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Sam Strickland

@Strickomaster

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Principal/CEO, martial artist, historian, ResearchED Northampton, The Behaviour Manual, Education Exposed 1 & 2, They Don’t Behave For Me, Behaviour Hub lead.

Northampton
Joined January 2018
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
The Behaviour Manual Released today Get your copy here: The Behaviour Manual: An Educator's Guidebook
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Sam Strickland
3 years
@cbrog I am the Headteacher
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
I really do not understand the thinking when schools say to staff that attending a funeral/major event will be unpaid or it has to be really close family to allow you to go. Staff routinely give up so so much of their time doing extra. This archaic thinking is poor.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
Teaching is taxing. Every day staff are expected to deliver endless performances to children. It’s theatre. It’s panto. You have to know your stuff. You have to be on it. You have to control the room. You have to pre-empt misconceptions. It’s an art. Don’t underestimate it.
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Sam Strickland
4 years
@rupertevelyn Schools are currently not shut, their role has simply changed. Those teachers at home are glued to laptop screens, working all day & have worked through their Easter break. They’re endlessly checking on key pupils. They will invariably work through the summer as well.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
1 year
If Ofsted were to be reformed the following would be good moves: - An annual safeguarding health check - A financial health check - A school improvement discussion, where priorities are reviewed, with actual support given where necessary - No gradings
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Sam Strickland
2 years
The pupils who seem to succeed in their exams by & large: Work hard Revise Attend school Listen Behave Follow instructions Hardly rocket science
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Sam Strickland
4 years
@rupertevelyn Question back. Teachers are paid to work 195 days/yr & against their pay slip 32.5hrs/wk...should they be putting in massive overtime claims for working evenings, Easter, bank holiday Easter weekend (double time is the norm in the private sector), May Half Term, the summer?
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
1 year
Teacher pay in the UK is reported as the lowest of all OECD countries. I’ve had people criticise me for talking about teacher pay. However, if we want quality teachers in front of children (& lots of them) and value their education then money talks.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
The recent spate of protesting about school rules, immediately contacting Ofsted, contacting the press, launching social media protests…. it has to stop. Schools have to have systems & rules. Otherwise they become chaotic. Heads cannot feel as though they are unable to lead.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
So, very genuinely, what are schools actually being asked to do?
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Sam Strickland
2 months
Behaviour…. Why are the needs of 1 pupil placed over and above the needs of 29 others who want to learn. Not enough is made nor said about this by some.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
1 year
The irony of potentially being phoned on a Friday for an Ofsted inspection on a Monday, therefore ruining an entire staffing bodies weekend when staff are striking over pay, funding, workload & wellbeing isn’t lost.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
As a leader it’s important to ask yourself four questions before you ask something of others: A: Would you do it yourself? B: Can you actually do it yourself? C: What is the clear rationale behind it & can you justify it? D: Are you prepared to lead by example?
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
Catch-up..... whatever this means.... Why aren’t we thinking about free books for children, youth clubs (remember those!), free museum passes, streamlining the curriculum to focus on basics first..... not racing at 1000mph & tracking everything within an inch of its life
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Sam Strickland
2 years
It is possible to absolutely love the job you do but also point out that there are workload issues that need addressing. Citing the latter doesn’t mean you are moaning or dislike your job.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
INSET days are not some magical duvet day where the profession gets to watch Netflix for the day. Just politely putting it out there for those uncertain about what they are. They’re high level training events requiring a lot of planning.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Recently I was criticised for championing the teacher as the expert in the room. If the teacher isn’t the expert who is? If the teacher isn’t the expert we have a major issue. If leaders don’t champion teachers who will!!
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I keep being asked how to teach PP pupils & improve their progress… My view, PP pupils learn in the same way as all the other pupils. They aren’t somehow less able. It’s part of a whole-school improvement drive. Improve everything & PP pupils will do just fine.
