Scroll to view the complete collection of our teacher blog posts. You’ll find posts on a range of topics, from updates on the latest Boomerang products to Growth Mindset tips. Enjoy! Take a look at all of our blog posts here.

How Schools Can Benefit From Using A School Planner

Whether you are a Primary or Secondary school, your Teachers, Students and Parents would benefit from using a school planner for so many reasons.

School planners have evolved into so much more than a simple homework diary and timetable.

They now form the most trusted link between schools, students and parents. 

A weekly goal tracker, help with mental wellbeing, key stage 1,2 and 3 spelling checklists for primary school students and structured financial and careers advice for secondary school students mean that planners have become a supporting chaperon for students and the instant access to school policies, term dates, parents evening prompts and daily link to teachers mean that they are also becoming a parent’s faithful companion.

How primary and secondary schools benefit from having their own school planner

One of the most rewarding benefits for schools when using a school planner is the ‘do it once and it’s done’ method of delivering the most important communication to parents and students. The ripple effect to this is often a significant money saving since there is no need for further consistent printing of communication throughout the school year.

School planners begin with some important reference pages before the diarised pages begin. In fact there can be up to 64 personalised pages at the front of each planner and schools can pick and choose the type of content to go on these pages, whether they design their own, use our own in-house designers to create the perfect pages or in the case of sixth form planners, they can pop in specialised pages designed and supplied by UCAS themselves.

It’s this section that benefits schools the most since it can provide instant access to the most important school information:

  • School Uniform Policy
  • The School and Student Agreement
  • Important Dates
  • Term Dates and Inset Days
  • The School Code of Conduct
  • Responsible ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and Internet Use Policy
  • Parents Evening Prompts
  • Bullying Policy

How parents benefit from their children’s school planner

Easy access to important school information is vital for parents and the way in which we’re now bombarded with digital communication from all areas, makes a physical planner all the more welcoming. No child need ever go to school on an inset day again!

Moving on to the plastic pocket (letter pouch!). A genius idea which means that no parent needs to dive too deep into the bottom of their child’s school bag.

Other benefits to parents of a school planner are:

  • An easy glance at their child’s timetable and homework timetable
  • The Comments/Notes section at the end of each week can be used for regular communication if required and is the most efficient way for teachers and parents to communicate, reducing the time spent at the school gates.
  • Parents evening prompts with allocated space for questions. These allow parents to jot down any questions they have, before their parents evening slot. The teachers can be fully prepared for these situations and can bring along any examples of work or details of noticed behaviour that will help the child and parent where necessary.
  • School Uniform Policy, specifically with items that aren’t allowed despite protestations from their child!

How students benefit from using a school planner

A school planner for both primary and secondary school children is an exciting upgrade from a simple homework diary and can help to motivate and steer children of all ages through their school years.

Used hourly by secondary school students for it’s well laid out timetable, a planner becomes the one thing a student can not leave at home. The weekly homework diary allows plenty of room to record homework, by subject or by day with a ‘due in’ column and ‘done’ column ready to tick. The green, red and amber traffic light columns allow the student to mark whether they found the work ‘easy, difficult or average’ and is a great way for teachers to monitor progress. It’s also great for the students who can gradually steer towards a green ticked column as the weeks progress.

With space at the beginning of each week to set goals with a goal tracker to tick off at the end and a special page to record merits and achievement points throughout each term, the planner quite simply has everything a student needs to stay motivated through the school year.

Primary school students can use their one school planner in place of a separate homework diary, reading diary and spelling list book, with each having its own special section. A school can even pop their unique spellings for the different key stages as a separate page inside the planner ready to be ticked off.

Parents and primary school students are prompted to check their planners daily. Not only to keep track of homework but also for other communication such as:

  • Reminders of things they need to bring to school (eg PE kit, outdoor wellies)
  • Who is collecting the child from school if different from usual
  • Team practises
  • Rehearsals
  • Music Lessons
  • Swimming Lessons
  • Other after-school activities
  • Going home with a friend
  • Birthdays 
  • Parties
  • Sleepovers
  • Holidays

The reference pages at the back of the school planners can be tailored for each age group. Whether a periodic table would be helpful or the human body circulatory system, the reference section is a dependable part of the planner for when students forget such things like ‘calculating the area of a parallelogram’, or the year that Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.

A lovely addition to any of our school planners are the traffic light pages, placed where ever is the most convenient. For a child struggling in a certain topic, who may be too shy to put up their hand and ask for help, they can simply leave their school planner open at the ‘red’ page and the teacher or teacher’s assistant will know they need some extra support. Green means that they are absolutely fine. Another great way to monitor progress.

