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New Perspectives: courses, programmes, support, and consultancy for primary school heads and teachers.

'New Perspectives...' is a small, independent educational consultancy established in 2003 by Dr Tony Eaude. Drawing on his experience as a headteacher, researcher and consultant, he provides an innovative, personal approach to offer teachers and headteachers in schools and settings for young children, especially those up to 11 years old, new ways of understanding and approaching school improvement and pedagogy. This is based on three core principles, that:

• the aims of education are complex and multi-faceted, with measures of success needing to reflect these and the importance of breadth and balance of experience;
• school improvement is intimately linked with the relationships and values developed in, and manifested by, the school community;
• success depends on building, and building on, the learning abilities and dispositions of children and the professional expertise of teachers and other staff, with the role of outsiders primarily to empower and support.

The emphasis is to offer support to schools in:

• identifying, and addressing, the elusive but important elements of education too often overlooked in the drive for improved test scores;
• trusting and encouraging teachers, and others, to innovate, to adapt and to be reflective and self-evaluative; and
• creating and sustaining, among and between staff and pupils, learning, caring communities.

Tony Eaude's particular interests are in the areas of:

• spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, values and creativity;
• cultural diversity, urban education and bilingualism;
• pedagogy, based on a consideration of how young children learn and the implications for the learning environment and for teachers;
• the nature of teacher expertise in the primary classroom.

This is reflected in two books which he has written: Children's Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development- Primary and Early Years and Thinking Through Pedagogy for Primary and Early Years, details of which are available in the right-hand column or at publications .

Following the decision that the Ofsted Framework will require inspectors to 'take account of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development' in their judgements about the overall provision made by schools, Tony Eaude has led a session at a national conference in Autumn 2011, and is available for training, seminars and other events to discuss what this entails and the implications for schools.

A summary of a talk called 'What really matters? -looking beyond the standards agenda' at the National Primary Teacher Education Conference in September 2007 gives a brief indication of Tony Eaude's thinking. The text can be downloaded at naptec (doc, 62K) He led a session at the same conference in September 2011, with the title 'New agendas -but whose? reflections on professionalism, pedagogy and expertise in the primary classroom.' The text of the notes can be downloaded at naptec conference notes september 2011 (doc, 39K) and the whole paper on which this was based and which summarises some areas of Tony Eaude's current thinking can be accessed by contacting him.

Dr Tony Eaude is a Research Fellow, Department of Education, University of Oxford. He is a 'Leading Thinker' for the National Education Trust, a trainer for the Values Education Trust and is on the roster of consultants for the General Teaching Council (England). Most of his work is in the area of evaluation, research, teaching, training and writing.

Examples of his recent work in evaluation include a report for the DCSF on Institutional Quality Standards and for the National Education Trust on 6s&7s. More details can be found on this website especially on Previous projects.

Since 2008, Tony Eaude has tutored the module 'Contemporary Issues and Debates' on the MA Course in Primary Education at the Institute of Education, London. He has also taught the module 'Coaching and Mentoring' for Westminster Institute, Oxford Brookes University. He teaches children, from time to time, at a local primary school.

Details of the courses available which can be adapted to the needs of schools, local authorities or other groups can be seen on New Perspectives on... courses and Thinking Through Pedagogy. Such courses are especially important to take advantage of the new emphasis on teachers developing a more informed pedagogy and the greater professional freedom promised by the Government, with the ending of the National Strategies.

Among Tony Eaude's planned projects are a book on young children's moral education and a substantial project on teacher expertise in the primary classroom. Anyone interested in either of these, and especially those interested in collaboration on the latter, is invited to look at more details on the link above and contact Tony Eaude for an informal discussion.

If you would like to be informed of the work done by New Perspectives, and receive regular updates, please contact tony.eaude@education.ox.ac.uk