It’s the giving season for pupils and teachers, Christmas time! I decided to keep last year’s goodie bag idea with a twist. I just love this idea as it is so versatile and can be adapted year after year. To make them you will need: bags, my free downloadable bag toppers, bubbles and any other goodies of your choice! My…
Any teacher can wholeheartedly tell you that planning and teaching lessons in depth, during the last few weeks leading up to Christmas, is a real struggle! Below are my top 5 reasons why teachers hate the Christmas term… Deadlines: Reports, assessments, tests all have to be packed in before the Christmas holidays. Teachers are running left right and centre to…
Anyone had thoughts about abandoning age-old practices of Friday spelling tests? You all know the drill, I’m sure many of you did it when you were still at school: you get the words on a Monday to practice them during the week, then take a test on Friday. Great! If you get a high score, not so great…
This year, after reading the book “When the adults change everything changes” and with the completion of an informative INSET day from Pivotal Education I realised the importance of greeting students, before they enter the classroom. To back this claim, I also found numerous studies online, validating that greeting students at the door sets a positive tone and can help…
The mathematics curriculum in primary schools, requires that mental maths strategies are taught to children from an early age. I have been teaching mental maths strategies for many years now and every year I see the struggle that children face. I do my best, each time, to improve my teaching and increase students’ engagement. I believe that the key to…
Teacher burnout is real and can happen to anyone at anytime. Low salaries, additional workload and responsibilities, together with limited appreciation can have demoralising effects on even the most capable, enthusiastic teachers. With 20 years of experience behind me, these are some of the things I try to do to keep me motivated as a teacher and avoid the dreaded…
Boost staff morale and spread the love, by bringing positivity to your school with a ‘Staff Shout-Out’ board! So often, teachers get caught up in the manic pace of school life and get sucked in by surrounding negativity. This is incredibly easy to happen to anyone, especially when they feel tired and unmotivated. This shout-out idea isn’t mine of…
Have you ever searched the Internet looking for important dates to add to your calendar for Literacy? If the answer is yes, then you are in the right place! Having done just that for you, I have compiled many dates that I feel schools and Literacy Leads can use to promote literacy. This is a free resource for anyone to…
The role of data within schools is emphasised by many government regimes within education. There is a clear shift from intuitive decision-making to data-based informed decisions within any school setting. Most schools collect a variety of data, yet few educators are trained in analysing the results. Data on its own, without the correct analysis or interpretation is meaningless. Knowing how…
‘When the Adults Change Everything Changes – Seismic Shifts in School Behaviour’, written by Paul Dix and published by Independent Thinking Press (2017) is a real page-turner and recommended read, for anyone interested in shifting children’s behaviour within a school. Easy to read and full of sound advice that really makes sense when you read it and makes you wonder…
