Tom Rank
@tomrank.bsky.social
Reflections on literature, education - and other ramblings. Was @literaryconnect in the other place 😀
http://www.literaryconnections.co.uk/
http://www.literaryconnections.co.uk/
Reposted by Tom Rank
A reminder to everybody: European exporters (or Chinese ones) have never paid the Trump tariffs. Tariffs are paid by the importer. The importers are now likely to ask for refunds.
February 20, 2026 at 4:20 PM
A reminder to everybody: European exporters (or Chinese ones) have never paid the Trump tariffs. Tariffs are paid by the importer. The importers are now likely to ask for refunds.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Note that Finland has produced terrific musicians because music education is part of the curriculum and free. A high percentage of Finns sing or play an instrument. Finland, a country with fewer than 6 million citizens, has three world;class orchestras & a ridiculous number of wonderful conductors.
NBC ran a piece where Mary Carrillo went to Norway to find out why they're so good at the Winter Olympics and i was yelling BECAUSE IT'S COLD THERE
then she went to a little tiny ski jump for kids and was like "it's free, equipment is provided, & they don't emphasize results"
and i was like.
oh!
then she went to a little tiny ski jump for kids and was like "it's free, equipment is provided, & they don't emphasize results"
and i was like.
oh!
February 20, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Note that Finland has produced terrific musicians because music education is part of the curriculum and free. A high percentage of Finns sing or play an instrument. Finland, a country with fewer than 6 million citizens, has three world;class orchestras & a ridiculous number of wonderful conductors.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Finished reading this yesterday. What a wonderful, moving, tender collection of poems by @lukewrightpoet.bsky.social . The poems don't skirt around difficulty, suffering or self-doubt but end up being hugely life-affirming.
Read halfway last night - so, so good - and then decided to stop, pause and give myself time to absorb what I'd read, before picking it up again. A very powerful & moving collection for adults but it also needs to go into every school library and classroom.
So excited! This just arrived in the post - an unexpected gift from my friend Rhiannon who happens to be Luke Wright’s editor. Can’t wait to dive in. Thank you Rhiannon & @lukewrightpoet.bsky.social
February 20, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Finished reading this yesterday. What a wonderful, moving, tender collection of poems by @lukewrightpoet.bsky.social . The poems don't skirt around difficulty, suffering or self-doubt but end up being hugely life-affirming.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Noticeboard outside our local hardware store this morning.
February 20, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Noticeboard outside our local hardware store this morning.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Titania: this is my friend's little boy, I can't give him up! #MoonMad #SlowShakespeare
www.english.cam.ac.uk/research/slo...
A beautiful C19 Dream @the-rsc.bsky.social 1981, dir. Ron Daniels des. Maria Björnson: Juliet Stevenson as a dark fairytale Titania, Mike Gwilym as Oberon.
www.english.cam.ac.uk/research/slo...
A beautiful C19 Dream @the-rsc.bsky.social 1981, dir. Ron Daniels des. Maria Björnson: Juliet Stevenson as a dark fairytale Titania, Mike Gwilym as Oberon.
February 20, 2026 at 11:32 AM
Titania: this is my friend's little boy, I can't give him up! #MoonMad #SlowShakespeare
www.english.cam.ac.uk/research/slo...
A beautiful C19 Dream @the-rsc.bsky.social 1981, dir. Ron Daniels des. Maria Björnson: Juliet Stevenson as a dark fairytale Titania, Mike Gwilym as Oberon.
www.english.cam.ac.uk/research/slo...
A beautiful C19 Dream @the-rsc.bsky.social 1981, dir. Ron Daniels des. Maria Björnson: Juliet Stevenson as a dark fairytale Titania, Mike Gwilym as Oberon.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Column: why the government should rethink its major settlement reforms, which if rushed through, would harm integration and undermine progress on child poverty, gender equality + workplace protections against exploitation.
(Even the politics doesn't work either)
www.easterneye.biz/keir-starmer...
(Even the politics doesn't work either)
www.easterneye.biz/keir-starmer...
Moving the goalposts on ‘earned settlement’ is a risky gamble for this government
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was granted a new lease of political life last week. His cabinet rallied round to reject Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s call to ditch their leader. Nobody knows i...
www.easterneye.biz
February 17, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Column: why the government should rethink its major settlement reforms, which if rushed through, would harm integration and undermine progress on child poverty, gender equality + workplace protections against exploitation.
(Even the politics doesn't work either)
www.easterneye.biz/keir-starmer...
(Even the politics doesn't work either)
www.easterneye.biz/keir-starmer...
Reposted by Tom Rank
A bland villanelle is called a vanillanelle
February 20, 2026 at 9:07 AM
A bland villanelle is called a vanillanelle
Reposted by Tom Rank
Give me your arm, old toad;
Help me down Cemetery Road.
