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TRANSFORMING THE CLASSROOM

What factors should schools consider when purchasing AV technologies?

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Bringing academies back down to earth Much of the Conservative government’s stay at Whitehall has focused on converting failing and coasting schools into academies.

IT & COMPUTING

TRANSFORMING THE CLASSROOM What factors should schools consider when purchasing AV technologies?

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With just over five years of opportunity to explain government thinking, the number of people able to explain the word ‘coasting’ remains countable on one hand. However, following the Chancellor’s claim in the Autumn Statement that local authority run schools will become a ‘thing of the past’, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has warned that failing academies could also feel the wrath of change and face rapid intervention from other academy chains. In a bid to toughen-up standards, Morgan has stated that

n. is unacceptable wherever it occurs’. Under new Enjoy ;) pal‘underperformance donatio er a Pay proposals al90 li id e s n b o put forward in the Education and Adoption Bill, existing @ c om lso Please a safulli@gmail.c ri academies could see their control exchanged and sponsors changed. c dario1

Elsewhere, on 23 January at London’s ExCeL, the world’s most important education technology event makes its 32nd appearance. Bett 2016 will feature keynote speeches from the aforementioned Nicky Morgan, as well as School in the Cloud pioneer Sugata Mitra. Find out what else is happening in our show preview, which begins on page 35. Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

I wish all of our Education Business readers a happy Christmas and a very prosperous 2016. Michael Lyons, acting editor

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www.educationbusinessuk.net PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITOR Angela Pisanu ACTING EDITOR Michael Lyons PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Gooding ASSISTANT EDITOR Tommy Newell EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Rachel Brooks PRODUCTION CONTROL Sofie Owen PRODUCTION DESIGN Jacqueline Lawford, Jo Golding WEBSITE PRODUCTION Victoria Leftwich ADVERTISEMENT SALES Patrick Dunne, Jackie Preece, Raj Chohan, Jake Deadman, Joanne Burns PUBLISHER Karen Hopps ADMINISTRATION Vickie Hopkins REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

© 2015 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1474 0133

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 20.10 07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

Poor academies to face intervention; recruitment problems rise; and over 90,000 exam grades changed

12 FINANCE

How can schools prevent corruption, fraud and bribery? CIPFA’s Rachael Tiffen shares her views on how best to limit the impact corruption can have on finances

15 ACADEMIES

What can we learn from the growth of academy schools? David Simms of NFER looks at where future policy should lie

19 DESIGN & BUILD

With limited funding opportunities in the UK, Mairi Johnson and Chris Watson set their sights across the pond and look at how the US education funding system compares to our own

23 MODULAR BUILD

Pupil places are becoming a growing concern for a number of schools. Graham Olway shares his thoughts on why modular may be the most suitable answer to the school places crisis

32 SECURITY 35 69

Following the much publicised security issues surrounding schools, Liam Collins of the BSIA relays the importance of deploying adequate security solutions

35 BETT SHOW 2016

Bett Show 2016 is the annual opportunity to witness the latest technology that is transforming the school environment. Education Business previews the event

53 IT & COMPUTING

Purchasing AV technologies can be a difficult situation for schools. Mark Chambers of Nacce talks to a selection of head teachers for their viewpoints

69 STEM

A lack of awareness and misconceptions about careers in the oil and gas sector are holding back the next generation of STEM talent, argues OPITO

73 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

The push for students to take the Ebacc is punishing subjects like Design & Technology. Richard Green discusses how the subject plans to buck the trend

77 CATERING

It has been eight years since the Children’s Food Trust began its Let’s Get Cooking programme in schools. Education Business highlights its many successes

80 HEALTH & SAFETY

School building work can have a drastic effect during term-time. Dave Garioch discusses how staff and students can be kept safe and healthy at all times

83 CLEANING

The BICs explores why it is important for schools to uphold standards of hygiene and cleanliness

84 FURNITURE

The role of furniture in creating a positive learning environment is often underestimated in terms of its impact on learning, says BESA’s Caroline Wright

87 OUTDOOR LEARNING

The world outside of the classroom offers opportunities for personal development and character education. Elaine Skates explores education outside the four walls

91 SCHOOL TRIPS

Education Business looks at the benefits of curriculum resources for schools

School trips abroad have experienced a rather rocky summer. But what have the summer events taught us about the importance of accredited tour operators? In our second feature, we ask could your school benefit from tracking the footsteps of the nation’s codebreakers at Bletchley Park?

66 TEACHER TRAINING

101 SPORT

63 CURRICULUM RESOURCES

2015 has been the year of the never ending recruitment crisis. Leeds Trinity University analyses the teacher shortage

Education Business

Contents

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The Football Foundation’s Harry Simmons discusses why the wintry elements should not dictate play

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FUTURE YOU LOOK AFTER THEIR

AND WE’LL FOCUS ON YOURS

At Lloyds Bank we understand education. We have relationship managers in your area with specialist knowledge and local insight. It’s one of the reasons why more than half of all Academies already choose to bank with us. For more information on how we can help support your academy, please contact us on 01902 719758. lloydsbank.com/schoolbanking

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ACADEMIES

LITERACY

Struggling academies to face intervention

Ebooks increase boys’ reading progress, research finds

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced that failing academies could face rapid intervention from other academy chains. While the response to underachieving local authority schools was to transform them into academies, there is yet to be any formal guidelines instructing what should happen when academies are underperforming. Powers will be extended to address failing and ‘coasting’ academies as well as local authority schools, with Morgan claiming that underperforming academies should be ‘held to account’. Currently the majority of secondary schools in England are being turned into academies. In his autumn statement, the Chancellor George Osborne reiterated the government’s aim to ‘make local authorities running schools a thing of the past’. The proposal will be an amendment to the Education and Adoption Bill, currently instated in Parliament. The changes to legislation will mean new tougher measures to raise standards in coasting schools and will apply to all types of school, including local authority run and free schools. The previous regulations did not apply to academies, however Morgan’s proposal will allow ‘robust action’ for all types of schools. She said: “Underperformance is unacceptable wherever it occurs – whether that is in a maintained school or an academy.” The Education Secretary maintained the Department for Education had already issued 122 warning notices to underperforming academies and free schools and changed the sponsor in 118 cases. Academies which are underachieving will be ‘required to demonstrate they can improve significantly, or face the possibility of being moved to another sponsor’. Morgan claimed that academies were ‘offering a standard of education never before seen in many communities’. She said: “But it is only right that the small number of academies that are struggling to

Nicky Morgan, Education Secretary

stretch their pupils are held to account to ensure all pupils fulfil their potential. We are committed to ensuring educational excellence everywhere and challenging all schools to raise their standards is a key part of this.” Lord Nash, Junior Schools Minister, has since admitted that early funding agreements have denied the government the opportunity to deliver ‘strong and swift’ intervention in underperforming academies, concluding that ‘introducing consistent formal powers to take action in underperforming academies seems the right thing to do’. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teachers’ union, criticised the measures as being too little too late. She said: “Belatedly the government has recognised the nonsense of having a two-tier performance system which treats schools linked to their local authority more harshly than academies.” Brian Lightman, leader of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), argued underperformance must be tackled regardless of the type of school. He said: “If there is cause for concern over the performance of a school then intervention powers should apply regardless of whether it is a maintained school or an academy. So, the government’s move to extend these powers to the oversight of academies is a logical and consistent step.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/hrwknyd

MENTAL HEALTH

Government announces £3.2m joint mental health initiative with NHS England Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced a partnership with NHS England to trial a named single point of contact in 255 schools to promote ‘better joined-up working’ between schools and health services. The introduction of the project has arisen after it was revealed seven in 10 teachers felt they were ‘ill-equipped’ to deal with mental health issues stemming from bullying. The pilot is being funded by both the

Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England, paying £1.5m and £1.7m respectively. and will receive up to £85,000 each. The chosen CCG will collaborate with at least 10 schools to establish a single ‘point of contact’ for mental health services. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/nfuzhwu

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Using ebooks makes boys keener to read and can significantly increase their reading progress, according to new research from the National Literacy Trust (NLT). The report, entitled ‘The Impact of Ebooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People’, found that boys enjoyed reading ebooks more than paper books, which also made them feel more confident in their reading ability. The study was based on a survey of 468 pupils at 40 schools across the UK, who took part in an e-reading project. Over an average of 4.2 months, boys’ reading levels increased by an average of 8.4 months, compared to 7.2 months progress made by girls. The percentage of boys who felt reading was hard decreased from 28 per cent down to 15.9 per cent, which the NTL suggests shows increased confidence in their reading ability. The research also found that ebooks make boys more keen to read, with 66.5 per cent believing reading was ‘cool’ after the project, compared to 34.4 per cent before. There was a 25 per cent rise in the number who read daily using ebooks and a 22 per cent increase in those who read for an hour or longer. Additionally, the number of school children who said they couldn’t find anything interesting to read dropped from 31.3 per cent to 19.7 per cent. Irene Picton, research manager, said: “The study clearly shows that the impact ebooks can have on reading enjoyment, particularly for boys, goes well beyond the novelty of a new reading format. Children enjoy reading are more likely to do better at school and beyond, so finding ways to help children enjoy reading and to do so more often is vital to increase their literacy. “It is important to recognise the increased reading opportunities that technology offers pupils and how it can help children who struggle to read, for example by giving them the option of increasing the font size of the text. This study indicates that technology has most potential to engage children, particularly boys, who do not enjoy reading. “Our research found that technology can also transform children’s attitudes towards reading. Being seen reading on a tablet or smart phone is different to being seen with a book and this influences how much time pupils spend reading, not only using technology but in paper format too.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/gmz2bdj

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MAKERBOT IN THE CLASSROOM An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design

Empower your students to design, collaborate and create amazing things you never thought possible with ”MakerBot in the Classroom: An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design“. The handbook gives you the basics of 3D printing and design as well as ideas, projects and activities for optimally integrating 3D printers in your curriculum. MakerBot in the Classroom is divided into three sections First section Second section Third section

Introduction to 3D Printing in the classroom Three ways to make - download, scan, design Project and Design Software - multiple projects for teachers and students to 3D design and 3D print

Visit our website and complete the form for a free download of MakerBot in the Classroom. Visit us at BETT SHOW, 20.-23.01.2016 in London on Stand F420

MakerBot Europe • Motorstraße 45 • 70499 Stuttgart, Germany T +49 711.228.380 • eu.makerbot.com • eu-contact@makerbot.com

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EXAMINATIONS

Over 90,000 exam grades changed Exam regulator Ofqual has found that more than 90,000 GCSE and A-level results were changed after being challenged this summer. The figure is the highest recorded and an increase of 17 per cent compared to the number of changes last year. Overall Ofqual reported that there was 572,000 queries over grades, another increase of 27 per cent compared to the previous year. Appeals against results meant that 62,000 grades were changed at GCSE and 28,500 at A-level, with the data showings that the number of grades changed after being remarked has doubled in three years. Head teachers have already made complaints regarding the quality of marking and the subsequent damaging impact of incorrect grades. Ofqual is launching a consultation to overhaul the appeals system, with annual figures revealing a significant increase in the remarking of exam papers. Chris King, chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference group of independent schools, said: “Every child sitting an exam deserves to trust that their

paper will be marked accurately. So it is very disappointing to see yet another huge upsurge in false GCSE and A level grades. “The implications for pupils are grave - for some it has meant they have wrongly missed out on a place at their preferred sixth form, further education college or university of choice.” However, King argued: “True statistics are likely to be even higher, as we know many state schools do not have the time and resources to put in lengthy, complicated and expensive appeals.”

RECRUITMENT

79 per cent of school leaders are facing recruitment problems, research suggests 79 per cent of schools leaders who have advertised vacancies are facing recruitment problems, according to new research from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). The NAHT recruitment survey warns of a growing recruitment problem in schools, with 52 per cent of respondents stating the main reason for shortages was a lack of applications. The survey was completed by 2,135 school leaders in October and November 2015. It highlights particular problems in filling posts with a teaching and learning responsibility payment (TLR) and Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), with only 14 per cent of vacancies being filled with ease. 33 per cent reported a growing problem with teachers leaving the profession in their area, up from 15 per cent last year. School leaders in London and the South East also reported recruitment difficulties due to high housing and living costs, with 63 per cent of respondents from inner London citing this as an issue. Russell Hobby, general secretary of NAHT, presented these findings as part of the Commons Education Select Committee inquiry into teacher supply.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb responded by telling MPs that teaching doesn’t have a ‘morale problem’ and that there is ‘no evidence’ that it is profession in crisis. Gibb assured MPs that the numbers and quality of new recruits to the profession was rising and said that the government was ‘looking at every single aspect of policy’ in order to encourage more people to get into teaching, which includes bursaries of up to £30,000 to tempt people into the profession. Hobby believes that the government needs to develop a better way of engaging with the profession to improve recruitment. He said: “The volume of criticism deployed by successive governments is a serious deterrent to recruitment and retention, and the jump in the number of those reporting teachers leaving the profession is a concern. Teachers need to believe they can and do make a difference. It is possible to be both proud of past achievements and ambitious for more: governments need to develop a better way of engaging with the profession for improvement.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/pgv55jw

Head teachers’ leaders have also warned that fewer appeals are likely from state schools because of the cost of re-marking, with fees costing between £20-60 per paper. Under current regulations, exam boards will refund the re-marking fee if an exam is changed, but not if the grade remains the same. Of the papers submitted for re-marks, 480,000 grades were not changed. The Joint Council for Qualifications (CQ), representing exam boards, maintained only a relatively small proportion of exam grades had been found to need changing, in a system with 50,000 markers and 15 million individual scripts. Michael Turner, CQ’s director general, commented: ”As data published today by Ofqual shows, each year over eight million GCSE and A level grades are awarded to a high level of accuracy. Although the number of enquiries about results increased in 2015, the proportion of all grades changed was 1.1 per cent.”

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CORRUPTION

Tackling fraud and corruption in education The UK education sector is not immune to the impact and influence of bribery, fraud and corruption argues Rachael Tiffen, Head of the Counter Fraud Centre at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy The financial integrity of some academies has recently come under question with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) publishing a series of financial notices to improve in December 2014. Weak governance was also flagged with four trusts exposed as lacking in these areas - namely Theale Green Academy Trust, Durham Free School Limited, the Business Academy Bexley, and the Bishop of Rochester Academy Trust. Good financial management and strong governance are cornerstones for protection against fraud and corruption within schools and academies, so it’s essential to get it right. Another concern raised by the leading whistleblowing charity, Public Concern at Work (PCaW), is that the lack of clarity in the education sector is also causing practical problems for whistleblowers. In the first half of 2013 PCaW saw an 80 per cent increase in calls from the education sector. After careful analysis of these cases, to identify what the major concerns were and why more workers were seeking advice on how to raise concerns, the issue became clear. Fundamentally, the cases demonstrated that the education sector lacked clarity on reporting procedures for whistleblowing and how to raise concerns at work.

Good l financia t and men manage overnance g strong rnerstones are co otection for pr raud and f against ion within corrupt hools sc

CLEAR POLICY Being under investigation for financial mismanagement, weak governance and poor reporting procedures is a serious matter and not one to be ignored. It is no longer

the remit of a sole administrator to look after receipts, signed cheques, HR issues, and a set of accounts. Leadership in education must therefore focus on establishing clear guidelines and policy for whistleblowing, as this will form a significant part of preventing and detecting fraud and misconduct in schools, academies and universities. The education sector, and the UK in general, still has some way to go when it comes to addressing the issues surrounding whistleblowing and creating internal reporting systems that enable individuals to step forward and highlight concerns. An interesting phenomenon is that newer employees are more likely to blow the whistle on an organisation or individual and 39 per cent have less than two years’ service, according to PCaW’s Whistleblowing: the inside story study. To date there has been very little substantive research undertaken on why this is the case. One reason could be that they are less engrained and therefore less influenced by the culture of an organisation, or it may be that they are more likely to spot misconduct at work as they look at information with a ‘fresh pair of eyes’. As with many things, it is often easier to examine the reasons why people fail to take action in the first instance. The information below, for example, is taken from the Independent Whistleblowing Commission, which reported last year, and sheds light on common reasons why workers in general fail to speak-up. It reported that: “Evidence suggests that workers fail to speak up because of fear of reprisal and/or a concern that they will not be listened to and that nothing will

be done. Too often, those who speak up are ignored or their concerns do not come to the attention of management. In the YouGov survey commissioned by PCaW in 2013, of those that had a serious concern, 66 per cent said they had raised it. When asked about the most likely barrier to raising a concern this was stated as the fear of reprisal or the response of colleagues. Further cases analysed in Whistleblowing: the inside story revealed that 74 per cent of whistleblowers said they were ignored when they first raised a concern. This research also established that it is likely individuals only raise a concern once (44 per cent) or twice at most (39 per cent) before giving up. In its March 2013 report into out-of-hours GP services in Cornwall run by Serco, the National Audit Office found that whistleblowers felt inadequately protected and were therefore reluctant to raise concerns internally.” DEFINED PROCEDURES It is clear that individuals who have previously tried to raise concerns have had to show remarkable courage in coming forward. A lack of well-defined guidance, effective processes and protection can deter people from blowing the whistle or reporting misconduct at work. However, employees play a vital role when it comes to preventing, detecting and protecting against fraud and corruption in schools, academies and universities. Therefore a whistleblowing policy should play a central role for all education establishments. Having in place a defined procedure for reporting fraud and misconduct at work is an integral part of good governance, compliance and risk management. The benefits of getting this right and listening to a concern raised can help prevent disaster, avoid costly litigation, and potentially preserve a reputation.

A solution to this workplace challenge for the education sector is a new whistleblowing e-learning package from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) that empowers employees to act in the right way if they witness misconduct at work. E-learning is suited for use in organisations where a whistleblowing policy already exists. Using scenario-led content plus case studies from charities and local authorities, the course sets out how to raise and report concerns at work and aims to clear up ‘grey areas’ around processes, complaints and definitions. It also aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of whistleblowing and why it is important. Staff will learn: what whistleblowing is; how best to raise concerns; where staff can raise concerns; what to expect and how their organisation will support them, and rights and options for support. The CIPFA Counter Fraud Centre has worked with PCaW and audit, advisory, accounting and tax specialists Mazars to create the course. BRIBERY Another area for senior management teams to be aware of within schools, academies and universities is bribery. Bribery is not always obvious, and sometimes it’s cloaked in goodwill. It’s these subtle variations of approach and behaviour, which often cause individuals and organisations to fall foul of the UK Bribery Act 2010. Frequently the issue is not the bribe itself, rather the back‑story, context, form and language in which it is dressed. This is especially the case in situations where it is neither clear nor obvious what the risk or threat is. Identifying and being aware of ‘red flags’ in behaviour will help individuals to notice whether what is being suggested is a bribe or not. So, when dealing with clients, developers, customers or contractors, what can individuals do to avoid being exposed to a potential bribe? In essence, it’s about being professional

and taking care, which means don’t: agree to meet alone; allow over-familiarity; give out your personal mobile number; meet informally outside working hours and away from your organisation’s premises (and certainly don’t do so without getting formal approval); allow too frequent contact or over familiarity that may be acceptable with friends, colleagues and family but not from people with whom you only have a commercial relationship; discuss your private life, or social or recreational interests of you or your partner; accept offers, discounts or other services or products by the client, customer or contractor; accept hospitality or gifts that you yourself wouldn’t pay for from your own pocket; and don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, obligated or might be open to misinterpretation or might be difficult to explain to your manager, a journalist or an investigator. It’s also essential that your school, academy or university has the necessary policies and procedures in place, plus a well-publicised and confidential means for getting advice or for reporting unwelcome approaches or suggestions. These will act as a system of checks and balances to help prevent bribery and misunderstanding. Even if fraud or corruption is not obvious, school, staff, parents and the community should always stay alert for warning signs such as poor record-keeping and a lack of documents supporting financial transactions, different procurement duties being carried out by the same person rather than different people, or a school operating outside

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its approved budget. Today, leadership development is at the forefront of academic agendas and many educational establishments are investing in training to help develop skills and experience within existing teams to prevent fraud and corruption at work. Putting in place some baseline prevention techniques could also prevent a fraud, and deter those that may take advantage of opportunities. PREVENTING FRAUD Fraud risks in the education sector are very similar to those across the public sector with few exceptions. CIPFA has published detailed guidance in partnership with Mazars to help schools and academies prevent fraud and to spot the warning signs early. Some key areas to focus on include; know who you are employing; check qualifications, references and employment history; ensure you have the right governance in place to prevent fraud; and adopt a sensible approach to procurement. There are examples of schools across the UK having been charged up to ten times more than what would otherwise have been paid for laptops and other IT equipment through mis-sold lease agreements. Cases reported include a laptop that has a price of between £350 and £400 being charged at £3,750. Therefore, put in place governance over financial agreements, cheque books, income from leasing halls or rooms, and what funds are spent on. Finally, ensure that revenue streams are monitored and keep a lookout for false invoices as this will help prevent procurement fraud, which is a big issue for educational establishments. L

Empl play a voyees when it ital role prevent comes to ing and pro , detecting against tecting fr corrupt aud and ion schools in

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cipfa.org/counterfraudcentre

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ACADEMY IMPACT

Academies are now an established part of the English school landscape. David Simms of the National Foundation for Eductional Research believes that future policy should focus on learning the lessons from the growth of academy schools

As the end of 2015 draws nearer, academies remain a constant and hot topic on the education agenda in England. Finding reliable evidence which tells us what these schools have achieved is a major challenge given the plethora of newspaper headlines and extensive media coverage. Earlier in the year, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) decided to produce a resource – a guide to the evidence – to help busy senior leaders, governors and classroom teachers access recent evidence on academies’ contribution to educational provision and outcomes. The guide presents the findings from a rapid review of evidence on the performance of academy schools. It is based on 13 key studies which are summarised at the end of the guide. The purpose is to make a contribution to understanding current research on academies with a view to informing the discourse on these schools, identifying gaps in the evidence and drawing conclusions. ACADEMY PERFORMANCE IS COMPLEX It is clear that academy schools are a prominent feature of the educational landscape in England and are going to continue to be. Introduced in 2002, they are funded directly from central government

Written by David Simms, National Foundation for Educational Research

A guide to the evidence of academies

Academies

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Ofste inspect d ion ratings w e r e m l i ke l y t o incre ore ase in sch became ools that sp academ onsored i 2002-20es in 09

and have become a major policy driver to reform the school system and increase educational attainment. As of 2015, academies account for 60 per cent of secondary schools and 13 per cent of primaries. So what did our review find? The evidence reveals that the overall picture of academy performance is complex. It is difficult to provide a comprehensive assessment owing to differences between the funding and purpose of early academies (2002‑2009) and later academies established from 2010 onwards, as well as the pupil intakes and profile of converter and sponsored academies. Additionally, the differences between primary and secondary academies and academies in different academy chains add to the complexity. Consequently, it would be simplistic and misleading to draw firm conclusions and make a singular assessment of academies as a whole. There is no conclusive evidence of the impact of academy status on attainment in primary schools. There is some evidence that sponsored secondary academies have had a positive

effect on pupil performance, as the examples below indicate. Attainment progress between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 outcomes was higher after two years in 2013 compared to similar schools. GCSE results, including for pupils eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs, improved at a faster rate in 2009-2011 compared with the results in similar schools. On average, academies which had been open the longest had better results. GCSE results of disadvantaged pupils, including English and mathematics, improved in 2011-2013, though there was considerable variation between academy chains. Furthermore, Ofsted inspection ratings were more likely to increase in schools that became sponsored academies 2002-2009 which corroborated Key Stage 4 performance gains. There is far less research on the performance of converter academies (created after 2010). There was no significant difference in attainment progress between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 outcomes after two years E

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Case Study York High School on document security and efficiency with mstore The main reason we bought mstore was to make our documents more secure. We have to be really careful with the safeguarding rules, managing who can access what and how long we keep documents for. mstore is much more secure than paper files locked in a room, it’s quicker to find documents too and has made my job easier.

Sarah Buglass Pastoral Administrator

York High School has been working with Arena for 15 years – initially as a print and copy customer and now, Arena’s software for electronic document management, mstore, is used to manage pupil records. mstore is set up to alert us when documents reach their retention deadlines to make sure we don’t keep them for too long. This means we don’t have to worry about archiving and shredding everything by hand and we have saved the time and cost associated with that.

Sarah Buglass Pastoral Administrator

Pastoral Administrator, Sarah Buglass, tells us; “we had a special storage room for our paper pupil records. They were locked in cabinets and filed in alphabetical order - it could take a long time to find things. We have put all of those records into mstore and knocked down the wall where the storage room used to be which has given us lots more office space. “The main reason we bought mstore was to make our documents more secure. We have to be really careful with the safeguarding rules, managing who can access what and how long we keep documents for. mstore is much more secure than paper files locked in a room, it’s quicker to find documents too and has made my job easier. “Only me and one other person can scan and index documents into the system and our admin manager is the only person who can delete documents. It’s highly unlikely that we will lose a document once it’s saved in mstore. Only a small number of authorised people can access documents so there is no chance of anyone wandering off with something they shouldn’t have. The system also keeps a record of all activity. “mstore is set up to alert us when documents reach their retention deadlines to make sure we don’t keep them for too long. This means we don’t have to worry about archiving and shredding everything by hand and we have saved the time and cost associated with that. Our records would also be safe if we had a fire because they are all backed up on a server so we could recover them if we needed to. “Documents are easy and quick to find because we can search mstore using various terms like pupil names or document types. The task of scanning and indexing our archive into the system was fast and simple and now I take a new stack of documents to the scanner at the end of each day."

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ACADEMY IMPACT  between converter academies and similar non-academy schools in 2013, although ceiling effects could limit the extent to which differences between these higher performing schools can be observed. THE IMPACT OF ACADEMIES None of the studies we reviewed identified a quantitative impact of academies on other local schools. Previous research has found that academies can generate external benefits on neighbouring schools. However, in the studies we looked at, a majority of converter and sponsored academies report that they give support to other schools, and secondary academies, larger academies and converter academies are more likely to do this. Support included joint practice development, running training courses, developing middle leadership and boosting senior leadership capacity. The review found no evidence relating to parents’ knowledge of academies or the availability of relevant information for them to use. The longer sponsored and converter academies have been open, the more likely they are to say that they have experienced an increase in first-choice applications. Another source found that a third of respondents reported an increased demand for school places since becoming sponsored or converter academies. The Education Select Committee report on Academies and Free Schools

identified concerns that the voice of parents can be marginalised in some academies. The review identified gaps in the evidence base on academies. Lessons for future policy could be gained through further research into academies. This could be explored through the performance of secondary academies over a longer timeframe (e.g. five years or more), and of primary academies, including a comparison with non-academy schools with similar characteristics, and their impact on different pupil groups. Alternatively, it can be examined through investigating the factors that significantly affect performance, in order to understand the mechanisms underlying the policy (many of which continue to be areas of active policy interest – for example, leadership, accountability and governance, collaboration, and membership of academy groupings such as chains). The extent to which the academies programme has increased competition between schools, and the impact this has had on overall performance across the system can also prove to be a lesson for future policy. Furthermore, the views of parents on the quality of education experienced by their children can be beneficial, as can exploring the extent to which school choice and local accountability are present and a driver of improvement in the current system.

