Teaching and Learning

Covid-19: Supporting our staff as schools re-open fully

14 July 2020

‘Our staff must not feel that they have been abandoned’ – headteacher John Rutter is putting clear communication at the heart of his strategy to support staff wellbeing post-lockdown...

Five ways to measure pupil progress in the classroom and online

14 July 2020

With remote learning likely to continue to play a key role in education, former headteacher Michael Harpham suggests five different ways that teachers can measure progress, both in the classroom and online

Character education at the heart of a high-performing school

12 July 2020

Ryburn Valley High School was one of the first in the country to be awarded the Character Education Kitemark Plus. Emma Lee-Potter finds out about how character has been placed at the heart of this high-performing school

Fostering equality and inclusivity in school sport

12 July 2020

Creating a supportive and encouraging environment for sports, understanding what appeals to students, and engaging their families can have a huge impact on positive uptake in sport explains Michelle Bennett from Cedar Mount Academy

Effective remote education: A case study

10 July 2020

The migration to a world of online learning since March has challenged us all. From digital break-out rooms to escape game challenges, principal Shane Ierston discusses his school’s work and the approaches that they have found to be effective

Character education: The why before the how

7 July 2020

Launching character education in your school? Tom Haigh urges schools to start off with the why and not the how…

GDPR, data protection and remote learning

6 July 2020

In a world of online learning, data protection has never been more important. Have you got your bases covered? Lynne Taylor advises

Eight habits of exceptional classroom leaders

1 July 2020

There is a wide range of skills that are required to make an exceptional classroom leader. Matt Ward picks out eight essential traits

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

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

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

Inclusion: Making group work effective for all students

10 June 2020

Inclusion and group work can go together well – but can also raise fears in students of a Lord of Flies-type hell. Daniel Sobel and Sara Alston advise

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

An easier way: The nine Rs of differentiation

2 June 2020

In writing their new book on differentiation, Daniel Sobel and Sara Alston drew on expert advice to create a list of easy and quick things that would result in real differentiation for most children. The best news of all, they all begin with R...

Character education: What does it look like?

31 May 2020

The virtues and traits that are developed through effective character education have never been more important as young people navigate their way through the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on the Schools of Character Kitemark, Tom Haigh looks at what it means place character at the heart of your school

Designing and developing a subject curriculum

25 May 2020

Drawing upon his experience supporting a number of middle leaders with the development of their secondary history curriculum, Ed James reflects on some of the key discussion points and effective approaches

Tackling common reading barriers

20 May 2020

The reading gap is urgent and visible. Alex Quigley identifies some common barriers and offers advice on how we can tackle them in the classroom

Delivering effective mental health education

20 May 2020

With health education becoming compulsory in September, there is an opportunity for a clearer focus on mental wellbeing. Clare Stafford speaks with two mental health experts about effective whole-school approaches and practical tips for schools preparing to deliver the new curriculum

Free CPD materials: Metacognition in the classroom

19 May 2020

In this series, Steve Burnage offers CPD workshop ideas that can be adapted for you and your school, including via remote working. Here, he looks at metacognition and self-regulation in the classroom

Curriculum implementation: Teaching and learning

13 May 2020

?In January, Matt Bromley gave us the low-down on curriculum intent. He now turns his attention to the second Ofsted ‘I’ –implementation. In part two of this two-part article, he focuses on what it means for classroom practice

The crucial role of citizenship education during lockdown

13 May 2020

As the Covid-19 crisis continues, the role of citizenship education must not be overlooked – both when it comes to navigating the huge amount of information out there and supporting pupils’ wellbeing. Helen Blachford explains

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Curriculum implementation: In the classroom and across the school

6 May 2020

In January, Matt Bromley gave us the low-down on curriculum intent. Now, in part one of a two-part article, he turns his attention to the second ‘I’ of the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework – curriculum implementation

Tackling maths anxiety and building students' resilience

4 May 2020

Maths anxiety is increasingly being recognised as a barrier to learning. Alexandra Riley shares some practical approaches to build secondary school students’ confidence and engagement with the subject