Carla Da Silva 📚
@silvamay82.bsky.social
Co-head of English.
State Secondary School.
Short, stubborn, loves cheese 🧀 and books 📚 and theatre 🎭.
All views are my own.
State Secondary School.
Short, stubborn, loves cheese 🧀 and books 📚 and theatre 🎭.
All views are my own.
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
⌛ Delayed indicative funding allocations for schools will be published 'shortly', the education secretary has said, partly blaming June's spending review for the hold-up
Delayed school funding allocations to be published 'shortly'
DfE partly blames spending review for delay to NFF guidance and allocations, normally released in July
schoolsweek.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 4:17 PM
⌛ Delayed indicative funding allocations for schools will be published 'shortly', the education secretary has said, partly blaming June's spending review for the hold-up
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Just taking a moment to read and reflect on the CAR.
There are many general statements that are welcome such as the recognition that sequences of learning differ between subjects, the nat curriculum is a tool, teachers are the curriculum makers etc.
A few thoughts on the English/literacy bits.
There are many general statements that are welcome such as the recognition that sequences of learning differ between subjects, the nat curriculum is a tool, teachers are the curriculum makers etc.
A few thoughts on the English/literacy bits.
November 8, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Just taking a moment to read and reflect on the CAR.
There are many general statements that are welcome such as the recognition that sequences of learning differ between subjects, the nat curriculum is a tool, teachers are the curriculum makers etc.
A few thoughts on the English/literacy bits.
There are many general statements that are welcome such as the recognition that sequences of learning differ between subjects, the nat curriculum is a tool, teachers are the curriculum makers etc.
A few thoughts on the English/literacy bits.
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
New 'stepping stone' resit qualifications, V-levels, a 16 to 19 funding review and an education 'auto-enrolment' from school will all be introduced under the government’s skills white paper. Here's everything school leaders need to know...
Skills white paper: everything school leaders need to know
The government’s post-16 strategy has finally been unveiled
schoolsweek.co.uk
October 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
New 'stepping stone' resit qualifications, V-levels, a 16 to 19 funding review and an education 'auto-enrolment' from school will all be introduced under the government’s skills white paper. Here's everything school leaders need to know...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
‘If students grow up in systems where integrity is negotiable, they won’t just lose faith in schools’: one former international teacher highlights the risk of the slow erosion of integrity in schools
How schools risk losing integrity, one decision at a time
Schools often talk a good talk about values, ethos and identity - but if these sentiments are not matched by action, teachers and students soon see through it, says this former international school…
www.tes.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
‘If students grow up in systems where integrity is negotiable, they won’t just lose faith in schools’: one former international teacher highlights the risk of the slow erosion of integrity in schools
Again, iGCSEs - which aren't available to those in state schools - gain a possible advantage. While I don't disagree with open book (learning quotations is a waste of learning time), this just widens the gap and creates further inequality in an already unfair system.
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Cambridge to make all IGCSE English literature exams open book
Students already had the possibility of consulting drama texts in the exam but, in future, all Cambridge IGCSE literature in English papers will be open book, including prose
www.tes.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Again, iGCSEs - which aren't available to those in state schools - gain a possible advantage. While I don't disagree with open book (learning quotations is a waste of learning time), this just widens the gap and creates further inequality in an already unfair system.
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
To boost learning & reduce workload...
Agree the toolkit:
↓
Agree the toolkit:
↓
September 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
To boost learning & reduce workload...
Agree the toolkit:
↓
Agree the toolkit:
↓
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
All set for tomorrow!
September 28, 2025 at 6:28 PM
All set for tomorrow!
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Olo edu people. Does anyone have a writing mat for creative writing and analytical writing they could kindly share with me so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel. Happy to share resources back. @englishassociation.bsky.social @literacyengine.bsky.social
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
September 14, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Olo edu people. Does anyone have a writing mat for creative writing and analytical writing they could kindly share with me so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel. Happy to share resources back. @englishassociation.bsky.social @literacyengine.bsky.social
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
Teachers: here's your Sunday night checklist:
✅️ lanyard
✅️ keys
✅️ alarm
✅️ passwords
✅️ lanyard
✅️ keys
✅️ alarm
✅️ passwords
August 31, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Teachers: here's your Sunday night checklist:
✅️ lanyard
✅️ keys
✅️ alarm
✅️ passwords
✅️ lanyard
✅️ keys
✅️ alarm
✅️ passwords
Yep
On reflection, I think a decade ago we had the privilege of deeply worrying about education policy because other areas weren’t so problematic. Now, the overbearing issues are economic and social, and not really within the sector’s control.
August 29, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Yep
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Exclusive: The names, addresses, phone, national insurance and passport numbers of school staff members may have been 'compromised' in a cyber attack on the IT provider of a firm that maintains background check records for schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/school-staff...
schoolsweek.co.uk/school-staff...
School staff data potentially 'compromised' in cyber attack
Data breach reported by IT firm Intradev may have affected data held by School Central Record
schoolsweek.co.uk
August 28, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Exclusive: The names, addresses, phone, national insurance and passport numbers of school staff members may have been 'compromised' in a cyber attack on the IT provider of a firm that maintains background check records for schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/school-staff...
schoolsweek.co.uk/school-staff...
Important enough for a 17-page report. But not important enough to count as part of their grade on their understanding and use of language.
A 17 page report on speaking and listening. @AQA Finally seems that there is sea change about speaking and listening.
August 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Important enough for a 17-page report. But not important enough to count as part of their grade on their understanding and use of language.
