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
<a href='https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z2q9q-14ce080'>https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z2q9q-14ce080</a>
The tweet that roared with Tom Bennett
<a href='https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bpgqn-14326ef'>https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bpgqn-14326ef</a>

Using evidence in education with Pamela Snow
<a href='https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac'>https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac</a>
Exploring evidence for equitable education with Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt
<a href='https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fjdnt-1685615'>https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fjdnt-1685615</a>
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
<a href='https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-49-transcript'>https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-49-transcript</a>
EPISODE RESOURCES
<a href='https://www.annastokke.com/resources/ep-49-resources'>https://www.annastokke.com/resources/ep-49-resources </a>

MUSIC
Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it
Oy Studio: Light comedy
Blue Dot Sessions: Avoiding the Backroom, Neatly folded, Momentary Ease, Balti
Website: <a href='http://www.annastokke.com/'>www.annastokke.com</a>
X: <a href='https://twitter.com/rastokke'>@rastokke</a>
LinkedIn: <a href='http://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c'>www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c</a>
Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

From decline to top rankings: How England transformed education with Nick Gibb (Ep 49)

Chalk & Talk

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews