Here are details of two new teaching resource sites that I’ve discovered recently, both aimed at primary teachers:

PlanBee is a resource website aimed at providing primary school teachers with all they need to create exciting, relevant and inspiring lesson plans. Becky Waters, creator of PlanBee, says that the aim of the site is to “take the sting out of planning”. Joining the site is free, but there is a charge to download some of the lesson plans and resources.

www.planbee.com

Twinkl is a new online resource centre for foundation and Key Stage 1 teachers. It offers ‘bright resources for bright teachers’ and everything is free to download and use. There is also a ’suggest a resource’ section which allows teachers to suggest things that they would like to see on the site.

www.twinkl.co.uk

What are your favourite teaching resource sites?

The BBC is today reporting on the results of the Cambridge Primary Review. One of the suggestions of the report is that children should not start formal learning until they are six. At the moment, most children in England start school aged four.

Our ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ is a play-based curriculum including some early literacy and numeracy goals. The report suggests continuing this informal but structured learning for a year or so, bringing education in England in line with many European countries, where school starts at six or even seven, and standards are often higher.

What do you think? Should our children start formal learning later? How will it have an impact on the children and their learning?

Image – Extra Credit