@clarefeeneyuk.bsky.social
Teaching and Learning Lead / English teacher. NE England. MAT SP Literacy. Associate Consultant: National Literacy Trust. Sometimes blogs: Reading, Writing, Oracy. https://clarefeeneyuk.com/
'We often talk about the power of reading. But as educators we should be equally attuned to the reading of power.... It may be churlish to look a gift horse in the mouth. It is downright irresponsible to fail to investigate potential Trojan horses.' booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/on-r...
On Royal Horses, Mickey Mouse, and Impossible Creatures – Books For Keeps
booksforkeeps.co.uk
If you’re in the north-east and/or have north-east followers, please share this; the tides over the next week make the clean-up critical. The info below covers North Tyneside but there are similar volunteer networks in South Tyneside.
Alison Stenning@alisonstenning.bsky.social · 2w agoIf you are local, there is clean up action taking place. Sign up to WhatsApp groups to get info on clean up plans/approach Write to council/councillors/MP Details below - DM me if WhatsApp link doesn’t work.
our framework offers an alternative to oracy initiatives which reproduce deficit thinking about language, treat oracy as a depoliticised entity, overlook multilingual abilities, reproduce ableist ideologies about communication, and frame oracy as a language-based solution to structural problems.
Ian Cushing@iancushing.bsky.social · last mo.www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... An oracy framework for England’s schools: linguistic justice edition Open access and out now in Educational Review
I've got a new book coming out soon - Manchester Voices: Accents, Dialects and Identities - published by @cambup-linguistics.cambridge.org. And right now @waterstones.bsky.social are offering 25% off if you pre-order it! Use the code SUMMER26 today or tomorrow. #WPreorder #ManchesterVoices
New report on Reading for Pleasure, from the House of Commons Education Committee, took lots of evidence & offers many very significant ways forward. The quotations below are a clarion call for major change at secondary level & particularly GCSE English. committees.parliament.uk/publications...
Pleased to see these 'Positive Steps' & the call for a National Strategy. Encouraging recommendations, including wider text choice GCSE English Lit, use of school library & library lessons, y8 Reading test to support R4P 1
National Literacy Trust@literacytrust.org.uk · 3w agoEvery young person deserves the chance to discover the joy and power of reading. We look forward to continuing to work with the Committee, government and partners to turn this shared ambition into lasting change. Read our full response to the inquiry: https://loom.ly/jdR9XPM
This is worrying and has huge consequences for secondary schools. Would anyone like to take up Ross' invitation to offer thoughts?
Ross Young@writingrocks.bsky.social · 3w agoNearly 30% of children not meeting the basic met standard for writing in England this year. Only around 1/10 writing above that basic met standard. Lots to do. People’s thoughts? 🤷♂️
The @englishassociation.bsky.social newsletter has a range of good articles about Language in English Studies. I've written something about Keeping language study alive in the English classroom. You can access it here if you are a member. englishassociation.ac.uk/english-asso...
Newsletter | The English Association
The English Association Newsletter reflects a range of activities, interests and keeps members informed of all our activities and publications.
englishassociation.ac.uk
10. Finally… there is no research base that validates reading fluency. Word reading focus only improves word reading pace (and only on that text). Reading is about comprehension - focus on that. It’s harder but if we want students to learn from reading (and we do), they must understand. 14/n
8. Even if a child has a diagnosis, it is only a guide. ASHD, SLCN (and more) are collections of behaviours and challenges. How a child behaviours in your school reflects your environment and the support they receive. If Ofsted cannot identify those with difficulties, you are doing well. 12/n
6. Be intentional about interventions you use; build a database/guide of those what work in your community and use them. Continue to evaluate them. Be clear about who they work for, the age phases, the type of educational challenge and under what conditions. Know this. Focus less on paper, 10/n
I agree. Providing time during the school day is important. Don't expect the child to come before or after school for extra support/reading practice.
