In response to the news of the postponing of Reception Baseline Assessment, I thought this would be a good time to catch up with James Butler following his Keynote, 'All About the Base' in our first #BrewEdEYOnline in May.
During our conversation James provides more detail on what Reception Baseline Assessment will involve and we discussed the added pressure this will mean for Reception Teachers and the impact on children. We also had a chat about what lockdown had meant to James and his family and how he and his wife (also a Teacher) are coping with being back at school. Finally we discussed James's experience as being a 'Man in Childcare' and attitudes from other staff and families from when he started up to where his career has led him and in his role now.
Listen to my conversation with James
You can download the file by clicking on the downward facing arrow (↓) to the far right
About James
James is an experienced educator based in Southampton. He has worked in education for nearly 15 years and specialises in Early Childhood Education, Leadership, SEND and Wellbeing. James lives with his long-suffering wife Sophie, who is also a teacher, and his 2-year-old daughter B.
James is currently working as an Early Years Leader at a school in Southampton which has both a nursery and reception department on site. He has previously worked in both schools and nurseries. As well as teaching fulltime, James writes courses for several online training providers, writes articles for various blogs and magazines and provides tailored training to a variety of different settings. James holds an MA in Education as well as PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status.
James has a firm belief in the democratisation of knowledge and equality. He, therefore, makes a conscious effort to ensure that he provides his services at a fair price and refuses to sit on panels that do not reflect the diversity in our community.
Connect with James
Website - for blogs and events (training)
Twitter
More Than A Score is an organisation that has been campaigning against the introduction of Reception Baseline Assessment and their website is full of information and articles around the subject along with a link to their petition and further campaigns and information around SATS
Children are More Than A Score
"Primary school is a time for self-discovery, building confidence and nourishing potential. But primary school children in England are being let down by a system that cares more about measurement than their education. Our system is obsessed with league tables, turning children into data points and denying them a broad, stimulating education at key stages in their development. It puts an unnecessary burden on children, parents and teachers alike. More Than a Score believes there is another way. We’re a growing coalition of parents, teachers, heads and education experts, working together to call for change in the government’s over-testing regime. Heads, parents and governors can unite and demonstrate their opposition to a system saturated with high-pressure testing by signing and displaying our Pledge."