Education Executive October 2012

OCTOBER 2012 / ISSUE 84

OCTOBER 2012 / ISSUE 84

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE supporting business and financial excellence in schools and colleges

PROCUREMENT n

A BUYER’S MARKET

CATERING n

Why you have more budget than you think

FAITH SCHOOLS

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT WWW.EDEXEC.CO.UK

How school grub can be converted into cold hard cash

KEEPING THE FAITH

The ins and outs of academy conversion for faith schools

editor’s letter

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

OCTOBER 2012

www.edexec.co.uk

Education Executive is the first business management magazine written exclusively for school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to premises, procurement to HR. EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here, every month.

EDITOR julia dennison julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR carrie service carrie.service@intelligentmedia.co.uk REPORTER george carey george.carey@intelligentmedia.co.uk PUBLISHER vicki baloch vicki.baloch@intelligentmedia.co.uk SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE neil pauksztello neil.pauksztello@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER sarah chivers sarah.chivers@intelligentmedia.co.uk PRODUCTION AND DESIGN peter hope-parry peter.hope-parry@intelligentmedia.co.uk CIRCULATIONS natalia johnston natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Education Executive is published by intelligent media solutions suite 223, business design centre 52 upper street, london, N1 0QH tel 020 7288 6833 fax 020 7979 0089 email info@intelligentmedia.co.uk web www.intelligentmedia.co.uk Follow Education Executive on Twitter at Twitter.com/edexec Printed in the UK by Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.co.uk

A lesson from Chicago

A

t a Chicago wedding last month, I was at a table full of teachers. If you’ve been following the news stateside this month, you’ll know most of our conversation was given over to talk of strike action.

The teachers at our table loved their jobs so much, they said (one tearing up when she told me how much), but found it hard to justify the amount of extra work they were being asked to do for the same amount of money. Not to mention working conditions that no other workplace would tolerate – citing broken air conditioning as a main concern (in the Midwest, where summer temperatures reach the upper thirties on a good day, this is a big deal). Plus, they were watching unioned colleagues lose their jobs as statefunded schools converted to charter schools. In short, they were battling every day to do, what they still maintained, was the best job in the world. Taking place two days before the big Chicago strike, the wedding – where, incidentally, the groom works for ATL here in the UK – made me realise how important it is to give the kids and their teachers the best schools we can. They deserve them.

All this will sound familiar to UK schools. A recent survey of 2,000 teachers by the TES and ITV’s Daybreak found that just over half of teachers’ lessons are hindered by buildings that are not fit for purpose. While the government says it is prioritising the worst cases, this survey points to a problem that is perhaps bigger than we realise.

Shockingly, a quarter of teachers would not send their own child to the school where they work because of its dilapidated state.

As SBMs, it’s your job to ensure staff, teachers and pupils have the best working conditions possible. With an emphasis on the possible.

Of course, with constricted budgets, this is sometimes a challenge worthy of hair tearing. You can’t work magic, but having a good business manager in place means a school can at least ensure the money they do have is being used appropriately. Sometimes budget saving can have undesirable side effects, like redundancies or selling a playing field. But if a school does not address these challenges, they could quickly find themselves in a similar position to Chicago: teachers at their wits end with no other option but to fight back.

EDITOR

Contents 18

rocure

lan

make your school’s budget go further

30 CASE STUDY

Vie for Victory Ormiston Victory Academy: How academies are meant to be

34 PROCUREMENT

A buyer’s market Why you have more budget than you think

management

tune up your management skills

40 ACCOUNTANCY

sector

Keeping the books Whether to take bookkeeping in-house or elsewhere

42 WORK/LIFE

the lowdown on the business management world

Break time Put your feet up and take your break right here

06 SECTOR NEWS

The latest news and views for school business managers

08 DIARY

ICT matters

Information maketh the school Falmouth School’s assistant head talks data

the latest technological innovations in schools today

10 ANALYSIS

44 ICT NEWS

Charter schools v. academies What can we learn from across the pond?

48 CASE STUDY

14 LEGAL

The latest updates and developments in school technology

Conversion update The idiot’s guide to academy conversion

One on one

The results of Scotland’s Clackmannanshire Council 1-2-1 learning pilot

50 CASE STUDY

schools in focus

what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you

16 PRIMARY UPDATE

Dig for victory A primary school’s guide to growing school veg gardens

Secondary school news and views

Independent school news and views

28 ANALYSIS

Digital divide Cyberbullying: what really happens

58 HELP DESK

Techno Geek

How to deal with demanding teacher requests

For the latest news and views check out

Food for thought

How school grub can be converted into hard cash

26 INDEPENDENT UPDATE

Lease of your worries Panorama tackles leasing. We do too

24 ANALYSIS

18 PREMISES

22 SECONDARY UPDATE

53 ADVICE

56 GUIDE

Primary school news and views

Sacred art of learning How a learning platform helped transform a Bolton school

www.edexec.co.uk

Keeping the faith The ins and outs of academy conversion for faith schools

Look out for news, products and competitions from our sponsors

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sector Sector news is brought to you by

Free banking for schools supported by local specialist relationship managers Lloyds TSB Commercial - well educated banking

PUPIL WATCH BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS “WIDESPREAD”

Official conclusions on the standard of behaviour in England’s secondary classrooms underestimate the scale of the problem in many schools.

Research based on detailed studies carried out over the past 10 years concludes that more than half of student teachers said they had often been in lessons where the teacher was not in complete control.

Some 25% said fewer than half of their lessons were under the relaxed, comfortable charge of their teachers.

Asked to comment on what was their worst experience of classroom behaviour at school as a pupil, 47% said they could remember times when it was likely their teacher was “dreading the thought of the lesson”, with major disruption and pupils paying little or no heed to the presence of an adult in the room.

Of these, 21% said they could remember lessons when the actions of badly-behaved pupils largely dictated what happened in the class.

The statistics come from a survey of 243 trainee teachers carried out by Professor Terry Haydn of the University of East Anglia in 2009-10.

They are the latest findings from nearly a decade of research presented at the annual conference of the British Educational Research Association in Manchester.

STORY OF THE MONTH SBM ELECTED TO NAHT NATIONAL EXECUTIVE The National Association of Head Teachers has reached a milestone with the election of a school business manager to a dedicated seat on its National Executive. It means school business managers and bursars have representation in the decision-making of the highest levels of the association.

The move reflects the increasing importance of the SBM’s role in facilitating school leaders and teachers to focus on learning and this will enable school business managers to have input through NAHT when key discussions about education are held.

The member elected to the National Executive is Joe Gallagher from the Albion Academy in Salford. He said: “It’s vital that school business managers are recognised as leaders in their own right, both on pay and with support and protection.”

The school business manager said he would campaign for equality of pay across all SBMs and greater recognition of their important role within schools.

He continued: “I think the coming years will see pressure on schools to cut jobs they don’t think are essential and use companies to provide support, so I could see an attack on business managers and it is a role which needs protecting.”

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “Joe’s election is an historic moment in the progress of the NAHT and we welcome him to National Executive.” He said business managers are the fastest growing member group of the organisation and that NAHT would work to improve their working lives. To that end, the organisation has called for the School Teachers Review Body, which makes recommendations on salaries in an attempt to bring business manager’s and bursar’s pay in line with other school leaders.

He concluded: “The election of Joe represents an important step in the modernisation of the organisation and we are pleased school business managers and bursars are now fully represented at National Executive level.

“It goes without saying that the more school business managers and bursars we represent, the stronger our voice on their behalf, and we invite members of the profession to contact us to find out more about what we can do for them.”

They said...

Ofsted has become a bureaucratic juggernaut costing the public vast amounts of money – money which should be spent on schools and on pupils Dr Alexander Moseley, author, lecturer and founder of national private tutoring organisation Classical Foundations, who called on the Government to scrap league tables, abolish Ofsted and the national curriculum

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DIARY 15 October Capita’s National Conference on Accountability and Governance in Schools Central London CapitaConferences.co.uk 19 October Financial Management for Academies: Half-day briefing Central London CapitaConferences.co.uk 19 October Schools Northeast Summit St James’ Park, Newcastleupon-Tyne SchoolsNortheast.com

sector NEWS

PICTURE STORY

INBRIEF

WATER COOLER CODE LAUNCHED FOR SCHOOLS Schoolchildren in Buckinghamshire take part in SignHealth’s sign2sing event at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury this August. More than 114,000 children broke the Guinness World Record for the most people signing and singing a song simultaneously

What we learned this month

Half of lessons hindered by unfit buildings. More than half of teachers say their lessons are being negatively affected by inadequate school buildings, according to a recent survey of more than 2,000 teachers by the TES and ITV’s Daybreak. The study revealed that one in five teachers felt their classrooms were unfit for teaching, while more than a quarter would not send their own child to their school because of its dilapidated state. More than two-thirds of surveyed teachers felt their school needed modernization and 86% believed better facilities would improve teaching, learning and pupil behaviour.

STATS & FACTS

DATA IN SCHOOLS n 95% of schools provide information to pupils and parents about what happens to information n 1/3 of schools say passwords are not strong enough or changed regularly n 20% admit email systems are not secure.

A new code of practice on water cooler safety has been launched to help people who work in catering, health and safety at schools. The British Water Cooler Association (BWCA) has published ‘Guidelines for the Location, Use and Servicing of Bottled Water and Mains-Fed Water Coolers in Schools’ to ensure that those responsible for managing the water coolers in schools avoid falling foul of the law or of general good practice when it comes to hygiene and safety.