Larkin, 'Toads Revisited'
Help me down Cemetery Road.
Larkin, 'Toads Revisited'
February 20, 2026 at 6:48 AM
Give me your arm, old toad;
Help me down Cemetery Road.
Larkin, 'Toads Revisited'
Help me down Cemetery Road.
Larkin, 'Toads Revisited'
Reposted by Tom Rank
NEW POST on teaching #writing and on planning for a 'dynamic' #writing_sequence. For #primary teachers (and secondary #English teachers too) reviewing how they teach writing, this graphic may (or may not!) be helpful.
jamesdurran.blog/2026/02/18/t...
jamesdurran.blog/2026/02/18/t...
The dynamic ‘writing sequence’
The publication of the DFE’s new Writing Framework has prompted many primary schools to review their practice – whether that means making some deep changes, or just making tweaks. In response to th…
jamesdurran.blog
February 19, 2026 at 9:13 AM
NEW POST on teaching #writing and on planning for a 'dynamic' #writing_sequence. For #primary teachers (and secondary #English teachers too) reviewing how they teach writing, this graphic may (or may not!) be helpful.
jamesdurran.blog/2026/02/18/t...
jamesdurran.blog/2026/02/18/t...
Reposted by Tom Rank
I’ve been in two minds about giving up Hemingway wordplay for ages but now I’m utterly resolved.
It’s a farewell to qualms.
It’s a farewell to qualms.
February 20, 2026 at 7:34 AM
I’ve been in two minds about giving up Hemingway wordplay for ages but now I’m utterly resolved.
It’s a farewell to qualms.
It’s a farewell to qualms.
Reposted by Tom Rank
One of the most tiresome tropes the Brexiters used to trot out was about "graduate unemployment in Greece and Italy" and that being a reason we needed to leave.
As with so much else they've shut up entirely about that one.
As with so much else they've shut up entirely about that one.
Spoiling a lot of takes but begging a large number of other questions... "Worsening graduate fortunes, it turns out, are a particularly British problem"
www.ft.com/content/649d...
www.ft.com/content/649d...
February 20, 2026 at 8:53 AM
One of the most tiresome tropes the Brexiters used to trot out was about "graduate unemployment in Greece and Italy" and that being a reason we needed to leave.
As with so much else they've shut up entirely about that one.
As with so much else they've shut up entirely about that one.
Reposted by Tom Rank
that we, surely trusting in thy defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries;
February 19, 2026 at 9:45 PM
that we, surely trusting in thy defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries;
Reposted by Tom Rank
If a teacher (or a department, or a MAT) discovers that by getting all pupils to write, polish and remember by heart a single piece of creative writing and then practise adjusting it to fit any given title, they can get great results in English GCSE, are they 'teaching well'?
February 19, 2026 at 4:49 PM
If a teacher (or a department, or a MAT) discovers that by getting all pupils to write, polish and remember by heart a single piece of creative writing and then practise adjusting it to fit any given title, they can get great results in English GCSE, are they 'teaching well'?
Reposted by Tom Rank
Some do this, I know. And not only is it not great teaching but it can often lead to poor results too. I’ve seen examples of that, where it is very obvious that the writing was not written in response to the question. And I’d argue that it is much less helpful to students than teaching them 1/
February 19, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Some do this, I know. And not only is it not great teaching but it can often lead to poor results too. I’ve seen examples of that, where it is very obvious that the writing was not written in response to the question. And I’d argue that it is much less helpful to students than teaching them 1/
Reposted by Tom Rank
Reform: How dare people call us racist, we just want people to integrate.
Also Reform: Let's actively cut the mechanisms which make it easier for people to integrate.
Cutting ESOL courses is a bloody stupid, and racist, idea when we should be increasing them.
feweek.co.uk/greater-linc...
Also Reform: Let's actively cut the mechanisms which make it easier for people to integrate.
Cutting ESOL courses is a bloody stupid, and racist, idea when we should be increasing them.
feweek.co.uk/greater-linc...
Greater Lincolnshire to cut ESOL from 2027, mayor confirms
Greater Lincolnshire’s mayor will press ahead with plans to scrap publicly funded ESOL courses, despite consultation responses opposing the move.
feweek.co.uk
February 19, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reform: How dare people call us racist, we just want people to integrate.
Also Reform: Let's actively cut the mechanisms which make it easier for people to integrate.
Cutting ESOL courses is a bloody stupid, and racist, idea when we should be increasing them.
feweek.co.uk/greater-linc...
Also Reform: Let's actively cut the mechanisms which make it easier for people to integrate.
Cutting ESOL courses is a bloody stupid, and racist, idea when we should be increasing them.
feweek.co.uk/greater-linc...