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THE REVIEW The review was published as part of a series which include a Think Piece arguing that any future expansion in the number of academies should be motivated by a clear vision as to what long-term outcomes for learners academy policy is aiming to achieve. It also includes a new survey data exploring parents’ knowledge about academy schools and the extent to which they would like more information, an authoritative factsheet and summaries of the 13 key studies reviewed for this guide. L

NFER is the UK’s largest independent provider of research, assessment and information services for education, training and children’s services. Our clients include UK government departments and agencies at both national and local levels, which benefit from NFER’s full range of expert and professional services. Our purpose is to provide independent evidence which improves education and training and hence the lives of learners. Its ambition is to be the research organisation of first choice for those who wish to make a positive difference to learners. FURTHER INFORMATION www.nfer.ac.uk

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FUNDING

With funding opportunities for school capital projects thin on the ground in the UK, is it time to explore other ways of raising money for improvement programmes? Education experts Mairi Johnson and Chris Watson compare the UK and US education funding systems Since 2010, ministers have been emphasising that it is the quality of teaching and leadership at a school, not the bricks and mortar, that make a difference to the results it chalks up. As a result, getting funding for capital projects in schools has been difficult, in England at least. Building Schools for the Future is long gone, deemed to be distributing funds too unevenly around the country. Instead, central government sets standards and funds accommodation to a minimum level. Local government retains responsibility for providing sufficient school places to meet demand, assisted by funding from the centre. While there are still some options, such as the Priority Schools Building Programme, the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund or even Basic Need funding for Local Authorities, the long and the short of it is that individual schools must make the most of what they have. If a school wants to improve its environment beyond the minimum, then it is up to the school community, or Academy Trust, to raise the money for this through grants from external bodies, sponsorship, fund raising or careful management of reserves. MEND AND MAKE DO The reality is that schools, in England at least, are not resourced to spend time raising substantial amounts of money. Obvious approaches, such as raising money by selling off school land for development, are rarely a viable option because of strict measures in place to prevent the loss of school playing fields. Achieving the best environment possible becomes a matter of adapting existing buildings, imaginative use of available funds or accumulative change from small projects, paid for from routine maintenance budgets.

Given the current political climate, this thinking is not going away any time soon. But is there really no alternative? Are there any ways in which local authorities or individual institutions could raise additional cash for refurbishments, or even to build new schools? This is a complex area, both politically and legally. But, if you look outside of the UK, it is possible to find some alternative options, which are both innovative and effective. In the USA, schools are funded and managed in School Districts. These are separate from other forms of local government and have their own tax raising powers. The taxes they raise are used to manage the schools day to day. If a school district wants to fund a programme of improvements beyond their annual tax income, they can borrow money against their future tax revenues, through a mechanism called a Bond Programme. Crucially this requires local voters to vote on whether the School District should take on the debt, and on the intended use of the money. For this reason, School Districts and their private sector partners spend a lot of time engaging with the local community within a District in the run-up to the Bond Programme referendum. The District presents schematic plans for the new school buildings and emphasises the benefits to the community.

budget. AECOM has worked on several of these programmes, augmenting the District’s in-house expertise to ensure success. What’s more, the referendum result is legally binding, so if the community says no it is back to the drawing board for the District. Even with a positive vote, school boards, local people and community groups can have a real, decisive influence on shaping and changing the designs. For that reason, engagement programmes are extensive and carefully thought out. There are meetings with school boards as well as ‘town hall’ sessions, where everyone in the community can see what’s proposed. Websites provide a portal for information about the programme and place to register queries and issues. Leaflet drops and door-to-door visits from District teams help get the message out to those harder to reach members of the community.

Written by Mairi Johnson & Chris Watson

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A TAXING PROPOSITION? Perhaps because of this concerted engagement effort, spending on schools is popular and most substantial bond programs are voted through. There are occasional objections, but teams do their best to address these before the vote takes place. Those objections tend to come either from E

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FUNDING  younger adults, who may not have children themselves and don’t understand why they should pay for more schools, or from older members of the community for whom the tax payment will cut into their fixed pension allowance. These are sensible points, and Districts must treat these groups with the respect they deserve. The key is emphasising the positive benefits that great schools have on the whole community. Good schools push up property values and attract new people to an area – all of which makes it a better place to live for young and old. And new school facilities can also have a wider use. Some Districts share premises with organisations such as the YMCA or community groups. This approach

poorer areas requiring extensive, long-term investment in their educational infrastructure. BRING IT BACK HOME Could this ever happen in the UK? Last year’s referendum on Scottish independence set in train a series of events that might just mean that it could. The Scots voted ‘No’ but the subsequent arrangements for DevoMax mean that precedents are being set that could be implemented in new regional governments in England and in Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland already has full control of its education spending and its standards and priorities differ from England’s. The Manchester city region is making serious plans to operate as a regional government

Perhaps because of the concerted engagement effort, spending on schools is popular and most substantial bond programs are voted through is easy to replicate in other programmes, offering facilities for older people to exercise, take classes or spend time with friends. CARRY ON TALKING Importantly, engagement doesn’t stop once the Bond Programme is voted through. District representatives and their designers and programme managers continue to work with local people and school leadership teams to make sure every last detail is right. And when construction starts, local people are kept in the loop about key milestones, deliveries, noise and so on. One of the benefits of this system is that it leads to a very close relationship between schools and their communities. School Districts prefer to spend their funds within their locale so schools are able to establish a close relationship with local suppliers. It lays the groundwork for future Bond Programmes, which will be essential for

and could be followed by other parts of England. In Greater London, mayoral hopefuls have called for an independent body to oversee education in the capital. If these regional governments come into existence, they are likely to have some tax collecting or rate collecting powers. Any funds that are raised would probably be ring-fenced for spending locally through local businesses. As for the design of schools, regional government might not be required to follow central government guidelines for space standards and so on. Central government still produces guidance on school design via the Building Bulletins but most of this information is not a legal requirement. So, the answer is: perhaps, if national and regional devolution reaches its ‘max’. If it does, it’s worth considering the amount of community engagement that will potentially be required to get school funding schemes off the ground. For Bond Programme-type

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funding programmes to have any chance of success, local people will have to be welcomed into capital programmes with open arms. It may be a bold approach, but it won’t be the first time that good ideas from across the water find safe harbour in the UK. TRANSFORMING SAN BERNARDINO’S SCHOOLS The example of San Bernardino City Unified School District, in California, USA, is one that proves that transformational change can be achieved thanks to voter‑funded bond programmes. The need for improvement was huge. By 2003, the District’s educational infrastructure was impoverished and in bad repair. Chronic overcrowding had forced the introduction of a year-round school calendar, putting further pressure on facilities. Students test scores were low and drop-out rates were high. In 2003, ‘Measure T’ a $140m bond programme to improve and repair educational facilities was agreed, subject to voter approval. Over the next 10 years, the programme delivered more than 200 improvement projects at 70 sites across the District. The team built 15 new schools and completed 52 school modernisation projects. There were 20 new special day (needs) classrooms and 10 heating, ventilation and air conditioning projects. Crucially 18,000 new school places meant that the phased term times of the year-long calendar could be abolished. And, as well as classroom learning, links with community organisations and universities meant that students could also gain access to vocational skills or, through state of the art IT, participate in college-level classes online. Many of the new sports and recreational facilities were also created as shared use with the local community, meaning everyone could benefit. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.aecom.com

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SCHOOL DESIGN

Is ‘modular’ the solution to the school places crisis? Graham Olway, principal manager, Capital Planning & Projects at West Sussex County Council, shares his thoughts on why ‘modular’ and not ‘traditional’ may be able to provide the most suitable solution to the impending school places crisis Whilst the last few years have seen a significant change in the role of the local education authority (LEA), successive governments have still seen fit to ensure the responsibility for school place planning still rests with the local authority. Some may say, ‘who can blame them?’ as the likelihood of getting pupil projections correct is about as easy as choosing the exact six winning lottery numbers week after week! If predicting pupil numbers wasn’t difficult enough, the local authority then has to ensure suitable and appropriate accommodation is provided early enough for schools to set

up over a summer holiday and be ready and open for the start of term in summer. Where accuracy in numbers can be achieved and finance is plentiful, the local authority will often want to pursue a permanent solution and deliver a traditional building solution – but those days are fast disappearing. West Sussex County Council is no different to most of the 150 local authorities that receive capital grant from the Department for Education (DfE) and tries to ensure it can finance the demand from capital grant and, wherever possible, from Section 106 Developer Contributions and with times changing, from

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). What joins them all together is that none of them are sufficient in their own right to meet the capital costs of new school provision. In 2012, the National Audit Office (NAO) was commissioned to investigate the impact that central government funding had on meeting increased demand as the rise in the number of children born in England between 2001 and 2011 was the largest ten-year increase since the 1950s and the legacy of previous Comprehensive Spending Reviews was impacting on available funding. Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, E

Written by Graham Olway, West Sussex County Council

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SCHOOL DESIGN

 commented: “The Department needs a better understanding of costs to improve value for money, as well as a better understanding of the impact its funding contribution is having on the ground.” Paragraph 14 of the NAO Report, titled ‘Capital Funding for New School Places’,

needing to integrate them into the school as a whole and so they often stand detached and forlorn at extremes of the playground with teachers and pupils having to brave the elements to gain access to the main building. Whilst West Sussex had a significant programme of hut removals in the early

We all need to play our part in working together to provide for the growth in population that continues unabated published on 15 March 2013 stated: “The Department initially assumed that local authorities would contribute 20 per cent towards the cost of new places. This planning assumption was not evidence-based and was not communicated to authorities. In our survey, authorities reported making an average contribution in 2012‑13 of 34 per cent. Most authorities drew on other sources of funding to finance new places, including maintenance funding provided separately by the Department (64 per cent), potentially storing up future costs by deferring repair work.” A TEMPORARY SOLUTION? With so many local authorities needing to bridge the gap in funding, the options of more creative solutions began to be pursued. Many authorities turned to temporary solutions, otherwise fondly known as ‘huts’, and whilst the huts of 2015 provide good classrooms, there is still the tendency to send either the Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) or the long service teacher out to the hut but they do not solve the problem of

2000s, and had once featured on a national league table of local authorities for having the second highest number of huts on school sites in England – not the measure of success it ought to be – and so the return of huts onto West Sussex school sites is often only done through absolute necessity or due to short notice demands. However, huts or temporary buildings of 2015 are not the problem buildings they once were. Some schools have reacted with considerable surprise at the quality of today’s huts and one headteacher has even been heard to say the huts are better than the rest of the school buildings. However, the last 12 months have seen West Sussex County Council investigating a range of new solutions under the banner of ‘modular’ buildings. Sadly, the term ‘modular’ can strike fear into the heart of schools as they remember the wood clad huts from the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, the term ‘off site construction’ has been used as a positive alternative and whilst early research suggests cost benefits are not yet as great as

expected, the contractors promote the shorter time period for contractors to be on site and the elected members relish the hope that shorter construction periods on site equates to fewer complaints from residents about construction traffic and mud on the roads. These benefits of carrying out much of the construction work away from the school site are hugely beneficial to schools as it reduces the amount of disruption any building project can cause and importantly allows a faster completion time when on site. Our research has led us to visit a modular contractor and view the factory process of undertaking most of the construction along a conveyor belt of sorts so that the end product is then delivered to site in watertight units that are then joined together with external appearances of brick, render or trespa panels to meet local planning requirements. Another contractor has presented their solution based on a ‘Just in Time’ methodology and all seem to have positive merits. MODULAR CONSTRUCTION Whilst the trial continues in West Sussex, we have seen that the Education Funding Agency (EFA) is also investigating modular/ off-site construction to help meet its own programme of works and this can only be helpful to local authorities as scale and quality will surely increase. The need to understand the risks to the modular construction industry will also help improve the service that we can both offer each other and so future projections of need, based on a longer than usual pipeline of work may help to generate the cost efficiencies that all local authorities will be seeking from modular/off-site construction. E

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SCHOOL DESIGN

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The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has awarded what is believed to be the largest ever off-site contract in the education sector, to the Portakabin Group – a £44 million project to deliver an innovative three-school campus.

 The Department for Education has been promoting standardised designs for traditional build schools and it is very likely that this will soon be a feature of future engagement with the modular/off-site construction industry as they react to the demands of the market. Securing confidence that modular/off-site construction has the same need to meet Building Regulations as traditional, together with the need to provide a 60 year + ‘life’ for their buildings and maintenance needs being no different to traditional will all help convince local authorities that there is a credible alternative that can meet future needs. With continuous pressure on school and local authority budgets, there continues to be a push for highly sustainable buildings that deliver lower than usual energy costs as well as limiting the ongoing maintenance work that some building types require. Therefore we all need to play our part in working together to provide for the growth in population that continues unabated. ADOPTING THE RIGHT APPROACH Within West Sussex County Council, the approach was to use the assets that the County Council already had in a different way. Schools were beginning to

consider the apparent greater freedoms of being an academy and so negotiation was needed between the local authority and schools to ensure that the local growth in birth rate could be accommodated. At first, there was still a surplus of spare accommodation in the schools and careful remodelling of accommodation enabled extra classrooms to be created at relatively low cost. Most schools did not want to see temporary buildings as the solution but the ‘Huts’ of today are thankfully nothing like those of the 1960s – 1990s. The modern day ‘Huts’ have to meet current building regulations and have air conditioning, heating and toilets, something that most of their predecessors didn’t. The careful use of DfE capital grant combined with Section 106 Developer Contributions, and as many other funding sources as can be found, mean the budgets are often greater but the costs never seem to decrease. Innovative ways of combining school facilities with community facilities (such as libraries, sports facilities, GP surgeries) and sharing the site has enabled buildings and land to be more effectively used than just during the school day. The opportunity to open new schools is always popular with parents as they see a brand new building but E

The 23,000sqm Riverside Schools scheme is one of the largest school projects now under construction and will provide additional places for one of the fastest-growing school-age populations in the UK. The campus will have capacity for around 2,700 children from 0-19 – integrating provision for nursery, primary, special needs, secondary, and sixth form. The contract has been awarded by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham via the Council’s local education partnership (LEP), Thames Partnership for Learning. The project is procured by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The architects are Surface to Air and the three free schools on the campus will be operated by the multi-academy trust, Partnership Learning. The scheme will accommodate a 10-form entry secondary school, a 630-place primary school, a special educational needs (SEN) school, and a nursery. It will also offer extended provision outside school hours and for wider use at weekends and in school holidays to contribute to the local community. The use of off-site construction will significantly reduce the programme time. The project has been scheduled to complete the primary and SEN facilities at an earlier stage, in time for the start of the 2016/17 academic year to meet the urgent demand for places in the Borough. The rest of the campus will be completed late Spring 2017. The Riverside Schools scheme is being developed in the Barking Riverside regeneration area, which is close to Barking town centre and part of the Thames Gateway development. Early phases of substantial housebuilding have already been completed with further plans for 12,000 new homes increasing the need for education provision. The overall vision is for the creation of a vibrant new community with design-inspired public spaces and amenities.

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SCHOOL DESIGN  may not look beyond the building and give greater importance on how teaching and learning is to be delivered in the school. Previous European visits to schools in the Netherlands has allowed the opportunity to bring designs and themes from Europe into West Sussex and the bright colours of Kandinsky and ‘floating’ classrooms from Nijmegen are now replicated in West Sussex. The planners of the Netherlands have created schools with key worker or social housing built on top of them and thereby plan ahead to the day when the young population of today may require the care facilities of tomorrow. The planners of West Sussex have yet to

ago – schools being set up in former public buildings such as churches, fire stations, shops etc. The challenge has raged for some years that the constraints of DfE Building Bulletins upon local authority schools have not needed to be followed by Free Schools. A definitive answer on what is a school building has yet to be provided but the ways in which that building might be built have also changed. Gone are the times of brick or rendered externals being essential, gone also are the apparent luxuries of having architects design school buildings that might win awards but perhaps only serve to divert limited public funds into the profits of architects rather than

To ensure the most effective use of the limited capital grants that are available, West Sussex County Council has been initiating conversations, through an initiative called ‘PLACE’, with all of its District and Borough Councils to explore how more joined up solutions to future building needs can be secured. Securing greater investment in West Sussex and promoting a beautiful area of the country with the South Downs National Park being prominent in it will all mean that the challenge will continue. Increased development of new and existing businesses in West Sussex should generate significant benefit to the County Council but will undoubtedly lead to more families moving into West Sussex through new employment and thereby increasing the pupil numbers still further.

Most schools did not want to see temporary buildings as the solution but the ‘Huts’ of today are thankfully nothing like those of the 1960s – 1990s engage fully with that solution but perhaps the time is coming when it will be seen as part of the generic brief for a new school. FREE SCHOOLS The development of Free Schools has introduced another aspect of school provision that was not thought possible 10 years

MANUFACTURING OFF-SITE Off-site construction has become a buzz word in the building industry, but it is not new to modular building sector. The industry has been manufacturing for in excess of 75 years in an off-site capacity. Modern factories now produce hi‑tech buildings with quality control in place. Delivery dates are met with no delays due to weather conditions. When planning a building, talk to the industry direct, all too often companies are E

school resources. Modular or pre-fabricated buildings may become the solution to the school accommodation needs of the future and linking them to existing buildings of various types, as well as creating stand alone buildings that can provide a quicker but not necessarily cheaper solution to basic need growth, is being investigated.

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SCHOOL DESIGN

There was still a surplus of spare accommodation in the schools and careful remodelling of accommodation enabled extra classrooms to be created at relatively low cost  approached after a design has been agreed. It is much easier for all parties to involve the sector at the beginning, you will be amazed at what expert advice can save you time and more importantly money. Moving away from its stale image, the modular industry has embraced changes to meet the requirements of new regulations, and buildings that are supplied today need not look like boxes or the old image of site huts without any character. Today we have reached a point where it is difficult to tell them apart from traditional developments. These buildings can be designed to meet both needs and budgets restraints that are all too important today. When looking at either replacing, extending, or adding to existing structures, modular buildings can meet any criteria set by the client, high quality modular accommodation is flexible enough to meet all applications. Layout and design services are available from suppliers including expert advice

building standards and comply with the latest Department for Education guidelines for teaching and learning. The use of modular construction radically reduces both disruption to teaching and time on-site, both which are essential factors when schools have an urgent requirement for additional school places. It has been estimated that more than 250,000 new school places will have to be created nationally by 2014/15, which will have a huge impact on education facilities across the country. Classroom buildings using the modular building method can be fitted out to suit the requirements of the school in question. Buildings can be designed to accommodate a wide range of applications, such as laboratories, art rooms, dance studios, technology rooms, IT suites, general classrooms, receptions, kitchen and dining facilities, and offices. L

on planning issues, building regulations and safety requirements. Site preparation and fast installation with minimum disruption can be achieved using modular systems. All transport, site work, and commissioning can be part of a turnkey package by using just one company and one contact. And crucially, the industry offers guaranteed delivery dates with buildings that are quality controlled in a factory. MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE SECTOR The education sector, when looking for new buildings or adding to existing buildings, needs suppliers that will complete each project precisely on programme and meet the deadline for completion on time. A vast majority of work undertaken in many cases is undergoing during school closure. It is therefore critical that buildings have to be completed for the start of the new terms. Buildings can be designed and constructed to permanent

Graham Olway represented all local authorities in England as National Chairman of the Education Building Development Officers Group (EBDOG) from 2007-13 and was awarded a MBE for his services to Education in 2013. FURTHER INFORMATION www.ebdog.org.uk

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Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Security Written by Liam Collins, British Security Industry Association

Sponsored by

CCTV

Protecting staff and students in school life Providing a safe learning environment is of paramount importance to education providers. Deploying adequate solutions to ensure the safety of students and staff and maintaining the security of the school building when not in use must be key considerations in security planning, says Liam Collins of the British Security Industry Association After the recent shooting at Umpqua Community College in the American state of Oregon – which claimed the lives of nine innocent victims – school security has once again been pushed further up the agenda. Decision makers are now examining how the private security industry can help to make our schools safer. When the Umpqua shooting happened earlier this year, the world collectively groaned at yet another mass shooting. As President Obama stated: “It cannot be this easy for someone to inflict harm on other people in such an advanced nation.” Although the UK does not have the same gun laws as the USA, it still has high numbers of knife crime and assaults, meaning students and staff are still at risk of an attack from dangerous individuals. Whilst private security solutions in schools are not a new concept, there is still much debate over its effect on the learning environment. The use of CCTV in schools, for example, has been widely debated, with a particular focus on the issue of civil

Liam Collins, BSIA

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liberties. However, in light of recent incidents in Oregon, more schools are adopting secure learning environments to increase the confidence of parents, staff and students alike. CCTV SOLUTIONS Over the past decade, the UK security sector has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of CCTV solutions that are being operated in an intelligent and proactive way so that suspicious activity can be identified and tackled as it happens. There has also been more attention given to the carefully controlled application of CCTV in the classroom. While tending to attract staunch opposition from anti-CCTV campaigners, surveillance in the classroom is most often welcomed by students, staff and parents alike. On a day-to-day basis, cameras are used to help address several issues;

ie bullying, smoking, drug use, theft, unwanted intruders and fires, with video evidence providing an unbiased, impartial viewpoint from which disputes can be settled both quickly and easily. CCTV in schools provides a further opportunity for savings in terms of fire prevention. According to a report by the Department for Education and Skills (previously referred to as the Department for Education and Employment) the annual cost of fires in schools is estimated to be around £115m. Fire detection integrated with CCTV can allow security officers to distinguish between genuine threats from fire and student pranks (false alarms) by providing instant visual verification. Cameras are also proving a useful tool for teacher training and improving the educational standards of a school. Footage recorded by CCTV cameras can be used by teachers to give feedback to colleagues and to display good practice. One comprehensive school in Salford, Harrop Fold, has seen the percentage of pupils achieving five GCSEs at grade A*-C rise from 18 per cent to 52 per cent. Head teacher Antony Edkins believes the introduction of surveillance cameras have made ‘a very significant’ contribution to the rise in attainment levels. One option for decreasing installation costs is the use of IP based cameras. IP CCTV decreases installation costs by utilising existing networks infrastructure – in essence making it possible to locate cameras anywhere along the network. IP CCTV also makes it easy to store images in a centralised, secure manner; a useful way of mediating privacy issues. According to James Kelly, chief executive of the BSIA, security need not encroach on a productive and enjoyable learning environment. He said: “Balancing a welcoming atmosphere with comprehensive security can be a challenge, but the range of products and services currently on the market can often successfully be integrated and used together to meet this challenge and achieve a suitable balance, resulting in a security program

On a sis, day ba d to o t y a d are use eral s a r e m ca ss sev g, e r d d a help ; ie bullyin issues g, drug use, smokin unwanted theft, ers and intrud s fire

Security

that’s non-intrusive, yet quietly effective.” The employment of CCTV systems in the educational sector, however, goes beyond their adoption in the classrooms. Today educational institutions are taking active security measures to face-up to the challenges of disruption caused by mindless vandalism. With CCTV technology such as BS8418 and Video Content Analysis being utilised to ensure better use of resources and to effectively protect perimeters as well as monitor movement in and out of the premises, there is no limit to the scope of CCTV systems in helping keeping school premises and its staff and pupils safe and secure. ACCESS CONTROL With such a transient population of staff, students and visitors moving through the school gates every morning, the use of access control measures are increasingly proving their value within a school setting. Access control systems provide automated entry to authorised individuals and deny access to any unauthorised visitors. Access control systems consist of three key components known as the physical barrier, the identification device and the door controller software. The physical barrier usually consists of a door or gate - which should comply with the essential British Standard PAS 24-1 ‘Doors of Enhanced Security’ – and secured with a magnetic or strike lock. The identification device provides authorised individuals with a method for gaining entry through the physical barrier, usually in the form of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), smart card and reader, swipe card and reader or PIN entry pads. Door controller software makes the decision on who can gain access, through which entry points and at which times of the day. There are a vast number of access control applications in schools, which include controlling the movement of people around the site, protecting valuable or dangerous equipment and protecting confidential student and staff records. Some schools – where increased security measures are necessary - are utilising access control solutions to control entry to the school site by using turnstiles or speed gates coupled with a smart card, which limits entry to one person for one card presented. Each smart card is unique to the student or staff member and can be granted different levels of access. Restricted areas such as store cupboards housing valuable or dangerous equipment can be protected using access control so that only staff members can gain access. The same can be said for staff rooms or offices which may contain confidential student and staff records. SECURITY GUARDING As the idea of armed security officers in schools is now becoming a stark reality in America, we must look at the safety of our schools in the UK. Situations of dangerous individuals on campus is something that a

Whilst private security solutions in schools are not a new concept, there is still much debate over its effect on the learning environment school’s staff may not be able to handle as effectively alone, from escorting uninvited visitors off the premises and helping to deter substance abuse among pupils. Schools and colleges can also be seen as a soft target for people wishing to inflict damage to not only property but students and staff alike. Security officers can not only act as presence to make the campus feel like a safer place, they can also act as a deterrent to would be attackers. Simply having a security officer on campus lets people know that a school – which is normally seen as a soft target – is well protected and a secure location. Often, in-house security staff – those employed directly by schools rather than through a security provider – do not need a licence in order to operate, and may not offer a reputable service. For schools and colleges, licensed security professionals guarantee a high level of service and quality, which is very important considering the public facing role of front line security personnel, and the sensitivity required when dealing with students For this reason, many people are often shocked to discover that the same licensing law that applies to contracted‑out security personnel does not apply to in‑house security. Therefore, not choosing a private security company could result in leaving staff, students and visitors more vulnerable and exposed to risk. In addition, contracted security also means that you are guaranteed cover even if an officer is absent or sick, as the school can call upon the private security firm to provide replacements and sort out any staffing issues.

