Monthly update

Sensible stuff, no quick fixes

Dear colleague

John Tomsett and I are doing the final edits for the AP Huh book which is due to be published on Friday 24th May. As with SEND Huh, there are remarkable insights from colleagues working to support vulnerable young people to get back on track. While young people in alternative provision have moved from their mainstream setting, it’s important that their dignity is preserved in the process. One of the characteristics of our conversations with colleagues working in alternative provision is that this is front and centre of their thinking. For example, in many contexts, alternative provision is framed as a ‘fresh start’ rather than a last resort. This is an important distinction because it emphasises hope and expectation that each young person has the potential to thrive. We hope there will be a similar response to SEND Huh, where colleagues in mainstream settings gained insights into making provision inclusive for all.

You can pre-order AP Huh here.

It’s helpful to have short updates on insights from different parts of the sector and here are some that you might like to check out:

Peps McCrea’s weekly Evidence Snacks is a snappy summary of research for time hungry teachers! I find them really helpful, and you can sign up here.

AI is a fast moving and interesting development for the world in general and education in particular. I don’t have time to dig deep into the implications for teaching and learning, so I’m glad that Neil Almond sends out a weekly update on the headlines and links to wider AI developments. Well worth signing up for here.

I really appreciate the quick punctuation every afternoon with a notification from Teacher Tapp, because I get the headlines of what colleagues are thinking about across a range of topics: from pupils’ attitudes to learning, to how they feel about professional learning opportunities. It’s quick, easy and absolutely riveting and if you’d like to give it a go, you can sign up here.

I’ve done a short recording on the reading research underpinning The Teachers’ Collection. The findings are impressive, and you can watch it here. There are more examples from schools adopting this approach on Myatt & Co: Nene Park Academy, Gloucester Road Primary and St Michael’s CofE Primary, free to watch.

We’ve focused on oracy across the curriculum for the Secondary Subject Networks. Steve Willshaw has some great conversations with colleagues about how they develop oracy in their departments. More here (£/free trial).

For the primary curriculum, Rachel Higginson has been talking to colleagues about how they approach diversity in their subjects, some terrific ideas to support equality, diversity and inclusion. You can see more here (£/free trial).

It’s also worth checking out The Global Equality Collective whose mission is to help build school culture where every staff member and student feels valued, heard, and included. For example, the KnowHow section with extensive DEI resources to support diversity, equity and inclusion resources.

I’ll be speaking at the Bryanston Education Summit on Wednesday 5th June 2024 along with Amjad Ali, David Didau, Amarbeer Singh Gill and others, more info here.

If you think there’s someone who would appreciate this update, you can forward the link here.

Until next time

Mary