Inspiring Primary Learners offers trainee and qualified teachers high-quality case studies of outstanding practice in contemporary classrooms across the country. Expert authors unravel and reveal the theory and evidence that underpins lessons, helping you make connections with your own practice and understand what ‘excellent’ looks like, within each context, and how it is achieved.

Illustrated throughout with interviews, photos, and examples of children’s work, it covers a range of primary subjects and key topics including creating displays, outdoor learning, and developing a reading for pleasure culture. The voice of the practitioner is evident throughout as teachers share their own experience, difficulties, and solutions to ensure that children are inspired by their learning.

Written in two parts, the first exemplifies examples of practice for each National Curriculum subject, whilst the second focuses on the wider curriculum and explores issues pertinent to the primary classroom, highlighting important discussions on topics such as:

• Reading for pleasure
• Writing for pleasure
• Creating a dynamic and responsive curriculum
• Creating inspiring displays
• Outdoor learning
• Pedagogy for imagination
• Relationships and Sex Education

This key text shows how, even within the contested space of education, practitioners can inspire their primary learners through teaching with passion and purpose for the empowerment of the children in their class. For all new teachers, it provides advice and ideas for effective and engaging learning experiences across the curriculum.

Roger McDonald is an Associate Professor at the University of Greenwich and has extensive experience in the primary classroom as a practitioner. Roger is also President Elect of the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA).

Poppy Gibson is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, and programme lead of the accelerated BA (Hons) in Primary Education Studies.