Teaching and Learning

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

Student voice: How to create a collaborative school and classroom culture

13 April 2021

Collaborative decision-making happens when the options, constraints and possibilities in the classroom are discussed and decided in partnership with pupils. Dr Geraldine Rowe explains what this looks like in practice

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

Teachers & teaching assistants: Eight principles of effective working partnerships

6 April 2021

Effective working between teachers & teaching assistants are vital. Sara Alston considers eight key principles to emerge from recent snapshot research of what makes effective teacher-TA working partnerships

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

Sexual harassment and violence: What can schools do?

23 March 2021

Schools can play a crucial role helping to end the culture of sexual harassment and violence – but how? Natasha Eeles offers some practical reflections and suggestions

Climate action in schools: Ideas to reduce your carbon impact

23 March 2021

Reducing your school’s carbon emissions is not as difficult as it may seem. Alex Green from the Let’s Go Zero campaign outlines some inspiring and money-saving ideas to get your school started

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

How our culture and background influence our view of ‘intelligence’

15 March 2021

How we define talent and intelligence can vary depending on our culture and background, but how often do we take this into account as teachers and across schools? Sanjo Jeffrey considers why and how we should…

PE and sports: The power of PESSPA

8 March 2021

The PESSPA approach can have a big impact on students’ mental and physical health, attendance, attainment and behaviour – especially for those with SEND. Nasen Teacher of the Year Jon White discusses using school sport and physical activity to empower students

The vital links between staff wellbeing and pupil behaviour

2 March 2021

Managing challenging behaviour on a daily basis can take its toll on staff wellbeing. Adele Bates looks at why and how we must prioritise our own wellbeing if we are to best support our most vulnerable students

Remote mentoring for students: It’s not where, it’s how

23 February 2021

Mentoring support could play a key role in helping to safeguard or rebuild the wellbeing of students who are stuck at home due to lockdown or self-isolation. Stephanie George looks at effective remote mentoring of students

Maintaining high expectations for learners using EAL

22 February 2021

That a student uses English as an additional language should not be an excuse for lowering our expectations for learning and progress. Kamil Trzebiatowski considers some strategies and resources to ensure high expectations in your lessons

Emotional literacy: The secret to learning engagement

22 February 2021

Being emotionally literate can help students to engage with learning, but it is through dialogue that emotional literacy develops and makes its contributions to learning. Sanjo Jeffrey discusses

Providing effective feedback and closing the loop

17 February 2021

Effective feedback is perhaps the most crucial aspect of high-quality teaching and has a real impact on pupil progress. Leann Collingwood offers some strategies for how we can close the feedback loop

SEN: Getting the last five minutes of your lesson right

17 February 2021

The last five minutes of any lesson is vital if we are to avoid disengaged students, sensory overload, and anxiety – especially for those with SEN. Sara Alston advises

Red Nose Day with a difference

16 February 2021

Funds from Comic Relief have gone to support some of the most vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a year like no other, what are your school’s plans for Red Nose Day? Laura Wilson offers some flexible resources and suggestions for secondary schools

Ideas to foster a love of reading in secondary-age students

16 February 2021

How can we continue to foster a love of reading and books during lockdown and remote or blended learning? Dr Sarah McGeown offers some tips and ideas for secondary school teachers

Remote education: Supporting learners with SEND (and their families)

9 February 2021

Reports from Ofsted and the National SENCO Workforce team have raised concerns about how SEND pupils are faring during remote education. Dr Helen Curran explores the findings and offers her tips and strategies for supporting those with SEND during Covid-19 and beyond

Remote education framework: Evaluating your provision

8 February 2021

The LEARNERs’ Trust has developed its own framework for its schools to use to evaluate the effectiveness of their remote education provision. CEO Matt Freeston explains how they are using it to identify and share good practice across the trust

Down on the (school) farm

3 February 2021

There are now more than 100 school farms in operation across the UK, including the farm at Brockhill Park Performing Arts College. Donna Ashlee explains how it works and integrates into school life

Case study: Planning a subject curriculum

1 February 2021

How do you design your curriculum? What questions must you ask? What processes must you go through? Head of English Chloe Testa describes how she worked with colleagues to completely overhaul her school’s English curriculum

Using CPD to support effective remote teaching

26 January 2021

CPD to support remote teaching & the use of ed-tech has become commonplace during the pandemic. Maria Cunningham advises on how schools should approach using CPD programmes to develop effective remote teaching practice

Zero carbon schools by 2030

26 January 2021

The Let’s Go Zero campaign is urging schools to pledge to go zero carbon within a decade. Here, campaign manager Alex Green explains what is involved. We also hear from the Eco Team at St Francis Xavier School, one of those leading the campaign. They tell us about their work, including their recent ...