Education Business 21.1

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VOLUME 21.1

Business Information for Education Decision Makers STAFF RETENTION

HEALTH & SAFETY

SECURITY

BETT SHOW 2016

GETTING BETTER

The latest innovations in education technology were found at Bett 2016 PLUS: DESIGN & BUILD | FINANCE | IT & COMPUTING | SCHOOL TRIPS | SCHOOL SPORT

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Business Information for Education Decision Makers STAFF RETENTION

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Comment

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Full steam ahead for 2016?

Much of the educational uncertainty going into this year centres around the future of the arts.

The role of science and technology, and their importance on future generations, has dominated much of the educational atmosphere for the last decade, with the acronym STEM growing in prominence and familiarity.

BETT SHOW 2016

GETTING BETTER

The latest innovations in education technology were found at Bett 2016 PLUS: DESIGN & BUILD | FINANCE | IT & COMPUTING | SCHOOL TRIPS | SCHOOL SPORT

But what about creativity? In a year that is likely to be dominated by the English Baccalaureate, Schools Minister Nick Gibb has been quick to assure the public that the qualification will not ‘squeeze out the arts’.

Teacher turned playwright Simon Stevens (The Curious Incident...) was even quicker to highlight the ‘tremendous danger’ that the absence of arts on the EBacc could bring.

Will STEM transform into STEAM as many educational professionals hope.

Will the arts be recognised on the same canvas as science? And will 2016 be the year that celebrates the arts or buries it? Gibb suggests the former, while every Dick, Tom and Harry in the arts sector suggests the latter. Time will tell...

This year, I attended Bett for the first time. Much of the discussion focused on assessment and curriculum changes, while technology and innovation continued to grow in stature with Nicky Morgan excited by the ‘possibilities opened up by technology’. With a new computing curriculum coming into play for many schools this September, all we can do is sit back and await the possibilities it brings.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

Read more about the innovation and excitement from this year’s Bett Show on page 39.

Michael Lyons, acting editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Education Business magazine for £250 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Education Business website at:

www.educationbusinessuk.net PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

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

© 2016 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1474 0133

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CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 21.1 07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

13

Arts debate causes EBacc stir; single‑sex girls schools outperform mixed; and admission scandal rages over religion

13 FINANCE

The importance and role of the finance committee sometimes mistakably goes unnoticed, says CIPFA’s Kerry Ace

16 PENSIONS

The world of pensions has seen big changes over the past few years. John Adams of the Pensions Policy Institute explains what it means for teachers

19 DESIGN & BUILD

Education Business analyses the New Year school openings from the Priority School Building Programme and takes a look at Scotland’s Schools for the Future

19

28 LIGHTING

Morgan Phillips of Keep Britain Tidy analyses the ways schools can reduce their energy consumption and become more eco-minded through LED lighting

31 ENERGY 39 59

Alex Green of the Ashden School Awards explains how schools can easily become more sustainable and energy efficient

IT, and in particular tablets and mobile technology, is fast becoming the heart of the classroom, says Mary Palmer of Techknowledge for Schools

71 IT & COMPUTING

For many schools, educational technology is a priority. Some of the experts from the school IT sector share their experiences and thoughts for the future

79 MUSIC EDUCATION EXPO Taking place on 25-26 February, the Music Education Expo will provide free high-quality CPD for music and performing arts teachers

82 SECURITY

With no formal or governmental strategy in place, security in schools can be a minefield. Stuart Naisbett of IPSA discusses how to best initiate policy

84 CATERING

Alison Stafford of Healthy Schools London explains the work being undertaken to improve the health and well-being of children and young people in the nation’s capital city

89 TEACHER WELL-BEING

The NASBM National Conference, which took place on 18-19 November, was packed with high-quality content, networking and interactive workshops

39 BETT SHOW ‘16

93 SPORT

Bett Show, which took place on the 20-23 January, was bigger and better than ever, with new products launched and an array of leading educational speakers

47 EDUCATION SHOW ‘16 63

63 IT & COMPUTING

With teacher recruitment and teacher retention currently posing difficult issues to the education sector, Julian Stanley of the Education Support Partnership discusses why it remains important to look beyond the de-stressing headlines

35 NASBM CONFERENCE

Education Business previews March’s Education Show, where the educational community will once again meet to inspire teachers and young minds alike

59 PLAY EQUIPMENT

Caroline Wright of BESA says that when it comes to outdoor play equipment, health and safety becomes as much of a priority as indoor furniture

Education Business

Contents

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School sport facilities can be very beneficial for the wider community, and can benefit the school in more ways than one. Sport England shares its view

97 SCHOOL TRIPS

The number of annual visitors to Flanders has nearly doubled over the last year.

With the educational benefits for school trips clear to see, Karen Roebuck shares all with Education Business

100 EDUCATION ESTATES

Managing and maintaining our schools is the main focus for Education Estates.

Here, we look back at last years show

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BETT SHOW

RECRUITMENT

Embrace technology to reduce teacher workload, says Morgan

UK set to be 1,000 head teachers short, report finds

Schools should embrace new technologies as an opportunity to reduce teacher workload, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan told the audience at Bett 2016.

Morgan told attendees that school leaders and teachers should be implementing new technology to reduce paper workload, recommending the use of data capture programmes to monitor registers, attainment and pupil progress.

Morgan said: “The paper trails that create work for teachers already rushed off their feet and we are keen to see what innovations the sector can come up with on this. The analysis of that data can be invaluable to teachers and system leaders in their pursuit of excellent educational outcomes. Informing them which parts of the curriculum they are teaching well and signalling where there is room for improvement.”

While highlighting the opportunities that technology presents for education, Morgan was also quick to stress that it could not be a replacement for good

teaching and that search engines are not a ’substitute for knowledge’.

She added: “We have made it clear over the last six years in government that knowledge is the key to excellent educational outcomes.

“A rigorous curriculum, putting the right foundations in place, alongside high-quality assessments are the embodiment of that.

Probably the worst attitude we can take is that access to search engines is somehow a substitute for knowledge. It isn’t.”

E Bett Show 2016, page 39 READ MORE: tinyurl.com/jo79yur

EBACC

The EBacc is not squeezing out the arts, says Gibb Writing in the Telegraph, Schools Minister Nick Gibb has criticised the culture of overturning new commitments that discourage pupils from studying core academic subjects.

Gibb said that when discussing the GCSE policy with young people who attended top comprehensive schools, ‘they take it for granted that pupils study maths, English and science at GCSE, alongside a foreign language and either history or geography’.

He contended: “Nationwide, less than one quarter of pupils were entered for such a broad academic curriculum in 2012, and less than one in five achieved a C grade in each subject.”

The Schools Minister continued to explain that the new English Baccalaureate (EBacc) was introduced to combat this issue, with the number of pupils being entered for the qualification increasing from 23 per cent to 39 per cent over three years.

He said: “Unsurprisingly, it is capable pupils from a disadvantaged background who have been less likely to be entered for the EBacc. Research by the Sutton Trust in 2014 showed that pupils eligible for free school meals who scored in the top 10 per cent nationally at the end of primary school were significantly less likely to be entered for the EBacc, compared to their wealthier peers who achieved the same level aged 11. No pupil’s education should be limited by the circumstances of their birth.

“As the Prime Minister stated in his speech on life chances earlier this month, high expectations should not be preserve of elite schools, but an entitlement for all. In time, it is our ambition that 90 per cent of pupils nationwide are entered for the EBacc.”

Gibb argued against some ‘vocal figures in the media’ who believe the EBacc represents a dreadful step backwards in the cultural life of schools. The news comes as a letter was delivered signed by 70 figures from the arts warning that creative subjects ‘would be squeezed out altogether’ by the EBacc.

Gibb argued that it was important to consider that, unlike other subjects, there were other opportunities to participate in the arts, such as school plays, choirs and the orchestras.

Declaring that the belief was wrong, he explained: “This is because pupils at English state schools enter, on average, nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than 10 for more able pupils. As the EBacc covers seven GCSEs, this leaves ample room for other choices.

“We are committed to overturning a culture of low expectations that for too long discouraged capable pupils, predominantly from disadvantaged backgrounds, from studying the core academic subjects that open doors to their future.”

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A study published by the Future Leaders Trust (FLT) has found that an extra 1,000 head teachers are likely to be needed over the next five years, causing further concerns in the school leadership recruitment shortage.

The report raised concerns that the supply of new head teachers is declining just as the demand is set to increase, citing plans to create 500 free schools, which will require new executive head roles in multi academy trusts.

The report, entitled ‘Heads up: meeting the challenges of head teacher recruitment’, said: “Our initial estimate is that this could result in over 1,000 additional vacancies over the next five years.”

However, a number of school governors have expressed anxiety regarding the quality of applications for some headship positions. The FLT has called for better talent-spotting, pointing out that negative perceptions of headship as a high-pressure role and a possible career risk, for those trying to rescue challenging schools, are putting potential heads off the job.

The research also highlighted evidence which suggested it was becoming harder to recruit head teachers, including a survey

by TES which found that more than one in three governors had found the task of recruiting senior staff a difficult one.

Heath Monk, CEO of the FLT, said: “Fewer people are applying to become heads and that means even fewer people are applying to lead schools that serve our most disadvantaged students. Without effective and inspiring leadership these children are losing out on the education they need.

“The talent is out there but many people need encouragement to understand they can step up. The solution is for existing heads to spot potential leaders in their schools and inspire them about headship. That means correcting the negative perceptions about the job and talking up its possibilities. We also need to know more about the problem.

“Our report draws on many different surveys but we don’t know how many schools are looking for a new head at any one time. We need the data to identify where the greatest demand is and know how many people are in the pipeline.”

Emma Knights, National Governors Association chief executive, said: “Although a good chair and governing board will support the head, this is the nature of top leadership posts.

“Many governors have experience of recruiting in their professional lives, and the first time they are involved in school recruitment can be a surprise: the quality of some applications is shocking.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/hrwqzfe

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ADMISSIONS

Faith admissions system objections to be limited The government claims secularist groups will be prevented from submitting ‘vexatious complaints’ against the admissions systems of individual faith schools and will only allow local parents to pursue such objections.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has welcomed the measure, claiming the move will make it ‘easier for parents to have a say’. She said the changes will ‘unclog’ the admissions system for individual schools by limiting challenges to local parents and local authorities and exclude lobbyists and pressure groups.

Morgan said: “We want every child to have the opportunity to go to a good local school by making it easier for parents to have a say in their local school’s admission process.”

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that the new rules will stop ‘secularist campaign groups’ from targeting faith school admission ‘as part of a particular agenda’, while Ofsted added that a significant amount of public money was being wasted by multiple objections by pressure groups.

In her annual report, Schools Adjudicator

Elizabeth Passmore argued that complaints which held ‘no connection in terms of seeking a place for their child’ is ‘not good use of an adjudicator’s time and public money’.

It is calculated that challenges such as this have resulted in over £1.1 million in adjudication costs per year, with some campaigners appearing to be attempting to influence wider education policy as opposed to the actual operation of the admission systems.

However, Andrew Copson, chief executive of

the British Humanist Association (BHA), said the changes will ‘reduce parents’ fair choice of state schools’.

He said: ”Instead of moving to enforce the law, the government has responded by planning to make it harder to identify future violations of it.

“This is an affront to both democracy and the rule of law.”

Contrastingly, Paul Barber, director of the Catholic Education Service, welcomed the government’s recommendations, claiming it would reduce the ‘unnecessary burden of teacher workloads’.

He argued: “The time of school staff that is taken away from supporting pupils to respond to vexatious complaints serves only to fulfil the campaigning purpose of one organisation.”

The new guidelines also outline that admissions authorities should hold consultations more frequently, at least every four years, rather than every seven years, as is currently observed.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/hullfcy

OFSTED

FAITH SCHOOLS

Ofsted to consider veil policy when rating schools

Calls to end limits on free school religious selection

Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has instructed his inspectors to mark down institutions if they judge the wearing of the veil to be a barrier to learning and positive social interaction.

Wilshaw made the statement following Prime Minister David Cameron and the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan’s comments that schools can enforce their own rules regarding face covering.

Wilshaw said: “The Prime Minister and Secretary of State are right to give their backing to schools and other institutions which insist on removing face coverings when it makes sense to do so.

“I am concerned that some heads and principals who are trying to restrict the wearing of the full veil in certain circumstances are coming under pressure from others to relax their policy. I want to assure these leaders that they can rely on my full backing for the stance they are taking.

“I have also made clear to my inspectors that where leaders are condoning the wearing of the face veil by staff members or by pupils

when this is clearly hindering communication and effective teaching, they should give consideration to judging the school as inadequate.

“I am determined to ensure that discrimination, including on the grounds of gender, has no place in our classrooms. We want our schools, whether faith schools or non-faith schools, to prepare their pupils equally for life in 21st century Britain. We need to be confident our children’s education and future prospects are not being harmed in any way.”

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The New Schools Network has called for an end to the cap on free schools that limits the number of places that can be allocated on religious grounds.

Under the current rules, faith schools are required to limit the number of pupils it accepts on the basis of faith to 50 per cent when it is over subscribed.

Nick Timothy, director of the New Schools Network, has called for this cap to be lifted, arguing that it does little to in increase the diversity but is ‘effectively discriminatory for Roman Catholics’, as these limits have discouraged the opening of many Catholic free schools.

The New Schools Network argues that Catholic schools are ‘more likely to be ethnically diverse than other schools, more likely to be in poor areas, more likely to be rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, and more likely to provide what parents want’.

Instead of the limit on places allocated on religious grounds, Timothy posits that the rule should be replaced by a ‘legal duty on faith schools to ensure that their pupils mix’, which he suggests could be encouraged through sport, performing arts, or school visits with children from different backgrounds.

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SINGLE SEX

Girls at single-sex schools achieve better GCSE results, statistics show According to education data analysts SchoolDash, girls at single-sex state schools in England achieve better GCSE results that those in mixed schools.

The study also revealed that girls from poorer families in single-sex schools received better GCSEs than their counterparts in mixed schools, whilst less of an advantage was identified for boys in single-sex schools.

Figures show 55 per cent of pupils in mixed schools achieved five good GCSEs including English and maths, while single-sex schools maintained a higher proportion with 75 per cent of pupils getting the same results.

However, the analysis outlined underlying factors which should be taken into account when reading the figures, including: grammar schools are more likely to be single-sex; co-educational schools have a higher proportion of poorer pupils; and girls are more likely to get good results.

Caroline Jordan, president of the Girls’ School Association, explained that because ‘girls are more collaborative, they like lessons to be more discussion-based’. She also claimed that an all-girl environment allowed pupils to ‘escape gender stereotyping’, resulting in more girls pursuing science subjects.

Alice Sullivan, director of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, at the UCL Institute

of Education in London, said: “We found that girls from single-sex schools were more likely to take male-dominated subjects such as maths and science at school. Girls who had attended single-sex schools also had slightly higher wages than their co-ed peers in mid-life.”

She argued: ”People often make claims about the consequences of single-sex schooling for relationships between the sexes without referring to any evidence. We found that women who attended single-sex schools were no more or less likely to marry than those in co-educational schools.”

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FAIR FUNDING

NAHT’s national funding formula proposals published With government plans to overhaul the national school funding formula expected in the next few months, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has published a collection of essays examining what a revised formula may look like.

Entitled ‘Fair Funding - getting it right: a new national funding formula for schools’, the collection includes contributions from a host of expert voices within politics and educational policy.

In the introduction to the report, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said that reforms were ‘the right thing to do’ but only with ‘caution, consultation and detailed planning’. Hobby also asserted that the crucial elements to any reforms should include ‘clarity to schools about how their budgets will be affected’.

Other topics to be addressed in the essays include the belief that pupil premium should be maintained as a separate funding stream, possible pupil factors that needed considering and that primary schools should be higher beneficiaries of government funding.

Jonathan Clifton, associate director of the IPPR think tank, said that the government should use the reform opportunities to ‘target more money towards primary schools given the importance of intervening early to ensure pupils get started on the right track’.

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SEX EDUCATION

Gaps in sex education leave children at risk, campaigners warn Young people’s safety is being undermined by wide variations in sex and relationships education, the Sex Education Forum has warned.

A survey of over 2,000 11-25 year-olds found that many have not been given proper education regarding issues such as how to spot sexual abuse, where to turn for help and what constitutes a healthy relationship.

50 per cent of respondents said they had not been taught how to get help if they were abused and over 40 per cent had not learnt about healthy or abusive relationships. The survey also found that 50 per cent of respondents had not discussed real-life scenarios about sexual consent, with 34 per cent saying they had been taught nothing at all about sexual consent.

Young people were found to be more likely to learn about sexual consent and exploitation at home rather than in schools, but even then, only 45 per cent said they had talked about this with a parent or carer. In response to these findings, the Sex Education

Forum is calling for mandatory sex and relationships education in all schools to better equip young people to recognise the signs of abuse and understand how to get help.

Lucy Emmerson, coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said: “The odds of a young person learning vital information about equal, safe and enjoyable relationships are no different than the toss of a coin. The ultimate consequence of this is that many children don’t know how to recognise abusive behaviour or how to seek help.

“With evidence about the benefits for children and young people of teaching [sex and relationships education] stacked up high and a growing list of politicians calling for the subject to be mandatory, there is no excuse for government to continue leaving [sex and relationships education] to chance.”

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “As members of the Sex Education Forum, ATL fully supports its call for mandatory and inclusive sex and

relationships education. We know that education staff want high quality training so that they can deliver the sex and relationships education that will enable young people to keep themselves safe. We call upon the government to take this important step, which parents, education staff and young people all want, so that we can all help to tackle child abuse, sexual health issues and young people’s poor mental health.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/hp85q9r

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BUDGET MONITORING

Many people are oblivious to who is in charge of the finances in their schools. Even more people are unaware of the importance of finance committees. Kerry Ace explains all you need to know In an article published in Education Business earlier this year I considered the important role that a finance committee can have in an academy, college or university.

Although the governing body (or equivalent) has clear responsibility for an institution’s finances, it often delegates specific powers to committees.

the year. Generally, a delegated authority will permit the finance committee to agree changes to the budget up to specified financial limits with changes beyond this being referred to the full governing body to determine.

It is important that budget monitoring information prepared by institutions is consistent with that prepared under

Although the governing body (or equivalent) has clear responsibility for an institution’s finances, it often delegates specific powers to committees Monitoring and planning for the institution’s financial position and financial control systems is normally undertaken by a finance committee. Its role is key to ensuring that the governing body discharges its financial responsibilities correctly and that the institution remains financially viable at all times.

This article looks at the role of the finance committee in relation to budget monitoring.

The duties of a finance committee will normally include responsibility for monitoring the institution’s budget and a requirement to take corrective action to address issues such as potential overspending arising during

accounting standards. For academies this means Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) and for further and higher education institutions Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting for Further and Higher Education. It is also good practice for management accounts information to be produced on a more regular basis, generally monthly.

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS CONTENTS The content and style of the management accounts varies between different institutions.

However, the finance committee should

ensure that the information which it receives is in a format which enables it to discharge its responsibilities. Key contents include a commentary or narrative summary; an income and expenditure account and variance analysis; a balance sheet; and cash flow forecasts. These are explored in more detail below. Other important contents to include are trading accounts, capital projects and key performance indicators.

The accompanying commentary will allow the detailed financial data to be understood more quickly and easily and is particularly useful for non-finance specialists. As well as providing a summary of the institution’s financial position, the commentary should highlight key risks that may result in non‑achievement of financial objectives and the action being taken to address them.

It is the role of the finance committee members to understand the management accounts and challenge aspects of the report that give them cause for concern.

A common area for such a challenge will inevitably be the variance analysis.

Members are likely to query why income or expenditure varies significantly from budget.

The commentary will usually provide explanations of some of the more significant variances. E

Written by Kerry Ace, finance & policy manager, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

The role of the finance committee

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BUDGET MONITORING  INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT The chart of accounts or coding structure will allow the income and expenditure of an institution to be analysed both subjectively and objectively. A subjective breakdown shows what has been spent whereas an objective breakdown shows who has spent it.

As a minimum, finance committee members should expect to see the income and expenditure account in as much subjective detail as is shown in the financial statements. This would mean a breakdown between pay, non-pay, depreciation and the main different types of income.

Best practice requirements would suggest that a greater level of detail be provided, however there is a cost attached to providing

financial reports so a judgement needs to be made about the balance between the cost of producing detailed information and the value of doing so. For larger institutions an objective breakdown of income and expenditure may also be useful as this will enable governors to understand the respective contributions being made by different parts of the organisation.

Without such a breakdown the extent of cross-subsidy within the institution may not be apparent and it may be more difficult for

VARIANCE ANALYSIS The variance analysis is the comparison between budget and expenditure and this again may vary between different sets of management accounts. Some may highlight the variance in the latest month, others the difference between actual spend and the profiled budget to date (i.e. the proportion of the budget that was planned to have been spent by this point in the financial year), whilst others may highlight the projected variance at year-end.

Variances may be favourable or unfavourable though most attention will generally be required for the latter. Unfavourable variances may arise owing to unachieved income estimates or to expenditure in excess of

budgets. The former may be the result of lower than anticipated students, although for academies the majority of grant income is based on lagged pupil numbers and doesn’t vary in year. The latter may relate to pay or non-pay budgets. Variances may be one-off in nature or recurring and the possible options available to the institution to address variances may vary according to the reasons for them. Variances on pay budgets for example are very often recurring

The variance analysis is the comparison between budget and expenditure and this again may vary between different sets of management accounts governors to reach informed decisions about how financial performance can be improved.

Whatever level of detail it is decided to report at, the management accounts would normally be expected to include columns showing the original full year budget, the latest approved full year budget, and actual expenditure for the year to date. Reports may also show budget and actual expenditure for the latest month only and a projected outturn column.

Projected figures will vary depending on the method of projection used and therefore it is important that this method is explained by way of a note to the management accounts.

and it may require compensatory savings in order to address them. Depending on the financial health of the institution, it may be possible to use reserves or contingencies to fund one-off variances.

Management accounts should be presented clearly so that members of the governing body and senior management understand variances and reasons for them. The accounts should be prepared on an accruals basis, including adjustments for goods and services received or provided for which payment has not yet been made. The value of commitments, that is the value of purchase orders raised for

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goods not yet received, is likely to be useful for reports prepared for budget holders within institutions but if these are included in management accounts prepared for governors and senior management then a note should clearly indicate that this is the case.

BALANCE SHEET It is good practice for the monthly management accounts to include at least an abridged version of the balance sheet covering the net current assets position shown in at least as much detail as that included in the financial statements.

This would mean a breakdown of current assets (including bank balances as well as debtors and stock) and current liabilities (including bank overdraft and creditors).

Institutions may also update fixed assets, provisions and long term liabilities on a monthly basis. Alternatively it would be appropriate for institutions to report to governors significant changes in these balances during the year. Finance committee members are most likely to concentrate on current assets and current liabilities and be concerned if the ratio between these, the current ratio, varies significantly from that forecast in the institution’s financial plan.

CASHFLOW FORECASTS The management accounts should include as a minimum a 12 month rolling forecast showing the current cash balance and a monthly profile of future cash balances.

This may be compared to the original cash flow forecast and explanations provided regarding any significant differences.

Depending on an institution’s individual position, a cash flow statement may need to be prepared on a more regular basis, even weekly, if circumstances require it.

The extent of additional reporting should be set out in the institution’s treasury management policy but could include details of where excess funds are invested and/ or overdraft or loan facilities obtained from.

Cash flow forecasts for three or five years may also be provided though these are likely to be in less detail than the 12 month forecast.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY Some institutions may decide that all governors (in addition to senior managers of the institution) should receive the monthly management accounts, however it is a key role for the finance committee and its members to have primary responsibility for ensuring proper budget monitoring is taking place in their institution.

CIPFA’s Guide for Finance Committee Members in academies, colleges and universities (fully revised edition) describes the roles and responsibilities of the finance committee in detail. L FURTHER INFORMATION http://bit.ly/1OZzXA5

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Pensions Written by John Adams, senior policy analyst, Pensions Policy Institute

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FINANCIAL INCOME

Staying up to date with pension policy change With many changes having taken place over the last few years, teachers should be aware of where they stand with their pensions. John Adams of the Pensions Policy Institute explains the recent changes and how they may affect teachers The world of pensions has seen a number of big changes over the past few years.

Some, but not all of them, may impact the retirement options and outcomes for teachers.

Significant changes have been made to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, but also there have been changes to the way that pensions can be accessed in the form of the Freedom and Choice initiative and also the new State Pension that replaces the current two tier Basic State Pension and Additional State Pension.

THE TEACHERS’ PENSION SCHEME The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), like other public sector pension schemes, is a Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme. That means that the pension received is based on a formula that typically combines salary, service and a rate of accrual. However, private sector pensions schemes tend to be Defined Contribution (DC) schemes. DC schemes are pension saving schemes where a pre‑determined amount of contributions are made into a savings pot, which is invested on behalf of the member. The pot is subject to the volatility of the investment market, and whatever is in the pot at retirement is the pension fund that the member receives.

The perception of a growing divide between the pensions offered to public and private sector employees, combined with fairness and sustainability concerns, led the coalition government to appoint John Hutton to chair

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

an Independent Public Service Pensions Commission in 2010. His brief was to ‘conduct a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision and to make recommendations to the government on pension arrangements that are sustainable and affordable in the long term, fair to both the public service workforce and the taxpayer and consistent with the fiscal challenges ahead, while protecting accrued rights’. The Commission reported in March 2011 with a number of proposals, which the government used as the basis for the scheme reforms that came into effect in April 2015.

In June 2010, separate to the Hutton commission, the government changed the inflation measure used to uprate public service pensions. From April 2011, public service pensions are uprated in line with changes in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) as had been the previous policy. The CPI typically rises more slowly than the RPI. This means that the annual increases to pensions when they are in payment are likely to be less than under the previous policy.

TEACHERS’ PENSION 2015 REFORMED SCHEME The government implemented a form of Hutton’s recommendations for the TPS. Key features of the reformed scheme include: increase contributions paid by members of the scheme; switch from final salary, to Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE); pre-retirement revaluation of earnings for CARE at CPI +1.6 per cent; accrual rate of 1/57th of salary; and linking of the Normal Pension Age with the State Pension Age. The government announced that pension contributions made by employees to public sector pensions would be increased by, on average, 3.2 per cent of salaries, but protecting the lowest earners.

This was achieved by making the employee contribution rate earnings related. In the case of the TPS, those earning below £26,000 a year faced a one per cent increase to their contribution rate, but higher earners would see increases of up to 5.3 per cent.

The switch from a final salary pension scheme to a Career Average scheme is the most fundamental change. Under a

There n e have beges to han many c ions world s the pen e past few over th rs, each yea achers e t g n i t affec iffering to d degrees

final salary scheme the amount of pension received is based on salary near retirement and the number of years of membership in the scheme. Under a career average pension scheme every year’s salary is included in the calculation of the pension.

