Samantha Lauren King | Schools Week

Secondary teachers pair with Oxford academics to deepen their subject knowledge

Teachers from nine secondary schools across the UK are linking up with Oxford academics to deepen their subject knowledge. A new professional development programme will pair nine teachers with mentors from St Peter’s College, who will share their knowledge over the course of a year. The programme, launched last week, will be fully funded by […]

Taxi drivers can now take a course in transporting SEND pupils

Taxi drivers can now be trained in how to look after pupils with special educational needs and disabilities on their commutes to and from school. This online programme will offer taxi drivers and pupil escorts a qualification that proves they are competent to work with pupils with a range of special needs. Run by Spectrum […]

Research schools: What are they and why do they exist?

There are now 22 research schools across the UK, and 11 are in government-identified social-mobility “cold spots”. Samantha King takes a look at why they were created, how they function and how your school can get involved What are research schools? The Research Schools Network is a partnership between the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and […]

Chair of education honours committee calls for northern and midlands schools to nominate staff

Sir Daniel Moynihan, the chair of the education honours committee, is calling for more schools in the north of England and the midlands to nominate their staff members for awards. Subject leaders, long-serving teachers, support staff, site managers and lollipop ladies are among those the committee wants to see put up for a nomination, alongside […]

Cross-curricular scarecrow building project eases back-to-school transition

A primary headteacher has launched a cross-curricular scarecrow-making project to get pupils back into work mode after the summer holidays. The project had pupils from reception to year 6 at Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy in Suffolk using their design, English, science and maths skills to design and build a scarecrow. “The purpose of the project […]

Study reveals positive impact of the outdoors on pupils’ creative writing

A study undertaken with a Bedfordshire primary school has revealed the positive impact of the outdoors on children’s creative writing. One group of year 4 pupils from Leedon Lower School entered a forest, and another group looked at laminated images of woods, before writing a poem. Led by researchers at Curtin University in Australia, the […]

Government-backed social mobility project launched in South Yorkshire

A government-backed initiative to raise the educational attainment and aspirations of young people in South Yorkshire was launched last week. South Yorkshire Futures, a social mobility project led by Sheffield Hallam University, will support disadvantaged young people in the region from early years as far as further and higher education, in an effort to close […]

BBC Learning release free mental health resources for primary pupils

BBC Learning is releasing a series of free videos to help teachers introduce the topic of mental health to primary school children. The five short animated films look at ways to help children deal with OCD, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and bullying. Produced by Mosaic Films, a documentary production company, the series, titled ‘When […]

School partners with local care homes to launch pen pal scheme

A Worcestershire primary school has teamed up with two local care homes to launch a pen pal scheme between residents and year 4 pupils. The scheme will form part of Franche Primary School’s creative writing curriculum, and 120 pupils wrote their first letters in July to residents of both High Habberley House care home and […]