INTRUDER ALARMS Due to the high value nature of equipment often kept in schools, the security of the site when not in use is equally important to consider. To further enhance physical security measures such as perimeter fencing, ground floor rooms can be further secured using security rated locks, security grilles or shutters. The addition of motion activated lighting to physical security measures can further deter would be intruders or vandals. An alarm system is a key component of any school’s security repertoire and is an essential back up for physical security measures. Alarm systems not only deter intrusions from occurring, but also enable a quick response by security teams or the police in the event of an intrusion taking place. The development in digital technology has drastically reduced the cost of installing an intruder alarm system and the ability to transmit data across existing computer networks, enables end users to install comprehensive systems across multiple sites. While all of these different elements contribute to the overall safety of the school, the most important aspect of any schools’ safety plan is that the security solutions are provided by reputable suppliers that meet with the relevant British and European standards for their product or service. Members of the BSIA meet with these essential standards and rigorous criteria and can offer a reputable service. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BETT PREVIEW

EDUCATION IN THE 21st CENTURY: MAKERBOT IN THE CLASSROOM

MakerBot is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers wants to ideally support institutions in getting the most out of the creative processes of their students or employees and to help everybody in a university to be able to concentrate on what they can do best. Therefore, the company wants to redistribute or centralise the creative resources of the institution with the possibilities of a MakerBot Innovation Center. This allows them to make the best use of their MakerBot 3D printers and so their creative output can be maximised. In rolling out new technologies like 3D printing, the education sector is a central element in driving the broader adoption of the technology. At MakerBot, there is a belief that 3D printing and modeling offers a rich way to enhance and reinforce science, technology, engineering, art, math, and design skills already being taught in the classroom. Presenting real-world challenges to students engages them with a hands-on approach to problem solving. Therefore, MakerBot has launched the ‘MakerBot in the Classroom’ handbook, which is intended to be a solid foundation to learn and teach 3D printing, to provide first ideas for bringing 3D printing into the classroom as well as to provide knowledge about different types of 3D modeling software and their strengths. It furthermore introduces foundational projects that make it easy to integrate 3D printing into school curricula. With this handbook, students are taught basic 21st century skills like STEAM literacy, critical thinking, reasoning, and creative skills, as well as developing strong communication and collaboration skills, and practicing visualisation and decision making. It therefore helps educators that are embracing 3D printing as a new way to prepare students for the jobs of the future. IN THE CLASSROOM MakerBot in the Classroom is the first offering as part of MakerBot’s long-term commitment to working with educators to provide better support for 3D printing in classrooms and on campus. Additional tools and resources for educators are available on the new MakerBot Education landing page, such as real-world

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

MakerBot stories, videos, and challenges. MakerBot believes that 3D printing is a powerful tool in the classroom and provides engaging experiences that motivate students to excel. This handbook is part of the broader MakerBot Education initiative, which aims to provide teachers, professors, librarians, and students with access to the resources and tools they need to embrace 3D printing. Therefore, MakerBot will continue to work together with educators to build out the leading MakerBot 3D Ecosystem to best fit their needs. CUSTOM PRODUCT SOLUTIONS The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem also includes hardware, materials, learning, software, and apps like MakerBot PrintShop for iPad, which allows students to turn 2D drawings and sketches into physical objects. Additionally, MakerBot offers custom product solutions for educational institutions such as the MakerBot Starter Lab, a scalable, reliable 3D printing solution that is easy to implement; and the MakerBot Innovation Center, the ‘next step’ in intelligently scaling up 3D printing and integrating it into design processes. Universities with many students designing and being creative are empowered by a MakerBot Innovation Center to innovate faster, collaborate better and compete more effectively. It is a larger number of MakerBot 3D printers that are connected with a software, the MakerBot Innovation Center Management Platform. With this, MakerBot

3D PRINTERS MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers are already installed in many schools around the world, with more than 5,000 schools throughout the U.S. alone. At Libera Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC) in Castellanza, Italy, a MakerBot Innovation Center was opened in June 2015 and is having a profound impact on students, faculty, and the community with its many possibilities. Students at LIUC now have the chance to challenge their skills in designing and manufacturing prototypes in the context of simulated startups. The MakerBot Innovation Center allows them to continue and develop the activities with the next technologies of digital manufacturing, which are increasingly part of the everyday life of enterprises. So, with MakerBot Innovation Center, universities can make the technology available to many students and prepare them for their later work life and they, in turn, demand the technologies they worked with during their education once they are with a company. L

Visit us at BETT Show 2016 (20.-23.1.) in London on Stand F 420. FURTHER INFORMATION To find out about the many ways in which MakerBot can help your school or university in implementing 3D printing, please visit: eu.makerbot.com/en/education eu-contact@makerbot.com T +49 711 228380

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EVENT PREVIEW

Bett Show 2016

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Experience best global practice at Bett 2016 Bett returns to the London ExCeL on 20-23 January, for what promises to be another inspiring show, jam-packed with high-calibre speakers and innovative technology. Education Business casts it’s eye ahead to January and what lies in store Now in its 32nd year, the event combines an extensive seminar programme with demonstrations of the most innovative technologies from leading brands in education. For 2016, the show organiser, i2i Events Group is promising more content than ever before with an exciting Bett Arena programme,

Some of the biggest names in education will take to the stage of the Bett Arena over the four days; all these sessions are free, but hugely popular and admission is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors are advised to reserve places online to avoid disappointment.

The Bett Arena is open to anyone who is up for being inspired, fascinated, amazed and excited by the extraordinary relationship between education and technology two bespoke CPD-accredited summits, a number of Learn Live theatres and a whole host of networking and fringe activity; all with the highest quality presenters, delivering seminars targeted to educators’ specific needs.

ENTER THE ARENA The Bett Arena is open to anyone who wants to be inspired, fascinated, amazed and excited by the extraordinary relationship between education and technology. It is a prime

example of how ‘the best things in life are free’ isn’t just a saying to discourage economic materialism; as the most influential figures in education are sharing their visions, experience and advice for no cost except your time. At Bett 2016, over 500 expert speakers will give their insight. This year at the Arena, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan will provide the Ministerial Keynote and Welcome. Ahead of the show, Morgan said: “Technology is a powerful tool in extending and creating opportunities for young people. That’s why as a One Nation government we want all children to be able to benefit from new innovations and develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in modern Britain. This year’s BETT show will help teachers to identify the support and resources they need to use technology effectively in the classroom and I very much look forward to attending.” Following Morgan’s address, Angela Lee E Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Mathletics is a digital resource used by more than 5,000 schools across the UK. It is proven to improve pupil engagement and results in maths. Mathletics can support your delivery of the new maths curriculum with 1,200 curriculum aligned activities plus courses covering mathematical fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills. It also offers in-built assessment and diagnostic reporting tools for teachers and can be accessed on PCs and tablet devices.

Spellodrome is a digital resource that helps children to develop their spelling, writing and communication skills, to support them in the ‘GPS’ elements of the new English curriculum. It offers pre-populated 2014 curriculum-aligned word lists for KS1 and KS2, word lists that can be customised (from more than 10,000 words) to your own specific needs; extensive printable worksheets focusing on spelling practice, grammar and punctuation; fun and engaging activities based on your word lists; tools to develop writing skills and online standard benchmarking tests.

Reading Eggs is a digital resource for literacy, designed to help teach children how to read and to develop a love of reading. With 120 phonics and 200 comprehension lessons; 1700 eBooks with comprehension tests; creative writing areas; a teacher toolkit with lesson plans, comprehensive reporting and ‘big books’, plus online spelling, punctuation and grammar games, Reading Eggs provides you with all the tools you need to raise the profile of reading and nurture high literacy standards.

IntoScience is a groundbreaking leap forward in secondary school science education. Through hugely engaging 3D environments, virtual experiments and deep contextual activities, IntoScience brings to life theories and concepts in a way which no other resource can. Children are immersed in a world of science and can expand their learning through questioning, doing and observing. IntoScience offers unparalleled control for teachers with real-time results, meaning easier classroom management.

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EVENT PREVIEW  Duckworth will offer her keynote to the audience. Angela is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a co-founder of the Character Lab. An expert in non-I.Q. competencies like grit and self-control, she was awarded a 2013 ‘Genius’ Grant and has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Her TED talk on grit has garnered nearly seven million views, and her first book, Grit: Passion, Perseverance and the Science of Success, is forthcoming from Scribner. Before her career in research, Duckworth was an award-winning math and science teacher as well as the founder of a summer school for low-income children that was profiled as a case study nonprofit by Harvard Kennedy School. She completed her BA in neurobiology at Harvard, her MSc in

enthusiasts of today. Delivering talks in both the ‘Engaging Kids Today’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ sessions, Dan Haesler is a character worth listening to. An international keynote speaker, educator, writer and consultant, Haesler works with schools across the Asia-Pacific around issues of engagement and well-being. In the Bett Arena, Haesler travels from Australia to explore the possibilities of Connected Learning in your organisations and why it is essential it is embraced in formal education. In another session not to miss, Dr Ellen Stoffan, chief scientist of NASA, explain some of NASA’s exciting recent findings about the search for life – and how NASA’s research is improving life here on Earth. Stofan was appointed NASA chief scientist on August 25, 2013, serving as principal advisor

Across six theatres, the Learn Live series will immerse visitors in teaching techniques, learning strategies and implementing technology, through seminars, workshops and demonstrations neuroscience at Oxford, and her PhD in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Jamal Edwards, founder of SBTV, will be interviewed on the same Bett Arena stage. Edwards owns a you-tube channel which boasts over 100 million views. He is an MBE, a Buckingham Palace social media advisor, and launch-pad for the musical industry. In this session, Edwards discusses what advice he can give the young digital

to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the agency’s science programs and science‑related strategic planning and investments. Prior to her appointment, Stofan was vice president of Proxemy Research in Laytonsville, Md., and honorary professor in the department of Earth sciences at University College London in England. Her research has focused on the geology of Venus, Mars, Saturn’s moon Titan, and

Earth. Stofan is an associate member of the Cassini Mission to Saturn Radar Team and a co-investigator on the Mars Express Mission’s MARSIS sounder. She also was principal investigator on the Titan Mare Explorer, a proposed mission to send a floating lander to a sea on Titan.

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CONNECTING EDUCATORS AND LEARNERS Sugata Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University. He was given the $1m TED Prize in 2013 in recognition of his work and to help build a School in the Cloud, a creative online space where children from all over the world can gather to answer ‘big questions’, share knowledge and benefit from help and guidance from online educators. The School in the Cloud brings together Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLEs) to link in with the Granny Cloud, originally set up in 2009 following an appeal for retired teachers willing to offer a few hours a week to help teach English to Indian schoolchildren. This mentoring and encouraging role is still a vital part of the success of this educational approach today. Salman Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, is set to make a video appearance at Bett, discussing ‘Providing a free, world‑class education for anyone, anywhere’. Khan Academy is a learning platform which is comprised of practice exercises, instructional videos, dashboard analytics and teacher tools which empower learners in and outside of the classroom to study at their own pace. Khan Academy has over 26 million registered students and covers subjects from math to science, history, economics, computer science and more. Khan Academy is being translated into more than 36 languages and is used in 190 countries globally. Khan holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Additionally, Anthony Salicito, the brains behind Microsoft’s School of the Future, will approach the stage with his session ‘Expect more, Do More, Be More, – The Future of Learning’. In his role leading the worldwide execution of Microsoft’s vision for education, Salcito works to help empower educators and inspire students to achieve more. He aims to transform the way we learn with the support of the best technology to help build critical skills for the modern, global workplace. Prior to taking this role in 2009, Salcito was general manager of education in the United States, supporting schools and universities across the country. During this time, he helped launch the company’s cornerstone education programs. He was also at the center of Microsoft’s involvement in the creation of the School of the Future – a pioneering partnership E

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EVENT PREVIEW

 with the School District of Philadelphia and now the first of many Microsoft Showcase Schools around the world. INFLUENTIAL TEENS 2015 Also in the Bett Arena, Google Science Fair 2014 winners Ciara Judge and Emer Hickey, TEDx speakers and two of Time magazine’s Most Influential Teens of 2015, will present their session Girls with a Plan on Friday 22, at 16:15 as part of Bett’s NXT GEN. The two 17-year-olds from Kinsale in Ireland, are now co-directors of their first company, Germinaid Innovations. Ciara attended a business course at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) this summer, where she was inspired to launch PurchaseMate. Emer has continued her work in getting young people more involved in STEM and supporting the growth of small ideas. Taking to the stage in the Secondary Learn Live theatre on Thursday 21 January at 15:00 will be Nathan Ashman, lead teacher of new technologies at St Wilfrid’s C of E Academy, who will be talking through different approaches to CPD. Drawing on his experiences in two schools where his main role is to instruct teachers on how to use technology effectively in their classrooms, with varying degrees of success and failure, he shares what he has learnt through changing teacher attitudes towards technology. LEARN LIVE Across six theatres, the Learn Live series will immerse visitors in teaching techniques, learning strategies and implementing technology, through seminars, workshops and demonstrations. Take away top tips on how you can make a difference in your establishment, from real

practitioners in the field of education. In his talk on ‘Fresh approaches to assessment’, Miles Berry, principle lecturer at the University of Roehampton, explores some alternatives to the traditional essay for assessing the academic side of teacher training courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, sharing some of his practice at the University of Roehampton. He discusses programming assignments, blogging, video essays and collaborative planning tasks, looking at how expectations of academic rigour and criticality can be balanced with professional relevance and cutting edge technologies Metin Ferhatoglu, director of technology at the American Robert College, has been

Bett Show 2016

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an on-line practice based approach to CPD’, will be hosted by Michael Surr, education development officer at nasen. Nasen is providing free online SEN training for all mainstream practitioners in England who work with children and young people from 0 - 25 years. This talk aims to develop reflective practice through the utilisation of a sector specific, enquiry-based learning journey. Find out how this will enable practitioners to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEN. Neelam Parmar, director of E-Learning at Ashford School, will be speaking on ‘Integrating technology in the classroom: Educational apps vs. pedagogic workflow’. There is no doubt that technology integration in the classroom is the

Schools all over Europe are grappling with the practicalities of introducing learning analytics schemes to improve teaching and learning in secondary schools running a BYOD program since 2011. Student Tech Crew plays a crucial role in the success of the program throughout the years. Students voluntarily apply to be members of this leadership program. They take additional technology trainings and become our ambassadors in and outside the classrooms. They run Genius Bar at the heart of the school during lunch times, create videos for their friends, teachers, parents and they help the community by sharing and teaching. As part of his talk on ‘Students becoming leaders’, Metin will walk through the best practices and lessons learned. ‘Meeting the needs of learners with SEND:

way forward for new 21st century teaching and learning. While there is evidence from the big players to illustrate this thinking (Apple, Microsoft, Google), many schools still find themselves in a situation where technology is still an add-on and not integrated seamlessly into the lessons. By focusing on the pedagogy and intended educational outcomes, this seminar will consider the various scenarios to create a viable workflow of technology in schools, whether it is through the use of the Office 365 suite, Google Classroom or iTunes U on iPads. ‘Need to know: Governors and ICT in schools’ will acknowledge the considerable challenge facing E

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EVENT PREVIEW  school governors of keeping up-to‑speed with all the issues involved with school ICT – procurement, management, teaching/ learning developments, safety, data analysis, total cost of ownership, social media to name but a few. This session will be conducted by Steve Warburton, vice-chair of Governors at Highlees Primary School.

Robin’s journey has been one of trial and error but it has also contained some fantastic teaching moments, of which Bett guests will have the opportunity to hear. ‘Next generation eSafety: why children as eCadets know best’ will be hosted by Kellie Williams, e-learning manager at Cornist Park Primary School. Teacher of the Year and

Digital Pioneer for the Welsh government, Kellie will be joined by pupils from her school to explain why pupil-to-pupil eSafety training is the most effective way to keep young people safe online. Kellie and her team of eCadets will explain: why traditional

LEARN LIVE: SECONDARY ‘Collaborative Learning in Large Teaching Areas’ will seek to answer the question – How do I monitor the quality of discussions and individual contributions, keep control of my class when my students are working collaboratively in small groups when working in large learning spaces? This presentation, by John Sibbald, assistant principle at Manchester Comm Academy, will deliver practical advice drawn straight from the experience of teachers who regularly include small group working in their lessons and who are confronted by large groups of students in large teaching spaces where other classes are being taught. Real-time video footage of lessons will be shown and delegates will experience the use of the technology that supports

online safety messages, like ‘don’t talk to strangers’ just do not work anymore; how to empower and support pupils to lead on eSafety in your school; and why having pupils as eCadets also effectively engages parents. Thomas Cole is the ICT lead at Warrington CofE Primary School, and will be hosting a session on ‘Set your tablets free – learning to integrate’. Thomas will show educators how they can use their existing infrastructure to maximum effect without having to buy in IT support and tie themselves down to one company’s ideas if they prefer to work independently. His session will aim to show

this approach to teaching and learning. Alison Pearce and Rob Leeman, ICT and Computer Science Sector Specialists at OCR, will discuss ‘Tomorrow’s Teaching, Today – teaching a new generation of Computer Science qualifications’. The pair will outline the new generation of Computer Science qualifications at GCSE and A Level as well the newly reformed Cambridge Nationals. Exciting new resources will be discussed as well as developments in both general and vocational qualifications highlighting what has changed and how the subject has evolved. A state secondary school with an IT E

For 2016, Bett is returning with a bigger and better Futures initiative and the 2016 cohort will be a combination of both returning Futures start-up exhibitors and new start-up companies that have recently launched Schools all over Europe are grappling with the practicalities of introducing learning analytics schemes to improve teaching and learning in secondary schools. ’Implementing learning analytics in your school’ will be run by Wietse van Brugg of the Kennisnet University. During this discussion, experienced panellists from several European countries will talk about how this is being done at local, municipal and national level. The discussion will highlight best practice and explore what has and more importantly what has not worked. Practical questions to do with teacher training, data protection and sharing and tool selection will be dealt with during the session with participants encouraged to put forward problems they have with implementing learning analytics in their own schools. LEARN LIVE: PRIMARY at 10:30-11:00, visitors to the Learn Live: Primary Theatre will learn ‘What’s all the fuss about ‘Flipping Learning?’. There is nothing radically new about the concept of Flipped Learning or the Flipped Classroom; giving work to pupils before a lesson. What does make a significant difference is the use of technology to enhance this experience. Kirsty Tonks, assistant principal at Shireland Collegiate Academy, will take a deeper dive into the journey of MathsFlip – an Education Endowment Foundation funded project which looks at the impact so far of adopting a Flipped Learning method with Year 5 and 6 pupils in Mathematics. Along with Jen Devaney, the Project Manager, they will demonstrate how using technology to deliver this methodology can accelerate and deepen the learning. This theme will be carried over into Robin van der Eyken’s session on ‘Miss, Miss, Miss, Hit – My BYOD and Flipped Learning Journey’. In the session, Robin, who is head of Year 6 at St Christopher’s Junior School, will share his experiences as a Key Stage 2, non-ICT specialist teacher trying to navigate his way through the implementation of BYOD and creating a flipped classroom.

people that proper integration of mobile devices into existing resources is a far better approach than spending a lot on a ‘one size fits all approach’ which of course in a modern primary classroom doesn’t work.

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EVENT PREVIEW  budget of £4 per pupil per year? What can anyone learn from that? One word: Creativity. That is the opinion of Andy Chaplin, English co-ordinator, Hauptschule Am Fredenberg. In this session, learn how an IT teacher and one helper struggle to create a modern learning environment in a school where an interactive whiteboard equals three year’s budget. Budget management doesn’t help - only the right state of mind. ‘Project Based Learning and the Blended Classroom’ will enable delegates to discover how to create a blended learning environment that empowers students to become independent learners and work collaboratively with their peers. This session, delivered by Archbishop McCarthy’s Irene Benitez, will showcase different learning techniques including student-led presentations, interactive virtual discussions and project and inquiry based learning. THE STEM VILLAGE This year, Bett will be hosting its STEM Village, providing a platform for educators, practitioners, specialists and STEM enthusiasts to join the STEM revolution. Through a series of panels, dynamic sessions and live demos, the STEM Village will present the latest initiatives and projects that are shaping STEM education for students and teachers. The key themes for 2016 include: bridging the gap between schools and key industries; discovering new models for innovation; STEM

integration in K-12 education; STEM curriculum innovation; and enhancing STEM teaching and learning. Kicking off the STEM sessions, Sir John Holman, Emeritus Professor, Department of Chemistry at the University of York, will discuss ‘The Skills shortage: Resolving a global challenge’ in the Expert Panel Session. Holman will be joined by Innovate UK’s Kevin Baughan and Bryan L. Miller of Pine Crest School. The rapid growth of the digital businesses across the globe has generated complex skills challenges in the UK and worldwide. Satisfying the demands of the ever-growing global digital economy is a key priority for government leaders and tech savvy entrepreneurs. As a result, educators, government and industry leaders are taking action to implement programmes to integrate STEM education. This session will analyse today’s skills gaps and how these can be solved. From the tiniest building blocks to the large clusters of galaxies, from molecules to life, ‘Think Universe! All is one’ is a coherent teaching approach showing how all natural sciences connect and relate to each other. All is One means that everything visible in the entire Universe, past and present, from stars and planets to dinosaurs and people has always been the assembly of only a handful of the very same tiny building blocks. This session, presented by Francisco Diego, Senior Teaching Fellow at Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, will present this innovative programme to

Through a series of panels, dynamic sessions and live demos, the STEM Village will present the latest initiatives and projects that are shaping STEM education for students and teachers

deliver science education in schools. Elsewhere, Biology teacher Alex van Dijk and educational technologist Aisling Brown will host a session on ‘Revolutionising and redefining education in the 21st century: Transforming the curriculum and adopting new instructional methods’.

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THE INTERNATIONAL PAVILIONS When it comes to education, there’s no one correct way to go about it. Think about how much you can learn from your peers from other establishments. Now think even further, about how much you could learn from your peers from around the world. Bett showcases the best of education technology on a global scale, all under one roof. In the International Pavilions, experts from France, Spain, Norway, Korea, UAE and Singapore, will share their unique approaches to teaching and learning, through a showcase of the most innovative technological solutions. For example, Stand E71, The Singapore Pavilion will feature six Singaporean EdTech companies at the cutting edge of the market who will be exhibiting a wide range of solutions, from digital maths portals to mobile interactive technology. Common Town, Koobits, Kungfu Math, Latize, Money Tree and Vertical Miles, are driving forward innovation and offer a unique perspective on education and learning. Singapore has long been recognised as a dynamic hub of innovation in the Asian education technology sector. With a number of companies providing creative solutions to facilitate learning, it has also established itself as a leader in the global market. Book a 1-2-1 meeting with your company of interest and discuss a tailored solution for your EdTech needs, by visiting www.bettshow.com and completing the form in the Singapore Pavilion section. E

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EVENT PREVIEW  Once again, nasen will host the SEN Information Point, providing visitors with valuable insight into policy changes and the statutory requirements of the new SEND Code of Practice. The education sector’s trade association and the co-founders of Bett, the British Educational Suppliers’ Association (BESA), will once again run the main Information Point, and the team will be on-hand to help visitors plan their visit to get the most from the day. INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH Bett is the global meeting place for the education technology community, providing the very best solutions to inspire and improve learning for over 30 years. As part

of Bett International Events, Bett travels to Brazil with a suitcase full of innovation and technology. The event brings the best solutions in technology applied to education to inspire and improve learning, and will provide seminar sessions, panel discussions, and access to leading suppliers – giving the opportunity for visitors to experience new technology which will allow them to teach in a way that reflects our every-changing world. The first edition of the show, held in 2014, included show features such as Learn Live and Leaders in Education – with instigating debates, case studies and projects that have contributed to the improvement of education quality. The show still features more than 11,000m² of innovation, variety and the best opportunities for business in education. Bett Latin America Leadership Summit’s mission is to power learning and to promote the discovery of technology and knowledge enhancing lifelong. The Leadership Summit is the only event in the region that unites the

world’s most innovative minds to discuss education and technology with a focus on Latin America. The inaugural Latin America Leadership Summit in 2013 was the first international Bett leadership Summit and welcomed more than 550 attendees over three days that enjoyed seminars and workshops from over 100 speakers from 25 countries at the World Trade Center São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, the inaugural Bett Asia Leadership Summit is a cutting-edge conference that will bring together the leading decision makers and buyers within the education technology space from across Southeast Asia. With Singapore as the most accessible hub, delegations from high

in their development: discovery and scale. The inaugural Bett Futures cohort was made up of 30 start-ups who were selected by a panel of education experts based on the relevance of their solutions to today’s classroom challenges. The cohort showcased the most innovative developments in edtech from teacher-parent communication tools to 3D printing to language learning and adaptive maths apps. For 2016, Bett is returning with a bigger and better Futures initiative and the 2016 cohort will be a combination of both returning Futures start-up exhibitors and new start-up companies that have recently launched. Futures exhibitors will benefit from: Highly reduced cost stand space (choice of two packages based on market status); Extensive marketing resources including digital and social media promotion; and speaking opportunities on the Futures stage. Key themes for 2016 include: Inspiring the entrepreneurs of tomorrow; From STEM to STEAM; The rise of the ‘teacherpreneur’; Edtech for social change; and Coding for all.

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Satu 23rd Jarday n marks uary an intenti o n t o educat ion thr view the wid ough educati er commu onal nity

growth markets such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and more make this a truly regional event. Taking place over two days, and with a hand‑picked selection of top level buyers, this is the perfect place to do business with the most important buyers from across Asia. BETT FUTURES Futures was launched in 2015 as the new, purpose built home for the world’s most inspiring ed-tech start-ups, right in with the action on the Bett show floor. The area has been introduced to celebrate brave thinking, new products and education ‘game changers’. Designed as a unique, three-year progression programme, Futures allows developing start-up companies to benefit from all that Bett has to offer. It offers heavily subsidised exhibition rates, extensive marketing resources and bespoke social media campaigns, all targeted to the needs of edtech start-ups at two significant points

SATURDAY AT BETT Saturday 23 January marks an intention to view education through the wider educational community, with many different student groups coming to the fore. The student voice will be carried by Sophie Healy-Thow on Food Security – Everybody’s Business; an ‘Over the edge’ dance performance by the Brit School; BBC Gastronaut’s Stefan Gates food science revelations; and Ready Salted Code’s Genevieve Smith-Nunes’ Tech Playground. Kidsmeet 2016 is an opportunity for school digital leader students to attend workshops and learn from other children, starting at 11.30am and finishing at 3.45pm in the School Leaders Summit building. There is capacity for a total of 80 children and 20 teachers plus accompanying adults to attend, with children presenting their favourite projects from the previous school term. Children will learn valuable skills throughout the day, including social and communication skills as they work in teams with students they meet on the day. They will also hear from a number of technology companies and learn about the complexities involved in building a successful technology business. Kidsmeet will also host the Bletchley Park Briefcase Challenge. Groups will work on six challenges over an hour, releasing the digits for a six-digit combination lock to a Bletchley Park Briefcase. The first team to do this gets the all-important prize! E

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Up-to-Date Copying works different â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and much easier Now every office worker, student will be relieved from the often exhausting and time-consuming task of copying office folders, stapled documents, magazines or books. The new Zeutschel zeta makes copies of bound documents easy, fast and in an astonishing quality. And above all, with its stylish design zeta is just as stunning as your newest gadget. The multifunctional system uses the technical advantages of overhead scanning. On zeta, all originals are lying on their back and are carefully scanned from the top. The user simply turns the page after each copy without having to spend time removing and repositioning the documents. With its intuitive user-interface and scan preview, the integraded touch screen offers ease-of-use. The intelligent software has been engineered to optimize your copying results. Disturbing elements like folder mechanisms with levers or document holes are simply removed, Zeta takes up much less space than a conventional A3 copier including paper magazine. You can check, print or mail your data, save it to USB stick, send it to your mobile device, dropbox account or provide it for download via FTP.

