James Fendek works in education, supporting digital transformation, cyber resilience and data protection. He contributes to AI adoption, including an internal agent and rollout of Copilot to 140+ leaders. He is a music enthusiast, tech geek and passionate about technology for education, as well as a Wrexham AFC supporter and proud adoptive parent of two children. 🏳️🌈
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Groundhog Day in UK Education: The 20-Year Illusion of “Local Skills” Reform
When the Prime Minister announced yet another push to adapt school curriculums to local business needs, I had a distinct sense of déjà vu. From Labour’s 14–19 Diplomas to Conservative UTCs and T-Levels, UK politicians have spent two decades promising to close the local skills gap. Here is a look back at 20 years of…
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When “Normal Parenting” Doesn’t Work
There is a moment many adoptive parents recognise, although we rarely say it out loud. It is the moment you realise that normal parenting doesn’t work. Not slightly ineffective, but fundamentally so. When consequences carry no weight and behaviour doesn’t shift, parenting can quickly become a loop of frustration, escalation, and exhaustion.
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Is AI a barrier or a breakthrough
In education, the most meaningful change is often the least visible. It is not about adding new tools, but about removing barriers. When AI is framed as innovation, we risk focusing on what it can do, rather than what it can quietly undo. Used without care, it introduces risk, inconsistency, and dependency. Used with purpose,…
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The illusion of early warning
Schools don’t need algorithms to tell them what they already know. Inspection cycles are not random, and website activity is not insight. At best, these tools provide reassurance; at worst, they reinforce a culture of reactive compliance. The real work has always been the same: be ready every day, not just when the signal appears.
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The Quiet Risk Beneath the EdTech Boom
The biggest risk in education right now isn’t AI. It’s the illusion that we are still early. This week’s events have shown a system already transformed by technology, but not yet governed with the same maturity. The challenge for leaders is no longer adoption — it is control, clarity, and trust.
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Three Days, One Lens: Reflections from the MBA Residential Weekend
Three days. One shift in perspective. Less about learning something new—and more about seeing what’s already there, properly. Process. Data. Decisions. Sometimes the real work is just making the invisible visible.
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Rethinking Attendance: Why “Days Missed” Might Matter More Than Percentages
80% sounds good — until you realise it means missing a day of school every week
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Schools Doing More with Less Certainty
Schools have always done more than the system formally asks of them. They adapt, they respond, and they carry the weight of delivering change in practice. What feels different now is not the level of expectation, but the level of certainty that surrounds it. Across funding, workforce, accountability, and system reform, schools are navigating a…
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Banning Phones Is Easy. Teaching Digital Responsibility Is Harder.
Mobile phone bans may look decisive, but they risk missing the point. In a world where digital technology is unavoidable, the real challenge is not removing devices, but teaching young people how to use them safely, responsibly and well.
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The System is Under Strain: Reform, Capacity, and the Reality of Delivery
Reform in education is accelerating but capacity isn’t. While policy evolves at pace, leaders are left balancing safeguarding, systems, operations, and strategy all at once.
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