Hi everyone, I’m Joanna, and I wanted to share the story behind The Scottish Primary Teaching Hub, how it began and what inspired me to create it.
Earlier this year, I completed my research on primary teaching resources at Edinburgh Napier University. That research opened my eyes to an issue I had already experienced first hand: the shortage of accessible, high quality teaching resources for primary educators in Scotland.
Before my MSc Publishing degree, I worked as an Early Years Practitioner and spent time in classrooms during my MA Primary Education placements. I often saw teachers creating resources completely from scratch, which I also had to do myself. It was rewarding but incredibly time consuming.
That experience of creating teaching resources from scratch sparked my love for educational publishing. I discovered how much I enjoyed designing and illustrating resources, which led me to pursue an MSc in Publishing. During my internship with an educational publisher, I learned how much time and expertise go into creating quality teaching materials. It made me realise how unsustainable it is to expect teachers to be both full time educators and professional publishers at the same time.
Even as I continued my publishing journey, I knew I wanted to do something practical to help teachers right now.
Turning research into action
Through my dissertation research, one solution kept coming up again and again: the need for a central, easy to use platform where teachers can share and find resources. This idea had also been on my mind since my early years in education, so I decided to make it happen.
As I began building the website, the vision grew. I realised the platform could not only help teachers find and share resources but also support professional growth, connection, and wellbeing. I wanted to create a space that helps teachers save time, feel supported, and avoid burnout.
That is when our vision came together:
Sharing Resources . Learning Together . Reducing Workload.
Inspired by community
I have been greatly inspired by the Scottish Primary Teachers Facebook group, which has an incredible community of around 35,000 members. The collaboration and support within that group is amazing, and I hope The Scottish Primary Teaching Hub can work with them in the future.
Looking ahead
The website will always remain free to access. All teachers need to do is create a free account to upload and download resources safely and securely.
There are many exciting features in development, and I can’t wait for teachers across Scotland to explore them. My goal is for The Scottish Primary Teaching Hub to become a central space where teachers can find what they need quickly, share ideas, and feel part of a positive, supportive community.
This is just the beginning, but I’m so proud of how far it has come already. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or feedback on how we can make it even better. So please comment below to get a great discussion started.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
With warm wishes,
Joanna
Founder, The Scottish Primary Teaching Hub