Education Business 21.2

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VOLUME 21.2

Business Information for Education Decision Makers SCHOOL TRIPS

DESIGN & BUILD

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

EDUCATION SHOW

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

We look ahead to the innovation and ideas at the Education Show 2016 IT & COMPUTING

THE COMPUTING CHALLENGE

With a new computing curriculum this year, are schools prepared for changes?

DESIGN & BUILD

THE ENTIRE DESIGN JOURNEY Designing schools is about being pragmatic and resourceful: the design journey should not be overlooked

PLUS: CATERING | ENERGY | FINANCE | LITERACY | STEM | SCHOOL SPORT

www.educationbusinessuk.net

A member of

Sponsored by

VOLUME 21.2

Business Information for Education Decision Makers SCHOOL TRIPS

DESIGN & BUILD

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

EDUCATION SHOW

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION We look ahead to the innovation and ideas at the Education Show 2016 IT & COMPUTING

THE COMPUTING CHALLENGE

With a new computing curriculum this year, are schools prepared for changes?

DESIGN & BUILD

THE ENTIRE DESIGN JOURNEY Designing schools is about being pragmatic and resourceful: the design journey should not be overlooked

PLUS: CATERING | ENERGY | FINANCE | LITERACY | STEM | SCHOOL SPORT

Comment

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

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Be careful not to drown those who are coasting The Education and Adoption Bill has finally recieved Parliamentary approval, making the path for governmental intervention in coasting schools easier.

This is most likely to cause a further wave of ‘coasting’ schools becoming academies – a move the Department for Education claims will empower schools and ‘spread excellence everywhere’. But, despite claims to the contary, there remains little weight in the argument that academies ‘are a positive force for change’. Yet the academisation wave continues to gain powerful force.

In a week where Ofsted chief Michael Wilshaw, soon to be former Ofsted chief Michael Wilshaw (see page 9), condemned the performance levels of schools in Liverpool and Manchester, this new Bill will equip the government with the arsenal to enforce academy change.

Aiming for high standards and increased attainment is always necessary, but enforcing change very rarely leaves those squashed in a healthy position. This Bill holds the weight to do some damage.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

Additionally, as Nicky Morgan begins the process of finding a replacement for Wilshaw, it is encouraging to see reports of a possible candidate residing in the States losing momentum. While I do not doubt their credentials, it is hard to argue with the outgoing Ofsted head in thinking that “We’ve got a lot of talent in this country that I’m sure could do a good job as Ofsted’s next chief inspector.”

Finally, see page 110 to see the latest Education Business competition.

Michael Lyons, acting editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 11 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 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

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 21.2 Channing School in Highgate, London NW6, was a redevelopment project of Buckley Gray Yeoman; finalists of the Public Space category of the SBID International Design Awards 2015

07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

84 3D PRINTING

13 FINANCE

86 MATHEMATICS

The Education and Adoption Bill passes through Parliament; and applications open for Ofsted chief inspector role Budget plans are more important than just typing figures into a spreadsheet – they are the underpin of a schools financial success

17

17 DESIGN & BUILD

Factoring design costs into school budgeting is a priority worth making, says Vanessa Brady of the Society of British and International Design

29 MODULAR BUILD

A rise in pupil numbers and a lack of classroom space is an ongoing issue that is yet to be resolved. Does modular build offer the right solution?

37

32 ENERGY

Teaching children about sustainability is more rewarding when they are put in charge of the schools practices, says Luke Wynne of Global Action Plan

34 PARKING 77

To best understand the future of parking, we must know how we got here, says the British Parking Association’s David Smith

37 BETT SHOW REVIEW

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

57 THE EDUCATION SHOW 96 99

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

69 IT & COMPUTING

Dave Whyley and Brett Laniosh of Naace take a look at what the new computing curriculum will mean for schools, assessing the challenges and benefits

77 SCIENCE

11-20 March marks the return of British Science Week. The BSA’s Elspeth Houlding tells us how schools can get involved

Education Business

Contents

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3D printing in schools hasn’t taken off to the extent it could have. Is it due to wasted potential or bad timing?

The misconceptions surrounding mathematics often don’t add up. Ems Lord of NRICH discusses the importance of the subject and how it holds roots in many other school subjects

88 AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS

Organisations like Code Club are really complimenting the current computing and mathematics curriculum. Maria Quevedo details the benefits it holds

91 LITERACY

Is there a link between literacy and poverty? With an increased drive to put literacy at the heart of education, Jonathan Douglas of the National Literacy Trust looks at literacy culture

95 STATIONERY

The needs, budgets and buying patterns of schools are ever changing. BESA help to keep the industry alert and share an insight into wise investment

96 CATERING

Healthy eating and appropriate food education enriches school life for pupils and the wider community, comments Jo Wild of Food for Life

99 SCHOOL TRIPS

Jane Cooper of the Countryside Education Trust shares her experiences of how school trips can connect people with the countryside and broaden students’ horizons about the world around them

103 SPORT

School Sport Premium is changing the routes to school sport improvement.

Sport England detail the programmes progress and share best practice case studies

105 PLAY

Students’ well-being while playing outside can be a prime concern for parents and teachers alike. But what can be done to calm such worries?

www.educationbusinessuk.net Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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INTERVENTION

New powers for intervention in failing schools approved by Parliament New powers that will allow quicker intervention in schools deemed as failing or coasting have been approved by Parliament.

Under the Education and Adoption Bill, the government will be able to intervene in schools that do not meet its standards of excellence. This intervention will lead to more local authority run schools being converted into academies, which the government claims will empower schools to spread excellence by ‘giving power and responsibility to teachers on the front line’.

Measures in the Bill also promise to remove bureaucracy and make it easier for sponsors to offer support to under-performing schools.

The government claims that this passage of the Bill represents a ‘major milestone’ in the government’s drive to ‘spread educational excellence’. However, its plans for increased academisation have faced opposition from teaching unions, who warn there is no solid proof that turning schools into academies will help to improve standards.

A large point of contention around the Bill has been focused on the definition

of ‘coasting’, which many have found complicated. As per the Bill, schools will be classed as coasting if pupils fail to make sufficient progress, or fail to consistently achieve government imposed standards over a three year period.

From this year, schools will be assessed using the new Progress 8 measure, with schools being deemed as coasting if fewer than 60 per cent fall below a ‘median level of expected progress’.

Schools that are already academies

will not be exempt from government intervention, as those deemed as failing or coasting could face being forcibly transferred to new sponsors.

The Bill will now receive royal assent and come into force as soon as possible, the Department for Education has said.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “No child should have to spend one day more than necessary in an under-performing school and as an urgent matter of social justice we are determined to spread educational excellence to every corner of the country.

“The measures in the Education and Adoption Bill will improve the life chances of thousands of children in communities across England.

“The Bill will raise standards in schools by allowing us to tackle failure from day one, ensuring swift action is taken wherever a school is not providing the high standards of education rightly expected by parents.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/jtw6yyt

RECRUITMENT

LITERACY

Stoke-on-Trent to pay off maths teacher tuition fees

Fears over literacy skill in Welsh schools

Stoke-on-Trent has announced it will help to pay off the tuition fees of maths teachers who come to work in the city, as part of a move to radically improve maths standards in schools, according to a report from the BBC. The project, named the Maths Excellence Partnership, is aimed at improving the chances for young people in the city, where many of its traditional industries have declined.

Local MP and former Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt is leading the initiative, working with local schools, the council and employers.

The programme is set to cost £1 million in funding and is aimed at attracting bright, young maths graduates to the city, which is currently struggling with academic underachievement.

The move follows an Ofsted review which criticised the region for being among the lowest GCSE results in England, which Hunt described as ‘pretty devastating’. Hunt has set a target of at least 70 per cent of pupils to achieve a good grade at GCSE maths in the next three years,

compared to 59 per cent at present.

The city is offering a £2,000 relocation fee for both graduates and established teachers, in addition to £2,000 per year for three years towards paying off tuition fees for new teachers.

Hunt explained that the city had a ‘history of a very successful economy, which was highly skilled, but did not always place a great emphasis on formal schooling and qualifications.’

He added: ”We’re battling against some of the legacies of that.”

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The campaign group, Read On. Get On. has warned that around 26,000 children are at risk of leaving Welsh primary schools unable to read, over the next five years.

The group claimed that of the 26,000 children, 10,000 were likely to be from poor backgrounds and argued that ‘decisive action’ needed to be taken to allow them to fulfil their potential. The campaign group outlined that children who read well by the age of 11 do better at schools, achieve better exam results and perform better in the workplace.

It has called upon the government to aim for all youngsters to start secondary schools as confident readers by 2025. It recommends

that more money should be invested in the early years workforce, including specialist support and measures introduced to help parents encourage reading at home.

Mary Powell-Chandler, chair of Read On. Get On. said: “We know that this is a challenging ambition, but it is wholly achievable and within our grasp if we focus our efforts.”

A spokesman for the Welsh government has maintained that literacy and numeracy will be ‘at the heart’ of the new curriculum. He added that a £6.3 million programme was also in the works, to provide qualifications for the early years workforce.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/htqlpvx

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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PERFORMANCE

MATHEMATICS

London pupils lagging behind international peers

A-level maths standards lower compared to 1960s

Pupils at London schools are being outperformed by their peers in many countries around the world, according to new research from University College London’s (UCL) Institute of Education.

Despite London schools often leading the way in pupil performance in the UK, the new research suggests that 15 year-olds in the nation’s capital are months, and sometimes years, behind their international counterparts.

The study examined 15 year-olds educated in both private and state schools and found that they were approximately six months behind pupils in Asia and wealthy parts of North America and Europe, with pupils in Shanghai being as much as three years further ahead in maths.

The study used data from tests administered through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) programme for international student assessment (Pisa), comparing the performance of over 1,000 pupils across 42 London schools.

Only 10 per cent of London pupils could match the maths skills of the average Shanghai 15 year-old, with pupils in Hong Kong, Maastricht, Helsinki, Milan, the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria, the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and the US states of Massachusetts and Connecticut consistently outperforming London pupils in maths, science and reading.

Dr John Jerrim, lead author of the study, said: “London schools have been rightly lauded in recent years for improving performance, particularly among pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, London’s comparatively poor Pisa results seem to stem from certain groups performing worse than expected, including girls, ethnic minorities and young people from lower

socio-economic groups. However, it is important to remember that this is just one assessment, and is a single piece in a much bigger jigsaw. London’s success in GCSE examinations is still a cause for celebration, though clearly much more also needs to be done to ensure children in our capital city are able to compete with the best in the world.”

Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture, said: “Whilst young Londoners get the best results in the country at GCSE, this research highlights the challenges still faced by London’s disadvantaged students in achieving as well as their peers. The different assessment style of Pisa appears to have the biggest impact on the performance of disadvantaged and ethnic minority students, and seems to explain the weaker results in London in comparison to the rest of the UK. “It is critically important that there is no complacency or reduction of support for London schools, and since these results were recorded, the Mayor and the government have developed a pan-London programme to maintain the focus on improvement.

We will be investigating these initial findings further and continuing to work with London’s schools and teachers to enable all young Londoners to achieve.”

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According to research conducted by the University of Loughborough, students who achieve a B in A-level maths today would only have secured an E in the 1960s.

The researchers compared the level of mathematical knowledge needed to tackle today’s maths A-level papers to those from the 1960s and 1990s.

The report, which was published in the British Educational Research Journal, also outlined that standards have been more or less stable since the 1990s. The report follows major reforms to GCSEs and A-levels in England which were brought in last year, in a bid to make qualifications more rigorous, including the addition of new tougher GCSE maths courses.

Dr Ian Jones of the university’s Mathematics Education Centre and author of the report said the study had been conducted amid ‘ongoing concern that maths A-levels are getting easier.’

He said: “Whilst our study does show a decline in standards between the 1960s and 1990s, there is no evidence to suggest there has been further decline in the last 20 years.”

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said: ”We have introduced a new, more rigorous maths curriculum at GCSE and a gold standard A-level.

The changes we have made will help tackle the grade inflation of the past.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/hvyqahf

INSPECTIONS

Applications open for £180k Ofsted chief inspector role Applications have officially opened for the next Ofsted chief inspector, offering a salary range of £170,000-£180,000.

The next chief inspector will take over from Sir Michael Wilshaw, who is set to step down from the role in January 2017, following five years in the role.

The job description states: “We are seeking an individual with senior experience in education or children’s services, and significant organisational leadership and management skills, who can demonstrate their commitment to the highest standards across Ofsted’s

remit and their aptitude for such a high profile and public‑facing role.”

There was initial speculation that Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was keen to look overseas to fill the role, however, that has since lost steam as a number of high profile education experts from the US have openly said they would not take the job.

The closing date for applications is 18 March, with interviews scheduled for 21 April.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/jmmkqx8

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Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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“Feeding Hungry Minds”

500,001 reasons for choosing ISS With more than 100 years of experience in the service industry and over 500,000 dedicated employees, ISS provides the ‘Human Touch’ to those important jobs that our clients outsource; which is why we are very proud to have been serving the Education Market with world class services since 2007.

We love to feed hungry minds! Learners of all ages need refueling during a day in the classroom and we’re here to make sure there’s plenty of delicious, home-cooked food ready for eating when the lunch bell rings! For us, it’s very important that we serve freshly prepared, healthy food which tastes great. Quality ingredients are a must and the more British and local produce, the better!

Every day ISS employees work as an integrated part of each client school and academy, ensuring that service value is created through ‘The ISS Way’ of customising and delivering our innovative service solutions.

Operating in over seventy countries ISS provides services within six different areas: Catering, Cleaning, including professional education cleaning, Technical Services, Security and Support Services and Facility Management.

For the last three years we have achieved the highest possible ratings by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®), which is just one more reason why you should consider ISS as your chosen provider.

To find out how you can benefit from the experience and skills provided by our 500,000+ service professionals, visit www.uk.issworld.com or feedinghungryminds.co.uk or contact us at isseducation.commercial@uk.issworld.com

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PERFORMANCE

ASSESSMENT

Manchester and Liverpool school performance declining, Ofsted warns

DfE agrees to change primary assessment deadline

Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted’s chief inspector, has voiced concerns about the declining secondary school performance and pupil attainment in Liverpool, Manchester and surrounding areas.

In a speech at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wilshaw cautioned that the Northern Powerhouse would ’splutter and die’ if young people in the regions were unable to obtain the appropriate skills to sustain it. He cited that three in 10 schools in Manchester and four in 10 in Liverpool had been ranked by Ofsted as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’.

According to official figures, the proportion of pupils in Manchester achieving 5 GCSEs grade A*-C, including English and mathematics, had decreased from 51 per cent in 2014 to 47 per cent.

The percentage in Liverpool has also fallen from 50 per cent to 48 per cent.

Commenting on the government’s vision of a Northern Powerhouse, Wilshaw said: “Manchester and Liverpool are at the core of our ambitions for a Northern Powerhouse.

They are the engines that could transform the prospects of the entire region. But as far as secondary education is concerned they are not firing on all cylinders. In fact they seem to be going into reverse.

“I am calling on local politicians, be they mayors, council leaders or cabinet members, to stand up and be counted, to shoulder responsibility for their local schools, to challenge and support them regardless of whether they are academies or not. I’m calling on them to be visible, high-profile figures that people can recognise as education champions.

I am calling on them to make education in general – and their under‑performing secondary schools in particular – a central target of their strategy for growth.”

Councillor Rosa Battle, of Manchester City Council, said: “We’ve been working non-stop with schools over the last few years to improve outcomes in the city. The latest figures show the number of pupils now attending good or better schools in Manchester is the same as that nationally – with a rate of improvement on this measure over the last four years that far outstrips national improvement.”

Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for Education, Employment and Skills, welcomed Wilshaw’s speech. He said: ”If our residents and our young people don’t have the right skills for the jobs of the future then the Northern Powerhouse will be an empty political slogan.

“If we’re going to balance the UK economy so that cities like Liverpool can contribute more to UK growth then we need more powers to influence the whole education and skills system to make sure we’re delivering what Liverpool businesses want.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/zkcykex

Following the National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) concerns about the changes in primary assessment, the Department for Education (DfE) has introduced a revised deadline for Key Stage 1 and 2 deadlines in 2016.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb declared the change will apply to this year only and will mean the deadline will be re-instated to the end of June. The review has been granted to help teachers cope with a revised framework to new standards in primary assessment.

In a statement, Gibb said: “The rationale for setting the earlier deadline this year was to ensure that all schools submit their teacher assessment data at the same time, after their own internal validation processes have been completed, but prior to any external moderation taking place. This move would mean fairer and more robust arrangements for the collection of teacher assessment data.

“However, I am prepared, for this year only, to relax the deadlines in recognition of the unique circumstance of teachers working with a new framework to new standards. I have asked the STA to amend their Assessment and Reporting Arrangements to reflect an amended deadline for KS1 and KS2 of 30 June and to communicate the change to all primary schools.”

He added: “The NAHT’s readiness to work with us, rather than use the media to scaremonger, has meant that we have been able to have a sensible discussion.

“As a result we have made changes, which I hope will allay teachers’ concerns about workload and disruption, allowing us to continue working towards the goal we all want to achieve – the best possible education for all our children.”

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PLAY

Disabled children isolated during playtime, charity says According to a new report by Sense, children with disabilities are often excluded during playtime because playgrounds and playgroups are unaccessible.

The charity claims that insufficient funding at a local level and negative attitudes to disabled children and their families are significant barriers to integration. It also found that most parents of disabled children thought that poor attitudes from other parents was a key barrier to accessing mainstream play.

The inquiry interviewed 175 families of disabled children with multiple needs and received a further 175 pieces of evidence. A survey of the families found that ninety per cent felt their child did not have the same chances to play as other children.

The study also found that two thirds of families claimed they had little information regarding accessible play opportunities in their area, while over half said they had been turned away from play settings that had failed to meet their duties under the Equality Act. Lord Blanket, leader of Sense and former Education Secretary, said: “We know that play is vitally important for children with multiple needs and their families, bringing a wide range of developmental and emotional benefits. However, our inquiry found that all too often the parents of children with multiple needs point to barriers they face in accessing and enjoying play.

“It means that disabled children don’t have the same chance to form

friendships, and parents are prevented from taking a break from caring. Both disabled children and their parents are excluded from their own communities.”

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring disabled children can access early years education and that play opportunities are accessible to disabled children.

“We don’t want to see any children discriminated against and to help this we have introduced the biggest reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability system in a generation, focusing support on individual needs and aspirations.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/h4v8xbe

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

11

SBS Budget Management Success Stories

Schools save time and gain confidence with accurate budget management solution, SBS Online Budget Accuracy

Lady Jane Grey Primary School - Groby, Leicester

Before switching to SBS Online, School Business Manager, Sally Boaden utilised spreadsheets provided by the local authority. The spreadsheets had always calculated each contract’s National Insurance (NI) separately.

“For members of staff who had more than one role, the forecasts were always wrong,” Sally explained. “For example, a single member of staff works as a teaching assistant, in the breakfast club, as a midday meal supervisor and as a cover supervisor. Their NI was always miles out.”

Working with spreadsheets also posed other problems. “If I wanted to change my staff I had to add a new line on the salary spreadsheet which would then throw out my budgeting spreadsheet. I had little faith in my budgets... my figures would often change from one meeting to the next.”

Sally is hugely more confident in her budget now SBS Online is projecting her staff costs. This is largely due to the way that NI is calculated. It is worked out by employee, not by contract, and for those staff who have more than one role, the NI calculations are spread across those contracts to arrive at exactly the right figure.

Sally also uses the Salary Monitor to check her payroll and ensure her contracts remain correct at the same time.

“Monthly payroll reconciliation now takes me 20 minutes instead of an hour and a half.”

With her renewed faith in her staff figures, Sally has been able to budget with more creativity and freedom.

“Having accurate staff forecasts has allowed me to budget for a brand new kitchen and an after school club.”

Effortless Reporting

George Mitchell School – Waltham Forest, London

School Business Manager, John Lawrence, was previously using spreadsheets to plan and monitor his budget.

John found that producing reports for the Local Authority (LA) and governors became a much easier process.

He exports the reports from SBS Online and quickly uses them to fill in the relevant documentation required by the LA. For governors, he is able to export the SBS Online reports straight to PDF and present them.

“I used to spend at least half a day chopping up data from my finance software. Using SBS Online, it’s a two second job to report to the senior leadership team and to budget holders. I can produce a report for the LA and I can budget monitor based on CFR codes which gives me a much better feel for year end.”