The guide covers the safety aspects of installing water bottles on bottle-fed coolers, as well as the installation and maintenance of mains-fed coolers. There is also a helpful list of areas of low- and high-risk for the use of coolers around the school buildings. The manual follows the recent launch of a publication on the ‘Use and Maintenance of Personal Water Bottles in Schools’ to advise schools on the use of refillable bottles from water coolers or other sources of water. For a free copy of either publication, email info@bwca.org.uk.

SCHOOLS SUPPORT GOV’T SAVINGS PLAN Research indicates that schools are adapting their buying patterns in support of the Government’s £1bn spending review. The headline finding of a 2012 survey of 630 schools (325 primary, 305 secondary) conducted in August by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) was that schools are using a range of procurement practices, including 47% of primary schools taking advantage of economies of scale by working with other schools to buy ICT in clusters.

(Source: ICO) www.lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking | 0800 681 6078 www.edexec.co.uk

/ october 2012

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08

sector DATA

DIARY

Information maketh the school Falmouth School has worked to improve the educational attainment of its pupils, in particular, white working class boys, resulting in an increase in GCSE results. A new initiative designed to identify and tackle the issues around poor attendance and behaviour has driven more improvements.

Assistant headteacher ALEX GEORGE discusses the work

A

t Falmouth, we’re obsessed with information. It’s been the single biggest influence on the continued progress of our school. In addition to using detailed student achievement information to help raise attainment, data has been particularly important in addressing two key areas: improving behaviour and attendance. Let me explain.

From any PC, or my iPad, I am able to access information on just about everything that happens at Falmouth. I can check incidents of positive or negative behaviour and the number of pupils late or absent on any given day. But I’m not alone.

Teachers can also access data stored on our SIMS management information system (MIS), along with faculty heads, tutors and even pupils under our guidance. The benefit of this is that the MIS graphically illustrates what is expected of every single person at the school. We know our goals and what we need to do to achieve them.

TEACHERS, TEACHING This focus has ensured that our use of information has had a dramatic impact on the classroom. We use the data to monitor the behaviour of our pupils. The details of any incident of negative behaviour in a class are entered into our MIS. This ensures that every incident is dealt with quickly and the pupil automatically receives a detention the next day. There is no time lag and so the impact of the punishment is more keenly felt and the lessons learnt more quickly.

With just a few clicks, I can see if there is a recurring pattern of perhaps a pupil or a specific subject during which the disruptions are taking place and also how incidents have changed over time. Our approach can then be tailored accordingly.

Since implementing this system, the number of lessons disrupted by students has fallen to a quarter of what it once was. And the figure is still declining. This has been achieved by simply having all the information to hand and the right system in place to deal with any incident.

Information is, and will continue to be, the cornerstone of our success

WELCOMING THE EARLY BIRDS Attendance and, in particular, lateness has been a focus for us at Falmouth. So, we have introduced a new set of protocols for any child who is late. They receive a different type of detention depending on their history of punctuality.

As a result, lateness has been falling over the last three terms. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that lateness to lessons has been virtually eradicated. Why? Having access to the relevant information means that we can instantly spot the problem and act, fast.

As I’ve shown, information is and will continue to be the cornerstone of our success. Not only has it had a dramatic impact on students’ progress towards aspirational achievement targets, but it has also been instrumental in our success in causing a sharp decline in incidents of negative behaviour and a marked improvement in attendance.

Most importantly, by addressing these key areas, we can be assured that every child leaves Falmouth School with the very best possible start to the next stage of their journey.

Alex George is assistant headteacher at Falmouth School, an 11-18 comprehensive school in Cornwall. His current responsibilities include assessment, reporting and data analysis

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sector CHARTERS V. ACADEMIES

CHARTER SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES:

GROWING THE REFORM MOVEMENT – STEADILY TY GODDARD, cofounder of The Education Foundation, discusses what the education reform movement in the UK can learn from its American counterparts

A

t The Education Foundation, the UK’s first cross-sector education think-tank, we are working to ensure that the future of learning is in the hands of those who know it best and need it most – namely, the teaching profession and parents that want the best for their children. Education in the UK over the century has been characterised by tumult, overhauls, fragmentation and often politicisation. Whilst we will perhaps never reach complete consensus, surely we can agree that reform is imperative? There is a convergence of views between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives that schools should have the freedom to teach and structure themselves in the best way they see fit. The growth of the academies programme demonstrates an appetite for autonomy that will be very difficult – legislatively and politically – to reverse.

The UK is not alone in this bottom up revolution. The Education Foundation was recently privileged to host a delegation of education leaders from the United States, where the reform movement is more deeply ingrained and advanced.

Amongst our distinguished guests were directors of state policy, and superintendents, including Paul

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sector CHARTERS V. ACADEMIES

Pastorek from Louisiana who led the rebuilding of an entire education system in New Orleans post-Katrina. All our guests had been, in many different ways, encouraging and laying foundations for reform on the front line. In our discussions with them about the parallels between our school systems, it was the organisation of the growing number of charter schools in the states that we found particularly interesting and whether we can learn any lessons from the way their ‘academy’ system is growing and developing in the US. The UK academy landscape is nascent, but during the visit from our American colleagues we took them to an ARK school to show them what has already been achieved. The ARK model has arguably become a pin-up of academisation in this country, with 18 schools now under its banner as of last month. Of the academies that have been inspected since being taken over, all but one has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. The chain has

The best successes in academy conversions in both the US and UK have not been achieved by merely converting a school, but by recruiting the very best from the teaching profession to staff it and putting in place strong leaders committed to transforming the school developed a strong identity, and a strong ethos, which has seen improving results and expanding waiting lists. And ARK is not alone – the UK has around a dozen of these chains – including AET, Oasis, The Harris Federation, United Learning Trust and E-ACT – that are all growing at pace.

We now have 1,957 academy schools in the UK – including almost half of all state secondary schools – with more added every term. But where will this expansion take us? Should we progress at speed and is there a tipping point when a school chain can no longer succeed? Whilst the United States is by no means a blueprint for the UK, it is interesting to examine the system across the Atlantic, where the first autonomous charter schools were introduced 20 years ago, back in 1991.

The growth of charter schools in the US has been slightly bumpy due to the federal system and each state having to pass charter legislation – but now such laws exist across some 41 states and within the District of Columbia. Similarly to the UK, pupil academic performance and demographics have been a driving force behind the call for reform in the States. For instance, where there is a large proportion of Hispanic populations, charter laws have tended to be passed earlier.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the fastest growth of academies has been in urban areas with higher levels of social disadvantage. The US model would

indicate that this is a trend that is set to continue.

Knowledge is Power Programme (KIPP) schools – which often take from more disadvantaged demographics – form the largest non-profit chain in the country with 109 schools franchised under the model. And eager competitors like Rocketship – which successfully turned around the fortunes of a number of Hispanic and Latino dominated schools in California – are now aiming to be the biggest chain in America by 2020.

But looking at the numbers in the States, what is very interesting is that, although the reform movement has a much more vocal parent lobby – set to be the subject of forthcoming Hollywood film Won’t Back Down, the pace of growth in academy chains seems to be steady. It has deepened and widened cautiously, rather than towards mass coverage of public schools.

Notably, the best successes in academy conversions in both the US and UK have not been achieved by merely converting a school, but by recruiting the very best from the teaching profession to staff it and putting in place strong leaders committed to transforming the school and unafraid of organisational change – unafraid too, of imaginative partnerships within communities and with parents. This is what must not be lost as our academies chains grow in the UK. We cannot afford to compromise getting the staffing right, nor building support and understanding of organisational change. After all, the growth of successful chains must surely rely on the strength of every link in them?

So from the land so often associated with biggest and boldest, when it comes to education reform, what we may be beginning to learn is to move steadily and thoughtfully to get it right. As Mike Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP, told The Washington Post: “We feel a heightened sense of urgency… But if we aggressively try to address all of it tomorrow, we’re going to fail. We have to have a maturity of patience.”

The Education Foundation works with teachers, parents, academics and businesses from around the world to further the debate about education reform and identify ways to improve schools

www.edexec.co.uk

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12

sector ADVERTORIAL

THE NEW EXCLUSIONS

FRAMEWORK – IMPLICATIONS

FOR SCHOOLS What does the new exclusions framework that came into force last month mean for your school? Education lawyer RICHARD FREETH explains the change in policy The new exclusions framework came into force for all state-funded schools in England on 1 September and brings with it good and bad news for schools. The good news is that the basic three-stage structure of the exclusions process remains intact with a headteacher’s decision to permanently exclude being subject to review by the governing body and potentially an independent panel. There is no fundamental difference in the procedure to be followed. The bad news is that the Government has published updated guidance on exclusions, outlining new powers for the independent review panels, meaning they could impose financial penalties to already stretched school finances.

The independent review panels replaced the appeal panels and whilst they do not have the power to reinstate pupils, they can quash the governing body decision where it is found to be flawed on judicial review principles. They will consider issues such as whether due process was followed, for example whether the headteacher and governing body acted within their powers and whether the decision was perverse, irrational or one that a reasonable panel could not have reached. The exclusions guidance builds on the legislative framework and provides clear rules on what schools should do to remain within the law and also statutory guidance on what they should be doing in addition to the legal minimum.

