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Stephanie Keenan

@headofenglish.bsky.social
2K followers 1.7K following 637 posts

Head of Product, English, AQA

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Claire Stoneman @clairestoneman.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
New blog on the potency of space open.substack.com/pub/birmingh...
open.substack.com
A reflection on the potency of space in poetry, school leadership, and life
René Magritte, La Décalcomanie (1966)
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Dr Myfanwy Edwards @myf1990.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Don’t forget: Talking About Oracy from @lateteachers.bsky.social at @ucl.ac.uk IOE July 5th! londonenglishteachers.com/about/forthc... @draperel.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social @natefeed.bsky.social @headofenglish.bsky.social @runrober.bsky.social
londonenglishteachers.com
Forthcoming Conferences
Winter 2024 LATE Conference: ‘What Space for English?’ on 7th December
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The English Association @englishassociation.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Here’s @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social 😊👏🏽 wonderful talking about the purpose of poetry in education - we cd have listened for hours ! And our brilliant chair @jennyrichards.bsky.social adding her thoughts to close the session, inspired by his ⭐️keynote ⭐️ #ConferenceDay 🎉💫🥳
Photo of Michael Rosen reading a poem Photo of Michael Rosen talking Photo of out chair Jenny Richards addressing the conference at the end of the keynote Photo of Michael Rosen reading a poem
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The English Association @englishassociation.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
An exciting conference day🙌🏼 ! Opened by our fabulous CEO Dr Rebecca Fisher, first keynote introduced by chair of our EY & Primary committee, super duper Kirstie Hewitt - & brilliantly entertaining & hugely inspiring, action packed ! story rich keynote on poetry from @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social ❤️🎉💫👏🏽
Photo of conference in actionPhoto of conference in action Photo of Michael Rosen at our conference
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Wonkhe @wonkhe.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
This week on Wonkhe: The British Academy has released analysis of what social sciences, humanities, and arts graduates do after graduation. Pablo Roblero and Alfie Denness introduce the findings
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What SHAPE graduates do
The British Academy has released analysis of what social sciences, humanities, and arts graduates do after graduation. Pablo Roblero and Alfie Denness introduce the findings
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Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · 13/06/2025
This is a dream come true, a once in a lifetime honour. I am so utterly thrilled to have won the 2025 @womensprize.bsky.social for Non-Fiction. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who gave me such generous support in writing The Story of a Heart, especially Max & Keira’s incredible, wonderful families 🩷🫁🫀
Women’s prize trophy & photo of book of story of a heart
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Carl Hendrick @carlhendrick.substack.com · 14/06/2025
NEW POST on AI, learning and why knowing stuff still matters. carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-most-i...
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Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
This from @carlhendrick.substack.com brilliantly articulates the sum of all my fears. We will learn this, it's just a question of how much damage before we do.
Screenshot of text from Carl's piece.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
We titled our 2021 @britishacademy.bsky.social review of the societal effects of the pandemic ‘the Covid Decade’ as we argued that the pandemic would have long term effects - particularly in exacerbating existing inequalities www.theguardian.com/world/2021/m...
theguardian.com
UK faces 'Covid decade' due to damage done by pandemic, says report
British Academy review calls for major policy changes to reverse rise in deprivation and ill health
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
I’m quoted on the front page of the Observer today. They are looking back at the effects of the pandemic five years on. I say that it is primarily a story of inequalities. The poorest, disabled, young people have suffered the fallout, but this is easy to overlook www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy, said inequality was “the primary story of the pandemic”. “You still find that people from poorer backgrounds are more likely to have been impacted,” Shah said, adding that the rate of long Covid in the most deprived households is double that of the most wealthy.

“One of the dreadful things about the pandemic was that, as a side-effect, there was less money to invest in public services across the piece. The worry is that some of the trends we’re seeing, unless there’s active work to stop them, will continue.”
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
This weekend’s read …
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Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
People of Kent! There is a whole FESTIVAL OF PHYSICS happening at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham on Saturday 15th March organised by @christinaastin.bsky.social thestemhub.org.uk/news/news-ar...
thestemhub.org.uk
The STEM Hub News | Kent Festival of Physics
Saturday 15 March 2025 9am-4pm £10 | Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham, ME13 7BQ - 21 Jan 2025
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The English Association @englishassociation.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Is literary theory ‘a thing’ in GCSE and A Level English Literature? (13 March 2025, 16:45 – 17:30) Exploring the literary theoretical coordinates of GCSE and A Level English Literature to support your teaching. Free, online! Join us! Sign up ! englishassociation.ac.uk/is-literary-...
englishassociation.ac.uk
Is literary theory ‘a thing’ in GCSE and A Level English Literature? (13 March 2025, 16:45 - 17:30) | The English Association
We support the teaching, learning, and enjoyment of English at all levels of education, from early years to further and higher education and beyond.
