Fay Healey was the lollipop lady at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School for twenty years, while she safely saw hundreds of children across the road, Fay carried with her an extraordinary story of survival and triumph. This is a comprehension exercise that introduces the theme of holocaust and discrimination in an entire child friendly and age appropriate manner. The brief biography of Fay’s life includes her journey from Poland to England on the Kindertransport, settling in Liverpool and later her marriage, as well as the next generation of children. It include the text of Fay’s life and three levels of differentiated questions. *** Fay Healey text - brief biography ** Higher attaining - 6 questions with extension task to write a diary entry as Fay on the Kindertransport to demonstrate empathy. *** Middle attaining** - 5 questions - no extension **Lower attaining **- 5 questions with scaffolded sentence structure to help form the answers.

This assembly focuses the importance of family . During the assembly, children will learn about from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The main message of Ephesians is that believers in Christ are reconciled not only to God, but to each other. They are to maintain unity of purpose within their families and church, while resisting the temptation to fall into the sin of the world surrounding them. To prepare for this assembly, there is an opportunity in the script for children to write statement about what is important in their families. For example, “What is important to my family is sharing.” Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, you can use the statements provided in the script. If your school has been fundraising there is space to adapt this script to state for whom and why, alternatively it can be deleted. The script has a running time of approximately no longer than 20 minutes, including a hymn: ‘Everybody’s building’, which is freely available online. The script can accommodate up to thirty children or less, or could be led by a teacher. Extract: What is important to my family is giving. What is important to my family is being together. Show your love for your family by telling them you love them. Cheer your family up when they are down. Scripture has a lot to say about what is important for living together. This reading is from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

The focus of this collective worship/assembly script is celebrations, particularly around the theme of marriage, as one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic church. (This could easily be edited for another Christian denomination, or another celebration such as prize giving). This collective worship/assembly could be led by a teacher or performed solely by the children and depending on the use of music or hymn would not exceed 15 minutes in running time. Extract: We have been looking at the topic: Celebrations A celebration is a time when we perform a ceremony to recognise, reflect, and rejoice on a special occasion. There are many special occasions: Birthdays, New Year, Chinese New Year, Graduation, and Prize Giving.

Victor has awoken with industrial-grade headache and he is determined to reform his bloodsucking ways for the better. Vowing to give up blood in favour of beetroot-juice instead, but can he resist the temptation. The main text is approximately 500 words with three levels of differentiated questions. The questions challenge the children to retrieve, summarise, predict and infer from the VIPERS set of success criteria. Higher Attaining have 8 questions which the children are expected to answer independently with an extension task to continue the narrative by writing the next chapter. Middle Attaining have 6 questions with the answer scaffolded to help the children write in full sentences, but they are expected to answer the question independently. With an extension task to continue the narrative by writing the next chapter.* Lower Attaining have 6 questions with the answer scaffolded to help the children write in full sentences, but with answer bank with possible answers to the questions. There is also the potential for this resource to used as a PSHE topic around the subject of drug and alcohol abuse as it refers to the vampires blood lust as an addiction, which is not an explicit reference to alcoholism, but could used as an opportunity to talk about this more widely.

This PPT and worksheet: Sieve of Eratosthenes was designed to help lower attaining Year 5 pupils learn about prime numbers. The activity within the presentation are suitable for a number of age rangers from upper Key Stage 2 to Year 7 and will help children identify prime number to 100. Prime numbers are special numbers, greater than 1, that have exactly two factors, themselves and 1. In this PPT the children are introduced to prime numbers with the Sieve of Eratosthenes in a scene using the characters from Transformers to unlock the prime numbers to 100 before it is too late… I’ve used this resource with both Year 5 and Year 6 students and you can make this exercise more interesting by asking them to colour in the prime numbers within a specific time limit.

This collective worship/assembly script focuses on May Day, holidays and preparing for new beginnings. It traces the origins of May Day celebrations from ancient Rome to Pope Pius XII establishing May Day as the feast of ‘St. Joseph the Worker’ and the Church proudly stresses that Jesus was a carpenter, trained by Joseph. Also, for Catholics the month of May is the month of Mary, the Blessed Virgin who is the Mother of the Church and therefore the example for every Catholic to celebrate. Running time is approximately 15 minutes long and it is intended to be delivered by children, but could be led by the teacher. Extract: We have been learning about the tradition of Celebrating May Day, which this year falls on the 6th May. In medieval times, May Day was often celebrated by young men and women dancing on the village green around a specially decorated tree called a maypole. The branches of a slender tree were cut off, coloured ribbons tied to the top and the revellers held on to the ends of the ribbons and danced. Some villages still carry on the tradition today. Before the dancing began there was also a procession led by a woman appointed May Queen for the day.