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Sam Strickland
4 years
School ‘closure’ I think it’s important we remember in real terms we’ve been ‘closed’ for 2 weeks, the rest was Easter. We have worked in a way over Easter arguably like never before. Equally school doors are still open to key worker & vulnerable children. We’re not shut.
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Sam Strickland
5 years
School improvement in a simple tweet - Sort behaviour - Invest in staff CPD - Build relationships - Sort your curriculum - Keep communication simple - Look after the school community - Don’t complicate things - Keep to a minimal number of priorities
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
4 years
As we think about September the priorities should be: Safeguarding/health & safety of all Let the staff teach Simple rules Highly visible SLT Strip out the endless meetings Ltd assessments Be wary of intervention insanity Teach teach teach It will be a marathon not a sprint
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Sam Strickland
2 years
With just a week to go before most schools close for Xmas I think it’s important to remember that staff & leaders are shattered. It’s been a very tough year. Acts of kindness as we hit the last stretch could go a long way.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Every single day teachers have to make hundreds of decisions, some within a split second. This requires skill, practice & expertise to perfect. We should never downplay this.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Arguably the current Yr11/13 cohorts are the most negatively impacted on since the pandemic began yet so far nothing appears to be in place to reflect this come their exams. Baffling
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Sam Strickland
4 years
Lots about pupils needing “soft starts” come September. I’d argue we don’t need to waste invaluable & finite time. Yes we need to be there for our pupils but they need consistency, routines & to be taught.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I find it intriguing how even in a pandemic people who don’t work in schools, or haven’t for a very long time, continue to tell those of us that do how to do our job.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Basic class expectations Pupils should do/be… On time Equipped Dressed appropriately Polite Listen Work hard Respectful Do their best Follow instructions These should be basic expectations
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
There is a very serious set of points here: Heads find out decisions at the same time as everyone else, not before The messaging is often unclear Heads need to be certain of what’s expected if they are to lead with clarity & purpose
@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
@cbrog I am the Headteacher
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Sam Strickland
4 years
I find it staggering how during the second half of lockdown the rationale for opening schools swiftly was the narrative around the disadvantaged BUT now those same pupils won’t be given FSM vouchers in the holidays...
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Comparing school’s pre/post pandemic is like comparing apples & pears Headship isn’t the same Leadership isn’t the same Pastoral/safeguarding aren’t the same Teaching isn’t the same It’s a different ball game The veneer is similar but under the surface not comparable
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I genuinely hope catch-up doesn’t turn into an intervention circus. Why isn’t the focus on ensuring high quality in-class delivery, exceptional CPD & driving behaviour so time in school isn’t lost? This would have the greatest impact.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Why does CPD take place at 3.30/4pm when people are shattered? #ResearchEDN @unleashing_me
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Sam Strickland
1 year
The average salary of a train driver looks set to be £60-65k. The average salary of a teacher is allegedly £40k approx (assuming they’ve worked in the game for 6/7 ish years). We wonder why there is a recruitment & retention crisis….
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Sam Strickland
3 years
The messaging around “staying at home” is surfacing more and more. Maybe it’s time to readdress the key worker categories so fewer children are physically in-school.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
I’ve seen comments that the holidays are a perk or that we are lucky to have them. They are deserved for the endless hard work that teachers put in during term time, working often in excess of 50 plus hrs/week. Please don’t downgrade this.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
Very genuinely are we investing too much energy in remote learning? It feels like an arms race once again. Pupils will return to school with mixed experiences & gaps in knowledge regardless. Should we be thinking just as much about what we do with our pupils upon their return?
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Sam Strickland
3 years
In shops signs like this are commonplace. No one batters an eyelid at the ZT statement. When we talk about this in schools & say teachers shouldn’t be abused it’s almost as if a sin has been committed in the eyes of some. I find it bizarre.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
You cannot talk curriculum, pedagogy and teaching/learning with any real degree of confidence nor conviction until a positive culture and climate of behaviour is in place. Otherwise you’re building on sand.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I’m guessing that is an end to rapid testing in schools.....
