Grace Steggall-Smith

Director for Teaching and Curriculum at Northern Education Trust.
Previously at Ark Soane, Michaela, and Teach First NE 🌍

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

Taught and cared for this lot for the last 4 years of my life. This afternoon, I sent them into their final Geography exam (which also happened to be their final GCSE exam). Heartbreaking to see them go, but wishing them the very brightest of futures! 💔💔💔✨✨✨

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

@HanDoesPhysics Hi Hannah, especially great from staff who have fallen back in love with teachers again. We have gone slow and steady with all the changes this year which has meant very little pushback, and lots of positive feedback from parents. Multiple positive Ofsteds too.

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

If anyone out there wants to see Michaela's methods in turnaround schools, please come and visit us at Northern Education Trust. We've started a T&L revolution this academic year and already seen such brilliant cultural and academic gains. (I'm an ex-Michaela & Soane teacher!)

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

Start up schools are the best for blowing the lid off your expectations of students, but their methods are often only replicable by other startups

Turnarounds are best for seeing what normal schools are capable of replicating

(In my opinion)

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

@MMeyncke We are only 1 year into this and don't have the perfect start of the year yet. We started last year by launching Trust-wide with one method every couple of weeks. Out biggest success has been with coaching programmes which upskill staff in the 'why' and 'how' fast.

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

@MMeyncke Of each academic year? Or when we get a new school?

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

A variety of our primary and secondary have started successfully. Some which have accepted visits so far are Kearsley Academy in Bolton and Hetton Academy in Sundarland/Durham.

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

@adamboxer1 Hey Adam, I'm an ex-Michaela teacher who is now working as the Director for teaching and curriculum for a MAT with plenty of turnaround schools in the north of England. We have started to successfully revolutionise our schools in T&L like Michaela. You're very welcome a visit!

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

82% of Michaela’s GCSE grades were 7 to 9. Hooray! 🥳

[Tom Bennett OBE @tombennett71]

Knocking it out the park. An extraordinary example of how students from any walk of life can achieve academically, given the right environment. Comprehensive, inner city kids, thriving. Demographics are not destiny, and no one’s path is fixed.

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

99% of all GCSE grades were passes - 4 to 9.

98% 5 to 9.

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

Over 50% of all GCSE grades were grade 9!

Amazing achievement from the pupils and staff at Michaela! 🥳 Woohoo!

[Grace Steggall-Smith @GraceSteggall]

Michaela makes improbable dreams a reality. What a special place ❤️❤️❤️

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

I just love how much he clearly LOVES his teachers! ❤️❤️

And how much they love him!! ❤️❤️

[Pritesh Raichura @Mr_Raichura]

How would you answer the question: "Why do children misbehave?" Reply below with "Because they..." 👇

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

So that you can see what our Progress for our kids looks like on a graph.

I know some people think my ideas are mad.

But maybe they aren’t so mad after all.

Copy what we do, and your kids will benefit!

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

Progress 8 results are out for 2024!

As always, visit Michaela to see what I love most - who our children become as people.

But boy, they do well academically too! ❤️

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

Too many white middle class people- some teachers on twitter for instance - push the teaching of Stormzy and other such artists over Mozart in schools.

They think this is cool, especially when teaching black kids as they think this is ‘relevant’ to their lives.

It is the same with denying Shakespeare and other literary greats to various unprivileged kids, as we middle class teachers think such kids cannot access high culture.

We also want them to ‘engage’ in the lesson and ‘have fun’.

We insist the more traditional authors, musicians etc are male, stale and pale.

Gullible kids - often of colour- but not always - are taken in by this and enjoy it on the surface, but they miss out on a real education.

I have been attacked mercilessly on here for many years for refusing to teach in this way.

Then when we at Michaela do well in terms of results, people refuse to see the correlation: kids of all classes and races etc should be taught traditional content and in a traditional manner.

This will ensure success and will avoid a descent into street culture that can ruin their lives.

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

You teachers out there know just how impossible this is with a comprehensive intake…

I can’t believe it!! 🙌🙌

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

“All those detentions… I would. like to say thank you!” 😂

Our kids get it, even if the rest of the world doesn’t!

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

GCSE results out today!

I didn’t think such a stat was possible.

Super well done to the teachers and pupils at Michaela! 🥳

[Pritesh Raichura @Mr_Raichura]

This video captures our school ethos so well. We think hard about how to support *teachers* to become their best selves at @ArkSoaneAcademy so they can support *pupils* to become their best selves: https://t.co/HrJIKs32y9

[Pritesh Raichura @Mr_Raichura]

It’s such a delight to work at @ArkSoaneAcademy - this short video captures some of the reasons why!

https://t.co/d82nWLMZeo