One final day to order these babies for 30% off! @bloomsburyed.bsky.social

This week, I’ve been exploring open evenings from a parents’ perspective. Communicating and creating that ‘your-child-will-flourish-here’ feeling really is an art that takes a whole team of people and a whole lot of love.

There are few finer ways to spend a warm early evening than lying on a camp blanket, reading a book, and enjoying a cuppa.

Back to work from 21st, and back to Blue Sky today. Aiming this year to share ideas, celebrate progress, encourage adventures, and learn a whole load. Happy new (academic) year, everyone!

Macbeth gem I learned this week: We compare ‘thane’ to ‘lord’, but it’s more than that. Thanes had a duty to provide military support and defence to their ‘lord’ (often the king). So, (if Shakes knew this) Mac being a thane deepens his treachery even further. #englishteaching #shakespeare

Who knew - sometimes when pupils are reading in class, they aren't paying full attention! Evidence here: readingforlearning.org/2025/05/24/t...

For all the guides and scouts out there: 1: Campfire’s Burning 2: My dad is a lavatory cleaner 3: Cecil is a caterpillar 4: There are no bananas in the sky 5: Vespers #propercampfiresongs #professionalcampers

When half term starts with a delivery from your publisher! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 Thanks to @bloomsburyed.bsky.social for the advance copy. ❤️ @gwenelope.bsky.social @litliverbird.bsky.social

Starting half term with a rare hour of child-free time and a good hill. #happyhalfterm

Lovely day today in our adaptive teaching ITaP: one of our first cohort returned as a facilitator for our current cohort, and one of the women who trained me came to train our trainees.

One of the barriers to reading aloud in class: It's enjoyable So we think it can't be work But it IS work Not everything has to be difficult /1

'We should be trying to avoid assessments that increase anxiety in children': Tes speaks to leading expert Therese Hopfenbeck about how to build better tests in schools

The double-edged sword of SEND labels: ↓

Since July the Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by @beckyfrancis.bsky.social, has been engaged in understanding deeply the current state of what children learn and how this is assessed from KS1-KS5. The interim report with initial findings and next steps can be read here: shorturl.at/FFg7Z

If you want to feel mild terror this Sunday morning, I can thoroughly recommend this article. Fascinating, and something for us to really think about in schools too. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Why Motivation Theories in Education Haven't Changed in Decades (And Why It Matters for Schools) carlhendrick.substack.com/p/why-motiva...

The data suggests that nearly half of secondary students with #speech #language #communication needs are going unidentified. This article with @speechandlanguage.bsky.social asks what schools can do to spot & support these young people: buff.ly/4bd9NvY #SendTips #Teachers #Sponsored #Edusky

Do worked examples boost the spacing effect on lasting learning? Apparently not! 🤯 This study examined what the impact would be of the spacing effect and worked examples were combined and the results were... surprising.

Animal sightings on my morning walk. First 2 miles: 2 deer, 2 hares, 1 flock of geese; loads of birds. Last mile: 6 humans; 5 black labs.

🧵An important part of the primary experience is having a lovely time- adults ringfencing the unique state of childhood and ensuring that primary is a glorious place to be little. Playful and joyful are not the antonyms of high standards and aspiration.

Really interesting research study published about school mental health awareness interventions in secondary. Well worth reading assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a0f0... #secondary #mentalhealth

Starting half term with breakfast in bed, a good book, and then a 3-mile muddy walk/slip-and-slide venture. Perfect. 👌🏻

Are you a teacher educator? Or fancy becoming one? Either way, This conversation with Dr Ciara O’Donell is essential listening 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/2RBv...

When you hold off on your afternoon treat until you feel you’ve really, really earned it, and the universe rewards you with a factory-mishap bonus chocolate. 🙌🏻

Forget flower and cards etc, this is a real Valentine’s Day must. ❤️

Now half way through. I can feel the heart-wrench approach, and yet I almost yearn for it. What a stunning piece of literature.

