👀 Starting the week after half-term. It's filling up nicely but there are still some places left if you want to get in at the ground floor! Low cost, low friction, high impact weekly online sessions with me and @HYWEL_ROBERTS

Here's a sneak preview of my new podcast Making Change Stick: The Art and Science of School Improvement Ep 1 drops Wed 28th Oct! Watch the full trailer: lnkd.in/p/e6ty8Hns Win free DPD for your school: lnkd.in/p/epn3qswu Weekly episodes thereafter Keep an eye out for the forthcoming episode with headteacher Gavin Barnett- it's a belter!! #schools #education #ukedchat #schoolleadership #makingchangestick

This moment has been *12 years* in the making, which I guess makes me old. Attending an implementation science conference in 2014 which blew the top of my head clean off. Trawling the change management literature from a wide range of fields. Finding *loads* of amazing ideas. Implementing them in hundreds of schools around the world and finding out what works. Assembling them into a framework: Make a start, Make a plan, Make it happen. Publishing a book with Hachette Learning. And now - finally! - making a podcast to drop these brilliant ideas and strategies - and interviews with inspiring educators walking the walk - into the ears (and eyes) of time-pressed educators. To mark the launch, I'm running a competition. To enter: 1. Post about the pod on LinkedIn 2. Include the link: bit.ly/mcs-pod 3. Tag James Mannion And that's it!

BIG NEWS: I'm launching a new podcast! Making Change Stick: The Art and Science of School Improvement is for anyone who has watched a brilliant new idea implemented with great fanfare, only to fizzle out with in a few short months. (And that's basically everyone in education). This moment has been a long time coming - 12 years, to be precise. I wrote a book about it - Making Change Stick - which came out last year. But a book... is just a book. And so now I am finally (finally!) at the stage in my journey where I can start dropping these brilliant ideas and strategies into the ears (and eyes) of time-pressed educators through a podcast / YouTube channel. Every Wednesday at midday I'll publish a short episode with practical tools, research and conversations with educators walking the talk, always focused on two questions: -> How can we improve outcomes? -> How can we make it last? Because great ideas don't improve schools. Implementation does. Trailer out now! Episode 1 drops Wed 28th October Where to listen: Youtube - youtube.com/playlist?list=PL… Apple - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… Spotify - open.spotify.com/show/7EWtWC… Win a 60-minute implementation coaching session! To mark the launch, I'm giving away a one-to-one coaching session to help you tackle a real school improvement challenge. Five runners-up will each win a signed copy of Making Change Stick. To enter, you need to do 3 simple things (it's one thing really): 1. Post something nice about the pod on LinkedIn 2. Include the link: bit.ly/mcs-pod 3. Tag me (@ James Mannion) Entries close midnight Sun 15th Nov, and I'll announce the winners (chosen at random) on Mon 16th Nov.

Starting the week after half-term: makingchangestick.co/behavio…

Starting the week after half-term, me and @TaraElietweets are running a 6-week programme - Behaviour Unlocked - combining Tara’s expertise in behaviour and the psychology of mattering with my implementation know-how. One hour a week after school, online. Low cost, low friction, high impact. Join us for a weekly dose of fresh ideas, combined with friendly support and gentle accountability, and learn how to improve behaviour by making people feel valued - and that they add value. Find out more: makingchangestick.co/behavio…

Starting the week after half-term, me and @HYWEL_ROBERTS (Hywel and I?) are running a 6-week programme - Implementing Botheredness - combining Hywel's pedagogy of botheredness with my implementation know-how. One hour a week after school, online. Low cost, low friction, high impact. Join us for a weekly dose of fresh ideas, combined with friendly support and gentle accountability, and learn how to get your students really invested in their learning - by design. Find out more: makingchangestick.co/impleme…

An excerpt from 'It's time to end the academic obsession (with Sugata Mitra) - on the Rethinking Ed podcast Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/it-s-time-…

Alas, @HYWEL_ROBERTS & Mannion makingchangestick.co/impleme…

Sarah Seleznyov on education of the Head, Heart, and Hand From the Rethinking Ed podcast "We need revolution, not evolution!" - Education of the Head, Heart and Hand, with Sarah Seleznyov and Liz Robinson Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/we-need-re…

This is not looking good :(

It beats this 😭

Tickets now on sale - and they're flying out like hot cakes! Implementing Botheredness 2026 with me and @HYWEL_ROBERTS 6 online sessions after school over 6 weeks Low-cost, low-friction, high impact £97pp - bulk deals available for groups To sign up, or to find out more, visit: makingchangestick.co/impleme…

"I know what you're thinking" A short film about cognitive truancy makingchangestick.co/impleme…

