Best Practice

Sexual violence and harassment: How schools must respond

14 April 2021

As thousands of young people share their experiences of sexual harassment and violence, both in and out of schools – safeguarding expert Hannah Glossop looks at how schools can sharpen their policies and procedures

Using cognitive science to improve classroom practice

14 April 2021

What is cognitive science and cognitive load theory? Do you need to use it when you teach? Exactly how do you use it when you teach? Dr Kelly Woodford-Richens offers a practical overview of cognitive science in practice

Behaviour and bias: Where are your blind-spots?

13 April 2021

When it comes to behaviour, do you treat different pupils differently? Do you look for underlying needs? What biases do you have and how do they affect your responses to poor behaviour? Adele Bates discusses and advises

SEND & Covid: Supporting students in the months to come

12 April 2021

The return to school last month may have been particularly challenging for our students with SEND. Garry Freeman reminds us of the basic principles of supporting students’ underlying needs – which will be more crucial than ever in the months to come

Rejecting catch-up: Recalibrating and responding beyond the pandemic

6 April 2021

How many pupils want to be told – repeatedly – that they are behind? It’s not about ‘catch-up’, but ‘recalibration’ says Sean Harris. He reports on what this looks like at Bede Academy in Northumberland and what our priorities should be, both this term and next academic year

Staff wellbeing: Five resilience hacks

5 April 2021

Protecting the wellbeing of our education workforce is crucial during the pandemic. Martina Witter offers five resilience hacks for teaching staff to help support wellbeing during these times of change and uncertainty

Earth Day 2021: Inspiring young global citizens

5 April 2021

This year’s Earth Day on April 22 offers secondary schools the chance to engage pupils in issues relating to climate change and environmental protection. Harriet Marshall and Matthew Smitheman offer some ideas

Remote teaching: Effective live lessons

5 April 2021

Schools may have re-opened more widely after the third lockdown, but remote teaching looks set to be with us for some time to come, including live online lessons. Dr Sharon Smith considers some differences between online and classroom teaching and offers a few tips

Blended learning: Creating an effective culture of virtual safeguarding

24 March 2021

Schools are fully re-open but with self-isolation requirements still in place, remote and blended learning is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Elizabeth Rose considers how we can ensure an effective culture of virtual safeguarding in this new blended world of education

No Silver Bullets: Day-in, day-out school improvement

23 March 2021

School improvement is not about silver bullets. Rather it is about making small incremental gains day-in, day-out. A new book is offering 89 such gains to help focus the mind. Author Paul K Ainsworth dissects four of them here...

Covid recovery: The importance of EAL assessment

23 March 2021

Setting accurate language targets and using tailored strategies will be crucial if we are to help the post-lockdown recovery of students who use English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce and Silvana Richardson explain and advise

Advising new teachers: How can I get my pupils to behave?

17 March 2021

Pupil behaviour is one of the most common concerns for early career teachers. Patrick Garton draws on his research with teachers and school leaders to give us three principles for developing effective behaviour management. His article advises both ECTs and those who mentor and support them

Teaching consent as part of statutory RSE

17 March 2021

Young people are keen to explore what consent means for them in practice, including potential ‘grey areas’. Dr Elsie Whittington, who has helped develop new teaching resources to support consent education, discusses the challenges and opportunities for opening up the consent conversation as part of ...

Ventilation and hygiene: Advice and tips for secondary schools

16 March 2021

One year on and good ventilation, good hygiene and mask-wearing remain at the heart of keeping school sites and classrooms Covid-safe. It is worth reminding ourselves of the safest approaches. Dr Neil Bacon offers some advice and tips for secondary schools

Lessons learned: Providing pastoral care during a pandemic

15 March 2021

Providing pastoral care this past year has been a particular challenge for schools. One year on from the outbreak of Covid-19, head of year Dave Stephenson reflects on the challenges, successes and lessons learned during the pandemic

How to handle criticism on social media

15 March 2021

Many schools are now using social media to reach out and engage with their community, but it can also open us up to criticism and unfounded allegations from parents and others. Stephen James advises on how to handle these tricky situations

Evidence to Action: The seven Es of effective CPD

9 March 2021

There are some common and key themes to effective and successful professional learning and development for school staff. Fiona Aubrey-Smith distills these down to the seven Es of effective CPD...

Full school re-opening: Supporting SEND pupils

8 March 2021

As schools re-open to all students, those with SEND may well need more support. Stephanie Glenister outlines how we can help pupils – both those who have been attending school during lockdown and those who have been at home – to transition back into ‘normal’ school life
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