A simple transition planning questionnaire, to help identify concerns as children move from KS2 into a new school and KS3. Useful for school staff and parents.

The key facts around the effects of disadvantage, and education, which can bring about lifetime consequences. Some of the aspects of life, which lead to disadvantage have been highlighted.

This test is suitable for any child whose ability to recognise, and read, high frequency words is affecting their fluency in reading. It is especially useful for children in Key Stage 1 and 2, but could also be useful for older children, who find reading difficult. The words, on the list, are those which appear most often in texts. This test was used as part of the “Improving Reading Accuracy, and Comprehension, Programme Outline” and the “National Curriculum linked Grapheme-Phoneme Reading Test”

Cards itemising ways of promoting positive behaviours, sanctions, and good and bad ways of dealing with more challenging behaviour

As a new school year begins, pupils and members of staff encounter many new people and situations. Whilst most anticipate these with excitement, anxiety can also predominate. This power point identifies possible causes of anxiety, similarities between those experienced by pupils and members of staff, and strategies for overcoming them.

This resource contains a list of words, which are related to the National Curriculum Appendix 1, for Key Stage 1 and 2. The list is useful for assessing the ability of children to read words containing the Grapheme-Phoneme correspondences outlined in the National Curriculum. The test can be used to identify sounds which the child does not yet know, which they can be taught. For this reason, it is especially useful w here a child is not making progress in their ability to read accurately. Once a sound, or group of sounds, has been identified as being unrecognised by the child, they can be the focus of any teaching. This test can form the first step in an Assessment, Plan, Do and Review cycle. The test was used as part of the programme outlined in “Improving Reading Accuracy, and Comprehension, Programme Outline”

Advice for school staff, or parents, on enabling children with ASD to enjoy the experience of eating. Causes of difficulties in eating, and suggestions are provided.

This article is based on the experiences of professionals, who have been bullied at work, whilst employed by primary schools; learning and behaviour support teams; inclusion services; for local authorities and not for profit organisations. The information covers:- the reasons behind the bullying behaviour; how the bully behaved; information comparing the way in which a non-bully would behave; the effects of bullying on the victim; how to respond to the bullying. The information gathered has come from people who have been bullied, and have lived to tell their tales.

This resource contains examples of baseline assessment tables, and an example of how this translates into a four week plan for a group of children. A plan for one week’s sessions, demonstrates how teaching targets, and group plans translate into individualised teaching points. Two examples of Most Common Word Teaching Resources are included, as is a Question Word, and Answer, Prompt Sheet. These could be used with the resource “An Effective Proven Reading Intervention Programme”, or as separate items. The process of breaking down the results of baseline assessments, of reading, into individual lesson outlines, may be useful for teachers, and TAs.

Behaviour Difficulty Identification, Intervention and Tracking Document This EXCEL document was designed for use in a mainstream setting. It has been used across several schools, as a way of gathering key data, in supporting children with various forms of social, emotional, mental health and other behavioural difficulties. It can be adapted to suit individual school, and local authority, settings. The aim of the document is to identify:- • The specific forms of behaviour that a child might be displaying • How often the behaviour occurred • Any additional information which might be causing the difficulty • Any referrals made so far • Preventative and Adaptive Strategies used • Sanctions used The document can be used for:- Individual pupils:- • As a personal record of changes in behaviour • As a way of gathering all the relevant data together in one place • To identify possible causes of the behaviour • To identify external support services, who might be able to provide advice on supporting the child • To identify, and track, the strategies put in place to support the child • As a fore-runner to providing evidence to support a request for an EHCP. • To provide information for parents regarding their child’s behaviour • As a way of gathering information about a child’s behaviour at home, and in other external settings, from parents School level information:- • As a way of identifying all the pupils who have social, emotional, mental health, or other behaviour difficulties • To identify patterns of behaviour within different groups, classes, or settings • As a way of linking possible causes of the behaviour, with the behaviour seen • As a way of providing the most relevant, and suitable, interventions for each child • As a way of identifying groups of children who could access preventative, or intervention strategies together • To track the effectiveness of any interventions • To identify professional development requirements • As evidence of the effectiveness of support for children with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties

A person who is engaged in their work; who feels safe; listened to; supported and respected, will want to give of their best. They will cope better with the on-going changes in education, and in their place of work. This information provides a checklist for members of staff, which will enable them to establish how happy they are with their work role, and what may need to be done to enable them to enjoy it more. Happy staff are usually more inclined to remain working in the same school. This allows leaders to deploy their staff in the best way possible, as their individual strengths are known, as well as how they work together as a team. In turn, this makes it easier for them to move forward their plans for school improvement. This guidance can be used to provide the basis of discussions around how a school can be made more staff-friendly. It can also form the basis of a staff engagement, or retention, policy. Suitable for all members of staff in a school:- Caretaker, Head, Lunchtime Supervisor, Teacher, Admin Officer, Teaching Assistant etc.

