Tom Parkinson

Primary Literacy Newsletter → November 2025 This month’s Primary Literacy Spotlight looks at what’s new and useful in the world of primary writing and reading. There’s new research into how children feel about writing, free literacy resources f...

It’s been a busy few months at AIR HQ, but Primary Literacy Spotlight #newsletter is back. This month’s edition shares new writing research, free resources from BookTrust and the NLT, and stories of schools making real progress with literacy. 🩵

#EduSky #EduSkyUK

air-ed.com/primary-lite...

Meet AIR, your personal Writing Assessment assistant. It takes the hassle out of writing assessments so you can focus on teaching, not ticking boxes.

#EduSky #EduSkyUK #PrimarySchools

Narrative Boost → Free writing resource for primary school teachers Narrative Boost is a free Ready to Write! resource from AIR Education. It helps KS2 pupils improve their narrative writing skills by developing setting, character, plot and atmosphere. Pupils read sho...

I’ve become a bit frustrated with the price teachers/schools pay for lesson resources. So I’ve started working on putting a load of FREE #Writing resource packs together. Here’s one of them. I’ll post more over the coming weeks. 🩵

air-ed.com/project/read...

#eduskyprimary #eduskyuk #primaryenglish

End-of-term assessments done weeks ago. Holiday book finished on day two. Now what?

That’s the beauty of AIR... less stress at the end of term means more headspace now. Enjoy it.

www.air-ed.com

#EduSkyUK #EduSky

I disagree. Zapier is a great example of AI done well. I use it to connect apps we use. Before their AI tools, I had to sift through thousands of options and go through trial-and-error with step-by-step wizards. Now I just explain what I want to do, and it handles the setup.

I understand the concerns around plagiarism, but like with any tech, there’s a moral responsibility on the people building it to ensure ethical safeguards are in place. When done right, this kind of tech can absolutely be used for good.

Guard of honour for long-standing Harrogate teacher Gillian Furniss is honoured on her final day at the school she has spent 43 years working in

What a lovely story to read first thing in the morning. ❤️

#edusky #eduskyuk

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What One Teacher Taught Me About How AI Should Work in Schools Discover how one Year 6 teacher used AIR to feel more confident and prepared for writing moderation. This post explores how AI can support rather than replace teacher judgement and why that matters fo...

Teachers don’t need replacing. They need backing up.

Let’s stop talking about AI as a threat and start talking about it as a second pair of eyes.

#EduSky #EduSkyUK #EduSkyUK #PrimaryEnglish #EduSkyAI #AIinSchools

air-ed.com/blogs/what-o...

What One Teacher Taught Me About How AI Should Work in Schools Discover how one Year 6 teacher used AIR to feel more confident and prepared for writing moderation. This post explores how AI can support rather than replace teacher judgement and why that matters fo...

A Year 6 teacher told me that an #AI tool helped him feel more prepared for moderation.

Not because it did the work for him, but because it supported his judgement.

That’s exactly how AI should work in schools.
#primaryeducation #aiineducation

air-ed.com/blogs/what-o...

What One Teacher Taught Me About How AI Should Work in Schools Discover how one Year 6 teacher used AIR to feel more confident and prepared for writing moderation. This post explores how AI can support rather than replace teacher judgement and why that matters fo...

This week I’m sharing thoughts on how to make assessment feel manageable again, without cutting corners.

Writing moderation doesn’t have to mean long nights and last-minute panic.

#eduskyprimary #teacherworkload #writingmoderation

air-ed.com/blogs/what-o...

📚 The June edition of Primary Literacy Spotlight is now live.

This edition includes: AI in KS2 moderation, new research, free tools, and the latest from the DfE.

Worth a look if you’re leading literacy in school.

#EduSkyPrimary #EduSkyUK #EduSky

air-ed.com/blogs/june-2...

Why Writing Assessment Is Burning Teachers Out Marking 30+ books at the weekend isn’t sustainable. Writing assessment is burning teachers out - and it’s time we talked seriously about changing that.

