Ceri

I've got to say, at a time when schools are breaking under the pressure of SEND, poverty issues, new arrivals, EAL and social care issues, the timing of a new target for Y1 phonics seems extraordinary.

All the Heads I know are on their knees, seeing children presenting with more complex needs than ever before, extreme behaviour and limited funding.
The majority of this is in EYFS and Year 1. So instead of announcing something to help this, we'll raise a target to add pressure.

Who is advising the Secretary of State on these issues, I wonder? It seems so misguided. And Phonics is NOT the same as reading. Even more of a relentless focus on phonics might actually produce fewer good readers! Surely a point must come when this is recognised?

Your word of the year is on a blue background with the word CRAZY in black letters

I think this is pretty fitting. Working in special provision is never easy!

Poor children perform worse in the poorest schools relative to others. There are poor children in every state school. Pupil Premium does not compensate for large class sizes and limited resources, It just costs so much to run a school and minimum per pupil funding has not kept up with costs.

a man wearing a hat that says cycle zombies on it says ten out of ten Alt: a man wearing a hat that says cycle zombies on it says ten out of ten

Some VERY lucky guesses there!!

Eze truly is something special. So happy to see he’s got his spring back in his step! #FACup #CrystalPalace

We made ones just like this today too! So cute 🥰

Screenshot of the text from the village website homepage.

Photo of a road with two white village signs on either side of it.

Welcome to Willerby.
A village where the supernatural is as everyday as the weather. Free short stories.
Stephen King/M R James/Eerie Indiana/Black Mirror/Twilight Zone.
"A sort of supernatural archers."
"Throwaway ghost stories about the most important things in life."
www.welcometowillerby.co.uk

What frustrates me most is that no primary teacher would go & talk to secondary teachers like that-even if they have specialism in a particular subject. We know our knowledge & skills are not in that phase. The pedagogy is wildly different. It perpetuates the myth that secondary=better than primary

I am genuinely concerned at the number of posts I see of events where colleagues who have never taught in primary are delivering training on how to teach in primary.
Very worrying.

And I agree with the point below - don’t get me started on EYFS and special. When they ask what a geography lesson looks like in Reception or why we aren’t following the NC objectives in our specialist unit I either want to cry or shout in complete frustration

In our MAT we have a program of CPD that is basically subject leads/heads of departments from the secondaries coming in to tell us how to teach their subject. Some have a basic understanding of NC expectations but none have ever taught in primary. It’s patronising beyond belief

a man in a red suit and tie says around 9 in a room Alt: a man in a red suit and tie blows a shell with around 9 written underneath

Whoop whoop

YouTube video by AudioslaveVEVO Audioslave - Like a Stone (Official Video)

Sunday - Audioslave and Like a Stone. Chris Cornell’s voice was a spectacular thing

youtu.be/7QU1nvuxaMA?...

YouTube video by Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro - Mountains (Official Music Video)

Saturday - Buffy Clyro and Mountains. The planets haven’t aligned for us yet…

youtu.be/NfzwM4pdyxU?...

YouTube video by Muse Muse - Knights Of Cydonia (Video)

#FebMusicChallenge25
Friday - it’s got to be Muse and Knights of Cydonia. Totally over the top and brilliant to finish a festival with

youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyI?...

a cartoon character with the number 6 on his head Alt: a cartoon character with the number 6 on his head

I really wanted it to be a gang of moles. Imagining a little crew digging underground together 😂

YouTube video by HansonVEVO Hanson - MMMBop (Official Music Video)

Mmm Bop - Hanson. Just the best and happiest song!!
youtu.be/NHozn0YXAeE?...

Insomnia - Faithless. As a proud Palace fan Maxi Jazz was an absolute legend.
youtu.be/P8JEm4d6Wu4?...

Breathe - Prodigy. Too many nights spent dancing in dubious places 😂
youtu.be/rmHDhAohJlQ?...

When we factor in the elevated incidence of school non-attendance in autistic children, something which is associated with burnout and trauma from unmet need, I think we need to join the dots and have a serious rethink.

Does it mean that autistic children's needs are becoming are less "supportable" by the general education offer? Or does it mean that school is becoming increasingly inhospitable to autistic (and otherwise neurodivergent) children and young people?

When we consider the legal tests for how EHCPs are provided, this means that HALF of all autistic children cannot be supported by what is typically provided by our education system. So what does this tell us about our schools?

I've been looking at the DfE's SEND stats again this week and it's astonishing that 48% of identified autistic kids in mainstream primary schools in England have EHCPs given that only 4% of the child population has one.

Continued...

YouTube video by MIKAVEVO MIKA - Grace Kelly

Hoping it’s not been done already - Grace Kelly by Mika #FebMusicChallenge25

youtu.be/0CGVgAYJyjk?...

I don’t know who needs to read this but schools are not funded with magic beans. They can’t magically turn into a golden egg laying goose or an enchanted harp. The equivalent of 3 beans can’t pay for every new initiative, staffing, tax, pay increase, price rise and repair.

YouTube video by PearljamVEVO Pearl Jam - Better Man (Official Audio)

Pearl Jam - Better Man. Just a gorgeous song

youtu.be/nDK-wsdEhNE?...

If children are dysregulated by being at home rather than at school then surely they should be looking at what can be done to support families instead of pushing it back onto schools and teachers. Again. There’s a bigger issue here that’s being ignored all the time