Congratulations to new Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado for her courageous struggle to bring democracy to Venezuela.

Congratulations Dame Sarah Mullally on your appointment as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. A truly historic moment for our church, our faith and our country.

If you don’t like being called a racist, maybe don’t make a career of saying things that appeal to racists, don’t create a political party that keeps attracting racist candidates, don’t fawn over racist world leaders, and don’t make a convicted racist the guest of honour at your party conference.

I'm getting really really fed up at constant reassertion that welfare spending is "out of control" when it is the same as the average for the past few decades. One reason disability benefit costs have risen is because core support has fallen.

"I hope Starmer wakes up tomorrow morning and feels ashamed about what he has done," says man who unveiled this poster the day Jo Cox was assassinated by a far-right terrorist.

All of this and more! We are so much stronger when we stand up to the racists together!

Reform's plans to end indefinite leave to remain go to the post I wrote last week on their slide towards chaotic authoritarianism. The British constitution would allow them to do it if they had a majority but at vast cost to our society and way of life. samf.substack.com/p/the-route-...

Gutted that I couldn’t make it down to researchEd this weekend - all of the #rED25 posts are making me very envious!!!

My thoughts exactly, but better articulated by @bennewmark.bsky.social. 👇

1. The Flags have arrived in my area. They make me uneasy. It isn't I have a problem with them when we're celebrating something. Football. Olympics. Even a royal wedding. But right now they don't *feel* like a positive affirmation of stuff we like but more a protest against things people don't..

Can’t quite get over how lucky I am right now…!

Love a long summer’s evening 😊

No-one takes the decision to flee their home from persecution, with little more than the clothes on their back, unless their life depends on it. That’s why our approach to refugees must be rooted in compassion, empathy and humanity. Not division, prejudice or scaremongering.

Shocked by the scenes in Liverpool today. I want to thank the emergency services who have responded so quickly. My thoughts are with all those who have been injured or affected.

📚✨ Wishing all the incredible teachers, support staff, and everyone working in education a very happy half term! You’ve earned every moment of rest and relaxation. Thank you for your dedication, passion, and the difference you make every single day. Enjoy the break — you deserve it! 🌟🍎 #HalfTerm

When life gets busy, I turn to the kitchen. There’s something calming about measuring, mixing, and letting everything else fade away. Now to eat 😊 #BakingTherapy #MindfulMoments #MentalReset

Mind you, the local Tory candidate in last year’s general election, & current candidate in tomorrow’s county elections, recently endorsed the Great Replacement conspiracy theory on Facebook. So he’s not much better.

The branch of Reform in my constituency is an absolute sewer of racism, misogyny, climate change denial & general far-right lunacy. What is it about a party led by Nigel Farage that attracts these scumbags? www.leicester.news/far-right-ra...

Organisers of the London marathon show more leadership than the government. And should be applauded for doing so. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athlet...

Holiday chocolatier-ing. Having so much fun learning and playing with this 😊😜😋 Diet starts next week 😊

If Carlsberg did school holidays… sun, great food and cooking 😊

No Mr Trump. Russia started the war.

Happy holidays - taking some time away from reality to drink some Prosecco and enjoy the sun 🌞

🎟️ Reminder: UK Festival of Education FREE ticket scheme Time is running out! Applications for the Festival of Education 2025 Free Ticket Scheme close at the end of Friday, 11 April. 👉 Apply now:

Wired wrote this a while back: www.wired.com/story/trump-...

Can someone who isn't me do a feature on spending a week using non-US alternatives to Google, X, Meta, Amazon etc etc, and tell us what it's like? I just need to see one person successfully doing it to jump.

And breathe… happy end of term to all my edu friends & colleagues. Time to relax, recuperate and prepare for the final sprint…. Garden furniture almost built, wine open, the sun is shining & for the first time ever buds are blooming in my garden (I haven’t killed them all!!!!) 😊

Policemen have been ‘diagnosing’ women with mental health disorders they don’t have and using their unqualified opinions about what this means to dismiss criminal allegations. Baroness Casey was clear this is misogyny yet it has been mansplained that this is not an ideological threat to security.

It’s not terrorism when multiple women are slaughtered because there’s ‘no ideology’ behind killing them. No matter how many men decide to do the same thing, it doesn’t count.

This is super news! A reminder that our investigation first revealed the issues schoolsweek.co.uk/squid-give-u...

I have been a school leader for 19 years and even I am losing sleep over budgets this year. A big virtual hug of support to all those grappling with the impossible gap between funding and costs this year. I feel your pain.

Friends, I am trying to compile a list of regional education events. Headteachers conferences, county SEND events, MAT network events, union conferences and so forth. This is to make a calendar which I'll be happy to share. If you know of anything like this, can you help me? 👇

Calling all school leaders - I’m collating a wish list of the best books on leadership for Heads and those new to Headship. What would everyone’s top book on leadership be? Or the book they would most likely recommend to someone new to headship? I will share the collated list back here 😊

When women and girls rise, everyone thrives., 🧕🏼🙋🏽‍♀️🤰🏻🙆🏻‍♀️ #WomenEd #HeForShe It’s this simple so keep supporting and elevating women. 💜💜

Shocking & shameful from Trump. Is there not a single journalist in the White House with the courage to step up and point out Zelenskyy is the democratically elected leader of a sovereign country who is bravely standing against the illegal invasion of Ukraine by a murderous dictator?

📈 Exclusive: School leaders have been confronted outside their homes, spat at and 'offered out' for fights as abuse from parents surges, a Schools Week investigation can reveal

I want to take the time to read the entire investigation but this piece by @bennewmark.bsky.social is brilliant. And true. EG coloured overlays are nonsense & kids become dependent on them - ‘I can’t read that, I don’t have my overlay’.

An interesting thing to consider here is how if interventions do no good, fulfilling legal obligation to do them might be in conflict with the SEND code of practice which requires us to remove barriers.

Really useful resource for digging into curriculum choices, pupil outcomes & school performance metrics 👇 Thank you @niallalcock.bsky.social www.weareinbeta.community/posts/%F0%9F...

🗣️ ‘Carrying the responsibility of a trust is a 24-hour-a-day role’ Academy trust CEO Sian Hampton speaks to Schools Week about diversity, deprivation and tackling parents’ abuse of home education 🔽

Absolutely @eddavey.libdems.org.uk

I can't stand bullies. President Zelensky is now trying to stand up against two of them. We should have his back. #SlavaUkraïni

"History will remember this day— when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for."

Zuzana Čaputová Lawyer and former President of Slovakia 👏

Steinbeck on ‘panic desolation’ (and it’s not just children who feel it)

Word of the day is ‘huff-snuff’ (16th century): a hectoring bully or braggart.

LIMITATIONS This study was a lab experiment with undergrads (not teachers) so would be nice to replicate in more authentic context at some point. Still... this method provides *causal* evidence, which is 🔥

KEY TAKEAWAY Teacher PD *really* needs to have a rehearsal component if we want it to (A) have greatest initial impact and (B) create highest form of expertise over time. (we also need good video models, but I think we've won that argument)