There's been quite a bit of discussion on differentiation (again) recently. As this topic evokes strong opinions I thought it might be useful to unpack the evidence a bit. Firstly, we need to look at what we mean by differentiation, there are a number of different definitions. The most traditional form is of course setting. We have a lot of research on this, which generally shows small positive effects for those in the highest sets, small negative effects for those in the lowest.

1. Some first thoughts on the EEF cognitive science review. #EEF #cogpsy educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summa… 2. Firstly, it’s a thorough piece of work, methodologically sound and kudos to the authors for going through the wealth of papers here.

As my Christmas present to you all, here is a list of my top-10 metal tunes of 2020, in no particular order. It's a mixed bag of genres and styles, but they're all bangers! First up, The Terror Begins by Make Them Die Slowly. Horror-movie inspired grind/black/industrial from Mick Kenney and Duncan Wilkins.