This is a powerful read from Edmund Barnett-Ward #RuthPerry @edmund-b-w.bsky.social difficultlessons.wordpress.com/2026/03/17/d...

And they wonder why we struggle to recruit in the areas where we need school staff the most 🙄

Babies and toddlers can’t read but love books. I have many photos of our grandchildren revelling in books over the years. One had a passion for the RHS vegetable and fruit guide.

Beautiful

Here's our 🎶 parody version of Barry McGuire's 1965 "Eve of Destruction" that we've modernised to turn to current US adventurism. We're calling it: "Grief and Destruction" 🚀 youtu.be/QLBjeM53iBI

We shouldn't mix up the end point of learning with the process of getting to that end point. Children don't develop a wide vocabulary because they've been direct instructed in words. They learn language through conversation and experiences. Focusing everything towards memorisation is a mistake.

Long past time we had some radical change in education. Ofsted are hugely problematic and we need to be able to put children back at the centre rather than the constant pressure on children and young people. Pretty much every conversation I have with educators IRL is about this.

This is their one childhood. It should be full of play, exploration, wonder and community. And for some children, school is the only place they will (should*) be guaranteed to encounter those things.

For your next pub quiz: "Denmark is often said to be the country with the highest per-capita candle consumption in Europe. Danes burn around 5.8kg of candle wax per person per year – the equivalent of about six bags of sugar." But more seriously...

It deserves a second repost.

Only one week to go till #anewway comes out on 27th February! We wrapped the video today in a studio in Ashford #newmusic #hollowchapters #marshfamilysongs #preorder using link in bio! Thanks for sharing! x

I know it's not the main point but the BBC (and presumably also the DfE) completely ignore the existence (and vital role) of early years settings here in identifying SEND and getting EHCPs in place. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Our catalogue doesn’t stand alone 🌿 It links closely with our Outdoor Hub – packed with free ideas and guidance to support outdoor learning all year round. muddyfaces.co.uk/outdoor-hub #OutdoorHub #outdoorlearning #forestschool #natureplay

Ramps are new for 2026 🧱 in the catalogue and a brand new section with benefits of & guides to ramp play on the Outdoor Hub: muddyfaces.co.uk/outdoor-hub/... Flexible, physical and brilliant for problem-solving, collaboration and play outdoors. #RampPlay #LooseParts #outdoorlearning #forestschool

Here's a short excerpt from track 3 of #hollowchapters - a tribute in song to #alexeinavalny. It's called #sitfortheroad - available with #debutalbum on 27th March. Written on his murder in Feb 24, & played live everywhere we could in 25. #navalny #notallowedtogiveup ❤️ youtube.com/shorts/jy7iB...

Talking yesterday with people about how education in England has become too static for healthy development and about how some of the behaviour issues we see are at heart about children and young people needing to move more and be outdoors more.

Just looked through this catalogue-a great range of quality outdoor resources for every setting and school.,

Here’s a weeknight quick turnaround 🎶parody on the UK fallout linked to #EpsteinFiles #PeterMandelson's friendship with him, and the bigger implications ... we chose song #mrsrobinson from #thegraduate about vice/virtue! youtu.be/h870VJsLk_c Link to forthcoming album at end: orcd.co/hollowchapters

“February. Another cold, dead month, or so it seems. The elms are bare against the sky, the plough-ground is naked and wet, and still as brown as the sodden leaves. Yet the world is waking up”. Artists: Edith Hilder, Rowland Hilder (ShellGuide, 1955)

i wish schools were as excited about teaching forest school principles as they are about teaching AI.

We hope the good people of #SanFrancisco will forgive us for adapting a song about their city in 1967 to address the shocking and tragic events in #Minnesota in recent weeks. This is dedicated to Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and in solidarity. Our version is called "Minnesota" ❤️ youtu.be/BRHxXHZmVAM

Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem. Thank you. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The brilliant Marsh family nail it again. Divine harmonies and brilliant parody. Such a talented family.

