School-Matters
@nicholasptr.bsky.social
Reflections on school life, childhood and parenting- www.school-matters.org Nicholas Prockter
"There is something truly magical about reading to a child…However busy family life can be, making time for shared reading is an investment parents just have to make." Here's my blog about how 10 minutes a day can change a child's life school-matters.org/2026/03/27/o... #parenting #edusky #education
There is nobody more informed, knowledgeable and clear on the issues surrounding smartphone use than the excellent Jean Twenge. This short article on the damage phones do to our pupils’ social skills and learning is essential reading today. www.afterbabel.com/p/phones-at-...
Phones at School: Less Learning, More Loneliness
A new analysis shows the twin impacts of the leisure use of devices during the school day: declines in test scores and increases in feelings of loneliness at school.
afterbabel.com
Lots of students in our school are reading #TheAmazingGeneration by @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social and @catherine-price.bsky.social . Grace (11 today) has written a lovely review for our school newsletter on Page 2 of this link www.kingham.oxon.sch.uk/wp-content/u... #edusky #teaching #education
kingham.oxon.sch.uk
💬 "Children from less well-off homes start school already behind their classmates, and gaps in their attainment widen further through primary and secondary school." We have long pushed for action to close the attainment gap - but what is it? Our explainer ⬇️
The Disadvantage Gap explained - The Sutton Trust
We have long called for action to close the attainment gap, but what is it?
suttontrust.com
#NAPCE #PastoralCare #Education #Schools #Wellbeing #Teaching #Teacher #mentalhealth #Sleep @napce.bsky.social
School-Matters@nicholasptr.bsky.social · 6mo agoMy latest blog about how sleep is as important as reading for children to be successful is here: school-matters.org/2026/01/23/w... #parenting #edusky
"The idea that an EHCP is the ‘golden chalice’ for all but the most complex cases is misguided" My latest blog cautiously welcoming the Schools White Paper proposals: school-matters.org/2026/03/02/s... #edusky @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social #schools #SEND
Schools White Paper – Cautiously Welcomed!
The Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, was published last week after months of speculation. The Education Secretary, sets out a bold, long-term plan to raise standards in scho…
school-matters.org
‘I’ve been swept up by the autism spectrum idea, and it’s only in the past 10 years that I have felt things have gone too far. Very slowly, I have come to say, “No, this is not right”’: Autism expert professor Uta Frith talks to @helen-amass.bsky.social
Uta Frith: ‘Autism is not a spectrum’
The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, affecting how teachers should support autistic pupils in the classroom, researcher Uta Frith tells Helen Amass
tes.com
"The idea that an EHCP is the ‘golden chalice’ for all but the most complex cases is misguided" My latest blog cautiously welcoming the Schools White Paper proposals: school-matters.org/2026/03/02/s... #edusky @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social #schools #SEND
Schools White Paper – Cautiously Welcomed!
The Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, was published last week after months of speculation. The Education Secretary, sets out a bold, long-term plan to raise standards in scho…
school-matters.org
Resilience is like a muscle that strengthens through manageable challenge. When children face difficulty and experience small frustrations their capacity to cope grows. Here's my latest blog on resilience: school-matters.org/2026/03/01/b... #Parenting #Education #MentalHealth #Anxiety #edusky
Building Children’s Resilience
As parents, we all want the very best for our children and in the future ifwe want to imagine our children being happy and capable of handling life when we are not there to hold their hand. M…
school-matters.org
All children deserve good teaching. Some need it more than most. If support replaces thinking, it isn’t support. Our aim must be independence. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Good teaching is not a special measure
Why the principles that support children with special educational needs are the foundations of effective teaching for all
open.substack.com
As artificial intelligence grows more powerful, I wonder if curiosity will become one of the most valuable human qualities left. Here's my latest blog about 'curiosity': school-matters.org/2026/02/13/k... #education #edusky #teachers
Keeping Curiosity Alive
Humans have long had a cultural suspicion of curiosity. We warn children that ‘Curiosity killed the cat!’ We tell stories like those of Adam and Eve or Pandora’s Box, where curiosity leads to disas…
school-matters.org
"Is our system’s growing reliance on labels and diagnoses holding children back?" Read my latest blog here: school-matters.org/2026/02/06/a... #edusky #eduteach #parenting
Are We Over Labelling Our Children?
