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Mark Dalton

@mrkdltn.bsky.social
67 followers 165 following 61 posts
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Key takeaways: 1️⃣ Well-being strengthens outcomes, not weakens them. 2️⃣ Build flexibility into timetabling before you need it. 3️⃣ Leadership is about systems, not dependency. 4️⃣ AI could make time-off seamless. 5️⃣ Model the culture you want to see.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
📌 With my daughter’s school on a training day, we had a day of cinema, sushi, and time well spent. A leader’s well-being is just as important as their team’s. We model what we expect from others.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
✨ The next couple of years are going to revolutionise how tools support our leadership of work like this. 🔹 AI-driven scheduling will optimise staff flexibility 🔹 Tools will predict cover & adjust timetables dynamically 🔹 Personal Days integrated with minimal disruption
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
📣 I say staff well-being matters—but continue to question whether our systems make it possible? There are risks that time off is met with stress, guilt, or extra work for others. Culturally , mutual support should be a given, not a favour.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
🤝 We've improve a lot over the past 18 months through a lot of visible and invisible leadership. Proud to say that things don’t fall apart when a leader steps out. It wasn't always this way. We built better systems and structures, and balanced impact and presence.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
📅 We build flexibility into our timetable. Every teacher has some bonus time, meaning staff can support each other without scrambling for last-minute cover.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
💡 Well-being isn’t separate from excellence, it strengthens it. When leaders model balance, staff feel valued. But here’s the key: this only works if it’s systemised. A school that relies on individuals rather than systems could be fragile.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
A school where EVERYONE can take time off—guilt-free? Build this. This week, I took a Personal Day—a trust-wide initiative supporting staff well-being. But how do you ensure this works without disrupting learning? A 🧵 on leadership, timetabling, AI, and protecting your team.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Love notifications like this! Tomorrow is our House Competition: The Masked Reader! 📚🎭 Inspired by The Masked Singer, but with books! Which House will shine? A brilliant way to celebrate creativity, teamwork, and reading.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
The impact can be transformational: ✅Teachers feel less rushed and have more energy for teaching. ✅Classrooms become hubs of learning, fostering focus through stability. ✅The school runs more smoothly, with fewer disruptions.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Our decisions reflect our core values. ⭐Belong: Teachers and students feel supported with consistent spaces. ⭐Excel: Teachers focus fully on high-quality education without logistical barriers.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Building a strong timetable takes practical and values driven thought (all at once): ✅Use school layouts to group rooms effectively. ✅Prioritise rooms that match subject needs. ✅Manage student flow to prevent bottlenecks. ✅Seek feedback from teachers to improve.🤝
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
🚨My challenge - Science! With high demand for labs and limited capacity, achieving sufficiency is tough. We’re exploring: 🔬 Rotating practical / theory lessons to maximise lab time. 🔬 Long-term planning to identify demands. 🔬 Reviewing regularly & adjust as needed.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Our timetable tools enables us to: ✅Quickly analyse room usage and find inefficiencies. ✅Visualise scenarios for room and teacher allocation. ✅Match subject needs to the best available spaces. ✅Adjust this throughout the year as needs change
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Subjects like science, art, and music need special facilities: ✅Prioritise these rooms for practical lessons. ✅Ensure resources are available when needed. ✅Optimise how these spaces are used to maximise learning. Specialised rooms mean better experiences! 🔬🎨🎼
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Home rooms give teachers a consistent base: ✅Materials and resources stay organised. ✅Students benefit from stable, familiar environments. ✅Teachers save time setting up, letting them concentrate on their teaching.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Long distances between classes waste time and energy: ✅ Assign rooms close together, especially for consecutive lessons. ✅Group related subjects or year groups in nearby spaces. ✅Keep walking distances short so teachers can focus on teaching.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
🧵 Timetabling to Remove Struggle & Maximise Impact 🧵 Timetabling isn’t just about scheduling classes. It’s about creating systems that save teacher energy, minimise movement, and maximise the wellbeing of our staff and their impact. How we do it: 👇
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
🌟 Fads fade. Leaders should prioritise scalable, sustainable projects that enhance curriculum delivery over time. The TES article asks, “What if schools had unlimited budgets?” Often, innovation isn’t about money, it's about intent, partnerships, and focus.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
📊 Leaders should be as critical as possible and come up with some success criteria for any tech investment. For us, it’s about engagement, critical thinking, and student reflection. Regular feedback from students and staff ensures we refine future efforts.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
The experience was, for many today, a transformative one. I firmly believe that technology works best when it complements teaching. Today VR helped immerse students in a complex scenario, but the learning was solidified through teacher-led reflection.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
🤝My school didn’t need to buy the VR headsets. The team brought the tech, expertise, and structured the learning. In principle, I'm drawn to letting big business absorb the high early adopter R&D costs while waiting and using proven tools to deliver real educational value.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
💷 Schools have overspent on flashy tech without clear impact. I started teaching when interactive whiteboards were so very expensive and costly shiny tablets couldn't replace pen and paper! A strong TES article recently warns against chasing trends. buff.ly/4amuzc5
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
💡 Start with why. In this case, VR enhanced the usual PSHE input, offering immersion, decision-making, and reflection that short films or talks can’t replicate. The tech supported—not replaced—human-led teaching and rich student discussions.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
🧵 Virtual Reality Decisions Got Me Thinking About Real-World EdTech Choices 🧵 Today students had a Virtual Decisions workshop, exploring real-world scenarios through VR technology. Here’s what I think school leaders should consider when investing in tech-driven experiences.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Flexible PPA is part of a bigger conversation about workload and well-being. Future posts will explore Bonus Time and Personal Days, and how these fit into our broader approach to building a supportive school culture.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
✳️ Options Where Possible - Flexibility doesn’t mean a one-size-fits-all approach. We work with staff to offer options, balancing individual preferences with the wider needs of the school.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
✳️ Prioritising Curriculum Needs - While flexibility is important, we place curriculum and lesson delivery first. I'm not splitting a class if I don't have to. Flexible PPA is timetabled around teaching priorities and operational needs, ensuring students always come first.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
✳️ Balanced Distribution Across the Week - Flexible PPA sessions are distributed carefully across the week. This avoids timetable bottlenecks or pressure on certain days while ensuring curriculum priorities are met.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
✳️ Equity for All Teachers - Ensuring fair access to late starts and early finishes is crucial. All staff should benefit from this flexibility, regardless of seniority, department, or timetable constraints.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
This approach recognises the professionalism of our teachers, supports their well-being, and ensures they are set up to deliver their best in the classroom. Key Considerations for Timetabling...
