Tony Davis Blog · Centre for Creative Quality Improvement

The only pedestals we fall off are the ones we put ourselves on

(c) Tony Davis

I’ve noticed recently that some quality managers want to shy away from the word ‘observation’. It seems that some have been brow-beaten by union reps claiming that teachers feel like they’re living in a Surveillance State and that there’s no trust anymore between management and front line. What a terrible situation for all, but particularly for our teachers. There is a reason for this, and I feel it’s quite straightforward to understand; though I’m not saying it’s an easy fix. […]

Read More...

Can cleaning your car boot help with self assessment?

(c) Tony Davis

I know, sounds a bit like clickbait, but hopefully you’ll feel this short read is worth it. Can cleaning your car boot really help you make judgements in your self-assessment report? Over the last few weeks, I’ve really enjoyed working with a college on their self-assessment report. The main job was helping the lead author understand any issues with the text, where they were masking problems, rather than celebrating the discovery of issues, and helping them understand the difference between […]

Read More...

The self-assessment improvement plan

(c) Tony Davis

This article is a wonderful illustration of why Ofsted gets their recommendations wrong so often. For many education providers, it’s ‘that’ time of year again when they’re trying to juggle giving new students/learners/apprentices an unmissable induction experience and completing their self-assessment report. Even though I had a great time speaking about this at this morning’s Skills & Education Group network meeting, I know it’s the wrong time of year for this training. What we did was look at the five […]

Read More...

Self Assessment – So why the golf photo?

(c) Tony Davis

I promise this blog isn’t about my attempts to play golf – it’s about self assessment. I’m delighted to have been asked by the Skills & Education Group to discuss this wonderful subject – one of the most creative parts of any educator’s day job – at SEG’s network meeting in Nottingham on September 21st. So why the golf photo? One of the things we’ll be looking at in the session is how to make a judgement about the potential […]

Read More...

Induction – ‘Like Alice falling into the rabbit hole’

(c) Tony Davis 2023

Imagine we have a time-machine and we’ve whizzed forward to the week after October half-term. (On a typical cohort-based study programme, this is the end of the Extended Induction Period – week 8.) I have my film camera with me, and I’ve just filmed an interview with your learners. I’m about to play you that film. What do you want to hear your learners say? This is pretty much what we’re going to be looking at in the last of […]

Read More...