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Sam Strickland
4 years
Pupil Premium strategies that have no impact.... Marking PP books first Questioning PP pupils first Creating Venn diagrams & discussing for hrs the PP pupils Giving them all a book to read Bespoke trip packages False rewards Differentiation Rewards to attend school
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Sam Strickland
3 years
As the calls for schools to resume service as usual grow let’s remember that we are asking millions of people who aren’t vaccinated to mix once more. What’s changed since January & the section 44 call to arms?
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Sam Strickland
2 years
It’s all very well saying teachers should be grateful for their lot but there is hardly a queue of people looking to join the profession & we face a potential mass exodus. That says a lot…
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
Speaking to children in several schools this week they all cited the exact same thing when asked what they wanted in their teachers… For them to be strict, to care & to directly teach them not send them off on research activities that simply waste time.
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Sam Strickland
5 years
A great quote by Sir Alex Ferguson....
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Sam Strickland
3 years
Back to school routines… Get straight into teaching your lessons. Don’t waste endless amounts of time with these are my expectations, book admin etc. The expectations comes from you’re here to learn, let’s crack on & do just that. Then you can teach the expectations as you go.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
The ECF framework truly is poor, a straightjacket & no more than a tick box approach that causes a lot of pointless work. I was hopeful at first but have to say ECTs have been truly let down but what is a poorly designed load of tosh.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Here’s what the teaching profession did do… Stayed open to keyworker/vulnerable children Opened more widely in a phased manner Opened fully & worked hard, professionally & diligently, without adequate PPE Navigated remote learning with zero notice
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Sam Strickland
3 years
The more I read, and I’ve read some cracking books in all fairness, the more I think we overcomplicate teaching, behaviour, curriculum, school improvement etc.
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Sam Strickland
10 months
Restorative chats A pupil breaks a really clear school rule, clearly & deliberately disrupts the learning….. what exactly is a teacher restoring? Sounds compelling as an ideal. In reality, a huge drain on teacher time for little actual benefit.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
I still see flight paths used, with children in Year 7 being given GCSE grades, eg a 5. Why? This is poor, redacts the curriculum, sets up false narratives about what a child may achieve in Yr11, often caps expectations. Everything about this approach is just flawed.
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Sam Strickland
5 years
Thought for the day...ditch lesson objectives. Must, should, could etc dampen (at best) expectations. Instead use an aspirational big question for all. Whispers..... pupils writing objectives down is a total waste of time!
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I know many people use / like staff questionnaires Currently I’m meeting every member of staff 1:1 and talking about - Their welfare - What have I got wrong - Their CPD needs - Their career plans (short term) - Anything I can help with I do this every year. Far more useful
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Becoming SLT too early on, especially as an ECT, is setting people up for a fall. You wouldn’t wake up one morning, run a marathon & advise others how. That takes endless incremental training, with errors made/setbacks endured & then run the marathon before you can advise others.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
4 years
A recovery curriculum is a red herring. The term itself is flawed. If we thought this already worked we would all be doing it. I worry about a circus of intervention come the autumn. Consolidate what they should have learnt & teach teach teach
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Sadly Headship, whilst an amazing job, is incredibly pressured. Until your name is above the door & on the report you can only really speculate about the role. It is heartbreaking that an inspection outcome has caused this to happen.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
SLANT isn’t controversial. Essentially we are asking kids to sit up, stop messing around, focus & listen to the teacher. If that’s draconian then teaching really is in a funny state. No wonder kids misbehave if expectations are so low.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
I still hold that the key driver that makes the biggest difference in a school improvement journey is behaviour. Get this right and you can unlock everything.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
Let’s not slam the results pupils receive this week. The methodology isn’t their fault. They don’t need the stigma of being called a Covid cohort. They worked hard over the duration of their course/s, as did teachers, as did schools… despite untimely messaging & a pandemic.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
It really grates with me when teachers are told to curb their verbal input in lessons. You have an expert in the room and you want to silence them. Madness
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Sam Strickland
2 years
I’ve seen more Covid disruption in the last two weeks than through the course of much of this academic year (and that in itself hasn’t been great).
