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Mary Myatt

School improvement update - February 2026

Published 3 months ago • 3 min read

School Improvement update

February 2026

Sensible stuff, no quick fixes

Dear colleague

It’s good to be in touch with some resources we hope you find helpful:

Free access to The Teachers’ Collection for x30 schools

The research tells us that pupils thrive when they encounter rich, complex texts read aloud, even those pupils we think might struggle.

​The Teachers' Collection is built on the principle that pupils will know more, remember more and be able to do more, if they hear things through a high-quality text.

We’ve created planning units, vocab lists and resources to help colleagues teach the foundation subjects. We believe that books are not as an add-on but are the core resource.

Every month we're offering x30 schools, free access to The Teachers’ Collection until the end of August 2025.

To apply, attend our webinar on Monday 16th March 3:30pm. If you're a head, curriculum lead, or teacher who wants to see what's possible - join us.

🔗 Register for the webinar with this link​

🔗 Learn more about The Teachers’ Collection here​

Key Stage 3: The Ambitious Years

The intellectual powerhouse of the secondary school

The KS3 Alliance was announced in the White Paper which is great news for increasing focus on this important stage for young people.

​
We’ve just done a session where we explore how high challenge, low threat classrooms help pupils and teachers crack on with great work. When KS3 is done well, everyone wins. Link to watch the webinar here.​

5 Steps across the curriculum – supporting curriculum transition

Every year, thousands of pupils arrive in secondary school excited to learn, only to find that they are often repeating work they have already mastered in primary school. Strong transition is more than visits, forms, or induction days.

It’s about curriculum continuity.

These 5 Steps help primary and secondary colleagues work together so that learning deepens from KS2 to KS3.

We’ve created the steps for each of the subjects and you can access them here.

Blogs on Substack worth following

There’s some great thinking happening across the sector and it’s worth checking out these colleagues who are sharing sensible stuff:

Hannah Wilson has just published a great new book: A Little Guide for Teachers: Cultivating Belonging in Schools, my review: ‘So many sensitive and sensible insights: case studies, spotlights on good practice, great reflection questions and more.’

New podcast: Headship after Hours from Paul Collin: short, helpful insights not just for heads but for anyone looking to find balance.

​Overcoming Reading Roadblocks: Reconnecting Teens and Texts​
An important secondary Reading for Pleasure conference hosted by the OU RfP team Teresa Cremin CBE Bennie Kara Rachel Ayres & Lucy Strange.
​Friday 6th March 10-4 at the Open University Milton Keynes, register here.

A Human Education for an Artificial World

A dive into the concept of a 'human education' which is inclusive by design and supports every child to find their voice.

It is easy to feel anxious about the challenges we face in the world however the exciting truth is that hope is in our hands.

This webinar will explore the components of human education that Finding My Voice supports to ensure our young people can thrive now and in the future.

Wednesday 4th March 5:00pm Free to access and sign up here.

We’ve recently launched The Governors’ Gateway on Myatt & Co and Catherine Priggs and I have recorded some short introductions to support colleagues in this important work. We are both governors, so we have a vested interest in supporting others! You can watch them here.

Curriculum Conversations: A reference pack for senior leaders in secondary

The best discussions aren’t about spreadsheets or data drops, they’re about the substance of what we’re teaching, why it matters, and how we can make it more accessible and coherent for our pupils.

To support this work, we’ve created a new Curriculum Conversations Reference Pack, drawn from Huh: Curriculum Conversations Between Subject and Senior Leaders

Each page focuses on one subject and includes:

  • Five questions to guide rich professional dialogue between senior and subject leaders
  • Three documents that every senior leader should read to deepen their understanding of that subject’s landscape

If you’d like to use this design for your own subject or trust materials, you can download here.

If you think there’s someone who would appreciate this update, you can forward the link here​

Until next time

Mary

Our mailing address is:​
​hello@marymyatt.com​

PO BOX 114, Brecon, Powys LD3 3DR
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Mary Myatt

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School improvement March 2026 Sensible stuff, no quick fixes Hello colleague It’s good to be in touch with some resources we hope you might find helpful this month. As ever, the focus is on what makes the biggest difference to pupils’ thinking, not more work. KS3: The Ambitious Years The intellectual powerhouse of the secondary school Too often, KS3 is treated as a warm-up. It isn’t, it’s where habits of thinking are formed, where confidence either grows or quietly diminishes. One of the ways...

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School improvement update January 2026 Sensible stuff, no quick fixes Dear colleague It’s good to be in touch with some resources we hope you find helpful: Key Stage 3: The Ambitious Years 'The intellectual powerhouse of the secondary school' Too often, KS3 is seen as a warm-up for the 'real' work of KS4. But what if it’s actually the engine room of thinking, curiosity, and confidence? We’ve just done a session where we explore how high challenge, low threat classrooms help pupils and...

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