That means that it is more representative of the working life, and specifically of the level of contributions made by the employee.

Career average is seen as providing an element of fairness. For instance, it means that people who achieve promotions toward the end of their working life (leading to a higher, than otherwise final salary) are not in effect being subsidised by those who do not achieve such promotions.

The ‘Revalued Earnings’ part of CARE refers to the uprating of past years of earnings.

When calculating the pension under the Career Average scheme all the previous years’ salaries are indexed up to retirement

by CPI plus an additional 1.6 per cent. This is to allow for the fact that inflation erodes the value of previous years’ salaries, so taking an unadjusted salary from, say 30 years before retirement, would not give a reasonable measure of the average salary. Revaluation avoids this problem by setting all salary measurements on a more consistent footing.

The changes to the TPS only affect future pension being built up. For teachers with existing pension in the final salary scheme, that part of their pension is protected and will not be changed by the CARE scheme.

There are protections in place for some teachers. Those who are within 10 years of retiring will continue in the final salary scheme. Those who are within 13‑and-a-half years will continue in the final salary scheme but be transitioned in to the CARE scheme at a future date.

FREEDOM AND CHOICE In Budget 2014, the Chancellor announced plans to review the access that individuals have to their pension savings. The Chancellor has stated the intention of these plans is to give individuals more flexibility and trusting them to make their own decisions with their pension savings.

The Freedom and Choice reforms are only applicable to Defined Contribution pension schemes. These are the schemes mentioned earlier, where a pre-determined amount of contributions are made into a savings pot, which is invested on behalf of the member.

Under the existing rules, up to 25 per cent of the fund could be taken as a tax free lump sum and the remainder would, in the majority of cases, be required to be used to purchase an annuity.

The main results of this review were that all members of defined contribution pension schemes would no longer be required to buy an annuity with their fund. From April 2015 there are no limits to how individuals over age 55 can access their DC savings.

However, these reforms will have little impact on the pensions built up by teachers

over the course of their teaching career.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme is a Defined Benefit pension scheme, where the amount of the pension to be received is based on a pre-existing formula. So, because it is not a DC pension, the pension built up in the TPS is not subject to the freedom and choice reforms. The government have also put in place a ban on members of public sector pension schemes from taking a transfer from their pension scheme.

The reforms therefore do not affect the pension built up in the TPS, however, any other pension savings they have that are not in public sector pension schemes may be eligible to be used under the new pension freedoms.

NEW STATE PENSION The new State Pension is the replacement for both the current Basic State Pension and the Additional State Pension. It is only for people who reach State Pension Age

Pensions

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This means that members pay a reduced National Insurance contribution rate and in turn do not build up Additional State Pension.

In effect, part of the pension from the TPS could be thought of as paying a pension that would otherwise be delivered by the state.

The default position for an employee in the UK is to be part of the Additional State Pension, so if the individual was contracted‑out, their State Pension is adjusted. This is to allow for the fact that reduced NI contributions were paid and lower Additional State Pension has been accrued. The adjustment is called the Contracted-Out Deduction. The calculation of the Foundation Amount takes into account the Contracted‑Out Deduction, so someone who has the 35 qualifying years required for the full nSP may have a Foundation Amount which is less than full nSP after taking account of the Contracted-Out Deduction. This may

Career average means that people who achieve promotions toward the end of their working life are not in effect being subsidised by those who do not achieve such promotions after 5 April 2016. The base amount of new State Pension (nSP) will be £155.65 a week from April 2016, which is £36.35 higher than the level of the Basic State Pension in 2016 of £119.30 a week. However not everyone will receive the £155.65; some may receive less and others may receive more.

In April 2016, at the point when the nSP comes into effect, the government will calculate an individual entitlement level for everybody, called the ‘Foundation Amount’.

This calculation compares the amount of pension built up under the current state pension system, with what the person would get under the new State Pension, adjusted for any period of being in a ‘contracted‑out’ pension scheme. Their Foundation Amount will be the higher of the two.

If an individual’s foundation amount is equal to the full nSP, they will not build up any further nSP up to their State Pension Age and will retire with an entitlement to the full level of nSP at retirement. If an individual’s foundation amount is higher than the full nSP, perhaps because they had a significant amount of SERPS or S2P built up, they will retire on the full nSP, plus a protected amount equal to the excess of their foundation amount over the full nSP. People may receive less than the full amount if they have fewer than 35 years qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits. They may also receive less than the full amount if at some point in their working life they were a member of a contracted-out scheme.

The TPS is a contracted-out pension scheme.

be the case for many teachers, because the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is a contracted‑out pension scheme. Many teachers may find that they have a Foundation Amount which is lower than the full rate of nSP as a result of having made reduced National Insurance contributions while in the TPS. However, it is possible to fill the gap, because every qualifying year worked after 2016 builds up further entitlement to nSP. This means that by the time they reach SPA, many people who had a reduced Foundation Amount may have achieved entitlement to the full rate of new State Pension. Teachers may therefore have a higher state pension under the new State Pension than under the current system, but National Insurance contributions will no longer be on a reduced rate.

CONCLUSION There have been many changes to the pensions world over the past few years, each affecting teachers to differing degrees.

Changes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme affect their current workplace pension.

The Freedom and Choice initiative does not affect their Teachers’ Pension, but may affect any other pension savings a teacher has. The changes to the State Pension will likely affect all teachers retiring after 2016. The total pension income is a combination of all of these pensions, so all should be considered when a teacher thinks about their retirement planning. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk

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Advertisement Feature

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SCHOOL BUILDINGS

THE STABLE COMPANY AND THE GREAT SCHOOL CHALLENGE Meeting place demand within budgets is the great school challenge.

To rise to this challenge, schools needs to be able to adapt to the possibility of expansion – in more ways than one

APPROACH OTHER LOCAL SOURCES Many schools overlook the power of fundraising this way. When you are seeking to improve facilities for your pupils you might be surprised at how willing local organisations are to help get you to your target.

Flexibility is also key. Kirklington had one clear vision before needs changed, so more funding was required. Be willing to adapt your plans and doing so may open up new avenues for support for your project.

Budget considerations are not a new challenge for schools; the fine balancing act of maintaining standards, while increasing service provision on a limited spend, is a constant.

The Stable Company understands schools are required to address frequently changing ideas on what kind of environment pupils require, as well as the need to cater for more pupils than ever before. These demands mean changing, adapting and increasing facilities.

We have seen a huge increase in schools turning to us to help create a building which is innovative, exciting and inspiring, as well as being able to meet their budgets.

TIMBER BUILDING OR EXTENSION? As attitudes towards education alter and evolve, there is growing evidence to suggest that diverse learning spaces are beneficial to a child’s education. This can mean escaping a traditional classroom environment in exchange for a flexible, more contemporary space; timber buildings are ideal for this.

Timber buildings deliver aesthetically pleasing, practical solutions by acting as flexible spaces for teaching, outdoor/ indoor pursuits such as soft play, gardening clubs, physical education spaces or multi-purpose rooms.

A new style of ‘open use’ room is a firm favourite with features such as connecting doors, bi-fold doors to open out an entire side of the space or use of canvas awnings to allow for indoor/outdoor use whatever the weather.

This increasingly popular way to expand a school’s offering is also budget friendly (simpler and more cost effective than a

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

traditional extension) and can be completely bespoke. Because we offer a complete service, we work with schools right down to the final details; things like slow close and protected door hinges, specialist easy clean flooring solutions, fitted kitchen and toilet facilities and much more.

Timber being a sustainable material makes all projects built with it a more environmentally conscious option.

Recent builds have included green/ living roofs, air source heat pumps and intelligent lighting which adjusts according to the amount of natural light available; which can significantly reduce energy usage – an important factor for schools both in terms of saving money and qualifying for certain funding options.

BUDGETS AND FUNDING OPTIONS We understand that securing the funding for a project can be the difference between the project going ahead or not, so we asked some of the schools we worked with recently what their top tips are for making applications.

Keelmans Way School in the North East and Kirklington Primary School (Notts) offered some advice. Firstly, tap into local authority support. This is a crucial point; be aware of how one approach can lead to more. In this case the local authority provided some of the required funds and was able to act as a pathway to other funding streams. Start with the contacts you have; speak to your local council, assess what is potentially available locally before embarking on bid processes with other organisations.

SCHOOL FUNDRAISING Parents will invest in the future and performance of your school. Enlist their support and embrace the variety of ways you will be able to raise funds. This approach has dual benefits; you will be raising much needed financial support, but simultaneously increasing engagement with pupils and parents about what matters to their school and ensuring everyone feels part of long term plans.

Keep donors up to date with the progression of the project and invite them to see it when it’s completed – make them feel valued and show your gratitude. Kirklington built a relationship with donors through clear communication; showing donors how impactful their assistance has been will keep them happy and make them feel like they have been appreciated.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAIL Obvious as it sounds, some of the funding applications will be complicated and lengthy documents. In order to avoid costly delays, it is imperative you pay very close attention to the criteria and cross check these against your plans. Make sure your bid meets the criteria. This is where organisations such as Pebble come into their own; not only can they help you source funding, but they will work alongside you to get your bid in the best shape to ensure success.

No matter what your school needs by way of an extension, we can help. L FURTHER INFORMATION Fo no obligation advice, please call our team on 01904 430630.

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REFURBISHMENT

Designing buildings for successful learning Following the news that 13 new buildings have opened since the New Year through the government’s flagship £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme, Education Business takes a look at the recent successes of the programme and what makes a successful rebuild Initially launched in 2011 with a focus on rebuilding and refurbishing the schools in most urgent need of repair, the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is managed centrally by the Department for Education’s (DfE) Education Funding Agency (EFA), rather than by local project teams.

In the first wave of the programme, 260 schools received capital funding of £2.4bn.

A list of the 277 schools to benefit from the second phase of the PSBP was published on 9 February 2015. Therefore, a total of 537 schools will benefit from construction through the two phases of the PSBP. Pupils across the country have enjoyed a fresh start for 2016 as they returned to state-of-the-art new school buildings funded through the government’s flagship rebuilding programme at the start of January. Thirteen of the most run-down schools across the length and breadth of the UK are using the new settings to help young people unlock their potential and deliver on the government’s commitment to educational excellence everywhere.

The latest schools will open following over £100 million of construction, with features including bright new classrooms, inspiring libraries and specialist arts facilities.

BUILDING A VISION Camberwell Park School, a special support school in Manchester, is one of those to reopen through the programme following £7 million of construction. The school, which previously suffered regular leaks and was persistently in need of repair, now has bigger, brighter classrooms, a modern music and drama room and a library which looks onto the school’s rainforest garden.

Mary Isherwood, Camberwell Park School head teacher, said: “As head teacher of Camberwell Park School I am proud and delighted that we have been part of the Priority School Building Programme. Since we heard news of our new building, we have been fully involved in the planning and preparation of the building to ensure that it meets the holistic needs of our pupils who all have special educational needs.

“Throughout the process staff, pupils, parents and carers, governors and members of the multi-agency team have shared their hopes, wishes, dreams for the new building, helping us to shape the vision. The new building is fabulous.”

The Grove School, a primary in Devon,

building is completely different, it still feels like our old school. The staff and pupils love the new building – we have had so many ‘wows’ and many amazingly positive comments from parents.”

FROM ENGLAND TO AFRICA Chantry Academy in Suffolk is one of seven schools across the East of England to be rebuilt as a result of the PSBP. As a result of a £14.3 million investment, the academy’s existing buildings have been replaced with a new three-storey building which provides light, bright classrooms, a superb hall, a drama space and excellent sports facilities.

Ahead of its move into the new building, the school, previously known as Suffolk New

Pupils across the country have enjoyed a fresh start for 2016 as they returned to state-of‑the‑art new school buildings funded through the government’s flagship rebuilding programme received its new building following £4 million of work, giving it not only outstanding new facilities but also the capability to increase its capacity from 210 to 315 pupils.

Hilary Priest, head teacher of The Grove School, said: “Everything is different about our new school building. Previously, we had a building which was falling apart, with leaking roofs and buckets everywhere to collect the water.

“Now we have a beautiful new facility designed for education today, with lovely large classrooms and state-of-the-art technology. Best of all, although the new

College, and Chantry High School before that, donated its old furniture, including desks, chairs, filing cabinets and bookshelves, to Sanchaba School in Gambia. The official grand opening was held with school governors past and present, staff, Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere, Baroness Rosalind Scott of Needham Market and MP Ben Gummer, all celebrating the occasion.

Mr Gummer said: “It’s incredibly exciting, and the end of a long journey. I have been fighting for this day for five years, so it’s just wonderful to see this beautiful building which is going to be a centre for excellence in the E

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REFURBISHMENT  middle of Chantry. It’s a great day for Ipswich.”

Craig D’Cunha, principal of the Chantry Academy, said: “I am extremely excited, alongside staff and students at Chantry Academy, to celebrate our official opening.

Over the course of the last nine months we have seen some exceptional progress take place at the academy.

“Student attainment has improved, and there is a new sense of purpose at the school.

Our official opening is a great way to celebrate

inspired our students to exceed their own aspirations. It will help us ensure the children of Chantry stand out amongst their peers.

Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere, who was previously a governor at the school, added: “Surroundings do make a difference, and a brilliant new building shows that for kids in Chantry education is important for their future.”

However, it is not just the council leaders and teachers who recognise the benefit of change. Pupils at the school have already

“The staff and pupils love the new building – we have had so many ‘wows’ and many amazingly positive comments from parents” Hilary Priest, head teacher, The Grove School this progress as well as looking forward to the future and our continued improvement.

“The new building represents the importance the community places on the futures of the children of Chantry, not only for those who attend the school now, but for the thousands who will pass through its doors in the future.

It’s an outstanding building which has already

noted the impact the new build has had on the attitude and learning experience in the classroom, and signals an important step in the school’s development.

Deputy head girl Ligita Lazdauskaite, said: “The new building has introduced pride in how the pupils look at things, and the teachers are looking at it in a more positive way.” E

£44million Riverside School Campus off‑site contract

Design &Management Facilities Build

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

The 23,000sqm Riverside Schools scheme is one of the largest school projects now under construction and will provide additional places for one of the fastest-growing school-age populations in the UK. The campus will have capacity for around 2,700 children from 0-19 – integrating provision for nursery, primary, special needs, secondary, and sixth form.

The contract has been awarded by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham via the Council’s local education partnership (LEP), Thames Partnership for Learning. The project is procured by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA).

The architects are Surface to Air and the three free schools on the campus will be operated by the multi‑academy trust, Partnership Learning.

The scheme will accommodate a 10‑form entry secondary school, a 630-place primary school, a special educational needs (SEN) school, and a nursery.

It will also offer extended provision outside school hours and for wider use at weekends and in school holidays to contribute to the local community.

The use of off-site construction will significantly reduce the programme time. The project has been scheduled to complete the primary and SEN facilities at an earlier stage, in time for the start of the 2016/17 academic year to meet the urgent demand for places in the Borough. The rest of the campus will be completed late Spring 2017.

The Riverside Schools scheme is being developed in the Barking Riverside regeneration area, which is close to Barking town centre and part of the Thames Gateway development. Early phases of substantial housebuilding have already been completed with further plans for 12,000 new homes increasing the need for education provision. The overall vision is for the creation of a vibrant new community with design-inspired public spaces and amenities.

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REFURBISHMENT  Deputy head boy Joshua Clarke, added: “We will be here for six months but I am taking full advantage, so the year sevens coming in should absolutely do the same because it’s really making a positive impact overall.”

DERBY SCHOOL’S DOORS REOPEN Pupils and staff at a Derby infant and nursery school have celebrated the official opening of their new building created through the programme. Carlyle Infant and Nursery School is one of seven schools in Derby to be rebuilt through the programme.

As a result of £2.8 million of construction work, the school’s old buildings have been replaced with a single-storey insulated timber structure, which features modern heating, lighting and ventilation systems to ensure excellent energy efficiency. To mark the re-opening, a plaque was unveiled and a time capsule buried at the school.

Laura Besenzi, head teacher of Carlyle Infant and Nursery School, said: “As a school, we feel particularly fortunate to access this funding to enable the children and families in Littleover to access a great new building.

At Carlyle Infant and Nursery School we are now more able to support our lifelong learners through enabling our community to develop its own learning and engagement together.

“We have already spent some time benefiting from this new base and growing in our learning across the community. The school looks forward to sharing the building with the local community through other providers who can gain reward from the government’s scheme of new builds.”

THE SUN NOT ALWAYS SHINING Last Autumn, thanks to the programme, £15.3 million was spent completely renovating the Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school site in Stockton-on-Tees, ensuring generations of pupils will have access to the best possible facilities for learning. The 1,200place academy was also the first secondary school opened under the programme.

Executive head teacher Gill Booth said: “This new building offers our young people a chance to flourish and learn within the best facilities that the 21st century can offer.”

However, according to the local newspaper, The Gazette, Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school is still suffering from problems since its refurbishment, including ‘lack of space’ in science labs and ‘inadequate’ locker numbers.

A report seen by The Gazette from Stockton Council’s Education Admissions Appeal Panel, outlines concerns over ‘lack of space’ within the school - including dining facilities that can only accommodate 250 pupils when there are more than 1,000 per day requiring them.

There have also been warnings that additional pupils could take a further toll on resources. The new Fairfield Road school base has come under criticism from parents who launched an appeal through Stockton Council

after their children were denied places.

Peter Snowden, the school’s deputy head teacher, who had previously given evidence to the appeals panel, explained why the admission of additional children could ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at the school’.

SCOTTISH AMBITION To the delight of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the Scottish government has confirmed that £230m will be used to build or refurbish 19 schools, representing the final phase of a £1.8bn

axed by then Education Secretary Michael Gove and replaced with the PSBP. The schools include: Queen Margaret Academy in South Ayrshire, Inverurie Academy in Aberdeenshire; Hayshead Primary, Muirfield Primary and Ladyloan Primary in Angus; Abercromby Primary in Clackmannanshire; St Agatha’s Primary in East Dunbartonshire; East Lothian’s Wallyford Primary; Queensferry Community High in Edinburgh; Mariner Support Service in Polmont; Glasgow’s Blairdardie Primary and Carntyne Primary; Alness Academy in the Highlands; Kilmacolm Primary,

The Scottish government has confirmed that £230m will be used to build or refurbish 19 schools, representing the final phase of a £1.8bn Schools for the Future programme Schools for the Future programme.

Scottish ministers said more than 6,500 pupils will benefit from the plans, which should be completed by March 2020. The project similarly resonates with the English Building Schools for the Future, which was

Inverclyde; Lossiemouth High in Moray; Cumbernauld Academy and Burnside Primary in Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire’s St Fergus Primary; and St Margaret’s Primary in Stirling.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are working hard to improve educational E

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Design & Build

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REFURBISHMENT  standards across the country to make sure that every child in Scotland has the ability to achieve their potential. Part of that is making sure that children have the right physical environment to learn in.

This ambitious plan will replace older schools across the country with new, modern buildings that will bring benefits to the whole community.”

Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said: “The investment of an additional £100m to support school refurbishment and the delivery of new school buildings is a very welcome step.

“Following many years of under‑investment in Scotland’s school estate, we have seen a substantial and successful programme of school building and refurbishment in recent years.”

Discussing the funding, John Wood, head teacher at Queensferry Community High, said: “The school’s staff, pupils, parents and partners are excited by the new build and the contribution we can make to its design.

It will give us opportunities to make sure that the facilities are appropriate for the most up-to-date thinking around learning and the courses that we can offer our young people.

“Of course we will also need to challenge ourselves to look ahead to the future generations of young people who will follow and how they too may benefit from this exciting new phase of

“At Carlyle Infant and Nursery School we are now more able to support our lifelong learners through enabling our community to develop its own learning and engagement together” Queensferry Community High School.”

Another of the schools to receive funding, Alness Academy was labelled as the ‘worst school in the Highlands’, dubbed as in a ‘disgraceful condition’.

Highland Council’s education chairman Drew Millar said: “Alness Academy has been a major priority for Highland Council. I have been concerned at the condition of the building, and with this

CREATING IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

announcement we can proceed as quickly as possible to give the community a school they will be proud to attend and deserve.

It is good news for Highland Council, and it is great news for children and families in Alness.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk/government/collections/ priority-school-building-programme-psbp

At Scotts we believe a building designed for education should be without compromise.

A healthy space, with natural light and ventilation, an even temperature and great acoustics.

A building that inspires and is kind to the environment.

CLASSROOMS & NURSERIES from concept to completion

For more information or to arrange a site visit please contact us:

t: 01832 732366 e: education@scottsofthrapston.co.uk

www.scottsofthrapston.co.uk/education

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Case Study

CLEARER LEARNING WITH LED LIGHTING The JCC product offering provided retrofit solutions for each of the areas within the brief and used a portfolio of functional, reliable lighting solutions that reduced UEL’s energy costs by 64%.

The University of East London (UEL) is a dynamic university set in the heart of East London. Based across three campus sites in

The lighting programme looked at the following areas:

Stratford and Docklands it caters for 19,000 students who come

AVA BUILDING

from 120 countries worldwide, making UEL an internationally

Schools of Arts and Digital Industries and Architecture,

diverse place to study.

Computing and Engineering.

UEL have invested millions of pounds in developing their campus

The school houses lecture rooms, art and photographic studios,

and student facilities to help improve the learning environment.

computer rooms, academic offices and a gallery.

As the university grows so does their energy and maintenance

• JCC’s leading Skytile® range of LED flat panels, was used to

costs. UEL needed to look at how they can manage the cost of

provide consistent light levels in the work environment. The

their growth and looked at savings on their lighting as this is a

Skytile® range far exceeded the fittings already installed and

leading contributor of energy consumption across their three

has the added benefit of lasting four times longer.

campus sites.

• RadiaLED® Style, JCC’s innovative wall and ceiling light,

The UEL secured Salix financing, an interest-free loan for the

was used throughout the corridors and stairwells providing

public sector, to help get started with energy savings and

greater levels of light uniformity.

reduce their carbon emissions. Working with JCC Lighting, UK leaders in innovative LED technology, UEL became proactive in adopting an efficient lighting programme.

Overall the conversion to LED for the AVA building saved the UEL 68% on their energy bills and reduced their carbon emissions by 66%.

The JCC product offering provided retrofit solutions for each

STUDENT VILLAGE

of the areas within the brief and used a portfolio of functional,

The student village houses 1,200 students and consist of both

reliable lighting solutions that reduced UEL’s energy costs

studio and shared flats.

by 64%.

Arts studio fitted with Skytile® Surface

Stairwell fitted with RadiaLED® Style

• Over 800 student flats were retrofitted with RadiaLED® Style which significantly outperforms the previously installed traditional 2D fluorescent fittings. RadiaLED® doesn’t flicker like traditional fluorescent fittings and starts instantly giving students a sense of security.

• Skytile® Surface replaced the 2 x 58W twin fluorescent

• 848 units x 21W RadiaLED® Style • 850 units x 14W Utility microwave

Total energy savings = £24,945.75 – 60% JCC’s RadiaLED® Style was used to provide a stylish solution.

RadiaLED’s patented LED array allows light to flow evenly across

fittings in the communal areas and corridors saving the UEL

the reflector and out through the diffuser eliminating any

62% on energy costs for converting to LED.

hotspots or unsightly lamps. RadiaLED’s outstanding technology

• RadiaLED Utility, JCC’s durable amenity light range, was used ®

throughout the showerpods. Designed to be robust, the IP65 fitting was installed with microwave sensors allowing for an additional 30% of energy to be saved in these areas.

SPORTS DOCK

lasts up to four times longer than traditional fluorescents, meaning additional cost savings are achieved from reduced maintenance.

In total the project saved the university over £76,000 a year on energy costs and reduced their carbon emission by 317 tonnes. With the LED technology lasting up to four times longer

A £21 million state of the art sports facility, UEL’s Sports Dock is

than traditional fluorescents the university is also able to save

one of London’s largest indoor high performance training centres

money on replacement lamp fittings and maintenance costs.

and sports venues.

JCC’s lighting products come with a 5 year commercial warranty

• The Sports Dock lighting is being converted in stages with the

providing UEL with assurance their investment will make a

24 hour gymnasium and studios chosen as part of the first phase.

• JCC’s lighting solution saved the Sports Dock 63% in its energy bills by switching to the JCC’s Skytile® range. As the Sports Dock is open 24 hours a day it was important to ensure the installation didn’t disrupt visitors to the centre.

The improved light quality provides consistent flicker free lighting with zero maintenance costs.

difference to their savings as they continue to grow.

ABOUT JCC Established in 1989, JCC are the market leaders in the development of cutting edge LED lighting technology.

We are driven by our passion to create innovative LED lighting solutions. This ensures that our customers can take advantage of the benefits that the latest LED technology can provide for

WHAT WAS USED?

both domestic and commercial applications.

Skytile Market leading LED flat panel.

To find out how JCC can help your school, college or

• 368 units x 34W Skytile®

university visit jcc.co.uk or contact our customer services team

®

• 590 units x 61W Skytile® Surface

on 01243 838999 who can put you in

Total energy savings = £51,706.14 – 66%

touch with a lighting

Choosing Skytile® has provided UEL with an enhanced lighting

specialist.

effect which creates near perfect daylight conditions with 4700k colour temperature. Skytile® solves the problem of unsightly and inefficient lighting failures, costly maintenance and workplace disruptions associated with traditional fluorescent technologies.

RadiaLED® The fit and forget 2D replacement

a company

Lighting Written by Dr Morgan Phillips, Education Manager, Keep Britain Tidy

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Shining a light on energy in schools Initiatives to use LED lighting in schools can help increase efficiency. Eco-schools analyses the ways that schools can reduce their energy consumption and become more eco-minded According to the Carbon Trust: “UK schools could reduce energy costs by around £44 million per year which would prevent 625,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Improving energy efficiency in schools does not mean compromising the comfort of staff and students. In many cases, implementing some simple energy saving measures actually improves conditions, as well as saving money.”

Energy consumption in schools is wide and varied and depends on the age and state of repair of buildings, occupancy hours and the amount and type of electrical equipment installed. So, generally, secondary schools will have higher energy costs than primary schools due to opening for longer, they have more pupils, and have a greater use of electrical equipment for school activities.

Eco-Schools England recognises the challenges that schools face and encourages greater energy efficiency by adopting simple but effective changes that staff and pupils can adhere to. Of course it shouldn’t just stop at the school gates. These energy saving measures can be taken back home to encourage family, friends and communities to do the same. This way the energy-saving message can be spread far and wide.

services used in school and investigate their environmental impact and use these findings to develop a ‘Green Procurement Policy’.

