A very Merry Christmas to you all from Badger

Ofsted has enacted a 'contingency plan' to help inspectors make notes when inspections resume in January, after more 'technical problems' with its electronic evidence-gathering system Union FDA says it is 'concerned' over an apparent lack of long-term fix schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-enact...

ICYMI: The Mayor of London’s universal primary free school meals scheme did not improve pupil attainment in its first year, but made a positive difference to family finances and stress levels, an impact report has found schoolsweek.co.uk/londons-univ...

Ofsted has enacted a 'contingency plan' to help inspectors record notes when inspections resume in January, after more 'technical problems' with its electronic evidence-gathering (EEG) system schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-enact...

'The gap between student and teacher perceptions of stressors is important. A lack of awareness causes frustration and miscommunication on both sides, making young people less likely to seek support and adults feel less confident giving it' schoolsweek.co.uk/beyond-the-s...

Christmas baking with @greeborunner.bsky.social

Have you ordered any books from us as gifts this Christmas period? You can now review us on Trustpilot! We'd love to hear what you think: buff.ly/6KbLQV9

This is really fun from @didau.bsky.social - daviddidau.substack.com/p/teaching-m... Metre makes verse memorable (useful if you need to unspool reams on stage) - playing with it lets you catch the ear to make a point. I wrote about this trick in Hamlet: james-handscombe.co.uk/scholarship/...

“The most effective way to secure healthy uptake is not through gimmicks or incentives, but through an excellent and ambitious Key Stage 3 curriculum.” Yes, KS3 is vitally important for MFL.

Important reflections and considerations - particularly around access and equity to subject and discipline! And something that some subjects do not undertake - and we bring that legacy with us in to middle/senior leadership, too. If you've never done this, you may not know why & how it happens!

This is really interesting. As a maths teacher, this isn’t something I realised was happening

An exciting delivery from @welcometowillerby.bsky.social

In schools the GCSE options process is gearing up - but what are the unintended consequences of setting up subjects as products and pupils as consumers? open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

Maybe the upcoming break will lead to more discussion and debate here

Is there anyone who would be prepared to do some past paper marking for Edexcel International GCSE English Spec A for me? Just a few one-off papers, prepared to pay a going rate. #EduSky

Over half of teachers in England have worked with children who are homeless in the last year, new research shows – with those pupils are arriving at school exhausted, missing school days, and experiencing poor mental health schoolsweek.co.uk/52-of-teache...

*** NOW BOOKING *** Primary Geography Subject Leader Network - I'll be joining Emma Espley to discuss responding to the Curriculum and Assessment Review and Ofsted's Toolkits. Sign up here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-pr...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The piece draws on all the research and practice they explored in their book, How Do They Do It?, which you can find out more about on our website at: buff.ly/ZFcHdVo

New article from @ensermark.bsky.social and @greeborunner.bsky.social! 📝 Reflecting on @beckyfrancis.bsky.social’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, they consider the 6 components of a truly ambitious curriculum. Read it in full over on NACE’s website: buff.ly/tg3z5tr

A discussion of the essay collection, The Value of a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum. Knowledge is not about status or nostalgia but access. Access to disciplines, to shared reference points, to the long human conversation that too many children are excluded from. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...

“Some pupils won’t listen until they are being made to give answers on the whiteboards.” In case you missed it: Yesterday's blog post. (£ or free trial) PREMIUM: More about mini whiteboard questioning open.substack.com/pub/andrewol...

*** EXCITING NEWS *** I’ve been the series editor and an author for Discover Geography, a complete curriculum package for KS3 and lower secondary international schools. What sets it apart is not just the student books, but the depth of support for teachers.

The teacher guides are a genuine selling point. They go beyond activities and answers to explain the curriculum thinking behind each unit. They clarify key concepts, disciplinary reasoning, and why particular examples and enquiries are used. collins.co.uk/collections/...

This matters because good geography teaching depends on strong curricular decisions, not just good resources. The guides make progression explicit and anticipate common misconceptions, supporting confident teaching.

For non-specialists and early career teachers, this level of guidance can be transformative. For experienced teachers, it provides coherence, flexibility, and a shared framework for professional discussion.

