Ten principles for effective outdoor education Outdoor adventure education can provide many benefits for pupils, not least helping them to build skills and thrive. Expert Dr John Allan looks at 10 principles to make school-based outdoor and adventure activities effective
Technology and the school library: Ideas for projects and teaching Continuing their series of articles looking at what your school library and librarian can do to support your teaching and lessons, Elizabeth Hutchinson and Clare Brumpton look at developing technology skills and ideas for using tech tools for specific projects
The EAL coordinator: Guidance and practical strategies Increasing numbers of learners who are refugees and who are learning English as an additional language are entering our schools. Glynis Lloyd sets out practical strategies for the work of EAL coordinators, along with helpful guidelines for good practice
Curriculum development and leadership: Lessons learned A new book tells the story of the development of a primary school curriculum across an academy trust. What lessons did the authors learn? Claire Banks and Professor Mick Waters explain
Reading for pleasure: Sustaining and developing your school’s reading culture How can we build on the buzz of World Book Day to develop our school’s reading culture? We must focus on an evidence-based approach to reading for pleasure, not an activity-oriented one. Professor Teresa Cremin explains
Neuroscience in education: Unpicking the helpful and the harmful Neuroscience has so much to tell us about how children learn and how we should teach, but we must be aware of the neuromyths, says Daniel Sobel. He considers the challenges and offers six pointers for using neuroscience in education
Reception to year 1: How to support pupil transition Just because a child has reached a ‘good level of development’ at the end of reception class does not mean they are completely ready for life in year 1. Ben Case discusses transition and how we can support our youngest pupils
Ideas for outdoor learning this spring Spring is on its way, but we need not wait for warmer days to get our pupils outside, especially given the impact of outdoor learning on wellbeing and happiness. Janet Anderson offers some practical tips for outdoor activities in primary schools
Online safety: Moving beyond compliance The challenges of recognising and responding to online safety concerns are far-reaching and complex. Laura McPhee discusses moving beyond compliance and developing a safeguarding culture and considers a case study of one school’s approach
The curriculum & Ofsted: Sequencing and structure with purpose Curriculum is now at the heart of Ofsted inspection, but does this mean all knowledge and no joy? Suzanne O’Connell meets two schools to find out how they created a curriculum to enthuse pupils while also satisfying inspectors
What does pedagogy mean to you and why is this discussion important in schools? Pedagogy has become a word that we use every day, with an assumption that we share a view on what we mean by it – but what does ‘pedagogy’ mean to you? Fiona Aubrey-Smith offers some advice to help drive CPD discussions
Using the school library for inquiry-based learning The school library and school librarian can play a key role in supporting pupils to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills via inquiry-based learning. Elizabeth Hutchinson and Clare Brumpton break down the six stages of the FOSIL approach
Effective learning environments for EAL pupils What are the tenets of a good and safe learning environment for learners who use English as an additional language? Drawing upon the Teachers’ Standards and latest research evidence, Caroline Bruce offers some pointers for primary schools
Classroom observations: Judgements or conversations? As a school leader, why do you carry out lesson observations? What are they for and what do you ‘judge’? Experienced headteacher Jim Mepham discusses what observations should aim to achieve and some alternative approaches 1 comment
Linking metacognition and pupil motivation Pupil motivation is a key ingredient to successful teaching but motivation can be a slippery concept and difficult to foster. Anoara Mughal considers how teachers can create an environment which will motivate learners
Addressing inequalities via outdoor and nature-based learning Nothing sums up inequality in the UK as the extent to which pupils have access to green spaces and nature. Dr Alexia Barrable says one way to address disadvantage is via nature-based learning
Making chess clubs work at primary level Chess club can be a successful addition to a primary school’s extra-curricular activities, but it must be approached in the proper way, and beginning with ‘mini-chess’ activities is recommended. Richard James offers some dos and don'ts...
Outventions: When interventions turn into exclusion Do we fall back too easily on out-of-classroom interventions for pupils who slip behind? For pupils facing multiple interventions, this leads to effective exclusion from mainstream teaching. Sara Alston discusses
Because it’s worth it: Finding values in subject disciplines Values are at the heart of education and can be delivered through the subjects we teach. Ahead of her curriculum design workshop at Headteacher Update's Curriculum Excellence Conference in January, Bridget Knight offers some reflections and pointers
Using worked examples: An alternative approach Task design is a crucial element of teaching if we are to consolidate learning and encourage independence. In the second of two articles, Robbie Burns suggests further ways we can use worked examples to support pupil progress
Using worked examples: From teaching to learning Task design is a crucial element of teaching if we are to consolidate learning and encourage independence. In the first of two articles, Robbie Burns looks at making worked examples effective, pulling out vital pedagogical elements
Media, information literacy and fake news: Using the skills of your school librarian The school library and school librarian can play a key role in supporting pupils to develop their media and digital literacy skills, especially when it comes to misinformation and fake news. Elizabeth Hutchinson and Clare Brumpton look at ideas for how they can do this
Introducing unhomework: Five core principles to improve your homework How can we generate successful homework without increasing workload? Mark Creasy labels his approach ‘unhomework’ and his learners always complete the tasks. He explains five core principles...
Welcoming and supporting Ukrainian refugees in your school Of the more than 126,500 Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in the UK since the war began, a third are children. How can schools welcome and support them? Sheila Hopkins advises and signposts to resources to help
School libraries and reading development Recreational reading. Reading for learning. Reading for life. The school library and school librarian has a vital role to play in supporting pupils to read. Clare Brumpton and Elizabeth Hutchinson look at how they can do this
