb 2008 - Why do you have to have a qualification to teach adults? Doesn’t it put people off sharing their skills?

01 Feb 2008 - My twins only get half an hour for lunch. The school says it’s for discipline reasons. What can we do?

25 Jan 2008 - Isn’t raising the school leaving age to eighteen stupid? In my experience, nothing works for youngsters unless they motivate themselves.

17 Jan 2008 - Is there evidence that bedtime stories are good for children? I work and my children sometimes have a tape.

10 Jan 2008 - My 14-year-old always texts and listens to music while working. Should I stop her? She does well at school.

13 Dec 2007 - Education isn’t all bad news. What are the best memories you, and your readers have of the past year?

06 Dec 2007 - My 11-year-old is upset because he has been told to mime in the Christmas concert. Can I help him learn to hold a tune?

29 Nov 2007 - All children reading by six? Will teachers ever be able to make politicians understand how education really works?

22 Nov 2007 - Why bring in academic diplomas, as well as technical diplomas, for sixth formers when we already have a perfectly good A levels?

15 Nov 2007 - My sons are financially ignorant and know nothing about mortgages and interest rates. Shouldn’t they be taught them at school?

08 Nov 2007 - Should my grandson take a year out from university, get some work experience, then go back to try for a First?

01 Nov 2007 - My daughter says her teachers are as good as those winning Teaching Awards. Why have these awards? We don’t for doctors and nurses.

25 Oct 2007 - Our 12-year-old wants to be a doctor. Her school is not strong at science. Should she go to private school?

18 Oct 2007 - I read that silent reading first thing each day helps secondary-age children read better. Why don’t all schools do it?

11 Oct 2007 - I want to take an MA but I work and have a family. Distance learning would be easiest, but I hanker after classes.

04 Oct 2007 - Our children are moving to a primary school that gives children a taste of many languages. What about their French?

27 Sep 2007 - What should primary teachers wear? I think my young staff are too casual. Am I out of touch?

20 Sep 2007 - Teaching happiness when children can’t even master basic English and maths? How can people be so stupid?

13 Sep 2007 - My daughter is set on going to Oxford but may not get in. Should we encourage her or not?

06 Sep 2007 - Where can I find out information about how to help the boys in my class catch up with the girls?

30 Aug 2007 - I’ve been taught to cater for different kinds of learners in my lessons. Now I’ve read that this is nonsense.

09 Aug 2007 - I’m a new, male graduate who would like to be a primary school teacher but worry how people will react

02 Aug 2007 - My children’s RE teacher says she would teach that intelligent design is an alternative theory to evolution. I am shocked.

26 Jul 2007 - As a long-time primary teacher my heart sinks at topic work returning to the classroom. Younger colleagues say I’m wrong.

19 Jul 2007 - When will private schools start to partner state schools? Our mediocre comprehensive badly needs help from its public school neighbours.

12 Jul 2007 - My students can’t construct arguments, and all of them cut and paste in essays. Do people understand that this is how things are universities now?

05 Jul 2007 - Surely there are better ways for schools to be accountable than with our tests and targets culture?

28 Jun 2007 - Help! My husband wants our daughter to go to private school, I want her to go to school locally

21 Jun 2007 - My daughter is so shy it is hampering her experience of primary school. How can I help her?

14 Jun 2007 - Children’s reading and writing are not improving. Are schools to blame, or is this the limit?

07 Jun 2007 - As a lifelong Tory I don’t get it. Why turn away from grammar schools? They work.

31 May 2007 - Why build a new school with no playground? Surely even secondary school children need to let of steam?

24 May 2007 - My son says he intends to study computer games and advertising in the sixth form. What’s he talking about?

17 May 2007 - My daughter’s English teacher says you can’t switch today’s pupils onto Shakespeare. Surely she’s is wrong?