John uses the Salary Monitor to check his monthly payroll against the contract information held in SBS Online.

“I have a much greater degree of confidence. National Insurance, superannuation and increases to pay are correct. I was never that confident before, but the expected amounts in SBS Online match my payroll file.”

SBS Online will make budget management a breeze. Talk to our friendly team today.

Read more success stories or watch a short video on our website http://bit.ly/SBSOnline.

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Finance

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BUDGET MONITORING

The importance of budget monitoring Schools rely upon good solid budget plans to survive the inevitable twists and turns that the school year provides. Education Business looks at why budget plans are only worthwhile if schools know they are keeping them Good financial management in schools essentially comes down to maintaining knowledge of where money is coming in and knowing where money is going out.

The average revenue balance across all local authority maintained schools was £120,000.

Additionally, 16,534 maintained schools held a surplus revenue balance – translating to an average surplus in each school with a surplus of £134,000. 5.4 per cent of schools were in

deficit for the last academic year (2014/15).

With the current financial pressures that schools are facing with squeezed budgets and deficits, budget monitoring is becoming an increasingly important and effective element of financial good practice. Successful budget monitoring reports provide the necessary information about schools’ spending patterns that assist the schools’ management or finance staff to recognise and provide realistic

forecasts of year-end under or overspends.

There are two key components of budget monitoring, one leading smoothly into the other. With the vast bulk of any school’s expenditure being on staffing costs, it is important enough to warrant its own process. This is payroll reconciliation – otherwise known as salary monitoring.

A good salary monitor will be a thorough check back of expected employee costs per E Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

13

Advertisement Feature

CASHLESS SCHOOLS

ADVERTISEMENT GOING CASHLESS FEATURE WITH ONLINE UPPER PAYMENTS CASE HEADLINE

ParentPay’s online payment system has enabled 2 million parents to pay schools quickly and easily online. Shakespeare Primary explains how they went cashless Four years ago Deborah Latham, School Business Manager at Shakespeare Primary School in Lancashire, was concerned about the problems associated with the collection of cash in school and saw this as a priority that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later. With a large amount of cash being brought into school, the manual procedure in place was open to error - ‘Children sometimes left money in their book bags or coat pockets and parents would insist they had sent money in that never arrived at the office’.

To ‘propel us out of the dark ages’, Deborah met with a number of providers and viewed a demonstration from each of them to be able to make a fully informed decision. A neighbouring local authority had introduced ParentPay so they visited a primary school to see how they were getting on.

ParentPay was Shakespeare’s online payment facility of choice for a number of reasons. The school started using ParentPay to collect payments for uniform, which happened to ‘tie in nicely’ with their existing procedure for uniforms. Then they added school meals, trips and clubs.

Deborah explains: “The sheer number of schools using ParentPay across the country made it a strong candidate, it was and still is the largest provider in the market place.”

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COLLECTING PAYMENTS ONLINE? Deborah recalls a number of key benefits Shakespeare has gained since collecting payments online from parents: “A big difference we have noticed in our school office is the amount of time we have saved since implementing ParentPay; no more counting loose change, or dealing with angry parents because their money hadn’t made it to the office. Due to this, we all (parents included) have total peace of mind.

We are able to track every payment and chase up missing payments safe in the knowledge they have not been paid yet, a big plus for us.”

Furthermore, Deborah noted the positive trends going online has had: “We have seen a noticeable difference in how our parents now pay. More and more parents pay in advance, some as far as a term in advance for school meals, which was unheard of before ParentPay. This means parents are making larger payments as its more

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

“A big difference we have noticed in our school office is the amount of time we have saved since implementing ParentPay; no more counting loose change, or dealing with angry parents because their money hadn’t made it to the office” convenient and safer online. Some pay in conjunction with payday when paying.”

HOW WERE PARENTS ENCOURAGED TO GET ON BOARD? As with any new development, it is important to keep your parents updated so they know what is happening in school and if their participation is required.

Deborah explained how Shakespeare School involved their parents: “When we introduced ParentPay to Shakespeare, we provided each of our parents with a detailed leaflet to explain what it was, how it worked and when it would be introduced.

We wanted to make sure our parents were fully informed going into this decision and understood how this facility would benefit not only them, but the school too.

“In addition to sending out communications, I also met with existing and new parents in parent meetings, which I will continue to do for our Year 3 pupils taking into account the introduction of UIFSM. Now all parents at our school know about ParentPay and paying online is accepted as common practice.”

LESSONS TO SHARE WITH OTHERS Deborah emphasised: “For our school, collecting payments online was necessary to gain more financial security: this was the driving force behind our decision to push forward with notifying parents

and help them where possible.

“Creating a specific payment solution, whilst offering some flexibility has worked well for us, if parents are unable to pay online for whatever reason, they can phone the school and make an immediate payment over the phone. This is convenient for us as we receive the payment sooner than we would have if the parent was limited to the time they could come into school.

“The system also offers control of the minimum amount payable. For school meals we set this to £10 which means parents must either pay enough to cover any small debt, or ensure there is enough on their child’s account to cover the cost of meals for that week. Ensuring there is always an easy method of making a payment has changed our school dramatically; paying via credit/debit card is the most popular method amongst parents now, PayPoint is used less and less as parents see how easy and convenient the online alternative is.”

Deborah concluded: “I am really pleased BT Lancashire Services selected ParentPay as their preferred online payment provider, not only because schools can share their experience and best practice but also to validate the decision to choose ParentPay was a secure one, for product, price and service.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.parentpay.com

BUDGET

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Finance

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MONITORING

An easy to et g use bud t system men manage s consistent enable rocessing data p ltiple users u across mithin the w school  month to actual employee costs. There are easy ways to spot common mistakes, including to tick back one month’s payslips to the last and reconciling total cost to school, including on-costs – this will highlight super opt ins and outs.

The salary monitoring process will often not only identify incorrect staffing forecasts, but also incorrect payments to staff, making a ‘win-win’ situation. It is important to note that any pending payments or corrections identified in the salary monitoring stage should be noted and used later.

BUDGET MONITORING When budget monitoring, be sure to include all year to date actual expenditure and as fine a detail as possible – nominal code for example. Couple with this any committed expenditure, which for staffing should be based on your latest staffing contractual information. At this point be sure to add back in the pending payments as these will otherwise be missed, as they won’t be in your actual expenditure.

Consider for a second, you have a two month back log of incremental rises, these would not be in your actual expenditure, and neither would they be in your commitments in your original budget profile – a hefty chunk of expenditure to not include in your year-end projection.

This could result in the school making key decisions on data which is not accurate, therefore spending the surplus only to realise two months later it never really existed.

This has hopefully given an idea of the importance, but a couple of further tips to ensure you air on the side of caution and to avoid some commonly made mistakes.

It is essential for schools to consider: budgeting for future open staffing positions, and have details of any contract details

pencilled in, not just an amount. This will not only be far more accurate but will encourage employment within the scale range budgeted for; projecting year-end balances differently depending on the detail, such as for staffing items if running a salary monitor, project actuals plus commitments.

It is important to see an underspend if it exists, you may need it elsewhere in your budget midway through the year; projecting a minimum of your original allocated budget for non-staffing, unless your actuals plus commitments exceed your allocated budget, in which case forecast this figure; and that all budget variances exceeding five per cent in either direction from your allocated budget should be justifiable and explained, which will give confidence to the governors.

of staff being absent, a significant handover may be required to explain the workings of the budget spreadsheet for anyone else to understand and continue to manage the data.

PRACTICAL REWARDS A user-friendly budget management system enables consistent data processing across multiple users within the school and access to permission-based information. This alleviates any key dependencies within the team and allows for succession planning.

After a practical budget management training session with live data, users will be able to set and analyse their budgets almost immediately. Business and finance managers are able to see the impact of any new budget scenarios, for example, increased or reduced

Successful budget monitoring reports provide the necessary information about a schools’ spending patterns that assist the schools’ management and provide realistic forecasts of year‑end under or overspends THE SPREADSHEET CONUNDRUM With an understanding of the importance of budget monitoring, it demonstrates the need for a robust budget management system.

Many schools have been using a trusted spreadsheet for some time with complex formulas and multiple worksheets. Not only are the spreadsheets familiar but a huge amount of time and effort was invested into building and maintaining them and users are often apprehensive to implement a new system.

Spreadsheets are known to carry inaccuracies with a simple formatting or formula errors that are hard to trace and correct. This leads to increasing mis‑calculation and budgets quickly lose substance and valuable time is wasted identifying and reconciling queries. In the event of a member

teaching staff, at the click of a button. The time-saving and accuracy benefits alone delivers return on investment and value for money within just a few months.

While spreadsheets can be riddled with inaccuracies, require constant levels of maintenance and time, and hide anomalies, a good management system is the opposite. It offers a user-friendly and highly accurate way to manage the budget for the school, or, in fact, multiple budgets for multiple schools, and saves on time – which is a precious commodity in any educational establishment. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/483541/SR48_Text.pdf

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking Channing School in Highgate, London NW6, was a redevelopment project of Buckley Gray Yeoman; finalists of the Public Space category of the SBID International Design Awards 2015

DESIGN DYNAMICS

Design & Build

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Written by Vanessa Brady, president, The Society of British and International Design

Designing schools fit for the future Designing schools is about more than making them aesthetically pleasing. Vanessa Brady, of The Society of British and International Design, looks at the importance of different design stages and how finance managers should prioritise school design as a prime factor in their budgeting The introduction of Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) into the public sector infrastructure was at a peak during the mid-1980s and it changed the landscape of many former government funded areas of public services from hospitals, transport and, of course, schools. The scheme, whereby the private sector provided the capital funding as well as led the building development of many primary and secondary schools of the time, may have produced ‘educationally fit for purpose buildings (for its time) but innovation was not on the agenda’ (Harrison and Hutton, 2013).

One core reason for this is that these two partners, both government and investor, have very different roles. The government has a duty of care to provide a service for the people it

governs and it must do so to a standard that elevates the country as a leader in the field at the highest levels as well as endure the challenge of keeping Britain on an equal footing with competitors from countries in Europe and beyond.

Private investors, however, are in business to make money. They have no other agenda.

One is focused on service the other on profit.

Function wasn’t always strongly represented, nor was the final

delivery. Nonetheless a decade on, we can review the success and failure of the opportunities lost and provided so as to consider a more comprehensive thought process and expand on positive results gained.

