A TEACHER has ranked alongside the likes of Greta Thunberg as one of the most influential people in education.

TES, formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, championed Oxford’s very own Ed Finch on its top-10 educators list for 2019.

He teaches at Larkrise Primary School in East Oxford, and was jointly listed with Daryn Egan-Simon after they founded a series of education talks called BrewEd.

Florence Park resident Mr Finch said: "Of course it's very gratifying to be on it.

"BrewEd tries to break down the silos in different areas of education.

"In our system it's very possible, for example, for a secondary school teacher to never meet a primary school teacher - people don't know what happens in each other's sectors.

"We wanted to break that divide down and BrewEd really does that."

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BrewEd offers education-related talks in a more informal, relaxed setting - namely, at the pub.

Their venture started in Sheffield in 2017 and has since grown in popularity, with BrewEd events taking place across the country.

Last summer saw a successful BrewEd event in Oxford, hosted by the Jericho Tavern.

One attendee tweeted afterwards: "Totally inspiring chat about education, so many ideas to take away and digest."

Many of the events are marketed on Twitter, including by Mr Finch, who has more than 12,000 followers.

Anyone who wants to set up an event can arrange one and contact the pair to list it online, and tickets are usually sold to cover the cost of the venue, but the scheme is not-for-profit.

Speakers are invited and the format generally includes talks, discussion, lunch, a pub quiz and inevitably a few pints.

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The key idea is that people who attend are part of the discussion, rather than just sitting in a lecture hall and listening.

Last year the events grew internationally, with one held in Thailand in December.

Mr Egan-Simon said: "We chose the pub as it feels less formal and more intimate.

"BrewEd is a grassroots movement in the truest sense of the word. It is for educators, organised by educators and attended by educators.

"Anyone, anywhere can organise their own event."

TES released its 'most influential' list just before Christmas, and selected people purely for the impact they have had on education for the past 12 months.

Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg made the list for her inspirational activism, while Kim Kardashian West was recognised for being an advocate for apprenticeships.

Other people celebrated included a maths teacher who had helped people to overcome stammers, and a headteacher who persevered in teaching pupils about LGBT equality, despite protests from some parents.