In case you missed it: Sunday’s blog post. Deskilling Teachers Part 2 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

New blog post. Deskilling Teachers Part 2 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Another reminder for this: Yesterday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: The 2023–24 permanent exclusion figures Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

One last time for this: Wednesday’s blog post. Deskilling Teachers: Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Another reminder for this: Wednesday’s blog post. Deskilling Teachers: Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In case you missed it: Yesterday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: The 2023–24 permanent exclusion figures Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In case you missed it: Wednesday’s blog post. Deskilling Teachers: Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

New blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: The 2023–24 permanent exclusion figures Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Now available to everyone: Wednesday’s blog post. Deskilling Teachers: Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Most parents do not object when their child faces consequences for breaking rules. The small minority who do can consume an extraordinary amount of time if schools allow it.

New blog post. Available to paid subscribers now. Available to everyone from Saturday. Deskilling Teachers: Part 1 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

One of the central problems in education is adults who refuse to accept that children can choose to do wrong deliberately and while responsible for their actions.

Online discussions about teaching often include people who think teachers should not voice their own views at all, unless they are simply echoing the views of their betters.

One last time for this: Thursday’s blog post. Hackney: Ofsted and exclusions open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Everyone benefits when rules are enforced. Asking whether enforcement “helps” the person who broke the rules misses the point. And even so, it often does help them, because boundaries are good for them, too.

Another reminder for this: Thursday’s blog post. Hackney: Ofsted and exclusions open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

One last time for this: Friday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Bringing my teaching up to date open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In case you missed it: Thursday’s blog post. Hackney: Ofsted and exclusions open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Another reminder for this: Yesterday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Bringing my teaching up to date open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

It should not be controversial to say that children sometimes lie.

Now available to everyone: Thursday’s blog post. Hackney: Ofsted and exclusions open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In case you missed it: Yesterday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Bringing my teaching up to date open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

New blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Bringing my teaching up to date open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Teenagers always end up wearing a uniform at school. The only real question is whether it is chosen and enforced by adults, or informally imposed by their peers.

I did some voluntary supply teaching last week, I've never done supply teaching before but I was keen to have that experience. It was very difficult because of the behaviour. Behaviour really is the barrier to learning, you are absolutely spot on about how important it is!

New blog post. Available to paid subscribers now. Available to everyone from Saturday. Hackney: Ofsted and exclusions open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In normal weather, it is entirely healthy for children to go a few hours without drinking water. This was once understood as obvious.

To those who do not teach but speak with confidence about how to teach, manage behaviour, or even prevent crime, I have a simple message: be quiet.

Nothing improves a school more, for both results and day-to-day well-being, than getting behaviour right. Leaders who neglect behaviour management damage staff, pupils, and the whole culture, and they leave chaos behind them.

One last time for this: Sunday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Two Stars and a Wish #57 featuring behaviour, critical thinking and SEND open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Another reminder for this: Sunday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Two Stars and a Wish #57 featuring behaviour, critical thinking and SEND open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

If a behaviour system is so complicated or workload intensive that teachers are deterred from using it, then it will result in disaster.

In case you missed it: Sunday’s blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Two Stars and a Wish #57 featuring behaviour, critical thinking and SEND open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

New blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: Two Stars and a Wish #57 featuring behaviour, critical thinking and SEND open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

One last time for this: Wednesday’s blog post. Education researchers publish obviously false claims about internal exclusion. Part 4 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

The correct answer to the old question: "Do you teach maths or do you teach children?" is "I teach maths TO children".

Another reminder for this: Wednesday’s blog post. Education researchers publish obviously false claims about internal exclusion. Part 4 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

In case you missed it: Wednesday’s blog post. Education researchers publish obviously false claims about internal exclusion. Part 4 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Motivation is not the same as self-discipline. Wanting to do something does not ensure it happens. Pupils need to learn to work even when the task is not enjoyable.

Now available to everyone. Education researchers publish obviously false claims about internal exclusion. Part 4 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

The central purpose of a school is learning. Teachers are not therapists, clergy, politicians, or stand in parents. Our role is to teach.

Most poor behaviour teachers deal with is about testing boundaries, seeking status, or fitting in with a badly behaving peer group. The “root cause” is often just adolescence and habit. You are unlikely to uncover an “unmet need” that can be met to fix it.

New blog post. Available to paid subscribers now. Available to everyone from Saturday. Education researchers publish obviously false claims about internal exclusion. Part 4 open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

Exclusion does not turn children into criminals. It usually happens because they were already behaving in ways that are criminal.

A major mistake in schools is assuming Year 7 needs the least attention. It is often the year group that requires the most work from staff.

Expecting pupils to bring pens is not about punishing “forgetfulness”. If a child has no pen because they keep losing, discarding, or breaking them, that is not a memory problem.

Some people online seem determined to find “cruel” teachers. When they cannot, they go after strict teachers instead. And when they cannot find strictness, they move on to attacking teachers who are simply honest.

I have never seen a child behave worse because rules were clear and consistently enforced. You can call that “high control” or “authoritarian” as often as you like. Clarity and consistency help pupils behave, and make learning possible for everyone.

A domestic abuse charity would not ask violent men to explain what their partners did wrong. Yet many education and children’s charities produce reports built on the accounts of permanently excluded pupils about the failures of their schools.

It is a myth that worthwhile learning must be enjoyable or entertaining. Much of it is simply work that needs doing. Lessons can include some fun, but fun is not an essential feature of learning.