Best Practice

Four coaching conversations for school leaders

1 July 2020

Coaching can have a positive influence on staff wellbeing, morale and performance in schools. Denise Barrows outlines four particularly powerful coaching conversations that leaders can use to achieve this sort of transformative impact

Knowledge and skills: How you can achieve both in your school

30 June 2020

There is a virus doing the rounds – it makes people think that knowledge and skills cannot co-habit. Professor Guy Claxton says that ‘both/and’ – not ‘either/or’ – is perfectly possible. He offers some practical reflections for school leaders

Managing depression in the classroom

29 June 2020

An estimated one in 10 teenagers have mental health problems and there is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. In this five-article series, Dr Stephanie Thornton advises schools and teachers. In part five, she advises on how support students with depression with their learning

PSHE: Five tried and tested tips

24 June 2020

PSHE equips students with an understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. Head of PSHE Andrew Hedley shares five tried and tested tips to get the most from lessons

Critical thinking activities and ideas

23 June 2020

In an age of misinformation and in the midst of a global pandemic, critical thinking and judgement have fast become essential life-skills. Rebecca Kitchen reports on a CPD project to improve young people’s critical thinking and discusses some approaches and best practice

Student trauma and wellbeing post-lockdown

22 June 2020

When pupils leave lockdown, and return to school it is anticipated that staff will face a range of pastoral, wellbeing and behaviour issues. Teacher and mental health first-aider Amy Sayer considers the challenges that lie ahead...

Year 6 to 7: Answering the transition challenge

21 June 2020

Primary to secondary transition is always challenging for students, who face the double whammy of anxiety and learning loss. The impact is felt particularly keenly in maths. Colin Hegarty offers his advice

How can we talk about death?

17 June 2020

As schools begin to re-open to more students, we will need to deal with conversations about death, bereavement and grief. In this article, teacher Zinnia Wilkinson explains how she worked with her students after the death of her daughter

A school leader in the time of Covid-19: Five leadership lessons

15 June 2020

The challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic are some of the most difficult school leaders will ever face. Continuing her focus this year on leadership lessons learnt from experience and professional reading, Caroline Sherwood considers five relevant leadership lessons

Using coaching to prevent leadership burn-out

15 June 2020

Research is showing that coaching may be a solution to mass burn-out among school professionals, including school leaders. Viv Grant and Professor Rachel Lofthouse explain their findings

Coronavirus: On the wrong side of the digital divide

10 June 2020

What does the research say about the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on potential gaps in learning – and about how schools can best support students and their families with remote education – especially those on the wrong side of the digital divide? Dr Beng Huat See considers the evidence

Managing anxiety in the classroom

9 June 2020

An estimated one in 10 teenagers have mental health problems and there is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. In this five-article series, Dr Stephanie Thornton advises schools and teachers. In part four, she advises on how we might students who suffer from anxiety

Barriers to learning: What we say, think and do...

9 June 2020

If we are to break down barriers to learning – real and perceived – then we must consider carefully what we think, say and do when working with our students. Lauran Hampshire-Dell advises

Extended science practical investigations

8 June 2020

Extended practical investigations take time and planning to get right, but the results in terms of staff and student motivation can make this worthwhile. They can also inspire students to continue with their STEM studies into higher education. Head of chemistry Lisa Niven explains

A school system that drives social justice: Resources & funding

8 June 2020

In a seven-part series, teacher and school leader David Anderson considers how schools can be a key driver for social justice and how we can make our education system more equitable. In part three, he considers huge disparities between state and private schools when it comes to resources and funding
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