Delightful if you’re a science teacher!

No more Instagram then

I am calling for a complete and total boycott of the Mercator projection in all news stories about Greenland until every member of the American public has seen this

The real reason Venezuela matters YouTube video by Sky News

📽️Donald Trump wants you to know he's targeting Venezuela because of illegal drugs.
But what if this were really about something else altogether...?
Dig into the murky world of crude oil refining and you find another, even more intriguing explanation...
Full primer 👇 youtu.be/Pgwny1BiCYk?...

Pictures of a pink sea anemone sitting on top of a hermit crab shell.

Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.

I did find it interesting that they haven’t considered ‘English’ as a single combined qualification (like it was for me in Scotland, and presumably was in England a while back). Easy way for breadth.

Table 3 from Becky Francis’s 2023 paper triple science https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10181214/18/Archer_An%20exploration%20of%20the%20impact%20of%20science%20stratification%20in%20the%20English%20school%20curriculum%20%20the%20relationship%20between%20%20Double%20%20and%20%20Triple%20%20Science%20pathwa.pdf

There’s certainly a correlation with Triple Sci and taking a Sci degree in the paper (and school type -ie prob the best indicator of specialist teaching- has negligible impact)

Interesting that Triple Sci has almost no impact on sci degree uptake at Russell Grp

discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...

Though admittedly there will be an increased attraction for many prospective teachers if you knew that you’d likely get separate sciences and more specialist teaching.

Or could be read as: access to the best schools (who have more specialist teachers and separate sci) is a key factor?

I have had many brilliant double scientists achieve very well at A Level.

Not convinced this shift would have the desired effect. Esp with lack of teachers.

I only did Chemistry and Physics, for the same reason. Having taught GCSE Biology, it hasn’t entirely stifled me!

Quite a few independent schools permit the choice of individual sciences, allowing pupils to choose additional alternative subjects they’re more interested in. Works pretty well.

If you’re confused about which way the clocks go in which season, here’s an easy mnemonic:

SPRING: your phone will do it for you

FALL: your phone will do it for you

Lads the HONK I just honked

🎉 Steplab Summer Reads #4

Win a copy of "Developing Expert Teaching" by Peps Mccrea—plus a Steplab bundle (mug, pen & notepad)!

Peps is Steplab’s Director of Education & author of the "High Impact Teaching" series.

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How should we deal with school complexity? The art of creating equilibrium in a world of possibilities and constraints

New today.
open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

I solved drwilkinsonsci's Minute Cryptic member clue!
Roughly determine the meatiest mince. (8)
Hints: 0, Letters revealed: 0
www.minutecryptic.com/custom/0b4d4...

Enjoyed ‘the French’ particularly!

These girls and everything they stand for - what a great message for young people 💙

Inset Day by Yvadney Davis

Couldn’t leave without a gallery visit. The most teaching leaning portrait in the new exhibition at the NPG was this, titled Inset Day by Yvadney Davis which rather expertly portrays every emotion felt at home that day!

Really pleased I could get to the parade at The Mall - fabulous celebration of a brilliantly united team. Some powerful messages, and simply being there and feeling that excitement will have meant a lot to so many (esp young girls aspiring for greatness!)

Comic. [3-column table with headers Period, My Favorite Part, and My Biggest Complaint] [Row 1] P: *Precambrian*, MFP: Life develops, MBC: Snowball Earth episodes [Row 2] P: Cambrian, MFP: Trilobites!, MBC: Evolution could stand to calm down a little [Row 3] P: Ordovician, MFP: Earth might have had rings, MBC: Scary volcanic eruption in North America [Row 4] P: Silurian, MFP: First land animals, MBC: Earth’s newfound mold problem [Row 5] P: Devonian, MFP: Big mountains in Boston, MBC: Yeah, sure, what those giant killer fish needed was *armor* [Row 6] P: Carboniferous, MFP: Cool forests, MBC: Bugs too big [Row 7] P: Permian, MFP: Pangea, MBC: Google “The Great Dying” [Row 8] P: Triassic, MFP: Tanystropheus [dinosaur with extremely long neck next to tiny person for scale], MBC: Damage to Canada still visible from space at Manicouagan [Row 9] P: Jurassic, MFP: Birds, MBC: Parasitoid wasps [Row 10] P: Cretaceous, MFP: Raptors, MBC: Raptors [Row 11] P: Paleogene, MFP: Pretty horseys!!!, MBC: Paleocene-eocene thermal maximum [Row 12] P: Neogene, MFP: Forests of *Dracaena* Dragonblood Trees, MBC: Zanclean Flood [Row 13] P: Quaternary, MFP: Burrito invented, MBC: Whoever picked this name for the third period of the Cenozoic

Geologic Periods

xkcd.com/3120/

This is England!

two knights are standing in the woods and one of them is saying i 've had worse . Alt: two knights are standing in the woods and one of them is saying i 've had worse .

Lucy Bronze

A conversation with Jony Ive YouTube video by Stripe

Absolutely right. Enjoyed recently watching this Q&A with Jony Ive that spoke to this in the first 10+ mins with how Apple achieved what they did, and what drives Jony as a designer. Struck a chord with my views on leadership generally. youtu.be/wLb9g_8r-mE?...

Absolutely fascinating piece about the cluster of underlying beliefs that make people hold onto education myths.

I have something similar, it brings me so much joy!

Friday 18th July Yesterday the UK Government shared plans to lower the voting age for UK Parliament to 16, from 18. This would be the biggest change to the electorate since the age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969. Currently 16 and 17 year olds can vote in council and national elections in Wales and Scotland, but elections to the UK Parliament, and all elections in England and Northern Ireland are restricted to 18+. As you might expect - this change is controversial, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner saying “I was a mum at 16, you can go to work, you can pay your taxes, and so I think people should have a vote at 16.” Whilst the opposition, Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes said "Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?” Questions: What do you think of these changes? The next UK General Election is likely to be in Summer 2029 (4 years time). How old will you be then? Will you be eligible to vote? If you’re able to vote in the next election do you think it will change how you think about politics or wider society in the next four years? Should 16 year olds be allowed to buy lottery tickets?

Hard to finish the week (and the term for some of us) with anything other than the news that 16 year olds will have the vote at the next GE. That means with the exception of a few summer born Yr7s. Every secondary age child now will be eligible in July 2029.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Schools face ‘unsustainable’ rise in AI-generated complaints Parents’ use of AI in making complaints means schools are having to deal with complex letters loaded with references to the law, leaders warn

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

I actually don’t think I’ve had an AI generated complaint (that I’m aware of, and I deal with plenty!) Lots of AI generated job applications, and more time spent on student (mis)use of AI with NEA work.

Not sure of solution w/ complaints - need that avenue open.

I’m a governor at one of those schools, and I can confirm it’s pretty brutal. Well, balancing the budget is brutal anyway, this just makes it all the more difficult.

The complete FUN TO IMAGINE with Richard Feynman YouTube video by Christopher Sykes

The world is a large scale mess of jiggling things, if you look at it right

Love Feynman and his neverending enthusiasm!

youtu.be/P1ww1IXRfTA?...

Poster for 2025 Virtual Work Experience by Creative Tuition Collective and British Antarctic Survey, featuring Antarctic imagery and event details.

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