A superb lesson I have used for numerous observations before. It works well as it is well paced, has group work and helps pupils consolidate their knowledge at the end with some extended writing. You need some sugar paper or plain A3 would do. Stick the picture of a Motte and Bailey castle and the Stone Keep castle on either side of the sheet prior to the lesson. A good plan of how to run the lesson is below: Starter: A map image is displayed showing Norman castles that were built by William the Conqueror. Pupils asked questions about the map e.g. What do the locations of the castles tell you about England at the time? New Learning: Learning objectives displayed and pupils record the relevant one for their target grade into their exercise books. Pupils watch a short clip about Norman castles and then answer some questions about them with the aid of a PowerPoint slide. Learning development: In pairs, use the sugar paper to explore, analyse and consider the effectiveness of Motte and Bailey and Stone castles. Afterwards, pupils stick their own versions of the castles in in their books and complete a series of levelled activities. Plenary: Think of a 15 second sales pitch you would give William about why he should invest in each type of castle to help him control the English. Revisit Learning Objectives: Pupils consider how/why they have met their learning objective.

A generic double lesson that could be used in a variety of subjects as an introduction to aspects of leadership. The lesson is based around ideas of pupils and then looking at 3 case studies - Abraham Lincoln, Karen Brady and Alex Ferguson. After looking at summaries of their life stories, pupils can debate similarities and differences in their experiences, turning points and other interesting observations. Certainly creates debates in the classroom! I have used this as an introduction to Jesus and also for a Growth Mindset themed day in school.

An assembly that explores what compassion means, and uses ideas from the bible and modern life to provide a thoughtful session for pupils to think more deeply.

An assembly aimed at exploding the myth brains are fixed and don’t change. It looks at the science behind neuroplasticity through a video link and real life examples. Finally it looks at how these findings can be applied to learning.

A SOW and some of the resources linked to it. Includes: - A lesson by lesson SOW with objectives, suggested activities and outcomes - Resources for some of the lessons including the Berlin Wall, 9/11, 1960s and suffragettes

A lesson that explores the life of Jesus through key events in his life. Pupils can look at his life in chronological order and make inferences about it using quotes from the bible.

An assembly that looks at honesty and fairness when treating others. Includes: - References to examples of poor guidance and how to improve this - Talks about giving feedback in lessons and being critical - A story that shows us how failure is easy to come across and why it is a key part of growing - Reference to effort and guidance as keys to developing growth mindset thinking. Also links for the teacher to read in the note section - A challenge for pupils to complete over the course of the week.

An assembly that looks at how experiences and effort can affect the brain. Also includes: - A look at Neuroplasticity and learning - Genes and environmental influences on our brain development - Links to research in the PP notes

An assembly that explores friendship slightly differently than usual. Its split into sections: - Unusual friendships - Unknown friendships - Pet relationships - War

An assembly based around Edith Cavell and her story during WWI. It also looks at British nurses during the Great War. There is reference to poetry. It also makes a nice change to have the focus on a woman and her heroics.

An assembly that explores the idea of being the first humans to set up a colony on Mars. It covers what NASA is doing to prepare (a short clip on a website is included) and looks at the preparation of astronauts and potential living conditions on the red planet. References to the Mars One programme is also included. Would suit all ages as can be adapted and requires interaction with the children in the audience through questioning.

An assembly that can be aimed at pupils from KS2 upwards. Explores the idea of friendship through real life stories and the many different ways it can manifest. Themes explored include friendship in times of extremes (POW camp), Olympic athletes and also historical using a story from ancient Greece. Links to further information, explanations and clips can be found in the note section of the slides.

An assembly that explores feelings and our inner voice. It looks at how pupils can focus on positive thoughts and there is a challenge at the end for some pupils to try over the course of the following week. There is also a link to an animation on Youtube.

An assembly that explores the physical and spiritual dimensions about identity, including references to religion.

A two page homework task that gets pupils to attempt a series of inference questions based on posters from WWI and WWII. This is good as an introductory homework which can then be followed up the next lesson with some self and peer marking.

A detailed unit of work that includes: - Lesson Objectives and outcomes - Key questions to use for lessons - Coherent sequence of lessons that build up to an assessment - Suggested activities to use in every lesson

A detailed SOW that includes: Lesson Objectives and outcomes Key questions to use for lessons Coherent sequence of lessons that build up to an assessment Suggested activities to use in every lesson

A detailed Thematic/Developmental SOW that includes: - Lesson Objectives and outcomes - Key questions to use for lessons - Coherent sequence of lessons that build up to an assessment - Suggested activities to use in every lesson

A detailed SOW that includes: - Lesson Objectives and outcomes - Key questions to use for lessons - Coherent sequence of lessons that build up to an assessment - Suggested activities to use in every lesson This is a thematic/development SOW that will enable students to begin to grasp key changes and continuity in history. Great as a precursor to GCSE units.

An assembly about prayer and how different beliefs practice it. I have taken the angle of discussing similarities and differences and introduced the idea of atheist prayer (a thunk). There is a link to a clip from a Christian discussing why prayer is important to them. Notes and knowledge are included in the notes section of the slides. This could also be used as a presentation in a lesson.