On this day: What is good practice in ICT and Computing?

August 23, 2025

I suppose this article will ruin for good my chances of a knighthood, but I am finding it harder and harder to keep quiet on this subject.

History lesson, by Terry Freedman.jpg — History lesson, by Terry Freedman

Two more for the archive

April 22, 2025

I’ve just published a couple of documents in the Digital Education Supplement. This is a collection of free resources for subscribers to my newsletter, Digital Education, which is also free.

The state of Computing

June 7, 2022

Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) has published its first report in ages into Computing as a subject. I've summarised the findings, and added some links and comments on my own in italics.

Inspection of a Computing department in the form of a really bad TV documentary 2021

December 13, 2021

Fortunately, such an inability to explore interesting and sensible questions would not be found in a real inspection. Would it??

The horror, the horror! N-Noooo!!!, by Terry Freedman

The inspector cometh

November 9, 2021

Being told that the inspectors are coming is pretty scary, but I would say that some people respond in ways that are counterproductive, including to their own health. These are the things I’ve either come across first-hand or experienced when I was an Ofsted inspector myself, or when I was being inspected.

To put it Bluntly: Ofsted jargon revisited

September 23, 2021

Derek Blunt takes issue with inspectors' jargon. Should you ever find yourself looking for examples of what Kenneth Hudson referred to as “diseased English”, I think you could do worse than looking at Ofsted guidance or listening to Ofsted pronouncements. Ofsted is the name of the schools inspectorate in England,

Judge not -- again

April 23, 2021

In my experience, an expectation of compliance was baked in to the system, and that really does mitigate against innovation.

Judge not, etc

April 3, 2021

A lot of inspectors judged how good the subject was being taught by how nicely formatted the kids' work was.

Ofsted's guidance on "remote learning"

January 14, 2021

I think that this guidance is useful in making the idea of online teaching sound doable, but there are too few details or links to details that would make it truly useful.

Ofsted: how is the new framework shaping up? Updated

December 13, 2019

The Westminster Forum has a conference coming up on 25th March 2020:

The new Ofsted inspection framework — implementation, impact on schools, and the next steps for the curriculum

Ofsted consultation on its proposed new Framework: my comments

April 3, 2019

There are only a few days to go before the consultation on the proposed new Ofsted framework closes. Here are my comments.

A new framework for judging teachers

February 5, 2019

Fears about the unintended consequences of the proposed new Ofsted framework — have your say — plus links to other articles about Ofsted-related fears.

Evidence-based education revisited

December 23, 2018

A reflection on the contents of the 2017-18 annual Ofsted report as summarised in a word cloud.

Educational research reading, by Terry Freedman

Evidence-based teaching: what's striking or new about it?

December 13, 2018

In the latest Ofsted annual report, teachers using an evidence-based approach is something that “strikes” the Chief Inspector. But what is remarkable about it?

Inspecting Computing in schools: 6 research questions

September 27, 2017

The schools inspectorate in England (Ofsted) aspires to become a research hub. How might or should this affect Computing?

Digital Education: what's in the latest issue?

March 21, 2017

Assessment, Book reviews, Ofsted: just three of the topics covered in the latest issue of our newsletter, Digital Education.

Articles on Ed Tech: Retrospective #5

September 23, 2016

Here are some articles you may have missed in the past week or so. Topics featured include inspection, book reviews and Word macros.

11 attributes of the ideal ICT and Computing inspector

September 20, 2016

If ICT or Computing is inspected in your school, what attributes would you like the inspector to have?

Recent book reviews

Two reviews in one: Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals -- art and history

One for your colleagues, perhaps: art, art history, ploitics with a small ‘p’.

Two reviews in one: State of Ridicule: A History of Satire in English Literature -- politics, history, English

One for your colleagues, perhaps. Sperrin has provided a wealth of information that can be used to provide a rich experience for students of politics, history and English literature.

Two reviews in one: A Little History of Mathematics

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

The Learning Rainforest Great Teaching in Real Classrooms Great Teaching in Real Classrooms.jpg

Review: The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms

This is a great book for dipping into in order to read about different teaching and assessment strategies, backed up by research.

Outstanding Formative Assessment Culture and Practice.jpg

Review: Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice

This book contains numerous assessment for learning techniques.

New Media in the Classroom Rethinking Primary Literacy.jpg

Review: New Media in the Classroom: Rethinking Primary Literacy

This provides a great deal of information about the different aspects of "literacy” and how digital tools can be brought into the service of literacy in the primary school.

Review: Designing the internet of things

This book takes you through the process of designing connected devices from prototyping to launching.

Quick look: (Un)educated: My Life as a Teacher, and Why You Should Never Become One

“Some of it is laugh-out loud funny, but some of it, about his reference being spiked, made me angry …”

A Heads-up: Hot Type: The Magnificent Machine that Gave Birth to Mass Media and Drove Mark Twain Mad

This is about the invention of linotype, and its consequences.

Are we in, or entering, a post-literate society?

I know that there are people who think that Tik-Tok videos and other (very) short-form content is a kind of literacy that’s on a par with reading, but I have my doubts.