Adam Marriott

The choreography of teaching 30 children at the same time teacherhead.com/2026/01/11/the… via @teacherhead

There’s been lots of chat in the RE world about local study units, so I wanted to share what it looked like when I tried to let the data genuinely shape one. This piece reflects on planning a Norfolk enquiry & what happened when I followed the surprise in the census data. 🔗👇

Habit Assemblies: Accelerating culture for learning The more complex a school, the more attention and effort is required just to maintain it… attention and effort that could (should) be going into improving learning. Ruthless simplicity (doing fewer things) and collective alignment (doing those things the same way) are two powerful levers for reducing this complexity. Most schools pursue collective alignment by focussing on teachers... practising agreed routines and norms together, then implementing them back in classrooms. This is great... BUT, the schools that do it best go one step further. They also practise with students. All together. At once. A kind of *habit assembly* Imagine 200 year 7s in the hall, all practising how to turn-and-talk. How to answer questions. How to treat others with respect. How to sit and act in ways that optimise attention. Without this, we have to build culture from scratch, in isolation, 30 students at a time. With habit assemblies, students arrive in our classrooms already primed. We just need to stick to the plan. The rationale for this is social norms. Our behaviour is shaped less by what we're told to do and more by what we see others doing. In a habit assembly, every student sees every other student doing the same thing. They don't just learn the routine... they internalise the norm… this is how we do things around here. And culture compounds: once routines are internalised, each lesson reinforces the norm, which makes the next assembly even stronger. Most schools already have the time for this. Existing assembly slots or collapsed tutor/form time can be repurposed without adding to the timetable. Of course, this only works if it's done with students, not to them. Roll it out heavy-handedly or without buy-in and things'll backfire fast. The more we build habits together, the stronger the culture we end up with. PS. Video of habit assemblies in action coming soon...

Too many students are taught RSHE by non-specialists, and teachers need training to avoid ‘very patchy education’ on sex and reproductive health, @ucl researchers warn tes.com/magazine/news/…

I think a subtle but very real element of a teacher’s behaviour management craft is the capacity to maintain boundaries by noticing issues and communicating botheredness: a firm/kind/adult tone of voice; body language, facial expressions that say, with conviction, ‘no’, ‘that’s unacceptable’. It’s calm, deliberate, assertive. Can be warm or a bit stern or even cross if needed. But you need it, whatever the backup system is. Students should know that you’re going to be bothered about boundaries. Your personal disapproval should matter to them / it nearly always does! When kids say ‘you don’t mess with Ms Smith’ it’s because she’ll notice, she’s bothered and makes that absolutely clear - in the nicest possible way. I think this needs more explicit discussion and modelling in PD so it’s not seen as an ephemeral magic beans thing. I have met many ECTs who have this sorted already - but others need a ton of support. Sometimes it’s the noticing; sometimes it’s communicating the botheredness. It should be normal to discuss these things.

🛎️ CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT! This one-page guide highlights the key principles and top routines from highly practical The Classroom Management Handbook by @coachdowley and @ollie_lovell. Grab your copy of the book via @Hachette_Learn - these ideas have helped me personally create calmer, more focused classrooms! ☝️REPOST first and download a FREE HQ copy here: jamieleeclark.com/graphics

***SUCCESS CRITERIA*** Thread 🧵 The use of success criteria in our classrooms is a key element of quality-first teaching. When used effectively, success criteria break the learning intention into smaller, more manageable actions, helping both teachers and students evaluate performance. As Griffin notes, they show students what they must do, say, make, create, or perform to demonstrate their learning (Griffin, 2018). However, success criteria can sometimes become too task-oriented, which limits teachers’ and students’ ability to make meaningful judgements about mastery of subject disciplines across the curriculum. So, what are we doing at Longdendale to improve this? #TheLongdendaleLegacy

Ofsted inspections using the new toolkit begin this week. No more subject deep dives — just a broader, “shallow paddle” across the school. Here’s what leaders need to know, and how to prepare: 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p/p… #Ofsted #Edutwitter #SLT #SchoolLeadership

The Francis Curriculum and Assessment Review has been published and... ❎ Ebacc is out ✅ Triple science for all is in ✅ Oracy framework is in 🤷‍♀️ Some confusion over two versions of Y8 reading test... The 14 key points you need to know are below ⬇️ tes.com/magazine/news/…

***REWARDS*** Lots of talk about isolation rooms and managing behaviour over the last week but not so much about reward systems in schools. Praise changes behaviour. A thread 🧵 There are several studies which identify that students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to be successful learners. In the early years of childhood, children often have a greater degree of intrinsic motivation as curiosity about their surrounding environment increases. However, we often see a declining trend of intrinsic motivation as children grow up. This means schools have the challenge of motivating students to want to learn. How are we boosting motivation for learning at Longdendale through our rewards system? #TheLongdendaleLegacy /1

The most influential study on scaffolding timing just failed replication. My latest on why this matters and what the evidence actually shows. Link in reply 👇

@Ofstednews Oliver says Ofsted will 'back' schools 'in upholding high standards of behaviour...backing head teachers to enforce rules and routines, because it is neither inclusive nor acceptable to acquiesce to the unacceptable behaviour of one pupil at the expense of the other children'

Here is @martyneoliver's speech from @CSTvoice, including his myth-busting on inclusion: gov.uk/government/spe…

Another brilliant post “Every boundary consistently upheld tells a child, you matter enough for me not to give up on you”

If you want comfort, go work in business. If you’re in education, you’re here to hold the line because that line can change a life. Lower the bar for behaviour, and you lower it for outcomes. open.substack.com/pub/lynseywhit…

@Ofstednews Oliver says he also wants to 'bust the false the myth of this false choice between inclusion and high standards'. 'Inclusion demands high standards,' he says.

@Ofstednews 'The most inclusive schools have the calmest classrooms where all children feel safe,' says Oliver

***INCLUSION*** Inclusion isn’t just one room or in addition to our provision it is woven into our school tapestry. Quality first teaching is at the heart of this so every student feels empowered to thrive. Good teaching for students with SEND is good teaching for all and that additional interventions cannot be at the detriment of access to consistent good quality everyday teaching. What are we doing to build a fully inclusive culture? /1