Energy is a critical part of this requirement and the programme outlines some simple steps that can be taken in order to help the school become more efficient with energy usage as well as helping to reduce CO2. It is estimated that an Eco-School is between 30-40 per cent more energy efficient than a non-Eco-School.

So what are the energy saving measures that schools can implement? By the way, this can also be done at home or in the office too and Eco-Schools encourages everyone to get involved.

Ask yourself, are the lights and whiteboards left on in the classrooms when people aren’t in them?

Are low-energy light bulbs and fluorescent tubes used in school? Are computers turned off when not in use? If it gets too hot in the classroom, is the heating thermostat turned down before opening a window? Is there someone in your school who has special responsibility for monitoring the consumption of energy (electricity, heating etc.) in the school? And if so, are the results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school?

Of course there are lots of other simple changes that are not listed here but the key is to begin to think and behave more consciously about reducing energy and CO2 consumption.

GREEN PROCUREMENT POLICY In 2012 Eco-Schools introduced a new element into the Environmental Review that all registered Eco-Schools have to undertake.

The Green Procurement section asks school eco warriors to look at the products and

RENEWABLE ENERGY For many schools, taking this further may mean a move to renewable energy with solar and or bio-mass. Despite the recent reduction of the Feed-In Tariff – the mechanism to encourage take up of solar as well as giving

Energy n in ptio consum wide and is schoolsand depends varied e age and on th repair of state ofldings bui

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

the solar industry a financial leg up, it is still a viable option for schools and should be seriously considered as part of a schools’ overall energy efficiency and CO2 reduction aims. Also, bio-mass boilers are becoming increasingly appealing for schools too, especially if the old inefficient gas boiler is coming to the end of its natural life.

However, one area that is perhaps missed by schools is lighting. In the recent past it was not always seen as relevant to schools as it was financially prohibitive – as LED lights where very expensive and fledgling LED companies would often insist on changing the whole school in one go. However, today the LED industry has matured and LED lighting has been instrumental in helping many schools to reduce energy and CO2 usage dramatically and is well within the means of schools own financial constraints. This is done either through funding offers like Salix Finance, a notfor-profit company funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Welsh and Scottish Governments to remove the barrier of significant upfront capital cost to investing in energy efficient technologies. Or by companies simply encouraging schools to change to LED a classroom at a time.

THE GUIDE TO LED LIGHTING LED stands for ‘light emitting diode’. A diode is an electrical component with two terminals which conduct the electricity only in one direction. With an electrical current, the diode emits a bright light around the small bulb. Typically, diodes have been used in many technologies such as radios, televisions and computers as an electrical component for conduction.

Connecting a diode to an electrical current excites the electrons within the diode, making them release photons, which we see as light. The colour of the light is a direct result of the energy gap in the semiconductor of

the diode. This means that LEDs produce a spectrum of colours easily and brightly while using very little electricity to do so.

In any environment it is essential that people can see ‘well’ and do their particular tasks. There are many benefits that result from upgrading current lighting with new, efficient, and brighter LED lighting and many schools and institutions of higher learning are exploring the possibilities and rewards of making the change to LED. By now, the majority of people know that LED lighting is greener and less expensive to use than traditional lighting, but those aren’t the only reasons to use LED lighting. Other, less obvious but often more beneficial reasons are hiding right under our noses. Schools, colleges and universities around the country have been exploring these hidden perks and have seen just how helpful LED lighting can be.

One of the easiest benefits to see is cost savings. As in any location, upgrading school lighting from incandescent, fluorescent and other traditional lighting to LED can save schools up to 80 per cent of the operating costs associated with lighting. Because schools are working with a set and limited budget, any money saved in one department can be used elsewhere in the school. By lessening the load of electricity costs, these funds can be allocated to more important and vital services such as classroom resources, teaching staff and other educational tools. Imagine just how much money that currently goes to electricity bills could be freed up to use for teaching instead.

EDUCATIONAL VALUE

The educational value of LED lighting upgrades is stunning too. The opportunity to see first-hand the changes taking place and the difference the new lights make in their daily lives is sure to impress heavily on the students and spur forward thinking, innovation and curiosity. The economic benefits alone open the opportunity to teach about money concepts and even statistics and the scientific process.

Projects could span months or years as the students track and evaluate the true cost saving of the new lighting system. While it is also the perfect time for teachers to integrate

Lighting

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

Another safety feature of LED lighting is the lack of glass in many fixtures. Both incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs are glass and they can break. Many LED fixtures on the market, however, do not include any glass or other materials that are overtly dangerous when broken.

The brightness of LED lighting can also help to stop or reduce vandalism on school grounds.

Studies show that adolescents and children are more respectful of their environment in a brighter and higher quality light making a space seem more modern and up to date.

As in any location, upgrading school lighting from incandescent, fluorescent and other traditional lighting to LED can save schools up to 80 per cent of the operating costs associated with lighting ecology, electrical concepts, solid state technology and more into their lesson plans.

LED lighting is also safer than traditional lighting because of its low heat output. Lower heat output means less chance of a fire being started by lighting equipment, always a good thing, especially when children are involved. The additional light output of LED also helps to better illuminate dim spaces which in turn makes the chance of trips, falls and other minor accidents far less likely.

Finally, students will be able to work more productively than with incandescent and fluorescent lighting, which are known to flicker, causing a condition called ‘flicker vertigo’. This condition affects some people exposed to flickering light sources, causing headaches and nausea and a reduced motivation to work. The same loss of motivation, in addition to drowsiness and lethargy, is a side effect of working in an environment that is poorly lit. The high quality, exceptionally bright LED lights can reduce or completely eliminate these problems and get students back on task.

Awake and alert, the students are more apt to learn about the materials they are exposed to and the teacher will have the energy and stamina to teach with vigour and connect with their class more effectively.

Eco-Schools England works with an established LED lighting partner to give all Eco-Schools the opportunity to benefit by changing to LED. Trust LED CEO Kym Jones says: “By changing your existing lighting to LEDs your school will be addressing environmental issues and reducing your carbon footprint. Also the energy saving from LED lighting will pay for the cost of the equipment releasing money that can be reinvested elsewhere in the school.”

Although it is quite easy to see the cost and environmental benefits of using LED lighting rather than traditional lighting, there are many other good reasons to move to LED that are not so obvious but equally important when considering switching.

Added safety, productivity and pride in our schools – are they good enough reasons for you to make the switch to LED? L FURTHER INFORMATION www.eco-schools.org.uk

Volume 21.1 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

PRINTING

PRINTING THAT ‘JUST HAPPENS’ Andrew Hall, marketing manager, Oki Systems UK, discusses how managed print services can help schools operate more efficiently

A recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) finds that schools across England are likely to face up to 12 per cent in funding cuts over the course of the next Parliament.

Running costs are often the first to feel the squeeze. Already, many schools have carefully

policy with the help of managed print services providers like OKI. This approach involves the vendor conducting an audit on existing practices including output volumes and printing types. By gaining a transparent view across the print and

Managed print services can save an average of 30 per cent of printing costs, depending on the size of fleet and other variables managed and minimised outgoings such as phone and electricity bills. The next step is to take control of costs created by their print and document management environment.

BENEFITS TO EDUCATION WITH OKI At OKI, we recognise the benefits that printing brings to education, in raising the standard of teaching materials, training aids and marketing documents and sparking the creativity of teachers and pupils. Unfortunately, many schools don’t have a clear view of spend or total cost of ownership and they are therefore not able to tap into these benefits while also driving efficiencies.

PRINT MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS The way print is managed within the school is invariably also a challenge. Printing may not be part of the IT manager’s remit. Instead, responsibility for handling it may fall to support staff with minimal technical knowledge. Often, printing is outsourced to local print shops which is likely to prove expensive and wasteful.

These are all reasons why, increasingly, schools are adopting a more formal print

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

document management landscape, schools can clearly see where their budget is being spent and keep it under tight control.

By consolidating printer stock with one contract for maintenance and consumables, schools can save considerable time, ensure printers are better maintained and more reliable.

They can also replace bulky old models with new, energy-efficient, small footprint multifunction devices that sit neatly in the corner of offices or classrooms.

Further driving efficiencies, vendors can work with schools to ensure that they have the right products in place in the right locations. Typically, they will, for example, want graphic arts or design printers in the art department and robust multifunction devices implemented in the school office for printing administrative documents and other collateral.

PRINT SAVINGS FOR SCHOOLS Managed print services can save an average of 30 per cent of printing costs, depending on the size of fleet and other variables. This arrangement also means that the school doesn’t have to raise its capital expenditure

to make long‑term savings on operational expenditure. However, perhaps the main value of working with a managed print services provider is the consultancy they offer. They will be able to advise the school on ways to bring all printing in house, even the high-end colour printing that is usually outsourced but also on the latest advances such as mobile printing or innovative design applications.

PRINT AND THE EVER GROWING TECHNOLOGY With growing use of laptops, tablets, iPads and smartphones in education by both teachers and pupils, the ability to print on demand to any printing device is becoming increasingly prized.

OKI offers a range of multifunctional colour printers which are Google Cloud Print-ready. This means that all school members can wirelessly print documents to cloud-connected printers from any webconnected device. They can also connect to traditional printers that are plugged into a Windows, Mac or Linux computer with internet access using the Google Cloud Print connector in Google Chrome. iPhone, iPad or iPod users can also take advantage of Apple’s AirPrint as it is embedded natively in these devices.

This means that instead of having to transfer a document to the app itself, staff and pupils alike can print directly from wherever the document or image is stored.

In addition, we are seeing that schools and colleges are making growing use of smart multifunction print (MFP) devices, often with embedded software applications offering enhanced document management or streamlined workflow solutions such as ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, a downloadable PC/ Mac desktop application available free of charge to OKI smart MFP solutions.

PRINT SERVICE OPERATIONS Operating within managed print service implementations, educational institutions are also increasingly turning to innovative new printing solutions. For example, white toner devices that can help pupils working on art and design projects can also be used by schools themselves to add creative zest to marketing, promotions, or events, helping to keep this work in-house and eliminate the expense of outsourcing print jobs.

Ultimately, it’s a reminder that while the key benefit of managed print services remains the cost savings and efficiencies it delivers, the ability of vendors to deliver innovative new products or solutions as part of an implementation is critical too in enabling schools to achieve added value and drive new opportunities for themselves and their pupils. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.oki.co.uk

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SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS

The 2015 Ashden Sustainable School Awards were a great example of how schools can employ more sustainable practices to become more energy efficient What do a tiny primary school in Lincolnshire and a huge college with a further education wing in Nuneaton have in common? On the surface perhaps very little, but they are both winners of a prestigious green energy award for their commitment to cutting carbon emissions and lowering fuel bills.

At last year’s Ashden Sustainable School Awards, Marton Primary School in Lincolnshire, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College (NWHC) in Nuneaton, Home Farm Primary School in Colchester and Thornhill Primary School in Cardiff each received a prize of £3,000 at the ceremony held at LSO St Luke’s in London. All four have succeeded in reducing their energy consumption as well as inspiring their pupils and students to do their bit to help save the planet through a series of easy to implement measures.

At the Awards ceremony, Ashden’s Founder Director Sarah Butler-Sloss said: “We are delighted to see such a broad range of school winners – from a small rural primary school with just 97 pupils to a large further education college with over 14,000 students.

We have our first Welsh school and a primary demonstrating that an energy‑guzzling building can be transformed into an efficient, energy-generating exemplar.”

ON THE ROAD TO ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENCY Finding ways to cut energy bills can really help already stretched school budgets. When head teacher Richard Potter took over at Home

Farm Primary School in Colchester, he was faced with an inefficient building and large energy bills. He had previously been employed at a newly constructed school which had been designed with many sustainable and energy saving features. He had experienced both the financial and environmental benefits of a heating system which could be controlled and managed properly.

His challenge was to create a sustainable learning environment for the students and

60 per cent of what you would expect from a building of this type. The school has also seen a 61 per cent reduction in its electricity use.

Solar panels were installed which produced a Feed-In Tariff (FIT) payment of £3,700 within the first ten months of operation. The model for the installation resulted in the replication of the system at five other schools in the county by the same contractor. The financing of the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is on a lease arrangement and therefore self-funding.

Written by Alex Green, Ashden’s School Awards Manager

Rewarding the pioneers of green schools

Energy

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There are 2,500 primary schools in England with fewer than 100 pupils and collectively they have a significant carbon impact reduce the school’s energy spend. Additionally, the school had an internal courtyard which, due to the layout, meant that heat was continually lost through open doors. The first primary school in Essex to be awarded a Grade B rating in its Energy Performance Certificate, Home Farm is a model of good behaviour. Between the dream team of Richard and school business manager Ceri Stammers, they have managed to turn around a poorly managed heating system and a heat-leaking building to make Home Farm virtually self-sufficient in energy.

One of the simplest yet most productive moves was to enclose the central courtyard which has reduced gas consumption to Childrens drawings 2015 Ashden Sustainable School Awards ceremony (Courtesy of Andrew Aitchison/Ashden

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY NWHC’s holistic approach to sustainability has seen it reduce carbon emissions by more than a third in the past five years.

The energy efficiency measures put in place – such as improved insulation, better boilers, and the introduction of LED lighting and sensor controls – are resulting in major savings to both the college budget and the environment. IT team leader Maj Shaikh, himself a former student, has actually redesigned the IT facilities to reduce electricity use by 35 per cent.

Sustainable energy activities at NWHC began in 2010 when the Carbon Trust assisted the college in developing a five‑year £2m Carbon Management Plan (CMP), which set an ambitious target for the reduction in carbon emissions by the end of August 2015. But the big question was, where do you start when you have several campuses and thousands of students?

Serena Baccuzi, the Group Sustainability Officer for the College and the Estates Team, led the energy management of the college. The sustainable energy work focused on reducing consumption through behaviour change, improving housekeeping and monitoring, a gradual programme of energy saving investments and the installation of a 50kWp solar array on the Nuneaton building. NWHC also worked hard to promote energy saving messages to staff and students through a range of events. E

Volume 21.1 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Exciting… Practical…

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This perfectly crafted puppet has been designed and engineered to perform as a real-life horse on stage.

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Help promote the Arts with STEM subjects and encourage the next generation of Designers & Engineers.

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SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS  The college has an ongoing refurbishment programme that includes measures to save energy such as energy-efficient boilers, improved insulation, double glazing and heating and lighting controls. For example, along corridors the natural lighting sensors switch off the lights when they are not required. A team attitude to reducing consumption and building energy efficiency awareness, involving senior facilities managers and maintenance staff, is resulting in major savings to both the college budget and the environment. This has created a win-win situation, especially in an establishment that covers several different locations and is used by over 14,000 people.

Steve Sawbridge, from the Association of Colleges, said: “Their approach to sustainability, energy saving and carbon reduction is at the forefront of good practice in the sector, and has the benefit of being a showcase for other colleges wishing to implement sustainability measures.”

PUPIL ENGAGEMENT There are 2,500 primary schools in England with fewer than 100 pupils and collectively they have a significant carbon impact. Many small schools consider their energy use to be too low to worry about, but these are the schools that can make changes quickly, and deliver a greater collective saving. Marton Primary School in Lincolnshire wanted to stand out from the crowd and show that even though it is a small school, it can make a big difference.

As a result all staff and the 97 pupils at Marton Primary School in Marton, Lincolnshire, are aware of carbon saving efforts. There are just four classes and head teacher Ben Stephenson and senior teacher Naomi Maguire go the extra mile to ensure that the children have a strong voice in determining the energy saving processes. It was the youngsters who insisted on changing their lunch break time so as not to prolong meals being warmed by an electric food warmer – pupil power in action.

Activities began with the appointment of three pupil Carbon Ambassadors from Year 5 and 6 who carried out an energy audit of the school to develop a plan of action to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.

The focus on behaviour change is immediately obvious at the school. All lights and equipment are switched off when not being used. There are stickers and posters around the school encouraging energy saving. All switches have been coded green or red by the pupils so that everyone knows which ones they can switch off. Twice a year the school participates in the local authority’s ‘Switch-Off’ day, and for this a 50 per cent reduction in energy use is the norm. The school uses these two events as a reminder of what can be achieved.

Year 5 and 6 pupils even use energy data for data handling exercises in mathematics and IT. Simon Green, class teacher, has

used the energy data and meter readings to set a series of tasks for pupils to analyse energy usage and compare consumption over weeks, months and years.

Overall Marton has made some impressive savings, reducing energy consumption by 30 per cent between 2011 and 2014 and the fact that they have 100 per cent LED lighting throughout is estimated to save 12 tonnes of CO2 per year. The Ashden Sustainable School Awards judging panel found Marton Primary School to be an excellent role model

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Solar panels, LED lighting, a building management system and more efficient IT facilities mean that electricity consumption has reduced by almost a third since 2011/12.

The school’s willingness to trial new ideas and share the results with others, along with its determination to reduce carbon emissions to the absolute minimum, is what makes it the first Welsh school to be a winner in the Ashden Sustainable School Awards.

Thornhill now plans to introduce more renewable energy and technology to help it Marton Primary School, Lincolnshire (Courtesy of Alex Green/Ashden)

Simon Green, class teacher, has used the energy data and meter readings to set a series of tasks for pupils to analyse energy usage and compare consumption over weeks, months and years for other small schools where the staff and pupils have adopted a very simple approach, focusing on low cost or no cost actions such as behaviour change to really make a difference.

to continue to reduce its energy use. It also has further projects planned like rainwater harvesting, and is aiming to become as close to a carbon zero school as possible. L

ENERGY DATA PAYS OFF Thornhill Primary School in Cardiff holds a similar belief in the power of behaviour change. Their crack squad of student eco‑warriors keep energy wastage to a minimum with their spot checks on whether lights and appliances have been left on in the classroom. Records are kept for a competition between year groups with a trophy presented at assembly for best performance.

Head teacher Paul Tucker has an excellent oversight of energy use in the school thanks to regular monitoring of energy consumption.

Because he has a full understanding of the school’s energy data provided by the Carbon Culture website, this enables him to keep track and compare performance with previous years.

The Ashden Sustainable School Awards reward schools that have developed both an ethos and practice of sustainability, in which the responsible use of energy is a key component. Ashden looks for winners that integrate the sustainable use of energy into the curriculum, pupil and staff behaviour and the school building and grounds; winners that will inspire other schools to follow them. Any school for 4-18 year-olds based in the UK, whether state, independent or academy, can apply.

FURTHER INFORMATION To register an interest in the next awards, go to www.ashden.org/ apply/schools

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CONFERENCE REVIEW

School Business Management

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Exploring the role of the school business manager The NASBM National Conference took place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on 18-19 November 2015, for two days of insight into the world of school business management

The NASBM National Conference is the only two-day event solely dedicated to the school business management professional, where all content is tailored specifically to the audience, including national networking opportunities, high quality keynote speakers, interactive workshops, policy direction and practical tools to take back to your school.

Since 2005, it is estimated that the number of school business managers (SBM), as well as bursars, finance directors and finance officers has tripled in state-maintained schools. In fact, prior to the 2015 conference, the National Association of School Business Managers (NASBM) launched a report on the importance of such a role. Entitled ‘The Age of the School Business Manager’, the report describes the growing reliance of schools on SBMs in light of financial demands.

SBMs are now being integrated into senior leadership roles, an obvious pointer to the increasing value attached to the position.

A result of this has seen the job move from completely in the corner of the office to far more front facing. Contact with parents, governors and stakeholders reflects the maturing understanding of the role.

NEW PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS The National Association of School Business Management (NASBM) believes that all roles within school business management, from Administrative Officer to Finance and Operations Director, should be supported by a set of professional standards.

Therefore, new professional standards for school business managers were launched at the event by Stephen Morales and Lord Lindsay, which will inform future CPD progression and career plans and will be used

by schools to assess operational capacity.

The new standards also act to formalise the value of the SBM in today’s schools.

The standards, which are not mandatory, set out the ‘core and specialist areas of competence’ required to be successful in the school business management professional role. Containing a series of values, ethics and behaviours as well as six individual disciplines, NASBM claims that the standards will define school business management. The disciplines are procurement, HR, infrastructure, finance, marketing, and leading support services.

The behaviours include decisionmaking, negotiating, collaboration, resilience and being ‘a challenger’.

These standards can be used to inform the performance management of school business management professionals.

However, due to the variety of SBM roles in each setting, the standards do not establish a baseline of expected performance. They therefore should not be used as a checklist or as a baseline, and any shortcoming with respect to the standards is not a basis for questioning competence or initiating capability.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “These standards go to show how far the SBM professional role has changed in the last five years, with SBMs working as senior leaders accountable for school

business management, leaving heads free to focus on teaching and learning.

“The standards clearly set out the immense and valuable role played by SBMs in managing areas such as finance, human resources, premises management, procurement and IT.” Sam Gyimah, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education, shared his hopes that the standards ‘will inspire more talented people into the school business management profession’ and ‘enable more schools to benefit from their talents.’

SBMs are now being in te into sengrated io l e a d e rs hip roler obvious s, an the incr pointer to ea attache sing value d to position the

CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS The 2015 workshop themes included: Financial Management; Procurement & Estate Management; Legal and HR; Policy and Leadership; Governance and Assurance; and Data Management, ICT and Marketing.

Workshops on Wednesday 18 included: ‘How to make cost savings and make your budget go further’ by the TES Foundation; ‘Exploiting the opportunity for change within the Finance Function, when creating or growing a Multi Academy Trust’ by Will Jordan of PS Financials; and ’Simplifying procurement - a master class in procuring and practical everyday top tips’ by ESPO. On the second day, Thursday 19, workshops included: ‘Managing honest conversations with employees’, delivered by Schools’ Choice; ‘Making school meals count’ by the E

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REVIEW

 Children’s Food Trust; and ‘Operational Effectiveness’, by Chris Hallmark of OEE Consulting. Speakers at the event included Peter Lauener, chief executive of the EFA, Howard Jackson, Steve Cunningham, Frank Green, former national schools commissioner, and Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools. Speaking at the Conference, Peter Lauener urged head teachers and school business managers to ‘bring both agendas together so they are both serving the mission of improving educational standards’.

He said: “Standards are a key part of meeting the challenges that you all face in the next few years. Head teachers need to lead these financial and organisational challenges just as much as they need to lead the challenge of raising education standards in schools.”

One attendee at November’s conference said: “This was my first NASBM Conference and I was so very impressed with the exceptional quality of the speakers, including those exhibitors who presented workshop sessions.

The presentations by Danny Crates & Steve Cunningham were also truly motivational and inspiring.

“Also all of the exhibitors were relevant to our roles as SBM’s. I’ve already shared with my Headteacher this morning that this is one of the best and most effective conferences that I have attended. Amazing and very useful experience – thank you!”

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The standards clearly set out the immense and valuable role played by SBMs in managing areas such as finance, human resources, premises management, procurement and IT The 2015 Conference was one of the biggest yet, with more delegates, new first time visitors and a wide range of new suppliers – creating a infectious buzz at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. Exhibitors at the Conference included Amadeus; Langley Waterproofing Systems; BlueSky; PS Financials, who discussed ‘Exploiting the opportunity for change within the Finance Function, when creating or growing a Multi Academy Trust’; Civica with their

Resource Financials; Capita SIMS; Bodet; and the Association of School and College Leaders. L

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FURTHER INFORMATION http://www.nasbm.co.uk/Standards/ assets/pdf/NASBM_Professional_ Standards_Document_LR.pdf

ASCL: Committed to supporting School Business Leaders and School Business Managers Many schools are now working in collaboration, either via multi academy trusts (MAT’s), formal federations or through informal school partnerships. As our education landscape continues to evolve, so do the leadership structures within those groups.

An additional level of leadership at executive level is emerging and the make-up of many leadership teams is also changing.

We are seeing a growth in the need for professionals with a range of necessary expertise to support the strategic financial management needed across school groups, growing numbers of staff (HR), the need for more sophisticated analysis of data (data and IT management), a holistic approach to premises and facilities (estates management) to name just a few. Equally, the traditional lines between the phases are becoming more blurred especially at leadership level, with an increasing number of school leaders taking overall responsibility for schools and groups with a mix of age ranges from nursery through to 18/19 year olds.

Recognising this significant shift in the dynamic within leadership teams, The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has changed its constitution

during 2015 and has opened up its criteria for membership to all system leaders operating within the sector.

This change has been particularly significant for a growing number of school business leaders, and school business managers. Their roles have been particularly affected by the changes – first of all along the journey through academisation, then into the realms of collaborative structures and now in facing the prospect of managing even tighter budgets and with growing expectations to deliver even more efficiencies. There is a real pressure within the profession to meet these challenges head on – with more innovative solutions than ever before.

With this in mind, many are looking

for creative options to support them through their own continuing professional development and learning (CPDL).

The ASCL Annual Conference for School Business Leaders has become an important feature on the calendar for the profession, and is an event many expect to deliver a combination of updates on national issues, opportunities for relevant CPDL, discussions with other like-minded professionals and not least to network with a range of colleagues throughout the sector.

The 2016 conference has the theme ‘Great Expectations’ which reflects the pressures the profession is facing to deliver an increasing level of efficiencies with a decreasing amount of resource. It also reflects the expectations we as a profession have of the sector to more widely recognise the contribution we make to strategic leadership.

The conference has been growing each year and is always oversubscribed – so don’t miss out on the opportunity to attend in June 2016 – book your place now.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0116 299 1122 www.ascl.org.uk/blconference

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Showcasing the best of the Bett Show 2016 The world’s biggest educational technology event returned to the London ExCeL for four days of innovation and excitement on 20-23 January. Education Business reveals it’s highlights reel Celebrating its 32nd year of success, Bett 2016 once again proved a huge success with those involved in educational technology. With new ideas and innovation shared from the leading thinkers of organisations such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, Bett showcased an array of new launches for the educational market.

With four days of thought provoking seminars, panel debates and exhibitors revealing the latest IT trends in education, specific needs were met and expectations exceeded.

At Bett 2016, over 500 experts speakers offered their insight, with Education Secretary Nicky Morgan providing the Ministerial Keynote and Welcome. Revealing that she was ‘excited by the possibilities for the education profession opened up by technology’, Morgan referred to the ‘creativity and passion’ of the technology sector as ‘irresistible’. Among other speakers, Sugata Mitra stood out for his stance on the importance of connecting educators and learners. A professor at Newcastle University and the brains behind the School in the Cloud, Mitra told the Bett Arena of his belief in the need to ‘make small changes to the assessment system to drive change throughout the entire system’.

ASSESSING ASSESSMENT Assessment change became a recurring theme of the show. In his talk on ‘Fresh approaches to assessment’, Miles Berry, principle lecturer at the University of Roehampton, explored some of the alternatives to the traditional essay for assessing the academic side of teacher training courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Approaching new ideas for programming assignments, blogging, video essays and collaborative planning tasks, Berry looked at how expectations of academic rigour and criticality can be balanced with professional relevance and cutting edge technologies.

