Blogs and writes about writing, the written word and education. Director of the National Association for the Teaching of English and editor of Teaching English.

York, England
Joined October 2016
With the welcome new announcement by @LucyMPowell on Oracy, it's important to keep saying that it isn't just learning *to* talk, though that's key. It's also learning *through* & *about* talk. Plus talk gives teachers a window into students' thinking. nate.org.uk/2026/06/05/think…
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Is Oracy going to be the next Trad v Prog battleground (it was phonics for ages). Fascinating to watch people suddenly be using terms like 'snake oil', 'gravy train' etc as if large companies haven't bled schools dry for years. But when it's something you don't agree with...
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
I’m all for evidence-informed practice in schools. It’s important that what we do is backed by research. But I do think we need to ask more questions about the evidence itself. How many schools were involved? How many children? What was the context? How long was the research carried out for? And how relevant is it to our own classrooms? Evidence should inform professional judgement, not replace it. Just because something is ‘research-backed’ doesn’t automatically mean it’s right for every school or every child.
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Fantastic day at the AQA Rethinking English Language day @AstonUniversity @AQAEnglish @HeadofEnglish @mmgiovanelli Thank you so much for having us!
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Reading for the 'Beyond the Essay' project we've just started work on, I'm reminded of the value of Louise Rosenblatt's work on what reading literature is all about. The quote below is the end of a chapter, written in 1956 & still so relevant today! s3.amazonaws.com/arena-attac…
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Replying to @mattyglesias
You can show me how to juggle. I still can’t juggle. Rather spectacularly proving that demonstration ≠ learning. Explicit instruction, practice, feedback, problem-solving and, yes, productive struggle all have a place. Why must education discourse turn everything into a binary?
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Non-fiction texts are an essential part of the classroom reading diet and deserve far more attention. In my latest blog, I begin to explore the important role non-fiction can play in developing a rich reading culture. jonbiddle2.substack.com/p/ma…
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
First display is nearly done… #Macbeth Anything I could add?
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
So happy to have been a judge on this years BBC Young Writers' Award. We have five brilliant shortlisted stories. Listen to them here. Winner announced Tuesday 29. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p968…
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Reframing LP1 Q3 to a "What - When - Why" has helped massively in our grasp of tackling the question and its demands👊 Using film clips and trailers has been pivotal in exploring the WHY and ensuring we fully expand our comments🦈⛱️
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
🎟️ Rethinking Language Conference 2026 lnkd.in/gnFbjtne 📖 New blog 'What are we waiting for?' lnkd.in/emuBPvKS 🔗 Join our teacher panel to have your say on curriculum and assessment reform lnkd.in/ejJvzFbv
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
There will be talks, panels and workshops from teachers, leaders and academics - from big ideas to practical takeaways that can make a difference in classrooms right now.   If you're passionate about what English Language can and should be, book your FREE place!
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
I’m not often on X these days but wanted to let you know about AQA’s ‘Rethinking English Language’ conference on 10th October! Join the conversation exploring English as we teach it now and as it could be in the future. FREE tix 👇👇👇 eventbrite.co.uk/e/rethinkin…
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
The view from here: a huge pleasure to attend @TheRSC’s symposium for arts & education leaders today, and to hold a ‘fireside chat’ with schools minister @Georgia_Gould about the importance of the arts, the power of partnerships, and the new national centre for arts education
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Are there many English still on here? If so, can you give any recommendations for year 7 modern(ish) plays? Not Shakespeare!
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
We love mooching around Acomb in York. Its negative stereotypes have almost strangled it but yet it comes through: green spaces, great craic, idiosyncratic, independent outlets. York as a city is on a roll but let’s not forget the suburbs beyond the wall. @VisitYork @iloveacomb
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Anthony Cockerill retweeted
Reading is about the relationship between reader and book but also about the relationship between reader and reader. To broaden the reading community my pupils are part of, this morning they all wrote reading postcards for children at another school.
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The new issue of Teaching English, packed with ideas: meaningful relationships with texts, generative AI, poetry, inclusion, wellbeing, reading at KS4 and more. Featuring Katharina Donn, Gareth Evers, Joseph Minden, Chloe Watterston, Barbara Bleiman and many others. #NATE
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Great to hear @SamiraAhmedUK on the worrying stats for A Level English entries, with @BobEaglestone & @HetanShah on @BBCFrontRow. Shah importantly points up the difference between Scottish Highers & A Level over the past decade -one steady or growing, the other declining... 1
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