Category Archives: Parents

Working with the Enemy

Posted on April 6, 2017 by suecowley

I have a confession to make. I have taken my children out of school for educational reasons. Personally I’d never do it just ‘to go on a holiday’, especially not to Disneyland (which they’d hate anyway). Even though we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Parents, Schools, Teachers | 2 Comments

No Safe Route

Posted on December 4, 2016 by suecowley

I was brought up in London. The infant school I went to was just up the road from our house, and I would walk there with my mum and my sister, along the wide, tree lined London pavements. Sometimes our … Continue reading →

Posted in Choice, Parents | 2 Comments

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Assessment?

Posted on July 14, 2016 by suecowley

“What have you got for me?” She sat down on the leather chair and put her hands on the desk. She leaned forwards slightly, but she didn’t meet their eyes. They looked nervously at each other. Who would be first … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Assessment, Parents, SATs | Leave a comment

Educating the Babies

Posted on June 9, 2016 by suecowley

It’s a funny thing, the Early Years Foundation Stage, because it runs from birth to five years old. It is the longest key stage of all. These are the halcyon days before the State insists that you must educate your … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Early Years, EYFS, Parents, Play | 3 Comments

The Source of the Knowledge

Posted on April 23, 2016 by suecowley

What would happen if you handed over the management of a setting to the parents of the children who went there? Would they be excessively demanding, expecting things to be constantly adjusted for their own child? Would they put the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Parents | 2 Comments

Shame on You

Posted on January 29, 2016 by suecowley

This week there was a story in the news about a school where the head teacher wrote a letter to parents, politely asking them to stop dropping off their children in the mornings while still wearing their pyjamas. Only a … Continue reading →

Posted in Parents, Schools | 13 Comments

Loops

Posted on December 10, 2015 by suecowley

One of the lessons I’ve learned from helping to run an early years setting is that feedback works best in loops. In part, this is of necessity when you work with very young children. You have to know what the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Early Years, Parents, Preschools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Building Bonds

Posted on November 29, 2015 by suecowley

One of the things that I think we do really well in our preschool (and in the early years sector generally) is to build bonds with parents and carers. In part, this comes about of necessity – when you help … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Early Years, Parents | Leave a comment

The Prevention of Inadequate Parenting

Posted on May 30, 2015 by suecowley

Our school is taking part in the Prevention of Inadequate Parenting (PIPs) Programme*. Tick one answer for each question: 1. How often do your parents read books to you? (a) Every day (b) Three or more times a week (c) … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Parents | Leave a comment

Somebody’s Child

Posted on March 20, 2014 by suecowley

One of the most striking differences for me between teaching in primary, and teaching in secondary, is the depth of the relationship that we can develop with each child. This is not to apportion blame: it is a simple fact … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Parents, Ratios, Teachers | 9 Comments