I was listening to your excellent lecture on BBC Radio 4 this morning and my kids will be listening to it this evening. The fact the BBC sensored that line is perfect. I hope their cowardice has a Streisand effect because everyone should listen to your lecture.

My y9 daughter is keen to take GCSE French and I was pleased- but, reading some of your blog posts, I'm wondering if taking a language is the best idea at the moment!
(Seriously, I know it's always a good idea, but the actual GCSE seems concerning).

Some examples of outstanding progress made in our school by various Y6 children:
-Comes to school every day
-Works with a peer
-Follows our school rules 80% of the time
-Answers the register aloud
-Has a go at a test without panicking

None will get SS 100 on a SATs paper.

And the article doesn't give voice to any of the leaders of the "hostile" schools (probably quite a few women).

It makes it sound like it's as sinple as just telling TAs that they have to start working earlier than they're currently contracted to. Many TAs are parents of young children, hence their working during school hours. They don't want to work at breakfast club.

So irritating!!

Oh no. I bet he was so pleased when he thought of that. Ugh.

My neurodivergent son already finds school extremely overwhelming. Every day, the uniform, the noise, the expectations to act a certain way, are constantly niggling at him. He copes. But when he is unwell, that additional discomfort is too much and if I force him in, it will not end well.

And writing letters like that is not going to help persistently absent children come to school, it will just make children who generally have good attendance feel anxious about staying off even when they might really need to.

I agree- and really wish we were in a place where teachers felt able to- or where other school staff could do it. But, certainly in my current school situation, there is not an adult with a moment of free time to do this during a school day. I have loved running clubs in the past.