There is tremendous pressure on the curriculum these days, but in our Multi-Faith society it is essential to know what makes others tick religiously.

Even a small shot of knowledge can dispel a little ignorance and encourage respect, leading to a more harmonious society.

Rabbi Douglas Charing, Director of the Leeds-based Jewish Education Bureau, has been visiting schools throughout the country for many years.

He offers lively and informative presentations on many aspects of Judaism, including Festivals such as Passover and Chanukah, and life-cycle events. Story and song are also included.

Your pupils will be engaged and stimulated and enjoy a lasting experience by an inspiring educator.

To make a booking or for further details of cost and availability, phone our hotline on 0345 567 4071 or email rabbi@jewisheducationbureau.co.uk

Rabbi Charing is also available for school-based Inset.

www.jewisheducationbureau.co.uk

>
If the difference is what you want?

Designed with WOW in mind!

Made so the kids love it.

Custom designed and built for you.

Sensibly priced at very good value.

It will be worth it…

The most exciting play structures on the market made by a company in Bucks who offer a free design service too!

Call 01844 343106

Email brad@enchantedcreations.co.uk

See the web – enchantedcreations.co.uk

  “ I have never seen stuff like yours, so glad I found you..” 

“I am so Glad I called…”

A place where people still care and love what they do – passion….

Enchanted Creations
Hatchmead Farm Business Park
Lower Icknield Way
Great Kimble
Buckinghamshire
HP17 9TX

Manufacturing 01844 343106

sales@enchantedcreations.co.uk

www.enchantedcreations.co.uk

youcansay provides schools with insights that help in finding ways to improve aspects of pupils’ health and well-being.

• desirable behaviours such as activity and exercise
• avoiding negative influences like lots of unhealthy snacks
• building emotional well-being, self awareness and regard for others

Take children who have nothing to eat before their first lesson. A bad start to a day of learning. I do not know what your school might find, but surveys suggests that between none and a third have nothing to eat before their first lesson.

Evidence from youcansay surveys.
Pupils missing breakfast are more likely to: feel poorly, feel angry, loose control, self harm, worry about not fitting in, worry about home life, spend a lot of time looking after a disabled parent, think they are too fat, and to have tried cigarettes.

Pupils NOT missing breakfast are more likely to: have a positive attitude about themselves, feel they will be successful, say they can think clearly, have someone to talk to, enjoy school work and look forward to secondary school.

Surveys are immediately available or can be tailored; we have a large questionnaire resource.

They are done online so are easy to implement and control.

Each school participating in a youcansay survey is fully supported.

It is usually repeated annually so that trends can be recognised and the outcomes of your strategies can be measured.

We use powerful methods to process and analyse the results with relevance, accuracy and speed, making them available without delay.

Results can be built into PSHE lessons, or similar, in which pupils are accustomed to dealing with sensitive issues.

You could be getting results about your school well before Easter.

youcansay surveys are affordable, costing as little as £125 for a primary school survey

To see more information on surveys which could be used in your school please click here

If you would like to talk about the questionnaires, their benefits and how they work please do call on 0118 978 1078, you can also contact us by emailing service@youcansay.co.uk

Adam Dotchin

Since the beginning, the maths curriculum has favoured the methodical thinker. So, what does this mean for our creative children?

It is apparent that maths is not as suited to our creative thinkers as it is to our methodical thinkers – particularly when we consider that there can only be one answer to a maths question, and the steps taken to get to this answer are often stringent and methodical.

Which is perhaps why some pupils find mathematical concepts incredibly difficult to grasp.

Fortunately, with the Open-ended Maths Investigations series you can now both inspire and engage your creative thinkers by introducing an optional element of creativity into their maths lessons.

The activities in the series encourage pupils to apply higher order mathematical strategies creatively and effectively – enabling pupils to develop proficiency in a wide range of problem-solving strategies.

Indeed, the investigations are designed to allow pupils to bring their own thinking and learning strategies to the task. Some pupils will work systematically and logically. Some will draw pictures to make sense of situations and yet others will plunge in using a trial and error approach, fixing up any mistakes and refining their thinking as they go along.

