Our blog – Oriel Square Blog

Reading tips

1. Read what you want Whether it’s short stories or a novel, reading should be whatever you enjoy. It doesn’t matter what you read, reading what you enjoy is a great start. If a book doesn’t entice you, it’s okay. Keep trying until you find a genre that you enjoy. 2. Get comfortable Finding the […]

Spotlight on… primary literacy

It’s a huge privilege being able to work on a book that might be the very first book that a child reads for themselves. Just because it’s a school book, it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t look great or be interesting and enjoyable to read.

Get into Primary English publishing

Many publishers start their journey with a love of reading, but few end up working on books that might be the very first book that a child reads for themselves. Editorial Manager Liz explains her love of Primary English publishing and shares what she’s learnt in ten years in the industry.

The power of reading: Three ways that reading broadens horizons

Three ways that reading for pleasure positively impacts a child's development.

Producing the first Oxford Language Report: Highlighting the word gap

An insight into our work with Oxford University Press to produce the first Oxford Language Report.

Turn on the subtitles and let the magic happen!

Did you know that turning on the subtitles while children are watching television can double the chances of them becoming good at reading? We talked to the driver behind the Turn On The Subtitles campaign to find out about this brilliantly simple literacy project.

Hybrid collaboration in the workplace and the classroom

Whether for educational purposes, work, art, culture or social life, a period of experimentation with hybrid collaboration approaches.

Part 2: The future of education and technology

In part two of this interview, Oriel Square Director, Sam Derby, sat down with Alix Robertson and Loic Menzies to ask what they see in the future of EdTech.

Part 1: Looking back to look forward

In part one of this interview, Oriel Square Director, Sam Derby, sat down with Alix Robertson and Loic Menzies at the Centre for Education and Youth to find out what they have learnt about education and technology in the past 12 months.

Making it work: online professional learning

The shift to online has meant a surge in demand for eLearning from schools, charities, professional organisations, and businesses alike. Not only has demand shot up, but eLearning is now more accessible than ever thanks to innovative learning platforms that can flex to different learning and delivery requirements.

Investment in EdTech

One year into an unprecedented mass experiment on using technology to deliver teaching, investment in EdTech continues to grow strongly. Oriel Square Director, Sam Derby, looks at EdTech’s trajectory and gives his top tips for navigating the world of EdTech investment.

Online Tutoring: How technology is allowing pupils to keep learning

Action Tutoring Programme Coordinator, Lily La, shares how online tutoring has been integrated into the charity’s long-term operations, and how it has supported the disadvantaged pupils they work with to learn from home.

EdTech Insights: February briefing

In our EdTech Insights series, we bring you articles and interviews from the frontline of funders, entrepreneurs and leaders working to improve education.

Teacher training: Putting the past behind us

Whatever training route is chosen, it needs trainees. A lack of graduates willing to become teachers has posed a threat to children’s education over the past few years and has become an important issue for the school sector. John Howson looks at teacher training, supply and retention in a post-Covid world.*

EdTech Insights: December briefing

In our EdTech Insights series, we will bring you articles and interviews from the front-lines of funders, entrepreneurs and leaders working to improve education. We’ll be talking all things EdTech – from investment and transaction trends to what works in content, policy and innovation, through to who’s who.

What’s the purpose of school?

School closures and the widespread need for homeschooling brought about a newfound appreciation for the people who do the job day in, day out. But did it change parents’ ideas about why children should go to school? Parent Ping has been asking just that.

Embracing cultural contexts in the Middle East and North Africa

Charlotte al-Qadi has spent over 15 years working in educational publishing for the MENA market. Whilst language from publishers in recent years has become less negative when briefing educational content for the region, there still remains an air of reluctance to think about cultural sensitivities.

Internship diary: Going remote with Oriel Square

Thanks to Oxford University Careers and Santander UK's internship scheme, our first intern joined Oriel Square this summer for an 8-week paid internship. Ben is a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Oxford with a keen interest in education policy.

Series launch: EdTech Insights from Oriel Square and EdTech Publik

EdTech Publik and Oriel Square are collaborating to bring the global education technology community closer together. We know that the fast-paced world of EdTech can be difficult to navigate and we want to help.

Engaging schools and communities to support children’s learning

Ensuring that education objectives continue to be achieved both during and after the pandemic involves multiple stakeholders and diverse partnerships. With new educational needs arising, and the nature of roles changing for all involved, we turn again to the central question of accountability: how can we all work to ensure that children achieve their full learning potential?

News, events and insights from Oriel Square.