Ashley Booth

This is such a random question, but has anyone bought a portable bubble machine for their playground that they are really happy with?

That's my last day as Assistant Headteacher done, as I'm pleased and excited to say that after half term I'll be stepping up to Deputy Headteacher. But, for now, bring on a week off!

So pleased you enjoyed it

Having already finished Holes with Y6, we are now reading Front Desk by Kelly Yang. My first time reading it with a class, so planning WCR as I go, but my reading lessons for this, plus loads of lessons over last 3 years are in here, for free of course.

t.co/MMLoHlkeO2

I put this on every year, but as Year 6 move into addition and subtraction this week, I can't wait to crack the old cryptarithms out. So much rich discussion and gives you loads of opportunities to model proper problem solving and recording and organisation of ideas.

From someone who's been kicking around teaching for a while now, it may be useful to know that pretty much every teacher going will be planning excellent, ambitious lessons for their new class and promptly completing about 40-60% of what they intended. It's so normal early on.

You don't need to do any sort of test in the first week(s) as a 'baseline' - of course they're gonna do better later in the year when you've actually taught them things.

Got myself set up for the new crew today. Forever grateful for this much natural light......even though for some reason the lights are on here....which they pretty much never are.

Why?

Love the holidays so much, but also excited to be back next week. The scaries have thankfully never been a thing for me. Excited to have my new class, who are lovely. Excited to be leading on implementing OPAL and a new maths scheme, which I wrote. Just looking forward to it!

You can't move an inch in most schools without banging into an Allan Ahlberg book - and for good reason. What a witty, imaginative, creative powerhouse of a writer. This is my personal favourite. He'll be missed.

As the year draws to a close, I'm sharing my Y6 reading folder (though there are random bits in like some Y2 lessons) for free, which is full of Y6 whole class reading lessons.

drive.google.com/drive/folder...

Plus my (very long) blog on how we teach it:

mrboothy6.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/w...

Couple of tweaks for various reasons, but got our class novels for next year locked down. Y3, then 4, then 5 and then 6.

I first did this last year and both me and the class have referred back to it loads. 'Oh I remember looking at this on transition morning' etc

My quick easy move up morning idea is to just spend the morning teaching tiny tasters of the curriculum - so I'll read the start of Holes, do some evolution & heart work, a touch of algebra, bit of art etc then do a quiz about it at the end and spend plenty of time chatting to them.

Does anyone know where I can find our historic GLD? I can’t see it on the DFE portal where everything else is.

We are using OPAL!

This week we started a project in school to commit to making play and play time as important a part of the curriculum in our school as english, maths, science etc. It's a really exciting project to be leading on and something so different from what I've done in leadership so far.

One of the biggest Eurovision injustices of all time is that we didn't send Darius Danesh (RIP) with Colourblind. We'd have absolutely walked it.

SATs this week.

Thinking fondly back to 2018, when the government sent us the KS2 spelling SATs for Year 6, with this form to confirm we had taken delivery of the correct amount.

Couldn't do Percy Jackson when the parent v much appears to die in the first chapter.

I am still on the hunt for any great Year 6 appropriate books that do not feature any family death, especially parental. Please help a guy out - even if it's to plug your own book!

Hi - just a reminder I run a book shop, supplying books to schools, with a great discount, especially on class sets, and a specialism in providing diverse and inclusive books. Please do email me any time to talk about ordering!

anewchapterbooksonline@gmail.com

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the best albums ever. I will be listening to it loudly.

Whole Class Reading 2025 Hello – it’s been a few years since I wrote about the teaching of whole class reading, and I figured I would do it again, as it’s generally the thing I am asked about the most – plus in…

If it's helpful, even though you're (probably) on holidays, I am resharing the very long blog I wrote about how we teach Whole Class Reading at our school. We have really fluent children who love reading and I've tried to break it down as much as possible.

mrboothy6.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/w...

@lynnekelly.bsky.social

Hi - is there any parental or family death in Song For A Whale? I can't remember!

I know this is often asked, but I need two Year 6 class novels next year that do not allude to parental death whatsoever. Can anyone remember if the secret of haven point does? Was also thinking of can you feel the noise, which I’m fairly sure doesn’t.

Just found out there are no inverted commas in The Handmaid's Tale and therefore, sadly, Margaret must receive a grade of WTS.

Whole Class Reading 2025 Hello – it’s been a few years since I wrote about the teaching of whole class reading, and I figured I would do it again, as it’s generally the thing I am asked about the most – plus in…

If it's helpful, even though you're (probably) on holidays, I am resharing the very long blog I wrote about how we teach Whole Class Reading at our school. We have really fluent children who love reading and I've tried to break it down as much as possible.

mrboothy6.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/w...

Cartoon by Bill Watterson showing Calvin and Hobbes happily reading comics

I am often asked how to get boys into reading. I honestly don't think boys are different to anyone else. If you want them to love reading - JUST LET THEM READ THINGS THEY LOVE! Whatever those things might be, they are the things that make us all into readers. #literacy

(Art: Bill Watterson)