Furthermore, the Open-ended Maths Investigations can be used in isolation, in sequence, or dipped into as teachers require, providing a great supplement to every maths scheme of work.

The Open-ended Maths Investigations series is matched to the following strands of mathematics: number, money, measurement, space, chance and data, and patterns and algebra.

You can order the Open-ended Maths Investigations for Primary Schools Bundle for just £40. Or you can buy the books separately as printed versions (£15.99 each) or as e-book versions (£10.99 each), letting you start your pupils investigating straightaway, at the links below.

Open-ended Maths Investigations for 5–7 Year Olds

Open-ended Maths Investigations 7–9 Year Olds

Open-ended Maths Investigations 9–11 Year Olds

Alternatively, you can order Open-ended Maths Investigations:

• by phone on 01449 766629

• by fax on 01449 768047

• by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk

• or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.

Computers and consoles are becoming a central part of pupils lives, and so game based learning – the integration of gaming into learning – has never been more popular in schools.

Our platform features 85 educational games, each featuring a range of puzzles and questions that have been designed based on criteria from the National Curriculum.

Our content covers a range of core and non-core subjects, including:

English – covering spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

Maths – including topics such as addition, subtraction, time tables, shapes and angles.

Science – explaining the basics of the solar system, speed, time and elements.

Internet Safety – internet security, viruses and staying safe online.

Game based learning encourages active engagement from pupils through interactive learning and instant gratification. The large selection of games allows pupils to learn at their own pace and in their own way.

Read more

We can help your establishment in promoting and supporting learning through our platform by enabling:

• Instant tracking of pupils’ answers, understanding and progress, allowing you to easily identify their strengths and weaknesses and plan lessons accordingly.
• Customisable multiple choice questions, giving you the ability to quiz individuals on specific topics, match our content with your lesson plans, or edit a game’s difficulty levels based on pupils’ needs.
• Social elements to encourage interaction between pupils and creating an incentive for learning to beat the class’s high score.

For more information about how EDArcade can help pupils through game based learning, please contact us on 01909 568 338 or by email at mail@edarcade.com with the subject “Arcade17”.

It is perhaps a pupil’s understanding of punctuation and grammar that indicates their readiness to progress in literacy. Not least because punctuation and grammar are the keys to a well-polished end product.

Which is why Topical Resources has devised the Punctuation and Grammar Series for Year 1 to Year 6 pupils – so that (if you wish) you can create a whole-school Punctuation and Grammar Programme.

The Punctuation and Grammar Series consist of punctuation and grammar activities which will enable your KS1 and KS2 pupils to gain a comprehensive understanding of Grammar and Punctuation.

Simply visit our website to download the Punctuation and Grammar Series for just £60+VAT (£10+VAT per PDF workbook). Or, for more information and to see sample pages, please email sales@topical-resources.co.uk or visit the individual resource links below.

• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 1
• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 2
• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 3
• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 4
• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 5
• Punctuation and Grammar Activities for Year 6

www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk

How do you make the most of your interactive whiteboard technology to aid teaching and learning?

How do you support the busy teacher when delivering the curriculum?

Ready to use interactive whiteboard lessons and activities… designed, aligned and written by Primary School teachers.

What are the benefits? The lessons and activities … Promote quality teaching and learning Are easy to use Colourful and fun Incorporate all educational targets Provide depth, breadth, continuity and progression Encourage all learning styles Increase pupil/teacher participation and motivation Maths, Phonics and Grammar fully editable.

Try before you buy?

Download FREE samples at http://www.edpax.com/free-resources/

What factor is responsible, more than any other, for children slipping behind in literacy?

It is a fundamental fact of teaching literacy that each child progresses at his/her own unique rate.  Each child has his/her own personality.  Each has different levels of paying attention. Every child is different.

In order to resolve these various problems it is very helpful – indeed one could say essential – to have a highly accurate and rapid system of placing children according to their current literacy ability, while precisely noting the progress they are making.

