Zoe Enser
@greeborunner.bsky.social
School improvement lead for a small but varied and beautifully formed trust. TES columnist. Education, improving things for our most vulnerable. Literature, Yorkshire, folklore.
“at the exact moment a new curriculum is being written, the inspectorate is stepping back from the one tool capable of checking whether curriculum intent was becoming classroom reality, and leaning harder on outcomes measures”
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · yesterday*** PART THREE *** Having looked at why the ‘knowledge-turn’ floundered in England, this final part considers the lessons that need to be learned by the current curriculum reform. enserm.substack.com/p/part-3-the...
Not saying it's a bad aim, but it would be nice to be reassured she understands what these are too (funding, stakes around outcomes, staffing, pressures of attendance, lack of support from services beyond schools etc, etc)
Schools Week@schoolsweek.bsky.social · 24h agoEducation secretary Lucy Powell has said she wants the school accountability system to be 'much more supportive and understanding' of the job headteachers do, amid concerns about the pressure of Ofsted inspections schoolsweek.co.uk/powell-wants...
Education secretary Lucy Powell has said she wants the school accountability system to be 'much more supportive and understanding' of the job headteachers do, amid concerns about the pressure of Ofsted inspections schoolsweek.co.uk/powell-wants...
Powell wants ‘more supportive’ school accountability system
The education secretary's comments follow fresh concerns about the impact of Ofsted inspections
schoolsweek.co.uk
*** PART THREE *** Having looked at why the ‘knowledge-turn’ floundered in England, this final part considers the lessons that need to be learned by the current curriculum reform. enserm.substack.com/p/part-3-the...
Part 3: The Knowledge-Rich Revolution That Never Was
Lessons to be learned
enserm.substack.com
Since leaving teaching people often ask me 'what is it you actually do?' - here is my attempt to answer that. enserm.substack.com/p/what-do-yo... DMs open if you think I might be useful to you this year.
What do you do all day?
Trying to be useful
enserm.substack.com
It’s all relative. I might think we’ve not really had a knowledge-turn - plenty of reasons to question it. Then I see other countries and where they are. That experience has totally changed my perspective. We absolutely have had a knowledge-turn.
I wonder to what extent areas like this are the ones which stretch education's Overton window to the greatest extent. The blogs, literature, ResearchED and some of the 'leading wave' knowledge schools will be a world away from a different implementation space, and the average experience is... where?
Good luck! I haven’t written anything on it for ages, but try this. occamshairdryer.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/k...
Knowing, richly
When I first led CPD on curriculum in my school, I was mindful of the need to counter the suspicion that a knowledge-rich approach is just about rote learning of facts. I did this by talking about …
occamshairdryer.wordpress.com
These posts from @ensermark.bsky.social are excellent on where education’s knowledge turn hit the buffers and why, or perhaps never got going properly in the first place. As a senior leader for most of the period in question I recognise a lot of the issues only too well.
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · 2d ago*** PART TWO *** Part One found that England’s knowledge-turn got stuck. In ths post I look at why this was - why did the ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum revolution never really land in schools? enserm.substack.com/p/part-two-t...
*** PART TWO *** Part One found that England’s knowledge-turn got stuck. In ths post I look at why this was - why did the ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum revolution never really land in schools? enserm.substack.com/p/part-two-t...
Part Two: The knowledge-rich revolution that never was
How the system failed schools and its pupils
enserm.substack.com
Very interesting post on the mismatch between knowledge curriculum on paper and in reality.
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · 3d agoPeople are starting to write the obituary for England's "knowledge-rich" era. Before we bury it, I wanted to check something - was it ever really alive? enserm.substack.com/p/the-knowle...
I enjoyed these 2 blog posts (with more to come.) I recognised much of the history and opinions and it was good to see it described and analysed so well. As a HoD and Senior leader through this period, it aligns with my own experiences. Thank you Mark @ensermark.bsky.social
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · 3d agoPeople are starting to write the obituary for England's "knowledge-rich" era. Before we bury it, I wanted to check something - was it ever really alive? enserm.substack.com/p/the-knowle...
As well as my old job, I have a new job - Director of the Knowledge Hub. We run a course called The Exemplary Teaching Programme. It's for good teachers who want to be great. I think of it as a sort of Top Gun for Teachers. I blogged about it here. theknowledgehubuk.substack.com/p/introducin...
