It's all a bit too much for some of us. Cheers, marvelous people..

I come across an increasing amount of people who are convincing me that Darwin's theory of 'survival of the fittest' cannot possibly be true.

Well, there we are.. Happy half term Friday, you beautiful, bouncing people.

Sat here quietly minding my own business when there it was, beautiful and elegant and looking just a little bit tired: the first Swift of the summer. Marvellous.

Rachel knows…

There is a glaring contradiction at the heart of the white paper that needs discussing: how do you reconcile a push for inclusive schools with an Ofsted framework that rewards attainment at all costs?

The schools that are most effective in providing inclusive provision will be grounded in excellent classroom practices. Slogans, pithy sayings and meaningless vision statements will not provide the education these children need. Schools have to start inclusion with the child.

I don't know what's come over me, but I got up early today, watched the NZ Warriors with Ruud and then went for a walk. I might actually be getting better...

Well that was another week. Time for some Greek shenanigans...

If Ofsted are looking for a true understanding of a school, and want to allow leaders to present the school as honestly as possible, why on earth would you inspect in sats week (or indeed the last week of any term). Madness.

That KS2 SATs learning portal, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ah, they kill me. Another example of slick professionalism from the department of education.

Well, that was a fucking week. Happy Friday you beautiful people.

I do love an abbey I've never been to before. So quiet and magical here, I could almost hear the monks chanting...

Talking to more and more Heads that are struggling to cope with the demands of the job. I'm convinced we need to redesign our roles, acutely assess how we spend our time, re-evaluate priorities and change. We can't work the way we did 5 or 10 years ago, the game has changed.

If you play golf, and you can be arsed, can you try this app. A friend of mine wants feedback on it before they launch it globally... compete-golf.com

You are warmly invited to the second @uniwinchester.bsky.social Death, Religion and Culture MA Online Dissertation Symposium which takes place on Tuesday 28th April from 18:00 BST. This event is open to everyone so please feel free to share details widely: www.winchester.ac.uk/study/Postgr...

Linked in is a funny place. I feel like I’m permanently at an awards ceremony.

Managed to avoid the rain for one last (slightly breezy) jaunt up on to the moor. Home tomorrow and return to the madness that is primary school education right now. But hey ho, we go again...

Last four, I promise. Besides, the weather is going downhill tomorrow and we'll be back in the grind before you know it. Enjoy the day, people.

Yorkshire. I'd tell you all to get up here and take a walk, but you're probably sick of hearing me say it.

I'm much slower than I used to be, and it hurts much more than it used to be, but goodness me it is worth it.

I must have said this a hundred times, but for the good of your soul, perspective, mental health and awareness, get yourself out for a walk. Haven't seen a soul in hours and it's marvellous.

Happy Friday, you groovy beggars that you are.

When assessing the quality of teaching, it is important to identify whether any problems are pedagogical or structural. Are the issues due to teaching, or what is being taught? Are the problems in delivery, or the curriculum? Or are they as a result of previous SLT requirements?

And I think there is an obvious discord with what I believe @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social is genuinely trying to achieve through the reforms. Maybe Ofsted and the dfe should have a chat...

And these schools don't have to say it out loud. It's the slight frown, the curled lip as if they can smell something offensive, the small sigh, sideways glance..and if you think I'm making this up, I've seen it.

This happens in primaries as well. I know this is the tactic some schools use because I've spoken to parents who had this conversation with the Head: 'we don't make excuses and everyone is treated the same'. It's code for 'your child will last 5 minutes'.

I think Ofsted are mistaking causation for correlation. Whilst low expectations will cause lower than average outcomes, not all those schools with lower than average outcomes have low expectations. Maybe it would help if you recognised this distinction.

Dom giving it the large one in Manchester...

Hmm, this Jeff and Elaine idea is going to take longer than I thought. I was hoping to be done by lunchtime.

Some schools have layer upon layer of failed initiatives, still clogging up workload and teachers' time, that need to be peeled away before you can get to the nub of what really needs improving.

It is just as important, in my experience, for school leaders to make sure they are stopping initiatives that haven't worked, before they start to implement anything new.

I agree... philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/01/09/r...

Marvellous walk today before the rain set in. Didn't feel like I was dying either, which is a definite positive...

Come to a place and ordered a tea. Am I supposed to drink it out of this thing? I'm so confused.

The increasing demands on teachers and leaders are becoming unsustainable. We have the push for inclusion, which the new framework punishes. Improved retention has no chance with the increasing demands on teachers and leaders. How are we going to square this circle?

Your second try was great, says Elaine to Ruud. The tackling was awful, I say. He was so fast, she beams. They should have creamed him, I say. She sniffs. He sighs. Birthday or not it's important to tell the truth, I say to him. Ha ha, poor lad.

Well, it's little Rudi's 18th today. Dear me.

At the core of any good school is excellent teaching, which requires good behaviour, which needs strong SLT and sytems, but which also requires engagement, which needs a relevant curriculum, which requires subject knowledge, which needs support, but also empathy. It's not simple.

As I start to move away from Headship (I've got a 29 year plan) I'm using LinkedIn more. Problem is, I've no idea what the etiquette is and I'm just clicking 'connect' to hundreds of random people. I'm really sorry if you're one and wondering who this rude newcomer is...

Italy thoroughly deserved that and the win has exposed Borthwick's weaknesses: one dimensional, no creativity, dull. Bravo Italia.

This England game is as bad as I've seen in a long time. Both sides are just awful.

“High standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.” After reading the white paper carefully and discussing it during a SENCo forum this week, I’ve written on the shift in language, and what some of this might mean for schools in practice. moderncassie.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-sh...

One thing I love on here is how people go from being experts on the science of learning, to military strategies, to economics, to neurology, to biology, to football, all within the blink of an eye. And often with no shame or self doubt in the slightest. Oh to have that confidence..

If you can be arsed. I promised him I'd share it, but don't feel obliged, he's already the luckiest boy in the world having me as a dad. fundraising.spond.com/Mj8Xx3ZHHH

Look at that kids, it's called the 'sky'. And behind you is the 'sun'..

When I first became a Head, I wanted someone to call about stupid little things. Also, someone completely objective and nonjudgmental to visit my school and tell me what they saw. No agenda, no personal bias, but helpful suggestions. I'm thinking of starting something like this.

I think the paper is also trying to address the disparity in the issuing of EHCP's (depending on parents, location, school demographic, social factors etc). There is no consistency nationally (or even locally), and this means 'SEND' looks very different in different schools.

The goalposts have moved; they will introduce loads of new paperwork for any definition of SEND. This is unmanageable, so schools will shift lots of children off their registers. This saves money and, at a stroke, reduces the numbers of SEND children...

There is nothing new, or original, in this blog. It is just more about what would have helped me as a new teacher. I don't know why I'm bothering with these blogs really, maybe it is my age... philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/02/22/w...