The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

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Latest blog posts

Jack Procter-Blain

Providing trainee teachers with meaningful SEND training

Initial teacher training should prepare trainees to work effectively with every pupil in their classroom, including those with SEND. Ever since the Carter review of initial teacher training in 2015, which reminded us that 'good teaching for SEND is good teaching for all children', practitioners and...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Every teacher is a researcher of SEND

As teachers, there's no better way to find and apply what works than investing time in research. Exploring research into SEND deserves to be high on your agenda. With so much to sift through, and so little time to do it, research is too often a ‘would-have’ instead of a ‘must-have’ for teachers...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Making the most of speech and language therapy

Speech and language skills are essential if pupils in Reception are to be expected to access the curriculum. I found out how one TA has helped improve her school's provision for SLCN. On Tuesday it was revealed that the government will not continue funding for The Communication Trust , a charity...
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Jack Procter-Blain

You can be a mental health champion

A school's mental health lead is someone who can facilitate grassroots change. This means building resilience, improving communication and gaining trust. It’s a sore but well-known fact that the demand for mental health support in schools is greater than the capacity of external services. When, at...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Enhancing social skills one brick at a time

The very mention of LEGO ® in school might conjure images of chaos, but group brick-building has proved to be a highly effective intervention for pupils with SEND. LEGO® is everywhere these days. The iconic brick has established itself in just about every form you can imagine, from the classic sets...
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Jack Procter-Blain

‘Pledge-ucation’: an election manifesto quiz

Think you’re an edu-policy geek? Test your knowledge of the main party education manifestos. National election campaigning resumes in earnest today, with all parties now having launched their manifestos for a strong and stable Britain that works for the many, not the few and changes the future -...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Education: an election battleground?

Many promises for a better system of education will be made before June’s election. What issues are you hoping to see discussed, and what does the next government need to deliver? Just when you thought you'd voted enough... ( Picture credit: secretlondon123 ) As campaigning gets underway for June's...
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Jack Procter-Blain

How 'e-safe' are your pupils?

Are your pupils e-safe or at risk of digital danger? Test their knowledge of common online safety issues with this short quiz. The quiz touches on some of the risks young people can face online, including: sexting and the sharing of inappropriate images sophisticated 'phishing scams' and...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Inspecting e-safety: an update

Schools are struggling to train staff and foster a collective e-safety culture, according to a recent assessment report. How can they ensure that policy and practice are inspection-ready? Attendees at last week’s Bett exhibition were invited to a half-hour seminar on ‘Inspecting Keeping Children...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Bullying in schools: don't play the Trump card

The president-elect is a poor role model for young people. But to address the causes of bullying, we must go deeper. Notorious for his inflammatory remarks, is Donald Trump the bully-in-chief? Photo credit: Gage Skidmore The timing couldn't have been better. A US election you could mistake for...
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Jack Procter-Blain

My day at the SRE conference: new insights for effective teaching

With Tuesday's one-day conference still fresh in my mind, here is some of the guidance our speakers had to offer for delivering effective, age-appropriate SRE. Our Relationships and Sex Education conference on Tuesday was (as event chair Jane Lees put it) a day of ‘little steps’ and ‘giant leaps’...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Online pornography: prevent or educate?

The Digital Economy Bill takes the government’s preventative approach to online safeguarding a step further. However, is restricting access the right way to go? One childhood memory I have is of lingering in the back aisles of Blockbuster, waiting for my mum to buy me the new Grand Theft Auto video...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Are you clear on consent? Take the quiz!

Do you know the law when it comes to sex and relationships? Test your knowledge with this short quiz. The law clearly states that sexual intercourse without consent is illegal, and failing to make pupils aware of this can often put them at risk of becoming victims of rape or sexual assault. RSE...
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