School Tasking

Nudging this one. A big thank you to those who have already donated or entered the raffle.

Child with smiley face sticker over her face next to Alex Horne in a bookshop.

Took littlest to the gorgeous children’s bookshop, How Brave is The Wren, in King’s Heath this afternoon to see one of her favourite people, @alexhorne.bsky.social, & collect 50 copies of the @thehornesection.bsky.social’s super Make Some Noise 🎼🎶

#SchoolTasking prizes for 25-26 sorted!

School trips just got even better…

@taskmasteredu.bsky.social × @englishheritage.bsky.social = chaos, history and creativity combined.

Teachers - we've created a special set of tasks to use during your trip.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/school...

@taskmaster.tv @alexhorne.bsky.social

Phil Jemmett and Ali Struthers holding the Greg’s head trophy from Taskmaster.

Some things are exciting even when you work for #Taskmaster 🏆

Hmm, the link disappeared from the post. It's here:

linktr.ee/craftyestone...

You can make your own Little Little Alex (or Greg) using the patterns available in Triin's online shop at below link 🧶

Tiny versions of yourself are also available (though @dralistruthers.bsky.social would like it to be noted that the Tiny Ali was a gift & she's not, in fact, an egomaniac)

These Little Little Alexes have been the School Tasking project mascot for 4 years now & are made by the unbelievably talented Triin Lane (Crafty Estonean on Instagram).

Looks like Little Little Alex is getting his 15 minutes of fame on the show tonight!

Needle felted little Alex Horne

To celebrate #Taskmaster day, I've woken up my Etsy shop (after being asleep for six months 😅). Just a couple of Alexes in there for now but hopefully more soon! www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Felt...

In 2024-25 28 Universities In 6 regions across the UK and Ireland and approximately 1,900 children from 51 schools took part. The primary schools taking part meet the criteria for widening participation, with higher than average numbers of pupils receiving free school meals and/or a lower than average attainment level (pupils meeting expected standard in reading, writing, and maths) For the cohort in this study, the average number of pupils receiving free school meals is 39.9% (England only; nationally this is 25.9%) The average attainment level of the schools in our cohort is 56.4% (England only; nationally this is 61%)

Whilst we're on the subject of #Taskmaster, our 2024-25 impact report is now available:

taskmastereducation.com/sites/defaul...

We're so proud of the fact that last year we worked with schools in some of the least-advantaged areas across the UK & Ireland. And the kids really enjoyed the project 🤩

Alex Horne making an 'ooh' face wearing a suit and a badge that says 'Taskmaster's Assistant'

OOOH! Happy #Taskmaster day to all those who celebrate 🎉

A chicken and Alex Horne look at the camera. A School Tasking participant looks at the chicken.

Whilst looking for a specific photo, we stumbled upon this absolute gem from the #SchoolTasking Champion of Champions.

Hello! I’m fundraising for SHOC. Here’s my JustGiving page, if you’d like to donate: www.justgiving.com/page/littlea...

And just to kick off the season with a lovely piece of news, we've been shortlisted for the @timeshighered.bsky.social Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year for 2025! 🏆

Check out this piece by @dralistruthers.bsky.social & @alexhorne.bsky.social that featured in THE last year 🤩

A bucket of different sizes and colours of rubber ducks.

Crocheted Little Alex Horne in the Warwick Arts Centre.

Little Alex Horne reading out a task.

Three Year 5s wearing red School Tasking t-shirts, photographed from the back.

We've been super quiet over the summer with the whole team having a well-earned rest, but #SchoolTasking action is ramping up once again for the start of the 2025-26 season!

Are you a university keen to find out more? Now is the time to reach out for an initial chat. It's LOTS of fun, we promise.

And here are a few more of them - a small proportion of the fabulous OG #SchoolTasking cohort that took a punt on the project 3 years ago 🎓

Little painted clay model of the Taskmaster House (front and patio door).

Little painted clay model of the Taskmaster House.

