Blog

Over the past few months, teaching children to read, and more importantly to really read has been more difficult than usual. Teachers have endeavoured to deliver a reading curriculum through remote learning and pupils who have been able to attend school have had some reading lessons. However, long-term; medium-term and short-term plans for reading have been adapted and re-shaped to meet the needs of the current climate.

During this time of lockdown and social distancing many things have come to light, certain qualities in particular, such as optimism and hope for the future are some of the character qualities we as a family have been discussing. Hope that things will become easier for everyone and that we will return to some kind of normality.

The National Online School is a collaboration between Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, Hodder Education Group and Gluu to ensure a coherent and blended offer between school and home, online and offline, delivering a broad experience for pupils, parents and teachers. This trio is also joined by What on Earth Publishing who have worked with Shireland to curate a connected learning pathway. 

We're excited to launch the new version of the Reading Planet Catalogue! 

Following the government's announcement that £650 million will be split between state primary and secondary schools to help make up for missed education, new government-backed guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation has set out the interventions that schools could spend their additional catch-up funding on.

The last day of Year 6 is always bittersweet; the joy and elation at “growing up” versus the fear of change and stepping out of a comfort zone. However, this year, more than ever, parents have an increased responsibility to prepare and support their children for transition.

As children and young people return to school after the Covid-19 closures, it will not just be a process of ‘picking up where we left off’. The lockdown will have been experienced differently by pupils. What is certain is that they will all have had to cope with a loss of some kind. It could be the loss of their familiar structure and routine that school provided, or the loss of being with their friends.

In our ever-changing world, we want our children and young people to be equipped with the understanding and belief that they have what it takes to deal with life’s different situations and challenges. Supporting children to identify when they have used particular character qualities and to recognise the impact these have on themselves and other is a strong way to help children build their confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing.

Monitoring and supporting children’s wellbeing and attitudes to learning is going to be such an important aspect of the new normal. Professor Clare Wood, from Nottingham Trent University, discusses.

Schools have now been closed for a number of weeks and it’s hard to predict exactly when we will see their doors re-open to all pupils. In light of this, we’ve been talking to teachers about the transition back to school from June through to September and how they'll evaluate their pupils' knowledge and understanding.