Section F describing provision that should be universally available for all children…

What if EHCPs are actually not all that good anyway?

I predict that more resources into exisiting SEND orthodoxies will drive more demand and even further overwhelm schools. There will be less consistency and predictability in schools, which will make quality first teaching harder to achieve. This will also drive more demand for specialist help.

Every single person in the UK will think this is something else for a split second

Some cynics might have thought we'd seen all this stuff before, but clearly things have changed: the triangle is now upside-down. 😆

There will be a *lot* of noise on Monday about how any changes to SEND provision are unacceptable, or will leave children with SEND without support, or is cutting corners. In truth, some SEND support is a sop to parents who feel something should be done, and some does more harm than good.

These words by Supreme Justice Gorsuch should be printed, in full, on tomorrow’s front pages.

This reads a lot like making more promises with teachers' time... And no resource to meet the promises www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I keep willing this government to be successful. They don't make it easy.

Nadhim Zahawi thinks London is now unsafe, because the other day a tired-looking man walked past him during the morning rush hour.

Just checking, it's now ok to flee your homeland, because you're afraid for your safety, and seek refuge in another Country? Glad we've cleared that up. Let's hear no more about immigration and refugees then.

Is the viewpoint of Star Academies an important aspect of decision making now?

I correctly predicted which way round this disparity would be….

Interesting that less than 1/3 of primary teachers would scrap KS2 Writing Assessment according to @teachertapp.bsky.social It feels like the very worst of assessments to me, and when it was introduced that seemed the near universal view. Have folk just got used to it?

Bee: Look at my knees. They’re the best thing ever. Dog: Hold my bone.

I find it wild that if you’re verbally abusive to a police officer or a nurse you can be prosecuted, but we are saying that when it happens to teachers it’s not even appropriate to send a child home.

Thoughts on this mess. 🧵👇 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This seems like a horrible idea. www.gov.uk/government/n...

More members of Liz Truss's cabinet are in Reform than in Badenoch's shadow cabinet...

It's hard to comprehend things currently in Minnesota. My natural instinct is to think of how school teachers and leaders are managing things, and dealing with the impact it must have on the young people so close to it all.

Then stop doing stupid colours and labels and JUST USE SENTENCES!

Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.

The juxtaposition here is... fascinating. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

This could be absolutely brilliant, or a complete waste of money and time. Suspect success will depend on who creates the training and how much is evidence-based or whether it panders to the latest on trend 'solutions'. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Get off Twitter. There’s no excuse anymore.

Leave X to the bigots and the perverts and the trolls. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This from @markgoodrich.bsky.social, is one of the only reasons I've found where I wish I were still on twitter - so I could share it to encourage others to leave open.substack.com/pub/markgood...

This summer I was asked by a family to take a photograph of them using one of their phones. Never felt a mix of pride and panic.

I know #DuvetKnowItsChristmas is fun and raises money for charity but it also gets me emotional. Like, it's so important for us to be with our loved ones that we will sleep on kitchen floors and also those bonds are strong enough for us to say "oh you're ok with the broken camp bed, yes?" ♥️

If you're looking for something to watch with feel-good Christmassy vibes, you could do worse than try Christmas in a Day youtu.be/Od1WIDxl44Y?...

Jeffrey Epstein & David Walliams leading all the bulletins but Kemi Badenoch knows that only men from ‘different cultures’ pose a threat to women.

Today was the last day of term for many teachers and education staff, but we’re still here to support you over the holidays 🤗 Our free, confidential helpline will remain open 24/7. 📞 Call us, we’ll listen - 08000 562 561

Credit to @isaacashe.bsky.social for the marvellous description of the homeowner who "went to have a gander" in this story from the BBC www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Panda.

Baker Day

It strikes me that there are phrases we use which can help date a teacher, much like Yugoslavia or South Sudan might date a map. Not just (the many) things that have gone by the wayside, but those whose names have just changed *NQT *Form 7 day *Using & Applying (Ma1/Sc1) Any more?

Not a serious country. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Best part of 3 weeks to respond to a complaint - and they do it with a few sentences that basically say, "tough - try the live chat". And no way to reply. I feel so much for people who actually need their pensions sorting. It must be horrendous.

New blog…. Headship: The Reality of Sitting in the Chair samstrickland384843542.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/h...

That's one way to ruin your Christmas dinner

I love articles like this. "Hmm... Y6 children in 2025 only read as well as those in 2017. I wonder what could explain this?" "Could it be the impact of a global pandemic shutting schools during their infant years? "No no, it just proves my existing views." theconversation.com/englands-syn...

'Mum' on BBC iPlayer is absolutely tremendous telly. Funny, sad and tender, it's an hilariously brilliant observation of the frailties and emotional fragility of families. How had it passed me by, and why don't more people know about it!? Grateful thanks to @michaelt1979.bsky.social for recommending

Being a British parent is so weird bc you're actually worried about paying the sky high rent/mortgage & getting GP appointments but the entire press keeps telling you you're worried there's a trans person or immigrant nearby & the vat on Eton means there'll only be two skiing holidays this year

Happy Christmas Tree Day to all those celebrating today. May your loft ladder hold steady and your boxes stay strong.

I keep seeing it described as the *inaugural* FIFA peace prize. Surely they'll never do it again? Or if they did, surely no right thinking peace-seeker would accept it?

Me when I’ve unloaded the dishwasher yet again.

"You can do anything ... grab 'em by the Antarctic. You can do anything."

It's starting to feel like we live inside an episode of The Day Today

The Nobel committee have just launched a football prize and made Diana Ross their first recipient.

Well, I, for one, am hugely shocked by this. Imagine capita cutting corners and screwing something up. Again.