Well, some good news and some bad news to kick off the week.
The bad? This is the final Tony’s Angle of the season.
The good? The network suits have seen the light and commissioned a second series! We’ll be back in the Autumn. I can sense the excitement now!
For my final topic this term, I want to talk about something that gets right to the heart of why I, and so many others, walk or (walked) into a classroom every day. It’s something I care about deeply, and frankly, the data is starting to flash some warning signs we shouldn’t ignore.
When I first stood in front of a class, my one mission was to make sure students left my room not just understanding maths, but enjoying it, and feeling more confident after every single lesson. I wanted my classroom to be a place where they saw the beauty in numbers and, crucially, where every single one of them felt they could succeed.
The loss of the ‘Love of Learning’
Fast forward a couple of decades, and last week, I found myself at the launch of a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education. It’s called ‘The Loss of the Love of Learning’, and I’ve spent the weekend with it. It paints a… sobering picture.
Loss of Love of Learning Report – All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education
Now, I’m a positive person, I hope that comes across. But I can’t shake the feeling that if we are not careful, we are at danger of squeezing the joy out of education for some. This isn’t just a hunch. The report makes it plain – too many of our children are switching off.
And how do we know?
We see it in the attendance figures – one in five pupils are now persistently absent, a number that’s alarmingly high compared to pre-pandemic levels. We see it in the rising need for elective home education, with mental health being a primary driver for parents making that choice. We see it in the behavioural challenges that are disrupting lessons, costing an estimated seven minutes of learning for every thirty.
When you listen to the voices in this report – the pupils, the teachers, the experts – a clear picture emerges. Our children are feeling the immense pressure of high-stakes testing. They’re navigating a curriculum described as “a mile wide and an inch deep”, where subjects like art and music are being pushed to the margins in places. Time for curiosity and reflection feels like it is vanishing, and learning is in danger of becoming a tick-box exercise rather than a journey of discovery.
For clarity, this report does not blame teachers. Far from it. It highlights that they entered this profession to inspire, yet many now find themselves battling an “audit culture” that creates “empty work” and having a deliver a bloated curriculum at rapid pace, which can crush the very spark they need to ignite young minds.
I don’t think these words in this report can be ignored.
There is plenty of hope
Reading this report also gave me hope. Firstly, it gives a powerful, unified voice to these concerns and shows there’s a growing consensus for change. We see glimmers of it in the government’s own curriculum review, which finally acknowledges that the sheer volume of content can get in the way of deep understanding and enjoyment.
We hear it loud and clear from the students themselves, who are calling for a curriculum that reflects their lives and the incredible diversity of our society.
This isn’t about pointing fingers or abandoning standards. It’s about being brave enough to look at the system and say, “This part isn’t working.” It’s about trusting our teachers as professional and empowering them to bring learning to life.
The love of learning isn’t lost. It’s just a little buried in places.
And I don’t think I’m alone in thinking all this. I was struck by a Schools Week article from Becks Boomer-Clark, CEO of Lift Schools, who challenged teachers and leaders in her school ‘to make KS3 unforgettable.’ She believes, as I do, that we need ‘a focus on engagement alongside rigour,’ and that we absolutely must ‘build a system where imparting knowledge isn’t about dry delivery.
Curriculum: Labour’s path to effective reform is a tightrope
So, what do I think can be done?
- First, we need to rethink what we value. Let’s look beyond just data points and celebrate depth of understanding, creativity, and connection.
- Second, we must protect the whole curriculum. A child might find their passion in drama, music, or design.
- Third, we have to back our teachers. That means giving them time, trust, and the professional freedom to actually teach.
- And finally, and most importantly, we need to listen to the pupils. They are on the front line of this. They’re telling us what’s wrong. Let’s give them the chance to tell us what would make it right.
Rethinking Curriculum Resources
This report isn’t just for schools; it’s also an invitation for schools and teachers to have a deeper partnership with curriculum and resource providers. It gives all of us a chance to reflect. Many providers are already creating brilliant, flexible resources that help all children succeed but when we hear that teachers are sometimes constrained by a curriculum that feels like a ‘high-pressure sprint through content’, we should ask ourselves – what more can be done to support
There’s clearly a huge opportunity on the horizon to do just that. The government’s own curriculum review has opened the door. It’s a chance for resource creators to lead the way, in partnership with schools, to innovate, and to design the next generation of materials that are not only rich in knowledge but are also built for engagement, for creativity, and for rediscovering that love of learning.
And that’s what Tony Reckons!
Right, that’s all from me for this season! For every single person out there, who has worked so hard this year to keep our schools going, or supporting them – have a fantastic summer break. Switch off, recharge those batteries, and find some joy.
Have a brilliant one, and I’ll see you after the holidays. Take care.
