With the Government’s new childcare scheme coming into force in England today, a third of nurseries fear closing due to the increase in financial pressures. The new scheme allows three and four year olds to be offered 30 free hours of childcare a week, an increase of double from the previous 15 hours. Although local
We’ve all started the academic year with the best intentions to follow through with initiatives. But in the general buzz of everyday, they often get forgotten. Below are our easy, practical top tips to help you set up your classroom for the year. Staying organised Have a tray for each class as somewhere for spare
In the midst of today’s busy world, it’s always nice to take some time out and kick-back with an old favourite book or delve into the world of a new author’s imagination. So, in honour of this year’s #BookLoversDay we asked our employees for their favourite book or author recommendations! Check out below to see
A recent report by the Social Market Foundation has discovered that children perform better in tests when they’ve had a routine of reading at home with a parent/carer. The report found that young people who had not been read to before the age of five scored lower in reasoning tests. In response, the foundation have
Jemma, our resource and development leader and qualified teacher, shares her top activities for both primary and secondary students that will make the last few weeks of term fly by! Primary: Get creative and put together a scrapbook made of all the children’s work from the school year, and then let them take it home.
Headteachers have warned Theresa May’s pay cuts will force them to cut staff, sports teams and clubs. Headteachers across one council area have written to the Prime Minister inviting her to visit their schools and witness first-hand the damage the cuts will make to their students and the school. The letter written to Mrs May
Jemma, our Project Co-ordinator and qualified teacher, shares her top 10 revision tips to help both teachers and students during the stressful exam period. You need your students to be more resilient: encourage growth-mind set Create a positive culture in the classroom, instilling the idea that a mistake is something to learn from. Intersperse challenging
Last week, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger reported on the ‘growing problem’ for young people going hungry in the school holidays. Up to three million children in the UK are said to be affected. Families find themselves under added pressure during the school holidays, with the loss of free school meals, additional childcare
As mental health awareness week draws to a close, Childline have highlighted the rise in stress related calls from students sitting their exams. May sees the start of SATs, GCSE and A level exams across the country. Pressures of targets, expectations, workload and the natural act of comparing themselves to their peers have contributed to
Teachers have backed plans for a possible boycott of primary school tests in England starting next year. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) believes the tests for seven and 11 year olds are damaging to the children and their education. The Government are now consulting on the future of testing in primary education and may
Nearly a year ago, Athona reported the changes for the new 9-1 GCSEs was already underway in some schools, and as this year 11 cohort take their final steps towards their exams, the news has come to the forefront of the media. The then Education Secretary, Michael Gove, announced the reforms in 2012, in a
Recent survey shows a majority of parents want to see their children being taught about mental health. The survey was released to 1,000 parents after the charity Headucation UK launched its campaign, calling for mental health education to be made mandatory. Results showed that four out of five believe that protecting their child’s mental health