Michael Tidd
@michaelt1979.bsky.social
Junior school headteacher in Sussex
This clip from the marvellous Two Doors Down is becoming the soundtrack to my life in education lately...
November 21, 2025 at 7:17 PM
This clip from the marvellous Two Doors Down is becoming the soundtrack to my life in education lately...
This statements seems to lack the "how", because there's plenty of schools nationally where there's not sufficient staff capacity for all those who need one-to-one. To imply that it's as simple as that is crass at best.
![How SEND is supported
The school guarantees the needs of pupils with SEND by ensuring that:
*all breakfast club teaching assistants (TAs) are trained to support children with additional needs
*the hall where the club is delivered is zoned to provide a quiet space and a zone of regulation
*[highlighted]there is always sufficient staff capacity should a child require one-to-one support[end highlighting]
*a SENCo is on site](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kor4lj2xji5kf6ybjfimd2vs/bafkreicols522txnzmjcpr2mll3egz2g3ngojwhooepr5sr3my4oe6wuz4@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 8:09 PM
This statements seems to lack the "how", because there's plenty of schools nationally where there's not sufficient staff capacity for all those who need one-to-one. To imply that it's as simple as that is crass at best.
Roping in Year 5 and 6 children is not "staffing". Employing children under 13 is still, I believe, against the law.
And if it relies on "volunteer" children helpers to make it viable, then it's a short step from slavery.
Do they have to be trained in food hygiene?
And if it relies on "volunteer" children helpers to make it viable, then it's a short step from slavery.
Do they have to be trained in food hygiene?
November 20, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Roping in Year 5 and 6 children is not "staffing". Employing children under 13 is still, I believe, against the law.
And if it relies on "volunteer" children helpers to make it viable, then it's a short step from slavery.
Do they have to be trained in food hygiene?
And if it relies on "volunteer" children helpers to make it viable, then it's a short step from slavery.
Do they have to be trained in food hygiene?
This is baffling. In pretty much every primary school now, *every* class is a SEND class. Do I need a TA from every class to agree to staff breakfast club. Do they get a choice? What about their own morning responsibilities?
November 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
This is baffling. In pretty much every primary school now, *every* class is a SEND class. Do I need a TA from every class to agree to staff breakfast club. Do they get a choice? What about their own morning responsibilities?
Oh yes... of course, another group of people who are just yearning for extra responsibilities on their plate.
No indication here of when those key staff get that time back. Or maybe they're being paid a massive rate, from the £1 per pupil?
Just another job on the to-do list of overworked staff.
No indication here of when those key staff get that time back. Or maybe they're being paid a massive rate, from the £1 per pupil?
Just another job on the to-do list of overworked staff.
November 20, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Oh yes... of course, another group of people who are just yearning for extra responsibilities on their plate.
No indication here of when those key staff get that time back. Or maybe they're being paid a massive rate, from the £1 per pupil?
Just another job on the to-do list of overworked staff.
No indication here of when those key staff get that time back. Or maybe they're being paid a massive rate, from the £1 per pupil?
Just another job on the to-do list of overworked staff.
This has been my worry all along with the breakfast club nonsense. You can talk about funding all you like, the long and the short of it is that school leaders end up with another job on the list, another extension to their working day, and the job becomes ever harder...
And this is from DfE advice!
And this is from DfE advice!
November 20, 2025 at 7:49 PM
This has been my worry all along with the breakfast club nonsense. You can talk about funding all you like, the long and the short of it is that school leaders end up with another job on the list, another extension to their working day, and the job becomes ever harder...
And this is from DfE advice!
And this is from DfE advice!
Hard to know what's the most outdated thing here: the mention of CD-ROMs, the loose Spice Girls reference, or the hideous "Books for Boys" splash.
November 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Hard to know what's the most outdated thing here: the mention of CD-ROMs, the loose Spice Girls reference, or the hideous "Books for Boys" splash.
I stand by this. And I think time has proven me right.
November 17, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I stand by this. And I think time has proven me right.
This doesn't make sense, does it?
How can the median be higher than the upper quartile?
How can the median be higher than the upper quartile?
November 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This doesn't make sense, does it?
How can the median be higher than the upper quartile?
How can the median be higher than the upper quartile?
Says it all.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 16, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Says it all.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What a depressing opening paragraph to the government's announcement of planned curriculum changes.
November 4, 2025 at 10:35 PM
What a depressing opening paragraph to the government's announcement of planned curriculum changes.
This, from @jonnelledge.bsky.social is exactly right.
It's shameful.
jonn.substack.com/p/its-racist...
It's shameful.
jonn.substack.com/p/its-racist...
October 22, 2025 at 11:07 PM
This, from @jonnelledge.bsky.social is exactly right.
It's shameful.
jonn.substack.com/p/its-racist...
It's shameful.
jonn.substack.com/p/its-racist...
Almost half of primary teachers feeling stressed or unhappy over the past fortnight because of relationships with parents.
