Use the local library as an educational resource

Brandon
The cost of books, as with everything else, has risen considerably recently and so parents and teachers are turning to libraries to avoid paying out a fortune for new books. Some children who are avid readers can get through a book every few days so borrowing books from the library is a good way to supply them with reading material without a cost. Borrowing books from the library also gives children the opportunity to try a book without worrying that they may not like it, so they are encouraged to try a wider range of books risk free. Libraries offer... Read More »

Could a job-sharing teaching role work for you?

Brandon
As people try to get a better work life balance taking on a job share as a teacher could be the answer for many teachers. It is a good idea if this is something you are interested in approaching the Head teacher to see whether they are open to such a job arrangement especially if you are struggling to keep up with working full time but do not want to give up teaching. Job sharing is common in schools and usually means that one class of pupils is taught by two teachers whose hours of work are either divided equally... Read More »

Coping with the pressure of being a year six teacher

Brandon
In Primary school it could be said that the teaching staff who are under the most pressure are those teaching in the final year of a child’s primary education. This is because it is in that year that children sit their Statutory Assessment Tests which are test that are mostly not marked internally by teachers in the school but are sent away to be marked by external assessors who are employed by the Government. The pressure that teachers feel to ensure the pupils are well prepared for the tests is great, but many teachers are also aware of the need... Read More »

Will pupils ever catch up from Covid lockdowns?

Brandon
With most schools now back up and running unless there is an outbreak, some parts of teaching can start to resume as normal. It may be that assemblies are still being done virtually and some elements of social distancing are still in place, but many parents, students and teachers are hopeful that we have seen the last of the lockdowns. The school closures that have taken place over the last two years have set many students back and many people are worried that they will never recover from the time they have missed. Although most students were given work to... Read More »

Are you getting your classroom Christmas ready?

Brandon
As we are now in December it is the perfect time to start decking out your classroom if you haven’t already. It is likely you are going to have a number of different events coming up over the next couple of weeks that are themed around Christmas. Some schools are still not doing Christmas performances this year or they may decide to do them virtually. Having an area of the classroom that looks Christmassy will make the perfect setting for your recording. It is likely that you will start to notice some disruption over the coming weeks are the children... Read More »