This article will consider some of the necessary requisites in designing schools for the future.

The m classrooged n has cha ically, aesthet tools and the as havement used to equip ace planning p DYNAMICS learn; s ld account ItDESIGN is a fact that if you’re u o sh t a happy in your environment h t r o f you will excel. It all seems reasonably E

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Monodraught Products Support Cambridge University Low Energy Cooling and Ventilation Strategy COOL-PHASE®, WINDCATCHER®, X-AIR® & VENTSAIR®: Greenwich House, University of Cambridge Sector: Education Contacts Contractor: Munro Building Services Consultants: David Bedwell and Partners Location: Greenwich House, Cambridge, UK Products installed (Dec 15/Jan 16): 28N° Cool-Phase systems 6N° Windcatcher X-Air 170 systems 4N° 505 x 1440 Ventsair systems 2N° iNVent 2 control panels The University of Cambridge is committed to reducing its environmental impact, with a dedicated Environment and Energy Section within Estate Management leading on carbon reduction and a range of strategic and operational initiatives.

In January 2014, Monodraught were asked to develop a low energy cooling and ventilation strategy for Greenwich House at Cambridge University, as part of a planned building refurbishment into a modern and efficient collaborative office environment.

Monodraught worked closely with David Bedwell and Partners to engineer a scheme which met not only the performance criteria stipulated by the University’s strong sustainability ethos and standards, but also the thermal comfort levels expected by the building occupants.

Human perception of “comfortable” room temperature is subjective. It is based on a number of factors such as; air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, individual metabolism and clothing.

Not everyone will experience “thermal comfort” at 20°C-22°C and therefore occupants prefer to control their own comfort. Cool-phase is a low energy cooling and ventilation system that creates a comfortable, fresh and healthy indoor environment and also reduces the running costs of buildings. It works upon the principles of adaptive thermal comfort, controlling temperatures within a “thermally comfortable” bandwidth and gives end users more flexibility in controlling their environment.

Monodraught installed the Cool-phase systems and Windcatcher X-Air in a number of open plan office areas, several conference and meeting rooms, training rooms and a café area.

With the system’s ability to record minute by minute data from an integral data logger, plus BACnet connectivity, Monodraught will return to site later in the year to extract this data and provide an audit of performance as part of its post-occupancy analysis service. The reporting system also allows the Estate Management team to track performance on an ongoing basis.

Cool-phase uses a thermal energy store utilising a Phase Change Material (PCM) in combination with an intelligently controlled air handling unit to actively ventilate and cool the building. The Cool-phase system can radically reduce energy consumption by up to 90 %, compared to a conventional cooling system. Unlike conventional cooling approaches, Cool-phase uses no refrigerants making it an environmentally sound solution to cooling buildings.

Initial feedback on the installation has been positive and we look forward to working together with our partners on the project to provide performance data and investigate future opportunities to help reduce energy usage and CO2 emissions.

www.monodraught.com ● info@monodraught.com ● 01494 897700

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Design & Build

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DESIGN DYNAMICS  simple to me as a designer. Isolate the function and performance; look at the age group of the users; address safety; choose colours that relax; inspire and calm according to the use of the space; and insulate the building to ensure the lowest energy consumption, adding maximum light input with lots of glass to ensure maximum daylight use while considering the functions carried out within the building.

The products specified should be suitable for heavy duty contract use, easy to clean, easy to maintain when damaged and timeless in design. I always choose a supplier and supply agreement for continued re-order covering loss, damage and wear.

The general decor should last for ten years with minimal maintenance and not be regarded as dated after a tear or two. It’s not just the environment in which students study when attending an education establishment for a number of years, it’s also the methods in which education is transferred to pupils that needs consideration in design. The classroom has changed aesthetically, as have the tools and equipment used to learn, and space planning should account for that.

A quote from the Scottish government in its insistence on a curriculum review in 2004 and the need for transformation in schools is illustrative. It says: “The buildings, the physical environment and facilities must themselves also be drivers of change.

They need to be more than just passive or responsive to be used and adapted. They need to inspire and challenge both learners and teachers to think in new and imaginative ways about the surroundings within which learning takes place, indeed about the very ‘how’ it takes place. Buildings can and should be real catalysts for creativity.” – Scottish government 2009 (Harrison and Hutton).

storage needs to be carefully addressed to meet requirements of subject-specific equipment. It is necessary that dialogue should exist between those who will use the space, those that formally used the space and those building the space before work commences to ensure a 360° delivery. Often, this is the missing link and bad design is unreasonably blamed when in fact it’s often bad communication.

My personal rule when designing anything for public use is to always consult with the staff, the delivery drivers, the operators and the consumer/public and I have never once felt that it was an unnecessary step. If the space is new and not a refurbishment I go to another location with similar demographic and built environment stresses.

On completion, I have always felt that it was an essential part of the overall design as without doing so would have eliminated numerous aspects that I factored in which had made the building more safe, beautiful and

The s, buildingities il and facmselves e must ths of change. r be driveed to be more They ne just passive than used and to be pted ada

functional for everyday use for the people that live, work and move around within it.

DESIGN ECONOMICS Finance and budgeting is often the number one reason why many design essentials are thrown out of the window before being properly considered as they are often thought of as expensive. In an ideal world, money would never be an obstacle and utopian schools would be built where all stakeholders, including investors, were happy. Fortunately, design has caught up with reality and good design, and especially designers, are as cost efficient as they are innovative.

When considered carefully, simple ideas can make big changes in the well-being of users, as well as financially. The famous example of Bill Clinton introducing a simple, almost free of charge change top of tall buildings roof colour is illustrative. Instead of leaving the tar roofs black, he advocated the painting of them white. The result was that the buildings didn’t get so hot from over 30° sunshine, and therefore they used less energy running air conditioning. This saved money and helped the environment. E

Channing School in Highgate, London NW6, was a redevelopment project of Buckley Gray Yeoman; finalists of the Public Space category of the SBID International Design Awards 2015

DESIGN COMMUNICATION Good design will always engage effective communication with the end users especially in a design based purpose-built training environment. For instance, in the case of designing for disability, which is often a compliant matter for all public buildings, these considerations should be addressed to meet the needs of the end user. Listening to the opinions of those with a disability who are more aware and therefore able to impart information that can be used to the advantage of the buildings construction seems to be a basic consideration but it rarely happens, if at all. This is purely because the supply chain plan of works ‘footprint’ is not clear or shared with the stakeholders.

Even a more seemingly trivial subject like

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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DESIGN DYNAMICS  At the same token, seemingly more expensive design ideas in the outset often prove cost effective in the long run if they are properly assessed by the experts as to whether they are fit for purpose. This saves the investment in time and money to have to re-specify an unfit product.

Finance and budgeting is often the number one reason why many design essentials are thrown out of the window before being properly considered

DESIGN ERGONOMICS Thinking about the ergonomics of a space is an essential part of the planning process that has at times in the past been regarded an afterthought in public places such as schools.

Looking at elements from the pitch of a chair back to the curve and grip of door handles can make significant changes to the overall design of a space. For instance, a simple ball shaped door knob needs to be gripped and twisted to open the door. These two actions are often unsuitable for some users – therefore it is paramount to be cautious where certain products are specified.

The social uses of spaces are always a key in educational environments. A careful balance of breakout space for social hangouts and small pockets of space for a one-to-one conversation should be distinguished as well as a variety of some transparent but soundproof booths for private conversation. Good design will provide a variety of group meeting places where dialogue is shared both socially and formally with area-environments designed for both.

Similarly, rest and thinking space close to a library is obvious but that’s not always the case, private space is critical to a developing mind.

I haven’t even touched on canteens, lifts, theatres and sound-proofing, halls, firstaid, cloakrooms, offices and bathroom spaces - so if you think design is just about a classroom and tables and chairs take another look. One thing is for sure, we must firstly educate investors to understand their part and that they will get the return on their investment by consulting the experts, the educators, the students and the product suppliers and acting in the form of an old fashioned bank; lending money for a profit.

When new developments come to the table with that role, understanding the outcome can be phenomenal. Unfortunately, some destinations are so delighted to have received the backing and developers are so keen not to encourage interference that might lead to delays and impact on fees that the very basic starting point is thrown out before works even begin.

Design & Build

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CONCLUSION Good design starts with a consultation, and then a designer can create an environment that designs out the problems, factors in solutions, meets expectations, complies with building regulations and finally adds aesthetics. I’m so keen to push the fact that decorators make things look pretty but a designer is involved and creates solutions for the entire journey; something that has got lost in the development of the interior design profession. L

The Society of British and International Design (SBID) is the professional accrediting organisation for the interior design industry in the UK supporting the interests of interior designers and manufacturers by guiding and measuring the profession’s trading standards through practice, competence and education.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.sbid.org

Channing School in Highgate, London NW6, was a redevelopment project of Buckley Gray Yeoman; finalists of the Public Space category of the SBID International Design Awards 2015

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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DELIVERING ROOFING EXCELLENCE

TOP GRADE ROOFING SYSTEM LANGLEY TOP OF THE CLASS FOR HIGH SCHOOL Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd has helped London’s largest high school, and third largest in the UK, Kingsbury High School, refurbish its roof ensuring it meets the highest standards.

WORKING SMARTER TOGETHER Kingsbury High School approached specialist consultants, Capital Property and Construction Consultants (Capital PCC), to refurbish its facilities and help provide greater efficiency and all-weather proof systems within its buildings. Capital PCC called upon Langley to carry out a complete survey of the school’s existing 9,000m² roof system.

Langley compiled an in-depth report document detailing the findings and made recommendations for improvement works. The report allowed Langley to identify solutions to ensure the school was compliant with building regulations, and highlighted complications with the schools current roof drainage system which required a full redesign of each roof area.

Problems with the existing roof included ineffective insulation, defects in asphalt surfaces and cracks and interlayer blistering. Evidence of a long history of waterproofing issues was also found across the roofs due to issues with the drainage system and drainage patterns of the roof which caused flooding during heavy rainfall.

EDUCATION IN SAFE HANDS We provide end-to-end services, from bespoke condition reports to full specification and insurance-backed guarantees. But that’s just part of what’s on offer. From the renewables experts at Langley Eco Ltd to the unswerving attention to detail of our Technical Managers, to our select bank of approved contractors, we are a complete partner for education roofing projects – giving every institution peace of mind and value for money. Guaranteed.

