Richard Southward
@gwhitebread.bsky.social
North East Secondary Deputy Head, T and L, CPD lead, Science teacher, music and Vinyl enthusiast
Reposted by Richard Southward
Good article, I stopped doing it for similar reasons. You might also like this (if you don't know it already) www.cambridge.org/insight/blog... there is a part 2 aswell.
Why assessment may tell you less than you think – Part 1
Robert Coe writes a two-part blog on how to improve the value of assessments in the classroom. Part 1 poses questions to the reader.
www.cambridge.org
January 26, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Good article, I stopped doing it for similar reasons. You might also like this (if you don't know it already) www.cambridge.org/insight/blog... there is a part 2 aswell.
Reposted by Richard Southward
New Blog Post 📝
I hate QLA.
Originally due to the time it sucked out of my PPA I now know that QLA documents do not provide the information we think they do.
I go over the justification for why I ditched QLA and the reasons why you should get rid of it too.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
I hate QLA.
Originally due to the time it sucked out of my PPA I now know that QLA documents do not provide the information we think they do.
I go over the justification for why I ditched QLA and the reasons why you should get rid of it too.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Death to the Spreadsheet: Why I Finally Ditched QLA
Question Level Analysis (QLA) is a staple in many schools. It is designed to turn exam results into a roadmap for student progress. But does it actually lead us where we need to go?
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:27 PM
New Blog Post 📝
I hate QLA.
Originally due to the time it sucked out of my PPA I now know that QLA documents do not provide the information we think they do.
I go over the justification for why I ditched QLA and the reasons why you should get rid of it too.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
I hate QLA.
Originally due to the time it sucked out of my PPA I now know that QLA documents do not provide the information we think they do.
I go over the justification for why I ditched QLA and the reasons why you should get rid of it too.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Reposted by Richard Southward
As we brace ourselves for curriculum reform, what should a modern curriculum look like? Carolyn Roberts – @ptieducation.bsky.social – outlines a powerful knowledge approach that empowers #teachers & engages learners: buff.ly/K2GfwTH #CurriculumDesign #Education #Teaching
Give a little whistle: Knowledge and reform of the national curriculum - SecEd
What is a powerful knowledge curriculum & why does it matter? Explore Future 3 & teachers as curriculum-makers...
buff.ly
January 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM
As we brace ourselves for curriculum reform, what should a modern curriculum look like? Carolyn Roberts – @ptieducation.bsky.social – outlines a powerful knowledge approach that empowers #teachers & engages learners: buff.ly/K2GfwTH #CurriculumDesign #Education #Teaching
Reposted by Richard Southward
New study on cognitive load shows it's not a single, stable thing that students carry through a lesson. It rises, falls, peaks, and interacts with motivation. 1/4
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 19, 2026 at 10:54 PM
New study on cognitive load shows it's not a single, stable thing that students carry through a lesson. It rises, falls, peaks, and interacts with motivation. 1/4
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Reposted by Richard Southward
So I have written another blog, still under the file 'dull but useful'. This one is parents' evening. As with everything I write, take it or leave it as you please...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/01/18/p...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/01/18/p...
Parents evening – what you’re never told
For this blog, I will be talking about Parents’ evening for years 1 to 6. Although some of the principles can be applied to Early Years, at our school we adopt a slightly different approach for the…
philsalisbury.wordpress.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:36 PM
So I have written another blog, still under the file 'dull but useful'. This one is parents' evening. As with everything I write, take it or leave it as you please...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/01/18/p...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/01/18/p...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Reposted by Richard Southward
‘We can look at a rising graph line and reassure ourselves that learning must have occurred and we are doing a "good" job’: Mark Zacharias warns of the dangers of schools becoming obsessed with data
Data must be our servant in education - not our master
Data is valuable in schools but it doesn’t tell the whole picture - and we become overreliant on it at our peril, writes Mark Zacharias
www.tes.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:05 PM
‘We can look at a rising graph line and reassure ourselves that learning must have occurred and we are doing a "good" job’: Mark Zacharias warns of the dangers of schools becoming obsessed with data
Reposted by Richard Southward
When tests hit the ceiling: Why ‘ceiling effects’ matter
In this blog, Professor Rob Coe explores the concept through the lens of a real research project using schools' internal assessments.
Read it here: buff.ly/VXsM67a
#EduBlogShare
In this blog, Professor Rob Coe explores the concept through the lens of a real research project using schools' internal assessments.
Read it here: buff.ly/VXsM67a
#EduBlogShare
When tests hit the ceiling: Why ‘ceiling effects’ matter - Evidence Based Education
An assessment’s ‘ceiling effect’ may have immediate implications for a classroom teacher, but it’s also a concern of educational researchers. In this blog, Evidence Based Education’s Prof Rob Coe…
buff.ly
January 15, 2026 at 6:12 AM
When tests hit the ceiling: Why ‘ceiling effects’ matter
In this blog, Professor Rob Coe explores the concept through the lens of a real research project using schools' internal assessments.
