My blog's 18th birthday. Part 1

My first blog post was on October 24th, 2006. Anyone born that day is now old enough to vote. At least they aren't old enough to teach.

18 years of telling the truth

Last Thursday was the 18th anniversary of my first blog post. Over the years, my blog has appeared on various blogging sites. Most of the old posts can be found on my old WordPress site, as I haven’t dared try to transfer them to Substack.

This has been a big year for the blog because of:

• moving to Substack

• introducing paid subscriptions

• recruiting (volunteer) proofreaders,

• posting much more frequently.

In this post (and the next), I will provide links for all the blog content since the post for my 17th (blog) birthday.

Please note the following:

• Posts marked “PREMIUM” are only available in full to paid subscribers.

• Posts marked “FROM THE ARCHIVES” were originally written years ago, and have been re-edited and reposted this year.

• Posts marked “UPDATED POSTS” are partly based on old posts, but have been re-written to include new data and developments. They should be read as if they were new.

If you are a free subscriber and would like to read the premium posts, then you can sign up for a subscription or a free trial. Until 3 November 2024, you can subscribe for a year with a 25% discount here.

What have I been blogging about this year?

There’s been quite a few recurring topics in the last twelve months.

Posts about moving to Substack

• My first Substack post: New site. Same old nonsense.

• Paid subscriptions now available

• Move along now

Posts about behaviour management

• FROM THE ARCHIVES: “Just Give Them A Pen”

• E. Coli and Behaviour Management

Posts about exclusions

• Sky News spreading misinformation about exclusions

• Is a school more likely to permanently exclude an ethnic minority female, or be led by an ethnic minority female?

• Claims about crime and exclusions from London's Violence Reduction Unit. Part 1

• Claims about crime and exclusions from London's Violence Reduction Unit. Part 2

• BBC Radio 4's Law In Action has some very dubious statistics about exclusions from school. Part 1

• BBC Radio 4's Law In Action has some very dubious statistics about exclusions from school. Part 2

• UPDATED POST: Is SEND a risk factor for exclusion?

• Do 97% of pupils excluded from primary school have SEND?

• Who would make excuses for sexual violence in schools? Part 4

• The most misleading tweet of the year

• On Thursday, England's teaching profession will learn whose side the new education ministers are on

• The latest exclusion figures Part 1

• The latest exclusion figures Part 2

• The latest exclusion figures Part 3

• UPDATED POST: Exclusions, ethnicity and disadvantage

• The IPPR's "Making the Difference" report was full of incorrect statistics. Part 1

• The IPPR's "Making the Difference" report was full of incorrect statistics. Part 2

• The IPPR's "Making the Difference" report was full of incorrect statistics. Part 3

Posts about school shaming

• The worst tactic of school shamers

• Why do school staff visit the homes of absent pupils?

• Basic safeguarding is not about being strict

Posts about education articles in the Observer

Over the past year, inaccurate, and often unhinged, education stories in The Observer newspaper have become particularly noticeable. I have blogged about a number of these stories.

• Is the DfE keeping files on “education experts” who criticise their policies? Part 1

• Is the DfE keeping files on “education experts” who criticise their policies? Part 2

• Is the DfE keeping files on “education experts” who criticise their policies? Part 3

• Another education article in The Observer misses the mark

• Did the DfE blacklist speakers for criticising government policy? Part 1

• Did the DfE blacklist speakers for criticising government policy? Part 2

• PREMIUM: The two secondary schools with the highest suspension rates. Part 1

• PREMIUM: The two secondary schools with the highest suspension rates. Part 2

• The Observer's education reporting still has the power to surprise me

• PREMIUM: The latest story from "Fake News Fazackerly" falls apart

Posts about teaching methods

• We need to talk about talk

• PREMIUM: Planners and Pantsers (Available to free subscribers here: UNLOCKED: Planners and Pantsers)

• PREMIUM: Lowering expectations for SEND pupils

• A shared language for talking about teaching

• FROM THE ARCHIVES: Teachers and technology

• PREMIUM: The last ten years have transformed the teaching profession in England. Except for me.

• The problem with play

Posts about the philosophy of education

• I don't care how much you care. Part 1

• I don't care how much you care. Part 2

• Is there any justification for that conclusion?

• Progressive and traditionalist education

• Don't treat children like they are insane. Part 1

• Don't treat children like they are insane. Part 2

• Trying to take progressive education seriously

Posts about education policy

• Should children be taught by teachers who "look like them"?

• Parliamentary petitions about schools. Part 1

• Parliamentary petitions about schools. Part 2

• What should education ministers be watching out for?

• PREMIUM: Ofsted is necessary because of schools like this

• Do politicians really make a difference to education?

Posts about my teaching experiences

• FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Corridor of Death

• PREMIUM: Teaching in the 2000s

Posts about school leadership

• PREMIUM: Trust teachers, unless they are telling you how great they are. Part 1

• PREMIUM: Trust teachers, unless they are telling you how great they are. Part 2

Posts about the psychology of education

• Can we reject an idea for being too simple?

• Thanks For The Memories

Miscellaneous posts

• researchED do the best education conferences

• Outcomes for black pupils in England's state schools

• What Does It Mean To Be An Education Expert? Part 1

• What Does It Mean To Be An Education Expert? Part 2

• PREMIUM: Was this parent really a "scapegoat" for his LA?

• PREMIUM: Why I write under a pseudonym

In Part 2…

In my next post (which will be for paid subscribers, with a free preview for free subscribers), I will share links to the other posts from this year, and discuss how my year has gone.