'AP is not a footnote in the system. For the young people who need it, it is the system. That demands governing boards who understand risk, resist false comparison and never lose sight of the outcome that matters most' https://schoolsweek.co.uk/governance-in-ap-demands-a-non-mainstream-approach/

'Unfair barriers' stop teachers advancing to the upper pay range, a report has warned, as school staff reported goalposts 'shifting all the time'

ICYMI: Government-funded speech and language screening initiative ELSEC has found an unexpected proportion of young children have unidentified needs, an evaluation report has said. Staff said they were 'shocked at the amount of children' needing targeted support

A government-funded speech and language screening initiative found an unexpected proportion of young children have unidentified needs, an evaluation report has said

A government-funded speech and language screening initiative found an unexpected proportion of young children have unidentified needs, an evaluation report has said schoolsweek.co.uk/speech-and-l...

❗️Exclusive: More than a thousand schools with poor outcomes slipped through the net of the government’s RISE low-attainment crackdown, exposing a 'significant gap' in its latest bid to boost results Full story 🔽

Some really important points to consider here. A must read thread. 👏 You don't improve behaviour by reducing suspensions. You reduce suspensions by improving behaviour. One of these things is really easy to do. The other requires far more widely reaching change.

Thoughts on this mess. 🧵👇 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Exclusive: Ministers are being urged to recognise the role played by governors as a 'core component' of the accountability framework for schools

Exclusive: The names of 29 more schools that will become lead schools for the government's attendance and behaviour hubs programme have been revealed schoolsweek.co.uk/attendance-a...

#CPD 🧠 Whether you’re looking to refresh your thinking, deepen your expertise or support your team’s development, this bundle is a simple, cost-effective way to invest in professional growth. Explore the CPD bundle now: buff.ly/yb6YGPx

A debate about the future of children’s rights is raging as the SEND reforms loom. As schools and families await the white paper, Schools Week speaks to three families who have found specialist provision hard to come by... https://schoolsweek.co.uk/the-long-lonely-wait-for-send-help/

Do your messages to parent’s land or do they get lost in the noise? Justin Robbins explains how you can improve your school’s communication with parents by switching to short, clear and consistent messages. Find out more and order your copy here: buff.ly/h8TVuB6

A new post from me. Why curriculum is more important than ever.

Further details and booking: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-pr...

*** CALLING ALL PRIMARY LEADERS *** If you would like to provide more support to your Geography Subject Lead then please do point them in the direction of the Primary Geography Subject Leader Network (PGSLN) run by the excellent Emma Espley with input in recent sessions from me. 👇

I'm looking forward to joining Becky Kitchen, Alan Parkinson and Daryl Sinclair for a panel discussion on the Future of Geography. Come and join us on the 28th of January at either 10am or 4pm. Hosted by @harpercollins.bsky.social harpercollins.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

With new-style Ofsted reports dropping, @greeborunner.bsky.social asks if we still need to worry about curriculum. You won’t be surprised to hear that the answer is very much “yes” although I think primary will be glad to have got rid of the “deep dives”. teachreal.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/s...

ICYMI: Extending free schools meals eligibility to all children from families receiving universal credit will leave schools tens of millions of pounds further out of pocket despite a funding uplift, analysis suggests

💬 Almost half of school leaders needed mental health support in the past year, with nearly three quarters saying their job has affected their wellbeing, a new survey has found

Discover Geography for the Changing World 🌍 Join @ensermark.bsky.social & the panel of leading geography educators, as they explore the evolving landscape of teaching geography and its role in addressing today’s global challenges. A webinar not to be missed: buff.ly/RXct0qX #PowerfulGeography

I definitely saw calls to keep curriculum and teaching together (I was one of the voices) but none for behaviour and attendance to go together. Maybe I missed them.

Well that makes all of us

Breaking: The government is investing £23 million in a four-year pilot to trial artificial intelligence and edtech tools in more than 1,000 schools and colleges, the education secretary has announced schoolsweek.co.uk/23m-expansio...

