english literature | Schools Week

Christmas appeal: literacy charity Hackney Pirates needs help to get shipshape again

Schools Week is making a Christmas appeal for our readers to help an education charity that was left “shipwrecked” after a car crash destroyed its boat-themed building. Hackney Pirates, in east London, has run literacy sessions since 2010 for pupils who are “both falling behind and facing disadvantages in their personal circumstances”. A group of […]

How to answer the interview question: ‘What are you reading?’

Seven teachers, heads and trust chief executives let slip the interview answers they’d like to hear I have a shockingly poor attention span in interviews. If I’m going to have to see you every day, I need to get under your skin. Asking about hobbies sounds pervy, and I don’t want anyone to start talking about […]

English Literature GCSE results

The practicalities of making students study English to 18

More teachers will be needed to teach students who don’t really want to be there. . . and just as more budget cuts are about to hit further education. Why hasn’t someone thought this through? After teaching English in secondary schools for 12 or so years, I began working as an FE lecturer in Warwickshire; […]

Are journal clubs a good use of precious free time?

Rebecca Allen, reader in the economics of education at the Institute of Education, asks whether teacher journal clubs can improve classroom practice A teacher journal club is the professional version of a book club. A group of teachers regularly meets after school to discuss pre-chosen academic articles of direct relevance to pedagogy and classroom practice. […]