Closing the Attainment Gap in Schools explores the experience and history of teachers who have a determined, no-nonsense approach to providing an excellent standard of education to all young people from differing backgrounds. Using professional conversations, voices are given to schools and teachers striving successfully to address this important issue through evidence-based practices. Linked with the Ad Astra Primary Partnership, what these teachers do with their schoolchildren will resonate with all schools in any location. From Superstar Assemblies to encourage their dreams and aspirations; to Munch 'n Mingle sessions to encourage healthy eating; to Marvellous Me software to encourage the use of open-ended questions and parent-child conversations at home; and through to the use of skilled specialists to develop their handwriting skills, this book: explores the rich complexity of teacher learning; contains numerous case studies and examples of success; reflects upon and considers evidence-based pedagogy, practical wisdom, teacher-research, self-improving school systems and social justice; proposes a rich array of approaches and suggests ways forward. Offering first-hand, invaluable and practical advice this wide-ranging book will encourage and enable any teacher to develop their own practical wisdom and a 'can do' approach whilst never shying away from the very real issues within education.

The Catholic Church has recently issued a call for "educating to fraternal humanism" - most notably through the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti. Fraternal humanism envisions a pluralist society in which all voices are to be heard and this contrasts with previously held positions of outright rejection of pluralist societies (Augustinian Thomism) or Christianisation of such societies (Whig Thomism). This book proposes an alternative, Dominican Thomist vision of a procedurally secular society that comprises three realms, namely sacred, secular and profane. Such a Dominican Thomist enterprise is founded upon human reasoning whereby Catholic and liberal thinkers collaborate to build this society of three realms in which a fortified secular realm operates as a porous buffer against the sacred and profane realms. In such a society, the public sphere is pluralist and open to all voices. Derived from experience and classroom research into dialogic RE interventions; a socially productive pedagogy is advocated as a starting point for the development of a procedurally secular society. In particular, it identifies a common ground pathway that supports both critical RE from liberal education and critical faith pedagogy from the Catholic tradition.

Closing the Attainment Gap in Schools explores the experience and history of teachers who have a determined, no-nonsense approach to providing an excellent standard of education to all young people from differing backgrounds. Using professional conversations, voices are given to schools and teachers striving successfully to address this important issue through evidence-based practices. Linked with the Ad Astra Primary Partnership, what these teachers do with their schoolchildren will resonate with all schools in any location. From Superstar Assemblies to encourage their dreams and aspirations; to Munch 'n Mingle sessions to encourage healthy eating; to Marvellous Me software to encourage the use of open-ended questions and parent-child conversations at home; and through to the use of skilled specialists to develop their handwriting skills, this book: explores the rich complexity of teacher learning; contains numerous case studies and examples of success; reflects upon and considers evidence-based pedagogy, practical wisdom, teacher-research, self-improving school systems and social justice; proposes a rich array of approaches and suggests ways forward. Offering first-hand, invaluable and practical advice this wide-ranging book will encourage and enable any teacher to develop their own practical wisdom and a 'can do' approach whilst never shying away from the very real issues within education.

Exploring specific experiences, circumstances and events that can put children at risk, this book provides practical guidance for early years practitioners working with vulnerable children. It covers supporting children who are abused and neglected, those with special educational needs, children from ethnic minorities, those with emotional or health difficulties, children affected by poverty and children in care. Each chapter draws on current research and theories to set out clear advice and strategies for supporting the wellbeing and development of vulnerable children, including working in partnership with parents, carers and communities.