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

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