iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Dan Worker

Steplab @steplab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

🎉 Steplab Summer Reads - Giveaway #2 Win: 📖 Symbiosis by Claire Hill & Kat Howard 📚 Steplab whitepapers 💧 Steplab water bottle 🖊️ Notepad & pen To enter: 1️⃣ Follow us 2️⃣ Like this post 3️⃣ Repost Enter by 9:00am Friday 31 July. Winner announced the same day. Good luck!

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Thought provoking as always! Interested in your suggestion of more public sector jobs open to non-graduates unless necessary for role. Would teachers also be an example of where a degree is necessary? There are suggestions from commentators that teaching should become more open to non-grads.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

I’m sure it is a mix of factors. But my observation as a school leader would be that Maths teaching has improved. Much more focus on explicit instruction and mastery. This means students’ confidence is much improved. And have confidence to go into further study.

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Rebecca Montacute @beckymontacute.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

A big (and very welcome) announcement from government today on free school meal eligibilty, widening it to all children on families eligible for UC. A quick thread on these changes, and the remaining challenges 🧵 www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion...

suttontrust.com

Taking hunger out of the classroom. - The Sutton Trust

Unpacking the Government's decision to widen FSM access to all households on universal credit.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

These are the kind of policies I want to see from a Labour government. This directly gives families the help they need and tackles child hunger. But will make a big difference in schools. Improving concentration and behaviour - factors which will have a direct impact on outcomes and life chances.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

This is key to the debate. Knowledge is deeply disciplinary.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Continually depressing to me how there is no policy area where you don't have to keep litigating the same shit. Essentially every old wealthy country has tried both approaches and we KNOW that having a curriculum that focuses on knowledge, not 'the skills of the future' works better.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Same can of course be said of group work in which lack of accountability allows passivity to go unchecked.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The phrase ‘teachers deliver to passive students’ gets me. In what ways are students listening to effective explanation, engaging in Q&A and deliberate practice passive. Of course possible, but not the intention.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Attention to Learning has actually been one of our focus for CPD this year. Looking at ratio, attention contagion and means of participation. I think this is probably one of the most important things we can focus on in the classroom.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I’ve never seen much point in writing a T&L Policy. But certainly there is a need to communicate a school’s vision for T&L in some way. But making that vision lived is surely about implementation. And that requires effective training and follow-up.

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Phil Stock @philstock.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Part I of a new series of blogs looking at how we’re putting inclusion at the very heart of our school. This post describes the overall structure. researchschool.org.uk/greenshaw/ne...

researchschool.org.uk

Our Graduated Response: A whole school approach

Phil Stock talks through moving towards a whole school model of how to support pupils with different levels of need.

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Schools Week @schoolsweek.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

'The inspectorate is caught between the political rock of a manifesto commitment and the psychometric hard place of inspection validity'

buff.ly

How many times should Ofsted 'rethink' a bad idea?

Its current proposals are ill-conceived - but so is the very idea of more data for school accountability

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Reposted by Dan Worker

Education Policy Institute @edupolicyinst.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

📊Pupil absence is a key, and growing, driver of the disadvantage gap. If disadvantaged pupils had the same level of absence as their peers, the gap at age 11 would be almost 1 month smaller, and at age 16, over 4 months smaller. In fact, absence fully explains the gap-widening at age 16 since 2019

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

“Teachers are curriculum makers…however, policy dev over the last 30 plus yrs have not necessarily resulted in sufficient focus on practice on this critical aspect of teachers’ professionalism” (Impact) Great wrk happening on curriculum, perhaps more needed to consolidate as key aspect of profession

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Great starting point for considering factors in school improvement.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Really interesting thread on potential negative impact OFSTED framework could have on SLT collaboration 👇👇👇

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NAHT @naht.org.uk · 03/02/2025

Ofsted struggled to offer a fair, reliable and consistent single-word rating during a 2-day inspection, but seems to think it can judge multiple complex areas in the same timeframe, piling more unnecessary pressure on school leaders and their staff. 🔗 bit.ly/3WJrux4

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Interesting read for any school leaders in process on introducing T Levels.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

This is a really important part of the discussion which needs to be had around SEND. FFT published some interesting data on SEND figures and season of birth. Paper on it available here: sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cp/...

sticerd.lse.ac.uk

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Great day at #PiXL Pleasure to share the work we have done on improving outcomes for high prior attainers. Thanks to everyone who attended the session!

