Tom Bennett OBE
Behaviour advisor to the UK Department of Education. Founder of researchED. Professor of School Behaviour. Academica University of Applied Science.
- What have you lot done to Twitter, you rotters?
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEReally looking forward to speaking at ResearchEd #rED25 tomorrow. Feels odd not to be discussing it on twitter. If you're going, do say hello!
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBELooking forward to speaking at researchED National Conference this weekend at Parliament Hill School. My presentation will be on driving school improvement. I am presenting session one in room M30! More information on my website: www.miriamhussain.education/events
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEThis is an utterly brilliant read. Value for money of @samfr.bsky.social continues to rise
- New post just out: A guest post from Greg Treverton, Chair of the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2014 to 2017 under President Obama. On US intelligence - and the "five eyes" relationship - in the age of Trump. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/s...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEShare widely! @educhatter.bsky.social @rastokke.bsky.social @carlhendrick.substack.com @ehanford.bsky.social @j-metsala.bsky.social @mrzachg.bsky.social @steplab.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social @jim-hewitt.bsky.social @mrsball.bsky.social @dylanwiliam.bsky.social
- GET YOUR TICKETS SOON! researchED Canada Toronto 2025 - What Works in Teaching and Learning Date: Jun 6-7 Location: 230 Saint Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON M4V 1R5 www.eventbrite.ca/e/researched...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEVery pleased for Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn to host @tombennett71.bsky.social at Merici College in Canberra. Purchase tickets here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/running-th...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEThe action plan on behaviour appears to be ignore, de-escalation and make excuses for belligerent, obnoxious behaviour. Pupils are going through schools in Scotland with no expectations on how they behave. There is little care given to pupils who just go about their day. It’s a national scandal.
- NEW BLOG! Will the Scottish National Action Plan on behaviour purge the patient, or poison it? open.substack.com/pub/bennettt...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBE‘We’re not looking for certainties. We’re looking for best bets, most likely… There are no solutions, only trade-offs.’ - @tombennett71.bsky.social #ResearchEdBrum
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEIs there a Finish 'miracle'? There has been a coherent and consistent improvement in the education system in this country. Let's celebrate it. @tombennett71.bsky.social #rEDBrum
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEGreat day at #rEDBrum and thoroughly enjoyed listening to @sputniksteve.bsky.social @oldandrewuk.bsky.social @twperry1.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social and the awesome @mrsspalding.bsky.social amongst others! Feeling inspired and motivated!
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEOH. EM. GEE. BABS. CHECK THIS BAD BOY OF A #rEDBRUM PROGRAMME OUT!!🔥🔥🔥 drive.google.com/file/d/1O-sk... STILL A FEW TIX GOING HERE YOU LUCKY BABS YOU: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched... @tombennett71.bsky.social @msjasminemn.bsky.social @danielbundred.bsky.social @isaacmoore7.bsky.social
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBERIGHT BABS WHO’S COMING ON 8TH MARCH?? @msjasminemn.bsky.social @mrsspalding.bsky.social @isaacmoore7.bsky.social @danielbundred.bsky.social @twperry1.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social @teacherhead.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @daisychristo.bsky.social TIX: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched...

- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBETHROWBACK TO THE FIRST #rEDBRUM IN 2018 WITH @daisychristo.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social @olicav.bsky.social @marymyatt.bsky.social AND @teacherhead.bsky.social WHO WE FOOLISHLY CRAMMED INTO A VERY PACKED DRAMA STUDIO 😂 TIX FOR 8 MARCH 2025 HERE: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEA typically thoughtful & practical @tesmagazine.bsky.social column from @juliangrenier.bsky.social on boosting early vocabulary.
- 💡𝗠𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 Verbal skills at age 5 are associated with lifelong improved outcomes in education and health Research evidence suggests effective approaches to use, but there are challenges too www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
- This has got HUGE ‘I got a detention just for asking a question’ energy. Heckler spoils show for entire audience, surprised by consequences.
- Leaders- my next webinar on behaviour and culture is on the 24th. Australian classroom practitioners- my next one for you is the 26th :)
- NEW ONLINE BEHAVIOUR TRAINING For teachers: 27th Jan, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145004933... For leaders: 24th Feb, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145010921... For Australian teachers, 26th Feb, 4-5:30pm (AEDT) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145030620... Live, with me, plus Q&A.
