It has been so difficult to move the conversation about RE and the National Curriculum on in the last half a decade but this might just do it. It's a recommendation and it is for a gradual process but it is there - in black and white. Very good news!

⭐️ RE recommended to be included in the national curriculum 🪜 Francis and co recommend a 2-stage process led by Dr Vanessa Ogden 👏 An incredible, landmark moment to reverse the fortunes of an important, but beleaguered, subject

One of my summer plans has been to get better at reading Cyrillic and learn some Russian. It has been a real lesson in phonics instruction because I can decode but it is taking me a long time to be able to blend! There's a lot of Fred Talk going on.

It's the summer holidays, which means I have a copy of Primary Reading Simplified to give away. Simply **repost** this post for your chance to win. I will pick a winner on Sunday 17th August. Good luck!

**New blog** - It's been a while so reposts hugely appreciated. primarycolour.home.blog/2025/08/01/t...

Missing Yerevan already - just an absolute banger of a city. So glad we got out into Armenia too even if the road trip experience was a bit nerve wracking at times. 🇦🇲 Can't wait to go back.

I love packing cubes. 🛫

My trip to the Caucasus and Turkey starts today. I’ve wanted to go to Georgia and Armenia for a long time so this is very exciting! 🇦🇹🇦🇲🇬🇪🇹🇷

Took Oswald to the Festival of the Unexceptional yesterday - one of my favourite days of the year. A celebration of the mundane! And I love the mundane.

I always struggle with Summer 2, especially the last few weeks and I'm sure I'm not alone. When I've been getting home from work I've been doing a flying tour of Africa from London to Cairo, Khartoum, Entebbe and Dar es Salaam. I manage to squeeze some work in whilst I'm in cruise!

THIS is the guy you want writing your lesson plans because it will ‘save time’?

This artwork was created about a month ago, but the Head Teacher has just sent me photos of it proudly displayed in the school hall. The KS2 children from Clapham Terrace Primary in Leamington spent 4 days creating these two pieces of work. www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky

Top draw Sunday up here in Norfolk.

School is back tomorrow and that means CPD is back too! This week we're looking at planning for ratio.

I've wanted a writing / reading desk which is separate from my work / computer desk for a while. I decided today was the day to get it set up and I am very happy with the result. Somewhere to think without a screen!

I’m back from a few days in Helsinki. 🇫🇮 It remains my favourite city in Europe. I went to three saunas, swam in the Baltic, drank black coffee and read on the tram.

Heading back from Helsinki today. The flight from Schipol to Norwich is less than an hour so I’ll get to live 22.30 - 22.40 twice over today. I’ll have to find something to do with my extra ten minutes of life.

24 hours in Riga 🇱🇻 I love this city, how could you not? Spring only makes it better. 🌿

The half-term trip starts today. 🛫🇱🇻🇫🇮🛬

I was going through some old photos and came across this one from the Liberal Education Student Conference in Germany back in 2016. This is me with some super cool people I met from St Petersburg University. It's not a photo we could take today. I don't think the world is better now.

A very good and very normal day in the world of AI. Another reason why I've decided to abstain from AI as far as humanly possible. I don't trust it, not just because LLMs outright lie and fabricate but I fundamentally do not trust it not to become an existential threat.

Was listening to the Cal Newport podcast episode “Is Inbox Zero possible?” this week. I’m incredibly pleased to say that for this exhausted assistant principal heading into half-term, it is. 📥

Good morning from my garden where I do my 6.15 reading. The climbing roses are in full bloom at the moment.

Exciting times for coaching at GYPA. We are launching drop-ins after half-term with @steplab.bsky.social and piloting our first cycle of instructional coaching. I've spent my day recovering from the dentist's medieval tools writing our handbooks.

Absolutely obliterating the nail, let alone hitting it on the head. I've made notes on the practical strategies which I'll parlay into our CPD next term. Feel free to take a look:- adamjsmith.notion.site/Inclusive-Te...

