A periodic update on news and learning resources of interest to parents
The new curriculum from September 2014
The reforms to the primary school curriculum will begin to be noticeable this new academic year. They won't markedly affect the way I teach your child, as I already teach with the changes in mind (e.g. teaching long division, mental skills and the 12x12 tables in Maths and an emphasis on grammar, punctuation and language skills in English). Changes are being phased in over the next couple of years, with even levels disappearing eventually. Speak to your child's head teacher for more information or click here for details of the curriculum changes.
How should history be taught?
How should we best keep the memory of The Great War alive with our children? See The Guardian.
Learning resources for your children at the BBC
Here are some useful links at the BBC Schools website that help with general learning and homework.
Need help to support your child's maths homework?
Here's an excellent user-friendly book to bring you up to speed with modern maths teaching methods - Maths for Mums and Dads by Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew, published by Square Peg.
School Performance Tables 2014
Whatever you think about the League Tables, as they've come to be known, there's always that temptation to take a look at them when you are considering schools for your child. Click here for the DfE's tables.
Improvements in literacy in England
A recent survey records that English pupils' reading ability is improving. The study measuring reading skills shows that England has climbed from 15th to 11th out of 45 countries. See here for more information. As with anything else, such as football, writing or riding a bike, a child can only improve reading through practice. A child should read every day and be given every chance to enjoy the skill. Finding reading material they are enthused by and motivated to read is very important.
Dealing with bullying
Bullying is extremely upsetting and disruptive for parents and children. This article in The Guardian contains some useful information and links.
A reduction in the numbers of children's non-fiction books?
A group of children's authors wrote to the Guardian to warn of a decline in the numbers of non-fiction book for children (see report here). My experience is that, while some children, boys in particular, read non-fiction, many do not. I am certain, however, that reading non-fiction is essential to a child's literacy skills and general knowledge.
It may be that the availability and convenience of the internet has made non-fiction less attractive. Arguably a book is outdated as soon as it hits the shelves, while information on the web is generally up to date (although care must always be taken with the accuracy and impartiality of such information). However, non-fiction books provide information in a structured way. They are generally accurate and reliable and will give a child the information needed to research a topic elsewhere if they wish.
With fewer such books there would be less access to child-friendly history, science, natural history, biography, geography and all that general knowledge that children seem to increasingly lack.
September Making reading fun
A recent study suggested that fewer children read for fun than in 2005; apparently more than one fifth of children never read in their own time. This is worrying, as reading is fundamental and, like any skill, is maintained and improved only with practice.
Encourage your children to read, not by badgering, but by example. Let them see you enjoy books, magazines and newspapers. If you read with your child, talk about the plot and the characters, what does the child think will happen next? What does the child think about a character?
Here are some more useful tips for making reading fun.
Sport and Olympics minister sets out sports legacy for schools
Plans to reform sport and deliver a lasting legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been set out by Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics. Speaking to Olympic sport bodies at the British Olympic Association he announced new sports legacy priorities, with a stronger focus on facilities and sport at a community level. Sport England will implement these new priorities.
Let us hope that the legacy of this unforgettable summer will live on through our communities and for our school children and young people.
July 2012 - More men training to be primary school teachers
The Teaching Agency has announced an increase in men training to be primary school teachers. Traditionally men have preferred to train for secondary education.
The number of male trainee primary teachers has increased by 51 per cent in the last four years and at five times the rate of women. Read more here.
Teaching in primary school (in the state sector) is dominated by women and the influence and style of male teaching methods will give balance to the teaching of our youngest children..
June 2012 - Proposals to reform the primary school curriculum
Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has given details of draft proposals to ensure that children master certain core skills during each year at primary school. The existing system of levelling children to assess ability will be scrapped.The new curriculum from September 2014
The reforms to the primary school curriculum will begin to be noticeable this new academic year. They won't markedly affect the way I teach your child, as I already teach with the changes in mind (e.g. teaching long division, mental skills and the 12x12 tables in Maths and an emphasis on grammar, punctuation and language skills in English). Changes are being phased in over the next couple of years, with even levels disappearing eventually. Speak to your child's head teacher for more information or click here for details of the curriculum changes.
How should history be taught?
How should we best keep the memory of The Great War alive with our children? See The Guardian.
Learning resources for your children at the BBC
Here are some useful links at the BBC Schools website that help with general learning and homework.
Need help to support your child's maths homework?
Here's an excellent user-friendly book to bring you up to speed with modern maths teaching methods - Maths for Mums and Dads by Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew, published by Square Peg.
Whatever you think about the League Tables, as they've come to be known, there's always that temptation to take a look at them when you are considering schools for your child. Click here for the DfE's tables.
