Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of visiting Buenos Aires to work with teachers and librarians. While I was there, I was lucky enough to speak at the 2019 ESSARP Conference. Active learning and reading There are many strands that make up active learning, but I chose to focus on three core ideas: The […]
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The summer holidays are flying by and it will soon be time to head back to school. To help you hold on to that holiday feeling for just a little longer once you’re back in the classroom, we’ve brought together a sunny selection of books all about holidays – perfect for your start of term […]
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It’s often the friends that we make at school who will stay with us for the rest of our lives. That’s why this month’s reading list celebrates International Day of Friendship on 30th July. With a little help from our friends, anything is possible, so take some time to celebrate the value of friendship in your classroom with these […]
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The sun is shining and the holidays are just around the corner, so what better excuse to roll out a list of recommended reads to see you through the summer. Here’s my pick of the top five reads for ten to thirteen-year-olds. Scavengers by Darren Simpson If you like stories where things aren’t quite what they […]
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In my first blog I wrote about how my headteacher had wanted to create a ‘culture of reading’ at my school. This time last year, in quiet moments, I worried that it would be impossible. I forgot that creating cultures is something teachers do all the time. Whether it be a culture of neatly presented […]
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This is the message at the heart of National Writing Day which is being celebrated on the 26th June. Over the last year we’ve been interviewing authors including Christopher Edge, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Gill Lewis. One of the regular questions we ask is their tips for aspiring writers. Here are some of their thoughts: […]
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Empathy Day on the 11th June is an annual event founded by Empathy Lab , to harness books’ empathy-building power. It aims to encourage us to read stories, build empathy and make the world a better place. We’ve put together a list of brilliant books that will help you and your class see things from someone else’s […]
Read moreJoy Court shines a spotlight on children’s author Cerrie Burnell. 2019 started off with a really exciting move up to Middle Grade by this popular actress and CBeebies presenter, turned author. Cerrie featured in The Guardian’s 2011 list of the 100 most inspirational women, where she received praise for tackling disability head-on. Having been born […]
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HOT TOPIC Healthy individuals and healthy school communities Joy Court looks at the role that reading can play in children’s mental health. How well a school supports pupils’ personal development is a key feature of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework that was published in May. There is actually much in this framework that could be used to justify (should […]
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SHARED PRACTICE Don’t let lack of funds stop you! One librarian who knows all about building a society of readers is Nicki Cleveland, celebrated on the Honour List for the 2018 SLA School Librarian of the Year. Joy Court talks to Nicki below. Her citation tells us: ‘Despite having only 3.5 dedicated hours in the […]
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