I’ve been interviewing potential trainee teachers this week. Two, completely unrelated, mentioned how much their religion brings them solace and peace. Really quite beautiful.

📣 New Webinar Alert! 📣 Adaptive Teaching could be the key to meeting student’s needs, but how do you actually do it? 🤔 Join Jade Pearce on Monday 3rd March at 4pm GMT for a FREE webinar exploring: ✅ What Adaptive Teaching is ✅ Why it matters ✅ How to make it work 📅 Book here: buff.ly/3QdrEt2

Collaborative note-taking resulted in better writing performance despite requiring more cognitive effort ajet.org.au/index.php/AJ...

While at uni, I studied lots of C20th American plays and even a few musicals, with a focus on how they reflected American culture and history. Just after I graduated, Obama was elected. I’d love to read/see/hear plays written in the last 20 years. Open to suggestions!

I’ve heard good things, so am heading into this today…

Excellent parenting in the Brewer household this evening. We’ve know for maybe 3-4 weeks that it’s number day tomorrow, so of course, I’m doing some last-minute sewing and hubby’s making a number-laden Saxon shield in the kitchen (🤷‍♀️!).

Today is World Read Aloud Day (www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-r...). Here's my @oracycommission.bsky.social conversation with @waterstones.bsky.social Children's Laureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social about why reading to children matters so much: open.spotify.com/episode/7wwF...

(New). On Harriet Walter's book about women in Shakespeare, 'She Speaks!'. www.juliangirdham.com/blog/harriet...

Interestingly, I was speaking with a couple of SENCOs yesterday, who mentioned that one of the changes that’s impacted pupils is the removal of eyesight and hearing checks in KS1 years. Early investment matters.

Went to visit some leaders in a school today to talk to them about how they can contribute to our trainee curriculum. One of them trained me. Feels like a full-circle kind of moment. ❤️

Excellent blog on reading a complex text (using a geography example) to exemplify a helpful disciplinary literacy approach by @jdurran.bsky.social jamesdurran.blog/2024/08/19/d...

You know when you think you’ve finally finished a thing that’s so big and has been so much work that to actually be finished lies a little beyond belief… 🤞🏻

My new 3Rs newsletter is live. It includes a review of a brilliant book on the science of storytelling, research on teacher/pupil diversity, student motivation, a new Steplab documentary, and more. [Quick, free sign-up] alexquigley.co.uk/the-3rs-read...

BBC teach is running a live lesson with @maddiemoate.bsky.social for Safer Internet Day. Details here www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-l... #eduskyprimary

How Much Do New Early Educators Improve Over Time? Tracking Improvement Trajectories Among Early Educators in Louisiana journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... "Our findings show considerable improvements over a 3-year period, particularly among new teachers (0.67 SD)."

Some novel knowledge: in 1751, the date of NY was moved from 25th March to 1st Jan. Any laws passed before 25th March before this date (eg 1749) happened historically in one year (1749), but are legally considered to have passed in the year at the time, eg 1748.

One for Jekyll and Hyde teachers. Could be interesting

Visit our website for details of free training opportunities from the Holocaust Educational Trust - tinyurl.com/HET-Training

I love a good TeachMeet, and absolutely believe that I would not currently be working in ITT if I hadn’t taken a bit of a leap of faith 7 years ago and spoken at one.

Remember that bit in Adele’s ITV special when her old English teacher brought her to tears and Alan Carr was called on stage while her make up was touched up? On @michaelmcintyre.bsky.social’s show tonight, it was Alan’s turn with his old drama teacher. Never forget the difference we make. ❤️

Spent 50mins travelling 3 miles yesterday so managed to catch this in full. Well worth a listen- really fascinating!

Heard a chap on @bbcradio4.bsky.social mention that teachers using AI are saving around ‘3 and a half hours a week’ by using it. Thoughts on this? Is it saving that much time? If so, how? Where?

This memory popped up on my phone today: 6 years’ ago, I taught p1-3, and was at the zoo by p5. Being part time while my little ones were dinky was financially tight, but was the best decision I ever made.