Mr D Brian
@dbrian2.bsky.social
UK primary teacher. Interested in fairness/outcomes for all children.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Not to be all maudlin, but I think "sung by a child" is the bit that has broken something inside of me.
September 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Not to be all maudlin, but I think "sung by a child" is the bit that has broken something inside of me.
Superb episode - great to hear a more nuanced take.
We all know that social media is bad for young people, and has been catastrophic for their mental health...
...or has it?
In this episode, Professor Candice Odgers provides an alternative narrative that is fascinating and challenging.
Tune in + share 🙏
open.spotify.com/episode/25NS...
...or has it?
In this episode, Professor Candice Odgers provides an alternative narrative that is fascinating and challenging.
Tune in + share 🙏
open.spotify.com/episode/25NS...
Is social media causing the youth mental health crisis? With Professor Candice Odgers
They Behave For Me · Episode
open.spotify.com
September 20, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Superb episode - great to hear a more nuanced take.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Very nice to hear a sane voice from Piddington. Serious respect to this woman, who is apparently already being othered by more bigoted villagers.
September 16, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Very nice to hear a sane voice from Piddington. Serious respect to this woman, who is apparently already being othered by more bigoted villagers.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Show me a politician that’s a millionaire and I’ll show you a crook.
September 16, 2026 at 6:41 AM
Show me a politician that’s a millionaire and I’ll show you a crook.
How did we get here?
On the first day of our inspection a student with MLD came to me at lunch telling me that he was part of a group that had been grilled for an hour by an inspector on the English curriculum and he was really worried that he hadn't answered the questions correctly and was letting the school down.
September 14, 2026 at 9:25 PM
How did we get here?
Any teachers come across this kind of thing? Chest height hand signals that replace hands up. I like the idea behind encouraging listening to each other but it's just created a huge amount of visual noise when there are 30 kids all making subtle gestures at chest height. Help!
September 12, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Any teachers come across this kind of thing? Chest height hand signals that replace hands up. I like the idea behind encouraging listening to each other but it's just created a huge amount of visual noise when there are 30 kids all making subtle gestures at chest height. Help!
Reposted by Mr D Brian
They'll be a lot of chatter about England's PISA results this morning, but we need to talk just as much about Wales.
They rejected phonics and knowledge-rich curricula in favour of 'areas of learning', 'skills suites' and barely any testing.
Wales is now 40 points below England in every domain.
They rejected phonics and knowledge-rich curricula in favour of 'areas of learning', 'skills suites' and barely any testing.
Wales is now 40 points below England in every domain.
September 8, 2026 at 7:48 AM
They'll be a lot of chatter about England's PISA results this morning, but we need to talk just as much about Wales.
They rejected phonics and knowledge-rich curricula in favour of 'areas of learning', 'skills suites' and barely any testing.
Wales is now 40 points below England in every domain.
They rejected phonics and knowledge-rich curricula in favour of 'areas of learning', 'skills suites' and barely any testing.
Wales is now 40 points below England in every domain.
🤯🤯🤯
We have made a full documentary about what really happened at Reform conference. If you only watch a bit of it please make it these 39 seconds. You won't regret it.
September 7, 2026 at 8:14 PM
🤯🤯🤯
Reposted by Mr D Brian
🧵 1/2
Baroness Rock, ex-Chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee wrote 🖊️ to the Minister for Social Care @allymcgovern.bsky.social urging the Government to bring forward a new autism strategy before 2026 is over.
Read the letter ✉️ here: committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...
Baroness Rock, ex-Chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee wrote 🖊️ to the Minister for Social Care @allymcgovern.bsky.social urging the Government to bring forward a new autism strategy before 2026 is over.
Read the letter ✉️ here: committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...
