For those of you who do not know me, I was a Primary Headteacher in Dubai for 5 years, and I’ve had the joy of organising ResearchEd Dubai for the last two. I’m now a Primary Headteacher in an English curriculum school in Panama City, after moving across the world with my family to Central America for a new adventure!
I’ve been sharing teaching ideas for a while in different formats, but 2025 was the year I brought WAGOLL Teaching to Substack so it could be easier for busy educators to access. The aim was simple: more primary voices and research-informed practice that feels usable on a Tuesday afternoon in a primary Year 2 class.
I’ll be honest, posting still gives me a little spike of anxiety. My writing confidence is a work in progress. But the feedback this year has been amazing, and I’m genuinely grateful to everyone who’s read, shared, subscribed, and especially those who’ve joined WAGOLL+ and backed the work.
In 2025, the WAGOLL Teaching community grew to 8,264 subscribers. Thank you, properly, to everyone who clicked that subscribe button.
This post is a quick rewind of the year: the most-read articles, the WAGOLL+ posts that helped the community grow, and the top Books That Stick reviews. If you’re new here and want the next posts straight to your inbox, you can subscribe below.
📬 Free Articles
These were the posts that seemed to land most with teachers this year. If you only read a handful, start here:
⭐ WAGOLL+ Articles (Paid Subscribers)
If you’ve ever wondered what WAGOLL+ is like, these are the posts that were written to support WAGOLL+ subscribers in the classroom. They’re designed to be more practical, classroom-ready, and easy to apply in individual classrooms.
📚 Books That Stick (Top 5 of 2025)
These are the book posts that were read the most this year. I’ve added a one-liner on what each one is actually useful for:
🧱 Where It All Started
These were part of the early “why WAGOLL exists” thinking, around codifying practice and making great teaching easier to share:
Before You Dash…
If you’ve read, shared, replied, or subscribed this year, thank you. I really mean it. Primary education deserves the same level of research-informed conversation as any other phase, while still keeping one eye firmly on child development, age and stage, and the reality of classrooms.
In 2026, I’m doubling down on what’s worked: more practical toolkits, more Playbook-style routines, and hopefully a few more guest voices so it’s not always just me banging on.
If you want the weekly posts in your inbox and the WAGOLL+ vault of resources, then please subscribe.
In a bit,
Coops 😎