Cultural Capital

Promoting Cultural Capital in a Cost of Living Crisis

Ofsted highlighted cultural capital in 2019 as an essential aspect of a child’s personal development. Based on Bourdieu’s studies in social mobility, it is seen in education as a way of creating well-rounded citizens of the future.

Schools have since developed unique ways of offering enrichment activities to support their pupils in growing cultural capital, but now with a cost of living crisis, it seems harder for schools to find room in their budgets for these extracurricular experiences.

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Manage Challenging Behaviour

How to Manage Challenging Behaviour

Your ability to manage challenging behaviour in the classroom is one of the keys to success.

It’s important to remember that those pupils who present the most challenge are usually the ones who are crying out for support.

Here are some ideas that will help teachers looking for guidance when faced with challenging behaviour.

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Phone Use in Schools

Mobile Phone Use in Schools

Pupils’ use of mobile phones in schools has created a surprisingly polarised debate.

According to The Independent, smartphone usage has increased, with nearly half of five to ten-year-olds owning their own phone. Once children are in secondary, you would be hard pushed to find anyone without one.

The question for schools is how to safeguard mobile phone use alongside any disruption.

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Teachers Gifts

Teachers: Buying Gifts for Your Class

With Christmas coming up, you may wonder whether to buy a gift for your class.

Every school culture is different; in primary schools, it is not uncommon for teachers to give a gift to the pupils in their class, but even in secondary, you may want to gift something to your form group.

Of course, your budget will be limited if you are buying for 30 pupils in a class. It can be hard to find something thoughtful yet economical.

To help you out, we have put together a handy gift guide for teachers to help you choose appropriate gifts for your class.

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How Teachers can support Working Memory in Their Pupils

How Teachers can support Working Memory in Their Pupils

It can be challenging for teachers to find information about working memory, yet it is often an area that students struggle with.

For teachers who want to carry out working memory interventions, a piece of research by Westby published in 2020 shines a light on some valuable principles.

This post will highlight some of the ideas that Westby has researched to help teachers understand how they can support working memory better.

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Social and Emotional Learning

Using Social and Emotional Learning to Build Resilience

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a vital area of education that is often neglected. Yet, when tackled positively, it can have an enormous impact on children.

Resilience is a term used more and more as the challenges and obstacles our young people face grow. It involves being able to adapt when encountering difficulties, make adjustments and take a flexible approach.

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Reception to Year One

Improving Transition from Reception to Year One

While many teachers will insist that the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 is the big one, it is often at the other end of the school where problems occur.

The EYFS curriculum offers far more freedom than in year one, and the jump can be stressful for children and their parents. It is not uncommon for year one teachers to struggle with settling children into a year one routine.

So what can schools do about the issue of transition?

This article will explore ideas to transform the transition from reception into year one into something more positive.

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School holidays

How to prepare for the end of the school year

At this time of year, most teachers daydream about a cocktail at the beach while wading through endless tasks with exhaustion and maybe a hint of hysteria.

It is easy to become overwhelmed as the end of the summer term approaches, and it can help if you draw up a list of things that will make your time go smoothly. Some tasks may even save you time next year.

Here is a handy guide for teachers to ensure you are fully prepared for the end of the school year and ready to relax over the summer.

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Sport's Day

Teacher’s Survival Guide to Sports Day

Almost every primary school teacher dreads a sports day. Not because they don’t like having fun with the children or because they don’t appreciate the benefits of sport but simply because it is so stressful.

Sports day means carrying out all the most challenging aspects of your job, such as behaviour management, risk assessment, and safeguarding in a goldfish bowl surrounded by parents.

This lighthearted guide will give you some handy hints and tips to help you get through even the most stressful sports day.

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Parents and Schools Working Together

Parents and Schools Working Together

Schools working in partnership with parents is nothing new. It was a major focus of the Early Years framework from around 2012, when it was identified as a key factor in improving children’s learning and development.

As children get older, parents often take a step back from engaging with schools. Home based learning during COVID lockdowns certainly alerted many parents to the difficulties in supporting their children’s education.

While schools often focus on parental involvement, it can be challenging for parents to identify how they can support their children effectively with their education. They may fear that their lack of knowledge hinders them or worry they don’t have the time to make a difference.

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