The roof’s unusual architectural design, which included a central block with two curved wings coming forward, meant that every roof had to be individually designed due to the variation between the different roofs and drainage issues each roof presented.

Langley’s technical after-sales support, which includes inspections and roof guarantees, ensured that the project ran smoothly.

Kingsbury High School, London

THE ONLY ROOFING PARTNER YOU NEED EDUCATION ROOFING – THE RIGHT ANSWER EVERY TIME Langley has a proud history of combining technically sound roofing systems with unrivalled expertise for the education sector. Our wide range of BBA-approved roofing systems allows us to choose the right system for your individual school, college or university roof project. Our experts offer bespoke roofing reports, comprehensive condition surveys, 5-year action plans and support and guidance from conception to completion.

Our methodical approach to design and planning takes your needs into consideration, utilising the time frame allocated and minimising disruption during term time to give you complete peace of mind. With a reputation cemented over five decades, we’re the education roofing specialist both specifiers and contractors choose to work with again and again.

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YEOMAN SHIELD MAKING ‘WAVES’ IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE UK

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All Yeoman Shield materials/products are sourced and manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Riverside School Site Manager, Maurice Perry: “The wall protection is proving to be an effective way of protecting the busy main corridor of the school from bangs and scuffs.

We are very pleased with the end result and plan to use Yeoman Shield on future projects.”

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FUNDING

Design & Build

Channing School in Highgate, London NW6, was a redevelopment project of Buckley Gray Yeoman; finalists of the Public Space category of the SBID International Design Awards 2015

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Sponsored by

Refurbishing the places in which we learn 13 new buildings opened last month through the government’s Priority School Building Programme. Education Business takes a look at the recent successes of the programme 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: “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 E

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Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FUNDING  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 Grove School, a primary in Devon, 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 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 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.

Craig D’Cunha, Principal of the Chantry Academy, said: “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.

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

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.” L

DERBY SCHOOL’S DOORS REOPEN Pupils and staff at a Derby infant and nursery school have celebrated the official opening

FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk/government/collections/ priority-school-building-programme-psbp

CREATING IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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

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A building that inspires and is kind to the environment.

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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 Educational Business magazine advert_Scotts.indd 1

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Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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SCHOOL PLACES

Given the steady rise in pupil numbers and the pressures this puts on schools to offer places, Jackie Maginnis of the Modular and Portable Building Association discusses the benefits of modular and offsite build as a possible solution to the ongoing problem

In light of the recent media coverage around the education sector, it is no secret that the majority of UK schools are struggling with high demand for school places with a lack of additional facilities available in most areas.

Speed of delivery is a very important part of the requirements.

The modular and portable building industry has been around for many years and is available to provide low cost, sustainable solutions to the education sector.

Modular buildings can be manufactured with ultra quick lead times and supplied as an extension or an ‘add on’ to meet peaks in demand. Structures are available as either a permanent or temporary option at cost to suit the client’s needs. Modular also presents other fundamental benefits, making modular a sound choice for schools that require an expansion or an upgrade. Other such benefits include energy compliance, meeting the latest regulations and the ability to create complete bespoke design solutions.

FLEXIBILITY, DESIGN AND BUILD Given the limited amount of space available in the majority of existing schools, modular buildings provide an instant advantage to those who desperately need a cost effective and bespoke solution to utilise all the space available. Modules can also be used as a temporary or permanent measure, which in some cases provides options for a fully functional school buildings to be removed and reused if required.

Modular units are thoroughly planned and designed to suit specific user requirements, buildings are also created offsite in a factory, which enables urgent school buildings to be delivered faster resulting in minimum disruption.

EDUCATIONAL BUILDING REGULATIONS Modular buildings are constructed to the latest standards and are fully compliant to all building regulations, encompass Part L energy efficiency; this means modular build also presents lower carbon emissions.

Members of the MPBA are able to produce the required Energy Performance Certificates, so a customer can be certain of the energy rating for a building.

Education like many other sectors of construction today will be looking to resolve its future requirements in the most efficient and cost effect option as possible. Looking for more efficient ways of delivering a project on time, improving quality and measuring carbon emissions, reduction of waste on site coupled with reducing unnecessary labour costs.

Many still look to the traditional construction as a safer bet.

The old fashion procurement practice with its low levels of productivity, often poor quality finishes, most certainly more material waste and on site control, over run on contract periods and in turn costs.

Traditional construction methods struggle to deliver high levels of performance and require a high degree of accuracy, this is much more achievable in a factory controlled environment.

Written by Jackie Maginnis, chief executive, Modular and Portable Building Association

Innovative modular building solutions for the education sector

TIMES HAVE CHANGED Modular Building companies today can offer all the elements to deliver a Turn Key Package without the need to absorb expensive procurement costs which can be ill-afforded in today’s market place.

Education like many other sectors of construction today will be looking to resolve their future requirements in the most efficient and cost effect option as possible These can all be achieved with modules built off site in a controlled factory environment.

Volumetric buildings where possible are delivered to site in a virtually finished state.

Key drivers for the use of Modular Volumetric Buildings include: sustainability; reduction in on site waste – controlled factory waste; and reduction of carbon emissions.

Given the fact that modular buildings have been a major contributor to the construction industry since the post war years, there is still a tendency for many to regards the process of offsite construction to be a new and unknown quantity with many associated risks.

Today the subject of ‘old cabins’ remains in people’s minds, the fact is that designs have moved on. What is most frustrating is that there is an industry sector out there that has the answers but no one seems to want talk to us direct.

Albeit there are still some old buildings out there surely that is testament to the fact the buildings can stand the test of time‑way beyond the expectations of old.

Think what can be achieved now modern technology companies are offering a 60-year design life. Buildings are available to buy new, buy recycled, E

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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SCHOOL PLACES  or hired and can be can be designed to fit into difficult locations and tailored to suit the client’s budget. There is without a doubt an issue as to how the needs are met to suit all applications – is there a need for standardisation or a bespoke design for specific applications.

The modular industry is fully aware of the difficulty in filling ‘space’ on many schools where improvements are required-what fits-where it fits and how it fits is critical.

If there is a requirement to create a new building, decide early, embrace with the designs of modular building solution – do not design a fait accompli. Engage with the MPBA: its advice is free. Engage with a modular builder, this will enable the architect at an early stage to see how best to manufacture the building being designed and how to get the best out of construction which should create a cheaper and faster solution that suits everyone.

Most modular builders are happy to act as the principle contractor, so when developing a new scheme where the bulk value is modular go direct.

Today the education sector can get all of its requirements met; there is no need for the process to be complicated.

Buildings can be designed as standard or bespoke with everything undertaken by the supplier. Good examples of buildings

Given the limited amount of space available in the majority of existing schools, modular buildings provide an instant advantage to those who desperately need a cost effective and bespoke solution to utilise all the space available can be found on the MPBA web site, where members have detailed many cases where they have fulfilled a need.

There are also case studies in the Industry News sector, where you can

see many examples of good quality and professional educational buildings. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.mpba.biz

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Energy Written by Luke Wynne, Global Action Plan

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SUSTAINABILITY

With great learning comes great responsibility Teachers should allow students the chance to take ownership of their school’s energy and environmental issues, so that they can not just lead the change within their school community, but also further afield, says Luke Wynne of Global Action Plan

‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’ or so the saying goes.

But obviously the author had never taught children. With the value of teaching children about the environment early and how simple actions can effectively change behaviour in a positive way now being universally recognised, isn’t it time that we all invested more focus on not only the future generation of behaviour-change specialists but recognise them as today’s generation?

Working at Global Action Plan (GAP), an environmental behaviour-change charity, has taught me many things and, as Principal Programme Manager on Schools, I’ve witnessed some effective ways of enacting

to take the lead. As with most audiences, when the onus is on the individual, the sense of empowerment and realisation of goals is immeasurable and the outcomes are more likely to produce a successful result.

AGENTS OF CHANGE GAP’s school programmes across energy, food, water and waste have proven the effectiveness of school children becoming the ‘agents of change’ within their school community. An example of this is our Water Explorer programme which partners with HSBC over 11 countries. After its first year, it achieved a massive 586 per cent over its 3 water saving target by saving 1.3 million m of water and 581 per cent over its carbon

The most effective way to engage and excite children about environmental issues like energy saving is to allow them to take the lead change via school children and the value that it brings. Below I’ll take you through some key case studies and results that portray the effective schools programmes that we offer in areas like energy and water saving and some of the key learnings for future use. I’ll also outline the benefits that I’ve witnessed first-hand within the school itself and the wider community.

Firstly, the one key lesson that I’ve seen time and time again throughout all of our projects is that the most effective way to engage and excite children about environmental issues like energy saving is to allow them

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

saving target with a result of 1.45 million kgs saved. The programme has managed to be such a success because the students are encouraged to lead the change themselves and come up with their own water-saving solutions in teams. This format could easily be replicated with other environmentally‑friendly areas like energy saving.

Whilst the results of student-led initiatives like Water Explorer are impressive and beneficial to the environment, it’s not so much about encouraging students to save energy, water and waste but instead to give them the opportunity, empowerment and

the tools to lead this change themselves.

This in turn helps bring about long-term environmental savings at their school and in their home in a more effective way as it helps to leave a lasting legacy.

Another reason why school children should be encouraged to take the lead and be the change-makers themselves is the passion and dynamism that young people tend to have. From our experience with schools, we have seen in projects that young people are generally passionate about the environment and want to make a difference.

It’s up to us to not only encourage the behaviour but to also harness the passion and enthusiasm by directing it into areas for empowerment and positive change.

In addition to this, school children often have some remarkably creative and innovative ideas for how positive change could be achieved. A great example that we’ve seen is the ‘Mister Mister’ showerhead product that was an idea from students within one of our Aqua Innovation programmes. The Aqua Innovation programme worked with 40 schools, 833 students and contributed to 5.8 million litres of water being saved per year and it doesn’t stop there. We also worked with many other UK schools on Appetite for Action with Sky, Action on Waste, and H20 Heroes. All of these programmes valued the unique contribution provided by school children in owning their behaviour change from strategy to implementation.

So with all of the above programmes in mind, what have been some of the key benefits that GAP have observed and more importantly, how do they help

Energy

students achieve their desired outcomes?

