Education articles - Teaching Expertise

Some believe that a fashion for school staff "clean-outs" when new headteachers take over is resulting in experience and knowledge being lost from the system. Former headteacher and now legal consultant to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Richard Bird, discusses

SEAL can help young people develop values that will enable them to address challenges in life, says trainer, school improvement partner and former headteacher Jackie Beere

What steps should you take when you believe that a pupil is displaying symptoms that are deliberately induced or fabricated? Jenni Whitehead summarises revised guidance for how schools should deal with this type of abuse, and stresses the importance of inter-agency communication

Penrice Community College has developed a system of empowering students and raising achievement through coaching, Barbara Green explains. This article also includes two students' perspectives on the programme

Deborah Eyre suggests how we can prepare G&T children for the many new career and employment options in today's society

Having an in-school social worker offers informed on-hand support to children and families all year round, says headteacher Neil Wilson, who here discusses the multi-agency teams that his school uses

Michael Segal looks at a legal case where the parents' religious beliefs demanded that their children have home schooling

When dealing with the feelings and behaviour of early years pupils, teachers should try looking at creative ways to approach and deal with problems says Anni McTavish

A teacher's positivity can light a spark of life-long excitement about learning, writes our publisher Chris Kington

Julie Leoni explains why she believes that 'positive strokes', or comfort and support, are key to making her a better educational professional and mother, and how students could benefit from similar encouragement

Showcasing the work of G&T students can inspire colleagues to develop effective practice as well as providing opportunities for recognising hard work and talent, says Jo Philpott

It's the dilemma every secondary school faces: how do you set an amount of homework that satisfies parents across the board? Roy Tarleton, headteacher of South Dartmoor Community College, thinks he's cracked it

Jenny Fox Eades describes how focusing on students' strengths is an ideal way to implement positive psychology in the classroom

Schools that are properly prepared for employment tribunal hearings can minimise cost and maximise their likelihood of success, writes Tamara Ludlow

Good behaviour in early years is something that practitioners can and should promote, says Juliet Neill-Hall, who offers some strategies on 'how to'

Continuing our at-a-glance references for explaining the vocabulary associated with gifted and talented education we look at compacting

Cognitive ability tests (CATs) are discussed in this series aiming to explains terms commonly associated with gifted and talented education

Although difficult at times, it is important that schools make a stance on what counts as social behaviour, says headteacher Neil Berry

School business managers and bursars can play a key role in ensuring their schools establish efficient and effective visual learning environments

Problems with behaviour can be managed by building a pastoral team, with the help of an excellence cluster. So discovered headteacher John Viner in his second article in a series on bringing Drapers Mills Primary school out of special measures

Sarah Erwin-Jones discusses the growing problem of cyberbullying towards both pupils and staff, and looks at schools' legal obligations

Graham Handscomb and John MacBeath put forward the case for teacher enquiry and benefits of research engagement for professional learning

Mike O'Neill believes that at the heart of good provision for gifted and talented (G&T) students lies careful lesson planning

How do you create meaningful and sustainable relationships with parents? Dr Jean de Rijke, developer of the Effective Partnerships with Parents (EPPa) strategy, shares her expertise

Has increased SEN delegated funding led to fewer statements? Roger Inman looks at the friction between the law and new ways of providing for learning difficulties in the mainstream

Early Years Update focuses on the importance of respectful relationships in environments with babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. This is part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

With pupils who are often more computer-literate than teachers, informed CPD coordinators can do a lot to combat cyberbullying says Dr Jo Bruce

Are advances in brain sciences useful to the field of education? Dr Jodi Tommerdahl looks at whether breakthroughs in our knowledge of how the human brain works can provide insight into how children learn, particularly in the area of SEN, and, if so, what’s taking so long?

Delivering different pathways within your core curriculum can enable pupils of varying abililties and skills to follow a personalised learning route, say deputy headteachers Paul Ainsworth and Josephine Smith

Does your governing body help your school remain accountable, and therefore more efficient? Stephen Adamson looks at how this should be done

Bringing your school catering in-house can have benefits for your school finances while at the same time creating a better experience for students

NICE guidance advises that primary schools take a whole-school approach to children's emotional and social wellbeing. Raising Achievement Update has a look

Since April 1 2008, local authorities are no longer obliged to place children's names on a child protection register that they deem to be at risk of harm. This article explores the reasons behind this change as well as the potential consequences

What does inclusion really mean? Liz Todd, author of Partnerships for Inclusive Education: A Critical Approach to Collaborative Working (2007), examines the term

An effective whole-school tracking system is vital for monitoring the progress made by gifted and talented (G&T) students, as well as ensuring that achievement keeps pace with potential says Josephine Smith

Jo McShane invite readers to consider multi-agency or multi-professional working with schools from the perspective of an enthusiastic apprentice, who realises the value that 'joined-up thinking' offers

As the SENCO role continues to evolve, Mark Blois looks at its basic responsibilities and what to expect for the future with respect to new law

In order to recruit the right candidates to your early years staff, after putting together a teaching job description, you must think about how you will advertise and shortlist for the role

In a move away from strict liability in terms of accidents at school, the courts have said that they are sometimes nobody’s fault. Kris Lines explains

You can monitor policy and promote community cohesion at your school using a number of effective initiatives. Mary Martin, deputy principal and director of training and research at Comberton Village College, Cambridge, explains her methods

Gender equality is a complex issue for schools, writes Michele Paule, as she looks at the gender equality issues that schools and curriculum mangers have had to address since the gender equality duty

Does spending time and money on teacher training and professional development actually make a difference? Sara Bubb looks at the arguments for fresh and creative professional development for teachers, and getting value for money

Pupils' challenging behaviour tops the list as the most stressful part of teaching; but can it be managed by teacher training? The effects of CPD on behaviour management are investigated by Elizabeth Holmes

New technology has made virtual schooling an option for pupils unable or unwilling to attend the 'real' thing. Sal McKeown discovers what's on offer

ICT can help teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) through the use of websites, CD-ROMS and DVDs, explains Cheryl Instan-Smith

Carol Hodge offers some ideas for activity based cross-curricular learning within an International Primary Curriculum (IPC)

With the 2008 Olympics being based in China, many schools have been turning their attention to the country for inspiring lessons and lesson plans. Robert Sinclair offers some ideas

Does two hours of PE a week really mean enough physical activity for children? Samantha Wilkinson discusses her research and findings

The government says that learning science should be more engaging and exciting. Crispin Andrews investigates their claim and questions how science can be made more fun for pupils

Members of the therapy team at St Nicholas School in Canterbury describe the Shared Goals Project, an innovative approach to supporting students with profound and complex needs