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barbaraks.bsky.social

@barbaraks.bsky.social
56 followers 109 following 36 posts

Mother to teens and English teacher. In a different iteration of the algorithm, a hermit in the wild woods. Or a poet. Always reading

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Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.social
Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I've talked to the Reform councillor in Portsmouth who had to explain to a masked vigilante mob outside the city's Marriott hotel that a group of young men who had arrived on a coach were not asylum seekers but an U21 cricket team from Pakistan. He called it a “massively unfortunate incident”.
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Honestly, how is this news? We’ve been writing about this for years.
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/07/2026
right hello bit late to the game, but glad to see France are wearing their cunty little kits tonight
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I've signed and sent a letter - from authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, scholars and performers - to express our deep concern at @exeter.ac.uk’s troubling plans to make mass redundancies within the Humanities Dept @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social. I would love it if you read and shared widely.
Dear Vice Chancellor, Provost, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Humanities,
Arts and Social Sciences and Chair of Council (cc Director of Human Resources and Chief Financial
Officer)
We write, as authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, publishers, academics and performers in the public
sphere, to express our deep concern at the University of Exeter’s plans to make redundancies within the
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). The cuts come at a point when Exeter is not in
deficit, and they are not distributed equally across the university. With 114 of the proposed 153 FTE
academic redundancies falling within HASS, the University is dismantling areas of established excellence
and international renown in a Russell Group University whose reputation is known to be outstanding in the
Humanities. Several of the disciplines subject to the proposed cuts, including Classics and Ancient History,
English and Creative Writing, History, and Theology and Religion are among the UK’s strongest according
to league tables, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF),
and other recognised indicators, including QS World Rankings.
The extent of the proposed cuts is both shocking and misguided. Exeter is seeking to make up to 20
academics redundant in English and Creative Writing, out of a headcount of 62. In Languages and Visual
Culture upwards of 17 colleagues will be made redundant, decimating subjects including Art History and
Visual Culture, French, German, Italian, Hispanic Studies, Russian and Chinese. 5 posts will go or have
gone in Classics and Ancient History (2 academics have already left), out of a staff body of 20. In Theology
and Religion up to 5 academics will be made redundant out of a group of 13. In History over 17 colleagues
will be made redundant, out of a staff body of 53. In the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies staff are
facing a headcount reduction of almost a third (6FTE out …
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
What if Andy Burnham could raise £15bn – without a tax rise? There's one catch. He'd need to solve the UK’s biggest and least-discussed tax problem. Almost half of all small business corporation tax isn't being paid - and nobody knows why. Thread:
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
There is a viral video going around on X and Facebook which has been seized on by the far-right. It claims to show a young British Asian destroying a dry stone wall. But as so often with such ragebait, the video isn't what it seems. Here is my, probably forlorn, attempt to correct the record.
open.substack.com
The far-right and a dry stone wall
a viral video promoted by racists is not what it seems
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
“I’ve had more complaints at governor panel level in the last six to 12 months than I had in the previous 10 years put together" The huge increase in parental complaints are a known issue in the sector, but what is driving that rapid uptick? www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
tes.com
Why are schools getting more complaints than ever?
Headteachers are reporting a surge in complaints from parents. Ellen Peirson-Hagger explores the reasons for this and asks experts how the process could be made more manageable for overstretched schoo...
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
The Daily Telegraph currently owned by a private equity vehicle RedBird IMI - based in the UAE and led by Italian American Gerry Cardinale and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Patriotic news. For patriotic people. Who don't want to pay taxes.
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Do schools need to change course on behaviour? Research offers a number of approaches to tackling behaviour that have had little large-scale run out in schools - is that because teachers don't trust them or they haven't had chance to prove they work? www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
tes.com
Do schools need to change course on behaviour?
'Bad' behaviour is damaging teacher wellbeing and disrupting learning, despite successive governments trying to tackle it. Could findings from behavioural psychology and child development hold the ans...
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English and Media Centre @engmediacentre.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
How is poetry really taught in secondary schools today? We’re mapping the national picture in England. English teachers, your professional insight is essential! 5 minute survey: tinyurl.com/238cz6mu Project supported by Christ Church's Tower Poetry Development Grant​
tinyurl.com
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.
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The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
This is a lie. There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years. But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
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Sarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 30/09/2025
Apropos of nothing. www.glamour.com/story/the-mi...
glamour.com
The Misogynistic Abuse Directed at Rory McIlroy’s Wife at the Ryder Cup Is Deeper Than Golf
It shows a cultural shift, one in which men feel emboldened to attack women in public without shame or consequence.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Any time I talk about a wealthy person's outfit, someone in the comments is quick to reply: "They're rich, you think they care?" No one has to care about my opinions or clothes, regardless of net worth. But let's talk about the connection between wealth and aesthetics 🧵
Someone on Twitter writes: "You think he gives a shit? His company (and net worth) went up in magnitudes of billions during his presentation yesterday. That's the last thing he cares about. :laughing emoji:
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 02/06/2025
‘Today, “fascism” is useful as a political concept only in so far as it enables us to spot its destructive potential before it fully discloses itself. As Primo Levi wrote,“‘it happened, therefore it can happen again.”’ @trillingual.bsky.social on far-right populism: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Daniel Trilling · Is this fascism?