Why is education so... disembodied??? Guy Claxton hammers the point home here in a brilliant new episode of #repod “We feel, therefore we learn!” Why education needs to get embodied - with Guy Claxton and Emily Poel Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/we-feel-th…

Most professional learning doesn't improve outcomes for kids. An INSET day, a motivational speaker, a burst of enthusiasm - and then Monday morning hits you like a steam train. That's why I'm so excited to be part of a brand-new approach to professional learning. I'm working with two enviably talented educators - the legendary @TaraElietweets and @HYWEL_ROBERTS - combining deep, practical classroom expertise with the principles of implementation science. Our aim is simple: to help make day-to-day classroom practice warm, inclusive and impactful. We're running two programmes - each online (6 sessions, after school, running in Nov and Dec) and designed around regular, bite-sized check-ins so change actually sticks without adding to teacher workload or needing cover. The result is a model that is low-cost, low-friction and high-impact. ✔️ Behaviour Unlocked (with Tara Elie): Practical strategies for building a culture of care, consistency, belonging, and mattering. ✔️ Implementing Botheredness (with Hywel Roberts): Bringing the curriculum to life through story, stance, and deep pupil investment. Both programmes are £97pp for all 6 sessions, including recordings and resources. Tickets go on sale Monday at 9am, and places are limited. Don't miss out - join the waitlist now to get to the front of the queue: Behaviour Unlocked: makingchangestick.co/behavio… Implementing Botheredness: makingchangestick.co/impleme… Big shoutout to Tara and Hywel for bringing their incredible expertise to these projects. Let’s make change stick! 🚀

I'm all right thanks

Strict schools get results. But at what cost? According to a recent DfE National Behaviour Survey, teachers report that 7 out of every 30 minutes of class time are lost to low-level disruption. I spoke with some teachers recently who said they would settle for that. This works out at around 45 days a year. Across five years of secondary school, it's more than an entire school year. It is a vast amount of lost learning time, which obviously has a big impact on student outcomes. Student behaviour is also one of the main reasons why we have so many ex-teachers in this country. In response to this problem, some schools in recent years – especially in England, but elsewhere also – have gone down what we might call the “super-strict” route: SLANT (Sit up, Listen carefully, Ask and answer questions, Nod your head, Track the teacher), silent corridors, high-volume daily detentions for quite minor things, isolation booths, euphemistically named “reflection” or “seclusion” rooms where students often spend hours or even multiple days, suspensions, exclusions – all that stuff. On paper, the super-strict approach appears to have some merit. Some of the highest achieving schools in England have adopted what is sometimes described as a “zero tolerance” approach to student behaviour. But while this approach has many vocal supporters, it isn’t for everyone. Indeed, many students, educators and parents are deeply troubled by it – and there have been some clear examples of overreach, as we’ve seen in the press in recent months. There is another way The strict application of "consequences" is one way to get results, but it's not the only way. It is also possible to achieve calm, purposeful classrooms through creating a learning culture rooted in the psychology of mattering. Classrooms where students behave in prosocial ways because they are invested in the learning and feel respected and cared for. There are two aspects to mattering, and they apply both to students and staff. When people feel a) that they are valued, and b) that they add value, you have the foundations for a culture of prosocial behaviour and positive relationships. This is not a replacement for the use of consequences in schools. But it is a workable alternative to the super-strict approach. So that’s the ‘what’. The next question is ‘how’. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of studying and practising implementation science and behaviour change – and this too applies both to teachers and students – it is this: Almost nothing changes without a regular check-in – a regular, scheduled time to notice how things are going and to decide what to do about it, in relation to goals you’ve agreed to. Check in. Take action. Repeat. It’s so simple – and so effective! Behaviour Unlocked With all of this in mind, I’ve been working with Tara Elie – one of the most gifted teacher educators I've ever met – to create a low-cost, low-friction, high-impact professional learning programme. Behaviour Unlocked is designed to translate insights from the psychology of mattering into classroom routines that improve behaviour and promote learning – day in, day out. It works like this. Six weeks, one hour after school, online. We try something. We come back. We talk about how it went with people who are on the same path. We each provide – and benefit from – a warm, supportive form of accountability. Over six weeks, you’ll learn how to achieve a culture of calm, consistency and belonging through an approach that isn’t at odds with your values. And we'll give you the tools and the connections you need to keep the conversation going long after the programme ends. Behaviour Unlocked is suitable for anyone who works with children and young people – teachers, support staff, school and trust leaders – even parents and carers. It will will run across six Thursdays in November and December, 4.30-5.30pm: Nov 5, 12, 19, 26, Dec 3, 10. It's £97 per person for all six sessions. We also offer bulk deals for groups. Because these sessions are interactive, it's important that you attend every week if possible. However, if you can't make a session for some reason, we will send a recording afterwards. We'll open up ticket sales soon. Places are limited, so if you're interested, you can join the wait-list here to make sure you're at the front of the queue: makingchangestick.co/behavio…