Available exclusively in the UK through Zeutschel UK Ltd, Botyl Road, Botolph Claydon, Buckingham. MK18 2LR www.Zeutscheluk.co.uk e:tking@zeutscheluk.co.uk

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EVENT PREVIEW

Learn how an IT teacher and one helper struggle to create a modern learning environment in a school where an interactive whiteboard equals three year’s budget. Budget management doesn’t help – only the right state of mind  TRIED AND TRUSTED SUPPLIERS In addition to a great line-up of speakers, over 600 exhibitors will be showcasing the latest and greatest technologies that are helping transform not only classrooms, but all aspects of schools. Technology is being used to inspire change, to help the education system ‘break the mould’ and raise standards. Innovative technologies have to be at the heart of this

journey, and nowhere is this more evident than in the development of AV technology and internet-based learning resources. Sony understands this and is on the frontline, developing technologies and products to meet the demands of contemporary teaching – such as 4K and laser projection. Pop by Stand F240, to learn more about how its range of education solutions gives schools and universities the reliable, long-lasting

and cost-efficient tools they need to capture student attention and enhance learning. Global education company, Promethean, will be bringing its latest generation ActivPanel to Bett 2016, showcasing front‑of-house instruction, whole-class learning and small group collaboration capabilities on Stand B99. With ActivGlide™ surface technology, the ActivPanel eliminates the risk of finger burn which can be experienced during long periods of use in the classroom. Meanwhile on stand D80, SMART Technologies will continue to raise the bar in collaborative learning tools with new additions to its interactive flat panel (IFP) portfolio, including new sizes in both its 6000 and 4000 Series. SMART will also be sharing new ways for teachers and students to seamlessly incorporate SMART’s latest collaborative tool, SMART kapp, into their daily learning. E

Manufacturing and selling high quality projector lamps at a low cost

NetSupport: Solutions to support the managment of PCs and PC users

Projector Lamps for Schools (PLFS) is the biggest supplier of replacement projector lamps to the education sector in the UK. Many schools, colleges, and universities pay around £200 for each projector lamp, but PLFS can reduce this amount to less than £80 a lamp. This means that a typical secondary high school can save around £10,000 a year by switching to PLFS. PLFS produces exceptional quality, high brightness, long life lamps, but at a great price. As PLFS makes and sells its own lamps, the company can provide them at a fantastic price, and unbeatable value for money. All PLFS products are covered by a 120 day no-quibble warranty - if you are not entirely happy with your lamp the company will happily replace the lamp or issue a full refund. PLFS provides an instant 30 day credit account to all educational

With over 25 years’ experience in the education sector, NetSupport is a market-leading provider of multi-platform classroom management software. Its portfolio of products currently supports over 14 million desktops, servers and mobile devices worldwide. Its flagship classroom management solution, NetSupport School, helps teachers improve the efficiency of technologyled teaching in multi-platform environments. With its superior range of PC monitoring, Ofstedbased assessment features and real-time presentation tools, teachers can monitor, orchestrate and control the classroom with ease. NetSupport also offers a complete IT asset and desktop management solution – NetSupport DNA – designed to help technicians save time,

establishments, so ordering a replacement lamp could not be easier. A quick call or email is all it takes, or you can check stock and place orders online. PLFS holds around 10,000 lamps in stock in its own UK warehouse, so around 98 per cent of customers’ orders are received the next working day. PLFS also offers a price beating guarantee - if you do find a lamp cheaper elsewhere, PLFS will beat the price, not just match it. PLFS will be exhibiting at the Bett show, stand F40 on 20-23 January 2016. FURTHER INFORMATION 0800 133 7143 www.projectorlamps forschools.co.uk

money and resources. Simple to install and optimised for ease of use in every feature, DNA offers real-time views of IT asset data at a glance with dashboards and custom views, as well as providing a secure learning environment with USB endpoint security, the ability to monitor and control internet use and disable webcams. Schools can also identify potential cost savings with software licence management, print and energy monitoring tools. All of NetSupport’s industryleading solutions integrate seamlessly, so schools can be sure that NetSupport has a solution to meet their needs. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01778 382270 www.netsupportsoftware.com

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www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION Education Business Magazine - December 2015 copy2.pdf 1 04/11/2015 15:34:17

e-Student Tracker Dashboard Markbook

ILP C

Pastoral

Alerts Y

Learner Support

References CY

CMY

Enhancing colleges and schools with academic and pastoral

Feedback

tracking for students

Reports

e-ST is a browser-based application that works with existing MIS systems, presenting staﬀ, students and parents with a secure, user-friendly, and intuitive platform for accessing academic and pastoral related services and information. For more information, call +44 (0) 1603 623 030 email info@e-studenttracker.co.uk or visit e-studenttracker.co.uk Serving Education in Partnership

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

A secure, user-friendly platform for academic and pastoral tracking Empresa has successfully partnered with SFX Corporate Services to offer an innovative e-Student Tracker software product (e-ST), which marries technology solutions with educational expertise to maximise learner monitoring and ultimately improve the quality of teaching and learning. The partnership flagship product is e-Student Tracker, e-ST - a modular, browser-based application that integrates with all existing MIS systems to provide learners, staff, managers and parents with a secure yet accessible, user-friendly and intuitive platform for academic and pastoral tracking, monitoring and recording processes. Based on a tailored, customisable central data hub, which brings together a range of student and institutional information in one location, e-ST also incorporates powerful e-Markbook, ILP and pastoral

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modules which allow the careful tracking of learner assessment and progress. Other modules include surveys, references and reports - designed to suit existing systems and a Learner Support module which provides a sensitive recording mechanism for students with additional learning needs, medical and welfare requirements. Representatives will be on stand A440 at Bett from 20-23 January to demonstrate the benefits of e-ST. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01603 623 030 www.e-studenttracker.co.uk

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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

EVENT PREVIEW Education Secretary Nicky Morgan

 Visitors to Stand G88 will be able to gather advice in providing a safe and effective science and technology curriculum from experienced consultancy, CLEAPSS. At this year’s show, it will be launching its new ‘CLP’

At Bett 2016, over 500 expert speakers give their insight for free. This year at the Arena, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan will provide the Ministerial Keynote and Welcome hazcards and new safer chemistry procedures website, for use by science teaching staff, and will be featuring a bigger focus on the Design & Technology curriculum. Fujitsu Services Limited, will have four dynamic zones on Stand C128. These will include: the Robotics Zone, showcasing a robotics and programming demo using Fujitsu laptop and tablet devices; the Coding Zone, where its partners, the National Museum of Computing and the Tablet Academy, will show technology through the ages, highlighting how the principals and logical thinking of coding remain the same; the Internet of Things (IoT) Zone, which will give audiences a sneak peak of future innovations and how they can be applied in education; and the Cyber Security Zone, which will offer insight into the very topical issue of cyber security. On Stand E378, will be TOPdesk, whose service management software helps organisations manage IT, facilities, and HR helpdesks, and improves services with user-friendly standardised solutions. It

provides an ideal solution for facilitating collaboration among multiple departments, and is currently working with numerous universities, libraries and schools. Providing more than just fast, reliable, uncontended broadband, TRUSTnet boasts designed-for-schools ICT services, award‑winning digital education resources, specialist online safety (including counter‑extremism and Prevent) guidance and dedicated support. This is delivered cost-effectively, due to being backed by The London Grid for Learning, a not-for‑profit and charitable trust now benefitting over 2,600 schools nationwide. To find out more, speak to one of the team’s technical experts on Stand G160. Meanwhile, stand D100 will see the latest and most unique approach to ICT procurement and support; giving schools the freedom to choose what they want and how they want it. Think IT’s cloud based computing service for schools and colleges across the UK E

Improving education and healthcare by optimising storage facilities

A global team of skillful educators specialising in a digital form of learning

Gratnells is a family-run business with over 100 years of history and over 40 years’ experience in manufacturing storage solutions for the demanding education and medical sectors. Its award winning trays, which optimise space and deliver a medium for organisation, storage, presentation and all manner of creative activity, are found in schools throughout the UK and overseas, as well as hospitals and many varied industrial environments. At this year’s Bett exhibition, Gratnells will be showcasing its new PowerTrolley and PowerTray range, designed to store, charge and sync up to 30 USB devices in lighting fast speed. Using Dynamic Device Recognition, the trays continuously analyse the device’s appetite for power and deliver

3P Learning is a global leader in digital learning resources for numeracy, literacy and science, currently used by more than 4.8 million learners, in over 18,000 schools worldwide. It’s mission is ‘to create a place where schools and families can love learning’ and believes that all young people can love learning and make rapid improvement when provided with engaging learning resources. Its flagship numeracy resource, Mathletics, is currently used by more than 5,000 schools and 2.5 million learners across the UK. Mathletics offers an engaging learning environment, promoting a love of learning maths and aims to help increase attainment, achievement, learner engagement, motivation and confidence. Reading Eggs is

it at an optimum rate no matter what make or model the device is. In a choice of modern stylish colours, the PowerTrolley and PowerTray storage systems can be locked for security, are easy to store and firmware updatable, ensuring compatibility with future devices and technological changes. Please visit the Gratnells stand A390 to find out more on the latest device charging and storage solutions. FURTHER INFORMATION 01279 401 550 trays@gratnells.co.uk www.gratnells.com

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a highly motivational online environment where children learn to read. The program supports each child’s learning by offering individual, one-toone lessons that allow children to progress at their own rate. Spellodrome is an innovative digital resource that helps children to develop their spelling, writing and communication skills. 3P Learning is also the creator and host of the World Education Games, a free, webbased, bi-annual educational event, enabling students from around the world to compete in educational games. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0117 370 1578 www.3plearning.com/uk

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Ensuring excellent print quality and minimal enviornmental impact

Extend the reach of the classroom with Lifesize video conferencing

KYOCERA Document Solutions will be showing its range of education-friendly document solutions at Bett 2016. At Bett 2016 KYOCERA’s education experts will be demonstrating the company‘s CubePro family of 3D printers – offering safe Plastic Jet Printing (PJP), which is ideal for schools. Other hardware on display includes ECOSYS printers, reliable TASKalfa and SmartMFP multifunctional devices, complemented by software and services. Products are built on a foundation of long-life components, offering low total cost of ownership and high efficiency. Software solutions for the education sector include: Equitrac; PaperCut; KYOCERA Mobile Print App; SafeCom; and Autostore. Additionally

The goal of education is to create the best learning opportunities for students. With Lifesize’s awardwinning video conferencing solutions you can welcome the world into your classroom and bring education to life. Make coursework more engaging with limited resources. Video conferencing solutions for education, from Lifesize, let educators enhance their curricula without straining resources. Collaboration is one of the most important tools in education. Video conferencing solutions help foster effective collaboration and enable a more engaging learning experience. Learning opportunities are optimised when they are streamed, recorded and available for replay with the push of a button. Lifesize enables the

the team will be showcasing SIMS Connector, BioStore and KYOCERA’s HyPAS apps for the education sector including Teaching Assistant which automatically marks student papers on the KYOCERA MFP, ensuring accurate test reporting and allowing teachers more time to focus on their students. KYOCERA will have a stand that covers all the bases for schools to help manage their documents and develop the curriculum while saving them time and money. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 710 3104 info@duk.kyocera.com www.kyoceraineducation.co.uk

Managing the digitisation process of transforming paper documents Now every office worker and student will be relieved from the often exhausting and time-consuming task of copying office folders, stapled documents, magazines or books. The new Zeutschel zeta makes copies of bound documents easy, fast and in an astonishing quality. And above all, with its stylish design, zeta is just as stunning as your newest gadget. The multifunctional system uses the technical advantages of overhead scanning. On zeta, all originals are lying on their back and are carefully scanned from the top. The user simply turns the page after each copy without having to spend time removing and repositioning the documents. With its intuitive user-interface and scan preview, the integraded touch screen offers ease-of-use. The intelligent software has been engineered to optimise

your copying results. Disturbing elements like folder mechanisms with levers or document holes are simply removed, Zeta takes up much less space than a conventional A3 copier including paper magazine. You can check, print or mail your data, save it to USB stick, send it to your mobile device, dropbox account or provide it for download via FTP. This is how you can save paper and help protect the environment today. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0330 2230170 tking@zeutscheluk.co.uk www.zeutscheluk.co.uk

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

delivery of education in HD video whether from the comfort of a desk or on a mobile device while on the go. Lifesize UVC Video Centre offers integration via a simple plug-in with the Blackboard LearnTM platform, which serves thousands of higher education, professional, corporate and government organisations. Video conferencing is more cost effective than you might think. Explore how Lifesize can help you optimise your learning with a free 30 day trial. FURTHER INFORMATION 01285 868 500 sales_uk@zycko.com www.zycko.com/lifesize/

Providing schools with the tools for science success Scientific and Chemical Supplies (SciChem) is the leading distributor of science equipment to schools in the UK. With a long heritage of providing the latest innovations to school science labs throughout the country, SciChem is proud to be the exclusive distributor for PASCO, bringing you the latest in datalogging solutions for primary, secondary, and university level science. The PASCO sensors and interfaces are fully integrated with your systems whether your school uses iPads, Android tablets or Desktops. The free SPARKvue app brings wireless data collection and analysis to your tablet – simply connect your tablet to the Bluetoothenabled Airlink 2 then plug in your PASPORT sensor. Not only is it easy to collect and analyse data, students and teachers can easily share data and collaborate on lab activities in real time. Visit SciChem at BETT 2016 to get hands on experience with the company’s range of

datalogging equipment and also discover SciChem’s latest introduction – the Spark Element – a tablet designed specifically for use in the science lab. SciChem is the UK’s leading provider of curriculum-relevant science equipment - its staff has extensive laboratory experience and is always on hand to offer practical advice, carry out equipment demonstrations and provide technical expertise. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01902 402 402 customerservices@ scichem.com education.scichem.com

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

EVENT PREVIEW  recognises that each school’s needs are very specific. The Think IT team does not dictate the products that each school must take but gives it the freedom to choose. WisePay provides a suite of unrivalled, managed services to schools, colleges and universities, including online payment, enrolment, booking and shop services, all automatically integrated with email and text communications. Featured for the first time at Bett on Stand A120 will be the latest updated version of the WisePay Sports Bookings, Activity Management and Gym Subscription Service, the Parent Evening Booking Service and the Holiday Activity Booking Service. All services are designed to be easy to navigate by parents and students.

mobile app on any Apple, Android and Windows device. It’s the ideal tool for planning your days at the show and ensuring you use your time effectively! Decide which speakers you want to hear from and plan your schedule; find out who else is attending those sessions and strike up a conversation; plan your way around the show floor; and keep a record of your favourite speakers, exhibitors and products, all via the Bett app. You can also get involved in a fun Bett game, and gain points for things like checking into sessions, and sharing information on social media. The person who finishes at the top of the leader board at the end of the show wins an exciting prize!

Visit T the BET at websiteom and w.c bettsho ad the Bett downloobile app on 2016 m ple, Android any Ap Windows and RAISING MONEY device Children and young people across

‘APPY PLANNING To help you plan your visit to Bett 2016, you can of course visit the Bett website. You can also download the Bett 2016

the country benefit from their education every day, and will certainly benefit from the knowledge and resources on show at Bett. This year, Bett is going the extra mile to ensure that the show will also benefit those children who aren’t well enough to be in school. Therefore, the show is raising money for Great Ormond Street, the UK’s leading children’s hospital. The money raised will specifically go towards building an isolation

facility, which will enable parents to stay with their children when their conditions mean they can’t stay on the wards, in specially designed isolation rooms with ‘parent corners’. Just one of these rooms costs £100,000, which calls for some extreme fundraising. So, the Bett team travelled to China as part of its fundraising. The Bett Show’s very own Lauren Pitts and Charlotte Simpson donned their walking boots and backpacks and trekked the Great Wall of China. Over five days, they walked 85K – the equivalent of walking the length of the Bett Show floor 196 times! Speaking before the walk, Mark Shashoua, CEO of i2i Events Group, Bett event organisers, commented: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Bett team in the Great Wall of China Trek. We have admired the hard work and dedication of staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and with our collective efforts, we look forward to raising money to help the hospital transform the lives of sick children from all over the UK in better facilities.” L

Keep up to date with the latest news and announcements by following @ Bett_Show on Twitter, and join #BettChat fortnightly on Tuesdays at 4:30pm, to discuss topics at the heart of the industry. FURTHER INFORMATION www.bettshow.com

Promethean’s ActivPanel: encouraging collaboration in the classroom

Providing networking, storage and security solutions without the cost

Collaboration is fast being recognised as an important learning practice, giving students the long-term skills that will benefit them beyond their school journey. This means schools must provide a structured and collaborative setting to allow students to develop these skills. Specifically optimised for education settings, Promethean’s ActivPanel enables up to ten unique touches for whole-class, individual, one-to-one, and smallteam learning simultaneously. With unique ActivGlide technology, the ActivPanel glass surface eliminates the risk of finger burn and enables content to be viewed with great clarity. The ActivPanel is available in four sizes to suit the needs of each classroom, including 55-inch, 65‑inch and 70-inch highdefinition displays as well as an ultra-high‑definition 84-inch model. The ActivPanel supports

NETGEAR is a global networking company offering a wide range of innovative networking products to ensure that connectivity is easy, reliable and affordable and designed just for your educational establishment. NETGEAR is changing the economics of networking, ensuring easy‑to‑use, scalable and efficient wireless networking and storage solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company’s products come with industry-leading warranty coverage and technical support including lifetime warranty, lifetime next business day shipping and lifetime technical support on all ProSAFE® wireless and switching products. NETGEAR’s advanced range of products are simple to install

Windows 7, Windows 8, Mac OS X, Linux and Chromebook OS for plug-and‑play operation in almost any school’s technology environment. Included with the ActivPanel is Promethean’s award-winning software, ActivInspire. Supplied as standard it’s optimised for use on the ActivPanel. ActivInspire gives teachers the ability to access a wealth of teaching activities, tools, images, sounds, templates and additional resources, providing teachers with the technology and content required to help implement collaborative learning in practice. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01254 298598 www.prometheanworld.com

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and easy to maintain, delivering reliable and affordable networking solutions for your educational establishment. The company frequently undertakes site surveys of schools, colleges and academies and is focused on finding the right solution for your specific educational needs. Find out how NETGEAR can help you achieve more on stand G330 at the Bett Show. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01344 458200 uksales@netgear.com www.netgear.co.uk

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

News: Text in Behaviour Register

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Incidents Over Time 1,000

Kingstone Primary St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Primary

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AV TECHNOLOGY

Mark Chambers, CEO of Naace, interviewed a selection of head teachers about the factors they consider when purchasing AV technologies for their school, how they manage curriculum development and what they’ve found to work in their classrooms For over a decade, technology has been gradually transforming the education sector. The increased variety of equipment and software means that technology is no longer restricted to the ICT classroom. Many schools are now using display and projection equipment to enhance their pupils’ learning experience through visual and interactive activities in every subject. But with the constant evolution of technology, schools often find themselves under pressure to keep up with recent trends, while also having to weigh up the benefits with the cost of investment. The last 15 years have seen a massive investment into technology for classrooms. In 2000, we saw computer numbers in schools increase to over 800,000, a third of which were laptops, and nine in 10 schools had internet access. By 2003, schools were expected to spend around £65 million on dedicated ICT budgets, but one of the most prominent developments in classroom technology was the investment of around £200 million in interactive whiteboards, which had reached 58.3 per cent of schools by 2004, and is now the most commonly used piece of AV classroom technology (BESA Historic ICT in UK State Schools, 2015). In Japan, there are on average two interactive whiteboards per school, whereas in the UK, most if not all classrooms will feature an interactive front-of-house display. But a new wave of innovation in educational technology has begun. In 2015, schools are now benefitting from

a huge range of new equipment, devices, and software helping to increase student engagement and diversify lessons. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The acceleration and improvement of touch screen technology has allowed for the development of many new AV products, meaning that there is now an even wider choice of solutions for those who wish to update their classroom technology. For example, some schools are moving away from interactive whiteboards to use flat panel displays, which draw upon LED screen technology used in modern TVs. The main advantage of this is the heightened detail of the display. For example, in maths, when presenting a graph, the greater clarity will make grid lines far more visible and allow for greater precision in interacting with the screen. Flat panel displays are also much more energy efficient and low maintenance, producing little to no excess heat or noise, and unlike interactive whiteboards, with TV-style screens, teachers no longer have to squint through the beam of the projector while delivering their lessons. Tablets and handheld devices have also been a consideration for classrooms looking to increase student engagement with the

front-of-house display. Using whiteboards meant that students could go to the front of the classroom and control the material on the screen, but more recently, mirror image apps have been created that connect devices to the display so that children can view and interact with the material remotely from their desks. Apple TVs have been fairly popular in this way, as an increasing number of students have iPads with which they can engage with the display, but there are alternatives. Software such as SMART 14, Promethean ClassFlow and Squirrel Reflector create a two‑way interface between the screen and the user in the classroom, which can be run through smartphones or laptops using the school’s Wi-Fi connection at a fraction of the price. Another key benefit of tablets being identified by schools is the ability to use the screen shot function and camera apps to capture the outcomes of work digitally, so that they can be annotated and stored on the school network, which helps to create a detailed record of work while reducing paper trails in the process. Tablets are likely to become more popular as they become more efficient and user friendly, and as a E

Written by Mark Chambers, Naace

Classroom AV: what should you consider?

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Table now be ts can used in place o f a position visualiser, in the c ed anywhere capture lassroom to various and project skil methodls and s

AV MOUNTING SOLUTIONS From standard wall and ceiling mounts for screens and projectors to nesting and dry erase board trolleys – UNICOL has the answer Unicol has been designing and manufacturing a comprehensive range of mounting equipment for over 50 years either as standard assemblies or as custom made items, from ‘one-off ’ specials to large scale projects.

Collaboration Schools around the globe are engaging in collaborative learning projects and Unicol’s Rhobus Huddle (shown above) can be expanded for video conferencing to connect teachers and students. Even the most fundamental collaborative devices, the humble dry-erase board and flip chart have been replaced by an electronic equivalent, the Smart Kapp board, which Unicol have a trolley for.

Future Classroom Space

Smart Kapp 42 trolley

As technology asks questions of future teaching methods the classroom of the future may not be a classroom at all, just an open space that provides a focal point for students and teachers who are already connected via their phones. This space may be used for discussion, planning or collaboration. It is probable that these spaces will require more TV displays and video walls / LED panel arrays. Such AV installations need to be flexible so the space can be populated with devices when the need arises and when numbers of students dictate it.

Call our experienced team now for advice: 01865 767676 sales@unicol.com

BYOD

Nest-Star space saving trolleys shown with 55” screens. Up to 84” can be mounted including the Microsoft Surface Hub

Apple App

Android App

Bring Your Own Device has been with us for a number of years and Unicol was quick to provide the mounts for Barco Click Share projectors (shown above).

BS8590 Did you know there is an AV British Standard? BS8590 – The code of practice for the installation of audio visual equipment. Your installer should be following this code.

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AV TECHNOLOGY Mark Chambers, CEO, Naace

a particular art technique. This form of instructional teaching is highly effective and still has its place in the classroom, so schools that have invested in visualisers should still make use of them, as they can project images without the need for photographing or converting them for use on the display. KEY CONCERNS FOR SCHOOLS There are two main considerations when it comes to investing in new classroom technology: price and longevity. The interactive whiteboards used in most schools will now be over 10 years old, so when weighing up the costs and benefits of upgrading, one of the most common questions asked by governors is ‘how long will it last?’ The standard warranty and expected life span on flat panel displays is shorter; between three and seven years. At the same time, new technology does come at a cost. For example, replacing the bulbs in a whiteboard projector every two to three years is far cheaper at £250, whereas investing in a flat panel display with touch screen capabilities and a life span based on hours of use, will cost around £2500. But these costs are dropping, and if this trend continues, schools will find that purchasing this type of technology will not be as expensive as they may have thought. The same is true of tablets. The majority of schools cannot currently provide a 1:1 ratio of devices to students and will often have shared devices. But as many children are gaining access to personal tablets, iPads and smartphones, some schools are considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) models. There are safety and security risks, discrimination considerations and pricing policies that need to be established for this strategy to work well, but this could be a viable option in the foreseeable future. The important thing to remember when

 large number of students have access to this technology already, they will most likely be able to adapt to it quickly and enthusiastically. In fact, the low cost and mobility of tablets is resulting in schools forecasting that by 2016, 37 per cent of all computer hardware in schools would be tablet devices: a 13 per cent increase on last year’s prediction (BESA Tablet and Connectivity, 2014). Visualisers and document cameras are another option that work very similarly to traditional overhead projectors, transferring real-time digital images of documents or objects to the front-of-house display. The concept of visualisation has remained a prominent feature of teaching, but specialist visualiser hardware has taken a hit in the market due to the development of mirroring software and apps. Tablets can now be used in place of a visualiser, positioned anywhere in the classroom to capture and project various skills and methods, for example, presenting a science experiment up close, or demonstrating

GREEN LANE PRIMARY SCHOOL Kevin Holland, head teacher at Green Lane Primary School, Bradford said: “Longevity of equipment is really important, so when purchasing new AV technologies, I always think about what it will look like in five years’ time. We generally buy the very latest in technology, provided that it is fit for purpose, rather than equipment which may be obsolete very quickly. We always have a definite purpose in mind for our equipment, so instead of just buying for technology’s sake, we often buy a small number to pilot first. “We evaluate the choices in terms of how little management they need to function properly in the classroom and how effective they are in supporting learning. We began with trialling iPads, but found managing them to be time consuming. We then bought Microsoft Surfaces which integrated into our classrooms much better. Because we work with Microsoft across the network, any mobile devices used need to have that capability. “Finally, the cost of maintaining equipment is a major concern. Most of our classrooms have an LCD touch screen. We still have a few legacy projectors, but we moved away from these as they required a great deal of upkeep. We constantly had to call out technicians to change bulbs and clean filters. “Technology promotes independence in children’s learning so that they take responsibility of their own improvements and progress. Pupils shouldn’t see ICT as just a skill they have to learn, but a tool that maximises their capacity. In addition to our AV and tablet provision, we have 200 desktops and 250 Kindles in the school to promote this. We also have 100 mobile phones, used by teachers to take photographs of work to share with the class and access our Sharepoint network. “In terms of staff development, we have seven assistant heads, who are responsible for

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Flat panel displays are also much more energy efficient and low maintenance, producing little to no excess heat or noise, and unlike interactive whiteboards, with TV-style screens, teachers no longer have to squint through the beam of the projector while delivering their lessons purchasing new technology is to think long term; higher prices may be off-putting in the short term, but in the long run, you will benefit from better quality and the total cost of ownership will be more than parity. Being able to keep up with these trends is critical for schools, especially now that most young pupils will have grown up surrounded by technology. By adopting new equipment and methods, schools can revitalise lessons and increase that all-important engagement factor in the classroom.

the ICT development within their year group. They are known as Pupil Progress Leaders (PPLs), who move up from one year to the next with the children, so they understand their abilities, and the curriculum that needs to be delivered. Through a transfer of skills and knowledge, the PPLs can identify where training is needed and maximise its effectiveness. We also have an ICT teacher, who is responsible for monitoring the future trends for ICT development in the curriculum. “We spent a lot of time making sure that E

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AV TECHNOLOGY  the school’s infrastructure would support our technology provision. Sometimes you have to be brave and rip the existing wiring out to start again. With the importance of data, schools simply can’t have the servers powering the whole school situated in classrooms, as they may be turned off accidentally, leading to serious data protection issues. “For children, AV tech in the classroom is a given. It’s part of their modern day life, so they almost expect it! It is an inevitable part of the workforce of the future and therefore the pupils are right it must be their entitlement.” GEORGE SPENCER ACADEMY Paul Hynes, deputy head teacher at George Spencer Academy, Nottingham said: “We’ve installed a number of touch screen monitors and high-definition TVs, especially in our new builds, having moved on from the traditional projectors as the new screen technology on TVs is worth the extra cost. The pedagogy that’s been used for hundreds of years, describing a topic that’s displayed across the room shows that having this front-of-house element is still one of the most effective ways of teaching. “The screens have been really easy to implement, as most of our staff, including newly recruited teachers, are often already

well-versed in using the core software, whether that’s Powerpoint or Prezi, so there isn’t much training involved in this. We also use visualisers, which have had a number of benefits in our classrooms. For one, they save on a great deal of photocopying, as

extensive research into how to maximise their classroom effect, including both the observations of teachers, and ideas from our student digital leaders, deciding where the technology would be best placed. “From doing consultancy work with other

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In Japan, there are on average two interactive whiteboards per school, whereas in the UK, most if not all classrooms will feature an interactive front-of-house display documents can be shown to the class in real‑time, including past exam papers. All of our staff have had the visualisers demonstrated to them, and then it is up to the various faculties to decide if and how they want to use them. For example, technology and science lessons have benefitted from the ability to zoom in on physical objects, such as circuitry or practical demonstrations. “Teachers will test classroom ideas using the visualisers, which will then be discussed at the faculty CPD sessions, before being integrated into the scheme of work taught by all teachers in the department. Students really enjoy the visualisers, and we did

schools, it seems that the trend is moving towards a one-device-per-child model, especially in newer schools, taking away the need for a screen at the front of the classroom, as the work can be transferred directly from the teacher’s computer to their tablets. This isn’t something we would currently do, as even with a bring-your-own-device model, the devices can be very different and that makes it harder to implement effectively.” ARDLEIGH GREEN JUNIOR SCHOOL John Morris, Ardleigh Green Junior School said: “The three most important factors we consider when making AV purchases E

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Primary Goal aims to provide specialist support to those educational establishments who would like to inspire and engage their children, provide professional development to teachers and improve their existing Ofsted grading. Making the Computing Curriculum Simple Computing Curriculum Teaching Computing Curriculum Support Teacher Partnership

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Key Features ● Achieve improved Ofsted grading by integrating the Computing Curriculum at the heart of your school/academy timetable ● Captivate learners with exciting and engaging lesson plans for computer programming ● Inspire teachers to feel confident when programming ● Audit existing Computing Curriculum ● Radio Workshops ● Teacher Partnerships ● Progression Tool kits

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AV TECHNOLOGY  are the product’s value for money, whether it is suitable for the needs of the school and how easy it is for staff to use them. “At Ardleigh Green Junior School, we use interactive whiteboards as the primeteaching

Technology enhances learning. It gives staff access to a wide range of resources to support teaching and engages and enthuses children in the learning environment. It also has the potential to develop personalised

For children, AV tech in the classroom is a given. It’s part of their modern day life, so they almost expect it. It is an inevitable part of the workforce of the future and therefore the pupils are right it must be their entitlement tool. In addition, we have a variety of devices such as laptops, handheld devices and microphones to be used in various ways. Increasingly, we’re using iPads in the classroom, especially for working with Scratch and conducting individual research. If the children have a task to undertake, we will give them the freedom to select the technology that they think will be best suited to complete the activity. “Curriculum and staff development are an integral part of teaching and learning in our school. Technology and staff training go hand-in-hand, and we look for opportunities to use AV in our curriculum planning sessions.

learning systems, where children have the opportunity to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding in a variety of ways, depending on the task and the type of technology used to complete it. One of our pupils said that he can’t imagine school without technology. “That being said, we do not use technology simply for technology’s sake; there are some times where it isn’t appropriate. We always begin with considering our teaching and learning programme, identifying the knowledge, skills, and understanding the childrens needs. Application is a crucial part of primary pedagogy, so we also think through

how the children will use these skills in practice, before considering whether technology will be appropriate. What we’re seeking to do is provide the equipment and resources for staff and pupils to extend learning where they can.”

