Rachel Lofthouse
@DrRLofthouse
Followers
30,862
Following
6,535
Media
2,714
Statuses
91,140
Professor of Teacher Education. Director of @CollectivED1 The Centre for Mentoring, Coaching and Professional Learning. Activist scholar.
Yorkshire
Joined January 2010
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
#DARKMOON
• 131345 Tweets
Cataluña
• 111750 Tweets
#FatalTrouble
• 84687 Tweets
चुनाव आयोग
• 74951 Tweets
つばさの党
• 69852 Tweets
Illa
• 68702 Tweets
#Supernova_OutNow
• 66625 Tweets
#MEMORABILIA_OutNow
• 65647 Tweets
Puigdemont
• 56195 Tweets
PS 1
• 55706 Tweets
Teeth
• 52375 Tweets
Lucifer
• 40085 Tweets
家宅捜索
• 37240 Tweets
We Love Daddy Tay🩵
• 30882 Tweets
माधवी लता
• 23823 Tweets
Happy New Week
• 21056 Tweets
Kamuda Tasarruf
• 20445 Tweets
バンドリ
• 18235 Tweets
Lebih KEREN KitaKOMPAK
• 16906 Tweets
ミオしゃ
• 16337 Tweets
作者の顔
• 13668 Tweets
Mehmet Şimşek
• 12662 Tweets
SATs
• 10457 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
My definition of a great teacher? Stop this endless expectation of ‘better’. A great teacher works well enough to ensure students in each class they teach learn well over time. That each individual they teach feels valued. That each colleague they have is glad they work with them
6
17
142
Can I just drop this bombshell while English edutweeters sleep. I’ve visited secondary schools in Canada this week with no uniforms, no silent corridors, teachers in relaxed clothes, where there is much talk to relationships & pedagogy & where teachers say school is their family.
186
1K
4K
Please remember that some of the people who actually wanted to keep you and your family safe were headteachers. They tried and were blocked from taking considerate action on your behalf. They were blocked by legal threats from this government.
20
684
3K
Just a shout out to teachers and leaders on Twitter who haven’t written a book and don’t intend to.
43
42
2K
Walk out of Ofsted. Please, school leaders. Just don’t contribute. Don’t inspect.
41
166
1K
I don’t think I’ve ever felt such hatred for the government as I do today.
44
79
1K
If you care about education in England today and you’re not deeply upset about the inequalities in the A level grades you’re either protecting friends in high places, scared to raise your voice or you’ve forgotten that education isn’t just about supporting the already privileged.
25
246
1K
My sister sent me this. ‘A priest, a pastor and a rabbit walked in to a blood donation clinic.
The nursed asked the rabbit: "What is your blood type?"
"I am probably a type O" said the rabbit.’
43
123
882
Vaccinating school staff would not significantly reduce community spread if schools go back but would mean staff are less likely to fall ill. This helps maintain teaching & learning (in person & remote) which would help reduce future ‘lost learning’ the DfE is so worried about.
28
120
866
Some in education seem to be determined that schooling needs to happen in social isolation. No group work. No talking in corridors. Eyes only on teacher. Immediately remove a child who distracts another. I disagree. Learning should develop social skills & understanding of others.
69
208
814
If children and staff have to be resilient and tough to succeed at school and if it’s something they come to endure then I think we’ve got schools wrong. Schools should be places in which all can flourish and are communities which are compelling to belong to.
32
148
812
Can I just double check. Schools with kids in next week. You are doing everything you can to maintain 2m social distancing now that you’ve got fewer kids in the same space aren’t you? I know it seems difficult & alien but it’s essential. Teachers’ & school leaders’ lives matter.
101
197
799
Cognitive dissonance.... The DfE have invested heavily in Oak who’ve produced 1000s of online lessons and yet when school leaders decide for the health and safety of their communities to go to online learning for a week they’re threatened with legal action by the DfE. I’m baffled
25
102
774
Another year older. A hell of a lot greyer than this time last year. Edging further into the category of annoying woman of a certain age with inconvenient values, experience and expertise who will just keep saying them out loud. Proud to take an activist stance. Who’s with me?
