Nick Gibb “put hands over ears and said ‘I’m not listening’”, when confronted with counter-argument on teaching of reading, early years educator states

Nick Gibb, the former schools minister, once put his hands over his ears in a meeting and said “I’m not listening” when presented with an argument against his favoured approach to the teaching of reading, an experienced educator says in a newly-published paper.

Wendy Scott, who recounts the alleged incident in a paper published in the journal Forum, told Education Uncovered she had found Gibb’s reaction “outrageous”. I sought a response from the office of the former minister, who was sacked last year in a reshuffle, but did not receive one.

The testimony of Scott, who is president of the early years organisation TACTYC and has had 60 years as an educator, comes despite Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, this week having offered some words of respect for Gibb.

Scott’s paper for Forum focuses on the government’s Reading Framework, launched last year with an introduction from Gibb. In it, she contrasts what Ofsted says about not prescribing the detail of what should be taught in schools, with its treatment of reading.

The detail

Scott’s paper – called “the Reading Framework: Not the best guide to follow” – mentions a meeting  which she and a group of experts in the “Primary Umbrella Group” attended with Gibb as the coalition government engaged with the profession about its national curriculum, which would be finalised in 2013.