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RAPID CHANGES So there you have it. AV technologies have become a central part of today’s classrooms. Projectors are still in use across many schools in the UK, but becoming ever more popular is the use of LCD screens and tablet devices. The key advice is to plan well. These technologies can be a significant investment, so preparing the training and implementation strategies needed in order for AV tech to function effectively must be considered a priority. Another issue that schools need to address is infrastructure. With new technologies rapidly replacing older models, the provision of power and access needed can often be outdated and incompatible with new investments. Technology can be a very powerful tool in teaching and learning, but significant time must be set aside for testing, evaluating and implementing any new purchase. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.naace.co.uk

TY SECURI B E W ENABLE G FOR A LOOKIN DESIGNED TO IT? ON CK SOLUTI ING, NOT BLO N LEAR The Internet has opened a new world of learning resources and the growth of mobile technology has put these resources into the hands of students and teachers both in and out of the classroom. However, this has led to the targeting of schools by criminal hackers determined on accessing student data.

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Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Advertisement Feature

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

IT & COMPUTING

ADVERTISEMENT THE DIGITAL FEATURE SCHOOLHOUSE UPPER CASE PROJECT HEADLINE

The curriculum is now in force, and have Obit,new elit computing eum doloriatur sam reprae voluptatur? Qui lessons officiis cum to be carefullyhitmapped the exceaqui curriculum programmes of La study. escipicipsam exerferionto quibus, omnis sinctatem. The Digital Schoolhouse can help schools digitally progress non non nossi ute dis rest dolupta acescipsant everum que nis In January 2012 something radical happened. The UK government replaced an outdated ICT curriculum with a new computing curriculum – bringing in a new era of experimentation and innovation for computing and computational thinking. The challenge for many schools has been how to deliver this new curriculum. The Digital Schoolhouse programme has been created to help primary and secondary schools make this transition, inspiring pupils with fresh, creative ways of learning and giving confidence, motivation and support to teachers through personalised and sustained CPD. A head teacher of a secondary Digital Schoolhouse said: “At a time of considerable curriculum change our computing teachers have benefitted from timely specialist inservice training from Digital Schoolhouse. And it will be making a difference to children.” HUBS OF EXCELLENCE Delivered by the trade body for video games and wider interactive entertainment, Ukie, and supported by the Mayor of London’s London Schools Excellence Fund; the programme turns secondary schools into Digital Schoolhouse hubs of excellence for their local areas. This includes providing teacher training, play-based lesson plans and new resources, often developed in partnership with tech industry experts. Primary school classes, from Year 5 upwards, then attend sessions at the local Digital Schoolhouse where the primary teachers learn alongside their pupils through creative computing workshops. The primary teacher is provided with ongoing personalised support and follow up activities to continue with back at school. A primary school teacher commented: “Attending a Digital Schoolhouse workshop really motivates you to go back to your own school and do more computing.” The new computing curriculum places computational thinking and creativity at its core. The opening quote from the Computing National Curriculum asks for a computing education that ‘equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world’ – a truly

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

inspiring ask! But it’s easier said than done. Creative learning needs the right conditions, including a playful state of mind; time and space to think; and the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other. Digital Schoolhouses creates these conditions and teaches Computer Science and the fusion of art and science (‘STEAM’) through activities such as dance, art, mathematics, literacy,

workshop developed in collaboration with Disney and Playniac; ‘Loopy Games’ developed with Kuato Studios and an offline board game developed in collaboration with game developers Code Kingdoms to teach programming concepts. Collaborations of this sort with the games industry have been invaluable. By using industry expertise, we have been able to ensure that our learners are fully up to speed with the methodologies and practices of this fast moving sector - preparing children for viable career options from the outset. Daniel O’Sullivan, COO at DSH partner, Code Kingdoms, said: “The Digital Schoolhouse operates in a fantastic sweet spot to connect schools with industry and professional development so that teachers are up-skilled and our students inspired by computing.” The programme has been a proven success. We started with only eight Digital Schoolhouses and in one year alone we were able to support over 5,500 pupils, 600 teachers and over 80 primary schools. We’re now ready to roll out Digital Schoolhouses throughout the country.

Daniel O’Sullivan, COO at DSH partner, Code Kingdoms, said: “The Digital Schoolhouse operates in a fantastic sweet spot to connect schools with industry and professional development so that teachers are up-skilled and our students inspired by computing.” magic, games and much more besides. A primary school pupil said: “Cool! Learning what an algorithm is and how we use it in our daily life. It was super interesting. I loved the robot dance. Great workshop.” INVALUABLE COLLABORATIONS This has resulted in some truly unique resources, such as Making Faces – an activity that uses Play Doh; ‘Oddventurous Gaming’

So if you’re: a secondary schools wanting to become new Digital Schoolhouse hub in your area; a digital creative business who wants to partner with us to the develop exciting new resources; or a corporate partner looking to work more closely with schools and support our expansion across the UK. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.digitalschoolhouse.org.uk

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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

From the heart of the digital classroom, Mary Palmer, director of Techknowledge for Schools, shares the experience of Emma Beamish on the rise of mobile connected teaching at Longfield Academy Education is about enabling progress, and I know that technology is enabling me to individualise pupil progress more easily.”

It’s well documented that the use of tablets and other mobile devices in lessons emphasises and develops collaboration skills. Most teachers cite this as the greatest benefit alongside speed of research. Pupils can lead their own learning through independent research by working in groups to solve problems and present solutions. Collaboration is encouraged and accepted as a way of discovering answers, asking peers for support or feedback and sharing findings with the group and the teacher. Our ‘Transforming Learning’ research looks even further beyond these benefits to analyse with teachers and pupils how new flipped, challenge‑based and blended learning methods compare with more traditional methods. TABLETS IN THE CLASSROOM Emma Beamish teaches English at Longfield Academy in Dartford, where iPads are embedded in teaching and learning and have been in use on a one-to-one basis since 2011. Emma believes that mobile technology can break down multiple barriers to literacy and learning for students. She said: “If you want students to ‘own’ their learning, if you want them to learn to study independently and if you want to inspire creativity, then give them a personal device that crosses the boundaries between gaming and study, pleasure and work. It fits with students’ lifestyles and abilities and they already have this technology in their pocket.” In other research by the charity, volumes of

TEACHER TRAINING Longfield prepared itself for the introduction of mobile devices for a whole year (Wi-Fi, broadband, IT infrastructure) and offered professional development to all staff before the tablets were deployed, during the period of transition, and since deployment. The training was organised both internally and externally and focused on technical advice but mostly on supporting staff in using the tablets in lessons. Emma believes it needn’t be intimidating: “The thing about technology is that different teachers can hook onto different ideas and apps and play to the strengths of the pupils. As for teacher confidence and training, it’s not all ‘out there’ somewhere, the knowledge about mobile tech, it’s with us, all the time, on our own devices. We need to familiarise ourselves. “For language-based subjects, any device that can manipulate language is useful. Learning becomes more interesting. Clicking and interacting to drag words into a different order to demonstrate grammatical points, selecting alternative words and phrases in an instant – it’s all a way of making learning fun. Teaching in this way immediately breaks down barriers between the text and the pupil. For children with special needs, it’s incredibly useful to be able to change font type, size and colour to enable them to view text differently. “Using technology in class increases a teacher’s ability to be flexible. Marking is a lot quicker and marks can be notated for the pupil’s benefit and for further discussion and shared with parents. It also forces you to prepare your lessons better, with slideshows and signposts that create a journey for the pupils. Eventually we should all be in a position where no-one is re-inventing the wheel any more in preparing their classes.” L

Pupils nd share a ate r collabo chers, a with te em useful g th showin cations and appli use mobile ‘tablet use’ best practice ways to ices for have been uncovered dev for every type of subject. Longfield Academy introduced learning personal devices as far back as 2011 because they believed it would support anytime, anywhere learning and enable independent research and problem‑solving. Teachers there use Google Apps for teacher-pupil-parent emails and document sharing and, in order to maintain enthusiasm among pupils, there are IT champions who run an iBar during break times. Pupils share and collaborate there with teachers, showing them useful applications and ways to use mobile devices for learning. Emma explains why she’s a fan of using technology to teach English: “The first thing I’d mention is speed. If you’re researching themes in a Shakespeare play, then instead of spending five hours in the library to find all the references to those themes, you can find them in five minutes and spend those hours analysing them – a far better use of time. The same if you want to compare ‘1984’ to ‘Brighton Rock’ – in seconds you can find 12 different newspaper articles with incredibly useful comparison material. “Working this way simply reflects the growth of constant multitasking in the real world. It’s integral to the working world that pupils will face and we’re simply helping to shape the way they learn to do it. It’s not the tech that’s teaching the pupils. You still need a human to understand how humans learn.

Written by Mary Palmer, Techknowledge for Schools

Transforming the classroom with tablets

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FURTHER INFORMATION www.techknowledge.org.uk

Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

The Home of Visual Literacy www.literacyshed.com After 4 years and with over 2.5 million users, The Literacy Shed is continuing to unearth a wealth of film and image resources from across the internet and deliver them to classrooms in a school friendly package. Film and animations are accessible for all; they provide a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning experience for all children regardless of ability. The films allow children to build upon their home literacies in the classroom, allowing them to be engaged in the text based learning system that some of them can sometimes be indifferent to. The Literacy Shed makes it easy for teachers to include film and animations in their lessons as they are grouped into shed according to their themes. There are lesson ideas, writing activities and curriculum links included too. How much is it going to cost you to use it? Nothing! It is free to everyone and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even need to login. So why not try it today? You will be amazed at the impact it has on your students writing.

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DIGITAL RESOURCES

Flipping the script on digital resources

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Wider access to technology makes it possible for students to have direct access to to a wide range of digital resources. Education Business analyses NFER and Nesta’s ‘Flipped Learning’ report to better understand how these can be utilised

The use of technology in schools is still a heavily debated topic. An investigation carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in September 2015 suggested that the use of technology in schools does not improve pupil’s performance, and concluded that frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results. However, in contrast to this, recent research from Techknowledge for Schools has found that 87 per cent of teachers surveyed believe that learning with technology can help students ‘be eager to explore new things’. Additionally, a study from the National Literacy Trust on the effects of ebooks on reading progress suggested that boys were keener to read ebooks than their paper counterparts, with ebooks facilitating a 25 per cent rise in the number of pupils who read daily and a 22 per cent increase in those who read for an hour or longer. Amidst conflicting opinions regarding learning with technology, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and Nesta have published a research report, entitled ‘Flipped Learning: Using online video to transform learning’, that examines how digital resources can be utilised in and out of the classroom. ONLINE RESOURCES The use of video resources to enhance learning has been widely practiced for a number of years, but the proliferation of connected devices now makes it possible for pupils to interact and achieve more independent and investigative learning with online content. The NFER and Nesta study took place over the academic year 2014-15 in nine case-study schools, which all piloted a flipped learning approach to the topic of

mathematics that lasted around half a term. Flipped learning involves the use of digital technology for students to access resources that provide direct instruction on new concepts outside of the classroom. Teachers were asked to use online curriculum resources, including instructional videos, exercises and reporting functions. They selected resources that aligned with the curriculum and their own approach to teaching, as well as materials they felt were appropriate to the age range and abilities of their students.

reported that students found lessons and homework more ‘fun’ as a result of using online resources. In some cases, students said that increased enjoyment of lessons was changing their attitude towards maths as a subject, with some who previously said they ‘hated’ maths now saying they enjoyed it. Schools reported that this increase in engagement has had a positive impact on students’ knowledge and confidence. The study found that the use of online resources and video content helped students

The use of video resources to enhance learning has been widely practiced for a number of years, but the proliferation of connected devices now makes it possible for pupils to achieve more independent and investigative learning Most of the schools in the study implemented flipped learning with pupils undertaking online instructional learning for homework prior to lessons, but some modified this approach to provide access to resources within lessons, or homework sessions outside normal lessons. This then allowed teachers to spend more time in lessons coaching and facilitating learning and less time providing whole class instruction and demonstration. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Teachers involved in the study reported a range of improvements in the quality of teaching and learning through the better use of online resources. One of the most important impacts was increased student engagement. Both students and teachers

to work independently, which resulted in the realisation that they could be successful in the classroom. Additionally, this independent approach enabled students to gain a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, with teachers reporting that students became much better at assessing their own learning. A big facilitator of this was online exercises that can give immediate feedback, which allows pupils to understand which areas they need to spend more time working on. One teacher noted: “The approach is making students more aware of what they do and don’t know, and enabling them, in some cases, to remedy areas they need to do more work on by independently working through particular activities.” Students involved in the study also E

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SUEZ: When did you last rearrange the furniture? When did you last replace your furniture? Universities and higher education estates with a housed student population will often face an administrative burden when replacing furniture and fixtures in halls of residence. The problem with these larger items is that they are bulky and difficult to get rid of when they need replacing, especially when it comes to items like mattresses that usually don’t get reused. With the current weight-based waste metrics in the UK, it is good practice to tackle the heavier, bulkier items of waste as a priority. Avoiding landfill where possible is a great way to reduce environmental impact but, if not landfill, where does bulky waste go? SUEZ and the RSA’s (Royal Society of Arts, Commerce and Manufactures) Great Recovery project has recently published a report Rearranging the Furniture, that was a result of a 10- day long design residency, during which staff from the project were able to speak to several community stakeholders, including a furniture reuse scheme in Kingston, Surrey. Whilst conducting the research, it became

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

clear that an often cited barrier to reuse of bulky waste was the removal of fire labels from items of furniture such as sofas and mattresses. Without these, bulky waste cannot be accepted by reuse organisations – so it ends up in a landfill instead. Not only is this a waste of resources and embodied energy, it is also costly. Landfill Tax in the UK is currently nearly £83 per tonne, and set to rise steadily in years to come. In a new world of cost-savings and post recession efficiency targets, in conjunction

with social responsibility objectives, it seems reuse is an attractive avenue for removal of bulky waste. Even with this reuse approach in mind, it is important to educate the student community as to why these labels can’t be removed – they are unsightly and may get in the way, but perhaps with some imaginative communication their removal can be stopped. Many reuse organisations will collect useable items for free, which can cut removal costs whilst benefitting the immediate community and reducing the amount of material sent to landfill – what’s not to love? Rearranging the Furniture concludes with insights for all aspects of the supply chain, including waste managers. For more information about SUEZ please visit the company website. Download a free copy of the report by visiting this link: http://www.sita.co.uk/downloads/ RearrangingTheFurnitureReport-1509-web.pdf FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0870 421 1122 www.sita.co.uk

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DIGITAL RESOURCES  appeared to progress faster. The report suggests that quicker progress was related to students spending more time on homework, which is related to the increased enjoyment of using interactive and video resources, as well as increased engagement with their own learning. Despite the majority of students reportedly benefitting from the flipped learning approach, the increased independence that online resources gave students did not benefit every student. The report highlights that some students who struggled with mathematics had not benefitted as much from this approach. In some cases this was due to poor organisational skills, but the study also found that some students would become frustrated when they could not understand something and a teacher was not present to help explain it to them.

steps to ensure the pupils or their families would not incur any personal financial costs. Not every school was successful in providing regular access to the required resources for all pupils. One school in Scotland noted that a lack of consistent access to technology was the limiting factor that prevented them from adopting a flipped learning approach. This was often down to the age and condition of technology in pupils home, as well as problems

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY A key consideration in enabling this kind of study is the access to technology, which is essential for allowing pupils to view video content and access online exercises. One school provided tablets to all students, which they were able to use both in school and at home. This made it easy for pupils to access online resources and enabled them to engage with the work without being distracted by not having up to date technology. However, the report notes that one to one access is not necessarily essential, and schools involved in the study used a range of approaches to ensure pupils had access to the materials. Some schools made IT facilities available out of regular class time, such as lunch breaks and after school as part of homework sessions. One school timetabled one maths class a week in an IT suite with computers for all students, allowing them individual access to the resources within school time, and others used more traditional methods such as projectors to share resources to the whole class. Another school also encouraged pupils to use their own mobile devices. However, the teacher took special considerations to make pupils aware of data usage, taking

with the speed of internet connection. Pupils reported issues in loading videos and being unable to install the correct software, which ultimately inhibited their use of the resources. A teacher commented: “It falls down quickly when you’ve got disparity of provision. If you can’t get all your pupils to access it or there’s even small access issues, it can knock staff confidence in delivery. It has to be robust.”

More complex material can be better used for extension purposes, allowing pupils to further explore topics at their own pace. Preliminary discussions with teachers suggested a potential barrier to success was the time it would take to check resources and link them to the school curricula. Documents were created that mapped out the available videos and interactive exercises for the target age group to help

Curriculum Resources

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Properly researching the different resources available, as well as a clearly thought out plan for how to use digital resources, can play an important role in ensuring that the most appropriate material is used

THE RIGHT RESOURCES Another key factor in successfully engaging pupils and teachers is identifying the appropriate digital resources. There are a large number of providers that offer online curriculum resources for teachers, ranging from video content to interactive testing. Schools in the study were directed to use the Khan Academy resources, but several teachers decided to use additional or alternative providers that they felt better suited their class and teaching. It is important that teachers consider what digital resources to use, checking the extent to which they match the curriculum and current topic. Looking at teacher feedback from different providers can be helpful for this. Although the study used resources specifically for flipped learning, they can also be used for revision.

teachers better understand what was a available and how it could be used. Many schools identified that these documents were a key factor in enabling success, with one teacher saying it would be ‘impossible’ without them. Across the pilot schools, teachers used the national curricula as a starting point to plan the use of digital materials. Students then had the opportunity to branch off into other areas of learning independently using the online resources. One teacher decided to source video content outside of the mapped resources as they found an alternative site that was already structured to align with curriculum areas. This highlights that time properly researching the different resources available, as well as a clearly thought out plan for how to use digital resources, can play an important role in ensuring that the most appropriate material is used and both pupils and teachers benefit from them. L FURTHER INFORMATION Read the report here: http://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/ files/flipped_learning_-_research_ report_0.pdf

Teacher Training Written by Jonathan Doherty & Kathryn Gerrard, Leeds Trinity University

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STAFF SHORTAGES

The long and short of the UK teacher crisis Jonathan Doherty and Kathryn Gerrard from Leeds Trinity University question whether there has ever been a better time to be a teacher, or are we facing a teacher supply shortage? One of the most discussed topics amongst policy-makers in government and in school staffrooms across the country is the future of our nation’s teachers. Our ambition as a nation is to have a world class education system. We need autonomous, high performing schools where all children progress and achieve their potential and who are taught by the very best teachers. Recruiting, training and developing teachers is crucial for this aspiration to become a reality. Last month, the Schools Minister Nick Gibb was quoted at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester as saying there has never been a better time to be a teacher and pledged to return the profession to its former status. He went on to regale listeners as to the range of routes now available to becoming a teacher, for teachers to teach how they saw best and at the same time enjoying an elevated status, all as a result of Conservative education reforms. He continued, stating the profession is attracting the country’s top graduates, that he believed the prestige of the teaching profession is on the increase. The same day, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan outlined a policy manifesto that would raise standards in schools, tackle failure and improve the quality of teaching in this country. At the heart of the raft of pledges, is to place the very best teachers in the most challenged schools and the commitment to ensure a good primary education for every child. The media paints a different picture. Recent headlines in the Times Educational Supplement have included, ‘Teacher shortages leads schools to spend £733million on supply agencies’; ‘Teacher shortages likely to continue for a decade’; ’90 per cent of teachers consider quitting because of workload, NUT Survey reveals’; ‘Teaching is among the top three most stressed occupations’ and ‘I can be happy – or I can be a teacher’. TEACHER SHORTAGE AND RECRUITMENT The teacher supply model used by the National College indicates that demand for new staff will not peak until 2019, but clearly shows a national teacher shortage that is already underway. The issue has arisen as a result of the boom in birth rates leading to a rise in pupil numbers in schools and under-recruitment to teaching posts over the previous five years.

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53 per cent of teachers are considering leaving teaching according to a recent YouGov poll, and it isn’t just experienced senior staff Whilst the number of primary teachers has increased significantly over the last two to three years (set against a downturn in the number of secondary teachers) this will not be sufficient to deal with the influx of children into primary schools. RETENTION OF EXISTING STAFF Experienced teachers have a wealth of knowledge and skills to offer schools. However, complaints of high workloads, endless accountability and targets, along with insufficient financial reward for the hours in a working week, result in tired and stressed professionals, causing this expertise to be lost by them leaving the profession. 53 per cent of teachers are considering leaving teaching according to a recent YouGov poll, and it isn’t just experienced senior staff. 11,000 young teachers actually leave in training, an exodus that has tripled in the last six years and points to a terrible loss of energy and new talent into teaching. SUBJECT SHORTAGES This is primarily an issue for secondary schools but has a knock-on effect on the primary sector. Specialist subjects like RE, modern

languages and science are habitually short of recruitment targets. As early as 2016, there will be an increased demand for trainee teachers in maths, calculated to be around 3,102. This is a 20 per cent increase on figures for 2015. Maths and english are core subjects in the curriculum. Despite the introduction of the Professional Skills Tests in these subjects that all trainee teachers must pass before their training, the demand for well qualified teachers in primary and secondary schools in these vital subjects continues and their under‑recruitment is already evident in some schools. DEMOGRAPHICS In a number of geographical areas in the UK, there is an acute shortage of qualified primary teachers. In areas of deprivation, many inner city schools struggle to recruit teachers. The same is true for small schools in rural and remote areas. Without a qualified teacher in every classroom in every school, the quality of education for young people is diminishing significantly. The increase in the national vacancy figures since 2010 for state funded primary schools has almost doubled and are now around 1.2 per cent. However, regional

and local figures are not fully represented and ministers may argue that the overall figures are being managed but drilling down area by area tells a different story. Strategies to deal with the crisis include planning strategically for both recruitment and retention of teachers. The current National College for Teaching and Leadership supply model needs reviewing and updating and more support is needed for school leaders to retain experienced teachers five years into the profession and beyond. Ofsted inspections need reframing to reduce the excessive burden they bring for many teachers. Inspections should be about celebrating great teaching and inspectors should capture this evidence. Create a culture of ‘can do’ and risk taking in teaching that is not about teaching to a framework or capped by grade descriptors. By offering better bursaries and incentives, higher quality graduates will be attracted through greater financial incentives. There are a number of these for secondary shortage subjects, for example, £30,000 tax free bursaries exist for graduates with a first class degree to teach Physics. By doing the same for primary teachers, we recognise the unique expertise needed to teach children in the five -11 age range. Additional financial incentives or a waiving of student fees could be offered to teachers choosing to teach in the most deprived areas or in the most challenging schools. We need to better understand the changes in the job market. The average graduate’s starting salary is around £30,000, the gap between graduates in teaching and many other professions is widening. Considerations should be given to ideas such as paid internships for a variety of support roles in schools. By considering a paid gap year for aspiring teachers when they leave secondary school before their degree, will allow valuable experience in schools whilst earning and progressing in the sector. By establishing and allowing relationships to mature between schools and Universities, it will create new, innovative routes into teaching.

INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING Although the demand for teachers nationally is rising, last year the government announced a 15 per cent cut in teacher training places for universities. This doesn’t signal the end of teacher education, but the beginning of a new direction in training for the next generation of teachers. At postgraduate level, trainee teachers on a PGCE programme train for the most part in schools, learning from the best teachers and learning their craft in the classroom. Universities also have an important role in initial teacher training. They complement the work in schools with teaching sessions and provide valuable theoretical knowledge to inform trainees’ understanding of teaching, learning and assessment. Universities have expertise in action research. They have developed years of experience in assessing trainee teachers and developing effective models of training. Schools and universities working together, sharing expertise, is the way forward. This is one way to train future teachers and it is a highly effective one. For students who want to take a longer route into teaching, three year undergraduate courses remain very popular. With time spent both at university and in schools, these trainee teachers receive a full breadth of curriculum teaching, have blocks of teaching each year on their programmes and have more time to reflect on what they have learned and how they teach. The regulatory body, Ofsted, acknowledges that the quality of these different ways into teaching is high and guarantees that our children are taught by the best educators.

these is they want to make a difference to children’s lives. Teachers want to have a lasting effect on students’ lives. High quality education can do this for all children regardless of their social circumstances, where they live, what their parents earn or their race, ability or gender. Great teachers impact powerfully on student achievements in life. A report by the Sutton Trust in 2011, found a 40 per cent difference between pupils learning from a teacher of high quality than from a less effective teacher. Teaching is a powerful agent of change that can transform lives and counter inequality and injustice. Great teachers motivate. They inspire children to do great things. That is why we need to invest in them. Leeds Trinity University has a long and successful history in initial teacher education and training primary teachers of the highest quality. A high proportion of graduates from our PGCE courses are now in senior leadership positions in schools and others are now lecturers on our programmes. At the University, we continue to be proactive in a fast changing educational climate. The University has been able to demonstrate real growth in provision, even set against a landscape of ever increasing emphasis on school-led teacher training. Leeds Trinity University remains proud to deliver 100 per cent employability for Primary Education PGCE graduates. Ultimately, there are certainly issues that need tackling but there are solutions to celebrate the moral imperative to have our children taught by the very best primary school teachers. Teachers shape children’s lives and play a key role in futures. Let’s invest in them properly. L

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WHY BEING A TEACHER IS SO DIFFERENT Being a teacher is so much more than being a statistic. It is a vocation. People become teachers for many reasons and chief amongst

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OIL AND GAS

Maintaining pupil interest in STEM subjects, especially among girls, is of vital importance to industries like oil and gas. OPITO, the skills organisation for the oil and gas industries, believes that common misconceptions and a lack of awareness about careers in the sector are holding back the next generation of STEM talent Studies have shown that when young people start secondary school, just as many girls as boys have positive attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects and careers. From there however this interest wanes, particularly among girls. For industries like oil and gas which rely on a sustainable pipeline of STEM talent, finding ways to inspire, attract and retain young people’s interests in these critical subjects is an increasingly important part of their work. OPITO works closely with its education partners, academia and the industry with a focus on developing new and exciting concepts to engage with schools, parents and pupils to tackle the sector’s requirements for the future generation. John McDonald, managing director of OPITO UK, said: “Many young people don’t know the best place to start researching to find out about the types of roles within

this sector which will match their interests and subject choices. For our industry, which plays a significant role in the UK’s continued economic prosperity, this can have a potentially damaging impact on our ability to secure the workforce of the future. “OPITO has established several successful initiatives across the UK to support teachers, students and parents and help inform them about the opportunities that exist within the oil and gas industry whilst at the same time dispelling some of the myths surrounding the sector.” These perceptions include the thinking that all careers involve working offshore wearing boiler suits and hard hats, that it is dirty and physical work – and an industry dominated by men. McDonald continued: “The impact of these incorrect beliefs is that young people may not necessarily think about the huge number of career opportunities which are open to them in the oil and gas industry. More than 90 per cent of positions within

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the sector are based onshore including lawyers, accountants, geologists, petroleum engineers, HR and admin personnel. “Whilst it is a cyclical industry with peaks and troughs of activity, the action that we and others are taking now is aimed at safeguarding the next generation of talented individuals. Understanding the critical role educators play in that and working in partnership with teachers and education groups sits at the heart of our strategy.”