We're doing something a bit different for Season 6 of the Rethinking Ed podcast 10 provocations - one for each month - to guide us: 1. it’s time to end the academic obsession. 2. We are measuring the wrong things. 3. The status quo won’t close the disadvantage gap. 4. Place-based politics means radical educational change. 5. There is more to human development than subject learning. 6. The timetable is the battleground. 7. Exams should be like music grades. 8. Ofsted has to go. 9. Free education shouldn’t end at 18. 10. We should have slice teams at the DfE. Here's a 30-min trailer - we record episode 1 this week. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this takes us...

The trailer for Season 6 of #repod has just dropped! We're doing something a bit different this year. We will still have guests, but instead of mainly talking about other people's books and ideas, we’ll be setting our stall out for what we think needs to change, based around ten provocations that will provide a narrative arc to this season: 1. it’s time to end the academic obsession. 2. We are measuring the wrong things. 3. The status quo won’t close the disadvantage gap. 4. Place-based politics means radical educational change. 5. There is more to human development than subject learning. 6. The timetable is the battleground. 7. Exams should be like music grades. 8. Ofsted has to go. 9. Free education shouldn’t end at 18. 10. We should have slice teams at the DfE. Amusingly for a long-form podcast, our trailer is 30 mins long! I really like this format though, we might have to do something like this again. Episode 1 will feature none other than @Sugatam. I cannot wait to dive in! @realdcameron @CrownHousePub @unjaded_jade @LucyMPowell youtu.be/UDRfobdiQ3E?si=c4X4…

Just came out of #Arcadia. Wow!! Love Stoppard's plays so much - all the thinks and all the feels. Insane seats at back of stage!

This little book is absolutely extraordinary. I've never read anything remotely like it. Breathtaking.

I initially outlined the idea here: youtu.be/lvm9TYosmXo?si=syXb… I would be happy to discuss this if you'd like to explore this idea further!

Hello @andyburnham @LucyMPowell I have an idea for how we could improve the design and implementation of education policy through the use of representative 'slice teams'. open.substack.com/pub/drjame…

Wandered down to see the #pride parade for the first time in a few years. I found it unexpectedly emotional. Such a profoundly beautiful, warm display of love, shared humanity, human connection and super loud banging tunes ❤️ 🌈 #brightonpride

We're doing something a bit different for Season 7 of #repod... A provocation and a debate each episode. We will still have guests, but only where we need them to illuminate the topic @realdcameron @CrownHousePub

By the way, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this recent episode of the pod Dylan, on some very important aspects of the science of learning that we don't often hear about youtube.com/watch?v=DggqWJm2…

📢 Registrations for IMPLEMENTING ORACY 2027 are now open! 📢 👀 The early bird deadline is this Friday 10th July 🔗 Link in comments

Lol I just found a video of my band playing our disco anthem about Brexit one year after the referendum I didn't know this existed 😲 youtu.be/zd8rUGeM_qY?si=3h8P…

Spurred on by @andyburnham's triple whammy - open up technical / vocational education, devolve power, rewire the country - I published this independent green paper today. I think this would be boss personally. But I’m just like one dude. I’d love to hear your thoughts! 👊

All this breathless speculation about Andy Burnham... What will he think about AI, net zero, the triple lock, defense spending... The myth of the heroic leader is insane. Here's what we should do instead

Autonomy isn't anarchy. New episode with Sophie Smith-Tong on trust, control, and what it really means to give teachers their professional freedom back. Link to full episode below

An 8s snapshot of life on a UK high street ⌚ A £41k Rolex 👔 Some £5k "horrible cufflinks" 👀 And outside... Only one party has a plan to reverse the ever-increasing inequality #votegreen

"We underestimate children and young people. A lot." Dr @SueRoffey on the two missing pillars of education Read / listen / watch all about it: drjamesmannion.substack.com/… Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=yn0nV5hU…

Quantum physics tells us that all information is information *between systems* Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog) - drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

Turning Know-How into Know-Why through Dialogue Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog): drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

"We want to induct them in to participation in culture, as a dialogue" Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog): drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

"When you focus on dialogue, behaviour improves..." Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog) - drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

"I was too focused on teaching people to think for themselves..."   Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog) - drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

Dialogue brings about a shift in identity. It's an expansion of consciousness. It's cosmic! Prof Rupert Wegerif on Education as Expanding Dialogue Full episode (and blog): drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

Unpacking 'double dialogue' Professor Rupert Wegerif on education as expanding dialogue rethinking-ed.org/education-…