There are a number of implications for schools flowing from this.

Firstly, the new framework will inevitably require some investment from schools in terms of time to understand the requirements and ensure that any issues or defects in their procedures do not undermine decisions taken from 1 September onwards. The fact that the guidance brings in complex legal concepts, such as judicial review principles, heightens the need for training for staff who are likely to be involved in investigating or making exclusion decisions and for the governors reviewing those decisions. Schools will need to understand the new framework in order to ensure not falling foul of these principles and potentially incurring £4,000 fines.

Schools should also consider reviewing their behaviour policy and procedures around exclusions in light of the new guidance. Whilst such policies must be reviewed regularly as a matter of course, now would appear to be an appropriate time to do a thorough review against the backdrop of this new framework.

The behaviour policy is a key document in the exclusions framework, as breaches of that policy form the basis of any decision to exclude. It may be helpful to consider other government guidance on behaviour and discipline, published in 2011/12 when reviewing these policies to ensure they comply with best practice and to strengthen the school’s position on behaviour issues. The government guidance provides greater clarity on what schools are able to do in a number of key areas such as searching, confiscation of items and detention.

For further training and guidance, see the dedicated education portal at www.education-advisors.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Freeth is an education lawyer in Browne Jacobson’s Birmingham team with over 13 years experience of supporting schools and local authorities on a wide range of operational issues including exclusions, admissions, appeals, special educational needs and parental complaints.

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sector LEGAL

K C I A QU Y M E CAD

A O T IDE

GU

N O I S VER

CON

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sector LEGAL

Haven’t made the plunge yet? Lawyer AMY RICHARDSON presents this updated guide to academy conversion for governors and school leaders

T

he autumn term is underway and the dates for your governor meetings may already be pencilled in the diary. But what will be the hot topic of those meetings? We anticipate that the subject of academy conversions is likely to crop up sooner or later, if it hasn’t already. The academic year 2011/2012 saw an unprecedented number of schools convert to academies across the country. As of this summer, there were 1,957 open in England with many more converting in September. Like them or loathe them, the domino effect seems to be in force.

Ultimately any decision to convert will be dependent on the governors being satisfied that academy status will enable their school to improve its pupils’ opportunities and achievements. This article will provide you with information about the legal considerations for governors, to enable you to have an informed debate about the practicalities of conversion.

THE INITIAL STAGES

It is good practice to keep key stakeholders (such as staff, parents, the local authority, the diocese – if relevant – and the local community) informed throughout the process, and to start consultation with them before the governors take a formal resolution to apply for academy status.

Once you have registered your interest in becoming an academy, the Department for Education will provide you with a named contact to support you through the process. You will need to prepare for conversion by collating any contracts, service level agreements, licences and property documents.

The school will be given a grant of £25,000 to cover the set-up costs, so this is the opportunity to instruct solicitors and accountants to ensure that the conversion runs smoothly.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE NEW ACADEMY SCHOOL

An academy school has to be run through a newly-incorporated company limited by guarantee, known as the academy trust. There will be no shareholders for this type of company. The academy trust will also be a charity and members/directors will not therefore be able to make a profit.

The academy’s governing body will be the directors. The articles of association of the academy trust will set out how the governing body will be appointed, and the minimum number of governors, so this is an opportunity for governors to review how the governing body should be made up post-conversion.

THE SCHOOL’S LAND AND PREMISES

The new academy will need to own (or have an interest) in the land on which it is located. The first vital step is to establish the status of the land, and it is advisable to try and identify the whereabouts of the deeds as soon as a decision in principle to convert has been taken. Your solicitor will liaise with the appropriate owner to review the title deeds and establish how the land can be transferred to the academy. Your solicitor will also advise you on how to deal with any ‘shared use’ arrangements, where premises are shared with other organisations (for example sports centres, or theatres).

EMPLOYMENT AND PENSIONS

As well as the need to consult generally with staff, parents, students and local partners about the proposal to convert to academy status, there is a legal requirement to inform and consult with affected staff and recognised trade unions.

All teaching and non-teaching staff employed in the school will transfer automatically to the new employer, the academy trust, on the same terms and conditions. Any change to terms and conditions (with certain exceptions) will be void.

The decision to convert is not one to be taken lightly Although academies will have the ability to set pay and conditions for any new staff appointed by the academy post-conversion, we understand that, in practice, many academies have said they will be bound by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

Staff will continue to have access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), and the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This is a requirement of the model funding agreement. The academy will inherit the deficit in the LGPS in respect of their staff, which will usually be recovered as an uplift in the employer contribution rate. It is essential to have legal and accounting advice on these pension liabilities.

TRANSFERRING THE SCHOOL’S OPERATIONS INTO THE NEW ACADEMY COMPANY

Since the academy is to be run through a newly formed legal company, it’s necessary to transfer the existing assets and operations of the school into the new company. The type of assets and operations that will be transferred under this Assets Transfer Agreement will include: • fixtures, fittings and equipment • licences, e.g. to use software on the school’s computers • contracts, e.g. cleaning contracts • shared use agreements • loans, e.g. diocesan and local authority loans • and utilities contracts.

We recommend that at an early stage the governors make a list of all relevant contracts and operations of the school and make a plan to transfer these, including, where necessary, obtaining consents to the transfer.

GOVERNORS’ LIABILITIES

Academy status will bring one major new change of responsibility for governors – responsibility for the financial performance and stability of their school. The governors will be under the same duties as any other company director to ensure that the academy’s financial affairs are properly planned and executed, and that the school will remain solvent. Perhaps reflecting this, there is a statutory requirement for the governors to appoint a responsible officer to monitor and check the academy’s financial management.

Responsibility for all issues after the date of conversion will be borne by the new academy trust. The governors can be personally responsible if the academy trust fails, but only if they have failed to act reasonably. The academy can maintain policies of insurance to indemnify governors against personal liability.

That cover will not extend to fraudulent, deliberate or reckless breaches of trust or duty nor to unsuccessful defences of criminal prosecutions brought against governors in their capacity as governors.

The decision to convert is not one to be taken lightly. There are many sources of information available to assist governors and to dispel some of the myths. In making this significant decision, and in going through the conversion process, governors will need the support and experience of a good team around them.

Amy Richardson is a solicitor at Adams & Remers LLP. This article is not intended to be a full summary of the law and advice should be sought on all issues

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schools in focus NEWCASTLE

PRIMARY UPDATE

What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management

NURSERY NEWS

Nurseries drive Road Safety Week forward Nurseries and playgroups are encouraged to teach toddlers and their parents good road safety techniques by hosting a Beep Beep!

Day during Road Safety Week on 19-25 November.

Brake, which is coordinating the road safety event, emphasises the importance of making it safer for families to walk and cycle in their communities, for their health and enjoyment and as a sustainable transport choice. The charity will be calling for action from authorities to make walking and cycling safer, appealing to drivers to slow down to 20mph in local communities and look out for people on foot and bikes.

As part of a Beep Beep! Day, Brake is recommending nurseries host road safety activities, like creating posters or practising holding hands, singing road safety songs or baking traffic light biscuits.

It is also a chance for nurseries to raise funds in support of Brake’s work campaigning for safer roads and supporting bereaved or injured crash victims.

All nurseries running Beep Beep! Days get a free pack of resources, including posters, stickers and sponsorship envelopes.

Plus they have the option of Brake issuing a press release to local media promoting their event and Brake’s campaign.

To register or for more ideas, go to RoadSafetyweek.org.uk and click on ‘Educators’.

PICTURE STORY

Bupa chief executive Stuart Fletcher with Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford and children from the Youth Sport Trust in front of Tyne Bridge, Newcastle. Bupa is investing 1m in school sport over the next three years through its partnership with the trust. The money will be spent on expanding the Bupa Start to Move programme

They said...

I want to use the example of competitive sport at the Olympics to lead a revival of competitive sport in primary schools.

We need to end the ‘all must have prizes’ culture and get children playing and enjoying competitive sports from a young age, linking them up with sports clubs so they can pursue their dreams Prime Minister David Cameron on changes to the PE curriculum that will see all primary school pupils play competitive team sports

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YATELEY

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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schools in focus PRIMARY NEWS

Budget cuts force primary breakfast clubs to close doors to hungry pupils More primary school breakfast clubs are being forced to close due to budget cuts, despite an increase in their demand, the Guardian reports.

According to a freedom of information request into 128 local authorities by Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, shadow minister for children and families, there has been a 40% reduction in these clubs, which advocates say are vital in helping underprivileged children get the sustenance they need to learn .

Cuts were more severe in some areas.

Essex went from 219 to 169 breakfast clubs in one year. Meanwhile, in Surrey, 2,870 children were given breakfast last year, but only 1,200 this year. At one point there were believed to be 20,000 school breakfast clubs in Britain.

“That 40% of councils we know about are seeing numbers falling is extremely worrying,” Hodgson told the newspaper.

“For some children, their free school meals through the week may be the only good meal they get, and we know that hungry children struggle to concentrate in class.

Breakfast clubs are therefore incredibly important in improving education outcomes in all areas, but certainly in the most deprived.”

In Observer Food Monthly, Carmel McConnell, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, which provides around 200 clubs with support and food, described the cut backs as “pure social failure”. “We used to have 20 or 30 schools on our waiting list.