Written by John McDonald, managing director, OPITO UK

Inspiring educators in the oil and gas industry

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PIPELINE OF INFORMATION Feedback from teachers, career advisors and course tutors has shown that hands-on experience of industries like oil and gas can be invaluable in helping understand how what is delivered in the classroom translates to different careers. Most have no hands-on experience of working in the oil and gas industry and do not feel confident about explaining to pupils why their learning is relevant to a future in the industry. In response to this OPITO staged the inaugural Pipeline of Information initiative last month (November). Teachers, career advisors and educational support organisations from across Norfolk, Suffolk and Hertfordshire attended a series of E

Case Study

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Leading providers of science education equipment, technicians essentials and laboratory supplies SciChem is the leading provider of science education equipment, technicians essentials and laboratory supplies to schools in the UK. At SciChem, staff are passionate about science education, and through a combination of inspirational teachers and its range of high quality, innovative science equipment it can help to inspire tomorrow’s scientists today. SciChem’s core values are rooted in its history as a private, family-owned business. Established in 1957 and remaining as an independently owned company, it continues to build a heritage in order to meet its philosophy of ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’s Scientists Today’. To achieve this, and to meet the needs of the education curriculum, the company’s product portfolio is continually evolving and expanding. SciChem also aims to be at the forefront of technological innovation in the classroom. As the exclusive distributor of PASCO products in the UK, it has unrivalled access to technology-based solutions for hands-on science teaching. The PASCO sensors and interfaces are fully integrated with your systems whether your school uses iPads, Android tablets or desktops. The free SPARKvue app brings wireless data collection and analysis to

your tablet – simply connect your tablet to the Bluetooth-enabled Airlink 2 then plug in your PASPORT sensor. Not only is it easy to collect and analyse data, but students and teachers can easily share data and collaborate on lab activities in real time. Another range that is exclusively available from SciChem is the Lascells range of Physics products. The Lascells brand is at the forefront of British design and engineering. Bringing excitement to experimental studies, the extensive Lascells range is designed by Physics teachers for Physics teachers.

From the seemingly simple Digital Joly Bulb to a Cloud Chamber, using Lascells equipment in the classroom brings a fresh and contemporary approach to Physics lessons. SciChem’s most recent partnership brings the complete range from the Carolina Biological Supply Company to the UK. By consulting with classroom staff, Carolina has been able to develop materials that help teachers engage and motivate students. With a strong focus on kits and equipment for teaching Biology, the range includes preserved specimens, living organisms such as Drosophila, biotechnology kits, genetics materials, microscope slides and many more. However, you will also find kits for teaching Forensic Science, Chemistry and Environmental Science. SciChem is the UK’s leading provider of curriculum-relevant science equipment. Its staff has extensive laboratory experience and are always on hand to offer practical advice, carry out equipment demonstrations and provide technical expertise. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01902 402 402 customerservices@scichem.com education.scichem.com

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OIL AND GAS

 events hosted by five companies in Great Yarmouth and Norwich to help them find out about the range of skills needed by employers. As well as getting the chance to hear direct from companies including Seajacks, Petrofac, Gardline Geosurvey, Proeon and Proserv, participants got the chance to board an offshore support vessel and view a geophysical laboratory. McDonald said: “We targeted our efforts towards teachers and career advisors instead of pupils for this initiative as teachers are the core influencers in the future of the next generation, so it is imperative that they understand more about the routes into the industry. “These events told the oil and gas story from different perspectives, showing the breadth of opportunity that is out there for young people. It not only raised the awareness of the employment opportunities across the most prominent sectors, it also highlighted the opportunities across the UK and worldwide. “Many young people are still unaware of the diversity the sector offers them in terms of career choices. Visitors were inspired by those already working in the sector and saw first-hand how STEM subjects could impact on future career choices.” POWERING THE FUTURE GENERATION Another initiative OPITO is supporting to increase the understanding for teachers, parents and students from across the UK, opened this month (December) at the Glasgow Science Centre. The £1.5 million ‘Powering the Future’ exhibition showcases a series of more than 60 thought provoking interactive exhibits highlighting the innovation and engineering excellence within the industry. The exhibition will be a focal point of the Centre’s education programme acting as a powerful engagement tool to help inform people of the wide range of rewarding careers available within the sector both at home and abroad. As well as the exhibits there are a range of workshops carefully aligned with the experiences and outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence and National Qualification Stages. Dr Stephen Breslin, chief executive of Glasgow Science Centre, said: “On average, pupils are less likely at present to choose STEM subjects and careers. The Centre’s ambition to bring STEM to life and demonstrate the many real and varied careers that are available is echoed throughout this exhibition. It provides a valuable opportunity for the sector to engage directly with young people, employers, schools and colleges to ensure they have the choices and opportunities to fulfil their career potential.” McDonald added: “If we are trying to open the eyes and minds of our young people and give them an appreciation of why STEM subjects are important, bringing the industry to life in this way will go a long way to also giving parents and educators a deeper understanding of the important role the energy sector plays and the diverse range of careers it encompasses.” ENERGISING YOUNG PEOPLE Its collaborative approach is already reaping rewards. OPITO has experienced ongoing support from schools and colleges across the UK with more than 11,500 students attending its Energise Your Future (EYF) events since 2006.

McDonald comments: “We can all appreciate how difficult it can be to keep abreast of the current work trends and potential career options for students thirsty to find out more. I believe this is why we have had such a successful uptake to these events over the years. By bringing together senior school students with firms exhibiting at industry conferences who match up with their potential career interests, it provides a perfect opportunity for them to ask personnel directly about entry routes as well as finding out more about the different firms. They are also given the chance to try out a range of interactive activities designed to highlight the range of dynamic careers on offer.” At previous EYF events across the UK, which also includes dates at Great Yarmouth College for students from across London, Norfolk and Sussex, students have tried their hand at activities such as operating underwater robots, using a virtual reality arc welder, and watching practical demonstrations of oil and gas extraction and drilling operations. Last year saw the launch of the industry’s Oil & Gas Skills Navigator, a central repository connecting and consolidating all current skills information and activities which is being used by teachers, higher education groups, and those looking for training information about the oil and gas industry. The need for greater constructive collaboration was highlighted in the government commissioned Wood Review conducted by the highly respected oil and gas industry leader, Sir Ian Wood. McDonald concluded: “A key element to ensuring the industry’s ongoing success will be the level of communication and support from teachers and educational support staff to ensure our industry is better understood by a wider audience. Only by working together can we kick start a desire in the next generation to continue building on the heritage of the last 50 years of the North Sea and beyond.” L

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Design & Technology

STEM

With a government focus on traditional subjects via the Ebacc, technical subjects are left fighting for educational survival, argues Richard Green of the Design and Technology Association The Design and Technology Association, the UK’s only professional association for all those involved in Design & Technology (D&T) education, recently launched its ‘Designed and Made in Britain..?’campaign. The campaign is designed to draw urgent attention to the crisis facing our school system, where the drive for league table success and OFSTED approval is pushing D&T and the other creative subjects into an academic backwater. A panel of speakers at the launch event delivered a series of impassioned and insightful speeches. Among the speakers was Dr Rhys Morgan, – Director of Engineering Education, Royal Academy of Engineering. He commented: “D&T is a key subject in drawing the next generation towards engineering. It makes a critical link between science and mathematics and provides the

real world contexts in which these subjects are applied through design. “With the UK facing critical shortages of engineers over the next five years, it is imperative that we do all we can to provide as many learning opportunities for students to develop skills in design and engineering and also to see the immense variety of exciting, creative opportunities that design, engineering and technology careers can bring. However, D&T is not just about future engineers. It is the only subject in the curriculum where young

Written by Richard Green, chief executive, Design and Technology Association

Designed and made in Britian: education’s role

people can learn about the world they live in – not the natural world – but the ‘made’ world, with which they interact far more frequently. “By teaching D&T, we are ensuring that all children are not just passive bystanders in our increasingly technology-driven world, but are informed citizens who understand how design impacts on their quality of life and how technology can be used for the benefit of mankind.” MISUNDERSTOOD Since 2004, the UK has seen the number of students taking a GCSE in D&T drop by more than a half, yet at the same time politicians are demanding more great British design to bolster British manufacturing and, in turn, balance the economy. D&T is a widely misunderstood and misrepresented subject. For too many people - including ministers, employers and parents - it is still perceived as the subject they probably studied when they were at school, i.e. woodwork or metalwork. The reality of D&T is hugely different. It is the subject which can put the T (technology) and E (engineering) into STEM and does so within curriculum time, not as part of extra-curricular, enhancement and enrichment activities. It is the subject that can help inspire and attract the next generation of engineers E

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STEM  and technicians. It is the subject that helps young people develop a feel for materials and how they can be worked and finished. D&T develops and exercises pupils’ ability to be creative and imaginative and so enables them to apply these skills when facing the wide variety of real challenges they will likely encounter in their working lives and leisure time. However, we have a problem or, rather, we have a series of problems. First, the subject is often invisible. Ministers never refer to it when talking about STEM. When they do talk about ‘technology’ they are usually thinking of computing. Second, uncertainty about the future of the subject during the recent national curriculum review has discouraged potential secondary D&T teachers from applying for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses. Come next September, there will be at least 2,000 fewer teachers in the system than are needed – a vacancy in two in three secondary schools. Government bursaries are available to those considering training to teach shortage subjects and should help to address this shortfall. D&T is experiencing the greatest shortage of all subjects but those wanting to teach it can only get a maximum busary of £12,500, compared to £30,000 for those wanting to teach maths, physics or computing. Not a realistic incentive to enter the D&T teaching profession. Finally, government policies and accountability measures work against a broad and balanced curriculum to meet all pupils’ needs and interests. For example, 61 per cent of secondary schools and 15 per cent of primary schools are now academies or free schools and so do not have to teach the national curriculum. Thus their pupils’ entitlement to D&T education is not guaranteed. Primary schools are judged on pupils’ performance in English and maths, which consequently takes up over 50 per cent of teaching time, compared with five per cent or less for D&T. Secondary schools are judged on pupils’ GCSE grades in English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects (English, mathematics, history or geography, science and a language). There is no incentive for pupils to study D&T. Until 2004, D&T was a compulsory GCSE subject, but the loss of statutory status and current accountability measures have resulted in a 50 per cent fall in D&T GCSE entries between 2003 and 2014. This has been further compounded by the recent proposal that no school will be considered as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted from September 2015 unless 90 per cent of pupils study EBacc GCSEs – a further disincentive to study D&T. Consequently D&T is increasingly marginalised in many schools and, in a few, is cut from the curriculum completely.

A STORM OF PROBLEMS The irony is that this is happening as China, South Korea and other South East Asian countries are visiting the UK to learn how D&T is taught in schools here. They recognise that their curricula lack the design and creative problem solving, linked to technical knowledge and practical making skills, which D&T provides. How do we counter this perfect storm of problems? The Design and Technology Association believes that the government must: change its accountability measures to include a creative/technical subject for all pupils at Key Stage 4; address D&T teacher shortages by equalising bursary incentives to attract the best entrants into ITT; promote wider understanding of D&T, its contribution to STEM and to career paths in engineering and the creative industries. The examination bodies also have a part to play. At the time of writing they are developing new D&T GCSE and A level qualifications. These new qualifications must be rigorous and challenging if they are to increase the credibility of the subject. However, these will not be taught for the first time until September 2017 and, for all the reasons outlined above, D&T in some schools could continue to decline over this period unless the government acts now. The D&T community also has a part to play by: ensuring the subject is modern, relevant and fit for the 21st century; providing CPD that improves and extends teachers’ subject knowledge; and taking every opportunity to publicise D&T and related careers to parents, school management (including governors) and employers. Much work is taking place in schools to raise standards. However, the government’s focus on traditional academic subjects, via the Ebacc accountability measure, means that creative and technical subjects are fighting for curriculum survival. In a recent survey conducted by the Design and Technology Association, 705 of 1,300 respondents said that government accountability measures were resulting in decreasing numbers of pupils opting to study the subject at GCSE. Following on from the point about publicising D&T and related careers, employers can play a significant role too by: collaborating in developing real-life and relevant D&T activities and resources; helping D&T teachers engage with professional practice through work experience, internships and apprenticeships; and helping to highlight D&T’s value to government departments through their companies and professional institution.

D&T s developility ab pupils’ tive and ea to be cr tive and so imaginahem to apply t enablese skills when thes eal-life facing r nges challe

ACTION AND THOUGHT It is worth pointing out that elite industry names from the ‘Best of British’, including Dyson, JCB, Williams F1, Brompton and a host

of other household names, are supporting the Design and Technology Association’s ‘Designed and Made in Britain..?’ campaign. All are at the pinnacle of their respective industries and are crying out for the next generation of school leavers who will be capable of problem-solving and delivering innovative skills. The fact is that effectively taught D&T can meet this need and beyond. D&T is often, mistakenly, regarded as just a practical subject. The reality is that it’s a complex mix of action and thought. Studying D&T develops the creative, technical and practical understanding and expertise needed to perform everyday tasks at home and in the work place with confidence. Young people engaged in designing and making activities are challenged to think innovatively and to create products, services and systems which may enhance, improve and secure the quality of their own lives, those of others, and thereby contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. The ability to analyse, interpret and respond to the needs of users is a cerebral, rigorous and challenging skill when undertaken thoroughly. I have heard it said that we are very good at teaching young people about the natural world. However, it is the designed and made world with which they will interact far more frequently and we ignore this aspect of their education at our peril.

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LEARNING BY DOING D&T allows pupils to understand and participate successfully in an increasingly technological world, so that they may critique and make informed judgements about the appropriate use of existing, new and emerging technology in the immediate and wider world in which they live. ‘Learning by doing’ is a very effective learning strategy for many young people. Developing practical skills and knowledge of tools and materials, and having the confidence to employ them are skills which, some would argue, are disappearing from the younger generation. Design thinking is also an essential business strategy which is applicable in, for example, medicine, finance and the law just as much as in design, manufacturing and engineering careers. Unless we can achieve the changes described, too many pupils will lose out on a design and technological education which is essential for life in an advanced technological society. Too many will miss out on the opportunity to have their interest in design, manufacturing and engineering careers awoken through practical designing and making activities. How often have we heard the phrase ‘unintended consequences’? The respect and priority accorded to D&T must be reconsidered in light of the needs and expectations of pupils, students and Britain’s reputation for design and innovation and its contribution to the GB plc economy. Failure to do this risks throwing the innovation baby out with the education bathwater. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.data.org.uk

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HEALTHY EATING

Let’s (continue to) Get Cooking It is eight years since the Children’s Food Trust, a national charity on a mission to get children eating better, began its Let’s Get Cooking programme, which went on to become the biggest network of healthy cooking clubs in England So far, the Let’s Get Cooking programme has reached three million children and their families and the spread shows no signs of slowing, with The Tesco Eat Happy Project now supporting the network in primary schools and plans to expand into Scotland next year. The clubs give children as young as five years old the opportunity to get hands-on in the kitchen to learn cooking skills. The younger children begin to master skills like stirring and sieving and progress onto knife skills and hot cooking. It’s a safe environment in which to have fun, build confidence, make friends, learn leadership skills and how to work as a team. The recipes, nutritiously analysed and devised with children in mind by the Children’s Food Trust team, give children a taste of different foods and cuisines and encourage them to eat a healthy varied diet. Children are more likely to eat foods they’ve cooked themselves. After recruiting more than 5,000 clubs, in schools as far south as the Isles of Scilly right up to Northumberland, there’s much to be learned from the programme’s ‘train‑the‑trainer’ approach. So how do you facilitate 235,000 cooking sessions for children and families, train 11,500 volunteers to run them and keep funding coming for ingredients, equipment, resources and learning? LET’S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING Maggie Sims, head of the programme, said: “When it all began we knew our nation’s problem had already been horribly clear for far too long – we were eating too much fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt and not Maggie Sims, head of ‘Lets Get Cooking’ programme

enough fruit and veg. We felt part of the problem was that our nation was quickly losing its ability to cook. Skills weren’t being passed down, so we were reaching the point where whole generations had little to no skills in the kitchen. So we decided to get the nation cooking again – starting with our children.” With £20m set up funding from the Big Lottery Fund, the Children’s Food Trust led training events the length and breadth of the country to train volunteers from schools to create after-school cooking clubs, giving children the chance to learn the basics then build their confidence. Clubs were recruited in every local authority in England, with priority given to schools in the most disadvantaged areas. Maggie explained: “We were very clear that this was not about baking fairy cakes, this was about learning to cook real food. All clubs signed an agreement to cook ‘good food that is good for you’ and we equipped them to do this anywhere that had a ‘sink and a socket’. “Our team was at the end of the phone for every volunteer and that’s how Let’s Get Cooking was born. We realised very quickly that the network was about much more than cooking skills. It uses cooking to bring people together, reflecting the very best of human nature. “Our team heaved equipment around to train volunteer club leaders and helpers everywhere, from village halls to factory staff rooms. They drove through floods and snow drifts to make sure they didn’t let clubs down. “As well as running the clubs, the volunteers they trained shopped for ingredients, washed tea towels and in some cases even drove children home from clubs – above and beyond their normal day’s work.”

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Poor diet is one of the biggest threats to children’s public health in this country. Maggie said: “Around one in five children are overweight or obese as they start school; that rises to one in three by the time they leave primary school. At the other end of the spectrum, teachers continue to report children coming to school hungry and families coping on the tightest food budgets say they put calories before nutrition just to get food on the table.” Learning to cook opens children’s eyes to different varieties of food. The rise of convenience foods and takeaways in the last few decades mean some children have never seen their families prepare meals from scratch. Evaluation of Let’s Get Cooking has shown that over half (fifty eight per cent) of Let’s Get Cooking club members reported eating more healthily after involvement with the programme. Maggie said: “Children, and some adults even, can’t identify some types of vegetable so they’d have no idea how to go about cooking them. The links are clear – learning to cook and being involved in this programme means that children and their families will go on to have healthy, happier relationships with food. “But it’s people at the heart of what we do; it’s about changing their lives for the better and cooking can do that in so many ways, not just improving the way they eat.”

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PURPOSE It would be fair to point to an increasing awareness of the consequence of poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles as the driver of the support Let’s Get Cooking has had so far, both financially and otherwise.

PEOPLE’S STORIES For mum, Kelli-Anne Broome, Let’s Get Cooking was an ideal way to spend time with her young son, whilst learning new skills. Kelli-Anne found the club to be a route to new opportunities, as she ended up volunteering in the school’s community café and gaining three qualifications in food safety and first aid. Kelli-Anne said: “Before coming to Let’s Get Cooking my family and I would only make things like cakes from boxes at home. Now I can make things like mini quiches, healthy muffins, burgers and curries from scratch. “It’s made me come out of my shell a lot and given me confidence, before I wouldn’t talk to the other parents but now I’ve made friends and get out of the house – I love coming to Let’s Get Cooking for the people and the chance to practice my skills. It’s been absolutely marvellous for me and my family.” It’s this whole family approach that has helped the programme reach their three million beneficiaries (and counting!) Once club activities have ended, 91 E

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HEALTHY EATING  per cent of club members continue to cook at home with friends and family, sharing their skills. On average, Let’s Get Cooking members share what they’ve learnt with at least one other person. Maggie said: “Cooking is such a sociable activity – it’s a great way to build bonds. With funding from The People’s Health Trust we introduced ‘Lads and Dads’ sessions to clubs, and did some work with looked after children and their carers. It was a great way to reach people who wouldn’t normally think about cooking together. “We want to help as many people as possible with our work, so when our funding with the Big Lottery Fund ended and we were approached by Tesco’s Eat Happy Project, we were really excited about Let’s Get Cooking’s future.”

network in primary and special schools across England for the next two years, and is enabling it to expand into Scotland for the first time. The funding means the network can keep giving its club volunteers training on new ways to run their sessions, activity packs and new recipes, staff to support clubs when they need help and grants to help clubs buy ingredients and equipment. This work will mean up to half a million children get to cook with Let’s Get Cooking from now until April 2017. Maggie said: “Companies like Tesco can have enormous influence to make things happen, with so many families interacting with them on a daily basis. This funding is an incredible opportunity to give many more children the chance to make that connection between where food comes from and the meal on a plate.”

EATING HAPPY The Tesco Eat Happy Project is the supermarket’s long-term commitment to help children have a better relationship with food through field trips, live video chats, hands-on cooking and much more. The project has pledged to support the Let’s Get Cooking

THE FUTURE School budgets are often stretched, so each club is encouraged to think about ways they can expand and sustain themselves. Clubs have been so determined to continue, that they’ve gone above and beyond to safe-guard their future.

Each year there’s another generation ready to begin its journey with food – which is what, with the right support and funding, means Let’s Get Cooking will have a place for many years to come

Cookery club leader Howard Rose, from Balsall Common Primary School, Solihull, secured sponsorship for his school’s club when the demand for places grew and then stepped in when its previous leader retired. The majority of the club’s ingredients are now supplied by a local hotel and they use eggs donated from a nearby farm. Maggie said: “These investments change lives. We hear time and time again stories about young people who have gone from being completely disengaged in their education, or perhaps having a difficult time in a tough home environment, to flourishing and finding a real passion in cooking. “Young people have pursued a career in catering as a result of being part of a club at school. It’s such a wide reaching programme, you can’t put a price on all of that impact.” The network still needs funding to continue and support their clubs in secondary schools across the UK and with other Trust projects supported by big names such as Iceland, Uncle Ben’s and Pizza Express, it’s an exciting time while the charity explores new relationships. Maggie said: “After eight years there is still so much energy and enthusiasm for what we’re doing. Each year there’s another generation ready to begin its journey with food – which is what, with the right support and funding, means Let’s Get Cooking will have a place for many years to come.” L

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Health & Safety Written by Dave Garioch, chair of the Education Group, IOSH

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HAZARD PREVENTION

Ensuring school safety during building work Dave Garioch, Chair of the Education Group at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and health and safety manager at London Borough of Sutton, examines who is responsible for health and safety during school refurbishment projects

Refurbishment and building work is regularly required in schools. The ideal time to do this work is during school holidays. However often there are situations when it must be done during term time. This brings with it some significant safety and health challenges. But having hundreds of students and staff moving around a school building at the same time that contractors are on site need not cause hazards, as long as the right procedures are in place. So how do you manage these risks? Before starting off on a project to refurbish school property it is important to understand where the responsibilities lie. Clients, who in this situation are the schools, need to meet the requirements of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This stipulates that clients must keep others, not in their employment but who may be affected by their undertaking, safe. As the work is commissioned by the client this accountability cannot be delegated to anyone. It is therefore essential for the client to be able to demonstrate they have done all that is reasonably practicable to fulfil this legal requirement. As the enforcing authority, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may visit a site where there has been a significant failure, which may lead to prosecution. The HSE Fee for Intervention Protocol has given the HSE another lever to challenge the client into showing they met this requirement to select and monitor suitable contractors to carry out the work. Where they deem there is a material breach of a legislative duty, they can then charge for all of their time at £124 + VAT per

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hour. It is not unusual to have a fee of over £1,000. There are many cases of Section 3 prosecutions of clients which you can find on the www.hse.gov.uk/prosecutions database, including for poor management of asbestos during refurbishment work. So how can the client show they have done all that is reasonably practicable? Firstly they should ensure there is a clear specification for the work to be undertaken, including providing details on known hazards, for example asbestos and the location of electrical, gas and sewer services where necessary.

attended the site, but did not receive an induction by any employee of the academy. Nor was any information provided to the glass company’s employees on the location of any asbestos containing materials. The school’s site manager told the contractors that ‘to the best of his knowledge’ there was no asbestos containing materials in the window area. While removing the windows, two of the workers encountered strips of asbestos insulating board (AIB) packers, which prevented them from installing the new windows. The packers were removed from the frame using a crowbar, then snapped and dumped next to an asbestos decontamination unit on the school site that was being used for unrelated work by licensed asbestos removal contractors. After the case, an HSE inspector said: “Although the school had not been under local authority control since 2011, it failed to ensure employees and management received adequate training to make up for the loss of local authority support and ensure that a suitable asbestos management plan was in place.” The school was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £3,000 of costs. Additional to this was a bill for £20,000 for decontamination and replacement of floor coverings.

It is essential to get help from someone with the necessary skills, knowledge and competence to provide suitable and sufficient support for work to be undertaken safely Where the client does not have the knowledge, skills and competence in any high hazard area, it is essential to get help from someone with the necessary skills, knowledge and competence to provide suitable and sufficient support for work to be undertaken safely. WHERE IS THE ASBESTOS? An academy trust and a glass company were jointly prosecuted by the HSE after an investigation found they put employees at unnecessary risk. The trust undertook a project to replace old windows at the academy. Four workers from the appointed contractor

Furthermore, soft furnishings and children’s work had to be disposed of and parts of the school could not be used for the second part of the summer term. This case demonstrates the need to have competent advice and the importance of having a full assessment of the work to be carried out. Where the fabric of the building is going to be disturbed, it is essential for an asbestos refurbishment survey to be carried out prior to the works starting. This would have identified the location of the unknown asbestos insulation board and prevented contractors

from being exposed to the harmful substance along with all of the knock-on effects on the school and pupils. UNSAFE SUBCONTRACTOR Another area that requires close scrutiny and oversight is the main contractor’s use of subcontractors. Schools should get details from the main contractor of how they select competent subcontractors and what their monitoring arrangements are. In one case, a children’s centre was being added to a school. The area was effectively segregated and meetings were held with the main contractor about the work and safety arrangements. Everything was going to plan and the work was progressing safely. Once the walls were constructed the main contractor brought in a roofing company. The roofing contractor had their own risk assessments, which identified there was no requirement for the wearing of hard hats when working on the roof, as nothing could fall on the heads of workers, however they would be worn when at ground level. However the roofing contractor’s employees were seen not wearing hard hats when at ground level and this was brought to the attention of the principal contractor. Meetings were held and the roofing contractor was warned about their lack of adhering to safe systems of work. This led on to the principal contractor having to send their clerk of works to the site on a more regular basis than had been planned to monitor the situation. The roofing contractor stated in their tender for the work that suitable edge protection would be provided to prevent staff from falling from height along with appropriately-sited crash bags inside the building to minimise the impact of anyone falling into the building from the roof. The school had concerns when seeing the contractor working and contacted their health and safety adviser, who went on site and stopped the work from continuing due to the poor safety standards of the subcontractor and not following their own safe system of work. The principal contractor was contacted and also came down to site to enforce the contractor to install the safe systems of work identified in their risk assessments and method statements. No-one was injured during the work, but the potential for a serious accident was high and the school, as client, took positive action to ensure safe systems of work were employed through the good communication between them and the principal contractor. This case study shows how the client, understanding their accountability for the work being undertaken, followed up significant issues they identified and helped to prevent a serious accident from occurring.

