13th September marks Roald Dahl Day, and, to celebrate, Oxford University Press has released its 13 Words of Bravery. These 13 words reflect the ways children today write about bravery and the context in which they use these words to feel empowered in difficult situations. Read on to find out more or download the full report here . The Oxford […]
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We’re now three years into what is still being referred to as the ‘new spec’, and students, teachers and examiners have settled into a pattern of expectation: most students know what to do in the exam, teachers teach it and examiners examine it. Something is obviously working because results continue to get better year on […]
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What do really exceptional teachers do, that good teachers don’t? This is a very under-researched question but we are beginning to get some answers. What makes brilliant teachers brilliant is not who they are, but what they do in the classroom, and some of the techniques they use anyone could adopt. Doug Lemov works in […]
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It’s now the third time through the A levels for the new (ish) reformed A level specifications, or the fourth time round if you count the AS exams (which are now sat by just a quarter of those who took them 2 years ago). That usually means that teachers and students are getting more used […]
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In September, when school resumes, new shoes pinch and a seastorm of priorities swirl, the following question is posed to English departments across the country by piranha-like headteachers: how will you help students do better in literature next year? There’s no silver bullet, of course, but some golden advice is contained in examiners’ reports. These […]
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I have noticed that students often don’t know why they are studying English Language or the overall requirements of the final exams they are approaching. They have a vague notion that they have to get a GCSE in English but they have no real idea of what they should be doing or what their everyday […]
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It’s a bright, crisp September morning and I’m sitting in a hall, surrounded by shell-shocked teachers as we all adjust to the Autumn term and the return of our early morning get-up time. As I listen to the announcements and take part in the discussions, I realise the same words keep popping up: Ofsted, cultural […]
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By Rebecca Nobes The examiners’ reports are a really useful way to pick up on areas to develop in the coming year. Here are my main takeaways from this year’s reports: Paper 1: listening, reading and writing Summary task This was by far the biggest area of weakness. The main things for students to note […]
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Blast off on a reading adventure with our recommendations to help you and your class celebrate World Space Week from 4—10th October – it’s the largest space event on Earth! From hanging out with aliens and riding in spaceships, to a little bit of rocket science, there’s something for all reading ages and abilities. You might find these books […]
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Reading through the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF) [1] it’s clear that there are some implications for Science departments and teachers that need to be considered. In this blog I’ll identify three key issues and discuss them. The three issues are: The 3 Is: Intent, Implementation, Impact Key Stage 3: Two Years vs Three Years Science or Biology, Chemistry & […]
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Revision. A word which probably conjures up memories of the anxious weeks before exams, frantically reading through notes wielding a highlighter in an attempt to get vaguely remembered knowledge into your head. Perhaps you did some practice questions, or maybe you felt so overwhelmed that you ended up doing nothing. Whatever your approach, you would […]
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