Ná glac le bréaga atá dírithe ar dhaoine a scarúint. Tabhair aghaidh orthu. Déan a scaipeálaithe míchompordach. Cur isteach orthu.

As with almost every article written about reading in the past few years, this one has inspired a few suggestions that the focus on phonics has caused problems. I'd like to explain why I disagree. >>

The new money-saving plan: underfund schools further and gut EHCPs until they only cover PMLD. Translation: strip protection from thousands of autistic, SEMH, SLCN and SpLD children - and dump the cost on schools already on their knees. Happy days.

American fans’ behaviour toward Europeans at the Ryder Cup shows how far decorum and integrity have collapsed since Trump stripped the nation of the dignity it once had...

Yup. The rate limiting step in almost every context I've seen is attention. And you need a teacher to direct this. Almost every tech model starts from the wrong point because it assumes children will want to study the material and won't need their attention managed.

So yes, expose all children to the very best: take them to the theatre, watch films, go to the ballet, watch a concert, display the emotion of these wonderful pieces of art. But don’t give them the text and expect them to write an essay on it, because you’ll put them off for life.

Recruit people who will help you sleep at night. Talent that will allow you go on holiday, relax, and not worry about what’s going on at work. A team where you don’t need to plan for someone deputising because they’re all top of their game. Recruitment as wellbeing.

Hi Stuart! Check out this week’s Autism Europe Congress at #AEC2025 and #AECONGRESS25 The education presentations are 👌 Yes to #neuro-affirming teaching. No to interventions that aim to ‘normalise’ neurodivergent learners, eg by ‘closing the gap’ & chasing standardisation.

🧵The data around SEND isn't any more inspiring. Graduated response works better at SEN Support – when pupils get early adjustments (scaffolds, pre-teaching, flexible grouping), they can access enough of the curriculum to progress. But...

🧵A lot of data circulating that demonstrate concerning (but unsurprising) trends. Exploring disadvantage first... Language & vocabulary gap – word-poor homes mean children arrive with less oral language + background knowledge (Matthew Effect). Early attainment lags + compounds across key stages.

Disadvantage trend = entrenched vocabulary + aspiration gaps, worsened by attendance and regional economic drag. SEND trend = modest gains where QFT and adaptive teaching are strong, but the EHCP plateau signals limits of mainstream provision under strain.

Thank you Michael Fanone. For those who do not recognize the name, Michael is one of the officers who defended America on January 6th and was left permanently injured as a result. He is a true hero of our Democracy.

1/ Progress 8 exposes a brutal truth: in post-industrial coastal towns, white working-class pupils rarely make “positive” progress. No EAL bounce, entrenched poverty, low aspiration, high SEND. It’s less about school failure than structural drag.

No matter your political outlook, nobody deserves to die for it. Unfortunately, I fear Charlie Kirk’s death may have deeply destabilising consequences for America, intensifying the polarisation between left and right.

Keeping Mandelson in post is a classic example of men in power not actually caring about violence against women and girls. It's all lip service. He was closely aligned with a paedophile. His position is untenable. End of.

Yesterday, we launched a snap poll to understand school leaders’ views on Ofsted’s revised approach to inspection. More than 1,400 leaders responded in less than 24 hours, overwhelmingly rejecting the inspectorate’s plans. Ofsted should pause and rethink its plans. Thread 👇

New! Just launched teacher and pupil resources for KS3 - Geography - Year 7 - Prisoners of Geography developed by the brilliant Salina Ventress for Myatt & Co Access with a group or annual subscription films.myattandco.com/programs/ks3...

As a father of daughters and a school leader, the warnings on AI-driven sexual violence hit hard. Deepfakes, weaponised misogyny, normalised abuse - this is not a future threat. It's here. Safeguarding in schools must evolve now, before children are harmed.

Why do so many nations end up ruled by men whose egos outgrow their duty? Megalomanic narcissists turn armies into symbols of their virility, brandishing missiles as if peace were weakness. Power without restraint isn’t strength - it’s insecurity with consequences.

No matter your age or station, climb stairs in the dark and some primitive part of you braces for a hand to snatch your ankles. And so you run. You run like hell.

Monotropism/neuro-affirming practice is clearly the direction of travel. But primary classrooms are built on rigid timetables + already stretched by funding/staffing. Do we just risk setting up another trust gap between theory and what classrooms can realistically sustain?

Ontario’s SEND model looks neat – one plan, fewer tribunals, mainstream for most. But peel back and it’s underfunded, parents sidelined, staff stretched. England’s takeaway? Simplify, yes – but never at the cost of enforceable rights or equity.

