August 2014

Celebrate National Poetry Day on the 4th of October with our collection of free poetry resources and activities. 

This week, we bring you a Reception vocabulary teaching activity which uses the story of Hansel and Gretel to help children to develop an understanding of words to describe different characters.

We've collated all of our news, advice and free resources to help you keep abreast of what's going on in primary education, as well as the latest resources to help your child reach their full potential.

It has taken a lot of hours for Ofsted to discover that the primary curriculum is skewed by SATs, that the foundation subjects are being squeezed and creative teaching is not as widespread as they hoped.  They find that timetabling is conservative, priorities are focused on the acquisition of knowledge and there is a lack of flair in some of the teaching. And, apparently, we don’t know what we mean when we say ‘skills’.

Teach your children about the different functions of our bones and muscles with this fun practical lesson!

This week's Wednesday Words blog, brings you a Year 3 vocabulary teaching activity which uses Alice in Wonderland to explore adverbs in fiction.

In September 2019, the Ofsted inspection framework will change, but what does that mean for assessment?

Thanks to John Dabell, trained teacher and former Ofsted inspector, for the following article.

Although work is ongoing, and Ofsted is still preparing for the 2019 changes, there are some signs we can draw on which help shed some light on what the future holds.

Ofsted strategy: 2017-2022

Ofsted reminds us in it 2017-2022 strategy that everything it does is first and foremost to champion the interests of children and students, acting as a ‘force for improvement through intelligent, responsible and focused inspection and regulation.’  It also tells us that it is nimble and adaptable to change and does not have preferred styles of teaching.

To celebrate National Poetry Day, Charlotte Raby (author of Rising Stars Vocabulary) explains why poetry is the quickest way to capture a child's imagination. 

Thanks to Ruth Duckworth, Year 6 teacher, for the following article.

The most effective teachers not only refine starting points, but also make regular adjustments to planning during the learning journey.

As the new term starts and classroom timetables settle down to 'real' lessons, it is easy to roll with the planning as it is - especially if you're teaching in the same year group as last year. It's comfortable to start with the same topics, for example reading and exploring a novel you're familiar with, often teaching virtually the same lessons all over again.

The recent workload report, the DfE highlights the importance of reducing unnecessary tasks so more time can be spent focusing on teaching.  With instant and unlimited access for every teacher in your school, Assessment Bank makes creating and sharing tests with your colleagues easier than ever.