113
22
735
Do you know what? I’m in lockdown. I’m an adult. I’m struggling to prioritise too. Let’s just get over ourselves. If we are lucky this a once in a lifetime episode. Let the kids and families kick back and enjoy the days’ offerings. Learning will follow.
42
87
706
Many teachers & school leaders have worked through their holidays keeping children safe & fed, creating holiday activity sessions and getting ready for teaching online, prepping learning packs & pastoral support this new term will demand. If that’s you THANKYOU. Take the weekend.
11
131
702
Wanted: former teachers who don’t mind risking their lives. Brilliant letter.
17
210
658
Might just be worth saying. Group work doesn’t mean creating a shared poster where one pupil monopolises the thinking, another one wastes time on bubble writing and two just drift away into gossip.
66
22
644
It’s not a great look to belittle or deliberately ignore the work of those who were a step ahead of you. Today’s teachers can learn lots from those who taught, researched and wrote about teaching in previous decades. Our knowledge is not disposable. It’s part of your foundation.
39
55
633
‘Few state schools have classrooms large enough to “merge classes”, but since five of the current six ministers in the DfE went to independent schools, they may not realise this.’
19
157
627
Genuinely think these tweets should stop. They are helping no-one. They are guilt-tripping many parents, school leaders and teachers. They are suggesting a normality which is unattainable.
The first few years of learning are essential to the wellbeing of children.
Welcoming more children back to school will give them the chance to grow and develop, and be with their teachers and friends again.
149
14
75
34
165
597
Surely now is the time to plan extensive summer play and social activities for children & young people. Outdoor spaces. Youth workers, sports coaches and art practitioners working alongside educators and family support. Enable and encourage engagement. Make it free and local.
43
148
591
How about this … Ofsted school inspections are paused for 3 yrs. Inspectors are seconded into schools for teaching roles. DfE uses funding to employ building safety inspectors. Every school guaranteed a full structural survey instead.
27
86
593
Can anyone explain why schools need to recruit unpaid volunteers for Covid testing? The government has paid the private sector billions for test and track.
29
138
577
66
53
580
When did relentlessly raising standards become more important than building great communities, developing a love of learning, creating educational niches and landscapes in which everyone thrives?
45
91
582
So the
@educationgovuk
is happy to pump millions into
@OakNational
but won’t fund the devices disadvantaged children need to access the lessons. So the original investment yet again benefits the relatively well off and can make no difference what so ever for many most in need.
24
154
539
‘The truth is that if you say you want more children from deprived areas to be able to go to university, then don’t faff around with entry tariffs: invest in Sure Start centres, preschool groups, subsidised childcare and properly resourced primary schools’
16
154
533
It seems it’s another huge day of teachers & school leaders attending Saturday conferences. I’m sure they’re all enjoying them & learning lots. Let’s remember that most will have only a one- day weekend as a result. And let’s push the case for CPD being part of the working week.
37
95
527
Starting to feel like this might be beginning of the end of our exams-driven school education system.
85
40
520
My definition of a great teacher? Stop this endless expectation of ‘better’. A great teacher works well enough to ensure each lesson & class they teach over time learns well. That each individual they teach feels valued. That each colleague they have is glad they work with them.
25
59
495
Let me explain. 19 yrs ago I we adopted 3 siblings. We saw them through a total of >30yrs in school. Every one of those years could have been more positive for them, their teachers, their peers & our family if more of their teachers had gained a greater understanding of trauma.
In
#NationalAdoptionWeek
I’d rather stand up for children whose lives are impacted by trauma or attachment disorder than put up with the behaviour of a small group of teachers trolling me for doing so including several who I blocked a long time ago. I’m sick of their abusive acts
19
22
281
25
82
489
Nottingham school criticised after pupils slam PM in lesson. This is not ok. The DfE cannot be allowed to create a dictatorship. This is learning for democracy and citizenship in action.
52
114
483
On BBC Tom Bennett is accusing ‘people’ of brushing bad behaviour in schools under the carpet for decades. It’s a relief to know he’s taken hundreds of thousands of pounds out of DfE budgets to sort it out over the last decade. What a hero.
51
67
480
Just popping back in this betwixt time to mark a date. 20 years ago this week my three adopted children came to live with us. 20 years of living, learning and struggling. They are all grown up now and it’s not how I imagined. But sharing their childhoods was a unique experience.