Autism Act 2009 Committee - Correspondence - Committees - UK Parliament
Correspondence publications for Autism Act 2009 Committee.
committees.parliament.uk
September 7, 2026 at 11:26 AM
🧵 1/2
Baroness Rock, ex-Chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee wrote 🖊️ to the Minister for Social Care @allymcgovern.bsky.social urging the Government to bring forward a new autism strategy before 2026 is over.
Read the letter ✉️ here: committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...
Baroness Rock, ex-Chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee wrote 🖊️ to the Minister for Social Care @allymcgovern.bsky.social urging the Government to bring forward a new autism strategy before 2026 is over.
Read the letter ✉️ here: committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...
This was a great chat between HT, Sammy Wright, and Caro Giles, author of Unschooled. It's unusual to hear people with very difficult experiences of school talk so openly with professionals. Love it. substack.com/@sammywright...
Sammy Wright (@sammywright)
Fantastic conversation with @Caro Giles - although I do appear to have quite strange hair.
substack.com
August 27, 2026 at 7:26 PM
This was a great chat between HT, Sammy Wright, and Caro Giles, author of Unschooled. It's unusual to hear people with very difficult experiences of school talk so openly with professionals. Love it. substack.com/@sammywright...
Reposted by Mr D Brian
What a lovely and touching video, and very kind of the family to think of us in their time of grief. 🖤
I'm not religious in the least, but if there was/is a Heaven, Dolly would most assuredly be in it.
I'm not religious in the least, but if there was/is a Heaven, Dolly would most assuredly be in it.
August 25, 2026 at 7:25 PM
What a lovely and touching video, and very kind of the family to think of us in their time of grief. 🖤
I'm not religious in the least, but if there was/is a Heaven, Dolly would most assuredly be in it.
I'm not religious in the least, but if there was/is a Heaven, Dolly would most assuredly be in it.
Just listened to the first episode. Makes room to explore the complexity of the neurodiversity landscape hearing from a range of opinions. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Understand, All Kinds of Minds, 1. The Language of Neurodiversity
How is the language of neurodiversity changing the way we understand difference?
www.bbc.co.uk
August 24, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Just listened to the first episode. Makes room to explore the complexity of the neurodiversity landscape hearing from a range of opinions. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Reposted by Mr D Brian
One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days!
Wow!
What a thing to claim!
And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it.
Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄
🧵
1/26
Wow!
What a thing to claim!
And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it.
Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄
🧵
1/26
August 22, 2026 at 11:22 AM
One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days!
Wow!
What a thing to claim!
And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it.
Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄
🧵
1/26
Wow!
What a thing to claim!
And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it.
Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄
🧵
1/26
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Worth reading the thread that led up to this.
Jonathan you are a Pratt. A Pratt who thinks he’s far smarter than he is. And moreover a Pratt who doesn’t understand or support the essential principle of Academic Freedom. I see little point in engaging with you further.
August 22, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Worth reading the thread that led up to this.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Over 70 organisations call on Prime Minister to put children's rights at the heart of Government. SNJ supports this 100% crae.org.uk/news/over-70...
August 21, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Over 70 organisations call on Prime Minister to put children's rights at the heart of Government. SNJ supports this 100% crae.org.uk/news/over-70...
Yes, I have x2 autistic kids with anxiety disorders. Some of the behaviours have been so far off the charts I'm not sure the term "anxiety" as popularly understood really covers it.
Everyone has a baseline anxiety level and for many autistic people this is higher than for non autistic people.
Professionals amd caregivers need to recognise the effect that more intense sensory and emotional experiences can have on these anxiety levels, and its contribution to burnout.
Professionals amd caregivers need to recognise the effect that more intense sensory and emotional experiences can have on these anxiety levels, and its contribution to burnout.
August 22, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Yes, I have x2 autistic kids with anxiety disorders. Some of the behaviours have been so far off the charts I'm not sure the term "anxiety" as popularly understood really covers it.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
I'm so, so tired of people thinking 'social construct' implies 'not real'.
This underlies so much of the backlash against the whole idea of neurodivergence, as well as anti-trans propaganda, and it's just a really basic misunderstanding of what social construction means. 🤦🏼♀️🫣
rtie.org/resources/tr...
