Education articles - Teaching Expertise

Hanneke Jones looks at the Philosophy for Children method of introducing thinking skills. This method of learning, developed by SAPERE, develops cognitive skills and philosophical methods

Modular changes to A-Levels and the introduction of diplomas are just a few changes that have come to the secondary curriculum since September 2008. David Marriott offers a related guide for governors

Joan Sallis opposes the removal of 'untrained volunteers', such as parents and members of the community, from governing bodies - or the attempt to 'professionalise' them

Yvonne Chambers is a senior school nurse and Healthy School adviser for Nottinghamshire County teaching PCT, and divides her time between these roles. Here she gives a taste of her work to promote good health and wellbeing for young people in Mansfield

An on-site community learning centre opens up opportunities to adult learners and school learners. Jackie Lees, senior strategic leaders at Mitchell High School Business and Enterprise College, shares the development of their CLC, with tips for organising community learning provision

Building links within learning communities — collaborations with other schools, parents, groups and agencies — can have wide-ranging benefits, says Alan Gough. Here he outlines the Better Together programme, which is aimed at collaborative working at local level

A youth intervention officer, Bruce Newman, discusses his work with Schools Multi Agency Resource Team (SMART) and the approaches he uses to work with young people, including restorative justice

The Philosophy for Children programme has great potential benefits for intergenerational dialogue. Michelle Whiteworth, coordinator of Age Concerns' intergenerational project in North Tyneside, discusses those benefits for pupils — and also the challenges

A successful peer support scheme has encouraged students to participate at Flegg High School in Norfolk. Mike Ward, deputy headteacher, discusses the evolution of the scheme and how increased student involvement has had real benefits to the school

Do we really need governors? Roger Smith considers the governing role of this seemingly random assortment of stakeholders

A no-nonsense whole school approach to behaviour can be led from the top, says deputy headteacher David Morley, who here shares tips on how

The provision of transport for pupils with SEN, specifically the responsibility of local authorities (LAs) in this area is discussed here by Michael Segal

About to embark on your first post as headteacher? Hafise Nazif, a headteacher in the London Borough of Havering, reflects on her first year of headship and offers some personal but common-sense survival tips

Independent schools with international pupils on roll are now required to have a more active involvement in immigration administration. Mark Blois and Helen Rideout discuss

A whole-school approach to lesson planning gives teachers licence to take risks and be more engaging, encouraging well-paced learning, as Saint Benedict School and Performing Arts College in Derby discovered

Curriculum managers' planning is vital for successful lessons. Lynn Maidment discusses her recipe for effective lesson planning

Do you think yours can become an outstanding school? Dave Weston gives advice on helping schools reach the highest level at Ofsted, through strong leadership

The local authority's role in improving schools is a crucial one. But new powers that have been proposed are controversial, says Mark Blois

Schools can use the 2012 Olympics to promote sport, tackling PE participation problems. Primary headteacher Angela Youngman looks at how

Complex legal guidance on exclusion and reintegration has been updated to take Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) into account. Ingrid Sutherland thinks the detail is worth reviewing

A second benefit to bringing the concept of sustainable schools to your institution is how much pupils can learn about sustainability through the curriculum. Anne Clarke explains

The role of finance director at an academy school is potentially a very attractive career opportunity for ambitious school business managers and bursars. Ruth Bradbury explains why

Gifted and talented, or G&T, is a term used regularly in education today - but what does it actually mean?

High-quality learning environments for young children are vital to their early development. Sian Rees-Jones, headteacher of Bognor Regis Nursery School and Children's Centre, shares her team's approach to learning environments

The evaluation of CPD and its impact is one of the most difficult tasks for CPD leaders. Sue Kelly demonstrates some far more interesting ways of evaluating CPD than simply handing out a questionnaire

How can schools reach out to challenging pupils? Suzanne O'Connell looks at the government's response to the problem of challenging behaviour, from a leadership perspective

While many schools engage in fundraising for Children in Need, some are unaware that they can apply for Children in Need funding for projects at their own school

This case centres around the use of care orders and alternative custody, with the child's welfare being the court's paramount consideration

Schools should encourage young gifted and talented (G&T) students to aim high, as many able children who do not have a history of university education in their family may dismiss it, says Deborah Eyre

What are the early years processes involved for quality provision and planning positive outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? Early years consultant Jane Cole has a look

This classroom strategy for G&T coordinators and leading teachers is a creative thinking activity, which aims to stimulate gifted and talented students

What does school 'strategy' mean from a leadership perspective, and how useful is it as a concept? Richard Bird discusses whether school headteachers and school leaders have a real sense of what school strategies are

A Dragon's Den challenge activity for G&T students offers unlimited possibilities to excite and stretch their imagination. Joan Hardy decribes how her school organised such a project

What does it take to become an effective assistant headteacher? Dr Ray Chatwin looks at how to manage the teacher transition from middle leader to assistant headteacher

Action research with G&T pupils didn't produce the results Peter Leyland expected, but he found it had great CPD benefits

Reorganising your curriculum into grouped subjects can encourage development in facilitated learning. Jim Donnelly explains

There is value in building a working link between school governors and school business managers says Crispin Andrews, who strongly advises bringing them into the senior leadership team

The BSF initiative (Building School for the Future) is providing high levels of investment, but changes must be able to stand the test of time. Philip Watson looks at the questions schools need to consider

It is important to highlight e-safety when it comes to traveller or fairground children, who depend on ICT to keep up with their education. Roger Feltham hightlights the success of Surrey County Council's e-safety programme

It is important for gifted and talented (G&T) coordinators and leading teachers to garner the support of governors. G&T Update offers suggestions as to how and why governors can be an ally to those working with G&T

Observation, assessment and planning are important areas of practice to get right when dealing with early years. Early Years Update offers a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

School can greatly benefit in terms of CPD from links between a network of schools; in this case one in Lambeth and another in Kosovo, which have brought CPD benefits to teachers in both areas. Elizabeth Gowing explains

It is important to allow multisensory maths to be taught to children with special educational needs (SEN) for as long as they need, argues Jane Kendall. Here she offers some practical suggestions for how

School league tables and other school statistics can cause problems when they are poorly understood and inaccurately interpreted, warns Peter Kent, who here issues advice on the right way to use educational statistics

How can a new team of governors work together to make sure that their efforts produce the most effective results possible? Joan Sallis believes a good team of governors needs to be managed from the start

How can your school benefit from the first UK staged Olympics since 1948? Gill O'Donnell explains what financial funding support is available to help prepare you

Teachers can promote their students wellbeing by taking time to meditate themselves. Teacher and healer Dave Read offers three exercises to perform easily in the classroom to reduce teacher stress

Jenni Whitehead discusses the difficulties faced by named persons, or child protection coordinators, in talking to children's parents about their concerns and the need to follow child protection procedures

How are 'leading schools' or 'gifted and talented centres' selected, and how will they fulfil their role? The Yorkshire and Humber partnership is in the early stages of the G&T project

Ofsted's new self-evaluation form and how to complete it is looked at in detail by Early Years Update