26
3
467
Looks certain that the DfE has been manoeuvring the unions into a place they cannot rest easy in. Now they’re having to push back the DfE can say unions caused the breakdown of the plans. So be it. Tories have history of this. Unlike coal mining they can’t mothball education.
13
74
460
Just wondering whether it’s common for a middle leader in a school to talk / tweet about “my staff”. I’d have thought defining them as colleagues rather than staff would be more appropriate.
95
10
436
So many many concerns about this. And it starts with the label. Matt Hood is NOT a headteacher. He runs an online learning platform. He does not represent headteachers in any capacity. He has no authority here.
31
97
434
It’s a morbid thought but do the Tories believe that if 500 people die unnecessarily each week because they cannot access emergency care their names can be crossed off waiting lists for the other care they were entitled to? Is that how they promise to reduce waiting lists?
45
175
426
I’d like to read an education column in the schools press written by a current ‘on trend’ teacher or leader which starts with appreciation of what’s gone before rather than an assumption that a past practice or culture is best derided & replaced with their unique wisdom.
39
35
427
I’m calling this out. No tender.
.
@OakNational
will create around 10,000 lessons – including a version of the entire national curriculum – after being handed £4.34 million by the government to expand next year
56
62
100
49
160
414
I have a feeling that Geoff and Margaret
@RetirementTales
are infiltrating teachers psyche in a more positive way than any edu tsars or gurus have.
5
11
413
If you became a teacher in the 90s did you (like me) see learn about differentiation 3 ways … by task, by outcome, by support? And differentiation in planning & during teaching? If so how has it become badly associated in teachers’ minds with ‘different coloured worksheets’?
72
21
409
As soon as Ofsted declared their intent to reduce the number of ‘outstanding’ schools they tipped the balance to an overtly punitive process. The results are toxic. And staff and pupils are paying the cost. Lives, learning and wellbeing are at risk.
#OfstedOut
11
78
406
We all know this is bonkers don’t we?
86
43
397
I wonder the way forward for schools is for the DfE to commit to smaller class sizes for all, to invest heavily in additional space in schools & in teacher retention through enhanced working conditions, to encourage those who’ve left to return to teach in these better conditions.
24
71
402
A practical suggestion from a medic. If you’re working in schools or in any other kind of social interactive space take your RINGS, WATCHES, BRACELETS off. Remove false NAILS. Trim nails short. This will help you when keep infection at bay and mean you can wash hands properly.
12
284
394
Once again I’ve been mulling over what feels like a contradiction. Can the DfE really claim that grades should never get better (what they call grade inflation) and at the same time claim that under their policy influence education standards are improving?
51
77
393
A little advice for new teachers. It’s not a competition. You don’t need to read all the books. It’s ok to ask questions. You don’t need to Instagram your teaching life. Take your sense of self and your sense of humour to work. Find humility and be collaborative. It takes time.
9
67
393
Friday afternoon reminder. To be a brilliant teacher next week. You DON’T NEED TO use the weekend to
1. Read education books
2. Listen to education podcasts
3. Attend an education conference
4. Write an education blogpost
You MIGHT NEED TO chill, laugh, rest and reconnect.
14
58
389
Schools are the care homes of this phase of the pandemic. Children and teachers and their families are being out at deliberate risk by this government.
15
73
384
I’ve just reinserted Professor in my twitter name. Solidarity to all women whose qualifications and roles remain under-recognised in the media and in the workplace in comparison to their male peers.
So I’ve changed my Twitter name to Professor in solidarity with
@devisridhar
and many other women who don’t have our status recognised in contrast to men.
99
1K
15K
7
39
375
Can this old shire horse be put out to grass please?
Former Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw says teachers may have to work weekends and evenings to remedy the impact of school closures.
He says “if that doesn’t happen, I can see no alternative but to repeat a year” for some pupils.
#Newsnight
689
65
86
67
42
376
It’s a pretty simple truth that children and young people cannot learn to self-regulate if their every move is governed by rules.
18
70
373
This is one of the most unprofessional and inaccurate slurs I’ve come across. I don’t believe this of teachers and school leaders. We are better than this.
If you stand against silent corridors, hate behaviour systems imposed consistently, and instinctively reject order....
You support THIS.