Unfortunately, this creates a second problem because analysing exactly where a pupil is in terms of developing literacy skills is even more time-consuming.

The way around all this is to implement an auto-placement approach which allocates each pupil’s ability level and reveals exactly what the child needs to be focussing on.

Then, if the child can have one-to-one tuition in a way that is utterly engaging and responsive to their immediate literacy needs and within the school’s budget the issue is resolved.

All of this can all be done using Lexia’s Core5 Reading Skills software.  The analysis, the comparisons with other children, the progress, the remedial work – all of this is tracked and provided by Core5.

If you want to read the case studies involving UK schools which are already using the system please click here. You will then also find on the right of the page the route to having access to the full program for 30 days without any payment or commitment.

If you want to know more about the program, then again we have all the information you’ll need available here. Alternatively, if you would like to talk first, call 0191 482 1939, or email info@lexiauk.co.uk

Rob Kay

LexiaUK Software Consultant.

This year Early Years Resources is celebrating 25 years of supplying cutting edge educational resources for Nurseries and Primary Schools throughout the UK and worldwide.

Our team consists of experienced teachers and specialists buyers have sourced innovative and “hard to find” products which will help you to develop pupils’ skills, specialising in the following subject areas:

• English – focusing on communication; equipping pupils with a strong command of spoken and written language and nurturing a love of literature
• Mathematics – teach the key mathematical aims; problem solving, fluency and reasoning in a fun and exciting way
• Science – broaden pupils’ scientific view of the world through exploring, asking, analysing and observing

We have over 6000 exciting and innovative products, to view our range of products visit our website or view our digital catalogue.

Ordering from us is easy, simply email sales@earlyyearsresources.co.uk with the items needed, quantities required and your delivery address. We will then provide with a quote including shipping costs.

Great reasons to shop with us

• Delivery worldwide
• Quick and helpful quotation service
• 25 years of supplying educational resources to schools worldwide
• Over 6000 resources including Outdoor, Furniture and Art and Craft equipment
• Resources selected by our team of experienced teachers and specialist buyers

For any other information, feel free to contact us on (+44) 0161 865 3355 or email sales@earlyyearsresources.co.uk.

Who possesses the ability to inspire even the most reluctant of readers?

It is no surprise that some schools choose to host their own World Book Day activities so that each activity can be readily adapted for the different ages and abilities of pupils – ensuring that each and every pupil gets as much out of their World Book Day as possible.

And, of course, this doesn’t just apply to World Book Day, but also to your school’s own Story/Reading/Book Week (if this is something that your school organises).

However, there is also a lot to be said for inviting professional storytellers into the school who host World Book Day workshops, for they have the extraordinary ability to inspire even the most reluctant of readers.

To achieve the best of both worlds it seems there is a need for World Book Day workshops which can be readily differentiated for the wide range of ages and abilities of pupils in the school – which is precisely what Snail Tales does.

Snail Tales is home to professional storytellers who have devised not one, but a choice of two World Book Day workshops: Storytelling on World Book Day and World Book Day for Writing. Our workshops are also suitable for schools that organise their own Story/Reading/ Book Week and we are available to make a visit to your school at any time of the year.

Unfortunately, our World Book Day workshops have sold out for World Book Day 2017 (and the subsequent weeks), so please be sure to book well in advance for World Book Day 2018. World Book Day 2018 really is just around the corner…

You can ask us to pencil you into our diary for World Book Day 2018 or for your school’s own Story/Reading/Book Week (whenever this may be) by completing our online booking form.

Alternatively, if you have an immediate question or want to find out which workshop we would recommend for your school, please do either call us on 0203 287 6245 or visit our Contact Us page.

There are many ways of introducing
Shakespeare at KS 2.

We asked Literacy Co-ordinators which
approach was best…

In a recent survey of methods of teaching Shakespeare at Key Stage 2 it was found that most respondents were highly committed to introducing Shakespeare in primary school.

But when it came to the issue of how this should be done, numerous answers were given.

Two of the most popular approaches were to use context to make sense of unfamiliar words, and/or to use a dual text edition.

