The end of the academic year is nigh. It's an emotional time for most of us, but particularly so for me, as I move on from the Education Endowment Foundation after well over enjoyable seven years.
[Check out the new EEF 'Guide to Inclusive Teaching' HERE].
It's also an exciting time to look ahead. I'll be working in partnership with schools and trusts to develop writing frameworks, literacy policies, and inclusive teaching plans. I'm taking on new projects too, from supporting a London gallery's outreach teaching, joining evaluation teams, alongside some exciting new writing and training development work. I also have some ideas to return to my English literature roots.
I'm in no doubt that getting to spend time with teachers and leaders, nationally and internationally, for my new projects will be a huge privilege.
It's also a moment to reflect on my personal writing so far this year. I've published a new book (have I mentioned that enough?), wrote pieces for TES, and blogged consistently. This fortnightly newsletter is now at its 87th edition too.
Rather than share what I've been reading, this time I'm sharing a short top 5 of my most popular writing from the last academic year.
My top 5 blogs of the year
1. Improving reading with the R.E.A.D.S framework This blog explores a simple acronym for structuring book talk – review, explore, anchor, debate, summarise. It can work as well for a Year 5 class reader as it does for A-level source analysis in history.
2. Talk routines and ABC feedback This is a blog on the quiet, daily habits of classroom talk matter more than the occasional set-piece debate, and how ABC feedback – agree, build, challenge – gives students a simple structure for accountable talk.
3. Literacy and Key Stage Three success KS3 is the squeezed middle of school improvement, jammed between SATs and GCSEs. This post sets out why strong literacy foundations at this stage matter so much, and what's actionable for busy subject teachers.
4. Building understanding about literacy assessment Reading ages dominate literacy data, but they rarely tell teachers what to do next. This blog makes a case for diagnostic assessment that identifies the real barrier, not just a single number.
5. Adaptive teaching and the power of anticipation Expert teachers don't just adapt in the moment, they anticipate before they teach. This post looks at the planning strategies – pre-testing, anticipation guides, diagnostic questions – that make adaptive teaching possible.
It you want to want to continue to be updated about the latest research, resources, and books related to education, then sign up to my newsletter.
If you are still looking for a productive book for the summer holidays, do consider my 'Literacy Essentials for Every Teacher' available from Amazon HERE and Routledge HERE.
Over and out - happy summer holidays! See you late August for more reviews, new research, and more.
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