Mark Goodrich
@markgoodrich.bsky.social
Was a lawyer, now a primary teacher. Interested in politics, chess, citizenship and education especially reading and maths. Has lived in 🇯🇵🇰🇷and now in 🇱🇦. https://open.substack.com/pub/markgoodrich
Pinned
A mixed bag for my #Saturday3 this week. Two blogs by new (to me) bloggers on the minutiae of classroom practice plus an extended think piece that looks at the possibility of AI being able to solve the problem of transmitting the best teaching techniques to future generations.
OK - now I am curious. Have many schools banned the 6-7 hand movements? (You really can’t call it a dance). I feel this needs to be a Teacher Tapp question @heymrshallahan.bsky.social!
Those who know, know. I wouldn't have been able to resist it either. I can't hear 6-7 without hearing it on repeat alongside all other similarly 'blessed' parents:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Starmer apologises for leading pupils in 6-7 dance
The prime minister performed a version of the viral dance with primary school children, before being told it was not allowed.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 12:23 PM
OK - now I am curious. Have many schools banned the 6-7 hand movements? (You really can’t call it a dance). I feel this needs to be a Teacher Tapp question @heymrshallahan.bsky.social!
I got FB for the first time when I moved to Laos. You need it here because it has basically all the restaurant info so it has always been 98% AI slop for me. Must be upsetting for those who used to use to keep in touch with people.
My Facebook feed no longer has anything from people I know. Instead it's 99% AI slop videos of "trains floating on canal boats having accidents in which someone falls into the water". It's horrible, mainly because I can't stop watching them on repeat and the algorithm knows the darkness of my soul.
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I got FB for the first time when I moved to Laos. You need it here because it has basically all the restaurant info so it has always been 98% AI slop for me. Must be upsetting for those who used to use to keep in touch with people.
This is a tremendous article.
November 25, 2025 at 6:35 AM
This is a tremendous article.
OK - smashed it with over a month to go. What do I challenge myself to next year #BookSky ? @thestorygraph.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
OK - smashed it with over a month to go. What do I challenge myself to next year #BookSky ? @thestorygraph.com
This is a real cautionary tale for those with paid subscriptions on Substack who might ever want to move... However, it did also make me aware that there is an option in settings on PC (haven’t found it app) to only receive subscriptions in the app. Might be worth it if you are getting too many!
I'm not going back to Substack. I will continue to post my newsletters from Ghost. But I did have to get back in there, just to post this and let people who thought I'd vanished know about this utter nightmare: substack.com/home/post/p-...
An Explanation (Which I Would Be Very Grateful If You Took The Time To Read)
What follows is a minor modern horror story.
substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:01 AM
This is a real cautionary tale for those with paid subscriptions on Substack who might ever want to move... However, it did also make me aware that there is an option in settings on PC (haven’t found it app) to only receive subscriptions in the app. Might be worth it if you are getting too many!
As someone with an interest in philosophy *and* school improvement, it felt like this blog was written for me! There’s lots to think about about even if philosophy is not your bag. open.substack.com/pub/carousel...
Autonomy, authority and anarchy: creating a better school culture
Most schools live with a quiet tension between what’s written in policy and what actually happens in lessons. Getting to grips with this tension is at the heart of creating an improved school culture.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:54 AM
As someone with an interest in philosophy *and* school improvement, it felt like this blog was written for me! There’s lots to think about about even if philosophy is not your bag. open.substack.com/pub/carousel...
If you like nerdy stats about teacher recruitment etc, you have to follow Jack.
First 2025/26 cycle ITT data out today. Too early to tell much and it's quite contradictory!
- Applications up, but offers and acceptances flat or down
- Acceptances especially down for secondary and in bursary-cut subjects
Will be interesting to see if extra apps translate into offers later on
- Applications up, but offers and acceptances flat or down
- Acceptances especially down for secondary and in bursary-cut subjects
Will be interesting to see if extra apps translate into offers later on
November 24, 2025 at 10:18 AM
If you like nerdy stats about teacher recruitment etc, you have to follow Jack.
You may need to #TeachMaths to find this interesting but I have discovered that the Bluesky follower count is not based on rounding.
November 24, 2025 at 9:26 AM
You may need to #TeachMaths to find this interesting but I have discovered that the Bluesky follower count is not based on rounding.
Great story, this! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articl...
Aonishiki: Ukraine sumo prodigy becomes champion in Japan
Aonishiki wins the November sumo tournament in Japan and becomes the first person from Ukraine to claim an elite-level sumo championship.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Great story, this! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articl...
I am missing #SundayMorningBookChat from @slatterymr.bsky.social but I also have a question for the #KidLit community arising from the last book I read. It seems hard to write a really strong children’s book told fully in first person (from a single character). Hit me up with any stellar examples!
November 23, 2025 at 8:10 AM
I am missing #SundayMorningBookChat from @slatterymr.bsky.social but I also have a question for the #KidLit community arising from the last book I read. It seems hard to write a really strong children’s book told fully in first person (from a single character). Hit me up with any stellar examples!
As well as being fascinating to read, this is also the answer to the perennial primary question:
“Why don’t our pupils practise their spellings properly?!”
“Why don’t our pupils practise their spellings properly?!”
November 23, 2025 at 8:03 AM
As well as being fascinating to read, this is also the answer to the perennial primary question:
“Why don’t our pupils practise their spellings properly?!”
“Why don’t our pupils practise their spellings properly?!”
