Latest articles

Back to Where it Started

Recently, I went back to where I started my teaching career. I met up with a former colleague, Andy. He joined the history team in my second year. We operated within a humanities faculty, and I, as a mature entrant,
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Raising your concerns with MPs

On Tuesday 27 June, we had a drop-in session for MPs – this event was sponsored by Rosie Duffield, MP. We had conversations with MPs from all parties, and it was pleasing to hear how passionate they were about schools in their own constituencies. Conversations varied in length, but we covered the following:
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Embedding Formative Assessment programme updated

The embedding formative assessment programme was created following over ten years of research by Dylan Wiliam and Siobhan Leahy. All elements of the programme underwent rapid prototype testing, from the size of teacher learning community groups, the time between workshops and the structure of the sessions. The structure of the session alone is on its approximately thirteenth iteration.
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Curriculum planning – where next?

Over the last few years, most schools have revisited their approach to curriculum planning. Rightly or wrongly, the publication of the latest Ofsted framework, particularly one with a very specific focus, tends to redirect people’s energies.
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Reading our way to diversity

May 2020 was a defining moment for the world: the injustice of George Floyd’s death precipitated protests across the world for racial inequalities at the core of society, inequalities that rested in the very institutions that were supposed to underpin social justice.
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Navigating the year nine transition

Year nine is a key transition point in a student’s journey. For the first time, they are being asked to make decisions which have the potential to alter their future life choices. At this young age, it is vital that students, parents and teachers work together not only for their options, but also as they become increasingly independent.
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Adaptive teaching – what are we adapting to, and why?

It seems that everyone is talking about adaptive teaching at the moment. With inclusion at the heart of the new Ofsted framework and the emphasis on ‘inclusive mainstream’, it is not surprising that there is a lot of discussion about how we might meet the varying needs of learners. However, does adaptive teaching offer fresh insights into this challenge or a repositioning of previous thinking?

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