(Significantly higher than secondary colleagues it seems)
(Significantly higher than secondary colleagues it seems)
October 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Almost half of primary teachers feeling stressed or unhappy over the past fortnight because of relationships with parents.
(Significantly higher than secondary colleagues it seems)
(Significantly higher than secondary colleagues it seems)
Also carefully countering a claim which literally no-one makes.
Football managers don't *automatically* get sacked after a bad run of results either.
Football managers don't *automatically* get sacked after a bad run of results either.
October 17, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Also carefully countering a claim which literally no-one makes.
Football managers don't *automatically* get sacked after a bad run of results either.
Football managers don't *automatically* get sacked after a bad run of results either.
He'll have done his basic groundwork to check it's not already in the national curriculum, right?
Oh...
Oh...
October 12, 2025 at 9:47 PM
He'll have done his basic groundwork to check it's not already in the national curriculum, right?
Oh...
Oh...
You mean it's not just full of these...?
October 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM
You mean it's not just full of these...?
I still don't understand this "nominee" thing.
In what context would it not be the headteacher doing these things?
In what context would it not be the headteacher doing these things?
October 2, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I still don't understand this "nominee" thing.
In what context would it not be the headteacher doing these things?
In what context would it not be the headteacher doing these things?
I've skipped ahead to just reading the slides myself. These seems to be new...
Does this mean that as a junior head I can just tell them to skip the first morning?
(Also, are they still just doing Tuesday/Wednesday for routine inspections? What is the SENCo isn't available on Tuesday?)
Does this mean that as a junior head I can just tell them to skip the first morning?
(Also, are they still just doing Tuesday/Wednesday for routine inspections? What is the SENCo isn't available on Tuesday?)
October 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I've skipped ahead to just reading the slides myself. These seems to be new...
Does this mean that as a junior head I can just tell them to skip the first morning?
(Also, are they still just doing Tuesday/Wednesday for routine inspections? What is the SENCo isn't available on Tuesday?)
Does this mean that as a junior head I can just tell them to skip the first morning?
(Also, are they still just doing Tuesday/Wednesday for routine inspections? What is the SENCo isn't available on Tuesday?)
I don't know if they've got anyone on the inquiry panel who was alive at the time of the pandemic, but as I recall it...
"people thought they might die" probably answers lots of questions like this.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"people thought they might die" probably answers lots of questions like this.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
![Questions are also expected to be asked about whether there is a link from the pandemic to the current high rates of absence in schools, and [highlighted text begins] why so few vulnerable children attended school during the first lockdown.[highlighted text ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kor4lj2xji5kf6ybjfimd2vs/bafkreidrvxhuznhw75rzlk4gjfjztnchoayybwj4oixl6l3utdjvqku3hm@jpeg)
September 29, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I don't know if they've got anyone on the inquiry panel who was alive at the time of the pandemic, but as I recall it...
"people thought they might die" probably answers lots of questions like this.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"people thought they might die" probably answers lots of questions like this.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It's quite an achievement in a way, that Bromcom can muster satisfaction levels no higher than SIMS!
thekeygroup.com/news-insight...
thekeygroup.com/news-insight...
September 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
It's quite an achievement in a way, that Bromcom can muster satisfaction levels no higher than SIMS!
thekeygroup.com/news-insight...
thekeygroup.com/news-insight...
Has anyone read this article? I'm trying to imagine what the SoS is getting at, but can't just from the headline. (If, indeed, it refers to anything real)
September 17, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Has anyone read this article? I'm trying to imagine what the SoS is getting at, but can't just from the headline. (If, indeed, it refers to anything real)
Every now and then something just stuns me.
Learned today when the boy asked me what the prefix "fe-" meant.
Learned today when the boy asked me what the prefix "fe-" meant.
September 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Every now and then something just stuns me.
Learned today when the boy asked me what the prefix "fe-" meant.
Learned today when the boy asked me what the prefix "fe-" meant.
I don't understand the new Ofsted nominee thing. Surely heads could already delegate pretty much all of this to anyone on their team - apart from those bits that surely no head would want to delegate?
Is this more useful in secondary/very large schools?
Is this more useful in secondary/very large schools?
September 9, 2025 at 8:53 PM
I don't understand the new Ofsted nominee thing. Surely heads could already delegate pretty much all of this to anyone on their team - apart from those bits that surely no head would want to delegate?
Is this more useful in secondary/very large schools?
Is this more useful in secondary/very large schools?
I'm super-excited to see the DfE is planning to launch online School Profiles.
I wonder if they'll be orange again, like last time this was the big new idea? Maybe we'll even get the rainbow back from the DCSF days...
I wonder if they'll be orange again, like last time this was the big new idea? Maybe we'll even get the rainbow back from the DCSF days...
September 9, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I'm super-excited to see the DfE is planning to launch online School Profiles.
I wonder if they'll be orange again, like last time this was the big new idea? Maybe we'll even get the rainbow back from the DCSF days...
I wonder if they'll be orange again, like last time this was the big new idea? Maybe we'll even get the rainbow back from the DCSF days...
