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Articles by Will Millard
Mapping Britain: The Story of an Island through the Ordnance Survey Archives
The Ordnance Survey maps in the house when I was growing up had orange bands at the top and bottom of the covers, like my parents’ 1950s Penguin paperbacks. The maps themselves were printed on creamy, beautifully smooth paper, lettered in various sizes of various fonts. They charted the surrounding expanses of North East England, at an easily remembered scale of one inch to the mile. With their un-bypassed towns and long-defunct railway lines, these maps were also misleadingly out of date.
What one man learned living alone in the wilderness for 40 years
What one man learned living alone in the wilderness for 40 years Ken Smith has spent most of his life alone in the wilderness. For years, he was a "homeless nomad," wandering through Alaska, Canada and Scotland. Now in his late 70s, he is simply a hermit, living in the Scottish Highlands in a cabin he built of fallen trees. The word "hermit" might bring to mind ancient monks in stone huts, or, possibly, the Unabomber. But Smith is a gregarious hermit, downright jolly.
Smoothhound Fishing in Wales
Dave Lewis reports on a fish that is increasingly becoming the no.1 shore caught target species in Wales, the widespread and hard-fighting Smoothhound. Smoothhounds are one of the most popular saltwater species with shore anglers today, and when it comes to targeting these hard fighting fast running members of the shark family, nowhere in the UK offers a better chance of getting hooked up than Wales.
Cast into Spring! By Will Millard
With the winter rain finally set to leave Wales, now is the time to break the rods out and get on it! Despite it being early May, I honestly couldn’t believe the forecast. There it was though, bang in the middle of my phone’s weather app, this mysterious bright yellow orb.
My First Day Fishing by Will Millard, Joanna Lisowiec
Everything a young angler needs to know as they set out on their first day fishing. This comprehensive handbook contains a wealth of information for the young angler and lays out, step-by-step everything they might need to know on their first fishing trip. Fully illustrated throughout, the book covers everything from tackle to ties, rods to rigs, and from knots to hooks to baits, lures and flies! It also includes a fish-identification guide, together with advice on how to care for your catch.
Youth Work Matters: Findings from new Youth Evidence Base research
By contrast, in terms of awareness, the youth sector is something of a poor relation. However, we need to pay more attention to the youth sector’s role in ensuring young people can thrive, now and in the future. New ‘Youth Evidence Base’ research published this week shows just how important access to activities beyond the school gates can be for young people – but also that the youth sector faces some unprecedent challenges.
What next for children’s reading?
There has been some alarming coverage recently about children’s reading. The Sunday Times reported that “some 11-year-olds [are] only able to understand books suitable for six-year-olds”.[1] This and other coverage indicates we are in the midst of a ‘reading crisis’.[2] I broadly agree that we face a reading crisis. While it is politically expedient to blame the pandemic, this reading ‘crisis’ is not in any way a new phenomenon.
Supporting young people's post-secondary transitions in London
In partnership with The Mercers' Company by Will Millard 11th January 2022 Since 2019 The Centre for Education and Youth has been working with the Mercers’ Company to evaluate its Transitions Special Initiative. Through the Initiative, Mercers’ has awarded funding to a number of organisations supporting disadvantaged young people’s post-secondary transitions across London.
Improving Gender Equity in Education
What did we do? The Centre for Education and Youth has been working with STiR Education to identify the approaches most likely to support improved gender equity for school pupils and professionals. STiR Education is an international NGO that supports education systems in India, Uganda and Indonesia to reignite intrinsic motivation in teachers and officials. CfEY conducted research in two phases. The first was a rapid evidence review of the existing literature.
'Speak for Change' Oracy APPG Inquiry Interim Findings
In partnership with The 'Speak for Change' Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group by Will Millard 10th December 2020 Today, the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has released an interim report which highlights that young people have unequal access to opportunities to develop their oracy skills in schools in England.
