'Disability history largely remains a missing part of the UK's story. Understanding it helps explain why contemporary debates often feel so fraught' New article by me in The Conversation theconversation.com/todays-argum...

Today’s arguments about disability benefits have been raging for 500 years

From Tudor welfare claims to modern PIP assessments, disabled people have long faced suspicion and bureaucracy.

theconversation.com

Not to go all Joxley, but the utter collapse of a sense of community pride and social responsibility within the Conservative party is at the heart of their current woes.

Chris Terry-Enescu@cjterry.bsky.social · 16h ago

It's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.

Big skies in Montalivet.

This statement by UEFA on FIFA attempting to sell off the World Cup gave me goosebumps, what a statement - the beautiful game deserves no less “As so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

Spent a summer working on the coffee packing line whilst back from Uni. It has a profound impact on me in all sorts of ways and I remember the experience fondly. Will be interesting to see what they do with the site.

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 7d ago

Banbury’s coffee factory, a major employer and an olfactory contributor to the town since 1964, closed today. Built by General Foods and latterly known for Kenco coffee, the plant was taken over by JDE (Jacobs Douwe Egberts) in 2015, and had been downgraded to a packing operation since 2023.

There is something very very wrong with our country & the culture that allows situations like this to occur time & time again. The ease with which those with learning disabilities are treated with appalling disregard for their inherent humanity is a stain on our society that we do little to address.

Daniel Hewitt@danielhewittitv.bsky.social · last wk.

🔺 A sword, cocaine, abuse: Inside 'nightmare' care company for disabled people Our ITV News investigation has uncovered allegations of physical assault, sexual abuse and drug-taking at an award-winning care company for adults with learning disabilities. www.itv.com/news/2026-07...

On holiday in France and have just discovered my hair is no longer sufficiently thick enough to prevent my scalp from burning. I do not like getting older, and by all accounts balder. 🥵

A brilliant TA at my SEND school is looking for another job partly because she can’t afford the weekly petrol to get to work. How many exceptional school staff are we losing simply because they can’t afford to stay? #SEND #Education #CostOfLiving #SchoolFunding

Me too. She is excellent.

Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 2w ago

Quite relieved by this. Was worried there would be no continuity on special needs reforms.

Congratulations to @georgiagould.bsky.social - reappointed as a minister at the DfE, hugely respected by all who have met her and will bring some needed continuity to the Send reforms.

Really hope Georgia continues to hold responsibility for SEND.

Schools Week@schoolsweek.bsky.social · 2w ago

Breaking: The schools minister Georgia Gould has been re-appointed as a Department for Education minister in Andy Burnham’s government, with her exact brief unconfirmed schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-mini...

Gabby: What was your highlight of the half time show? Wayne Rooney: When it finished. I thought it was crap. 10/10 punditry. No notes.

Some notable exceptions but my impression:

This feels like it should be from an Episode of Eurotrash.

Encapsulates what is meant by SEND being the golden thread - good, inclusive schools think like this.

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3w ago

Like this from @timharford.ft.com on how inclusive design principles can often help all users, not those just seen as traditionally excluded www.ft.com/content/4d8e...

We are not doing anything about inclusion at Advantage Schools. A blog from Sallie Stanton, Chief Education Officer: t.co/sWGx0u2gA2

This is an absolute must read. It describes what most teachers see happening in schools. Children given support that is ineffective and is likely going to make their learning experience, and outcomes, much worse There is an SEND crisis in schools, but not in the way many people think.

Ben Newmark@bennewmark.bsky.social · 4w ago

Evidence Informed? My recent speech from ResearchED on why I'm so worried about our direction of travel and why once again we may need to fight for evidence informed education. bennewmark.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/e...

Someone has to say it. The amount of racism directed at World Cup players - including in the England squad - online is out of control.

Shares very much appreciated 😊

Teaching with my eyes shut@eyesshutteacher.bsky.social · last mo.

CROMER £140K Lovely retirement cottage near the sea. Lots of storage, stairlift & scooter charging/covered parking. Reasonable management fees that cover building insurance, water rates and property maintenance plus gardening & onsite manager. Please share www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

There is the possibility that The National Inclusion Standards will help with this, and good people are informing it, but the proof will be in the pudding.

Ben Newmark@bennewmark.bsky.social · last mo.

Also what evidence are we using to intervene? The evidence base for many very common adaptations is shockingly bad. We won't deliver any improvement doing things that don't work. And the white paper has so far done nothing to tackle this.

This is an excellent summary. 👇

Stuart Rowntree@primarythink.bsky.social · last mo.

1/6 Today’s DfE guidance on inclusion bases matters. It recognises something many mainstream schools already know - that some pupils need more than ordinary classroom adaptation, but still deserve to belong in their local school community.

Only just been, can’t wait to go again. It’s a geriatric Glasto!!

Anwar Akhtar from Samosa Media is giving a workshop Thursday 25th June 7pm, North London on education, safeguarding, cohesion and protecting young people from extremism Especially useful for all teachers, so if you are interested, please email info@thesamosa.org.uk for more details

Saw this on my walk to work. Faith in humanity slightly restored.

A reminder of this from last month: @ascl-uk.bsky.social and @neunion.bsky.social calling for a temperature limit for school operations as we head into this heatwave. The temps this week look unbearable in classrooms, even if most saying PE kit all week. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Maximum temperature limit in schools is essential, DfE told

Warnings from teaching bodies come as England sees record-breaking temperatures this week, prompting concerns about the impact of extreme heat in classrooms

tes.com

Two Bolton legends sat watching the Spain game today behind Gianni Infantino, and yet no mention that I’ve heard of the mighty #BWFC

It's really worth remembering, as news moves of Bessent calling Zelenskyy a "special-needs child," that we really did make a lot of progress against disability slurs. By 2019 Special Olympics had shifted the "end the word" campaign because it was so successful.

Perry: The return of the r-word

"These days, the r-word slur has become a staple of the American right wing, uttered with few professional or social consequences," David M. Perry writes.

startribune.com

Watch us wreck the Mike Watch us wreck the mike Watch us wreck the mike

The Name’s Nutz. Neil Nutz.@colonelnutz.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Watch us wreck the Mike Watch us wreck the Mike Watch us wreck the Mike

Written off and written out: why we need to put learning disability healthcare back into the new NHS

Written off and written out: why we need to put learning disability healthcare back into the new NHS

Scott and Learning Disability England have been working on a new campaign which calls on the Prime Minister to intervene over the healthcare of people with learning disabilities.

seeability.org

In case you missed it. The Channing Tatum stunt Haarland is brilliant.

Rip The Script | Nike Football

YouTube video by Nike Football

youtu.be

Simon Knight@simonknight100.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Oh my that Nike advert!!! 👌