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

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 https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z2q9q-14ce080

The tweet that roared with Tom Bennett https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bpgqn-14326ef Using evidence in education with Pamela Snow https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-jc9mq-161ecac

Exploring evidence for equitable education with Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fjdnt-1685615

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-49-transcript

EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.annastokke.com/resources/ep-49-resources

MUSIC

Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it

Oy Studio: Light comedy

Blue Dot Sessions: Avoiding the Backroom, Neatly folded, Momentary Ease, Balti

Website: www.annastokke.com

X: @rastokke

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c

Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social