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Sam Strickland
3 months
Manners Teachers shouldn’t have to barter for this to be the norm. When manners go in schools they then go within communities. Teachers should be afforded a baseline of respect. Children in schools are not customers. They’re not purchasing anything.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
I don’t dispute children should be in school. However, the profession hasn’t stopped since March. It has been full on. This is a sensible move. What will we do if there is no one left to teach or run/lead schools as we are all burnt out & potentially won’t have an Xmas...
@WalesOnline
WalesOnline 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
3 years
Welsh council to shut all schools a week early on December 9
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
4 years
Leadership is about protecting staff from nonsense and allowing teachers to teach without the distraction of endless white noise & red tape
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Sam Strickland
2 years
This should never happen with a major public exam. I appreciate the board have apologised/sought to rectify the error but a bad question like this can throw some pupils for an entire exam. Where was the QA? Not good enough.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Every Head I speak to cites huge staff absences at present. Schools are always hard this time of year but this winter term feels much harder than usual. This is more than what can we do about workload.
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Sam Strickland
5 months
I still struggle to truly see the point of staff attending end of day restorative chats. If rules are explicitly clear, pupils know what’s permissible and what’s not then most restoratives are wasting teacher finite time.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
There are some very poor stances, sadly from within the profession itself, about teacher pay. A positive mindset won’t pay someone’s mortgage. Pay is a real issue. Yes so is workload, accountability etc too. But pay is a big concern & a reason for teaching shortages
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Sam Strickland
3 months
There is a fundamental difference between being a ‘behaviour specialist’ who interacts solely with 1 child at a time, in a 1:1 situation, with a pre-arranged appointment vs managing the same 30 children all day every day or 30 new pupils every lesson. Incomparable
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Sam Strickland
1 year
The sad reality is behaviour is an issue in schools. Pupils cannot simply do what they want, when they want & how they want. There have to be clear rules. Those against them have little clue as to how schools operate.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
3 years
Behaviour... Not all behaviour is an unmet need. Sometimes some pupils take a strong dislike toward another pupil & seek to make their life hell, for no real reason other than because they feel they can.
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Sam Strickland
9 months
It is worth remembering that the current Year 11 and 13 (who have never sat exams before) have suffered huge disruption to their learning, yet been offered no mitigations to compensate. Today, in some subjects, grade thresholds are stiffer than 2019. I find this staggering.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
I firmly hold that behaviour is the key to unlocking a school’s culture, curriculum (it is an integral part of the curriculum), learning, the ability to teach & everyone’s welfare. Without this key in place you are building on sand.
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
If petrol prices continue to rise much further I can see schools having to seriously consider how staff can work flexible & remotely a day a week moving forwards.
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Sam Strickland
23 days
To those who say rules are bad, sanctions are bad, isolation is bad, suspension is bad etc... Come work in a school. Teach some highly challenging classes. Then come back to the table. It's all too easy to throw uninformed bricks at the profession.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Issuing pupils with target grades… I remain unconvinced this does any good
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Sam Strickland
1 year
Things many private schools do that seem to work… Teach traditionally Set by ability Set lots of HW Work shorter terms Lots of extra curricular Really push reading I appreciate context etc but I always find these points interesting
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@Strickomaster
Sam Strickland
2 years
I think it’s all too easy to forget the core role of a class teacher… to teach. The expectations placed on class teachers can, in some settings, be utterly unrealistic.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
What’s not really talked about is teacher absence through burnout, workload, mental health issues, ill health, Long Covid. When schools are being held to account, especially over results, will this be considered? I think the impact of this is significant across the sector.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
When we hit the new year consider the following… - Routines are key - Expectations mean everything - Build relationships - Slow the curriculum down - Ignore catch-up as a concept, it’s a red herring - Don’t instantly engage in retrieval - Get straight into actual teaching
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Sam Strickland
10 months
I’ve heard a few times that the pandemic hasn’t had that big an impact on education. I couldn’t disagree more.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Open evenings for Year 7 places….. I don’t really get them. Surely parents would rather see a school in operation in the day? This also saves staff another late night. Just my own view.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Teaching is one of the most skilled jobs imaginable, with every single second presenting a new & potentially challenging situation. The level of nuance is incomparable to many other jobs. You can’t just have someone off the streets come & have a go at it. It takes yrs to master.
