In order to get back on track, we need to think about our attitude to the status quo, to be prepared to change or remove those aspects of school activities which do not add value to pupils’ learning. Then, to have reasonable conversations about what might be worth thinking about and doing differently. We have some choices about the stance we adopt.

We find it hard to throw things away: to trim, to prune back to the essential. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes we just don’t notice how things have piled up, we just get used to there being more and more; sometimes we hang on to stuff in case it comes in useful and sometimes it can all feel too much to try and sort out what’s still needed from what can be thrown away.

If we are to do justice to the curriculum, we need to take the right amount of time. The pressure to rush through the material was one of the drawbacks of the previous version - it encouraged speed at the expense of depth, swiftness of coverage over security of that coverage and superficial knowledge at the expense of deep understanding.

A few questions: do we provide enough opportunities for our pupils to produce beautiful work? Do they have the chance to polish and refine something? Are they clear about what good work looks like? Have they been inspired by the finished work of others? How often do pupils get the chance to produce work for a real audience? Are there opportunities for multiple drafts, punctuated with honest and specific feedback?

Curriculum conversations can be tough, for several reasons. One reason is that it’s a hefty job. This is why the conversations need to happen over time. And a second reason is that any conversation about our practice or provision can made us feel vulnerable. For the senior leader the vulnerability can come from not knowing very much about the subject they line manage. For the subject leader, the vulnerability can come from fear of being judged about their work. One way to ease this is to use ‘distancing’ language. What is ‘distancing’ language and how can it help?

We are hard-wired to notice scarcity. For most of our time on earth, resources to survive have been in short supply. And for some people, in some parts of the world, they still are. Scarcity and danger were constant companions for much of our history. But, for most of us living today, that is not the case.

We have all experienced coming across a word which is unfamiliar to us. Then we find we come across the same word shortly after. What seems to be happening is that our brain has made new links and has reset our focus.

Russell’s observation might have been driven by his childhood experiences: loss of parents at an early age. Home tutored. Cold grandparents, left to his own devices. Or possibly not. Perhaps he said this because he noticed that people want to be acknowledged.

It is possible that we have forgotten just how far we have come. This has happened at an institutional level and at an individual setting level. Because the world and our work could always be better, we sometimes forget that it already is.