Now we have 130,” she commented. “The forms they fill in would make you weep: children coming into school listless because they’re hungry.” According to a study by the charity, 88% of teachers say breakfast clubs improve attainment.

Prep school reunited with old playing fields YATELEY MANOR SCHOOL Hampshire

Yateley Manor School has acquired the site of the neighbouring former maintained St Peter’s Junior School in Yateley.

The purchase of the site, which had been derelict since St Peter’s closed down more than a year ago, will provide extra outdoor facilities for Yateley Manor children.

Additional sports pitches, netball courts and a forest school are all being planned and work has already started on amalgamating the two sites.

The site was originally part of Yateley Manor School but was compulsorily purchased

by Hampshire County Council in 1968 in order to build St Peter’s. The school closed when it merged with a local infant’s school.

Headmaster Rob Williams said “The purchase of the land doubles the size of the Yateley Manor site and we are thrilled about the opportunities it will provide to further enhance the educational experience for our children.”

WHAT WE LEARNED MEASLES IS ON THE RISE Almost twice as many confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales have been reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the first six months of 2012 (964) compared to the same period in 2011 (497),. The measles cases identified so far this year have been associated with the ongoing Merseyside and Sussex outbreaks, as well as several smaller outbreaks in travelling communities across England in recent months. Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the HPA, said: “It’s extremely concerning that measles cases are continuing to rise. Although uptake of the MMR has improved in recent years some children do not get vaccinated on time and some older children, who missed out when uptake was lower, have not had a chance to catch-up.

Therefore, there are still enough people who are not protected to allow some large outbreaks to occur among unvaccinated individuals.”

STATS & FACTS

20% of children who leave primary school with Level 5 do not achieve the top grades at GCSE of A*, A and B as a result of a combination of factors including early entry at GCSE, according to Ofsted

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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schools in focus GROUNDS

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schools in focus GROUNDS

Working vegetable gardens are a popular way for schools to combine healthy eating with the curriculum. JULIA DENNISON looks at the grow-your-own trend, what schools are growing and what the experts recommend for schools looking to give veg a try

K

eeping kids motivated can prove a challenge in any school. One way of making it easier is using a vegetable garden, which is a fun way of keeping pupils active and eating better, while encouraging them to work together to learn about the environment and where food comes from. A garden can have cross-curricular benefits, from history to maths, ecology to nutrition, and improve the physical wellbeing of the children who tend to it.

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom believes that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances. A vegetable garden is a good step in this direction.

Gardening has also been found to help children with certain learning disabilities. Shalom Place, a small independent school for children with autism, grew a vegetable garden before it had to close last autumn due to lack of funding. Proprietor and executive head Michelle Major found pupils liked the garden for its sensory appeal. “The ‘feel’ and ‘smell’ [aspects] were really good,” she says. “You can have an herb garden with different smells and flowers in between the vegetables.” Shalom Place sold flower baskets to raise money for iPads and Major says that without having the vegetable garden first, working with the soil would have been too intense for the more severely autistic children.

For children with physical disabilities, raised beds are also a good option.

THE BENEFITS OF GARDENING

A vegetable garden can be as large or small as you have the time or money to make it. Before you begin, you will want to gather support in the shape of pupils and teachers, but also parents and the wider community. TheKidsGarden.co.uk recommends asking for help from any experienced gardeners you know. Once everyone is on board, choose a site. Basic things like making sure it’s close enough to a water source or receives at least six hours of sun each day are important. When starting from scratch, you may need to clear an area first.

Charity Garden Organic recommends not rushing this step, as the spot needs to be sufficiently cleared of weeds to succeed. Before you even do this, you will want to plan carefully for the size and complexity of your growing initiative.

Raised beds or growing containers are a good option if you don’t have much land or suitable soil conditions. You may wish to start plants off in pots or boxes and then transfer them to beds once they’ve grown a bit. Materials needed include soil, seeds, seedlings and tools like spades, shovels and wheelbarrows. You will also wish to consider protecting the new or more vulnerable plants using plastic drinks bottles or starting a compost heap.

Experts in school gardening often wax lyrically about their positive effect on learning. Samantha Ford, founder of seed importers Original Touch, believes it offers children a different way of learning: “The children seem to absorb the information so much more easily because they’re doing physical activity.” This is particularly true, she adds, for those who may not be as academically-minded. Vegetable gardens also encourage children to eat things they would never normally eat, and make healthier choices in the school canteen, which can have a knock-on effect on parents.

Russell House Prep School in Sevenoaks, Kent is often referred to as ‘the school in the garden’ because it’s surrounded by greenery. They took this reputation further recently by starting to grow vegetables like potatoes and runner beans (which have been particularly popular with the local rabbit population). Head of early years Caroline Chaffé is quick to highlight that it’s a very small project, but it’s doing a world of good for the children. “It brought out in some children the unexpected – like organisational skills,” she tells me. “You see other sides of children doing something like this.”

GETTING STARTED

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schools in focus GROUNDS

QUICK TIPS Gardening advice from Eagle Solutions  Ensure some produce is quick growing and will bloom or be ripe within about a term (lettuces, some edible flowers). This will pique and keep their interest and will encourage them to grow further crops  Also have longer growing products in order to reverse the expectation of instant growing (microwave culture)  Make use of the things that are easy to cook for school produce  Have a definitive plan for the school holidays (some schools plant low maintenance crops, others have nothing at all), as weather changes and overgrowth can kill produce if they’re not attended to  Invite the community  Get an expert to help.

Having the right wildlife can help keep pests away, so it’s worth researching different habitats you can create (The Garden Organic link in the box-out is best for this).

There are some varieties that are easier to grow and/or maintain than others – like courgettes. Ford recommends tomatoes, but warns that while they are easier to grow, they can also be quite high maintenance. She also reminds that because schools break up in the summer, some crops can be more difficult to maintain over that period. To avoid this problem, consider putting vegetables in pots for children to take home. Growing historical varieties of produce – like purple carrots or heirloom tomatoes – can also add a ‘wow’ factor that fits nicely into a lesson plan.

THE WIDER WORLD

WHAT TO GROW NOW In early autumn, Garden Organic recommends you:  Sow green manures as you harvest crops and clear the ground  Collect fallen leaves to make leafmould  And remember to plant autumn crops like onions and garlic.

As part of a larger gardening project, children can learn to run a small business by selling the vegetables they grow through a local farmers market or garden centre. This also helps to encourage the school community to lower their carbon footprint by buying locally. Catering consultants, Eagle Solutions, finds that pickles, jams, and juices are extremely popular schoolbranded products for the shop. All of this helps raise money for the school too.

Growing their own also teaches pupils about sustainable living. They can recycle waste from the garden in the shape of compost by using a wormery and collect rainwater from the roof or elsewhere in the school grounds to use in the garden. Just by following the seasons and weather conditions, learners can begin to understand the impact of climate change in a tangible way.

Schools can reach out and help each other too.

For example, through a link with its partner school in Kabbubu, Uganda, Mayfield CE Primary School in East Sussex was able to learn more about the country’s scheme to teach villagers how to grow crops or run allotments. In Kabbubu, families do not have the option to ‘pop to the shops’, so the pupils at the UK primary school had a real awakening about the importance of self-sufficiency in certain parts of the world. Its initiatives like this that help schools widen their opportunities not just beyond the classroom, but beyond the garden gate too.

RESOURCES For more practical school gardening tips, check out these sites:

COMPETITION

 GardenOrganic.org.uk/schools_organic_

Original Touch holds a competition every year, challenging schools to grow things like the tallest sunflower or ugliest pumpkin for gardening prizes. To take part, schools should get in touch with Samantha Ford before March next year on info@originaltouch.co. uk to find out the theme and request their seeds.

 TheSchoolVegetablePatch.co.uk  TheKidsGarden.co.uk  Blog.WorldGardenSeeds.

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network/leaflets/VegetableGardening.pdf

co.uk/1080/20-bright-ideas-for-theschool-vegetable-garden

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schools in focus SEOONDARY NEWS

SUNDERLAND MIDDLESBROUGH

SECONDARY UPDATE What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education

STATS & FACTS

£60m The amount Swansea University has secured in funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) towards an ambitious campus development programme

BIRMINGHAM SWANSEA

HE union calls for strike Due to inflation, education staff continue to endure a real terms cut in living standards, which are just not fair, says GMB. GMB, the union for support staff in higher education, is to conduct an official strike ballot following the unanimous rejection by members earlier this year of the university employers’ final pay offer of one per cent for 2012/2013 pay round.

A continued process of talks since then to resolve the dispute failed to deliver a better outcome for staff.

GMB will commence an official ballot of members on whether they wish to take strike action for a better pay settlement in higher education for 2012/2013.

A postal ballot to members’ home addresses will commence on 1 October and close at midday on 15 October.

Sharon Holder, GMB national officer, commented: “GMB is recommending that members vote yes for strike action for three reasons.

“First the offer goes nowhere to meet the claim for a seven per cent increase. Second, whilst university employers enjoy the benefits of a windfall increase in student fees they expect staff to deliver better services with no pay rise.

“Third, due to inflation higher education staff continue to endure a real terms cut in living standards. This is just not fair.”

New Principal will see Sunderland College through exciting times SUNDERLAND COLLEGE

Sunderland College has a new principal at the helm to steer it through the exciting months ahead.

Anne Isherwood (pictured) will join the college early in 2013 and will focus on building upon the college’s core strength of providing quality teaching and learning.

