Poetry planning late into the night with the Poetry greats. If a poetry curriculum doesn't include Maya Angelou, Allen Ahlberg, Michael Rosen, Valerie Bloom and Benjamin Zephaniah, what is life! I've bought so many books for this role but equally half of everything is books from my childhood.

What are schools using for reading assessment at primary which is both detailed and diagnostic but also time efficient?

A genuine joy to launch our CELT Primary Curriculum today. Our 5 curriculum aims the culmination of collaboration on our shared philosophy: Happy and Healthy Prepared for the Future Global Citizens Inspired to Learn Creative Thinkers Complete, of course, with curriculum aim cupcakes.

False summits in education? Hiking gives me a welcome break from, 'work brain'. When hiking this half term, my husband joked about how I'd feel if we were reaching a false summit. I spent at least the next hour reflecting on false summits in education.Can we name our educational false summits?

Today was an incredible, 'Pinch me that this my job' day. First, a meeting with Dr TIm Mills who is working with us on the development of our writing curriculum. Then a round table with partners interested in sustainable nature-connected education including Dr Tim Oates & the DFE. Joyful education.

Christmas came early when I got to spend an hour with @suchmo83.bsky.social planning @celtacademies.bsky.social new primary reading curriculum. Chris is so generous with his time and expertise.

www.facebook.com/share/r/17nW... Tired to the very bones of my being from this term but proud that we made this happen for our little people last week.

Feel like a child at Christmas waiting for the Curriculum and Assessment Review so much of my pending projects are halted waiting for this to be released.

After 14 months heading the government’s curriculum review, Becky Francis reflects on control, compromise – and finding the right balance between ‘firebrand’ and ‘technocrat’ schoolsweek.co.uk/i-dream-the-...

Gifts from our garden. 🌺 🥚 🫐 🍯 Love this time of year. Getting the winter stores ready before the term. Back to school garden preparations have begun.

End of an era. Teacher; lead of computing, history, arts, personal development, English, curriculum& assessment; lead teacher;assistant head;deputy head, Trust Deputy Head. 15 years; 4 classrooms; 1 office; 4+ schools: one constant - St M. Onto the next exciting chapter: Primary Curriculum lead. 🖤💛

Incredible working week full of curriculummy things that make my heart happy. Yellow weather warning is right on time for further exciting curriculum mapping projects accompanied by my zoo including the latest two foster kitties. Genuinely can't wait. ❤️ #curriculumjoy #animalsandeducation

What a gorgeous Englishy week - writing framework released and some further training with @suchmo83.bsky.social and the English Hub.

The problems posed by LLMs for education are immediate and obvious, and the promised benefits remain untested and uncertain. But I see one way that LLMs may inadvertently improve student thinking. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

'A slimmer, deeper curriculum'

Interesting insight. Every pupil deserves better.

Anyone who knows me knows that today will have brought me great joy: data AND the long-awaited writing framework.

Really thought-provoking day at the whole education conference. @wholeeducation.bsky.social

Looking forward to tomorrow

We're delighted to be welcoming over 500 leaders to the University of Warwick for our #SummerConference #BetterForEveryone. The day has started with a tribute to David Price OBE from @shonogh.bsky.social and Valerie Hannon. #IfNotUsWho #WholeEducator

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row.

Love the dichotomy that is my life. Last weekend I was volunteering at RCS with the alpacas; this weekend - St Austell Children's Literature Festival. Yesterday I had three authors in my van; today I have Supertato; and tomorrow there will be a goat. 😂 📚 🐐 🦙 🥔 ❤️ 🏫

Curriculum experts! We are reshaping our Trust's primary curriculum. Keen to make it balanced, research-informed and thoughtful. Lots of reading and thinking taking place ahead of the review. A really reductionist question but what weighting of time do you think each subject should receive and why?

It’s an oldie but might still be a goodie! bit.ly/InFGr As it’s the final leg to #SATs time I’m resharing my #grammar one pagers. I used them as part of teaching, homework & revision. The children liked the simplicity! #education #Year6

Fantastic morning of CPD with colleagues across Cornwall, including my husband 😂. Lots of thought-provoking discussions and insights.