As a child progresses through primary school to secondary school and sixth form, their school planners will change and adapt as they themselves grow. A trusty and comforting companion to take through school for teachers, students and parents alike.

Keep on top of your workload with our bespoke teacher planners

Is your desk full of unmarked work? are you drowning in hundreds of ‘to-do’ lists? or, do you just simply feel like you’re swamped with work deadlines and see no way out?

It sounds like it’s time to take back control by organising your day-to-day teaching life, with help from Boomerang!

Here at Boomerang Education we appreciate just how hard it can be to stay on top of your workload as a teacher. So, in a bid to help, we supply teacher planners to teachers nationwide as our way of offering a helping hand.

How they help

Our teacher planners not only provide teachers with the ultimate work organiser, but are completely bespoke to all teaching needs, meaning that teachers able to personalise their planners and tailor them to their exact needs.

A combination of a trusty handbook and diary; our teacher planners provide teachers with the resources they need to stay on top of their workload successfully. Our hard copy planners allow teachers to lesson plan, organise their school days and track their everyday tasks –making way for a more stress-free work life.

And, with completely customisable elements, your teacher planners can include additional information such as school policies and assessment schemes, providing you with your own personal assistant that tucks away neatly in your draw.

Bespoke element

Our teacher planners generally come as A4, A5 or B5 size and are wiro-bound. However, due to their bespoke nature, we’re able to quote for any size or pagination required – meaning you’ve got complete control over what your planner contains and what it looks like.

However, if you’re looking for a standard teacher planner, or require a something more generic, our team can talk you though the extensive range of designs and layouts we have at the ready.

Product details – the basics

Our teacher planners tend to come with the below; however, it is important to remember that they’re customisable! So, should you require additional information, or wish to change what’s in your planner, please do contact a member of our team so we can make this happen.

Product details:

  • 3 portrait sizes – A4, A5 or B5.
  • Secure wiro-binding and outer polypropylene covers for year-round robustness
  • Full colour covers
  • 6, 8 or 10 period daily planner sections or bespoke
  • A range of teacher planner template pages to choose from

If you currently don’t have access to teacher planners at your school, and feel you’re in need of a helping hand when it comes to organising lessons and your workload, call us on 01252 368 328 or email a member of our team at  info@boomerang-ed.com.

Boomerang Education can provide you with the assistance you may need to take back control of your schedule!

#BreakTheStigma – Mental Health Awareness Week 2019

Mental Health Awareness Week is the UK’s national week to raise awareness nationwide for mental health.

Organised by the Mental Health Foundation (the UK’s charity for everyone’s mental health), Mental Health Awareness Week aims to inspire action to promote the message of good mental health for all.

Now celebrating its 19th year, Mental Health Awareness Week provides an annual focus point and theme for mental health – raising awareness and equipping people with the tools and information they need to take action.

Monday 13th May to Sunday 19th May 2019

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will focus on body image, and how issues surrounding this topic can affect all of us at any age, directly impacting our mental health and well-being.

Why is it important?

Last year’s Mental Health Awareness Week focused on stress and results of a 2018 survey found that a staggering 30% of all adults have felt stressed, overwhelmed or unable to cope due to thoughts surrounding their body image and appearance. That’s almost 1 in every 3 people.

New statistics have shown that nearly half (47%) of all 18-24-year olds have also felt this way about their body image, as did 1 in 5 (18%) of people aged 55 and over.

“Body image issues can affect all of us at any age… and during MHAW we will be publishing new research, considering some of the reasons why our body image can impact the way we feel, campaigning for change and publishing practical tools” – Mental Health Foundation.

Wanting to reach more people than ever, The Mental Health Foundation urges as many people as possible to get involved with Mental Health Awareness Week.

Doing your bit to help raise a greater awareness about the relationship between body image and mental health at all stages of life is imperative in making this year’s MHAW a success.

What will Boomerang be doing?

Here at Boomerang Education we’re focusing on being kind to our mind!

In order to help spread positivity in schools across the UK, we will be including a four-page mental health spread in our school planners. This spread will include tips on managing stress, ways to lead a more mentally healthy lifestyle and helplines and mobile apps that may just be invaluable to you and those around you.

This collaboration between Boomerang Education and Rainbow Education Group will be rolled out in all Boomerang Education school planners from September 2019. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled!

Support available

According to the mental health charity Mind, “good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in ways that you need and want to live your life”.

