DamsonEd

On the back of this article- a thread of useful places for schools/teachers who are interested in finding out more… as I say, this has been a serious issue for a long time… it would be powerful to get a serious handle on it (with obvious impact on ed outcomes). www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Staff cuts are damaging the curriculum and leaving vulnerable pupils without support, heads warn, as they call on the prime minister to increase school funding ahead of this week’s Budget

'Training in technique can only take us so far. The more difficult question is whether the systems surrounding those strategies recognise neurodivergent pupils as successful on their own terms' schoolsweek.co.uk/inclusion-wh...

My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today. Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man.

We’re on Day 26 of #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth! Today, we’re looking at another common belief about #dyslexia and its intersection with mental health, and replacing outdated ideas with facts.

Yep. Some of the grammatical vocabulary and concepts for the SPAG KS2 test I didn't know until I studied MFL at university. And I managed to get A-Levels in English and other languages without knowing them.

My wife said that she taught content to her Year Six pupils that she had come across for the first time in the introductory year of her physics degree at St Andrews.

Corrupt to the core.

It’s Day 24! Today, we’re highlighting another #dyslexia myth for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth. This is an important one, and social media is full of misinformation! Did you get it right?

Researchers studied the effectiveness of a book reading intervention on the bilingual language development of Dai–Mandarin young bilingual children in China, finding that it can improve bilingual children's selected vocabulary and narrative skills. https://on.asha.org/47n05Gg

100% The ELG for Writing is an absolute disaster: Writing Off Children’s Potential: Why England’s Writing Early Learning Goal Must Be Reformed writing4pleasure.com/2026/03/24/w...

The response of the survey quoted at the end is interesting when compared to the upward trajectory of the ELG..

Yes the areas of learning are weirdly cobbled together now, I think because the review included some people with no knowledge of early years. There are some glaring omissions and very odd inclusions if you know early child development.

A document that is too long, too detailed, is really hard to remember and follow. It makes it even harder to keep children safe. 🥺 www.tes.com/magazine/new...

While I am very supportive of flexibility in working hours, especially if it helps teachers engage in serious further learning (MA, PhD etc), I do wish that DFE policy started with… “this will improve education for children by….. “ www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Time to focus on the little ones. IMO the ELGs and all the DFE materials (esp the early maths and early Literacy) need revision. Child development should be considered www.tes.com/magazine/new...

There is just one week remaining to grab your tickets for our next NYoR webinar! Introducing a teaching programme for parents and children who have Down syndrome, using book sharing as a tool for language learning. Tickets here: buff.ly/XitJ82e

Mini thread from earlier. I finished that chapter btw!

“My advice for those taking part is just be yourself! And run your event how you think best. Get all your friends and family involved and make it a good one to remember.” - Cara Wear It Pink to help raise money for our life-saving science and life-changing support. 🩷

Fund a national diagnostic DLD pathway & better services for people with DLD #DevLangDis This pathway should raise awareness, understanding and inclusion of DLD, provide early intervention and DLD training for professionals in the public & education sectors. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/78...

Oh my goodness! And at a breast meeting!! #NoMoreManels #optics

Reading for pleasure will always be incomplete without writing for pleasure.

Breaking: Susan Acland-Hood, The Department for Education’s top civil servant, will be replaced next month after six years in post schoolsweek.co.uk/acland-hood-...

I remember writing about a similar suggestion to the below about 20 years ago. Criticism of test-based accountability system persists, with profound change never seeming to come. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Tomorrow (Friday) is @breastcancernow.bsky.social Wear It Pink Day. If you can, wear pink and donate whatever you can manage to this amazing charity! www.justgiving.com/page/megan-d...

It's really important every student can see themselves and see difference in the curriculum. The status quo isn't good enough.

Big change at the DfE Exclusive from @cerysturner.bsky.social

Reflecting on this, from Milburn interim report+what it says re how Ofsted currently holds schools to account:"A school in a deprived area with SEND [at] 25%,persistent absence 20%+ and a teaching vacancy it cannot fill, faces costs that up to £1,515 per disadvantaged pupil does not begin to cover."

Does sentence combining improve children’s writing? What the studies actually show writing4pleasure.com/does-sentenc...

Tomorrow (Friday) is @breastcancernow.bsky.social Wear It Pink Day. If you can, wear pink and donate whatever you can manage to this amazing charity! www.justgiving.com/page/megan-d...

One woman scientist named in UK’s GCSE science syllabus. Three named in A level science. How many men? 85 and 178. Funny that. Half of my 50 PhD students have been women; four of them (and one man) are now professors. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tes Magazine is temporarily unavailable as a precaution while a global issue affecting thousands of online services continues. We'll let you know as soon as we are back!

New @trusselluk.bsky.social research today: - c 9 million people facing severe hardship and at risk of needing to use a food bank. 2.9 million children and 6 million adults. - Would be much worse if gov hadn't lifted the 2 child limit, - protected >600,000 people… 1/n

ICYMI: Tes analysis of Ofsted report card inspections reveals the most common grades – and highlights how few schools are identified as having both strengths and weaknesses

If you think people with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) need better services, please sign this petition. It's been initiated by Shelbi Annison, an adult with DLD who knows what it is like! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/78... #DevLangDis

If speech-like writing were the easy/lazy option, it would not be so prized in literature. Yet a great deal of writing we hold up as exceptional is built precisely on the sound of a speaking voice.

Revealed: how DfE evaded answering questions on the impact of “no excuses” behaviour policies at East London academy educationuncovered.co.uk/news/reveale...

Welcome to Day 20 of our #dyslexia myth-busting series! Today’s post focuses on another important misconception (a very persistent one)....True or False?

Here’s a thought… Stop pouring money into secondary schools and make EYs the focus of all policy. Let’s tackle some of the issues before they become challenges. blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/2026/10/...

📢 The Dyscalculia Network are launching their first research project with UCL! "By sharing your views, you’ll be contributing to valuable research based on the experiences of those working directly with learners every day" qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_... #Dyscalculia #MathsEducation

These are so important 💙👇 Remember, our free, confidential helpline is open 24/7 for everyone working in education. Call us, we'll listen: 08000 562 561. 📸 SitWithWhit #YouAreNotAlone #WellbeingInEducation

We’ve reached Day 19! Today, we’re taking a closer look at myth # 19. Let’s keep learning, listening, and spreading awareness together. #dyslexia #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth

Mental health in adults with Developmental Language Disorder will be the subject of Thursday's working with adults with DLD network. Expert presentations by Hayley Rosenthall and Stephanie Cooper plus discussions. All professions welcome Details: www.naplic.org.uk/events/ #DevLangDis

The emphasis on oracy is a welcome development but we need to ensure that it is implemented in an inclusive manner so that those with #SLCN such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), stammering and AAC users are all able to participate fully www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

When JFK ran, they said the country would never elect a Catholic president. When Obama ran, they said the country would never elect a Black president. Michiganders care a lot less about how I pray than what I pray for: peace, dignity, basic goodness for all of our kids.

Did you know men can get breast cancer too? Many people don’t know that men can get breast cancer. But everyone has breast tissue. Breast cancer in men is rare. Around 400 men are diagnosed each year in the UK. But it’s important for everyone to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.