A wonderful start to our AI in Education conference in Cornwall #InspiringSW

I have some of the best 'over my laptop' views going. Good excuse to pause and look up.

Do join us for this FREE seminar- bit.ly/4384c6B It will draw on 4 studies @openuni-rfp.bsky.social with 4-16 year olds and highlight the potential of IBT! @jonnybid.bsky.social @jonny-walker.bsky.social @debrakidd.bsky.social

Received photos and a message from the mum of a pupil I taught 10 years ago. School wasn't easy for him but he had so much potential. He's just completed his first term of pilot's training at Sandringham. The message said 'We will never forget you and the faith you had in him' #findwhatmakesthemtick

Ofsted may postpone the roll-out of its new school inspections until 2026, Schools Week can reveal schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-mulls...

This is how we celebrate in the Iliffe household. Super proud of Mr Iliffe today and every day both as a person and a professional.

After 2+ years, many rewrites & piloting, I am so pleased that this has been published! A free, online training programme for non-specialist secondary practitioners about the development of reading. Includes practical strategies that can be adapted for any classroom. 1/2 www.gov.uk/government/p...

The Iliffe bees are busy today. Look at all that gorgeous pollen. We ❤️ pollinators

Yes! 'We need to see brilliant women being brilliant and how they got to where they are." Educators, close the dream gap. For all. youtu.be/FZ8Sgkq74XA?...

AI is going to save us so much time as a profession if used with consideration and appropriately. Everyone knows I'm a huge advocate for it already. Come along on the 17th May. Free for CELT staff.

We've seen great results from Just Read in our school ❤️

SLT goals. Work in a school where the canteen and office staff are so gorgeous that they recognize you've been slammed, save your lunch, heat it up and make sure you eat it at the end of a day of meetings ❤️ 💜 Support staff are the lifeblood of schools.

Remember to respond to the 'Improving the way Ofsted inspects education' consultation, which closes next Monday, 28th April. Respond to the consultation: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ofsted2025/ #Accountability #Teacher #Ofsted #Inspection

I feel like sunrises and sunsets are twice daily reminders to stop (if only for a fleeting moment), breathe and appreciate the beauty within this messed up world. They definitely are for me.

Over the next 8 weeks we’ll be dropping the instalments where we unpack some of the theory and the practicalities of leadership. It’s all pretty chilled and we draw on some brilliant insights from great thinkers in the space. films.myattandco.com/programs/cou... /2

Bloomin' love my job but also bloomin' love that tonight I drove home in evening sunshine ready to enjoy two weeks of Easter in my 'castle' with my crew, getting my hands in the soil and reconnecting my busy brain with the world beyond my education bubble. Time to reflect and prepare.

The USA will regret the loss of Head Start, along with the damage to early childhood quality education, just like we have in England with cutting Sure Start and more. Not only that, post COVID, the issues with early development are more stark now.

Obviously everything that's happening in America at present is TERRIFYING but is anyone following what's happening in education out there. Feel like I'm fact checking everything because it feels impossible. He is literally attempting to rewrite history to control the future youtu.be/DPGL6oMZFSk?...

What a disgrace.

Absolutely right again @alexjquigley.bsky.social We've been working hard on developing this. A lack of teacher training around writing is hugely detrimental to pupils progress. Writing at primary is vast and varied at each phase. Consequently the time given in training is small relative to impact.

I want to develop some training for primary colleagues around high-leverage challenge across the curriculum that deepens understanding: Inch wide-mile deep type stuff. Throw some amazing CPD, reading and research at me that I MUST incorporate. #educators #challengeinprimary #greaterdepth

*** NEW POST *** 'What is happening with writing?' "Schools are trying to support struggling writers with ‘build-your-own’ approaches & interventions. Writing lacks good diagnostic assessment as well as interventions to address problems that emerge..." alexquigley.co.uk/what-is-happ...

The St Austell Children's literature festival is ESSENTIAL for raising the aspirations and wider world awareness of our Cornish pupils. Far away from the big cities, but with high levels of deprivation, our children need these opportunities to open their eyes to the world beyond their locality.

How do you relax after a productive but tiring week of educating? When my brain needs rest but I'm no good at stopping, it's always with my squad. Balance!