 Mental health affects more people than we realise – so, if you know someone who is suffering from poor mental health here are a wide range of support networks across the UK.

Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk

Time to Change – https://www.time-to-change.org.uk

Together – http://www.together-uk.org

Centre for Mental Health – https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk

Young Minds – https://youngminds.org.uk

Anxiety UK – https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk

If you want to help us support Mental health Awareness Week and be featured on our social media, send us a Tweet explaining your favourite body part to @BoomEdLtd using the hashtag #BeBodyKind.

Additionally, if you want to find out more about the mental health spread in our school planners, contact a member of our sales team on 01252 368 328 or email us at  info@boomerang-ed.com

Deaf Awareness Week 2019 – Doing your bit

Deaf Awareness Week (DAW) is a unique campaign in which organisations up and down the country strives to participate in, and in doing so can promote their own work within the broad spectrum of deafness – a fine example of organisations collaborating and working in harmony to support a joint campaign.

The History

Founded in 1993, the UK Council of Deafness and the national umbrella organisation for charities working in the field of deafness collaborated to co-ordinate Deaf Awareness Week. DAW aims to not only raise awareness of a huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their families but works hard to encourage social inclusion in the workplace and wider community.

In the UK alone statistics show that 1 in 6 are deaf or hard of hearing, making Deaf Awareness Week imperative in supporting and promoting all aspects of deafness.

The Event

6th – 12th May 2019.

Coordinated annually, Deaf Awareness Week focuses on a different theme each year, with emphasis this year on ‘celebrating role models’.

This main theme encompasses a specific theme for each day of the week, allowing organisations to publicise their role models in each sector to raise as much awareness as possible:

Monday – Education/Employment
Tuesday – Health
Wednesday – Sport
Thursday – Entertainment
Friday – Family/Youth
Saturday – Technology
Sunday – Politics

Doing our bit

Here at Boomerang Education we aim to support deafness not only during Deaf Awareness Week, but throughout the rest of the year.

As a Hampshire based supplier of school products, Boomerang Education saw an opportunity to support deafness, specifically in young children, via means of a popular school product – school planners.

Ever since our first Primary school planner, Boomerang Education have ensured that all planners have included valuable content such as The British Sign Language Alphabet, in order to provide deaf and able-hearing people with the vital information they need to help encourage and promote social inclusion.

British Sign Language

British Sign Language (BSL) is a vital means of communication using gestures, facial expressions and body language and when used can often bridge the communications gap between deaf and able hearing people.

Much like the English Language, BSL has its own grammatical structure and syntax and if the preferred language of around 145,000 people in the UK alone.

How YOU can help

If you wish to help improve the understanding of all types of deafness, and help further develop communication methods, you can make a donation on the official Deaf Council website.

Alternative, you can Tweet us at @BoomEdLtd, and let us know how you’re finding our ‘Finger Spelling’ spread in our 2019/20 Primary school planners!

To find out more about our school planners, or to request a quote please contact our sales team on 01252 368 328 or email us at info@boomerang-ed.com.

Exam preparation: Making the most of your school planner resources

With so much riding on the outcome, exam time can be the most stressful parts of your school year and, there is often a high degree of pressure to perform well. However, the question that lingers on everyone’s mind during this period is “How do I prepare?”. To ace your exams, you need to perfect your exam preparation techniques, and although a huge part of the preparation process is revision, it’s also about learning to manage your time well. Stick around as we provide you with a few exam preparation tips and tell you just how you can make the most out of your school planners when it comes to managing that all important revision schedule.

Tip 1- Start early

No, it’s not all about getting ahead of the game, but it is about planning your time efficiently. After all, there’s nothing worse than realising you’ve left something too late!

Here at Boomerang Education, we provide you with your essential school planners that work perfectly when it comes to managing your revision. Creating an effective study plan will not only help you manage your time in the lead up to exams but will help to minimise any exam stress you may be feeling!

Try starting simple – mark your first exam in the yearly planner section of your planner. This allows you to visually see how long you must prepare for your first exam. And after all, the first exam is always the worst, isn’t it!

Once your exams have been marked, you can start planning your revision time and days. To do this, try using your week to view diary section of your planer. Here you can input what subject you’ll be working on and on what specific day. You can even plan the topics you wish to cover too.

Tip 2- Reference

Towards the back of your planner you will find ‘The reference section’. This section is there to give you a helping hand when it comes to elements you may wish to cover in your revision. This section of your planner will cover maths, punctuation, essay planning, the periodic table and other fundamentals you will want to cover before your exams start. Utilise this section of your planner as much as possible, and remember that your planner is travel size, meaning that there’s revision material with you wherever you may go!

