Education articles - Teaching Expertise

Considering the carrot or the stick: which incentives are you giving? read more

Following the review of the national standards (see opposite), the secretary of state for education and skills has asked the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to review the initial teacher training (ITT) requirements. read more

Hayesfield School Technology College is a large girls’ comprehensive school on the south side of Bath. Mary Read and Jo Sargent explain how Citizenship, PHSE, PE and extra-curricular activities have been brought together to raise the profile of healthy living for all students. read more

On 1 April, the National Remodelling Team (NRT) formally merged with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Former NRT director Dame Pat Collarbone will lead the new development directorate as executive director. The development directorate will continue the NRT’s work. read more

Increased involvement with the FE sector in 14-19 education will have an impact on the way schools organise their CPD. CPD Update looks at the latest proposals for CPD in the tertiary sector. read more

Anne Clarke, principal of Benton Park School Technology College, shares her thoughts on the management of staff at the end of their careers. read more

Tim Lomas, principal adviser, CfBT/Lincolnshire School Improvement Service, looks at ways of continuing to improve the profile and teaching of history in schools. read more

Effective teams are key to raising standards argues Pat Barnes, education consultant and former headteacher. read more

Graham Osborne , former head and now HIP and NCSL consultant, presents an insight into the Headship Induction Programme through a case study of a recent mentee. read more

Jenny Townsend reveals the approaches she used to improve parental engagement at her school

Whole-school self-regulating processes are encapsulated in the self-evaluation form (SEF), which is at the heart of the new inspection system. Anne Clarke, headteacher, looks at how schools can use it to empower themselves. read more

Richard Bird, legal consultant to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), looks at the advantages currently enjoyed by schools with foundation status and ponders where they fit into the government’s vision for the future.

Headteacher Martin Ainsworth shows how it is possible for schools to demonstrate responsibility to our planet by becoming involved in a raft of initiatives to save energy and reduce pollution

Former headteacher Roger Smith analyses the role of school improvement partners (SIPs) and concludes that they should be welcomed with open arms. read more

Former headteacher Edward Gildea explores the ways in which disagreements with parents can be resolved and used to improve the school’s partnership with them. read more

Headteacher Kate Griffin describes the benefits and difficulties experienced by her school on the path from grant-maintained to foundation status. read more

Headteacher Anne Clarke reports on an international headteacher placement (IHP) to Akron, Ohio, which she facilitated on behalf of the British Council and the National College for School Leadership (NCSL). read more

Headteacher Marcia Twelftree describes her SIP training and looks forward to a visit from her own SIP. read more

Linda Trapnell examines the impact of TOC on playground behaviour. read more

Geoffrey Court, co-founder of The Circle Works, argues that teachers need to achieve a balance between experience, reflection and outcome if they are to respond well to young people’s behaviour. read more

Former deputy head Marilyn Tew describes how some of the students she has worked with used TalkiT – a profiling tool that she developed and wrote about previously in Emotional Literacy Update – to overcome the emotional literacy issues that blocked their learning. read more

Although much of the publicity surrounding the Education and Inspections Bill now before parliament has focused upon admissions, trust and foundation status, the powers of local authorities and the position of parents, the bill also brings together a number of initiatives and developments that have slowly been taking place for the last two years that have direct implications for CPD. read more

This successful teacher exchange scheme in the West Midlands provides high-impact, low-cost collaborative CPD, as Maggie Langdale explains. read more

New strategy for people development
The school workforce development board (SWDB) has published a three-year strategy, Developing People to Support Learning: a Skills Strategy for the Wider School Workforce 2006-09. read more

CPD Update analyses a document giving the direction of policy for the next three years. read more

From inclusion to ethics, CPD Update looks at twelve essential headings for a CPD policy. read more

Headteacher David Dixon considers the inequalities of the schools admissions system, including negative effects on social cohesion and the ability of some schools to raise achievement and attainment. read more

Headteacher Martin Ainsworth extols the benefits to his school of taking part in the Blueprint Drug Education Research Programme. read more

The role of schools in helping to meet the aims and objectives set out in Every Child Matters is vital, says former head Roger Smith. read more

Kim Sparling, headteacher at Oldfield School, Bath, analyses the implications of the staffing structure review and argues that allowing greater flexibility into the process is vital. read more

Three out of five secondary pupils say that they have experienced bullying, despite the efforts that schools have made to get on top of the problem. Former headteacher Roger Smith looks at ways of dealing with the instigators

Headteacher Jim Donnelly reports on a visit to Thailand that shows how community values are reflected in the behaviour and learning ability of pupils. read more

School meals are in the news again, as Hull City Council announces the success of its free healthy lunch programme for primary and special school pupils. read more

In July 2005, there were 1,557 poorly performing schools in England, according to the National Audit Office’s recent report, Improving Poorly Performing Schools in England. Around 23% of secondary schools were in the ‘poorly performing’ category. read more

Peter Kent, headteacher of Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby, and his deputy Annabel Kay, describe how a new model of ‘professional friendship’ has reaped dividends at their school. read more

One of our pupils is in care and has a statement of SEN. Her parents disagree with the statement’s provisions and plan to appeal to the special educational needs and disability tribunal. Which takes precedence, SENDIST or the family court? read more

The BSF scheme relies on successful public-private partnerships. Sharon Jones and Rachel Williams look at how the local authority goes about putting these in place. read more

When does an LEA education officer owe a duty of care to pupils? How far does this duty extend? Michael Segal looks at important new case law. read more

What duty of care does a school educational psychologist owe a pupil and, if the psychologist is negligent, what damages will the LEA be liable for? read more

When dealing with pupils with challenging behaviour and emotional difficulties, risk assessment is vital says Amelia Wallington

Does the law help or hinder those charged with protecting such pupils?

Ingrid Sutherland cuts a path through existing, new and ‘improved’ guidance. read more

If schools are to help tackle self-harming behaviours, says the final Report of the National Inquiry into Self-Harm among Young People, they need to ensure that young people have opportunities to talk about their fears and anxieties. read more

Many schools participate in National Storytelling Week, organised by the Society for Storytelling. This article describes how traditional storytelling can help to address difficult emotional issues, and stresses the importance of letting children and young people find their own meanings in the stories that they hear

A new review group has been set up to recommend ways of: read more

The DfES is to trial parent support advisers in 600 primary and secondary schools from September. read more

The Teacher Support Network has set up an online advice, information and support service for teachers. This will supplement the existing telephone service, which offers counselling to around 17,000 teachers and lecturers every year. read more

Some key findings from research on how teachers can use groups to boost young people’s achievement read more

Judith Harwood, senior regional adviser on the secondary strategy for school improvement, reports on the breadth of the pilot work being undertaken in secondary schools to promote Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).

In her final article on how teachers use emotions, teacher trainer Susan Gibbs discusses why emotional safety is so important in enabling children and young people to learn. read more

The Manifesto for Education Outside the Classroom promotes high-quality outdoor learning experiences to support cognitive skills and aid personal development – gardening fits the bill, says Dr Susan Johnson