Photo by ClickerHappy on Pexels.com Cat stares I may be about to lose readers with this confession, but here goes. I do not like cats.  I am hideously allergic to them and even a brief interac…

Photo by ClickerHappy on Pexels.com Cat stares I may be about to lose readers with this confession, but here goes. I do not like cats.  I am hideously allergic to them and even a brief interac…

ALT: Girl's Mischievous Tee Hee Smile

Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com Damien is a strong beginning teacher.  He is diligent and organised and has developed effective approaches to planning.  He can effectively ‘run a room’ an…

ALT: Aladdin's Genie Demands: Take the Survey!

ALT: Doc Brown Stoked on Train - Back to the Future

Photo by Manuel Camacho-Navarro on Pexels.com At the start of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) year most beginning history teachers have two major anxieties: Will I be able to manage the behaviou…

Photo by Euvgene PH on Pexels.com Imagine being invited to your Auntie’s house for tea.  She serves up the meal of chicken with a range of side dishes.  You take a bite, chew, realise you are…

Photo by Manuel Camacho-Navarro on Pexels.com At the start of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) year most beginning history teachers have two major anxieties: Will I be able to manage the behaviou…

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com “Great teachers are born, not made” is one of the great myths of teacher training. Unfortunately, it is also a myth which makes its way into the subconscious of…

Calling all those beginning their initial teacher education! In this session you’ll hear from and be able to ask questions to both teacher educators and those who have just completed their initial tea...

Photo by Arthur Krijgsman on Pexels.com I find the start of the academic year hard. It always takes me a while to get into my teaching groove, and this week I’ve been thinking about why this might …

Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com The power of Initial Stimulus Material (ISM) to ‘hook’ pupils into historical learning via an intriguing image, a provocative quote, a story, or even a soundsca…

Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com Every year my main message when teaching beginning teachers about behaviour management is CONSISTENCY. This week, I’ve been dropping my child off at a holiday c…

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com “Great teachers are born, not made” is one of the great myths of teacher training. Unfortunately, it is also a myth which makes its way into the subconscious of…

Calling all those beginning their initial teacher education! In this session you’ll hear from and be able to ask questions to both teacher educators and those who have just completed their initial tea...

Photo by Nicole Michalou on Pexels.com Nothing quite prepares you for the feeling of being in, but not of, the school where you on Teaching Practice Placement.  But for the majority of beginni…

Midlands History Forum Annual Conference 2026

Buy Mentoring History Teachers in the Secondary School: A Practical Guide (Mentoring Trainee and Early Career Teachers) 1 by Crooks, Victoria, London, Laura, Haydn, Terry (ISBN: 9781032121918) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Photo by Nikolay Draganov on Pexels.com “Come on then, what makes someone a good PGCE student?”, I was asked by a friend during the summer break. The faces of those successful beginning…

ALT: Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope: Let's Do It Dance!

Author’s note: This blog has been hard to write and will be hard to read. I’m grateful for the support of colleagues, mentors and beginning teachers who have helped me to shape it. I ho…

Photo by on Pexels.com It seems to me that whenever a major event occurs, a controversy erupts, or a cause gains public attention, there is increasingly an assumption that you should immediately ta…

Photo by on Pexels.com It seems to me that whenever a major event occurs, a controversy erupts, or a cause gains public attention, there is increasingly an assumption that you should immediately ta…

Did a battle fought on the borders of Mongolia in September 1939 between Russia and Japan on behalf of their client states decisively affect the outcome of the Second World War and save, among others,...

Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com Every year my main message when teaching beginning teachers about behaviour management is CONSISTENCY. This week, I’ve been dropping my child off at a holiday c…

Government introduces several measures, including monitoring of computers, for pupils aged 16 to 19

The Migration Museum is delighted to announce that The Wolfson Foundation has become a Founding Partner of the UK’s first permanent museum dedicated to exploring how the movement of people to and from...

Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com Every year my main message when teaching beginning teachers about behaviour management is CONSISTENCY. This week, I’ve been dropping my child off at a holiday c…