Katie Finlayson
@learnwhatyoulive.bsky.social
Home educator, data nerd, home ed exams specialist, Chair of Governors and one time computer programmer. Expect eclectic thoughts.
Coming up the ramp at Euston I always flashback to being 15, travelling on my own down from Telford after my mum had flown back out to Tanzania, to meet the friend who had agreed - several weeks before - to put me up for the summer.
February 14, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Coming up the ramp at Euston I always flashback to being 15, travelling on my own down from Telford after my mum had flown back out to Tanzania, to meet the friend who had agreed - several weeks before - to put me up for the summer.
Really powerful interview.
"Epstein victims and Al-Fayed victims are watching what we do - they're not listening to what we say."
MP Natalie Fleet says it’s time to talk about the victims of sexual abuse with the same passion we’re talking about how bad the government is.
@lewisgoodall.com
MP Natalie Fleet says it’s time to talk about the victims of sexual abuse with the same passion we’re talking about how bad the government is.
@lewisgoodall.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Really powerful interview.
14-16 programs cover three routes - direct entry, school or LA placement, and students who are EHE and attend part-time. I looked into the EHE side here: open.substack.com/pub/learnwha...
February 14, 2026 at 12:22 PM
14-16 programs cover three routes - direct entry, school or LA placement, and students who are EHE and attend part-time. I looked into the EHE side here: open.substack.com/pub/learnwha...
Who’s coming to @researchedbrum.bsky.social on the 28th?
@bethgg.bsky.social @bennewmark.bsky.social @jonhutchinson.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social @oldmanteacher1.bsky.social ??
I’m feeling in need of some focus on actual learning…
@bethgg.bsky.social @bennewmark.bsky.social @jonhutchinson.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social @oldmanteacher1.bsky.social ??
I’m feeling in need of some focus on actual learning…
February 14, 2026 at 8:55 AM
Who’s coming to @researchedbrum.bsky.social on the 28th?
@bethgg.bsky.social @bennewmark.bsky.social @jonhutchinson.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social @oldmanteacher1.bsky.social ??
I’m feeling in need of some focus on actual learning…
@bethgg.bsky.social @bennewmark.bsky.social @jonhutchinson.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social @oldmanteacher1.bsky.social ??
I’m feeling in need of some focus on actual learning…
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
'Now is the time to step forward together and seize this moment to create one system with high ambition for all children'
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-if-we-say-send-reform-is-too-difficult/
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-if-we-say-send-reform-is-too-difficult/
We’ll fail a generation if we say SEND reform is too hard
The white paper represents a pivotal moment for policy and system leadership
schoolsweek.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 9:11 AM
'Now is the time to step forward together and seize this moment to create one system with high ambition for all children'
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-if-we-say-send-reform-is-too-difficult/
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/well-fail-a-generation-if-we-say-send-reform-is-too-difficult/
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
All secondaries will need inclusion bases under DfE 10-year estates plan.
Will those that don’t already have one be in a position to repurpose/add space?
Plan for primaries is less clear 🤷🏻♀️
Will those that don’t already have one be in a position to repurpose/add space?
Plan for primaries is less clear 🤷🏻♀️
DfE expects every secondary school to have an inclusion base
The government’s 10-year estates plan includes the goal for all secondaries to have dedicated spaces that bridge the gap between mainstream and specialist provision
www.tes.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:18 AM
All secondaries will need inclusion bases under DfE 10-year estates plan.
Will those that don’t already have one be in a position to repurpose/add space?
Plan for primaries is less clear 🤷🏻♀️
Will those that don’t already have one be in a position to repurpose/add space?
Plan for primaries is less clear 🤷🏻♀️
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
So grateful to people like Katie who have helped "Why Don't Things Fall Up?" become a go-to book for anyone, young or old, who needs an introduction to the key ideas of science. Science Week (6-15 March) is a great time to give it to someone you know who might benefit from reading it:
February 10, 2026 at 2:06 PM
So grateful to people like Katie who have helped "Why Don't Things Fall Up?" become a go-to book for anyone, young or old, who needs an introduction to the key ideas of science. Science Week (6-15 March) is a great time to give it to someone you know who might benefit from reading it:
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Calling all science followers and educators, #eduphysics #eduscience I am looking for book titles for a 11y old who is dead keen on science to read before she joins secondary school in September, thanks everyone, PS please share even if you are not sure yourselves
February 10, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Calling all science followers and educators, #eduphysics #eduscience I am looking for book titles for a 11y old who is dead keen on science to read before she joins secondary school in September, thanks everyone, PS please share even if you are not sure yourselves
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
This is clearly a post from within cognitivism.
But what do the EduCogSciers have to say about this? For me, it clearly draws a distinction between knowledge and understanding. Something that many EduCogSciers have denied (knowledge = understanding).
#EduSky
But what do the EduCogSciers have to say about this? For me, it clearly draws a distinction between knowledge and understanding. Something that many EduCogSciers have denied (knowledge = understanding).
#EduSky
On the difference between learning that scales and learning that doesn't, and what a concept from computer science can teach us about where educational technology succeeds and where it reliably fails. carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-embarr...
Mastered But Not Understood: Why Learning Doesn’t Scale the Way We Think It Does
On the "embarrassingly parallel problem" and what it reveals about the limits of learning technology.
carlhendrick.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:38 AM
This is clearly a post from within cognitivism.
But what do the EduCogSciers have to say about this? For me, it clearly draws a distinction between knowledge and understanding. Something that many EduCogSciers have denied (knowledge = understanding).
#EduSky
But what do the EduCogSciers have to say about this? For me, it clearly draws a distinction between knowledge and understanding. Something that many EduCogSciers have denied (knowledge = understanding).
#EduSky
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Somewhere along the line **someone** has to do the uncomfortable work of understanding what the hell is going on with the code and project (and keeping that understanding current in the face of ongoing changes to the project)
Vibe coding is trading that understanding for short-term gains
Vibe coding is trading that understanding for short-term gains
February 7, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Somewhere along the line **someone** has to do the uncomfortable work of understanding what the hell is going on with the code and project (and keeping that understanding current in the face of ongoing changes to the project)
Vibe coding is trading that understanding for short-term gains
Vibe coding is trading that understanding for short-term gains
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Three years ago we made an early News Agents on the student loan scandal and the sky high marginal tax rates it creates. Three years on, govts since have made it all worse still. We’ve made a special follow up, centred on our listeners own experiences.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
How the government became a student loan shark
Podcast Episode · The News Agents · 06/02/2026 · 50m
podcasts.apple.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Three years ago we made an early News Agents on the student loan scandal and the sky high marginal tax rates it creates. Three years on, govts since have made it all worse still. We’ve made a special follow up, centred on our listeners own experiences.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
In case you've not read it yet 'Disabled people's lived experience of education in the UK' is not going to surprise anyone with direct knowledge but it's still is tough to process. And those less familiar with disability should prioritise reading and acting on this report www.gov.uk/government/p...
Disabled people's lived experience of education in the UK
A qualitative evidence review that explores evidence on disabled people’s lived experiences of education.
www.gov.uk
February 7, 2026 at 10:53 AM
In case you've not read it yet 'Disabled people's lived experience of education in the UK' is not going to surprise anyone with direct knowledge but it's still is tough to process. And those less familiar with disability should prioritise reading and acting on this report www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Goodness, how we tried to make the system work for years before leaving it.The idea that anyone from the state has any right to lecture us when we've experienced service failure after service failure...
We will not find a raft of hidden children. A few perfectly content previously unknown families, sure. But the majority of currently home educating families deregistered from school after years of fighting for support and we know perfectly well who they are and why they chose that.
February 7, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Goodness, how we tried to make the system work for years before leaving it.The idea that anyone from the state has any right to lecture us when we've experienced service failure after service failure...
I’m reminded of this piece from a year ago. No wonder I’m tired. learnwhatyoulive.substack.com/p/who-are-th...
Can we please just remember that at the other end of this are thousands of families who are trying to do right by their children?
Can we please just remember that at the other end of this are thousands of families who are trying to do right by their children?
Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
February 7, 2026 at 10:31 AM
I’m reminded of this piece from a year ago. No wonder I’m tired. learnwhatyoulive.substack.com/p/who-are-th...
Can we please just remember that at the other end of this are thousands of families who are trying to do right by their children?
Can we please just remember that at the other end of this are thousands of families who are trying to do right by their children?
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
I am passionate about state schooling. But that is not the only way children can get a good education- and for many families, it currently isn't a viable way.
