Rachel Murgatroyd

Our understanding of the world and our place in it is largely shaped by history. We can look back and be inspired by past people’s innovation and tenacity and learn from their mistakes. As primary school teachers, it’s our responsibility to encourage a love of history in young minds and ensure it comes to life for them in the classroom. Teachers are already very short of time, so the best way to ensure your history lessons cover that national curriculum and inspire your pupils can be to use a primary history scheme of work.

A world without science would be a much lesson interesting place. Science explains and affects everything we do, from dropping a pen off the table to how we grow and age. We know so much about how our world works, yet the universe is shrouded in mystery; it’s exciting, fascinating, and it’s our job as teachers to introduce young minds to these topics.

According to the national curriculum, “A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.”

The need for transition day activities is fast approaching as the school year draws to a close. This period in the school calendar can be bitter sweet, as teachers across the UK bid farewell to their old class and welcome the new. But the most important thing to remember is that it can be a delicate time for many children. Each child will react differently to this unfamiliar territory. Whether emotional, excited or a little hint of nervousness, our transition day activities are here to help make the process as smooth as possible.

Table of Contents:

• The Importance of Transitional Day Activities
• 15 Awesome Activities to Make Transition Time Easier Than Ever

Pango partners with quality content providers so teachers can access the best resources, faster. Today we turn our attention to one of our partners - Focus Education - to tell you more about how their lessons and resources can help you teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

What is the Ofsted Science Subject Report 2023? 

The Ofsted Science Subject Report was published by Ofsted in February 2023 and is based on evidence collected during routine Ofsted inspections. It ‘evaluates the common strengths and weaknesses of science in the schools inspected and considers the challenges that science faces’. The report also ‘identifies some significant strengths in school science education and recommends ways that school and subject leaders can ensure that all pupils leave school with an authentic understanding of science, as both a tradition of enquiry and a set of connected but distinct ideas that explain the world we live in’. 

Preparation is underway for the 2024 SATs assessment period. With the Easter break approaching earlier than last, we only have a limited number of weeks before our students sit those all important questions. But as a teacher how can we be best prepared to help them?

We know this time can be stressful and it’s essential to have the right tips and resources to ensure your students succeed. Today, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know to prepare yourself and your pupils for KS2 SATs.

Table of Contents:

• What are the KS2 SATs?
• When are the KS2 SATs 2024?
• 5 Tips to Help Teachers Prepare Themselves & Pupils for SATs Success

1.    Teach the History of International Women’s Day

Teaching the history of International Women’s Day is critical; without the background of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come, pupils are less likely to understand the importance of gender equality. Women's rights fact files and info sheets are great for giving pupils a background to gender equality, without overwhelming younger years with a complete history of events.

Children’s Mental Health Week is an important date on the calendar and provides us with the opportunity to discuss some important topics in the classroom. Launched in 2015 by the children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, Children’s Mental Health Week takes place each year to encourage children (and adults) to talk about how to maintain and support their mental health.

Science is an essential subject and one we all spend a lot of time teaching at the primary school level, but that doesn’t often mean that coming up with meaningful lesson plans that align with the KS2 Science Curriculum is easy. To teach lessons to your pupils that resonate and cover the curriculum in its entirety throughout the school year can require significant planning.