Publications
Golden Threads in…
Written with Clive Davies, these publications have been set out to support leaders with understanding the key concepts that run throughout the curriculum areas of history and geography. They include information on the overarching substantive concepts within the national curriculum and some examples of how threads can be developed using the more abstract and refined concepts within your curriculum.
Alex is also currently writing another publication in this range to support with developing golden threads in science. Keep checking back to see when this becomes available.
Progression in the National Curriculum
Alex has also been involved in updating this publication, Progression in the National Curriculum, for Focus Education. It looks at the expectations across all subjects within the National Curriculum progressively and in line with current guidance. It also forms a part of the Headteachers Professional Handbook. Find either by clicking the links below:
Let’s Talk - A PSHCE Curriculum
Alex has developed a new PSHCE Curriculum in partnership with Clive Davies and Focus Education called Let’s Talk. It is based on developing children’s understanding of the issues that they will face across different social situations as they grow up. Developed around real life scenarios and texts that fully explore these alongside. We want children to know that it is always okay to ask questions and explore different situations in a safe environment within the classroom. You can find out more about it by clicking the links below, or you can watch the video clip.
#PrimaryHistoryBites
Something Alex has been really excited to start putting together are a set of e-books to support the development of subject knowledge. Starting off with #PrimaryHistoryBites, the aim is to create a set of e-books which support teachers with understanding the subject knowledge around the units of learning that they are teaching, but in a format that can be used by the children also within lessons. Alex has made use of relevant images and icons in order to support the reader with making links across themes and concepts within history.
Click the link to find out more about the #PrimaryHistoryBites that are currently available.
And watch out for further publications in the #PrimaryBites range, where Alex will potentially be looking at geography, science and other subject areas too!
Whole school timelines and maps
Alex is really keen to develop resources that will be useful for teachers and highly beneficial for the children. To this end, he has developed two resources to support with developing understanding within important concepts.
The first, is a set of timelines, which support children with developing a chronological framework as they move through the school. Each year the children start again with all of the prior chronological knowledge present, acting as a chronological knowledge organiser.
In the same way, a set of maps have been developed for use in geography. Each year, children receive a new map with their prior learning of places and locations across the world. This can be used to support the development of the children’s place and locational knowledge.
You can see how both the timelines and maps work in the video clips below:
Using whole class timelines
Using whole class maps
Teaching Black British History in the Curriculum
Alex’s aim in this publication, is to give teachers and schools the information needed in order to intertwine black British history into the existing curriculum. The lessons and resources can be used as standalone sessions, or as part of a sequence of learning.
There are aspects of black British history that link really easily with existing topics such as the Romans in Britain, where the Aurelian Moors were stationed to defend Hadrian’s wall. Or evidence of the Cheddar Man can be used to teach children learning about how in Stone Age Britain, people weren’t necessarily just white even thousands of years ago.
There are some easy links that can be made, and some more challenging ones, but it is here in this publication. It can be purchased for KS1, KS2 or both combined. Click the picture or the link below to purchase through Focus Education.
Subject Vocabulary Overviews
Alex has written subject vocabulary overviews for Science, History and Geography subject areas.
They focus on the progression of language development across year groups and key stages, looking at both topic specific vocabulary and disciplinary specific vocabulary.
You can purchase any of these publications by following the links below. They also come in a mixed-age format.
Alex is currently working on a range of further publications to support schools and teachers, including:
Further #PrimaryHistoryBites
Golden Threads in Science
Developing vocabulary progression across the wider curriculum
Disciplinary Knowledge Progression for Children
Units of Learning for Design Technology (supporting the Learning Challenge Curriculum)
And lot’s more!
