Tonight, in many homes around the county, uniforms will be laid out, pencil cases checked, bags packed and children will be climbing into bed for an early night, to ensure they are ready for the morning. In other homes, pretty much the same process will be taking place, minus the uniform but with the addition […]
a very merry whatever it is you celebrate, and a lovely family holiday time. Christmas is important to me, and last year teaching in a church school it was a wonderful time of carols and services and fun. I have taught in schools were the approach has been far more multicultural…and that was lovely too. […]
The Guardian Teacher Network maths-anxiety Interesting article, this. In my first teaching job, I was gifted the bottom set of a cross Key Stage 2 maths set. Twenty Five 7-11 year olds, some of who couldn’t count beyond 10. For my added delectation, I had the year 5/6 bottom English set.I suspect this pleasure was […]
Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Fascinating stuff. No really, I genuinely find the nuances of our language fascinating. Of course I am a 50something humanities graduate, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in the subject. I am not a 10 year old, facing a government SPaG test. Sample papers One of my favourite champions of children’s […]
According to the BBC today: Stressed teachers being ‘reduced to tears’ Is that any news to those of us who have worked in education? No, not really.Your child’s teacher probably works 60+ hours a week, planning creative lessons, marking books with developmental marking comments, creating resources, taking after-school clubs….the list is endless. Your child’s TA […]
The Kent test results are out. Here in our little corner of the world selective schooling, and the choices that surround it, are part of everyday life. I know there are readers for whom this isn’t the case, so please bear with us. The debate around selective schooling is fascinating, but not for today’s blog. […]
It’s that time again. Across the country, young adults are moving on to new challenges this week: uni, college, new jobs. Our tutors are waving farewell to loved ones, heading off on new adventures – an especial good luck my Least Un. When they are still at Primary school (indeed even when they are starting […]
Good luck to all the students taking their test this week. Remember: Keep calm, this is a chance to show just how amazing you are. Read the questions carefully. It’s easy to miss a single word (eg. not), that changes the meaning of the whole sentence. Underline key facts. Don’t spend ages on a question […]
For many schools, the new academic year begins tomorrow. Maybe not for the children, but staff will be assembling for Inset days, up and down the country. Inset days at the start of term are a strange limbo land, easing yourself back into the swing of things, catching up with colleagues, updating information, routines, skills, […]
Sunset over Brockenthurst Breaks are good. They recharge our batteries, allow us time to relax and they give us an opportunity to think about, and talk about, things we take for granted. My holiday is nearly over; I’ve popped home for the day to collect A level results with my youngest (Huge well done J, […]