Raising Achievement

The EPPI website is an excellent resource for informing your decision making, says David Leat. read more

Teaching and learning based around quality talk and taking the whole class forward together is a practical and effective approach. Headteacher Andy Buck explains read more

The school business manager’s role goes beyond simply managing finances, says Hilary Morrison read more

The 2020 Vision report calls for personalised learning to be designed to reduce the ‘persistent and unacceptable gaps in average attainment between different groups of pupils’. read more

How can teachers raise aspirations for students who have untapped potential? Martin Ransley follows the lives of a group of Year 9 students. read more

This is what secondary drama teacher Julie Leoni and Bristol Learning Initiative director James Wetz said at a recent Antidote conference about the emotional factors that need addressing if we are to close the achievement gap. read more

Emotional Literacy Update takes a look at the learning aims that the secondary curriculum review hopes to put at the centre of the KS3 and KS4 curriculum from autumn 2008. read more

In two respects the focus of education has shifted in the 2000s. read more

At Belvoir High School staff help pupils set their own SMART targets while house days are used to help pupils develop strengths read more

Charles Dietz examines the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and its implications

Charles Dietz examines the work of Guy Claxton, professor of education at Bristol University and fellow of the British Psychological Society. read more

Howard Gardner will forever be associated with his theory of multiple intelligences. Charles Dietz discovers that the Hobbs professor in cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education has a lot more to say on the nature of giftedness. read more

Sue Pidgeon, National Strategies primary senior regional adviser, and Karen Jarmany, National Strategies primary regional adviser, explain how the Intensifying Support Programme works to raise standards in low-attaining schools. read more

Kim Sparling, headteacher at Oldfield School in Bath, analyses the ingredients of her school’s high achievements read more

Bob Jelley argues that success is essential since, for many youngsters, a teacher may be one of the most significant male role models in their lives. read more

We are constantly trying to drive up standards of teaching and learning with new approaches, preferably those with a strong evidence base. But is ‘What Works?’ the right question? Should we really be asking ‘How do good teachers get better?’ Elaine Hall reflects on the messages from a meta-analysis of teaching and learning interventions

How can personalisation work in practice? Headteacher Paula Allen spoke to Bob Cox to explain how it’s done at Dorney Combined School.

Former headteacher Tim Small, a member of of ViTaL Partnerships, introduces some excerpts from his colleague Ruth Deakin Crick’s new book on learning power and the effective lifelong learning inventory (ELLI)

Aim higher coordinator Ivan Holdsworth discusses transition years and the implications these stages have on students’ learning read more

Marilyn Tew takes a look at what the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training has to tell us about whether current strategies will improve the education on offer to teenagers. read more

Sarah Blenkinsop and Marian Morris examine young people’s decision-making patterns, the role their school plays, the skills they require and other influences on the choices they make at core points in their school career. read more

The key change to the curriculum at Key Stage 4 has been to increase the breadth of choice. Alan Monks, Deputy Headteacher, describes the impact on Ellis Guilford School and Sports College, Nottingham

Judy Durrant and John Bartholomew of Canterbury Christ Church University describe developments that are leading to real and sustainable improvements in CPD and pupil’s learning. read more

Do students have something constructive to say about their own education? Putting pupil consultation at the forefront of her research into tacking underachievement allowed Helen Lee to highlight some new areas of concern for her school

Antidote development director Marilyn Tew describes what she learned from a recent seminar on how music education affects student wellbeing. read more

Judith Harwood, senior regional adviser for the primary and secondary strategy, describes what one school has been learning from its involvement in the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills (SEBS) pilot. read more

Heather Clapp, until recently a behaviour and attendance adviser in Gloucestershire, presents thoughts and reflections on one authority’s experiences of engaging with the pilot programme for Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills (SEBS)

James Park, director of Antidote, explains the benefits for everyone in creating and leading an emotionally literate school and shows how it can be done. read more

Lisa Crosswood describes the benefits of a modular Masters degree in Education. read more

How do you provide for your most able pupils within your existing education framework? Carol Cummings and Aileen Hoare describes a programme piloted in Cheshire LA read more

A love of stories is common to all young children, and by telling stories, rather than reading them, a storyteller can really bring the tale to life and make it a more interactive experience for the children. Former headteacher Steve Mynard explains how everyone has the ability to become a storyteller

How much does food affect young children’s behaviour? Mary Whiting reveals some research-based facts and offers some tips

The idea of using quantitative measures to evaluate students’ personal and social development can arouse considerable anxiety. James Park, director of Antidote, argues that there is a way. read more

EYU draws out the key points for early years education and childcare. read more

Dr Diane Bebbington discusses new human rights initiative the Commission For Equality and Human Rights (CEHR), which aims to support equality and diversity, and its implications for the education of young people

Communicating the change agenda in a cruising school

School leadership is being reviewed by the DfES. Former head Roger Smith looks at assumptions about what makes a good leader and ponders on where the review will lead. read more

Who are the gifted and talented children in our schools and are their needs being properly met? Former head, Roger Smith, suggests that broader definitions and greater efforts need to be made to identify and support the special needs of this group read more

An increased uptake and higher standards for school meals are enhanced by a whole-school approach, according to research by the School Food Trust, and can have a positive affect on behaviour

Former head Roger Smith looks at ways of promoting creativity in schools, arguing that the concept needs to have its place at the centre of the curriculum. read more

A summary from the Everyone Wants to Learn conference (Feb 2007) of the elements that participants considered should be part of any strategy to shape a school community where everyone wants to learn read more

Schools are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of frequent intake of water to enhance learning and many schools now have formal school hydration policies

Bill Lucas explores the phrase ‘accelerated learning,’ and its associated curious, if well-meaning, misconceptions read more

Looking for the root cause of many boys’ underachievement and subsequently the simple answer or ‘Quick Fix’, has become something of a preoccupation over the past few years. Here, School Improvement Officer Gary Wilson explains why he believes that neither of these particular tasks can ever bear fruit read more

Children today are now more likely to be consuming and digesting slices of aerobic exercises with a healthy pinch of brain gym workouts sandwiched between lessons

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

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

Gary Wilson explores the issue of raising boys’ achievement, believing that an important method is making sure they have good role models

In this article, Alistair Smith explains how two schools, Stamford High School and Melcombe Primary School, have introduced whole-school learning models based on Accelerated Learning. The impact of planning, delivering and evaluating learning has led to a significant cultural shift at both schools. read more

Identifying students who are underachieving is easy. The challenge is doing something about it. read more

Physics Teacher - April/September 2012

Preparing for exceptional performance

White boys' achievement