Dave Smith

We are recruiting! @MaryMyatt @teacherhead @creativeHigg @Monnowriverman please could you share? stmichaelsaldbourne.co.uk/ou…

We need to be prepared to be surprised! ‘Simply reading challenging novels aloud, and at a fast pace in each lesson, repositioned ‘poorer’ readers as ‘good’ readers, giving them a more engaged, uninterrupted reading experience over a sustained period.’ Who, in education, wouldn’t love to have results like these? This is what happened with the ‘Just read’ research project from the University of Sussex. The cohort as a whole made 8 months progress in their reading comprehension and the ‘poorer’ readers made an impressive 16 months progress by the end of the trial. When teachers were asked what they thought was the reason for the improved outcomes, for the most part, they were surprised. They hadn’t thought the lower prior attainers could cope. Too often there’s a tendency to think that pupils with low starting points can’t access demanding work. We need to be prepared to be surprised, because they can! I’ll be discussing the findings from ‘Just reading’: the impact of a faster pace of reading narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers from the Univesity of Sussex, in a webinar on Tues 18 March 4-5pm, also recorded Access with a group or annual subscription. films.myattandco.com/program…

We have organised another date for our Reading Showcase. Come and join us to hear and see how we approach the teaching of reading across the school. tickettailor.com/events/cour… @MaryMyatt @Monnowriverman @creativeHigg please can you share?

Just another little rant about Ofsted and how their deep dives have caused workload to sky rocket over the past few years but don’t worry, they’re getting rid of them now so all that time and work has been a complete and utter waste of time! And don’t forget, Ofsted apparently

Are you looking to transform teaching and learning in Key Stage 1? Listen to Jude Arkwright, Headteacher of @stmichaelsald, as she shares her school’s journey of implementing continuous provision beyond the early years. Listen Here >> earlyexcellence.com/eex-podc…

It amazes me just how common it is for primary schools to have countless reading for pleasure initiatives while at the same time teaching reading lessons that are little more than years and years of tedious SATs preparation. 🪡🧵

Want to find out more about our Distinctly Primary professional development offer for every teacher in our trust? This short film will explain all … #belonggrowsucceed

A few spaces left on our Reading Showcase in a couple of weeks tickettailor.com/events/cour… @Monnowriverman @MaryMyatt @Lesley_J_Lowe @JudeTin @volantcoaching

The UK isn't a railway station so it's not necessary to announce departures. That said, enjoy your time as a migrant

Early years? Non academy staff? ….

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out Because I was not a communist Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me Pertinent words re Starmer’s smoking ban

The Papua New Guinea Courier's take on the UK's racist moron problem.

Must watch on House of Commons reform @EllieChowns Dr Ellie Chowns, "As a newly elected member, I'd like to offer observations on three elements on how this house operates: sitting, speaking and voting" ➡️ Sitting - Chamber is too small - In Council and in European parliament we had own seat, desk, plug in devices - Extraordinary there aren't enough seats for every MP There is a practice of Christian prayers, as a daughter of preachers I am familiar with this. But in this day and age where we are a mix of all faiths and none, it might be time to represent a range of faiths ➡️ Speaking - If we have more time limits more MPs would be incentivised to speak - Trying to get a slot, bobbing up and down, last week I did for five solid hours without getting attention of the speaker - This is not good for a democracy - Find a better way of allocating speaking time - The culture in this house is everything from excessive deference to braying, we need to clean to clean up politics, we are here to debate in as positive a spirit as possible ➡️ Voting - It's extraordinary we do not have electronic voting - While I've been here I've participated in 5 votes, that's taken 1.25 quarter - If you add up all the votes thats 1.5 months of MPs time, totally unproductive - If we got rid of the voting lobbies we could double the physical size of the chamber (everyone could then have a seat) "My final point, if we want to be a truly modern house of commons: proportional representation"