Elsewhere in the Learn Live: Secondary

theatre, OCR’s Alison Pearce and Rob Leeman discussed ‘Tomorrow’s Teaching, Today – teaching a new generation of Computer Science qualifications’. The pair outlined the new generation of Computer Science qualifications at GCSE and A Level as well the newly reformed Cambridge Nationals.

Exciting new resources were discussed as well as developments in both general and vocational qualifications highlighting what has changed and how the subject has evolved.

Morgan commented: “We are committed to world-class computer science qualifications to give our students, as well as employers,

improvement. What’s more is that these assessments are becoming more intelligent, allowing the tests to grow with the students.”

FULL STEAM AHEAD Another major trend in the show discussions centred around the growth and need for STEAM. Adding art and design into the educational equation of science, technology, engineering and maths is predicted to take off this year as a movement, and Bett was in on the act. New for 2016, The STEAM Village provided a platform for educators, practitioners, specialists and

Revealing that she was ‘excited by the possibilities for the education profession opened up by technology’, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan referred to the ‘creativity and passion’ of the technology sector as ‘irresistible’ the confidence they really need. That’s why computer science is at the heart of the new computing curriculum and I’m pleased to say that our reformed Computer Science GCSE and A level are on a par with the best in the world.”

Directly addressing the issue of assessment, and more importantly their adaptability, Morgan stressed that: “The instant nature of online and computerised testing has obvious potential to lighten teacher workloads as well as collect data. The analysis of that data can be invaluable to teachers and system leaders in their pursuit of excellent educational outcomes. Informing them which parts of the curriculum they are teaching well and signalling where there is room for

STEAM enthusiasts to join the STEAM revolution. Through a series of panels, dynamic sessions and live demos the Village presented some of the latest initiatives and projects that are shaping STEAM education for students and teachers.

Discussion sessions included Sir John Holman, Kevin Baughan of Innovate UK and Bryan L. Miller heading up an expert panel session on ‘The skills shortage: Resolving a global challenge’. Additionally, Aisling Brown and Alex van Dijk of the Stephen Perse Foundation delved into the difficult matter of revolutionising and redefining education in the 21st century.

Notably, 16 year-old scientist Amy O’Toole encouraged the idea of creativity in STEM E

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EVENT REVIEW  subjects, and the need for inspiring young girls into science. In 2010, Amy became one of the worlds youngest published scientists for her work on the Blackawton Bee Project. The paper was downloaded over 30,000 times on the first day and is now the second most read paper of the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters.

and perseverance’. An expert in non-I.Q. competencies like grit and self-control, she was awarded a 2013 ‘Genius’ Grant and has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Her TED talk on grit has garnered nearly seven million views, and her first book, Grit: Passion, Perseverance and the Science of

Asking: ‘why is science so unappealing to girls?’, 16 year-old scientist Amy O’Toole claimed that current teaching methods do not seem to be attractive to many girls. The answer, she suggests, lies in the creativity of STEM teaching Asking: ‘why is science so unappealing to girls?’, Amy claimed that the current teaching methods do not seem to be inspiring or attractive to many girls. The answer, she suggests, lies in the creativity of STEM teaching.

NOTABLE NAMES Angela Lee Duckworth was one of a number of names to offer her keynote thoughts to a packed Bett audience. Angela, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a co-founder of the Character Lab, discussed the ‘power of passion

Success, is forthcoming from Scribner.

Jamal Edwards, founder of SBTV, was interviewed on the same Bett Arena stage.

Edwards owns a You-Tube channel which boasts over 100 million views. He is an MBE, a Buckingham Palace social media advisor, and launch-pad for the musical industry.

In this session, Edwards discussed what advice he can give the young digital enthusiasts of today.

Delivering talks in both the ‘Engaging Kids Today’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ sessions, Dan Haesler was a character worth listening to. An international keynote speaker,

educator, writer and consultant, Haesler works with schools across the Asia-Pacific around issues of engagement and well-being.

Salman Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, made a video appearance at Bett, discussing ‘Providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere’. Khan Academy is a learning platform which is comprised of practice exercises, instructional videos, dashboard analytics and teacher tools which empower learners in and outside of the classroom to study at their own pace.

Khan Academy has over 26 million registered students and covers subjects from math to science, history, economics, computer science and more. Khan Academy is being translated into more than 36 languages and is used in 190 countries globally.

Khan holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Additionally, Anthony Salicito, the brains behind Microsoft’s School of the Future, approached the stage with his session ‘Expect more, Do More, Be More, - The Future of Learning’. In his role leading the worldwide execution of Microsoft’s vision for education, Salcito works to help empower educators and inspire students to achieve more. He aims to transform the way we learn with the support of the best technology to help build critical skills for the modern, global workplace.

Prior to taking this role in 2009, Salcito was general manager of education in the E

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 United States, supporting schools and universities across the country. During this time, he helped launch the company’s cornerstone education programs. He was also at the center of Microsoft’s involvement in the creation of the School of the Future – a pioneering partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and now the first of many Microsoft Showcase Schools around the world.

THE INTERNATIONAL PAVILIONS When it comes to education, there’s no one correct way to go about it. Think about how much you can learn from your peers from other establishments. Now think even further, about how much you could learn from your peers from around the world.

Bett showcased the best of education technology on a global scale, all under one roof. In the International Pavilions, experts from France, Spain, Norway, Korea, UAE and Singapore, shared their unique approaches to teaching and learning, through a showcase of the most innovative technological solutions.

For example, on Stand E71, The Singapore Pavilion featured six Singaporean EdTech companies at the cutting edge of the market who exhibited a wide range of solutions, from digital maths portals to mobile interactive technology. Common Town, Koobits, Kungfu Math, Latize, Money Tree and Vertical Miles, are driving forward innovation and offer a unique perspective on education and learning.

Singapore has long been recognised as a dynamic hub of innovation in the Asian

For 2016, Bett returned with a bigger and better Futures initiative with the 2016 cohort a combination of both returning Futures start-up exhibitors and new start-up companies education technology sector. With a number of companies providing creative solutions to facilitate learning, it has also established itself as a leader in the global market.

BETT FUTURES Futures was launched in 2015 as the new, purpose built home for the world’s most inspiring ed-tech start-ups, right in with the action on the Bett show floor. The area has been introduced to celebrate brave thinking, new products and education ‘game changers’.

Designed as a unique, three-year progression programme, Futures allows developing start-up companies to benefit from all that Bett has to offer. It offers heavily subsidised exhibition rates, extensive marketing resources and bespoke social media campaigns, all targeted to the needs of edtech start-ups at two significant points in their development: discovery and scale.

The inaugural Bett Futures cohort was made up of 30 start-ups who were selected by a panel of education experts based on the relevance of their solutions to today’s classroom challenges. The cohort showcased the most innovative

developments in edtech from teacher-parent communication tools to 3D printing to language learning and adaptive maths apps.

For 2016, Bett returned with a bigger and better Futures initiative with the 2016 cohort a combination of both returning Futures start-up exhibitors and new start-up companies that have recently launched.

Key themes for 2016 included: Inspiring the entrepreneurs of tomorrow; From STEM to STEAM; The rise of the ‘teacherpreneur’; Edtech for social change; and Coding for all.

Once again, nasen hosted the SEN Information Point, providing visitors with valuable insight into policy changes and the statutory requirements of the new SEND Code of Practice.

The education sector’s trade association and the co-founders of Bett, the British Educational Suppliers’ Association (BESA), once again run the main Information Point magnificently, on‑hand to help visitors plan their visit and get the most from the day. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bettshow.com

A leading manufacturer of touch screens, enabling interactive teaching The Right for Success Academy Trust has been pro-actively deploying iiyama interactive touchscreens across its academies for two years now and will continue to do so. The Trust believes that iiyama displays offer unrivalled quality vs cost, fantastic after sales support and, in real terms, reduces overheads in regard to IT. A teacher testified: “I use an iiyama touchscreen daily and it’s a pure joy; HD, super responsive and never has to be calibrated. It’s like having a 65inch tablet in your teaching toolbox and makes interactive lessons

a breeze. Most importantly, the children understand and interact with my iiyama and that is what’s I called engagement.” iiyama LFD touchscreens work perfectly, even with the most commonly used classroom software like Smart, Gynzy, Promethean,

Easiteach, Omnitapps and Open-Sankore. iiyama’s professional high-end panels deliver supreme, rich colour clarity and are made for long term use. Exclusive to any education customer, iiyama offer a full five year de/re-install warranty.

Please visit the iiyama website for more information.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01438 745482 www.iiyama4edu.com www.iiyama.com

Volume 21.1 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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

Empower your students to design, collaborate and create amazing things you never thought possible with ”MakerBot in the Classroom: An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design“.

The handbook gives you the basics of 3D printing and design as well as ideas, projects and activities for optimally integrating 3D printers in your curriculum.

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MakerBot is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers

At MakerBot, there is a belief that 3D printing and modeling offers a rich way to enhance and reinforce science, technology, engineering, art, math, and design skills already being taught in the classroom. Presenting real-world challenges to students engages them with a hands-on approach to problem solving.

Therefore, MakerBot has launched the ‘MakerBot in the Classroom’ handbook, which is intended to be a solid foundation to learn and teach 3D printing, to provide first ideas for bringing 3D printing into the classroom as well as to provide knowledge about different types of 3D modeling software and their strengths.

It furthermore introduces foundational projects that make it easy to integrate 3D printing into school curricula. With this handbook, students are taught basic 21st century skills like STEAM literacy, critical thinking, reasoning, and creative skills, as well as developing strong communication and collaboration skills, and practicing visualisation and decision making. It therefore helps educators that are embracing 3D printing as a new way to prepare students for the jobs of the future.

IN THE CLASSROOM MakerBot in the Classroom is the first offering as part of MakerBot’s long-term commitment to working with educators to provide better support for 3D printing in classrooms and on campus. Additional tools and resources for

educators are available on the new MakerBot Education landing page, such as real-world MakerBot stories, videos, and challenges.

MakerBot believes that 3D printing is a powerful tool in the classroom and provides engaging experiences that motivate students to excel.

This handbook is part of the broader MakerBot Education initiative, which aims to provide teachers, professors, librarians, and students with access to the resources and tools they need to embrace 3D printing. Therefore, MakerBot will continue to work together with educators to build out the leading MakerBot 3D Ecosystem to best fit their needs.

CUSTOM PRODUCT SOLUTIONS The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem also includes hardware, materials, learning, software, and apps like MakerBot PrintShop for iPad, which allows students to turn 2D drawings and sketches into physical objects. Additionally, MakerBot offers custom product solutions for educational institutions such as the MakerBot Starter Lab, a scalable, reliable 3D printing solution that is easy to implement; and the MakerBot Innovation Center, the ‘next step’ in intelligently scaling up 3D printing and integrating it into design processes.

Universities with many students designing and being creative are empowered by a MakerBot Innovation Center to innovate faster, collaborate better and compete more

effectively. It is a larger number of MakerBot 3D printers that are connected with a software, the MakerBot Innovation Center Management Platform. With this, MakerBot wants to ideally support institutions in getting the most out of the creative processes of their students or employees and to help everybody in a university to be able to concentrate on what they can do best. Therefore, the company wants to redistribute or centralise the creative resources of the institution with the possibilities of a MakerBot Innovation Center.

This allows them to make the best use of their MakerBot 3D printers and so their creative output can be maximised. In rolling out new technologies like 3D printing, the education sector is a central element in driving the broader adoption of the technology.

3D PRINTERS MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers are already installed in many schools around the world, with more than 5,000 schools throughout the U.S. alone. At Libera Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC) in Castellanza, Italy, a MakerBot Innovation Center was opened in June 2015 and is having a profound impact on students, faculty, and the community with its many possibilities. Students at LIUC now have the chance to challenge their skills in designing and manufacturing prototypes in the context of simulated startups.

The MakerBot Innovation Center allows them to continue and develop the activities with the next technologies of digital manufacturing, which are increasingly part of the everyday life of enterprises. So, with MakerBot Innovation Center, universities can make the technology available to many students and prepare them for their later work life and they, in turn, demand the technologies they worked with during their education once they are with a company. L FURTHER INFORMATION To discover how MakerBot can help you in implementing 3D printing, please visit: eu.makerbot.com/en/education eu-contact@makerbot.com T +49.7229.777.2-0

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Advertisement Feature

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

THE UNION WHERE MEMBERS COME FIRST Visit our team at stand D107 at the Education Show and find out more about why Voice is the perfect career partner for you At Voice, it’s our goal to help create a secure and rewarding workplace for everyone* who works in education, early years and childcare.

We’re a non-striking organisation that takes pride in being the first education union to have achieved the Customer First Award for the quality of our services to members. Our team of local, regional and national advisers work hard to support and champion our members on issues that affect them in their workplace.

We put our members first whether you’re the only member in your workplace or one of many; we’re here to support every member, every time.

Voice is a not-for-profit organisation with no affiliation to the S/TUC or any political parties. This means that we’re not only a truly independent union, but that all of our member’s subscription fees go directly into providing them with a dedicated, personal service of support, advice and representation.

Membership benefits include: legal advice, support and representation; workplace and personal insurance; discounted legal services for non-workplace issues including moving home, wills and probate, divorce or separation, employment matters and professional negligence; access to learning resources and CPD events; ability to claim Tax relief on subscription fee; quarterly members magazine; and a wide range of cost-saving discounts and benefits through our Voice Rewards programme.

We offer a range of membership options reflecting your working hours (full-time or part-time) and what job you do from nanny to teacher, lab technician to mid-day supervisor, receptionist to head-teacher; we make sure there’s a membership option that works for you.

Students – we’ve got you covered with free membership throughout your training.

Newly Qualified? We want to help ease you into your new career, so we’ll give you your first year free and your second year at the discounted rate of just £89.00.

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WANT TO BELONG TO A UNION THAT UNDERSTANDS THE ISSUES YOU FACE IN YOUR WORKPLACE? At Voice we work exclusively in education, early years and childcare, and many of our team are ex-education professionals, so you know we’ll understand your issue. At Voice we believe our values align with yours.

THE STRENGTH OF NEGOTIATION We believe in the power of negotiation to protect the interests of our members – who never resort to industrial action. We feel that education sector strikes are counterproductive; they have a damaging impact on pupils’ education and inconvenience

and alienate their parents. Whilst unions exist to support members, the needs of children and students must always be at the heart of education – which is why Voice members don’t strike.

TRULY INDEPENDENT UNION Our independence from the S/TUC and non-affiliation to any political party means our thoughts and actions are dedicated to our members. This means, not only do all of our members subscription fees go directly into our services, it’s our members who dictate what those services should be.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN, PROTECTING OURSELVES We’re responsible for the children we educate and care for, and it’s essential that we support them alongside protecting ourselves.

At Voice we make sure that we never jeopardise the future of students whilst campaigning for this interests of our members.

EVERY MEMBER IS UNIQUE All of our members are professionals fulfilling an important role in education, early years and childcare, so it’s important that we provide a dedicated and personal service, and strive for quality in everything we do.

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DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE Unfortunately things can and do go wrong at work and when they do, make sure you’re not left feeling alone and overwhelmed. Join Voice to secure the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you’ll always have the support of a friendly and approachable union in your corner.

Let us help you get the Voice you deserve.

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46

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

The Education Show

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EVENT PREVIEW

Making your school a space for inspirational learning The Education Show returns on the 17-19 March for three days of innovation, ideas and insight, all under one roof. Education Business looks forward to the event The Education Show is the recognised education and learning community platform, which will once again attract in excess of 10,000 visitors to the NEC Birmingham.

A rich offering of new content, inspiring training and development, and pioneering educational suppliers will be available throughout the show. From innovative teaching resources and practices to educational charities and organisations, Education Show 2016 will be providing all of the insight you need for a successful career in the world of education. Each year, the show attracts professionals from primary, secondary and higher education backgrounds, all offering a wealth of knowledge and experience in their field.

Speaking to visitors at the Education Show, the one reason that they give for attending year on year is ‘to learn’. Each year they visit the show to gather advice, guidance and ideas from both the exhibitors and the top quality training and continuing professional development programme on offer.

Last year, 60 per cent of the 10,000 strong audience were first time visitors. The total number ranged from those involved in primary school (40 per cent), secondary

school (10 per cent), early years (nine per cent), further education (eight per cent) and higher education (five per cent).

Of the leaders and decision makers present, 33 per cent were head teachers, 24 per cent deputy head teachers, six per cent principals, eight per cent directors, five per cent governors, four per cent school business managers and bursars, the 20 per consisted of other senior leadership positions. In total, leaders made up 19 per cent of the total visitor audience. The show is ideal for those looking for inspiration and innovation in general teaching resources, school services, teacher training, SEN resources, assessment tools, educational toys, computer software, interactive resources, and outdoor play furniture.

Last year a per 60 massivehe 10,000 t cent of audience strong rst time were fi rs at visito tion ca The Edu w Sho

SCHOOL LEADERS SUMMIT Exclusively focused for those with a leadership role in a school, the School Leaders Summit will address innovative new ways to enhance education in schools and provide an atmosphere where like-minded educators can learn, network and share ideas.

The sessions will cover subjects ranging from overcoming life with levels, effectively using pupil premium to raise student attainment and teacher recruitment. A panel discussion on ‘Effectively raising attainment with pupil premium’ will reveal the secrets to spending successfully to maximise achievement. Kirsty Tonks and David Deacon will look into the barriers present to learning, choosing the best strategies for your school,

using curriculum freedoms to close the gap, and reviewing your audit trail.

With the looming teacher recruitment crisis, how are you promoting your school to prospective teachers? The decreasing school budgets means that recruiting students is an increasingly popular strategy to secure additional funding. How are you marketing your institution to parents and students?

A second panel will showcase their tips on identifying your school’s unique selling point, what’s worth investing in to drive in teachers and students, why traditional advertising no longer works, and the importance of utilising the web and social media.

Teacher and Behaviour Guru Tom Bennett will address strategies for behaviour management and offers advise for staff on how to tackle low-level distractions.

Finally, James Lissaman will tackle the best ways of incorporating the key elements of a good assessment system and translating these into the classroom, ensuring that you are challenging pupils effectively and setting appropriate targets, tracking and effectively measuring pupil progress post levels, and demonstrating progress for Ofsted, governors, and parents.

MATHS AND SCIENCE THEATRE The Maths and Science Theatre will immerse educators in teaching techniques and effective learning strategies through seminars, workshops and demonstrations to enhance maths and science lessons.

There is nothing particularly new about the concept of flipped learning or the flipped classroom - giving work to pupils before E

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EVENT PREVIEW  a lesson. What does make a significant difference is the use of technology to enhance this experience. Kirsty Tonks, assistant principal at Shireland Collegiate Academy will take a deeper dive into the journey of MathsFlip; an Education Endowment Foundation funded project which looks at the impact of adopting a flipped learning method with Year 5 and 6 pupils in mathematics. Along with Jen Devaney, the project manager, ‘Flipped classroom: Reinventing your maths lessons’ will demonstrate how using technology to deliver this methodology can accelerate and deepen the learning.

Secretariat. David has worked on the NCTL Maths Initial Teacher Training Scholarships programme since its inception. He launched the IMA MathsCareers website, possibly the most successful STEM careers website with about 250,000 visitors each year.

Elani McDonald will also address the demands to incorporate IT into advancing teaching of maths and science as a process of bettering understanding of STEM subjects.

Middlesborough College’s Richard Spencer, finalist of the secondary Global Teacher Prize, provides his top tips to get students interested in science, while there will also be a seminar

Exclusively focused for those with a leadership role in a school, the School Leaders Summit will address innovative new ways to enhance education in schools

The ATM perspective on assessing mathematics in the new curriculum exemplifies how to use rich tasks to assess both content and process skills. During Heather Davies’ session on ‘Assessing mathematical thinking for KS1, KS2 and KS3 teachers’, ATM will explore a task and the best approaches available.

Also discussing mathematics, David Youdan and Nigel Steele of IMA trace out the key skills for educating better mathematics educators in their session on ‘Creating tomorrows Head of Maths’. David Youdan is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, working in support of Council and directing the

exploring what ‘outstanding’ levels of science looks like and how you can replicate this for students – from primary to A levels.

CENTRAL FEATURE THEATRE The Central Feature Theatre, dubbed the heart of the show, will be hosting seminars and discussions addressing the changes to assessment. Focusing on teaching innovatively to improve literacy skills across all subject areas, the Theatre will look at assessment changes across primary and secondary educational institutions.

The keynote will be presented by Nick Gibb, Schools Minister. Having served as Shadow Minister for Schools from 2005 to

2010 and as Minister of State for Schools from May 2010 to September 2012, Gibb is responsible for teachers and school leaders, curriculum, assessment and qualifications, school accountability, underperformance and improving school-to-school support, and school admissions, exclusions and attendance.

Elsewhere, Nadiya Hussain, winner of the Great British Bake Off, will be discussing ‘Growth Mindset and Educational Story’, James Lissaman, assistant head teacher at De Lisle Collge, presents on ‘Life after levels: How are your peers progressing?’ Hear how this primary and secondary school have faced the removal of levels and their victories so far, including the incorporation of the key elements of a good assessment system and translating these into the classroom, setting appropriate targets, tracking and effectively measuring pupil progress post levels, and demonstrating progress for Ofsted governors.

With a new curriculum that pushes for Mastery how do teachers make sure that this can happen? In his talk on ‘Developing Mastery in the classroom through personalising learning’, Kevin McLaughlin of Old Mill Primary School will discuss how developing a personalised learning approach can help children master the content the curriculum demands of them.

Additionally, ‘Practical steps: Life without levels’ will question whether new assessment systems are robust enough to enable senior leadership teams to monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum that is being taught in the classroom. ‘Engaging students: Gaming through the curriculum’ will inspire visitors by showing how quizzes, virtual reality and video games can be adapted and utilised in the classroom to further enrich lessons.

The Education Show

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EARLY YEARS AND SEN THEATRE The Early Years and SEN Theatre is a dedicated space focussing on the challenges and opportunities currently facing SEN and early years professionals. The sessions will provide advice on meeting the needs of early years and SEN students.

Rosie King, storytelling activist and winner of Emmy Kid’s Award, will be addressing the audience in her keynote on ‘What’s great about autism?’ after a seminar on ‘SEN: Making the most of your budget’ looks into a number of insights that can help SEN departments spend effectively and with impact.

Meanwhile, ‘Continuous Provision in the Foundation Stage - Play as a differentiation strategy’ will seek to clarify the reality of differentiating in early years. Hosted by Alicia Blanco-Bayo, pre-school manager at Kirkham Grammar School, the seminar will also look at how play can be differentiated, how to plan for differentiated play, and how to orientate children so that they can initiate play that had previously been differentiated.

Finally, Beccie Hawes, head of service at Rushall Primary School, looks at E

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Did you know? From January 2015, as part of the School Food Plan the Government legislated that low fat milk should be offered once per day, every day to all children in Primary Schools. In order to meet this legislation and to benefit their children, many schools have now set up mid-morning milk schemes to bridge the gap between breakfast and lunch, since this is when they seem to need it most, just like our own mid-morning cup of tea or coffee.

Milk4life can help in many ways to start this mid‑morning milk scheme, some are shown below: For Schools ‑ We offer assistance to run a mid‑morning milk scheme; this can be • A school managed scheme or • A direct parent payment scheme • Either way, we source a local milk supplier to serve your school and offer you one to one hands on dedicated service.

For LEA’s ‑ We offer a sustainable and reliably sourced milk supply: • Using a local dairy (where possible) and a local distributor • Supporting your local economy and community • We are registered claimants for the under 5’s free nursery milk and the over 5’s subsidised milk, therefore can reduce your own administration in these schemes • We work with local farmers to link with schools for educational purposes For Parents ‑ If your school is registered with us, we make it simple and secure to order your child’s milk on‑line, if your school isn’t yet registered with Milk4Life, they can simply contact us on 01443 742112 or by email to: genevieve.griffiths@milk4life.com / info@milk4life.com • We offer an online ordering and payment service to enable your child to receive milk at school • Various payment options to suit your individual needs • We are available to discuss your individual termly requirements or any other issues that you may have For PTA’s - Milk4Life believe the PTA can play a pivotal role in children’s nutrition.

The PTA can administer a milk scheme on behalf of the school to help reduce further admin for the school office.

They can order the milk, collect the money and pay for the milk.

Orders can be placed on the phone, by email, fax or online.

For any of the above, please contact genevieve.griffiths@milk4life.com / info@milk4life. com or telephone 01443 742112. Please also visit our website – www.milk4life.com

www.milk4life.com

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

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EVENT PREVIEW  ‘Supporting effective teaching and assessment of reading in your Reception classrooms’.

LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Brand new for 2016, the Learning Through Technology Zone is dedicated to educators who want to source the latest technology products and services for education establishments.

This specific technology‑focused zone is a key opportunity to reach educators who are interested in purchasing learning technology products and solutions.

With computing now part of the curriculum and technology becoming increasingly prominent in the learning environment, educators need to develop their skills and resources.

Over half of schools in the UK anticipate that by 2015, over 50 per cent of teaching time will incorporate ICT. Therefore, the Education Show will be leading the technology transition once again. Additionally, following the mass success of the National Curriculum Theatre at last year’s show, Scholastic’s Reading Hub builds on the company’s mission to help support reading schools and will include seminars and workshops by best-selling children’s authors, international literacy experts and practitioners on guided reading, reading assessment, Reading Recovery and more.

Over 10,000 visitors attended the 2015 year’s event, all of whom are passionate about delivering the best possible learning experience to their pupils and students An added feature this year will be a reading clinic where teachers, literacy coordinators and head teachers can sit down with consultants and discuss the needs of their school, and how experts can help.

UKTI INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS THEATRE The UKTI International Business Theatre at stand A19 in Hall 2 will provide delegates with everything they need to reach out to new markets and grow your business.

Just last year UKTI helped over 31,800

UK companies begin exporting, winning them a share of over £50bn worth of sales. With ambitious targets of doubling British exports to £1 trillion and getting 100,000 more UK companies exporting by 2020, now is the perfect opportunity for you to benefit from their guidance and expertise to grow your business overseas.

Doing business overseas is vital to the growth and prosperity of UK companies of all sectors and sizes.

Firms that choose to export experience a 34 per cent increase in productivity in E

Honey-Bee: Creating versatile and customisable equipment

Developing literacy skills at a pace to suit an individual learner’s needs

Honey-Bee is proud and excited about the launch of its Honey-Bee modular play system. There is no stronger structure than the honeycomb and Honey-Bee has taken one of nature’s iconic shapes and developed it into a versatile play system with lots of different combinations.

