These are the sorts of things I mean when I say I’m worried about OfSTED making comments about schools relying‘explicitly on the best available evidence”, when we often have to build the evidence ourselves. What we do need is a better way of validating and sharing the evidence we create.

My good friend has started her own business selling beautiful special editions of fantasy books. Love her parcels and going to be giving them as gifts this Christmas! www.throneandheart.co.uk/collections/...

Science Teachers & Communicators! “Why Don’t Things Fall Up?“ has been noted by many as being *exemplary* in its explanations of science, and is being recommended by teacher trainers around the country to new teachers. Don’t take my word for it, read the reviews! Only 99p on Kindle til Wednesday

The suspicion, of course, is that the ID scheme is intended to be *much* broader than just a work requirement. But the gov is denying that (even though once introduced it would clearly be broadened). That’s a bad way to launch a proposal into a low-trust environment!

So…anyone working without having provided ID is already doing so unlawfully. And if the government isn’t enforcing it right or checking it, why does changing the ID required change things – especially when it’s digital already?

…community. So, they are amalgamated with others, or closed to save money. We lose expertise, provision for children where they feel safe and cherished, and the local community dies a little more. It’s a tragedy, that has been going on for at least 10 years. 🤷‍♀️

Absolutely this. I was 39 when I graduated from the Open University. 40 when I completed my PDGE.

Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time, doctors tell BBC

Visited a great special school today, and it was a valuable use of my time. One thing that struck me, however, was that there are about 20 children in our school who would not be out of place in that setting. Many of our children are, in fact, in greater need.

First meet back after the summer for our home ed group today - and our ten year anniversary in the current location. There is always a bit of a rejig when the autumn term starts - some will have moved on, maybe to college or school or just to a new schedule that no longer quite works; ...

A nice shift in perceived colour between central and peripheral vision. The fixated disc looks purple while the others look blue. The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea. From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt: arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...

Last home ed group before summer someone mentioned they were thinking about leaning Latin. This is a dangerous thing to say to me - I’ve dug out a selection of textbooks for them to have a look at… (we use de Romanis. But do have more…)

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) could face the axe under imminent education reforms.

Kicking off our #LDConf programme with a packed room, looking at inclusive curriculum & assessment reform in partnership with @aqaeducation.bsky.social. Ellie Harris (@thedifferenceed.bsky.social), David Laws, Phil Sayles, @schwitzer.bsky.social & @munirawilson.bsky.social on the panel.

So yes, expose all children to the very best: take them to the theatre, watch films, go to the ballet, watch a concert, display the emotion of these wonderful pieces of art. But don’t give them the text and expect them to write an essay on it, because you’ll put them off for life.

Reality setting in that R is leaving for uni this week. Last Saturday night tea - she has cooked this for us since she was 9. How are we going to eat now??

Science teachers. Some nice KS3 and GCSE resources here sites.google.com/alf.educatio...

Do you know any Year 6 parents or carers applying for a secondary school place next month? My next free webinar on how to make sense of all the online data about school performance is on Wednesday 24th September at 7:45pm - please help spread the word, thanks! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secrets-of...

Sigh. The world would be better served by fewer people jumping to the conclusion that they’re enemies. Maybe I feel ambivalent. Maybe I can see why someone might feel different to me. If everyone in the shades of grey is an enemy, we’ve just removed the space in which people change minds.

If you are a school governor in England or Wales, here is a list so that you can find others - connections! With Blue Sky you have to engage to make the most of it so like, comment, share - be active. #UKEdGovs #BetterTogether #Governors bsky.app/profile/did:...

Supporting students for the upcoming TMUA/MAT maths entrance exams? Two free resources to help (both with answers) at www.tes.com/teaching-res... and www.tes.com/teaching-res...

That time of year again... Please share the below booklet with any pupils thinking of studying maths at universities that use interviews as part of the admissions process. www.drfrost.org/downloadable... #MathsToday #AlevelMaths

When I was young, being a carer simply wasn’t talked about. We’ve come a long way since then, but government still all too often ignores the millions of carers across Britain. I was proud to write the foreword to this IPPR report calling for real and transformative change.

At lightening speed (for me), I've written up my talk from ResearchED this month. Can AI help with formative assessment? profbeckyallen.substack.com/p/can-ai-hel...

Explaining the Higgs Boson to a Tory science minister - in 1993. One for all the politico/science nerds out there!

Wasn't planning on going to Labour conference this year but decided to because of SEND reform. How many SEND events on the fringe schedule? Zero, that I can see. Oh good.