We can roughly divide these benefits into three distinct areas; the application of learning, Blooms taxonomy and the individual’s skills development.

REAL LIFE LEARNING When applying learning outcomes, there is no question about the value of embedding real-life situations into young people’s learning at school. This is true for both the theory and practice. Providing students with the opportunity to see and experience the link between their school work and the real world helps to embed their knowledge and apply their learning to real-life situations.

This includes examples like measuring and analysing a school’s energy consumption data alongside surveying friends and family members on their energy consumption habits.

From here, students are able to develop a plan of action to address their school’s key energy consumption issues. This specifically gives students a real project example to apply numeracy skills, scientific concepts and a variety of other curriculum linked themes and topics.

Using Water Explorer as an example, our teacher survey found that 69 per cent of respondents strongly agreed that the Water Explorer programme had improved students’ knowledge of local water issues and preventative actions.

When providing school-based programmes, GAP aims to keep Bloom’s Taxonomy in mind.

Our schools programmes help provide the

platform for students to apply their learning right through the top stages of Blooms Taxonomy (create, evaluate, analyse, apply) as they investigate, measure and assess their school’s environmental performance.

This is then normally followed by designing behavioural interventions and engaging

students to gain confidence in their own ability and thereby make a noticeable difference.

The skills listed above are all attributes that are vitally important as a student progresses through their schooling and look to eventually enter the working world.

In fact, the CBI has identified in a ‘…

It’s not so much about encouraging students to save energy, water and waste but instead to give them the opportunity, empowerment and the tools to lead this change themselves communication activities with the aim of getting the whole school community on board and implementing a tailored plan of action to address the school’s key environmental issues.

The benefits from this extend to the wider school community as the students can carry on this knowledge in their local area, their homes and eventual future organisations.

KEY LIFE SKILLS The direct link to developing a wider set of skills is a further benefit to those participants in an environmental behaviour change schools programme.

We’ve found that throughout this process, school children get the opportunity to develop many key life skills that they can continue to improve upon once their project has finished.

Some of these skills, such as teamwork, presentation skills and problem solving help

survey of 291 companies employing nearly 1.5 million people, over half (61 per cent) are concerned about the resilience and self-management of school leavers’.

The benefits of embedding an environmental behaviour change programme into an empowering project for school children are ample and through GAP’s experience, we’ve seen the most successful outcomes delivered where students are encouraged to own the process from beginning to end and develop the necessary tools to reach their goals.

So teaching children to fish may be difficult but teaching them about environmental behaviour change has hopefully just got a little easier and this can only be a good thing in the long run. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.globalactionplan.org.uk

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Parking

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TRANSPORT

Written by David Smith, British Parking Association

Taking a look at the future of parking

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As we await the outcome of yet another government consultation relating to parking, David Smith of the British Parking Association looks back over the last few years and then points the way forward to where the profession is heading and what this means for the education sector Back in 2014, the British Parking Association (BPA) was busy lobbying against proposals to ban the use of CCTV and ANPR by local authorities for parking enforcement, including the use of cameras for parking enforcement outside schools which could potentially put children’s lives at stake.

CCTV and ANPR cameras are vital tools to help improve road safety and especially so for enforcement outside schools, bus stops and other locations where there are road hazards. Indeed each council has a network management duty as stated in the Traffic Management Act 2004 to manage their road network, including congestion outside schools. In recent years there have been many examples where government has funded through grants the delivery and implementation of such systems.

The BPA argued that the use of CCTV and ANPR cameras outside schools is in place to ensure the safety of the local community.

Cameras are commonly deployed at the request of the local community and school children themselves who want to be protected from selfish and often dangerous parking by a tiny minority. Upon consulting with our membership on this point, an overwhelming majority of our responses confirmed that their local communities particularly appreciated and praised the use of CCTV cameras when themselves and their children’s’ safety was concerned. A key example of this positive use of CCTV is Oldham Council; after an 11 year old school girl was nearly hit by a car outside her school in 2012, she began to lobby the council to provide more enforcement of restrictions outside schools. The council responded by enlisting the help of all the schools in Oldham to launch a competition to name the very first School Safety Vehicle; after over 700 entries were submitted, Oscar (Oldham Safety Car) began to enforce outside schools, reducing the number of injuries and

raising awareness of the serious problems that obstructive parking and congestion are causing on a daily basis in reducing visibility for children crossing the road.

Although government agreed to retain the use of CCTV outside schools, as well as at bus stops, in bus lanes and on red routes, they failed to carry out an equalities impact assessment for these proposals, placing vulnerable road users such as wheelchair users and parents with buggies at risk when crossing road junctions protected by yellow lines.

The BPA le to ey ro has a k n enabler a play as e believe and w can help that we unicating m by com tunities to oppor bers mem CLARITY THROUGH INTEGRATION

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Fast forward to 2016 and we currently await the outcome of further government scrutiny, this time by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) into the private parking sector. We look forward to a discussion about the impacts of their response at the BPA’s forthcoming Parking Summit, to be held early in May. Regardless of what’s in the detail, there is a strong feeling that the view from the top in government is changing and that a number of issues relating to the management of parking require urgent attention. Clarity for motorists is what is needed and consistency wherever they choose to access parking services is surely another major objective.

Already in many areas, simple ideas using software and data across connected devices are helping the public make better and more cost effective travel decisions.

A vital aspect of current developments is the increase towards integration, not just in parking but throughout the transport profession. To be part of these developments, the parking profession must be at the forefront of future mobility and be ready to bring in its expertise and knowledge in new and innovative ways to improve the customer’s experience.

New technology has significantly improved the offering to motorists, best illustrated by the use of mobile phone parking which enables motorists to be alerted to time expiry and remote topping up of time. In many other areas of government activity new technology is being embraced positively, for

example in the Cabinet Office’s ‘Digital by Default’ programme and this needs to be carried through into parking management A classic SWOT analysis shows that there are tremendous opportunities presented by the implementation of technology and new business models and the parking community is starting to ready itself for the impacts and challenges these will bring. Threats to accepted ways of doing things are appearing all the time.

THE FUTURE OF PARKING Recently, the BPA has undertaken research into the future of parking, exploring how the profession can become active rather than passive. We want to identify the major trends of future mobility concepts, analyse their prospects for the short, medium and long term, finding possible development areas for the parking profession within those trends. The BPA has a key role to play as an enabler and we believe that we can help by communicating opportunities to members.

The first fruits of our research will appear early in 2016 but until then, consider the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics who recently stated that the UK’s population is expected to increase by 4.4 million in the next decade, before reaching 70 million in 2027.

Clearly this increase will add to the already significant challenges faced by public services, already under huge pressure because of budgets cuts. New ideas and innovation can help to realise cost savings. New methods of collecting and analysing data can provide better insights into the way that customers access and use travel services, including parking.

The BPA is holding a meeting of the Future of Parking and Intelligent Mobility Group in February, with an action to come away with a clear direction. Taking the lead from our research outcomes and building on our relationship with Loughborough University, we will be exploring proposals and suggestions for projects to submit bids for funding to Innovate UK. Collaborating with Academia is a vital and essential part of the application process. The BPA have for a number of years established strong links with Universities, including Transport Studies Groups, and we are pleased to have received a number of

Parking

New technology has significantly improved the offering to motorists, best illustrated by the use of mobile phone parking which enables motorists to be alerted to time expiry strong funding applications ourselves for our John Heasman Bursary and the Prize fund.

The John Heasman Bursary was set up in 2006 in recognition of the contribution that John Heasman (former President and Director General of the BPA) made to the parking sector and, in particular, to the formation of the BPA, with the express aim to promote research and encourage professionalism in the parking sector.

This Bursary is being offered to encourage research in parking. The parking and traffic management sector is an under‑researched area, and one which covers a vast range of subjects including: the design and construction of car parks, the effect that parking provision has on traffic congestion and the urban landscape, the effective management of kerb space, and the many media and public concerns that managing on and off street parking raises. Recent conversations with our University contacts have increased our understanding of the subjects and research projects their students want to undertake

so that we can better tailor our Bursary to fit with University timelines, as well as research projects and themes. This year we will also be promoting the Bursary in a much more transparent way using social media and targeted communications which clearly define timelines and entry conditions.

Of course, universities and colleges work tirelessly to deliver an outstanding educational experience and, for many higher and further education organisations, that effort is reflected in their provision of parking. This dedication is exemplary, and it is high-time that it was recognised. The BPA plans to celebrate excellence through its new audited accreditation for universities and colleges, the Professionalism in Parking Accreditation (PiPA). Excellence in parking is a product of organisational professionalism, and this concept lies at the heart of PiPA. PiPA is for organisations that wish to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism in parking. Although initially developed for the healthcare parking sector, we are now

extending this into other sectors. The BPA worked with the Department of Health in updating the recently published parking guidelines for NHS Trusts. The guidelines recognise the importance of professionalism in delivering parking services and providing a high standard of customer care. Indeed it is customers who are increasingly in control, ever more demanding about when they choose to do things and how and when they spend their money, by what means and with whom. Service providers must respond to those needs and the parking profession is no different. There is no doubt that the pace of change we are currently seeing is going to have a huge impact on how businesses package and offer their services.

It is imperative that we place the customer’s needs at the heart of everything we do and ensure we are designing services for them, that are useful and that they want and need.

Real change in how we design, deliver and access the transport network is happening now, with best practice examples everywhere to be seen. This is a golden opportunity to grasp that chance and 2016 will surely be the year when we all work together to design solutions that deliver the best outcome for the customer. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.britishparking.co.uk

Videalert – Using cameras to improve children’s safety outside schools Every month over 1,000 children are injured on local roads around our schools despite the keep-clear road markings that were designed to provide drivers with greater visibility of possible dangers as well as giving pedestrians a better view of the road in both directions.

Traditional methods of enforcing school keep-clears such as deploying foot patrols or mobile CCTV vehicles have largely proved ineffective and cost prohibitive as compliance over the longer term is best achieved with a consistent and continuous method. Recent surveys have shown that 27 per cent of parents admit to parking on school keep clears whilst almost 90 per cent support the idea of councils using cameras to catch and fine parents who park illegally during the school run.

The Videalert system provides an effective and cost efficient method to monitor and enforce parking contraventions on keep clears and enables councils to promote a serious commitment to reducing the number of accidents involving children. The system is currently being deployed by a number of councils including the London Boroughs of Barnet and Bromley with several more planning to follow suit. It uses a single Digital

HD PTZ camera to automatically capture the number plates of vehicles stopping in these zones without any manual intervention.

