Gemma H
LightNews LightNews
banner
gemmamh.bsky.social
Gemma H
@gemmamh.bsky.social
1.3K followers 860 following 370 posts
Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral) / History teacher / Mum / Likes being outside
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
gemmamh.bsky.social
Gemma H @gemmamh.bsky.social · Jan 2
2025 Book thread

1. Loved this! Funny throughout but with a powerful message about authenticity and colourism. Would recommend
Book cover of Yinka, Where is your husband? Turquoise background with a Black girl in a pink top sitting inside a diamond ring
gemmamh.bsky.social
Delivered a webinar this evening for
@histassoc.bsky.social - Supporting the whole pupil: building confidence and inclusion in GCSE history.

Always a pleasure and a privilege working with the HA
Open laptop showing slide with title and open padlock. A school library is in the background
November 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Highly recommend Bolton museum for anyone in the North West - some brilliant local history and Egyptology space. Fab for children and families too
Three banners showing: Egyptology, Art and Local History A photo of back of head of young boy looking in to an Egyptology gallery with mummy and wooden floor
October 30, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Gemma H
htenuk.bsky.social
Great to see Historic Royal Palaces wanting to celebrate the amazing #historyteacher s we have in UK.

Get nominating!

#TeacherEducation #HistoryEducation #History #UKTeaching #UKEd
lucyworsley.bsky.social Lucy Worsley @lucyworsley.bsky.social · 29d
Do you know a great history teacher?
Nominate them now for a new history teaching award! Maybe I'll see them at the Tower of London next year!
Nominate someone here: bit.ly/42yhGZP
#historyteachingawards
October 21, 2025 at 8:36 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
A great resource from Kyniska Advocacy - may be of use to any coach, #PEteacher or #safeguarding leads
Image shows supportive language to empower athletes to speak up eg Instead of “why didn’t you say something sooner” say: “thank you for trusting me with this. I believe you”.
September 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Still going on my Duolingo French streak… trying to learn something for me and my wellbeing this year

Have followed @msquinnhistory.bsky.social and @tpattison.bsky.social - which other #historyteachers are out there?
Orange image with owl showing 14 day Duolingo streak
September 14, 2025 at 7:38 AM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Can anyone make use of a ticket to the Black Curriculum conference TOMORROW? We have a spare one due to unwell colleague

#EduSky #AntiRacism
September 12, 2025 at 6:28 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Fun volunteering at Junior Parkrun this morning!

#parkrun #loveparkrun
The image shows the back of a small boy in a illuminous yellow Parkrun volunteer jacket, navy blue sun hat and blue tambourine. surrounded by grass, a path and bushes in background. A little blue sky is visible on top right corner
August 31, 2025 at 9:41 AM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Fab to see a Museum on Wheels from The Wilson museum (Cheltenham) in my local library today.

Getting hands on history can inspire curiosity - it certainly did for my son who had lots of questions!

#historyteacher #EduSky

Blog link below 👇
August 26, 2025 at 5:36 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Getting those holiday jobs done before the start of term..

#giveblood
An image of my arm with needle in giving blood, a wooden community centre floor and open doors showing picnic benches beyond and the “save lives give blood” logo and #24
August 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Super proud of my son getting his Half Marathon wristband at Junior Parkrun this morning 😍

#Parkrun #loveParkrun
August 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Gemma H
scalzi.com
This is a remarkable document for a mainstream media outlet to publish.

(gift link)

wapo.st/3IRLZn6
60,000 Gazans have been killed. 18,500 were children. These are their names.
Palestinian children have been killed at a rate of more than one per hour since the war began.
wapo.st
July 30, 2025 at 12:41 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Super proud of a student from my school for writing this blog for @histassoc.bsky.social - onebighistorydepartment.com/2025/07/28/g...

#historyteacher #SEND #edusky #OBHD
GCSEs, Neurodiversity and what exam boards can do to help
Written by Fergus, a Year 11 student from a grammar school in Gloucestershire The symptoms started immediately. I felt sick; alarm bells bonged in my head. I also experienced what can only be descr…
onebighistorydepartment.com
July 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Did a little local litter picking with my son this afternoon. A great free and impactful activity for families

My son loves it 😊

🚮♻️🌎
Photo showing my sons feet and a litter picker with him placing a plastic bottle in a carrier bag my left hand is holding
July 27, 2025 at 3:57 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
An excellent blog for DEI leads in schools - www.diverseeducators.co.uk/what-ive-lea...