Not only does the company want you to have endless fun with its play equipment, it also wants you to help protect and grow the environment.

Honey‑Bee staff have been busy little bees and have put together several initial play systems to choose from but there are lots more alternative configurations that you can create.

The Honeycomb is one of the strongest structures in nature and is used in both the construction and aerospace industries.

Honey-Bee has been using the honeycomb for thousands of years and now it has developed this structure into a fun and

Skills Mastery is a user‑friendly, easily accessible and on-demand digital learning tool which supports learner’s in developing their literacy skills at a pace which suits their learning needs.

The literacy skills development tool enables teachers to track and review their learners using both summative and formative assessment through attainment, current progress and progress over time. The online assessments also provide instant feedback to learners, further encouraging their progress and development.

Developed by a literacy skills specialist, the tool is aligned to the new primary and KS3 curriculum and is also compatible with the curricula in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

From Greek myths to Sherlock Holmes, Skills Mastery puts grammar in context, providing models and revising text

versatile play system for children both young and old. The secret of Honey-Bee equipment is that you can regularly alter your play system, adding and taking away parts as the fun unfolds.

It also means it can fit into most environments and be shaped to fit the majority of garden spaces. Honey-Bee think it is lots of fun and hopes you agree!

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0115 969 1941 info@honeybeeadventures.co.uk www.honeybeeadventures.co.uk

types from polemics to diaries.

A terminology focus enables learners to use, understand and apply literacy metalanguage and a spelling focus enables progress in both reading and writing.

The tool provides a cost effective learning intervention to support all learners between ages 8-14 years. In particular, it has been proven to be very effective in developing literacy skills for boys, learners with English as a second language and learners who receive the Pupil Premium.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07975 937394 info@skills-mastery.co.uk www.skills-mastery.co.uk

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Jigsaw is an original, comprehensive Scheme of Learning for Years F1/2 to Year 6.

It integrates PSHE, emotional literacy, social skills, spiritual development and SMSC opportunities in a lesson-a-week programme, and includes all teaching resources.

Children are more polite and respectful. They reflect on their actions and can talk about their feelings. They are managing their emotions much better.

Teacher - Battle Academy, Reading

Jigsaw is AWESOME! Year 4 pupil

www.jigsawpshe.com 01202 377193

PSHE Education Relationship and Sex Education Drug and Alcohol Education Cyber and Homophobic Bullying Body image Self-esteem Health Education Financial Capability Emotional Literacy British Values Character Building Social Skills Spiritual Development SMSC opportunities throughout Assemblies Original songs with music CD Weekly Behaviour Focus Reward System

For more information contact Jan Lever jan@janlevergroup.com 01202 377192

‑SCHOOL

LEARNING

THE JIGSAW STORY SO FAR AND BEYOND...

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Jigsaw is an original comprehensive Scheme of Learning for years F1/2 to Year 6 Born from the knowledge that many children are ill-equipped emotionally and socially to maximise the opportunities offered at school, and from the passionate belief that they all deserve the very best schools and life can offer, Jan Lever and her team of equally dedicated colleagues set about piecing together the jigsaw of PSHE curriculum requirements and ways to meet children’s emotional and psychological needs in a package that would be fun, enjoyable, and straightforward for busy teachers to use in their classrooms.

Lots of pieces, many of them complex and specialist.

Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, was launched in July 2013 and its first year saw 100 schools adopting Jigsaw, 55 schools across Dorset participating in a pilot study, teachers from each school meeting every half-term to feedback on the materials, pupils’ progress being tracked and responses being carefully monitored.

The programme, now beginning its third academic year, is going from strength to strength as word spreads about how much children enjoy it, how it supports teachers and most importantly, the positive impact it is having.

The materials are now serving children across the UK and in a growing number of English-speaking schools internationally.

SO WHAT IS IT? A comprehensive and completely child‑centred scheme of work for children aged 4 to 11 covering all the requirements of a PSHE programme, from Health Education to anti-bullying, from relationships and personal development to drugs and alcohol work and Sex Education, but also adding much more than this.

Alongside this we have integrated progressive emotional literacy and social skills development and underpinned the whole programme with mindfulness philosophy and practice.

WHAT DIFFERENCE IS IT MAKING? By teaching children to become aware of their thoughts and feelings as they happen, we are empowering them to gain control of the responses they make in both learning and social situations. This is impacting positively on relationships between children and between them and the adults in their classrooms, enabling better collaborative learning and team‑work.

The effect on behaviour is also being reported as striking; children employing ‘Calm me’ techniques to regulate their own emotional states means fewer outbursts, more stability and more learning time.

More than this though, we believe becoming increasingly mindful , children will be gaining skills that will strengthen them individually to make the most of opportunities offered to them, and to build resilience to the difficult aspects of life that may come their way in family life, school life and the wider world. This, coupled with the PSHE-specific knowledge gained, must surely help equip children to cope with the difficult aspects of life and enjoy and maximise the beautiful ones.

More learning time, a lessening of the emotional and social skills deficits causing barriers to learning, increased co-operation and improved relationships, and very importantly increases in self-esteem and positive self-image, are all being reported to us from schools using Jigsaw. This should add up to enhanced learning and achievement.

Teachers and head teachers often email and ‘phone us to let us know how delighted they are with what is happening to individual children and to the whole school ethos since implementing Jigsaw.

THE JIGSAW COMMUNITY At Jigsaw we value the tireless effort so many teachers and teaching assistants put into delivering Jigsaw, and pledge to support them through training and through providing online resources. The ‘members only’ area (Jigsaw Community) of the website (www.jigsawpshe. com) shares good practice and new lesson plans, songs and materials (freely downloadable) throughout the year, as well as newsletters and mentoring.

Jigsaw Junctions (experienced Jigsaw schools) support each other and schools new to the programme in their localities, backed up by the Jigsaw consultants around the country and the team at HQ. Success Stories are shared to recognise innovation and Jigsaw progress and the International Jigsaw Award Scheme is due to be launched in 2016.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS We believe children learn best when their support network is singing from the same song-sheet, so to help with this we are in the process of developing new programmes: ‘Jiggy Parents’ : a 10-session interactive

programme for parents and carers to support them to best support their children (being trialled this year) and available to schools from Summer 2016.

‘Corner-pieces’ : a programme of additional activities, aligned to the Jigsaw Puzzles (units) for children needing more than a lesson a week to nurture their emotional development.

This programme is more therapeutic in nature and will be sold with specialist training. We hope after trialling, it will be available Summer 2016.

A FINAL NOTE FROM JAN LEVER CREATOR AND DIRECTOR OF JIGSAW As a teacher, education adviser and psychotherapist, and a person who tries to live mindfully, I passionately believe that children’s emotional and mental health is pivotal to their success in learning and their happiness with themselves and life. I am delighted to offer Jigsaw as our contribution to helping schools improve children’s life chances by improving their personal development, well-being and learning.

I welcome your thoughts and professional dialogue, so please contact me for further information.

“It serves children’s needs in an ever‑changing world.”

“Jigsaw is awesome.” (Child.) “ I like how my children understand what it means to be global citizens. I didn’t know that when I was a child.”(Parent/carer.) L FURTHER INFORMATION +44 (0)1202 377193 office@janlevergroup.com www.jigsawpshe.com jan@janlevergroup.com

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EVENT PREVIEW

Brand new for 2016, the Learning Through Technology Zone is dedicated to educators who want to source the latest technology products and services for education establishments  the first year, and firms that are currently exporting experience 59 per cent faster productivity growth than non‑exporters.

UKTI is committed to providing you with the advice, intelligence and funding in order to allow you to explore export opportunities and enable your success in overseas markets.

The UKTI Export Theatre will host talks introducing the full range of UKTI support and market insight from UKTI specialists.

WHY EXHIBIT? The Education Show is continuously growing and developing to meet the demands of its audience. The show attracts visitors from across the entire education landscape, including primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, further education colleges and universities. Over 10,000 visitors attended the 2015 year’s event, all of whom are passionate about delivering the best possible learning

experience to their pupils and students.

This year’s show will have a host of first time exhibitors. Among the many taking to the NEC floor for the first time is outdoor learning specialists E.den Play. On Stand G58, E.den will be promoting their revolutionary MyPod, a uniquely optimised space, combining multiple outdoor play opportunities under one roof. With a selection of outdoor facilities, including classrooms, caves and kitchens, outdoor play enthusiasts should make their stand a must-see. Also in this field, Honey-Bee Adventures on Stand D32-E31 will be showcasing their dynamic children’s play equipment, including manufactured climbing frames and outdoor play equipment that you can pull apart and piece together for a different adventure every time.

Taking creative learning back inside the school building, East Peasy Plays on Stand E98 provide fun-packed musicals, plays and musical resources for pupils of all ages.

With a bulk of Christmas time products, including the ‘Christmas Eve Kerfuffle’ and ‘Santa and the Beanstalk’, this is the stand to get your pupils humming all day. Memory Owl, on Stand F107, enables teachers to teach times tables visually through stories.

Using narrative stories and interactive quizzes, lessons can be taught individually, collectively or at home. Of the more creative exhibitors, Yellow Door will be promoting E

The Education Show

Sponsored by

A perfect place for school Providing integrated solutions to safe-guard trips and for learning your children outside the classroom Rock UK is a Christian charity that has been providing outdoor adventure for over 90 years. Its four LOtC Quality Badged centres offer tailor-made programmes of challenging activities, to encourage resilience, confidence and independence. It offers residentials, day visits and a bursary scheme enabling more children to access school trips to Rock UK. Rock UK has a great track record with schools with thousands of teachers and children returning to their centres year after year. Rock UK offers bespoke residential and day activity programmes, that encourage children and young people to get a better understanding of the outdoors and discover more about themselves.

Its adventurous activity sessions

promote social interaction with teachers and peers, whilst tackling challenging activities that encourage children to explore their own mental and physical capabilities, and give them a sense of achievement.

Rock UK creates memories that will be cherished for life. Please visit the company website or give Rock UK a call to find out what it could do for you and your pupils.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0844 8000 222 sales.info@rockuk.org www.rockuk.org

“Child Left Behind On School Trip” – a real headline and nightmare scenario for any teacher or parent.

School trips are part of the educational curriculum and should be seen as both fun and informative for the children. However, for teachers and TAs assigned to run the project, the additional responsibility for a group of children in the public arena can be stressful and daunting.

Although there are some programmes that provide for risk analysis and some schools have taken on additional precautions such as basic hi-viz vests, Child Safe is the first company to offer integrated solutions to help further safe-guard your children.

Its PASSIVE solution is based on a high visibility recognition

system with all the aids from preparing a trip, to emergency services liaison. The basic class starter kit includes leather binder, planning software, hi-viz vests and special Incident and emergency response cards.

The ACTIVE solution upgrades the Passive Pack to include GPS trackers allowing for individuals to be located and accounted for at all times, anywhere. This is especially valuable for outdoor and adventurous type activities.

For more information and to see Child Safe’s show offers, visit Stand B-81 at the Education Show.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01625 432733 www.childsafe.limited

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The Education Show

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

Hydrating thirsty minds with the motivational FISH campaign Children need water to learn.

This is why we have created the FISH Campaign for Motivational Hydration- a benchmark for ensuring constantly great, empowered students.

Fish Hydration’s mission is to hydrate thirsty young minds and educate tomorrow’s world leaders.

Fish Hydration promotes a refreshment scheme for active young minds. Knowing that proper hydration is critical for ensuring that we function to the top of our ability at all times, Fish Hydration wants your school to reap the benefits that hydration brings with it.

When young people are hydrated, they are more receptive, more productive, more creative and more motivated. Medical studies and clinical trials confirm that children that have access to drinking water have more energy, enjoy better health and are able to absorb more information.

A constant stream of teacher resources will be available to encourage and remind students that hydration is imperative.

Fish Hydration wants to work with schools to ensure that they achieve the results their students are capable of when sufficiently hydrated, and therefore, fully functional. Young children are our potential, and as an environmentally conscious campaign, Fish Hydration will work hard with schools to create a better tomorrow.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 450 5600 sales@fishhydration.com www.fishhydration.com

Challenging activities for children and adults alike Highline Adventure specialises in delivering dynamic, high impact mobile indoor and outdoor activities for commercial, educational and private events across the UK. It provides a range of activities to suit all ages including: mobile climbing walls; spider mountain (plus optional slide!); half pipe; skate park; bouldering wall; segways; exciting team building activities; canoeing; archery; and bouncy castles.

If you are a school, college or university looking for unique and exciting activities to hire, Highline Adventure can provide you with a tailor made package to suit your specific requirements. The equipment is brought directly to your location and can provide qualified staff to work with you to deliver a truly unforgettable experience.

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The Highline Adventure team are all fully trained instructors and are NGB Qualified for canoeing, climbing and archery. The company guarantees to deliver a truly memorable event that encourages maximum participation and enjoyment.

Highline Adventure indoor and outdoor mobile activities are ideal for: educational institutions such as pre-schools, primary schools, high schools, colleges and universities; groups such as Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides; public events such as fetes, fun days, open days and holiday camps; and private events such as birthdays and parties, corporate promotion events and team building exercises.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01553 841 830 info@highlineadventure.co.uk www.highlineadventure.co.uk

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

Aiding the learning process with Milk4Life Milk4Life Ltd works with local farmers, processors and distributors to deliver local milk to nurseries and schools. The company offers a total support service for all nursery and school milk schemes and manages the administration of the nursery milk and subsidised milk claims.

Milk4Life Ltd is an associate company of DairyLink UK Ltd which tenders for public sector contracts including local education authorities, universities, hospitals and nursing homes.

The two companies work hand in hand to offer a full service of a contracted milk supply along with the administration of the claims as stated above.

Milk4Life is passionate in its aim to encourage more children to drink milk every day whilst also supporting the British Dairy Farmers. The company offers EDI (electronic) invoicing

and ordering, consolidated invoices, multiple invoice summaries and can work with any customer to meet their individual requirements.

Unlike many dairies/depots that cut off at a given time in an afternoon, Milk4Life’s staff are available at the end of the phone throughout the whole working day and in many cases, liaise with parents out of hours.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01443 742112 info@milk4life.com www.milk4life.com

The union for education professionals where members come first Voice’s aim is to help create a secure and rewarding workplace for everyone who works in education, early years and childcare. Voice is the union for education professionals, and it speaks up for everyone, from teachers, lecturers, nursery nurses and nannies, to head teachers and school support staff, including teaching assistants, technicians, administrators and students.

Voice is a non-striking organisation that takes pride in being the first education union to achieve the Customer First Award for the quality of its services to members. The team of local, regional and national advisers work hard to support and champion its members on issues that affect them in their workplace.

Membership benefits include: legal advice, support and representation; workplace and personal insurance; discounted

legal services for non-workplace issues; access to learning resources and CPD events; and a wide range of cost-saving discounts and benefits through the Voice Rewards programme.

If you want to get the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ll always have someone in your corner visit Voice at this year’s Education Show at stand D107 and ask its team about what it could do for you.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01332 372 337 contact@voicetheunion.org.uk www.voicetheunion.org.uk

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EVENT PREVIEW

An added feature this year will be a reading clinic where teachers, literacy coordinators and head teachers can sit down with consultants and discuss the needs of their school, and how experts can help  their Let’s Investigate – Farmyard Footprints, a set of eight robust stones perfect for investigative play throughout a setting.

Also on this stand, G01, Yellow Door will be showing delegates the award‑winning dinosaur bones, which are causing lots of excitement across early years and KS1 settings, and are perfect for budding palaeontologists and for learning early measuring skills.

Learning Materials on Stand A89 will be exhibiting a mixture of our most popular series and our latest titles on show. Written

primarily for SEN students, one of the products on show is Recognise Emotions, a series of six titles designed to help students understand expressions and feelings.

GETTING TO THE NEC The NEC is just ten minutes by train from the centre of Birmingham and 80 minutes from London. Birmingham International airport and railway station are within the same complex as the NEC to make your journey more comfortable. Birmingham International

Looking to hire a staging solution that’ll give your little thespians a lift?

Staging Services has been providing schools with stage hire and stage set solutions for more than 25 years.

The company manufactures and supplies ‘Event-Deck’, a simple modular staging system that is available for schools to hire, or buy.

Event-Deck is easy and quick to build. It’s fully height adjustable and features numerous accessories and finishes.

From small stage extensions, tiered seating, to complete stage builds, there’s a staging solution to suit every educational need.

Staging Services is one of the few staging manufacturers that offers both hire and sale solutions to customers. There are many benefits to hiring the Event-Deck staging system.

Hiring gives schools the option to have it installed by professionals. It doesn’t take up valuable school space. There’s

no need to tie up capital.

Being fully height adjustable means it’s extremely versatile.

Endless arrangements can be created and it harmonises with existing stages.

Staging Services will be exhibiting Event-Deck at the Education Show, so do make sure you visit stand L58 to find out how Event‑Deck can raise your next performance, or presentation.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01922 405 111 www.stagingservicesltd.co.uk

train station is just a five-minute walk under a covered bridge link from the show, linking Education Show with all major cities in the UK. The NEC is situated eight miles East of Birmingham city centre, at the hub of the UK motorway network. Visitors from any direction can travel to The NEC site directly using the following motorways – M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42.

The NEC is also easily accessible from all London airports. The most convenient is Birmingham Airport, once you’ve landed on Birmingham, you can take the Air-Rail Link which operates every two minutes and has a one-way travel time of 90 seconds. The link operates daily between 0515 and 0200, connecting the airport passenger terminals and The NEC. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.education-show.com

Bringing the Eden Project to your school The Eden Project is an educational charity that connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future.

It is a worldrenowned visitor destination in Cornwall, where huge Biomes house the largest rainforest in captivity. Stunning plants, year-round exhibitions and stories serve as a backdrop to Modplan’s striking contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year-round family events.

Working with Nordic Garden Buildings, Modplan aims to bring a little bit of the Eden Project to your school and local community so your children can explore the living world and learn how to create a better future with the help and inspiration of the Eden Project.

A choice of three different sizes of building, delivered and

installed with raised growing beds, compost, seeds, and tools all included. In addition, your school will get an on-site oneday educational programme for teachers from the Eden Project as well as monthly blogs and curriculum materials for each Key Stage to go hand in hand with the practical aspects of growing.

Regular emails with videos, tips, tricks, and ‘when to plant or harvest’ questions are answered.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 160 1710 info@nordicgarden.co.uk www.nordicgarden.co.uk

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

When it comes to indoor furniture and outdoor play equipment, the same health and safety considerations apply, advises Caroline Wright, BESA’s director general designate In the 21st century technology-led learning environment, we generally consider a school’s duty of care to be based on ICT and Internet safety. However, protecting the physical safety of our children is a more traditional consideration that should not be forgotten.

Having children sitting on well-designed furniture with a good posture, on chairs appropriately designed for their size is an important aspect of a school’s ‘duty of care’.

While this can be easily overlooked, children sitting comfortably are also more likely to be attentive and focused on learning.

In addition to this, use of play equipment is an important part of children’s early years’ development and should also be high on the list of safety considerations. It is interesting to note that, broadly speaking, the same safety considerations apply to both classroom furniture and outdoor play equipment. So

we pulled in advice from BESA member organisations, Gratnells and Educational Play, to give their guidance on buying furniture and play equipment that will both help support learning and safeguard children’s health.

STANDARDS Over recent years, BESA’s furniture group has successfully campaigned for the introduction of a new British Standard for classroom furniture, BS EN 1729, which ensures that tables, desks and chairs made for school use are properly shaped, sized and developed. This supports the prevention of long-term damage to children’s backs and also helps them concentrate on learning without suffering discomfort. The same applies to playground equipment.

Richard Frost, CEO at Educational Play, advises: “Schools should look to see if

It is interesting to note that, broadly speaking, the same safety considerations apply to both classroom furniture and outdoor play equipment

equipment adheres to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) standard EN 1176. The European Standards for Playground Equipment: EN 1176 and EN 1177 have been published to harmonise existing criteria and cover issues such as critical fall heights of outdoor play equipment.”

Research has shown that high quality, well‑designed furniture improves concentration and reduces misbehaviour, leading to better learning outcomes, so it is worth taking the time to make the right decision for your pupils.

Schools should be aware that the British Standard for school furniture (BS EN 1729), is advisory and not mandatory. To ensure that your pupils receive the best possible opportunity to learn in a safe and comfortable environment, you should always double check that your supplier conforms to these standards.

Richard Picking, marketing director of Gratnells, offers some thoughts about the future for school furniture.

He says: “The healthy learning environment is a composite of elements. Apart from the obvious bricks and mortar requirements, teachers need bright, light and secure E

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Written by Caroline Wright, British Educational Suppliers Association

The importance of considering safety

Play Equipment

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HEALTH & SAFETY plastics are necessary for outdoor use.

As Richard Picking explains: “As learners become more mature and their social interaction becomes much more spontaneous, there is more of a premium on the furniture and systems supporting integral elements of the teaching mix, such as science, technology and advanced practical study. In arts, too, the need for a disciplined system of storage and archiving is required, to keep creative materials and works in progress in pristine condition.”

 classrooms where colour abounds and learning resources are plentiful. More than ever, the creation of a child‑centred environment relies on a mix of form and function – a balance between free creativity and good order. This is where good furniture design comes into its own to help the teaching process.”

FOSTERING HEALTH & SAFETY Many of the UK’s leading school furniture suppliers are members of BESA, which is committed to improving the quality and safety of these investments. Buying furniture from BESA member organisations gives you the peace of mind that you are buying high quality furniture appropriate to your specific needs, along with an excellent level of customer care. Gratnells is one such BESA member.

Richard Picking explains: “Flexibility, adaptability and mobility are the key attributes in helping to create the range of different work spaces needed to foster children’s creativity while ensuring an efficient system of storage and resources.

“Affordable modular systems do exist now to create a range of layouts, adapting to the needs and size of the learner group, as well as the subjects being taught. Designing a literacy corner, organising art groups or facilitating a science demonstration require very different arrangements.

“At primary and junior level, the accent is likely to be on the teacher’s ability to see the faces of every pupil and for the children to interact with each other as much as possible.”

BESA member Educational Play will visit a site first to advise on the best use of a particular space and identify any potential safety issues that may arise. If your supplier isn’t offering this important service, you may want to look at alternative options, as this suggests that safety is not a leading consideration for them.

VALUE FOR MONEY Some of the budget furniture available on the high street might seem like good value for money at the outset, as well as a cheaper option than some purpose‑made alternatives. However in a school environment, furniture needs to be highly durable to stand up to classroom demands. In the current economic climate, whole life-cycle costs are very important.

Look at the supplier’s case studies and if it is a large investment, contact the schools already using the equipment to find out what they think of the furniture.

As Richard Frost adds: “At Educational Play we recommend that schools chose equipment that looks well-made and sturdy.”

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ERGONOMICS The wrong choice of chair or size of play equipment could result in back pain.

Remember that the height of a chair should relate to the height of a table.

Quality manufacturers following British Standard guidelines will have calculated the ideal distance between the seat of the chair and the table to ensure maximum comfort and ergonomic benefits for the pupil.

Research dating back to the 1990s suggests the size measurement on which most children’s furniture was based on the average size of children in the 1960s, when they tended to be shorter. The British Standard guidelines recommend that schools purchase furniture with the appropriate dimensions for the age and size of the children using the equipment.

As Richard Frost explains: “It is also important to ensure you check whether the product has a long warranty/guarantee. If it does, it suggests that the equipment is well made and that the company wants a long term, supportive relationship with the school.

“The supplier should also provide instructions for aftercare or a maintenance package so that the equipment continues to be safe. For example, will you need to sand edges or repaint and how often?”

In a school environment, furniture needs to be highly durable to stand up to classroom demands, while in the current economic climate, whole life-cycle costs are very important Whether classroom furniture or play equipment, if the product hasn’t been manufactured to cope with stress and high-impact use, its lifespan may be shorter and therefore prove more costly in the long-run. A warranty is a good indicator of durability; many BESA members offer a ten-year guarantee, and company history is also an important quality by which you can evaluate a supplier.

It will be crucial for you to identify where and how the furniture will be used before making a purchasing decision. If your school is looking for furniture that can be used both indoors and outdoors, ensure that your supplier is a specialist in this particular area. Materials such as moisture resistant MDF, architectural grade powder coat paint work, and UV stable

Richard Picking summarises that: “Providers are finding new ways to work in education. They are adapting and adopting new technologies without abandoning time honoured requirements such as comfort and safety in pursuit of the optimum balance between a stimulating creative environment and an efficient, flexible learning infrastructure.”

Finally, all play equipment providers should have a ROSPA certified inspector to provide you with advice on the safety of the equipment. There is also no reason why even at a very young age, you can’t talk the children through the basics of safe play. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.besa.org.uk

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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

Classrooms across the country are becoming more and more dependent upon mobile technology. Mary Palmer, director of Techknowledge for Schools, delves into recent research and shares examples from the heart of the digital classroom It’s well documented that the use of tablets and other mobile devices in lessons emphasises and develops collaboration skills. Most teachers cite this as the greatest benefit alongside speed of research. Pupils can lead their own learning through independent research by working in groups to solve problems and present solutions.

Collaboration is encouraged and accepted as a way of discovering answers, asking peers for support or feedback and sharing findings with the group and the teacher. Our ‘Transforming Learning’ research looks even further beyond these benefits to analyse with teachers and pupils how new flipped, challenge‑based and blended learning methods compare with more traditional methods.

TABLETS IN THE CLASSROOM Emma Beamish teaches English at Longfield Academy in Dartford, where iPads are embedded in teaching and learning and have been in use on a one-to-one basis since 2011. Emma believes that mobile technology can break down multiple barriers to literacy and learning for students.

She said: “If you want students to ‘own’ their learning, if you want them to learn to study independently and if you want to inspire creativity, then give them a personal device that crosses the boundaries between gaming and study, pleasure and work. It fits with students’ lifestyles and abilities and they already have this technology in their pocket.”

In other research by the charity, volumes

of ‘tablet use’ best practice have been uncovered for every type of subject. Longfield Academy introduced personal devices as far back as 2011 because they believed it would support anytime, anywhere learning and enable independent research and problem‑solving. Teachers there use Google Apps for teacher-pupil-parent emails and document sharing and, in order to maintain enthusiasm among pupils, there are IT champions who run an iBar during break times. Pupils share and collaborate there with teachers, showing them useful applications and ways to use mobile devices for learning.

Emma explains why she’s a fan of using technology to teach English: “The first thing I’d mention is speed. If you’re researching themes in a Shakespeare play, then instead of spending five hours in the library to find all the references to those themes, you can find them in five minutes and spend those hours analysing them – a far better use of time. The same if you want to compare ‘1984’ to ‘Brighton Rock’ – in seconds you can find 12 different newspaper articles with incredibly useful comparison material.