I have witnessed home education at close hand and, honestly, it can be better than anything that schools currently offer.
I have witnessed home education at close hand and, honestly, it can be better than anything that schools currently offer.
And yes, schools can be centres of belonging and integration and ways to bring disparate communities together. They can also be places where children feel scared and shamed for standing out, or where they are radicalised. The picture is not as smooth as all that.
February 7, 2026 at 9:49 AM
I am passionate about state schooling. But that is not the only way children can get a good education- and for many families, it currently isn't a viable way.
I have witnessed home education at close hand and, honestly, it can be better than anything that schools currently offer.
I have witnessed home education at close hand and, honestly, it can be better than anything that schools currently offer.
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Katie is spot on as usual.
The PM missing an opportunity to provide support for home education communities.
Frustrating.
The PM missing an opportunity to provide support for home education communities.
Frustrating.
Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
February 7, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Katie is spot on as usual.
The PM missing an opportunity to provide support for home education communities.
Frustrating.
The PM missing an opportunity to provide support for home education communities.
Frustrating.
Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
February 7, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Now I appreciate he's on the ropes, but Starmer seems to have been letting his dog-whistle speechwriter out again in Hastings.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
I'm not *keen* on the implication that wanting to spend more time with your family = terrorism but, possibly more painful, he's misrepresenting the legislative changes.
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
And of course we ALL need to play. All the time. Because that's what it is to be, I was going to say human, but certainly mammillan.
February 7, 2026 at 7:57 AM
And of course we ALL need to play. All the time. Because that's what it is to be, I was going to say human, but certainly mammillan.
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Speaking to a Head last week, near 25% of the incoming cohort has EHCPs. Not just SEND - that list is bigger still - but EHCP. Either this system is broke, or there has been such a huge rise in special needs and disabilities that there needs to be a full national enquiry
February 5, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Speaking to a Head last week, near 25% of the incoming cohort has EHCPs. Not just SEND - that list is bigger still - but EHCP. Either this system is broke, or there has been such a huge rise in special needs and disabilities that there needs to be a full national enquiry
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
If you were looking for an exposition of what British values *could* be you could do a lot worse than Ian McKellen wielding Shakespeare like a rapier.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
If you were looking for an exposition of what British values *could* be you could do a lot worse than Ian McKellen wielding Shakespeare like a rapier.
Having the “examiners don’t care about the answer to the question, they are just trying to get you to demonstrate a particular form of skill or knowledge” conversation with youngest child. He’s going to need some time to come to terms with this.
February 5, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Having the “examiners don’t care about the answer to the question, they are just trying to get you to demonstrate a particular form of skill or knowledge” conversation with youngest child. He’s going to need some time to come to terms with this.
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Additional problem: MPs’ casework is almost entirely caused by state capacity failure elsewhere. It shouldn’t be part of their job – that should be fixing those systems. But because the systems do fail, people need their MP as caseworker, and so expect it. Bad cycle!
February 5, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Additional problem: MPs’ casework is almost entirely caused by state capacity failure elsewhere. It shouldn’t be part of their job – that should be fixing those systems. But because the systems do fail, people need their MP as caseworker, and so expect it. Bad cycle!
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Right, I have done another blog. This one gives advice on how to ensure whole school Inclusion. I am sure there is lots missing, but if you follow this you won't be far off. In my opinion, obviously...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/s...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/s...
Strategic Inclusion
My previous blog talked about how we can make our teaching more inclusive. I had lots of responses to this, and one of the key themes of the responses was people discussing things that get in the w…
philsalisbury.wordpress.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Right, I have done another blog. This one gives advice on how to ensure whole school Inclusion. I am sure there is lots missing, but if you follow this you won't be far off. In my opinion, obviously...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/s...
philsalisbury.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/s...
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
What a wonderful facility: Four years of growth in Derwen College’s Nurture Provision - Natspec - natspec.org.uk/well-get-ther...
We’ll get there: four years of growth in Derwen College’s Nurture Provision - Natspec
Championing students with PMLD to thrive.
natspec.org.uk
February 4, 2026 at 9:53 AM
What a wonderful facility: Four years of growth in Derwen College’s Nurture Provision - Natspec - natspec.org.uk/well-get-ther...
Reposted by Katie Finlayson
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...