Karen Dempster

@jazampawfarr Thank you for sharing your story #BOYTIM

@EtihadHelp about to fly with you from Abu Dhabi to London. We let you know it was our 25th wedding anniversary trip - so you chose to sit each of us in different areas of the plane #nocustomerempathy

@etihad - about to fly with you from Abu Dhabi to London. We let you know it was our 25th wedding anniversary trip - so you chose to sit each of us in different areas of the plane #nocustomerempathy

@DanielPeak16 @tombennett71 The question is are they only a short term deterrent or do they result in longer term behaviour change? I would be interested in the evidence on the latter.

@tombennett71 Do detentions offer any educational value? What are the goals behind implementing them, and do they actually achieve these objectives?

BREAKING: SCHOOL HAS DETENTIONS. It always amazes me how alien real schools often can be to people who don’t work in the sector. Detentions are a standard deterrent in schools. Saturday detentions are also pretty common, as a last deterrent before suspension. Making the news for this is very strange. All power to the head for trying to turn this school around after a history of bad behaviour. People who push back on this are tacitly consenting to an unbearable status quo of disruption, abuse and chaos. But then, they’ll never have to face it- only other people and children. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@awaytowellbeing Love this and it’s so true!

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius

@HWRK_Magazine So proud of our article starting on page 30.

The latest edition of @HWRK_Magazine is here! Written by teachers for teachers, it is jam-packed with strategies for developing curriculum, improving pedagogy, supporting SEND students and much more. You can read it here: hwrkmagazine.co.uk/read/

Huge thanks as always go to our writers: @_AndyMcHugh @RichardBustin @HenrySauntson @KarenD72 @JARobbins @spargo_laura @MrMetacognition @Zitterrobot @Leannemaskell1 @kate_griggs Emma Saunders Patrick Knight Alice Guile Claudia Thiele Carla Bartlett Mary Bilton 💛#TeamHWRK

🎉 We couldn’t be more excited to be exhibiting at BETT Global 2025 next week! 📅 Where to Find Us: 📍 Stand NL83 📆 Jan 23-25, ExCeL London If you’re attending, we’d love to meet you and discuss your school comms challenges #BettUK2025 @Fit2Communicate

❄️ Is your school ready for a 'snow day'? ❄️ Put in place communications to ensure you don’t leave your community in the cold. Take a look at the below article for practical tips to avoid the chaos. fit2communicate.com/home-1/f/snow-… #parentalengagement

@tombennett71 There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

The reason why children are excluded or suspended is because of violence, disruption, bullying, harassing others, abuse or intimidation. Students aren't suspended because of their socio-economic status; it happens because leaders have a duty to keep everyone safe and learning. Schools bend over backwards *not* to exclude, which is borne out in the figures that show they are incredibly rare. It's common to hear students who attack others etc described as helpless victims of circumstance, but rarely do you see the rights and safety of their victims so casually disregarded as in how this report is framed. Excluded children don't 'miss lessons'- they tell their teachers to f*ck off, or shout out constantly, or attack others, etc, and get suspended for it, because no child deserves to endure that. We need to be the adults, and keep everyone safe. Meanwhile, most schools also try everything they can to get these kids back on track. But teachers aren't magicians, and not every child responds to patience and kind requests. In short, people 'already worry' and have done so for some time. Dealing with challenging behaviour is not something we've just noticed. People have cared for a long time.

@miss_mcinerney There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

Why is the question so often ‘how do we reduce exclusions’ rather than ‘how can we ensure students who have been excluded still go on to thrive?’ I assume there’s a reason for focusing on the first, but it strikes me there’s mileage in looking closely at that second question.

@mission44 There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

School exclusions and suspensions disproportionately affect young people from Black Caribbean, Gypsy/Roma and low-income backgrounds. They often have a negative effect on a young person's mental and physical well-being. This is why we launched the Preventing Exclusions Fund.

@PastoralKaty There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

@naomicfisher There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

How can schools reduce exclusions and absence and keep children in school? This research looked at six secondary schools which had lower levels of exclusion and absence and good academic progress, within a context of high levels of pupil deprivation. They found that whilst the schools took different approaches, they all focused on flexibility and responding to individual differences. They encouraged positive relationships between staff and students and a sense of belonging. They were values-driven, valuing equity and inclusion. And they actively gave second chances. The authors point out that this is not in line with ‘zero tolerance’ policies nor the focus on ‘consistency’ in behaviour favoured by the DfE. theconversation.com/school-suspens…

@normanlamb There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

School exclusion rates in Norfolk are shockingly high. We know exclusion disproportionately affects the most vulnerable children. The process needs to change so that it is genuinely a last resort. Schools should remain accountable for excluded children.

@IncAttendance There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

No child is born with a DNA strand that makes them skip school, arrive late, or avoid lessons. It's the risk factors they face that shape their reactions. Let’s focus on understanding and addressing the root causes to support every child’s success. inclusive-attendance.co.uk

@ShropshireALT There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

When a child is excluded from the classroom for showing their upset and distress, we shouldn’t be asking “what’s wrong with the child?” - we should be asking “what’s happening for the child both inside and outside of school?” #Nurture #Learning #TraumaInformed #Include #BeCurious

@ADHDFoundation There’s a huge opportunity to better engage with parents/families - not in an ad hoc way but through taking a step back, clearly defining the parental relationship and goals and developing/ delivering a longer term, planned approach using the four pillars of parental engagement.

“Shocking” new data show a record 787,000 pupils were suspended in England in 2022-23 as a “wake-up call”. Stephen Morgan said Govt would support teachers to create calm, safe classrooms & Govt is “determined to get to grips with the causes of exclusions”. theguardian.com/education/arti…

🏫 School leaders - prepare your crisis communication plan before it's needed. Assign a communication lead, pre-write key messages, and ensure everyone stays informed. #crisiscommunication #schoolleaders #schoolcommunication #reputationmanagement fit2communicate.com/blog-1/f/prepa…