The frequency will be determined by the pre-start meeting and also by the number of problems being identified. Once the work is complete, review the process to identify what went well and what needed further action. Use this learning for subsequent work. If the refurbishment is taking place during term time, it could be a good opportunity for the pupils and students to learn about workplace risks and how they are adequately controlled. It will depend on the willingness of the contractor, the time available and the safety of the location. Issues for discussion can include: the development of the specification and the tender process; the separation of the refurbishment area from the remainder of the school; the use of low voltage/battery pack hand tools; COSHH assessments and why they are required when using hazardous substances; hazard spotting and the need for good housekeeping; safeguarding and use of mobile phones on site; working at height as the largest cause of workplace accidental death; noise and the potential for hearing loss, methods of communication; and any other relevant hazard and risk control. Schools should also remember to look at the skill set of the staff they are asking to manage the project. Where they have a skills gap, schools should either provide them with training and/or appropriate support from competent advisers. In IOSH’s Education Group – and the organisation as a whole – we believe that all workers in all industries should be covered by a culture of care. In situations such as school refurbishments, the client, namely the school, is responsible for ensuring this culture is in place. They should plan to succeed and ensure they provide adequate resources for the project to be completed safely. L

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GETTING IT RIGHT The following should help schools plan for and achieve safe refurbishment works. Firstly, specify in sufficient detail the work to be carried out, including details of health and safety requirements (for example no large vehicle movements at times students arrive/leave school). Know your limits and when to get help and competent advice. You should be able to identify, at this stage, if the work is notifiable under the Construction Design and Management Regulations. Secondly, identify the known significant hazards and find out about the foreseeable hazards not already known about, such as asbestos. Provide specification and details of hazards to those invited to tender, ensuring they provide details of how the tasks will be done safely, including their selection and monitoring of any subcontractors. Furthermore, review submissions to identify the best value quotation, not necessarily the cheapest, and have a meeting pre-start date to set out the expectations and monitoring arrangements. Carry out monitoring as agreed. Have regular meetings with the contractor to discuss issues and resolutions put in place.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.iosh.co.uk

Are you prepared for a major emergency? Continuity West has developed a package which includes tried and tested plans that will prepare your school for a major incident. We have used this to run a major exercise for a schoolsADVERT federation when the senior management team were put through their paces to see how they coped. Meet Philip West Our founder and Managing Director who has been a school governor for over 15 years at two comprehensives that have been judged to be outstanding by Ofsted. A former Police Inspector of 28 years, he is also a member of The Business Continuity Institute and an experienced crisis management consultant.

For more information Call: + 44 (0) 1225 220 052 E: Philip@continuitywest.co.uk Or visit www.continuitywest.co.uk/schools

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Buildings should be cleaned to a standard that is safe and hygienic for all users, but for schools and educational establishments, it is particularly important, says BICS Schools can only function properly if they are clean and hygienic, and the cleaning industry, from product manufacturers to cleaning contractors, has made huge improvements in service delivery in recent years, which has made them safer still. New technology has played a big part in this, with, for instance, the introduction of greener cleaning products. Professional training for cleaning operatives means they are able to work safely and efficiently during the day whilst the building is in full use. The growth of accredited training for cleaning operatives has been particularly important, as the task of keeping a fully functioning school clean throughout the day is too important to be left to untrained staff. Accredited training provides cleaning operatives with the essential skills in areas like colour coding and best practices, such as working from ‘clean to dirty’ to minimise the risk of cross infection. One of the biggest challenges for cleaning contractors has been to persuade schools to introduce new working practices, such as daytime cleaning. Long held prejudices about the role of a ‘cleaner’ have had to be dispelled. But when schools see how beneficial the changes can be, then they usually embrace the new methods wholeheartedly. The advent of daytime cleaning has also been made possible with the help of a number of technological advancements; not least the introduction of microfibre cloths and mops. They make it possible to clean hard surfaces like floors and stairs without the use of chemicals. It is a cheaper and more sustainable way of working, and also much safer, as it means dangerous chemicals do not need to be brought into the working area. DAYTIME CLEANING Daytime cleaning is now used widely across all business sectors, but it is especially useful for schools, with so many young people moving around the building, it ensures it is cleaned at optimal times, reducing the risk of infections spreading. Building managers also like daytime cleaning as it means the building can be powered down at night and weekends, bringing big cost savings. Having the cleaning team visible can also help keep the building tidy, as users are more likely to be aware of things like personal litter if they’re familiar with the cleaning operatives. The use of less toxic cleaning products also brings tangible benefits. Students’ concentration levels are better when the indoor air quality is good, and there is less absenteeism because of illnesses such as asthma. SUSTAINABILITY REWARDS There is now much more focus for all businesses to consider safety and sustainability as inextricably linked, and the cleaning industry is no exception. Becoming more sustainable brings genuine rewards with improved quality and reduced costs. With the indoor air quality as just one example, it shows that thinking in a sustainable way can not only reduce operating costs, it also enhances health, promotes wellness, and does, critically, also boost productivity in pupils and staff. Schools and educational establishments across the world now

accept the enormous health benefits that come with this new approach. Manufacturers have played, and will continue to play, a big part in this with innovations like microfibre clothes and mops, scrubber dryers, silent cordless vacuums, and the vast array of green non‑toxic cleaning solutions that come onto the market daily. Safety and hygiene has also been improved more generally by greater public awareness, in areas like hand hygiene for instance. But the professionalisation of the work force, the people who clean our buildings day in day out shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s their skills, knowledge and competence every single day that make our schools and collages safe places to work and learn in. L

Written by the British Instituteof Cleaning Science

Clean schools are healthy schools

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Furniture Written by Caroline Wright, British Educational Suppliers Association

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FITTINGS

When is a desk no longer just a desk? The role of furniture in creating and maintaining a positive learning environment is often underestimated in terms of its impact on learning, says BESA’s Caroline Wright When we consider driving up standards in schools, investment in technology always appears to take centre stage. However, creating and maintaining a positive learning environment with furniture that is not only comfortable but effective, is often underestimated in terms of its impact on learning. Jörg Barth, of BESA member organisation Community Playthings, outlined: “The biggest challenge faced by schools at present, particularly primary schools, is the ever increasing need for school and nursery places. Changing demographics are driving incredible growth in some areas, and static or declining population in others are but one issue. And of course, budgets are always under a great amount of strain. With the government pushing for higher standards in education, schools are feeling the pressure to invest in new textbooks and learning materials and can easily forget the importance of the environment in which the children learn. “At Community Playthings we feel very strongly that the learning environment is ‘the third teacher’. If the environment is conducive to learning, it will happen almost on its own accord. This is not a new concept, it has been represented very strongly from educators as far back as Froebel and Margaret McMillan.”

st The latedata le availab 14/15 for 20 s that suggest g will spendiny £840 in eb increas ical school a typ 4,400 to £1

FOLLOWING TRENDS Looking back to the days of the original Conservative government’s academy schools, and the Building Schools for the Future programme, the significant investment in rebuilding these failing schools was

based on the understanding that children learn better when they are in a positive, modern, stimulating environment. So are schools now ignoring this and completely switching their budgets to the more obvious materials for learning support such as books and eLearning software? Not completely. Our ‘Resources in English Maintained Schools’ research taken from 900 schools (597 primary and 303 secondary) is carried out annually to ensure we get the full picture of any trends. Last year, primary schools recorded an average expenditure of £2,380 on furniture. The latest data for 2014/15 suggests that spending will increase by an average of £130 to £2,510 and the outlook for 2015/16 is also positive, albeit less significant, with the typical school spending £60 more than in 2014/15. However, when we look at the percentage increase, we start to notice a small decline. In 2013/14, schools’ expenditure on furniture rose by 6.2 per cent. The following year it rose by a little less (5.5 per cent) and the forecast for 2015/16 only projects a 2.2 per cent increase. Looking positively, the increase is currently well above the level of inflation and the forecast increase in expenditure is only very slightly below these current levels. Once expenditure from a typical primary school is extrapolated to maintained schools across England, the result indicates that nearly £42 million will be spent on furniture in 2014/15 – up £2.2 million when compared to the previous year. Over the preceding twenty-year period, furniture expenditure averaged growth of 1.1 per cent each year (with high volatility), which

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

is lower than inflation and lower than average school and resource budgets. Therefore, the expansion noted in 2013/14 and 2014/15 needs to be placed into the perspective of low growth in the recent past. On the down side, however, is the fact that even though average furniture spending in 2015/16 is anticipated to rise by 2.2 per cent, spending per-pupil is not increasing due to the rise in pupil numbers. Turning to secondary schools, where the increase in pupil numbers is not such an issue, the latest data for 2014/15 suggests that spending will increase by £840 in a typical school to £14,400. The anticipated significant increase of 6.2 per cent is expected to be followed by a substantially lower level of positive growth into 2015/16, rising to just £14,520; a 0.8 per cent increase, which is well below the rate of inflation. Spending tends to vary significantly across schools and therefore some are investing a lot more while others are clearly failing to refresh their classroom furniture. Therefore, while the average school is indicating a rise of only 0.8 per cent, due to the increase in school numbers (up 1.4 per cent on the year), total expenditure is projected to rise by 2.2 per cent, in line with primary schools. It is also important to note that the survey’s definition of ‘classroom furniture’ covers the obvious desks and chairs, but also includes play equipment, lab equipment/consumables and storage. From these sub categories, the greatest area of expenditure (37 per cent) is currently spent on desks and chairs. INVESTING IN QUALITY If we are to encourage schools to continue investing in appropriate 21st century furniture based on the fact that children respond better when seated in a conducive learning environment, then it is so important

that schools carefully consider the quality and design of their investment. As Jörg Barth explains: “It is important for schools not to simply buy any old furniture to support increasing numbers. They must consider the equipment that will facilitate learning. For a little more investment, the total cost of ownership will reduce (as the furniture will remain useful and appropriate for longer), and child development will increase.” The quality of the product is not only evident in the manufacture, but also in the product design, sustainability, health and safety and a number of other issues. The Irresistible Classroom is one booklet of advice and information provided free of charge by Community Playthings on their website. Martin Corbett, from i-desk solutions agrees with this sentiment. He said: “If schools take time to research the options available to them they will find that pound to pound they are much better off investing in innovative, well made furniture supplied by manufacturers who understand classroom needs.” Of course BESA members are all companies who specialise in working within the education sector, and appreciate the challenges, budget constraints and ever changing needs of schools. We therefore recommend you start by visiting the BESA website to look at the range of furniture suppliers. Why is this so important to schools? The answer lies in the fact that to join BESA, these organisations have to show a proven history of good customer service and delivery of products that are fit for purpose. 18 of the BESA member furniture suppliers formed a membership group, named the British Educational Furniture Manufacturers and Furniture Designers Group (BEFMG). Over recent years, BESA’s furniture group has successfully campaigned for the introduction of a new British Standard for classroom furniture, BSEN1729 which ensures that tables, desks and chairs made for school use are properly shaped, sized and developed to prevent long-term damage to children’s backs, helping them to concentrate on learning without suffering discomfort. Despite being competitors in theory, the member companies are passionate about supporting schools in raising standards in UK education. To do this, the group meets regularly to share ideas, thoughts, advice and guidance to ensure

they all work together for the better for our schools; an admirable quality. Corbett provides us with an example: “We have helped many schools overcome the challenges they face. It is no longer acceptable to have children sharing a computer desk. Our jigsaw designed furniture allows desks to be linked together to better fit all shapes of rooms and encourage collaborative learning. Our multi-purpose desk called the i-rise has done a lot to overcome many of schools’ current obstacles.”

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flexible use of space has removed numerous restrictions on the provision of teaching. While a desk may just seem like a desk and a chair a chair, at BESA we can never stress enough the importance of giving students an appropriate and encouraging learning environment. Research has shown that high quality, well designed furniture improves concentration and reduces misbehaviour, leading to better learning outcomes, so it is worth taking the time to make the right decision for your pupils. Schools should be aware that the British Standard for school furniture, BSEN1729, is advisory and not mandatory, so we recommend that to ensure your pupils receive the best possible opportunity to learn in a safe and comfortable environment, you should always double check that your supplier conforms to these standards. Some of the budget furniture available on the high street might seem like good value for money at the outset and a cheaper option than some purposemade school furniture, but it needs to be highly durable to stand up to classroom demands. In the current economic climate, whole life cycle costs are very important. Look at the supplier’s case studies and if it is a large investment, contact schools already using the equipment to find out what they think of the furniture. If the product hasn’t been manufactured to cope with the stress and high-impact use in the classroom, its life-span may be shorter than furniture purpose-made for classroom use and therefore prove more costly in the long-run. Company history and the provision of warranties are good indications of the quality and durability of the furniture. Many BESA members offer a ten-year guarantee to ensure that their products will last. And finally, as our BESA members have shown, with increasing student numbers to manage, investing in flexible furniture systems that enable space to be used in a number of different ways, is invaluable. L

Comp history any the pro and warran vision of ties indicati are good the qua ons of l durabil ity and the furnity of iture

PREMIUM SPACE One end user is Teesside University. Matt Leng, head of learning environments, identified a need to maximise the use of its traditional PC laboratory. Historically, use of the PC lab was limited to sessions which required the use of the PCs as they were all set up on all the desk tops. The result was that the room was only available 50 per cent of the time; premium space that the busy University couldn’t justify losing. The i-desk design that the university chose meant that the desktops could convert from being a computer desk to a lesson table at the push of a button. Room utilisation is now nearer to 85 per cent. Similar flexible use of space has been achieved at Stromness Primary School, in Orkney. ESA McIntosh, BESA member Havelock Europa’s education brand, was installed at the school to achieve two objectives. Firstly, to create an environment conducive to its students’ learning while also optimising all spaces to save rebuilding classroom space. Havelock Europa’s design service for classroom layout included a series of bespoke teaching walls, the creation of general classrooms, environments for the teaching of art and music, a nursery, two learning spaces for special needs, staff facilities and a multi-purpose hall and dining area. The dining area includes a mixture of seating styles which spill out into the central social space. The hall also serves as an assembly area and as a space for community activities. This

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

When thinking about personal development and character education we must not be blind to the world outside the classroom walls, writes Elaine Skates, chief executive of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Everyone is talking about character education, and how to support the development of character traits likely to help pupils be successful at school, in later life and in employment. With the new Ofsted framework including an emphasis on personal development and preparing students for ‘life and work in Britain today’, there is clear recognition from government that there is more to education than top grades in English and maths at the end of Year 11. Schools need to be so much more than exam factories. It is vital that we respond to the needs of employers and the challenges facing young people to ensure that their pupils develop the resilience and self‑confidence to cope with the pace of change in the modern world. As Anne-Marie Duguid, Head of Teaching and Learning at SSAT (The Schools Network), says: “We can’t prepare students fully for the reality of a world of work as we may have

done 10, 20 or 30 years ago so we must prepare them to be ready for and happy with uncertainty, to be reflective and reflexive, to become autonomous self-regulated learners with a desire to learn for themselves. “We can’t keep doing the same as we have been doing as our world is fast changing. There has never been a more important time to be aware that learning takes place everywhere and being able to construct your learning and apply it to a different context is key – learning inside and outside the classroom.” With young people today growing up in the internet age, many are becoming entombed in their homes and classrooms: divorced from the natural environment, they don’t play outside as often nor explore as far as past generations. No wonder childhood mental health issues and obesity rates are soaring. Added to this is the fact that many young people, particularly those from disadvantaged urban areas, do not get the opportunity to visit the natural environment and may not venture very far off

With le eop young pwing up ro today g ternet age, in the inre becoming many a bed in their entom es and hom oms classro

their own estates at all. Conversely, children from disadvantaged rural communities may not have visited their nearest city centre and experienced rich cultural experiences such as theatres and museums. The sad fact is that for many children, if they don’t access these experiences through schools they won’t access them at all. REAL WORLD LEARNING There is a wealth of evidence about the benefits of learning outside the classroom in helping pupils develop resilience, self‑confidence, communication skills, creativity and the skills of inquiry and problem solving. We often see that exposing pupils to new and novel ‘real world’ learning experiences on an educational visit can have much more impact than a day in the classroom in helping pupils develop self-confidence and social skills. It can also ensure pupils have a much broader experience base through which they can better understand people who come from a different social, cultural or religious background to their own. ‘Learning by Doing’, a 2015 report by DEMOS, comments that evidence suggests E

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Written by Elaine Skates. The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT  that character attributes not only reinforce academic learning but also have a significantly positive influence on later life outcomes, including those relating to health, well-being and careers. The report goes onto say that participation in non-formal learning activities – semi structured activities such as sport, drama and debating, which are primarily delivered outside the classroom – play a vital role in developing these attributes. However, it is important that schools don’t just see learning outside the classroom activities as being ‘extra curricula’ or about a fun day out once a year. Ofsted recognises that in order to be most effective Learning Outside of the Classroom (LOtC) activities should be well planned, integrated into the

walking on sand or seeing country animals close up and being allowed to feed them. Things are hard for mum at home, although she tries her best and cares for her children deeply, she simply can’t afford to give her children these enriching life experiences. Child A comes from a very deprived background and is the middle child of three. Her older sibling has social behavioural issues and has difficulties mixing in school. Her younger brother has toileting issues, and this makes socialising difficult. She does not get as much attention from mum because her issues are not as obvious as those of her two brothers. This attitude caused Child A to become withdrawn and isolated. She didn’t mix well and she

The sad fact is that for many children, if they don’t access cultural experiences through schools, they won’t access them at all curriculum and evaluated for effectiveness: and many schools understand that taking this approach is the key to maximising the impact of the LOtC experiences that they offer. 95 schools have now achieved the LOtC Mark award, which is the first national accreditation that recognises and supports the development of LOtC across all subject areas. BAY HOUSE SCHOOL One such school is Bay House School and Sixth Form, a large academy in Gosport that holds the LOtC Mark at Bronze level. Bay House offers learners a comprehensive programme of activities including a variety of day trips and overseas visits to places such as Malawi and China. However the school, after analysing its data, realised that participation in LOtC was much lower for pupils on free school meals and has worked hard to ensure that its LOtC programme is more inclusive and affordable for all pupils. During a two day programme of free learning outside the classroom within walking distance of the school involving the whole of Year 7 (350 pupils), pupils developed their resilience during activities such as a hike, team building skills when participating in den building and knowledge of a local charity when visiting the lifeboat station. One pupil commented: “The two days felt like a real adventure, we visited places where we had never been before and it was great to spend the time outside with my friends.” Personal development and character outcomes can be further enhanced through the immersive learning experience unique to a residential programme. The Learning Away project has published a compelling case study about Child A, written by her teacher. Child A is from a single parent background where she hasn’t experienced many of the things that most children take for granted. These include simple things like going to the beach,

wandered around on her own like a lost soul. It was a very miserable time in her life, you could see she had no self‑confidence and she was a very sad little girl. During a Learning Away residential experience, Child A developed immensely and ‘blossomed as an individual’. The challenges and new experiences she encountered enabled a usually insecure and reluctant child to shine in front of her peers for the first time and gave her a newfound platform from which to develop her self-esteem. On her very first night, Child A told her class teacher: “I never want to go home! I feel so alive here.” The residential provided her with the opportunity to develop as a person and for her to reinvent herself in front of her peers. All of her teachers noticed that during the residential ‘Child A became the child all the others wanted on their team because they felt she was good at everything’. All too often we are seeing in children from nursery through to secondary school that a limited experience base at home can impact negatively on personal development and, ultimately, academic attainment. Frequent,

continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is one of the most effective ways of improving later life outcomes for all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils who may otherwise have very limited horizons. I therefore urge all schools to consider doing more focused and effective learning outside the classroom to build character and ensure all pupils are properly equipped for real life and employment.

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SOME EXTERNAL ADVICE Hints and tips for schools to plan and support learning outside the classroom include: recognising the value of LOtC in achieving the outcomes you want to achieve for your young people. This will make it easier to prioritise and resource LOtC; ensuring that commitment to LOtC is underpinned in school policy and the learning development plan; mobilising support from governors, staff, parents and the wider community; supporting the CPD of the team to improve the quality of teaching through more effective use of LOtC; and utilising pupil premium funding to finance trips for disadvantaged pupils. It is also advisable to ensure that: learning outside the classroom is a feature of all subject areas and not confined to a few; better use of the grounds and immediate locality is made to promote learning outside the classroom; an evaluation of the impact of learning outside the classroom on pupils’ and students’ attainment and progress is recognised; the LOtC Mark is used as a tool to develop your LOtC provision; and that the opportunities offered by residentials is seized. L

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom is the national charity that campaigns for every child to experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of education. They can help with ideas, resources and tools to help you integrate frequent, continuous and progressive LOtC experiences across the curriculum. FURTHER INFORMATION www.lotc.org.uk http://learningaway.org.uk

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TRIPS ABROAD

As the country’s leading not-for-profit school trips organisation, The School Travel Forum is well placed to discuss the importance of assured quality scheme membership when booking school trips, the rewards of risk management, and how school trips can benefit more than just the pupils The summer blockades in Calais caused major disruption at a peak time in the school trip calendar, leading to disappointment, cost and frustration for pupils, teachers and parents across the UK. A major school trip, which would have seen children performing music at the Menin Gate in Ypres, was cancelled because of the delays en route and the fact that a return time couldn’t be guaranteed. This was just one example. Aside from the millions of pounds the illegal strikes cost the school trip industry, one positive point that came from the issue was the spotlight it placed on the benefits of choosing to travel with an accredited tour operator of The School Travel Forum (STF). These companies, which manage over 16,000 school trips from the UK each year, were able to guide groups and teachers through any problems that they may have experienced as a result of not being able to cross the Channel on the expected date. Another example highlights the difficulties of a Year 6 trip to France booked by Harrogate Grammar School which was widely covered in the media, with Good Morning Britain describing their experience as ‘the unluckiest school trip ever’. Despite the disruption to the trip caused by the wild cat strikes in Calais, the school praised their school trip provider, an STF member, for their support during the experience which ranged from sourcing alternative accommodation in the UK, to additional on coach catering and assistance in arranging theme park tickets to end the trip on a positive note. This STF member worked round the clock with the teachers and the school to minimise the disruption of the unpredictable events and illustrated how having assured support procedures in place, a wealth of experience and industry contacts can provide vital reassurance and the best possible outcome for school trips facing adverse events. RAISING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS? Often quoted but still an important piece of research, Ofsted published a thematic report

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on Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) a study analysing the impact of a simple in October 2008. Its key findings found that: child led, field based learning task on “When planned and implemented well, learning children’s scientific knowledge and literacy outside the classroom contributed significantly skills. It revealed that: “On average to raising standards and improving pupils children who had undertaken the personal, social and emotional development.” fieldwork activity achieved higher literacy It recommended that schools and colleges scores than children that did not.” should: “Ensure that their Finally, the Teaching and Learning Research curriculum planning Programme which ran from 2000 to 2011 Informa includes sufficient was the UK Economic and Social l well‑structured Research Council’s largest investment learnin opportunities in educational research. It concluded g , s u ch as le for all learners in 2008 with one of its ten arning out of s to engage in principles for effective teaching c h learning outside be recoool,should and learning being that: “Informal the classroom as learning, such as learning out g as at lenised a key, integrated of school, should be recognised ast as sign element of their as at least as significant as formal ifican experience.” learning and should therefore be formal t as More recent valued and appropriately evidence in utilised in formal processes.” learnin g support of the 2008 Ofsted findings was IS IT JUST ABOUT THE KIDS? highlighted in the ‘What The same Learning Away research mentioned Works’ document produced by the Cabinet above was also able to evidence the impact Office that stressed the work of the six ‘What residentials have on school and staff Works’ centres across the country. A recent development. When considering how residentials Educational Endowment Foundation trial transform schools they concluded: “When stated: “Pupils that went on school trips were residential experiences are integrated with the taught a structured approach to improving curriculum, are inclusive, progressive and involve their writing using the trip as a source of staff and students in planning and following up, inspiration. The pupils who received this the sense of cohesion and of belonging to a intervention made an average of one months community is enhanced throughout the whole progress compared to the control group.” school. This change can impact on the classroom, Further work looking at the impact of year group, and school life as a whole.” residential experiences on pupil attainment In the evaluation of the Learning Away has been undertaken through the Paul Hamlyn case studies, Maggie Rose, head teacher Foundation Learning Away programme. Their at Timberley Academy quotes about the findings from the evaluation to date are development of her staff: “Staff have stated as: “Clearly showing that students, developed a much greater confidence in their staff, parents and schools valued learning own teaching and it has also raised their away residentials. The evidence continues aspiration in terms of the types of approaches to show that many positive impacts seen on they could use in their work. I see it in their residentials, for example the development planning and in the classroom – an example of relationship, confidence and engagement is the use of film. I see this being used in class with learning, as well as the delivery of very cleverly and far more often by pupils and learning, were also sustained back at school.” staff. We have changed our whole approach In 2013 the University of Hull undertook to the school curriculum and the staff have E

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TRIPS ABROAD  developed the confidence to go with this and contribute to its vision of development.”

a visit to the Battlefields into the study of the subject in school, or the beneficial effect of language immersion, that is only really possible by visiting other countries. Consequently, the opportunity to enhance learning with trips out is considerable. THE LOYALTY FACTOR On a broader point, the psychology of the purchasing process is an interesting one. Whatever we choose to buy, trust of the vendor is a major factor, but also where we have shopped before, word of mouth recommendation and how appealing the marketing spiel is all influence our choices. Booking school trips is no different. Many schools opt to travel with the same provider they have used over the years, but does

benefits of travelling with an assured member. Fortunately, there is a shift towards greater reliance and awareness of the organisation and also the LOtC Quality Badge, with 72 per cent of teachers surveyed in 2015 stating that STF membership would be either likely to influence or be an essential pre-requisite in their choice of school trip provider.

When residential experiences are integrated with the curriculum, are inclusive, progressive and involve staff and students in planning and following up, the sense of cohesion and of belonging to a community is enhanced throughout the whole school Parents who may have budgeted for months to give their child the opportunity of a lifetime, are left severely out of pocket and children have to deal with the disappointment and miss

out on the learning value of the school trip. All STF Assured Members are required to work so clients benefit from the protection of the Package Travel Regulations and additionally, they must be members of approved schemes ensuring fair trading and full financial security. The peace of mind this provides to teachers and parents is indeed priceless. By making it easy for teachers to seek out good quality school trip companies, the red tape and health and safety concerns cited by many teachers and governors as reasons why they decide not to arrange school educational visits, become less of an issue. Whilst the STF has been established since 2003, according to our surveys many teachers are still taking a DIY approach and failing to capitalise on the

As the national awarding body of the LOtC Quality Badge, The School Travel Forum ensures that each holder has passed a robust assessment designed to ensure that they are meeting schools’ learning and risk management needs. This takes an immense amount of pressure off teachers, reduces planning time and paperwork and helps teachers to identify opportunities for learning to help make the visit a positive and rewarding experience for teachers and pupils alike.

Written by Mary Palmer, Techknowledge for Schools

OUTDOORS OR INDOORS? Often the first thoughts about school trips are children working in and experiencing the outdoors, be it field studies, geography field trips or outdoor and adventurous activities. Many great experiences are associated with the natural environment and there is a wide range of well-researched and vocal support for incorporating opportunities such as these into the school life of all pupils. But these are not the entirety of learning opportunities; the concept of LOtC not only includes the outdoors, but equally includes what might be described as ‘learning inside, but elsewhere’. The extra impact added to religious study that takes place in mosques and churches is a good example. Equally, LOtC encapsulates ‘learning in new and different places’, which literally could include the whole world. Think about the greater understanding of the effects of WW1 that would come from integrating

this loyalty-driven choice provide genuine reassurance that quality and safety standards have been adequately tested? The answer is often no, as previous use has proven to be no guarantee of future performance. Furthermore, with the average school trip representing an investment of over £20,000, what happens if the company goes bankrupt?

