Mr Connell

@NorthernTeacha @RogersHistory Why is it unthinkable to not respond? Even as a middle leader sometimes I will say I’m sorry I’m not available. You need time to just be. Or you are not at your best when you are available. So often what is ‘urgent’ really isn’t. It may be ‘important’ but not ‘urgent’.

@RogersHistory I have a 45minute lunch on paper; most days this translates to maybe 10 mins of actual lunch & doom scrolling, and even there, I’m at my desk, totally accessible, & if a situation arises, unthinkable to simply refuse to respond. It’s really poor. Teachers allow this to continue.

10 minute first breaks and 30 minute lunch breaks are not breaks, they are run to the photocopier, sort behaviour issues from previous lessons, set out classroom for next lesson, reply to an email that is ‘urgent’, input some data. The difference to this and 20 break/50 lunch is big. Tbh the latter still isn’t enough but way better!

Loving to see #educatingyorkshire back but why are all the staff walking around like low quality bouncers at a music festival with those ear pieces. (I know more private than walkie talkies…but they would drive me mad! 🤣)

Happy #LeftHandersDay to all my fellow lefties — the smudged, the scissors-challenged, the notebook-flippers of the world! 😅✍️

@FionaLeadbeater Fantastic. Congratulations 🥳

Delighted to say that from August I’ll be stepping up as DHT for Diarmid Clan at Oban High School. 💛💛💛 Can’t wait to get started.

@NOW I have been having problems with fire stick app for weeks. About 50% of the time shows won’t play and it just buffers and returns to the home screen. No other apps do this so it is your service. Works fine on phone.

@amymayforrester I’m not sure this is a bad thing. Scotland has always done results by post and in the past 5 years or so added an opt in email and text service. We have never done in person exam results . Those who need to drop in, once they have their results but it’s small numbers.

They’re ruining the best day of the year 😭😭 Not seeing kids’ joy in person will devastate me. Not being able to check in on anyone who needs support in person will devastate me. Spend the money on something else. Lord knows there’s more pressing issues in education right now

Some fabulous vacancies if anyone is looking for a #newjob #cdtjobs #homeeconomics #stemjobs #scottishbordersjobs @Teachers4Perm one of them is permanent. Details in the ads 👍👇

@ProudlyPastoral As it’s not a bank holiday in Scotland we are back on Easter Monday!

How are schools back when it hasn't even been Easter yet? I get schools going back on Tuesday next week, but breaking up for Easter and going back before Easter has even happened seems wild 🤣

@JamesFranW Center Parcs is about to be built near Hawick in Scotland…

Yet another massive investment for the south of England. This, coming after huge investments announced by UK govt in Heathrow, Oxbridge Growth Corridor, Old Trafford etc Meanwhile in Scotland,we're told to be happy with crumbs off a rich man's table..🤦‍♂️🤮 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@ProudlyPastoral Not sure I agree here (and I often do with you). My advice for Easter is to plan out the holidays and ensure you do have a couple days off, but plan whole study days albeit with breaks; this isn’t dissimilar to what many people do at work. Our exams start in 3 weeks though!

A minimum of 10 hours? Per day? If students say they do this, it's not focused study. What it is, is a recipe for burnout and poor mental health. You don't prepare for a marathon by running a marathon every day.

I rarely make personal posts but Happy New Year’s Eve from the villa in Hurghada, Egypt. A well deserved break to be ready to go, relaxed and focused next week! Gala dinner and New Year show tonight. Very excited. #selfcare #Relaxation

@TeachLeadAAli @bluelightcard 10% at Starbucks and 10% even in lner catering as well as the 5% at Asda has made my £5 back and more. The gift voucher discounts aren’t great though. My employer portal offers more so I use that.

Anybody else found their @bluelightcard totally useless?

Ever so slightly different Thursday evening this week. Lovely Asian tapas, sushi and a meander around Covent Garden’s Xmas displays before back to the hotel to do final prep for @KelsoHS’s @AppleEDU conference showcase presentation tomorrow. #appledistinguishedschool #London

@RogersHistory Some of the responses here seem to have misunderstood your point. @RogersHistory isn’t talking about SEN or transport funded due to disability etc. this is where schools are literally going round communities picking up kids who for whatever reason could come in but won’t/don’t.

Astonished by the cash being spent on getting kids into school. One school spends £70k a year on transport to collect children from home, another school spent £30k on taxis to get pupils to the school gates. These were mainstream secondary schools. Broken record time - But can we talk about what's happened to parental responsibility in this country? What happened to walking 20 mins to get a bus for 45 mins then another walk for 20 mins to somewhere you desperately didn't want to go? (my teenage years).

@TomMC93 @Emma_Seith So SLT can you know, run the school and focus on learning and teaching other than in the most complex or extreme cases.

@TomMC93 @Emma_Seith Do you mean something along the line of the pastoral teams they have in secondary? My partner is a primary HT and my HT doesn’t have to do half what he does pastoral wise cos she has me and my team to do it!

I wrote some thoughts on the challenging landscape of primary school attendance in Scotland. 👇

@MrsMMacleod Good task but the drawing or writing on the tables gives me the fear 😂 we have whiteboard cupboards and I still can’t bring myself to use them!

Pupils thinking about the impact of vaping on a person’s wellbeing. This helped them to see SHANARRI in action before reviewing their own wellbeing 🧠 #girfec #WellbeingWednesday

@Socialeyes20 @ammacj @Emma_Seith Base pay perhaps but there is opportunity n England to apply for TLR payments without promotion that aren’t open to Scottish teachers.

@ammacj @Emma_Seith No. Because they will hit the 40% tax threshold. It will be way less. The plan all along. Give. Then tax away.

New: A new pay offer of 4.27 per cent has been made to Scottish teaching unions tes.com/magazine/news/…

@DeputyGrocott I genuinely don’t function at that time. I’m naturally a night owl. I wake at 7 which is hard enough for me (I know small violins and all that when others are up at your time🤦🏻‍♂️) and make it in for 0840 ish. I work best after school. So that’s what I do. One of last to leave tho!

Ahhh 5:35 my old friend, how lovely to see you again…not! 🥱

Spent today being very wet helping build relations within our S6 (yr13 in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) as a year group. Great set of YP as I am not confident with heights/outdoor activities and they genuinely helped me overcome these. Feeling very accomplished! (Ps we are 3 weeks in to the year in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿! )