Primary school teaching is a feat of real skill – in a lot of ways, it’s a juggling act.
Day in, day out, it requires full commitment and focus to make sure that all priorities are attended to within the time constraints of the school day, so that children receive a well-rounded education that develops their knowledge and skills across the full breadth of the national curriculum.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot to cover, and many primary school educators are responsible for teaching their classes most (if not all) subjects. It takes a great deal of planning and effort to deliver high-quality teaching across such a wide variety of lessons, from maths to history to religious education.
Primary school teaching also plays an extraordinarily important role in the lives of socio-economically disadvantaged children – who, historically, often struggle to match the academic outcomes of their more affluent classmates. Ideally, attainment gaps should be addressed as early as possible in order to limit their impact on future learning.
At the Education Endowment Foundation, we’re committed to supporting teaching professionals to break this stubborn link between family income and educational attainment through better use of evidence.