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AQA @aqaeducation.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Artificial intelligence, digital exams and the curriculum - just some of the insights shared by our own Alex Scharaschkin, AQA Executive Director of Assessment Research and Innovation, in a @newstatesman.com interview. www.newstatesman.com/sponsored/20...
newstatesman.com
The future of exams
Digitisation, artificial intelligence and the curriculum review will change the way we assess learning. But our ore values needn't change.
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AQA @aqaeducation.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Meet #AQATeamEnglish – experts shaping the future of English assessment. Made up of former teachers, examiners, and assessment writers, they’re here to support you and build a community where every voice matters. Find out more. 👇 bit.ly/4i3Iwic
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
A day full of love … for English! 💕 It was a joy to be part of rich, optimistic discussions today at our AQA English Roundtable. A huge amount of knowledge & passion in the room about English past, present & future fed into productive conversations about our discipline. 💕
Jo and Wayne from AQA Subject support stand in front of a screenSteph is in the foreground smiling with Wayne and Jo waving in front of the AQA screenA table with AQA resources on in the foreground with a room full of tables for the meeting and a screen in the background The room ready for a presentation with a laptop in the foreground showing the screen.
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
⏰ 12th & 27th March 📚 Teaching Modern Literature 💬 With live Q&A Two chances to catch another fab Curriculum Connect session from Jo and our Subject Support Team. 👇👇👇 www.aqa.org.uk/professional...
aqa.org.uk
AQA | Professional development | Curriculum Connect GCSE English Literature Teaching Reflections On Our New Modern Texts And Q A
aqa
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
⏰ 5th March & 2nd April - Teacher-led ‘Worlds & Lives’ Curriculum Connect with live Q&A 👇👇👇 www.aqa.org.uk/professional...
aqa.org.uk
AQA | Professional development | Curriculum Connect GCSE English Literature Teaching Reflections On Our New Poetry Cluster And Q A
aqa
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
The English team at AQA is excited to share the launch of some small but meaningful changes to GCSE English Language for the Summer 2026. To find out more, visit us at aqa.org.uk/english-lang...
aqa.org.uk
GCSE English Language
GCSE English Language campaign
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Local authorities in England can fine parents whose kids do not turn up to school 2018/19: 288,000 penalty notices issued 2023/24: 443,000 penalty notices issued This year the penalty is £80. That's about £35m of fines or ~£4 for every pupil in England. Source www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Record number of families in England fined over term-time holidays
Bridget Phillipson issues warning as parents seem more relaxed about unauthorised holidays since Covid
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Raphael Rashid @koryodynasty.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Cheonggyecheon is proof that removing highways can make cities better. 20 years ago, Seoul replaced concrete with a stream, and the results are remarkable: cooler temperatures, cleaner air, and 12 million visitors annually. My latest for the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
theguardian.com
‘Everyone thought it would cause gridlock’: the highway that Seoul turned into a stream
Cheonggyecheon stream in the South Korean capital has become an attraction – and helps with flood management, fighting air pollution and cooling the city
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Air pollution has dropped significantly in #Paris in the last 15 years. Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social’s leadership has traded car space for green space, safe bike space, kid space.. and traded pollution for people. Good trade.
Change in Paris air quality between 2007 and 2023 using visuals
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Christopher Such @suchmo83.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
One of the things that keeps me going back to Twitter is that I get fairly regular DMs on there asking me for advice about reading. Just to be clear: I am more than happy for people to DM on here for the same reason. Please repost this if you think this info might be useful to someone.
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Teacher Tapp @teachertapp.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
For 16% of teachers, 2025 marks a big change—they say it’s ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ they’ll leave their school this year. 🚪✋ Classroom teachers in the most affluent schools are the least likely to want to jump ship, with 40% ‘very unlikely’ to leave.
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Stephanie Keenan @headofenglish.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Today’s read
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Helen Smith @wordsmith.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
CfP! It's the beginning of a new year, and your thoughts turn naturally to the future of English Studies... Join us in July for the third English: Shared Futures conference, hosted in beautiful York. www.englishsharedfutures.org/cfp @univeng.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social
englishsharedfutures.org
Call for Papers — English: Shared Futures 2025
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mjburnage.bsky.social @mjburnage.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
There aren’t many tickets left for our History conference this year - and they’re selling fast! Get them now - we’ll see you there! www.eventbrite.com/e/ark-soane-...
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Tom Sherrington @teacherhead.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Evidence-informed teaching has to be built around each teacher's personality and desire for autonomy; let's celebrate that. @walkthrus.bsky.social teacherhead.com/2024/01/07/e...
teacherhead.com
Evidence-informed teaching has to be built around each teacher’s personality and desire for autonomy; let’s celebrate that.
A theme I find myself exploring a lot is the need for teachers to feel that they can be themselves in their own classrooms, expressing their personality and enjoying teaching, doing things they fee…
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
The comments under this week's newsletter, particularly from people who changed their career in their 40s, are extremely lovely. In short: it's not too late. You can still do it iandunt.substack.com/p/happy-new-...
iandunt.substack.com
Happy New Year: Now sort your fucking life out
It'll keep on pissing itself away until you set goals.
