This is a really excellent post, even by the normal Freedman high standards. The timeline of September meetings and events is particularly interesting.

In an ideal world, I'd argue that all secondary teachers should spend at least one week per year in a primary setting. Are there any schools or Trusts out there who get close to this? Does anyone have a strong argument against it?

This must be a watershed moment. The government's continued use of X is no longer simply negligent. It is an act of conscious assistance to violent extremism.

Exactly. This is not hard.

Josh MacAlister, Liv Bailey and Georgia Gould going to DfE massively strengthens the department at a critical moment. A big positive from the reshuffle.

This, and in particular the "we know what these freaks are really like" aspect, is a big part of why I've become a keen consumer of The Bulwark

Our research (you can view it here: www.curee.co.uk/files/public...) into how schools secure great outcomes for all learners was really revealing about what schools can do - it's essentially "align absolutely everything around identifying & removing barriers to learning"

What is concerning about US is not ultimately about Trump. There are always Trumps. It is the legislature and judiciary that should check and balance, but shrug instead. It is his party and the media who should hold him to account, but shrug instead. Trump is doing what he can get away with.

The fundamental challenge of left-wing politics, basically always but especially in a mass-communication era, is balancing fervently-held beliefs with the reality that those beliefs aren't intuitive to a critical mass of voters

I honestly don't think there's an easy answer to this - you're basically navigating between the Scylla of "you visibly don't believe in what you're saying" and the Charybdis of "your worldview does not align with mine" with a substantial block of voters. Solving one problem exacerbates the other

Worth noting that First Past The Post accelerates this. It's still visibly an issue in proportional voting systems, but because they don't function as "winner takes all", they punish the left less aggressively for the problems of bouncing between these two outcomes

Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?

Funny they don't seem so bothered by Jenrick's three homes (including a grade 1 listed manor) plus his forth home in his constituency rented at taxpayer expense. Wonder why.

Abu Dhabi owned provider of special schools and children's homes sees profits rise by 28% to £44 million due to strong demand. That's all taxpayer money that could be spent on improving state provision. schoolsweek.co.uk/abu-dhabi-ow...

Rabble-rousing influencers are the price we pay for giving broadcasting powers to everyone, including the sort of people who, in the past, would simply have run a localised cult.

Good news alert In 2024, renewables supplied more than half of the UK's electricity for the first time over a year, reaching a record share of 50.4% Renewables and nuclear combined hit a new high of 64.7% assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6889ec...

The other good thing about Labour we should all note is that, no matter the things they’re doing we don’t like, there’s no sense that they’re in it to rip off the country to enrich themselves and their mates.

Tell us who you think deserves a National Blue Plaque! The National Blue Plaques Scheme celebrates inspirational people from all walks of life. Enter your nomination by 17 July at bit.ly/NominateBlue...

How very whole Ed to start with a song and a tribute to a gr8 education leader!

Looking forward to kicking off our Summer Conference… just 5 minutes to go! ⏰✨ Excited for a fantastic day ahead! 🙌🎉 #SummerConference #OIE

A full day kicks of with the wonderful @shonogh.bsky.social

A brilliant post from @edutopia.org on the (rational) pull to forget and 3 ways to build memory in class bsky.app/intent/compo...

Grateful for any shares 🙏 @laurahallain.bsky.social @edfinch.bsky.social @littlemavis.bsky.social @kitdewaal.com

“Recently, I’ve discovered that a simple three-to-five-minute video can help any substitute teacher tackle my classes. It saves me a ton of time; the substitute teachers love it. And the best part? My students absolutely love it, too.” 📹💫 #EduSky #teachers

Never imagined I'd punch the air with delight on finding out the result of a Wisconsin Supreme Court special election. But here we are. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A clever and encouraging study.

Keep seeing posts re using AI to assess writing. My worry is, this will add pressure to abandon handwriting. Lots of evidence from education research & occupational therapy re links between letter formation, gross & fine motor coordination & cognition... 1/2

#EduSky #ITeachMath

Friday Five Newsletter Tip Share your emotional regulation strategies with students. Model deep breathing when stressed or using positive self-talk during challenges. #FridayFive #TeachingStrategies #StudentSupport #EduSky

Playing chess with a pigeon remains my favourite description for narcissist political leaders.

5 metacognitive questions for students learning new material 🧠 1. What stands out to me? What makes me wonder? 2. Which parts are new to me? Which parts do I recognize? 3. How does this connect with what I already know? 4. What follow-up questions do I have? 5. Why is this idea important? #EduSky

Terrific article from Peter Hyman in the New Statesman makes ng sense of how we should respond to current cataclysms www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024...

Currently appearing at UK bus-stops. More of this pointed ridicule, please.

Here are some fun ideas for half term! Just in awe of this creative, energetic grandmother! open.substack.com/pub/yarnstor...

Please make this your mid-morning coffee read. @samfr.bsky.social has done an extraordinary job of laying out the (frankly astonishing) long-term sources of today's chaos, and looking ahead to the potential consequences. A really important piece of analysis.

In Sonnet 59 Shakespeare makes the argument that creativity is nothing really to do with the romanticised idea of conjuring up something new ex-nihilo, but rather something recombinative; in other words the reorganisation, adaptation, and integration of pre-existing knowledge and experiences.

There's a line in Macbeth, "Where violent sorrow seems a modern ecstasy", that seems particularly apposite at the moment.

He was a successful writer too - his writer also has a pared back feeling to it.

@buitengebieden.bsky.social why do none of your wonderful photos appear with your posts on my Blue Sky timeline?

I first visited Pompeii decades ago (family from the Amafli coast), and it is amazing how much has been uncovered since. I visited with my daughter (her first visit) in April. Wonder what more will be found in her lifetime? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Harry Kernoff's vivid depiction shows Ringsend, Dublin in 1935. Located on the south bank of the River Liffey, it was named from the Gaelic Roinn Aun or Sea Point and in the 17thC took over from Dalkey as Dublin's main port before going into commercial decline in the 20thC.

We've had a great day so far at of our #TrustLeadershipConference. Trust leaders have heard from @tobygreany.bsky.social, @eleanorbernardes.bsky.social and @davewhitaker.bsky.social, whilst also sharing practice between themselves on areas like #curriculum #SEND #attendance #inclusion + more.

I guess the question is are these papers now read by so few people that it doesn't matter? Would help if the BBC stopped joining in (also discussed in the book).

Georg Schrimpf's paintings and drawings (this is from 1932) are characterised by a calm and melancholy neo-Classicist imagery. His statuesque-like figures of women and his unpopulated landscapes showed the influence of the Nazarenes; unaffected by the turmoil and political developments of the time.

Kenneth Green had a many-sided talent which brought him recognition in many artistic fields. A pupil of the Suffolk artist Harry Becker, his sometimes scratchy paintings of figures with abstracted heads and spindly limbs were very popular. This is 'Chelsea Garden under Snow.' (c1944)

Hans Memling @artistmemling #followart #memling

Diego Rivera, Set design for scene three of the ballet H.P. (Horsepower), 1931 #museumofmodernart #diegorivera

I’m grateful to be alive So many are not I will make a difference in the time I have

Brilliant. The further I travel on this journey the more sure I am identification is the wrong route. We're learning even with something as easily identifiable as WS the range is greater than the commonality making intervention by identification useless.

This, from our school’s Values and Aims, is more than forty years old. It is still one of the cornerstones of what we stand for and believe.