There are always many opinions given on homework. Some primary schools are dead set against any formal homework, some schools have a strict regime, some a loose regime. Homework has always been that area which appears in parent surveys, either children are not given enough homework - or children are given too much homework. It's... Continue Reading →
Spending your own money
It's a contentious one in the teaching trade. Whether to spend your own money or not, today I saw someone compare teachers spending money on resources for their classrooms to doctors spending their own money providing medicine to patients. I'm not sure it's a fair comparison, however I understand the sentiment. Where has this approach... Continue Reading →
Advice for NQTs
What they didn't teach you at uni I am currently writing some short no nonsense guides for NQTs, with a colleague of mine. Cutting through the fluffy stuff you learn at university and instead giving you the nitty gritty real life tips on areas that I certainly felt unprepared to deal with in my first... Continue Reading →
Primary School Display Inspiration
Display inspiration for teachers teaching KS2!
Thank you Damien Hinds
Should we be thanking the Secretary of Education?
School Ethos and Culture – Is it important to you?
Have you ever had that feeling, where you've walked into a school for the first time and you can just feel the energy, feel the positivity and enthusiastic approach from the staff and the children. That is when you know that a school has got their culture and school ethos sorted. Although it is often... Continue Reading →
Talent or Grit?
I've been spending a lot of my time developing my approach to teaching resilience, grit and determination. It is hard, first of all, to find the time in the school timetable to be able to make time for teaching this. It is harder (even still) to teach it effectively! As teachers, it is important to... Continue Reading →
Creating a children’s blog
So, if there isn't enough to do in Autumn term - leading up to Christmas...I thought I'd give the children an opportunity to publish their own blog. Having got to grips with the blog over the past few years, I felt my (still limited) expertise could be used to assist them. We had one short... Continue Reading →
How do you use Air Server?
Air server. If you've not been introduced to it, the technology involved comes in a variety of forms: chromecast, amazon fire stick etc. Basically it allows for the screen on your device (IPad in my classroom) to be displayed on your big screen at the front of the classroom. The software required is installed onto... Continue Reading →
Managing a team, for the first time
Sometime in the final term of last year I presented these slides to the SLT, showing them my visions for how to lead - and motivate - a team from the middle. There are some gaps that you will see in the slides, this is where I have removed pictures of children from the school... Continue Reading →