This week’s focus: writing assessment.

The kind that eats your weekend, drains your energy and leaves you wondering how long you can keep going.

air-ed.com/blogs/why-wr...

‘I’m still dancing’: Derbyshire woman has 105th birthday rave at care home Hilda Jackson and fellow residents partied with strobe lights, glowsticks and drum’n’bass from festival-headliner

These days (especially with today’s worrying Trump-Gaza video), it feels like the world is spiralling into chaos.

But then, you see this: a 105-year-old woman having a rave at her care home. Absolutely brilliant.

Life’s short; you might as well dance - even when the world’s going crazy. ❤️

westchestereducation.co.uk/key-trends-s...

A circular infographic titled 'Trends Shaping Education Publishing.' The diagram is divided into five color-coded segments, each representing a key trend: Accessibility, Oracy, AI in Education, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and Sustainability. At the center of the diagram is an icon of an open book and a digital device, symbolizing the intersection of technology and publishing. The background is dark, with contrasting text and icons for readability.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

Accessibility, Oracy, AI, Sustainability, DEI: big themes that are shaping how learning materials are created & used. But are these the right priorities? What’s missing?

Here's a visual summary of a great article (link below).

#EduSky #EduSkyUK

Brilliant - thanks for the explanation. That really helps. 👍

I love these posts @theother14.bsky.social. Could you please help me understand this one? I think I might be being a bit daft, but I don't understand what this one is telling me and what the relative points are etc.

Annual Literacy Survey 2025 | National Literacy Trust Registration for the 2025 Annual Literacy Survey is now open.

Deadline: Annual Literacy Survey (28th Feb).

This is just a quick share to encourage #teachers to take part in the annual #NLT survey. It helps shape literacy strategies by gathering insights into children’s attitudes towards reading and writing.

#EduSkyUK

literacytrust.org.uk/events/annua...

🤣🤣🤣

I did exactly that this morning, for the first time in ages. 💙

The great escapism: Everton’s Corner Flag Guy and football’s lasting capacity for joy | Max Rushden This has been a testing time on a personal level but watching the euphoria at Goodison reminded me of how the game can liberate

I've got it. Cheers!
www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Oh wow! Ace. How have I not spotted that? I've watched the goal about a thousand times! Thanks for pointing it, Neil.

I’ve still not seen it. I’ve heard loads of folks mention it but I can’t find it. If anyone has a link to it, that’d be ace.

Great resource here from Danny.

🐵 ➡️🧑

Annual Literacy Survey 2025 | National Literacy Trust Registration for the 2025 Annual Literacy Survey is now open.

📌 The National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey 2025.

It’s a chance to share what’s really happening with kids' literacy in school. More responses mean a clearer picture - and better decisions that actually help pupils.

Please fill it in and pass it on.

#EduSkyUK #EduSky #Literacy

There is a slight error in the date/year. 😬 Maybe I should do next month's on the importance of proofreading and editing! Hahaha!

Edition #3: February 2024 Welcome to this month’s edition of Primary Literacy Spotlight! Each issue, I pull together the latest research, trends, and resources to help you navigate the ever-changing world of literacy education...

📢 The new Primary Literacy Spotlight is out!

🗣️ The power of spoken language in literacy
📖 Does the Phonics Screening Check actually help?
🤖 AI in literacy—game-changer or just hype?

Plus, free resources + a gov update for schools.

#EduSkyUK #EduSkyPrimary #PrimaryEnglish #Headteachers

Get in!

a man laying on a log with the words best plan for weekend Alt: a man laying on a log with the words best plan for weekend

That’s a wrap, folks. I’m shattered. Have an amazing weekend all!

#eduskyuk #weekend #sleep

I'm terrible at this! It's such a lazy habit I've picked up with my keyboard skills (or lack of them). An en-dash needs me to hold the 'Option' key, but a hyphen is just one simple key press. Pure laziness! Ha!