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1 week ago | 
markgould.substack.com | Mark Gould
In the 20th century, Picasso’s Guernica bore witness to a massacre the fascists denied. It did not depict a hero. It offered no moral clarity. It simply screamed. It was a rupture — a wound on canvas — a record of truth that refused to disappear. But today, truth doesn’t vanish in silence. It dissolves into a media saturated pool of liquid.
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2 weeks ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
Secondary school students in England, particularly girls, report some of the lowest levels of enjoyment of school and satisfaction in their relationships with peers and teachers, research shows. Students’ emotional engagement rates - their enjoyment of school, their relationships with their peers and teachers, and the extent to which they feel safe and that they belong in school - have suffered a marked decline since the Covid pandemic.
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3 weeks ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
Mark McCourt, a leading figure in maths education, has been appointed chief executive officer at Academy Transformation Trust (ATT). He succeeds Sir Nick Weller, who became the trust’s CEO in 2022. ATT runs 22 academies across central England, including primary, secondary, special schools and further education colleges.
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3 weeks ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
The socioemotional skills of 15- and 16-year-olds in England are significantly weaker than many of their peers’ in 30 comparator countries, according to research published today. These weaknesses - in areas such as cooperation, curiosity, empathy, persistence and stress resistance - could damage young people’s job prospects if ignored, the report’s authors warn.
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4 weeks ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
Ofsted’s chief inspector has told parents that inspectors will back headteachers who take the “tough” decision to ban phones, warning that exposure to online content on devices can be “damaging” to children. Sir Martyn Oliver, who used to be chief executive of a large academy trust, said that in the past he had walked into schools where phones were “rife” that were in “utter chaos” .
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4 weeks ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
Schools need targeted funding to develop and expand interventions to help tackle attendance problems, which remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a new study. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report recommends that the extra funding should be directed to initiatives such as home visits, recruiting additional pastoral staff, including attendance officers and assistant heads of year, and tailored support for disadvantaged students.
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1 month ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
Most teachers in England say their classrooms are too hot in summer because of poor ventilation, and a quarter say they are too cold in winter due to inadequate heating systems, a major new survey reveals. Around one in five teachers questioned by Teacher Tapp for an Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) report were working in rooms with broken windows or doors, and more than 10 per cent had leaking ceilings.
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1 month ago | 
markgould.substack.com | Mark Gould
The Arctic chill has transcended the meteorological; it's now geopolitical. As Mr. Donald flirts with expansionist fantasies—casting covetous glances at Canada as the "51st state"— there’s now a growing Arctic security movement afoot. While some Canadians may be swayed by the lure of American citizenship and dollar signs (Ipsos), many in Canada's northern territories are digging in, and preparing for confrontation.
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1 month ago | 
tes.com | Mark Gould
A “sizeable proportion” of teachers would prioritise an immediate salary increase at the expense of reduced retirement benefits, according to new research. The research found that 15 per cent of teachers were willing to trade 20 per cent of their pension income for a 10 per cent salary increase.
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1 month ago | 
markgould.substack.com | Mark Gould
The artist Frida Kahlo painted from her bed, her body wracked with pain but her spirit unbroken. She transformed suffering into surreal landscapes, vibrant and unflinching, where pain, beauty, and her own fierce identity coexisted. For Kahlo, art was more than an aesthetic pursuit—it was survival. Every stroke of her brush was a reclamation of self, a defiance of her worldly limitations. I learned a lot about Kahlo living in San Francisco, where she is something of a patron saint.