You are the problem.
You are ruining children’s lives.🤨
169
143
675
54
49
366
If edutwitter can flood twitter with images of actual classrooms next week I think that might at least balance out the hard fantasy graphics being touted by the Tory press outlets. No kids. Just desks. Chairs etc.
13
61
361
We all know what the NHS & schools are capable of when insufficiently financed - we see it everyday. Just imagine what they could achieve if they were seen as the the cornerstones of civic society and truly invested in. Add social care to that and we’d be a much better nation.
8
73
362
Our current school system has driven teachers and leaders to be absorbed by testing, target-setting, interventions, progress tracking, flight paths, red/amber/yellow reporting etc etc. But when it most mattered ofqual and DfE disregarded this. No wonder so many are so furious.
10
123
356
‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a united roar of disapproval and contempt hit a secretary of state for education.’ Spot on from
@MichaelRosenYes
6
106
348
Coining a new phrase ‘A pedagogy of professional decline’. It describes both classroom practices and CPD which reduce agency, neglect expertise, drive conformity, narrow opportunities for unique contributions, damage relationships. It is the opposite to helping learners flourish.
31
87
355
A headteacher taking a strong stance. Can you help Flora?
I've just had the call. I've refused entry. This is an interesting phone call.
Doing this for everyone for our school staff everywhere!
@Ofstednews
@Headteacherchat
#ShineOn
#BurnBrighter
1K
5K
26K
6
106
351
The fury about this tweet from teachers and other school staff who were not prioritised for vaccinations and have tested positive in the last week is wholly justified. The
@educationgovuk
has not kept them or schools kids safe. Don’t patronise them now.
England’s top family doctor, Dr Nikki Kanani, calls on teachers and school staff to get their Covid booster vaccine during the Christmas break before the schools return next year.
Book now or find your nearest walk-in centre:
#GetBoostedNow
@NHSEngland
216
33
63
8
79
347
To explain… the DfE DO NOT follow me. But they have stored 100s of my tweets including personal ones. Why?
25
92
346
Ofsted is not neutral. Even if the inspection process was fair it’s intricately linked with so many socio-economic and political purposes. Think about house prices, parental anxieties, staff recruitment challenges , academisation pressures, impact on teachers’/leaders’ families.
16
52
338
Would it have been impossible for DfE to say to HTs that before a date was set for increasing school opening the DfE would gather available evidence to produce comprehensive guidance in a single document & publish this with 2 weeks for schools to work on prior to implementing?
36
49
332
In olden days (yes I know they weren’t inevitably better) most LAs ran strong subject networks where teachers had time to discuss, plan, reflect on & share curriculum ideas & materials. It was good CPD, good for creating resources & great for making sure teachers weren’t isolated
49
57
328
I have a PhD in education. I have 33 years of professional experience working in education. I’m a professor of teacher education. But you want to disqualify all of that?
32
47
333
We teach history & should know the warning signs. We teach science & should be more confident in its implications. We teach English but fail to communicate for understanding. What is missing in our curriculum & pedagogies which have led us to current societal & political state?
94
84
326
When a male edutweeter is clearly saving screenshots of female educators’ tweets from several months or years ago to post in current argumentative and accusatory threads you really have to question the online behaviour on display. It should raise red flags. It does for me anyway.
58
19
325
Can you imagine quite how much time for teaching and learning might be created in some schools if teachers weren’t obliged to micro-police fingernails, hairstyles, skirts touching knees, logos on trousers, ties in perfect alignment and ear-rings.
27
63
323
Some teachers say they cannot take advice from people who haven’t taught for as long as they have, & decry educational researchers’ advice. Research is about providing insight, developing principles, extending our knowledge base. It needs translating across practice boundaries.
46
74
319
Don't worry about cancelled exams – research shows we should switch to teacher assessment permanently
25
110
316
Discussion about teachers leaving unions. Please think twice. The act of solidarity with fellow professionals matters. Your votes in their policy-making count. Your fee may pay for the advice or protection you need or perhaps be a life- or career- saver for a colleague.
21
44
310
I agree with Gary
Gary Neville: "I have a different belief around exams. I don't believe you should work for 16 years at school & college & then it all depends on a 2 hour assessment... I think that's prehistoric... it needs ripping up & you should be judged over your body of work."
