Matthew Evans

Curriculum Is a Localist Model of a Distributed Mind The problem with dividing knowledge into pieces

New on Substack: New post: Why does dividing curriculum into knowledge components feel so unstable? Because we're imposing localist structure on a distributed system. The brain doesn't store knowledge in pieces. profbeckyallen.substack.com/p/curriculum...

NEW BLOG: Three routes to trust consolidation

Writing in @cstvoice.bsky.social today, I make the case for three distinct ways in which our education system might become more coherent, impactful and better value for money.

cstuk.org.uk/news-and-blo...

We’ll fail a generation if we say SEND reform is too hard The white paper represents a pivotal moment for policy and system leadership

'Now is the time to step forward together and seize this moment to create one system with high ambition for all children'

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-if-we-say-send-reform-is-too-difficult/

What does it mean to be a school leader in 2026? With Matt Evans

NEW EPISODE with @head-teach.bsky.social exploring all things leadership:

How has being a school leader changed over time?
What unique pressures are school leaders facing at the moment?

Fascinating episode from a genuine expert

Tune in and share 🙏🙏

open.spotify.com/episode/4rko...

I declare this book finished.

It's been intense. So much editing. This is the most important work I've written.
As far as I'm aware, the first book for general teachers that's deeply rooted in *enactive* cognitive science.

Teaching Meaning: What Works When Telling Isn't Enough

Out soon!

What’s the best one to start with?

Cheers 🍻

NEW BLOG: The classroom as a cultural ratchet

www.emaths.co.uk/blog/general...

The Data Wave returns? - Insight Inform Between the 2000s and the early 2020s a data wave washed over education, peaking in the mid-2010s. The data wave has been receding. Are there signs that it may be about to return?

New for me for Insight Inform: The Data Wave Returns?

The data wave has been receding. Are there signs that it may be about to return?

www.insightinform.co.uk/2026/01/30/t...
Please read, comment and repost!

As you wish.

Starting again with KS3 assessment Q1. What is motivating me to change?

I read this from @head-teach.bsky.social and @profbeckyallen.bsky.social as a suggestion to ditch whole school K3 Assessment as inherently unreliable. Their individual substacks are well worth reading but a bit like John and Paul, they may be even better as a duo! substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Ha! @profbeckyallen.bsky.social is definitely Lennon.

Do not always send suspended students home, government tells schools Changes to England's school system say on-site suspensions should be used for non-violent behaviour.

Thoughts on this mess.
🧵👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Death to the Spreadsheet: Why I Finally Ditched QLA Question Level Analysis (QLA) is a staple in many schools. It is designed to turn exam results into a roadmap for student progress. But does it actually lead us where we need to go?

New Blog Post 📝

I hate QLA.

Originally due to the time it sucked out of my PPA I now know that QLA documents do not provide the information we think they do.

I go over the justification for why I ditched QLA and the reasons why you should get rid of it too.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...

The Score and The Unaccountability Machine A bit of a ramble through some recent reading

open.substack.com/pub/sammywri...

Magnetic schools The distribution problem that sits at the heart of the SEND crisis

open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

Starting again with KS3 assessment Q1. What is motivating me to change?

Are you going back to the drawing board with KS3 assessment? Why?
NEW POST from 100% Assessment. @profbeckyallen.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/100asses...

Professional scepticism Until education becomes the kind of profession that reveres evidence, we should not be surprised to find its experts dispensing unproven methods, endlessly flitting from one fad to another.

Professional scepticism is the disciplined habit of slowing down unscrupulous optimism before it does damage.
Before rolling out the next shiny policy, ask:
- What problem are we solving?
- What would show this is wrong?
- What will we stop doing if it fails?

open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...

Thanks Nick 🙏

Creating people How tests shape the way pupils see themselves

100% Assessment open.substack.com/pub/100asses...

Creating people How tests shape the way pupils see themselves

100% Assessment open.substack.com/pub/100asses...

The Decline of Deviance Where has all the weirdness gone?

open.substack.com/pub/experime...

A great piece of research. Thank you.

The real SEND story behind the OBR shock One trust leader calls for caution over shock estimates of the potential impact of SEND funding

This is excellent and a great follow on from dialogue yesterday: schoolsweek.co.uk/the-real-sen...

What if the dog really did eat his homework? Brute luck, distributive justice, and the limits of equality

open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

What if the dog really did eat his homework? Brute luck, distributive justice, and the limits of equality

open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

New study on motivation: classrooms where mastery goals are normal seem to produce students whose perseverance grows instead of fading. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#FridayFive
1. Like a Hurricane - New Young
2. June Rain - Suede
3. Sometimes - James
4. Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics
5. Happy When it Rains- The Jesus and Mary Chain

New on 100% Assessment Substack: Does Your Test Really Measure Attainment? When summed scores mislead and how IRT helps
100assessment.substack.com/p/does-your-...

@head-teach.bsky.social

DSM Disorders Disappear in Statistical Clustering of Psychiatric Symptoms Whither Major Depression?

open.substack.com/pub/awaisaft...