Julia Thomson

You’ll certainly have plenty of energy!

My son can run 5k a clear 10 minutes faster than me. It’s very demoralising.

Fastidious rescue dog, with neat, dry paws, lies on sand and gazes thoughtfully out to sea.

Chester the Romanian rescue dog’s first trip to the beach! Obviously he loves the Northumbrian coast (the GOAT of coastlines) but shares his owner’s aversion of getting his paws wet.

🤔 Do you create opportunities for students to think deeply about maths?

In our latest Five Big Ideas at Secondary video, Assistant Director for Secondary @janehawkins.bsky.social talks us through the vital role of mathematical thinking 🧠

#Maths #EduSky #UKMathsChat

Secondary Maths: Inside the EEF Practice Review We explore the key findings of the EEF Secondary Maths Practice Review

🎉New NCETM podcast episode🎉

How are schools tackling teacher shortages, the attainment gap and KS3 provision?

🎙️NCETM’s @jenshearman.bsky.social and Carol Knights dive into the @theeef.bsky.social's Secondary Maths Practice Review & share how Maths Hubs are responding

🎧Listen now

It seems more sensible to put Year 1 into EYFS. Then, yes, Year 2 & 3 being KS1 makes perfect sense. But I’d rather see a reorganisation of the curriculum than the children.

Teachers tend to hate it too 🫣 I spoke to a Maths Hub Lead who recommended using number lines to teach time, 1-12, 1-60, folding to find quarters, to find half etc. Giving them opportunities to see number lines vertically/horizontally/circular and relating to different scales of measure.

#UKMathsChat We are running an online teacher focus group on the afternoon of 13th February, looking at GCSE content. There will be a small incentive for your time. If you or another teacher of maths (specialist or non-specialist) would like to be involved, please drop me a DM. Thanks!

Myth-busting mathematical manipulatives | EEF How can manipulatives be used effectively to boost mathematical understanding?

NEW @theeef.bsky.social BLOG: Myth-busting mathematical manipulatives

In this blog, maths content specialist @gracecoker27.bsky.social busts myths and explores misunderstandings around the use of manipulatives.

I’ve just graduated C25K with my local running club and ran my first Parkrun on New Year’s Day! Running is getting off to a steady but very slow start… 😅

Congratulations, John! It’s a very well-deserved honour for your hard work and leadership.
#NewYearHonours
#MathsHubs10Years

Brilliant adaptation!

Christmas should be for everyone, atheists included | Alom Shaha Alom Shaha: We should rejoice in the fact that Christmas is celebrated by people of all faiths and even those with none

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Sikhism and the Christmas Spirit The Interrelationship

www.sikhnet.com/news/sikhism...

For Hindus, Christmas begins with Divali – Caribbean Life For Hindus, Christmas begins with Divali — the annual Festival of Lights — which usually falls in November. As followers of an eclectic faith, Hindus

www.caribbeanlife.com/for-hindus-c...

My Family Is Hindu But We Celebrate Christmas. Here's Why. As immigrants without extended family nearby, we had to consider how we wanted to include ourselves in our neighboring community.

www.huffpost.com/entry/hindu-...

Opinion | Not all Jews hate Christmas. In fact, many of us celebrate it 42% of married Jews in America are in interfaith relationships, and while every Jew is entitled to their own opinion, openly denigrating Christmas is hurtful to nearly half of American Jews.

forward.com/opinion/4786...

Keep Calm, It’s Christmas | Muslim Council of Britain Very few Muslims will be offended at the Christmas celebrations taking place.

mcb.org.uk/keep-calm-ch...

Glad it’s not just mine who does this every time 😡

Nooooooo! The rarer green ones are far superior!

Look at all those orange and strawberry creams… 😒

Henry (Year 7) says: No, because children need teachers who understand people and AI doesn’t understand people or their feelings.

He is also dubious about AI’s behaviour management skills.

Promoting Inclusive Maths Degrees I appreciated Cathy Hobbs' article [1] about the work the IMA is doing in response to the paradoxical situation that Maths is the most popular A-level subject while some university courses with lower entry tariffs are under threat due to reduced student interest. A-level grades do not only represent achievement, they also encode a number of extra-curricular factors connected to socioeconomic background, meaning there are extremely capable mathematicians who are not getting the full chance to thrive in the A-level system and might be locked out of becoming professional mathematicians as a result. One issue is the advice students are being given. Maths teachers have told me they advise students they shouldn't consider maths at university if they aren't on track for an 'A' in A-level Maths, and one said he tells students they can't consider degree-level maths if they aren't taking A-level Further Maths. This stems from a perception that maths is a hard degree, so the advice to study a different subject like finance comes from a kind place. There are also issues with the perception that maths is a degree that leads to a research career but fewer employment options. I suspect that some teachers experienced a highly-theoretical degree designed for students with A*/A grades and this is their perception of maths at university. Actually degrees vary consid-erably, with many lower-tariff degrees designed with enhanced student support, a curriculum focused on mathematical practice, and opportunities to develop career skills for the wide range of careers to which a maths degree can lead. At Sheffield Hallam University we typically see A-level Maths grades ranging from A to D, and only around a quarter of students have some Further Maths. We have a strong track record of students with lower intake grades achieving high quality degree outcomes and developing into excellent graduates with worthwhile careers in mathematical occupations. A recent p…

In a letter in the new issue of Mathematics Today, which just arrived, I talk about the range of degrees offering maths and how in my experience it’s a great option for students with lower A level grades.

AMSP videos are here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

#MathsToday #UKMathsChat #ITeachMaths

This is absolute nonsense.

a man is holding a rabbit 's skull on his head . ALT: a man is holding a rabbit 's skull on his head .

Felt a bit misty eyed watching this live on the BBC last night - last time I watched it live on TV was 40 years ago. #TheWolvesAreRunning #Boxers

I lived in a very deprived post code growing up. And a library I walked past twice a day on the way to and from school. And a school library. It was 100% reading that put a rocket under my attainment at school.

Thanks. Have a great weekend!

It’s a short news item to congratulate teachers and schools. A deeper dive will follow.

There is a slight widening of the gap (1%, I think it is), but considering we’ve had months of school closures, overall it’s looking pretty good to me. My son is in Year 9 and missed huge chunks of Year 4 and 5.

4 ways to make education research more helpful Most teachers consult research before making changes to their practice, according to a new EEF report. Harry Madgwick explains how to make this process smoother

The large majority of teachers in England consider research evidence before making decisions - an incredible and positive development.

This short piece by @hmadgwick.bsky.social explains why we need professional collaboration and teacher involvement in research design.

www.tes.com/magazine/ana...