“Working this way simply reflects the growth of constant multitasking in the real world. It’s integral to the working world that pupils will face and we’re simply helping to

Written by Mary Palmer, director of Techknowledge for Schools

Talking tablets and mobile technology shape the way they learn to do it. It’s not the tech that’s teaching the pupils.

You still need a human to understand how humans learn. Education is about enabling progress, and I know that technology is enabling me to individualise pupil progress more easily.”

Using mobile techn is an ad ology to learn dendum i enhanc ng, a useful e it doesn ment, but TEACHER ’ TRAINING what ort change how Longfield prepared teach I itself for the introduction of mobile devices for a

whole year (Wi-Fi, broadband, IT infrastructure) and offered professional development to all staff before the tablets were deployed, during the period of transition, and since deployment. The training was organised both internally and externally and focused on technical advice but mostly on supporting staff in using the tablets in lessons.

Emma believes it needn’t be intimidating: “The thing about technology is that different teachers can hook onto different ideas and apps and play to the strengths of the pupils.

As for teacher confidence and training, it’s not all ‘out there’ somewhere, the knowledge about mobile tech, it’s with us, all the time, on our own devices. We need to familiarise ourselves.

“For language-based subjects, any device that can manipulate language is useful. E

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Get the Mathletics Mathletics is a digital resource used by 5,000 schools across the UK that is built upon ten years of educational research. The University of Oxford recently carried out a study of more than 13,000 schools in England to assess the impact of Mathletics on Key Stage 2 SATS results in maths.

The study found that schools that made regular use of Mathletics did significantly better on a range of measures, compared to schools that did not use Mathletics.

Regular use of Mathletics was defined as pupils completing 3 or more curriculum activities per week (equating to as little as 20 minutes). Where this level of usage was achieved, the study found: More pupils making at least 2 levels of progress More pupils achieving at least a level 4 More pupils achieving a level 5 or 6

Don’t just take our word for it...

Compared to schools that do not use Mathletics.

Proportion of pupils achieving at least 2 levels progress in KS2

Proportion of pupils making at least 2 levels progress (%)

94 93 92

3+ Mathletics activities per pupil per week

91 90 89

No Mathletics

88 87 2012

2013

2014

“The results of this study show that regular use of Mathletics is associated with a significantly higher proportion of pupils making at least 2 levels of progress at Key Stage 2.

Similarly, regular use of Mathletics is also associated with a greater proportion of pupils achieving a level 4, 5 and 6 in mathematics.�

Download the full report at www.mathletics-advantage.uk

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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY  Learning becomes more interesting.

Clicking and interacting to drag words into a different order to demonstrate grammatical points, selecting alternative words and phrases in an instant - it’s all a way of making learning fun. Teaching in this way immediately breaks down barriers between the text and the pupil.

For children with special needs, it’s incredibly useful to be able to change font type, size and colour to enable them to view text differently.

who circulates, who can communicate in foreign language and who can get the pupils to do the same. The most useful websites are Linguascope, Zut and Oye! For vocab, Languages Online (free to use and enables pupils to work at their own pace) and Kahoot!, which is great for quizzes and assessment for learning – one of the best ways to engage pupils in language learning. The flashcards app (Chegg) is also good. You type in your

“The important thing is to have a clear purpose when using technology to teach. Our Year 9 and 10 pupils are twinned with schools in Spain and France through eTwinning and they love sharing classwork and conversation” “Using technology in class increases a teacher’s ability to be flexible. Marking is a lot quicker and marks can be notated for the pupil’s benefit and for further discussion and shared with parents. It also forces you to prepare your lessons better, with slideshows and signposts that create a journey for the pupils. Eventually we should all be in a position where no-one is re-inventing the wheel any more in preparing their classes.”

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES In Modern Foreign Languages, the possibilities are endless compared to a generation ago.

Stewart Dearsley at Longfield, who has been teaching for over 20 years, now uses a range of ‘fantastic’ foreign language apps, but is realistic about their role.

He says: “Using mobile technology is an addendum to learning, a useful enhancement, but it doesn’t change what or how I teach.

You still need, as you always did, a teacher

text in English or French and the app can be set to your chosen language, where a native speaker speaks the words back to you.

“In terms of sharing progress and discoveries with other teachers and parents, Google+, Google Drive and Google Classroom are great tools. In Google drive it is possible to create an area for teachers to share resources.

For pupils, Google Classroom means that each class and the

parents of the students in that class may have a private ID for accessing recent work.”

Aurelie Charles, who also teaches French and Spanish at Longfield, is a huge mobile tech enthusiast and happily trains and guides other teachers, within and outside of the school.

Google Docs and Google Classroom (for sharing and assessing work) feature heavily in her teaching, as do YakitKids, iMovie, Google education products and various apps for iPad. Aurelie says: “Pupils prepare their conversations as comic strips. It only takes a few minutes to turn that into an iMovie.

Most pupils prefer to learn that way. The important thing is to have a clear purpose when using technology to teach. Our Year 9 and 10 pupils are twinned with schools in Spain and France through eTwinning and they love sharing classwork and conversation with native speakers at the press of a button.

“The role of the teacher hasn’t changed.

We still have to guide them, but this way we’re tapping into their curiosity and IT skills and allowing them to present back to the class using multimedia tools that are already a regular part of their lives now.” E

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Teachers spend more time preparing lessons, but the lessons themselves are less labour-intensive  FLIPPED LEARNING Flipped learning, the pedagogic approach where students learn new content online by watching video lectures, reviewing presentations or conducting research, is increasingly common in schools who rolled out school-wide tablets a couple of years ago. What used to be homework is instead done in class, with the teacher offering more personalised guidance and interaction with students instead of lecturing.

Flipped lessons also re-distribute a teacher’s workload. Teachers spend more time preparing lessons, but the lessons themselves are less labour-intensive. The teacher is free to walk around the classroom and offer support. For a student strong at maths but who struggles to write because of dyslexia, using devices in this way is invaluable. It allows a student to record videos explaining how they solve equations, in place of written answers.

Tim Cross, head of Learning Technology at Leigh Academies Trust (to which Longfield Academy belongs) suggests: “Flipped learning forces you to change pedagogy, but it’s worth it. Yes, staff still needs guidance in using the tools, but again, it’s worth it. When it’s done well, it is like splitting yourself 30 times into 50 minutes. There’s a huge advantage to setting pre-learning and homework before class even begins.

Students have already engaged and therefore see the value in the class content and the teacher knows who is prepared and who isn’t.”

Tony Ryan, head of Chiswick School, is a staunch supporter of one-to‑one tablet use. He estimates that the process of introducing one-to-one iPad Minis to his pupils took approximately two years in all. The first year was spent installing a new IT infrastructure (servers, wiring, switches and Wi-Fi). Preparing teachers, pupils and parents for the proposed changes came later.

The school introduced the tablets one year group at a time. E

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The most effective CPD often takes place in informal ways within departments, with teachers co-creating and sharing resources  A VARIETY OF RESOURCES Now, Chiswick School students create eChemistry books, go on Knowledge Quests, explore world cultures online and record and analyse their own PE performance using tablets and a popular app called Coach’s Eye. The entire Year 8 music curriculum is being digitised by ‘digital champion’ and teacher Renaldo Lawrence. Tony Ryan is also a fan of methods such as flipped and blended learning.

He said: “Our maths provision is one of the best examples of flipped learning.

Teachers create a video (via an app called Educreation that transform tablets into a recordable whiteboard) featuring sixth-form maths students sharing what they wish they’d known about maths in Year 9 and how they’d have done things differently if they had understood certain aspects of the curriculum better. We show this video to our Year 9 students and it really works.”

As with all mobile technology and new pedagogical models emerging, teacher guidance is paramount. The most effective CPD often takes place in informal ways

within departments, with teachers cocreating and sharing resources.

Ryan summarises: “We have to help teachers keep on top of all that technology can offer, because it’s making a huge difference. For other schools weighing up the balance of where to invest, I’d say it’s about priorities.

We embrace digital technology because I genuinely believe it’s making a difference.”

He’s backed by José Picardo, assistant principal at Surbiton High School: “School-wide implementation still risks monumental failure if all resources are spent on hardware and hardly any on the issue of training staff and pupils.

“Where one-to-one tablet use is concerned, success or failure will be measured by how well the new technology is integrated into the daily business of teaching and learning.

Time, effort and money need to be spent on establishing a vision for the project and providing the necessary, frequent and ongoing training opportunities.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.techknowledge.org.uk

Working closely with schools to create technology that is suited to your teaching and learning needs Just like people, your school’s ICT needs to remain fit, active and well supported in order to maintain a healthy state of performance. When technology works, it is invisible, unlocking more of your valuable time and energy to focus on the teaching and learning issues that matter most.

Put simply, RM Education exists to support the key educational priorities and challenges faced by UK schools via a range of technology solutions designed to specifically solve these problems.

The company has been doing this for over 40 years, by working closely with schools to really get to the root of the problem and understand how it can help.

RM Education’s mission is to make technology work for your teaching and learning needs, and drives everything it does. The company is 100 per cent focused on supporting UK schools with technology solutions that save money, increase efficiency and help teachers and learners to be more successful.

RM Education has seven core solutions which are designed to address the key issues, priorities and challenges facing schools

in the UK today. It’s why the company is fixated on understanding things like your school’s ambitions, goals and needs.

RM Education can provide: ICT support for education; networks for education; broadband for education; online safety for education; management information systems for education; teaching and learning; and hardware and devices.

Over the last year, RM Education asked

over 1,000 schools to choose one word to describe education during 2014. The results were fascinating.

Crucially, the two words that resonated most were ‘change’ and ‘challenging’.

Changes, such as those to the curriculum, examinations and ICT, featured prominently, alongside challenges on people’s time, the quality of teaching and learning and managing increasingly strained budgets.

This is where RM can be useful.

RM Education isn’t just an ICT partner, it is a whole-school partner. The company understands the impact and potential of ICT in education and offers a wealth of expertise to help you develop an ICT strategy that will empower your teachers to provide outstanding lessons and help improve outcomes for the students in your care.

For more information about how RM Education’s tecnology could be best suited to your teaching and learning needs, please visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 08450 700 300 pr@rm.com www.rm.com

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GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY

EDUCATION AND THE GREAT TECHNOLOGY GAP Independent survey shows the European education sector is not keeping up with new technology

class room and the boardroom but the good news is that education institutes are increasingly open to incorporating technology in the class room. To give you an example, many schools across Europe have already adopted visual communication tools like interactive projectors to enhance collaborative learning; a critical skill in today’s collaboration-driven workplace.”

In today’s digital age, European education institutions have the responsibility to provide young people with the technology skills needed for tomorrow’s workplace. However, a recent independent survey commissioned by Epson shows that IT teams in the European education sector are lagging behind.

According to the International Computer and Information Literacy Study, the majority of teachers believe that innovative technologies in the classroom are crucial tools to develop skills necessary for the 21st century workplace, notably independent learning; critical thinking; real world problem solving and reflection; communication and collaboration; creativity; and digital literacy.

Yet almost half of the respondents across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK are aware of the technology needs in their organisation but are not actively addressing them. In Italy, over half (57 per cent) of the questioned admitted to not addressing issues, while Spain is performing better with only 28 per cent of respondents ignoring needs.

In addition, 38 per cent of IT buyers in the education sector across the aforementioned countries are not pro-active in keeping up to date with new technology. The issue is particularly pertinent in France, were over half of all IT buyers admitted they aren’t up to speed compared to only 30 per cent in Spain, 32 per cent in the UK, 40 per cent in Germany and 41 per cent in Italy.

Furthermore, almost a quarter of education staff said restrictions on being able to upgrade equipment were hindering their use of technology ‘almost always’ or ‘frequently’.

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Education staff in France and Germany are least affected by this issue with 15 per cent and 18 per cent of respondents highlighting the issue. On the other side of the spectrum, a third of Italian employees said it was a problem in their industry. When asked what kind of technology their organisation should focus on improving or providing, 43 per cent of education staff said laptops, closely followed by printers (40 per cent).

Commenting on the survey results, Hans Dummer, ‎business unit owner EMEAR – Visual Instruments at Epson Europe, says: “The survey results show that IT teams need to respond better to needs, and keep pace with new technologies so that teachers are not left with outdated equipment. However, with budgets being tightened, the pressures are greater than ever. Switching to products that are cost-effective to buy and maintain will be key to addressing these issues.”

But it’s not just a lack of up-to-date technology that’s preventing education institutions from realising the full potential of technology in the classroom. Teachers need to be well-trained in order to feel confident in introducing new technology and to teach appropriately using it. However, poor training on how to use new technologies was identified by 31 per cent of all respondents in education as the main barrier prohibiting technology from fully benefiting the industry.

Significant improvements need to be made in the UK and Spain, where 34 per cent and 33 per cent of respondents identified the problem.

Dummer concludes: “More needs to be done to bridge the gap between the

EPSON INTEGRATES WITH PAPERCUT MF Epson now integrates with PaperCut MF, combining the low running costs, reduced intervention and environmental impact, and high reliability of Epson devices, with the ability to control and manage print volumes to reduce operational expenses.

Through the integrated multi-OS solution, businesses of any size can recover, manage, and account print, copy, fax and scan output via a user login or card ID on a fleet of printers and multifunction printers (MFPs).

Peter Silcock, business mananger, Epson UK, says: “PaperCut’s compatibility with an ever-increasing range of Epson devices is thanks to Epson Open Platform, which unlocks the full potential of our business inkjet MFPs, enabling them to be adapted to meet specific and changing customer requirements as business goals and enterprise IT systems evolve. This means that customers can take advantage of the PaperCut solution and all the benefits of Epson devices, saving money and hassle, and reducing environmental impact.”

PaperCut integration includes the following key features: allocated printing to departments, cost-centres and users with shared accounts; the ability to see how many pages are being printed by whom, at what device and when; a report on usage by user, department, device or CO2 saved; allocated quotas or budgets to users, departments, or groups; secure job release with ‘Find Me’ pull printing; and simplify mobile and BYOD (Bring Your own Device) printing.

PaperCut MF runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and mixed-fleet environments, also meaning that Epson models can be integrated into a multi-brand fleet, including a range of A4 and A3 models. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.global.epson.com www.epson.eu www.epson-europe.com www.epson.eu/papercut Market.Research@fticonsulting.com

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Ed-tech: an ill-advised purchase or a critical investment?

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Following this years Bett, Education Business hears from Naace’s Mark Chambers and Dave Smith, BESA’s Caroline Wright and head teacher Tony Ryan on the future of educational technology The global ed-tech market is already estimated to be worth $43.27 (£30) billion, yet the first assessment of digital skills from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggests that schools have some way to go in fully taking advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom.

Although wider press coverage of the OECD’s report focused on the findings that heavy investment in ICT failed to improve results, Andreas Schleicher, OECD director for education and skills stated that the key to success was to ‘find more effective ways to integrate technology into teaching and learning to provide educators with learning environments that support 21st century pedagogies and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world’.

Echoing the views of the UK’s early adopters and technology experts, Schleicher commented that technology’s potential to dramatically expand access to knowledge should not be ignored, citing training and teacher engagement as being the key to maximising its benefits. He said ‘to deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change’.

With the debate continuing and policy-makers abstaining from offering guidance, the future of ed-tech is mutable, but research in the UK indicates that investment continues to rise.

Caroline Wright, director general designate of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), said: “Our annual Information and Communication Technology in UK Schools research has recently shown that schools and colleges will continue to increase their use oftechnology in the learning environment.”

This increased investment is perhaps an E

Any strateg that ign y technol ores the children ogy our u day andse every tha permea tes wor t kin lives, w ill risk g failure

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www.ultimaker.com

What is the CREATE Education Project?

The CREATE Education Project brings together game changing technology with inspirational content and creative minds. This collaborative platform is designed to provide FREE resources to seed innovation. Contributors and community members are provided with a network of people embracing the same passion for sharing and improving access to education.

In order to ensure everybody has the opportunity to benefit from 3D printing and other exciting tech we reached out and asked educators and industry leaders what the challenges were and how can we make the best of the opportunities.

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 indicator of schools’ awareness of the need to ensure digital skills remain at the forefront of education. Tony Ryan, head teacher of Chiswick School believes that, even in an era of tightening budgets, technology plays a crucial role in preparing students for the future.

She continues: “One proof point is the fact that many thousands of educators travel across the world to Bett, the world’s largest education technology event.”

The UK also plays host annually to the world’s largest gathering of education and

The latest generation of learning platforms, apps and collaborative learning technology also look set to continue to grow, and policy changes will inevitably continue to spur suppliers’ offerings He said: “One of my strongest drivers here is the desire to prepare our students for the life that awaits them after school. They need exam passes, as these open the doors to opportunity, but wider than that, students need to be intuitive, independent problem solvers who are aware of their own strengths and areas for development, with the confidence to set out and follow their own path in life. IT simply has to play a significant part in this development.”

STATE OF THE NATION So what is the current picture here in the UK? Wright suggests that ‘as one of the earliest adopters of education technology, the UK now leads the way globally’.

skills ministers, the Education World Forum, a platform for discussion on the future of education. Courtesy of events like Bett, the EWF and associations such as Naace, which supports schools and educators in the best use of technology, the UK has long played a central role in developing the best pedagogies when it comes to using technology in the classroom.

Wright commented: “When we look back to the UK’s early adoption of learning technology at the turn of the century, we made many mistakes and have learned a number of lessons. In almost every case where investment has not gone to plan the reason is overwhelmingly

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due to a lack of effective investment in continuing professional development (CPD) and teacher training. This often results in hardware sitting idle or teachers having little idea of how to use it effectively.”

ENSURING GOOD INVESTMENT But how can schools act to ensure the success of their investment? Aristotle’s often-used philosophical advice is suitable; ‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom’.

Dave Smith, senior vice chair of Naace and ICT advisor at Havering School Improvement Services, believes schools should start by forming answers to some key questions in order to ensure that they know what success will look like for them.

Stating that ‘getting the strategy right first is paramount’, Smith questions what will be the impact on educational outcomes and how will this be measured? What devices will support this? What CPD will be provided?

For leaders, what is the vital component to a successful investment? Ask Tony Ryan and the answer is simply ‘vision’.

He says that schools need to ask themselves ‘what do you want to achieve by introducing technology to learning? Why is this an integral part of your school’s educational vision?

How will you bring teachers E

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY Caroline Wright, BESA

Smith added: “I have seen an increased interest in Google Chromebooks and Google Classroom in local schools. Flipped learning will become more of a norm, even with younger pupils as schools recognise the benefits of getting pupils involved in learning that is not always led by teachers, but facilitated by them.”

The latest generation of learning platforms, apps and collaborative learning technology also look set to continue to grow, and policy changes will inevitably continue to spur suppliers’ offerings.

BESA’s Wright singles out assessment as a prime example.

She commented: “The removal of assessment levels and the demand on schools to implement news systems that meet the government’s criteria appear to be leading to increased levels of investment. For the 14 per cent of primary schools indicating more spending on ICT than planned, the focus is most likely to be on assessment systems. The need for assessment solution training is expected to be significant across primary schools in 2015, with 58 per cent of teachers identified as in need of training.”

SO WHAT NEXT FOR TECHNOLOGY? Ryan says: “I do not expect government backing to drive progress. It will be down to school leaders with a clear vision for how IT can make a difference to learning for all students. For me this has to be about more than exams and more about creating a culture within which students can learn, grow and develop into young adults, equipped with the skills, attributes and confidence that life will demand from them.”

Wright adds: “The crucial point is that education should be designed to support our students for their working lives ahead. This inevitably will be in line with what our country needs to thrive in the global economy.

“So whether a student’s passion and expertise lies in art, or science, languages or sport, their education should provide them with the skills they need to support them in the years ahead.” E

 on board and as importantly keep them there?’

He concludes: “A teacher’s daily list of ‘to do’ items is vast and appears to be growing daily, it is important that staff see and share the ‘bigger picture’ or the integration of IT to their lessons is simply another thing to add to the list.”

WHAT TO INVEST IN? Plans for technology will differ from school to school, but whether it’s an inner-city secondary or a rural primary, the foundations need to be in place. Smith says:“Overwhelmingly, school leaders need to

Plans for technology will differ from school to school, but whether it’s an inner-city secondary or a rural primary, the foundations need to be in place ensure effective infrastructure in terms of fast, reliable connectivity and robust wireless provision which are the foundations upon which any effective educational provision should be built.”

Infrastructure is a hot topic in terms of investment, and it is also on the radar of policy makers following the findings of BESA’s 2014 research. Wright claims: “It showed an alarming digital divide forming across the UK. Schools in rural areas were identified as having the lowest access to ICT, with the reason being attributed to poor wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi). A significant minority of schools also reported that they were under-resourced in broadband provision.

“Although secondary schools have been purchasing tablet computers in some quantity, the continued growth in sales of laptops suggests that this group of schools sees value in a wider range of devices. We expect to see the adoption of tablet computers continuing to grow. Their size, mobility and cost make them the ideal hardware to improve the child:device ratio.”

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY  Most experts agree that technology should play a central role in education, but, crucially, its effect should be transformative.

A report from the United States Department for Education earlier this year outlined key areas for development to ensure progress and impact, and called on suppliers to innovate rather than simply digitise information.

Using technology not to replicate existing tasks but change them rather than focusing

of technology as being a key driver for its use in the classroom.

She says: “While no one can predict the future, it is likely that technology will continue to prevail in most working environments.

Car production will become increasingly automated, healthcare will welcome new technologies to identify illnesses and make operations less invasive, and consumers will increasingly carry out retail

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Flipped learning will become more of a norm, even with younger pupils as schools recognise the benefits of getting pupils involved in learning that is not always led by teachers, but facilitated by them on traditional ‘chalk and talk’ teaching methods is something that the technology association Naace believes passionately in.

CEO Mark Chambers, himself a former head teacher, says: “Maximising the impact of technology on learning is crucial. Technology can and does radically improve teaching and learning, but only with the right investments, especially in professional development, proper management and pedagogical change.”

Wright cites the increasing prevalence

transactions through the use of technology.

With this is mind, we all have to agree what education should be like for the coming decade, but few could argue that any strategy that ignores the technology our children use every day and that permeates working lives, will risk failure.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.naace.co.uk www.besa.org.uk

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Music Education Expo

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For pianists who want to hone their teaching skills Now in its eighth year, the Piano Teachers Course (PTC) continues to equip pianists and piano teachers with the full range of professional skills for a successful career.

It provides excellent preparation for all Piano Teaching Diplomas, including those from the ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall and London College, through exposure to the latest in piano teaching pedagogy.

The course leads to the Certificate of the Piano Teachers’ Course (Cert PTC) a recognised piano teaching qualification, which entitles holders to full membership and benefits of EPTA UK. A part-time course, it is designed to suit those with other commitments, lasting one academic year from October through to June. The 201617 course consists of three residential weekends, three single Sundays and independent study spread throughout the year.

The Purcell School has hosted PTC since 2008. Situated in Bushey, Herts on the outskirts of North London it offers easy road and rail access and outstanding musical facilities.

To find out more before enrolling on the course, or to attend some of the lectures, the PTC Open Days offer a unique opportunity to visit Purcell, available on six dates in 2016.

To observe the style of the sessions, take a look around the facilities – and connect with both students and tutors.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07831 164430 www.pianoteacherscourse.org

Raising standards by positively transforming the learning experience Artis Education transforms primary learning through the performing arts. In its sessions, children sing, dance and act the curriculum. Artis provides magical learning experiences that help children to achieve and schools to raise standards.

Its highly trained arts educators, known as Artis Specialists, work in schools across the country to boost achievement, improve speaking and listening skills and build confidence and self-esteem. Artis sessions are simply the best in-class field trips children will ever have.

Artis has been working in schools across London, Birmingham, Manchester and West Yorkshire for over ten years, and runs sessions for 50,000 children each week.

Every week Artis helps children to achieve at school by integrating the arts throughout their learning. Artis creates a very different learning

experience from a typical classroom, providing sessions that enrich the curriculum, provide PPA cover, transition projects and CPD for staff.

Debra Simpson, Head Teacher of Great Preston CE Primary School, said: “Great Preston has enjoyed a strong professional relationship with Artis for two years. Our PPA cover has never been so exciting and fun! The Artis specialists work closely with our teachers to develop all aspects of the curriculum. They really enjoy it and because they are immersed in their learning and the Artis specialists are so skilled, their learning behaviour is spot on.”

FURTHER INFORMATION 0207 324 9880 www.artiseducation.com

The place to shop for all of your schools musical requirements The Schott Music Shop, at 48 Great Marlborough Street, London, has been selling sheet music, accessories and instruments for over 100 years.

The shop is situated in the heart of the West End, between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus and is favoured by musicians of all types; students, professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts.

Experts in classical and educational music, the staff at The Schott Music Shop are on hand to answer any specialist music queries. They stock a full range of classical music for all instruments, voices and ensembles from every major publisher. The shop, split over two levels, also includes dedicated sections for educational music, music theory, opera, musicals, pop, jazz and contemporary music.

The shop also features three practice rooms and a recital

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Over the past 10 years, Artis has been physicalising the curriculum through performing arts, providing magical learning experiences which help boost children’s achievement and support schools to raise standards.

space, each with a baby grand piano. The rooms are available for hire and can be used for practice or private teaching.

The Schott Music Shop offers accounts to schools and musical organisations, allowing for easy access to the full range of sheet music and books from all major publishers.

For more information or to set up a school account, call Andrew, the shop manager, on the number below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 7534 0710 www.schott-music.co.uk

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Why do schools engage Artis?

• To enrich the curriculum through the performing arts • Enhance & support children’s creativity & life skills • Stimulate staff by providing a model to incorporate the arts into the curriculum • As a creative & engaging solution to PPA. For more information visit

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EVENT PREVIEW

Finding the right note in music education

Music Education Expo

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Taking place on 25-26 February 2016, the Music Education Expo is Europe’s largest conference and exhibition for anyone involved in music education With less than a month to go until the fourth Music Education Expo opens its doors, it feels as though what was not so long ago an exciting idea has established itself as the UK’s main music education event.

The demand among music teachers is represented by the Expo’s continued expansion, and this year it is moving across London from the Barbican to take place at Olympia Central, meaning more space, plenty of natural light and free WiFi. From piano teachers working in their front rooms, to classroom teachers preparing students for GCSEs (and worrying about

useful programme for everyone – and this year we have worked harder than ever to be comprehensive, with pathways for different types of practitioner and a rigorous approach to the distribution of sessions.

There will be strands for instrumental, early years, primary, secondary and SEND teachers, as well as for those involved or interested in the politics, practicalities and best practice of music education provision.

Of course, if there needs to be something for each type of music educator, there will also be some things which are important for all of them.

