Wednesday Wisdom
Tooled Up Tips for Parents and Educators Around the World
28/01/2026
Eleven Plus Angst
Last Saturday was results day for parents across Northern Ireland, a date that quietly carries enormous weight in many households. From early morning, inboxes were refreshed, phones checked and conversations suspended in anticipation of a single email. Few parents will have slept well the night before.
21/01/2026
Digital Defenders
Many of our UK-based readers will likely remember several high profile hacking incidents last year, affecting some of our biggest businesses. In fact, you may well have been personally impacted. After all, every single one of the Co-op’s 6.5 million members had their data stolen in a cyber-attack, and M&S was forced to close its online business for almost seven long weeks after a huge security breach. Both attacks cost the organisations millions of pounds and seriously inconvenienced millions of shoppers.
14/01/2026
Under the Influence
I appreciate that hearing about other people’s holidays isn’t always welcome, but I have recently returned from a trip to the United States that has left a lasting impression. My children have an American grandmother and had only ever seen the America in movies, on the news and on social media. What would the reality be like?
07/01/2026
2025 in Review
I am very fond of citing Professor Tamsin Ford who says that ‘reflection breeds resilience’, so here goes our attempt at looking back on 2025 and thinking about how far Tooled Up Education has come as an organisation and what we have achieved as a team!
17/12/2025
Finding the Light
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to begin by wishing all our Wednesday Wisdom readers and the wider Tooled Up community, a wonderful festive season with your families.
10/12/2025
Moments that Matter
Last week, my husband won four tickets in a work lottery to see a spectacular edition of 'A Christmas Carol' at the Old Vic in London. I had already seen it, so he decided to invite a family friend, who brought two local children instead, one of whom had never been on a train or to a theatre before.
03/12/2025
Being Barnaby Brewer
In this season of hope, we have a turnaround tale of an angry and frustrated child taking his first steps into professional motorsport as a confident, neurodiverse and happy teen. In his words, with contributions from Mum and Dad.
26/11/2025
Building Brilliance
Last week, I had the good fortune of being invited to the opening of a new ‘Lego Room’ at Willington Prep School in London, a purpose-built space designed to bring the science of play to life. It was a wonderful evening.