Improvements in literacy in England
A recent survey records that English pupils' reading ability is improving. The study measuring reading skills shows that England has climbed from 15th to 11th out of 45 countries. See here for more information. As with anything else, such as football, writing or riding a bike, a child can only improve reading through practice. A child should read every day and be given every chance to enjoy the skill. Finding reading material they are enthused by and motivated to read is very important.
Dealing with bullying
Bullying is extremely upsetting and disruptive for parents and children. This article in The Guardian contains some useful information and links.
A reduction in the numbers of children's non-fiction books?
A group of children's authors wrote to the Guardian to warn of a decline in the numbers of non-fiction book for children (see report here). My experience is that, while some children, boys in particular, read non-fiction, many do not. I am certain, however, that reading non-fiction is essential to a child's literacy skills and general knowledge.
It may be that the availability and convenience of the internet has made non-fiction less attractive. Arguably a book is outdated as soon as it hits the shelves, while information on the web is generally up to date (although care must always be taken with the accuracy and impartiality of such information). However, non-fiction books provide information in a structured way. They are generally accurate and reliable and will give a child the information needed to research a topic elsewhere if they wish.
With fewer such books there would be less access to child-friendly history, science, natural history, biography, geography and all that general knowledge that children seem to increasingly lack.
September Making reading fun
A recent study suggested that fewer children read for fun than in 2005; apparently more than one fifth of children never read in their own time. This is worrying, as reading is fundamental and, like any skill, is maintained and improved only with practice.
Encourage your children to read, not by badgering, but by example. Let them see you enjoy books, magazines and newspapers. If you read with your child, talk about the plot and the characters, what does the child think will happen next? What does the child think about a character?
Here are some more useful tips for making reading fun.
Sport and Olympics minister sets out sports legacy for schools
Plans to reform sport and deliver a lasting legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been set out by Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics. Speaking to Olympic sport bodies at the British Olympic Association he announced new sports legacy priorities, with a stronger focus on facilities and sport at a community level. Sport England will implement these new priorities.
Let us hope that the legacy of this unforgettable summer will live on through our communities and for our school children and young people.
July 2012 - More men training to be primary school teachers
The Teaching Agency has announced an increase in men training to be primary school teachers. Traditionally men have preferred to train for secondary education.
The number of male trainee primary teachers has increased by 51 per cent in the last four years and at five times the rate of women. Read more here.
Teaching in primary school (in the state sector) is dominated by women and the influence and style of male teaching methods will give balance to the teaching of our youngest children..
June 2012 - Proposals to reform the primary school curriculum
Expectations will be higher and, as I discuss below, there will be implications for teachers' subject knowledge and understanding. Here are the main proposals (copied from the DfE website).
On the face of it, these proposals make sense; as a teacher I know that children respond well to high expectations from parents and teachers. Standards similar to these have existed in the past in both State sand private schools and are achievable."The drafts include the following:Higher standards in maths:Pupils will be expected to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions in primary school so they can progress to more advanced topics like algebra when they go to secondary school. These four operations are not in the current primary curriculum. The proposed change is consistent with expectations in the high-performing education jurisdictions of Singapore and Hong Kong.By age nine, pupils should know their times tables up to 12x12. This is in line with expectations in the high-performing jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Currently pupils only need to know up to 10x10 by the end of primary school.By age seven, pupils should know “number bonds” up to 20. These are simple addition and subtraction facts that pupils should be able to recognise and use instantly (eg 9+9=18 or 16-7=9).Higher standards in English:Pupils will be taught to read fluently through systematic phonics. There will be a much stronger emphasis on reading for pleasure.There will be a focus on spelling – for instance, there will be a list of words that all children should be able to spell by the end of primary school. There is currently no such list in the National Curriculum.There will be a focus on grammar – for instance, children will be expected to understand how to use the subjunctive and correct use of the apostrophe – for example, not using it to indicate plurals such as “I went to buy some apple’s” or using “it’s” as a possessive.There will be an expectation that pupils master formal English through poetry recitation, debate and presentation.Higher standards in science:There will be a greater focus on the acquisition of scientific knowledge with new content on the solar system, speed and evolution.There will be an increased focus on practical scientific experiments and demonstrations, similar to the approach taken in Alberta and Massachusetts.Additionally, there will be a consultation later this summer on our plan to introduce foreign languages from age seven at the start of Key Stage 2".
I know, from experience in and out of the education system (as a teacher and as an employer respectively), that standards could be higher. Teachers will need to rise to the challenge and many will need to improve subject knowledge. Some teachers may be uncertain about the correct use of apostrophes, some may struggle with multiplying fractions, others will need greater scientific understanding. Subject knowledge needs to be given a higher priority.
