Norfolk Governors' Network

I've just been flicking through the University of East Anglia's annual report for 2008-9. All very impressive, with plenty of worthy work and bright boffinry (if it's not a word, it should be).

What caught my eye was the list of 77 research contracts worth more than £100,000 each that were awarded to UEA academics during the year. I have no problem with the idea of research, which is crucial as this region and country seeks to compete with its rivals. But the titles of some of the research projects are extraordinary. Here's my top 10:

1/ ChagasEpiNet - comparative epidemiology of...

I've never fancied sketching a naked man, re-enacting the pottery scene from Ghost or unleashing my belly in an Egyptian dance for my friends. But I would die (or at least write a blog) to defend the right of those who do.

That, in essence, is my ridiculouly narrow definition of leisure evening classes, which in Norfolk are in the process of being severely scaled back. Quirky hobbies abound after dark in a school classroom near you.

While many of these courses are not to my taste, they are not just fluffy, dispensible add-ons to more 'useful', qualification-heavy courses that increasingly dominate...

I'm sure, like me, you were shocked and saddened by the story of the 12-year-old Norwich girl who was subjected to a serious sexual assault while living at her drug-using mother's home. More than that, you were surely deeply disturbed by the myriad of missed opportunities by care agencies that effectively consigned her to her fate.

No system is perfect, and it is inevitable that some child protection issues will be missed. This, though, was shambolic. Well done to Norfolk County Council for realising it was bang to rights. Its comments about the situation were blunt and avoided the kind of...

Becoming an academy used to be big news. If the ConDem Alliance has its way, the big news next year will be the schools that are not joining the throng. What to make of it all, I'm not too sure.

Instinctively (probably due to being raised by teachers who were vehemently against the old grant maintained system between 1988-98) I am uncomfortable with it. Giving schools their money direct from government seems sensible, as does allowing heads and governors more freedom to run their schools according to local need. But where is the accountability that stops maverick heads going off on...

If someone asks me my nationality, I unhesitatingly reply “English”.

I do not consider myself British, any more than many Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people do.

When Andy Murray plays tennis, I’m not bothered if he does well. After all, he’s Scottish, and he said (to my admiration, not anger) “anyone but England”, when asked which team he would support in the last World Cup.

However, despite being proud to be an Englishman, I feel uncomfortable when it comes to one of the privileges of that identity – flying the George Cross.

The red-and-white flag is supposed to be the ultimate symbol of...