In this course, which is the second of three courses on the subject of curriculum development, Matt Bromley explains how to write a curriculum vision, how to plan ambitious curriculum ‘end points’, and how to plan and sequence the curriculum. He also offers practical advice on how to ensure equal access to the curriculum for all students, irrespective of their starting points and backgrounds, and how to pitch learning in students’ struggle zones so that it is hard but achievable. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT or middle leadership discussions or training

This course is based upon 4 ‘P’ principles which enable children (and teachers) to find fulfilment in their working day. Born out of personal experience, it builds a framework for classroom learning in which children and teachers are able to explore their potential in a mutually supportive and positive environment. Developed within primary schools (although with the potential for secondary application), these principles can change the atmosphere of learning for everyone.

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This course provides an accessible introduction to anxiety and provides useful pointers for any adult supporting a child with anxiety.  Common misunderstandings and misconceptions are addressed, we consider some potential pitfalls to avoid and we explore a range of simple, practical ideas for supporting anxious children.

Life can be pretty challenging for autistic children as they try to fit within a world that doesn’t always make sense to them on terms that don’t quite work for them.  Sometimes, anxiety, anger or sheer exhaustion can bubble over and result in challenging behaviour which is distressing both for the child and the adults supporting them.  There is a lot that we can do to change the environment rather than the child, but this course focuses in on how we can support autistic children to recognise and regulate how they’re feeling, to give them the best chance of managing alongside their peers because maybe the whole world needs to change, but until that happens, these simple ideas can change how the world feels for the child you’re supporting.

This course is suitable for any adult working with or caring for an autistic child or, to be honest, any child.  As with so much of the work we do for children special needs, these ideas are widely applicable and will do good (and certainly no harm) for any child but will do especial good with children who are (or might be) autistic.

When a child experiences the death of a loved one, the adults around them play a hugely important role both in supporting in the immediate aftermath and also of helping to support and guide the child towards the future.  This course explores what children most need from adults at such a difficult time and shares practical ideas for how we can step up and fulfil such an important role with confidence.

This course will explore some of the essential skills needed to help students store information in a way that it can be remembered retrieved and used when needed. The modules are sequenced to help you see the importance of making connections between nodes of knowledge, practising in unfamiliar contexts and encouraging learners to go deeper into topics. 

Self-harm is a topic that many people feel puzzled or scared by so this course aims to demystify it for you and help you to gain an understanding of the motivations behind self-harm and how we can use this understanding to support a young person to a place of relative safety.  There is no quick fix nor a one size fits all answer here, but this course will boost your confidence and give you some clear ideas about how best to support children or young people who are currently self-harming. This course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally recognised mental health expert and author of “Can I tell you about Self-harm – a guide for parents friends and professionals” and “Self-harm and eating disorders in schools” which was based on her PhD research into the topic.

You’ve got one of those classes. You start to dread period 3 on a Tuesday (or most mornings if you’re in Primary or Early Years…) You feel like you’re losing control of yourself and any supposed learning that should be going on… All is not lost. You can turn these classes around. This course leads you through key strategies and actionable approaches that help you step back, re-evaluate, re-establish routines, relationships and a focus on learning – all whilst looking after yourself. The strategies have actionable points that help you actually implement them with your classes. This course is suitable as independent CPD for early career teachers, or as a guide for mentors and managers to use to support staff.

In this course, Matt Bromley outlines the Ofsted context and defines, in detail, what is meant by the terms ‘intent’, ‘implementation’ and ‘impact’. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT discussions or whole-school training. This course is the first of three courses on the curriculum development pathway: Course 1: Intent, implementation and impact Course 2: Planning and teaching an ambitious curriculum Course 3: Assessing curriculum effectiveness Taken together, these three courses provide an introduction to, and an overview of, the curriculum design process. Later, they will be complemented by more detailed courses which explore each stage of the process in-depth. This course has been developed by Matt Bromley who has over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a headteacher and a director of education. He is now a school improvement advisor, teacher-trainer and public speaker. He regularly speaks at national and international conferences, and he is a regular contributor to a number of education magazines including TES and SecEd. He is the author of a number of books on education including School & College Curriculum Design.

In this course, Matt Bromley explains the importance of developing a whole school culture to promote good behaviours and attitudes to learning, tackle poor behaviour including low level disruption, and foster strong relationships that protect staff and students from harassment and harm.  He emphasises the importance of a whole school body working together to manage behaviour by agreeing a set of social norms and enforcing high expectations of every student every day. This course is a practical exploration of the features of a strong whole school culture and how to create such a culture in practice. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT discussions or training in-school. This course has been developed by Matt Bromley who has over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a headteacher and a director of education, and is now a school improvement advisor, teacher-trainer and public speaker.  He regularly speaks at national and international conferences, and he is a regular contributor to a number of education magazines including TES and SecEd.  He is the author of a number of books on education including How to Learn and School & College Curriculum Design.

