Teachwire

10/09/2026

You want to identify if a colleague is experiencing challenges before the point where they’re really struggling.

That means not just looking out for obvious signs of distress – crying, reactive behaviour, etc. You also need to look for more subtle changes in their normal behaviour.

The ability to spot those changes rests on a foundation of really knowing your people.

If, say, there’s a gregarious, bubbly team member who seems to suddenly exhibit a prolonged period of reticence, it might be something to carefully enquire about. ‘You’ve been really quiet recently – I’m wondering if anything’s the matter?’

There may be other things that people do when struggling but don’t feel able to talk about, for whatever reason. Staying behind after school later than is warranted, out of concern over the quality of their work, or because ‘brain fog’ is making their tasks take longer.

They may also be prone to overthinking tasks and doubting their own judgement. This is even if their professional experience means they should, by rights, have every reason to feel secure in their knowledge.

💬 By Gemma Scotcher, director of public affairs and communications at Education Support

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3R3ZuSk

Never mind throwaway tick-box exercises; true staff wellbeing means changing some fundamental processes in school and beyond...

09/09/2026

Call it zero tolerance, warm-strict or high standards – some schools take an approach to classroom discipline that leaves no space for individual ways of concentrating. But what if the child doodling all over their notes is paying attention?

In this episode of No Running in the Corridors podcast, art teacher Emma Delpech and forest school teacher Rachel Summers join Helen Mulley to unpack fidgeting, doodling and stimming through the lens of self-regulation, exploring why a still classroom isn’t always a listening one.

Thank you to our sponsor, Rocksteady Music School – the leading provider of in-school band lessons for primary-age children.

https://bit.ly/4ygT2tU

08/09/2026

What can the London Eye tell us about how London has changed? 🎡

Take KS3 pupils on a journey through five decades of London tourism with this free Built for Learning resource, created in partnership with Merlin Entertainments.

Featuring three exclusive London Eye videos, source activities and a creative task exploring what London’s next big attraction could look like, pupils will investigate how tourism reflects wider social, cultural and technological change.

Download the resource 👇

https://bit.ly/4wYh384

07/09/2026

Are today’s classroom technologies really making teachers’ lives easier? In this episode of Teachwire Talks, Helen Mulley is joined by Ashleigh Kennedy from Dell Technologies and product marketing consultant Richi Fontaine to explore whether edtech is living up to its promise.

Together, they discuss how technology has transformed schools, from interactive whiteboards to AI, and examine why workload remains such a challenge, even as new tools continue to emerge.

Finally, they share practical insights into using digital tools more strategically, helping you save time while improving teaching and learning.

https://bit.ly/4wdRsrG

04/09/2026

In his 2013 book, Turn the Ship Around!, L. David Marquet talks about turning ‘followers’ into ‘leaders’. As a naval officer, he had become used to working within an authoritarian model whereby orders were given and met with compliance, but little else.

He came to recognise, however, that he could create a self-sustaining system of improvement that extended beyond his thoughts and deeds by creating leaders everywhere.

Instead of simply telling people what to do, he began asking his crew to state what they were intending to do.

Immediately, you can sense how a greater sense of personal accountability would start to kick in under those conditions.

Even if you don’t actually line manage anyone else, try that approach on yourself: ‘What do I intend to do this week that will mean I’ve taught well and made a difference?’

There may be a whole raft of things you need to do in terms of delivering a set curriculum, or following a prescribed pedagogy – but where can you create improvement within your own classroom or department? What are you intending to do today?

💬 By Rebecca Leek, Executive Director of the Suffolk Primary Headteachers’ Association

Read the full article:

England is the only UK nation that doesn't continue play-based learning into KS1. Could extending it help support children’s mental health?

03/09/2026

Use our free resource pack alongside this episode of Author In Your Classroom podcast, starring Michael Rosen and MC Grammar, to help children explore the craft of rap.

Pupils will think about what makes a great rap or poetry performance, experiment with rhythm and rhyme, and discover how ideas often become stronger when writers work together.

https://bit.ly/4gsScnO

Simon & Schuster

01/09/2026

What can a castle tell us about the people who owned it? 🏰

Take your KS2 pupils inside Warwick Castle with this free Built for Learning resource, created in partnership with Merlin Entertainments.

Featuring three exclusive Warwick Castle videos, the free resource pack will help pupils explore power, wealth and status in medieval society, then put their learning into practice by creating their own persuasive estate agent advert.

