Stuart Rowntree
@primarythink.bsky.social
1.3K followers 210 following 1K posts
Primary leader, teacher and writer. Dad and husband. Committed to clear, calm and honest scholarship in education. Working toward a space for teachers to deepen as thinkers in their craft.
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Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
deputygrocott.bsky.social
I’ve made an Ofsted toolkit breakdown with evidence ideas for each section (although there’s no need to prepare evidence for them coming). If you’d like it, drop me a DM. Hopefully no one will!
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
edreview.bsky.social
What keeps teachers in schools? 🏫
New research shows supportive working conditions—esp. strong leadership—boost satisfaction & retention, while unsupportive ones fuel attrition.

Read more 👇
doi.org/10.1080/0013...

#TeacherRetention #EdPolicy

@drrachelswhite.bsky.social
@amyluelle.bsky.social
Educational Review journal title appears at the top. On the left, in white text on a bright blue background is the article title and author name(s): ‘Conditions for continuity: how school working conditions shape teacher retention and job satisfaction’ by Luke C. Miller, Rachel S. White, Daniel W. Player & Amy L. Reynolds. On the right is an image of teacher looking at and reaching towards a drawing of a school.
primarythink.bsky.social
Haven't been around on here for a while.

My first half term as a *real* AHT has been breakneck, but I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

How is everyone else?
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
suchmo83.bsky.social
As with almost every article written about reading in the past few years, this one has inspired a few suggestions that the focus on phonics has caused problems.

I'd like to explain why I disagree.

>>
primarythink.bsky.social
The new money-saving plan: underfund schools further and gut EHCPs until they only cover PMLD.

Translation: strip protection from thousands of autistic, SEMH, SLCN and SpLD children - and dump the cost on schools already on their knees.

Happy days.
cerysturner.bsky.social
Keir Starmer told the BBC this morning that he doesn’t want to take away EHCPs, but - and an important but - added that “we do need to reform this system”.

No final decision has been made on SEND reform & the PM has invited other parties to work with the govt:

www.tes.com/magazine/new...
DfE considering if EHCPs are 'right vehicle'
SEND adviser Dame Christine Lenehan says new reforms will change the 'bureaucratic nightmare' that the system has become
www.tes.com
primarythink.bsky.social
American fans’ behaviour toward Europeans at the Ryder Cup shows how far decorum and integrity have collapsed since Trump stripped the nation of the dignity it once had...
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
bennewmark.bsky.social
Yup.
The rate limiting step in almost every context I've seen is attention. And you need a teacher to direct this. Almost every tech model starts from the wrong point because it assumes children will want to study the material and won't need their attention managed.
drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social
Access to information or even assessment materials and feedback has never been the rate limiting step of education.
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
psalisbury.bsky.social
So yes, expose all children to the very best: take them to the theatre, watch films, go to the ballet, watch a concert, display the emotion of these wonderful pieces of art. But don’t give them the text and expect them to write an essay on it, because you’ll put them off for life.
primarythink.bsky.social
30hrs free childcare will ease costs & boost work for some parents, but risks remain: patchy places, underfunded providers, excluded poorest families, quality under strain.

A better equipped and funded early years infrastructure needed.

Helps, yes. Solves, no.
primarythink.bsky.social
Labour preach about supporting working families, yet won’t lay a serious hand on wealth or capital - the rich stay shielded while parents count pennies for their children in poverty.

Don't just speak big, deliver big.
primarythink.bsky.social
Offering Trump a UK state visit now is not diplomacy but a statement. In optics and morality, it signals comfort with demagoguery at a moment when democratic norms are strained. Britain should stand for restraint, dignity and the rule of law - not court chaos for ceremony.

Reclaim our dignity.
primarythink.bsky.social
I've always wanted to visit. Looks like such a stunning place.
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
profdamienpage.bsky.social
Recruit people who will help you sleep at night. Talent that will allow you go on holiday, relax, and not worry about what’s going on at work. A team where you don’t need to plan for someone deputising because they’re all top of their game.

Recruitment as wellbeing.
primarythink.bsky.social
It's always darkest before the dawn...
Reposted by Stuart Rowntree
isabellefk.bsky.social
Hi Stuart! Check out this week’s Autism Europe Congress at #AEC2025 and #AECONGRESS25

The education presentations are 👌

Yes to #neuro-affirming teaching.
No to interventions that aim to ‘normalise’ neurodivergent learners, eg by ‘closing the gap’ & chasing standardisation.
primarythink.bsky.social
Exclusion from enrichment – SEND pupils often miss the very enrichment/extension activities that build background knowledge and resilience, further widening gaps.

We need an overhaul.
primarythink.bsky.social
Workforce strain – high staff turnover, recruitment difficulties, and reduced specialist services (EPs, SALT) mean needs are identified but not always met effectively.
primarythink.bsky.social
Variation in provision quality – “ordinarily available” adaptive teaching is still inconsistent between classrooms. Where mainstream QFT is strong, SEND outcomes rise; where weak, pupils rely on external interventions that don’t close gaps by KS2.
primarythink.bsky.social
EHCP plateau – pupils with more complex needs (cognition, communication, Autism, SEMH) face systemic barriers: curriculum isn’t sufficiently adapted, assessments aren’t accessible, therapies inconsistent. That’s why only 9% meet expected standard in KS2.
primarythink.bsky.social
🧵The data around SEND isn't any more inspiring.

Graduated response works better at SEN Support – when pupils get early adjustments (scaffolds, pre-teaching, flexible grouping), they can access enough of the curriculum to progress.

But...
primarythink.bsky.social
Aspirations & identity – intergenerational low expectations and limited cultural capital mean academic achievement isn’t always reinforced at home.
primarythink.bsky.social
Regional economic context – post-industrial/coastal towns lack the “London effect” (dense networks, cultural capital, higher EAL). Without the EAL “catch-up boost,” FSM disadvantage shows more starkly.
primarythink.bsky.social
Attendance & stability – higher absence, exclusions, mobility, and family stress limit cumulative learning time.