As series editor, my focus was coherence across the curriculum, ambitious geographical knowledge, and keeping teacher workload manageable. If you are looking for a KS3 or lower secondary geography course that takes teacher support seriously, it is worth a look. collins.co.uk/collections/...

This is a significant decision. Looking at Wigan where special and AP places are almost non-existent it is going to be hard. Great SEND resource bases in schools are a wonderful thing but that's not easy too achieve and cannot always provide the same as those separate institutions

Do you know why reading a screen and a physical piece of paper differs? Or why handwriting is processed differently to typing? Or how multiple-choice quizzes are poorer for memory than narrative answers? Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath explains all www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

“How do they do it?” by @ensermark.bsky.social and @greeborunner.bsky.social has been so helpful this term especially the reflective questions. It’s really encouraged us to consider the decisions we make ensuring they are intentional and purposeful.

Exclusive: Family income data is to replace free school meals eligibility as the trigger for pupil premium and other deprivation funding for schools, the government has said schoolsweek.co.uk/pupil-premiu...

'Across the country, people have the passion and potential to transform lives in the schools that need them most. This year’s census shows what is possible. The task now is to turn that possibility into action' schoolsweek.co.uk/teacher-recr...

Even on a wet evening, Settle looks wonderful

‘Everyone will miss the socialising – but it’s also a relief’: five young teens on Australia’s social media ban

Highlighters at the ready! Found a copy of the Christmas Radio Times!

The DfE has shared more details for how its behaviour and attendance hubs will work, with schools being offered either 'regional' or 'enhanced' support pathways schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-reveals-...

💸 Exclusive: Dozens of council-run schools have deficits of over £1 million, shock figures reveal, with some even charged six-figure sums in 'interest' by councils for racking up the losses

Nick Cave’s Veiled World: the starry tale of how sometimes the devil doesn’t have the best tunes

Completely missed this excellent blog by @claresealy.bsky.social when it came out. Amazing to me that many primary schools still do formal lesson observations when they are better alternatives. thirdspacelearning.com/blog/why-my-...

Ghosts Everywhere. A Willerby Christmas Story. A dead girl sings with the living. willerby.substack.com/p/ghosts-eve...

*** NEW POST *** Avoiding AI pitfalls in schools. Most teacher use of AI is practical and routine, but common mistakes waste time and undermine learning. I share simple habits that help build AI literacy across a staff team. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

*** NEW POST *** Reflecting on @beckyfrancis.bsky.social Curriculum and Assessment Review to consider the 6 components of a truly ambitious curriculum. www.nace.co.uk/blogpost/176... with @greeborunner.bsky.social

"Too often, KS3 is treated as a rehearsal for GCSEs rather than a stage with its own intellectual purpose." @marymyatt.bsky.social asks: Can we turn Key Stage 3 into the ambitious years? marymyatt.substack.com/p/can-we-tur...

Without a clear curriculum, knowledge is forgotten, habits don’t shift and progress stalls – and this is just as true for teachers’ learning as it is for pupils’, writes Mark Enser

"What departmental CPD should feel like: not another hoop to jump through, but part of the shared journey of getting better together." @ensermark.bsky.social in @tesmagazine.bsky.social : www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

The ultimate guide for those walking the winding, often uphill path of school improvement. 'How Do They Do It?' by former OfSTED inspectors Zoe and Mark Enser What can we learn from amazing schools, leaders and teachers? 📖 book sample @crownhousepub.bsky.social www.jellybooks.com/cloud_reader...

"..For a HoD, that means CPD is not just an occasional slot on the meeting agenda - it is part of shaping the professional growth of your team. But how do you go about it? The same way you would with students: through curriculum thinking." @ensermark.bsky.social: www.tes.com/magazine/tea... 2/2

"In recent years professional development has shifted from being something 'done to' teachers to something that schools are increasingly expected to design with care & coherence. Senior leaders now expect their middle leaders to take a greater role in this..." @ensermark.bsky.social 1/2

I went on a bit of a jpunreyarounf the areas of bluesky I wouldn't normally go. I find people negatively commenting on articles I've written and telling lies about me. Don't be fooled into thinking it's all lovey dovey here (and my OH). Same nasty people whatever the platform.

I'd be really interested to hear people's thoughts on this: