Mark Adams

Retired DHT. MSc(Economics), BPhil, NPQH. Former AHT, SENCO, HoY, HoD, DSL. in the game for 22 years, man and boy. Traditional.

[Mark Adams @2Markdavid]

From @tombennett71

[Tom Bennett OBE @tombennett71]

Trauma Informed Practice is extremely common in school discourse, particularly around behaviour. But it’s another area where extreme caution is advised, because the evidence for its effectiveness is still very thin. It *sounds* right (who wouldn’t want to be ‘trauma informed’?) but that doesn’t mean it works.

A recent study funded by the @YouthEndowFund and the Home Office looked at the connection between TIP and children's behaviour and involvement in crime.

[Tom Bennett OBE @tombennett71]

Children too easily diagnosed with ADHD and autism, GPs say

https://t.co/gdYtFTOoyb

[Barry Smith @BarryNSmith79]

Schools attempt lots of things. They rarely do any of these things well.

[Barry Smith @BarryNSmith79]

People deliberately misrepresent Michaela. M v efficient. Staff & kids obedient. Everyone sacrifices to create this culture. M most visited school in country. KB takes Q every day. Detractors not prepared to do what takes to have that culture. The lies are boring but predictable.

[Anna van Praagh @annavanpraagh]

I’m finding the horrified reactions to this letter from the ‘be kind’ brigade revealing. Michaela gets extraordinary results for a deprived cohort, which should be applauded. What’s kinder, allowing kids to flounder, or being honest about what success entails, and demanding pupils make sacrifices to achieve the best outcomes they possibly can

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

Indeed. 👇

And then they say we ‘select’ kids.

We don’t. It would be illegal.

What we do, on so many levels, is do what others will not do.

We work hard. So do our kids.

From September of year 7.

That’s why our kids know more and are better people, and become adults one can admire and respect.

That’s why 1000 ppl visit us every year- to see what seems to be a miracle. Sign up on the website for a visit!

Michaela isn’t a miracle. It is simply the result of hard decisions and hard work.

It is doing what’s right, even when difficult, especially when difficult.

Those who hate us aren’t up to the task.

Those of you who quietly listen, wondering what to think - ignore those who fail time and time again and refuse to learn from those who succeed.

You don’t have to be like them.

Think differently.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

[Mark Adams @2Markdavid]

Great stuff

[Tom HB @hb_history]

🚨 A letter to Year 11 families at Michaela Community School states that children who do not attend weekend and holiday revision sessions will “spend time in Referral”

They must also attend in full school uniform

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

What is this nonsense. "Inclusion" has come to mean any old permissive silliness

Pupils should be allowed to wear sportswear during lessons to make classrooms 'more inclusive', MPs say | LBC https://t.co/2NqlP0yAJn

[David Didau @DavidDidau]

Easy things are easy. Hard things are hard.

It’s easy to excite a roomful of kids. It’s much harder to build calm, order and the habit of hard work. Too often, schools mistake visible engagement for learning.

If we want classrooms where serious work is normal, teachers need support to do what is hard.
https://t.co/hmqqPbit5l

[John Bald @JohnBaldLangLit]

https://t.co/PgSPAUUA34 Guardian making excuses for riots.

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

Abolish Ofsted and replace them with...what?

All the proposed "local accountability" models sum to substantial bias (both for and against).

Like it or not, education is in public ownership so needs a regulator and external accountability. So...replace them with what?

[Tes magazine @tes]

Violent pupil behaviour is going ‘under-reported’ by teachers, with some staff even being discouraged from reporting it, warns @NASUWT leader @MattWrack
https://t.co/Mdbuwb3qex

[Barry Smith @BarryNSmith79]

Huge huge huge money pumped into Ed sector. Huge salaries. Layers of bureaucracy. Outcomes poor. Nobody wants to address that. If we label kids as disordered we don’t need to examine failings in system.

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

The whole nonsense of inspection needs ripping down. Emperor’s New Clothes. It’s all horseshit - reaching valid/reliable high stakes judgements about a school based on a short visit by strangers who couldn’t do a better job but presume to judge. What a job .. demoralise a community of professionals with zero responsibility for the fallout and then leave, spouting crap about being champions of disadvantaged children. The delusion of it. 😡

[Barry Smith @BarryNSmith79]

No. Really strongly. No. Can you imagine how badly this would be done?

[Lucetta Crosskill @LuCrosskill]

Little Woody. 💙
Our first weekend walk today.
We got stopped by lots of people asking about him!
Lovely afternoon for a walk.
#puppy

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

In case you missed it: on removals, and why teachers typically remove students too late.

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

The key question with the new Ofsted reports will be one of validity.

We've been told that schools getting "exceptional" will be pretty rare. We would expect schools getting lots of exceptionals to therefore be, well, exceptional!

But what does that word mean to us? Different people think of different things when they hear the word "exceptional." The inspection's "validity" is the extent to which its judgment aligns with what people generally think of when they hear the word "exceptional."

One thing I imagine most will agree on is "outcomes." Take progress 8 for example. In the previous system, there were schools getting outstanding that had average or worse than average progress 8. In the new system, will that happen? Will we be comfortable with schools that have objectively poor academic outcomes being labelled as exceptional?

Of course, results aren't everything. A school with great academic outcomes isn't necessarily a great school. In logical terms, academic outcomes are necessary but not sufficient conditions. They aren't enough, but they are required.

For schools that are on a journey of improvement: fantastic - I love you and respect the work you are doing. But can we call you exceptional until those outcomes are genuinely exceptional? In many cases and in my opinion - not yet.

Overall, whilst it's "just one metric", I think I'll be disappointed if we start to see schools being labelled as exceptional and worth emulating if the outcomes aren't genuinely exceptional.

[Must Do Better CBE @delyob]

@DavidDidau Niche

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

All kids can do FAR more than we realise.

Black, or poor, or special needs or kids who misbehave…

They are all let down by a system of excuses that refuses to push kids to their potential.

And those of us who do push kids are vilified for it. 🙄