Don’t forget to utilise the ‘revisions tip’s section of your planner too, especially if you’re looking for exam pointers – sometimes we all need reminding to check, check and double check our work.

Tip 3-Taking care of yourself

Sure, exam preparation is about preparing for the material that may come up in your exam. But, it’s also about you!

Don’t forget to take care of yourself during your exam period. It’s just as important to be in a good mental and physical condition for the exam- After all, stress can be detrimental to your overall exam performance and the last thing you want to do is sabotage all your efforts by ignoring your well-being!

After you’ve finished studying ensure that you take some time for yourself. Relax, read a book, go on a walk! Maintaining a healthy positive attitude during exam period is a key ingredient to your success.

If at any point you feel like exam period is becoming all too much, please do refer to our useful contacts section in your school planner. It’s okay to seek advice from a health, well-being and support group during such an important time.

We’re hoping that these tips are useful to you during your exam period and wish everyone the best of luck!

If you have any suggestions or ideas of things you’d like to have seen in your planner, send us a Tweet and help us help future exam goers!

If you’re a teacher looking for new student planners, contact a member of our team directly on 01252 368 328 or fill out this form – we’d be happy to discuss all options with you.

Secondary School open evenings – deadline is fast approaching

It’s time to start deciding which secondary school will suit your child best and schedule a few open evenings. You’ve probably got an idea of which schools you plan to look around, but there are a few key pointers to look for beyond the impressive science experiments!

It’s that time of year when secondary schools freshen up their display boards, pick out their best-behaved children and prepare for open evenings.

Here at Boomerang Education, we have put together a few top tips to help you and your child make the right decision and what to look for.

Secondary School open eveningsI

1. Make the most of quizzing the pupils who show you around

Asking pupils can be revealing, here are a few key questions to ask:

  • If they are taught in mixed-ability classes – in all subjects, in some?
  • Are there setting arrangements in the core subjects?
  • What extra-curricular activities are available?

2. Behind the scenes

Schools will want to showcase any newly refurbished buildings or brand-new blocks. But you can get beyond this by asking to have a tour with pupils and asking them to show you behind the scenes and quiz them on everything while you go.

Secondary School open evenings

3. Bring your child to the open evening

Open evenings are not to be missed by your child, the opportunity to visit the school is invaluable. So, go along with your child and gauge their reaction on whether this is an environment in which they’ll thrive.

There will be a lot for your child to take in, so let the visit sink in and see all the secondary school options before having a conversation about what they thought.

Fundamentally it’s about finding the right match for your child.

4. Headteacher’s speech

Listening to the Headteacher’s speech will give you a good feel for the school if you’ve got a good Headteacher everything will flow from their strong leadership. Hearing their vision for the school and gauging if that person will drive the school forward, will give you a good feel for whether it is the right environment for your child.

Make sure he or she is talking about progress and outcomes but equally listen to what else the school offers in terms of sports and the arts. Is the school taking a whole-child approach or is it more focused on the academic achievement?

What strategies have they got to ensure that children learn and achieve well and how do they make their lessons inspiring, engaging and improve progress? Does the speech cover what are they doing with those youngsters who are underachieving, if not ask he or she to explain?

5. The teachers

It’s those inspiring lessons that will have the most impact on your child, good leadership is key but it’s the day-to-day in the classroom experience that will be a key influencer to your child’s future.

Have a chat to the staff on the open evening, are they approachable and do they look and behave professionally?

Parents could legitimately ask about recruitment and retention; how many vacancies are covered by temporary staff and supply teachers?

Secondary School open evenings

6. Visit the secondary school again

It’s worth having a look round on a regular school day, going back when the pupils are going from class to class and moving around the school will give you a good and realistic feel for the school.

7. Don’t forget to apply on time

Deadline dates for places in September 2019 are:
England – 31 October 2018
Wales – 30 November 2018
Northern Ireland – February 2019
Scotland – local authorities must advertise places six months before the start of term

Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions

Stress Awareness Month 2018: 3 Stress-Busting Tips

It’s Stress Awareness Month so what better time to share 3 of our favourite stress-busting tips with you?

We’ve tried to include tips that may not immediately come to mind when trying to reduce stress in the classroom – these will work for teachers and students alike…

1) …Don’t be afraid to say no

This one’s pretty self-explanatory.