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Had discussion this week on the value of History in the curriculum. It is exactly because we are in a period of change that History will be as valuable as ever. Just because we are getting more technologically advanced doesn’t mean STEM is all that matters. And in ‘post-truth’ world it will be key.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

This is why you don't design curricula around "jobs of the future". We can't predict the future but we do know what general skills and knowledge will be valuable whatever job you do.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

FFT links to interesting paper on this outlining implications of the data. sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cp/...

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

So important! We’ve tried to build time in department into our CPD . So after whole-school training teams can discuss and plan their implementation. Giving Heads of Department time in advance to think about it, so they can lead their teams through this. We want fidelity to principles not uniformity.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

I find this a really interesting point. I suppose my instinct is that a lot of the TLAC style techniques are really useful in developing a mental model which expert teachers can draw on. But there needs to be deep subject-specific thinking and discussion around how these work in different contexts.

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headsroundtable.bsky.social @headsroundtable.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

We have written to the SoS Education in support of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We have summarised it here in a letter to The Times and the included in an article.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

It’s Wednesday afternoon. So that means staff briefing and our weekly Tips of the Week. This week was all about Brightening the Lines. Some quick and easy tips to implement. 1. Display a countdown timer 2. Narrate timing reminder 3. Use a consistent signal to start. #EduSky

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

100% agree with this. And I wonder how variations in PCK change the way teams work together. Does the shared pedagogical approach in a Science team change the way they work together? How do they have to work together differently to the way and an English team has to work together?

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Taking this further, perhaps different operational need impacts on the nature of collaboration? History teams often collaborate around shared approach to teaching procedural knowledge (e.g.source analysis). Little need for collaboration on logistics. In practical subject this is needed much more.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Interesting. Can definitely see that. My thinking is a little superficial on this at the moment. But things like practicals in Science, use of technicians in Tech, fieldwork in Geography come to mind. They impact on the way the teams have to operate together. Although examples are operational.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Been thinking a lot about what makes effective subject teams, from a disciplinary perspective. I.e. What is it that makes an effective Science team different from an effective History team? There is obviously subject knowledge. But I think there is more to it. Curious on thoughts from others!

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Rather than being in conflict with the previous Head, he should work with her. Jen clearly had many strengths as a leader, whose support and guidance could be leverage. But I think a candid conversation needs to be had about the situation. Better to have this directly and get in the open.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Interesting. I wonder whether in this case it will require two phases. The first will be about ‘getting stuff done’, addressing urgent issues around marking. The second, about ‘collective endeavour’, changing the culture. Individual actions can then be considered in this context.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Being ‘transactional’ may be beneficial in terms of offering clear guidelines in a challenging period for the school. But relationships and context are important in leadership. So risk is people don’t buy into what he is trying to do.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Love this! ‘This is just how we do things here’!

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Clarity will build trust. There will be an appropriate time to acknowledge mistakes made. But publicly the focus should on amplifying the positive. In this case the positives of professional conduct. Make it clear in every meeting this is valued by acknowledging when it is evident.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

A priority for me would be reestablishing professional conduct. Especially on marking. Review policies, talk about this in briefing, narrate it in meetings.

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Adam Boxer @adamboxereducation.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Really enjoying this thread! Lots of good ideas and some good honest discussion about what works and what might not. Imo important for bluesky to be somewhere between "oh isn't that a lovely idea" and "you're literally a nazi for doing that in class"

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

In clip it is pretty pacy. But that was the problem I found in practice. And why I’ve started using seating plan to do it. Adds some accountability for me to scan and tick off names on seating plan to make sure 100% on task. Good use of the ‘golden silence’ before I start circulating.

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Helen Bevan @helenbevan.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

"Team rituals" are regular activities/practices, eg huddles, team lunches, check-ins, celebrations. New research shows teams with more rituals have more engagement, psychological safety, knowledge & job satisfaction, leading to higher productivity/performance: lnkd.in/eXNNvP-G Art: lnkd.in/e_XmBeg9

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Been working on ‘narrating the positives’. Saw a great @steplab.bsky.social clip with a teacher writing names on board and ticking off as they met the MOP. Worked great with Y7 and been using my seating plan to so same with Y10. Found it so useful I showed the clip in staff briefing.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

7/ I’d love to hear ideas from others on what they will be doing to make the different with Year 11. Comment and share!

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

5/ ORGANISE REVISION SEMINAR In the final weeks, collapse the timetable and hold targeted revision seminars based on upcoming exams.

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Dan Worker @dworker.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

4/ SHARE A FORTNIGHTLY FOCUS Introduce a fortnightly theme for Year 11, such as “Motivation” or “Exam Resilience.” Roll this out through assemblies, tutor sessions, and staff briefings to ensure consistency of message.

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