15 Lesson Planning Myths.

free teaching resources

In some schools there seems to be some rules teachers feel they need to follow. No one knows where these rules came from. The dusty typewritten rule sheet lies on an unreachable shelf in the geography cupboard with the old over head transparencies. So here are some rules that you have my permission to break.

Building Relationships with your Students: 5 Tried and Tested Strategies

free teaching resources

The more you get to know the children in your class the better you will become at picking up the signs that something isn’t right. That sentence was easy to write but hard to put into practice because…

Top 5 Special Education Teaching Resources

Top 5 Special Education Teaching Resources 1

What Are The Best SEN Teaching Resources We asked a number of experienced SEN teachers to share the Best Special Education Resources they use in their classrooms.  There is a range of high-tech ideas mixed with a good helping of classic hands-on teaching resources. During the discussion, educators shared their innovative approaches towards using various … Read more

Teacher Student Boundaries in SEN Education.

free teaching resources

I have discussed on many occasions the importance of positive relationships when working with young people. I work with vulnerable student groups, mainly autistic young people, and those who communicate and see the world differently. This relationship dynamic can shape their view of adult to adult and adult to child interactions for their entire lives.

Restraint in Schools: The Last Taboo

free teaching resources

Is there anything more distressing and potentially damaging than the moment an adult places hands on a child?

This is a reality faced by many teachers daily. Many are put in difficult situations having to support vulnerable children through crises with limited support from leadership, external agencies or maybe even parents.

Teacher Blogging: 100 Reasons to blog in 2024

Reasons to start an education blog

Why Education Blogging is worthwhile Celebrating 100 Blog Posts: A Teacher’s Journey in Educational Blogging This is my 100th blog post, a milestone that marks 17 months of sharing, learning, and growing in the educational blogging community. Since my first post in March 2015, I’ve explored a diverse range of topics, from lighthearted musings to … Read more

Cluttered Classroom: Organising Teaching Resources

Cluttered Classroom: Organising Teaching Resources 2

This blog is, and I will say it now – a bit of a ramble, a shambolic collection of half-baked ideas. It was triggered by a recent change in my life that has left me carting carloads of stuff to the tip. Moving boxes to one room to tidy another then back & years’ worth … Read more

Tips for Teachers by Teachers on Staying Positive

top SEN blog posts

Tips for SEN Teachers on Staying Positive. Updated July 2023. This post collates our Top Tips for staying positive, given the current state of the education system Post-Covid these ideas are needed more than ever. Maintaining a Positive Attitude as an SEN Teacher If you work in Special Education (or Education as it should be … Read more

10 Reasons ECTs Should Work in Specialist Provision.

top SEN blog posts

Early Career Teachers (ECTs) – Consider Special Schools when you are Job Hunting. If you are a recently qualified ECT and looking for a teaching post I would urge you to consider working in a specialist provision, whether that be a PRU, special school, specialist unit or residential school. The children deserve your energy and … Read more

Guest Blog: Developing a CPD model

top SEN blog posts

Lynn McCann writes this post about developing an effective model for delivering continuing professional development courses. She supports a range of schools and other educational organisations with students with additional needs. Lynn runs a consultancy business, she is definitely concerned about the outcomes of her support on the children. She supplies a lot of free … Read more

NPQML: Final Reflection

top SEN blog posts

Top Tips For Completing Your NPQML in 2023 This article was originally written after I completed my project. I have now coached 5 people through the ML and NPQSL courses. The NPQML course is intended for those in middle leadership roles to develop areas of their practice Known as competencies. This was not an easy … Read more

Autism: Facial Expressions and Interactions

Autism facial expressions

When you are a teacher of autistic children, you have a really important role in their lives, you are in a position with responsibility to carry out a task that can impact their wellbeing for life. How often do we question our ability to do this? I don’t mean write a lesson plan. I mean educate a child who processes the world differently to you.

10 Game Of Thrones Quotes For Teachers

game of thrones quotes for teachers

There are some excellent lessons we educators can take from George RR Martin’s epic tale of the fight for the throne of Westeros. Game Of Thrones has some brilliant quotes about Friendship, the struggle against an adversary, loyalty to name just a few. Here is a selection of quotes that you may find apply to … Read more

7 Tips for unwinding after a Stressful day

Special education blog featured images

7 teacher-approved tips for unwinding after a Stressful day Okay so this is a bit of a cheat blog, I have used a twitter chat to crowdsource – (tweetsource?) these tips for you. So we have advice from a range of connected educators all in one place! Here are 7 teacher-approved tips for unwinding after … Read more

6 Practical Ways To Make Your CPD More Effective

6 Practical Ways To Make Your CPD More Effective 3

6 Essential Practical Elements of Effective CPD Training is big business. The reason for this is because Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is such a wide term. A school’s training budget can cover a multitude of areas, non teaching and learning areas such as: health and safety, food hygiene, seagull avoidance, first aid, fire awareness, the … Read more

Challenging Behaviour: Managing The Impact on Staff

Behaviour: Tips for Controlling your emotions.

Tips for managing your emotions. Challenging Behaviour: Managing The Emotional Impact on Yourself Part of my current role involves training the new PBS instructors for the county special schools. This is a great opportunity to ensure a consistent approach and ethos towards challenging behaviour between schools. It is also a chance to collaborate and learn … Read more

Star Wars Quotes for Teachers: Wisdom, Mentorship & Classroom Inspiration

Lego Stormtrooper Education quotes

Yoda: Much wisdom to be gained from Star Wars Quotes there is for teachers. Much wisdom there is to be gained from Star Wars quotes for teachers! If you’re looking for inspiration, motivation, or just a bit of fun for your classroom, you’ve come to the right place. This article offers a curated selection of … Read more

Excellent SEN Blogs to follow: Part 2.

Special education blog featured images

This is a follow up to part 1 there are a huge number of great SEN blogs with ideas, resources, and inspiration  for you to read and engage with. These are just some I have enjoyed reading and wanted to share them with you. Tracey Lawrence – Tweets as @behaviourteach Assistant head, and host of … Read more