View tag: schools

The sweetness of Peter Andre

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Thursday 22nd October 2015

We constantly read about celebrities behaving badly, issuing diva-like demands and having mega strops when things don’t suit them. So it was refreshing to read a piece by Jeremy Vine (currently strutting his stuff on Strictly) that revealed the sweet nature of his fellow contestant Peter Andre. I’m probably the only person in the land who has never watched Strictly (I’m an X Factor girl myself) and I have to ...keep reading

Parents should read to teens says Eton head

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Saturday 13th June 2015

I’ve worked as a freelance education journalist for years, interviewing heads and teachers, eating rather a lot of school dinners and writing about the inspiring work schools are doing. I got into it in the first place because I spent a year or so teaching at an FE college myself and quickly realised that it’s one of the hardest and most demanding jobs there is. Ten years later, having seen hundreds of teachers ...keep reading

Bill Bryson and the art of curiosity

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Thursday 19th June 2014

Bill Bryson is one of my heroes. He writes like a dream, explains complicated stuff in the most entertaining way and seems like an all-round lovely man. I never drive through the Yorkshire Dales without thinking of the “Malhamdale wave” he described in Notes from a Small Island. We lived in North Yorkshire for three years and while everyone was incredibly welcoming I knew we’d have to live there for at ...keep reading

Why shouldn’t teenagers be able to re-sit their exams?

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Monday 18th June 2012

When I’m not reviewing books, writing novels or blogging, I have a day job as an education journalist. My children have never been keen on me being clued up about key stage 3, phonics and schemes of work, but they’ve had to put up with it. And it’s endlessly fascinating. One week I’m writing about apprenticeships, the next I’m interviewing the head master of Eton (one of the most impressive ...keep reading

Primary school children ask the trickiest questions

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 13th March 2012

My sophisticated student daughter hates to admit it but she liked everything about her North Yorkshire primary school, from the home corner and golden time to skipping in the playground and dressing up as her favourite book character. I loved taking her into the classroom every morning (she banned me from venturing past the school gate once she reached the heady heights of year 2), having a chat with her ...keep reading

The trials and tribulations of paperwork

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 28th February 2012

When I went slightly mad a few years ago and decided to try my hand at teaching (I was useless), the main thing that made me throw in the towel was the endless paperwork. For every lesson I taught at my local FE college, I had to fill in reams and reams of forms. There were the schemes of work to plan out lessons for the whole of the academic ...keep reading