The Significance of Easter Weekend for Christians
Easter Weekend is the most significant Christian celebration, marking Jesus Christ’s resurrection, which is central to their faith and practice and is a foundation for the church’s mission and community life. Christ’s act of washing His disciples’ feet and sharing the Last Supper with them, commemorated on Maundy Thursday, highlights the values of kindness, love,…
Who Supports the Supporters?
Early years managers are often the figureheads of their settings, quietly keeping everything running – organising admin, leading practice, and ensuring the environment is the best it can be. They are the steady anchor for their teams, grounding, guiding, and nurturing practitioners, support staff, parents and carers, and, of course, the children who deserve the…
The North Tyneside Schools Dance Festival: The Living World 2026
This month we saw dance take over 65 North Tyneside schools. They joined our PE, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) team for our annual dance festival, to celebrate movement and expression of “The Living World” (this year’s theme). Seven packed shows Pupils and staff presented their pieces which they had been preparing since the start of the academic year. The PESSPA team hosted seven shows and three dress rehearsal days at The Parks Sports Centre in North Shields and the Whitley Bay Playhouse. …
Why are educational visits so important for young people in schools?
Educational visits play a key role in the development of young people, but they often offer more than you can imagine. They do take effort to organise, but the return can be amazing. They also don’t need to be extravagant overseas visits, they are best graduated where there are frequent local visits, in and around school and in the local area or…
Why all the talk about oracy?
It seems almost impossible at the moment to avoid the conversation about importance of oracy in education – and rightly so. As James Britton once said, ‘Reading floats on a sea of talk’ (Britton, 1970, p. 164), but good oracy skills go further than that. Strong oracy skills are essential for our young learners to…
The Benefits of Maintaining Your Home Language
In a world that’s becoming increasingly interconnected, it’s easy to feel that the language we speak at home may not be as “useful” or important as the dominant language in our community or workplace. But the benefits of maintaining proficiency in your home language reach far beyond mere communication. They touch upon identity, culture, cognitive growth,…
FIRST LEGO League North Tyneside & Northumberland 2026
Last week we completed three days of incredible FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge regional tournament events for North Tyneside and Northumberland. These events are always such a privilege to be involved with. They are the culmination of months of hard work for students, teachers, volunteers and our team too! What is FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge? FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a global STEM competition.…
Wonderful wordless works of art
Some of our most engaging books for younger children are those which have very few words or no words at all. The illustrators of these wordless books are incredibly skilled in spinning a narrative through an unfolding sequence of pictures so exquisite, so imaginative, so carefully considered and sequenced that readers are immediately captivated and…
Growing Brains, Guiding Behaviour
Supporting young children can be joyful, rewarding, and at times overwhelming-especially when big feelings take over. In the Early Years, children’s brains are developing at an incredible pace, shaping how they learn, communicate, and respond to the world around them. This rapid growth brings curiosity and opportunity, but it can also lead to behaviours that…
Opening the doors to reading: why class visits to the local library matter
Why class visits to the local library matter more than ever As we celebrate the National Year of Reading, there has never been a better moment to reconnect children with one of the most powerful reading spaces in their community: the local library. A class visit to the library is far more than a pleasant…
Powering Primary Maths: Why Teaching Assistant Subject Knowledge Matters
Teaching assistants (TAs)can play an important role in primary mathematics classrooms. Often working with small groups or individuals, they are uniquely positioned to influence children’s confidence, understanding and progress. However, the impact they can make depends significantly on their own mathematical subject knowledge. When teaching assistants have a secure understanding of maths, use precise mathematical language, recognise misconceptions and feel confident…
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
May you live in interesting times! In the ever-demanding world of school leadership, we are entering a period of unprecedented complexity. New national directives and frameworks, The Curriculum Review, and the new OFSTED Toolkit require leaders to reframe their educational offers. As every school leader knows, an audit of existing practice is only the first…