Shakespeare Comic Books has produced a resource which meets many of the views expressed by those who completed our questionnaire – a highly illustrated approach with original text and a modern English translation. Combined, these make the play more rapidly accessible, particularly at Key Stage 2.

You can get a feel for the book here. Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

Also available is the Macbeth Teachers’ Book with 50 + photocopiable worksheets  Normally this retails at £22, but for a very limited period we are offering a free copy of the teacher’s book to any school purchasing five or more comic books.

All you need to do to get the free copy is to indicate that you will be willing to complete a short questionnaire after you have used the books in two sessions with your pupils or students.

The questionnaire will only take five minutes to complete at most and can simply be emailed back to us once completed.  This offer is only available for a limited number of schools, and we do reserve the right to stop the offer the moment we have sufficient schools participating.

“If you would like to take part in this offer and complete the questionnaire simply indicate on your order – PLUS FREE TEACHERS BOOK FOR COMPLETING QUESTIONNAIRE”

There are more details of how to order on the website.  And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.”

Circus skills workshops are brilliant fun for all ages and abilities and offer an excellent educational experience, whether exploring the “circus topic”, exploring  forces in science, as an activity day, a reward, or part of your school fete or fair.

The founders and facilitators at Fantastiko Circus Workshops have been sharing their skills for over 15 years and pride themselves on delivering the best circus package to suit each school and their pupils. Our workshops offer focused fun and bring the magic of circus straight in to your school (or our circus tent marquee).

Skills range from simple feather balancing and bucket stilts to the more advanced tight wire and unicycle, and we tailor our workshops to suit different ages from reception all the way up to year 6 – and adults love joining in too.  Fantastiko deliver a complete circus package and our offers include everything from; a one hour visit, circus days, ongoing schemes of work, circus science sessions and even a range of themed entertainment.

The workshops are designed to help pupils feel energised and positive as they work together and learn new things, we also offer personalised certificates to add to their sense of achievement.

“We learnt loads and now I believe I can do anything” Year 5 pupil St Albans

“The evaluation forms for the circus workshop have all said it was excellent! Everyone had a great time.” Young carers group.

Take a look at our website www.circusworkshops.biz

Prices start from £210+Vat for a half day.

Contact us for more details about the different workshops and entertainment we offer including:

• KS1 Circus theme topic
• Theme/fun/reward days for the whole school.
• Assemblies, school fetes and fundraisers.
• A range of costumes and outfits add to the experience (jesters, ringmaster etc)
• We also offer stilt walkers, balloon modellers, face painters and children’s entertainment.

Call or email Drew or Lisa to find out more.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Tel: 07539229256

Email: info@circusworkshops.biz

Help your pupils make the connection between what they learn in the classroom and the future world of work

Too many children fail to see the purpose of education and become disengaged with their learning. But pupils who have been inspired to explore careers possibilities are typically more motivated and focused in their lessons. Panjango aims to inspire and excite children about the world of work from an earlier age, starting in primary schools, by showing them the real world applications of their learning in life after school.

Panjango is a world of experiential learning which gamifies learning, links the curriculum to the real world and equips young people with the knowledge, skills and experience they need to find their purpose and fulfil their potential. For children of primary age, making a connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it relates to the world of work isn’t easy. But Panjango offers a free, easy-to-use platform to help any teacher bring the curriculum to life through a wide range of interactive, contextualised challenges.

Panjango features 120 occupations and more than 1000 challenges covering the Maths, English and Science curriculum from levels 3 to 7. A filtering system allows teachers to tailor lessons and present the challenges most relevant to their class – filtering by level, subject and even individual topics. For example, teachers could choose to display ratio or geometry challenges in Maths, grammar or transcription challenges in English, or evolution or forces challenges in Science.

