Wrap-around provision as part of Covid recovery Before and after-school clubs have been hit hard – first to be cut, the last to be reinstated. But they could be exactly what disadvantaged pupils and your Covid recovery plan need, says Suzanne O’Connell
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
Post-pandemic language recovery in reception year We know that the pandemic has hit language development and literacy skills among our youngest pupils. In this article, Neil Henty considers post-pandemic language recovery in the reception year
'I forgot my kit’: A guide to poverty-proofing school sports Is your school’s PE and sports kit preventing disadvantaged children from fully accessing school sport opportunities? Craig Watson, from Children North East’s Poverty Proofing initiative, shares some tips for creating inclusive school sports
Writing & literacy: How to help children beat writer’s block For young pupils, writing is one of the skills that has been hardest hit by lockdowns and the pandemic. In this article, Kathy Ewers suggests ways to help pupils develop essential writing skills and learn to love writing
Planning and integrating outdoor lessons and learning Outdoor learning can present many challenges for curriculum and lesson-planning, but it can be worth the effort. Headteacher Matthew Leach talks about his school’s focus on taking teaching outdoors and how it has helped improve outcomes
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
Discovery and discussion: Running university seminars for primary pupils The Griffin University initiative sees primary pupils at schools across the Griffin Schools Trust experiencing university-style seminars every week. Sue-Ellen Lamb explains how it works at Race Leys Junior School
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
Recovering handwriting: Five tips for the classroom One of the consequences of the shift to remote learning at the height of the pandemic has been a subsequent loss in handwriting skills. Year 3 teacher Sophie Lamb offers some helpful tips for recovery
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
Cooperative learning: Using CLIPs in the primary classroom The cooperative learning approach allows pupils to practise their knowledge and skills and is guided by ‘CLIPs’. In this article, Drew Howard explains how to introduce this approach to your primary school
Poverty on the brain: Five strategies to counter the impact of disadvantage in the classroom What does disadvantage do to our cognitive functions and what can we do about this as teachers? Poverty researcher and teacher Sean Harris examines emerging research findings on poverty, the implications for the classroom, and five strategies we might adopt in response
The school library: A powerful weapon in the battle for wellbeing A new report suggests the school library could play a critical role in addressing young people’s health and wellbeing. Alison Tarrant and Caroline Roche from the Great School Libraries campaign explain how
Curriculum review and redesign: A case study From building vocabulary to cooperative learning and the 60 Curriculum Challenge, a curriculum review at Stalham Infant and Junior Schools led to a range of innovative reforms. Emma Lee-Potter finds out more
Instructional coaching: Cycles, systems and processes Considered by many to be the most effective form of teacher CPD, instructional coaching is gaining popularity in schools. In part two of a two-part article, Robbie Burns looks at implementing instructional coaching across the primary school 1 comment
Pupil Premium tutoring: A Champion for Every Child 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 more
The best learning goes with the flow: The work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Early years learning pioneer Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi passed away last year. Known as the father of ‘flow’, his theories of pupil engagement are crucial. Neil Henty looks at how his work can help us to promote optimal experiences in the classroom
The chronicles of a therapeutic classroom: Lights, Camera, Action! All this year, Shahana Knight has been working with a school to transform a year 3 classroom into a fully therapeutic teaching space. Staff have been inspired and children awestruck – and now you can watch a film of the entire transformation...
The climate crisis, the curriculum and CPD The role of school leadership in responding to the environmental challenges of our generation is crucial – and will include ensuring high-quality teacher support and CPD. Heena Dave advises
Climate change and hope: Getting children outside Getting children outside to enjoy nature and outdoor learning could be a key element in the fight against climate change, say Jacqui McDermid and Jo Gordon from the Natural Thinkers initiative
One-to-one tutoring: Dos & don’ts Many schools are implementing small group or one-to-one tutoring programmes as part of their Covid recovery work. This article asks tutors at the Kemnal Academies Trust for their dos and don’ts of effective tutoring provision
Vocabulary development for EAL students Vocabulary development is vital for those using English as an additional language. Sheila Hopkins considers how teachers can identify key vocabulary during lesson planning and outlines strategies for teaching these key words to EAL learners 1 comment
In the classroom: Planning your learning spaces How can we transform traditional classroom spaces to achieve more personalised learning? Headteacher Mel Shute describes her school’s involvement in the Planning Learning Spaces in Practice project
The chronicles of a therapeutic classroom: The pupils arrive... After months of planning and a hectic half-term makeover, Shahana Knight‘s vision for a therapeutic classroom environment is about to be unveiled and put to the test by excited year 3 children...
