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    Same-same, but different: the more things change...
    Suzanne Coulson
    • Jan 12, 2021
    • 4 min

    Same-same, but different: the more things change...

    My three-week honeymoon – also an opportunity to catch up on missed backpacking experiences – took place in Thailand, where my shiny new...
    446 views0 comments
    Estimating and Ranking in FE
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 14, 2020
    • 6 min

    Estimating and Ranking in FE

    On 18th March, the government announced that all GCSE and A level exams would be cancelled for 2020. In the frenzied days afterwards we...
    408 views0 comments
    Success, TES Awards and the power of consistency
    Jonathan Kay
    • Feb 13, 2020
    • 6 min

    Success, TES Awards and the power of consistency

    In 2018/19, I was lucky enough to be part of an enormously successful FE English and math team. With national average grade 4+ rates for...
    417 views0 comments
    Teaching Structure - A Simpler Approach
    Jonathan Kay
    • Oct 23, 2019
    • 3 min

    Teaching Structure - A Simpler Approach

    Every time I've taught structure under the new spec (with AQA), I've had a sneaking suspicion that I'm teaching far, far too much and...
    1,978 views0 comments
    What To Do When You Want To Leave Teaching
    Jonathan Kay
    • Oct 8, 2019
    • 4 min

    What To Do When You Want To Leave Teaching

    Whether entering the infamous NQT year (with 1 in 7 dropping out during this year), or an experienced teacher who has seen it all, most...
    191 views0 comments
    Initial assessment in English - a different approach
    Jonathan Kay
    • Sep 18, 2019
    • 3 min

    Initial assessment in English - a different approach

    We've all heard the transition day assessment horror stories - a sprightly bunch of 11 year old students head up to their local Secondary...
    290 views0 comments
    They said what?! - The things we say to each other
    Jonathan Kay
    • Sep 12, 2019
    • 4 min

    They said what?! - The things we say to each other

    Recently, I've been thinking about the language we use in schools (for example, how we communicate/ outline expectations), heavily...
    87 views0 comments
    Essential Tips For Newly Qualified Teachers
    Jonathan Kay
    • Sep 1, 2019
    • 3 min

    Essential Tips For Newly Qualified Teachers

    September is finally here. How has this happened? Surely, it was only yesterday that we were wishing students ‘good luck’ for exams and 5...
    116 views0 comments
    Reflections on 2018/19, hopes for 2019/20
    Jonathan Kay
    • Jul 15, 2019
    • 3 min

    Reflections on 2018/19, hopes for 2019/20

    After what has seemed like an eternity, the end of 2018/19 is somehow upon us. When I started this blog a few months ago, I did it with a...
    62 views0 comments
    'The hallowed uplands of progress are not so neatly measurable'
    Will Cowell
    • Jul 8, 2019
    • 4 min

    'The hallowed uplands of progress are not so neatly measurable'

    As society and employment evolve at breakneck pace, educational revolution must follow, writes Will Cowell Most of us have seen the...
    87 views0 comments
    Black box thinking for lecturers
    Jonathan Kay
    • Jul 5, 2019
    • 3 min

    Black box thinking for lecturers

    ‘Black box thinking is the willingness and tenacity to investigate the lessons that often exist when we fail, but which we rarely...
    61 views0 comments
    Initial Assessment: vital starting point or more harm than good?
    Jonathan Kay
    • Jul 2, 2019
    • 4 min

    Initial Assessment: vital starting point or more harm than good?

    I remember my first experience in an FE college well. It involved presiding over enrolment season in late August/ early September with...
    378 views0 comments
    5 ways to build relationships with ‘the re-sitters’
    Jonathan Kay
    • Jun 26, 2019
    • 3 min

    5 ways to build relationships with ‘the re-sitters’

    As an English teacher and leader in FE, I spend my time working with GCSE English and maths students who have achieved less than a grade...
    94 views0 comments
    Curriculum planning – are we training or teaching? A reflection
    Jonathan Kay
    • Jun 17, 2019
    • 4 min

    Curriculum planning – are we training or teaching? A reflection

    Exams have been and gone, students have departed, and an air of calm has descended. Mercifully, we now have time to properly reflect on...
    106 views0 comments
    Cultural poverty: how to mint your own coins
    Jennifer Webb
    • Jun 6, 2019
    • 5 min

    Cultural poverty: how to mint your own coins

    Thursday afternoon. We are at the end of a lesson; it has been a good one. I’ve shared a poem, explored meaning, modelled analysis. They...
    573 views0 comments
    NQT without a role? Top tips to plan next steps
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 29, 2019
    • 5 min

    NQT without a role? Top tips to plan next steps

    Haven't found a role for September yet? Don't worry - there are lots of options Final PGCE assignments are handed in, goodbyes are shared...
    46 views0 comments
    7 GCSE Revision Tips to Help Your Students Succeed
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 25, 2019
    • 5 min

    7 GCSE Revision Tips to Help Your Students Succeed

    “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – Robert Collier Your lesson begins. You present your students with a...
    55 views0 comments
    5 Books Every Teacher Should Read
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 18, 2019
    • 4 min

    5 Books Every Teacher Should Read

    Over the last few years, a range of books have been released espousing ideas to support teachers in being more effective in the...
    318 views0 comments
    Effective Feedback - Why Less Is More
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 17, 2019
    • 3 min

    Effective Feedback - Why Less Is More

    'Marking has evolved into an unhelpful burden for teachers, when the time it takes is not repaid in positive impact on pupils’ progress'...
    240 views0 comments
      An Introduction to the Blog
    Jonathan Kay
    • May 16, 2019
    • 2 min

    An Introduction to the Blog

    'Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on' - Louis L'Armour Hello there and welcome to my...
    54 views0 comments
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