This assembly centres around Laetare Sunday, also called “Rejoice Sunday”. It is the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is a time for Christians to reflect, repent, and prepare for Holy Week and Easter. During the assembly, the children will learn about the promise of hope that Jesus offers us. His death on the Cross means that we can receive forgiveness of sins. They will reflect on what Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). The assembly discusses the spiritual significance of the Gospel reading by sharing “The Lesson of the Butterfly” and emphasizing how difficult experiences can make us stronger. In life, we often receive what we need, rather than what we desire. The story of the butterfly teaches us that even after its difficult transformation, it emerges as a beautiful creature that adds wonder to any garden. Despite the struggles it has endured, the butterfly does not become bitter. The script has a running time of approximately no longer than 20 minutes, including two hymns: ‘Christ be our light’ and ‘Come Gather’. Both hymns are freely available online. The script encourages children’s participation and requests volunteers to read the highlighted parts marked in yellow. The script is supported with fully animated and transitioned PowerPoint slides. Extract: We gather to begin our prayer time with the Sign of the Cross. Last Sunday, 10th March, the Church celebrated Laetare Sunday. Laetare means “Rejoice” and we are rejoicing because we are halfway through Lent! And we have even more to rejoice about. Jesus, the light, has come into the world ‘so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.’ (John 3:15) …During the season of Lent, it can be difficult to witness the immense suffering that Jesus endured, but I have a meaningful story to share that helped me understand why we may face struggles at times. The story is called “The Lesson of the Butterfly”. After watching for several hours, a man observed a small opening in a cocoon as a butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole.

This assembly focuses on a lesser-known part of the Easter story, namely Maundy, or Holy Thursday: The washing of the disciples’ feet. During the assembly, children will learn about Jesus’ total self-giving by reflecting on the story from John’s Gospel 13.1-17, 31b-35. During the story, Jesus was a special guest, but no one offered him water to wash his feet. Instead, Jesus got up from the table, took off his coat, tied a towel around his waist, poured some water into a large bowl, and began to wash his friends’ feet, drying them with a towel. To prepare for this assembly, there is an opportunity in the script for children to imagine being a disciple of Jesus and retell the story of the washing of the feet as if they were one of the characters involved. The script has a running time of approximately 20-30 minutes, including a hymn: ‘Make me a channel of your peace’, which is freely available online. The script can accommodate up to thirty children, and dressing them in traditional clothes would add to the story’s impact. Extract: Jesus shared a Last Supper with his friends the night before he died. On the topic of self-giving, we heard how Jesus took the bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to his friends. In this story from John’s Gospel, we hear of something else that happened at that Last Supper. Jesus was at supper with his friends. He got up, put a towel around his waist, poured some water into a bowl and he washed their feet. His friends were tired, and their feet were swollen and dirty from their day’s travelling, because of the heat and dust, people had to wash their feet very often.

This assembly could be arranged to take place during a Jewish festival or as part of a school’s diversity and equality initiative. The purpose of this assembly is to introduce children to the Jewish faith, including the belief that there is only one God who created the world. Children will also learn about the teachings of the Torah and the Ten Commandments, which were given to Moses by God. The script was written as an introduction to Judaism for a Catholic primary school audience. It has an approximate running time of 15-20 minutes and can accommodate up to thirty children. Before the assembly, several children should be asked to compose their Ten Commandments and insert them into the script, encouraging them to think about God and their behaviour towards others. The assembly also includes the Jewish song of greeting and parting, ‘Shalom my friend’. The song is readily available online, by search the term ‘Shalom my friend’. Extract: Welcome to our Assembly, which this week is on Judaism. Judaism is the religion of people who are Jews. It is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jews believe in one God. They believe that God is a spirit. There are two signs which Jews often use. One is a special candlestick with seven arms, which is called a menorah. The other is a star which has six points. It is sometimes called the Star of David.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating women’s achievements and this resource focusing on the late Queen’s early life, especially on her life as a Princess at the end of the Second World War. On the evening of the 8th May 1945 Princess Elizabeth and her young sister venture out of the palace incognito for what will be remembered as A Royal Night Out to celebrate the end of WW2 with what will soon become her subjects. The following objective are covered: - Freeze-frame a scene from a Royal Night Out - (Speaking and Listening Lesson) Plan an eyewitness account of a Royal Night Out Write an eyewitness account of a Royal Night Out Retrieve, predict, and infer answers from a text (Comprehension about The Queen) Planning The bundle includes: A Royal Night Out PPT Planning an eyewitness account PPT Writing an eyewitness account PPT **Comprehension Text with 3 levels of differentiation ** Planning sheet (Word) Writing Prompt (Word) Cloze operation (Word) SEND Comprehension Text 3 levels of differentiated questions (Comprehension)

