The science of sleep and why it should be every new teacher's priority

Photo by Cris Saur on Unsplash

We all know the stereotype of the coffee-guzzling, yawn-suppressing teacher – but that image has its roots in the very real stress that teacher's early starts and long hours can put on your body. So how can you look after yourself as you adjust to the demanding schedule of school life? We spoke to sleep expert Dr Frances Le Cornu Knight from U...

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Four circles makes an essay

Photo courtesy of Nick Morrison via Unsplash

A word after a word after a word is power, stated the famous author, Margaret Attwood. But that's easy for her to say when she makes a living out of writing. How does an ordinary teenager string a story together if words and writing aren't their thing? And how does anyone churn out a five hundred-word essay, the standard threshold for any English G...

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The best CPD? Go and be shit at something this summer

Like most teachers, I did well at school. I messed about a bit – nothing massive, just chatting and doing that FLAMES thing where you worked out your "love percentage" with someone. Of course there were subjects that I was less keen on (I'm looking at you, geography), but I liked learning and it generally came pretty easily to me. Fast forward thro...

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The most important lesson from my NQT year

At the start of my NQT year, I took an assertive approach to discipline with my classes. I had high expectations for pupils and I established boundaries quickly. Although this worked to an extent, I couldn't help feeling that something was missing. I just didn't have a connection with any of my classes. I was enjoying what I was doing, but the...

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Do smaller class sizes really improve student outcomes?

While it might feel like having fewer pupils in your class would help you make more progress, there is strangely little hard evidence that reducing class sizes consistently improves student attainment. It's not just teachers who gravitate towards a leaner classroom; reducing class sizes is extremely appealing to parents and one of the main attracti...

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