This week we are celebrating inclusion in all of its forms for National Inclusion Week! #Unitedforinclusion Our special edition blog is from Jess Gosling who discusses how we can support the wellbeing of children who are learning English as an additional language. …… Working as an international teacher in Taiwan, the context is a society…

I have been a student for over ten years and this book has been one of my ‘go-to’ skills books throughout that time. This is why it features as an essential text for our CHS171 Building Graduate Attributes module, although I know all the academics on our programme also highly rate this book. The advice…

I have worked in international schools for the majority of my teaching career, with the youngest of children. The children have always been majority EAL learners so of course our focus is language. But equal to this; my focus is developing the child. By developing the child, I look to help children understand first and…

This blog entry explores current concerns about the lack of male teachers in the British Early Childhood Education. Issues of gender, representativeness, and retention will be explored. When I first thought about pursuing a teaching career, I carefully weighed all of my options. I was initially interested in being a Modern Foreign Language teacher in…

My name is Emma Blackett, trainee teacher with High Force SCITT. I am a mother of four and I have been a teaching assistant for nearly six years in a small rural school in County Durham. Recently, I graduated from Sunderland University with a first in Childhood and Society Studies; but although I have graduated,…

As a writer, when someone gives you blank canvas, with no word count, it’s a bit like being a child in a sweetshop. So much choice; where to start, what to include (or not as the case may be), formal or informal…. In the end, I decided on a bit of a mix of everything,…

Emotions are a big part of who we are not only as adults but as children too. They are part of everything we do and are included in every decision we make. Children can feel a vast range of emotions which may fluctuate throughout the day in the same way an adult’s emotions can. They…

It is true, I am always hungry but this hunger does not refer to fruit and vibrantly coloured treats. Instead I refer to my hunger as a practitioner, to be the best I can be for the children I work with. To offer the most creative opportunities for play and engagement that I can find…

This is a question I have mulled over and over in my head. What would the world look like right now if COVID had never happened? I was recently presented with the statistic that for a two-year-old child, 62% of their life has been living in a pandemic (NCB, 2021). This was particularly poignant to…

We spoke to students and asked them for top tips on ‘keeping your head in the game’ during the summer break. This is what they had to say… 1. Get in touch with your lecturers and ask for reading to do over the break that will link to your upcoming modules 2. Re-read assignment feedback…