- Never forget
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEPeter Hyman has written this article roughly twice a year for 10 years. He’s still wrong.
- A new curriculum is needed, and so is higher value for education. With a sharing link for 3 non-subscribers: on.ft.com/4aVFr0P
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBE🚀 ResearchEd Dubai 2025 – Speaker Announcement! 🚀 We’re delighted to welcome @tombennett71.bsky.social to #ResearchEdDubai2025! 🎉 🎟️ Tickets are now LIVE – don’t miss out! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched... #rEDDubai25
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEBrutal takedown of reading policy in Wales and Scotland, as Northern Ireland looks to change course with its new strategy based around phonics. @kathyrastle.bsky.social makes several important (and apparently still necessary) observations about the evidence on reading. www.itv.com/news/2025-02...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEWhy is forgetting such an important part of learning? Robert Bjork explains something that every teacher should know.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEI was an exclusion officer for the LA for eight years back in the early 2000's... carrying a knife was always a permanent exclusion and rightly so.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEAND FOR THE SECOND YEAR ON THE TROT, BENNETT’S BACK ON 8TH MARCH 🙌🙌 @tombennett71.bsky.social #rEDBRUM TIX HERE: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBERIGHT THEN, BABS! BACK IN BRUM ON 8TH MARCH IS DAAAAAAAIIIIIIIISYYYYYYYYY @daisychristo.bsky.social 🥳🙌 #rEDBRUM TIX HERE: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEAbsolutely nails it. Brilliant post. I'd also add there's going to be perverse incentives *not* to seek a high inclusion rating if it signals to some families you prioritise less complicated and vulnerable children.
- "Ofsted's standalone ‘Inclusion’ judgement highlights the importance of valuing all learners, but we must ensure it doesn't become a box-ticking exercise that sidesteps true inclusivity." Some thoughts on the proposal. #EduSky #SEND #Inclusion moderncassie.blogspot.com/2025/02/ofst...
- The default position of a school that finds a knife in a student should be an immediate suspension, with a presumption to exclude except in the most extenuating of circumstances (eg it was planted on them). The safety of children is sacred. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- Exclusion doesn’t mean the student is ‘cast out of society’- they are placed in another setting, preferably a specialist one. This may even provide the young person with a better environment in which to change.
- But every other child in the school threatened by a knife deserves their rights and needs to be upheld by us. And that means excluding any child with a knife. They need to know ‘this will happen to me if I carry’. Which maximises the deterrent, and reassures students, staff and parents: we are safe
- Twilights can be a grind for many but it was an honour for me to come and speak to leaders in the mythical land of Bretherton the other day. An engaged and thoughtful room of colleagues. Thank you for the welcome.
- Possibly the most iconic photo of my career so far. A brilliant afternoon listening to @tombennett71.bsky.social—full of invaluable insights and reminders to reflect on as we continue to strengthen our school’s behaviour culture. #EdLeadership #BehaviourMatters
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBE#rEDBRUM TIX ARE GO GO GO GRAB YOUR TICKET AND A BIG DOLLOP OF @daisychristo.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @drchendrick.bsky.social @counsellc.bsky.social @teacherhead.bsky.social @claresealy.bsky.social AND THE REST OF THE GANG www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researched...

- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEBRUM. IS. BACK. 🥳 8TH MARCH 2025 🥳 TIX OUT FRIDAY 31ST JAN, 7PM #rEDBRUM @tombennett71.bsky.social @clairestoneman.bsky.social

- First one TODAY :)
- NEW ONLINE BEHAVIOUR TRAINING For teachers: 27th Jan, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145004933... For leaders: 24th Feb, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145010921... For Australian teachers, 26th Feb, 4-5:30pm (AEDT) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145030620... Live, with me, plus Q&A.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEFrom what I recall about, say, GCSE Maths coursework back in the day, allowing kids to complete assignments at home *increased* attainment gaps due to greater parental /family support, better home resources etc. You'd think top universities would be able to do their research....
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEThis is why you don't design curricula around "jobs of the future". We can't predict the future but we do know what general skills and knowledge will be valuable whatever job you do.
- You don’t *solve* socio-economic outcome gaps by massaging examination conditions, you *disguise* them, and then everyone can tell themselves ‘aren’t we good people?’ while failing to change the lives of the people they claim they care about.
