542. Starmer Loses His Defence Secretary: What Next?
11 June 2026
Thoughts on Jamie’s Dream School
-
Post
-
22 March 2011
9 responses to “Thoughts on Jamie’s Dream School”
Leave a Reply
542. Starmer Loses His Defence Secretary: What Next?
What does John Healey's shock resignation mean for Keir Starmer, whose position is already on the line ahead of Andy Burnham's crunch by-election in Makerfield? Who might replace Healey in one of the ... Continue11 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
541. Trump’s World Cup Mess and Kushner’s Albania Deal
As the Trump administration blocks a referee from entering the US, is this the most political world cup of all time, and just how messy will it get? Can the Democrats flip the Senate, and would it act... Continue11 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
540. The Untold Iran Crisis, Henry Nowak, and Farage’s Politics of Rage
As Trump’s Iran disaster continues, are we facing a full-blown energy and economic crisis in the UK and beyond? Why are politicians refusing to be honest about the real cost of the Iran crisis? What... Continue10 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
192. Are We On The Brink Of World War III? (Odd Arne Westad)
How similar is today's world to the months before the outbreak of World War I? Could Taiwan, India-China tensions, or an unforeseen crisis be the spark that sets the world ablaze? Are our leaders too ... Continue8 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
539. Embezzlement, the Mandelson Texts, and Hasan Piker’s UK Ban
What does the SNP embezzlement case reveal about how scandal-ridden British politics is? Is the banning of prominent left-wing American commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur a sensible decision or a... Continue4 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
538. The Pope’s AI Warning and Alastair Reacts to Blair’s Attack
Is Pope Leo’s encyclical the most important contribution to the AI debate so far, and is he doing more to hold Silicon Valley to account than any Western government? What did Alastair say to Tony Bl... Continue3 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
191. Is It Already Too Late to Control AI? (Anthropic Co-Founder, Jack Clark)
Why is one of AI's most powerful insiders scared of what he's building? Who's really in charge of the technology reshaping our world? Is it too late for governments to regulate it? Rory and Matt Clif... Continue1 June 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
177. Olaf Scholz: Putin, Power, and Far-Right Populism
Does the former German Chancellor think that Germany was wrong to rely on Russian gas in the run up to the war in Ukraine? What does Olaf Scholz think is behind the rise of the far-right Alternative f... Continue23 February 2026
Posted by Goalhanger
don’t think this was as related to reality as the kids to cooks enterprise was…
and that is mainly down to the impossibility of getting a bell curve of typical students. – but you faired better than many expected – and its not a job that drew me in any way…three siblings did…. I am the youngest but I look twenty years younger than all of them
To be 100% honest, I though it was a waste of your talent. Getting an entire room full of, essentially, problem kids to listen was never going to be easy or particularly fruitful… It looked like a seriously hard job, but I respect you for doing it.
Keep up the good work on the charities.
hi alastair,
i am listening to your broadcast on lbc as i type, (ive always been a fan of yours)….has jamie oliver any thoughts on becoming a politician do u know? he is a great bloke as well and the causes he has fought for have made him an inspiration to many people….or does he basically stay apolitical in order not to pigeon-hole himself with one political party?
On the contrary: If Al and the other celebs had not participated the audience would have been minimal. Any airing of the “inadequate” results of the education system is valuable. These kids have fallen through every safety net erected, despite the vastly greater resources put into education over the last ten years. The frustration felt by overworked teachers can be felt by us all watching these shows. As Al says, the debate has been broadened as a result. The celebs were on a hiding to nothing and are to be congratulated on their partipation.
making it a reality TV show, meant we had the usual pantomime of performers – so it’s not really reality at all. The kids were performing for the camera, so I could not watch more than 2 eps. I think you and most of the other ‘teachers’ were fantastic – engaging and genuine. People should stick to what they know – Jamie was bloody marvelous on his school dinner programme. I think he should tackle diet & nutrition beyond schools to beat disease and illnesses.
I caught up with it on Youtube and it was very interesting and watchable. I thought you did a great job in demonstrating that the gap between politicians and young students is not as big as it sometimes seems. I mean, these were ‘challenging’ students, and you were really able to connect with them and encourage them. Though, I could envisage quite a few politicians (especially Tory ones) having a hard time connecting with them. It was really watchable because it was clearly a challenge for you, the teachers, as well as the students. I think you all did well – Even David Starkey was connecting with them. Agree with you that it probably won’t have any lasting effect on education, but it’s definitely been a positive program for society in general.
Fair enough, I accept your point, it just felt a bit like watching a bunch of teenagers playing up for a couple of hours. Not my thing.
I would have preferred to see some AC original programming… Hopefully he’ll have more in the pipeline.
I work as a teacher in a socio-economically deprived area and thought the program really highlights the demands of teaching in an inspiring way. I was under the misguided thoughts it was going to be a “look how good we are all at teaching and how teachers need to be” but it was not at all. Unfortunately there are struggles like seen in the program in classes all the time and I think it is extremely important to gain some kind of rapport with your kids rather than the old traditionalist view of I am a teacher you must respect me. Our society has changed and students know that we are accountable, whether this is good or bad is another matter but we have to deal with it. If the kids know that you are really interested in them as individuals it goes some way into engaging them.
I’m a bit torn between thinking the programme has exploited the participants and/or whether it has helped them. Do you think in general it has been positive for them, Alastair?