iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I’ve read a few of them. They’re certainly not quality literature but they’re of their era and very different to how the films developed over time. Connery was recognisably Bond, Dalton tried to find him again and Daniel Craig has done the same, while also being clearly a 21st century Bond.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Moore took it so far away from the Bond of the books that they’re basically different characters.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Yeah I work hard to restrain myself on that front.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I’m not sure the day’s long enough. Mostly the ones on the left are for general writing in my notebook with broad nibs and tend to be more expensive. The ones on the right have finer nibs and are for marking/annotating. I also have a desk pen which is at work and is probably my nicest to write with.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

You realise you should have more than one fountain pen for regular use, right? Different nib sizes, different inks, different purposes etc.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Lamy is always a solid bet with options in different price brackets. TWSBI too. I play the field and show little brand loyalty with pens, I’m afraid. What have you had so far?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Good reputation. I’ve never had one of their pens but I like their inks. Should try a pen one day.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Exciting! Is there a plan? A preferred brand? A budget? The possibilities are endless!

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Reposted by Jonathan Mountstevens

Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

1/n I am very much on record as not being an Ofsted fan but this is a worrying direction. This isn't the Premier League. Their primary aim shouldn't Be To Be Fair. It's to drive better schools for children. Bear with me for nuance. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

theguardian.com

England school inspections to be overhauled again after barrage of complaints

Exclusive: Education secretary sends Ofsted back to ‘drawing board’ as teachers raise serious concerns about new system

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

We’re both Labour supporters. It’s the endless, unfulfilled hope that keeps us going. That’s about all we tend to get.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I’ve never been much of a Burnham fan and I’m very concerned about his education policy, but if he can keep up the standards he set today in setting out a compelling vision that means something and is visibly of the left, there’s a serious risk of me feeling proud to be a member of his party again.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I’m trying Greek, which has genders, cases and a different alphabet.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Have you got to different cases with German yet?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Inconsiderate of other languages to have genders as a grammatical feature, if you ask me.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Of course. I mean the formative impact of the entire institution on the profession as a whole, via the framework, handbook, official communication and proliferation of stuff which circulates outside of the inspectorate like rumour, consultants, Inset etc.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Yes I think the formative role Ofsted plays, which is obvious to anyone inside the profession, is understated in Ofsted’s own public communication in favour of the informative role. Of course formative things can be either good, bad or a bit of both, but no point in pretending it doesn’t exist.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I didn’t tick that box and I agree with you about accountability, but I do think there is a failure at Ofsted to properly engage with what it can and can’t do reliably, and an unhelpful insistence that the public need outcomes presented in a uniform framework when in reality they are not all alike.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It’s fine if the quals are good and don’t take away kids’ entitlement to a broad, rich education which equips them to be informed citizens able to take part in all the complexity and responsibilities of adult life.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I’m finding it a bit hard to make any sense of it at all. Have they made clear how they will fit into accountability framework? One slot in the breadth section or whatever they’re going to call it in the updated measure?

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Reposted by Jonathan Mountstevens

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

New post out: England's schools are now the second highest performing in the world outside the far east, according to the OECD's PISA study. Is this because of policy? Attitude to technology? Cultural factors like immigration? And where can we still improve? samf.substack.com/p/why-englan...

samf.substack.com

Why England’s schools are doing so well

And what we need to focus on next

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Just quoted King George in Hamilton to Yr 13 and now I’m going to have that damn song in my head all day.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I'm teaching an unfamiliar A Level subject for a bit to fill in for an absent colleague. I taught the first lesson today and I'm utterly exhausted. So easy to forget how much it takes out of you to plan new content, break the ice with a class, teach it whilst maintaining good classroom practice etc.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I met with my little extra-curricular reading and discussion group of Sixth Formers designed to build their understanding of history as a discipline beyond the A Level syllabus. It’s very niche and there were only two of them there, but it’s such a pleasure and really brightens up a tough day.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Doesn’t surprise me. Yet another silly thing schools have done by over-interpreting a limited dataset.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

No doubt, and as a history teacher I can readily understand how you can get disagreement between different assessors up to a few marks. But 46 across two papers?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The same student got the other paper reviewed and it went up 20 marks and another grade.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Khrushchev made everyone do them in the Soviet Union. Didn’t go well.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I struggle to see how anyone could argue with it.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Was that the same thing that said the best leaders were history teachers because the maths teachers were all accountants and the English teachers were all philosophers or something like that?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I know it doesn’t make any logical sense but I feel oddly more proud of the latest PISA results knowing that students from my school were part of the sample.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I take your point, but it's more like £50 for a review, although I suppose you might be thinking of all papers across a whole qualification.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mountstevens

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

New PISA data out England is now top ten in all three areas (reading, maths, science) and the second highest performing country outside of east Asia (after Estonia). This is a huge public policy success.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Maybe I'm being unreasonable. I'm a history teacher and totally get why two or three marks is a matter of differences in judgement between different assessors and can easily happen, but 26 marks across one paper?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I mean obviously I'm very glad for him and for our student, but it really doesn't feel right.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We had a student’s English Lit GCSE go up by 26 marks and two grades on review. I am a big believer in exams as the fairest form of assessment but sometimes it feels like the exam boards do their level best to undermine the confidence I have in the system. Surely they can do better?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Absolutely. You can’t do anything these days. The liberal elite lock you up for tweeting the wrong thing, writing in the blood of your enemies and sacking Troy. It’s the woke mind virus out of control.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I wish you agreed with me, Katie, because then we’d both be right.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It’s certainly a fascinating idea, James, although you might just want to have a teeny little check of your staff code of professional conduct before you try it.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Imagine wearing a shirt with Farage 10 on the back.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Of course not. To be fair I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting in a Leuchtturm or Rhodia order with the Finance Office.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It’s not so much that I think biros are wrong, rather that my handwriting is illegible with them.

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