Introducing a staff coaching programme Faced with a decline in teaching standards and low staff morale, deputy head Pauline Hughes instigated a coaching programme to help staff develop and share best practice across their school.
Recruiting from abroad While teachers trained overseas can contribute a great deal to your school team, the process of recruiting them can seem daunting. Lynne Hannigan offers her advice.
How do you get Ofsted outstanding for your achievement? In the final of our articles focusing on core Ofsted inspection judgements, we tackle the most crucial of all – achievement. With a slightly different framework in place, Suzanne O’Connell looks at how three schools have achieved outstanding in this area
Preparing the new primary curriculum: Music, art and DT In the second part of series on the new national curriculum, Suzanne O’Connell looks at the programmes of study for art, music and design technology. With September 2014 fast approaching, how should schools prepare?
Are you ready for life after levels? ‘Levels’ and ‘sub-levels’ are key vocabulary in staffroom discourse. What will happen when this established method of assessing pupil progress is removed from the primary school glossary? Suzanne O’Connell investigates.
Do any of your pupils have a parent in prison? Do you know which children in your school have a family member in prison? It is more common than you would think and incarceration has implications well beyond those convicted. We investigate what schools can do.
Case study: Supporting social and emotional difficulties via the Pupil Premium Colley Lane Primary School has worked with psychologists to develop interventions for Pupil Premium children, including a Nurture Suite, and to offer training for teachers. Ahead of presenting its work at a free CPD event, Kevin Gallagher explains more
Ask Brenda: The professional principles that define your school How can we set the bar for all our teaching staff in a user-friendly way, but which still ensures that all the team know what our expectations are?
Two examples of cross-phase collaboration Collaboration between primary and secondary schools can have a notable impact on key areas, such as assessment, numeracy and literacy and transition. Christopher Woolfrey looks at the work of two partnerships.
Whole-school projects: Take One Picture The annual Take One Picture project allows schools to explore all corners of the curriculum using one of the National Gallery’s famous paintings. Helen Frostick explains how her school has been inspired.
'Structured conversations' to engage parents Quality parent/carer engagement has a positive impact on pupil attainment. But it is about more than just ‘getting on’ with them and requires deeper, more meaningful links. Professor Sonia Blandford discusses the potential of 'structured conversations'
Introducing tablets to the primary school Many primary schools are introducing tablet devices as part of their ICT strategies. Teacher and app developer Tom Minor offers some advice to get the most out of this technology in the classroom.
The Education Show returns for 2014 Many primary school professionals head off to Birmingham in mid-March to attend the Education Show. We preview this year’s event which offers a variety of CPD and best practice seminars alongside the show exhibition.
SEN and action research It takes a special kind of insight to meet some pupils’ unique and complex needs. Sarah Fleming reports on one school that has boosted their expertise through action research.
KidsMeet: When the pupils take over! You’ve heard of a TeachMeet – now we have KidsMeet! Matt Brooks shares his experience of hosting a day of exchanging ideas and inspiration across seven schools. The best part? It’s the pupils doing the presentations – and providing the inspiration
Making the most of educational apps in your classroom Ahead of his CPD session at the Bett Show 2014 this month, Tim Handley (alongside some of his pupils) looks at how teachers can make the best use of apps and lists some of his pupils’ favourites.
Developing learning habits and skills in your pupils School leader Sebastien Chapleau reports on his recent work to develop learning habits with his pupils and the impact it has had, both for the children and the teachers.
Wellies at the ready in the outdoor classroom Making the most of every centimetre of the school grounds has ensured that learning at Boston West Academy is inspiring and embedded in the real world. Headteacher Mike Schofield explains.
In pursuit of happiness in our schools Happiness is a fairly nebulous concept, but with the right support it can be measured to provide insights into the wellbeing of your school. We consider how this can be achieved.
Third party contractors – are you still liable? When bringing in third parties to carry out certain functions, to what extent is your school liable when things go wrong? Legal expert Ben Collingwood explains the ‘non-delegable duty of care’.
Avoiding the pitfalls of performance pay Schools are getting to grips this term with the new system of performance-related pay. Employment lawyer Amanda Lyons looks at common pitfalls that new pay systems must avoid.
Preparing the new primary curriculum – geography, history & languages The new primary curriculum has been published and the process of implementation has begun. In the coming months, we will be examining different subjects and looking at how schools are preparing. Suzanne O’Connell begins with geography, history & languages
Ofsted: Leadership and Management In the third of our series focusing on the four core inspection judgements, we hear from schools judged outstanding for leadership and management and offer advice for other schools seeking to improve in this crucial area. Suzanne O’Connell reports
Waiting for Ofsted Inspection preparation is now big business in education and a key priority for school leaders. But get it wrong and it can leave staff scared not prepared. Headteacher Update looks at how schools prepare for inspection and offers some vital tips.
Taking the primary curriculum outdoors With the pressures of the curriculum and key stage 2 tests, it can be difficult to take pupils outside of the classroom. However, Heather Crawford offers some ideas for how outdoor learning can link into the primary curriculum
