Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading.

The book cover for Teaching Meaning: What Works When Telling Isn't Enough.

Release day! The ebook & hardback are live.

The first book for teachers based on *enactive* cognitive science, please consider leaving a review when you're done (it really helps).

(Paperback readers: Amazon is having a glitch, so it's slightly delayed.)

mybook.to/teachingmean...

👇👇👇👇👇

I’ve published a new book! 🥳

It is pitched at new teachers. Short. Easy reading. Helps make sense of what goes on in schools.

Check it out.

share.google/hsTGxb7gkEFt...

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen Assuming the worst about the Inclusion Project may be the best place to start

New post. The ‘Grand Project’ of inclusion: rhetoric and reality.
open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

My daughter started teaching this year, so I wrote it with her in mind.

Thanks Nick

Thanks. Spread the word!

Thank you!

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen Assuming the worst about the Inclusion Project may be the best place to start

New post. The ‘Grand Project’ of inclusion: rhetoric and reality.
open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

I’ve published a new book! 🥳

It is pitched at new teachers. Short. Easy reading. Helps make sense of what goes on in schools.

Check it out.

share.google/hsTGxb7gkEFt...

1. There is a light that never goes out, The Smiths
2. Jigsaw falling into place, Radiohead
3. Wild ones, Suede
4. November has come, Gorillaz
5. Sometimes, James

7.30

Thanks for featuring one of my blog posts. 🙏

From Mental Health to Social and Emotional – what difference does it make? Blog by Claire Dorer OBE, CEO of National Association of Special Schools (NASS) The recent SEND Reforms consultation signals the end of a 12-year categorising of ‘Mental Health Needs’ as a specific ca...

This is a thoughtful and considered piece from Claire Dorer @nasschools.bsky.social that captures the complexity of the SEND reforms.

There is no System 2 An NDM account of Dual Process Theories

open.substack.com/pub/jtpeters...

x.com/jayvanbavel/... Is the bystander effect real?

Two conceptions of inclusive teaching What exactly are we asking teachers to do when we ask that they teach more inclusively?

open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

Educational Needs within an Inclusive Schooling System Some thoughts, in no particular order

open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

Assessment in primary geography Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Assessment in foundation subjects like geography often creates a headache for leaders. I take a look at what goes wrong, and how to put it right.

open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

The theory of change here is that giving people more things to work on means they are more likely to improve. And that telling everyone that they aren’t as good as you thought will motivate them to do so.

The head of Ofsted says the fact that it issues more ‘needs attention’ grades than ‘requires improvement’ is evidence the watchdog is raising standards – prompting criticism for comparing new and old frameworks

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-chief-criticised-...

A shift in language - The White Paper A shift in language It has taken me a while to digest the contents of the White Paper. I did not want to react to the headlines or rush to j...

“High standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.”

After reading the white paper carefully and discussing it during a SENCo forum this week, I’ve written on the shift in language, and what some of this might mean for schools in practice.

moderncassie.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-sh...

Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, affecting how teachers should support autistic pupils in the classroom, researcher Uta Frith tells Helen Amass

www.tes.com/magazine/tea... “One thing I would say is that teachers often intuitively know what a child needs, even without a diagnosis. Together with parents, they can work out what the needs are and act on them straight away, rather than waiting for an assessment.”

Starting again with KS3 assessment Q2. What is assessment for?

open.substack.com/pub/100asses...

SEND reform: Experts at hand service could be a game-changer Trust leader Tom Campbell says quick access to SEND experts - especially educational psychologists - could be transformative

This is an important part of the reforms, not just getting expertise where it is needed more easily, but also from the point of view of building collective responsibility, with specialist settings & mainstream working in partnership as a community of schools serving a community of children.

Curriculum Is a Localist Model of a Distributed Mind The problem with dividing knowledge into pieces

New on Substack: New post: Why does dividing curriculum into knowledge components feel so unstable? Because we're imposing localist structure on a distributed system. The brain doesn't store knowledge in pieces. profbeckyallen.substack.com/p/curriculum...

NEW BLOG: Three routes to trust consolidation

Writing in @cstvoice.bsky.social today, I make the case for three distinct ways in which our education system might become more coherent, impactful and better value for money.

cstuk.org.uk/news-and-blo...

We’ll fail a generation if we say SEND reform is too hard The white paper represents a pivotal moment for policy and system leadership

'Now is the time to step forward together and seize this moment to create one system with high ambition for all children'

schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-i...

What does it mean to be a school leader in 2026? With Matt Evans

NEW EPISODE with @head-teach.bsky.social exploring all things leadership:

How has being a school leader changed over time?
What unique pressures are school leaders facing at the moment?

Fascinating episode from a genuine expert

Tune in and share 🙏🙏

open.spotify.com/episode/4rko...