Teach Primary Issue 18.5

Gift a Gruffalo! To mark the 25 years of The Gruffalo , WHSmith has announced a new early years literacy campaign with the National Literacy Trust and Macmillan Children’s Books. Each time a copy of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo is sold in WHSmith between 23rd May and 5th September, another copy will be donated to a child from a community where the link between low literacy levels and poverty is the most evident. The books will be distributed through National Literacy Trust’s literacy hubs. Recent National Literacy Trust research shows that one in five children aged five to eight in the UK don’t own a book. www.teachwire.net | 9 I N EVERY I SSUE Look ahead | Book ahead Q & A Aboost for music Over 200,000 children and young people across North London are set to benefit from top-tier music education as Haringey Council lead an ambitious national initiative set up by the Arts Council England. As the new Hub Lead Organisation, Haringey Council will receive a total of £1,796,756 from the Department for Education. The funding will go towards coordinating music education in the local area, with £578,000 made available for schools to invest in new musical instruments, equipment and technology tailored to the needs of local children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Pupils at over 400 schools will be offered high-quality music education through diverse partnerships between educational, creative and community organisations, in their local communities and throughout the country. Dr Ronx Emergency doctor, and presenter on CBBC’s Operation Ouch! 1.What was primary school like for you? I had a great time and looked forward to school every day. I was very bubbly, did my work very quickly and would then talk to the other students and distract them. This led my teachers to move my table away from others to keep me focused. At the time, I didn’t realise that they were helping me stay on track so that I would reach my full potential. I owe everything to them. 2.What did you findmost interestingwhenwriting your book, How to Save aLife? One of the most interesting things that I found out was that the blood of a crab is blue! Initially, I tried to include absolutely everything I knew about first aid in this book. But I was reminded by my editor that the aim was to introduce readers to first aid and emergency skills – not give them a medical degree. After that realisation everything flowed, but there is so much more I wanted to include. 3.What do you think is themost important thing to tell children about first aid? This is a theme that runs through my book, and it’s what to do when they encounter an accident or emergency. If they remember only three things from the book, I want them to • Stay safe • Stay calm • Call for help These three key bits of advice form part of ‘the chain of survival’ and can be used by anyone. How to Save a Life , written by Dr Ronx and illustrated by Ashton Attzs, is published on 18th July (£9.99, Red Shed). *home.edurio.com/insights/staff-welbeing-in-schools-2024 of teachers in England reported feeling stressed ‘very often’ last year 52% INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY Take part in a global celebration of reading and writing this September with our pick of engaging bookish resources for Years 1–6. Visit tinyurl.com/tp-SepLiteracy THE END OF TERM! See the school year out in style with these fun (but still educational) activities. There are plenty of indoor ones for those rainy days... Visit tinyurl.com/ tp-EndOfTerm