Steer to Success

I once asked a student why they wrote three pages in an exam on an 8-mark Q. Their answer: “I thought more writing meant more marks.” A surprisingly common strategy that we have to un-drum (not a word but I like it) out of students.#GCSE2026 #teamenglish #teachers

I read a very thought-provoking piece about attention spans in digital learning. The best online lessons I’ve seen are actually very simple: clear explanation, clear steps, clear practice. None of our lessons are more than about 15 minutes long for this very reason!#education

The phrase “just revise more” might be the least helpful advice students get. More of what exactly? Reading? Writing? Testing? Improving feedback? The details matter.#GCSE2026 #teamenglish #educhat

Most students think the hard part of exams is remembering content. Often the harder part is organising thoughts under pressure. Knowledge + structure is where confidence actually comes from.#GCSE2026 #teachers #education

There is always a moment when a student realises the essay question is actually manageable. You can almost see the tension leave their face. Usually it’s because someone finally showed them the structure to tackle all Qs.#teamenglish #GCSE2026 #educhat

I listened to a fascinating podcast today about how students are using AI for revision. The interesting question isn’t whether they use it... It’s whether they understand what the answer actually means as it seems 9 times out of 10, especially in English, they don't.#edtech #educ

One thing I notice about high performing students: they make progress boringly consistent. One paragraph improved. One quote learned. One piece of feedback applied. It looks small day to day. It compounds over months.#GCSE2026 #teamenglish #educhat

I am finishing #75hard today. Two workouts a day, strict routine, no shortcuts. It reminded me of something about exams: students live with visible finish lines. Adults rarely do. A date, a paper, results day. The clock is clear. That pressure is real. #educhat #GCSE2026 #teacher

The longer I work in education, the more I realise how much clarity is underrated by students. Clear explanations. Clear systems. Clear expectations. Everything else builds from there.#educhat #teachers #education

There’s a particular confident and purposeful silence in an exam hall when students realise they recognise the question. That silence is built months earlier.#teachers #teamenglish #GCSE2026

So many parents think confidence comes from praise. In exams, confidence usually comes from competence. Students feel calm when they know the structure.#GCSE2026 #education #educhat

Visited a school yesterday with incredible hybrid classrooms. The best lessons I’ve seen blend tech and teacher presence seamlessly. It’s not either or.#edtech #teachers #futureofeducation

Students forever ask me what the most common exam essay issue I see is. Students describe the text beautifully and forget to analyse it with any sort of depth. Explanation beats storytelling every time.#GCSE2026 #teamenglish #educhat

For so many years, accessibility in education was treated like an add-on. It's so amazing to visit schools and see a constant awareness that clear modelling and structured explanations help everyone, not just specific groups.#inclusiveeducation #educhat

Mock results over past few weeks: dramatic sighs, strategic optimism and at least one “but I revised loads”. The gap between activity and impact is where most learning lives.#teachers #GCSE2026

So many parents seem to be more aware of digital literacy recently and asking lots of questions. I think, as the covid cohorts head towards exams, it's becoming more apparent that although students have grown up online, that doesn’t mean they automatically think critically online

Online learning works brilliantly when it’s structured. When it’s just a video and good luck, it becomes YouTube with a worksheet. That is why all our lessons are carefully structured and differentiated giving students options as to what they focus on for different grades.

So many teachers are quietly rewriting resources at 10pm because the ones they were given don’t quite work. There’s a whole invisible economy of unpaid curriculum design yet there are still people who think teachers are on a jolly.#teachers #educhat

The jump from a grade 5 to a grade 7 often comes down to one thing: answering the question actually set. Sounds obvious. Rubric infrongements happen constantly so answering the wrong Q on the mock is an invaluable lesson.#GCSE2026 #teamenglish #teachers

It's 'Essay Day' next week and some of our students are selecting topics for The John Locke Institute essay competition - so many interesting questions to choose from. Which is your favourite? #edtech" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competit… #educhat #teachers