I love this insight from the science of ‘behavioural activation’. We don’t need to wait for motivation before taking action. Changing what we do changes how we feel

Well #EduSky, I am a whole day late with my #Saturday3 because...reasons... but with UK teachers heading back to school tomorrow, I thought this blog on avoiding burnout and thinking about aiming for 80% rather than perfection was very timely. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

As there’s been some chat this morning about using alternatives to Amazon and Waterstones to buy books - here’s a reminder that I’ve done a list of and the UK and Ireland indie bookshops that I’ve found so far on BlueSky. I can make it into a starter pack if easier? bsky.app/profile/did:...

Breaking News! @suchmo83.bsky.social now has a Substack. A great start as you would expect and I hope that we might see him on here a bit more. substack.com/home/post/p-...

While there is justified outrage about Mandelson, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor &others, the relentless media focus on Keir Starmer (who was NOT mentioned in any Epstein file) is overdone. By contrast, no focus on Farage who WAS mentioned (and who, BTW, applauded the appointment of Mandelson)…

Citizenship matters. But the issue isn’t fitting it in – it’s that the primary curriculum is already bloated. Adding more content without removing anything just stretches attention thinner. If it’s a bolt-on, it fails. If it replaces something, we should say what.

A reminder to the media and others trying to claim this Government and Starmer are worse than anything they've ever seen, a Government which has only been in power for 19 months. Here's a handly list of the scandals we had to endure from the Tories between 2011-2024.

I'm a big fan of intuition and my intuition is that AI is mostly a big mistake, especially in education. The whole point is the *thinking*. #EduSky

I do find it a bit weird that some people believe low level disruption can be eliminated completely because children and young people are human beings and I've seen plenty of what those people would call low level disruption in rooms full of teachers doing CPD. 🤷‍♀️

If you see this, give it a share? I’m over here now from X. For very good reason, but I do miss the engagement I had over there.. #BookSky #EduSky

I'm always amazed when I meet people who have never heard about this brilliant resource. So, if you're one of them...

I've had lots of requests to rerun my adaptive teaching webinar, so I'm hosting another one on 20th January. See the link below for details. Lots of practical advice on strategies for an inclusive classroom. Pay what you can to attend. Please share. Thank you! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ultima...

The schools and early years offer for the National Year of Reading has been released. The links to the @literacy-trust.bsky.social videos are below. EYFS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8YH... Primary: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw8X... Secondary: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpLQ... Please share widely.

Spent two days taking part in a STA review panel at the DfE. Positively surprised with the rigour and the process primary assessments go through. Met some lovely people too! #EduSkyPrimary

Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?

Obesogenic societies make it easy to be overweight. Are we living in a stupidogenic society - one that makes it easy to be stupid? And if so, what can schools do about it? Latest on our Substack substack.nomoremarking.com/p/are-we-liv...

Team y6!! Whether it’s your first rodeo in y6 or your tenth 😅, I’ve been working on something (free) I think you’ll love/will find v useful This Sunday, @lbqorg.bsky.social are sharing a huge pack of free advice, downloadables & resources to guide you through year 6… 1/2 #EduSkyPrimary #Year6

Absolutely this ⬇️

Happy holidays everyone! ⛱️🌻⛵️ I've found one more copy of Small Numbers, Big Ideas to give away! Give this a like and repost and I'll pick a winner on Sunday 17th. www.amazon.co.uk/Small-Number... #primarymaths #eyfs #earlyyears

Just finished rewriting the overview for a weekly picturebook assembly which focuses on empathy, inclusion and diversity. It's still a work in progress but please feel free to use and adapt. All shares appreciated. The link is on my Padlet: padlet.com/Jon_Biddle/r...

Asking parents what matters most to them when their child comes into your care can make the world of difference to the child and your relationship with the grown ups in their lives. #EduSky #EduSkyPrimary

🔔 Ideas for Year 6 maths this term 👇🏼 Found some amazing financial literacy resources I never knew existed (all free obv) and some great little maths games that, once taught, would keep the kids busy during play practice 😂 tinyurl.com/MathsAfterSATs #EduSkyPrimary

Wow! “The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough” is extraordinary! #RebeccaDautremer has created a book of profound beauty, visually stunning, it tells a story through art and word of a life well-lived. We follow Jacominus from birth to death. It’s sad, happy and true. #PicturebookPage

Useful analysis of the #year6 #SATs papers by Sophie Bartlett below. Also liked this one blog.edshed.com/2025-ks2-rea...

Hello everyone! I am Josh, a poet, performer and workshop leader. Do please visit my website for lots of fun, FREE poems and resources: www.joshuaseigal.co.uk. Below is one of my best known poems, which is one of the many on my site. I hope you enjoy, and do please gimme a follow! #EduSky #poetry

Danced to, sang along with and cheered on Post Modern Jukebox at the Royal Albert Hall last night. It was incredible. What a talented bunch! #pmj #RoyalAlbertHall #show #music

3 spelling rules that should appear in SATs (have appeared every year so far >1x in each paper): - silent letters - suffix -ly - endings that sound like ‘shun’ And @sarahfarrellks2.bsky.social has shared her amazing spelling pack which would help revise these! (Link in 2nd post) #EduSkyPrimary

Met the loveliest couple from Maryland today, thanking us for visiting the US and not having been put off by (I paraphrase) 'that nasty old man'.

Glad we turned right instead of left on the Million Dollar Highway as we would have missed the most surreal town: Silverton. #halfterm #roadtrip

Right, so altitude sickness is a thing. At Pike's Peak, Colorado. Feeling much better now. #half-term #roadtrip

It's half-term and what better way to enjoy it than a roadtrip. In Colorado, on top of a rock.

10 Things: The essentials of your pedagogical toolkit. teacherhead.com/2023/08/31/1...

I've had a few confersations this week with senior leaders wondering how to support the subjects they line manage. This can be tricky when we're having conversations with a subject or faculty lead and we're not an expert! /1

After finishing a short presentation with my partner teacher and the year 6 teachers from our sister school, our executive head told the full federation governing body that we four are exceptional teachers. I'll take that! #year6 #EduSky #praise

In #mathstoday I used deconstructing word problems from I see maths with my class. They were all engaged and stretched and loved it. #edusky #ukMathsChat #EduSkyPrimary

Quantitative evidence of the impact of teacher-student relationships on achievement is thin on the ground, so this paper on the positive benefits of "looping" (teaching the same class for more than one year) by matthewakraft.bsky.social and colleagues is important: bit.ly/4bBiBvD

Celebrating International Women's Day with this beautiful painting by Philip Wilson Steer: Young Woman on the Beach. I first saw it at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris many, many years ago. I've always thought of her as an independent woman, eager to forge her own way, taking a moment to enjoy life.

Word of the day is ‘huff-snuff’ (16th century): a hectoring bully or braggart.

"Research shows that a flexible understanding of numbers is strongly correlated to later math achievement and the ability to solve problems presented in different ways."

It's half term, which means I have a copy of Primary Reading Simplified to give away. Simply *repost* this post for your chance to win. I will choose a winner at random this Saturday (22nd February).

Today I learned that ancient Islamic maps have south at the top. This one from c1153 was snapped at the British Museum's silk road exhibition. It's stunning. Turn upside down for a more normalised world view. #EveryDayIsASchoolday #maps

Who is ready for Safer Internet Day? Here’s some picture books! #EduSkyPrimary

We have seen huge progress with our current cohort using Ashley Booth's approach to reading. More important though, our kids love the texts they read each day.Give him a follow. #EduSky #EduSkyPrimary #PrimaryEnglish.

If anyone's running staff training on building a classroom reading culture over the next few weeks, I've just added a session I delivered a few weeks ago to my Padlet. Lots of practical suggestions. Please feel free to download and use. padlet.com/Jon_Biddle/r...

‘As machines become more efficient at analyzing trends, crunching numbers and generating reports, the value of the skills that they still can’t replicate will grow.’ www.forbes.com/sites/bernar...

www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Guess who/what is the funniest game ever!