News in brief
Schools will reject requirements that students should take five “traditional” GCSE subjects, according to Bill Watkin, operational director of the school support and training organisation SSAT. He said many heads believed that the EBacc – which will become compulsory from September – is not appropriate for all students.
The government’s newly appointed expert on behaviour, Tom Bennett, has warned that some schools ignore the magnitude of bad behaviour in classrooms. He talked about schools flattering and fooling inspectors: “When Ofsted come calling, loads of schools hoover up the naughtiest kids before inspections.”
The squeeze on school places in England has spread from primary to secondary schools, with figures showing that it’s getting harder for students to get into their first choice school. Applications for secondary school places this year reached their highest since 2009.
A third-grade teacher in a North Carolina elementary school has resigned after a same-sex fairytale he read was met with a backlash from parents. The resignation of Omar Currie comes alongside that of assistant principal Meg Goodhand, who also left after she loaned Currie the children’s book. He told his class the story of King & King in an effort to teach them about “treating people with respect”.
Research of the week
An east Asian teaching method has helped students in England improve their maths skills after just one year, a study has found.
The research focused on English schools which had adopted the Singaporean approach of “maths mastery”. It was discovered that the method could influence results, with findings suggesting a “relatively small but welcome improvement” in performance.
The research, led by UCL Institute of Education and the University of Cambridge, explored the impact of this teaching method in 90 English primary schools and 50 secondaries.
The lead author of the report, however, warned that the mastery programme should not be seen as “a silver bullet”. It was advised that it should be tested over a longer period and in more schools to build a clearer picture of its impact.
The Pisa league table is dominated by countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea. This has led to policymakers interest in their approaches. Children there are on average more than one year ahead of their western peers in maths.
Read more about the research here.
Snapshot of the week
The schools of the future exhibition, our event looking at what education will be like in years from now, took place at Guardian HQ this week. It included incredible artwork and great debate.
Looking forward to the #schoolsofthefuture reception @guardian shortly ft. @lizsproat1 @LeadbeaterCh @WendyBerliner pic.twitter.com/twXOxvSRES
— Chris Smith (@chris2smith) June 17, 2015
The week in numbers
- Research has found that schools in greener areas have more attentive students. A study of 2,500 children in Barcelona over the course of a year found that those whose schools had more green space showed a better working memory and less inattentiveness.
- Students leaving school from the most deprived parts of Scotland are much less likely to pass their higher or advanced higher than peers in wealthier areas. New figures show less than 40% of those leaving school in the poorest parts of Scotland achieved this, compared with just under 80% in the country’s most affluent areas.
Dates to remember
- Next week is National School Sports Week (22-26 June) – a great opportunity to encourage students to get fit by taking part in more physical education (PE) and school sport.
- If you’ve ever fancied rolling into school in your pyjamas, Wallace and Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day is the perfect excuse. Donate £1 and wear your wackiest clothes with pride.
Teaching resources
- Here are some lovely ideas to help you get involved with National School Sports Week.
- Get your class excited about Wrong Trousers Day with this Gromit-themed acrostic poem.
- Transition posters for special educational needs pupils moving into secondary school.
- Research has shown that “self talk” improves persistence, concentration and stress – here are six ways to talk to yourself better.
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