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The art of health and success A research project fromDe Montfort University – Talent 25 – has found that early access to arts improves the wellbeing of both children and their parents. The project, funded by Arts Council England and started in Leicester in 2019, works with arts practitioners to put on classes across the city, offering families with babies the chance to learn dance, music, arts and crafts. Some of the babies who first joined Talent 25 six years ago are now beginning their first years at school, and Professor Bertha Ochieng, principle investigator for Talent 25, said among these, there were no unauthorised absences. She said: “Of our families, around a quarter initially scored low for wellbeing, but after eight weeks of engaging with the project they are showing much higher scores. This suggests such engagement with the arts has the potential to reduce the impact on NHS services.” To read more, visit talent25.org.uk www.teachwire.net | 9 I N EVERY I SSUE Look ahead | Book ahead Q & A Assessment without the stress New online assessments to help pupils develop literacy and numeracy skills in UKS2 are now available across England. NFER Online Assessments (NOA) cover the reading and maths curriculums across autumn, spring and summer terms, and aim to engage children while saving teachers time. The assessments, originally launched in 2024 to pupils in Years 3 and 4, offer interactive, standardised tests that are fun and appealing to use. The platform also delivers information to teachers for diagnostic and summative assessment purposes. NOA also features interactive guides for children – Noa the Panda and Fern the Robot – who will be there to help them navigate through the assessments via videos and practice questions. Meanwhile, teachers facing workload pressures will save time, as 70 per cent of all NOA questions are marked automatically, leaving teachers to mark the ‘open-ended’ and ‘show your working’-type questions. To find out more, visit tinyurl.com/tp-NOA25 Katherine Rundell Author 1.What was primary school like for you? My primary school was unusual; I went to school in Zimbabwe, because my father worked in international aid. I felt hugely lucky to be there; school ended at lunchtime, so we had a lot of time to run outside and create chaos in the garden. I loved my English lessons; teachers let us write long stories in class. 2.What’s your fave childhood book? I adored the books of Diana Wynne Jones, especially the Chrestomanci series. Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant are spectacular fantasy stories, with a glorious sardonic humour and a sense of urgency and delight. 3. Tell us about the Children’sBookshow... Attending just one Children’s Bookshow event can have a massive impact on children. It is a joy to see the faces of the children in the audience absorbing the atmosphere of the live theatre events. From the enthusiastic questions during my event in Blackpool, I could feel the depth of engagement and positivity around reading. The fact that every child goes home with their own copy of a book is such an important aspect of their work, too. For some children this will be the first book they have ever owned, and we know that can be transformational. The Children’s Bookshow is running a competition for pupils aged 11 and under, giving them a chance to win a visit to The British Library in London, plus £200 of free books for a school library – all you have to do is draw a tiger. Learn more and enter for free at tinyurl.com/tp-CB25 *The State of School Cybersecurity report 2025 of schools have a dedicated cybersecurity incident response plan* 38% MICHAEL ROSEN DAY Everyone’s favourite poetry party is back! Make a date on 13 November to celebrate one of the UK’s best-loved poets. Find out more at tinyurl.com/MRDay25 SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES SHOW Find new interactive features, additional CPD content and market-leading suppliers at the Schools and Academies Show, 19-20 November at Birmingham NEC. Sign up at tinyurl.com/tp-SAAS25