Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 2d

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'.

7

Reposted by Alex Quigley

Chris Curtis @xris32.bsky.social · 3d

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

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

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

4 8

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 2d

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...

1 1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 2d

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...

2

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 3d

🚨 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...

alexquigley.co.uk

2 5

Reposted by Alex Quigley

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 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...

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...

alexquigley.co.uk

4 3 6

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 4d

Yes - thank you!

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 4d

Yes - agreed.

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 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...

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...

alexquigley.co.uk

4 3 6

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 5d

Reforming the SEND system is not a choice at this point:

'Send costs will rise by billions without reforms, minister told' by @TheIFS

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Send costs will rise by billions without reforms, ministers told

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says more than 200,000 extra children will need Send support by 2029.

www.bbc.co.uk

1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 5d

Very kind, sir!

1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 6d

💡'The 7 Deadly Sins of Exam Revision'

Procrastination and cramming... passive approaches... skimping on sleep... poor time management... overconfidence... weapons of mass distraction... failed planning...

alexquigley.co.uk/the-7-deadly...

The 7 Deadly Sins of Exam Revision

Year after year, teachers conduct assemblies, workshops, and share resources on effective revision. Despite all that effort, students continue to fall for the all-too-common seven deadly sins of exam ...

alexquigley.co.uk

1 1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 6d

💡 'Write less; Read more'

"Are pupils being read to enough in the school week? How much reading are they exposed to, and how do we know? Are we wading through too many comprehension questions that imitate national tests, but inhibit reading volume in English?"

alexquigley.co.uk/write-less-r...

1 3 10

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 6d

I don’t think the link is working?

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 6d

Looking forward to this 👍

2

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 9d

Good news re: government reinstating maintenance grants for university students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Tuition fees, interest rates on student loan debt, rising accommodation costs & more, have been making uni once more the sole preserve of the already advantaged middle/upper classes.

1 8

Reposted by Alex Quigley

Dr Julian Grenier CBE @juliangrenier.bsky.social · 10d

My newsletter Early Years High 5 is out now

1 Half of children on FSM aren’t ‘school ready’
2 Teaching assistants feel undervalued
3 Age matters in EYFS data
4 What can England learn from global SEND policy?
5 Where should the next 400 Family Hubs go?
📩 Read more: www.linkedin.com/newsletters/...

Early Years High 5 | LinkedIn

Early years research evidence in 5 quick reads

www.linkedin.com

1 4 9

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

Want to understand the SEND crisis in England? This is an excellent summary of the policy issues from the @theifs.bsky.social

‘England’s SEND crisis: costs, challenges and the case for reform’

ifs.org.uk/articles/eng...

England’s SEND crisis: costs, challenges and the case for reform | Institute for Fiscal Studies

What are the challenges facing the special educational needs system in England, and how can the government could reform the system?

ifs.org.uk

2 13

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

💡’Literacy and inclusion’

“[a]… solution is to address reading skills upstream, as early as possible, in our schools. Schools cannot compensate for society, but when it comes to literacy – reading and writing – schools can make a significant difference.”

alexquigley.co.uk/literacy-and...

Literacy and Inclusion

A vital factor for inclusion in schools is pupils’ literacy skill. Put simply, reading, writing, and communication are the cornerstones of school success and prerequisites for inclusion. Consider...

alexquigley.co.uk

2 5

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

💡’Supporting shy pupils to talk in class’

“Confidence that their teacher is sensitive to their needs is likely to breed increased engagement, while we can assume similar for reliable friends being present in their classes.”

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

Supporting shy pupils to talk in class

Shy pupils can easily, often unnoticed, slide to the sides of lessons. Supporting such pupils, who are nervous to talk with their peers or in front of the class, can be a tricky business but also vita...

alexquigley.co.uk

1 2

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

It’s related - so it is when you give pupils prior notice (warm them up) in various ways - sometimes discreetly where necessary.

1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

💡’Supporting shy pupils to talk in class’

“Confidence that their teacher is sensitive to their needs is likely to breed increased engagement, while we can assume similar for reliable friends being present in their classes.”

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

Supporting shy pupils to talk in class

Shy pupils can easily, often unnoticed, slide to the sides of lessons. Supporting such pupils, who are nervous to talk with their peers or in front of the class, can be a tricky business but also vita...

alexquigley.co.uk

1 4

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

Yes - I think there are a good number of students like that. I think ‘warm calling’ is a necessary strategy alongside cold calling for that reason.

1 1

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

Thorough & practical exploration of the role pictures can play in reading by Prof Tim Shanahan.

“Pictures may initially compete with the words in comprehension, but they’re essential for helping kids to gain coherent representations of what they read.”

www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/what-ro...

1 2

Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 11d

“We need classrooms that can move fluidly between modes: collaborative when ideas need to be shared and tested, quiet when concepts need to be grasped and consolidated.”

‘Is a noisy classroom a thinking classroom’ by @carlhendrick.substack.com

open.substack.com/pub/carlhend...

Is a Noisy Classroom a Thinking Classroom?

New Study Makes Surprising Finding On the Hidden Costs of Classroom Chatter on Thinking

open.substack.com

1 3 6