Trump wants to destroy the BBC and take our money. And Nigel Farage is egging him on. All true patriots should tell them both: hands off our BBC.

The reaction to the Panorama edit has been nothing short of hysterical. Yes the BBC has some impartiality problems. But its biggest isn't the one you think. New piece from me. open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...

‘Where’s your fucking poppy?’

So, first skim reading of the curriculum and assessment review and despite several mentions of the need not to increase volume... There are plenty of examples of adding new content and I can only find one of removing anything - and that's GPS where the caveat is increasing the stakes of the test

Hugely disappointing that we seem to be stuck with the dreadful principle of the teacher assessment frameworks and moderation farce.

No sign of any acknowledgement of a crowded primary curriculum - and it seems, just new things to add. Sigh. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

What a depressing opening paragraph to the government's announcement of planned curriculum changes.

One more time, if you are still on X you are funding this man. This man who wants to sow unrest in a country he doesn’t live in. If you’re still on X, you are part of the problem, don’t kid yourself that you’re not.

Absolute perfection. #Reform

Sometimes I like to dream about being from a nation where you always know where you'll find your country name in an alphabetical list.

X is a cesspit led by an unhinged billionaire who is desperately trying to stir up civil war in Britain. Nobody with any sense or decency should be there. No organisations, government departments, or politicians should be there. Everyone who is, is enabling this monster.

Article aside... How old must the kids in this stock picture be now? It's been around for years! www.bbc.com/news/article...

An elected MP, Reform’s Sarah Pochin says there are too many Black and Asian people on TV - so plain racism - and the coverage of it is buried. Silence and ignorance is complicity, causing lasting damage. When we see racism it’s what we do next, individually and collectively, that matters.

As November approaches, never forget that the BBC pinned a poppy on Cookie Monster. "YPRES MAKE COOKIE MONSTER SAD. NO COOKIES AT SOMME."

I thought the article @oldandrewuk.bsky.social is talking about here was bizarre - but I hadn't clocked just how off-the-scale bad the original research was

They've also studied the impact of keeping disruptive and violent pupils in classrooms on the rest of the class, right? I mean, surely they wouldn't just decide to base recommendations for the whole system only on the benefits for the few who cause disruption to others? Surely?!

This, from @jonnelledge.bsky.social is exactly right. It's shameful. jonn.substack.com/p/its-racist...

You may have missed this small (but significant) line in Ofsted's inspector training.. Headteachers now have to say where their school “currently sits” on Ofsted’s 5-point grading scale - despite the fact report cards were only released last month. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

If Labour cannot denounce mass deportation of permanent residents, Idi Amin style, what is the point of them?

Almost half of primary teachers feeling stressed or unhappy over the past fortnight because of relationships with parents. (Significantly higher than secondary colleagues it seems)

HMCI says it's not true that they're ignoring headteacher wellbeing, going on to say... <checks article>... absolutely nothing about how they're addressing it. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

It's fascinating how this has shifted over time. Will we reach a point where more parents are fighting for an EHCP for their child than are doing things like listening to them read? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

I've earnt enough money from my side hustle to quit teaching. I sell 'My School Doesn't Use Twinkl' badges outside headteacher conferences.

In an exclusive interview, Searching for Normal author Sami Timimi tells @helen-amass.bsky.social why he believes labels for autism, ADHD and other mental health conditions have become commercialised and offer no benefit

Ofsted’s revised inspection framework, due to take effect from 10 November 2025, continues to put school staff well-being at risk. We’re calling on Ofsted to halt the introduction of its revised framework and rethink its approach. Read about and join our campaign here: https://bit.ly/43j0HuC

I can't quite get my bearings with this article. I understand that a school recently judged outstanding in every category might be more positive about Ofsted in general, but this feels just a little too full of praise for the new framework. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

I can't quite get my bearings with this article. I understand that a school recently judged outstanding in every category might be more positive about Ofsted in general, but this feels just a little too full of praise for the new framework. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

The government are said to be planning a new Year 8 reading test. Do we need it? Some thoughts here. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/does-engla...

I'm intrigued by this nominee thing. But I still don't get what it would actually look like in practice. Why would a head hand over the management of an inspection to anyone else? schoolsweek.co.uk/how-to-make-...

Such a good point. Have we become trapped in a system where "something must be done"?

Whenever I read an article like this about reducing exclusions, I want a chance to hear from teachers in the school. The ones actually dealing with the behaviours in the classroom. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

This below is from the 2005 BNP manifesto. Spot the difference with current Tory and Reform policy. (p14 news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp... )

All this time, money and effort to produce data which everyone knows is junk.

Tories to continue their approach of claiming that everything would just be fine if we could just leave one more thing... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Please join me in congratulating Woman on her appointment

Crikey... listening to the Ofsted webinar about the new framework is hard-going. It appears to be aimed at an audience who have hardly heard of Ofsted.

A blog- reflecting on Ofsted’s Inclusion criteria and the realities around SEND provision. oldprimaryhead.com/2025/09/30/c...

Our demo slots are in demand right now! For an overview of data entry & analysis, curriculum tracking, attendance monitoring, provision mapping & IEPs, plus reporting to parents, why not join our webinar. Next slot 1st October at 3.45pm. Register at buff.ly/jv7vPDO

I'm getting really really fed up at constant reassertion that welfare spending is "out of control" when it is the same as the average for the past few decades. One reason disability benefit costs have risen is because core support has fallen.

Does the primary school library pledge make sense - financially or otherwise? Not really. And neither the DfE nor the Treasury seemed to know anything about after it was announced, so that's no surprise. @ellencph.bsky.social digs into what it actually is. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

I don't know if they've got anyone on the inquiry panel who was alive at the time of the pandemic, but as I recall it... "people thought they might die" probably answers lots of questions like this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It's not "tough" to target asylum seekers and refugees. There's nothing "strong" about that. You're just pursuing the same easy targets that the Tories did for the last 14 years, when you know full well they're not even close to being responsible for this country's problems.

another huge win for Europe tonight! It is now clear: even with votes still to be counted, Moldova has chosen Europe. Maia Sandu and PAS are heading to a decisive majority. Bravo the people of Moldova.

An absurd waste of money and energy

"You've let me down, you've let the squadron down... and worst of of all you've let yourself down."

Michael Crick, journalist: “It depresses me how much fellow political journalists are down-playing this - a dranatic story not just about Russia corrupting a British politician - as they've done in Germany & France - but also about the character judgement+relationships of Reform leaders Farage+Tice”

I wonder if this guy is related to "Boris Johnson" who introduced "voter id" as Prime Minister in 2023 ... off the back of some crazy US conspiracy theories ... and in the process, made digital ID pretty much inevitable.

As we approach the introduction of the new Ofsted framework, we’re still missing a bigger conversation about what schools actually are. In the pandemic, we picked up lots of extra jobs when services shut down. And we’re still holding them. Some services never came back. Very few returned fully.

Fair play to Sadiq Khan. To live rent-free inside the head of the president of the USA is a massive achievement for any Mayor of London.

Reform are now coming after people with permanent residency. It'll be citizens next. No one is safe from authoritarian governments.