Head of Year - Teaching Expertise

As the end of the year approaches, use this guide from Behaviour Matters to evaluate how well your school’s behaviour management strategies are working and to plan for the year ahead

School councils are becoming more influential in primaries. Neil Short discusses the implications and shares examples of just how far children can go in leading their own learning

Whose responsibility is it to join up the dots in a subject-based curriculum? asks David Leat

It’s widely recognised that our thoughts, perceptions and emotions drive our behaviour. So how can we learn to stay in control when students are challenging our authority?

Much time is spent teaching and modelling appropriate behaviour to students. But how can we ensure that students utilise their social, emotional and behavioural skills, asks Dave Stott

Coaching is falling short of its potential but is at its best when it is a two-way process. Rachel Lofthouse and David Leat as they describe the findings of their research

The new Department for Education demonstrates the unfamiliar look of coalition politics with Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather taking on the role of Minister of State for Children and Families under the new Conservative Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove

In this assembly, Brian Radcliffe invites students, in light of the Government’s proposed spending cuts, to consider the way they prioritise their time, money and energy

This assembly begins by considering the numerous apologies which have been made in connection with the football World Cup. It goes on to discuss the difference between a qualified apology and a true expression of regret

This week’s assembly considers the extent to which we might expect too much of people and reminds us that we’re only human. It challenges listeners to show a little more compassion in their lives

In this assembly, children will learn about why supporters are important for encouraging sportsmen and women and for sporting events as a whole

This week’s assembly challenges listeners not to lose sight of the important issues, even when only certain ones seem to be in the public eye

This assembly, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in South Africa, looks back to the sport of chariot racing in ancient Rome. It asks questions about the pros and cons of professional sport – then as now

This week’s assembly challenges listeners to remember those who are left behind in one way or another, and asks listeners to question the extent to which they are inclusive in their thoughts and actions

In this assembly students are encouraged to consider the balance of rivalry and unity that is exemplified by the World Cup

How can you make positive changes to the behaviour of pupils who are not disruptive but are not engaged with the learning process?

This assembly uses the theme of puns and similar wordplay. It looks at many definitions of the word pun, such as in the form of a corny joke and a way to highlight tragedy, and also explores the idea of the visual pun (the ‘rebus’) with reference to the prisoner Thomas Abel’s carving in the Tower of London

This edition of Extended Schools Update looks at some of the resources available and events coming up this term to help schools promote Every Child Matters and extended services outcomes, through environmental learning initiatives and activities

The internet is a vital learning resource, but its use comes with a number of legal risks. Following the Byron Review in 2008, the delivery of e-safety in schools has come under greater scrutiny. Rebecca Taylor-Onion looks at schools’ legal duties to ensure the online safety of their pupils and how they can manage the risks effectively

This week’s assembly challenges listeners to imagine a world where we’re all in the same ’team’, and reflect upon how their own actions might start to bring this dream about

‘Significant minority’ is an often-used phrase describing small groups of student who have negative influences on the behaviour of others. How can schools prevent this occurring, and how can they prevent the minority becoming a majority?

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider the addictive effects of video games and suggests some relational strategies to address them

This assembly considers the significance of the letter X, which voters use to mark their ballot papers in the general election. Thinking about the many meanings of X can help us to understand ourselves and others

Lunch breaks can be a source of conflict and behaviour problems, which often spill over and disrupt the classroom during the afternoon sessions. How effective are your routines and systems for a successful midday break, asks Dave Stott

This assembly challenges listeners to think about the rescue services available to us, suggesting that perhaps we take such things for granted especially in more economically developed countries such as our own

Most schools are aware of their duty to provide child protection training, but did you know that you are required to ensure that all members of staff are inducted effectively in child protection at the time when they first join the school? Suzanne O’Connell gives detailed advice on how to structure this training

What do the four main parties (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green) have to say about education?

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider how they might influence the upcoming general election, despite their young age

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider the possibility that increased wealth may not lead to increased happiness

In this assembly, Joe Walker challenges listeners to think about how easily we tend to blame external factors for things and so perhaps avoid our own responsibilities

In this edition we consider self-harm and discuss what teachers can do to help young people who are vulnerable to self-harm

This assembly, timed to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, takes the form of a Time Travel Interview with Ireland’s Patron Saint. It disentangles fact from legend and shows that Patrick’s story is relevant today, giving opportunity for discussion at key stages 3, 4 and 5

In this assembly, students are invited to consider the cost of bringing up a child in the UK, and to think about whether they personally are offering good value for the money that has been spent on them

In this week’s assembly, Joe Walker challenges listeners to look at themselves and the wider exploits of humanity from a different perspective… prompted by the arrival of aliens

This assembly considers attitudes to cheating in the light of the news that more pupils are using new ‘technological’ methods in order to cheat in examinations. It considers the pressures that may drive us to cheat and asks questions about the role of conscience

They’re often the cause of argument, disruption and off-task behaviour. So how can you reduce the negative impact of mobile phones and MP3 players in the teaching and learning environment?

Reginald Earnshaw, killed at 14 years and 152 days, was belatedly recognised recently as the youngest serving casualty of World War Two

On the general subject of climate change, this assembly invites students to consider how easily we become sceptical, and the effect this might have on the world’s poorest people

This assembly reflects on the idea of hope, challenging listeners to engage in hopeful thinking for the future. It refers to the recent events in Haiti, as well as the memorial services recently held to remember the victims of the Holocaust

This assembly for secondary school pupils looks at the tradition of Groundhog Day, considers why we get bored of routine, and why we should think twice about it

Tips on how to solicit and apply feedback/evaluation from pupils to improve behaviour management

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider an imaginative way to recycle an unsightly and invasive type of litter

In this assembly, Joe Walker considers the extent to which we are all masters of our own destiny, as we begin another decade. The assembly challenges listeners to consider not how the next year might turn out, but how they might shape 2010

This assembly uses the popularity of advent calendars to consider what our values should be as we prepare for the season of goodwill

In this assembly, Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider the rise in incidents of violence between teenagers, even in apparently safe relationships

Joe Walker explores the idea of being prepared to speak out against injustice – even when it could have negative consequences for you

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider the 20th anniversary of the demolition of the Berlin Wall that began in November 1989

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider how and why we give awards. Students are encouraged to consider what awards they might give within their school

This secondary SEAL assembly looks at the personal qualities of determination and perseverance