Dr Peter Walker (he/him)

"A debate beyond ideology", you say? Please accept this communication - made in good faith - as an open offer to debate the rigour and substance of your @ICPConnect article with me in any forum, Matt. ASEPA Conference 2026??? 😉

@dylanwiliam @tes Agreed. But the face that that's uncommon is the concern. It's more likely the other way around.

@petermarkwalker @tes Most research on tracking and setting does not take into account the fact that the best teachers are usually assigned to teach the highest-achieving groups. Tracking/setting with the best teachers working with the lowest-achieving groups would likely increase achievement...

Imagine if setting was outlawed in schools: MAT leader David Hatchett argues that this would improve both students' outcomes and teachers' skills tes.com/magazine/leade…

@adamboxer1 What is the cultural mix of those tracked groupings? Hattie rejected ability grouping because it resulted in inequity & educational research showed negligible impact (close to 0). He literally called it "apartheid". Are you comfortable that's not happening?visible-learning.org/2016/07/ask-pr…

Setting is one of those wonderful examples where the academic research is inconclusive, but its relatively straightforward to work out the best approach: Go visit every school with a P8 of over 1. See what they do. £10 says there's not a single one that has "outlawed" setting

@dylanwiliam @tes I think this still holds true. youtube.com/watch?v=m6czhy…

@tes I am personally in favour of mixed-ability grouping, even in mathematics, but I am also aware that if we insist on mixed-ability grouping in schools with teachers who cannot deal effectively with a wide range of achievement, we are sacrificing students at the altar of our beliefs

@FamAdvocacyNSW The NSW Public Education System provides examples of segregation to its teachers as "inclusion". It comes into the video at the 3 second mark. education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/scho…

The DCJ Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2026–2029 has been released: you can access it on the DCJ website, in Auslan and Easy Read. It includes 41 actions aimed at reducing and removing barriers impacting people with disability, as well as 12 organisation-wide commitments. We look forward to seeing the implementation of the actions and reports on progress over the next four years. For auslan summary, easy read summary and plain English summary, please visit this webpage: dcj.nsw.gov.au/community-incl…

@MelAinscow BTW - I'm not saying "accept the cheating". I think the article suggests a better solution towards the end. Know your students. Check student knowledge and understanding throughout the topic, not just at the end.

@MelAinscow Perhaps.. but this assessment type is least favourable to certain cohorts, and doesn't provide them with the best opportunity to show what they know. If we over-react by making oral exams mandatory, aren't we moving away from UDL and inclusion?

This is a worrying commentary on what has happened in our universities. It is an ‘open secret’ - driven by the way higher education has become a business. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

It was lovely to be at the Educators SA final event of the year yesterday. What a year it's been. Great support for education associations across the state!

If you're an inclusion advocate, then, this looks, umm, amazing... trybooking.com/events/landing…

@aitsl guidelines for optimal use of teaching assistants in schools. aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-s…

Happy International Day of People with Disability! Any great recommendations for books or other materials from lived voices? As a movie lover, I'm really looking forward to this in 2026: bloomsbury.com/us/popcorn-dis… #IDPD2025

@MerriamWebster "AI slop"

Expressions of Interest now open for Australian Association of Special Education (AASE) Conference 2026 - attending, sponsoring and exhibiting. Darwin 2nd-4th September. gems.eventsair.com/2026-aase-nati…

@neilhumphreyUoM @JohnBaldLangLit One of the most interesting aspects was the lack of any reduction of external suspensions. (It kind of removes that "perceived benefit"). The lack of transparency has been a concern of systems for a long time...

@JohnBaldLangLit See 🧵 10 where this is explored (not in our study, but that of a colleague). Agree it needs to be looked at in more depth as the grounds for an IE referral clearly vary across schools and often go way beyond disruptive behaviour

🧵(1) Recently, our team published a major study on prevalence, inequalities and outcomes of internal exclusion (IE, aka removal, seclusion, isolation), reigniting a longstanding debate about its use in schools. The (open access) paper is here: bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/be…

Come join me next week! events.humanitix.com/supporting-chi…

Houghton! Surrounded by (teal) blue jumpers!!! #aflw #pafc

Save the Date | Expression of Interest Now Open - 2026 AASE National Conference : conta.cc/4hpGidl

"- our research shows that choice is really exercised by schools, not parents." Sounds familiar. blog.aare.edu.au/most-segregate…

Looking forward to speaking at the next HDA event (South Australia) on strengthening inclusion. Please share with your networks. events.humanitix.com/supporting-chi…