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Michael Fordham @michaelfordham.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
A dimension often missed in the discussion around whether children should enjoy lessons is that there are 30 in a class. Not everything appeals to everyone. A lot of top-level education discussions see schooling as individual, but it’s not: it’s collective.
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Stephen Lockyer @mrlockyer.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
I've set up #EduStorygraph, which is a collection educators who use #Storygraph and use this platform to share their reading choices! If I've missed you off, please let me know! go.bsky.app/NAdymR6
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London Association for the Teaching of English @lateteachers.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
London English teachers, make a date to join us on Jan 25th to hear from Ken Jones and brilliant colleagues!
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London Association for the Teaching of English @lateteachers.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
..and tickets are now available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-space...
eventbrite.co.uk
What Space for English? English Teachers, Agency and Control
LATE Conference: for teachers of English across the London region
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Victoria Derbyshire @vicderbyshire.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Some people in recent days have alleged a ‘cover-up’ over the grooming & rape of hundreds of young girls in predominantly northern UK towns, leading to calls for a ‘national’ public inquiry into child sexual exploitation FWIW here’s a non-exhaustive list of inquiries into #CSE in last 12 yrs…
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Carousel Learning @carousel-learning.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
📢 We're hiring a PRIMARY SPECIALIST (part-time or full-time; we're flexible)! If you have a background in primary teaching and ❤️ retrieval practice then please do apply here ⬇️ uk.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk... Email recruitment@carousel-learning.com if you have questions.
uk.indeed.com
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Nigella Lawson @nigella.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
I’m away for a few days, so although I’m very happy to pop up here to tell you what #RecipeOfTheDay is, I’m afraid I won’t be around to see or respond to your posts to me. Anyway, today I have my Chocolate Pear Pudding for you! www.nigella.com/recipes/choc...
nigella.com
Chocolate Pear Pudding
This is a cross between Pears Belle Helene and Eve's Pudding, but the only important thing to remember is that this is easy, quick, very comforting and seems to please absolutely everyone. It's not ha...
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Siobhán McElduff @siobhanmcelduff.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Every time I go to a public library I begin to believe again that we can create amazing things that are just there for all to enjoy and use for free.
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Susie Dent @susiedentwords.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Word of the Day is ‘hunch-weather’ (19th century): weather so cold it makes you hunch your shoulders when you walk outside.
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Which educators are on the New Year Honours list? We have listed them all below, including a knighthood for Nick Gibb and a CBE for @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social Congratulations to all! www.tes.com/magazine/new...
tes.com
New Year Honours: Nick Gibb among education leaders recognised
Former schools minister Nick Gibb has been knighted and ex-union leader Geoff Barton appointed CBE in New Year Honours list
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Janet Nestor @janetnestor.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Something to remember
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 30/12/2024
For all intensive purposes, what idioms or colloquialisms do people seem to constantly get wrong?
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Katie Fielding @katiefielding.com · 31/12/2024
A1 I also think now is a good time to throw our that Oxford's word of the year for 2024 is "Brain rot"--overconsumption of media: corp.oup.com/word-of-the-.... #EduSkyChat
corp.oup.com
Oxford Word of the Year 2024 - Oxford University Press
The Oxford Word of the Year 2024 is 'brain rot'. Discover more about the winner, our shortlist, and 20 years of words that reflect the world.
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Many thanks for all the kind comments on my being awarded a CBE. Tonight I’ll raise a glass to the amazing pupils, colleagues and leaders I’ve worked with, learnt from, and been privileged to represent over a career of almost 40 years. A happy new year to you all. schoolsweek.co.uk/former-schoo...
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Victoria Ying @victoriaying.com · 31/12/2024
You know why I love reading? These days it’s one of the few respites from being constantly advertised to.
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Chris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · 19/12/2024
This piece is just 🤯. A must-read. www.theguardian.com/news/2024/de...
theguardian.com
Humphrey’s world: how the Samuel Smith beer baron built Britain’s strangest pub chain
Since the 1970s, Humphrey Smith has acquired scores of pubs and historic properties around the UK. But time after time, he has left the buildings empty. Why has he allowed his empire to moulder?
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Schools Week @schoolsweek.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Labour's schools bill news, we've got you covered: The headlines: buff.ly/3ZZ3AzP Academy fallout (pt 1): buff.ly/4gmfd9I Academy fallout (pt 2): buff.ly/3OZxHkd Opinion: buff.ly/4gIp1ue Key policy round-up: buff.ly/41EVMo7
buff.ly
Children's bill proposes sweeping academies reform
Law paves the way for new council schools and national pay and conditions for academies
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Geoff Barton @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Oracy, literacy, leadership and impact: come and join us for the @ascl-uk.bsky.social Literacy and Oracy Conference 2025: ascl.org.uk/professional...
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Mike Hill @michaeldoron.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 I'm very excited to announce the keynote speakers for our #Soane25 history teacher conference on Saturday, 8 February 2025. 👇 Read more below 👇 🎟️ Get tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/ark-soane-... (1/3)
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