Read it here: buff.ly/VXsM67a
#EduBlogShare
In this blog, Professor Rob Coe explores the concept through the lens of a real research project using schools' internal assessments.
Read it here: buff.ly/VXsM67a
#EduBlogShare
Reposted by Richard Southward
Metacognition works — but only when pupils are taught how to use it independently.
Modelling alone isn’t enough. Pupils need to understand how, when, and why strategies support learning as @kirstinmul.bsky.social's blog explains: ow.ly/atmi50XVBkB
Where do your pupils need explicit support?
Modelling alone isn’t enough. Pupils need to understand how, when, and why strategies support learning as @kirstinmul.bsky.social's blog explains: ow.ly/atmi50XVBkB
Where do your pupils need explicit support?
January 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Metacognition works — but only when pupils are taught how to use it independently.
Modelling alone isn’t enough. Pupils need to understand how, when, and why strategies support learning as @kirstinmul.bsky.social's blog explains: ow.ly/atmi50XVBkB
Where do your pupils need explicit support?
Modelling alone isn’t enough. Pupils need to understand how, when, and why strategies support learning as @kirstinmul.bsky.social's blog explains: ow.ly/atmi50XVBkB
Where do your pupils need explicit support?
A fantastic blog that identifies and offers some resolution to the slow march of KS4 into KS3.
New blog post ↴
▸Decoupling lower & upper secondary curricula
#UKEd #EduSky #EduBlogUK #SciTeachUK
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
▸Decoupling lower & upper secondary curricula
#UKEd #EduSky #EduBlogUK #SciTeachUK
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
Decoupling lower & upper secondary curricula
This is because a principal end-goal of KS4 is a grade. But in KS3, the principal goal should be an invitation into the reality constructed by a subject's members.
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:51 AM
A fantastic blog that identifies and offers some resolution to the slow march of KS4 into KS3.
Reposted by Richard Southward
When teachers offer classroom egs, it can be SO valuable. But often there's just a snippet - a ppt slide or piece of writing & it's hard to know the context, intentions & real impact. This, on the power of Talk for Learning, is different. I love it! #oracy www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/oracy-i...
Oracy is the glue
How talk-for-learning can transform reading and writing about challenging texts at KS3, using Jane Eyre as an example
www.englishandmedia.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM
When teachers offer classroom egs, it can be SO valuable. But often there's just a snippet - a ppt slide or piece of writing & it's hard to know the context, intentions & real impact. This, on the power of Talk for Learning, is different. I love it! #oracy www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/oracy-i...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Make this go viral.
Labour MP Louise Haigh.
Labour MP Louise Haigh.
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
January 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Make this go viral.
Labour MP Louise Haigh.
Labour MP Louise Haigh.
Reposted by Richard Southward
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
January 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
Reposted by Richard Southward
'Trust inspection must build from a clear and focused understanding of the problem it is trying to solve': @steverollett.bsky.social outlines some of the key concerns around the government's MAT inspection plans
Why risks remain in government’s plans for trust inspections
The Confederation of School Trusts’ Steve Rollett questions the overarching strategy behind Labour’s plans for inspecting academy trusts
www.tes.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:05 AM
'Trust inspection must build from a clear and focused understanding of the problem it is trying to solve': @steverollett.bsky.social outlines some of the key concerns around the government's MAT inspection plans
Reposted by Richard Southward
19% of secondary learners in England use EAL: Is your school meeting their needs? Sarah Moodie – @thebellfoundation.bsky.social – explores practical steps for auditing & improving #EAL provision, from CPD to classroom strategies, using structured frameworks: buff.ly/nXCHi4P #Teaching #Edusky
Evaluating your secondary school’s EAL provision - SecEd
With 19% of secondary learners using EAL, discover how schools can audit, evaluate, and improve EAL inclusive provision
buff.ly
January 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
19% of secondary learners in England use EAL: Is your school meeting their needs? Sarah Moodie – @thebellfoundation.bsky.social – explores practical steps for auditing & improving #EAL provision, from CPD to classroom strategies, using structured frameworks: buff.ly/nXCHi4P #Teaching #Edusky
Reposted by Richard Southward
Deployment and Dialogue: Engaging Teaching Assistants to Improve Practice
How leaders can provide meaningful opportunities for TAs to discuss their perspectives, ideas, and concerns. researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...
How leaders can provide meaningful opportunities for TAs to discuss their perspectives, ideas, and concerns. researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...
