The authors aim to assist teachers to gain a deeper understanding of the inner lives of students especially those with special educational needs. This aim is pursued in two ways. The first is an exploration of the experience of writing poetry using the students' sentiments, actual words and phrases--a poetic engagement. The second is to argue for…

This paper reports on the findings of a funded research project that explores the implementation of the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda within the Greater Merseyside area. The research team explore how primary schools and external agencies are currently working together to deliver this agenda in order to highlight areas of good practice as well…

The drive to raise standards in core curriculum subjects, and the teaching of thinking skills, are both aspects of the UK government's education policy for England. This article is based on findings from a questionnaire-based research project which investigated the relationship between National Curriculum tests, which are an important element of…

This article is a critical review of recent literature comparing pedagogical influences in primary schools in England and Poland. It identifies curriculum, assessment, leadership, teacher perceptions and personal fears as immense influences on pedagogy and considers how these factors influence pedagogy. Comparison of England's prescriptive…

This study aims to analyse the effects of conflict resolution and peer mediation (CRPM) training on the levels of aggression of 10-11-year-old Turkish primary school students. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group of the study included 347 students (173 girls, 174 boys), and the control group had 328…

There is a growing body of research that provides evidence that today's late adolescents and college-age students have been affected in many ways, some adversely, by growing up in the ever-increasing technology-driven world--one in which they have been living, playing and communicating. The purpose of this article is to present recent research…

Sport education (SE) is an instruction model developed amid concerns about the lack of authentic, legitimate opportunities for young people to experience sport through physical education and was designed to facilitate enhanced links between experiences in physical education and those in the wider world of sport. The paper discusses how one UK…

The number of primary school children travelling to school by car in the UK has almost doubled from 22% to 43% in 20 years. A governmental policy response is school travel plans (STPs). This paper reports the findings of an empirical evaluation designed to measure the effectiveness of the travel initiative at three schools. Quantitative and…

This paper investigates role-play activities and how they can be used within learning for English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils in a Key Stage 2 setting in England. Through observations, results showed effective role-play activities can be beneficial to EAL pupils, allowing them to practice words and phrases in a relaxed atmosphere…

The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of peer groups that pupils form, after selecting one another, during the various primary school classes. One hundred and fifty-nine 4th, 5th and 6th grade pupils, attending urban schools in the provinces, took part in the survey. Moreno's sociometric recommendation test was provided for…

One response to dealing with barriers to learning in children has been the appointment in the UK of learning mentors. Mentors that have been appointed have come from a wide range of backgrounds. In this small-scale exploratory study, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a sample of eight mentors in one inner city area, focusing on the…

This article aims to explore the issues that face primary school teachers when responding to children's drawings. Assessment in art and design is an ongoing concern for teachers with limited experience and confidence in the area and, although children's drawings continue to be a focus of much research, the question of what it is that teachers say…

The purpose of this study was to examine where children choose to play on a school ground with a diversity of play spaces. We were particularly interested in understanding the influence of the natural/green part of the school ground on children's choice. Using a momentary time sampling direct observation instrument, a total of 23 scans were taken…

This article examines the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum (the Rose Report in 2009) that the curriculum should be organised into areas of learning. The implications for teachers are considered. By drawing upon past experience some major weaknesses and strengths implicit in the approach are identified and…

The Rose Review makes a number of worthy recommendations deserving implementation, especially those advising a gradual, three-phase shift towards subject-based studies from play-based practices. But Rose's attempt to make the Primary Curriculum manageable does not and probably could not succeed. The content-led nature of a Rose-Reviewed…