DamsonEd@damsoned.bsky.social · last mo.5. Work with families, but do not expect them to do the educational work. It is the schools job to teach reading etc. If a child needs more reading practice, arrange for it to happen in school. Put a time limit on it and then review (halfterm is a good length of time). Be intentional. 8/n
4. Use the research base to help identify possible changes to practice, but also draw on tactic knowledge in the school. The research base is always historic, often based on studies in other countries and is usually generic - this includes evidence from the EEF. Just one source of ideas. 7/n
… is about learning. If a change works, hurray!; if it doesn’t, you learn something more about the child and are building a profile of them as learners. You can use this to tweak again. You will only know if it has worked, if you know what you want the intervention to achieve (see point 2). 6/n
This is a great thread, drawing on signif experience of challenging school contexts. It represents a leadership philosophy that is collaborative, humble and reflective.
DamsonEd@damsoned.bsky.social · last mo.In his editorial on 6.7.2026 @jonsevers.bsky.social reflected on the new report published about white working class educational outcomes…. I am going to reflect back on this.. Long thread I have much experience (and years) of working in schools serving these populations successfully. 1/n
This sounds encouraging and I like the 5 principles to hold policymakers to account. Feels like we might be moving in the right direction - listening to young people's voices and understanding their diverse needs.
The Sutton Trust@suttontrust.bsky.social · last mo.Joined by report co-author @peterhyman.bsky.social and Schools Standards Minister @georgiagould.bsky.social, the discussion explored exam pressure, pathways beyond university, and how policy can better support young people into work. Read more ⬇️ www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion...
IMO the key issue is the current obsession on “reading fluency” and the strange linear developmental progression that is being pushed by the DFE and others (phonics, fluency and then RC). This does not have any basis in the research literature. It is quite possible that it is doing harm.
Unfortunately FFT have their new “test”. I imagine they would like it to become a standard test for schools to “prove” proficiency. Just for the record- there is NO causal evidence that teaching fluency helps with anything. Other than decoding words faster. And the correlational evidence is poor
NEW POST: ● Understanding isn't just knowledge (and how we can teach it) → christianmooreanderson.com/understandin...
I found out today that Newcastle will be the home for the new National Centre for Writing. Excellent news for the North East. If you know the city, it's right by the wonderful Lit & Phil building.
The National Literacy Trust’s Report On Engaging Children & Young People In Writing: Our Review And Implications For Teaching Writing 👇 writing4pleasure.com/2026/06/17/t...
Understanding Why Young People Disengage from Writing
Explore the National Literacy Trust report on why children disengage from writing. Discover factors affecting motivation and engagement in young writers.
writing4pleasure.com
Here’s a nice little way of encouraging children to use ‘show don’t tell’. When reading their stories with friends, they can look for opportunities to ‘prove it!’. In the process, they’ll start to use show don’t tell. 👇
Article in the Observer about the National Literacy Trust and my work as part of the Literacy Lab The University of Edinburgh 👇 observer.co.uk/style/featur...
Breaking the mould: A social mobility journey through the arts and humanities. Great article @englishassociation.bsky.social 'However, the opportunity to pursue a humanities postgraduate degree without guilt is invaluable.'
The Sutton Trust@suttontrust.bsky.social · 2mo ago✍️ “I was working-class and received free school meals; so it seemed entirely reasonable — unquestionable, even — that I should pursue a financially lucrative career.” Our alum, Molly, writes a guest blog about her journey on Social Mobility Day ⤵️
An interesting article for 2 reasons… 1. It does not mention fluency 2. It mentions everything we have been talking about to support comprehension, for years. I hate decodables, so it’s great to hear that they are “ok for a short time” But if you are a teacher, there isn’t really much to help
A mixed picture here for A level English. English Language up about 4% to just under 13,000 (🥳), Lang Lit up about 50 entries (👍🏼) but English Lit down about 6% (😕). Provisional entries for GCSE, AS and A level: summer 2026 exam series - GOV.UK share.google/eTtl8oWesOE2...
Provisional entries for GCSE, AS and A level: summer 2026 exam series
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