One of her first tasks will be to oversee a major redevelopment programme, which includes a £24m investment to upgrade facilities at its Hylton and Washington campuses, with the addition of state-of-theart sports and arts academies at its Bede campus.

Isherwood is also interested in expanding links with the business community, ensuring that the skills and courses on offer at the college meet the needs of employers and offer students the best chance to gain employment when they progress.

As principal, she aims to cement the college’s place at the heart of the community,

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making its facilities and courses accessible to a wide range of local people. “I believe very strongly that a further education college should be about much more than providing students with practical skills. We should also be providing them with the opportunity to develop their employability skills, such as their work ethic and social skills, as well as developing an entrepreneurial approach to their work,” she said. “I want to ensure that we have strategies in place to improve our partnership working with schools, other key stakeholders and employers to achieve this.”

Isherwood moves from Bishop Auckland College, where she was principal and chief executive. Under her leadership, it was raised to ‘good’ status

by Ofsted. Inspectors concluded that as

principal she had created a culture that raised expectations of staff and students.

Ian Forster, chair of the governors, said: “Anne’s experience and ambition for the future of Sunderland College was just what we were looking for.

“We are confident that in Anne we have the right person to lead us through these exciting, yet challenging times. This will ensure we have a college that continues to provide a quality education for our students and customers like no other in the region.”

schools in focus SECONDARY NEWS

Texan chef brings twist to secondary menu ST EDMUND CAMPION SCHOOL Birmingham

cups – it looked nice, it’s healthy and it tasted nice.”

Arnott is particularly impressed with the new the school’s new ‘Aspen’s Restaurant’ that opened this September.

“The décor chosen by the students is very bright and vibrant and, of course, I love the pictures of chefs around the walls,” she said.

“The food is really good too, which is the most important thing.”

Pan-sautéed flounder with edamame hummus and a blueberry glaze; barbecued Gulf Coast shrimp with a goat cheese and smoked sausage grits cake; and crabs with a roasted bell pepper-cream sauce-topped Pontchartrain crab cake. These dishes were part of a menu planned by eight chefs who flew over from America to cook at special events for Team USA, their families and diplomats. Among them was Megan Arnott, who has also been running a series of lessons and workshops at Birmingham’s St Edmund Campion School.

Passionate about food and popular with students, the top chef is enjoying her experience of school life in Birmingham’s Erdington neighbourhood. “It’s great to work with students who are keen to develop their understanding of food and the preparation of healthy meals,” she commented. “I have also been sharing some of my experiences as life as a chef in a busy restaurant kitchen.’

Brendan Rooke, a Year 10 student, said: “Mrs Arnott is really sound and she is going to help me with a course I am doing at University College Birmingham. I Megan Arnott discusses dishes researched and cooked by students have made beef teriyaki in lettuce

PICTURE STORY

Student sabbatical officer Sean Mowbray; student Chris Hall; and student liaison officer Suze Clarke display materials from Middlesbrough College’s anti-bullying campaign. The college has become the first to receive the national BIG Award for its ‘anti-bullying’ status

CURRICULUM WATCH END OF THE GCSE GCSEs will be replaced by the English Baccalaureate Certificate for certain core subjects, Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced.

The change will mean a single end-of-course exam and one exam board for core subjects. Pupils beginning secondary school this year will take the first new exams, in English, maths and sciences, in 2017.

The new English baccalaureate – the EBacc – will eventually replace GCSEs, doing away with modules that allow students to retake parts of their course, cutting back heavily on the use of classroom assessment and coursework and returning the emphasis to a traditional end-of-year exam.

Gove said it would end “grade inflation and dumbing down”. The name GCSE will disappear and the traditional grades of A* to C are likely give way to numeric marks or even percentages.

Recording the percentage pass mark will allow universities to distinguish between top candidates, but it could penalise students for the slightest variation.

The changes will be extended later to history, geography and languages – with the suggestion in the consultation that Ofqual should look at how this template might be used for a wider range of subjects.

While the move has invited criticism from some, including shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg, others have welcomed what they see as a return to a more academically demanding approach, while warning that qualifications alone would not make for well-rounded school leavers.

James McCreary, chief executive of Career Academies UK, said: “We welcome the opportunity for more rigorous exams. However, we also believe that qualifications alone are only half of the solution. Young people need to gain an understanding of where to go post-schooling, so that they can make an informed choice. We urge Michael Gove to ensure that young people have both the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the world of work, and not just for passing academic exams.”

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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schools in focus ENTERPRISE

If the dinners your school kitchen rustles up are closer to restaurant grub than the meals you had to endure when you were at school, have you ever considered starting a catering enterprise? CARRIE SERVICE looks at how school grub can be converted into cash

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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arents are becoming really hot on nutrition these days and some business-savvy schools are beginning to make a (modest) profit by marketing their nutritionally balanced meals, not only to their own pupils, but to other schools in the local area too.

“There is definitely profit to be made in school lunches” explains Yinka Ewuola from catering consultancy Eagle Solutions. “We know that because commercial private sector companies are involved in them, and if there was no money to be made they would not be involved,” she laughs. Many schools are also forming consortia, which further facilitates sharing catering services, as one ‘hub’ school can supply meals for the whole group.

But there other ways you can create revenue through food produce if you think outside of the (lunch) box.

PRESSING MATTERS Pershore College, an FE college in Warwickshire, has been producing bottled apple juice and cider since 1993 via its horticultural department. It produces over 40,000 bottles of cider, apple juice and perry every year, which are then sold on to wholesale independent retailers for a profit. The college also offers a specialist contract drinks bottling service for cider, apple juice, wine and soft drinks industries in the west midlands. But the project isn’t just about business; students at the college can benefit

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from specialist training, and are able to learn the process of producing both organic and conventional products on site.

Richard Toft, who manages fruit production at the college, explains how the project came about: “The starting point of it was when the two colleges, [Warwickshire and Perthshore], were incorporated. Being part of a land-based college, the facilities are extremely expensive to have and the college had to make a choice whether they were going to continue with the scale of facilities they had, close them down, or, conversely, make them into semi-standalone businesses that would, in theory, provide all the teaching facilities and hopefully cost nothing – by trading.” As a horticultural college, Pershore is obviously well-placed to grow fruit and vegetables on a large scale and was already growing apples and selling them on to supermarkets when the juice selling enterprise first launched. “We were having a lot of waste fruit so we saw the opportunity to bottle [the juice] and sell it – once you put it into a bottle it can be sold for 12 months of the year,” explains Toft. If this all seems a little out of your league, it is possible to distil these same principles and apply them on a smaller scale to your school – demonstrated in the work that the college undertook with Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham. Historically, the school has always had an old orchard on its premises and, as part of a Duke of Edinburgh scheme, the pupils picked all of the fruit from the old orchard that was just going to waste, took their modest harvest

schools in focus ENTERPRISE

Understand your facilities and premises and know what you can legitimately and easily make available

over to the college, made it into apple juice and then sold it on at a school fete. If you don’t happen to have your own orchard, a way of replicating this could be to grow your own vegetables or fruit (see p18), then sell the produce at a farmers market. Borough Market in London runs an event called Pumpkin Patch Kids, which enables schools to sell vegetables they have grown, and the School Food Trust also runs the School Market programme, whereby schools can sell their produce to teachers and students.

FREE ENTERPRISE Dulwich College, an all-boys independent school in South London, is probably one of the greatest examples of a school using enterprise to make an income. Simon Yiend, chief operating officer of the college and MD of Dulwich College Enterprises, explains that the business has flourished over a number of years to become the success it is today. “It developed from small beginnings, the odd party here, the odd wedding there, and it has grown into quite a substantial operation,” he tells me. And substantial it is. Its services include sports facilities; corporate events and conferences (they recently organised an Olympic fun day for Saatchi & Saatchi); birthday parties and celebrations and also film and photo shoots. The building is licensed to carry out marriage ceremonies, holding around 50 weddings a year, and in the summer months their facilities are often used by language

schools and summer clubs. They are able to house such events because their in house catering team is so well equipped to deal with a large numbers of diners. “We feed 1,500 boys a day and a thousand boys go through in half-an-hour, so the scale of what we put on here is beyond the scale of anybody outsourcing – which is why we do it in house. They are very well geared to events,” explains Yiend. Dulwich College Enterprises now turns over around £400,000 a year, which is put towards funding its bursaries scheme. Yiend’s advice to schools who would like to have a go at building an enterprise is: “Don’t try and overdo it – in our case it has grown and developed as the team has grown.

Understand your facilities and premises and know what you can legitimately and easily make available.” Finally, Ewuola advises schools to be sure that they aren’t spending money unnecessarily.

Simply by conducting an audit of expenditure on extras, such as cleaning products, and replacing domestic products with industry standard ones that offer better value for money can make a real difference to profit margins. And if you don’t feel like you can quite stretch to selling school dinners or hosting parties, start small and work your way up. “Tuck shops are one of the main sources of additional revenue for catering contractors,” says Ewuola. “Getting the students to actually run that resource teaches them so much about business, finance and commerce – and it pays for itself.”

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schools in focus INDEPENDENT NEWS

INDEPENDENT UPDATE

DENBIGH STAFFORDSHIRE

What’s going on in the world of independent schools

LOCAL NEWS

School to pay £33K for firing pregnant teacher HOWELL’S SCHOOL Denbigh, North Wales

An employment tribunal has ordered independent girls’ school, Howell’s School in Denbigh, North Wales, to pay £33,923 to Rebecca Raven, a teacher they sacked when she became pregnant.

