We write this on the eve of all children returning to school in England. As we have explored in previous blogs, the needs of children on return will be hugely varied depending on their experiences of home learning so far. It will be a very welcome change…
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Mental Health Week this year was perhaps one of the most important mental health weeks we've had so far. Still in a full national lockdown, so many of us must be wondering how the children in our lives are faring:…
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Many schools are really refining their online provision this term during lockdown and teachers are developing their internet-honed, tech-savvy pedagogical prowess. And, if the teaching of spelling has slipped down a notch or two on the priority list, now be…
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Following the reading by Amanda Gorman of her poem, The Hill We Climb last week at the inauguration of Joe Biden, we have been both moved and inspired. Gorman - America's first ever youth poet laureate, spoke to both hearts and…
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I made my husband watch Bridgerton recently. It’s not his genre, let’s be clear. There were no spaceships and no apocalyptic warnings. There were no elves and portals to other worlds. However, it was set in the past and history…
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As the country moves into its third lockdown, we have been again reading the beautiful, moving poem The Great Realisation by Tomos Roberts and beautifully illustrated by Nomoco. If you haven’t heard it already (or even if you have) and you’re in…
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It’s usually at this time of year that we think about the year that we might have ahead. Well, given all that’s gone before in a difficult and extraordinary year that is finally almost behind us, perhaps thinking ahead too…
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Every year, we ask our team to pick their favourite books (Christmassy or otherwise) and to talk about who they will be gifting them to, as part of our Christmas Bibliotherapy. This year, however, whilst there is the usual helping…
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For the first year since we can remember, we are faced with having to make decisions about what children can or can’t do based upon experiences that we do – or don’t – know they might have had whilst at…
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6 Tips... Whether it be for fictional or non-fictional purposes, writing is a creative process and, like any other creative process, it can be frustrating – infuriating at times – but ultimately joyful and gratifying. We want children to enjoy…
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Themes of heroism often feature in children’s literature. But what of the everyday hero? What about the sort of character - often the underdog – who has such a strong sense of self and self-belief that they recognise that they…
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Since children have returned to school, we’ve had our ears to the ground, listening for the things that teachers are telling us about the transition from home schooling back into the classroom. One of the things we’ve heard again and…
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Traditionally, non-fiction has often played second fiddle to fiction in reading provision at school, in terms of quantity and quality. Nevertheless, it encompasses such a mountainous range of genres which the internet has only helped to enhance. Under this umbrella-term…
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'Building Bridges' Bridges feature widely in idiomatic language: we speak of ‘crossing that bridge when we come to it’. In education we may plan for ‘bridging a gap’ in learning and ‘building bridges’ is a term used for making…
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Change: a word that we in the teaching profession are over familiar with and experts at dealing with. In the classroom no one day is ever a facsimile of another and the best-laid plans so often end up in the…
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'Wild at Heart' The dictionary definition of wild is to be not cultivated or domesticated and to to be known as ’running wild’ is to ‘grow or develop without restraint or discipline.’ During August we’ve taken to being a bit…
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There's been many things we have missed about the routine of school in the past few months and we know plenty of teachers who have missed the treat of reading to their classes. But for many children being read to…
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We have been extremely lucky to receive advance review copies of some wonderful publications and so this month’s review theme is simply something for everyone. Finding a point of resonance and connection to literature is key to getting children to want to…
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