If you’re not sure what E.a.R.L is, E.a.R.L is Hope Education’s very special, own-developed coding robot… and he’s landed on earth to support your computing curriculum. He knows his purpose and he wants to help! Oh, and he’s really cool to look at, which obviously means the children will love him!

The K-12 online tutoring market is booming around the world, with recent research estimating it to grow by 12% per year over the next five years, a USD $60bn increase. By breaking down geographic barriers and moving beyond the limits of local teaching expertise, online tutoring platforms are an especially valuable tool for those looking to supplement their studies in the developing world, and students globally are increasingly signing up to online tuition early on in their secondary education schooling. 

As a school, we are always ready to learn from and with others. Our creative and challenging curriculum, which we are incredibly proud of, has only been able to become as successful as it is through the work that we have done with other schools. Through local, national and global partnerships, we have been able to learn so much about ourselves and that is why we value collaborative learning so much, for both pupils and teachers.

EdTech is one of the fastest growing areas of the technology industry. But with budget constraints and a plethora of online edtech platforms, tools and resources on the market, knowing how much to spend and what to buy are not easy decisions for schools.

Recent reports by the Education Policy Institute thinktank and the Fair Education Alliance have highlighted that, despite efforts of schools and policy-makers, the attainment gap at KS4 is actually widening. For educators driven by a desire to help every student do the best they can, this discrepancy is a tragedy, especially considering that students with lower prior attainment tend to have the greatest opportunity to make gains. The circumstances seem to prevent this opportunity from being exploited.

It doesn’t really need to be pointed out that setting and marking homework is a drain on our time. As an English Literature teacher, marking extended essays by each student always took a big slice out of my day. Technology has helped me make this process a lot easier, and it has given me tools to really engage my students.

Today’s students are digital natives. They multi-task while immersed in interactive digital media with vibrant content on their PC, PDA, MP3 player and mobile phone. These mixed-mediums just make sense to young people, and they can make sense in an educational setting too. 

During his 10 years in education, Darryl Keane from Learning by Questions marked the key stage 2 SATs papers of students from all over England and Wales. In this time, he noticed that the same mistakes, many often easily avoidable, were made by students. With this year’s SATs being sat in the same week as the Eurovision Song Contest, Darryl gives us his Eurovision Song Contest style countdown to the most common SATs mistakes and misconceptions. 

We’ve heard it before. The world of work is changing and at a rapid rate. So whether you’re an educator or parent, preparing young people for the world of work comes with a myriad of challenges. 

I'm standing in front of a group of newly qualified teachers, about to embark on their first teaching post in new schools, with new roles, and new stationary. I share that this new term brings with it new challenges for me also.