Education articles - Teaching Expertise

Since the beginning of September, schools have no longer been required to produce an annual governors’ report or hold an annual parents’ meeting. read more

Governing bodies in secondary schools in England are continuing to lag behind in ensuring that their schools fulfil their statutory duties, according to the latest Ofsted annual report. read more

Criminal record checks are to be made mandatory for all newly appointed school employees as part of the tightening up of vetting procedures in the wake of the recent controversy over sex offenders being cleared to work in education. read more

The important role of governors in school improvement is acknowledged in a report by the National Audit Office. read more

The number of children permanently excluded from schools in England has increased by more than 6%. read more

LEAs across England have shown very little progress towards inclusion nationally, according to a report from the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE).* read more

A recently published review of external SEN support for schools in England highlights variations in both the quality and quantity of services across the country. The review, carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) also makes a number of recommendations, describes features of effective practice and outlines standards that can be used to identify and develop such practice. read more

Many statistics point to the potential risks and disadvantages of being a boy, but how can we help them fulfil their potential? Maggie Dent investigates read more

Amelia Wallington reflects, on the basis of her own work as a solicitor working in the field of education law, on recent debates about the SEN framework and whether or not it is helping children, parents, or professionals. Her call for legislative change adds weight to the view that the government is wrong to think that the framework can continue to provide an effective means of meeting children’s special educational needs. read more

An activity played in a circle, as a kind of visual Chinese Whispers; and an appreciation / observation activity read more

Graham Guest provides an introduction to the basics of continuing professional development in schools

The Department for Education and Skills has launched a consultation seeking views on the draft of the first cross-government guidance on information sharing in respect of children and young people. read more

“If you continue to do what you have always done, then you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.” Anon read more

Philippa Bogle desribes how skilled one-on-one facilitation can lead to personal empowerment and transformation within your school read more

Julie Bennett explains how to develop a climate of safe learning in your classroom

Every August exam results are in the media spotlight; but what we focused on better parenting and better teaching instead? Bill Lucas explores parental involvement read more

Solution focused education is a methodology which provides a positive and pragmatic framework for managing behaviour, write Kerstin Mahlberg, Maud Sjoblom read more

One day there was a knock on the door at a home for Alzheimer’s patients. When the matron opened the door, a middle-aged woman stood there holding an elderly gentleman by the arm. “This is my father,” she said. “He has Alzheimer’s and I have cared for him by myself for twelve years. If you don’t take him, I am going to kill him.” And she meant it. read more

SWOT is a frequently used management tool, useful for reflection, decision-making and appraising options read more

Improving inclusive practice read more

Education consultant and author Brin Best uses findings from education research to help improve your teaching skills read more

If you’re starting your first management job here’s some good advice from former headteacher and Ofsted inspector, Kerrigan Redman read more

This article discusses Mary Warnock’s 2005 pamphlet on special educational needs policy, and her call for an urgent review of it. A flurry of political debate took place in both houses of parliament before the summer recess that year

If you are disorganised your colleagues will think you’re less effective, even if you aren’t. Unfair but true. Prioritised lists and well-planned lessons disperse the illusion of chaos, but what else can you do? read more

The recently published report Inclusion: the Impact of LEA Support and Outreach Services (July 2005) summarises a review, undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) of the quality of external special educational needs (SEN) support available to schools in English LEAs. read more

A unique combination of sound and touch is bringing a whole new world of teaching opportunities into both special needs and mainstream education. read more

From 1 September all teachers with timetabled teaching commitments became entitled to PPA time (eg 2.5 hours, or half a day a week for many primary teachers). read more

Important: Before you begin to read this article, make a note of the time you begin and note it again when you finish. read more

Disabled children and young people can experience discrimination related to their disability in contexts that extend beyond school as the following story illustrates. read more

In June 2005 the DfES published Extended Schools: Access to Opportunities and Services for All – A Prospectus (Ref.1408-2005DOC-EN). The document outlines a vision of a wide range of activities that all children should have access to beyond the school day, and details how this vision will come to fruition by 2010, with reference to a timetable and funding arrangements.

The Teacher Support Line is available to all teachers, providing access to counsellors when support is needed read more

For an overview of the growing interest in inclusive education internationally, the UNESCO inclusion website is well worth looking at. read more

Since 2001, when in the words of our Head Teacher, Patrick Hazlewood, we were to ‘…throw out the National Curriculum…’, our school has focussed on discovering how we might best serve our students in order to make them independent, adaptable and confident learners able to meet the demands of the 21st century. read more

Education for young people in secure settings is undergoing radical change. Further work is being undertaken to ensure that educational opportunities in custody are comparable to those in the community. read more

Among all students’ behaviour, gaze aversion is the one least understood, often highly annoying and most often receives a completely wrong response from teachers and parents alike, writes Barbara Prashnig read more

NLP defines a number of communication categories. Richard Churches and Roger Terry explain how to use these to develop rapport with individuals and with groups read more

On 20 July 2005 the new Education and Skills Committee met for the first time since the general election, having been constituted the week before, and re-elected Barry Shearman (Labour MP , Huddersfield) as its chairman. read more

The closure of hundreds of schools across the country as a result of the recent Unison day of action over pensions can serve as a reminder of how essential support staff are for the day-to-day functioning of our schools. read more

We must listen to the pupil voice if pupils are going to feel valued as members of the school community, argues Anne Clarke, Principal of Benton Park School Technology College. read more

AL has become something of a catch-all phrase these days, synonymous with brain-based or mind-friendly learning. Susan Norman goes beyond the buzz-word to bring you the facts read more

With around 95% of state schools no longer offering Latin, access is the critical issue for survival of the subject. Will Griffiths, director of the Cambridge School Classics Project (CSCP), looks at a DfES initiative to address this and highlights the competitive advantage that offering Latin can give schools. read more

What would you do if faced with a child having an asthma attack? Jo Viner Smith, BAppSc, lays out a quick guide for teachers as explained in SportEX Health magazine

Latin is a highly valued part of the curriculum at Benton Park School. Principal Anne Clarke explains why. read more

Research carried out earlier this year to assess the use of data in schools highlights its importance in many areas, including facilitating more effective allocation of staff and resources and monitoring the effectiveness of initiatives and strategies. read more

In previous issues of Secondary Headship headteacher Brian Rossiter has described his experiences of PFI in the Bassetlaw district of North Nottinghamshire. In this article he describes the parallel development of a coordinated approach to delivering post-16 education across the area

Headteacher Jim Donnelly looks at some of the ways parental involvement in schools can be increased

Win it or lose it within the first three minutes, by Nicola Fahey read more

Time to review the school staffing and pay structure is fast running out. Former headteacher Roger Smith looks at what needs doing and how it can be achieved before the deadline for completion arrives. read more

This article explores the pros and cons to a number of different classroom seating patterns

Every child has enormous potential for learning and is capable of progress. If this is not happening, it is most probably because we, the childrens’ teachers, have not yet found the right keys to their hearts and minds, writes Eva Hoffman