MrGreenw00d

Lead Practitioner in Science, School ECT/ITT coord., Cog Sci and Trad teaching Chemistry specialist.

I blog at

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a good writer and that I probably don't have a huge amount to say. What I do have is free AQA GCSE Chemistry resources and a brand new blog full of my odd thoughts. If you fancy having a look at either you can go to https://t.co/aB9TRG3JsW

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

Beloved edu people, the bird place is doing me no favours. If you want to hear more of my opinionated nonsense you can find me on the big blue. Won't be deleting for a while, but won't be posting either.

[Martin Lewis @MartinSLewis]

IMPORTANT PLS SHARE. It's rumoured the English £9,250 tuition fee cap may be raised this pm for the 1st time in 8yrs, as University's finances are strained. As student finance misunderstandings abound, I've bashed out a few notes to help...

1. Higher tuition fees WON'T change what most pay each year. For most, they're paid for you by the student loans company and you repay afterwards only if you earn over the threshold. The amount you repay each year (9% over the threshold) solely depends on what you earn not on what you borrow.

2. Increasing tuition fees will only see those who clear the loan in full over the 40yrs pay more. That is generally mid-high to higher earning university leavers only, so the cost of increasing them will generally be born by the more affluent. Most lower and middle earning university leavers will simply pay 9% extra tax above the threshold for 40yrs (and higher tuition fees won't change that)

3. The rise is tuition fees is likely to be trivial compared to the changes the last govt made for 2023 starters. 2023 starters had their repayment thresholds dropped to £25,000 (from £27,295/yr) and had the time they had to keep repaying for (unless cleared) extended to 40years from 30years.

So these higher annual repayments for longer, increased by over 50% the amount many graduates will eventually have to pay back for going to university. Yet they were almost stealth changes because people can't intuitively feel the seismic impact.

Changing tuition fees is a more obvious rise, but in reality has far less of an impact on the amount most will repay (though combined with the 2023 changes it does certainly up the cost).

4. The biggest practical problem for students isnt tution fees (even if raised) its the fact maintenace loans aren't big enough. English maintenance loans have not kept pace with inflation. I'd urge the govt to couple the tuition fee loans with bigger living loans - if not it is a real risk to social mobility, with those from the poorest backgrounds likely to be worse affected.

I could write more, but will stop here, hopefully this gives an idea the issues are less straightforward than many feel.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

The only thing worse that I've heard against centralised detention is 'Pick up your own tab', as if behavior is solely down to individual teachers and not a fundamental part of the routine and culture of the school.

[Tom Bennett OBE @tombennett71]

The more schools I see the more I become convinced that implementing detentions should almost always be a whole school system, rather than something left up to individual classroom teachers to issue, communicate and hold, especially where it comes to follow up for non-attendance.

It just guarantees a huge variation in consistency. Because it relies on the teacher having the confidence, organisation, willpower and workload to implement it, and those are factors that wax and wane depending on the circumstances.

Arguments that this degrades the teacher’s ‘agency’ never seem to describe what, precisely, the benefits of this agency actually are.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

This is what I think every time I see bronze, silver and gold learning objectives.

Either you are accepting that some kids will opt out of, or that some just can't access what you are teaching.

Either way feels like a cop out.

[James A. Furey @JamesAFurey]

It also assumes a skills-based rather than a knowledge-based curriculum.

Differentiation in a knowledge-based curriculum would literally just be "teach these kids more stuff than these kids."

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@MrZachG

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@tombennett71 I think there's a lot in this to do with how data is produced that shows exclusion rates, but the high quality personal development and pastoral care work that schools in challenging settings do every day isn't so measurable and so isn't as reportable.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@LST_Physics We get a 3 year course with one lesson each day of a two week timetable. Each subject gets a year of having 4 lessons/fortnight, usually it's 3.
We decide based on students attainment in checkpoint assessments, attitude to learning and what they actually want to do after year 11.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@JcstevJohn @adamboxer1 @Miff__ @LNS_MissJ But you're just describing finding a teacher and learning enough of the foundational knowledge so that you can then start to think critically.

You seem to be saying that you'd be worse at critical thinking because you don't know enough at first.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@bennewmark @michael_merrick Same!

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@Miss_Snuffy @arc_forum In case my other comment wasn't clear enough, this is what the ordinary, multicultural people of Southport were doing this morning.

https://t.co/HVOgDmgSSs

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@Miss_Snuffy @arc_forum Ordinary people don't turn over police cars or throw bricks at places of worship.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@oldandrewuk No negotiable, especially when used as a noun.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@BarryNSmith79 @MichaelT1979 @oldandrewuk I've worked in schools where leaders have been terrified to take that stance.

I now work for a very kind and patient head teacher, but their line is that ultimately they as head and we as staff run the school, not the children or their parents. It's calmer and safer for all.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@oldandrewuk Mobile phone ban. It's relatively new And they follow it (mostly) but hate it. They don't know what to do without a phone to fall back on for entertainment for about fifteen minutes and then they get over it and interact with people.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@oldandrewuk I have encountered adjustments to uniform such as button up shirt swapped for soft cotton polo with a softer collar or trousers for elastic waisted joggers at secondary. I've also seen students go back to standard uniform as they find that looking different is more uncomfortable.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@smith_john13391 @TTRadioOfficial Sure. Individual rights are really important but society relies on individuals sacrificing some freedom for everyone's benefit. I also believe in a healthy scrutiny of authority, but a blanket disrespect feels like a bad thing to teach children.

[MrGreenw00d @MGreenw00d]

@greg_ashman Compassionate consistency.
Whole school behavior and conduct expectations, unashamedly enforced with clear sanctions when students inevitably mess up, paired with relentless, loving pastoral support for students who will find meeting expectations more of a challenge.