Little painted clay model of the Taskmaster House (patio doors entrance)

It's been a bit of a whirlwind starting #SchoolTasking 4 years ago & then ending up seconded to Avalon for 2 days of my working week co-running #TaskmasterEducation.

I stumbled across Maisie Parkes on Instagram & loved the little clay houses she made, so decided to commission a little memento 🤍

YouTube video by Taskmaster Education Alex Horne Honorary Doctorate Speech

It's graduation season & the per'ect time to revisit the 'unniest hon grad speech o' them all 🎓

#SchoolTasking

A group of 5 students stands in front of a Warwick Celebrates frame with graduation attire on.

Only managed to round up a few of them but I'm so pleased to be celebrating this graduating cohort today 🎓

These are the OG #SchoolTasking students: the ones who took a punt on my hare-brained scheme back in 2022 & have been the most brilliant team ever.

So proud of what they've achieved 👏

And if you're not so minded to read an academic paper (let's be honest, they're not widely regarded as light reading), then Ali & Alex wrote this snappier version last year about why #SchoolTasking runs in the way that it does for @timeshighered.bsky.social, so you could always read that instead 😉

Cover of 'The Last Pebble' by Alex Horne. Two children sit on a beach looking at a pebble.

When:

- you know Alex to be a lovely & multi-talented human;

- your youngest is his biggest fan; &

- your eldest is a reluctant reader,

it's really an obvious purchase to make. And from an independent bookshop too 📚

We're looking forward to reading it - congratulations @alexhorne.bsky.social 🎉

School tasking in UK primary schools: widening access through early intervention and gameful design School Tasking is a successful, university-led primary school outreach programme in law based on the format of the hit television show, Taskmaster. It borrows the fun, interactivity, and gentle com...

If you're wondering why we run #SchoolTasking in the way that we do (big if) then please do have a read of this article, where we talk about the importance of:

- Early intervention for university outreach work;

- How gamification can make this work genuinely engaging for younger learners.

I loved this day…

Last month more than 800 little Taskers descended upon the Warwick Arts Centre for the School Tasking Champion of Champions 2025, and you can recap the madness in this lovely video below 👇

YouTube video by Taskmaster Education School Tasking Champion of Champions 2025 🏆

It's here! Our amazing #SchoolTasking Champion of Champions video from Lightyear Films 🤩

Please watch & enjoy our wonderful, chaotic day celebrating these brilliant kids taking centre stage alongside @alexhorne.bsky.social 👏

Also, the end quote from Da Nuggets is just 👌 😂

youtu.be/rDy0kNIXKOg

And well done to Martha who was a sterling representative for the student team at today's awards 👏

Will be sad to see my OG #SchoolTasking cohort graduate next week, but also looking forward to celebrating with them 🎓

What a team!

Martha, one of our student ambassadors holding the award and certificate

We're celebrating our student team today who have won the Student Social Mobility Champion Award at the Warwick Awards for Public and Community Engagement. We're so proud to work with such a dedicated and brilliant team. Well done everyone!

And, actually, finding your tribe anywhere is pretty amazing.

This gang ♥️

#SchoolTasking

Alex Horne stands to the right of the photograph holding a handmade trophy with a barrister's wig and the scales of justice. The School Tasking logo is to the left.

A few new universities have expressed interest in joining #SchoolTasking for 2025-26.

If your institution isn't yet involved, but you'd like to find out more, do come along to an introductory call happening tomorrow at 2pm.

Please DM or email schooltasking@warwick.ac.uk to get the link ✉️

Please can we take a moment to appreciate what was happening behind me as I was being filmed for this video...🦆

(thanks for the footage, @philjemmett.bsky.social 😂)

Have stolen this little video from the University of Warwick's social media 🏆

When Alex said the 'Taskmaster Education' day, we all know he meant 'School Tasking' day, of course... 😉

There's definitely no confusion between these two things. Nope. None at all... 😂