Please.do help us with your opinion - we know our curent website is really hard to navigate! bsky.app/profile/thee...

A new post from me. Why curriculum is more important than ever.

How do you use the first 20 minutes of the day? In our school, Early Work is purposeful: catch-up, retrieval, review, pre-teaching & checking in with children. Have a read of our latest blog below open.substack.com/pub/theeduca... All shares and retweets gratefully received.

*** NEW POST *** There are often calls to make a school's or subject's curriculum local and familiar but this can have its problems. I take a look for @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

'The danger is not that schools are being judged harshly, but that judgments are becoming harder to interpret, harder to trust and harder to learn from. Clarity matters. Without it, even positive reports leave more questions than answers' schoolsweek.co.uk/our-game-of-...

How can schools and parents work together more effectively? Communication experts Karen Dempster and Justin Robbins distil how strengthening school-parent relationships can truly transform the school environment in their book, The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement 📙 Find out more: buff.ly/3ZENlCs

Breaking: Ofsted will check every school’s policy on mobile phones during inspections and ministers will issue 'tougher guidance for schools' on restricting the devices, the government has announced schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-to-ch...

Ministers took questions from MPs about SEND, free schools, school funding and more this afternoon Here's everything you need to know from our live blog... schoolsweek.co.uk/education-qu...

*** NEW POST *** Quality assurance often creates workload without clarity. In my latest Substack, I explore why common QA approaches fall short and how schools can design QA that is purposeful, subject-led and genuinely improves teaching. open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

English lessons can fire imaginations and open minds, but the DfE should consider five points when implementing recommendations of the curriculum review, writes Summer Turner schoolsweek.co.uk/teachers-can...

*** NEW POST *** Is the curriculum turn turning back again? Is curriculum still a priority in education? @greeborunner.bsky.social takes a look. teachreal.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/s...

The chief regulator of Ofqual has 'signalled' his 'anxiety' to ministers about the use of artificial intelligence in 'extended writing' coursework and has commissioned internal work on how to 'close down' the risk

This was a really fun conversation, where we spoke about some of my favourite recommendations from the CAR, some of the risks that still exist, how it was received by the profession, and whether teachers and leaders are as interested in curriculum as the were a decade ago. And more!

'We aspire to strong and exceptional, of course. But expected isn’t 'nearly there' – it really does signal that a school is doing the right things consistently and well' A leader reflects on their experience of four report card inspections... schoolsweek.co.uk/what-we-lear...

🔢 Exclusive: Ministers are set to publish data on the effectiveness of new RISE school improvement teams in the spring – but they won’t out individual advisers for poor performance

Winter walk on the hills with @greeborunner.bsky.social

The government looks set to hand itself sweeping powers to close MATs based on trust-level education failures alone, once new Ofsted trust inspections are introduced Here's everything you need to know... schoolsweek.co.uk/trust-inspec...

The kittens are melting by the fire

Don't often see the river freeze

I found this a really useful book when I read it a few years ago. Well worth a look to improve your strategy around this.

Winter walk with @greeborunner.bsky.social

Substack from @didau.bsky.social on culture. daviddidau.substack.com/p/culture-ea... You know your culture is real when it’s inconvenient and you do it anyway. If you make excuses or exceptions then it’s not culture, not values, just bluster.

A few credits. @katejonesteach.bsky.social said she would read this if I wrote it so now she has to! @sundersays.bsky.social generously responded to me with some more details of his argument about X being in breach of UK law. Discussions on here with @greeborunner.bsky.social helped me refine it.

With #veganuary2026 coming up it's time to try some new recipes. Tonight - vegan ch*cken and vegetable pie. Nice. #vegan #plantbased

Curriculum reform is coming, but waiting is a mistake. In my latest @tesmagazine.bsky.social article I outline 5 things schools can be thinking about now: oracy, sustainability, assessment, subject leadership and refining what already exists. 2026 should feel like continuation, not disruption. 👇