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From decline to top rankings: How England transformed education with Nick Gibb (Ep 49)
In this episode, Anna Stokke interviews The Right Honourable Sir Nick Gibb, former Minister of State for Schools in England. Nick discusses the bold, evidence-based reforms he led over a decade to reverse declining academic performance in English schools. From phonics-based reading instruction to math mastery, he explains how high expectations, rigorous curricula, and a focus on teacher training transformed outcomes—helping England rise to 4th in the world in reading on PIRLS and one of the highest-performing countries on TIMSS. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in meaningful education reform.
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:04:05] The state of English education in 2005
[00:05:50] Problems with progressive education
[00:08:12] Math teaching in England before the reforms
[00:13:13] Education: A non-partisan issue
[00:14:48] Learning about math teaching from Shanghai and Singapore
[00:18:01] Competency-based curriculum debate
[00:22:00] Reading reforms
[00:26:09] Resistance to the phonics movement
[00:32:10] Math reforms implemented for primary education
[00:38:08] Attention to detail in curriculum development
[00:41:11] Debates on educational standards
[00:42:41] Reforming initial teacher training
[00:48:24] The Education Endowment Foundation
[00:50:21] Liberating the teaching profession
[00:55:07] How the reforms improved student outcomes
[00:57:42] Educational outcomes in Scotland and Wales
[01:00:38] The future of education reforms
[01:06:24] Advice for policymakers and advocates
[01:16:00] Reflections and closing remarks
RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES
Education myth-busting with Daisy Christodoulou
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z2q9q-14ce080
The tweet that roared with Tom Bennett
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bpgqn-14326ef
Using evidence in education with Pamela Snow
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac
Exploring evidence for equitable education with Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fjdnt-1685615
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-49-transcript
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.annastokke.com/resources/ep-49-resources
MUSIC
Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it
Oy Studio: Light comedy
Blue Dot Sessions: Avoiding the Backroom, Neatly folded, Momentary Ease, Balti
Website: www.annastokke.com
X: @rastokke
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c
Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social
View all episodes
By Anna Stokke
4.9
3333 ratings
In this episode, Anna Stokke interviews The Right Honourable Sir Nick Gibb, former Minister of State for Schools in England. Nick discusses the bold, evidence-based reforms he led over a decade to reverse declining academic performance in English schools. From phonics-based reading instruction to math mastery, he explains how high expectations, rigorous curricula, and a focus on teacher training transformed outcomes—helping England rise to 4th in the world in reading on PIRLS and one of the highest-performing countries on TIMSS. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in meaningful education reform.
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:04:05] The state of English education in 2005
[00:05:50] Problems with progressive education
[00:08:12] Math teaching in England before the reforms
[00:13:13] Education: A non-partisan issue
[00:14:48] Learning about math teaching from Shanghai and Singapore
[00:18:01] Competency-based curriculum debate
[00:22:00] Reading reforms
[00:26:09] Resistance to the phonics movement
[00:32:10] Math reforms implemented for primary education
[00:38:08] Attention to detail in curriculum development
[00:41:11] Debates on educational standards
[00:42:41] Reforming initial teacher training
[00:48:24] The Education Endowment Foundation
[00:50:21] Liberating the teaching profession
[00:55:07] How the reforms improved student outcomes
[00:57:42] Educational outcomes in Scotland and Wales
[01:00:38] The future of education reforms
[01:06:24] Advice for policymakers and advocates
[01:16:00] Reflections and closing remarks
RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES
Education myth-busting with Daisy Christodoulou
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z2q9q-14ce080
The tweet that roared with Tom Bennett
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bpgqn-14326ef
Using evidence in education with Pamela Snow
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac
Exploring evidence for equitable education with Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fjdnt-1685615
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-49-transcript
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.annastokke.com/resources/ep-49-resources
MUSIC
Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it
Oy Studio: Light comedy
Blue Dot Sessions: Avoiding the Backroom, Neatly folded, Momentary Ease, Balti
Website: www.annastokke.com
X: @rastokke
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c
Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social
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