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Knowledge Banks

Knowledge Banks are one of the most exciting areas of the site. A Knowledge Bank is a collection of articles and web-resources from our library or third party sources. They are designed to facilitate rapid and deep professional learning in a subject.

Typically, Knowledge Banks comprise a concise introduction to the field, a range of articles and resources and some questions to consider within your school or trust. Only Knowledge Banks that fall within your purchased Topics will be fully accessible. Individuals and schools can create and manage their own Knowledge Banks.

To browse the Knowledge Banks that are currently available, just click the Knowledge Banks tab at the top of the Home page and filter by Topic.

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Leadership

Do We Care Enough About Staff Wellbeing?

Worthwhileness – happiness – well-being. These words are relatively new in politics – and in education. Richard Layard1 suggests that the things that make people happy are our social lives, the trust we have in others, the continuity of our lives, our feelings of self-worth (including feeling at least as well off as other people), and the feeling that things are getting better.

  • 31 Jan
Leadership

Aspiring Black Leaders: Are You One?

Sponsored by the National Education Union. Yet it remains the case that despite the prevailing liberal, humanist value system within most schools the promotion of black teachers into leadership positions is extremely rare and even rarer for those of Afro-Caribbean or African descent.

  • 30 Jan
Leadership

Step-by-Step Guide to Primary School Improvement

The school improvement narrative is still one which emphasises ‘proving’ rather than ‘improving’ outcomes for pupils - it has become so institutionalised that schools lead through fear, risk aversion and compliance.

  • 15 Oct
Creative Teaching & Learning

Creativity in the Classroom

What changes need to be made when the development of cognitive skills required for progressive learning reaches a standstill?

  • 27 Aug
Creative Teaching & Learning

Philosophy For Children

What is Philosophy for Children, what is a 'Community of Enquiry' and how can they develop creative and critical thinking skills?

  • 26 Aug
Special Needs

Dyslexia

Some of our parents are complaining that we are not dyslexia-friendly. What can we do about it?

  • 25 Aug
Creative Teaching & Learning

Facilitating an Open Question Mindset

Peter Worley, co-founder of The Philosophy Foundation, explores how to ask the sorts of questions that take children’s thinking further in this recording of a Master Class webinar.

  • 24 Aug
Digital Learning

Information Literacy

Why are so many children susceptible to grooming, fake news and extreme ideology? One of the reasons is a complete naivety about the voracity and ability to access information they read on the Internet. Why aren't schools taking information literacy more seriously?

  • 23 Aug
Leadership

Lesson Observation

Lesson observation is a key element of any teacher’s CPD, and done well, it can have a transformational effect on the teaching process and on developing a consistency of values and approaches across the school. But it can be harmful to individual teachers and a school’s culture and is subject to ‘fashion’ swings in the styles of assessment used.

  • 22 Aug
Special Needs

Vulnerable Children – A Wider Perspective on Disadvantage

Resistance to learning and slow progression in the classroom have a number of causes. The causes can be split into two categories: socio-economic, and mental/physical differences.

  • 21 Aug
Creative Teaching & Learning

Using Film In Education

Film has been a major feature of popular culture for a hundred years, and the moving image now dominates all aspects of the transmission of information. How can film be integrated into the curriculum?

  • 20 Aug
Leadership

Secondary School Science

The quality of science teaching and learning continues to be an area of concern. When it is inadequate, it is often the lack of a sufficient number of highly-qualified and dedicated science teachers that is cited as the problem.

  • 19 Aug
Creative Teaching & Learning

Lesson Study: Lost in Translation?

How can the Japanese phenomenon of Lesson Study be adapted to work in the English school setting?

  • 19 Feb
Special Needs

Improving Attendance: Ideas for Effective and Innovative Practice

Poor attendance is increasingly a matter of punishing parents. Can the issue be addressed in a more effective manner? How can you help support a child's education?

  • 19 Feb
Special Needs

The Early Years

The field of Early Years education has never had such a high political profile as the government struggles to contain and reverse a widening achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children.

  • 19 Feb
Learning Spaces

Understanding Architectural Drawings

What are the mechanics of architectural drawings? With teachers in mind, this Knowledge Bank provides a detailed guide to understanding the design process.

  • 19 Feb