As the historian Ian Kershaw says, trying to define fascism is ‘like trying to nail jelly to a wall’, yet for all...
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Race is a social construct. But what does that mean, and why do we say this? An explainer, in the wake of Trump being racist and wrong (pt 675) www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
'Biological reality': What genetics has taught us about race
As US President Donald Trump takes aim at the Smithsonian Institution for "anti-American ideology", Adam Rutherford examines what the science of genetics has taught us about race.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia? Before you open this thread, take a guess. Settle on a number and then compare it to what you'll learn in this thread. 🧵
A photo of a bunch of Nike shoes.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
After a tip-off from a wild camper, we went to investigate a recent moorland burning incident on Dartmoor this weekend. It's in an SSSI & SAC, on peat over 40cm deep, & on land belonging to... Alexander Darwall. So did @naturalengland.bsky.social, DEFRA and Darwall give permission for this burn?
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Today, more than 700 representatives from across the arts & education world signed an open letter in @thetimes.com, calling for more opportunities for arts education for every child from every background. I was pleased to sign on behalf of the @oracycommission.bsky.social
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Hey all, I started a substack, as I belive is a legal requirement for middle aged men. Warning: contains science, snark, light swearing. All free, for now. open.substack.com/pub/arutherf...
open.substack.com
Punctuated equilibrium
Here we go. I have finally joined Substack. Science, history, politics, and possibly some pop culture.
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Gaby Hinsliff @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Morning all. I really liked this by @johnharris1969.bsky.social on ‘Spotifycore’, aka bland filler background music for people half-listening that could easily (will soon) be made by AI; can identify the same tendency I think in Netflix content & publishing www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Spotify’s biggest sin? Its algorithms have pushed artists to make joyless, toothless music | John Harris
Most musicians can only make money on the platform by writing songs inoffensive enough to get on to one of its vapid playlists, says Guardian columnist John Harris
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Laura McInerney @missmc.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Having had arguments with the DfE where they pitched 30th May as “still spring”, I hope they know the ordinary school understanding of this is “by Easter”.
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John Dickens @johndickenssw.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
I’ve been digging into the quality of EHCPs, plans that parents are dragged through court sometimes to obtain, and that are bankrupting councils What’s actually in them? Are they good quality? Personalised? Include interventions backed by evidence? Are they fully funded? The answer often is no
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Schools Week @schoolsweek.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Special investigation: Interventions lacking evidence, copy and paste plans, health and social care missing - Schools Week reveals how EHCPs are failing vulnerable children
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Investigation: How EHCPs fail our most vulnerable children
England now spends nearly £11 billion providing education for children with additional needs. But what does the funding in EHCPs actually get spent on?
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Apropos of nothing: THERE WILL NEVER EVER EVER BE A CLONED MAMMOTH. <Message ends>
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DanC @danc.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
More of this, please. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The left keeps getting identity politics wrong – and the right is benefiting from that | Ash Sarkar
Instead of liberation, we’ve ended up with competitive grievance, weaponised victimhood, and a focus on ‘I’ not ‘us’, says author and activist Ash Sarkar
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SouthGlosHead @southgloshead.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
This is a long but fascinating read: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
The number of people with chronic conditions is soaring. Are we less healthy than we used to be – or overdiagnosing illness?
Are ordinary life experiences, bodily imperfections and normal differences being unnecessarily pathologised? One doctor argues just that
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
➡️ How ‘efficiency’ derailed education The system has become too obsessed with a flawed argument for efficiency and has lost its purpose, argues @bernardandrews.bsky.social A challenging essay that is well worth your time this morning. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
tes.com
How ‘efficiency’ derailed education
The education system has become too obsessed with efficiency and has lost its true purpose, argues Bernard Andrews
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
A stark picture of the nation’s declining PE & sport provision for young people: www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/f...
theguardian.com
Britain has 7,000 fewer PE teachers since London 2012 Olympics, MPs told
An inquiry found 30% of children do less than 30 minutes of exercise a day while Olympian said physical literacy should have higher status in schools
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Was told today that, since the pay-walling of Cirencester Park ten months ago, there has been a 72% reduction in people visiting. That's 72% fewer people accessing their green space, getting less fit, getting more stressed, all to financially benefit one of the wealthiest aristocrats in Britain.
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Mary Myatt @marymyatt.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
When we are making judgements about whether pupils and students are making progress, there can be a tendency to think that data on a spreadsheet can indicate something absolute about standards. /1
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Dr Amy-Jane Beer @amyjanebeer.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
We knew pet tick & flea treatments contaminate every river via domestic effluents. Now we see they are poisoning bird nests too. These hideously ecotoxic compounds are already banned in agriculture so why are they still freely available for pets? www.pan-uk.org/garden-birds...
pan-uk.org
Garden birds are being poisoned by pet flea treatments - Pesticide Action Network UK
Garden birds, such as blue tits and great tits, are being poisoned by pesticides found in pet tick and flea treatments.