The application form and personal statement are the first hurdles to securing a teaching position. As someone who found writing the personal statement challenging, I wanted to share a template that helped me secure several interviews and eventually a permanent teaching position. While the personal statement will need to be personalised to the school you are applying to, a clear and concise template can guide you in the right direction. In the example provided, I was applying to a Catholic Primary School in an area of significant disadvantage. You can adapt the statement to your situation and school. This personal statement also highlights my success with children with SEND in a mainstream setting. The advertised position required experience in this area, so I tailored this part of my statement to showcase my talents and experiences that best relate to the job specification.

This lesson was planned in preparation for an Ofsted inspection deep-dive into Art. The aim of the lesson was to continue to learn how to complete a portrait of Henry VIII by using the Grid Method to help plan the proportions of the image so that they match on both sides. **Albeit, not symmetrically. ** This is a complete lesson including planning, PPT and resources, Grid of Henry VIII and complete image of Henry VIII. The focus of the lesson is on Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger Workshop of 1537 The PPT asks the children to first consider the following questions: What do portraits of Henry VIII tell us about him? Why is the portrait of Henry VIII important? Why did the King want a portrait painted? Then, to compare an alpha male from 1537 to the present day. Introduces the grid method via a YouTube video, and then onto the task. The lesson proved to be very pleasing to the children, teacher and ultimately, the Ofsted inspector.

Crown Jewels Chapter 7 - My Friend Walter - Michael Morpurgo In the event of a national crisis, the Orb from the Crown Jewels has been stolen, and the task given to the children is to write a report about the Crown Jewels. They have been appointed as new researchers and writers for Newsround, and their job is to compare the similarities and differences of the Crown Jewels in a way that is easy to understand for a younger audience, like infants. This lesson was designed for a Year 4 class with a high percentage of SEND children in a mainstream setting. These children were working below the expected standard for Year 4, but the lesson has challenges to engage higher-attaining pupils and can be adapted for an older or younger year group. Also, I used this for a lesson observation for senior leadership position, and I was successfully shortlisted. The lesson includes a PowerPoint presentation called “My Friend Walter Chapter 7 Report” that is fully animated with transitions, and three sheets for differentiated tasks. For higher-attaining pupils, there is a picture of the Crown Jewels as a reference, and the expectation is to write directly into books and compare two objects. For middle-attaining pupils, there is a worksheet with two columns: Similarities and Differences. For lower-attaining pupils, there is a worksheet with a writing frame, two columns for Similarities and Differences, and a word bank with key vocabulary. The main focus of the lesson is to write a report about the Crown Jewels, so it can be easily adapted without reference to the rest of the story. However, if you would like to use the text from the story, in chapter 7, we find out about the mischievous old ghost (Sir Walter) who sets about restoring the family’s fortune, while Bess has to try to keep the presence of a ghost in the house a secret. Sir Walter comes up with a scheme to steal the orb from the Crown Jewels to help raise money for the farm. An example of a finished report is also included along with the lesson plan. If you appreciate these resources, please leave a positive review, and in exchange I will send you a free resource up to the value of this one by emailing me: bulgerkenneth@gmail.com

James Clarke was the first black man to have a street named after him in Liverpool. James saved many locals from drowning in the Mersey and the docks, and taught countless others to swim. This comprehension exercise includes a text, which tells the incredible story of James (Jim) starting as stow away aboard a ship heading to Liverpool from Guyana. Where he is adopted and becomes a swimming legend in his own lifetime. This positive and surprising story is aimed at Lower Key Stage 2 children (7-9), but could easily be adapted for UKS2 (9-11). Along with the text it includes three levels of differentiated questions, which focus on retrieval, summary and inference. Higher attainers - 8 questions with extension - no support Middle attainers - 6 questions with answers framed - no support answers. Lower attainers - 5 questions with answers framed with suggested answers. There is also an extension task. Imagine you are a gifted swimmer and you are invited to an exhibition to show off your skills; what routine would you invent to impress the crowds?

