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Bett - ExCel London - 24-26 January 2024
Bett - ExCel London - 24-26 January 2024

7 Deadly School Sins


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Apple SIns

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Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2010, and today, he is one of the 'most followed educators'on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the '500 Most Influential People in Britain' by The Sunday Times as a result of...
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What if schools could work more effectively?

In some schools, something is not quite right, and based upon the countless messages I receive via social media, I've had a go at naming some of these things that have no impact on learning.

These are the 7 greatest sins - starting with the most severe - taking place in some English schools today. I write them with the hope that they will be exposed and isolated over time.

7. Evidence and Progress

The two terms blighting our profession today - 'evidence' and 'progress'. Last week, as part of my work with

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10th June 20182nd March 2023 by @TeacherToolkit
Posted in Academic Research, Basic Account, Leadership (Senior), Teaching and LearningTagged Appraisal, Data, Graham Nuthall, Lesson grading, Lesson planning, Marking, Measures of Effective Teaching, MockSTED, Myths, Ofsted, Professor Robert Coe, sins, Teaching and Learning, Value Added Measures, Work Scrutiny

12 thoughts on “7 Deadly School Sins”

  1. TeacherOfSci says:
    10th June 2018 at 9:27 pm

    Very well said, these sins are the reasons that most teachers struggle with workload and ultimately leave the profession. As newer generations of head teachers and leaders come through we can only hope they share the same vision as you. I’m a middle leader and getting some of these processes reduced is hard work! Thanks.

    1. @TeacherToolkit says:
      11th June 2018 at 8:41 am

      It is incredibly hard work – especially when external accountability pressures predict a school to be in decline – when we know schools are so much more than data. It’s a difficult ask for school leaders to do the things we believe in, versus the evaluation and scrutiny that we know schools use to evidence for external validation.

  2. Pingback: OTR Links 06/12/2018 – doug — off the record
  3. Knackered hlta says:
    13th June 2018 at 9:28 pm

    I am a HLTA, I teach English! I mark in 3 colours and have to imput tracking data… there is something seriously wrong here

    1. @TeacherToolkit says:
      14th June 2018 at 8:42 am

      That certainly does not sound like a good use of your time.

  4. Pingback: CPD Picks of The Week | Teacher Toolkit | Best UK Education Blog
  5. Mark says:
    18th June 2018 at 2:54 am

    I know for certain that this is not just isolated to England. Wales is in a big huge downward spiral also and all of the “sins” identified go on here too.

  6. @TeacherToolkit says:
    18th June 2018 at 10:14 am

    That’s interesting. I’ve worked with a number of schools and school leaders and I know much of what is here is also true. My heart was warmed by the recent recommendations by Donaldson to Estyn. Wonder if any of the 34 recommendations will happen?

  7. Pingback: CPD Picks of The Week | Teacher Toolkit | UK Education Blog
  8. Deborah Balli says:
    3rd July 2018 at 11:00 am

    All of these things have changed teaching from being a worthwhile enjoyable profession to being an unenjoyable exhausting waste of time. We have lost the most important thing and that is effective teaching of young people. None of these Sins support this. When will management wake up to this? If teachers are too exhausted to teach in the classroom how will our young people thrive. If our teachers are mentally exhausted how can they help with the wellbeing of our charges. After 17 years of loving my job, I decided, with great sadness, to leave the profession. Hopefully things will get better for the new generation of teachers.

    1. @TeacherToolkit says:
      3rd July 2018 at 11:36 am

      I am hoping we will get there in the next 3-5 years; sadly it’s not on everyone’s agenda.

  9. Anne says:
    10th December 2018 at 1:55 pm

    I did 10 kesson plans for my PGCE, then none for 16 years until I moved to England. The Sins above certainly destoyed my love of teaching. However, fortunately my job has changed to wholly outreach so still lots of paperwork, but definitley less stress and fewer hours (when I time manage properly

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