Panjango has already received praise from some prominent people in the education world. For example, leading education author and Primary Head Teacher of the Year, Richard Gerver, said:

“Panjango is a dynamic and original resource to inspire children and educators, ensuring that our kids don’t just survive but thrive in their future. Panjango offers a radical new approach to the delivery of careers education – a powerful, immersive experience which helps young people understand why their learning is important and how it is used in practical settings in the world of work. The resource has the potential to significantly enhance the learning outcomes of young people by bringing learning to life, making if fun, interactive and meaningful.”

To check out Panjango, register now for free at panjango.online. We hope you enjoy using Panjango as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it!

Jon & Joseph

Founders of Panjango

Revised for the 2016 SATs requirements:

Spelling Practice Activity Books and Weekly Spelling Lists

for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, & Year 6

The simplest and most effective way to create a unified tracking approach to your pupils’ progress in spelling is by first implementing a KS2 spelling policy.

In doing this, everyone knows what has gone before and what comes next, enabling pupils to progress in their spelling more rapidly and schools to respond to the demands of the English Programmes of Study more efficiently.

Which is why we have revised our popular KS2 Spelling Series to meet the 2016 SATs requirements…

The KS2 Spelling Series consists of Key Stage 2 Weekly Spelling Lists and Spelling Practice Activity Books for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6.

Furthermore, the KS2 Spelling Series now includes diagnostic assessments which will give an indication as to where a pupil should begin, four words following a specific rule to be introduced every week, and two words from the relevant Y3/4 or Y5/6 word lists to learn each week.

It will introduce concepts of spelling which will be tested in the Punctuation & Grammar part of the Year 6 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test (paper 1), including: suffixes, prefixes, the use of the hyphen and the possessive apostrophe with plural words, contractions and other carefully organised words for revision.

The KS2 Spelling Series can be downloaded for just £50+Vat (£10+VAT per PDF workbook) by visiting https://www.topical-resources.co.uk/category/spelling-programmes/.

For more information (or to see sample pages), please email sales@topical-resources.co.uk or visit the individual resource links below.

• Key Stage 2 Weekly Spelling Lists 
• Spelling Practice Activity Book Year 3
• Spelling Practice Activity Book Year 4
• Spelling Practice Activity Book Year 5
• Spelling Practice Activity Book Year 6

 
www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk

IT`S A CHEEP, CHEEP THRILL… 

See chicks hatch in your school or nursery

       life cycles

       science

       literacy

       numeracy

We supply everything you need for a worry free hatch, which includes…

• Embryo eggs only 1-2 days from hatching
• An incubator, cool egg shape with 360° viewing
• Brooder box to raise your chicks in
• Heat lamp, drinker and feed for the chicks
• Comprehensive manual a handy guide
• Full telephone support, 7 days per week 8am to 8pm
• Delivery and set up
• Collection
• The ethical rehoming of the chicks.

Please visit www.thehappychickcompany.co.uk for more information or call us on 01733 700853.  Prices start from £259 – but get £10 off when you quote SCH0217 with order.

Successful creative writers have confidence in their creative writing abilities – so how can you boost your pupils’ creative writing confidence?

Children don’t typically need any encouragement when it comes to creative thinking. In fact, sometimes their creative thinking can be a little too…. creative. Yet the boundaries of structured writing can sometimes hinder their usual creative thinking and thus, their creative writing skills.

Clearly, writing structure cannot simply be ignored so it is important to teach children how there can be harmony between creative thinking and writing structure – thus increasing their creative writing confidence.

With this in mind, Brilliant Publications has produced the Boost Creative Writing Series – a series of books which provide additional reinforcement of key skills.

The structured planning sheets in the Boost Creative Writing books provide pupils with non-prescriptive writing scaffolds and cover a range of writing genres, from stories and poems to book reviews and newspaper reports.

Furthermore, the Boost Creative Writing Years 5-6 (ages 9-11) includes a handy Tips for Writing booklet that can be copied and bound to make a useful reference booklet for pupils, or sheets can be given individually as and when required.

For more information and to see sample pages, simply visit www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/boost-creative-writing-series-pack-509.

You can order the Boost Creative Writing Series;

• by visiting the website

• by phone on 01449 766629

• by fax on 01449 768047

• by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk

• or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.
Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 768047