Absolutely
I know I say this every year, but with results day on the horizon, please remember that for some kids grade 1-3 is a huge achievement. It represents years of hard work and determination. It’s not a fail. It is a GCSE qualification that they can and should be celebrated for.
August 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Absolutely
Food for thought
1/ Michael Gove reshaped English education more than any minister since 1944. His reforms continue to structure the present despite many changes of Government. A thread.
August 21, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Food for thought
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
📈 How did your subject perform in this year’s GCSEs? @jasminenorden.bsky.social and @cerysturner.bsky.social dig into today’s results data… #GCSEResultsDay2025
How did each GCSE subject perform in 2025?
While maths and English saw a small drop in those achieving a grade 4, many other subjects had slightly better results than last year
www.tes.com
August 21, 2025 at 12:17 PM
📈 How did your subject perform in this year’s GCSEs? @jasminenorden.bsky.social and @cerysturner.bsky.social dig into today’s results data… #GCSEResultsDay2025
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Ofqual declines to say how many papers were affected or provide more details about a major cyberattack that took place earlier this year, affecting GCSE exam papers from two major exam boards
GCSE exams hit by February cyberattack
Exam papers from two boards were affected, but Ofqual says students can have ‘full confidence’ in their results this year
www.tes.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Ofqual declines to say how many papers were affected or provide more details about a major cyberattack that took place earlier this year, affecting GCSE exam papers from two major exam boards
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Year 7 KS3 recommended reading list of books for school pupils aged 11-12 including books by Malorie Blackman, Louis Sachar and Elizabeth Laird #YAlit #ukedchat schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...
Year 7 recommended reading list for children aged 11-12
Books for Year 7 - our reading recommendations including easy reads and challenging titles for pupils in secondary school KS3 aged 11-12.
schoolreadinglist.co.uk
August 18, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Year 7 KS3 recommended reading list of books for school pupils aged 11-12 including books by Malorie Blackman, Louis Sachar and Elizabeth Laird #YAlit #ukedchat schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Great graphic novels for 12-16s including stories by Tony Medina, Terri Libenson, Raina Telgemeier & Rob Williams. #kitlit #YA #YAlit #ukedchat #RfP schoolreadinglist.co.uk/secondary-ks...
Graphic novels for young adults aged 12-16 in KS3 & KS4
Graphic novels for teens and young adults to appeal to reluctant and able readers including stories by Tony Medina and Meg-John Barker.
schoolreadinglist.co.uk
August 17, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
A good news story!
'Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading.'
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
'Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading.'
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading
Bookshop chain says people are keen to escape their screens and says rise in sales is partly down to BookTok
www.theguardian.com
August 17, 2025 at 9:43 AM
A good news story!
'Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading.'
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
'Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading.'
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Now that teacher pay rise costs are confirmed, school leaders can finally get to work finalising their budgets. But just how tough is that task this year? 🤔
7% of leaders told us it’s impossible to balance the budget, and another 43% said it’s harder than last year.
7% of leaders told us it’s impossible to balance the budget, and another 43% said it’s harder than last year.
August 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Now that teacher pay rise costs are confirmed, school leaders can finally get to work finalising their budgets. But just how tough is that task this year? 🤔
7% of leaders told us it’s impossible to balance the budget, and another 43% said it’s harder than last year.
7% of leaders told us it’s impossible to balance the budget, and another 43% said it’s harder than last year.
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Exclusive: Exam entry fees will rise at a greater rate than school funding again next year, with England’s largest exam board putting up the price of some language GCSEs by over 8 per cent
schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-over...
schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-over...
Schools 'over a barrel' as exam fees rise again
Cost of exams will again rise at a greater rate than school funding, with some going up by over 8%
schoolsweek.co.uk
July 29, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Exclusive: Exam entry fees will rise at a greater rate than school funding again next year, with England’s largest exam board putting up the price of some language GCSEs by over 8 per cent
schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-over...
schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-over...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
A recent national survey by Pearson gathered insights from over 800 secondary English teachers.
Is GCSE English still fit for purpose?
From Pearson’s #LetsTalkEnglish campaign.
[Link] bit.ly/3GAKAAy
Is GCSE English still fit for purpose?
From Pearson’s #LetsTalkEnglish campaign.
[Link] bit.ly/3GAKAAy
July 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A recent national survey by Pearson gathered insights from over 800 secondary English teachers.
Is GCSE English still fit for purpose?
From Pearson’s #LetsTalkEnglish campaign.
[Link] bit.ly/3GAKAAy
Is GCSE English still fit for purpose?
From Pearson’s #LetsTalkEnglish campaign.
[Link] bit.ly/3GAKAAy
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Wrote something earlier this year on Musk (and other techbros) inability to understand sci-fi.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
July 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Wrote something earlier this year on Musk (and other techbros) inability to understand sci-fi.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Reposted by Carla Da Silva 📚
Homoioteleuton, anyone?
My colleague who is marking GCSE English scripts reports that she is having to look up the meaning of quite a few obscure terms. It seems there's still a tendency to teach unnecessary terminology to students.
My colleague who is marking GCSE English scripts reports that she is having to look up the meaning of quite a few obscure terms. It seems there's still a tendency to teach unnecessary terminology to students.
July 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Homoioteleuton, anyone?
My colleague who is marking GCSE English scripts reports that she is having to look up the meaning of quite a few obscure terms. It seems there's still a tendency to teach unnecessary terminology to students.
My colleague who is marking GCSE English scripts reports that she is having to look up the meaning of quite a few obscure terms. It seems there's still a tendency to teach unnecessary terminology to students.