For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 265: Left-handed pupils are often judged on messy pages, slow fluency, and “awkward grips”—but what if the real issue isn’t the child… it’s the instruction?

In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran Mackle is joined by Mark Stewart (Left n Write UK)—a contributor to the Writing Framework and long-time advocate for left-handed learners. Mark explains why left-handers face built-in challenges in left-to-right writing systems, and how small changes in paper angle, seating, grip, and modelling can remove barriers fast.

You’ll hear practical classroom strategies to prevent smudging, “hooked” writing, discomfort and fatigue, and copying difficulties—plus why teachers need to look beyond the finished page and focus on how writing is produced. Mark also shares two unforgettable letters: one from a 13-year-old whose writing changed after 10 minutes of guidance, and another from a woman in her 70s reflecting on a lifetime of unnecessary struggle.

If you teach EYFS/KS1 or support handwriting across primary, this episode is a must-listen for inclusive, evidence-informed practice.

Key themes: left-handed writing, handwriting technique, grip, letter formation, teacher training/CPD, cross-laterality, writing framework implications, classroom adaptations.

TDaPE London Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-london-tickets-1852637682179?aff=oddtdtcreator

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 264: What happens when a maths app “works” in the moment… but pupils can’t do the same maths the next day on paper?

In this episode, Kieran Mackle and Stuart Welsh dig into a systematic review and meta-analysis on digital mathematics interventions for learners with mathematical learning difficulties/disabilities. They unpack what the evidence suggests (and what it doesn’t), why outcomes vary wildly across studies, and how schools can avoid buying into shiny “silver bullet” claims.

Key themes include:

• Why “generally positive” results still hide a real risk of negative impact

• The difference between performance in-app and learning that transfers

• Mobile vs laptop: what the studies show (and what we’re only guessing)

• A simple decision lens

• What research still needs to answer so teachers aren’t forced to guess

If you’re a primary teacher, maths lead, SENCo, or school leader weighing up edtech spending, this conversation will help you be both evidence-aware and implementation-smart.

TDaPE London Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-london-tickets-1852637682179?aff=oddtdtcreator

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 263: This week is a proper behind-the-scenes look at TDaPE London.

I’m joined by Lacey Cousins and Natalie Stevenson from the Hawley and Eleanor Palmer Primary partnership, our host schools in Camden, to walk through the programme and talk honestly about how you choose sessions when everything looks brilliant on paper.

We get into what makes a day like this genuinely useful: not just big names, but specific ideas you can take back on Monday. Retrieval practice that actually improves assessment in foundation subjects. Professional development that helps teachers make better in-the-moment decisions. Number sense and what it really means in classrooms. AI, character education, continuous provision, early writing foundations, culture-setting, games for fluency, and why problem solving still gets squeezed out even when everyone agrees it matters.

We also talk about the underestimated magic of conferences: the corridor conversations, the “happy accident” of ending up in the wrong room, and how a single session can re-energise your whole January.

Tickets are still on sale at the time of recording, lunch is sorted, the raffle is ready, and every speaker is giving their time to help us raise money for the Velindre Cancer Centre.