- Just got back to London and bumped into an ex-student of mine in the tube. Absolutely made my day. Six foot three now. This is one of many consolations you get as a teacher, as you slowly turn into the old guy from Up.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEGreat thread from @tombennett71.bsky.social
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEWELL HELLO AGAIN BLUESKY BABS IT’S BEEN A WHILE #rEDBRUM @tombennett71.bsky.social

- We don’t expect children to know brings they have never been told or shown. Which is why teacher-led instruction is so important, especially for novices.
- But this maps onto adult learners too. Even teachers and leaders are far less likely to discover the best way to do things, by themselves. Which is why training is so important, not abandoning them to fate.
- And this maps onto the whole school; leaders need to see successful systems operating in order to understand, adopt and implement those systems most efficiently.
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View full threadSchool-to-school peer development is one of the most powerful processes I have seen in school improvement. Done with, not to
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEFav @tombennett71.bsky.social quote: “Self-discipline, self-regulation, patience & effort are all characteristics of successful people. Everything of value you can conceive of was acquired thru sustained effort, practice & delayed gratification.” More Tom here: open.spotify.com/episode/1iHO...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBECOME TO BRUM ON FRIDAY 7TH MARCH! @tombennett71.bsky.social is running his ace behaviour training and we’re thrilled to be hosting at my school. Tix here 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/running-th...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEMy latest effort at podcasting: An interview with the brilliant insightful & downright funny @tombennett71.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/1iHO...
- This was a hoot to record.
- My latest effort at podcasting: An interview with the brilliant insightful & downright funny @tombennett71.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/1iHO...
- This is sensible.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEThere's an unfortunate gap between what the researcher and the classroom teacher. I started this series to try and close that gap. Ask A Researcher #1 – Dr. Robert Bjork theeffortfuleducator.com/2020/06/09/d... A link to the entire series: theeffortfuleducator.com/ask-a-resear... #edusky
- NEW ONLINE BEHAVIOUR TRAINING For teachers: 27th Jan, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145004933... For leaders: 24th Feb, 4-5:30pm (UK time) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145010921... For Australian teachers, 26th Feb, 4-5:30pm (AEDT) www.eventbrite.com/e/1145030620... Live, with me, plus Q&A.
- NOW WITH LINKS THAT WORK
- Read this and you won’t be disappointed.
- Act of 1944 that brought us tripartite schooling. Vital background to understading many of our current debates. For example: the Norwood report, that predated and informed the Act, specifically believed that children had three types of mind:…. bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…
- the academic/ professional; the technical/ labourer; and everything else in between. This model of the mind neatly mirrored the view (explicitly borrowed from Plato's Republic) that society should train people for these three roles and castes.
- What fascinated me if how much of this thinking still informs modern debate. The idea that some kids are naturally clever, and some of them are 'good with their hands' is a direct descendant of this kind of discriminatory and elitist view.
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View full threadLet children's ambitions, their families, and the economics of society be the factors that determine their destiny, not schools, not ministers, and certainly not an IQ test when a child hasn't even reached the end of the first chapter of their lives. bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBESometimes you need just the right prompt to think about things the right way and Michael’s assembly has reminded me of one of mine and has crystallized what I think about making the curriculum more fun. james-handscombe.co.uk/perserveranc...
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View full threadReposted by Tom Bennett OBETl:dr Fun is a fine thing in education but you don’t make schools fun by prioritizing fun, you do it by prioritizing learning. #EdSky #UKEd @greeborunner.bsky.social @michaeldoron.bsky.social @mrarobbins.bsky.social @bennewmark.bsky.social @tombennett71.bsky.social @drchendrick.bsky.social
- Well worth reading. Adam explores the territory we were navigating extremely well, and sensitively.
- Sorry to link to the Other Place (it's my first time, promise) but I wrote a very long discussion and of researchEd Israel and it's boycott at the link. People here were discussing it at the time, so may be worth a look. x.com/adamboxer1/s...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEI remember on Twitter years ago saying that @bedfordindependent.bsky.social was a proper newspaper that wouldn’t do school-shaming because of the negative effects on staff and pupils. They agreed and retweeted it. They are now doing school-shaming.
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEWe sure do. Here’s a starter for 10 ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2024/05/cont...
- Reposted by Tom Bennett OBEIn a document from the early 1980s, the BBC shares step-by-step instructions for knitting the iconic Fourth Doctor scarf.