#BBCBreakfast
745
2K
19K
31
36
300
DfE announces new fast track teacher production line routes.
8
30
299
Headteachers used to have LA advisors and neighbouring colleagues for support and mentorship (before schools had to compete for status). Teachers used to have networks and teacher centres to support growth and development. Now it’s off the shelf CPD, platforms & costly coaching.
38
31
296
I have a PhD in education. I have 33 years of professional experience working in education. I’m a professor of teacher education. But you want to disqualify all of that?
13
26
295
Solidarity to school leaders handing in their Ofsted badges. Let a trickle become a torrent. On this occasion there really is clear blue water between staying in and getting out. Being part of the Ofsted machine only muddies the water.
8
36
297
Our teaching profession is one of the youngest in the world. That means the many of the leaders are too. Youth brings benefits. But it can’t bring lived experience of earlier professional working lives. So the profession is collectively forgetting what was once deemed important.
21
42
293
Rethinking education? I’d love to hear your views. I’m starting with this principle. “Stop building hierarchies. Start creating communities.” What’s your
#ReThinkEd
suggestion?
100
54
289
Digging around in the National Strategies archive. It’s a treasure chest that very few teachers and senior leaders would be familiar with.
50
24
286
Don’t let
@educationgovuk
, who’ve failed many teachers and children through the pandemic, use the pandemic to fail them once again by barging through long-lasting reforms. Beware their catch-up and transformation narrative. Emergency law means they can avoid democratic scrutiny.
3
71
288
Is it too bold to say that if schools close for a few weeks & a miracle in online learning for all is not heaven-sent we might actually learn to be less anxious about progression flight paths & fixed date tests. Education is so much more than this. Our system has been captured.
14
40
286
Perhaps if there was less focus less on zero tolerance, non-negotiables, compliant & convergent teaching approaches and attempting behavioural conditioning we could pay more attention to healthy relationships, building confidence through diversity and dynamic learning and growth.
19
49
285
The DfE. It’ll give you targets but no funding. It’ll give you Ofsted but no support. It’ll give you a retention crisis and no response.
13
85
284
Never have I felt more northern and more hatred for this government.
20
24
283
Schools should be places of enjoyment AND learning. Pass it on.
17
56
285
‘Children are being set up to fail, as teachers quit and school buildings crumble. Gove set the tone – blame him for this rot’. Not my words. But certainly my belief.
21
82
285
The antagonism towards group work in schools is stunning. There will always be a role for it. It doesn’t have to cripple every pedagogic debate.
56
14
281
This is my most ‘liked’, replied to & retweeted tweet ever. That’s not a boast. It’s a call to action. I’m not saying English schools can ape Canadian ones. But I am seeing a lot of people hungry for schools in which students & teachers feel a sense of belonging, care & learning.
Can I just drop this bombshell while English edutweeters sleep. I’ve visited secondary schools in Canada this week with no uniforms, no silent corridors, teachers in relaxed clothes, where there is much talk to relationships & pedagogy & where teachers say school is their family.
186
1K
4K
27
66
278
Don’t take this the wrong way but why do teachers need reminding to take a break, eat lunch & to use Sunday eve to wind down rather than wind up. Has the compliance system & excessive workload so guilt-tripped them & taken away their independent capacity to do that anyway?
57
20
278
In
#NationalAdoptionWeek
I’d rather stand up for children whose lives are impacted by trauma or attachment disorder than put up with the behaviour of a small group of teachers trolling me for doing so including several who I blocked a long time ago. I’m sick of their abusive acts
19
22
281
I have a 27 yr old son as of today. He arrived in our lives aged 8. Happy birthday to Leon.
13
4
279
I wrote this yesterday after watching teachers attack a perfectly reasonable tweet from
@MichaelRosenYes
. I woke up today and feel the same. He does not undermine the profession. He has been hugely supportive of teachers, learners and learning for decades. Don’t be blinkered.
Humility would be make such a difference. Try it instead of arrogance or ignorance. True teachers are also learners. And we learn from other’s expertise.
8
10
142
8
58
274
Are we to understand from Johnson that we cannot catch
#covid
ー19uk from work colleagues or students but only from our friends and family and strangers in social settings?
13
49
269