Helen D

My individually handmade recycled silver jewellery including intricate casts of real flowers (snowdrop, bluebell etc), casts of dragonfly Wongs & jay feathers & my tiny wearable sculptures of much-loved British bird species

One of my best-selling mounted art prints of flowers I grew & bought from an honesty florist

Victorian ink bottles that form part of my tiny posy-making mental health kits-they make great gifts

The 12 photos that make up my 2026 botanical calendar-each image is designed to improve mental health

Just added to my Etsy shop:
🌿final small print run of my '26 calendars
🪶my handmade recycled silver jewellery designs (incl intricate casts of real flowers)
🌸limited ed'n mounted art prints of my photos
💐tiny posy mental health kits
Last orders for📮 in time for🌲: 19 Nov
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/silv...

Sir David Attenborough backs bid to buy Rothbury Estate Wildlife trusts attempt to raise £30m to keep Northumberland's Rothbury Estate from being split up.

"The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are attempting to complete the purchase of the Rothbury Estate, a 15 sq miles (38.8 sq km) tract of former grouse moor, woodland and farmland, with plans to boost wildlife, restore bogs and promote nature-friendly farming." tinyurl.com/38yyvdju

Check out this 2 bedroom retirement property for sale on Rightmove 2 bedroom retirement property for sale in Ashdown Court, Cromer, NR27 for £160,000. Marketed by William H. Brown, Cromer

Anyone interested in down sizing and living in a retirement cottage minutes from the sea. It’s full of happy memories and recently reduced to £160K.

Please share 🙏

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

An elected MP, Reform’s Sarah Pochin says there are too many Black and Asian people on TV - so plain racism - and the coverage of it is buried. Silence and ignorance is complicity, causing lasting damage. When we see racism it’s what we do next, individually and collectively, that matters.

Lack of special schools in DfE hubs ‘is an act of self-harm’ Sector leaders voice concerns that the government’s first wave of behaviour and attendance hubs includes only mainstream settings

🧵Thread: Oh dear… now, I am picking up signs of what I feared would come- incoherence of policy and practice, with a scattergun approach to doing stuff…

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

The Bishop of Birmingham has written to the Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick about his comments about Handsworth

My understanding is that a half first cousin shares one rather than two grandparents with you. I think it would happen if your parent had half-siblings.

Many years ago I listened to @samfr.bsky.social at an edu conference. He was discussing what he described as the 4 levers of power that the DFE had to effect change.
1. To issue policy documents and directives and hope that schools took them up. Typically not really considered to be very effective.

I found it helpful to talk with our PSHCE LA advisor (if you still have one), who put me in touch with another school to chat through the practicalities from a school viewpoint. In order for this to be positive for the child and their classmates planning is key.

Why is it that no matter when in the holidays work is scheduled for it always comes down to a last weekend panic! Good luck and hope it get’s finished.

MIGRANTS AREN'T THE PROBLEM INEQUALITY IS Green Party Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

Migrants didn't cut council funding. Migrants didn't cut NHS funding. Migrants didn't close youth centres. Migrants didn't sell off council houses. Migrants aren't filling our rivers with sewage.

Farage and co. will tell you to point the finger at migrants.

Don't fall for it.

Of those a large number seem to be in Newfoundland although no matter what the size they are called ‘ponds’. Just back from a great trip - the coast line is amazing.

A Nursery child draws an elephant with wonderful succinctness.
A simple expressive line and perfectly judged areas of tone capture the imagination:

“I’ve drawn it for you…It’s sitting down and feeling sad because it’s the last day of school…and his trunk is crumpled up”

Utter Joy!

He obviously hasn’t spent any time in a nursery, reception or KS1 class…

Today is the #InternationalDayforCounteringHateSpeech always, it should be, but especially relevant just now.

Diana Gabaldon
Jodie Picoult
Barbara Erskine
Peter May
Robert Harris
Philippa Gregory
Ken Follet
Barbara Taylor Bradford
R.F.Delderfield
Agatha Christie

That was an enjoyable 10 mins!📖

Pontysycllte aqueduct on the Langollen Canal.

A great blog. I would love it if he got lots of engagement - enough to make him abandon Twitter and make this his main site.

Great picture of a ‘Wilderness Beaver’. Where is it?

The Greens now have nearly 200 more councillors than Reform.

This is not something you'd be likely to guess from all the copiously salivating media coverage of Farage & his crew of billionaire-backed far-right chancers.

Supporting all readers in secondary school A short course for secondary school staff and leaders to support readers at all levels.

After 2+ years, many rewrites & piloting, I am so pleased that this has been published! A free, online training programme for non-specialist secondary practitioners about the development of reading. Includes practical strategies that can be adapted for any classroom. 1/2
www.gov.uk/government/p...

Keep smiling - the last bit seems to last forever! Great once it is finished.

Morning Bluesky! Have you cancelled a planned trip or move – holiday, work, short-term or long-term – to the USA? Fancy chatting to me about for a piece?

@ me or DM if so, especially if you’re located in the UK. (RTs much appreciated too).

Can anyone recommend good short stories for 9 year olds?

Every day I ask what my 4 year old granddaughter has done at her primary school in a North Yorkshire village and every day it's something exciting, relevant and interesting.
Primary school teachers and TAs take a bow.

Greater Leadership capacity especially amongst middle leaders but working with 70+ staff especially at the start is much more time consuming than you might imagine.

Stuck in the Mud: The New Ofsted Era There’s a new Sheriff in town—and any excuse-making, low-standard varmint better brace themselves. This isn’t just a shift; it’s a full-blown reckoning.  If you thought the o…

My New Blog - which died a death on X because no one is left...

Ofsted - The New Era and basically - A Rant

oldprimaryhead.com/2025/02/04/s...

Finding it so depressing that another opportunity for real reform has been missed/ignored alongside relief that now I am retired I don’t have to play this game any more.

We stayed in Luca which is lovely and full of history and travelled into Florence and Pisa by train. Florence and Pisa both busy but Luca much quieter so good for hotels and restaurants.

If it's helpful to schools and teachers, below is the link to a year's worth of picturebook assembly suggestions that have a focus on empathy, diversity, equality and inclusion. They're all books I've used and loved. #edusky padlet.com/Jon_Biddle/r...