By combining video analytics and ANPR, the Videalert system only captures the drivers that actually commit an offence ( i.e. are stationary in a defined ‘watch area’ and exceed the ‘watch time’) and automatically creates video evidence packs which are transmitted to the council for manual review before any PCNs are processed or generated.

The system can also be used for 24x7 recording to provide a record of incidents of interest which can be subsequently reviewed and appropriate actions taken.

The Videalert software is installed on a

Digital Video platform which enables data to be easily shared with multiple stakeholders for a wide range of applications and delivers significant cost savings. For example, vehicle plate read data can be simultaneously disseminated to Police ANPR databases (BOFII) for detecting ‘black listed’ vehicles and traffic management systems (UTMC) for journey time information and congestion smoothing.

Several commercial models are available from standard CapEx to a fully hosted on-demand managed service offering (CEaaS) which allows Councils significant flexibility in how they purchase and fund the deployment of this system to achieve their compliance objectives.

The Videalert approach shows that when deployed correctly, CCTV can provide cost effective and continuous enforcement that will help to change the behaviour of drivers and will have a greater impact on increasing road safety over the longer term.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 612 8612 info@videalert.com www.videalert.com

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Reminiscing about the 2016 Bett Show On 20-23 January, the world’s biggest educational technology event returned to the London ExCeL for four days of ideas, innovation and ingenuity. A month on, Education Business looks back at the high quality speakers and ideas that were presented 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’.

Discussing the success of the show, Baroness Martha Lane Fox said: “There is so much exciting innovation at the crossroads of tech and education; ideas to inspire teachers, pupils and parents. Events like Bett are fabulous for bringing this innovation to the UK.”

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 E

At 6, Bett 201eakers 0 sp over 50 sights, with in offered ion Secretary Educat y Morgan Nick ding provi erial ist the Min ote Keyn

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

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Q&A with Alan O’Donohoe With over twenty years’ experience as a teacher of Technology & ICT, Alan recently left the profession to lead the newly-launched Exa Foundation - a not-for-profit branch of Exa Education; the multi-award winning Internet Service Provider. Here, Alan explains what his new role is about.

Why did you decide to leave teaching in a school to join the Exa Foundation?

In the last four or five years at my school, I discovered I really enjoyed helping and supporting other teachers through online community forums, discussions at events etc. It became something that I wanted to spend an increasing amount of time doing, and then Exa Education provided a fantastic opportunity for me to make it my primary purpose by helping teachers in schools across the country.

What is the purpose of the Exa Foundation?

The Foundation was created to fulfil three key motives, these are to: • Inspire and engage digital makers • Support Computing in school • Promote the safe, secure and appropriate use of technology

How do you achieve those aims?

Through a number of methods - offering online support, providing free resources and advice, but primarily by holding training events in schools.

For example, for the last few months we’ve been running the Exa Foundation Roadshow - a number of free-to-attend Computing CPD events.

cher

ea @teknot

What happens at an Exa Foundation Roadshow event?

Well, a school will get in touch to ask for support and training on an area of the curriculum that they’re having trouble with, and we then open this event to other schools in the locality. So far, they’ve been really popular! They offer teachers a brilliant opportunity to network and learn from one another, whilst also finding out about new resources and learning ways to integrate the Computing curriculum into their school.

What are your favourite resources to recommend to teachers?

For primary schools, there’s a bank of resources called Computing at School Barefoot (barefootcas. org.uk) which includes whole schemes of work and lesson plans. I also recommend a lot of Phil Bagge’s resources (code-it.co.uk), and Scratch as a great introductory programming language.

For secondary schools, I’ve written a lot of resources myself which I share on my blog (teachcomputing.wordpress.com) - these cover everything from interactive storytelling and Minecraft to using Python on the Raspberry Pi.

The Exa Foundation event was full of great suggestions for programmes, websites and resources. It was really well led, with a supportive, sharing, environment.

What do you have planned for the future of the Exa Foundation?

Mark Adkins Caroline Chisholm School

0345 145 1234 foundation@exa.net.uk www.exa.education

We’re already planning larger regional events to take place over the next 12 months!

Follow Alan on Twitter @teknoteacher

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EVENT REVIEW  to world-class computer science qualifications to give our students, as well as employers, 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 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 improvement. What’s more is that these assessments are becoming more intelligent, allowing the tests to grow with the students.”

As mentioned previously, Sugata Mitra began the discussions on assessment in the opening keynote. Claiming that schools aim to produce pupils that are too alike, too similar and too identical is replicated in our country’s examination and assessment programs. What Mitra discovered through the School in the Cloud was that a self-organised learning environment, where children are grouped and left unsupervised with the internet, encourages pupils to search for the answers to questions that they normally are not faced with.

This then raises the question of what should an assessment or examination system look like in the modern day? Should the internet, the source of daily use in almost all everyday activities, become part of the examination system? It is unlikley to happen soon, but, nonetheless, led to the body of Mitra’s keynote – that the future of learning is dependent upon the future of assessment.

Mitra also openly discussed his interest in open-ended questions and, considering the challenges they pose to students to expand their thinking beyond the norm, asked why the UK doesn’t plan for an assessment system that incorporates them. Regularly, the questions that have more than one correct answer, or an unknown answer, or even no answer encourages pupils to broaden their learning in a way that opposes mechanical teaching.

But who will evaluate open ended questions? Human examiners, whether they intend to or not, carry a degree of bias to their marking. But what if there was a way to incorporate continuous and automatic assessment methods in the UK educational system? While no immediate answers were provided, the Bett Arena audience certainly had a lot to ponder.

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 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 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.

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.

This strand of the show also featured a panel discussion on ‘Rewriting the script for women in STEM – closing the gender gap’. The panellists included Dr Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA; Ann-Marie Imafidon, founder of STEMettes; Dr Sue Black, award winning computer scientist at UCL; Anne Marie Neatham, chief operating office at Ocado; and Johann Siau, principal lecturer in Digital Communication Systems at the University of Hertfordshire.

Highlights of their discussions included Imafidon expressing the creative possibilities that technology STEM subjects can offer, offering memories of when she sat her maths and IT GCSEs at the ages of ten, before sitting her Computing A level a year later. E

Highlights of STEM panel discussions included Anne-Marie Imafidon expressing the creative possibilities that technology STEM subjects can offer

FULL STEAM AHEAD Another major trend in the show’s discussions centred around the growth and need for STEAM. Adding art and design into the educational equation

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EVENT REVIEW

 Understanding that there is likely to be higher demands for jobs in technology fields in the future due to our shifting workplace reliance on computers, Dr Sue Black contended that, when approached in the correct way, technology should be viewed as a positive thing for schools to teach and pupils to learn.

There was a real belief in her speech that, with an appropriate passion for technology, the opportunities in the future will be vast.

And talking of vast, Dr Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist, recalled witnessing her first rocket launch at the age of four (her father worked at NASA), and despite the launch being unsuccessful, realising the potential that science had to offer her. Noting the significance that hearing Carl Sagan talk had on her approach to STEM, Stofan was eager to allow the same opportunities to the latest generation of students.

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 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 Success, is forthcoming from Scribner.

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

To ith help w ted connec chools ,s learningcover what s return to what we must dits students, know, what we expect, s e y iner t essentiall what we are taught and a what comes naturally. and wh ges their This opened up the idea gau tion of connected learning, atten

Edwards owns a YouTube channel which boasts over 360 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. Recalling how schools can focus too heavily on sport, music or art, and how in his school his passion for recording and video were unusual, Edwards spoke passionately about young digital enthusiasts.

When asked what one element he would change in schools, he emphasised the importance and current struggles between schools and enterprise. A majority of schools in the UK host enterprise days or even a week long enterprise fayre, but there remains a lack of consistency and a lack of commitment to develop or expand upon the ideas and concepts that are taught, leaving students uninformed and uninterested in entrepreneurship.

Edwards stands out as an individual who has reaped the awards of such knowledge, and much of what he discussed reflected the wider need for opportunity in that area.

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.

Looking into the future of learning, Haesler began discussing why we struggle to see what is sometimes right in front of us – we

which, according to Haesler, has three key points. Firstly, schools and teachers must be able to meet pupils where they are, discovering what they are interested in, what they are not interested in and what essentially gauges their attention. Secondly, schools must be able to tap into the peer‑to‑peer learning to, finally, discover and present the opportunities that points one and two can offer in the wider world. The concept of school connectedness, belonging and community will become a much more challenging problem for schools, and one which they must embrace.

MINDSET AND MASTERY 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. E

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EVENT REVIEW  Speaking on the big screen, Khan discussed the concepts of mindset and mastery. Mindset, and in particular, growth mindset, is stressing the importance to learn how to learn, stepping out of comfort zones, and developing a growth mindset, so that when faced with challenges students do not immediately give up, or, hopefully, do not give up at all.

The second concept, mastery, looks at the belief that students should not learn 80 or 90 per cent of a subject before moving onto another one – instead developing a strong foundation and mastering the subject 100 per cent. Using the example that a test result might showcase an 80 per cent grade proves that there remains 20 per cent not properly learnt, Khan questioned whether the class still marches onto the next subject. If that 80 per cent grade is not the lowest mark, how much vacant subject knowledge gets left unattended? Khan suggests that these gaps in knowledge keep accumulating until they become too wide to mend. Instead, schools should change the variables and keep working on a subject, aiming for mastery, before moving on.

THE FUTURE OF LEARNING Additionally, Anthony Salcito, 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.

Salcito’s presentation coincided with the launch of the Minecraft Education Edition, which aims to bring further technology into the classroom and enable teachers to take Minecraft integration into education. Also showcasing the micro:bit, Salacity explained how the physical sensation of holding a piece of computing in your hand and understanding the dynamics can make it more tangible for students, which makes computing come alive.

Prior to taking this role in 2009, Salcito was general manager of education in the United States, supporting schools and universities across the country. During this time, he helped launch the company’s cornerstone education programs. He was also at the centre 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 BBC micro:bit was paraded on stage

by BBC and Samsung. Created as a way of bridging the digital skills gap – a report last year suggested that 1.4 million digital professionals would be needed to keep pace over the next five years – the acclaimed ‘small and mighty’ solution is a pocket size computer that lets students and teachers get creative with digital technology.

