If you have a question that we don't mention here and is not covered elsewhere on the website, please contact us - we'd be happy to help.

Can I see Critical Skills in action?

Yes. We are happy to welcome visitors to school to see what a Critical Skills classroom looks like and how we teach. We can also put you in touch with primary or foundation stage practitioners. Just get in contact.

Has the impact of CS been evaluated?

Yes. It's been used all over the country, but the most detailed studies have been done in Scotland and Jersey. (These links will take you to downloadable reports).

What does the training involve?

The training is in two levels - a Level 1 institute that is broken down into two 3-day sessions and a Level 2 institute that is one 2-day session. These are normally held in a neutral non-school venue and are extremely practical in nature. The idea is that you learn by doing rather than just sitting and listening. They are challenging and you will have to work hard but people also find them to be hugely rewarding and useful. Find out what other people thought of the experience. Or for more information, visit our training page

Why the gap between institutes?

We have around 6 months in between each half of our courses. This is designed specifically so that you have time to try things out and reflect before bringing your experiences back to the second half of the course and learning some more.

What impact will it have on my teaching?

Loads! Just see our list of comments from teachers that have been on the training!

Can you recommend any links?

Here are some websites we like:

The website for the national Critical Skills Programme.

One of our lead trainers, Mike Fleetham's Thinking Classroom website.

QCA information on teaching Personal Learning and Thinking Skills.

'Shift Happens': Highlighting the changing needs of education and why we need more innovative styles of teaching.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity?