Our long-time Associate and Educating Essex headteacher Vic Goddard once famously wrote that being a headteacher was 'The Best Job in the World'.

That may well be the case, but it's also an incredibly challenging one.

Throw in a global pandemic and it's little wonder that school leaders everywhere are feeling the pressure.



And if you're a new school leader this academic year, it's a real baptism of fire.

To help, we have brought together a group of our Associate authors with considerable experience leading primary, secondary and special school settings for a unique one-off webinar.


Find out more and register for your place here.

Here is their review of Chess Improvement:

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, œChess Improvement is eminently suitable for any chess player from novice to professional, as well as the reading lists of chess coaches or the parent of a chess player. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Chess instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal studies that œChess Improvement is also readily available in a digital book format.

And here is their review of The Complete Learner™s Toolkit:

Specifically designed for classroom teachers to use with students ages 7-16, the individual lesson plans in œThe Complete Learner™s Toolkit are also available as editable PDFs sold under an annual licence. Thoroughly ˜user friendly™ in organization and presentation, œThe Complete Learner™s Toolkit will empower teachers to transform their pupils learning and reliably achieve academic success throughout their school career and life.

Click to find out more about Chess Improvement and The Complete Learner™s Toolkit.

With stress and anxiety heightened during the pandemic, more people have turned to our furry friends as a way of reducing tensions. Dr Helen Lewis and Dr Russell Grigg explore how animal-assisted education practices can support learners in classrooms. Read the full article on page 19 of Autism Eye Winter Issue here.

Find out more about Tails from the Classroom here.

The authors of the book are educators who have a very strong primary experience. As they say œWe take many everyday objects for granted and then they show how these objects can be given second live or many more lives when they are put to new uses. By doing so the authors offer exercises in lateral and divergent thinking, as well as develop creativity of teachers and their learners. It is important to use the real objects, so called realia, in the classroom as they relate the classroom experience to the outside world; one could say they are a kind of bridge. This approach also taps into the children™s natural, inborn creativity. In the playground we often see how kids find new ways how to play with everyday objects. On the pedagogical side the authors apply the See Think and Wonder Approach (STW) which gives the approach a clear structure used to enthuse, engage, challenge and ask questions. As for the objects used ¦ there is an A-Z: A for Apples, B for Bubbles, C for Cardboard Boxes, etc.¦ Finally using all these objects ˜things bright and beautiful™ in the age of plenty and abundance promotes the idea of sustainability, recycling and environmental protection. This book is not only a must for teachers, but also for parents and grandparents. I absolutely love it.

Read the review on the Humanising Languages website here.

Find out more about Teaching on a Shoestring here.

The live event will take place from 9.30-11am GMT but if you can't make it, a recording will be available via eventbrite after the event. Find out more and register for your place here.

‹Go to Independent Thinking™s auction page to find out more about how to bag an instant CPD library for yourself or your school on a range of important topics from some great authors.