"It's not passing on the dead hand of history, it's an engagement with what's gone before" Prof Rupert Wegerif on education as expanding dialogue   Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/education-…

"Education is not teacher-centred or student-centred - it's dialogue-centred" Prof Rupert Wegerif on education as expanding dialogue Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/education-…

Me and @HYWEL_ROBERTS are doing a free webinar this afternoon on Implementing Botheredness - 4.30-5.30pm. If you can't join us live, we'll send you a recording afterwards. We've had 186 sign-ups so far, but there's room for 500. We'll stick the kettle on. Or maybe an urn. Link ↓

Most behaviour issues aren’t extreme incidents. They’re the small things: calling out, side conversations, drifting off task. In Rebooting Behaviour 2026, we'll help you minimise level disruption. 👀 Early bird ends Fri 13 March Links ↓

IMPLEMENTING BOTHEREDNESS with @HYWEL_ROBERTS FREE webinar this Thu 12 March, 4.30-5.30pm How do we move pupils from ‘can’t be bothered’ to properly stuck in? We’ll explore the pedagogy of botheredness – stories, stance & teaching that cultivates real investment. Sign up ↓

7 minutes out of every 30 minutes of classroom time are now estimated to be lost to disruption. Why doesn’t tightening behaviour policies solve it? 🧐

Vindication!🧐

"It's really affected the way I see the world and my politics" An astonishing, poignant and timely conversation to mark #holocaustmemorialday   Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world   Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-… [

FREE WEBINAR today (24 Feb, 4.30–5.30pm GMT) Rethinking School #Behaviour – The two missing pieces. Why is behaviour such a stubborn problem? We’ll explore the psychology of mattering + implementation science – and what it takes to fix issues at the root. Join us ↓

"What's the point of this, Sir?" @HYWEL_ROBERTS and I have written a free guide to implementing botheredness. It's about how to get kids really invested in their learning - by design. If you want your students to get properly stuck in, click below ↓

"This had me in tears! What an amazing thing to do." An email I received this morning in response to this guest post by Andrew Speight Link below drjamesmannion.substack.com/…

We spend a lot of time talking about engagement. Much less time talking about investment. This short, free guide explores how schools can move from "what's the point" to kids getting properly stuck in - day in, day out - by design. 📘 Implementing botheredness - Link below

"Being separate hasn't served us well in education..." Improving school behaviour through implementation and improvement science Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

"We're future-proofing against a time when all of these survivors will sadly be gone." Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-… #holocaustmemorialday

"My mother and grandmother spent 3 years at constant risk of detection, betrayal and death." Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world   Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-…  #holocaustmemorialday

"She managed to push a note through the train window" An astonishing, poignant and timely conversation to mark #holocaustmemorialday Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-… [https://lnkd.

The impact we could have is *insane* Improving school behaviour through implementation and improvement science Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

The importance of mattering: Being valued and adding value - with Tara Elie Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

The jaw-dropping day that changed James's life Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

Why we need to re-evaluate what success looks like - with Tara Elie Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

"A meeting with Hermann Göring led my grandfather to believe it was no longer safe." Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world. Full episode:  rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-…  #holocaustmemorialday

"The deportations started - and that set the alarm bells ringing for my grandmother..." An astonishing, profoundly moving and timely conversation to mark #holocaustmemorialday Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/holocaust-…

Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in school behaviour, with Tara Elie Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

Power: The unspoken force at the heart of school life Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

Why belonging is downstream of mattering Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

Implementation is a process!  How to optimise school behaviour through implementation and improvement science Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

Unleashing the power of specific praise - and why Ofsted's 'big listening exercise' rang hollow Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

Why your school's behaviour policy is stalling by January Improving school behaviour through implementation and improvement science Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

Why Tara's eyebrows shot through the ceiling The scale of the implementation gap is an absolute shocker Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/implementi…

I am *super excited* to be working with @HYWEL_ROBERTS on a new programme for teachers and school leaders. It combines Hywel's pedagogy of botheredness with my implementation know-how to create classrooms where kids get stuck in - by design. If you're interested, click below...

How can the psychology of mattering help improve staff wellbeing? Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in school behaviour, with Tara Elie Full episode: rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

What does 'mattering' look like in practice? Check out the full episode - rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in school behaviour Check out the full episode - rethinking-ed.org/tara-elie-…

The Death of EBACC: A New Era for Arts Education Check out the full episode: rethinking-ed.org/inside-the…

Given the scale of the problem... Does the CAR go far enough? Inside the Curriculum and Assessment Review Check out the full ep: rethinking-ed.org/inside-the…

Lunch with a legend

"The smoking ruins of Edutwitter are ablaze..." - It's the Rethinking Education 2025 End of Year Review! Check out the full ep: rethinking-ed.org/2025-repod…