Standing together
By Lynsie Monro How many decisions have you made today? Essential or non-essential? Mindful or mindless? Two metres or too close? Having made hundreds of daily decisions safely within the certainty of...
View ArticleRelationships Matter – #AutismAwarenessMonth
By Cathy Duncan Plotting a course through this pandemic is a challenging and stressful time for us all. There is no doubt families who have a child with autism will be facing extra challenges. When the...
View ArticleThe rise of celebrity lessons while home educating
by Huw Lloyd As we enter week two, or even three for some of us, of home educating our children in these strange times we are living in, one thing that has helped many parents is the wealth of...
View ArticleRe-integrating the most vulnerable post Covid-19
By Mark Bocker Resilience is the universal capacity which allows a person, group or community to prevent, minimise or overcome the damaging effects of adversity. Grotberg, 1995. Ewan is my son. He is...
View ArticleTeachers working from home
by Huw Lloyd When you become a teacher you have an idea in your head of what it will be like, what job you will be doing, what your setting will look like, for most people that would be in a classroom,...
View ArticleWe must adult today
by Lynsie Monro The solution is the same as it has always been. Who has the most influence over us and our behaviour as we go through life? Ourselves. While scientists work to find treatments and...
View ArticleLeadership in crisis – bringing certainty in moments of uncertainty
By Mark Bocker I had two crises in my first headship. One was at the point of entry and the second, the saddest, most challenging day of my career. Day two of my first headship brought a full OFSTED...
View ArticleThe End or a New Beginning?
by Cathy Duncan For the past month, our high streets alongside our schools and colleges sit empty – closed until further notice. Both education and retail sectors fell into crisis almost overnight,...
View ArticleOne thing’s for sure
By Lynsie Monro The last day of the school year elicits a mixed atmosphere. There’s something slightly apocalyptic about it while at the same time, being delightfully euphoric. The gates swing shut and...
View ArticleMind the gap
by Mark Bocker It’s a phrase we used to hear over the echoing tannoy when getting on and off trains. Lately however, it has become the focus of many, many school leaders, teachers and parents...
View ArticleWhat will our school curriculum look like post lockdown?
by Huw Lloyd The coronavirus lockdown is currently changing how lots of us do many things: shopping, working, socialising and for many of our children, learning. The lockdown has seen many young people...
View ArticleNQTs 2020: The Covid-19 cohort
by Cathy Duncan All NQTs prepare as best they can for the stresses that await them in their first year of teaching. They have advice on speed dial on behaviour management, their first parents’ night or...
View ArticleConnections and Nurture Should Remain the Priority
By Cathy Duncan For all teachers and learners, this pandemic has forced us into a period of isolation where the physical classroom, staffroom or learning hub has no longer existed. We have all been...
View ArticleWill homeschooling continue for some?
By Huw Lloyd As I was driving to do my family’s shopping on a rare foray into the outside world during lockdown, I caught part of the excellent Nihal Arthanayake’s Radio 5 Live show on a Wednesday...
View ArticleA Strong Start
by Lynsie Monroe To all those new to the world of teaching, hold on to your whiteboard pens, the remarkable journey you’re about to embark on makes Frodo’s quest look like a trip to the corner shop...
View ArticleBack to school: Who comes first?
by Mark Bocker There is significant, and often heated, debate on social media and in the press at the moment regarding why, when, and how we should begin to scale up action in bringing children back...
View ArticleThoughts on returning to school
By Huw Lloyd If, like me, you tuned in to hear what Boris Johnson had to say as he addressed the nation about schools, education and getting children back into school, your house may have sounded like...
View ArticleThe transition to secondary school
by Cathy Duncan Starting secondary school is a recognised milestone for every learner. An adventure, a challenge that can often be seen as a daunting prospect for many. Of course, there will always be...
View ArticleGoing back to their roots
By Lynsie Monro Think of a situation that makes you nervous or fills you with fear but that most other people seemingly manage with ease. For instance driving, travelling on the Tube, eating in front...
View ArticleLeadership in crisis – part 2
By Mark Bocker I wrote a simple blog some weeks back reflecting on my experience as a leader in crises and related my experience to the current situation facing leaders as they manage the phased return...
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