Join us for our first event to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the free schools programme. A panel of five free school leaders will reflect on their motivations for setting up a new school. To register: ow.ly/18Xx50Gb6z9 #freeschoolsat10

Really good to spend this morning chatting with more families about how we are going to ensure that our new secondary school is excellent. Thanks to Cllr Goodchild for stopping by to talk about the town and the hope for the future.

A lot happening in education this week but the new EEF toolkit is definitely worth being aware of - new insights on research impacts by setting/ phase & even subjects were possible to help focus interventions/PP spend to have most impact tes.com/news/eef-tooki…

*** NEW POST *** Why Powerful Knowledge may not be what you think it is - trying to extract a powerful idea from a toxic debate. tes.com/news/powerful-… via Tes magazine

Helpful reminder from Rebecca Cramer & Ed Vainker in Schools Week that “although we welcome ASCL’s proposal regarding admissions for disadvantaged pupils, the truth is that schools can act now without the need for systemic reform”

A very thorough & informed piece by Nick Gibb on what now for the new ministers at Department for Education: conservativehome.com/platform/2021/…

Our next #ArkTalks: 'From Milk-Snatching to MATs – How has education in England changed in recent decades' takes place on Wed 29 Sept. Join Peter Mandler from Cambridge University, Leora Cruddas CBE & Sam Freedman, chaired by Chris Cook. Please sign up here: bit.ly/3Ey6Ghc

Delighted that Russell Viner Tim Coulson @NPorter83 Jon Yates Michael Merrick Ed Vainker are to join the Children's Commissioner for England Advisory Board. I couldn’t ask for better challenge and support for me and for the team as we launch #TheBigAsk survey results.

A really interesting piece about the completely uncontroversial topic of silent corridors, by Nathan Burns: tes.com/news/could-sil…

For anyone who hasn’t already subscribed, the Parents and Teachers for Excellence newsletter is well worth a read! This week @Irenaeus1969 is sharing part 2 of his ‘Seven Things that Made a Difference at Saint Martin’s’ parentsandteachers.org.uk/the-pte-newsle…

What I love about teaching is being able to refresh and recharge each year. Every September, I focus on ensuring that my classroom culture and curriculum implementation will be even better than the last. Thanks Parents and Teachers for Excellence for sharing my opinion piece parentsandteachers.org.uk/embracing-the-…

The PKC team are going to be sharing their #pkcblogoftheweek on here every week and what better way to start than this! Here is a blog by our very own Juli Ryzop @TeacherMsR featured by Parents and Teachers for Excellence parentsandteachers.org.uk/embracing-the-…

Today we have set out our approach to grading for #GCSEs, AS and #Alevels in summer 2022 and autumn 2021. We want to get back to pre-pandemic grading, but in the interests of fairness, we won’t do so in one jump. 👉 gov.uk/government/spe…

Exams are the fairest form of assessment and will take place in 2022. We’ve announced adaptations today that recognise the disruption caused to students, alongside plans for grading from Ofqual. Details below👇🏽 gov.uk/government/new…

Encouraging stuff. Exams are the least unfair assessment method we have.

This seems a very sensible reform: well done to DfE and Ofqual. We need credible exams and judgements for young people and employers and universities and colleges and this should do that

This is good. Strikes the balance between fairness to this years cohort whose education has been disrupted (generous grading, focussed content and in exam support) and to previous cohorts who did their exams before the pandemic (as we return back to normal standards over time).

This really is a non-story. "School teaches pupils the importance of importance of expressing themselves clearly & accurately, inc. in written exams” isn't controversial. 🤦‍♀️ theguardian.com/education/2021…