My Life in Learning Support: Working with SEN Children
It’s a Monday morning and the class are reading Macbeth. The students are all sat in rows as one reads out a line. One...
How to Discuss Sensitive Topics at School
We live in a world that is overwhelming for many young people and this can often lead to students asking difficult questions. It is...
#SATshambles: The SATs Exam Scandal
Over the last week, hundreds have fled to Twitter in outrage of marking discrepancies in SATs tests under the hashtag #SATsshambles. The exam board,...
Three ways to strengthen your relationship with teaching assistants
Amidst the marking, the planning, and the preparation, I have been known to struggle with planning for my teaching assistant. Especially in light of...
Supporting Students with Autism in the Classroom
DfE statistics have shown that 70% of children with Autism are educated in mainstream schools with the rest in specialist provision. Despite this, NASUWT...
Start the year by setting the points table
From the first lesson we have together, there are two things I really want to cultivate in my students: motivation and a sense of...
Inclusion in Schools is Not an Illusion
There has been much debate in recent years over how well inclusion in schools is working, or if it is working at all. Arguments...
“But I’m not a maths person”: 7 strategies to help your students enjoy maths
There are so many arguments against the notion of not being a maths person. I won’t go into them, but let me be clear:...
Simple solutions: starting lessons smoothly
Starting lessons smoothly can be challenging. Missing equipment. Latecomers. Excuses for why homework isn’t complete. There are a lot of ways to address this....
In the School Garden: The Benefits of Outdoor Learning
A change of scenery can make a big impact on wellbeing, and that goes for schools too. Regularly getting out of the classroom and...