Detention Diaries
Exploring Education, building a community
recent posts
- “Context Matters”… Does It Though?
- Will All Schools Join a Trust? …Pull the Other One.
- When SEND Funding Gets “Swallowed”: Who Actually Sees the Money?
- Questions and more questions. The white paper after some digestion… or lack thereof.
- Every Child Achieving and Thriving – Vision, Reality, and the Gap Between the Two
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Category: Uncategorised
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So here we are again.Another headline.Another moral panic.Another attempt to fix a deeply complicated problem with a blanket ban. This time, it’s phones. Now — before anyone starts sharpening pitchforks — let me say this clearly:Young people are in an attention crisis.That part isn’t up for debate. But I can’t shake the feeling that once…
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I’ll be honest — I’m a bit flabbergasted. Not shocked.Not surprised.Just that very specific educational emotion where you stare into the middle distance and think, “Have we learned absolutely nothing?” Enter RISE. Our Bridget — Bridget Phillipson — has explained that: “The universal RISE programme is being promoted as an optional offer available to all…
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This week sees the release of the third documentary-style vlog following secondary school teacher Mr Gareth Holloway. In previous episodes, we observed Gareth navigating the routines of school life — lessons, expectations, meetings, and the slow accumulation of pressure that comes with the job. Episode three shifts the focus beyond the school gates. Filmed over…
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If you’re reading this and you’ve just finished Placement A of your PGCE, take a moment. A real one. Because learning to teach is fucking hard — and you’ve just survived the first half of it. There are very few jobs where “training” involves standing in a room with 30 other people’s children, trying to…
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This one is a bit different, I’ve been helping a trainee these last few weeks and it has reminded me just how difficult it is for all of us. I’ve also been reading a lot about the new £200m pot for teacher training in SEND. Nice one! Let’s start at the beginning. The PGCE. Also…
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I used to get the kids. I used to feel that magical teacher-student connection where you could read the room, laugh at the jokes, understand the references, and genuinely feel like you were part of their world. Now?I’m pretty sure they live in some kind of alternate TikTok dimension that runs on likes, filters, and…
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Well. It’s happening. Netflix is giving you that “Are you sure?” look. The booze has to go back in the cupboard. You’re brushing your teeth like a Victorian chimney sweep because no child needs to smell Baileys and regret on a Tuesday morning. The fairy lights are coming down (if they’re not already a permanent…
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Merry F*ing Christmas This is your annual festive reminder that work is not your personality, and your inbox is not a Tamagotchi that will die if you stop checking it. It’s Christmas. Or at least Christmas-adjacent. The point in December where everyone pretends things are winding down while secretly scheduling emails for January like absolute…
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This week on the podcast, I had the absolute privilege of speaking with Dr. Shelley Moore — educator, researcher, consultant, inclusion specialist, and all-round force of nature in the world of SEND. I knew the conversation would be good… but I wasn’t prepared for just how eye-opening it would be. If you’ve ever felt frustrated,…
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It’s the 1st of December tomorrow, which means two things:1️⃣ Teachers everywhere are about to start pretending they love Christmas jumper day, and2️⃣ SLT are about to roll out the annual “festive CPD” — which is the same as normal CPD, but with a mince pie and a slightly more patronising PowerPoint theme. And speaking…