03 May 2007 - My boys never speak in sentences. They only grunt. Why don’t schools teach children to speak properly?

26 Apr 2007 - Our son’s teachers are accusing him of causing trouble in class. He says they are racist.

19 Apr 2007 - Doesn’t music help children to learn better? I want my daughter’s reception class to do more of it.

12 Apr 2007 - How can I get my pupil’s parents more involved in their education? Nothing works at our primary school.

05 Apr 2007 - Shouldn’t children be taught to type and write at the same time? They need typing more than writing.

Feature Articles

12 Nov 2009 - Time For A Change: how a young woman plans to shake up the school landscape

15 Oct 2009 - Making the Grade: The Kent school pupils who are showing the way

08 Oct 2009 - Look East: why Chinese lessons are booming

01 Oct 2009 - It's the first MBA delivered entirely by a private organisation

01 Oct 2009 - Sign on the dotted line

01 Oct 2009 - A shock to the system

03 Sep 2009 - Making Waves: how physics is being transformed

03 Sep 2009 - Schools get together for chemistry learning

26 Aug 2009 - A level results -- aren't we in danger of taking them too seriously?

06 Aug 2009 - A Question of Faith: Tony Blair wants the world's children to talk

19 Jul 2009 - 21st century schools -- a conflicted message?

16 Jul 2009 - Glorious mud: how pupils are building a greener future

04 Jun 2009 - Best of all possible worlds: How to mix and match distance, part-time and full-time learning

28 May 2009 - Licence to chill: the primary school taking learning to another level

21 May 2009 - Exam gamble: state school replaces A level with International Baccalaureate

14 May 2009 - Bullied boys: Why bright lads are being picked on

30 Apr 2009 - Child's play: why cooking should be on the primary school menu

24 Apr 2009 - Work in progress

09 Apr 2009 - UK business schools still struggle to name high-flying female executive MBAs

09 Apr 2009 - Management guru Andrew Pettigrew: it's all new territory

26 Mar 2009 - City Slackers: how the Square Mile is reaching out to dropouts

12 Mar 2009 - Sing It Loud: the children raising the roof of the Royal Opera House

05 Mar 2009 - Message to parents: persistence pays

26 Feb 2009 - Smeared by association

19 Feb 2009 - GSA website: help is just a click away

22 Jan 2009 - Why haven't school dinners got any better?

20 Nov 2008 - Vision + cash = experience

30 Oct 2008 - One-to-one makes all the difference when learning to read

09 Oct 2008 - Sparks of Invention

02 Oct 2008 - An academy for all ages

28 Aug 2008 - Is £30m enough for a name?

28 Aug 2008 - Clearing: it's a horrible moment when you take your future in your hands

12 Jun 2008 - The Importance of Networking

12 Jun 2008 - A US educationalist claims to have the answer to failing schools -- and it lies in literacy

08 May 2008 - A bit of a mess: why the Government's plans to end child poverty were botched

22 Apr 2008 - Taking care of business: George Yip profile

22 Apr 2008 - Why greed is no good

11 Apr 2008 - Teachers -- don't strike

28 Feb 2008 - Information overload: an intranet linking schools in Scotland is set to provide a giant resource bank

28 Feb 2008 - Do little ones need formal lessons?

14 Feb 2008 - A four-year battle with the system

07 Feb 2008 - The diploma revolution

07 Feb 2008 - Rooms for improvement: Britain's dilapidated schools are being rebuilt

17 Jan 2008 - Before you learn how to organise other people, learn how to organise yourself

10 Jan 2008 - Keep the faith: Why religious education is booming

06 Dec 2007 - Student entrepreneurs

01 Nov 2007 - Children’s Commissioner: an interview with Sir Al Aynsley-Green

25 Oct 2007 - Bringing education to the Nairobi slums

15 Oct 2007 - Developing university study skills

10 Oct 2007 - AMBA accreditation

06 Oct 2007 - Nurture groups

20 Sep 2007 - Learning outside the classroom

31 Aug 2007 - Take six of the best and learn to be a great teacher

12 Aug 2007 - Low grades? Finding another university

26 Jul 2007 - Lessons in money management

01 Jul 2007 - Girls on Top: the work of CAMFED in Africa

17 Jun 2007 - Young Geographer of the Year

14 Jun 2007 - Interview with Gillingwater, Dean of Cass Business School

07 Jun 2007 - A song a day is Howard's way

19 May 2007 - Hull Business School

10 May 2007 - Why can’t all children go to primary school?

10 May 2007 - Why can't all children go to primary school?

05 May 2007 - KIPP Schools

01 May 2007 - Specialist MSc Programmes

19 Apr 2007 - MBA courses in Africa

08 Apr 2007 - Why children's play matters

01 Mar 2007 - Beyond A levels: the sixth-formers who write dissertations for fun

28 Feb 2007 - Silent women: an exhibition of art by Iranian photographers

Hilary Wilce Web Site Map