@marshfamilysongs.bsky.social sum up general opinion in the U.K. once again. And I can’t remember the U.K. being quite so united on any issue in the news for the past decade. He’s bungled his way to that, at least.

Huge happy 80th birthday this week to the legendary #DollyParton 🎉- we are marking it with a parody of her 2nd number 1 hit, written by the #BeeGees. Our 🎶 version's called "Donald's Sewage Stream" - since he brought his sick drivel to #Europe #Davos #NATO & our #armedforces: youtu.be/F4nefIN4_LY

An observation test for your inner 8-year-old. You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes. From Treasure magazine, 1963 Official answers coming soon (Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)

I think they mean Aretha, but what a belter anyway. Danielle's voice is on form for this one.

Very true.

It’s all about outdoors..

According to the DfE the answer is them funding yet more DfE training. This seems to be the only 'answer' they ever come up with rather than actually looking at the wider picture. 🤦‍♀️

If you're not going to look at changing the system then you're not going to solve the issues because a lot of them are caused by the pressures in the system itself.

All this talk of meeting needs and then @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social introduces yet another statutory test and keeps the same people advising on behaviour despite the rapid increase in exclusions of learners with SEND.

If needs are at the centre then we must start asking why the system struggles to adapt to those needs. If we truly want inclusive settings we have to find ways to be more flexible and to ask why the system isn't meeting the needs of so many. schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-at-t...

Folk might be interested in listening perhaps?

Pictured: Someone who actually won a Nobel Peace Prize

1926: the BBC decided women should not be radio announcers: "The...physical strain...is greater than could be borne by the average woman", & "there is something incongruous in a woman announcing weighty news bulletins or...football results". The decision was rapidly reversed after public derision.

At a time when billionaires and oligarchs own the majority of our press, when local journalism is in decline, and social media is rife with misinformation and abuse, there has never been a greater need for citizen journalism Who funds us? No one...except you. Become a friends of Bylines supporter:

🎉 The message is spreading far and wide: Forest schools in Hong Kong are embracing Risky Play for children as young as 2! Forest School camps, wellness and wilderness activities (not just for children!), and classroom learning in the great outdoors 👇 www.scmp.com/special-repo...

7 of 10 targets set in England's Environment Act 2021 have little likelihood of being met by the legal deadline of 2030 On water, chemical exposure, waste, resource use, biosecurity and climate adaptation the prospects of hitting ambitions are well off track www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UPCOMING WEBINAR by Drs. Mariana Brussoni & Megan Zeni, in promotion of their new book, Embracing Risky Play at School: Getting Kids Outdoors to Explore, Learn and Grow! Embracing Risky Play: At School and Beyond Feb. 5 | 3-4:30PM (PST) | Via Zoom To register: earlylearning.ubc.ca/webinar-embr...

Wear what Michael liked you in and what you feel most comfortable in.

He is gorgeous

Over the last 3 days we’ve been virtual learning because of the snow. It’s been snowing since New Year’s Day. The videos and photos I’ve been sent of children enjoying the show has brought me so much joy. A lot of learning and creativity can happen in the snow!

Other work of the Ladybird artists. ‘Winter Landscape’ Artist: Rowland Hilder

Yes, Rachel. It's another case of the "ten year cycle" and after 50 years of being involved in education, let's restate; children need good teaching, tailored to their needs. Spot need and deal with it, "in the moment" to try to reduce future issues.

Lovely week to end a year and start a new one with most of the family spending a lot of time outdoors having fun exploring in mid Wales.

Amen to this! 👏

Climate change isn’t just charts and projections. It’s hundreds of UK plants flowering early in winter, right now, right outside. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it. A visible signal of climate breakdown. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘January’ (Shell Guide, Flowers of the Countryside, 1955) Artists: Edith and Rowland Hilder

Thank you. The world can be a grim place so I try to be positive and celebrate the good in people. If you can’t say something nice, why say anything?