Posts by Neil Brown
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Comes to Teesside
On Friday 12th December, the halls of Redcar and Cleveland College will be buzzing with excitement. Sixteen teams of young innovators from across Teesside will gather to showcase their creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork at our FIRST LEGO League Challenge Teesside tournament. Sponsored by Johnson Matthey, the local STEM company, this event promises to be a…
Read MoreA Guide for Parents: Choosing Tech Gifts for Kids This Christmas
As Christmas approaches, tech gifts are often at the top of kids’ wish lists. While these gifts can be fun, educational, and engaging, parents should consider a range of factors to ensure their choices are age-appropriate, safe, and beneficial. Here’s some guidance to help you with choosing great tech gifts for your kids at Christmas.…
Read MoreManaging Emotions in the Early Years
Helping Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Children under five often show lots of different emotions in a short time. This is normal. It happens because the part of the brain that controls emotions and impulses (called the prefrontal cortex) is still growing. Young children feel emotions strongly but don’t yet know how…
Read MoreSupporting EAL learners with maths
Supporting EAL Learners in Mathematics: Understanding the Challenge Mathematics is often perceived as a universal language, but in reality, it is deeply rooted in linguistic understanding. For learners of English as an Additional Language (EAL), the challenge is not always the mathematical concepts themselves, but the language used to express, explain, and apply them. Many…
Read MoreA Parent’s Guide to Keeping Your Children Safe Online
Last week I was delighted to be able to deliver a short online safety session to a school hall packed full of parents and carers at one of our local schools. Family life is so busy and attendance is not always that high at these things, but it was fantastic to be able to share…
Read MoreFIRST LEGO League 2025/26 – Unearthed
We are delighted to be launching another FIRST LEGO League season across the North East, as we dig deep into the new ‘Unearthed’ season. Students will explore this year’s archeological theme as they take on the biggest STEM programmes in the world! Around 1000 young people will put their team work, problem solving, coding and…
Read MoreEffective use of technology to support adaptive teaching
Unlock the full potential of technology in your school. If you’re looking to build staff confidence, introduce new systems or review current practice – we can help. Choose from: Whole-school training – to build a shared foundation and understanding of the use of ICT. Targeted support – for specific year groups, mixed age groups or curriculum…
Read MoreEnsuring your writing curriculum supports young writers effectively
Leaders will be supported to review the current curriculum intent for writing and then move towards shaping a curriculum that builds skills in a clear, progressive way. This bespoke programme is designed to meet the specific needs of your school. The programme can focus on both key aspects of writing: transcription and composition. Schools can…
Read MoreTalk for maths – How can oracy support teaching for mastery?
How can teachers design lessons that spark curiosity and deep thinking? Do staff have a set of talk and reasoning tools that help pupils explain ideas, ask strong questions, and build confidence? This training session explores how to weave purposeful talk into everyday teaching using the OUP Talk for Maths Benchmarks. Teachers will learn clear…
Read MoreSEND Register Review- Maximising available school resources to support pupils at SEND K
This training helps SENDCOs make the most of limited time and resources while meeting the needs of as many pupils as possible. You will learn practical ways to provide support efficiently, ensuring adjustments are meaningful and effective. The course shows how to identify which interventions have the greatest impact and how to prioritise pupils who…
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