Develop creative thinking and making skills whilst engaging students in STEM subjects. Read more

Government guidance for the PE and Sport Premium is clear - Schools should do their utmost to spend the money in a way which impacts not just those pupils currently in their school, but also in a way which will help the next generation of school pupils. This is a big task, and one which must be carefully considered by PE Leads and SLT’s alike. Read more

We can all agree about the importance of mathematical learning for children’s future academic success and life chances. Children who leave primary school with the expected standard or above are likely to achieve a good grade at GCSE maths, so it is crucial they get off to a great start. One of the barriers worth giving some thought to is the notion of ‘maths anxiety’. Read more

Using stimulating PE equipment has been shown not only to raise achievement in physical development, but across the curriculum too. Read more

The whole curriculum jostles for time and priority in the life of a school and each one will set their own hierarchy. Just like English, computing has its place as a stand-alone subject, but can also be part of the learning across all other curriculum subjects. However, learning about computers and learning with computers are two very different things, which is why many schools have discreet computing sessions, as well as using the cross-curricular approach. Read more

A quick class project to design a Bee-Bot jacket. Read more

A survey from TES (Hazell, 2017) found that while 43% of girls surveyed enjoyed Art and considered it to be one of their favourite subjects, just 14% of boys were of the same opinion. A difference of 29% is worrying as it points to the fact that Art teachers are not addressing boy’s needs or allowing them to fulfil their potential in a subject that should allow all students to progress. Furthermore, girls have outperformed boys for the past 6 decades at GSCE - of all students gaining grades A*-C, 79% are girls, while 59% are boys. Read more

‘Playing out’ used to be where most children spent their free time, whether in the garden, out in the street, down the park or on any spare patch of land away from adults. There are a whole variety of reasons why this doesn’t happen so much anymore and unfortunately, we are beginning to see the adverse effects on our children’s wellbeing and their development. Read more

I was recently sent a new book to review. It is called Cities Unfolded; London through Time. It is a zig-zag fold-out book that has one large picture of London on each page. Basically it shows the development of London from a Roman city, through to today. What a great idea for helping our children develop a sense of continuity and change over a long span of time - except by having one topic or period per page, we get no sense at all of the passage of time. Read more

We often treat speaking and listening as one activity, but for English as an additional language learners, especially those who are very new to learning English, each mode has particular challenges and we should plan our activities with this in mind. Read more

Mirrors encourage inquisitive minds and stimulate curiosity. By observing how a child interacts with mirrors, you're likely to discover a lot about how they like to learn. Consider how the child responds to the experience in an exploratory way. How do they demonstrate their innate curiosity? In what ways does the child become completely focused on the activity and is not distracted? How do they demonstrate satisfaction when engaged in the activity? How does the child offer ideas of why things happen and how things work in their exploratory play? Read more

By John Dabell. They say that when it comes to a job interview, the first five minutes are make or break. I’d say that’s true of lessons too. If the activity engages children from the outset then you know you are on to a winner. If the activity is dull, things unravel before your eyes pretty quickly. Read more

Win a Grab & Go mini parachute, ideal for getting the children outdoors over the summer months. For details of how to enter - see below. Read more

Cooking in the classroom is made easy with these specially designed, appealing free recipes. They are supported by activities that link the ingredients and practical experience to the curriculum, especially Maths, English and Science. Give these crumbly cheese straws a try and make learning tasty. Read more

This Christmas Fireplace and hearth ‘how to’ blog looks at another creative display idea that will allow any aged child to use their Art, craft and design skills and create a little festive magic in school. Read more

Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Celebrations include having dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve, setting off firecrackers, giving lucky money to children, ringing the New Year bell, sending New Year greetings, Dragon and Lion dancing. Read more