Four years ago, as lockdown lifted a little, I ate fish and chips and drank beer on my car's bonnet at the ⁦Compasses Inn⁩ in the Wiltshire sun. It was one of the strangest, but most wonderful, meals I've had.

Once again, My Martin Amis is a must-listen, with Will Lloyd talking about The Second Plane. After every episode I'm forced to go back to re-read the texts discussed.

Great to welcome ⁦Tomiwa Owolade⁩ to ⁦LEH School⁩ to talk about his book This is Not America. Hugely stimulating, and nuanced, presentation on race in the UK today.

I wonder what Joe Corrigan would have thought of Edison celebrating with a large glass of red wine. #mancity

Teachers to get free speech protection from blasphemy claims

thetimes.co.uk/article/469006…

⁦Helen Lewis⁩ brilliant on the passive aggressive misuse of power caught off camera in Clarkson's Farm.

UK private schools entering ‘watershed moment’ after fees rise 8% via ⁦Nicola Woolcock⁩ in ⁦The Times and The Sunday Times⁩

thetimes.co.uk/article/e53865…

From ⁦The Times and The Sunday Times⁩ today:

David James Schools Week Sam Strickland Bloomsbury Education A fully deserved review David! An absorbing and far reaching book that also happens to be a great read too.

This is a must-by book for school leaders, by Alex Crossman and London Gifted & Talented: steeped in experience and filled with insights.

Great to see this initiative getting some wider attention, via The Times and The Sunday Times via Nicola Woolcock with expert insight from Carl Hendrick who we're working with on this: thetimes.co.uk/article/parent…

This is excellent analysis by Ian Leslie , but it's worth subscribing to his Substack for the links 'below the fold' as well.

Labour’s VAT plans blamed for fall in private school entries via ⁦Nicola Woolcock⁩ with views by ⁦Tim Leunig⁩
thetimes.co.uk/article/03862d…

Universities to reveal actual A-level entry requirements for first time by ⁦Nicola Woolcock⁩

thetimes.co.uk/article/9c68a9…

#InsideNo9 was a bit of a mashup of An Inspector Calls, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and 12 Angry Man. And v good too.

Having a Disney + subscription is basically a Beatles tax #letitbe

For The Guardian teaching children to have 'ambitious vocabulary and punctuation' is incompatible with enjoying reading, when of course the opposite is true.

This article by David James is the best thing I’ve read about Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Anxious Generation’ - Possibly a wake up call - possibly not. It's not only about what we do in schools but also how we work with parents. thecritic.co.uk/why-tech-execs…

Congratulations to all those that have shortlisted for Tes Schools Awards It as a privilege to a judge again this year, and the selection process seems to get harder every time. Looking forward to an evening where teachers can celebrate the amazing work they do.

My review of Jonathan Haidt's important new book, The Anxious Generation.