alexpowley.bsky.social
Director of Teaching, Learning and School Improvement | Facilitator for NPQLT and NPQLTD | Facilitator for UCL ECF Induction Programme | SLE for Curriculum Design when that was a thing
My opinions are my own.
41 posts
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175 following
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AntennaPod is a great app for podcasts if you're looking to change platforms.
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Totally - dependence on slides can limit flexibility, and that’s a real issue. But I think that’s where the original post risks overcorrecting: the issue isn’t using PowerPoint, it’s when its use isn’t aligned with curriculum thinking or well-designed lesson structures.
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That’s a fair point—but I’m not sure the digital tools in question are a fad. If anything, they’ve become the default. The risk now is overcorrecting—framing analogue as inherently better, rather than looking at how both can support adaptive, responsive teaching.
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Lots to agree with here—but I worry it risks framing digital as inherently poor practice. I've seen responsive, adaptive teaching with slides too. The issue isn't the tool, it's how it's used—and whether teachers have the time and freedom to use it well.
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Yes to all of this. I think the challenge is weighting the evidence well. Children’s lived experience is vital—but so is noticing where adult narratives (staff, governors, parents etc) drift from what the system actually produces. That’s where things can get interesting.
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I remember this too...such a ghoul.
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I can't remember who said it, but I remember a YouTube video that put forward the theory that his dead-eyed smile is the product of algorithmic feedback from his video thumb nails...and I kinda believe it.
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Really thought-provoking piece. POSIWID is a useful reminder: in school improvement, it’s not enough to have a plan or list of actions. What matters is what those actions actually lead to. If they’re not shifting practice or outcomes, the system isn’t doing what we think it is.
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Agreed—it’s become a really valuable space for thoughtful discussion, especially around curriculum and school improvement. The slower pace helps, I think—more time to reflect, less noise. Feels like a good place for deeper professional thinking to grow.
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Agreed—test conditions improve reliability and remove the independent writing issue in moderation. The challenge is ensuring they assess writing ability, not just topic familiarity. Though a shared stimulus could mitigate this.
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The issues around KS2 Writing assessment are well-known, but if we were to move away from the current system, what would be a more reliable alternative? Marked writing tests? Comparative marking?
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Totally agree with this. Although using bottled/filtered water offers more bang for your buck, the quality of the grinder is the most transformative in terms of extracting flavour from coffee beans.
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What was the potential loss? I'm so close to 1,000, I'd be gutted if lost my streak before reaching it.
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Anecdotally, that's the direction of travel Im seeing, but what replaces it? More executive leadership models? Federations? Or do we risk losing something important in the process—like the community role that small-school heads play?"
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Raises an important question about how we value different forms of leadership. If MATs see subject leadership as a key driver of school improvement, does that justify parity with headship pay? Or does this signal a shift in leadership structures away from the traditional school-based model?
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This is a really important part of the discussion which needs to be had around SEND.
FFT published some interesting data on SEND figures and season of birth. Paper on it available here: sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cp/...