The 'new normal' puts social and emotional learning at risk
Pupils need social and emotional learning more than ever – but a focus on safety and virtual learning could sideline this crucial area, writes Will Millard Schools will fully reopen in September. The start of lockdown in March feels like an eternity ago, and pupils and teachers alike will be approaching September with feelings of ambivalence – excitement about seeing friends and colleagues, trepidation about what the next few months may hold.
What does the 'New Normal' mean for Social and Emotional Learning?
We are excited to publish a new report, examining what the ‘New Normal’ means for Social and Emotional Learning. In early 2020, The Centre for Education and Youth and STiR Education decided to jointly host a roundtable, to discuss social and emotional learning (SEL) and its role in preparing children for the future. From this, we wanted to produce a succinct discussion paper highlighting some of the key issues facing SEL, in the UK and further afield.
Research: children in need and how to support them
“Children in need” is a broad term that refers to children who come into contact with social services, including those formally taken into care. It wasn’t until I began researching the children’s social care system for CfEY’s forthcoming book Young People on the Margins that I realised the scale and breadth of the challenges they face. In 2018, one in ten children had been in need at some point in the previous six years, and the number of children in need is increasing.
Will Millard - Oracy gives us a reason to be optimistic
Posted by Will Millard By Will Millard, Head of Engagement, The Centre for Education and Youth The State of Speaking, a major report into UK oracy teaching for which I was co- author, was published on 8th November 2016. The launch event, hosted in the Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords, celebrated oracy and its huge potential to support learning.
“The job you want or the job you think you should have”: Understanding Young Muslims' Aspirations
By Afia Ahmed Following the release of the Social Mobility Commission’s recent report on young Muslims and their access to the labour market, I came in to meet the wonderful team at LKMco, share my opinions on the findings, and take part in a discussion about the research. The SMC’s work paints a stark picture: within the economically active population, only 1 in 5 of the Muslim population is in full-time employment, compared to more than 1 in 3 of the overall population.
How fishing helped me overcome my PTSD
Features BBC presenter Will Millard, author of The Old Man and the Sand Eel, writes about how 'angling' brought him back from mental health struggles after a series of expeditions that nearly cost him his life. 14 April 2018 When the celebrated poet Ted Hughes wrote of float-fishing in 1967 he commented that ‘your whole being rests lightly on the float’.
Boyz II Men: how worried should we be about boys' educational outcomes?
How much does gender impact pupil performance? According to Will Millard, other characteristics exert a far more powerful influence over academic outcomes. The media is full of stories about boys’ relative underperformance at school in comparison to girls. This seems warranted. Boys don’t do as well as girls on average in the early years, in SATs or GCSEs. Girls also do better overall at A-level. To what extent should we worry about this gender divide?
Effective work experience: Let's talk about WEX
My time on work experience was thoroughly enjoyable. A school mate and I spent a week working half days in a nursery school. At the end of the week I was told that while it had been “fun” having me around, if they had to pick between us, they’d pick my friend because “he doesn’t get the children so over-excited.” That was about the extent of the feedback I received while on my work experience placement, and I can’t say I really gave it any more thought once the placement finished.
Careers education: What should young people learn and when?
In partnership with Founders4Schools by Will Millard 1st April 2019 Today we have launched an important new report, which sets out what young people should learn during their careers education, and when. More Than A Job’s Worth: Making Careers Education Age-Appropriate was commissioned by the charity Founders4Schools, and argues that children’s careers education should begin as soon as they start school.
Careers education: What should young people learn and when?
Today we have launched an important new report, which sets out what young people should learn during their careers education, and when. More Than A Job’s Worth: Making Careers Education Age-Appropriate was commissioned by the charity Founders4Schools, and argues that children’s careers education should begin as soon as they start school. While this is something that may make some people squeamish, the report sets out how this can be done in an age-appropriate way.