This underlies so much of the backlash against the whole idea of neurodivergence, as well as anti-trans propaganda, and it's just a really basic misunderstanding of what social construction means. 🤦🏼♀️🫣
rtie.org/resources/tr...
Trans Facts
Preamble: the “debate” is toxic.Sex is not binary.Gender is (at least partly) a social construct, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.This is not a dispute between scientist…
rtie.org
August 22, 2026 at 10:14 AM
I'm so, so tired of people thinking 'social construct' implies 'not real'.
This underlies so much of the backlash against the whole idea of neurodivergence, as well as anti-trans propaganda, and it's just a really basic misunderstanding of what social construction means. 🤦🏼♀️🫣
rtie.org/resources/tr...
This underlies so much of the backlash against the whole idea of neurodivergence, as well as anti-trans propaganda, and it's just a really basic misunderstanding of what social construction means. 🤦🏼♀️🫣
rtie.org/resources/tr...
Reposted by Mr D Brian
UK transit nerds are next level.
August 21, 2026 at 5:36 AM
UK transit nerds are next level.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
Lot of anxiety in the media about undeserving disabled people getting free stuff - a thread 🧵
None of the Disability Benefits being attached/panicked about are automatic, all of them have an application process, where you have to provide evidence and be assessed. 1/
None of the Disability Benefits being attached/panicked about are automatic, all of them have an application process, where you have to provide evidence and be assessed. 1/
August 21, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Lot of anxiety in the media about undeserving disabled people getting free stuff - a thread 🧵
None of the Disability Benefits being attached/panicked about are automatic, all of them have an application process, where you have to provide evidence and be assessed. 1/
None of the Disability Benefits being attached/panicked about are automatic, all of them have an application process, where you have to provide evidence and be assessed. 1/
More professional commentary that should have been voiced in the program.
www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-react...
www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-react...
expert reaction to the TV show ‘The Great ADHD Myth? | Science Media Centre
www.sciencemediacentre.org
August 20, 2026 at 6:01 PM
More professional commentary that should have been voiced in the program.
www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-react...
www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-react...
Oh dear - Katy Rubia's commentary was presented as a key piece of evidence in this program. I don't have a problem with exploring different perspectives, but this documentary was flawed from the start and not conducted in good faith. Who would have thought? ADHD community deserve better.
August 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Oh dear - Katy Rubia's commentary was presented as a key piece of evidence in this program. I don't have a problem with exploring different perspectives, but this documentary was flawed from the start and not conducted in good faith. Who would have thought? ADHD community deserve better.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
There is nothing scientific about The Great ADHD Myth? ‘documentary’ | Gina Rippon
There is nothing scientific about The Great ADHD Myth? ‘documentary’ | Gina Rippon
Channel 4’s programme wastes a chance to ask important questions about how ADHD is diagnosed and treated, instead indulging in unscientific methods and conspiracy theories, says author Gina Rippon
www.theguardian.com
August 20, 2026 at 3:02 PM
There is nothing scientific about The Great ADHD Myth? ‘documentary’ | Gina Rippon
Reposted by Mr D Brian
This stopped me in my tracks.
An independent study by @qmul.bsky.social has found that after ULEZ was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.
An independent study by @qmul.bsky.social has found that after ULEZ was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.
Air pollution stunts children’s lung growth. New Queen Mary research found that improvements in air quality after the introduction of London’s ULEZ are associated with accelerated lung growth in children.
Read more: shorturl.at/Jx86o
Read more: shorturl.at/Jx86o
August 19, 2026 at 8:02 AM
This stopped me in my tracks.
An independent study by @qmul.bsky.social has found that after ULEZ was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.
An independent study by @qmul.bsky.social has found that after ULEZ was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.
Reposted by Mr D Brian
They were warned.
August 14, 2026 at 8:17 PM
They were warned.