Alex Quigley profile image

Alex Quigley

York, UK
Thinking about School Transition Post feature image

Thinking about School Transition

Moving from primary school to secondary school, nursery to school, or school to college, is a seismic change for any child. The transition can be both exciting and frightening. As Covid closures has seen so many children left in limbo teetering on the cusp of moving schools, the thoughts of

5 Recent Articles on the Reading Gap Post feature image

5 Recent Articles on the Reading Gap

Over the past couple of months, I was asked to write about reading given interest in my new ‘reading gap’ book. Below is a list of the articles you can access online, along with a short summary: 1. ‘Motivating children to read during lockdown’ – see HERE. This short piece, for

Tricky Texts and the 'Arduous Eight' Post feature image

Tricky Texts and the 'Arduous Eight'

When it comes to reading, teachers are a little like Goldilocks. When it comes to spotting difficult texts – whether it is the class reader in year 5, or a maths word problem at GCSE – teachers know what is too easy, what is too hard, and what is just right for

Introducing 'Closing the Reading Gap' Post feature image

Introducing 'Closing the Reading Gap'

Nearly two years ago, I began researching and writing ‘Closing the Reading Gap’. After writing my book on vocabulary, I knew that reading was the natural next step. I knew that every teacher understands the tremendous value of reading – for school success and so much more – but not every teacher

We are 'Doing Curriculum' - so what are we stopping? Post feature image

We are 'Doing Curriculum' - so what are we stopping?

“From the teachers’ perspective, the education system is “noisy”: Teachers are surrounded by multiple and conflicting messages about what is most important to do. Furthermore, if they focus too much on any one of these important ideals, they may compromise their effectiveness with another.”  Mary Kennedy, ‘How does professional development

Curriculum Development and Teacher Development Post feature image

Curriculum Development and Teacher Development

“Curriculum development must rest on teacher development”  Lawrence Stenhouse, ‘An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development’ Paying attention to the careful, skilled development of your curriculum is essential business for every school. Though it has always been in view for teachers and school leaders, there is no doubt the focus

On the RISE Post feature image

On the RISE

This week saw the publication of the Education Endowment Foundation RISE (Research-leads Improving Students’ Education) Project. It was one of the first projects in England that attempted to mobilise the emerging role of ‘Research-lead’ into a more specific school improvement process, with related training and support. With the rise in

Vocabulary Clinic Post feature image

Vocabulary Clinic

This academic year, over at Teach Secondary, I have the great pleasure of sharing a ‘Vocabulary Clinic’ article each month. It is a quick burst of vocabulary ideas and insights. You can find PDF copies freely available to download from my RESOURCES PAGE. I’m delighted to say that there

Spelling: Avoiding Ignorance and Negligence Post feature image

Spelling: Avoiding Ignorance and Negligence

A version of this article was originally published in the excellent ‘Teach Secondary‘ magazine – you can subscribe HERE. It is well worth a read! Controversies and complaints about spelling are centuries old. In his Preface to ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’, in 1755, Samuel Johnson derided writers for their

The Makings of Metacognition Post feature image

The Makings of Metacognition

In a couple of weeks, year 6 pupils will be sitting down to SATs examinations and in secondary schools, A Level and GCSE exams will start in earnest. Teachers everywhere are concentrating upon supporting our pupils to do their very best in challenging circumstances. Every teacher knows that the seeds

5 Vocabulary Teaching Myths Post feature image

5 Vocabulary Teaching Myths

Words are all around us. They are legion, ubiquitous and omnipresent in our daily lives. They live in families, possess histories, slide and break into parts, and connect across worlds, separating and connecting us. And yet, curiously, few of us know how we acquire them, learn them, connect them, and

Why Closing the Word Gap Matters Post feature image

Why Closing the Word Gap Matters

As a teacher who writes about the importance of literacy and vocabulary – and one who works with countless teachers across the country – I find myself talking repeatedly about the issue of the ‘word gap’ in our classrooms. Again and again, I am faced with the glaring examples of the problem