barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 2hNot that I’m suggesting you have mental health problems, but I remember there being a problem with the smoking ban and mental health impatient wards because there is a much higher proportion of MH patients who smoke than average 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 10/10/2026I really worry about R4. I don’t want to search endless podcast content on different platforms. Or even worse, let the algorithms choose for me. I just want to turn the radio on and it be good. I was quite happy to pay my licence fee just for that. But soon it won’t be worth it 110
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I’ve lost count of the number of Ofsteds I’ve been involved in now. They were all pointless in whichever guise. I don’t even think parents give a shit anymore. Absolute waste of time and money 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Given that the threshold is only just above minimum wage, if you have a job a graduate is repaying loans. Unless you have been part time (ie women) most people on plan 1 will have mostly repaid their loans now. 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Because I am PAYE I don’t get to am do all the sneaky little tax offsets every self employed person does. I don’t have access to a salary sacrifice car. I don’t get to put everything through the business to avoid VAT. I don’t get a bonus. 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026What is it with Bluesky mansplaining my life to me today? My wages have increased by less than inflation every single year. Pension contributions have increased but the end payout doesn’t change- in effect a pay cut. Everything has gone up faster than my wages can pay for it 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026And everything else costs so much more so less cash left over when the bills are paid 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026You are missing the point. The loans aren’t enough to cover their immediate costs. I have to subsidise quite considerably. And I have 3 children and we literally can’t afford it 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The loans cover the £9k fees and then extra maintenance loans then parental contribution is expected by the government. But even that doesn’t cover their costs. So I will be investing significantly as a parent and they will have 45k debt. And it’s unclear whether it will be worth it 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026It is when there aren’t jobs for them and they can’t afford to buy a house even if they do get a graduate job. What’s the point? So yes, I would say high risk, in that the returns are quite possibly low 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Exactly. The loans don’t cover even the rent. Parents have to cover the rest- £500 a month, maybe more. If all 3 go I will have take a loan to cover that 100
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026But I’m a teacher and already can’t afford the mortgage. Especially now my teenagers’ education is about to be the most expensive and risky investment we’ve made. And the returns are likely to be low. 110
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 17/09/2026He talks about it on This cultural life, which was excellent if you haven’t already listened 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 14/09/2026They have a lot more cash than eg teachers (except not officially because a suspicious number of them earn about £12,499 a year) and don’t pay a shit ton in student usury. But then I don’t suppose many politicians would want their own children to become teachers either 140
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialPeter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I'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”. 1521080
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialAdam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Honestly, how is this news? We’ve been writing about this for years. 311425
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialMarie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/07/2026right hello bit late to the game, but glad to see France are wearing their cunty little kits tonight 132378
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialAdam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 13/07/2026I'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. 9224126
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 08/07/2026What’s even worse is when they say- we’re not doing this for Ofsted (aka we absolutely are) and then Ofsted come along and say, that was what we wanted last time, why are you still doing it? 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 02/07/2026We’ve just had this conversation at home- my view is that if it matters so much to you as a family that you want to stay up, either a) own it and go in sleep deprived or b) own it and don’t go in and it’s an unauthorised absence. Not schools decision to make for you. 3130
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialDan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 01/07/2026What 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: 42540271
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Your podcast got a mention at the DfE unlocking reading session in Birmingham today 110
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Access to the countryside and other common land in towns also vital for children. The privatisation of play is so engrained and endemic no one has noticed. Often the only safe and accessible places for children to play have entrance fees, and so outdoor play is also a class/ income issue 030
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 08/06/2026I heard someone on the radio (can’t remember who) talking about how if we understood the internet as a public place and not a private space, it would be much easier to bring in regulation and then also people would be more likely to conform to the social norms they follow in their daily lives 010
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialJon Moses @jon-moses.bsky.social · 20/04/2026There 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.comThe far-right and a dry stone walla viral video promoted by racists is not what it seems 56527
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 15/04/2026This is excellent. I love it when the translation is better than the original - like Cacofonix is better than Assurancetourix in Asterix 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 25/02/2026I’m glad (as the parent of 3 teens) for once me and the elite consensus are on the same page 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 23/02/2026I don’t teach lotf, but if I did, I would find this very useful 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 15/02/2026That would be me- and my mum and dad. Sister in law and her husband. Auntie and her husband… 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 11/02/2026Great resource, really helped us with paper section B discourses. Thank you! 110
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialJon 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.comWhy 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... 122
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialOtto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 08/02/2026The 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. 531430640
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialJon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 04/02/2026Do 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.comDo 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... 033
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 24/01/2026It would help a lot if Ofqual said no to printing in different colours- use of coloured paper in secondary schools will persist as long as they validate it as a reasonable adjustment 000
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialEnglish and Media Centre @engmediacentre.bsky.social · 14/01/2026How 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 Granttinyurl.com 01213
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 10/12/2025My parents have both been on the jury for a rape case where a verdict of not guilty had to be returned because it could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt that consent was not given. However angry we might be at the lack of justice, in a trial of he said/ she said it’s difficult to prove guilt 000
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 21/11/2025And the way they calculate the holiday allowance (in England) means that we can’t tag annual leave to Mat leave like everyone else, meaning teachers have to return to work sooner than everyone else too 010
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 21/11/2025Segregation would also put men at risk. The people most at risk from male violence is other men (70%+ of homicide victims). And this is why men don’t always police other men’s behaviour. 030
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialSam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 18/11/2025The 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. 29988286
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialThe Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 07/10/2025This 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. 11833731835
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialSarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 30/09/2025Apropos of nothing. www.glamour.com/story/the-mi...glamour.comThe Misogynistic Abuse Directed at Rory McIlroy’s Wife at the Ryder Cup Is Deeper Than GolfIt shows a cultural shift, one in which men feel emboldened to attack women in public without shame or consequence. 614243
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialderek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 01/07/2025Any 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 🧵 604259578
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialLondon 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.ukDaniel 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... 0216
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 23/05/2025This resonates- I approached SLT hoping for support to do a masters in educational psychology at a nearby uni, part time, evenings etc. I just needed my PPA to be timetabled to allow leaving early occasionally. Instead of support I was just questioned how I would still be able to fulfil my role 110
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialAdam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2025Race 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 raceAs 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. 117059
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialderek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11/04/2025How 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. 🧵 22672872356
barbaraks.bsky.social @barbaraks.bsky.social · 31/03/2025Thank you for sharing. It would be nice to see some good come of this government 040
Reposted by @barbaraks.bsky.socialGuy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 25/03/2025After 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? 816677