Thanks maizie, very interesting and recommended reading. ' They compared the effectiveness of two phonics programs being implemented in the first (reception) year of schooling in the UK: Letters and Sounds, which teaches multiple letter-sound mappings and no sight words and Early Reading Research, w...

I agree Kenm evaluation is essential and it can be done mainly through Formative and Summative assessment. The late Professor Michael Pressley was a vocal critic of competition in our schools. ' Intrinsic academic motivation is killed off by academic failure. An important reason that such failures a...

So who says competition in the classroom is inevitable? When I talk to my daughter about what it was about school that was so alienating for her, what made her so, so anxious, she has a one-word answer. Competition. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jul/10/high-stakes-competition-in-th...

No grades, no timetable: Berlin school turns teaching upside down Pupils choose their own subjects and motivate themselves, an approach some say should be rolled out across Germany Anton Oberländer is a persuasive speaker. Last year, when he and a group of friends were short of cash for a camping tr...

We are still letting down our poorest pupils, says Ofsted boss Chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw attacks government education policy, warning ‘schools will wither on the vine’ Children from Britain’s poorest families “pay the price” for failed experiments by politicians on both the left and right,...

Two children in every class start school with an unexplained language disorder Language is a fundamental human accomplishment. It is the foundation for literacy, underpins academic and social success, and is important for developing and maintaining relationships with others. So it is no surprise tha...

How understanding the brain affects learning potential

Does knowing whether the brain changes or is static have an impact on student success?

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... -potential

In the school where I taught we tested all our children twice a year, once at Christmas and then again in June. Many of the children who came to the school failed to achieve Level 4 in either English or Maths at KS2. We still have selection at 11 and the most able are creamed off to the Grammar sect...

I would agree Maizie that KS3 testing wasn't great but I do think that a five year stretch without any formal testing is, given the stats quoted, proving problematic. I always feel rightly or wrongly that these things don't matter so much to children from more advantaged backgrounds but tend to work...

Ofsted chief calls for return of national tests for 14-year-olds Abolition of key stage 3 exams has allowed standards to drop and gap between rich and poor to grow, says Sir Michael Wilshaw http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/10/ofsted-national-tests-key-stage-3-sir-michael-wilshaw-seconda...

Boys who grow up around books 'earn more as adults'

'In this sense, we claim that books – like diamonds – are forever'

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 56356.html

'I think that nurseries and schools can go some way towards making up for a lack of home input, but I don't think they can ever do the whole job.' I think that most people would agree with that Jenny.

'Professionals need to match the level of adult input in such homes and make up for the lack of adult input for other children in language/literature impoverished homes.' Totally agree Debbie. In 'Beginning To Read' Marilyn Jager Adams calculated that by first Grade at six and a quarter her son John...

Inattention at 5 could leave children 3 months behind peers when leaving Primary School In one of the largest studies to date, analyzing the attainment and behavior of 46,369 children from 1,812 primary schools in England, research published in Learning and Individual Differences has shown that youn...

Why are schools trying to wipe out regional accents? Lynsey Hanley The news that trainee teachers are being encouraged to adopt a more middle-class accent is part of a worrying trend Call it the “Downton effect”, or the return of old-fashioned regional snobbery, but there is, increasingly, one accep...