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Laura McInerney @missmc.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
My hot take on the Ofsted stuff is that, if you had a well-funded system with lots of extra people, it would help drive school improvement (and *could* reduce stress). As the system currently stands: I’m concerned it’ll drown people in workload.
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Right to Roam @righttoroam.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
REVEALED: over 1/4 of England's ancient landmarks have no right of public access. Analysis from Right to Roam indicates over 5,500 scheduled monuments were off-limits, with trespass the only way to fully experience our heritage. Read more here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ancient landmarks closed off to walkers, campaigners say
They include a neolithic burial mound in Wiltshire and an Iron Age hill fort on the edge of Dartmoor.
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EngLangBlog @englangblog.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
A fascinating overview of the whole WOTY business and why it doesn't quite catch what's really happening, from @tonythorne007.bsky.social theconversation.com/most-words-o...
theconversation.com
Most ‘words of the year’ don’t actually tell us about the state of the world – here’s what I’d pick instead
Words of the year do not have to be new coinages, but may be existing words that seem to have become particularly apposite or resonant.
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
The Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade led to a 7% increase in infant mortality in the USA. Well done all involved. www.ajmc.com/view/infant-...
ajmc.com
Infant Mortality Increases Across US Following Dobbs Decision
The Dobbs decision was associated with a 7% absolute increase in overall infant mortality—equivalent to 247 excess deaths—and a 10% increase among infants with congenital anomalies, corresponding to 2...
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English and Media Centre @engmediacentre.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
HAPPY CHRISTMAS READING! Which books would you recommend this Christmas? Here's the 2024 list from the EMC team. www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/emc-chr...
englishandmedia.co.uk
EMC Christmas Reads 2024
EMC's annual Xmas Reads list - what are your Xmas recommendations?
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Well done to @voice21oracy.bsky.social on being shortlisted for @prca-hq.bsky.social‘s 'Voluntary Sector Campaign of the Year' for the 'We Need to Talk' oracy campaign: oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/wp-content/u...
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M.J. Crockett @mjcrockett.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Is it Bad to leave Twitter? No. Here are 7+ years of insights from my lab’s research that explain why. Featuring work w/ @williambrady.bsky.social @killianmcloughlin.bsky.social 🧵
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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
This obituary for the award-winning costume designer of Peaky Blinders, Stephanie Collie, is a wonderful tribute to her research process and skill. It’s easy to criticise costumes in TV historical dramas, but historical inaccuracies are rarely errors, they’re often storytelling choices
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
The number of pheasants released into Britain's countryside has increased TEN FOLD since Roald Dahl wrote Danny the Champion of the World. I went for a walk in pheasant country for the @CountryfileMag Plodcast - have a listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/12Uv...
open.spotify.com
274. A walk in Roald Dahl country with environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole
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Jon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
(From the Twitter Archive #1) Deep in my valley is a tree so old it makes my bones ache. There are only a handful like it in the country, and its boughs harbour some of our oldest stories. Yet almost no-one has ever seen it. 🧵
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Mark Avery @markavery.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
I would like you, please, to sign this petition to ban driven grouse shooting. The first under a Labour government. 10k signatures gets a government response, 100k a debate in Westminster parliament. UK residents & UK citizens living abroad can sign. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Ban driven grouse shooting
Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that driven grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; we think grouse shooting is economically insignifi...
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
There's no point just telling pupils how to learn - you need to embrace mechanistic metacognition: telling them why they should learn that way. Then watch outcomes increase, says Jared Cooney Horvath A big read, particularly good for planning revision www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
tes.com
‘Mechanistic’ metacognition: the key to student agency?
If we want students to take control of their learning, we first need to implement mechanistic metacognition so that they understand how best to learn, argues Jared Cooney Horvath
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Hello, new BlueSky followers. In April, I was proud to be asked to chair the Oracy Education Commission. You can read our final report ('We Need to Talk') here: tinyurl.com/yr9pp9af And there are dozens of podcast conversations exploring #oracy in its many forms: open.spotify.com/show/5UwEJKk...
open.spotify.com
The Commission Conversations
Podcast · The Oracy Education Commission · Commission Conversations are short dialogues, discussions, and debates compiled by the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England. They are desig...
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Daisy Christodoulou @daisychristo.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
A lot of discussion lately about the reasons for the decline of Eng Lit A-level. Are the Gove curriculum & exam reforms to blame? I don't think so, because the decline of Eng Lit / the humanities more broadly is a global trend. More here.
buff.ly
The fall of Eng Lit
What is the cause, is it a problem - and if so, what can we do about it?
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Jon Hutchinson @jonhutchinson.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
It’s important that everyone’s views and experiences are represented in this call for evidence on curriculum & assessment in England. Some groups, such as people of colour, have not always been well represented. If that’s you, please do complete & share! consult.education.gov.uk/curriculum-a...
consult.education.gov.uk
Curriculum and Assessment Review - Department for Education - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by the Department for Education
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
New post just out: "Dropping Out" Why improvements to school standards are at serious risk. (Free to read) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/d...
open.substack.com
Dropping Out
Why improvements in school standards are at serious risk
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