1/2 When Michaela opened in 2014, only a small handful of schools believed in focussing on knowledge and excellent behaviour in the classroom, backed by systems and cognitive science. Thankfully the last decade has seen a number of schools change their minds on what works.

This review of the NI curriculum, by Lucy Crehan, is a seriously impressive document. It lays the ground for education in NI to become genuinely world-class:

🚨 Exciting announcement alert!🚨 My new book 'Fail Better: How teachers can help students overcome failure, perfectionism, procrastination, impostor syndrome and test anxiety' is heading off to Routledge Books soon! Part of the InnerDrive CPD Academy series, it will...

Delighted & honoured to be chairing the Curriculum Taskforce for Northern Ireland. Education NI minister Paul Givan has set a clear direction for a knowledge-rich, subject-sensitive curriculum. Very privileged to be working with Lucy Crehan & the deep expertise of NI teachers.

This is such a clever and effective move from Paul Givan and his team. NI will reap the bounty of this direction.

For any teacher / school leader in NI interested in what professional learning with InnerDrive might look like through the TransformED Action Plan, I refer you to the graphics. CarrickfergusGrammar has been partnering with @InnerDrive for quite some years, and on our Staff

“School is not meant to reflect back a child’s existing world. It is meant to offer new worlds. It is meant to take the child by the hand and lead them to places they never knew existed, places beyond their postcode, places they have every right to belong.” Spot on. 👏

Going to blog but here’s a 🧵 There are too many distractions from the sustained hard work needed to deliver and maintain effective PD programmes that lead to improved teaching and improved outcomes. And I worry that just as we’re making progress, more distractions are coming

Every so often #MEMFLLC makes a re-appearance in the top 100 teaching books chart; this time in good company beside the wonderful Mark Enser 🌍 and Zoe Enser 🐉. Despite my role as a Principal, teaching MFL remains what makes me happiest, and I love nothing more than getting to the

My reponse to Lucy Crehan's excellent Strategic Review of the NI Curriculum in the Belfast Telegraph: Christine Counsell

Best thing I’ve read this year

📜 From Christine Counsell and team: Changing Histories for KS3: Expanding Worlds, c.1600–c.1870 is out now! Explore new perspectives and expand your students' understanding of history with the newest addition to this brilliant series. Find out more: bit.ly/4mWbKlU

Exciting opportunity - vacancy for Head of Religious Studies at my school: ✅️ Excellent behaviour ✅️ Knowledge-rich ✅️ Brilliant CPD ✅️ Impressive results ✅️ Promotion for previous post-holder ✅️ Friendly colleagues carrickfergusgrammar.com/vacancies

Yet basics done badly. My theory? We like adding fluff that can’t be measured. Often stuff that’s out of our control. We frame it as ‘we’re good & kind & selfless! Look!’ Actually sticking to core tasks, & doing them well, is far more laudable. It’s also measurable. No hiding.

Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.

Huge congratulations to the wonderful ⁦Christine Counsell⁩ who is exactly the kind of person these awards should recognise. A towering figure in modern UK education. schoolsweek.co.uk/kings-birthday…

I’m in Northern Ireland on the 28th and 29th August. Would any school want any CPD from me whilst I’m there? Pls share with anybody that might be interested. Mark Roberts Brad Busch J. A. Maxwell

We were pleased today CarrickfergusGrammar to hold a workshop with Sonja Broerse about the High Performing Schools Programme in the Netherlands. In October we will send some of our staff across to the Netherlands to learn more about professional learning clusters and parental