I'm a trust leader working on EDI at Dixons Academies. Available at all good bookshops and online retailers now :)

Key Findings: - Not all humour helps learning. Some actively harms it. - Students appreciate humour that serves the lesson, not humour that distracts from it. - Aggressive humour increases student anger and anxiety. - If a joke doesn't clarify the content, it's probably doing cognitive damage.

One point I disagree with in recent SEND coverage. Should a doctor say 'it's not my job to treat the most in-need patients'? Of course teachers should do more assessing and designing interventions for special educational needs (with Ed Psychs etc). They're educational needs. We're teachers.

Very good look at where we are and where we're going. I hope what govt comes up with moves us forward, but there are concerning signs. John is v astute here on TAs, and on how we are looking at bunging the highest need kids in rooms with the lowest paid staff.

There is, to my mind, no justification for the continued use by the UK Government of X as a platform for official comms. There hasn't been for some time, in fact, but if the latest developments around AI-generated image abuse and CSAM don't change the policy I really don't know what will.

This take from @markgoodrich.bsky.social ageing like a fine wine. A really old one that just needed a bit of air for a couple of days before being perfect to drink.

Not to go all third way, but I think you can believe both that public bureaucracies tend to groupthink and stasis AND that political operatives cannot just declare that, shout at them, and imagine this will answer the problems.

#EduBlogClub in 2026 is going to start with the @teachertapp.bsky.social #1 blog from their Christmas countdown - Joyous Ownership Of Our Pupils With SEND. 8pm UK time. I’ll ask three questions over half an hour relating to the blog. Grab a brew and join the convo. sendmatters.co.uk/2025/08/25/j...

I see the political geniuses in the government have been doing their political geniusing in the newspaper about SEND again.

I’m making a New Year’s Resolution in response to @markgoodrich.bsky.social‘s call regarding getting more involved over here. I’m going to start #EduBlogClub on Mondays at 8pm (UK time). I’ll pick a blog, and ask three questions about it. Let’s try to get some conversations flowing.

🎉 This year, communities across Citizens UK showed what’s possible when people come together. Thank you to everyone who made change happen in 2025. In 2026, we’ll keep turning hope into action. Discover our 2025 wins: https://ow.ly/sU4k50XMyK4 What does hope mean to you? #BuildingHope

Very hard to argue with this. Currently I occasionally reply/converse on X or rt things like jobs, rather than post anything new. But I might give it up entirely for 2026.

Yes, it's that time of year when I look back at every episode of my 'Inside Your Ed podcast from the last 12 months to see which proved to be the biggest hits with listeners. Here is the top 10 for 2025! /Thread

Very keen on this. Asking for a friend and his dual-national kids.

Thrilled about this new grant we are offering for under-represented early career scholars. The first cycle is for scholars in history and area studies. Please spread the word widely. @universitypress.cambridge.org ********************************* Read more here: 🔗 cup.org/4pF5xvr

British Indian restaurant style turkey vindaloo <3

This took a long , long time to put together and it was great to see the (largely) sensible debate it prompted over the month after it was published a few months back. The scientific debate is still where it was, but the cultural debate has certainly become even more polarised.

In the hope that there will be some #BookSky people around in the run-up to Christmas, I am seeking recommendations for the best single volume history of what is normally known as the #Vietnam War. I have read quite a lot on the Secret War in Laos but need more context. Reposts / tags welcome. 🙏

We've got some cracking jobs up at the moment, including this opportunity at a school joining our trust. Please have a look at what's there and share if you can - Dixons is a great organisation to work for. ce0354li.webitrent.com/ce0354li_web...

Fluffy potatoes ready to freeze then roast on Christmas day :)

Reflecting on the Mossbourne saga (which I don't really think it's fair to have much of an opinion on), it reinforces that a key, and underthought, aspect of school leadership is taking parents with you on the journey. Both incredibly difficult and incredibly important in 2025.

I might have overordered/allowed the butcher to upsell me on the ham. My guests have just left, with ham sandwiches for the road, and I still have so much ham. No one else left in my house eats ham 🙃

Can't get through next 2 weeks without the #sproutbhaji .. #BradfordXmas

Ham turned out great. Go figure. Glaze mostly ran off and burned on the baking tray. Oh well. Lessons: gently poach the ham, cook the fat quite a bit before glazing, glaze at the end for 10-15 mins, and baste.

