Sensible stuff, no quick fixes
Hello colleague
It’s good to be in touch with the latest resources, opportunities and updates.
As ever, the focus is on the things that make the biggest difference to pupils’ thinking and learning, without adding unnecessary workload or reaching for quick fixes.
KS3: The Ambitious Years
The response to KS3: The Ambitious Years has been very encouraging
Thank you to everyone who has bought the book, shared it with colleagues or taken the time to leave a review. People have described it as practical, hopeful and rooted in the realities of school life. That matters enormously.
The argument at the heart of the book is simple:
For years, we have said that KS3 matters. But the system has not always behaved as though it does.
Curriculum time has been squeezed. Texts have sometimes been simplified. Expectations have been quietly lowered. Then, in Year 10, teachers find themselves reteaching knowledge and habits that should already be secure.
The book sets out a different approach, rooted in:
- depth before pace
- rich and demanding texts
- secure knowledge and vocabulary
- teaching that prioritises thinking over task completion
- high challenge in a low-threat environment
KS3 is not a warm-up for GCSE. It is where the foundations for everything that follows are built. When KS3 is strong, KS4 becomes stronger, not harder.
You can find the book here.
Schools wanting to purchase ten or more copies at a discounted rate can email hello@marymyatt.com.
The Teachers’ Collection INSET
Tuesday 1st September 2026 09:30 – 15:30
Story-Rich and Ready: Launching Your TTC Year
Abbie Ing and I will be hosting a dedicated online INSET morning for schools using The Teachers’ Collection. The focus will be on moving from reflection to practical action: making purposeful use of the TTC toolkit, the chosen texts and the wider reading culture of the school.
Together, we will explore:
- why a story-rich curriculum matters
- how to identify a small number of priorities
- what a strong first week might look like
- how to make reading visible and valued
- how to build approaches that can be sustained throughout the year
There will be time for discussion, practical planning and making commitments for the term ahead.
We will also introduce the half-termly check-ins, which will help schools continue the cycle of reflecting, revisiting and refocusing across the year.
The INSET morning is available to schools with a subscription to The Teachers’ Collection. More details are here.
Reading aloud in lessons
Steve Willshaw and Simon Day have created a new course to support colleagues with reading aloud across the curriculum. This is important work, because reading aloud is not an optional extra or a soft activity. Done well, it enables pupils to access demanding texts, develop vocabulary, sustain attention and encounter language and ideas they might not otherwise meet.
The course offers practical guidance for making reading aloud purposeful, inclusive and intellectually ambitious. You can find out more here.
New: The TA CPD Hub
Amjad Ali and Try This Teaching are launching the TA CPD Hub in September: a new online professional development platform created specifically for teaching assistants.
It will include:
- short monthly video modules
- a practical resource library
- live webinars
- a private professional community
Group booking reductions are available for trusts and learning partnerships.
To register interest, contact Katie Cavill at katie@thelearningline.co.uk or visit Try This Teaching.
The Governors’ Gateway
How do governors know whether pupils are genuinely learning the curriculum?
This new Governors’ Gateway session offers a detailed and practical exploration of that question.
Catherine Priggs is joined by Josh Vallance, Vice Principal, to consider how governors can move beyond surface-level indicators and ask more useful questions about curriculum quality, classroom practice and what pupils are coming to know and understand over time.
The resources are free to access here.
Please do forward this update to a colleague who might find it useful.
Until next time
Mary