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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 5d

⚠️ Please report sightings of dead birds for possible testing for Avian Influenza. ⬇️

📌 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/...
📌 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/...
📌 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.serv...

#UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

Image of a deceased Puffin lying on the ground. White wording on an orange background reads: Please report sightings of dead birds.

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 5d

"In England today, access to high-quality early education depends far too often on a family’s circumstances rather than on a child’s needs. Decades of evidence show that the very children currently locked out are the ones who would benefit most."

The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 5d

💬 "Breaking the link between background and opportunity does not start at the school gate, it starts in the nursery doorway."

More on the crucial role that affordable, high-quality childcare plays in fighting inequality ⤵️

Access to early education is the first line of defence against inequality - The Sutton Trust

Discussing the importance of improving access to early education and childcare.

www.suttontrust.com

Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 10d

Just wonderful, well done to all of you!

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Speech and Language UK @speechandlanguk.bsky.social · 10d

Almost 700k children in England have #DLD, struggling to join in jokes, share stories or ask for help at school. With the right training, teachers can spot challenges early.

Sign up for our free #DLDDay webinar: https://bit.ly/4gvUvoF

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 15d

A fantastic line up for this free @neunion.bsky.social #EarlyYears conference.
nationaleducationunion.foleon.com/early-years/...

Early years conference October 25 - Early years conference

nationaleducationunion.foleon.com

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Speech and Language UK @speechandlanguk.bsky.social · 17d

Almost 700k children in England have #DLD, struggling to join in jokes, share stories or ask for help at school. With the right training, teachers can spot challenges early.

Sign up for our free #DLDDay webinar: https://bit.ly/4gvUvoF

Promotional image for a free webinar by Speech and Language UK on Developmental Language Disorder, featuring a smiling individual in a yellow scarf, with event details for October 15th from 3:30-4:15 PM.

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 19d

A free webinar from Kinderly about the EYFS Nutrition/Safety Updates.
kinderly.co.uk/event/sean-c...

Free webinar – EYFS & Nutrition Updates 2025 – Kinderly

Learn what has changed with food and nutrition in the EYFS latest updates 2025, and the new guidance from the DfE. Free webinar.

kinderly.co.uk

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Georgia Harper @mindtheflap.bsky.social · 20d

Did you know that per-pupil state special school funding hasn't changed since *2013*? Almost all the inflation in my adult life, not covered!

So yeah, of *course* councils have to spend more on top-up funding, and transport because there's no places locally, which families are then demonised for 🙃

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 21d

"In 2025 you can still buy advantage, massively increasing your chance of getting into the most powerful roles in the country. This is grossly unfair, and a waste of talent on a huge scale."

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 22d

Privately educated still have ‘vice-like grip’ on most powerful UK jobs

Those in top roles are five times as likely to have been to private school than general population, study finds The privately educated are tightening their “vice-like grip” on some of the most powerful and influential roles in British society, such as FTSE 100 chairs, newspaper columnists and BBC executives, a report has found. Those in the most important positions are five times as likely to have attended private school than the general population, showing it is still possible to “buy advantage”, according to the Sutton Trust. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 22d

A free webinar from the charity Contact, Wednesday 15th October, 11.30pm - 1.00pm www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/national-s...

Photos shows a photos of a parent/carers carrying a young child and a practitioners talking to them. Text reads "National Seminar on supporting fathers of young children with SEND"

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Schools Week @schoolsweek.bsky.social · 23d

Funding rates for pupils with special educational needs would be around 40 per cent higher today if they had kept pace with inflation, a committee of MPs has found, warning the freeze is pushing up EHCP numbers

schoolsweek.co.uk/send-spend-f...

SEND spend freeze has led to EHCP rise, MPs say

SEND funding rates would be 40 per cent higher if they had kept pace with inflation, report from parliamentary group says

schoolsweek.co.uk

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 25d

How to deal with Tommy Robinson courtesy of Arkala

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 25d

The British Beach Clean - #volunteers needed.

www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can...

Great British Beach Clean events

Join a beach clean this September and take part in our Great British Beach Clean.

www.mcsuk.org

Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · 29d

Such a fantastic resource, if only all Headteachers of Primary Schools would read it!
www.early-years-reviews.com/play-matters

Image a book cover with a blue background, coloured shapes and photos of young children. Text says 'Play Matters - Why Play Matters in Early Years Childhood,'

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Sep 7

This is key to the reforms - "Establish a clear definition of inclusion: The DfE must define what constitutes an inclusive mainstream school and provide statutory guidance to ensure consistent implementation."

Special Needs Jungle @spcialndsjungle.bsky.social · Sep 7

How do we fix SEND while respecting rights? Here are SNJ’s 80 practical recommendations to solve the SEND Emergency: www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

SNJ’s 80 practical recommendations to solve the SEND Emergency - Special Needs Jungle

Our submission to the SEND Inquiry 2025 has 80 practical recommendations to solve the SEND Emergency. Take a look & let us know your thoughts

www.specialneedsjungle.com

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Sep 7

"Because they were all obsessed with curing me. Rather than equipping me"
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

From pop producer to activist: Robin Millar on the barriers disabled people still face

He made his name with chart-topping hits – now the Scope chair wants to change how society sees disability

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Sue Cowley @suecowley.bsky.social · Sep 4

Beautiful! This is what education can do, my wonderful teacher colleagues. #EduSky ♥️☺️

Colin Elves @colinelves.bsky.social · Sep 3

With alt:

Smajo Beso • Follow
3d • ©
I started school in Newcastle in Year 5 without knowing a word of English. I was nine years old and had arrived as a refugee from Bosnia just a couple of months earlier.
I was one of those strangers our politicians often speak about.
I missed my grandparents and friends. I was having awful nightmares, and I would wake up screaming every single night. I hated going to school. I would sit in my chair, look out of the window, and spend my day daydreaming about ways to run back to Bosnia. I didn't want to be here.
After a couple of weeks at school, my teacher, Miss Webster, and my classmates did something special to help me settle, something that made me feel less of a stranger. That was the first day I went home with a smile on my face.
I have shared this story before, but as tomorrow is start of the new school year, I thought I would share it again.
**

Miss Webster was amazing, but I couldn't understand a word she was saying. She had this ritual where, at the end of each day, we would all sit on the floor around her, she would play the guitar, and we would all sing a song together.
I couldn't understand what they were singing, but I could see she would sing one part of the song, then she would say someone's name or point to them. The next part of the song would be sung with that person's name in it, and they would get to go home first.
My classmates loved this, but I hated it. It annoyed me because I couldn't understand what they were singing, but if I am honest, l hated it mainly because of how happy they all were. I definitely wasn't happy. I cried myself to sleep nearly every night.
I eventually started having separate English lessons, which I enjoyed more because it took me out of the classroom. It was always daunting coming to school because I felt everyone was looking at me or speaking about me. For months, my dad would stand with me outside the school gates in the morning until it was time to go in.

One day I came back into the classroom from my English lesson. We sat down, and everyone was extra-excited, looking at me more than usual for some reason. Of course, I thought it was because I was a refugee, because I couldn't speak English, or because they couldn't pronounce my name. I was bracing myself for another afternoon of my classmates encouraging me to sing. This was probably the closest I came to running out.
So we were all sitting on the floor around Miss Webster. She was holding her guitar, ready to sing. I remember the sun shining through the tall, narrow windows as I slowly drifted into a daydream of being back in Bosnia. She began playing the guitar, my classmates joined in, but this time, everything was different. I froze. I understood what they were signing. Not because I had miraculously learned English in one afternoon, but because they were singing in Bosnian for me. I looked around in shock, and they were all smiling at me, and for a moment I thought I was daydreaming.

While I was having separate English lessons, Miss Webster had taught our entire class to sing this song for me in Bosnian. They sang it terribly, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I skipped home that day with a huge smile on my face. For the first time, I looked forward to going back to school the next day.
I have often imagined Miss Webster and my classmates rehearsing, struggling with the strange Bosnian words and laughing at themselves. For me, that effort was the ultimate recognition, an act of peace that felt like the opposite of everything I had known during the war. It was special.
I do not know if they realised it then, but that moment helped to give me back my dignity, my belonging, and, for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was just a refugee or an outsider. I was home.

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Down's Syndrome Association @dsa-uk.bsky.social · Sep 3

Early years and Primary Education: On-demand recording | FREE

This 90-minute online training session for education practitioners and parents explains how to support learners who have Down’s syndrome from 4 to 11 years.

You can watch it in your own time by signing up here: https://loom.ly/SewAvaw

Young girl who has Down's syndrome getting involved in an activity at school.

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Ramandeep Kaur @mumof3amigos.bsky.social · Sep 3

Do listen to this. If only our PM could take down Farage like this.

Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · Sep 3

Jamie Raskin, "They only want to protect free speech that they agree with"

JR then demolishes Farage, ending with

"You might want to think twice before you let Nigel Farage Make Britain Great Again"

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Sep 3

A free online webinar for parents and carers from the fantastic charity ERIC. eric.org.uk/talking-abou... They also have lots of useful information on their website, eric.org.uk

Image shows a photo of a teddy bear sitting on a potty. Text reads "Free, via Zoom - Talking about Potty Training, 25th September 2025, 7pm - 9pm, ERIC The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity"

Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Sep 1

What Starmer should have said:

"I support flag waving when done by genuine patriots. The people vandalising public property and storming hotels are not patriots. They are disrespecting our flag and country to spread hate & division. They do not represent true British values of tolerance & respect."

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · Sep 1

Asked about people vandalising roundabouts with painted St Georges and Union Jack flags, Keir Starmer replies that "I always sit in front of a union jack and I've been doing it for years"

“I’m very encouraging of flags”

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Reposted by Kathryn Stinton

Contact, for families with disabled children @contactfamilies.bsky.social · Sep 1

Don’t miss new dates for our popular workshops.

We have upcoming sessions on early years education support, toilet training, and speech, language and communication.

Find them here 👇

Upcoming Brighter Beginnings workshops for early years parents

This autumn 2025, don’t miss new dates for our popular Brighter Beginnings early years online workshops for parent carers.

f.mtr.cool

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Sep 1

Well who could have predicted this?!!

Tes magazine @tesmagazine.bsky.social · Sep 1

Recruitment difficulties and low pay in the early years sector could hinder the government’s expansion of free childcare, warns @thenfer.bsky.social report

Early years recruitment could hamper childcare expansion

Pay and recruitment issues persist in early years workforce despite funding boosts, warns a new NFER report

www.tes.com

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Aug 29

A heart breaking reminder of why the EYFS changes are so important. "Because these aren’t just statutory clauses. They are the result of a little boy’s life and death."
www.tosf.org.uk/post/eyfs-ch...

🧒 EYFS Changes from September 2025

The EYFS is Changing – Because of Our Son, OliverFrom 1st September 2025, new changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework will come into force across every early years setting in Engl...

www.tosf.org.uk

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Kathryn Stinton @kathrynstinton.bsky.social · Aug 28

This is why I love working in #EarlyYears 😀

Katherine McDonald @katherinemcdon.bsky.social · Aug 27

May you greet your day with the carefree joy of the toddler currently outside Durham cathedral shouting "DING DONG!" each time the bell rings.

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