No. 3 is a fascinating report on approaches to SEND across different jurisdictions by CES by @loicmnzs.bsky.social and others. I have only read the summary so far (linked below) but there is plenty in there to think about! 3a551fc8-7675-4cc5-9ecd-8697a47d348f.filesusr.com/ugd/5d3f2a_f...

If you're not using a thermometer you're not serious. Also people need to know that all cooking times overcook meat because nobody gets sued for a joint being tough.

I'm learning ham is really variable. Couple of weeks ago I gently poached a supermarket 1.2kg gammon for 50 mins and it was up to 65 degrees (with rest time, gets to 75). This afternoon I've done a butcher's 1.8kg for 50 mins and it's smashed 75. Lesson is, check with thermometer after 40 mins.

Your regular reminder that the students sitting in our classrooms continue to be poor because as a country we choose to drag our feet making anything better.

Waffle waffle AI waffle skills waffle jobs not invented yet waffle let's change the whole curriculum and way we teach to something proven to fail. Haven't seen one of these in the wild for a few weeks. It's a really solid effort in the genre. theconversation.com/teenagers-ar...

Last minute stocking filler idea - this from two of my fantastic colleagues! So proud. Out December 22nd.

Happy 250th birthday, Jane Austen! Why not celebrate by reading my hot-off-the-press lil piece which sheds new light on the composition process for JA's greatest novel (no questions, sit yo ass down) PERSUASION. It involved archival sleuthing, so was cracking fun to write. jasna.org/publications...

This feels like a decent step forward. Examples (as with the IHRA anti-semitism definition) would be useful too. As drafted, it would encourage schools and employers to allow prayer, which is right IMO. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It only took a year but we did it, thanks Bluesky people! www.yorkmix.com/pictures-yor... I now know more about the UK artificial tree market than I'd ever expected.

Amazing work! Well done to all involved.

This is a lovely article about the work of Citizens UK, highlighting Tyne and Wear Citizens and their great achievements. Our trust supports this work (and makes sure our students and families are at the heart ;)) in Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Yorks. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Honestly, the best thing schools can do in the last week of term is keep things as consistent as possible.

Michael Young love <3 www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

Also while the state of knowledge and associated actions remains so poor in the SEND system, this risks exposing more children to bad practice.

This is really good with some insightful points from @pepediiasio.bsky.social and others. To spell out really clearly the risk I fear: the govt white paper will basically say two things. 1) make schools generally more inclusive 2) open a load of units These two are in tension.

Are predicted grades accurate? This wonderful blog from @fftedudatalab.bsky.social explores the question, and my takehome is that *on average* they might be, but for an individual student it's pretty much guesswork. Well worth a read. ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2025/12/pred...

Feedback: The engine room of adaptive teaching Corinne Settle, @theeef.bsky.social teaching and learning specialist, discusses how teachers can use feedback to adapt teaching and improve learning. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/engine-...

With the Schools White Paper due early next year, Labour has the chance to be bold – and here are 4 policy ideas that would show the party’s vision for education, says this adviser

Big story from @lydiach.bsky.social - buried in Treasury documents, the government confirms it intends to allocate disadvantage funding to schools based on income data, not free school meals eligibility. It follows criticism that FSM is a poor proxy for poverty

Mark got heavily dunked on here for AI Mark, but this is good humoured, thoughtful and worth a read.

Another SEND debate bugbear: 'support' has become an unhelpful bucket concept. Articles/posts etc often talk about parents fighting for 'support'. The assumption is what's needed is for something additional & different for that child. That's sometimes (very) needed but it's often unhelpful framing.

That Observer interview once again proving that the PM's instincts on education and young people are a) bad and b) a mile wide and an inch deep (possibly mercifully). It's good he scrapped the limit though.

Made dauphinoise. Tried to do it low and slow, 150 for an hour 45, which was too hot and it split. 120 definitely a better idea. It was still really yummy so no complaints. Gonna do it again for Christmas eve.

This has made grin, so I'm sharing it 😍 @sturdyalex.bsky.social @pimlicat.bsky.social and @mrkennycampbell.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

One from me today on why we need to talk to the positives on teacher recruitment.

Ok let's go. 1. It's a Big Country. Davitt Sigerson. 2. When the Thames Froze. Smith and Burrows. 3. A Fairytale of New York. The Pogues. 4. River. Joni Mitchell. 5. Thank God it's Christmas. Queen.