Ideas, Practices & Personal Insights

Homework for students not teachers

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.

Using mixed-media to get students hooked on literature

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.

How we became market leaders in appraisal software

Since its foundation in 2006, Derventio Education has built a reputation amongst schools, colleges and training establishments for delivering intuitive software that saves educators time. Flagship product SchooliP, which streamlines appraisals, professional development and school improvement processes, is used by thousands of teachers and school leaders. Here, we explore the company’s journey from inception to market leaders.

The Unconscious Bias Toolkit

Earlier this year, London CLC, in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London, launched TechPathways London, a new programme of free training for educators working with young people aged 11-24 in London.

The gender gap in apprenticeships

Participation rates in apprenticeships are running pretty much 50/50 for men and women. Ostensibly, it appears that apprenticeships are a success story for equality. Indeed, for the last ten years participation has slightly tipped in favour of women; but this year, for the first time, more men started on apprenticeships than women. What does this tweak in the statistics tell us about how apprenticeships are evolving?

Gender neutral uniforms in Wales

In April 2019, the Minister for Education in Wales, Kirsty Williams, announced that school uniforms in Wales are to become more affordable for families, with a limit on single-supplier, branded items that have become commonplace in recent years. What struck me most from this announcement was the ruling that uniform is to be gender neutral.

Avoiding unnecessary ‘null point’ in SATs questions

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 ...

We really should be calling ‘soft’ skills hard

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.

Being yourself, even with big shoes to fill

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.

Microsoft Teams: an alternative VLE?

While there are many different virtual learning environments available on the market, some with high running costs, Microsoft Teams is a practical solution for teachers who want to incorporate educational technology into the classroom.

How Bridge uses technology to support low-income countries

The global shortage of learning is truly shocking. Today, most children in the world are not reaching even basic levels of literacy and maths as they are either not in school or they’re in a school but not really learning. It’s an uncomfortable fact reinforced by the World Bank’s inaugural report on education. The crisis is worst in sub-Saharan Africa. It is home to more than half ...

Story, a super powerful learning tool

Schools UK wide are struggling with the same issues -children entering school with low levels of language and lacking social and emotional skills. Why is this? It’s all about the quality of the interactions happening for children in their early years. This is currently a hot topic and a focus area for the DfE.