Sonia Thompson’s blogs of the new year – 4 January 2022 Three blogs old and new to reflect on at the start of the new year, chosen by Sonia Thompson
What impact has the pandemic had on our youngest learners? New data shows green shoots of recovery from Covid’s impact on key stage 1 but schools need more support to put damaging trends into reverse, writes Susan Rose
Huh: Curriculum Conversations Between Subject and Senior Leaders Though not aimed at a primary school audience, this book raises important questions every sector of education should be think about, writes, Jenna Crittenden
Wellbeing is for life, not just for Christmas Our staff advent calendar has been enjoyed by all, writes Laura Baker, but the real secret to wellbeing is making it a leadership priority year-round
NTP: Trust schools not to leave disadvantaged pupils behind Caveats on making use of NTP support mean some children will miss out and the programme’s effectiveness could be blunted, writes Ashfaq Rahman
How Kickstart boosted my teaching career and my confidence A government scheme helped me pick up my classroom career after Covid set me back, writes Saemah Sirin, and more schools and aspiring teachers could benefit
Geography is no longer a barrier to MATS’ improvement role The pandemic experience has proven that geographical boundaries are no longer a barrier to building a successful family of schools, says Matthew Kleiner-Mann
Why the DfE’s Covid response is leading me to retire early The only thing that’s briefer as a result of these many briefings is the remainder of my headteacher career, writes Andrew Clowes
ITT review: a major reform, but can it fulfil its promise? The prize on offer from ITT reforms is substantial, writes David Weston, but challenges lie ahead for the policy and the real test will be implementation