News, Views and Social
Guided Reading in the Curriculum
Guided reading has become a “hot” topic and I am finding myself spending a lot of time working with schools on developing effective practice. With the real focus on reading in the 2014 curriculum, many schools are reviewing their teaching of reading. Approach to Guided ReadingSchools approach guided reading in... View Article
Category: English
Ofsted Annual Report 2015: Primary Schools in Good Shape
The Ofsted Annual Report 2014/15 has been released and offered some interesting findings for primary schools. Though the findings can be interpreted a few ways, I have offered a summary below.
Category: Inspection
Assessment Without Levels: Understanding the Report
Assessment without levels is intended to encourage a more professional, intelligent assessment. The Final Report of the Commission on Assessment Without Levels (Sep 2015) makes some interesting points, notably, “The successful implementation of the new national curriculum requires a radical cultural and pedagogical change, from one which has been too... View Article
Category: Assessment
Making the Most of Subject Leaders
Subject leadership can be problematic in primary schools and academies. Core subject leadership normally attracts remuneration and may be within the remit of a senior leader. But the relegation of science from the subject premier league is another story, especially since the demise of SATS at Key Stage 2.
Category: Subject Leadership
British Values and SMSC Development
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about British values (or should that be British Values?) and SMSC Development, what they mean in a changing context and the current climate we’re in (rainy, mostly). Right… put the kettle on, glance out of the window to check if it’s still raining and... View Article
Category: School Leadership
Impact of Coaching in Education
Coaching in education has been a part of the educational landscape for many years and yet there are still many myths about its effectiveness and validity.
Category: School Leadership
5 Things to Consider When Analysing Your RAISEonline
It’s that time of year again. Along with the falling leaves, we all eagerly review our RAISEonline which is of course our data pack (sorry! information pack), indicating whether we need to look over our shoulder with some concern, or indeed welcome a visit from you know who. Perhaps it... View Article
Category: Inspection
Is Your Book Scrutiny as Effective as it Could be?
Recent changes to the inspection framework have made it clear: when judging teaching over time, more weight needs to be given to the evidence of learning as evidenced in learners’ books. This should naturally lead to much more focus being given to book scrutiny as a natural part of a... View Article
Category: School Leadership
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