Raven’s union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), won her unfair dismissal case at Shrewsbury employment tribunal in May. The judge ruled that Howell’s School was guilty of unfair dismissal under Section 99 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, when they dismissed the teacher in July 2011 after she became pregnant. The tribunal also said the school had discriminated against her under the Equality Act 2010.

Jayne Philips, ATL’s senior lawyer, said: “We finally have justice for Mrs Raven after fighting her corner for over a year. The compensation should go some way towards covering her costs for a year out of work.

Schools cannot be allowed to get away with breaking the law.”

Raven commented: “It is such a relief to have won and to be able to put this case behind me. It was terrible shock losing a job I loved.”

The teacher was fired from her £23,295-a-year job a few days after telling the school she was pregnant. She applied for maternity leave in May 2011, which should have started at the end of November 2011, but the school told her she would be dismissed at the end of the summer term.

The school then said she could apply for the post of part-time art teacher, starting in Sep 2011, but they did not appoint her.

Raven appealed and put in a grievance, but the school failed to respond. She had worked for the school since October 2008, first on a part-time basis as a house mistress, and from November 2009 as a full-time art teacher.

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Fifty-five new free schools open their doors this September Fifty-five new free schools opened this September. The first 24 free schools opened in September 2011, while a further 114 have been approved to open in 2013 and beyond.

The newly opened free schools include: • Dixon’s Music Primary Academy, in Bradford, which is the first specialist music primary school in England • Everton in the Community, Merseyside.

The alternative provision school is being run by Everton Football Club and will cater for pupils aged 14 to 19 not in mainstream education.

• Bilingual Primary School, in Brighton and Hove, will be the first bilingual free school in England, specialising in English and Spanish • School 21, in Newham, east London, is a teacher-led all-through free school, including a sixth-form, in an area of significant deprivation. One of the

founder members, and the executive headteacher, is Peter Hyman, previously a speech-writer for Tony Blair.

• Rosewood Special Free School, Southampton. A special school for children who have profound and multiple learning disabilities.

• Tiger Primary School, in Maidstone, Kent, where all children will learn Mandarin and a musical instrument.

• Perry Beeches II The Free School, Birmingham, is an 11-18 school set up by outstanding secondary school, Perry Beeches The Academy, whose head, Liam Nolan, turned around performance from 21% of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs to 77% .

• and London Academy of Excellence, in Newham, east London, a sixth-form free school run by eight leading independent schools, including Eton.

PICTURE STORY

Members of Abbotsholme’s electric car team competing at Bedford Autodrome last month. Although their batteries let them down in the races, their engineering skill didn’t. The pupils were awarded the trophy for ‘Best Engineered Car’ by Greenpower

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schools in focus FAITH SCHOOLS

Keeping the faith With Gove’s academy scheme still gaining momentum, there is one group of schools that remains divided on the matter. CARRIE SERVICE looks at the ins and outs of academy conversion for faith schools

A

lthough the number of faith schools converting to academy status in England is actually on the increase, in the initial stages of the programme, applications within the faith school community were extremely low. A contributing factor to this reluctance to convert was the issues surrounding land ownership. For many faith schools, all or part of the land is owned by the diocese rather than the local authority, making it unclear where additional funding should be allocated after conversion. “Even with the support of the faith body, faith school conversion can be difficult to conclude,” explains Darren Hooker, a solicitor on the charity and education team at Stoneking. “In particular, there can often be complicated land arrangements ,which the Department for Education will wish to see resolved before the conversion can be completed.” In a recent edition of EdExec, we surveyed our readers to find out how those that were becoming academies had found the process. One respondent – the headteacher of a Church of England school – described her experience as “not a happy one”. Her school was a foundation primary, so had already enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy and felt that conversion would be the next logical step.

But no matter how logical a step it seemed, the school faced many hurdles along the way: “I think our situation has been complicated by our status as a foundation school,” the head wrote in her survey response. “It is more complicated for a church school to convert because of control and ownership of land.

Some dioceses take a particular stance, others seem to have an ad hoc approach but it appears easier for voluntary-aided schools than voluntary-controlled, and as a

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foundation school it is nigh impossible.” So what should faith schools do in order to ensure their conversion is a happy one? “I would advise any faith school considering academy conversion to consult with its faith body as soon as possible to determine what the land arrangement currently is and what it will be going forward,” says Hooker. “Faith schools should also seek to agree at an early stage the level of representation that the faith body will have amongst the governing body and the continuing role the faith body will play in the operation of the school. If issues such as these are left until a later stage, then they could become obstacles to conversion.”

same time we recognise that the overwhelming majority of catholic schools are still voluntary aided schools and we want to keep that route open for them as well,” explains Pope. He emphasises the fact that academy status may suit some schools, but not others. “We recognise, and I think the government recognises as well, that there won’t be a one size fits all solution. It will be a patchwork quilt and some areas will embrace academies and others will want to maintain the system they’ve got – voluntary-aided status. I think our job is to provide a service to both those routes. And to be fair to the Government, they’ve said that as well.”

GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES As with mainstream schools, whether or not an area has a large number of academies is chiefly determined by the quality of the relationship between the school and the local authority. In areas where there are lot of schools of the same faith, there tends to be a very strong relationship between the school, the church and the local authority and much less enthusiasm for converting to academy status. I spoke to Greg Pope, the deputy director of the Catholic Education Service (CES) and he explained that uptake across the country follows no real pattern and varies greatly from one area to another. However, one trend that he has seen emerging is catholic schools opting to become academies as part of a multi-academy trust – often involving a secondary school and its feeder schools. The CES itself has a neutral stance on academies, concentrating on safeguarding the status of catholic schools and catholic education, regardless of their situation. “Our aim has been to ensure that where catholic schools and diocese want to explore being academies, [to] facilitate that, whilst at the

SAME DIFFERENCE? It seems that Gove’s argument that academy status will give faith schools greater autonomy has become a bit of a moot point.

All non-academy catholic schools, for example, are voluntary-aided, meaning that typically the church owns the land and buildings and is also the employer. This already differentiates them from non-academy state schools and allows them to enjoy a lot of the freedoms that are associated with academy status. So there is understandably less of an imperative for some faith schools to convert. Having the power to choose your own curriculum could be one factor that might appeal to some. But again, they already have the right to teach religious education in accordance with their specific faith and are also able to implement other rules that would otherwise not be allowed – for example only employing people of the same faith on the senior leadership team. Let’s hope the teething problems suffered by some are addressed, so that all schools, whether they are faith or mainstream, can at least exercise their choice to convert if they wish.

schools in focus FAITH SCHOOLS

There won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. It will be a patchwork quilt and some areas will embrace academies and others will want to maintain the system they’ve got

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lan

Ormiston Victory Academy opened in September 2010, replacing an underperforming secondary school in Norwich.

A year later it delivered one of the biggest improvements in GCSE results in the country. JULIA DENNISON speaks to principal RACHEL DE SOUZA to find out how they did it and why they are now the apple of Gove’s eye

Vie for Victory W

hen I visit Ormiston Victory Academy outside Norwich, I’m hot on the heels of Michael Gove. The school is hard at work on its quarterly newsletter featuring a photo from the secretary of state’s visit and in the corner of principal Rachel de Souza’s office is a signed letter from him, alongside an edition of the infamous ‘Gove bible’. Indeed, the very reason for my visit stemmed from the school’s mention in Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s report on Social Mobility last April. It’s clear this is a school that has caught Westminster’s collective eye, and it’s no surprise – it is everything the academy programme should be.

Part of the Ormiston Academy Trust, Victory Academy opened in September 2010, replacing Costessey High School, which had been underperforming for years. A year after the transition, it recorded one of the biggest improvements in GCSE results in the country: 64% of its pupils achieved five or more grades A*–C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and maths in 2011, up 26 percentage points from the results achieved in 2010. The admiration can

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be heard in Clegg’s white paper: ‘The academy helped to raise aspirations for pupils, staff and the community, by making the most of its new freedoms.’ This included introducing a new, smarter uniform (designed by Prince Charles’s tailor); curriculum; transformed school day; running extra English and maths sessions during the holidays; and bringing parents, existing staff and pupils on-board with a new ethos. This new approach is reflected in the pupils’ demeanour: The minute I walk in, I’m greeted with a smile and handshake from two smartly dressed Year 8s.

The student body hasn’t always been this idyllic, however; de Souza tells me horror stories about her first days. “It was a school that had been in special measures twice,” she recounts. “It was considered to have very poor behaviour and achievement was very low.” This may be an understatement. “What I saw when I turned up here was a school that was out of control,” she continues. “You had kids with big earrings and tight jeans running around. I got sworn at four times when I came for interview.” But even through this, she could see the potential, putting the school’s failures down to “dreadful management”.