Music is a particularly diverse sector of education, and the whole music education sector has benefited from having a free‑to‑attend, large-scale event bringing all its different activities together the EBacc), or academics presenting their research – music is a particularly diverse sector of education, and the whole music education sector has benefitted from having a free-to-attend, large-scale event bringing all its different activities together.

So the challenge is to provide a full and

There can’t be many music teachers who are unconcerned about how we support the music education of our children, and how that ecosystem is sustained: funding for music teaching in all parts of the UK is seemingly constantly under threat, and there have been various responses to this fact.

One lunchtime panel will discuss the various ways in which music education is funded across the UK. DEFENDING MUSIC In England, the result of May’s general election has given the Conservative party unbridled power to pursue its education reforms, with the imposition of an unreconstructed English Baccalaureate contributing to teachers’ fears that music and the creative arts will become less and less a priority for their SLTs. Another lunchtime panel will discuss how to defend music’s place in our schools.

Presenting examples of best practice is also an important focus, and we want visitors to learn from fellow teachers who are teaching every day. We will be joined by Classic FM SEND Teacher of the Year Jocelyn Watkins, Music Teacher awards nominee James Manwaring of Windsor Upper Schools, and shortlisted hubs from the Music Education Council awards.

Teachers can brush up their piano skills with a sightreading session on day one run by Sally Cathcart of The Curious Piano Teachers, and an improvisation workshop on day two with Lucinda Mackworth-Young, course director of the European Piano Teachers Association and author of Faber’s Piano By Ear. For instrumental teachers, the Musicians Union will give useful advice on the nuts and bolts of setting up a private teaching practice, and the Incorporated Society of Musicians will present the latest results from its tuition fees survey and provide tips on setting and negotiating rates.

Teacher and author Paul Harris will look at how to inspire pupils to actually do their practice, and Mark Robinson, founder and director of the Rocksteady Music School, will present three ‘black-belt communication tools that no teacher should be without’.

Music teaching at the local level will be addressed by several sessions, with presentations on research into Whole Class Ensemble Tuition, developing cross-genre and inclusive music groups, and how to form an instant orchestra from scratch.

FULL STEAM AHEAD At a time when the arts sector is campaigning for STEM to become STEAM, this year’s new addition of the E

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DIME ONLINE has partnered with Falmouth University to offer a unique music education experience. Their BA(Hons) degree courses offer committed musicians and enterprising individuals a flexible way to study innovative content with superb online resources - supported by a team of professional musicians, leading industry experts and experienced academics.

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EVENT PREVIEW  Musical Theatre & Drama Education Show, run in conjunction with Teaching Drama magazine, has the potential to provide some fascinating new perspectives.

For some music teachers, of course, drama will already be a big part of their professional lives – perhaps because they teach across the performing arts, perhaps because they

Both days will begin with a warm-up, and all delegates are invited to attend and stretch their muscles vocal, physical and mental.

Day one’s warm-up will be an opportunity to sing: that’ll wake us all up effectively! After that, at 10 o’clock, performing arts teacher Matt Yeoman offers his expertise on producing an outstanding school musical: ‘Unlock

At a time when the arts sector is campaigning for STEM to become STEAM, this year’s new addition of the Musical Theatre & Drama Education Show has the potential to provide some fascinating new perspectives put on the school show each year. All types of teacher will be interested in sessions on flipped learning, promoting positive behaviour, encouraging creativity in group teaching, mindfulness for performers and educators, live sound for school productions, and many more.

As Sarah Lambie, editor of Teaching Drama and head of content for the Musical Theatre & Drama Education Show, says: ‘The show will also provide a means to explore department-crossover and take in workshops and seminars on subjects which other drama education shows do not have the scope to offer. This is the beginning of a wider community of drama and performing arts teaching staff – with the opportunity to hear from some fantastically inspiring speakers.’

The two day expo will feature stalls from many companies and organisations offering educational resources, technical knowledge, items for hire, books for sale, and advice.

EXPERT KNOWLEDGE But that’s not all: the extensive programme of CPD workshops and seminars has now also been announced. Whichever day you attend, you’ll have the opportunity to benefit from the expert knowledge of speakers on subjects as varied as policy and funding, curriculum and exams, and new trends and approaches.

The show shares its space with the enormously successful Music Education Expo, so you can come with your music department colleagues and indulge in some department crossover learning – why not attend a session on playing the spoons at the MEE and bring your colleague in to an MTDES session exploring practitioner Rudolf Laban’s work for performance?

As well as the interactive sessions, lectures and seminars, there will be performances and fireside chats on both days, featuring experts and stars who will be announced a little nearer the time.

While not everything has yet been announced, let’s have a walk through some of those sessions which have, and which you might choose if you’re attending on either or both days.

the true potential of the school production and what it can do in terms of improving attitudes to learning, gaining accreditation for students’ contributions, and discover how arts staff – particularly drama and music practitioners – can work collaboratively to produce an outstanding piece of work, catering for a large number of students to maximise its impact on the student populous.’

In her 11:10 session ‘Serious Play’, Dymphna Callery presents an interactive workshop focussing on ‘play’ as an indispensable tool both for analysis and as a catalyst for creative approaches to interpreting text.

At lunchtime there will be a ‘fireside chat’ with playwright Mark Wheeller, who wrote ‘Too Much Punch For Judy’, among other plays – a work which is extremely familiar to drama teachers all over the UK. After lunch the focus will be on the session on Alexander Technique: something I’ve never tried and have heard really great things about. Offered by the Royal College of Music’s in-house specialist movement practitioner, this is something which will be applicable to all attendees at the show, whether music, drama or performing arts teachers.

Next there’s a sample drama lesson to take part in, ‘Forbidden Fruit’, in which Amanda Kipling of Goldsmiths demonstrates how to hide assessment for learning in a lesson plan, so that it happens automatically – integrated along the way.

Finally, Nick O’Brien from Stanislavski Experience offers a practical approach to teaching practitioners – he’s basically a walking, talking version of the practitioner focus pages you find in each issue of TD, and he’ll troubleshoot your practitioner teaching techniques in time for the new syllabuses and their set practitioners.

Music Education Expo

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PRIZE WORTHY PERFORMANCES On day two, the warm-up is to be a drama session. Again, like everything at both shows, this is open to all delegates, so you can rub shoulders with music teachers and feel a sense of quiet smugness that you’re in your comfort zone as David Farmer offers a wake-up call for the day’s activities.

The first sessions of day two present a real dilemma – whether to bust performance anxiety difficulties with a session on mindfulness for performers, or learn from Keith Burt about the fascinating idea of ‘Flipped Learning’ – a totally new way of approaching the dissemination of knowledge among your students.

Performances and fireside chats brighten the lunchtime lull, with an opportunity to listen and watch rather than getting hands-on, and of course there are the exhibitor stands to explore, but then why not head to Sarah Henderson’s session on ‘Laban in performance’, which will have us back on our feet and exploring a theory of movement which is applicable to life as well as drama and musical theatre.

Finally there is a choice of energetic ends to my day: a musical theatre vocal workshop with the ladies from Starling Arts: ‘Everything I know I learned from a musical’. L If you haven’t signed up yet, go to the Music Education Expo website to do so, and then don’t forget to follow @MusicEdExpo and @TheMTDES on twitter and check back for updates. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Music Education Expo incorporating the Musical Theatre & Drama Education Show will take place 25-26 February 2016.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.musiceducationexpo.co.uk

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Security Written by Stuart Naisbett, on behald of the International Professional Security Association

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SCHOOL ACCESS

Addressing security in the education sector Security in schools is a complex issue. With no formal strategy in place for English schools, Stuart Naisbett of IPSA discusses the difficulties security poses and how best to initiate security policy The provision of security personnel to schools still remains a difficult subject to address.

However, with the exception of the public school sector, many still have to rely mainly on what is termed within the security industry as ‘physical security’ gates, fences, and turnstiles usually supported by some means of electronic security equipment – such as access control and intruder alarm systems.

These are usually applied to nursery, infant and primary schools where the emphasis is on preventing intruders from entering the premises either during school hours or in the case of alarm systems out of hours.

As we are all aware, educational establishments at primary and secondary school level rely on funding from the local education authority and in times where austerity budgets are tight, as should be expected with what little additional funds there are, funding is better put to use providing teaching aids to enhance the students learning rather than providing for their security. In colleges and universities the security of the students is mainly funded from the fees charged to attend courses.

Since my last article for Education Business, there has been no further research into ‘security within the education sector’ and we still see that, despite the issues raised following the stabbings in the 1990s and other major incidents, such as the death of a well‑loved teacher in Leeds, and the stabbing of a teacher in Bradford, there is still no formal strategy with costs being the biggest issue.

Much of what is discussed following an incident is a ‘knee jerk reaction’ and in no way remains in place for any length of time, as the event often becomes lost in memory.

Much of what is currently provided to schools as security is reactive, not proactive. This can be alarms that activate when there is an issue and are responded to, staff carrying out patrols of school grounds when an intruder has been spotted, fences that are built and gates that are secured, to prevent unauthorised access, and keep the children and staff secure.

As evident in recent events, the actual risk has been from within, and by students not

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

intruders. The biggest issues facing schools at this moment in time are knife crime, gun crime and radicalisation of students. Of the three, the easiest to combat is possibly radicalisation, as to prevent incidents involving guns and knives requires the assistance and co-operation of the pupils and staff.

The right to search in the UK is only permissible with the consent of the person being searched, and would require a number of factors to be taken into account, such as a private room for the search to be carried out, the additional costs of security personnel to carry out the search and procedures in place to take action should the need arise.

understanding and support of all school staff and pupils. Every person in the school should understand their role in maintaining security, whether this is the importance of ensuring any access points are kept secure, or what they are expected to do if they notice a possible breach, e.g. procedure if seeing an unknown person.

THE USE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY Schools, by their nature, are difficult to secure.

There are often multiple buildings – each with a number of access points, open areas between buildings, yard areas for the pupils to use at break times, and external sports facilities. The selection of any perimeter security measures is selected, not just for the level of protection offered and the inevitable cost factor, but also to meet any local planning regulations, taking into consideration the opinions of local residents and any existing factors with neighbouring premises and land which could assist in the perimeter being breached, whilst maintaining a welcoming appearance for the school.

Whilst the aesthetics are an important consideration for schools, it is important to also ensure that any selected perimeter security measures achieve their

, Schoolsr by thei re a nature, secure. to difficult are often There uildings – eb multipl ith a number each w access of points

WHAT CAN BE DONE? In the first instance, we should develop a school security policy that identifies the risks and puts controls in place to minimise the danger to staff, pupils and visitors. We should also set budgets to help prevent security and safety breaches, and educate staff to be ‘security aware’.

Local authorities may be able to supply a specimen school security policy; alternatively you may be able to obtain examples from other schools or by searching the internet, however be wary of copied documents in case they have overlooked important aspects of the policy and implementation.

As security measures tend to be costly, it is important to get recognition from the governing body who should recognise that they are required not only to support the school with a policy, but also to allocate sufficient financial support to introduce agreed security measures.

The security policy will also require the

objective. The secure perimeter will include one or more access routes which are in use throughout the times the school is open, normally the main entrance and possibly a separate route for deliveries, and possibly some access routes used only at certain times of day, e.g. the time immediately before and after the normal school day.

There are two separate considerations with points of access: persons permitted as routine into the premises (students and staff members) and preventing or controlling access to the premises by other persons, (visitors). There should be a designated and sign posted entrance, normally the main entrance, for visitors to use. Visitors, including parents, local authority employees, contractors, etc., would be required to sign in at the main entrance and would only be permitted access to the premises once it has been established that they are expected or being met by a staff member.

For this to provide a secure environment, other entrances need to have a form of access control to prevent any unobserved entry. However, frequently these points of entry are not secure due to being left as uncontrolled access at certain times of day or wedged open when they should be secured meaning that persons are allowed in unchallenged (tailgating).

If any entrance is to be used to allow unrestricted access at any point, it must be monitored by a member of staff. At other times it is by an understanding of the security policy that staff and pupils will ensure that external doors are kept secure.

THE HUMAN THREAT Each school should do a risk assessment of the likelihood of a pupil, or any other legitimate visitor to the school, carrying a weapon and set their procedures accordingly.

Considerations include the age of pupils, the

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for the safety of the persons conducting searches in the event of the discovery or suspicion that a pupil is carrying a weapon.

The majority of access control is based on stopping either an opportunist thief from entering the premises, or controlling a potentially aggressive visitor from unrestricted access to the premises. The likelihood of a heavily armed person entering the school is lower in the UK than in some countries, however it is not unfortunately impossible.

This means that the level of investment on protection is based upon the more probable

Every person in the school should understand their role in maintaining security, whether this is the importance of ensuring any access points are kept secure, or what they are expected to do if they notice a possible breach areas that pupils live in, and local knowledge such as the presence of youth gangs. Where the risk is high, schools could consider random searches or even the use of metal detector arches. Search procedures should be in place to ensure everybody is aware of what is expected, and should include consideration

scenarios, however it is always worth at least having written procedures and guidance in place for staff detailing their safe emergency routes and methods of raising the alarm.

OUT OF HOURS THREAT Again, this should be based on a risk assessment considering factors such as history of occurrences and the surrounding area. Depending on the assessed level of risk, the school should put in appropriate measures, which as a minimum should be a deterrent such as a remote monitored intruder alarm. For higher levels of risk there are plenty of additional security measures available, such as remote monitored CCTV, ‘SmokeCloak’, security patrols, and permanent security on site.

I would like to leave you with this thought.

If the definition of ‘security’ is the state of being secure, freedom from risk, anxiety or fear, anything that gives or assures safety, how do you feel about where you work, and what do you think you can do to change it? L

Stuart Naisbett has been employed within the security industry for over 39 years and in that time has provided security services to schools and colleges. He has also run a distance learning college for security managers, and been a member of the International Professional Security Association for over 25 years, and currently holds the post of International Chairman.

The International Professional Security Association is a membership body for companies and individuals working in the security industry. Member companies are required to demonstrate compliance with British Standards for the security industry.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.ipsa.org.uk

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Catering Written by Alison Stafford, Healthy Schools Manager, Healthy Schools London

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HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Working for a healthier school education Healthy Schools London is an Awards Programme that will reach out to every London child, working with schools to improve children and young people’s well‑being. Here, Alison Stafford gives an insight to the work being done Healthy Schools London is an awards scheme funded by the Mayor of London that supports and recognises school achievements in pupil health and well-being. Healthy Schools London focuses on the whole child and gives schools a framework for their activity with pupils, staff and the wider community.

Healthy Schools London promotes a whole school approach across five themes: healthy eating; physical activity; emotional health and well-being; personal, social, health and economic education (PSHEE); and environment.

The programme builds on the success of the National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP).

97 per cent of all London schools were involved in NHSP but since its demise, in 2011, many local Boroughs ended their investment despite its popularity. Healthy Schools London has stimulated re-investment. There are three levels of Awards: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

WHY DO WE NEED A HEALTHY SCHOOLS LONDON PROGRAMME? The links between pupil health and well‑being and attainment are increasingly recognised and backed up by robust evidence. A recent paper published by Public Health England, ‘The link between pupil health and well‑being and attainment: A briefing for head teachers, governors and staff in education settings’ (November 2014) presented the following evidence: pupils with better health and well‑being are likely to achieve better academically; effective social and emotional competencies are associated with greater health and well-being, and better achievement; the culture, ethos and environment of a school influences the health and well‑being of pupils and their readiness to learn; and a positive association exists between academic attainment and physical activity levels of pupils.

Childhood obesity is a critical issue especially for London children. More than a third of London’s 11 year-olds are overweight and more than one in five are obese. Prevention begins in childhood where it is proven that schools have a fundamental influence.

Healthy Schools London rewards schools that are creating environments conducive to the health and well‑being of pupils with

Links n betwee being ell‑ health,wtainment and at easingly are incrgnised reco d up by ke and bac bust ro e evidenc

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a particular focus on encouraging a healthy weight.

OFSTED Personal Social Health and Economic Education (PSHE education), citizenship education and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development have been given greater profile in the Ofsted Framework that was launched in September 2015.

By strengthening these areas, schools are more likely to obtain good overall

outcomes under the Common Inspection Framework from September 2015.

Healthy Schools London supports key areas of the new framework primarily through the HSL Bronze Award in relation to: PSHE; personal development, behaviour and welfare; safeguarding; SMSC; primary PE/sport premium; impact on pupil outcomes; and School Food Standards.

BENEFITS Examples of work that is being undertaken across London schools includes: welcoming dining room environment; increased uptake in healthy school meals; improved cooking

skills; road safety and bike sheds; increased walking and cycling to school; more school sport clubs and physical activities; and increased participation in physical activity.

We are also beginning to see a growth in re‑designed playgrounds; more active playtimes; playtime buddies; anti-bullying and pupil voice; and mindfulness and positive relationships.

INVESTMENT The Mayor’s investment has already levered in support from London Boroughs to support

HSL. 25 London Boroughs now have a local Healthy Schools Programme or equivalent local support for schools. The Healthy Schools London programme is delivered via a Network of Borough Leads who work directly with schools. We now have 1,673 (72 per cent) London schools registered. Of these, 804 schools have already achieved a Bronze Award, 205 have achieved a Silver Award and 18 a Gold Award.

HEAD TEACHER FOCUS/CASE STUDY: Karen Jaeggi, Worcesters Primary School, London Borough of Enfield Karen Jaeggi has been head teacher at

Catering

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Childhood obesity is a critical issue especially for London children. More than a third of London’s 11 year-olds are overweight and more than one in five are obese Worcesters Primary School since February 2011. When she arrived, the school had been given ‘Notice to improve’ by Ofsted. Within two years, by the end of 2013, the school was deemed ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Karen approached her tenure as head at Worcesters by adopting the Healthy Schools model and using it as an improvement tool across the whole school. This model has helped with pupil behaviour, attendance and achievement throughout the school. Some of the activities that she implemented include a swing high club where pupils in early years have structured timetabled activities using the climbing frame to improve their gross motor skills. The handwriting of pupils in Early Years have improved as a result.

Karen also initiated playground zones for different activities whereby pupils are led by their peers and by lunchtime supervisors in a range of playground activities at break and lunchtime including: ball games, pogo sticks, climbing frames, bikes/trikes, skipping. Pupils are now more active at break and lunch times and less playground incidents are now recorded.

There is now a healthy breakfast club with activities for pupils. Attendance has increased since the introduction of the breakfast club. In addition, the school now has team points system across the school to reward good behaviour, effort and achievement.

Karen has overseen the re-design of the school dining room with more light and bright colours and 3D models of fruit and vegetables, menu options added in consultation with pupils, servery lowered so all pupils can now see food on offer, all pupils must have a meal that includes vegetables.

These activities have resulted in an increase in school meal uptake to 77 per cent of all pupils (280 pupils). This has been matched by improved packed lunches, with the school implementing a packed lunch policy via parental consultation, assemblies and displays so that 76 per cent now meet the Food Based Standards. Consequently, an increase in the consumption of healthy snacks eaten at break time has grown through the selling fruit pots.

The school implemented ‘Worcester’s Way’ where pupils have a ‘Plan A’ and a ‘Plan B’ for their future lives based on their aspirations, interests and abilities, which helps to promote the policy of ‘Be the Best you can Be’.

The impact of these Healthy Schools activities means that: pupils are more engaged in P.E; literacy has improved; pupils have better relationships with one another and are more physically active at break and lunch times;

attendance is in line with national averages; there are very low incidences of behaviour recorded after lunch time; all pupils that attended swing high club showed improved handwriting as a result of this intervention; 55 fruit pots are sold each day to pupils in KS2; and 40 pupils attend breakfast club.

Karen is confident in crediting the whole school approach to health and well-being as promoted by the Healthy Schools model for the success of the school and its staff and pupils. Karen continues her work as Head of Worcester’s Primary Schools but also supports other schools in Enfield as part of her role as a National Leader of Education (NLE). Karen is a member of the Healthy Schools London Strategic Advisory group. L A film of Worcester’s Primary School is available to view at: www.healthyschoolslondon.org.uk/ resources/ofsted/school-improvment FURTHER INFORMATION www.healthyschoolslondon.org.uk

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STAFF RETENTION

With teacher recruitment and teacher retention currently posing difficult issues to the education sector, Julian Stanley of the Education Support Partnership discusses why it remains important to look beyond the destressing headlines Recruitment and retention are well known to be issues causing the education sector more problems than any other right now. But at UK education charity Education Support Partnership (formerly the Teacher Support Network), we are always keen to take the drama out of a crisis and provide practical solutions. That’s why this January we hosted an event at the Houses of Parliament designed to shift the focus away from ongoing conjecture and onto the search for some answers.

Select Committee Neil Carmichael MP; a head teacher who turned her own school’s performance and ability to recruit and retain its staff around 180 degrees; an ex-tutor from an FE institution who left teaching due to work load issues; and an academic completing a PhD on the topic of work strain in the sector.

Chaired by myself the panel discussed a wide range of topics, from personal development to administrative overload, and through this identified four main areas in which the sector ‘could do better’. These

Good management principles suggest that for success, organisations need to place well-being at the heart of their operations to maintain a healthy and happy workforce so more schools need to adopt well-being policies if the situation is to improve As a provider of free telephone crisis counselling services for individuals working in the sector, and organisational development programmes delivered each year to over 900 schools and colleges, the charity is well versed in the issues currently facing education.

So, in response to this we pulled together a debate between an eclectic panel of education experts including: chair of the Education

were: well-being and welfare – insisting upon the adoption of well-being policies in all education settings; empowering and enabling –identifying the balance between empowering and overburdening staff; freedom and flexibility - reversing the trend for testing and increasingly structured curriculum frameworks and trust and train teachers to do their job with a focus on reflective practice;

and celebrating success – making sure we all better celebrate the amazing experiences and achievements of teachers to help stem a current tendency for public pessimism.

PROMOTING WELL-BEING The first point, that of well-being is something the charity is very familiar with.

Much of its work is designed to help those working in education be at their best through the provision of a free counselling hotline, text, email and coaching support for individuals, a range of products and services including employee assistance programmes for and organisations.

Building on this experience we conduct an annual survey, questioning thousands of those working in the sector about their experience of mental and physical health. A sneak preview of this year’s soon to be released results show that only eight per cent of those surveyed had workplace well-being policies in their education settings. This is worrying.

Good management principles suggest that for success, organisations need to place well-being at the heart of their operations to maintain a healthy and happy workforce so more schools need to adopt well-being policies if the situation is to improve.

Written by Julian Stanley, CEO, Education Support Partnership

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STAFF RETENTION  the work place is not just anecdotally true, but fact. Preliminary findings of a PHD, co-funded by Education Support Partnership and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) suggest that giving teachers sufficient control and autonomy is a significant factor in reducing job strain, but that the effect is relatively small unless combined with leader and management support.

This research, conducted by PhD student Candy Whittome of Birkbeck, University of London’s Department of Organisational Psychology, found that supportive leadership is critical not only for teaching staff, but also for head teachers too. This makes clear that the support provided by governors, local education authorities and academy chains to head teachers is equally as important as that provided to a teacher by line manager or head of department.

Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on.

The research, which is anticipated to be completed later this year, draws on lessons learned from fields of business and management organisational psychology and explored data gathered from Education Support Partnership’s Positive Workplace Survey, a service the charity provides to help schools better understand their working environments. This data reveals that job strain has, over the last five years, become the single most important factor

Considering that our own YouGov Poll from June 2015 found that 24 per cent of those surveyed felt that the unreasonable demands from line managers would be to blame for their likely departure from education in the next five years, it becomes clear how important the conclusion of the new research is. Helping school leaders and managers to better, understand and support their teaching staff to keep them happy, well and in their jobs for longer is critical if we are to solve the current crisis.

CRACKING DOWN ON CREATIVITY Next comes the topic of the increasingly structured curriculum and high levels of admin preventing teachers from being able to bring their creativity to the table. For many, the potential to work creatively to inspire young minds through varied teaching methodologies is what first motivates the desire to teach. But it is the removal of this freedom to be creative – due to lack of time

For many, the potential to work creatively to inspire young minds through varied teaching methodologies is what first motivates the desire to teach. But it is the removal of this freedom to be creative that drives many away causing teachers to access the Education Support Partnership 24-hour helpline.

Candy explains: “Although the results of my research are not yet complete, what I am starting to be able to evidence is the importance of supportive leadership in helping individuals and organisations cope with the increased responsibility the sector is faced with. In other words, as external pressures on the teacher increase, due to changes in government policy such as testing and changes in curriculum, the need for those responsible for the running of schools to step up and show true leadership and support becomes ever more important.” Once completed, these research findings will form a centrepiece to a new consultation process we launched this month. This consultation is intended to assist school leaders and managers to identify best practice to create the appropriate cultures for success, preventing some of the issues commonly experienced as a result of workload and responsibility imbalances that can lead mental health issues and ultimately resignations.

or lack of permission – that drives many away.

This must stop, because creative inspired teaching is not only good for the profession but for pupils and performance too.

Anna-Beth Orton is an ex further education tutor who spoke very eloquently at our event this January about her own experiences of admin gone mad. For her the focus on ‘box ticking’ was exactly what drove her to resign. As an art and design tutor she increasingly found that she was under pressure to get the students through the modules quickly and collect the data that indicated their success (or otherwise).

Anna-Beth explains: “Making a mistake is often the best way to learn how to do something right, but in the current climate there is no time for this. Instead the system requires students to rote learn and move on while teaching staff focus on data collection and admin rather than people. In my opinion neither students or teaching staff are well served by this approach. Personally I began to feel as though I was simply a box ticking coach,

helping students gain certificates but not pick up any real understanding or education along the way, so I left, because it was no longer the job I signed up for.”

WARRANTING RECOGNITION Finally, let’s talk about celebration. Feeling proud of one’s career is hugely important and celebration helps us achieve this. Pride finds its origins in public and private perceptions as well as the reality of the job. Pride manifests itself in heightened interest in a profession, as seen through numbers of applicants, departures and arrivals. So given this, shouldn’t we be celebrating teaching more?

Of course celebration is perhaps best achieved through recognition, and what better way to be recognised than through fair pay and conditions? Making sure all of those in education can look forward to investment in their continuous professional development, and remuneration that is sufficient to encourage them to stay in the classroom for the long term without the risk of burn out or bankruptcy. This has to be the very best incentive for attracting high calibre staff into the sector and keeping them there, does it not?

At the Education Support Partnership we know that working in the sector is, in equal measures, one of the most challenging and fulfilling career choices there is. But I do worry that it sometimes seems as though, through social and traditional media, we are hearing more about the bad times than the good. And whilst sharing our experiences is critically important as a way to effect change, is this very public sharing by the few also responsible for driving away the many?

