Author Archives: jameswilding

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About jameswilding

Academic Principal Claires Court Schools Long term member & advocate of the Independent Schools Association

A funny thing happened in the Park the other day…

My sons live up in London, and as is the custom amongst families, we went to Sunday lunch with one the other week. Maidenhead to North London has its many traffic moments to enjoy, and what with Bristol City playing … Continue reading

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How best to make an Impact on a child’s learning – consistent, insistent, persistent application of the right approach.

One of the better independent commentators on Education matters I follow is the Teaching Times, an on-line journal for our industry, published by the Imaginative Minds Group, led by publisher Howard Sharron. In “Ofsted Is In Denial; Special Needs Do … Continue reading

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“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.” Sir Terry Pratchett

I first came across Terry Pratchett’s writing in the mid 1980s, children’s books such as the Colour of Magic and the Carpet People. It was quite clear then that Terry (one of the few authors about whom I feel very … Continue reading

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“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.” – Henri Matisse

There has been a recent ‘epidemic’ of concern being expressed across our country that the nation as a whole is falling out of love with Art.  Visitor numbers are falling at the National Gallery and the Tate, and  and more … Continue reading

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Aiming to connect with learning…a tribute to Barlow and King!

Thursday 26 February (this week) saw ISA’s annual Junior schools’ conference visit the Institute of Marketing’s fine premises at Moor Hall, nearby in Cookham. The whole day was given over to looking at what assessing children’s achievement looks like in … Continue reading

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“Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine”

I have had a good half-term, dear Reader. During the business of academic life, it’s almost impossible to reserve the time to go to see the latest films. And there have been some stunningly good films out there passing me … Continue reading

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Growth mindset: What interventions might work and what probably won’t?

Originally posted on Evidence into Practice:
Whether discussed under the guise of ‘resilience’, ‘grit’ or ‘character’, there appears to be a great appetite for psychologically manipulating pupils’ personalities or their attributions about school. One concept which has particularly captured the…

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“If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” – A manifesto beyond 2015.

There is no way Albert Einstein could have known where his research into Newtonian mechanics would take him into Space-Time, particle theory, the motion of molecules and that of the Universe. Reflecting on his life after the second world war, … Continue reading

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How not to save the Petrified Forest… a sideways look at Government School League Tables

In a belated effort to protect the Petrified Forest in Arizona, the Navajo Indian curators decided to put large signs up around the desert edge reminding visitors that “At the current rate of fossil theft by visitors, the Forest will completely … Continue reading

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I am Claires Court

The brutal murders of some 17 people last week in Paris has caused much outrage over the globe, yet another incident in a global war between those that consent to living in pluralist liberal societies and those that wage jihad … Continue reading

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