A mixed bag for my #Saturday3 this week. Two blogs by new (to me) bloggers on the minutiae of classroom practice plus an extended think piece that looks at the possibility of AI being able to solve the problem of transmitting the best teaching techniques to future generations.
November 22, 2025 at 10:54 AM
A mixed bag for my #Saturday3 this week. Two blogs by new (to me) bloggers on the minutiae of classroom practice plus an extended think piece that looks at the possibility of AI being able to solve the problem of transmitting the best teaching techniques to future generations.
A much more satisfactory length for a run this week. Thanks!
(Also, a fascinating conversation with @mrarobbins.bsky.social which I think would be useful for anyone in middle management / coaching whether a teacher or not).
(Also, a fascinating conversation with @mrarobbins.bsky.social which I think would be useful for anyone in middle management / coaching whether a teacher or not).
NEW EPISODE
This week, we are joined by leadership maestro @mrarobbins.bsky.social, looking at the tensions and difficulties in leading schools and driving change. Not to be missed!
Tune in and share if you can 🙏🙏
open.spotify.com/episode/0320...
This week, we are joined by leadership maestro @mrarobbins.bsky.social, looking at the tensions and difficulties in leading schools and driving change. Not to be missed!
Tune in and share if you can 🙏🙏
open.spotify.com/episode/0320...
What's the key to unlocking teacher development? With Adam Robbins
open.spotify.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:03 AM
A much more satisfactory length for a run this week. Thanks!
(Also, a fascinating conversation with @mrarobbins.bsky.social which I think would be useful for anyone in middle management / coaching whether a teacher or not).
(Also, a fascinating conversation with @mrarobbins.bsky.social which I think would be useful for anyone in middle management / coaching whether a teacher or not).
Are you in the mood for a primal howl of rage at the state of the world this Friday? If so, I highly recommend this by @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com. Just brutal savagery with the written word punctuated by copious swearing. Somehow made me feel better!
open.substack.com/pub/youngvul...
open.substack.com/pub/youngvul...
aren't you tired of feeling insane all the time?
Behold! I have had a thought.
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Are you in the mood for a primal howl of rage at the state of the world this Friday? If so, I highly recommend this by @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com. Just brutal savagery with the written word punctuated by copious swearing. Somehow made me feel better!
open.substack.com/pub/youngvul...
open.substack.com/pub/youngvul...
It appears that this is still correct 50 minutes late!
STOKES! It's always Stokes.
76-5
76-5
November 21, 2025 at 9:48 AM
It appears that this is still correct 50 minutes late!
With X down, I hope a few more #Edutwitter people will come and enjoy #Edusky. Less people will shout at you randomly but, on the other hand, you also won’t be helping to monetise the far right.
November 18, 2025 at 2:18 PM
With X down, I hope a few more #Edutwitter people will come and enjoy #Edusky. Less people will shout at you randomly but, on the other hand, you also won’t be helping to monetise the far right.
Reposted by Mark Goodrich
Net migration now estimated to have fallen from 944,000 to 345,000 in Dec ‘24.
Some projections even suggest David Cameron’s old target of “tens of thousands” could be met. ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...
Some projections even suggest David Cameron’s old target of “tens of thousands” could be met. ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...
The coming collapse in immigration to the United Kingdom - UK in a changing Europe
James Bowes analyses the fall in net migration to the UK as a result of government policies and explores some of the political and economic consequences.
ukandeu.ac.uk
November 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Net migration now estimated to have fallen from 944,000 to 345,000 in Dec ‘24.
Some projections even suggest David Cameron’s old target of “tens of thousands” could be met. ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...
Some projections even suggest David Cameron’s old target of “tens of thousands” could be met. ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...
It’s fun to do as well!
You know about this network analyzer, guys? Can help find people you should be following by looking for those that are followed by other people you follow. bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
Bluesky Network Analyzer
Find accounts that you don't follow (yet) but are followed by lots of accounts that you do follow.
bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
November 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
It’s fun to do as well!
Does anyone else get an earworm stuck in their head even though they have not actually heard the song for years if not decades?
November 18, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Does anyone else get an earworm stuck in their head even though they have not actually heard the song for years if not decades?
Reposted by Mark Goodrich
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
What can we learn from the 'best' schools?
Signals, noise, and the difficulty with knowing 'what works'
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by Mark Goodrich
The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.
November 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.
Something grimly predictable about this….
❌ Exclusive: AI-driven reports that government said would help bring attendance 'back to – and beyond – pre-pandemic levels' have been suspended just days after they were launched
This comes after leaders noticed inaccuracies in the data provided...
schoolsweek.co.uk/embarrassing...
This comes after leaders noticed inaccuracies in the data provided...
schoolsweek.co.uk/embarrassing...
AI attendance reports suspended just days after launch
Government had said the reports would help bring attendance 'back to - and beyond - pre-pandemic levels'
schoolsweek.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Something grimly predictable about this….
Great little thread from Peps.
November 17, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Great little thread from Peps.
Good to see this but why use a screenshot from X rather than his post here? If MPs use both, raise the engagement on Bluesky!
bsky.app/profile/tony...
bsky.app/profile/tony...
Labour's MP for Folkestone says the government has taken "the wrong turning" on its plans for asylum seekers.
"The rhetoric around these reforms encourages the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities."
"The rhetoric around these reforms encourages the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities."
November 17, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Good to see this but why use a screenshot from X rather than his post here? If MPs use both, raise the engagement on Bluesky!
bsky.app/profile/tony...
bsky.app/profile/tony...