#DiverseEd #diversity #inclusion #EduSky
What I’ve Learned About DEI and Education Since Founding Inclusion Labs | Diverse Educators
Inclusion is never about just schools. It’s always been about society.
www.diverseeducators.co.uk
July 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Strong start to this book - evocative language and fascinating to me as a History teacher and veteran

#historyteacher #amreading #booksky
Book cover of The Offing by Benjamin Myers showing a coastal village Text from page 7 of The Offing: It was kept alive in their eyes or hung heavy about their shoulders like a blood-soaked cloak. It blossomed too in their hearts, a black flower that had taken root there, never to be eradicated. The seeds were too toxic, too deeply sown, for the memories to be anything but perennially poisonous. Wars continue long after the fighting has stopped, and the world felt then as if it were full of holes. It appeared to me scarred and shattered, a place made senseless by those in positions of power. Everything was fragments, everything burnt. I was neither old enough to have made myself a hero nor young enough to have escaped the newsreel images or the long dark shadows that the returning soldiers dragged behind them like empty coffins. For no one ever really wins a war: some just lose a little less than others. I was a child when it began and a young man when it ended and in the wake of this conflict visible loss was everywhere, hanging like a great heavy cloud over the island, and no amount of red, white and blue bunting or medals pinned to the sobbing chests of its survivors could change that. The history books should not entirely be believed: Allied victory did not taste sweet and the winters that followed would be as frosted and unforgiving as any. Because although the elements care little for the madness of men, even the white virginal snow would now appear impure to those who had seen the first footage of barbed wire and body pits.
July 15, 2025 at 6:40 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Delighted to deliver hundreds of books to the Children’s Book Project today after a hugely successful book donation drive at school! The picture shows less than a quarter of the books we donated altogether 📚

A great charity and super easy to organise a collection - childrensbookproject.co.uk
Image shows my hand holding a couple of books over a trolley full of books and a Children’s Book Project sign in the background
July 9, 2025 at 6:28 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
This could be really useful for A Level History coursework

#historyteacher
ihr.bsky.social Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Jun 26
We’ve launched a new collection of openly accessible videos, Interviews with Historians, in which prominent 20th century historians reflect on their lives and professional practices. Access the collection here:
www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...
June 28, 2025 at 6:35 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Thank you to Liam from @nacoauk.bsky.social who came to deliver some training to our Pastoral team after school today. Really insightful and practical advice

#safeguarding #EduSky
Nacoa UK (@nacoauk.bsky.social)
National charity helping everyone affected by a parent's drinking. A movement for change 💙
nacoauk.bsky.social
June 19, 2025 at 5:51 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Finally got round to reading Teaching History 198 from March. This piece by Ben Arscott on enquiry questions is great, especially after hearing from
Michael Riley @histassoc.bsky.social Conference earlier this month

#historyteacher #edusky
Image shows a jungle (left) and maze (right) with text explaining why a maze is preferable to a jungle for pupils navigating an enquiry question in history lessons.
May 30, 2025 at 12:30 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Super grateful to @samcrome.bsky.social for so freely staring his work - used some of his Research Ed slides to deliver Aspiring Middle Leaders CPD last week. Also shared the first slide with SLT today as we discussed leadership styles and values

Thank you Sam!
Slides from Sam Crome’s Research Ed presentation about the Power of Teams
May 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Michael Rosen poem: I lay in bed hardly able to breathe but there were people to sedate me, pump air into me calm me down when I thrashed around hold my hand and reassure me play me songs my family sent in turn me over to help my lungs shave me, wash me, feed me check my medication perform the tracheostomy people on this 'island of strangers' from China, Jamaica, Brazil, Ireland India, USA, Nigeria and Greece. I sat on the edge of my bed and four people came with a frame and supported me or took me to a gym where they taught me how to walk between parallel bars or kick a balloon sat me in a wheel chair taught me how to use the exercise bike how to walk with a stick how to walk without a stick people on this 'island of strangers' from China, Jamaica, Brazil, Ireland India, USA, Nigeria and Greece. If ever you're in need as I was may you have an island of strangers Like I had
May 14, 2025 at 7:52 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Still feeling positive & inspired after histassoc.bsky.social conference yesterday. Thank you HA team!

On my run this morning I passed through Cheltenham Racecourse and Michael Riley’s closing lecture really resonated - about how sense of identity and connection to nature is so important

#HAConf25
May 11, 2025 at 2:17 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Well this was excellent! Love the idea that “unsettling many unsettled facts” is the job of the historian.

What a great start to #HAConf25
May 10, 2025 at 9:19 AM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Great to be involved in a fantastic webinar with Sally and Lucy from The Milestone School for @histassoc.bsky.social Making History Accessible series today

Some really inspiring teaching and learning happening in this special school. Hope the attendees found it useful!

#historyteacher #SEND
Image from PowerPoint showing makaton for history, soldier, kings and queen Images from a PowerPoint showing students doing outdoor learning in a special school with cards showing different kinds of homes, and looking at similarity and difference in art work building house Slides from PowerPoint showing some student work on why Mary Seacole was significant, and Christine Counsell’s 5Rs of historical significance
April 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
gemmamh.bsky.social
Useful blog here from
Susi at @norfolkrs.bsky.social -

Lots for leaders to think about in terms of accessibility, privilege, recruitment and retention

www.diverseeducators.co.uk/diversity-eq...
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Leadership: Shaping the Future of the Teaching Workforce | Diverse Educators
Without deliberate attention and change, we risk perpetuating a cycle where leadership remains uniform.
www.diverseeducators.co.uk
April 24, 2025 at 9:16 AM