Following a visit to The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, I developed this comprehension exercise based around the guided tour of this unique Cathedral. The text revolves around the construction of the building, as the present Cathedral is actually the fourth attempt by the Catholic Church in the North West of England to build a mother church for the Liverpool diocese – and the culmination of a story that stretches back over a century. Along with the text, which was intended for a Year 4 cohort, but could be easily adapted for older or younger children. There are 3 levels of differentiated questions. Lower Attaining - 6 questions with scaffolded answered writing frames. Middle Attaining - 7 questions no scaffolding Higher Attaining - 8 questions no scaffolding (some higher order thinking skills required comparison and difference) All ability groups have the same extension. Extension: Can you design a cathedral meeting the same requirements using your imagination?

This fact file about Queen Elizabeth II is a great way to engage the children for IWD. It has a choice of three differentiated sheets of comprehension questions to answer. This is aimed at ( LKS2) Year 3/4 and the lower attaining question sheet was planned with for a group of children who are working significantly below the expected standard for LKS2 with SEND needs. The comprehension exercise includes: Information text about Queen Elizabeth II Higher attaining - question sheet with retrieval, inference and deduction questions Middle attaining - question sheet - scaffolded answers focusing mainly on retrieval **Lower attaining **- question sheet - with multiple choice answers based mostly on retrieval, but with speculation question as a challenge.

Writing a personal statement and application form for a school leadership position can be a challenging task, particularly if you are a middle leader and classroom teacher aiming for career advancement. The statement below helped me secure an interview for an Assistant Headteacher role at a Catholic Primary School going from a middle leader to make the step up to senior leadership. The content may not be completely transferable to your career and position, but it is an example that can be adapted and modified to suit your strengths and experience. Included are the twelve interview questions I was asked, some of which I was not expecting, such as, “What is your favourite Gospel reading?” Good luck!

What do Christians believe? Jesus is ‘The Light of the World’. In the run up to Christmas, we are looking at William Holman Hunt’s painting ‘Light of the World’. The following pack includes 3 levels of differentiated worksheets that examine the theme of light and William Holman Hunt’s painting, as well as PPT, (full animated with transition), which explains the idea of Jesus at the light of the world with the following questions to support the children knowledge and understanding. Look at William Holman Hunt’s painting ‘Light of the World’. Don’t give children title of painting, in small groups let them explore the image. Questions to scaffold could be ‘Who do you think the person is in the picture? Who might be behind the door? What is the painter trying to show us? Then give children the title, ‘Light of the World’ and explain how Christians believe that Jesus is the Light of the World – He shows us the way, warns us of danger, lights up our lives etc.

This personal statement helped me get shortlisted for the TLR - Primary English Lead position. Even though this statement is specific to a subject, it can be easily adapted to show that you are capable of managing, leading, and taking responsibility for a certain part of the curriculum planning or pupil development within the school. Additionally, it helps to identify and improve school development issues, and evaluate the impact for any area of the curriculum. I come from an area of significant disadvantage, and I have mentioned how I addressed barriers to learning such as SEND and socio-economic factors. This statement can be modified to suit your experience and context. Wishing you good luck!

This script is for an Easter assembly and covers the events leading up to Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which is the most important festival for Christians. The script includes three eyewitness accounts of the Easter story: Simon helped carry Jesus’ cross up the hill. A Roman soldier took a prisoner to his death. Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus had risen from the dead and instructed her to inform the disciples. There are 8 concluding statements that promote a gratitude mindset. For example, “If you are healthy today, you are more blessed than millions dying this week.” Finally, the script asks us to remember our blessings, the true message of Easter, and to celebrate in the Good News that Christ is Risen! The script is designed for Key Stage 2 and can accommodate 30 children, but it can be edited to suit more or fewer participants. Its running time is around 20-30 minutes, but it can be edited. There are two poems mentioned in the script, which cannot be reproduced since they are not owned by the author. However, they should be available online, or you can substitute them with similar ones. The script suggests singing a hymn, “Christ, Be Our Light,” by Bernadette Farrell, but again, this cannot be reproduced. The hymn is merely a suggestion and can be edited or removed depending on time restrictions. Finally, the script includes a fully animated and transitioned PowerPoint presentation to provide a backdrop to the assembly. Script Extract: Good morning and welcome to our assembly. Lent is six weeks, lasting 40 days excluding Sundays, leading up to Easter. This period commences on Ash Wednesday and ends with Holy Week. Easter is the most important festival for Christians. Lent is a period of introspection and prayer during which Christians recall the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert. They also strive to reconcile with God before celebrating Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.