Teaching and Learning Lead /
English teacher. NE England.
MAT SP Literacy.
Associate Consultant: National Literacy Trust.
Sometimes blogs: Reading, Writing, Oracy.
https://clarefeeneyuk.com/
Loading...
None of my outgoing GCSE English class are taking an academic route post-16 but there was a poignant moment last week when a student realised, with sadness, they'd never ever 'do Eng Lit' again & talk about books in a classroom.
This shows the power of studying English Literature:)
While the DfE has done some good work developing CPD infrastructure around supporting teens with reading needs, I'd like to see it QA the costly, online, commercial reading platforms that are the new edufad in many sec schools.
The claims made abt improving reading are seductive but not robust.
Another incisive blog from @cmooreanderson.bsky.social arguing that
'Shared Principles and Emergent Resources' should underpin a department's approach to lesson prep & delivery, allowing teachers the freedom to be responsive to learning in the classroom.
Really useful publication for Teaching & Learning leaders on socially just oracy.
An interesting article for 2 reasons…
1. It does not mention fluency
2. It mentions everything we have been talking about to support comprehension, for years.
I hate decodables, so it’s great to hear that they are “ok for a short time”
But if you are a teacher, there isn’t really much to help
This…
It would be great to see some large scale studies evaluating these products. The studies conducted in the USA of additional reading schemes, showed no impact on outcomes in reading comprehension. 🙄
bsky.app/profile/clar...
A mixed picture here for A level English. English Language up about 4% to just under 13,000 (🥳), Lang Lit up about 50 entries (👍🏼) but English Lit down about 6% (😕).
Provisional entries for GCSE, AS and A level: summer 2026 exam series - GOV.UK share.google/eTtl8oWesOE2...
How does a student learn they have nothing to say?
By reading for achievement. By sitting still. By facing the front. By being assessed. By learning that the teacher already knows the answer. By being right in the way you were told to be right. By being wrong in ways that are marked.
How does a student get something to say?
By reading and playing and experimenting and talking and imagining and observing and questioning and listening. By being in the world. By feeling. By being wrong. By being right.
