School Transitions
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How to Support Pupils with School Transitions

Whether pupils are moving between year groups, key stages, or primary to secondary school, the transition can be stressful and upsetting. No matter how old we are, change is unsettling, and support will be needed to try and mitigate the effects.

For vulnerable pupils such as those with SEN or those who have other needs, it can be even more challenging, and they will require extra support and planning to help them through the process.

STARS (The School Transition and Adjustment Research Study) gathered a wealth of information to provide practical strategies that help support children through school transitions.

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Teacher Stress
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Teachers in England Suffering from Stress

There is a growing view that teachers in England are more stressed than other teachers worldwide. This view is backed up by some recent research and appears to be due to several factors.

Indeed, teachers who leave cite work-life balance and pressure as critical factors in their decision to leave the profession.

Let’s look at what the research has found to be the crucial issues that negatively affect our teachers and cause them stress.

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Return to Teaching
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Return to Teaching

There is an ongoing crisis caused by staffing shortages in schools because of the pandemic. Due to the Omicron variant spreading so widely and quickly, many teachers across the country are having to self-isolate. There is immense pressure on the government, particularly from parents, to ensure that schools remain open for face-to-face teaching so that another school year is not lost.

On 20th December 2021, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi put out a call for retired teachers and those who have left the profession to return temporarily to fill the gap.

On 12th January, the government reported that it was estimated that 585 teachers had already signed up to return to teaching.

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Military Service Pupils in Schools
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Supporting Military Service Pupils in Schools

Did you know that whilst many children of parents serving in the British Armed Forces attend schools that have a high percentage of service pupils, the majority attend schools with less than ten service children?

Children in this situation have unique circumstances where they may have been separated from a parent for long periods, moved homes and schools frequently, or even relocated to different countries.

Teachers can be ill-equipped to understand how they can help these military pupils but fortunately, a charity called Little Troopers has developed a programme of resources to help pupils from reception to sixth form. Designed with the help of educational psychologists, behavioural experts and play therapists, the resources are very helpful to any school that has children from a service background.

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What is COP26?
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COP26 – What can schools do to tackle climate change?

What is COP26?

With climate change in the headlines daily, it has been impossible to miss the news coverage of the COP26 conference held in Glasgow from 31st October. Despite this being the 26th Conference of the Parties brought together by the United Nations to discuss climate change, it has only been this year that it has obtained so much attention in the media worldwide.

The UK government took a leading role in this year’s conference and the Department for Education (DfE) has been given the huge responsibility for fighting against climate change by educating young people.

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Teacher Feedback
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Reducing the Burden of Teacher Feedback

Time spent on marking students’ work and writing individual feedback has long been seen as adding to teacher workload. Moving away from written feedback is an obvious option to reduce teacher workload but schools are often reluctant to let go of the evidence that written feedback provides.

In an environment where school leaders are looking to reduce teacher workloads, it is important to be able to prove to Ofsted and parents that verbal feedback is an effective alternative to providing written feedback.

Looking at some current research into verbal feedback methods may help school leaders and teachers ensure they are following best practices. It should certainly open a debate into how changes could be trialled.

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Children in playground
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5 Active Learning Ideas

Active learning is about far more than just getting pupils to be physically active in the classroom. Lots of research suggests that regular active learning activities can have huge benefits to the effectiveness of student’s learning but the strategy only has a significant impact if the learners are given the opportunity to actively engage with material so that they retain the learning.

Three primary schools that took part in the annual National School Sport Week run by the Youth Sport Trust found that using active learning helped students to develop specific skills and explore concepts in a different way.

Here are 5 ideas for introducing active learning:

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Extending School Day
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Extending School Day From 8 AM to 6 PM

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and in that time, children have barely set foot in school. Concerns over time away from school, academics, and activities are high, and many debates over the undesirable effect on children and their future. While theories are being tossed around and solutions are being sought, the UK Government has a proposal—to increase school timings from 8 AM-6 PM.

But the question is, is it worth it?

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Support Children's Mental Health
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How Can Schools Provide Physical Learning to Support Children’s Mental Health?

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, all of us have been forced to somehow juggle work and life in lockdown alongside our mental and physical health. But one thing’s for certain; regular exercise is of the utmost importance, especially for young people.

The research supports this. Schools that enable children to participate in physical activity have a track record of providing opportunities for students to find their niche and develop skills beyond the classroom.

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Should school start later?
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Should school start later to benefit students?

The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the way we live, work, socialise and learn. Even though it’s been a challenge for many people, others have welcomed the flexibility and freedom that comes with ‘remote life’.

But what about the world of education? It goes without saying that teachers, parents and students have struggled more than most during lockdown. So how can we learn from what they’ve gone through and make their lives better moving forward?

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