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Sam Strickland
2 months
World Book Day… Without wanting to sound like a killjoy parents being asked to spend loads of money to dress their child up as Harry Potter won’t substitute for children actually reading books & being read to.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
All schoolchildren at once? Staff not vaccinated? I really don’t want to ‘open’ & then close again. Wouldn’t we best placed waiting until after Easter & vaccinating everyone working in schools. This requires a cautious approach. The pressure to open seems to ignore the science?
@timespolitics
Times Politics
3 years
All schoolchildren will return to the classroom on March 8 under plans to start lifting the lockdown, Boris Johnson will announce in a national address next week.
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Sam Strickland
1 month
You can have clear systems, clear sanctions & the uses of suspension/exclusion AND still have warmth, care and positive relationships with children They’re not separate entities
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Sam Strickland
3 years
Still the narrative spun is that schools have been closed this year. They haven’t. They were never actually closed at any point.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
In my experience children with trauma, additional needs & SEN do not want school environments that are chaotic. They need routine, consistency & order.
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Sam Strickland
1 month
School staff don’t go to work to be sworn at. When schools offer an inert response & refuse to suspend is it any wonder that morale nose dives & people leave the school / profession
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Sam Strickland
5 years
Currently meeting every single member of staff for a 1:1. Focus = how they are, how they want their role to evolve, what CPD they need, what have I got wrong, how they now view the school.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
So many people want to tell schools what to do, many from uninformed positions eg exclusions. Until you sit in the chair & have to make the decisions, have your name above the door & be accountable then politely you are speculating at best.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
It saddens me that our profession continues to be slammed as ‘lazy’ despite the continued Covid challenges & our collective hard work. So many colleagues are close to burn out, are fatigued & exhausted. More has to be done to retain & recruit teachers.
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Sam Strickland
3 years
Waiting for the following... Summer boot camps run by volunteers Intervention madness Extended school day proposals Saturday clubs In short, all the things that don’t actually help pupils to catch up
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Sam Strickland
3 years
So, Ofsted inspections as of Monday... Two day process, 2 HMIs dispatched Sounds high stakes - in a pandemic, with schools ‘closed.’ Is this necessary?
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Sam Strickland
1 year
People who doubt teachers work in the evenings, weekends & holidays need to shadow a teacher. This isn’t about poor leadership. This is a reality of the job. Lessons don’t just plan themselves. Yes we can have workbooks at a secondary level but they need planning too.
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Sam Strickland
4 months
I find it staggering how many school behaviour experts now exist who have never worked in a school nor been a teacher. Yet they refute what people who work every single day in schools have to say.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
I think it is fair to say that schools will have to dig deep over the next few weeks to half term.
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Sam Strickland
7 months
A huge misconception is that strict means you are nasty or that you don’t care. It’s quite the reverse.
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Sam Strickland
2 years
Quite a bit of negative press about schools & pupils accessing proms. I think it’s important to note that these events are a privilege NOT a rite of passage. It is fantastic schools do organise these events BUT they don’t have to. Often staff are at them until gone 11pm.
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Sam Strickland
1 year
When people vehemently defend Ofsted remember that once upon a time they wanted To see learning & progress every 15 minutes Differentiated lesson objectives To stand up & clap with excitement Ltd reading, as it was boring Flights paths for data Kids entertained Pace
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Sam Strickland
3 years
Some benefits of pre-recorded lessons... Teachers have a bank of saved resources for future use. Teachers can watch & actually reflect on their practice & make their explanations better. It’s easy to share best practice with colleagues by actually showing them the pre-records.
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