I hope not, but to help readdress any imbalance we at the Education Support Partnership want to encourage the sharing of positive experiences through our hashtag #NotQuittingTeaching.

This has already gathered great momentum and even found itself trending throughout the evening of our Westminster event. So why not join us by sharing your own thoughts and advice too?

Equally, if you have information you’d like to contribute to our consultation process on the practical solutions to the recruitment and retention problem we ‘d love to hear from you too. Simply email us on consultation@ educationsupport.org.uk because I am certain that together, we can at least take some of the drama out of this particular crisis. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk

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COMMUNITY APPEAL

Opening school sports facilities to the community can deliver health benefits locally – while creating a valuable source of income. Sport England discusses how its new ‘Use Our School’ digital tool can help schools lease their facilities

Nearly 40 per cent of sporting facilities in England are on school sites, and currently 62 per cent of schools open these facilities to their local community. Sport England recognised that many more wanted to explore this type of provision and launched a comprehensive new online resource ‘Use Our School’ in June 2015.

The digital tool, developed in partnership with 40 schools and industry experts, aims to support schools in providing sports access as well as improve and sustain their current community programmes.

Schools across England are now reaping the rewards of leasing their sports facilities out of hours. They are playing a vital role in the provision of sport in their local communities, providing volunteering and vocational opportunities to their students, enjoying increased local status, and many are generating additional income.

Written by Sport England

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Schools e s who lea ports ir s out the lities faci vital a g n i y a are pl e provision th role in ort in their of sp cal lo nities WHY HAS SPORT commu ENGLAND DEVELOPED IT?

WHAT IS THE RESOURCE? Use Our School is an online provision of advice and guidance on how to make the case for community use, operating safely, legal issues, managing finances and enterprising ideas. There is a bank of free tools and templates to download and adapt for purpose, as well as videos and case studies available from schools sharing their practice.

The website is a valuable source of information for head teachers, governors, business managers, sports centre managers and anyone responsible for managing community activity on school sites.

Case studies, including those shown in this article, show that regardless of the type of school, there is important information available whether you are looking to make improvements to your current community offer or you are after advice to start up.

Sport England is a public body, working to increase the number of people who play sport regularly with the aim of making their lives better through sport and keeping active.

The organisation is focused on helping people and communities across the country create a sporting habit for life.

Jayne Molyneux, Sport England’s Strategic Lead for Youth, said: “We know what an important role schools play in their local community and we want to actively support those schools who already open up their facilities for community use, and those who are considering doing so.”

Detailed organisation and management goes into opening school facilities out of hours, so Sport England felt it would be useful to put together an online toolkit to allow schools E

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COMMUNITY APPEAL  to access all the information and advice they may need in one place.

Alongside schools, industry experts were commissioned to write advice, for example, Price Waterhouse Cooper wrote the VAT Guidance and the Child Protection in Sport Unit of the NSPCC designed the safeguarding check and challenge tool.

With nearly two thirds of schools across England already offering their facilities for community use, it is obvious that the access is a win-win for both the community club or sport and the individual school. Sport England’s aim is to facilitate and support the development of this provision.

Three quarters of sports halls and artificial sports pitches and a third of swimming pools in England are located in schools, enjoyed by children during term time but left dormant during the holidays or in the evening. Facilities are being underused and schools undervalued.

Many schoolsng pi are rea rds of a community links. the rew eir sports Over the last 5 h t g s leasin s out of hour years, the school has increased the number of facilitieng generating community programmes includi ditional offered and developed ad relationships with a range of clubs and organisations, income

IN-HOUSE MANAGEMENT Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School has a strong identity in the local community, successfully built up over many years. When the Sports Hall and Fitness Suite were built, the school engaged the Local Authority Leisure Services to manage the facilities during community hours. The school subsequently became a Specialist Sports College and a Community Sport Development Manager was appointed to promote use, specifically targeting sports clubs.

A successful Lottery bid enabled Cardinal Heenan to build four new artificial turf pitches, and the school was also allocated capital funding which was used to improve their tennis offer by investing in a full size 3G pitch.

In 2013, in a mutual arrangement with Leisure Services, the school took over the community use management. This process was driven by the head teacher and community manager, supported by the governors.

Two years on and the school is already seeing financial rewards and additional benefits.

SPORT AND MORE Cowplain Community School (CCS) has historically hosted a strong adult learning programme which was delivered on site by South Downs College. Due to government funding cuts, the service was gradually reduced and the school began to look for an alternative delivery mechanism.

In 2005, CCS became a Business and Community Specialist College and transformed an old Caretaker’s house into a Business & Conference Centre. The Business and Community team have developed the family and adult learning courses and

seeing their community income grow from £24,800 in 2006/7 to £82,200 in 2011/12.

The school converted to an Academy in 2012, and community use continues to be an important part of the school’s vision.

They are also striving to be recognised as a key sport and leisure provider in the area and to become integral to Havant Borough Council’s Leisure Strategy.

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The school has extensive facilities including the Eastern Road playing fields, which are situated across a busy main road. The school only use these facilities during afternoons, so it has been developing programmes to encourage local groups (particularly local primary schools) to make use of the pitches when they are not required by the school. This includes a programme they have recently piloted, offering local primary schools (juniors) a free, five-week skills programme. The sports on offer include rugby, hockey and netball, and are delivered by skilled coaches and talented sports people who are

Three and a half years ago, King Edward’s created a new Director of Outreach role to enhance the community lettings with a targeted programme SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY King Edward’s School is situated close to Birmingham University on a large site of 50 acres, which it shares with King Edward’s High School for Girls. It serves an extensive catchment of over 300 different schools across Birmingham and the West Midlands. The school has a strong tradition of community use and has provided community lettings for over 20 years. Three and a half years ago, King Edward’s created a new Director of Outreach role to enhance the community lettings with a targeted programme aimed at local primary schools.

King Edward’s chief master John Claughton is a former pupil of King Edward’s School, who played professional cricket for Warwickshire and has a keen understanding of the importance of community sport. His vision is for King Edward’s School to be at the

already working with the school (several PE staff have played at international or professional level at hockey and rugby).

Last year, the coaches included Emily Scarratt, who was a key player in the England team that won the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup final against Canada.

The primary school children participating in the programme not only develop confidence in the sport, but also meet a local community club and are encouraged to engage in that sport on a regular basis at a recreational level.

If you are interested in finding out more, Sport England is promoting Use Our School at national conferences and also offering some regional workshops where there is demand. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.sportengland.org/useourschool

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TRIPS ABROAD

Significant investment in Flanders in the run-up to the 2014-2018 Centenary Commemorations and an ongoing programme of events and exhibitions means that the area has more to offer pupils than ever before in their experience of WW1 cultural heritage With the number of annual tourists visiting West Flanders almost doubling from 415,000 to 800,000 in 2014, investment in five key areas: Ypres, Diksmuide, Nieuwpoort, Zonnebeke and Lijssenthoek has enhanced the visitor experience in numerous ways, including its emphasis on technology to offer interactive displays, improved accessibility for visitors with disabilities and the emergence of numerous quality educational initiatives.

The current generation of school children now have an unprecedented opportunity to fully understand the sacrifices made by the fallen of the Great War. But on time‑pressured tours, typically of just two to five days, how can teachers make sure that students make the most of this often once in a lifetime opportunity?

As Emma Carney, Head of History at Kings High School, Warwick explains, the sheer volume of ‘must-visit’ sites in the area is remarkable.

She said: “I have been lucky enough to visit the wonderful and incredibly historical region of Flanders for the past eight years as a leader of numerous school visits. Both my previous students at Thomas Telford in Shropshire and my current girls at King’s High Warwick, adore

these trips. They gain so much from being immersed in such an evocative landscape.

“From the beautiful town of Ypres to the trenches and cemeteries of Lijssenthoek, Passchendaele and Langemarck, this is a

children are able to take full advantage of the cross-curricular learning potential on offer.

From gaining a first-hand understanding of the tragic influences of the War Poets, to lessons into politics and insights into significant

The current generation of school children now have an unprecedented opportunity to fully understand the sacrifices made by the fallen of the Great War place of great warmth, yet it remains tinged with the marks of tragedy, bitter conflict and human lives lost. These fields have witnessed incredible bloodshed yet the resilience of the people and their settlements remain. It is a truly unforgettable place and I would recommend it to any teacher of History, English or indeed anyone with a great respect for the past and the determination to overcome such obstacles with great fortitude.”

CROSS-CURRICULAR LEARNING With so many historical sites to consider, teachers must be selective to ensure that

events in history, the landscape of Belgium has much to offer on a range of subjects.

Fortunately, thanks to technology, there are many learning resources available to teachers and students these days, from websites to apps, films and touchstone. All of these tools serve to reinforce classroom studies and support the valuable experiences gained on tours to the First World War battlefields.

Speaking of the poignant and lasting memories WW1 tours give to pupils, Ian Coyne, commercial director of Anglia Tours comments: “For many, the horror of the Great War can be summed up in two words ‘The Salient’. E

Written by Karen Roebuck, Great War Centenary Project Manager, Visit Flanders

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TRIPS ABROAD  The medieval town of ‘Wipers’, as it was known to thousands of British soldiers, lay at the eye of the storm which raged across the fields of Flanders and which, to this day, bears witness to the cataclysmic cost of the Great War. “Each year Anglia Tours has the privilege of providing thousands of British students with a chance to see for themselves the impact this

bracelets, video projections and soundscapes.

The Bell Tower also offers a panoramic view of what was once a scene of devastation.

Elsewhere, close to In Flanders Field Museum, is the Menin Gate, where the poignant ‘The Last Post‘ ceremony can be attended. The most famous Commonwealth War Memorial in Flanders, tens of thousands of soldiers passed through on the way to the

With so many historical sites to consider, teachers must be selective to ensure that children are able to take full advantage of the cross-curricular learning potential on offer conflict had on Flanders, Britain and the world.

Few pupils will forget walking through the trenches, standing surrounded by headstones in Tyne Cot or listening as the bugles play the ‘Last Post’ under the Menin Gate. Each visit creates memories which, like the locations themselves, will endure for years to come.”

The current programme of commemorative events occurring across key WW1 battlefield sites in West Flanders is enabling students to understand experiences in the trenches and the sheer scale of human sacrifice at profound levels. For instance, the ‘Coming World Remember Me’ art project, allows visitors to Flanders to participate in workshops where they can make one of 600,000 sculptures out of clay: one for every victim of the First World War in Belgium. Each sculpture will be marked with the name of a soldier killed in battle and in the spring of 2018, the installation will be mounted in the frontline around Ypres, placed between two large works by the artist Koen Vanmechelen as a lasting tribute from our times.

Gill Harvey, general manager of the School Travel Forum, says: “Our members organise over 3,500 school trips to the WW1 areas of Belgium and Northern France each year.

Their local knowledge and detailed itinerary planning aligned to the current curriculum is essential to the success of a visit.”

Visit Flanders’ new Educational Guide highlights key historical sites to consider, the educational resources available and offers general advice for all teachers planning to undertake a First World War battlefields tour with their students as part of the centenary commemoration.

PLACES TO VISIT In Flanders Fields Museum, a newly renovated museum housed in Ypres’ reconstructed Cloth Hall, offers a host of interactive features designed to engage pupils, including touch screens, video projection and soundscapes. The premier museum of the Great War Centenary in Flanders has over 2,000 original objects and documents on display and visitors are invited to share the stories through interactive kiosks, touch screens, interactive poppy

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front. Opened in 1927, the memorial bears witness to nearly 55,000 soldiers, who were reported missing in the Ypres Salient. Since 1928, apart from during WW2, every night at 8 o’clock sharp, the buglers of the Last Post Association, who are members of the Ypres Voluntary Fire Brigade, play the Last Post as a homage to the fallen. Students can participate in the ceremony by laying a wreath in person.

A trip to the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in

the world, provides a poignant experience for school groups to observe the 12,000 white tombstones. Students can also ‘march’ to the newly opened visitor’s centre from the Memorial Museum of Passchendaele as part of an experience-orientated themed walk, ‘The Road to Passchendaele’.

WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO SEE Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery’s visitor centre will offer some perspective of the large volume of war casualties, charted on a timeline and exemplified by a line-up of 1,392 poles indented to indicate a daily death toll. Teachers can base their visit around the ‘story of the day’ revealed on a block calendar, showing the day’s date and revealing the name and back‑story of a soldier who died on the same day.

A key town behind the Front Line, Veurne Town Hall offers insights into the everyday life of both citizens and soldiers during WW1.

An exhibition in the old town hall, formerly used as the headquarters of the Belgian army in 1914, aims to tell the unique, personal and remarkable stories of the townspeople, divided into themes including religion, jurisdiction, diplomacy and medical care. Of particular relevance to school groups is the

section on education, where students can appreciate what it was like to be a school pupil during the war and learn about the temporary schools where they were taught.

Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 (MMP 17) is a museum dedicated to the story of Passchendaele and its battle in 1917.

Located in the village of Zonnebeke in former chateau, it focuses on the material aspects of World War I. Its first floor houses a unique collection of historic objects, life-like dioramas, and photo and film footage. In the basement, a unique Dugout Experience reconstructs lifelike communication and dressing posts, headquarters and sleeping accommodation. The museum was also extended recently to house a completely new underground building about the Battle of Passchendaele and the International Commonwealth’s involvement in the battle.

A new Trench Experience now houses a network of German and British trenches together with original reconstructed shelters.

The renovated Yser Tower Museum atxDiksmuide offers a sensory experience for schools, revealing the story of the Belgian‑German confrontation including the political consequences of the war which led to the Flemish emancipation. Groups can

experience the 273ft high view from the top of the tower, scramble through a reconstruction of life in the trenches. Teachers wishing to extend their visit to Diksmuide can combine a tour of the museum with a trip to the Trench of Death and German military cemetery at Vladslo; just a short coach ride away.

UP-COMING EVENTS Centenary of Battles of Messines and Passchendaele 2017. It was in June 1917 that the Mine Battle of Messines took place and its deafening explosions could be heard as far away as London. This battled ensued to become The Battle of Passchendaele and resulted in the tragic death, injury and disappearance of over 400,000 soldiers over just four months. A number of commemoration ceremonies, events and exhibitions will take place in and around the area of Messines and Passchendaele to remember these devastating events.

The War in Short Pants, 14 October 2016 to 2 April 2017 at St Pieters Abbey – Ghent.

War in Short Pants takes a look at the history of WW1 from a child’s perspective,

School Trips

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with inspiration for their field trip. As part of the commemoration of World War I in Belgium, young people have the opportunity to create their own film projects using digital storytelling, which stimulates critical and creative thinking.

They learn how to analyse historical photographs, write a script and score a film.

The emphasis is placed on how and from what perspective they tell their story. The exercise sharpens their sense of history and the cross-curricular approach can function as a stimulus for a school project focused on WW1.

This application is designed for students in the second and third year of secondary education.

The Touchstone 14-18 commemoration seeks to provide support for individuals who are involved in or who wish to undertake a project on WW1. For this purpose, Touchstone ’14-’18 was developed, a tool and guide to bringing a project to fruition. ‘Learning from the War’ is an aspect of war studies that the Province of West Flanders has been keen to promote for a very long time. The story of the war should be one with a clear message of peace.

Remembrance education is based on three

“It is a truly unforgettable place and I would recommend it to any teacher of History, English or indeed anyone with a great respect for the past and the determination to overcome such obstacles with great fortitude” with children taking centre stage. Among others, the exhibition portrays the stories of children who stayed in Belgium during the war, but whose lives irreversibly changed due to the occupation. The exhibits are mainly relics from the children’s everyday lives: drawings, toys, songs, glossy magazines, and possibly also letters and diaries. Objects from the ‘adult’ world, such as pictures, posters, post cards and films are also featured.

LEARNING RESOURCES 14-18 On Film for Tablet gives an overview of what there is to see and do in Flanders fields and aims to provide teachers and students

very important factors: (1) knowledge and insight; (2) empathy and solidarity and (3) reflection and action. We elaborate on these three factors using challenges, ideas, opportunities and concrete educational projects. We also link this programme with educational attainment targets.

Lastly, there is an appendix: background information on WW1. This touchstone wants to help as many people as possible to develop interesting and worthwhile projects on the Great War. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.flandersfields1418.com

Volume 21.1 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Education Estates

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

EVENT PREVIEW

For those managing our Education Estates

Those responsible for designing, building, maintaining and funding our schools are facing huge challenges. Education Estates, taking place on the 18-19 October at Manchester Central, aims to provide the solutions to the challenging issues. Education Business looks ahead to this year’s show as well as some of the highlights from the November 2015 showpiece Whether you are looking at adding new buildings, considering refurbishing existing buildings or ongoing maintenance work Education Estates Conference & Exhibition is here to help you. Education Estates is the only event of its kind in the UK, covering the primary, secondary, further and higher education sectors.

The Conference features over 90 speakers, with specialist content streams for schools, colleges and universities. Lively and authoritative, it’s THE professional gathering for everyone concerned with education’s built environment.

New for 2016 will be a dedicated conference stream for maintenance supported by the Education Funding Agency.

The Exhibition is free to all visitors and delegates. The Conference is free for those directly employed in schools, colleges, universities and local authorities (includes governors and independent schools).

Those responsible for designing, building, maintaining and funding our schools, academies, colleges and universities face huge challenges. But wherever they are in the project lifecycle, they’ll find the solutions at Education Estates 2016.

The annual Education Estates Awards & Dinner is a fantastic networking opportunity for exhibitors, speakers, visitors and delegates – and a great night out, too! This year, it will be held in Manchester’s prestigious Hilton Hotel.

EXHIBITING Exhibiting at Education Estates gives you unprecedented access to estates and facilities directors, heads of education, local authorities, architects, contractors, governors, advisers and head teachers from across the UK. The Exhibition is split 50/50 between products and services, maximising opportunities for exhibitors, and value for visitors.

It’s your chance to showcase your latest products and services, innovations and advice to senior decision-makers and specifiers delivering new-build, refurbishment and maintenance projects throughout the UK. THE 2015 EVENT Speaking of last years show, a Project Delivery Officer from South Gloucestershire

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Council Property Services said: “The Education Estates Conference was a very well run event with very interesting, informative and forward thinking speakers.

The speakers were of good quality, very experienced and committed with an approach which was refreshing and energising. I would recommend it to those in buildings and education, you can learn here.”

The 2015 Schools Conference session included Tony Dolan of Curtins discussing ‘Transport and access issues for school construction projects’ and Gareth Woodfin, HLM, discussing inclusion in a session entitled ‘Challenges faced in designing facilities to

discussing the importance of understanding people when designing schools.

As part of the Colleges & Universities Conference session, Aaron Taylor addressed changing space requirements in a talk called ‘Building communities for student living’.

Additionally, Lyndsay Smith of Morgan Sindall covered ‘An innovative approach to low carbon construction’ and Mark Sidding explored ‘Enhancing student experience through estate development’.

Richard Jobson addressed sustainability in a session titled ‘The challenges facing the 21st century university estates, before Chris Pattison delved into campus design,

“The Education Estates Conference was a very well run event with very interesting, informative and forward thinking speakers” accommodate both mainstream and special education needs under one roof and how they were overcome to provide an inclusive learning environment for the local community’.

Additionally, delegates heard from Will Wareing from Girls’ Day School Trust in a session titled ‘Irresistible Learning: How spaces can support pedagogy’ and AG Real Estates’s Philippe Monserez tackling ‘PPP: Schools of Tomorrow’.

Jon James, Scott Brownrigg, concluded the schools part of the conference,

with Jason Challender of Leeds City College completing the conferences with a session on masterplanning and strategy. The 2016 Conference list, due to be announced later in the year, has a lot to live up to. L

For information about stand availability and prices, please contact Jay Stacy or James Lee 01892 518877.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.educationestates.com

SCHOOL FURNITURE

DESIGN & BUILD

Once upon a time, there was a teacher named ‘Jan,’ who loved teaching English to young children within the inner cities.

There was also a joiner named John who loved working with wood, and between them they designed furniture for schools.

While installing some beaching, John was asked: “Would it be possible to have an office chair, which a child could sit on?”

So they decided to construct a chair from Birch laminated plywood, which is very strong, has good springy posture and an excellently long working life.

In 2004, This fine quality chair was born.

Made in England, from wood harvested from sustainable woodlands and Birch Forests, the chair weighs in at 5kgs, making it ideal for the primary sector. This is a chair that has no removable parts and is easy to wipe clean.

With no damp cushions to worry about, on glides chariots are no more. It can be picked up

A unique service is helping education providers achieve optimum effectiveness in value engineering for accessible toilet provision.

The Department for Education has updated its Building Bulletin 103 Area Guidelines for Mainstream Schools, which, for the first time, lays down a minimum size and required equipment for a school hygiene room. However, few building service companies fully appreciate the breadth of equipment and associated ancillaries required, or have the capability and ability to supply, install and commission the raft of equipment involved. This puts strain on timescales and budgets.

Clos-o-Mat is the only disabled toilet provider that can, in-house, provide a value engineered solution. It can, through one source, provide design advice, supply, installation, project management and ongoing maintenance across

The ‘Jan chair’, carefully crafted for the long term

with one hand, on gas strut.

Readily assembled, no adults are required.

The ’John’ chair is the larger of the two, designed for adults, useful in academies, universities, colleges, schools and public places. The sponsored chair, can be engraved with your logo.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 6479 846 info@janandjohnchairs.uk www.johnowen.co.uk

Designing accessible and dignified toilet facilities

ENERGY

IT

Optimal Monitoring has a new Schools Utility Efficiency Service which delivers utility efficiency at a cost typically covered by the savings achieved.

Schools Utility Efficiency Service supplements Optimal’s Energy Monitoring, Analytics and Reporting software already successfully operating in schools and academies. The additional service accesses energy savings, through combined data monitoring, analysis and consultancy management, creating increased utility efficiency and extra time and funds for other education priorities.

The service provides a 12 month programme, audit and strategic assistance, alongside quarterly planning reviews.

Optimal will identify low and no cost initiatives which can cover the service cost in savings by the end of the first year. A bespoke business plan will be

The School Planner Company’s founder has been creating customised student planners since 1994, when he noticed the value of personalised, well-presented documents in education.

Whilst studying as a student teacher he realised how useful relevant and professionally designed resources are to schools.

Identifying student planners as a resource with wasted potential, he dedicated his time to creating customised student planners which added value to students’ learning and supported teaching.

A carefully designed student planner can help to establish strong home-school communication, and can encourage students to take ownership of their education through independent learning.

Fully customised student planners are guaranteed to be

Zero cost utility management for schools

produced for the following year.

Duncan Everett, Optimal’s Managing Director, comments: “We appreciate school budgets and time constraints hinder energy and cost efficiency being achieved. Bursars often don’t know how to instigate changes to utility consumption. By outsourcing energy management to Optimal, schools can access vital reduction strategies using informed, timely decisions.”

The service reinforces Optimal’s commitment to education clients.

With challenging energy prices and budgets, Optimal’s Schools Utility Efficiency Service creates utility and cost savings through smarter energy management.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07503 168238 www.optimalmonitoring.com

Products & Services

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all the equipment needed.

Kelvin Grimes, Clos-o-Mat hygiene rooms project manager, said: “Because the room is a toilet, there is a misconception that any building services company can fit it. But it contains more than a WC; it has highly specialised equipment such as a hoist, a big changing bench, it needs electricity as well as a water supply, it needs loadbearing walls. If not understood, these cause significant delays and cost to the project.”

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: Tel: 0800 374 076 info@clos-o-mat.com www.clos-o-mat.com

Designing quality, tailormade student planners

relevant to your school. The homework section is designed to a school’s exact requirements.

With the right subject support pages they can become a useful resource in lessons, and they can support any assessment method.

The company has also designed hundreds of pupil planners for primary schools.

Planners can help schools save time and money by combining their homework diary, reading record, spellings list, rewards and praise system and homeschool communications.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01480 410432 planners@schoolplanners.co.uk www.school-planners.co.uk

Volume 21.1 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisers Index

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

‘Science Week Special Offer’ Let each child see light into colours (diffraction glasses rrp £1.25) and see all the colours go back to white (Newton’s Colour Wheel rrp £2.99) for just £1.50 each.

Make this the science week that they will never forget with these ultimate take homes that the whole family will enjoy.

To order fax to 0800 756 9788 or email to nsew@educationharbour.co.uk

www.educationharbour.com

ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service 3P Learning

Groupcall 67

OKI Systems

AFPR 101

Highline Adventure

Optimal Monitoring

Amadeus 34

Honey-Bee Adventures 51, 58

Phoenix AV Solutions

Artis Education

Hoodies 4 Schools

88

Promethean World

38

Management 92

ASCL 37

Ilyama International

76

Rayflex Rubber

96

Teachers 2 Parents

Aspect Safety Mirrors

iStorage 22

Rhinegold Media and

Charles Lawrence

JCC Lighting

Events

Surfaces 94

Products

DIME ONLINE

Jigsaw PSHE

Dolce Education Harbour

78 94

80 86, 87 102

56

26, 27 OFC, 52, 53

John Owen

101

RM Education

30

Staging Services

57

101

Step Exhibitions

100

48, 55

TG Escapes 79, 81 69, OFC

Rock UK Adventure Centres

Synthetic Turf IFC, 62 OBC

The Lake District Calvert Trust

96

The Piano Teachers Course 78 55, 96

The School

Kickteck 68

Rotatrim 80

Planner Company

Langley Waterproofing

36

Rubb Buildings

The Stable Company

eTeach 6

Lapsafe Products

40

Santander 12

Thermedia 24

Eva Chair International

60

Learning Cultures

90

School Booking

66

Ultimaker 72

Exertis

75

Makerbot Europe GMBH 44, 45

Schott Music

78

Urenco 32

Fairtrade Vending

88

Mike Ayres Design

Scott’s Of Thrapston

25

Voice

Fish Hydration

56

Milk For Life

Skills Mastery

51

Garran Lockers

14

Modplan/Nordic 54

Smart Training

90

Ward Hendry

42

Go Education

74

NASBM

Sound Dynamics

94

Wilo UK

IBC

Grayson Solutions

77

Netgear 10

Sound Space Design

80

Zycko 4

Epson UK

102

64

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.1

8 50, 56 35, 37

20

101 18

5, 46, 49, 51, 53, 55, 56, 57

You’ve got enough on your hands.

You can trust Wilo.

The Wilo-Yonos MAXO range combines power and simplicity with pioneering high-efficiency motor technology. Add the Wilo-Plug for easy, no-fuss installation.

You can trust Wilo.

LED display for delivery head & fault codes Control range from 0.5m set delivery head Maximum efficiency thanks to ECM technology Collective fault signal ensures system availability

Wilo-Yonos Maxo

Pioneering for You

For more information visit www.wilo.co.uk or call 01283 523000