Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com Tough question right! Although in hindsight maybe not. Surely we expect our children to be at their best just before a test/exam. Right at the end of some intense intervention. Boosters, before school classes, after school lessons, extra homework task, the list goes on. This obviously helps the children … Continue reading When do we expect children to be at their best? →

Hands up - how many of you who are secondary teachers knew that March 1st (2nd this year) is the day that children, families and schools find out about which schools the year 6 children are offered? Some of you may have seen that my good friend Ellie Grout (https://groutysguide.co.uk/) and I have started the … Continue reading Offer Day – Part 3 for Secondary Schools →

It should be a 'normal' day for your 6 class today. You have it all planned, the lessons are going to be amazing, you are as planned as you'll ever be and whats not to love about your job! You had a great day with the class yesterday and hopefully that will continue today. Then … Continue reading Offer day – Part 2 for Primary Schools →

Monday is the big day! It is the day that children will find out about the secondary school that they have been allocated. Part 1, of this series of 3, is for families and children. How are you all feeling? Today, you find out if all that stress back in October was worth it. For … Continue reading Offer Day – Part 1: for parents →

Does it matter if the child doesn't like the teacher, or vice versa? If it does, should it? My argument is yes; yes it does and yes it should. This post is not about if relationships matter though, it is about whose responsibility is it to make sure there is one! In primary school children … Continue reading Whose responsibility is it to forge relationships in Year 7? Do they even matter? →

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Now there's a question! I was recently invited into a primary school parents evening, an invitation i accepted without a second thought. What a great opportunity to speak to year 6 parents about the changes that are heading their way when the children make the move from primary to secondary … Continue reading Is it ever too early for parents to think about transition? →

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have been invited to one of the most inspirational events that I have attended for a long time. The Joshua Ribera Awards celebrate the achievement of young people (this year 19 of them) in alternative provisions, who have worked hard to improve both personally and academically. Whilst the … Continue reading Can we help children find the appropriate version of themselves? →

I wonder how many of us can answer this question easily? How can we succinctly explain to an 11 year old just how their life is going to change? How do we prepare the parents and whose job is it to do any of this? Phew, that's a lot to think about. I often hear … Continue reading What does Big School look like? Part 2. →

I have had a fantastic start to 2020. I am very fortunate that I get to spend so much time in so many schools. Already this year I have met many wonderful staff who are starting to think about preparing their youngsters for the massive changes they are going to face this year, moving to … Continue reading What does Big School look like? Part 1. →

While putting together my previous blog, a good friend suggested that 'age appropriate play just doesn't exist anymore'. The thought of this made me quite sad, but it also made me evaluate its truth. What is age appropriate? Who determines that? Before I go any further, a disclaimer! This is not a blog around safeguarding. … Continue reading What exactly is age appropriate play? →