July Newsletter
- steve246253
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Our monthly highlights
Steve Willshaw
July Newsletter Welcome to the July edition of my newsletter! I've had a busy and rewarding few weeks, full of deep-dive conversations into school culture and the launch of some brilliant new resources for the classroom. Here is a look at what’s been happening. |
Functional Fluency I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Collin for the latest episode of the Headship after Hours podcast. It was a fantastic opportunity to unpack the thinking behind my book, The Functionally Fluent Teacher, and how we can build genuinely sustainable, equitable school cultures.
In this episode, we challenge the idea that young people should be treated as "blank slates" when they move between phases of education. Instead, we discuss how schools can build stronger reading cultures, support meaningful literacy development, and navigate the crucial transition periods with intention. We also dive deep into my Four Leadership Pillars:
Beyond the pillars, we explore Functional Fluency—looking at coaching, behaviour, relationships, and how educators can shift their daily practice from merely reacting to intentionally responding.
Who is this for? This episode is a must-listen for headteachers, literacy leaders, English teachers, curriculum leaders, and anyone passionate about reading, equity, and school improvement. Find it here.
As UK Functional Fluency Connector I have organised the following events for Functional Fluency professionals.
On Monday 6 July 9-10 am its our regular monthly drop-in session where we discuss anything FF related that is on your minds. Use the link to book in.
One of our longer-form meetings is happening later in the month - look out for details in a dedicated email. |
Coaching In the last month I have had productive coaching sessions with a number of headteachers. It is an honour to see them grow in confidence as their careers develop. It is so clear that they find the time to reflect and think carefully about their practice absolutely invaluable. During the summer months I am looking forward to working with Dr Phil Renshaw to devise a coaching methodology aimed at middle leaders that brings together key elements of Functional Fluency and the approach that he has outlined in his book, Coaching on the Go. The aim is to create a low-cost, high-value coaching programme to help middle leaders to use coaching skills to genuinely develop their teams, enabling them to fulfil their potential. |
The Ambitious Years During June I was excited to coordinate the publication of four brand-new units in Mary Myatt's The Ambitious Years project, designed to bring rigor, depth, and immense engagement to the Key Stage 3 classroom. It has been an absolute privilege to collaborate with some incredibly talented teachers to bring these booklets to life. These resources are built to inspire students and support teachers for many years to come:
These units represent exactly what we mean by Intellectual Equity—providing young people with rich, complex, and worldly texts that stretch their thinking and broaden their horizons. If you have a subscription you can access all the units here and there are sample units available free. |
Read Aloud The Read Aloud course is now up and running and the early adopters have now completed all 9 units. It is aimed at building teachers' confidence to use this pedagogical technique to best effect.
Meanwhile, I have written a short booklet called A Teacher's Guide to Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum, featuring a chapter by Simon Day. I will be working hard in the coming months to get this published in time for the new school year. Click here to find out more. |
Rooted in Reading It was great to give the keynote talk at last Friday's meeting of the Bolton English Hub. Much of the conversation revolved around how schools can use Rooted in Reading to boost reading for pleasure. The Transition Passport was of particular interest and orders are already on their way up to the north-west. To view the whole range of passports and related resources click here. |
Consultancy If your school, trust or local Heads of English group would like me to delivery a keynote speech or facilitate a workshop on any of the work I do, please get in touch. |
The National Baccalaureate Trust The National Baccalaureate Trust annual face to face meeting takes place in Milton Keynes on Monday 13 July. I am looking forward to meeting colleagues who have taken the plunge and are delivering baccalaureate models in their schools and hearing about the great impact that this is having on young people. If you are already involved or would like to come along to hear about the work of these schools you can book your free place here.
I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of term. Steve |
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