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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Listening to discussion around the report on white working class (WWC) underachievement, it is easy to forget the social realities that shape educational experience. Our school system is not separate from the wider factors shaping our societal imagination.

bbc.co.uk

White working-class children 'failed by schools system'

The inquiry spoke to thousands of young people and their parents, as well as hundreds of teachers.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

We need to see this in the context of people also believing employment doesn't work. Is the solution to make degrees more employability focused? No. Real terms pay has been in decline for the last 30 years & the UK is the most unequal country in Europe. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Student loan inquiry begins as a third of people say university degree not worth it

MPs will hear the concerns of graduates about the size of their student debts, and the interest rates.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

There's a lot of talk about the curriculum, but at the critical moment when students are choosing their post-16 courses, its importance easily gets lost. Here's why we need to make sure it's central to their decision-making. theconversation.com/too-many-stu... @theconversation.com

theconversation.com

Too many students drop out of A-levels – here’s how to help them pick a course they’ll stick with

Students are choosing to spend hundreds of hours studying a subject, not just a path to university.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

In a newly published paper, I show that it is possible to reliably measure students' post-16 curricular interests & that these interests are consequential to their future academic success. This is about operationalising subject curiosity & passion in new ways. tinyurl.com/42jfvran

tinyurl.com

Rethinking post-16 course choice: developing a tool to measure curricular interest and support learner progression

Young people’s decisions about post-16 courses are critical to their educational and career trajectories. Yet too often, students make these choices with limited reflection on the curricular conten...

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Let no one have any doubts, the Royal Family would have known exactly what Andrew was doing on the Balmoral Estate. Indeed, also who Andrew's friends were and what his proclivities were. It is impossible they were not aware. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3...

bbc.co.uk

Email by 'A' from 'Balmoral' asked Ghislaine Maxwell for 'inappropriate friends', Epstein files show - live updates

The emails do not indicate any wrongdoing. The BBC has contacted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's team for a response.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

My latest article now published, exploring the importance of subject-specific interests in post-16 course choices - a neglected area of guidance. Rethinking post-16 course choice: developing a tool to measure curricular interest and support learner progression www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Rethinking post-16 course choice: developing a tool to measure curricular interest and support learner progression

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Too much educational research is reductive, viewing education solely through the lens of outputs, defined by the capitalist state as a means to regulate the employment market (while giving the lie to meritocracy). In fact, the blackbox of learning is largely ignored.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

I recently heard campaigner @natashadevon.bsky.social in conversation with @zackpolanski.bsky.social discuss changes in education & curriculum. Natasha described asking pupils in a prep school for their opinions, explaining there was no right or wrong answer, but there had been silence.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Our important study on how CfW is supporting equity and inclusion has been published by the Welsh Government. The research highlights the EI work being done across Welsh schools, the challenges they face & key tensions which will need to overcome. www.gov.wales/equity-and-i...

gov.wales

Equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales: a qualitative study | GOV.WALES

This report presents findings from qualitative research with senior leaders and practitioners exploring the theme of equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

It's one thing to measure grit or growth mindset in psychological studies, another to operationalise insights that actually benefit individuals in the complex contexts of their lives. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

telegraph.co.uk

Children to be taught to show some ‘grit’

Pupils need more robust mental health, say ministers in drive to tackle worklessness crisis

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

I went to the supermarket on my bike this morning. As I was leaving a group of 3 teenage boys, I approached: Excuse me, sir, would you like an ice-cream? We bought a box of 4 and have 1 over." We need to worry about misogyny & violence influencing boys. But let's never be quick to judge either.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

In business, parties seek maximum advantage with minimal obligation. Even complex deals remain limited in scope. Diplomacy, however, is different. Its consequences are unpredictable, and unintended fallout is often severe. (1/10) #ovalofficmugging #presidentTrump #VPJDVance #presidentZelensky

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

This is the grim face of capital manifest in political power. Trump isn't interested in anything but how money can be made from Ukraine's situation. Money for the elites. All Western governments have been complicit in this kind of thing, just not as explicitly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...

bbc.co.uk

Trump tells Zelensky 'make a deal or we're out' in angry White House meeting - follow live

A joint news conference is cancelled after the US president calls his Ukrainian counterpart

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

If the English national curriculum is going to change, please can we make sure kids learn to critically evaluate the promises of politicians, understand how capital operates to exploit workers & be empowered to participate fully in all aspects of civil society. Otherwise, what's the point.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

In education, it’s rarely the mechanisms or processes adopted that cause positive outcomes; rather, it’s the negative aspects they prevent and the process's unintended effects on relational learning dynamics that bring benefits. That often unravels when processes become hard-baked into systems.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

The US artist Georgia O'Keefe said: Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous. Interest is a forgotten aspect of learning, but it's essential. It builds commitment, without which we can't effectively engage with knowledge.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I'm working with 2 FE colleges in Wales on the development of a new application to support transitions into post-16 ed. We're focused on building students' learning dispositions, while also generating timely data to improve the support colleges provide, especially to yp affected by poverty.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I'm currently writing up research commissioned by Welsh Gov on the way schools are enacting CfW to support equity & inclusion. This qualitative research has provided valuable insights into how schools are curriculum making & perceive their role in tackling inequalities in education.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Important research which highlights the significance of values within primary school contexts & their role in fostering a sense of belonging.

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Dr Nigel Newton @drnnewton.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

My book provides evidence for the importance of values such as mutual respect & equality to how pupils engage with learning opportunities provided in schools. There are important insights here about knowledge & curricula applicable across all learning contexts. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

link.springer.com

Values, Relationships and Engagement in Quaker Education

This book draws its research from the Quaker schools in England to state that values matter more to learning than is often acknowledged.

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