NEW: Teacher contact time plans include assemblies, tech and timetabling

In a few weeks I'll be starting a secondment supporting Learning and Teaching across a group of schools. I'm really excited for the opportunity. Has anyone with experience in a similar role got any advice?

🎉 Steplab Summer Reads #3 – Bonus Round! We’ve got more authors than summer weeks—so here’s a midweek giveaway! Win The Scaffolding Effect by Rachel Ball (out today!) + a Steplab bundle: mug, notepad & pen. ✅ Follow ❤️ Like 🔁 Share 🏆 Winner Wed!

🎉 Steplab Summer Reads – Book #1 Win Responsive Coaching by Josh Goodrich - plus a Steplab bundle (mug, pen & notepad)! Josh is Steplab CEO & former teacher/leader with deep coaching expertise. To enter: 1️��� Follow 2️⃣ Like 3️⃣ Share 📘 Winner announced on Friday!

📚 Last week we asked about your summer reads – and most of you voted: fiction only! But if you fancy stacking your shelves with brilliant CPD books by our expert team, we’ve got a giveaway for you! 1⃣ Follow us 2⃣ Like the giveaway post 3⃣ Share it First book drops tomorrow!

Still a few days left to take the CfTE National Teacher Survey and tell us how our work can best meet your needs Share your views before Jun 30 (English) Take the survey now: https://t.co/l2gPmnfgTf (Gaelic) Lìon an t-suirbhidh: https://t.co/5vnpjTcLFH

When you write a book your publisher gives you a few free author copies. Most of them are being given to people who helped me write it. But I have 1 spare. I’ll give it to someone after the 28th Feb. Retweet & follow to be in with a chance! 🌞

I'm quite intrigued by the latest ACEL data, particularly in Literacy. While I've already tweeted about the unreliability of the data in its current form as a national measure, I'm quite interested particularly in the difference between (1/) 🧵

My main takeaway from recent experience working with attainment data, and the recent national stats, is that if we nail our First Level literacy curriculum and practice, we'll be producing more literate children. Phonics, handwriting, spelling, sentences, punctuation.

to discuss how S3s are assessed for literacy outside of SNSAs?

Or is the difference to do with assessment? Assessment infrastructure in CfE is notoriously vague (and based on outdated research). With such poorly-defined assessment criteria to work with, primary teachers are hamstrung. I don't know if a secondary teacher can chime in (6/)

We desperately need to weight our First Level writing curriculum on phonics, handwriting, punctuation, forming sentences and vocabulary development. But instead I think we miss a lot of the rigour required here and shoot past into endless extended fiction writing. (5/)

has led to the spread of commercial programmes or programmes that focus mostly on expressive language techniques within extended writing structure. Meanwhile, the focus on the mechanics of writing are neglected. Especially, in my view, at First Level (P2-4). (4/)

Curriculum: The Early, First and Second Benchmarks in Literacy are actually not that difficult to achieve. If taught. I'm well-documented as being in favour of more specificity in the primary literacy curriculum. My view is that the lack of definition of what to teach (3/)

in primary and S3 data. Around 88% of S3s are achieving literacy levels, but the figure is closer to 73% in primary stages. Why is that? I'm interested to know if this difference is in curriculum, teaching practice or assessment. (2/)

I'm quite intrigued by the latest ACEL data, particularly in Literacy. While I've already tweeted about the unreliability of the data in its current form as a national measure, I'm quite interested particularly in the difference between (1/) 🧵

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but does anyone ever use the exercise equipment they built in parks across Scotland? Has it been a big waste of public funds? @LauraFMcConnell, do you know anything about them/how much they are used vs cost?

My not-so-hot take on education is if we used iPads only to help teachers effectively check for understanding, flashcards and some accessibility features, they would have had a much bigger impact on outcomes. The things we use them for instead have become a distracting sideshow.

Recent statistics highlight the grave state of attendance in Scottish education. Earlier this year I wrote about the challenges and some solutions in Scottish primaries. It is in no way an isolated issue.