SENCOs under siege The Covid-19 pandemic has heaped much more pressure on an already stretched SEND system. In part one of a new series on the state of our SEND system, Daniel Sobel considers the key problems and outlines how we must move forward...
'The first thing I invested in was the school library' The library must sit at the heart of our teaching and learning environments. Former headteacher, Richard Gerver – the new president of the School Library Association – explains why school libraries have never been more important and looks at some tenets of good practice 1 comment
Remote education: Supporting learners with SEND (and their families) 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
Effective remote CPD: Five practical tips The recent review of the evidence around remote CPD for teaching staff has outlined approaches that could prove effective, including by using video and coaching. Nihad Cehic considers five ideas for how schools can used video as part of remote CPD
Remote education framework: Evaluating your provision 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
Curriculum planning and delivery during a pandemic Curriculum planning and delivery at a time of such disruption to education is challenging to say the least. Lekha Sharma considers how primary schools can plan ahead and prepare their curriculum for the rest of 2021 and beyond…
Assurance: It’s not sexy, but it’s important From boilers to putrefied rat remains, from magic buckets to burglar alarms – assurance is not well understood in education and the consequences can be catastrophic. MAT chief executive Mark Wilson explains
Staff wellbeing: Are you looking out for your colleagues? With more and more teachers experiencing symptoms related to depression and anxiety amid the pressure of the pandemic, Sophie Howells looks at how we can approach conversations with colleagues who may be struggling
Traumatic news: Five ideas to help children cope with the pandemic The pandemic and the 24/7 news and media coverage has the potential to be traumatic for children, especially those of primary school age. Lianna Champ, an expert in grief and trauma counselling, offers five ways to help children cope
Using CPD to support effective remote teaching 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
Lockdown: Five ideas for maintaining your team’s morale Many of us are finding the third national lockdown much tougher than those that have gone before. Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers five simple ideas that will help us to maintain the morale and wellbeing of our colleagues and school teams
Remote teaching: How to develop staff expertise From setting clear goals to providing short feedback loops, Jacob Senior offers some suggestions for how schools can develop their teachers' remote teaching and ed-tech skills
Building back better: Teaching, pedagogy and learning Some schools have already begun changing and adapting their in-school teaching practices in light of their experiences during remote education. Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith asks how your school is already 'building back better'
Lockdown teaching and learning: A quick guide for families Feeling daunted by the return to remote teaching? In this two-part series Sara Davidson and Sean Harris look at some of the basic research-informed principles that can help teachers and parents to navigate learning at home. In part two they offer advice for parents/carers 1 comment
PFI: Challenging overly expensive contracts As an academy trust CEO, Andrew Chubb successfully challenged aspects of his school’s PFI contract, leading to substantial savings. He looks here at why PFI often proves unfairly expensive for schools – and what can be done about it
Lockdown teaching and learning: A quick guide for teaching staff Feeling daunted by the return to remote teaching? In this two-part series Sara Davidson and Sean Harris look at some of the basic research-informed principles that can help teachers and parents to navigate learning at home. In part one they offer advice tailored for educators
Boost your wellbeing: Five simple steps for school staff The pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the wellbeing and resilience of school staff. Dr Pooky Knightsmith explains five simple steps to boost your wellbeing when things feel hard 1 comment
Closing the gap: Supporting the most disadvantaged EAL pupils during the pandemic When supporting learners with English as an additional language to catch-up with their studies following this year’s disruption, formative assessment is vital to understanding new starting points. Emily Curran continues Headteacher Update’s recent focus on supporting EAL pupils
Wellbeing at Christmas: Time to focus on you This Christmas holiday may be the first time that many teachers and school leaders have chance to take a breath and step back from the chaos and stress of Covid-19. Sophie Howells says that now is the time to prioritise your wellbeing – and offers some ideas
Schools post-Covid: Five changes for the better What changes should schools make in the post-Covid world? What are the new priorities? Malcolm Groves outlines five changes for the better that school leaders say they want to see
What is cultural capital? Satisfying Ofsted’s tone-deaf interpretation Ofsted’s tone-deaf interpretation of cultural capital brings with it profound dilemmas for school leaders, who may be of a mind to resist… Phil Beadle, author of a new book on the topic, offers his plan to satisfy inspectors without having to turn things upside down
Teachers and technology – six key research findings Your teachers and your technology – what do you need to be thinking about next? Fiona Aubrey-Smith looks at the emerging findings from new research into teachers’ technology use during the pandemic
How to collect staff feedback on workload and wellbeing As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, it is important to check in on your staff to see how remote learning and Covid restrictions are affecting their workload and wellbeing. Katherine Fowler shares some practical tips on how to talk to your staff and gather feedback, so that you can help ...
Christmas performances and how to salvage them Pre-recorded films, live streamed performances or other ideas and approaches – how is your school or class approaching the traditional end-of-term spectacular? Ben Case looks at the options
Black Lives Matter: How schools must respond What implications should the Black Lives Matter movement have for what and how we teach in our primary and secondary schools? Matt Bromley considers the key questions we must be asking of our curriculum in light of events around the world this year