For many years, I taught the Long Vowel/ Vowel Digraph sounds as separate entities e.g. speed, fight. When teaching a group of KS2 pupils, who found phonics something of a difficulty, I tried to find a different way of teaching this subject. Looking carefully, again, at these words, and studying the “rules” which governed when to use each one, I found a logical way of selecting which spelling was to be used in different situations. The work was not a quick-fix, but this approach was very successful. This download includes the knowledge which the child needs, in order to be able to use this approach. It also provides examples of follow-up sheets and post- teaching assessments. Word lists, spelling sheets and advice are also included. A pre-teaching assessment is included, to assess the child’s ability to read and spell words from this group.

This document brings together the SEAL statements regarding understanding your own emotions, how to manage them and how to understand other’s emotions. It links them with the role of the adult in enabling this development, and also links them with the relevant aspects of the PSHE Curriculum, which will become effective from September 2020. The various aspects of these resources can be used to put together a programme of support for those children who struggle with their emotions. An example of a programme, dealing with anger is included.

This document provides information on the skills required by pupils, in terms of building relationships. Many children find it difficult to form relationships, from the child who seems to have no friends, to those who try to dominate and those who find it difficult to maintain friendships. Using SEAL statements, information regarding the role of the adult in supporting the child, and links with relevant aspects of the PSHE Curriculum, which will become effective from September 2020, this document can provide a programme of work for a class, or individual pupil where relationships are a problem. This document links with my resources on Developing emotions and Why do they do that, which looks at the possible causes of behaviour problems in school.

"I’m hungry. I’m cold. My coat doesn’t fit. My clean shirt is damp. I’m tired. I had to rush my homework, and it wasn’t easy, all squashed into one room. Mum was angry, then tearful, last night. I’m worried about her. She’s been getting lots of final demand, red letters. I wish I could go to the club the others go to. " With an estimated 9 children in every 30 living in poverty, the need for teachers to understand the difficulties they may experience, and the ways of supporting them, is crucial. Ofsted looks to see how the Pupil Premium is used in schools, and this resource may help to provide some answers to those questions. Education is the main way of enabling children to move out of poverty. This resource identifies ways of promoting the emotional well-being of the child, as well as considering ways of limiting the impact of their situation. With artistic prompts to highlight the causes, types and effects of poverty, as well as one identifying the support which can be given to these children, the resource provides easily shared, but detailed, information, with links to many available documents. Lists of books dealing with issues such as food poverty, down-sizing, being mocked for being different, dreams of a better life, plus activities and resources, which can be used with children, are included. An account of one child’s life in in a low-income home, is also included, to demonstrate some of the emotional struggles, which can come with being a child in a low income family. Many practical, and thought-provoking ideas are available in one small document.

This intervention can be used with children from Key Stage 1 and 2. It can also be used with children in secondary schools, who have difficulty reading. The programme can be administered by teachers, or a TA, with teacher support. The programme focuses on the development of reading accuracy and comprehension. The success of the intervention, and proof of success, relies on a detailed assessment of need. Related assessment resources are being added to the TES website. The process of Assess, plan, do , review, is consistent with the cycle outlined in The Code of Practice.

Feedback from schools said "support in helping us to plan, train and develop our new positive behaviour management policy was fantastic" "Staff have benefitted from excellent CPD around behaviour management, increasing their skills and confidence in this area" Topics covered include:- What is behaviour, good and bad behaviour, how to promote good behaviour and manage bad behaviour, how this fits within a school policy

Based on over 60 cases studies, this document describes over 70 of the most common behaviour difficulties seen in school. Behaviours described, fall within the areas of disrupting learning, poor peer relationships, withdrawal of themselves from situations, violence towards children and adults, and challenging behaviour. Possible causes, of each behaviour difficulty, are then identified. Causes are related to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, health difficulties, family situations and life changes. Based on the belief that all behaviour is an action, or a reaction, this document aims to help professionals, to consider the possible causes of the behaviour they observe in the child. (See:-A tried and tested INSET on behaviour policy review and management) Linked with the “Behaviour Identification and Tracking Document” a tailored programme of support can be formed, to meet the specific needs of the child. Use of this document enabled schools to provide well thought through interventions.