ÌÇÐÄVlog

If you suddenly find you’ve been timetabled to teach subjects that you know little about, don’t panic – Cathy Brownjohn, a veteran of being thrown into other people’s specialisms, has some advice to make the experience less daunting – and even enjoyable

After all the disruption of Covid in 2020-21, the ÌÇÐÄVlog team has been looking at what subject leads are doing to help colleagues brush up on their skills and prepare for the challenges of getting back on track in this school year. They spoke to subject associations and subject experts from around the UK to find out

We don’t often associate the word ‘creative’ with the teaching of numeracy, yet Rhian Jones has found that encouraging her students to appreciate this overlooked aspect of the subject has improved engagement, enhanced learning and reduced the cognitive skills gap between girls and boys

Covid lockdowns had a damaging impact at this school – and outdoor learning has been a big part of the solution

Claims that the ‘North-South divide’ in student attainment is down to poor school leadership and weak teaching could be used to drive the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda. But research suggests such arguments may be flawed – and that the real culprit is long-term economic deprivation. John Morgan reports

To get maximum impact out of initiatives to help pupils in England catch up, schools should follow the three-tier Response to Intervention approach, suggests Megan Dixon

After overhearing some of his students talking about risky investments they’d seen on social media, teacher Darren Collins decided they would benefit from lessons in personal finance. Now he is teaching young people how to be savvy with their money

And 59 per cent of parents believe homeschooling highlighted their own lack of confidence with numbers

DfE is warned that failing to act now to close the attainment gap will be a ‘catastrophe’ for disadvantaged children

Passionate subject specialists can overcomplicate things – but they can also fire up enthusiasm, says Tabitha McIntosh

A lack of cultural capital or historical understanding can limit some students’ ability to access literary texts. English teacher Laura May Rowlands explains how she levels the playing field by providing classes with the context and vocabulary they need before tackling challenging poetry or prose

The introduction of the times tables test has reignited the debate about the optimum way to teach children basic multiplication. Learning by rote is the traditional approach, but that might not be the best solution, academics tell Grainne Hallahan