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MANAGING THE WHAT IFS… Whilst school trips are statistically one of the safest environments for children to be in, as with any journey or event in life, accidents and ill fortune can unfortunately strike. Whilst the chance of such events happening are small, it is certainly a worry for any school trip organiser. The scenario of being overseas with up to 50 pupils and having to deal with an incident independently is an unsettling prospect for any school. With this in mind, it makes no sense for schools to shoulder this burden alone, especially when there is 24/7 support available from a specialist school travel provider who has the experience, contacts and emergency procedures in place to help to manage any circumstances. With the School Travel Forum 2015 Survey of over 2,000 secondary school teachers showing that 22 per cent of school trip organisers are still opting to make their own travel arrangements and bypass the quality, safety and financial security benefits of travelling with an assured provider, going forward it is our role to win over those teachers who are still unaware of the technical and professional support that is at their disposal. With the school travel industry rapidly expanding, and new providers constantly entering the market, it has never been more important to make it easy for teachers to identify the companies offering reliable and regularly audited safety and quality standards. E

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TRIPS ABROAD  WHY TAKE THE RISK OF DIY? With a prevailing and increasingly risk-averse culture in schools (as the headlines over banning leapfrog and conkers show) it poses the question why 22 per cent of school trip organisers have previously opted for the DIY approach when arranging school trips? As well as trying to minimise costs for parents, teachers often choose the same coach firms and accommodation the school has always used out of sense of familiarity, but previous use has proven to be no guarantee of future performance. Understandably, with greater complexity to manage the percentage drops to eight per cent for ski and sports tours, but all these organisers when surveyed are also those with very low knowledge of important regulations and beneficial approval schemes. PROTECTION Travel booked as separate elements does not enjoy the financial protection of a package tour. Obviously, failure to deliver by the supplier is a major issue and redress against an overseas party is not easy at the best of times. Heading abroad also brings its own unique set of issues; whilst over 16,000 school trips are organised through STF Assured Members each year, all protected by the LOtC Quality Badge, schools choosing facilities outside of the scheme have minimum protection over standards.

With the average school trip representing an investment of over £20,000, what happens if the company goes bankrupt? In the EU, hotel safety requirements remain just guidance, not a directive. Even close to home, hotel standards can vary widely and safety issues can arise from the actual day-to-day management of the hotel. With the average school trip representing an investment of over £20,000, the protection of these funds, which are mostly paid for by parents, is an important consideration. All STF Assured Members benefit from the protection of the Package Travel Regulations and must be members of approved schemes ensuring fair trading and full financial security. This sort of insurance gives peace of mind not just to teachers but also to parents who whilst appreciating the chance to broaden their children’s horizons, might

have made personal financial cutbacks to be able to fund their child’s trip. CREATING LASTING MEMORIES Educational visits are all about creating lifelong memories and if something goes wrong, be it an unaccredited company going out of business, fallout from inadequate health and safety standards, or experiencing below par activities of amenities, then these are certainly not the sort of memories that teachers, pupils or parents want to have. All STF Approved providers follow robust codes of practice and are regularly monitored by a team of inspectors. This means that teachers can rest assured that the venue and the activities meet the required standards. E

Educational Tour Specialists EDUCATE - ENRICH - EXPERIENCE - ENJOY

With over 40 years’ experience of planning and operating school tours, Broadway Tours has a proud and unparalleled reputation as experts in the field of educational travel. Independently run and effortlessly flexible in its approach, Broadway Tours guarantees a truly personal service, where a bespoke itinerary – tailor made to your group’s specific requirements – and seamless organisation ensure that your party enjoys a memorable and rewarding time away. Whether it’s a day trip to London or a 10-day discovery of China, absorbing the art of Italy, bringing history to life on the battlefields of World War I or immersing your students in the language and culture of Spain, Broadway Tours can offer a comprehensive package to suit all subjects and budgets. And with glowing testimonials from both students and staff, Broadway Tours prides itself on welcoming back valued party leaders year upon year.

If you’ve got a trip in mind, contact Broadway Tours to see how we can help:

0844 824 4564 info@broadwaytours.co.uk www.broadwaytours.co.uk

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When It comes to school and college tours, we know where to go! UK, European and Worldwide tours Geography, History, Language, Music, Sports and cultural tours ABTA No. V4176

Every tour is meticulously planned and managed by an experienced Rondo Travel Director Safety is paramount as founder members of the School Travel Forum We strive to inspect every hotel personally and provide free copies of hotel risk assessments We offer assistance with your own pre-visit inspections with a 2 night stay in your chosen hotel where possible Just some of our customer feedback: ‘We had a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The kids adored every minute of it and the staff were bowled over! Merci! Same again next year please’ Sarah Morley, Chellaston Academy

‘Thank you very much for organising a fantastic trip. The kids and staff had an amazing time’. Gillian Dolan, Thirsk School and Sixth Form College ‘Friendly, professional service, offering the personal touch and excellent value for money. Many thanks for a great trip’ Barbara M Tune, Frederick Gough Music Dept ‘All is awesome. Seriously never been so impressed with a company. #iceland2016baby’ Nathan Woodville, Verulam School

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TRIPS ABROAD  A telling finding from the STF 2015 Awareness Survey, was that 95.5 per cent of the 2019 secondary school teachers surveyed viewed 24/7 emergency support whilst on tour as an essential or important

requirement when booking a school trip. Whilst educational visits are statistically one of the safest environments for children to be in, the extra reassurance that emergency expert support is available round the clock is crucial

Many positive impacts seen on residentials, for example the development of relationship, confidence and engagement with learning, as well as the delivery of learning, were also sustained back at school

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to trip organisers, who after all want to have a positive and successful experience themselves. What is encouraging is that awareness of the benefits that LOtC Accreditation and STF Approval can bring is growing amongst the people they stand to help – i.e. teachers and organisers and also the reputable school trip providers that deserve to grow within the market. In 2013, 58 per cent of teachers reported that STF Approval was either an essential prerequisite or likely to influence their decision when choosing a supplier. Encouragingly this jumped to 72 per cent in this year’s survey, so the message about the reliability, ease and simplicity of travelling with accredited providers is getting through. L

The School Travel Forum was founded in 2003 and is a not for profit organisation. Its Assured Member scheme has widespread recognition and support for the way it simplified and provided essential reassurance for leaders looking to organise school trips. Founded by the government in 2008 and now an independent charity, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom is the national voice for all types of LOtC. FURTHER INFORMATION www.schooltravelforum.com

Sport & Educational Travel

SPECIALISTS IN SCHOOL GROUP TRAVEL Sport & Educational Travel Ltd. is a family run company that has been operating since 1991. We have over 35 years of experience within our team; our understanding of the responsibilities and concerns of teachers taking students out of the classroom is second to none, with the safety of the students remaining our top priority. Primary / secondary schools colleges or special interest groups - we have the destinations and itineraries to suit all age groups and our fully trained and highly motivated couriers are available to accompany your party, if required. We offer a variety of programmes ranging from day trips & residential stays both in the UK and abroad to total on-slope supervision ski trips in France, Austria and Italy. All of our tours are tailor made to the requirements of each individual group, whether your interest is in WWI /WWII of for your young travellers to practice their new found language, contact us NOW for your free quotation. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: call: 01493 665965 e-mail: info@set-uk.com or visit our website: www.set-uk.com

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School Trips Written by Ellen Creighton, Bletchley Park

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

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BLETCHLEY PARK

Walking in the footsteps of Codebreakers The story of Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers will fascinate schoolchildren of all ages and there is no better way to learn about their work than in the capable and inspiring hands of the heritage attraction’s learning department Back in World War Two the Codebreakers were given only rudimentary inductions into the art of cracking the enemy’s messages. But visiting pupils are lucky because they are introduced to the technique in specially designed workshops; Pattern Play to Codes and Ciphers, Bletchley Park has an activity session to suit every child and teenager. The sell-out learning programme caters for up to 180 students each school day. It uses the museum’s clear connections to history, maths, science, design and technology, and computing to link to subjects across the curriculum. There is a focus on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and giving pupils the knowledge that will enable them to use these subjects in the 21st century workforce. Just as some of the Codebreakers went on to develop important post-war technology, these skills will give students the opportunity to shine in their future careers – and perhaps to create their own groundbreaking inventions. Kate Travers, Head of Education at Bletchley Park, said: “Our learning programme is extremely popular with visits from up to 180 students each day during term time. The programme is so much in demand from schools that we have a higher number of requests for booking educational visits than we can currently accommodate and so advise educators to book their visit several months in advance to secure a place. “A dedicated learning team carefully plan and deliver activities to provide the best possible learning experiences to inspire young people. Learning sessions cover a range of different subjects across the

curriculum including history, coding and online safety for early years learners through to students in higher education. Activities are tailor-made for a specific audience and all are designed to be adapted appropriately for students of differing abilities.” A CHOICE OF SESSIONS Teachers can select from a range of different workshops for their visit. Pattern Play is a workshop aimed at the youngest visitors. Five to seven year olds are invited to explore the connections between shapes, patterns and the stories of Bletchley Park. Just as patterns are an essential foundation to mathematical knowledge, they were also a basic building block for codebreaking. Staff had to check for any potential patterns in the enciphered messages, which might be the key to cracking the day’s code. The Codes and Ciphers session focuses on communications techniques that have been used by British officials for centuries, albeit in various guises. Back in the fourteenth century King Edward II ordered that people entering England be scrutinised for suspicious letters and in Tudor times Queen Elizabeth I’s chief spy, Francis Walsingham, had a deciphering department in London. Codebreaking became a large scale and highly organised event during WW2. The Codes and Ciphers workshop introduces students to a variety of coding techniques that have been used throughout history and then allows them to try their hand at making their own devices for sending coded messages. Older children will be introduced to a real Enigma machine and shown how its design was intended to keep the enemy’s messages secure from prying eyes. How well can you keep a secret? Careless Talk Costs Lives explores the everyday lives of Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers, central to which was the necessity to keep quiet about their work, often lying

‑out The selling learn caters me programp to 180 for u s each student y. It uses da school useum’s the m ctions conne

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

to their closest friends and relatives. After all, the people of Britain were warned not to help the enemy because ‘careless talk’ may give away vital secrets. Cyber Secrets brings privacy right into the modern day. The session uses interactive games and activities to demonstrate how the lessons learned from Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers can be applied to staying safe online. Newly introduced workshop, Interception to Intelligence: Land and Sea puts students right into the middle of a codebreaking scenario. Suitable for ages nine and up, this session gives participants the opportunity to take part in a simulated intelligence operation set in 1941. This is a real chance for pupils to test their logic and codebreaking skills; thinking strategically to help secure Britain’s success in the Battle of the Atlantic. OPEN TO ALL Bletchley Park wants to encourage pupils from all backgrounds to visit and enhance their learning and for this reason a new bursary scheme was launched in February 2015. Funded by Winton Capital Management, the scheme opens up the museum to schools which would otherwise be unable to afford to visit. Each bursary covers the cost of coaches, entrance fees and a learning session for up to 32 pupils and eight adults. Schools’ eligibility for a bursary will be decided based on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals or pupil premium. Discussing the bursary scheme, Kate said: “During World War Two Bletchley Park had a diverse workforce, particularly as the war progressed. Financial standing wasn’t a barrier to working here then and it shouldn’t be a barrier for children to visit now. That’s why we decided to start running a bursary scheme, which will mean that schools with high levels of children whose parents cannot afford to contribute can visit for free.” As well as taking part in a special learning session, visitors from schools can also take advantage of the heritage attraction’s other visitor experiences. Block C, now the Visitor Centre, features an immersive introductory exhibition, Secrets Revealed, which gives an overview of life and work at Bletchley Park, starting from the moment the Codebreakers would have stepped off the train at Bletchley

Station. Huts 3 and 6 have been set dressed to show the conditions in which the Codebreakers would have worked, and Hut 8 has superb interactive material demonstrating how the codebreaking functioned, including some fantastic explanations of probability. After all, there were 159 million million million possible settings for each day’s codes so it was near impossible that the correct settings would be found by chance. Hut 8 also houses Alan Turing’s office, which has been recreated in its original location, complete with a mug chained to the radiator, as Turing did to prevent its theft. The iconic Victorian Mansion features a beautiful ballroom, a library set dressed to January 1940 and the office of Alastair

Denniston, Head of the Government Code and Cypher School until 1942. The Drawing Room now features a new exhibition, Gordon Welchman: Architect of Ultra Intelligence. This focuses on the life and work of the head of Hut 6. These are just some of the highlights at the museum. Visiting schools will be given a special guided tour around the grounds, led by one of our dedicated learning volunteers. The tour takes in the exteriors of the main buildings and focuses on key historical information, leaving pupils with a clear overview of the work at Bletchley Park. Sometimes it can be easier for the learning team to bring Bletchley Park to the school for a specific session that fits in particularly well with the term’s planning. For this reason the heritage attraction also runs an outreach programme with two distinct, exciting and engaging opportunities. In the Enigma Outreach session the outreach officer brings a real Enigma machine to the school. Visits are built around the demonstration of this iconic piece of WW2 history, and can also include presentations on the history of Bletchley Park, interactive talks on codes and ciphers, and hands-on codebreaking workshops. STAY SAFE ONLINE Bletchley Park also offers an Online Safety Outreach session. Run in partnership with

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Intel Security, the Online Safety Programme is designed to encourage people of all ages to think about their safety in the online environment. The workshops cover cyber security, cyber safety and cyber ethics. These all help the digital generation to stay safe as they negotiate this 21st Century hazard. This includes the personal data which pupils upload to the internet and how this can be used to make them the target of security threats. It also covers social networking and how to manage online relationships. Additionally, pupils are taught about cyber-bullying and digital responsibility. There is an emphasis on encouraging discussion and getting students to consider different aspects of online security. The depth of discussions depends on the age group, ranging from the dangers of sharing your address online to the necessity of ensuring online shops have a symbol indicating that they encrypt your data. The learning team also run sessions for families visiting Bletchley Park. The Family Maths workshops are drop-in events for five to 12 year olds and their parents. These are great opportunities for adults to learn how to support their children’s mathematical learning whilst having fun. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bletchleypark.org.uk/edu

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Sport

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FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

As the Football Foundation’s facilities withstand the winter elements to make sure that play continues, Harry Simmons discusses why the elements should not dictate play

Frozen pitches, submerged penalty areas and cold, damp changing rooms; the harshness of the British winter is traditionally unwelcome in our grassroots game. That is because too many of our country’s natural grass pitches are simply unable to be used during poor weather because they become waterlogged or frozen, or are not floodlit and therefore stop play after 4pm in the winter. Either way, grassroots footballers suffer and are left with nowhere to play the game purely for the love of doing so. This is why the Football Foundation is working to ensure that the elements no longer dictate when football can be played. By improving the country’s inventory of sports facilities, including those found in schools, the Foundation is ensuring that participation in the sport maintains its high levels all-year round and that students in particular can fulfil their potential both physically and academically. SUSTAINABLE PLAYING TIME Poor facilities are the main barrier to sporting participation in this country. Investment into facilities, specifically third generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGPs), prove a catalyst for more than noticeable rises in participation. Increases of seven per cent

in football and eight per cent in multi-sport participation over the last year at Football Foundation-funded facilities demonstrate this. More young people are getting involved in sport and can now play for longer into the evening on a floodlit 3G AGP, which sustains play for 90 hours a week compared to just five on a natural grass pitch in the winter.

Written by Harry Simmons, Football Foundation

Playing through the winter winds

Liz Bishopp, business manager at the Blandford School, said: “We have seen the benefit of fewer fixtures being cancelled due to the ground conditions. Another bonus has been the growth in participation, partly because users know that they won’t be finishing their sessions covered in mud.” The Blandford School received a £350,000 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund to build a new state‑of‑the‑art AGP in 2014. Before receiving funding, the school were only able to play on a grass field, of which its hours of play were always limited by winter weather. Former Southampton, Everton and England striker, James Beattie visited the Blandford School’s pitch. He said: “Young people wanting to play and learn about the game can only do this if they have access to quality facilities and this pitch is certainly that”, he said. Beattie spoke of how he played on a similar facility in his youth days at Blackburn Rovers: ‘‘We need more of them, lots more.” The Dorset-based facility accommodates not only all 700 of the school’s pupils but local grassroots clubs, Blandford Youth Football Club, Blandford United, AFC Blandford, Stourpaine FC, and Wimborne Town Football Club. AFC Bournemouth’s Community Trust, Arsenal’s Soccer Schools and Dorset County FA also base sessions at the facility. So not only can more sport be played but the quality of the experience for a grassroots footballer is also hugely improved because the surface is so good. Indeed the Football Foundation’s recent ‘Player and Coaches Survey’ found that 75 per cent of coaches were of the opinion that Foundation-funded facilities allow them to deliver a higher quality of session. For example, Roland Davey, assistant head teacher at Matthew Arnold School in Staines made clear that: “With a pitch that allows the ball to run true you can work on more technical aspects of the game, without worrying about a ball bouncing over a student’s foot! There are no inconsistencies in our pitch now.”

More young people are getting involved in sport and can now play for longer into the evening on a floodlit 3G AGP, which sustains play for 90 hours a week compared to just five on a natural grass pitch in the winter 282 of the 555 artificial grass pitches (AGPs) that the Foundation has developed are at schools across England, meaning that thousands of students now have access to state-of-the-art pitches for both physical education and extra-curricular activity. There is also better provision for study in sports science topics, all of which can happen undeterred by the weather.

Matthew Arnold received £254,438 from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund in 2014 to build the 3G AGP and as a result, the Chelsea Foundation now run a unique BTEC academic and football programme at the school that allows pupils to gain qualifications. Football Foundation pitches are more than just spaces for people to play football – they can help to transition a student E

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Our reputation spans 50 years with expertise in developing, manufacturing and installing practical, aesthetically pleasing storage solutions.

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FOOTBALL FOUNDATION  into a career. During the 2014/15 season for instance, 28,033 coaching qualifications were gained at Football Foundation-funded sites.

a dream, go ahead and achieve it.” Shearer’s hope of a well-used pitch will be met with participation expected to rocket by 50 per cent. More needs to be done to EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS improve this country’s sports infrastructure. The benefits of these kinds of facilities in With just over 600 artificial pitches across a practical sense are clear, but it’s important the country, of which 555 were delivered by to remember what effect this can have on the Football Foundation, England is still miles a student’s broader education. behind Germany, as an example, who have Ponteland’s head teacher, over 4,000 of these similar facilities. The Caroline Pryer, explains: Since 2000, the Football l l a “Having a physical Foundation has delivered b t o o F s a outlet year-round funding from the Premier h n tio improves academic League, The FA and the Founda funding d success, our students government in the shape e r e deliv e Premier also have the of 14,000 grants worth h chance to take pride from t e FA and the more than £540m towards th in something and improving grassroots League,rnment in the take care of it.” sport, which it has used gove ape of The School’s to attract additional sh pitch was opened partnership funding of over f o worth by legendary former £777m – making a total m 0 4 5 £ England and Newcastle of over £1.3bn of investment grants United FC striker, Alan into the grassroots game. Shearer. The facility is also The formula is simple: build more used by local club Ponteland United FC as quality facilities and more people will well as Newcastle United’s Foundation. get involved in sport. Few can deny that The former England captain said: “I playing sport is off‑putting when you have never had anything like this at my to get changed in an old, rusty shipping school when I was their age. I hope the container to then run out to pitches community get tremendous use out that will be unplayable after rainfall. of it. Use it, cherish it and if they have Students can look to the future safe

Sport

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The Football Foundation’s Investment into school facilities since 2000 529 school sites/projects developed £125m total grant amount £257.5m total project value £132.6m additional partnership funding leveraged 282 third-generation (3G) artificial grass pitches (AGPs) 137 changing rooms 554 real grass pitches 20 multi-use games areas (MUGA)

in the knowledge that the investment from the Football Foundation through the Premier League, The FA and the government will continue to be made at the lowest levels of the game to strengthen our nation’s favourite sport. A strong base at the bottom of the football pyramid strengthens the elite level at the top and everything in between. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.footballfoundation.org.uk

(UK mainland only)

Supaturf is a division of Vitax Ltd. For more information call 01530 510060 or visit www.vitax.co.uk Volume 20.10 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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SECURITY

FIRE SAFETY SERVICES

Whether you are looking to reduce vandalism of the school and its grounds or just increase the visibility of security around the school to act as a deterrent, find out how HD CCTV security systems in your school can help safeguard your students and staff. Many schools already have CCTV currently in place but may face their own frustrations with an old system, like grainy images, the actual equipment taking up too much space or simply being complicated to use. The right CCTV system will help you reduce your time finding footage when incidents occur and help you clearly identify people, whilst running alongside your existing system. There are many health and safety issues likely to take place around schools and some are hard to monitor.

Are you confident that if the fire service visits your premises today, you can show that you have fulfilled your fire safety obligations? Adena Fire has provided fire safety services to schools (including residential), nurseries and other educational establishments – where the safety of children is so important. It prides itself on ensuring that its clients are fully compliant with all relevant fire safety legislation. All of the company’s consultants and engineers have many years’ service as British Fire Service professionals, and combine this with industry qualifications and experience in fire safety services to thousands of clients in both the public and private sectors. This means that Adena Fire is able to take a more pragmatic, risk-based approach to fire safety, allowing more costeffective solutions to be adopted,

Dedicated to providing cutting edge monitoring

For example unwanted visitors at night on the school grounds, causing damage to the school or potentially harming themselves can be easily deterred with the presence of CCTV cameras. Ecl-ips provides expert advise on, supplying and supporting CCTV systems, access control solutions, power monitoring and backup systems to improve efficiency and reduce IT downtime. For more information about how CCTV can help your school, please visit the website below. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01527 872000 info@ecl-ips.com www.cctvineducation.co.uk

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Derbyshire Specialist Aggregates is the UK’s leading supplier and producer of decorative and dried aggregates, used across the UK and worldwide. The company’s dried aggregate products have become increasingly popular as they offer a high quality, consistent product as well as the largest range of colours and textures. The ‘always in stock’ philosophy ensures the company can react to customers’ requirements immediately. The anti-skid products are widely used in a variety of traffic calming and safety schemes worldwide and the company prides itself on being the premier supplier of white dolomite for the white lining industry. The company bags and supplies rock salt nationwide for next day delivery. Its dedicated bagging facility means it can produce to meet a high demand. It also produces and

Medical Tracker is an online application, used in nurseries, schools and colleges across England to record, track and manage all areas relating to first aid and medication. Medical Tracker is compatible with every management information system and has automatic links set-up with the market leading MIS applications. Medical Tracker centralises all your data which can be accessed by multiple users, with different permission levels, from any device. Medical Tracker can help your nursery, school or college in a number of different ways: automatically creating RIDDOR reports: technical Partnership with Capita SIMS; ensuring you comply with DfE guidelines; saving time reporting incidents; analysing data to find trends; automatically creating in-depth reports for

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supplies thousands of tonnes of decorative and landscape material with all products in stock at all times, ready for immediate nationwide delivery. The online shop, decorativeaggregates.com, has an impressive variety of landscaping aggregates, popular among landscapers and homeowners to order online for delivery direct to their door. The in-house sales and technical support team are always available to help with any problem-solving, special requirements and technical enquiries that you might have. Free samples of all the products are available on request. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01629 636500 sales@derbyaggs.com www.derbyaggs.com

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providing recommendations that often save its clients’ time, money and unnecessary stress. Adena Fire services include: fire safety consultancy; fire risk assessments; fire safety training; dry and wet riser testing and maintenance; and fire strategy. You can be confident that you will receive professional, personal and completely independent advice and services tailored to your specific requirements. To discuss your requirements, or for further information, please contact Adena Fire. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 6432 999 www.adenafire.co.uk

Managing first aid and medication online

governors; tracking medication and first aid qualification expiry dates and much more. Pricing includes unlimited users, unlimited support and all future software updates. Medical Tracker is constantly improving and altering its software application to ensure it is delivering the best application possible to schools. The company regularly asks its schools for feedback and new ideas which are implemented once agreed upon by its other users. Request a 30 minute remote demonstration or watch the free online webinar video. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 3743 9599 theteam@medicaltracker.co.uk www.medicaltracker.co.uk

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Advertisers Index

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CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS

DESIGN & BUILD

Using comedy to convey educational information

Serious Comedy is a London based creative communications agency and publishing company, founded by stand up comedian and comedy writer Darren Ruddell. Formerly employed as a special educational needs teacher, Darren recognised that many of the skills he had developed whilst performing at night transferred to the classroom, and were helping him engage with the young people in his charge. He then set about establishing a company whose central philosophy would be using humour to communicate important and necessary information. The books he now creates, in collaboration with illustrator Stephanie Rohr and co-writer Seamus Hilley, have sold well over a hundred thousand

Techniflow – High performance hand drying in just six-eight seconds

copies to schools and local authorities, and children absolutely love them. Serious Comedy has taught reception age children about scooter safety, with help from a careless group of animals. It has improved parents driving with a tongue in cheek test, and helped ease the anxiety of small children riding a bicycle unaided for the first time. The agency also produces poster campaigns and films, as well as running workshops for students and teachers. With a roster of comedy writers and performers to call on, the emphasis is always on mixing learning with laughter.

Techniflow has three high speed models that can dry hands in just six - eight seconds, drawing 4-amps only. The models, the ‘Scholar’, the ‘Dri Zone’ and the ‘Airmaster’ are all suitabe for use in schools. The ‘Scholar’ is small and ideal for fitting in tight areas. The air outlet is designed for safety, so that a pencil could be inserted whilst in operation without any problem. The ‘Dri Zone’ is ADA compliant for disabled use, with compact dimensions, a light weight, and sloping sides, top and base for high-level self-harm protection.

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With a noise level of only 72.8 dB at 1metre, and on on/off switch, this is a truly 4-amp machine. The ‘Airmaster’ has a low profile from the wall which makes it ideal where gangway width is an issue. It also possesses adjustable motor speed for energy savings and noise levels. The UVC model is the only hand dryer of its kind on the market. It is fitted with an internal anti-bacterial device which kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01202 870 770 techniflow@btinternet.com

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The Literacy Shed

Solutions 40

Scorpion Safety

Thermatic 78

Charles Lawrence

Langley Waterproofing

Scott’s Of Thrapston

Travel Bound

Surfaces 100

Lloyds Bank

Select School Travel

Tregartha Dinnie

Continuity West

Makerbot Europe GMBH

Derbyshire 105

& Co

DL Bio Composites

Serious Comedy

106

Trinity Cleaning

Sibcas 26

Services 83

McCain BC

SITA UK

Unicol Engineering

Dolce 76

Medical Tracker

Sport and Educational

Urenco 68

Ecl-ips 105

Nationwide Hygiene Supplies 82

Travel 97

Vitax 103

Eco Camping and Leisure

Netgear 42

Supagrass 31

Wildwood (Cumbria)

Empresa 48

NetSupport Software

Teachers 2 Parents

IFC

Wilo UK

Etesia 100

Neustro UK

Techniflow Hand Driers

106

Worldstrides

Evac Chair International

Nexus Industries

TG Escapes

International 94

Promethean World

The Association for UK

Zeutschel UK

Rayflex Rubber

The Deck Tile Co

Zycko

104

Fire Tech Camp

Garran Lockers

102

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.10

34 105

56, 47

46, 50 4, 50

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