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Why Flexible PPA? We know teachers consistently go above and beyond their allocated PPA, often spending additional time planning and assessing. Late starts and early finishes allow staff to structure some PPA around their needs, reducing pressure during the week.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
🧵 Timetabling for Wellbeing 🧵 How we’re supporting teachers this year by offering flexible PPA sessions through Late Starts and Early Finishes. This means some PPA can be scheduled at the beginning or end of the day, giving staff the flexibility to work off-site. #EduSky
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Including more team based activities into our SLT meets this term. This week, The T&L Handbook Challenge! 👏 They nailed it! Almost every false positive spotted, and a sharp focus on what makes teaching and learning truly impactful at our school.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
📰 Thrilled with our Nuneaton News team! 🗞️ Our first issue highlights student expression, innovation, and professionalism. While top-tier schools produce these regularly, we know we are celebrating milestones, and honing skills. Proud of the dedicated students and staff here.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
⚽ But, being from North Wales, I, of course, support Wrexham AFC. Never taught there, though—perhaps @vancityreynolds.bsky.social can sort that?
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
📝 My boss in 2009 used to emphasise the importance of special places in one’s journey through life and work. For me, Stamford Bridge has been more than a stadium—it’s a space where values like belonging, allyship, and community come to life in powerful ways.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🙌 Huge thanks to PCF for their transformative work and to United Learning for enabling partnerships that drive change. Together, we are creating spaces for young people to grow, learn, and thrive.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🏟️ Standing here again, I’m reminded of the enduring power of education and community. Two very different moments—teaching in a football stadium and now leading students to opportunities here—but both driven by the same core values.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🌍 Community: From a shining city academy in Chelsea to a rapidly improving school in Nuneaton, the importance of active engagement in the community remains constant. Some of the challenges young face today are similar to those in 2009; although they take slightly altered forms.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🤝 Belonging: In both moments at Stamford Bridge, a sense of belonging was key. For Year 7s stepping into their new school or students now attending PCF events, helping young people feel respected, included, and supported is our ultimate measure of success.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
✊ Allyship: In 2024, our partnership with PCF reflects a shared commitment to advocating for those who are marginalised and excluded. Together, we aim to create opportunities and break down barriers, giving every young person the tools to succeed.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
💙 Youth Focused: Both in 2009 and today, the rights and needs of young people remain at the centre of everything we do. Whether it’s teaching students about science or partnering with PCF, the goal is always to empower the next generation.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
⚡ 2024: Now leading a United Learning school in Nuneaton, we are thrilled to partner with the Paul Canoville Foundation, whose values resonate deeply with the work we do for our students. Paul’s story is remarkable. buff.ly/40bpcHR
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🌟 The stadium’s conference suites became vital spaces for our Open Evening and Year 7 transition day. We were so fortunate to have the club’s support! Here, I taught a science lesson on reaction times—a topic aligned with the precision and responsiveness that sport demands.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🏗️ 2009: As part of the founding team that opened Chelsea Academy just off the King’s Road, we navigated the challenges of starting a school without a completed building. Temporary premises and innovative thinking became the norm, and Stamford Bridge played a key role.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
🧵 Thread: Two amazing moments in this stadium, 15 years apart! 🧵 This is Stamford Bridge, home of @chelseafcn.bsky.social A thread on how this iconic venue became a backdrop for supporting young people a generation apart. #EduSky
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Over the years the phrase I've heard most from colleagues about timetabling is "I don't envy you"... Perhaps they should, as the changes to the way crucial work like this takes place, and to the tools used, support me and my school to be a better place to learn and a better place to work.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Timetabling isn’t a mystical skill—anyone can learn with the right tools and training. It’s not about repeating last year’s model out of habit. Instead, it’s about adapting to changing landscapes: recruitment, retention, curriculum, and results.
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Mark Dalton @mrkdltn.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
AI has the power to revolutionise this process. Imagine a system that combines dialogue with LLMs and CLFP tools. The result? Intelligent schedules that adapt dynamically to the needs of teachers, students, and parents - it may not even be considered 'timetabling'.
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