On Monday 8 September 3.30-4.30pm @marymyatt.bsky.social is offering a free CPD session to show how to energise the primary curriculum. @myattandco.bsky.social Link to join here (live and recorded): marymyatt.typeform.com/TTC019?typef... 2/2

I often feel this and can never really describe it sufficiently. Nostalgia isn’t always yearning - sometimes it’s the sudden ache of a moment long gone, fleeting yet fierce, leaving you suspended between gratitude for what was and sorrow (if not always regret) that it cannot be lived again...

Local authorities face finite budgets and rising levels of need. SEND support is a right, not a favour. Talk of “overdiagnosis” or “other families taking resources” divides us. The answer isn’t blame – it’s proper funding so every child gets the support the law already entitles them to.

I'll take them for a genuine first attempt...

Well, I'm 40 years of age and I think - I THINK - I've just successfully made SOME Yorkshire puddings...

This post is about how I plan lessons from scratch, what we get right and wrong about lesson planning, and the great paradox of lesson planning: In a perfect world, it wouldn’t even exist! educationrickshaw.com/2025/09/06/t...

Despite best intentions and significant investment, England’s SEND system is failing too many students and their families. To fix it, we need to understand why. Mega-thread summary of my presentation at #FestivalOfEducation today: ↓

A sneak peak inside

The Mail is going to go full Farage. The Telegraph already has, to the absolute horror of the proper journalists still on the paper. Tony Gallagher at The Times is, as ever, waiting for Rupert Murdoch’s instructions. Their only alternative is to own the stupidity of backing Johnson, Brexit & Truss.

Schools with poorer intakes and top Ofsted grades will be prioritised for funding in the second phase of a government project aimed at turning empty primary classrooms into nurseries schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-with...

It seems unlikely that the richest men in the world are so worried about footing the bill for decent regulation of the online space that they’ve signed up pliant politicians to invent a non-existent ‘free speech crisis’. Until you remember just how greedy you have to be to become that rich…

👀

High-quality teaching is for everyone. But what does it look like in the context of SEND? This guide provides questions teachers can use to shape collaborative conversations about teaching of learners with SEND, and signposts resources within the GTT. Download here buff.ly/MhyuMWV #EduSky

Surveys cut through the noise. The big wins? Motivation & expectations – kids feel stretched and supported. It’s a reminder: culture isn’t built by slogans, it’s nudged into place by small, deliberate acts.

Excellent editorial from @jonsevers.bsky.social this morning, summing up all the challenges coming along this term. I was interested to read that the C&A review may be buried in the proposed education White Paper. 🤔 Back to school. Here’s hoping for some new and constructive innovation! 🫣

Compulsory alarm screenshot...

Shows what many in the North have always felt: our voices betray us before our ideas are heard. Post-industrial, working-class, higher poverty, often left behind - deficit not identity. What cuts deepest is not surprise but recognition. We are under no illusions. We know how we are seen.

Relational ≠ consequence-free. A “relational approach” does not mean permissive. By setting up “relational” vs “consequence-based” we risk a false dichotomy. The strongest evidence points to integration: relationships are the medium through which boundaries are enacted, not an alternative to them.

“We know what works” is thinly veiled accountability - more stick than carrot. Attendance & behaviour are multi-causal (poverty, SEND, health, transport). Pretending there’s an infallible fix risks blaming schools when reality resists tidy solutions. "Do more” is deficit talk, not partnership.

Prequestion: What happens when salt is stirred into water? A) It disappears forever B) It dissolves to form a solution C) It sinks to the bottom Why it works: Pupils probably half-know this but may not hold the precise vocabulary (“dissolve”, “solution”).

A few moments of peace for those that need them.

Hierarchy, colour-coding, breathing space. I'm only just getting my head around these concepts, so forgive me. Is this a case (genuine question) of same principle, different thresholds? Design must serve the learner, not the theory...?

Schools often scrutinise pedagogy and policy, but not the stuff pupils meet each day. @marymyatt.bsky.social reminder is stark: if resources aren’t authentic, beautiful, and vocabulary-rich, then all the talk of ambition collapses at the point of contact.

We need to normalise dark painted wood panelling. And open fires. Basically, just reintroduce Victorian decor.

1) We talk often of “authentic assessment.” But our system defines legitimacy narrowly: phonics checks, writing exemplars, SATs scripts. All hinge on one mode - written evidence, standardised form.

1/ This year I’ve lived in the margins of others’ work: Willingham, Sweller, Chi, Counsell, Hirsch, Myatt, Sealy, Ritchhart, Cremin (and more). They rarely align neatly. I needed a way to hold them together in my own head - not to claim the last word, just to orient myself.

The anxiety generated from the pressures of formal testing seem to use up a huge amount of cognitive resources leaving little for some children to actually showcase what they can do/know. Definitely not a one fits all system. (2/2)