It is vital that young people who are neurodiverse, or who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties, receive the support, treatment and diagnoses they need. In our school, we work ha…
school-matters.org
"every time we do something for our children, we stop them from learning to do it for themselves. " Here's my latest blog about helping our children to be independent: school-matters.org/2026/01/30/i... #edusky #edteach #parenting
My latest blog about how sleep is as important as reading for children to be successful is here: school-matters.org/2026/01/23/w... #parenting #edusky
Why rest is as important as reading
Over the years, I have often reflected on what matters most in a child’s education. While skilled teachers, a stimulating environment, early reading skills, and a well-resourced and rich curriculum…
school-matters.org
The number of children with additional needs is rising faster than the system can manage, leaving schools and families to navigate the consequences on their own. Explore real stories of the SEND crisis from schools across the UK and NAHT's view on what needs to change. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4pqEXFB
Thank you @tesmagazine.bsky.social for your support. Our 5th Annual Headteacher Wellbeing Report is an important read. Published on our website next week.
Cerys Turner@cerysturner.bsky.social · 6mo agoExcl: A headteacher support service has warned leaders are seeking medical treatment over "unethical" treatment by trusts and councils. While most trusts & LAs act with integrity, @headrestuk.bsky.social says these "disturbing" cases are now “increasingly recurring".
Grateful to President Macron for an engaging conversation at #Davos on how to protect kids from predatory #socialmedia algorithms. I appreciate the President and his cabinet working toward an Australia-like policy.
This feels like an important moment in the long journey to recapture and reshape childhood…https://news.sky.com/story/logging-off-kids-social-media-ban-now-feels-almost-certain-13497390 #edusky #parenting #socialmediaban
This is such good advice for parents from a perhaps unlikely source : www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #edusky #parenting
I was a hostage negotiator for 10 years - this is what it taught me about parenting
Nicky Perfect shares three practical tricks she learnt which will help you handle daily parenting battles.
bbc.co.uk
Yesterday, we launched a snap poll to understand school leaders’ views on Ofsted’s revised approach to inspection. More than 1,400 leaders responded in less than 24 hours, overwhelmingly rejecting the inspectorate’s plans. Ofsted should pause and rethink its plans. Thread 👇
Such an important piece, that articulates exactly what I’m increasingly trying to express to parents. Compassion for suffering matters deeply. But when everyday uncertainty and effort are framed as harm, and diagnosis becomes the default response, the long-term consequences for children feel bleak.
David Didau@didau.bsky.social · 7mo agoWe’re teaching children to see struggle as signs of mental ill health. In doing so, schools risk becoming traumagenic. What if suffering is a sane response to adversity, not a condition to be treated? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Schools are doing more with less: juggling rising costs, expanding expectations and tight budgets while still delivering great outcomes for pupils. A must-read for anyone who cares about education - school-matters.org/2026/01/17/h... #edusky #edteach @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social
Stats behind screen time guidance are a wake-up call: Daily TV significantly narrows vocabulary. April’s guidance is a chance to reset. By prioritising talk over tablets, we can reclaim those vital early years for language and discovery. school-matters.org/reflections-... #EdSky #ChildDevelopment
School Matters!
The educated view
school-matters.org
My thoughts on Australia's #socialmediaban school-matters.org/2026/01/10/w.... #edusky @smartphonefree.bsky.social #ChildMH #edteach
Why Australia’s Social Media Ban Matters
Last month, Australia took the bold step of banning children’s social media access. It is a decision that has sparked fierce debate, but one that I strongly support. Not because I am against tech, …
school-matters.org
Role modelling isn’t about perfection but about trying to be the kind of person we hope they will become.
The Power of Role Modeling in Parenting
In school, we talk a lot about “role models”. Teachers know pupils are watching, so we work hard to be positive examples. We are rarely perfect, and that’s part of our role-modelling. Parents are our children’s most important teachers. Children learn far more from what we do than from what we say. Home is where they first see what love looks like, what respect feels like, and how adults behave when life is difficult.
school-matters.org
The Power of Role Modeling in Parenting In school, we talk a lot about “role models”. Teachers know pupils are watching, so we work hard to be positive examples. We are rarely perfect, and that’s part of our role-modelling. Parents are our children’s most important teachers. Children learn far…
The Power of Role Modeling in Parenting
In school, we talk a lot about “role models”. Teachers know pupils are watching, so we work hard to be positive examples. We are rarely perfect, and that’s part of our role-modelling. Parents are our children’s most important teachers. Children learn far more from what we do than from what we say. Home is where they first see what love looks like, what respect feels like, and how adults behave when life is difficult.
school-matters.org
