Teach Secondary - Issue 14.6

by being a consistent presence in classrooms and corridors, argues Ed Carlin 50 CHECKING OUT How an academic study and novel data collection platform could shed new light on why pupil engagement levels drop so much fromY7 to Y8 52 THE TRAUMA OF SECLUSION Emily Spring reflects on her experiences of temporary school seclusion, sat at ‘The Desk of Shame’ 57 LIFE LESSONS Tia Fisher unpacks the government’s latest guidelines on how RSHE topics ought to be taught 58 CONSISTENT IMPROVEMENT School improvement needn’t only involve zeroing in on the negatives and changing course – sometimes, it’s just as important to identify what’s going well and build on that… 73 HOME AWAY FROM HOME So, you’re about to supervise your students as they embark on a residential trip – what should your preparations involve? Daniel Harvey has a few suggestions... 80 THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE Contrary to what you may have heard, choice isn’t always good – at least when it comes to students’ experiences in the classroom, counsels Colin Foster 83 TREBLE CLEFS IN TROUBLE? Helen Tierney looks at why the teaching of classical music is becoming an increasingly rare sight in KS3 classrooms 92 HEED THE WARNINGS Jennifer Hampton explains why the 1995 Srebrenica genocide can teach us lessons about humanity that are becoming more salient with every passing day TS Special – Assessment 28 MIRROR, SIGNAL. . .MARK? When it comes to ongoing assessment, teachers could do worse than take their cues from driving instructors, suggests Matt Hallam… 32 PRACTICE MADE PERFECT We need to assess teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom – but doing so needn’t mean judging them against a narrowly prescribed criteria, says Aaron Swan 34 MUST TRY HARDER Schools can and should be using a better system of final assessment than one CONTENTS Regulars 11 DICTIONARY DEEP DIVE David Voisin examines the hidden origins and surprising behaviours concealed within our everyday vocabulary 12 THINK PIECE If you want to know about the overall direction that the profession is heading in, ask a supply teacher – though you might not like what they have to say... 17 MELISSA BENN The increasing demand for Education, Health and Care Plans has forced the government to step in amid concerns over costs, but discarding EHCPs altogether would be extremely unwise... 19 NATASHA DEVON With AI set to radically transform our knowledge economy in the years ahead, we should be dedicating less teaching time to rote memorisation, and more to ‘information hygiene’ lessons 42 OFF THE SHELVES Brilliant titles for you and your students to explore 54 MAKING SENSE OF… ESTIMATING VOLUME Working with estimates means having to grapple with non-specific quantities in a maths lesson – which can be a struggle for some, observes Colin Foster 98 START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON John Lawson shares his tried-and-trusted greeting and personal introduction when meeting a new class for the very first time Features 21 CHANGE THE GAME Reversing the precipitous declines in school attendance and engagement will require us to become more innovative and playful with our teaching, advises Andy Hargreaves 23 “CLEAR YOUR DIARIES!” One secondary teacher explains why too often, staff meetings reveal the performative productivity of a school’s leadership 24 RAISING THE STANDARD Robin Launder sets out a 5-point plan for cultivating brilliant behaviour in your classroom 45 UP FOR DEBATE Giving students opportunities to explore their oracy skills can yield a whole host of unexpected benefits, writes Louisa Searle 47 FOLLOW MY LEAD The best leaders will maintain staff morale SEP/OCT ‘25 Publishers: Joe Carter, Sam Reubin, Richard Stebbing Editor: Callum Fauser, callum.fauser@artichokehq.com , 01206 505115 Group Advertising Managers: Samantha Law, samantha.law@artichokehq.com , 01206 505499 Hayley Rackham, hayley.rackham@artichokehq.com, 01206 505928 Deputy Advertising Manager: Hannah Jones, hannah.jones@artichokehq.com , 01206 505924 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 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 developed nearly 40 years ago for a very different world, reasons Dr Nikos Savvas TS Focus – English 62 GRAMMAR DONE RIGHT? Bhamika Bhudia looks back on over a decade of explicit grammar instruction in English lessons and asks howmuch difference it has actually made to students’ standards of writing 65 ENGLISH FOR EVERYONE Iva Miteva breaks down the difficulties, challenges – and advantages – that students with EAL can experience during English lessons 70 THE SCOTTISH PLAY Meera Chudasama outlines the insights into Macbeth ’s themes that your students will want to know ahead of exam day Learning Lab 85 BE INSPIRED How journaling can help students realise the power of effective self-reflection; what it takes to fully prepare students with autism for adulthood; and the school taking student voice to the level via an ambitious broadcast radio project... 04 teachwire.net/secondary