It seems that spring is slowly inching its way out from under the frost, and it’s almost possible to imagine warmer days ahead.
The promise of being able to get some fresh air and exercise outside without bundling up in so many layers we can barely move is a dreamy one.
Conversely, the thought of heading outside with your class can sometimes feel like ripping the lid from a can of worms. But it can be both fun and fruitful, and no, you don’t have to spend months planning for it.
Try some of the simple yet robust ideas from Zana Wood on page 32 and see what you think. You never know, you might be a convert!
For Year 6, summer also means SATs. But don’t panic just yet – these controversial assessments won’t necessarily have to take over your classroom for the next few weeks; luckily for us, Sarah Farrell has shared her last-minute SATs saviours to help pupils prepare without being overwhelmed. Check them out on page 21.
Another area we’re focusing on for this issue is special education needs and disabilities; the news is ablaze at the moment with dissatisfaction and questions about the UK’s SEND system – and this will likely be of no surprise to those of you on the front lines.
We might wish we had all the answers, but of course, we don’t. What we can do, though, is share practical insight from teachers and experts who have solved some of the problems they’ve come up against.
One such teacher is Aaron King, who shares his ideas on writing SEN plans that families and carers can actually read and understand (page 42), while Marie Difolco talks about how we can better support children with colour-blindness using some basic but impactful tweaks (page 49).
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you find plenty in these pages to inspire you.
Charley Rogers – Editor