Deployment and Dialogue: Engaging Teaching Assistants to Improve…
Engaging teaching assistants in the deployment of teaching assistants
researchschool.org.uk
January 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Deployment and Dialogue: Engaging Teaching Assistants to Improve Practice
How leaders can provide meaningful opportunities for TAs to discuss their perspectives, ideas, and concerns. researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...
How leaders can provide meaningful opportunities for TAs to discuss their perspectives, ideas, and concerns. researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Intriguing article from Jill Barshay on mathematical vocabulary use & it’s positive impact on learning:
hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Talk nerdy to me: Teachers who use math vocabulary help students do better in math
Using words like ‘factors,’ ‘denominators’ and ‘multiples’ may be part of a constellation of good math teaching practices
hechingerreport.org
January 5, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Intriguing article from Jill Barshay on mathematical vocabulary use & it’s positive impact on learning:
hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Happy New Year's Eve everyone. If you are a teacher (or indeed anyone) still posting on X, I have a suggested New Year's Resolution for you. Stop!
If you agree, please REPOST here and on X if you maintain an account there.
open.substack.com/pub/markgood...
If you agree, please REPOST here and on X if you maintain an account there.
open.substack.com/pub/markgood...
A New Year's Resolution for Teachers: Quit X
The best time to do so was when Musk started poisoning it; the second-best time is now
open.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Happy New Year's Eve everyone. If you are a teacher (or indeed anyone) still posting on X, I have a suggested New Year's Resolution for you. Stop!
If you agree, please REPOST here and on X if you maintain an account there.
open.substack.com/pub/markgood...
If you agree, please REPOST here and on X if you maintain an account there.
open.substack.com/pub/markgood...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Hi #EduSky! I was worried that the Twixmas / early NY period might be a fallow one for blogs but far from it. In fact, some big names have been crazily productive over the holiday period. My #Saturday3 this week follow a theme of education being really hard work.....
January 3, 2026 at 8:20 AM
Hi #EduSky! I was worried that the Twixmas / early NY period might be a fallow one for blogs but far from it. In fact, some big names have been crazily productive over the holiday period. My #Saturday3 this week follow a theme of education being really hard work.....
Reposted by Richard Southward
NEW Herd immunity and the limits of peer influence
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity and the limits of influence
What Elizabeth Paluck’s research reveals about cultural change and why schools have struggled to implement it effectively
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:25 AM
NEW Herd immunity and the limits of peer influence
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by Richard Southward
Interesting but not surprising
March 15, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Interesting but not surprising
Reposted by Richard Southward
Apart from the fun stuff at work, I don’t celebrate Christmas.
But as a Muslim, I believe that: ‘A person is either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.’
So Christmas matters to me because it’s celebrated by you ❤️.
Merry Christmas and peace be unto you.
But as a Muslim, I believe that: ‘A person is either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.’
So Christmas matters to me because it’s celebrated by you ❤️.
Merry Christmas and peace be unto you.
December 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Apart from the fun stuff at work, I don’t celebrate Christmas.
But as a Muslim, I believe that: ‘A person is either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.’
So Christmas matters to me because it’s celebrated by you ❤️.
Merry Christmas and peace be unto you.
But as a Muslim, I believe that: ‘A person is either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.’
So Christmas matters to me because it’s celebrated by you ❤️.
Merry Christmas and peace be unto you.
Reposted by Richard Southward
Hi #EduSky - it's my last #Saturday3 before Christmas and first up is this fascinating blog on Basil Bernstein by @jonesedu.bsky.social. I have to confess that I had not heard of him but this explains how he anticipated a lot of cogsci and yet was quite different. bsky.app/profile/jone...
Explicit instruction isn’t just a method - it’s a social practice.
What does Basil Bernstein tell us about power, language, and who benefits from 'what works' in education?
A rethink of pedagogy beyond cog sci 👇 #edusju #uked #education #sociology #speech
mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2025/12/13/b...
What does Basil Bernstein tell us about power, language, and who benefits from 'what works' in education?
A rethink of pedagogy beyond cog sci 👇 #edusju #uked #education #sociology #speech
mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2025/12/13/b...
Pedagogy, power & clarity: Bernstein’s challenge to explicit instruction
Over the past decade ‘explicit instruction’ has emerged as one of the dominant models of evidence-based teaching and learning. From Barak Rosenshine’s (2012) Principles of Instruction to Greg Ashma…
mrjoneswhiteboard.blog
December 20, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Hi #EduSky - it's my last #Saturday3 before Christmas and first up is this fascinating blog on Basil Bernstein by @jonesedu.bsky.social. I have to confess that I had not heard of him but this explains how he anticipated a lot of cogsci and yet was quite different. bsky.app/profile/jone...