If I may extend a metaphor to breaking point, I wonder if I could suggest that we were turned towards knowledge, but the progress towards it has been minimal 🤔
People are starting to write the obituary for England's "knowledge-rich" era. Before we bury it, I wanted to check something - was it ever really alive? enserm.substack.com/p/the-knowle...
The knowledge-rich revolution that never was
Part 1: Before we write the obituary, it’s worth checking the patient was ever alive.
enserm.substack.com
💡 NEW POST 💡 'The End of the Knowledge-rich Era' alexquigley.co.uk/the-end-of-t...
The end of the knowledge-rich era
"Each Culture has its own new possibilities of self-expression which arise, ripen, decay and never return… each limited in duration and self-contained, just as each species of plant has its peculiar b...
alexquigley.co.uk
The government plans to create a new national framework worth up to £800 million to offer teachers continuing professional development on SEND inclusion schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-plans-80...
DfE plans £800m national SEND CPD framework
Experts welcome plan but say sustained investment in training will be key
schoolsweek.co.uk
Education secretary Lucy Powell has been criticised for claiming a third of GCSE pupils 'can’t' pass English and maths each year due to the way the exam grading system works schoolsweek.co.uk/powell-criti...
Powell criticised for claims about GCSE grading
Former Ofqual chair says education secretary's claim about the effect of comparable outcomes is 'untrue'
schoolsweek.co.uk
Excellent again
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · 2w ago*** PART THREE *** Parts 1 and 2 looked at what your GCSE results can tell you. Part Three: the ways well-intentioned leaders get it wrong, from changing KS3 too hastily to judging a teacher off one class. The stinger: when patience becomes avoidance. enserm.substack.com/p/part-three...
Part One looked at what your GCSE results can and can't tell you. Part Two asks the harder question: now what? Remarking, question-level analysis, gap analysis, and turning findings into this year's CPD plan. Part Three tomorrow - on what NOT to do. enserm.substack.com/p/part-two-n...
Part Two: Now What?
What Middle Leaders Can Actually Do With GCSE Results
enserm.substack.com
GCSE results are out this morning – here’s your handy Schools Week round up of the key trends... schoolsweek.co.uk/gcse-results...
GCSE results day 2026: 6 key trends from this year’s data
GCSE results are out this morning, showing a rise in top grades in maths – here’s your handy Schools Week round up of the key trends
schoolsweek.co.uk
An excellent and useful reminder for Head of Dept AND SLT ahead of tomorrow. Bookmark it for the return to work...or read it tonight if you need something to help you sleep a little better!
Mark Enser@ensermark.bsky.social · 2w agoGCSE results are out tomorrow. The data tells you real things, and it can't be trusted on others. Some thoughts for middle leaders on what to actually claim from your results before drawing conclusions: enserm.substack.com/p/what-your-...
Thank you for sharing this. It's wisdom like this we need more of in schools! When it comes to comparing grades to other subjects, there's a caveat for language teachers. whoteacheslanguages.blogspot.com/2025/08/unfa...
Unfair grading and its impact in Languages
Imagine you are selling petrol for £1.40 a litre, and the other garages down the street all sell it for £1.30. Should you be surprised or c...
whoteacheslanguages.blogspot.com
GCSE results are out tomorrow. The data tells you real things, and it can't be trusted on others. Some thoughts for middle leaders on what to actually claim from your results before drawing conclusions: enserm.substack.com/p/what-your-...
What Your GCSE Results Can (and Can’t) Tell You
Cutting through the data noise
enserm.substack.com
ICYMI: Ministers have no plans to reopen the previous government’s curriculum and assessment review as part of education reforms announced by the prime minister, Schools Week understands schoolsweek.co.uk/government-d...
Burnham government won't reopen curriculum review
Education secretary Lucy Powell also understood to be committed to existing reform timetable
schoolsweek.co.uk
Ministers have no plans to reopen the previous government’s curriculum and assessment review as part of education reforms announced by the prime minister, Schools Week understands schoolsweek.co.uk/government-d...
Burnham government won't reopen curriculum review
Education secretary Lucy Powell also understood to be committed to existing reform timetable
schoolsweek.co.uk