Reposted by Tom Rank
The NATE ECT Network is a free, supportive space for Early Career Teachers of English. Share what’s working, unpack what’s tricky, and learn alongside others who get these early years — plus connect with mentors and subject experts.
mailchi.mp/a51aa063f32d...
mailchi.mp/a51aa063f32d...
February 10, 2026 at 3:09 PM
The NATE ECT Network is a free, supportive space for Early Career Teachers of English. Share what’s working, unpack what’s tricky, and learn alongside others who get these early years — plus connect with mentors and subject experts.
mailchi.mp/a51aa063f32d...
mailchi.mp/a51aa063f32d...
Reposted by Tom Rank
Whe I did GCSEs my media coursework was on the party political broadcasts of the BNP and the word ‘chav’ I learned loads about racism and class and it was closely aligned with A View FRom the Bridge- our modern text and Seamus Heaney’s poetry
February 19, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Whe I did GCSEs my media coursework was on the party political broadcasts of the BNP and the word ‘chav’ I learned loads about racism and class and it was closely aligned with A View FRom the Bridge- our modern text and Seamus Heaney’s poetry
Reposted by Tom Rank
Certainly, packing even more into 'traditional' subjects isn't going to help. Children need knowledge-rich teaching specifically about the media, modes of communication, how information is mediated, the technologies and institutions involved & the power structures involved. And I don't mean...
February 19, 2026 at 8:44 AM
Certainly, packing even more into 'traditional' subjects isn't going to help. Children need knowledge-rich teaching specifically about the media, modes of communication, how information is mediated, the technologies and institutions involved & the power structures involved. And I don't mean...
Reposted by Tom Rank
My 15yo is busy revising for GCSEs. I'm astonished at the sheet volume of knowledge - certainly compared to when I did O-Levels. I really don't think it's about teaching more of it; it's about teaching the right knowledge.
February 19, 2026 at 8:24 AM
My 15yo is busy revising for GCSEs. I'm astonished at the sheet volume of knowledge - certainly compared to when I did O-Levels. I really don't think it's about teaching more of it; it's about teaching the right knowledge.
Reposted by Tom Rank
I remember tweeting years ago, when the term was suddenly all the rage, that no school could possibly lay claim to "knowledge-richness" if it ignored (or even sneered at) media education. The Govian, selective evisceration of the English curriculum didn't help.
February 19, 2026 at 8:39 AM
I remember tweeting years ago, when the term was suddenly all the rage, that no school could possibly lay claim to "knowledge-richness" if it ignored (or even sneered at) media education. The Govian, selective evisceration of the English curriculum didn't help.
Reposted by Tom Rank
#EnglishCreates: Futures
We kick off our series on Critical Reading with Prof Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway): 'in the increasingly scientised discourse which has so effectively helped to teach decoding, the fundamental holism of reading can get lost.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-is-a...
We kick off our series on Critical Reading with Prof Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway): 'in the increasingly scientised discourse which has so effectively helped to teach decoding, the fundamental holism of reading can get lost.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-is-a...
February 19, 2026 at 8:40 AM
#EnglishCreates: Futures
We kick off our series on Critical Reading with Prof Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway): 'in the increasingly scientised discourse which has so effectively helped to teach decoding, the fundamental holism of reading can get lost.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-is-a...
We kick off our series on Critical Reading with Prof Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway): 'in the increasingly scientised discourse which has so effectively helped to teach decoding, the fundamental holism of reading can get lost.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-is-a...
Reposted by Tom Rank
English linguists
#world Englishes
Open rank professorial position at the university of Basel, Switzerland
jobs.unibas.ch/offene-stell...
#world Englishes
Open rank professorial position at the university of Basel, Switzerland
jobs.unibas.ch/offene-stell...
Universität Basel: Professor in English linguistics (open-rank)
A position as Professor in English linguistics with a focus on English as a lingua franca in the digital age is to be filled at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Basel...
jobs.unibas.ch
February 19, 2026 at 7:17 AM
English linguists
#world Englishes
Open rank professorial position at the university of Basel, Switzerland
jobs.unibas.ch/offene-stell...
#world Englishes
Open rank professorial position at the university of Basel, Switzerland
jobs.unibas.ch/offene-stell...
Reposted by Tom Rank
You could say that they fell out over……the right to arm bears
Signs that your country needs an electoral threshold
February 19, 2026 at 8:20 AM
You could say that they fell out over……the right to arm bears
Reposted by Tom Rank
'More than 60% of the global increase in synchronous fire weather days can be attributed to climate change from the burning of coal, oil & natural gas'.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Study finds global increase in hot, dry days ideal for wildfires
Dangerous days have nearly tripled in past 45 years – and increase largely driven by human-made warming
www.theguardian.com
February 19, 2026 at 5:47 AM
'More than 60% of the global increase in synchronous fire weather days can be attributed to climate change from the burning of coal, oil & natural gas'.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...