In this course, Matt Bromley shares three starting principles for effective remote learning and walks you through his top five tips for effective remote teaching. This course is a practical exploration of the features of virtual pedagogy and will help you ensure that the work you set pupils to complete at home is both manageable and meaningful. As well as being useful for individual CPD, this course could also form the basis of group discussions or training and is likely to be of especial interest to schools and colleges dealing with partial school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. This course has been developed by Matt Bromley who has over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as headteacher, and is now a school improvement advisor, teacher-trainer and public speaker. He regularly speaks at national and international conferences on the subject of effective pedagogy and practice, and he is a regular contributor to a number of education magazines including TES and SecEd. He has experience designing and delivering webinars and other forms of remote learning. He is the author of a number of books on education including How to Learn and School & College Curriculum Design.

During this course we walk through a simple framework for promoting a truly inclusive environment that feels safe and nurturing for all children and especially those with special educational needs or social, emotional or mental health issues. Inspired by the 4S framework developed by Daniel J Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson for parents, we consider our role as adults working with, caring for or supporting young people with special needs and the small but meaningful changes we might make to the physical, social, emotional and cognitive environment to enable them to thrive both now – and in the future as every positive experience helps to create and strengthen neural pathways; laying the foundation for future positive experiences. This course was developed for SENDCos (special needs leads in UK schools) and so the course will be of especial interest to anyone supporting a child or children with special needs or emotional wellbeing issues.  However, there is much of interest here for anyone who works with or cares for a child. The ideas are widely applicable and highly adaptable and you’ll be able to readily apply them to your work and life. This course was developed and delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith who has a PhD in child and adolescent mental health and has spent many years as a governor at a range of special schools and who has led many training events for staff and parents supporting children with SEND. A version of this course was originally part of an online SENDCo training event commissioned by the Girls Day School Trust in the UK.

  During this course we are looking to demystify ADHD and ASD.  We get to grips with the neurobiological underpinnings of each condition and learn where there is commonality and difference both in the biology and also in the behaviours we might observe. We go on to explore what SEMH is and isn’t and how it links to SEND before taking a step away from the labels, diagnoses and neuroscience to remember that we’re here to talk about living, breathing little people. A version of this course was originally part of an online SENDCo training event commissioned by the Girls Day School Trust in the UK.

The art of organising and running effective meetings is one that can be learned and there are simple changes that you can make right away that will enable your meetings to take less time and have more impact.  In this course we walk you through the key things to consider and help you build the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your meetings more meaningful. This course has been developed and delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith who has had a wealth of experience running meetings well (and badly!) as a company director, a trustee and a chair of governors.

Mentoring can be an incredibly powerful process for enabling people to make good progress and reach their potential.  Mentoring can be used effectively with people of all stages and ages, and you can adapt the ideas in this course to enable you to mentor either children or adult with a range of aims and objectives.  The course is broken down into four parts:

• Part 1 – A mentoring framework
• Part 2 – A deep dive into mentoring
• Part 3 – The skills of a mentor
• Part 4 – The broader picture

The final part of the mentoring course encourages you to look beyond mentoring at other areas of your school, college or institution to see what else can be effected or developed as part of the approaches we have advocated throughout this course, encouraging reflective and resilient learners and staff.

This course has been developed by Kevin Piper, school leader, school improvement officer and experienced trainer. He has mentored people of all ages both nationally and internationally leading an EU team training and mentoring staff and students across Europe.

In this course, which is the first of three courses on the subject of behaviour management, Matt Bromley offers practical, sensible advice on how to manage student behaviour in the classroom. He shares seven easy-to-implement strategies and emphasises the importance of establishing good routines to limit the amount of time spent off-task. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of in-school training sessions for new staff as well as provide a useful reminder of some effective behaviour management strategies for more experienced colleagues struggling with particular cohorts.

During this course, you’ll learn about how the cycle of school avoidance develops, and the part we may unwittingly play in that, as well as exploring a range of simple steps that you can take, alongside families, to support children to return to school and engage regularly and meaningfully; helping school turn from a place of fear to a place of safety for the child. We also explore the steps we can take to spot the early warning signs and prevent a school avoidance cycle from developing as well as exploring some universal strategies that we can employ to make school feel like a safer and more inviting place for every child. The course has been developed and delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally respected child and adolescent mental health expert who has worked closely with a range of schools and local authorities to develop their approach to emotionally based school avoidance.