Teaching and learning is crucial to the success of a primary school. Our best practice articles and case studies focus on how school leaders can support their teachers to sustain high quality teaching and learning.

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Creating the perfect early years education environment

Since coming back to school, our youngest pupils have been bursting to get going, embracing play and messy learning especially. Carys Henwood considers how we can create a purposeful early years’ education environment

EAL: Supporting teachers to plan for linguistic diversity

Many of our EAL students will likely have suffered a language learning loss during successive lockdowns. Kamil Trzebiatowski considers ideas and resources to help support teachers who have such learners in their classrooms

Making Sports Day fun for all pupils, including those with SEN

Sports Day can be a daunting experience for some students with SEN. Specialist Jemma Ive offers some tips and ideas for races and activities that will ensure an inclusive event and fun for all pupils

Edtech change and transformation: How to make things happen...

When it comes to edtech in schools, we are all grappling with how to harness the momentum that has been built up during the pandemic. Al Kingsley – author of the new book My Secret EdTech Diary – explains how to take control of edtech change and make things happen

Whole class feedback: Strategies and experiences

Whole class feedback reduces workload and ensures we are responsive to student need. Robbie Burns considers research into effective practice and describes his school’s strategy for whole-class feedback

Curriculum design: Impact, impact, impact...

As part of Ofsted’s focus on curriculum impact, evaluating the pace of pupil progress, pupil outcomes, and their preparedness for next steps is vital, as is ‘performance development’. Matt Bromley explains

The features of effective and high-quality RSE

Ahead of the deadline for entry to the 2021 Relationships and Sex Education Awards, Lucy Emmerson considers the features of effective, high-quality RSE provision in primary schools

Forget edtech – we need to talk about ‘pedtech’

Most research papers, roundtable discussions and industry experts agree that effective pedagogy is at the heart of good edtech use. But whose pedagogy we are referring to? Fiona Aubrey-Smith argues that the narrative around technology in education must change

Reception to key stage 1: Achieving transfer of learning

Reception, key stage 1 and beyond – learning transfer is a crucial part of effective education. Juliet Mickelburgh considers the EYFS Characteristics of Effective Learning and how we might transfer this key learning from the early years into primary

Anti-racism & diversity: Curriculum, policy and practice

Decolonising the primary curriculum, embedding diversity, and becoming an anti-racist school is a challenging and at times difficult process. Headteacher Laura McPhee describes how her school reviewed and reformed its curriculum, policy and practice

Three strategies to create instant classroom culture

What is classroom culture? Why does it matter? Primary teacher and school leader, Robbie Burns, looks at the five elements of classroom culture and offers us three ways in which we can cultivate it instantly

Doorstep disadvantage: Beyond the Pupil Premium

Do you understand the barriers to learning that poverty creates in your school’s community? Doctoral researcher and teacher, Sean Harris, reflects on some of the lessons he has learned as a school leader, researcher and as somebody who has experienced poverty himself

Covid lessons: The three Ms of effective remote learning

We hope that national lockdowns are now behind us, but remote learning will continue for some pupils and groups in the months to come. Drawing on all we have learned, Matt Bromley offers his three principles of effective blended learning

Emotionally based school avoidance: How can we respond?

Emotionally based school avoidance occurs when a student feels genuinely unable to attend school because of stress or other wellbeing barriers. How should we respond? Darren Martindale advises

Recovery: Finding your school's Covid-keepers

We have a new buzz phrase in education. ‘Covid-keepers’ refers to those practices and innovations developed out of necessity during the pandemic but which schools intend to keep as they Build Back Better. Suzanne O’Connell identifies 11 common Covid-keepers...

So, what have we learned about online learning?

What are your lessons from lockdown when it comes to effective blended learning and use of edtech? Eylan Ezekiel looks at what we have learned about creating safe, supportive and effective digital learning environments

Implementing edtech effectively across the curriculum

After a year of disruption and innovation, where are you now with your edtech in the context of teaching and learning? Osi Ejiofor discusses how schools can effectively harness and implement technology across the curriculum

EAL in the Early Career Framework

The Early Career Framework makes no mention of teaching pupils who use English as an additional language, despite the fact that nearly half of teachers teach in diverse classrooms. Silvana Richardson advises

The EYFS reforms: Priorities, opportunities and myths

The Development Matters guidance is supporting schools to implement September’s EYFS reforms. Dr Julian Grenier, who led on the writing of Development Matters, looks at the four priorities that are driving the reforms and responds to our recent coverage of the ‘rival’ Birth to Five Matters guidance

Teaching and Learning