Obesity – what can primary schools do? Recent figures show a sharp rise in obesity among year 6 pupils. While this is a challenge for all of society, what steps can primary schools take to tackle childhood obesity? Tiffnie Harris advises
Simple phrases for calming anxious students The calm of adults is contagious and can quickly help an anxious or stressed pupil to calm themselves. Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers some practical pointers
Avoiding the pitfalls: Teaching assistants, behaviour and learning The role of the teaching assistant in supporting good behaviour in the mainstream classroom is crucial, but there are a number of pitfalls to avoid. Sara Alston offers some practical advice
The chronicles of a therapeutic classroom: Ten low-cost ideas This year, Shahana Knight has transformed a year 3 classroom into a therapeutic teaching space. But not every school can rebuild an entire classroom – so here she offers 10 low-cost, easy therapeutic ideas
Improving attendance for Pupil Premium children Attendance is a priority for Ofsted and the DfE is to introduce new requirements for schools. Xavier Roeseler outlines some strategies for supporting Pupil Premium children to attend
How to improve your workplace relationships People who feel they have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their roles. Leonie Hurrell looks at how we can build positive and healthy working relationships
Statutory RSE – a role for all teaching staff Statutory RSE is not just a list of topics to tick off a list, it should be relevant to children’s everyday lives and reach across the curriculum. Indeed, in many ways, all teachers are teachers of RSE. Lucy Emmerson explains
Welcoming the refugees seeking sanctuary from war Every month there are pupils arriving in our schools from abroad as refugees and the Russian war in Ukraine means this issue is at the forefront of our minds. Suzanne O’Connell considers how schools can support newly arrived pupils, and how they might prepare and plan for longer-term integration
The screen-time dilemma: Digitally driven learning disengagement In the past five years, Claire Orange has seen a diabolical shift in childhood’s goalposts through increasing screen-time in many families. This is leading to learning disengagement in primary school classrooms…
Safeguarding: Getting the basics right – every time The basics of safeguarding revolve around identifying children at risk of harm and we can never take this work for granted. Elizabeth Rose recaps the four main types of abuse, the principles of effective staff training, and the basics of keeping children safe from serious harm
A Champion for Every Child: A case study of one-to-one tutoring provision A Champion for Every Child is a pastoral tutoring programme that has had a notable impact for thousands of Pupil Premium pupils across the Kemnal Academies Trust. Emma Lee-Potter finds out how it works in practice at Smarden Primary School
Hand-washing and hygiene: Improving primary school toilets Toilet areas in schools can sometimes be neglected, resulting in poor hand hygiene and pupils reluctant to use the spaces. Dr Catherine Stones has been looking into how we can change this using some very simple ideas
Inclusion is a verb: Belonging and schools Inclusion boils down to belonging, but how can we ensure that children from a diverse range of backgrounds and with diverse needs feel that they belong in their schools and classrooms? Daniel Sobel offers some tips, reflections – and a checklist!
Stress, anxiety, and developing our teachers Stressed? Overwhelmed? Anxious? If we are to put in place a schools recovery plan to help teaching staff and leaders, we need to know what challenges we are addressing and how to address them. Gareth Conyard reflects on wellbeing and CPD
How would you respond? Playground fall-outs Continuing her regular articles on responding therapeutically to common behaviour scenarios in primary schools, Shahana Knight looks at how we might respond when groups of children fall-out in the playground
Practical strategies for building self-esteem in pupils with ADHD Children with ADHD will hear thousands more negative messages while at school than their peers, making self-esteem and poor self-image a huge challenge. Dr Pooky Knightsmith considers how to better support ADHD pupils
How can we support pupils who have Long Covid? How does Long Covid affect children and young people in the classroom and what can teaching staff do to help them? In the second of two articles on the impact of Long Covid on the young, Dr Sue Peters offers some practical advice
Exhausting, painful, lonely: The impact of Long Covid on children Tens of thousands of children are suffering with Long Covid. In the first of two articles to help schools support children with Long Covid, Dr Sue Peters considers the impact of this mysterious and often debilitating illness on pupils
Emotionally based school avoidance: Five tips Some pupils find it difficult to come to school and there are reports that emotionally based school avoidance has become an even bigger issue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this article, Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers five steps to re-engage with pupils who struggle to attend school
How governors can support staff wellbeing How can your school’s governors help to support the wellbeing of your staff? Neil Collins offers some pointer
Safeguarding: What does a culture of safety look like? Safer working practice in schools is crucial to establishing safe cultures and ensuring effective safeguarding. In this article, Elizabeth Rose explains how schools can minimise opportunity for harm perpetrated by those working with children
The chronicles of a therapeutic classroom: How much does it cost? So far this year, Shahana Knight has had a great response to her therapeutic classroom diary, but readers are asking one question above all others – how much does it cost?
How do we talk about Ukraine? Engaging with young people over the war As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues and the international crisis grows, students will be filled with questions and concerns. Just how should school staff approach these challenging conversations? Dr Stephanie Thornton looks at the likely impact of the war on young people and what we can ...
Staff wellbeing: Which talking therapy is best for you? As a school leader, do you talk about the pressures you face? Talking helps wellbeing and prevents burn-out. Emily Kenneally considers how you can make time to talk and outlines different types of talking therapy and their uses
Covid recovery: Promoting playground play and social skills There are anecdotal reports that some pupils are finding unstructured playground play and socialisation difficult after two years of living with Covid. Jenny Mosley looks at what primary schools might do about this
