Growing Up Autistic: What Children Want Schools to Understand
The Language and Communication Team (LCT), Education North Tyneside’s specialist teaching team supporting language, communication and autism in educational settings, recently reflected on findings from a large UK study involving 136 autistic children aged 8-14. The research explored autistic pupils’ experiences of school, relationships and identity, placing children’s voices firmly at the centre. It highlighted both what helps autistic…
Together We Fly
Together We Fly is one of five creative, multilingual projects offered to schools and community groups as part of the Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages 2026. The project invited children and young people to express themselves in any language, their home languages, languages they are learning, or languages they are curious about, while celebrating culture, friendship and unity. Sharing feelings Participants were…
The Importance of Effective School Governance
Effective school governance plays a key role in the success of schools, but it often does more than people realise. Strong governance helps schools set a clear direction, support and challenge leaders, keep children safe, use funding wisely and make sure that decision-making stays focused on what is best for pupils. This has become even…
Reasonable Adjustments & How They Relate to EAL Learners in School
“Reasonable adjustments” come from the Equality Act 2010, which requires schools to remove barriers so pupils with disabilities (including many SEND profiles) can access learning. EAL status alone is not a disability, so the duty to make reasonable adjustments does not apply because a child is EAL. However, many practices that are good for EAL learners overlap with reasonable adjustments, and…
The Big Maths Party 2026
On Wednesday 20th May, thousands of children across North Tyneside will once again come together for a spectacular celebration of mathematics at the second Big Maths Party. This year’s theme – The Magic of Maths – invites pupils to experience the joy, wonder and creativity at the heart of the subject. Even better, the entire event is completely free for…
Celebrate World Book Night 2026: A Chance for Schools and Settings to Inspire a Love of Reading
Every year on 23 April, schools, settings, families, and communities across the UK come together to celebrate World Book Night – a national event dedicated to sharing the joy and power of reading. Led by The Reading Agency, this annual celebration encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to discover books that inspire, comfort and…
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,…