Save the string bags that are used with washing tablets as they make great sacks for holding dice, letter cubes, number cards, and so on. It’s also really easy to see what each one contains and you can hang them in groups from shelving.

Angela Stonestreet

Mental maths test

I’d noticed that with Mental Maths tests we tend to give the test, go over the answers and leave it there. Children may go away feeling negative about the experience. Now I immediately give a second test of 10 similar questions so the children can immediately put into practice what they have just learnt or had reinforced. The aim is always to get a higher score second time around. Even lower-achieving children go away with a sense of success.

Tony Williams

The weakest link

At the end of a lesson on a specific subject, give the children paper or, better still, individual white-boards and marker pens, and play a version of The Weakest Link or Blankety Blank using questions related to the lesson. It helps reinforce the lesson and children love it.

Karen Morris

Fish bubbles

In order to make learning objectives accessible to younger pupils I use two laminated cartoon fish characters called “What” and “Why” with speech bubbles. You can use the bubbles to explain a task in a simple way and tell pupils why they are doing it. Then, of course, you can wipe the bubbles clean ready for the next lesson.

Mark Lloyd