If you had been watching the Teaching Awards in 2004 you will have seen an astonishing performance by one of the winners involving motivated inner-city children, Eamon Holmes and a balloon.
Since then Secondary School Teacher of the Year Phil Beadle has gone from strength to strength most notably with the controversial Channel 4 programme The Unteachables.
Here Phil was brought in to work with some of the most seriously disaffected children the producers could find to create some compulsive viewing (he’s even up for a BAFTA) and some life-changing experiences for the children.
Despite earning the wrath of the TES on-line chat room and the Sunday Times alike, Phil has generated reviews for edgy, creative and challenging work that include:
‘He is an innovator, unafraid of the modern’ - The Guardian
‘Refuses to accept students' backgrounds as an excuse for underachievement’ - Evening Standard
‘Mr Motivator’ - The Scotsman
‘An extraordinarily commanding teacher ... a late-starter to teaching who has become one of its finest practitioners. It would be hard not to be invigorated and inspired by his particular brand of teaching’ - Teaching Awards Trust
‘The climate for learning is infectious. A highly creative teacher of English and Drama, Philip connects with pupils by using visual, audio and kinetic stimulus material in unique ways’ - Teachers TV
‘He looks like a rock musician and is one of the very best teachers in the country’ - John Humphrys, Daily Mail
‘Invigorating, inspiring and exceptional’ - GTC Magazine
Tough, honest, practical and inspirational, Phil is now spreading his particular views and ideas on the nature and practice of education through a regular column in The Guardian where he was asked to take over from the late, great Ted Wragg, through a new TV series coming out later this year and, we are pleased to say, as an Associate for Independent Thinking where he is very much in demand to challenge teachers about risk taking, planning lessons, motivation, working with disaffected children especially boys and bringing lessons alive in active, invigorating ways. (He was the one who had his students performing Punctuation Karate remember, not to mention the quoting Shakespeare to cows.)
Feedback from a recent client included this memorable line:
'I have spent all weekend talking about your training day, which has surprised my husband because usually I would rather stick pins in my eyes than listen to a guest speaker at the school. I think you rattled a few cages and freaked out some of the SLT which is always good, but as well as that you made so many of us feel that it is not that we are failing our boys, it just that we are not understanding them.'
- For Phil's prices click here
- People who benefited from Phil have also enjoyed Ian Gilbert
To make contact with Phil to discuss how he can work with you for INSET or to contribute to a conference please call the Independent Thinking office on 0709 239 9617 or e-mail us at learn@independentthinking.co.uk.
Articles written by Phil Beadle:
Books written by Phil Beadle:
TV Programmes with Phil Beadle:
In the words of one headteacher in an e-mail to us:
‘I am a Headteacher of a school on the south coast and would like to advertise my teaching vacancies somewhere that Phil Beadle or others like him may be looking! The school needs a good awakening!’