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ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT De Souza got the job and started as principal in 2010, right as the school began its transformation to academy status. With some sponsored academies, when the senior leadership team is replaced, stakeholders and principals often seek out their replacements from the outside world. Ormiston Victory was different – instead, de Souza promoted existing members to the new senior leadership team. “The message has been evolution rather than revolution,” she explains. “It wasn’t that there was nothing good here, it was that the talent hadn’t been released, developed and shaped.” She has enjoyed much success with this. “I went out to look for new vice principals and senior team in the area and really didn’t find the calibre that I wanted, so I grew my own senior team from the teachers who are already here,” she says. “It really is a school that has improved itself.” Alongside this, she appointed 16 newly qualified teachers. “I believe in promoting people young,” she says. “I don’t believe that 20 years’ experience necessarily equips you for something like a turnaround post. It’s not age, it’s attitude, whatever age someone is.”

Upgrading middle management staff to senior leadership positions was a no-brainer for de Souza, but she resisted the urge to send them on mindless training courses. “I think we need to be more intelligent about CPD and sending people on courses is not the way to do it,” she says. “Giving opportunities and coaching people to develop is the way.” The result has been a positive one, as the team was highly praised in the school’s recent Ofsted inspection. Her vice principal, who was previously the head of English, shone when she took the English results to 98% in her first year. “So, naturally I promoted her,” quips de Souza. Under the new management, things immediately started to look up. “Really from day one it was no problems,” the principal remembers. She says becoming an academy “released the energy and the talent” that was already at the school, forcing the staff to think freshly about everything.

What’s de Souza’s secret to transforming a school? “You have to listen to people,” she says. “It’s being creative and thinking: ‘What could this school be great at?’” So the school underwent a radical rebranding, taking on the new name of ‘Ormiston Victory Academy’ from the area’s history books (many of the locals’ ancestors had been dragooned onto Admiral Nelson’s HMS Victory and the school’s new board room even features a piece of the ship mounted on its wall).

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Isolation was a problem for the school, as it’s tucked away in a corner of the Norwich suburbs, so de Souza has made it her mission to open it up to the surrounding community and beyond through networking (both online and in-person), which has resulted in a slew of beneficial connections.

One major source of support is a strategic partnership with sponsor Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. “They do amazing things for us,” de Souza says. “The cosmetic surgeons come and lecture the beauty therapy students; the students use their labs and do work experience with the dental surgeons.” She credits this with a general improvement in science results. Furthermore, the

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chairman of the hospital trust, David Prior, is also a chairman of the school. His status in the surrounding area has also been of benefit to the school. “He’s just opened up Norfolk for us,” says de Souza. As a result of his connections, employees from PriceWaterhouseCoopers’s Norwich office have come to the school to teach maths and an ex-England cricketer has joined the school’s board to work on Ormiston’s sports strategy. “We’ve just really mined all the Norfolk connections and engaged them with this state school – this sponsored academy – and it’s been superb,” adds de Souza. “So much of industry want to engage with schools and they want to do their bit, but they don’t know how. The story here has been about really showing people how.” For schools interested in extending their hand, de Souza’s advice is to do your research and don’t make the relationship too one-sided. “Find ways those businesses or individuals can contribute something unique and get what they want,” she suggests. “It’s not asking for hand-outs.” All this, she says, only comes to benefit the students.

You had kids with big earrings and tight jeans running around. I got sworn at four times when I came for interview PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Part of the reason for Gove’s visit this summer was to turn the first turf for the new building Ormiston Victory is planning. The school has around 870 pupils, but is making way for as many as 350 more when the new premises opens, which, if all goes to plan, will be this autumn. The school was only granted £13.1m for the new-build, despite expecting £27m before BSF fell through, but de Souza and her team feel lucky to be getting anything at all and are managing to produce a 75% new build out of the lower sum. She thinks it’s important that schools don’t get caught up in their buildings anyway. “A building doesn’t make a school,” she says. “You can have a fabulous building but a dreadful school, can’t you?”

De Souza is experienced in turning around academies. Victory is her second academy transformation. Her previous post was principal of Barnfield West Academy where she had also built a £13m new building, so she was used to keeping to a strict budget and turning around an underperforming school (Barnfield also held the title for most improved school in the country after its transformation). Further along her road to improving education for all, she is working with a group of trustees to launch a post-16 free school in Norwich city centre, focusing on maths and science.

In summary, de Souza is nothing short of a poster child for the academy movement, though she says she would never use that term to describe herself. “For me, it’s about ensuring every child in this country, whatever barriers they have to overcome in terms of their home life and background, get the best possible education,” she comments. “I think sponsored academies have helped with that.”

PRINCIPAL | RACHEL DE SOUZA

FACT BOX SCHOOL Ormiston Victory Academy PUPILS 870 (capacity for 1,250 with new build) TYPE Mixed 11-18 academy

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PROCUREMENT

A buyer’s market Aside from the cost of teaching staff, each year schools’ collective expenditure totals about £9.3bn. With the increasing freedoms offered by the Government for schools to manage their own expenditure, keeping up to date with budgets and best practice procurement is an important part of every school’s day. CAROLINE WRIGHT, director of BESA, explains

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he headline change over recent years has been the perceived decline in schools’ budgets. Schools that had thrived due to government funding increases of, on average, 3.5 per cent per annum over the previous decade were suddenly faced with budget cuts, causing a certain amount of panic. Our ‘Resources in English Maintained Schools’ research showed that 2011/12 saw budget cuts of 1.8 per cent in primary education and a 2.7 per cent in secondary education. Other changes compounded schools’ concerns: the demise of the Government’s Curriculum Online eLearning credits scheme and the capital funding programmes. However it was possibly schools’ move away from local authority

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control that resulted in them shutting down on expenditure, fearing unexpected costs and overspending.

But when we consider the average of a 3.5 per cent rise in budgets year on year for the past ten or more years against the on average 2.25 per cent decline for the first year, it becomes clear that schools still have significant funds to spend, particularly when compared with budgets ten, five or even two years ago. Looking at the facts in black and white schools are in a better position than they feared.

As expected, in March, our quarterly survey of the sector’s digital content industry forecast a return of market confidence as procurement across UK primary and secondary schools increased by 8.6 per cent in quarter one of 2012 when compared to

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quarter one of 2011. It is clear that primary and secondary schools are now realising that the level of funding for education resources is still good, and consequently, they are starting to invest again.

This is not only good news for our education sector, but for the nation as a whole. Digital learning content has become the new currency for learning; children need to learn in a way that will prepare them for the world they are going to live and work in.

To avoid a digital divide developing, schools across the country must now realise that the Government’s removal of ring-fenced funding for technology was simply its message that schools now have the freedom to buy what is needed for their specific learning needs. But it is not just digital content that schools appear to be investing in.

TABLETS Our research announced in May showed that schools are starting to follow the corporate and consumer sectors in their adoption of tablet computers. The research indicated that six per cent of all pupil-facing computers in schools will be tablets by the end of 2012 (4.5 per cent in primary; 6.9 per cent in secondary). The schools surveyed forecast that by the end of 2015 the percentage of tablets will have risen to 22% of all pupilfacing computers. Unsurprisingly, 82% of all teachers also said that their pupils have an interest in using tablets.

The headline findings of the survey of 500 UK schools (190 primary; 310 secondary), found that the majority of schools are adopting a research-driven approach to tablet take-up, and want more evidence before supporting the adoption of tablets in the classroom (72%).

Schools still have significant funds to spend, particularly when compared with budgets ten, five or even two years ago

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OF ALL PUPIL-FACING COMPUTERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE TABLETS BY THE END OF 2015

CONFIDENCE In summary, schools are starting to gain confidence in their financial status and recognise the importance of continuing to invest in 21st century learning resources to support an increasingly unrestricted curriculum.

However, despite the new freedoms for larger investments schools must still comply with basic procurement regulations because it is public money they are spending. All procurement decisions must be fair and open, otherwise schools could face legal challenges from suppliers. As a general guide, the higher the value of the purchase, the more stringently you should follow procurement rules. With this in mind, what are the steps schools should take to ensure they achieve real value for money?

The first is obviously to define the actual learning requirement. In larger schools it is also important to carry out an asset review – is there a suitable solution already in your school being used by another department? Although the wonders of the internet mean that schools can research a number of options, events such as BETT and the Education Show are unique in giving schools the opportunity to touch, test and ask all the pertinent questions necessary to really understand which product is right for the school’s specific need. Even when you bring in the cost of travelling to these shows, significant savings can be made by building a shopping list from all staff in the months leading up to these events.

COMPARE THE MARKET The next step is to carry out a price comparison. We regularly hear stories of schools buying products that were cheap at face value but when they considered the total cost of ownership they realised they had been unwise in their investment. Whether this was cheap furniture that didn’t meet the British educational furniture standards, or an interactive whiteboard package that did not include a warranty or training, poor investment decisions can be very costly.

This brings me on to our BESA members, who must pass our initial approval stage, which includes ensuring they are financially stable and with a positive operating history. Once approved, they must adhere to our code of practice, which includes providing products and a level of services that ensure a safe investment.

In summary, schools are now realising that they are better off than they initially thought but the new purchasing freedom adds another layer of pressure. Taking time to review all available products, while considering the total cost of ownership before purchase is obvious, but worth a reminder.

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EDEXEC LIVE

EdExec Live 2013 SAVE THE DATE – THURSDAY, 23 MAY 2013

Back by popular demand, Education Executive magazine’s annual event, EdExec Live 2013, is taking place next May. Here’s why you’ll want to put this date in your diary

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TO EMAIL NATALIA. JOHNSTO N@ INTELLIGE NTMEDIA. CO.UK WIT H THEIR DETAILS A ND SUBJE CT ‘EDEXEC LIVE 2013 ’ WILL

hen we held our inaugural EdExec Live earlier this year, it was with a great amount of anticipation (and trepidation). All went so well that we’re back again in 2013 – and this time with an event that promises to be bigger and better.