Download the resource 👇

https://www.teachwire.net/teaching-resources/life-in-medieval-england/

28/08/2026

In England, the transition from early years education into Key Stage 1 can be abrupt. England remains the only UK nation not continuing child-led, play-based learning into Key Stage 1.

This is despite growing evidence that starting formal education at age four or five can harm children’s mental wellbeing.

Pupils move from a play-rich environment into a more structured system that expects them to sit still, follow instructions and engage in largely passive learning.

From a developmental standpoint, that shift can be significant and for some children, pretty overwhelming.

We’re increasingly seeing the consequences of this mismatch. Many children struggle with the transition. For some, particularly those with anxiety or additional needs, the demands of a highly structured classroom can be difficult to manage.

This emotional distress can manifest as disengagement, behavioural challenges or refusal to attend school.

Play-based learning is more aligned with children’s natural development. It allows pupils to move, explore and learn at their own pace, in an environment that feels safe and familiar.

Importantly, it doesn’t mean a lack of structure or intention. Instead, it involves integrating learning into meaningful, engaging activities, with adults scaffolding, supporting them to build on what they already know through prompting, questioning, demonstrating and guiding.

Some believe play is a distraction from learning, but it is in fact one of the primary ways children explore, experiment and make sense of the world.

Yet in many classrooms, play is still seen as something separate, a reward for work completed, rather than the method through which learning happens.

Through play, children don’t only develop cognitive skills, but also social competence, emotional regulation and resilience.

They learn how to collaborate, solve problems and cope with challenges, all of which are foundational for both learning and mental health.

There’s also growing recognition that play-based learning can help to address wider inequalities. Because play is universal and doesn’t rely on prior knowledge or expensive resources, it can create a more level playing field for children from different backgrounds.

💬 By Holly Amber Stokes, senior lecturer in psychology at Arden University.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/45Te4To

England is the only UK nation that doesn't continue play-based learning into KS1. Could extending it help support children’s mental health?

27/08/2026

Parental anxiety is a factor that merits serious consideration when it comes to phone bans in school.

With more families now wanting the ability to readily communicate with (and even locate) their children during school days, phones have become an ‘anti-anxiety tool’ for some parents.

There may also be some attachment or family trauma issues involved. Being curious and working with such families to meet them where they are is far preferable to assuming they should simply get by with not knowing where their children are at all times.

We can meet these parents halfway. It may be that they simply need the reassurance of being able to call school at lunchtime to check in on how their child has been during the morning.

A gradual implementation, alongside consideration of concealed anxieties among students and families, is key for ensuring that a phone ban works effectively at your school.

Issuing a consultation process that explains the ban and the reasons why it’s happening would be a good starting point.

It also gives you the chance to set out a mission statement, which could read as something along the lines of ‘We’re doing it because we believe it’s better for the young people in our school. It’s better for their relationships. It’s better for their wellbeing. It will enable them to learn better and this will give them better life chances.’

Statements are one thing, though; getting buy-in is quite another. A parent and carer consultation, either in person or online, should form part of the implementation process as it’s important to create some space for genuine collaboration.

💬 By Amy Sayer, school mental health consultant, trainer, and author with expertise in educational wellbeing, neurodiversity, and psychological safety

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/46rGHVL

St Martin’s School has rolled out a complete school-day mobile phone ban after months of consultation with parents and pupils...

26/08/2026

Perhaps the most powerful message running throughout the DfE’s recently published ‘Inclusion Bases in Schools’ guidance is one that many SENCos and inclusion leads have quietly worried about for years – namely that an inclusion base should never become a destination.

The document repeatedly talks about ‘belonging’, ‘participation’ and ‘maximising opportunities’ for children to access mainstream learning wherever appropriate.

It even introduces the idea of a continuum, recognising that pupils’ needs will fluctuate, and that access to the base should remain flexible, rather than fixed.

I am very much here for that, because there’s always the danger that specialist provision becomes comfortable – not just for children, but for systems.

A child who spends every lesson in an inclusion base may well feel safe, but vital things can be lost if there’s no clear plan for engagement.

Connection to the school community, the development of independence, the building of good friendships, access to ambitious learning – these could all be casualties.

💬 By Nikki Cunningham-Smith, SENCo and SEND/behaviour consultant

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4cdTl0d

Inclusion bases: practical advice on creating effective provision, supporting mainstream inclusion and measuring impact...