Simon Smith
@smithsmm
Principal, Learner, Teacher, mad about children's books, Views are my own. #PrimaryPicBookClub.Proud to be part of the @enquiretrust. Raring to go!
Just updated this post to include all my picturebook recommendation links. It has 3 lists for Year 3-6. A picturebook biography list and list of picturebooks bout loss. Hope it’s useful. smithsmm.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/yea…
@KateJones_teach @smithsmm thank you for writing+RTing-appreciate accumulative nature of developing readers: starting from rhyme and rhythm through poetry in EY alongside vocab in context 1/2 smithsmm.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/why…
🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉 To celebrate the eBook release of Rock the World this Friday 25th July, I'm giving away 3 signed paperback copies! 💥 Rock the World is a powerful, poignant & moving journey back to the 1980s. The first name drawn will get 'Copy #1' marked inside as the…
No school should be subject to inspection while the inspectorate is in this much of a mess. The stakes are too high for schools and school leaders, the government needs to be brave and hit pause before damage is done.
Ofsted has missed nearly all internal inspection targets this year, its staff are less positive about working there and one in 10 left, the watchdog’s annual report and accounts reveal schoolsweek.co.uk/missed-inspect…
Digging deep into the TBR pile…first holiday read. “Voyage of the Sparrowhawk” by @NatashaFarrant1 A brilliant emotional quest for a lost brother and a lost life. Couldn’t put it down. Lotte and Ben are fantastic characters and a force of nature together. Just utterly joyful
So it’s been quite a year. Definitely ready to stop for a few weeks… Ofsted…done New Send provision…ready to go. All data above National (despite being 3x National for Special Needs) …including 90% phonics 70% RWM combined 44%GD in Reading and Maths. What a team we have!
These are my favourite #MiddleGrade (still hate that term) so far this year (2025) Not just great children’s books but great books fullstop.
My #FavePicbooks25 so far this year… These are a range from the youngest children all the way to Year 6. Fiction/non-fiction, funny, sad, quiet, loud…all great. #PicturebookPage
Forgot this bit…
Oh and just a small matter of opening an exceptional field study centre- Streonshalh! Offering all academies in our Trust the opportunity to access a free residential in beautiful Whitby. Enjoy your break! We’ve still got 5 days left😀
Haven’t posted on X in a long time but just needed to share some messages from parents. It was good to get reminders of what we do and why we do it. Seeing so many children driven out of schools and not able to manage within the system, just needed to say there’s another way
Just want to say a huge thankyou to those who’ve followed me and engaged with me on “Twitter”. I can no longer support an app which doesn’t look after the people who use it I am now deleting the app…I will leave the account live for a while so people can check booklists etc.
Finally these are my favourite returns to a series this year. #FaveMiddleGrade24. All were phenomenal and added brilliantly to their story and world.
Here are my #FaveMiddleGrade24 reads this year that aren’t continuing a series. Each one is brilliant and they are all so different. Most importantly everyone of these books has found a child that now loves it.
