Given the number of recent politically related international and national events, I would be safe in saying that as a British public we are more aware than ever of ‘political policy’ and its impact. Brexit; Presidential elections; general elections – to name but a few – have given rise to a wealth of conversations about […]
Read moreliteracy
Some stories have a kind of DNA. The characters, themes and ideas pass from story to story, evolving and changing along the way. Each new storyteller adds their own ideas and interprets the characters and the dilemmas they face in new and unexpected ways. In popular culture, we retell these great stories again and again, […]
Read more
While most know it as ‘DEAR time’, I would be inclined to refer to this Literacy initiative as Role Modelling Reading. Though the focus is on the students reading, my belief is that it is what the adults around them are doing that will really make DEAR time effectual. It was during my role […]
Read more
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. (N.Mandela) Our children’s world revolves around using huge amounts of highly advanced accessible technology. Surrounded by computers and social media, children “chat” more than ever, but spend less […]
Read moreGood reading comprehension is a critical skill, fundamental to learning across the curriculum, to reading for pleasure and for success in life. Helping children to develop this skill can feel like a challenging process. However, a strong body of research evidence, including a recently published report from the Education Endowment Foundation , reveals three identifiable aspects that underpin […]
Read moreI do not doubt that there are a variety of highly effective purchasable Literacy intervention packages that will support students in making ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ gains beyond any ‘natural’ progress they might make without them. I have bought into many of these packages and, over the recent years, I have gone on to recommend […]
Read more
Since ‘closing the gender gap’ came to the forefront of education during the 1990s, there has been the creation and implementation of countless ‘Boys and Literacy’ groups. Whilst these groups may have different focuses – writing, reading, speaking – they are all there to support the acquisition, development and reinforcement of a Literacy skill. What […]
Read more
Year after year, when SATs and GCSE results are announced, the headlines shout about girls outperforming boys, but there is very little or no explanation for parents as to why this might be happening. As educators, we owe it to parents to show them what the issues are, what their school is doing about it, […]
Read more
Putting brilliant reading corners, libraries and learning spaces at the heart of your school As the headteacher at Our Lady & St. Hubert’s in Sandwell, I was recently given the opportunity to expand our school to two-form entry and build a brand new school. We wanted a building that flowed, suited Sandwell children and approached […]
Read more
As I travel far and wide, training and talking to teachers, common questions occur… How can we improve the mathematical reasoning skills of our pupils and how can we support them as well as gather evidence for it? To address these questions, firstly, we need to understand what mathematical reasoning is and understand why it […]
Read more