Was served up this highlight on Readwise today and I think it’s incredibly apt as we come to the end of the half-term. I’ll be putting this to the top of my mind throughout Summer 2, the part of the year I always struggle most with.

It's so frustrating. I really enjoyed Tombs' book (until he got to the C20) and you'd think it'd be interesting to read what he (and other writers) have to say about current affairs and yet ...

I've found @leadeast100.bsky.social has made me think really hard about recruitment. Led my first day of teacher interviews today: - Coaching conversation following teaching - Lunch with the kids - Time to observe routines and see the staff room - A mini lunch duty

I loved this episode. We are just starting our Steplab journey and we've been thinking a lot about scaffolding and adaptive teaching recently so this couldn't have been better timed.

🌿 New video: The Formula for a Good Life: How to live with breadth and depth A bringing together of lots of different threads that I've been thinking about for the last few years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b6Y...

🌿 New video: The Formula for a Good Life: How to live with breadth and depth A bringing together of lots of different threads that I've been thinking about for the last few years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b6Y...

Reader, he passed! 🎉

Oswald is going for his MOT and annual service today. #prayforOswald

Happy SATs week! I can’t think of a better way to get started than writing my daily plan and having a well-earned breakfast by the beach. I feel so lucky to work in Great Yarmouth!

😍😍😍 I don't understand how people can stuff like this and say "ye ill stick with powerpoint"

Have recently begun using hand-drawn slides for our CPD sessions. I find it a more organic way to plan and illustrate what I want to say and I spend less time trying to create diagrams and illustrations.

Big rugby day today down in Colchester. Picked up MotM and we came second in our division. Team sports just go straight to the bit of your brain that makes you feel good. Can’t recommend it enough. 🏉

A big part of today was meeting with the good folks at @steplab.bsky.social and starting to set it up for our school. I am really excited for the future of coaching and T&L more generally at GYPA - it's a real buzz to put things I've thought a lot about into practice.

Getting into the rhythm of my new full-time AP week. Love this hour on a Wednesday where I’m done with school but early for rugby. I sit in McDonalds or in my car in Waitrose car park and give myself some space to think about T&L. This week it’s @joshpd.bsky.social on responsive coaching.

Interested in a direct approach to history teaching? 'Lean lessons' with booklets, whole-class reading, explanation, and lots of questions? @jacobolivey.bsky.social and I are leading a webinar series for @histassoc.bsky.social in June – and it's cheap! Just £50 for all six webinars. Link below! 👇

What better way to end a full day of teaching Year 1 and an SLT meeting than going for a 4 mile hike up St James Hill with this lot. It might seem mad to lead a Scout group as a teacher but it’s one of the most fun, rewarding and impactful things I get to do away from work.

It’s been over a week and I’m still processing everything I saw in the US. My main takeaway is that there’s so much we can learn from each other but the amount of cross-cultural connection I have is close to zero.

📣New post! 👡Time for Cinde-RE-lla to go to the ball? 🧩Religion today is complex. Intelligent RE prepares pupils for complexity 🌍Curriculum craves diversity; RE is inherently diverse 💭RE injects wisdom, sensitivity & reflection into world asking BigQs: AI💻, climate change🌡️ & living well together🖖

Getting every kid reading in primary school is one of the most important things that teachers and leaders can do. So @emmaturner75.bsky.social and I spoke to @suchmo83.bsky.social for @mindthegappodcast.bsky.social to get the lowdown on fluency, myths and a whole lot more. youtu.be/DyrGjl-U2Xc?...

It took me 24 hours to recover from my jet lag but I’m back on UK time now. I had a great vacation in New England. I’d really like to go back and explore Maine more, preferably when it’s not snowing. Taking the train was a great choice.

New York has been incredible. I feel so privileged to have had the chance to get an insight into schools halfway across the world and to have shared that experience with a group of teachers I respect so much. I think this will be a trip I’ll be thinking about for years to come.