Sarah M Keep

@RobBiddulph Hi Rob, we came to see you in Bath yesterday and both my girls bought one of your activity books. They wanted you to see their pictures - Georgie (aged 9), Emily (aged 6)

@parkdalecarlton @HeyMissSmith @SwailesRuth This annoys me so much. It’s as if inspectors want us to put a lid on children’s learning 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve just been told that some lead inspectors are advising that children shouldn’t attempt to write any words unless they’ve been taught all the sounds in the word and that there shouldn’t be any writing in continuous provision. Who is spreading this bunkum? Writing is

@English_MissA @RachelOrr Exactly what we do.

I heard recently of parent WhatsApp groups asking for £10 from each parent for the teacher gift potentially resulting in a teacher getting £300. Is this a thing?

@RachelOrr We do an optional collection - no set amount and no obligation to contribute at all. As someone mentioned, one collection for a nice gift I think is preferable to 30 separate gifts. (Im a teacher and a parent)

@oldandrewuk After an interview lesson (for KS2 leader), the head told me the following: you were quite good for someone so small. You say ‘shh guys’ a lot. 😮😂

What is the most unhelpful feedback you have had after a lesson observation?

@MissBPrimary3 This is my favourite book.

Just picked this up from the library, it’s been on my TBR list for so long. Will I enjoy it?

@MrMetacognition Some children brought in photos for a lesson. It was excellent for that.

We all used them during COVID and online teaching, but who still uses their visualiser now? If you do still use it, what benefits do you find? I know that I still liked using them in the classroom, especially for drawing attention to layout (eg what working needed a new line, how to layout a question and answer, how to make an answer clear and obvious without using four different highlighters...)

@realgirl_fieri I bought two jugs and I pre- fill them with ready-made squash. Sounds so simple but it really does make a difference! Helps children make their own drinks too

@Headteacherchat I have a few of the reading comprehension books. I think they are good - they were great for guided reading (before whole class reading came in). I still use them now sometimes when private tutoring.

Blast from the past! I bet someone, somewhere has a copy of one of these books.

@_Enanem_ We had ‘Mr Shuffly Slipper Man” once. On the day we moved in, he shuffled over to us in his slippers to tell us in detail about the annual toad migration nearby.

Do you have nicknames for your neighbours? I call mine Poldark because he once cut his grass with no shirt on.

@MrBoothY6 @Headteacherchat But some of the pictures were fun for the teachers 🤣

@Headteacherchat Wild Ride by far the worst individual text ever on for me, but the worst overall paper was Caves and Caving In Daveley Dales

What was the worst KS2 reading booklet? Mine: The Way of the Dodo

@Boshmeister @Headteacherchat I agree - last year’s was pretty bad!

@Headteacherchat Last year's bats in TEXAS was no barrel of laughs

@SusanElkinJourn @abbyaug But every time, each ‘new’ idea with be re-named and re-packaged as a brand new shiny idea (even though we’ve been doing it for years but called it something else, or perhaps it just didn’t have a name).

@abbyaug If you teach for 40 years and don't change your practice, you'll be in fashion 3 times.

@Sue_Cowley I worked in a school where every child kept puddle suits and wellies in school. No need to ever stay in when it rained or snowed.

Random question. Do all primary schools still have wet play? If you do, is not letting children outside about ratios, clothing, timings or something else? Thank you.

@lindsayjskinner This is my favourite book.

I've just finished this and it's an absolute masterpiece. If you haven't read it (as I somehow hadn't), you are truly, truly missing out. Just wow.

@sarahwebbishere @frankcottrell_b The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is brilliant!

@Headteacherchat I would choose to spend time chatting during the day and work later - I hate being in schools where colleagues don’t chat to each other. I didn’t complain though - it was my choice how I organised my time.

Anon post: Anyone else completely exhausted trying to please all staff? Workload IS high across the profession - we do a lot to ease it but I’m getting so tired of the almost martyrdom of a small number of younger staff who constantly moan about how late they’ve worked, yet spend a lot of time chatting in the staff room during the day. We are all working hard. We get paid a good salary and have job security. Rant over.

@Teacherglitter The headteacher in my last school was 29.

I was reflecting the other day with a college about teacher age. As I am an old fart now, are we about to approach an era when the oldest teacher in class is 30 and SLT is under 40? Us dinosaurs past 40 are getting put out to pasture?

@FrankWoolley19 @RogersHistory Some academy chains are doing this now. And lots of private schools too.

@RogersHistory Serious question here. I know supply agencies have charged up to £300 for a day of supply. Why don’t schools have a pool of teachers they can call on for cover like they used to do?

There should be a cap on what supply agencies can charge state schools and a minimum per day they can pay a qualified teacher.

@miss_pike11 Are you with more than one agency? I’m with two: one has found me All my work so far, the other I’ve heard nothing from at all!

First day back at waiting for a morning phonecall and I've had enough before 7:15. And it's not helped by the fact I know I'm going to end up arguing with my agencies when I refuse to take TA work!