Headteacher, interested in all aspects of education.
Joined April 2015
- Tweets3.1K
- Following876
- Followers632
- Likes14.7K
Life Learner retweeted
How are you feeling today? 💙
Our helpline is open 24/7 for immediate, emotional support from qualified counsellors.
We're here for everyone working in education 🤗 Call us, we'll listen: 08000 562 561
📸 Art by Stacie Swift
#TeacherMentalHealth #TeacherWellbeing
Life Learner retweeted
Our helpline is still open during the summer holidays.
Don't wait for a crisis to call - our helpline counsellors will offer emotional, confidential support immediately 💙
📞: 08000 562 561
Call us, we'll listen 🤗
Life Learner retweeted
Rant cont.
It costs schools to appeal, but schs are not privy to the specialist marker guidance
So schools will pay in good faith, challenging reasonable answers, usually not knowing there’s a secret additional list of acceptable/unacceptable answers they’re not allowed to see
Life Learner retweeted
Not sure why there isn’t more outrage about this, unless I’ve not seen it??
I went off on this little rant in my analysis of the Reading SATs paper (link below) and SHOCK, this situation has come true
🧵 THREAD 👇🏼
primary.lbq.org/hub/ks2-read…
Life Learner retweeted
A final piece of advice from Holly Butcher - written the day before she passed away from cancer at just 27:
“It’s a strange thing knowing you’re going to die young.
At 26, I thought I had time…
To fall in love.
Start a family.
Grow old.
But cancer doesn’t care about plans.
Now, I understand how fragile life really is. Every single day is a gift, not a guarantee.
I’m not writing this to scare you. I’m writing to remind you: really live.
Stop stressing over little things. Be kind to your body- move it, nourish it, stop criticizing it. One day you’ll wish you had appreciated it.
Go outside.
Look at the sky.
Feel the sun.
Just be.
Spend less time chasing “stuff” - more time making memories. Don’t skip moments with people you love.
Laugh more.
Write a note.
Tell someone you love them.
Complain less.
Give more.
Helping others brings more joy than anything you can buy.
Be present.
Put your phone down.
Show up - really show up.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need a perfect body, or a perfect life.
Just follow what makes your heart light up. Say no to what drains you. Make changes when you need to.
And please - donate blood. I wouldn’t have had that extra year without it. And that year gave me memories I’ll hold close… forever.
Thank you for reading this.
Live your life well.
And maybe… we’ll meet again someday.”
Holly 🩷
Repost & share Holly’s important advice. ❤️
Life Learner retweeted
🎉 August is done! 🎶
I’ve just completed all 31 daily composer posts for August over at MusicOfTheDay.co.uk - a full month of musical discovery, featuring:
✅ Composer bios
✅ Listening links (via YouTube)
✅ Short introductions
✅ A mix of legends and lesser-known voices
Life Learner retweeted
A few days delayed, but it's April, a new month, which means it’s time for me to give away a class set of novels via my book shop @ANewChapterBks.
For a chance to win, simply retweet this lil tweet.
Life Learner retweeted
I am going to post out a copy of these @microbit_edu game worksheets from my @dzBritish workshops to 5 people that retweet this or new followers! I will use a micro:bit to choose at random 😀🎮🕹️🚗👾
Life Learner retweeted
Ahh #worldbookday must be looming - awful plastic overly expensive costumes out in Asda and Sainsbury’s.
I will die on this hill…
Parents, buy your child a BOOK rather than a dressing up outfit.
#buyabookonworldbookday
Life Learner retweeted
This 100% It is why career teachers are quitting. We don’t know how to teach without wanting to do a great job. 20 years ago you could, but now this takes all your time and every ounce of your life leaving you drained. When being asked to instructional coach or mentor new teachers- which I have always done and loved- I now pause. Asking them to try and teach how we always have seems wrong now in my gut because should I really tell them why I have been a successful teacher because now that requires 50-60 hour weeks and always takes a day of my weekend. 25 years ago I could teach great and raise a family. Now it is like you sacrifice them for 10 months for work you aren’t even paid for. I can’t stop because I don’t even know another way to teach but the younger ones are drowning and realizing it’s too big of a sacrifice. I can’t look them in the eye and say I have hope for the system any time soon. Way more than money, teachers want time to prepare for teaching without sacrificing all of their time, money, and not sacrificing their own children. There is no reason for making it this hard or not understanding how it has changed and allowing less time than ever to accomplish any of it.
Life Learner retweeted
An effective way of derailing OFSTED is for no serving or retired school leaders to choose to inspect. Don’t pretend you can make applying an OFSTED framework better, by being ‘nice’, and don’t do it to gain insider knowledge. If you think it’s wrong, don’t collaborate in it.
Life Learner retweeted
From 5 judgement areas to 11.
A 4 point grading system to 5.
The point is that an inspection team struggles to effectively judge a school in 2 days.
I don't really understand how the proposed changes to Ofsted actually help schools and school leaders?
Life Learner retweeted
Every month this year, I intend to give away a full class set of one book via @ANewChapterBks - I truly believe a full class set is one of the most valuable resources a teacher can have when teaching reading.
No faff to enter, just retweet and consider yourself in.
January.
Life Learner retweeted
£324,949 pension income difference 😱
I asked AI to create profiles of two teachers.
Twin A and Twin B with identical 39 year careers finishing this year.
🫤 They work as teachers from 25-35
🤑They work in SLT from 35-45
😀They go back to regular teaching from 45-64
Twin A locked in their best 3 years with a one month TPS break and then took their pension at 59 years and 6 months before working until 64.
Twin B did not lock in their best 3 years and did not claim their pension until 64.
What might be the different cash incomes of the two twins in pension income at age 76?
Without taking into account inflation:
Twin A Total Pension: £263,250
Twin B Total Pension: £588,199
£324,949 pension income difference 😱
Know your Teacher Pension rules? How would you advise this person?
Turned 60 this week and have done absolutely nothing about claiming my 20k teacher pension. If I don’t need it yet - say until I am 64, can I just leave it where it is, continue teaching, and it will build up?
22%Yes, ker-ching at 64!
18%No, you lose £60,000 😱
60%I don't know, but should!
1,046 votes • Final results Life Learner retweeted
A renewed appeal from Catherine, #JackOSullivan’s fraught and anguished mum.
Please keep spreading the word ♥️
Life Learner retweeted
Today (2 Sept) marks six months since 23-year-old Jack O'Sullivan went missing following a night out in the Hotwells area of Bristol.
We have again renewed our appeal for information to find Jack. If you saw anything, call 101 ref 5224055172.
avonandsomerset.police.uk/ne…
Life Learner retweeted
A small thread on live marking:
I've found, as many of us have, that marking in the moment has by far the most impact and reduces after-school workload. Me and any additional adults always circulating. But teachers say they find it hard, and it's almost always for same reason...
