I attended an Ofsted conference recently along with a member of the governing body and it was good to hear the emphasis being placed on real knowledge acquisition - the helpful mantra we were given was “STUDY, RECALL, RECALL, RECALL”. In other words, focus on the transfer of knowledge to long-term memory. Knowledge, we were told, is at the heart of the curriculum. We have always believed that, so it is good to have our convictions, for the moment at least, confirmed by those in authority!
And as for the great Lily Middler (Year 3) - once again she has performed a feat of prodigious recall. Some might remember that some months ago she learned by heart the counties and county towns of England in alphabetical order as well as the famous “Sea Fever” by Masefield. Now she has responded to my latest memory challenge and committed to memory all the FA Cup winners from 1950 to 2022, omitting 1973, which as everyone knows doesn’t count. Last week, she recited the list, perfectly, to Mr Morse and me and thereby won a range of lavish prizes.
Clearly, knowing who won the FA Cup in 1955 won’t help Lily very much in her future education. (It was Newcastle, by the way). But being able to commit facts to long-term memory will help hugely. It’s a vital skill and might have become slightly neglected. Lily is helping us at IGS: Durham to revive it!
I have written at slightly greater length on this - see the Principal’s Blog tab.