Teach Secondary 13.5

Publishers: Joe Carter, Sam Reubin, Richard Stebbing Editor: Callum Fauser, callum.fauser@artichokehq.com , 01206 505115 Group Advertising Manager: Samantha Law, samantha.law@artichokehq.com , 01206 505499 Advertising Manager: Ria Bentham, ria.bentham@artichokehq.com , 01206 505928 Deputy Advertising Manager: Hannah Jones, hannah.jones@artichokehq.com , 01206 505924 Senior Account Manager: Alfie Bennett, alfie.bennett@artichokehq.com , 01206 505996 Art editors: Richard Allen, Sarah Barajas Customer services: secondary@artichokehq.com Accounts: artichokemedialtd@integral2.com Published by: Artichoke Media, Suites 2 & 4, Global House, Global Park, Eastgates, CO1 2TJ CONTENTS School of thought 19 MELISSA BENN Amid the commentary surrounding the 2024 General Election, education is considered by many as a comparative bright spot of the Conservatives’ 14 years in office – but do such claims actually stack up…? 25 NATASHA DEVON If we want teenage boys to resist the siren song of the manosphere, then we have to present themwith a more compelling and ultimately better option Regulars 12 THINK PIECE Without an authoritative list of great literary works that all students should endeavour to read, we risk losing sight of what great literature is and why it’s important, says Ian Mitchell 17 DICTIONARY DEEP DIVE David Voisin examines the hidden origins and surprising behaviours concealed within our everyday vocabulary 48 OFF THE SHELVES Brilliant titles for you and your students to explore 55 MAKING SENSE OF … CALCULATING WITH FRACTIONS Colin Foster shows your students what to do when fractions meet integers 98 BAD ACTORS Beware the snake oil merchants peddling ‘mental health’ interventions that risk doing more harm than good, warns John Lawson... Features 22 PERFECTIONISM ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH Colin Foster spells out the pitfalls awaiting those who enter the teaching profession with a perfectionist mindset 36 FORM TIME EXTRAS Make the most of the time available to you at the very start and end of the school day with Meera Chudasama’s suggestions for bite-sized English and numeracy activities 40 STAY IN TOUCH Ann Marie Christian offers some advice for overcoming communication breakdowns between school and students’ homes 43 PRESENT AND CORRECT Peter Hughes talks us through the attendance strategy in place at the Mossberg Federation JUL/AUG ‘24 The views in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. We try to ensure the veracity and integrity of the companies, persons, products and services mentioned in this publication, and the details given are believed to be accurate at the time of going to press. However, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted for any consequence or repercussion of responding to information or advice given or inferred. ©Artichoke Media Ltd 44 THE FULL PICTURE When preparing students for future success, their grasp of cognitive skills can be just as important as their academic outcomes, advises Martin Griffin 51 STAY VIGILENT Mubina Asaria surveys the latest Prevent duties that you and your staff need to be observing 57 THIS WAY! In this issue’s guidance for heads and SLTs – how should you go about shaping public perceptions of your school? 61 SUPPORT FROM A DISTANCE Ray Boxall tells us how remote learning can meet the demanding needs of alternative provision practitioners 62 LESSONS IN SELF-ADVOCACY There will come a time when your SEND learners have tomake their way in the world and clearly communicate their needs, says Debby Elley – and you can show themhow 66 SUMMER SEND-OFF Daniel Harvey reflects on his memories of departing Y11s fromyears gone by, while Kit Betts-Masters shares some advice on planning the perfect leavers do... 72 COME ONE, COME ALL Nikki Cunningham-Smith sets out some compelling reasons for keeping your school gates open over summer and running a study programme 84 SAFER SPACES It’s not just parents wanting to set limits on how teens interact with social media, says RebeccaWestcott – some teens wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more regulation themselves... TS Special – Literacy 28 DIGITAL LITERACY As online platforms andmobile devices rewire our reading and writing habits, we may need to rethink our ideas around what modern ‘literacy’ evenmeans, suggests David Voisin 31 READING RELEARNED If we want to see fewer GCSE resits, we should regularlymonitor students’ decoding and deciphering skills, says Sarah Ledger 32 EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTERS Gordon Cairns examines how the language of Emotional Literacy can help us to extract new inferences andmeanings from some familiar texts TS Focus – Edtech 76 CONNECTION LOST Why addressing ‘edtech inequality’ should be a priority for every school leader 79 6 PRACTICAL USES FOR AI Forget the starry-eyed speculators and gloomy doomsayers, says Lyndsey Stuttard – AI is here to stay, and you can start using it in your classroom right now 80 WORK THOSE WORKSTATIONS It’s nomystery why schools are big fans of tablets and other ‘light’ computing devices, concedes RobWraith – but they’ll still stand to learn a lot from using desktop PCs and Macs... Learning Lab 91 BE INSPIRED The bulging in tray awaiting the next Education Secretary; why the benefits of an organised classroom can’t be overstated – and the geopolitical stories we can learn from watching the Olympics... 04 teachwire.net/secondary