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School improvement update - January 2026
Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read
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 teachers crack on with great work. When KS3 is done well, everyone wins.
‘Developing literacy that lasts’ webinar for primary schools on The Teachers' Collection. I’ve just done a webinar with Abbie Ing about the impact of reading across the curriculum. Abbie gives an example of how to use books to support literacy in the foundation subjects, and you can access here.
In the first video of our Governors’ Gateway update series, Jon Hutchinson (CAR author and serving governor) breaks down the thinking behind the review – not just the headlines.
Evidence-led, not ideology-driven
Evolution, not revolution
Clear implications for governance and decision–making
Your governors can sign up to the fortnightly updates here.
3 Big Questions
Each term, Catherine Priggs collates 3 big questions on Myatt & Co to show how schools and educators can respond to national policy shifts by adapting ideas to their own communities and pupils.
Big Question - Curriculum - Spring 26
First, watch ‘The oracy shift’ (1 hour 10 mins), to explore how to embed a strong oracy culture.
Next, watch ‘Using books across the curriculum’ (1 hour 8 mins), to consider how ambitious texts and rich pedagogies can raise expectations for all pupils and build a love of learning.
Finally, watch ‘Life chance school’ (1 hour 5 mins) to see how a school designs a curriculum rooted in equity and care for vulnerable learners, balancing national priorities with local needs.
Rory File and the ILT team are supporting the ‘National Year of Reading’ by sharing a wealth of expert insights through their "Pedagogy Perspectives" interview series. Link here.
I’ll be doing a webinar with Karl McGrath and the Chalk team on ‘Beautiful learning based on evidence’ on Thursday 5th March 15:40-16:30. It’s free to access and you can get the link here.
Climate Change education: support for schools
This was a focus in the Curriculum and Assessment Review and here are resources to support schools approach this work without it becoming a tick box exercise.
First, Lekha Sharma in conversation with the founders of CAPE (Climate Adapted Pathways in education) Prof Leigh Hoath and Heena Dave on Myatt & Co.
A CAPE podcast with Jenn Plews, CEO of Northern Star Academies Trust and Professor Jonathan Sharples of the Education Endowment Foundation. Jenn and Jonathan talk about the importance of culture in implementing climate change into the curriculum.
Online training on effective revision and intervention strategies for all students: Thursday 19th February 7pm to 8pm
This session with Amjad Ali will be helpful for supporting all students. It’s designed for teachers, school leaders, SENDCos, teaching assistants, parents and carers who want practical, evidence-informed approaches that genuinely improve learning outcomes.
Supporting students to revise effectively is not about working harder. It’s about working smarter. And when revision isn’t enough on its own, we need well-designed interventions that remove barriers and build independence. Thursday 19th February 7pm to 8pm, live and recorded, book here.
What really shapes learning in your classroom beyond what you can see?
Drawing on the groundbreaking research in The Hidden Lives of Learners by Graham Nuthall, the new book and training from Bennie Kara invites teachers to look beneath the surface of classroom life and rethink how learning actually happens.
Nuthall’s work reveals that much of students’ learning is invisible to teachers: shaped by peer conversations, prior knowledge, misconceptions, and what learners think the task is really about. This session translates that research into practical, classroom-ready insights that challenge common assumptions about teaching, engagement, and assessment.
This training will help teachers to:
Understand the hidden processes that influence student learning
Recognise the role of peer culture, prior knowledge, and misconceptions
Reflect critically on task design, explanations, and feedback
Apply Nuthall’s research to everyday classroom practice
Ideal for schools committed to evidence-informed teaching, this session supports teachers to move beyond surface indicators of learning and make more informed, intentional pedagogical choices. Do contact Bennie for more, her sessions are brilliant.
Finding My Voice is a whole school approach which supports the bespoke development of culture, curriculum and oracy-rich pedagogy, ensuring that all young people are ready to thrive in an uncertain world.
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...
School Improvement update November 2025 Sensible stuff, no quick fixes Dear colleague It’s that time of year: Black Friday across both Myatt & Co and The Teachers’ Collection! If your primary colleagues need thoughtful support for the primary curriculum, there’s a cornucopia of resources on The Teachers’ Collection. And if you missed Shareen Wilkinson’s session on the difference between writing in English and writing across the subjects, you’ll be able to access it here. 50% off school...
Three Things for Thursday 6th November 2025 Watch this film Listen to this podcast Read this article Our mailing address is:hello@marymyatt.com PO BOX 114, Brecon, Powys LD3 3DRUnsubscribe · Preferences