School leaders, get your diary out: EdExec Live 2013 is taking place on Thursday, 23 May 2013 from 9am to 5pm, once again at London’s Business Design Centre.

While it’s still early days and we’re working to confirm all the details, much like last year, we are determined to bring you a day’s worth of valuable seminars, clinics and talks from education leaders focused on the business of running schools. Like a live version of our magazine, visitors will be presented with tangible information that they can actually use to their advantage back at work – think of it like a mini, day-long MBA for SBMs. This year, all our seminars and workshops will fall into six topic streams, which will allow for longer breaks for networking and touring round the exhibition.

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT Here’s what people had to say about last year’s event…

A DIFFERENT DAY OUT The day will start in the morning with coffee and a talk from a high-profile opening speaker. This will be followed a day of clinics and seminars, interspersed with lunch and breaks. These workshops will fall into six categories:

“I have been to many SBM events in the past but this one topped them all with highly relevant current issues/information. It was nice to be around people in the same role to share ideas. The event truly did feel like a ‘live’ version of the magazine.

Thank you and congratulations to Julia and all staff at EdExec for organising the event successfully and I much look forward to attending the next one!”

Jatin Shamji, Sebright Primary School

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Legal and HR – a look at management and legal issues in schools Finance and funding – tips on how to make the most of your budget ICT – the latest trends and innovation in technology use Leadership by example – case studies from school business managers and CPD advice Buildings and premises – advice on how to augment your school building Independents and academies – case studies and tips from the independent sector.

These clinics and seminars will have a collaborative feel to them and lead off of a central exhibition space, which will be organised by exhibitor type so visitors will be able to find the topic they need with ease. With so much practical advice on offer, we hope the day will prove an excellent use of your time.

School leaders, get your diary out: EdExec Live 2013 is taking place on Thursday, 23 May 2013 from 9am to 5pm, once again at London’s Business Design Centre

“Thank you for a really worthwhile day. Very well organised, everything ran like clockwork and there were some excellent presentations. Looking forward EdExec Live 2013!”

Diane Robinowitz, Beis Yaakov Primary School

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RECEIVE A FREE TICK ET

“I thoroughly enjoyed the EE live event and came away with lots of information that I can implement in my workplace.”

Gillian McEvoy, Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre “So enjoyed the day and the organisation that went into it. Would definitely attend another year. Venue was ideally located.”

Penny Basri, Winchmore School

“The quality of the speakers was high and the subject matter relevant. Importantly, the lunch was superb!”

Margaret Richards, Great Waltham School FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE The first 20 eligible people to register their interest by emailing natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co. uk with their contact details and the subject line ‘EdExec Live 2013’ will receive a free ticket.* Early bird tickets cost £55, which will rise to £95 after January 2013. The price includes attendance to the day-long event, exhibition, lunch, coffee and networking cocktails at the end of the day.

We know how busy school business managers are, and with this in mind, it will be a fast-paced event that we promise will be the best possible use of your time. As we’re still in the fairly early stages of planning, we value your feedback and suggestions. Please get in touch by way of the details below and we hope to see you in May – save the date! *Those eligible for a free ticket include people who hold leadership or administrative roles in schools.

CONTACT US TODAY TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Natalia Johnston 020 7288 6833 natalia.johnston@edexec.co.uk www.edexeclive.co.uk

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SCHOOL ACCOUNTING

e t s a t r o f NO ACCOUNTING

While some school business managers couldn’t imagine not having an accountant to refer some problems to, others won’t have considered using one.

GEORGE CAREY finds out if and when you should call in the accountants

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SCHOOL ACCOUNTING

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espite the considerable skills of most school business managers and bursars, there can still be major advantages to enlisting the help of an accountant in certain circumstances. The question is: What are the circumstances that require that extra bit of help and does the expertise justify the cost?

There is a perception that some business managers may be reticent to call in the accountants because that course of action may be seen to undermine their role within the school. Judith Chadbourne, academy finance officer for Sharnbrook Academy Federation, hasn’t come across that attitude in her professional life, but thinks that some schools initially avoid using an accountancy firm for other reasons. As she explains: “I would think that some academies, having previously been under the local authority system, do not always consider the need for additional support until the complexities of preparing corporate accounts, looking at tax issues and managing their other new financial responsibilities come along.”

As with so many other decisions in schools, it may simply be the bottom line that is putting some people off, despite the long-term savings that it could eventually provide. Because an accountant’s time doesn’t contribute directly to teaching, it may be seen as a low priority by some headteachers with already stretched budgets. The cost of mistakes could be far greater than accountancy fees, but those who may not be aware of the full complexity of accountancy issues that affect schools, and academies in particular, could be willing to risk it. Such schools could find themselves regretting that decision and ultimately incurring greater costs. One of the potential problems of handling everything in-house, is that you could end up with an increased audit fee. Even worse though, could be the unwitting neglect of certain tax issues. If that is the case, you could find yourself with penalties to pay.

Chadbourne is certainly of the opinion that it is worth seeking the advice of the experts in certain eventualities. While there are some great alternative ways to seek help and advice she opines that sometimes the unique reassurance of an accountant is essential. Some turn to forum’s or networking events, as a way to discuss complicated issues with their peers, which can be extremely useful, but she thinks that sometimes, only an accountant will do: “Having a good financial management system in place makes it easier for individual academies or multi-academy trusts like ours to manage their responsibilities, but being able to access expert advice from a professional accountant covers the academy for any future liabilities that could arise if things are not done correctly or deadlines are missed. The internet and online forums can provide good sources of information and guidance but when in doubt on financial matters, it is prudent to call in an expert.”

While it may seem that the advice of an accountant would be sought out more commonly by those business managers and bursars with less experience of accountancy, that isn’t always the case. Chadbourne is a former accountant but finds that collaborating with someone currently working in the profession ensures that she doesn’t fall foul of any issues or legislation that may have developed in recent years: “Although I am a qualified accountant myself, my knowledge is a little

When in doubt on financial matters, it is prudent to call in an expert

rusty so their support has been incredibly valuable.”

With the increased autonomy that comes from academy status, it does tend to be school business managers from these institutions that employ accountants more often. While they could provide an excellent service for many schools, the extra advice and support offered by local authority means that on the whole they can get by without having to seek advice from a consultancy. However, Michael Gove’s obsession with mass-conversion means that nearly all schools must have, if only briefly, considered applying for academy status, and that’s where an accountant can help. Apart from the on-going help an accountant can offer an academy, they can also be employed to check the viability of the conversion process for any school considering it. If your school is considering whether or not to apply for academy status, you may wish to undertake a due diligence review prior to application, to ensure that you are fully aware of all the financial, governance and funding implications of the transition. An accountancy firm can undertake a full review and discuss the pros and cons of conversion with you.

It does seem to be the case that grant-maintained schools simply don’t have the same need for the services of an accountant as academies. While an enhanced level of expertise is always welcome, it may not be necessary enough to justify the costs. However, for academies the extra confidence and risk aversion lent by an expert eye watching over proceedings appears to be of more value.

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WORK/LIFE

Break Time ?

Secret life of a business manager

BURSAR RETIRES AFTER 30 YEARS IN SURREY SCHOOL A bursar in a Surrey has retired after 27 years at her school.

Rosemary Wakeford departed Surrey Hills Church of England Primary School at the end of last term.

When she started at the school in April 1985 her role was as a ‘school helper’. It eventually grew over the years to become school bursar.

Wakeford told Surrey Today that she was most proud of helping to build a strong community around the school.

She commented: “I’ve just had the most fantastic time in a school that’s very special. It’s a village school and we pride ourselves on being an extended family.

“The challenge has been to remain open because the school system has fluctuated, so when you’re a small school you live and die by your numbers, and over the years our numbers have soared.

“I’ve had lots of cards and children smiling, a few crying and a lot of hugs.

“I’ve had loads of presents – a bread maker, gardening vouchers and I want to make mosaics, so I’ve been given some money to do a course.”

NUMBER CRUNCHING Everyone deserves five minutes break, and business managers are no exception. So pour yourself a coffee, get a biscuit from the tin and have a go at this little puzzle. It is sure to keep your little grey cells ticking over and help while away your break time.

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AROUND THE CLASSES With all those classes going on around you every day, we think you should be well placed to answer these little teasers

Do you have an interesting hobby or activity? Are you involved with any clubs at your school? We would love to hear from you. Write to editor@edexec.co.uk with the subject line “secret life” and 200 words on your hobby, why you enjoy it and why you would recommend it to other business managers. If you have a photo of yourself, that would be even better.

Every entry written by an SBM and featured wins a voucher, so why not share your secret life with us?

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10 M&S

HISTORY What was the name of Henry VIII’s flagship that sank in 1545?

GEOGRAPHY Which two countries have a dragon on their flag?

SCIENCE Who first argued that the world was not flat?

MUSIC Which Scottish pop group was named after an American state?

PE What do participants who achieve 4th to 8th place in the Olympics receive?

ENGLISH Which Shakespeare play has the subtitle ‘Or what you will’?

ANSWERS History – Mary Rose; Science – Aristotle; PE – a diploma; Geography – Wales and Bhutan; Music – Texas; English – Twelfth Night

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