iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Bennett’s work on behaviour and social norms is very valuable but it needs to be implemented with humanity, remembering that schools are spaces for children to grow and learn

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Whenever I read ‘my child was not allowed to use the toilet during lessons’ I think ‘of course they weren’t because…’ There are strong reasons for this but there also needs to be some contextual flexibility

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

An authoritarian approach may not always be right. If students feel safe to make their point heard and be mistaken, they can make quick progress.

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Schools can have high expectations and excellent results without silent classrooms and punitive behaviour systems. Its about getting classroom culture right #school #behaviour

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Hard to know where he stands ideologically, and doesn’t seem to have been forseen by anyone in the media

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Healey is an interesting/rogue choice

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Hard to recall a reshuffle which hadn’t been leaked to the media in advance. Politics teachers working overtime again tonight

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Not pictured: A chance to see what happens in the International Development Committee and a HoC debate on Public Office Accountability

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Day 2 of @jamesnaish.bsky.social Summer School with our students, exploring careers in politics and media today with @therestpolitics.bsky.social owners Goalhanger and the Houses of Parliament

What does an MP do? In the committee room at Westminster Palace

Statue of Cromwell outside the Palace of Westminster

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Great day yesterday accompanying students on @jamesnaish.bsky.social summer school. Lots of great advice on accessing a wide range of careers. London today to visit @ukparliament.parliament.uk

A new presenter for BBC Politics East Midlands

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Politics teaching is fun: PM resignation DURING the mock exam today 😩

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Crying at work is probably the most relatable thing this government has done in a full year

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

It certainly seems that way…

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

School rules from the Qing dynasty c1800. Big fan of ‘love their books and keep them from harm’

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Quite possibly my ancestor. Long line of Barnes’s from NE Cambs

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

This playoff final has been written for Netflix

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Reposted by Ollie Barnes

Alex Ford @apf102.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Have yet to properly get into the detail but there is some pretty worrying stuff in this report about pupils’ enjoyment of school and how it falls off in Y7. Huge questions to ask here. Wonder if it’s similar in middle school systems?? www.independent.co.uk/life-style/h...

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

They seemed quite happy with that one 🍻

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Great piece in @nationaltrust.org.uk magazine. Would be great to get this story into our y8 unit on Georgian Britain

T he year is 1789. In London, pens scratch out early petitions for the abolition of slavery. In the Caribbean, whips crack out over plantations. But in Bath, a lone
11-year-old lifts his violin, letting his music speak louder than either words or force.
It's hard to say exactly when George Bridgetower first arrived in England with his violin, or quite what his heritage was.
His father claimed to be an African prince, but it's now thought he was
from Barbados. But one thing for certain is that George's first concert at Bath Assembly Rooms in December 1789 would change his life for ever.
Almost overnight, George became an instant celebrity, his musical genius making him the darling of Bath. Relishing the fame and success, George and his father promenaded daily through the city, greeting their fans while wearing costumes of turbans and foreign robes. After selling out a string of shows at the Assembly Rooms, George soon earned international fame, performing across Europe alongside such luminaries as Beethoven and Haydn.

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

This would be absolutely WILD for politics teachers

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Excited to dig into this properly when exam prep is all over

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Colin McCormick @colinmccormick.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Want a free copy of our book? Retweet or like and we'll pick the winner on Friday

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Really enjoyed puzzling over how to help Harjeet. I’m now suffering from post-conference blues 😂

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Victoria Crooks @victoriacrooks.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Always a pleasure to present with @lauralondo1017.bsky.social and very grateful for the interaction of the people who joined us this morning. It's been great to meet up with colleagues & friends, & hear from #historyteacher s & #historians Goodbye #HAConf25.

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

This may be of interest to you, if you’ve not seen it before.

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Every workshop I went to was brilliant, it was a career highlight for me to be a part of it and present our work on Hong Kong. A quick visit to the World Museum too which is packed with amazing objects from the Qing dynasty, as well as an Aztec Codex.

Jardine Matheson’s silk factory in Nagasaki

The Codex Fejérváry-Mayer: history
Before the Spanish invasion, Mesoamerica was known as the land of codices or books. From Mexico to Nicaragua, this type of folded book on deerskin or paper with its characteristic way of writing and its own calendar, was well known.
This codex is one of the most precious and remarkable artefacts to have survived from the time before Hernán Cortés destroyed the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, in 1521. It was named after a Hungarian collector (Fejérváry) and a Liverpudlian benefactor (Mayer).

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Wilkes and McFahn made me think about the number of times I’ve been asked ‘Are we having a fun lesson today?’. And my stock response ‘history is ALWAYS fun’

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

What an amazing and inspiring conference #haconf25! Particularly enjoyed @fredoxby.bsky.social session today and will be thinking more carefully about planning to teach sensitive histories.

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Victoria Crooks @victoriacrooks.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Tripling my pride (actually bursting) after a quick run down the corridor to catch a few minutes of @obarnes.bsky.social @uonsoe.bsky.social #PGCE #alumni presenting on his SoW which includes the history of Hong Kong in his curriculum's work on Empire. 🤩 #HAConf25 @histassoc.bsky.social

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

So exciting! See you tomorrow

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Has anyone tried to put anything on a usb drive lately? Absolute pain in the neck 😫🤣

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Reposted by Ollie Barnes

Mary Myatt @marymyatt.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

The power of beautiful resources I think it’s important to think about beauty when we are evaluating resources we use for teaching. This isn’t about taste, it’s about value. Our pupils deserve the best. /1

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

Train read, making some late additions to my workshop at #haconf25

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Hugely enjoying @empirepoduk.bsky.social at the moment. An amazing story of Great British Twitishness in the latest episode

Screenshot of Empire Pod -latest episode

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Hitler trial for the Beer Hall putsch ended 101 years ago tomorrow. He was given a 5 year prison sentence. Within a decade he had become chancellor of Germany and removed almost all of his opposition.

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Cold War is the new Medicine Through Time for history teachers #madmantheory #brinkmanship

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Had a great break this week. Now it’s time to get absolutely steaming

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Reposted by Ollie Barnes

Jen Turner @jenturnerhistory.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

www.tes.com/jobs/vacancy... Come and work with me!! Teach in a dept with an ace HOD (*not* me!), representative history, fab pupils, in a welcoming community & stunning location. Please RT NW folks @carmelbones.bsky.social @mrbajkowski.bsky.social @histassoc.bsky.social @1972shp.bsky.social

tes.com

Teacher of History, Cumbria - Tes Jobs

Queen Elizabeth School, United Kingdom

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Not to mention the huge overreach from Ofsted. They are not the DfE and shouldn’t be briefing the press on education policy changes

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

So great to get a new series 🤩🤩

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Ollie Barnes @obarnes.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Anyone looking for a new role in East Notts area? www.tes.com/jobs/vacancy... #historyteacher

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