I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s potentially useful as a repository of ideas to apply in lessons. However, and this could not have been predicted, I think the pandemic has made it difficult if not impossible to implement its ideas more fully.

I was sent a complimentary copy fo the book to review it for Schools Week. Here’s an extract from that review:

It’s not very far into the book that readers are encouraged to “identify how the skills are woven into the rest of the curriculum and explore how they can be featured […] in everyday lessons”. At this early juncture in proceedings, my inner cynic reared his head.

As far as I am aware, every cross-curricular initiative, at least in secondary education, has failed: ICT, maths, English, economic literacy… they all wind up with non-specialist teachers attempting to teach those subjects or skills. It is, at the risk of understatement, a big ask.

To read the rest of the review, please go to my review on Schools Week.