Oracy: The State of Speaking in Our Schools
In an exclusive interview for our new report on oracy, Professor Frank Hardman, argues that talk is: “the most powerful tool of communication in the classroom and it is fundamentally central to the acts of teaching and learning”. “The State of Speaking in Our Schools” was commissioned by Voice 21. It reveals that oracy (learning to talk well, and learning well through talk) provides an essential foundation for pupils’ academic and personal development.
‘Boys on Track’: Improving support for white FSM-eligible and black Caribbean boys in London
Home » Blog » Reports » ‘Boys on Track’: Improving support for white FSM-eligible and black Caribbean boys in London ‘Boys on Track’: Improving support for white FSM-eligible and black Caribbean boys in London Will Millard is Head of Policy Advocacy at LKMco, working to ensure LKMco’s research leads to action that will improve the lives of young people. He has extensive experience designing and implementing research projects.
Antwerp’s humble diamantaires
Diamonds are perhaps the least modest of all jewels. But, in Antwerp, they have attracted a community known for its humility On the outskirts of Antwerp, in the Wilrijk neighbourhood, a piece of India stands tall and serene: a magnificent and intricately ornate temple made from 3,500 tons of white, hand-carved Makrana marble, the same as that used in the Taj Mahal.
How should primary schools be held to account?
Home » Blog » General » How should primary schools be held to account? ASCL today launched its Sense and Accountability report, which examines how primary schools are held to account and how this can be done better. I was delighted to play a small part in the production of this report, sitting on its expert panel. ASCL’s review builds on LKMco’s recent #TestingTheWater report, which explored how assessment can better support great classroom teaching.
THE OLD MAN AND THE SAND EEL: My granddad, fishing and the my quest to find Britain's lost wild waterways
After a lifetime of fishing, Millard tired of the well-stocked carp lakes that have become the mainstay of British fishing and longed for the feelings he had as a young boy when he stood beside his grandfather pulling perch from the Fens. So he set off on a journey around Britain's less-explored waters, allowing the fish to guide him - perch, pike, salmon, eel. Going where Facebook groups and internet forums suggest they might be found. He sees fishing as a foil to the modern world.
You searched for Teacher confidence assessment
New report calls for better accountability measures, more support for teachers, and greater understanding of assessment across education sector. Government, schools and assessment bodies must do more to put assessment at the heart of great teaching. Report analyses assessment systems across the world and features contributions from world-leading experts. All trainee teachers should be tested on … Read more I had the pleasure of delivering a session at the annual WomenEd ‘unconference’ last weekend.
Most classroom teachers lack confidence in assessment says Testing the Water by LKMco and Pearson
Testing the Water, a new report by LKMco and Pearson calls for better accountability measures, more support for teachers, and greater understanding of assessment across education sector. Government, schools and assessment bodies must do more to put assessment at the heart of great teaching. Report analyses assessment systems across the world and features contributions from world-leading experts.
Should we grade soft skills, Japan-style?
Will Millard recently visited Japan, where schools assess pupils’ curiosity and confidence. Can it help the UK, he asks I recently had the pleasure of visiting schools in and around Tokyo for a week, speaking to teachers and educationalists about assessment for LKMco and Pearson’s forthcoming report, ‘Testing the water’.
Surviving the Gower
Filled with romantic notions of self-sufficiency in the wild, Will Millard learned an uncomfortable lesson about correct planning and preparation when he spent a damp night sleeping under the stars on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales Twelve years ago, I failed the written portion of my British Sub Aqua Club Sports Diver exam for inadequately defining a neap tide.
The 'cursed' disabled boy and the people of the sea
By Will Millard Writer and explorer Off the southeast coast of Sulawesi's sprawling limbs, I experienced a warmth and sense of belonging that I knew I was unlikely to find again on my journey through the South Seas. However, in a village where people are defined by their ability to catch fish, I also discovered a traditional belief system that left its disabled people badly isolated.
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