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What can we reasonably expect of teachers?

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 17h

“What is it useful for the teacher to know and how much can we expect them to internalise and act upon?”

Excellent by @head-teach.bsky.social. Why SEND labels & information from EHCPs are hard to process in useful ways for complex of classrooms:

matthewevanseducation.substack.com/p/the-eye-of...

The eye of the storm

matthewevanseducation.substack.com

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 17h

💡NEW POST 💡

‘Scaffolding and PEAL paragraphs’

Have exam boards got it right? PEAL, PEE, PETAL support some students to develop their writing in different subjects, but they may hold back as many students as they help?

alexquigley.co.uk/scaffolding-...

Scaffolding and PEAL paragraphs

"Scaffolds are not intended to be permanent. If everyone has a scaffold all of the time, it's not a scaffold, it's just your lesson plan." 'The Scaffolding Effect', by Rachel Ball and Alex Fairlamb ...

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

My formative judgement would be they are no longer overwhelmed by extended writing, hence the gradual remove of PEAL. It is pretty much the point of scaffolding in all learning for all children.

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

Generalisations that we should leave scaffolds in place in case of emotional distress could disempower teachers from making sensitive, formative judgements about the children they teach. I reckon they may as likely lower expectations rather than support the emotions of students who struggle.

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

I am still no clearer how and why I would leave a PEAL writing scaffold in place for a student - ND or NT (as problematic & sweeping as those labels are) - when I have supported them to write with greater independence by gradually removing the scaffold.

Time well spent: How to support effective Teacher and Teaching…

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

‘Time well spent: How to support effective Teacher and Teaching Assistant partnerships’

Excellent blog by @sendmattersuk.bsky.social for @theeef.bsky.social

educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/support...

Effective TA deployment depends on culture, communication, and strategic leadership decisions.

educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

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Reposted by Alex Quigley

Education Endowment Foundation @theeef.bsky.social · 2d

📚 New blog

Molly Devlin and Vickee Twort (@arkschools.bsky.social) share four proven ways to build strong early years attendance — from building family relationships to whole-school strategies.

🔗 Read: https://eef.li/4NBNkU

For more support, join this webinar: ow.ly/bLJr50X7Kcp

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

I’m not sure the p10 list tells teachers anything about scaffolding, or the timely removal of scaffolds.

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

I wholly accept some children fond school more emotionally challenging than others. Teachers needs to be attuned to individuals and the group. Removing of scaffolds would be formative and about building independence. Developing independence builds self-efficacy & confidence.

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

I’m not being obtuse. I struggling to conceive of specific egs that relate to actual classroom learning. What would teachers do differently with PEAL paragraph scaffolds? What is the evidence for this claim that would upturn all notions of scaffolding as temporary, graduated supports?

Beyond phonics: why England still has a reading problem

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

Excellent @tesmagazine.bsky.social article by @claireheald.bsky.social:

‘Beyond phonics: why England still has a reading problem’

“It’s time to stop thinking of reading as something we sort out in Year 1 and Year 2, or even just in primary.”

www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

The latest phonics screening check data is further proof that teaching reading is not ‘done’ at the end of KS1, writes Claire Heald

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

Is there anything related to learning that is based in classrooms? Such as the efficacy scaffolding strategies?

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

Not sure about the efficacy of ‘emotional burden’. I do think the positive self-efficacy that can be generated by gradually removing scaffolds and supporting independence and success is going to be emotionally nourishing for many pupils.

Scaffolding and PEAL paragraphs

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 NEW POST 🚨

‘Scaffolding and PEAL paragraphs’

“What should teachers do? Do paragraph plans, PEAL, and similar scaffolds have a place? Should we get rid and do things differently?”

alexquigley.co.uk/scaffolding-...

"Scaffolds are not intended to be permanent. If everyone has a scaffold all of the time, it's not a scaffold, it's just your lesson plan." 'The Scaffolding Effect', by Rachel Ball and Alex Fairlamb ...

Inclusion ‘by design’: why it matters and how to do it

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 2d

💡NEW @tesmagazine.bsky.social column:

''Inclusion by design': why it matters & how to do it'

"high-quality teaching can be a focus for schools without the need for new and expensive resources, regardless of how many more pupils fall under our definition of inclusion."

www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

With the new Ofsted framework taking a broad view of inclusion, it’s even more important to make teaching inclusive ‘by design’ and not by accident, suggests Alex Quigley

Inclusion ‘by design’: why it matters and how to do it

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 3d

My latest @tesmagazine.bsky.social column: ‘Inclusion by design: why it matters and how to do it’.

I explore the changing picture around inclusion (from the OFSTED to the ‘Send crisis’), alongside practical, evidence-informed approaches teachers can address now.

www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

With the new Ofsted framework taking a broad view of inclusion, it’s even more important to make teaching inclusive ‘by design’ and not by accident, suggests Alex Quigley

Inclusion ‘by design’: why it matters and how to do it

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Reposted by Alex Quigley

Gary Aubin @sendmattersuk.bsky.social · 3d

Excellent to see this article in Tes by Alex Quigley on the ‘Five-a-day’ approach to teaching pupils with #SEND, a framework for inclusive practice that should give hope to a profession working incredibly hard to deliver lessons inclusively.

lnkd.in/eT3EqjZr

With the new Ofsted framework taking a broad view of inclusion, it’s even more important to make teaching inclusive ‘by design’ and not by accident, suggests Alex Quigley

Do it now or do it when you’ve thought about it a bit more?

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 6d

Larry - I think you meant to say, 'I am sorry you feel that way, Jasmine. We really should be looking to support in every way possible the brilliant teachers who are the best thing possible for Britain and the future of its citizens'.

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Reposted by Alex Quigley

Chris Curtis @xris32.bsky.social · 7d

NEW BLOG: Do it now or do it when you’ve thought about it a bit more?

Sorry for taking a blog holiday!

learningfrommymistakesenglish.blogspot.com/2025/10/do-i...

#engchat #engchatuk

I have written at length about knowledge and its use in English, and this isn’t going to be one of those blogs, but it is about mapping out ...

learningfrommymistakesenglish.blogspot.com

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 7d

My new one-off Teachology masterclass on 'Supporting Struggling Readers & Writers to Succeed' will be in-person AND online in Manchester (Nov 28th).

It will explore impactful, manageable assessment & effective teaching strategies.

Find out more here: www.teachology-education.co.uk/struggling_r...

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 7d

My latest 3Rs newsletter - on reading, writing, & research in education - is live.

#70 reviews a brilliant book on reading by @CarolAtherton8, shares a blog on supporting struggling writers, along with research on dyslexia, & more.

[Quick free sign-up]

alexquigley.co.uk/the-3rs-read...

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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 7d

🚨 NEW POST 🚨

‘Supporting struggling writers’

5 key issues:

- Troubles with transcription
- Struggling with sentence composition
- Lost in the writing process
- Writing shifts in subjects
- Writing requires ample reading.

alexquigley.co.uk/supporting-s...

Supporting struggling writers

The saying goes that what gets assessed gets taught. But for teachers, when it comes to the act of writing to learn, that is not always true. Students can spend thousands of hours writing in the class...

Supporting struggling writers

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Reposted by Alex Quigley

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 NEW POST 🚨

'Supporting struggling writers'

"Students can spend thousands of hours writing in the classroom, but if they struggle with writing it can still remain unaddressed. Why is writing the poor sibling to reading?"

alexquigley.co.uk/supporting-s...

The saying goes that what gets assessed gets taught. But for teachers, when it comes to the act of writing to learn, that is not always true. Students can spend thousands of hours writing in the class...