Best Practice

Twenty teaching and learning strategies that work

20 October 2021

Every moment counts in the classroom, but what really works when it comes to teaching and learning? Where should we focus our efforts? Steve Burnage offers 20 teaching and learning strategies that really work

The four pillars of parental engagement

20 October 2021

Now is a pivotal moment to take parental engagement seriously and review our approaches. Justin Robbins and Karen Dempster describe their four pillars of effective practice

Secondary SEN: Learning lessons from primary school practice

18 October 2021

Primary teacher Sara Alston has been working as a secondary school SENCO during the past year. She reflects here on the nuanced differences in the SEND experience, how these might negatively affect SEND students – and what we can do about it

RSHE: Using drama to address online abuse

18 October 2021

Using drama across the curriculum can help adolescents tackle some of the challenges they face. Teacher Gary Baxendale discusses using drama and role-play to address the dangers of online abuse

Simplifying our practice: Marking and feedback

13 October 2021

In a series of five articles, Adam Riches is looking at how we might simplify common classroom practice in order to make teaching and learning more effective. Part one looks at marking and feedback

The Pupil Premium strategy statement

13 October 2021

The DfE’s new Pupil Premium strategy statement is aimed at helping schools to explain how they are using this crucial funding. Suzanne O’Connell looks at what it entails and what’s involved

SEND & safeguarding: Effective practice

11 October 2021

The increased vulnerabilities of children with SEND mean that safeguarding must remain a constant focus for all school staff. Sara Alston advises

Mental health: A rowing revolution

11 October 2021

In a three-part series, Phil Denton considers the merits of a number of initiatives set-up to improve the mental health of our young people. In part one, he introduces the work of Ben Dunne, both via the River Reeves Foundation and Warrington Youth Rowing

Seven principles of effective secondary homework

6 October 2021

What is the secret to effective homework? Drawing upon the research, author of a new book on the topic Andrew Jones offers seven key principles for setting good homework at secondary level

Flexible working: How can it work for your school?

5 October 2021

Over the last 18 months more school staff will have worked flexibly than ever before, but what does flexible working actually mean in the secondary school context? Louise Hatswell looks at employment law, best practice and offers some guidance for employers

Meaningless words? How to build a genuine school ethos

5 October 2021

Building a school ethos can so easily become an exercise in jargon and meaningless words. James Handscombe says that it is not until your ethos gets in the way of a hard decision that you know if you really believe in what you’re saying…

Schools and vaccine liability: Debunking the anti-vaxxers' threats

28 September 2021

As the vaccination programme rolls out for 12 to 15-year-olds, headteachers continue to receive threatening letters alleging severe legal consequences for them and their schools. We asked legal expert Julia Green to debunk these threats and reassure SecEd readers

Case study: Teaching oracy skills

27 September 2021

Oracy has been identified as a key post-lockdown priority. One school is working closely with Shakespearean actors to boost children’s speaking skills. Lucy Cherry explains

Pedagogical content knowledge and the sequence of learning

27 September 2021

When it comes to great teaching and pedagogy, the sequence of learning trumps everything – and our new goal is pedagogical content knowledge. Ben Harding offers some insights into what this means in the classroom and for the school

The Tic Tac Awards: Why prizes don’t matter

21 September 2021

Prizes do not matter and will not create the impact you want in your classroom. That is why teacher Samuel Elliott created The Tic Tac Awards – and even he was amazed at how much of a hit they were...

Diversity across the school: Steps we can take

21 September 2021

Taking the first steps on the road to creating a school community that truly embraces diversity can be scary and we might make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore this vital work. Adele Bates offers some practical advice

Pupil Premium: How do you talk about money?

20 September 2021

We are not trained or prepared for how we should speak to Pupil Premium students about this label, what it means, and about money in general – and this can be a real minefield for teachers and school staff. Liz Hebb explains
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