There was an Old Man in a boat,
Who said, ‘I’m afloat! I’m afloat!’
When they said, ‘No! you aint!’
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.
Edward Lear
Abbreviation
Why is “abbreviation” such a long word…….?
History is….
History is a set of lies agreed upon.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Ibid – by Mark Dunn. Unbearably Hilarious
Only Mark Dunn, author of the acclaimed Ella Minnow Pea, would attempt to write a novel entirely in footnotes- and succeed so triumphantly.
Ibid is the off-the-wall fictional biography of Jonathan Blashette, a three-legged circus performer and deodorant entrepreneur. Dunn, a character in his own novel, is Blashette’s esteemed biographer. But when Dunn’s editor destroys the manuscript in an unfortunate bathtub accident, all that remains are the footnotes, which they arrange to publish in a consummate portrait of Blashette’s strangely hilarious life story, one that offers some infinitely interesting morsels of American cultural history.
Of course, as endnotes go, these are the tidbits, the marginalia: snippets of commentary, correspondence, court transcripts, song lyrics, and even a recipe for Boston baked beans. But in the topsy-turvy world of Ibid, the footnotes tell the truest story of all. Click here for more on Ibid.
Intelligence is……
Academy trusts: themes from ESFA’s assurance work
ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) have published a briefing about their assurance work relating to financial management and governance in the academies sector.
There are a number of common themes arising from this in respect of the 2020 to 2021 period.
Although (with regard to the review of academy trust financial statements, academy funding audits, financial management and governance reviews) the number of “late” or “qualified” submissions was relatively low, the nature of these is worthy of review.
To access the ESFA briefing on their assurance work click here.
If you would like to review how to ensure that your academy school or trust is properly meeting ESFA requirements (or indeed, for a basic and more general chat about what I do) please contact me at jack@jackminto.com or on 017514 499238 for a preliminary discussion.