Beth Pope
@bevel2.bsky.social
UK education, reading, dyslexia, literacy difficulties, books, politics, climate, skiing, sailing, maps, sewing, swimming... in some sort of order.
Yes, we find this. We have an 11 year old, we're 50. All her friends parents are 10 years younger than us - the difference in our parenting is quite noticeable. We seen it with other older parents too.
November 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Yes, we find this. We have an 11 year old, we're 50. All her friends parents are 10 years younger than us - the difference in our parenting is quite noticeable. We seen it with other older parents too.
I'm interested in how much we should be training kids who struggle to access learning due to reading difficulties, to use assistive tech. And when we should be doing that. Talk to adults with dyslexia, and they use it loads in their work. Should we make YA struggle, or just teach them too?
November 29, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I'm interested in how much we should be training kids who struggle to access learning due to reading difficulties, to use assistive tech. And when we should be doing that. Talk to adults with dyslexia, and they use it loads in their work. Should we make YA struggle, or just teach them too?
I tend to think this is the only way to go too. I actually think we (definitely I did) produced more effective writers pre SPaG and current curriculum. But I don't think that opinion is popular.
November 26, 2025 at 8:21 AM
I tend to think this is the only way to go too. I actually think we (definitely I did) produced more effective writers pre SPaG and current curriculum. But I don't think that opinion is popular.
These are my favourite by far. Just bought another box of 20.
November 25, 2025 at 10:09 PM
These are my favourite by far. Just bought another box of 20.
"Not in John's bag" to the lost jumper/pants/gloves/fiddle toy search request. You only need to reply if you've actually GOT IT. Don't need 29 posts telling us you haven't got it. Scream. Demonstrates just how many people are complete dingbats though. Sort of useful.
November 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
"Not in John's bag" to the lost jumper/pants/gloves/fiddle toy search request. You only need to reply if you've actually GOT IT. Don't need 29 posts telling us you haven't got it. Scream. Demonstrates just how many people are complete dingbats though. Sort of useful.
My child has just left on her year 6 residential trip. The messages over the weekend on the WA group have been insane. They've all been going slowly mad about hand warmers, thermal underwear, hairdryers etc. The kid will wear the same clothes all week and not wash at all folks, chill.
November 24, 2025 at 3:45 PM
My child has just left on her year 6 residential trip. The messages over the weekend on the WA group have been insane. They've all been going slowly mad about hand warmers, thermal underwear, hairdryers etc. The kid will wear the same clothes all week and not wash at all folks, chill.
And too much of that funding is about transporting children to specialist provision, rather than funding to 'provide' closer to home or within their own communities.
November 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM
And too much of that funding is about transporting children to specialist provision, rather than funding to 'provide' closer to home or within their own communities.
You just say no all the time. To parents, to teachers and to children. I found myself having to 'reject' 7 year olds I'd never even met. Writing only negatively about children for tribunals. No more being a senco.
November 18, 2025 at 10:16 PM
You just say no all the time. To parents, to teachers and to children. I found myself having to 'reject' 7 year olds I'd never even met. Writing only negatively about children for tribunals. No more being a senco.
Fly tippers? Organised crime.
November 15, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Fly tippers? Organised crime.
Oh, I've done lessons called 6-7. Makes me deeply 'cringe' apparently, but also means I don't hear it for a whole hour.
October 24, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Oh, I've done lessons called 6-7. Makes me deeply 'cringe' apparently, but also means I don't hear it for a whole hour.
It's an odd image - I read that as someone is excluded and other pupils look out feeling sad for them. I'm not sure that's always the general feeling.
October 8, 2025 at 6:35 AM
It's an odd image - I read that as someone is excluded and other pupils look out feeling sad for them. I'm not sure that's always the general feeling.
With some of those, by the time you've dithered about whether to start them or not, you could be half way through!
October 4, 2025 at 6:15 PM
With some of those, by the time you've dithered about whether to start them or not, you could be half way through!
What is this obsession with volunteering? Lots of people just about holding it together earning enough money to get by, why should anyone have to volunteer?
September 29, 2025 at 4:41 PM
What is this obsession with volunteering? Lots of people just about holding it together earning enough money to get by, why should anyone have to volunteer?
Absolutely this. Sometimes I can't really tell you what I did for x child to make amazing progress - I didn't follow something off the shelf, I responded in the moment to 'a gap', I bigged up their self esteem. The privilege of 1-1 or small group teaching however.
September 27, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Absolutely this. Sometimes I can't really tell you what I did for x child to make amazing progress - I didn't follow something off the shelf, I responded in the moment to 'a gap', I bigged up their self esteem. The privilege of 1-1 or small group teaching however.
With inclusion in mind, I've had to de-brand, change fonts, simplify busy-ness etc to use even materials produced in a single school. I can still follow lesson protocols and school systems without it all hurting everyone's eyes!
September 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM
With inclusion in mind, I've had to de-brand, change fonts, simplify busy-ness etc to use even materials produced in a single school. I can still follow lesson protocols and school systems without it all hurting everyone's eyes!
So unfair on those children too.
September 14, 2025 at 6:57 AM
So unfair on those children too.
How much would it cost to produce a leaflet that goes to every household in the country, explaining what the ECHR is and what it has done for us. Hearing cherry picked bits from right wing folk who want rid of it is no good.
August 28, 2025 at 7:36 PM
How much would it cost to produce a leaflet that goes to every household in the country, explaining what the ECHR is and what it has done for us. Hearing cherry picked bits from right wing folk who want rid of it is no good.
The process of unpicking the specific difficulties, and deciding the best routes for support, can also be complex. What would be 'better' is schools being funded appropriately in order to provide for varying needs, without necessarily needing a long and complex assessment processes for diagnosis.
August 28, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The process of unpicking the specific difficulties, and deciding the best routes for support, can also be complex. What would be 'better' is schools being funded appropriately in order to provide for varying needs, without necessarily needing a long and complex assessment processes for diagnosis.
There are lots of differing needs in a mainstream classroom, schools/teachers adjust teaching accordingly and always have. What do you mean when you say 'assessments need to be better'?
August 28, 2025 at 1:46 PM
There are lots of differing needs in a mainstream classroom, schools/teachers adjust teaching accordingly and always have. What do you mean when you say 'assessments need to be better'?
Maybe their education system and extended services are funded and resourced well enough to a) support varied needs appropriately without diagnosis, b) aren't designed to require a diagnosis before any support is given.
August 28, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Maybe their education system and extended services are funded and resourced well enough to a) support varied needs appropriately without diagnosis, b) aren't designed to require a diagnosis before any support is given.