Sometimes it’s all to easy to agree to taking on additional work or bringing deadlines forward but this is not good for your stress levels.

If you won’t be able to give the best version of yourself and fully commit to a heavier workload, you’re much better off saying no – without guilt!

stress-awareness-month-closed

2) …Try switching off your phone

Most of us are probably addicted to tech these days and smart phones certainly make life easier. However if you’re feeling over-tired and struggle to unwind at the end of the day, a ‘digital detox’ won’t hurt.

It doesn’t need to be anything drastic but cutting back on screen time could make a significant difference to your stress levels.

stress-awareness-month-phone

3) …Read up on growth mindset

Sometimes all it takes is a new way of looking at potentially stressful situations – have you heard of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset philosophy?

Adopting this approach should help you to tackle new challenges and you won’t place so much pressure on yourself to get things right first time. We’ll be including growth mindset tips for the second time in our school planners to show our support for this philosophy.

stress-awareness-month-growth-mindset

What do you think of our stress-busting tips? Have you got any to add to our list in honour of Stress Awareness Month 2018?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or dropping us a quick tweet 🙂

The Boomerang Team.

Remembering Stephen Hawking: 10 Famous Quotes

In tribute to the utterly exceptional Stephen Hawking, we’ve pulled together just a few of our favourite quotes:

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - stars

 “However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember

 “Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - freedom

“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - earth

“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - not afraid of death

“Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking…with the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - let's talk

“We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - crowded

“I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - child

“My ideal role would be a baddie in a James Bond film. I think the wheelchair and the computer voice would fit the part.”

10 Stephen Hawking Quotes We'll Remember - james bond

“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny”

Let us know if we’ve missed any of your favourites!

Will you be discussing the impact of Stephen Hawking in the classroom? Drop us a tweet here.

The Boomerang Team.

Happy World Book Day 2018! Here’s What We’re Reading This Week

To show our appreciation for World Book Day 2018, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourites – we encourage you to do the same!

So what are we reading at the moment?

Take a look at the 10 books below – courtesy of your lovely Boomerang team 🙂

1) Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz (2003)

world-book-day-eagle-strike-anthony-horowitz-original

Find out more here.

2) Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

world-book-day-catch-22-original

Find out more here.

3) The House by the Sea by Santa Montefiore (2011)

world-book-day-house-by-the-sea-original

Find out more here.

4) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (2016)

world-book-day-cursed-child-original

Find out more here.

5) All the Strange Hours, Loren Eiseley (1975)

world-book-day-all-the-strange-hours-original

Find out more here.

6) Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl (1970)

world-book-day-fantastic-mr-fox-original

Find out more here.

7) The Last Wish, Andrzej Sapkowski (1993)

world-book-day-the-last-wish-original

Find out more here.

8) Sea of Lost Love, Santa Montefiore (2007)

world-book-day-sea-of-lost-love-original

Find out more here.

9) I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Roisin Meaney (2015)

world-book-day-i'll-be-home-for-christmas-original

Find out more here.

10) The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Frank Cottrell Boyce (2015)

world-book-day-broccoli-boy-original

Find out more here.

Over to you:

Your turn!

What are you reading this week?

Tweet @BoomEdLtd and let us know 🙂

The Boomerang Team.

Christmas Films We’re Watching: Family Friendly

With schools breaking up over the next few days, we thought you might be looking for a good old-fashioned Christmas film to keep the kids entertained (for a couple of hours at least).

This list of Christmas films we’re watching is aimed predominantly at the primary age group but of course can be enjoyed by all ages 🙂

Elf (2003)

christmas-films-we're-watching-elf

Watch the trailer here.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

christmas-films-we're-watching-muppets

Watch the trailer here.

Nativity! (2009)

christmas-films-we're-watching-nativity

Watch the trailer here.

Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

christmas-films-we're-watching-grinch

Watch the trailer here.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

christmas-films-we're-watching-arthur

Watch the trailer here.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

christmas-films-we're-watching-national-lampoon

Watch the trailer here.

Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

christmas-films-we're-watching-nightmare-before-christmas

Watch the trailer here.

Frozen (2013)

Not technically a Christmas film but it does a great job of capturing that feel-good festive feeling and hey, there’s snow!

christmas-films-we're-watching-frozen

Watch the trailer here.

Over to you!

We’ve given you our list of Christmas films we’re watching with the family this December – now it’s your turn! Which films would you add to the list?

Tweet @BoomEdLtd and let us know 🙂

Merry Christmas!

The Boomerang Team.