Rae

I am deeply uninterested in opinions about teaching or schools if those opinions are coming from someone who is not a teacher in a school.

@DeadBatHead Did you sing them a little song to brighten their day?

@ragefighthouse We just had them in.

Earworm problems: Every time I see the word ‘Ofsted’, my brain sings ‘Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck youuu’ to the tune of ‘Jolene’.

It's also why leaders are walking away. They are fed up of a system that works against them at every level, funding reducing year on year and expectations are increasing from every quarter. In some contexts it is simply not possible and potentially career ending.

In London, social mobility is visible and students know it’s possible for them. They have aspirations and hope. The vast majority also have parents who support and value education. Outside London, this is often not the case. Schools can only do so much.

OFSTED: Another headteacher says they are "close to the edge" Edmund Barnett Ward was on Points of View last night to discuss the latest on his fight for OFTSED reform. What do you think of OFSTEDs new framework? Should it be retained, reformed further or completely abolished? #OFSTED #reform #inspection #education #pressure #teacherlife #teachertok #teachersoftiktok

I’ll be joining a panel on Teachers Talk Radio tonight discussing my blog, Driving On Regardless — and the wider question of whether Ofsted is capable of meaningful reform. If you’ve been following this debate, it should be worth a listen. youtube.com/watch?v=WEMmur…

My favourite thing about 2026 is getting to live inside every episode of Black Mirror at once.

I wish everyone celebrating this a debilitating, excruciating, miserable end of life where they’d do anything to make it stop & die in dignity while their loved ones pop bubbly, dance and remind them that their lack of control over their own life is exactly what they wanted.

Growing character and wellbeing through outdoor learning x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

According to Health Canada:    •   Over 96% of MAID recipients had a reasonably foreseeable natural death    •   Most had cancer, advanced organ failure, or severe degenerative diseases    •   The average age is over 75 This is not a system targeting the vulnerable it’s one used primarily by elderly Canadians facing unbearable suffering. As for safeguards:    •   MAID requires independent assessments by two clinicians    •   Patients must give informed consent    •   There are mandatory waiting periods (unless death is imminent)    •   Cases are federally tracked Anecdotal cases don’t override data. Framing MAID as reckless or out of control ignores why it exists: ➡️ To give people dignity and autonomy at the end of life ➡️ To relieve suffering when medicine can no longer help An “honest conversation” means including the full facts not just fear-based narratives.

Would love for everyone to accept that SEND children and adults can also misbehave/make choices/be dickheads. Neurodivergence and assholery are not mutually exclusive. Reducing someone’s entire personality to their disability while calling other people ableist? lmao.

There’s no doubt that some children can be naughty—but it’s important to understand that SEN (special educational needs) children can also display challenging behaviour. What many SEN parents ask is that schools learn to see the difference between a child “acting up” and a child who is struggling. Unfortunately, many SEN children’s needs simply aren’t being met in schools. Do I blame the schools? Sometimes, yes but mainly local authorities- In my own experience, my child’s needs went ignored for years. A social worker asked the school to carry out assessments four years before we reached crisis point, but they didn’t act. Now, years later, we—the parents—are blamed for our child’s behaviour, while the school faces no accountability. Many of us have learned that challenging behaviour is often a form of communication. That’s true—but not always. Sometimes children misbehave because it seems funny or because others join in, and this can include SEN children too. The difference is that many children with autism, ADHD, or learning difficulties are often easily influenced and struggle with social skills. They may act out simply to fit in. Still, many SEN children can learn right from wrong, and schools should run programmes to help with this—just as parents can reinforce those lessons at home through clear boundaries. Sadly, it feels like in recent years, society has moved away from teaching boundaries altogether. Teachers, police, and even parents are afraid to discipline or set limits, fearing false allegations or being accused of abuse. .. police state government have stopped them from dealing with children properly and that’s the same with schools and others .. parents are facing false allegations of child abuse especially from teenagers. There are, of course, some lazy or overly soft parents—but the bigger issue is that parents are scared to be firm anymore. Meanwhile, some children without SEN misuse mental health labels or claim conditions like ADHD as an excuse for bad behaviour. This trivialises the struggles of children with genuine diagnoses, especially those still undiagnosed or unsupported by schools. The real failure lies with the government and local authorities, who continue to let down the children who need help most. The internet and lockdown have made things worse, with misinformation about mental health and disabilities spreading rapidly. I want to be clear—this isn’t a criticism of SEN children. Many can and do follow rules, but they need structure and consistent boundaries to feel safe and stay well. What’s especially unfair is when schools punish SEN children more harshly than others. Too many of our kids are masking all day, struggling silently, only to be isolated or disciplined when they reach breaking point. And when they finally let go, it’s at home—with their parents and siblings—after six hours of keeping it together at school… then comes parent blame and the siblings who sadly have to watch on

I have a rule that I don’t block people unless they’ve been abusive or they repost racist shite, but I’ve had to break the rule three (3!!) times the past few weeks. Please be normal. Just be normal.

Reminds me of the time I saw The Producers on a high school trip. The one German kid was RAGING. We were like ‘lol guess you’re a Nazi then, cuz that’s who would be offended by this’ and he just got angrier. I see a lot of that kid in 2026 USA/UK.

The one thing that is uniting everyone in education right now is the rage at Ofsted. Will this finally be the point where everyone—teachers, heads, CEOs—finally rise up against the tyranny set on destroying schools? lol no. Can’t risk a paycheque or student learning time!!! 🦶🏻🔫

School leaders are facing relentless pressure right now. Attendance challenges.
A growing SEND crisis.
Safeguarding cases that are more complex than ever.
Funding that never quite meets the need.
Staff recruitment and retention becoming harder each year. Schools are increasingly being asked to hold together the social fabric of their communities. And rightly, we are accountable. We should be. But there is a question the system needs to start asking. Schools have a duty of care to staff.
Employers have a duty of care to employees. So what duty of care exists for school leaders operating within a high-stakes accountability system? The debate following the tragic death of Ruth Perry forced the profession to confront something uncomfortable - the pressure attached to inspection outcomes can be immense. This isn’t about avoiding accountability or lowering standards. It’s about recognising that school leaders are human. Right now, many heads are carrying extraordinary responsibility for issues that stretch far beyond the school gates, while still being judged through a system overseen by Ofsted that can have life-changing consequences. A strong school system needs accountability. But it also needs leaders who feel supported, trusted and able to sustain the role. Because if we continue to ignore the human cost of the job, we risk losing the very people the system depends on. And I suspect many school leaders would quietly say the same thing: Enough is enough.

hey look it’s a student from a uk comprehensive when they arrive at uni/work

@Timw1983Wright @RogersHistory lol nah, I’ve got countless friends and colleagues (who support holding students to account) and my wife (who’s also a qualified SENCo) to help me understand their ADHD. Strangely, none of them make libelous statements about people they ideologically disagree with. 🙃

@RogersHistory Backed up by his mate Graham who refuses to condemn his abuse saying things like “he’s frustrated “ or that we need to listen to him to understand ADHD

Disgusting that ppl like, engage and platform Craig Lester. Time and again he is defamatory against teachers and leaders on here like this but gets away with it every time.

This is an utter disgrace…creating a system biased against schools facing the toughest challenges is not challenging the “Quiet curse of low expectations” Some rest on their laurels and still get good results… others move heaven and earth to help their pupils and still don’t

A few shots from this weekend - Connect Events are about Connection! Relive the mainstage talks from Saturdays Connect 2026 and get more information here: ttradio.org/connect2026