This morning on LBC, I spoke about the importance of balance. Children absolutely need need structure, yes, but also need warmth, reasonableness, & trust. I argue that over strict rules risk pushing pupils away & increasing exclusions. Listen here: www.phoenixeducationconsultancy.com/speaking

This fab photo was taken by a Y10 pupil, using the South African Astro Observatory 1 m Telescope (Sept 14th, exposure time 120 seconds). It is NGC 7479 (also known as Caldwell 44 or the Superman Galaxy), a barred spiral galaxy 105 million light-years away! #iTeachPhysics #Astronomy 🔭 #Science 🧪

Sent off my info response to the LA checking up on our home ed provision. Next year’s will be down to one child 😭 Also, torn between ‘that’s a day of my life I won’t get back’ and ‘damn, forgot to mention …’

Great to meet with campaigners at the #FightForOrdinary rally ahead of the SEND debate later today. Families have waited too long for a system that works, the Government has to get this right.

Primary Teachers! If you’re planning to teach how to tell the time to your students, you might find these FREE worksheets useful:

So when someone is showing signs of starting to think more deeply about something, or reconsider, or even (!) change their mind entirely, for heavens sake, don’t yell or laugh at them. Be quiet. Let them think. Listen. Give them a CHANCE.

Incredibly gratifying to read something like this from someone like Jonathan. The book is just 99p on Kindle and the evil website is also giving away the paperback for just £3, if, for any reason, you can’t stretch to paying full price for it at an indie bookshop. www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Dont-Thi...

Anyone have any advice re a vacated tribunal. I sat in a coproduction meeting with LA & their solicitors this week, 5 working days before tribunal. We agreed all section B, section I & few bits still on section f to decide at tribunal. I requested the meeting in July.. they failed to organise it.

Creating opportunities for independence was tricky over the Covid lockdowns. And it’s _different_ anyway in the country - you can’t just send them to the shop. So at 8 and 11 (some time ago) we sent the boys off camping at the top of the hill behind the house for the weekend.

I’ve got a new book coming out next year: ‘Couch to 5k Writing - A structured programme of writing mastery from sentences to essays’. I’m also putting together a training package for schools & MATs. If you’d like to hear more, sign up for a FREE webinar on 16th October linkedin.com/posts/katie-ca…

M back to uni for year 2. From this perspective it all goes so fast. From the perspective of corralling four under seven, it’s been about a million years.

Primary Teachers! Here are some FREE worksheets with activities to help children think about the importance of time, practise telling the time on an analogue clock, and convert times to and from 24-hour format. There’s also a “decorate your own clock face” activity! alomshaha.com/about-time-t...

This arrived about an hour ago and I’ve already highlighted so many things that I’m going to revisit. So much of this book aligns with my thinking. Real play is a fundamental right for all children! @minilebowski.bsky.social

Very pleased to be involved in this. It's going to be a great course.

9 years ago, whilst I thought I was undertaking an assessment - he was actually identifying me as his next victim. It didn’t have to be like this, he had already been reported but she wasn’t believed. Together, we can stand up to make a difference open.substack.com/pub/johnsonp...

Self paced study for students for the MAT or TMUA (or excellent challenge for your A* students or initial prep for STEP)

18 months for the last blanket and it’s done - every child now has a blanket and a cross-stitch piece to remember me by when I’m dead 😁

NEW POST: How many pupils resit English and maths? It is a requirement that pupils who do not achieve grade 4 in English (or maths) at GCSE continue to study English (or maths) post-16. But how many pupils actually enter a qualification in maths or English post-16? vist.ly/469sh

The history of studies looking for environmental risk factors for autism is of extravagant claims based on very small studies, followed by a failure to replicate in larger studies (2/n)

And that work is motivated by the very high heritability of the condition. We know there are genetic risk variants to be found. On the environmental front, we don't know that. There *could be* some environmental risk factors but there's actually very little positive evidence for that idea.

Next Friday, I’m doing a 56k walk (estimated 13 hours!) with my friend Matt who’s raising money for Swallow Community Cafes who provide training opportunities for people with learning difficulties. If you have anything to spare, please consider sponsoring Matt www.justgiving.com/page/matt-wa...

Here's my handout from my ResearchEd talk yesterday about the origin of the computational model of knowledge (and how this view contrasts with the normative view of the Sumerians-Aristotle-Wittgenstein) I tried to show different strands of thought: technologial, psychological, neuroscientific etc.

The Maths of Data Science and AI course features suggestions for how to integrate ideas around data science and AI into the teaching of #ALevelMaths It's 5 online sessions and a study day. The London study day is full but there's still places for Birmingham and Leeds amsp.org.uk/event/192742...