As one of the students on the promotional video claimed, the micro:bit allows you to ‘code, control and customise anywhere’. In the session ‘Get Creative, Get Coding, Get Connected’. Adam Johnson of Samsung elaborated on the need for innovations like the micro:bit to stay afloat in an increasingly connected world. Providing a hands-on experience, students who tested the device E

The BBC micro:bit was paraded on stage by BBC and Samsung. Created as a way of bridging the digital skills gap the acclaimed ‘small and mighty’ solution is a pocket size computer that lets students and teachers get creative with digital technology

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EVENT REVIEW

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  in one of the 11 trial schools found that what they did on the screen had a direct impact on hardware and that through programming and coding they learnt more about computing and hardware potential.

Samsung showcased their Android app at the Samsung App Zone, informing visitors how to connect the micro:bit with smartphones and tablets. These resources and projects can be used in the classroom or at home for homework. Such innovation was further explored in the IET and Kitronic Zone. The Institute of Engineering and Technology share several teaching resources, as well as previewing their upcoming teacher CPD sessions. Kitronic, like Samsung, demonstrated where the micro:bit can be coded to interact with external sensors and devices.

Additionally, The Future of Making and Coding featured the use of the micro:bit and portrayed how families and young people are embracing the age of digital education with Tech Will Save Us. Such belief wasn’t naturally shared with

Lord Professor Robert Winston. The medical doctor, scientist and television presenter was quick to suggest that technology is not a risk to learning, but remained committed to the understanding that face to face communication was imperative in a pupils’ ability to learn. Arguing that teaching was historical, whereas technology was still relatively new in comparison, Winston suggested that the key to technology advancement was valuation – we must ask the right questions and get the correct answers. We do not know where technology will take us, and while that is exciting, it is also, therefore, important to be hesitant in our approaches.

A TASTE OF RASPBERRY PI With over 60 workshops and talks run over the four days, the team of Raspberry Pi in Education and Code Club experts were on hand to help visitors discover how Raspberry Pi can make computing exciting in the classroom and beyond.

This year, Raspberry Pi offered the opportunity to participate in physical computing and STEAM workshops – jointly led by Raspberry Pi Certified Educators, Picademy Teacher Trainers, community members, Code Club staff and volunteers, as well as the young Creative Technologists – giving you the opportunity to get hands-on with computer science.

At the Raspberry Pi STEAM Village pods, projects included: a robot parade; a 1930s‑era Brownie Junior camera that has been adapted to take and tweet your picture using a Raspberry Pi; a live picture stream from a High Altitude Balloon; and weather station demos.

For the very first time, Raspberry Pi also took over the Technology in HE Summit Space on Saturday 23 January to run a Raspberry Jam. Led by the wonderful Raspberry Pi community, Raspberry Jams proved a way to share ideas, collaborate, and learn about digital making and computer science. They take place all over the world, including, for the first time in January, at the Bett Show.

In the Bett Arena, Dr Sam Aaron, creator of the worldwide phenomenon in live coding, Sonic Pi, performed his own ‘algo-rave’ experience to attendees and discussed the benefits of a creative approach to teaching computer science.

Other talks included: The top five initiatives that are paving the way towards successful STEAM integration; Digital Making: encouraging creativity in the classroom and integrating STEAM project‑based learning; Excitement! Adventure! Making primary computer science more dynamic; Putting the Science into Computer Science; Inspiring girls to pursue careers in STEAM; and Astro Pi: Your Code In Space, engaging students in computer science.

THE GREAT DISRUPTION DEBATE Left with the question – ‘do you think that technology is disrupting education?’, Maurice de Hond, founder of Steve Jobs schools, Audrey Watters, author of The Monsters of Education Technology, and Will Richardson, educational expert and author of Why School?, debated what was described to be the great disruption debate.

Will Richardson began the conversation by pointing out that, in his experience, children are learning more on their own with technology than they are with the technology on offer in schools. This is what causes any potential disruption – the fact that the opportunities to learn more and develop technological knowledge are far greater out of school than in it. As technology outside of school continues to change at a great pace, and the way that we interact with it increases, are children being given more agency to learn about the things that they care about by giving them technology?

With disruption being deemed a buzzword, the conversation changed to the difference between personalised learning and personal learning – the difference being E

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EVENT REVIEW  what meets individual children’s needs and works towards their goals, rather then working around a specific program.

Richardson continued to address a recent statistic that 70 per cent of people feel that they can learn anything, anywhere, at any moment.

THE MATHEMATICAL REVOLUTION Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University, claimed that there was a real revolution in the science of learning. Looking at ‘Changing students and teachers lives with brain science and connectivity’, Boaler contended that maths is a subject that holds students back.

Aiming to bust open the myth that, in maths, ‘you either can or you can’t’, Boaler maintained that the maths myth is responsible for pupil underachievement.

It is viewed as inaccessible, uninteresting and only for some children, but she argues that ‘we urgently need to shift teachers’, parents’, students’ and politicians’ ideas about who can achieve in mathematics’.

Mathematics was quite a prominent time among the seminar discussions. Author and teacher Jon Seal and Lisa Wrenn of Cambridge University Press looked at ‘Digital solutions for GCSE Maths and GCSE English Literature’.

This looked at how digital subscription services can offer schools a complete solution for the teaching and learning of the new GCSE specifications and looked into some of the current resources available, such as lesson notes, interactive walkthroughs, explanatory animations, games, worksheets, quick quizzes, levelled assessments and digital student books.

Fun and interactive methods of incorporating the latest technology, apps and websites within the everyday classroom was a topic worth listening to. Discussing how to build confidence to help turn abstract mathematical concepts into the concrete and support with numeracy across the curriculum and advantaging the teachers and students through the use of self-marking software and flipped learning, this session, ‘Just Add Concrete – Building Confidence in Maths’ was hosted by Danielle Bartram, Mathematics Lead Practitioner and Numeracy Coordinator at Acklam Grange School.

In addition to the Tablet Academy Hands-On Live Theatre, Tablet Academy consultants were present on a number of partner stands to provide independent advice and deliver interactive activities. A Tablet Academy Trail was available via the Bett App to connect the partnering stands. Additionally, all visitors to the Tablet Academy stands were entered into a prize draw to win a range of items including free consultancy and training as well as a variety of hardware.

The stands included: Fujitsu, who held a robot time challenge to win a £700 laptop; Lenovo, who offered short taster sessions focused on Windows 10 and Office 365 in the classroom; HP, who had ‘Teacher of the year’ and Minecraft in Education expert Ray Chambers present to speak to delegates; Misco, discussing the best Microsoft solutions available to schools and colleges; and Stone, who also focused on computing for schools.

TALKING TES At this year’s Bett, TES presented an engaging series of practical sessions for teachers, held on the TES stand. These talks, workshops and debates were designed to help teachers to plan lessons, find a better job, improve their professional skills or understand some of the topical challenges facing schools.

Speakers included a number of the ‘stars’ of the TES magazine and website, such as behaviour guru Tom Bennett, former schools minister Lord Knight,

teacher columnists Sarah Simons and Clare Lotriet, and author Mike Gershon. The TES talks also featured a range of special guests, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s director of education Jacqui O’Hanlon.

Some of the varied topics covered included: How can schools take a global approach to recruitment?; How to make homework‑setting happier; How to create a digital lesson in five minutes; How can you teach technology to kids who understand it better than you?; How to plan an outstanding lesson; How mainstream schools could provide better support for SEN pupils; How testing questions can help you teach beyond the test; How can teachers avoid the dark side of social media?; and How teachers and support staff are going global.

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. E

ft Microso d launche raft ec the Min tion Educa ich will wh Edition,teachers to enable inecraft take M ion into integratation educ

TRUSTING IN THE TABLET The Tablet Academy, a leading UK device organisation created to support educational institutions in transforming teaching and learning through the integration of new technologies across the curriculum, teamed up with Bett to create a Hands-On Live Theatre where visitors to the show could participate in short bite-sized workshops that explored new technology and educational solutions.

Hands-On sessions ran from 10:00am until 4:00pm every day and included sessions on: Minecraft in the classroom; Lego in Computing and STEM.

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Advertisement Feature

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY OF TOMORROW In 2020 the current Year 7 cohort will be sitting their GCSEs – then their A-Levels in 2022.

It doesn’t seem so long ago we were entering the new Millennium, yet the students of today will be beginning their working life a quarter of the way through its first Century In the year 2000 – Sony released the PlayStation 2, Google was a start-up, Facebook didn’t exist and the iPod was still on Jonny Ive’s drawing board in Apple’s design lab.

The world of technology has moved on almost unrecognisably in this short time – autonomous vehicles are about to become a reality, the ‘Cloud’ is everywhere and our devices have adapted to reflect this.

But has education adapted? Specifically Design & Technology and Computing – the two subject areas that arguably have been impacted the most by these developments?

The sad answer is not enough in most cases. Based on the thousands of stands at the Bett Show 2016, the potential to move on is there – but the challenge visiting educators face is finding the inspiration in amongst the interactive whiteboards and School Management Software.

VEX IQ SMART RADIO At Bett 2016 VEX Robotics launched the VEX IQ Smart Radio – allowing wireless streaming of data between robots, controllers, smart phones and tablets.

Plus the exciting curriculum developed in partnership with FANUC that looks at the real-world use of robotics, in the classroom, against the backdrop of industrial application. This curriculum reinforces the relevance of what students learn using industry vocabulary and context.

Bett has long been linked to Computing as a subject, which has seen organisations like Code Club and Computing at Schools lead a new revolution of coding, through curriculum support, extra-curricular activity and industry links. The subject has completely flipped from the use of software to understanding the structures behind it and the machines and networks it operates on.

Design & Technology hasn’t in the same way. It is a subject area that takes its core knowledge from Maths and Science and allows students to apply it within a context that should nurture creativity and risk taking.

But the important factor is how this is applied.

While an understanding of wooden joints, for example, can be a way of building up a

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deeper understanding of construction and design techniques – focusing on just a ‘box’ and spending lesson after lesson tweaking does not inspire. Anyone who visits enough Design & Technology departments will know this to be true in some. While there are many excellent examples of how the subject is being taught, there are, conversely, many examples of where time has almost stood still.

MAKE IT RELEVANT After recently asking some students what they thought ‘Design & Technology’ was about, they talked about robotics, 3D printing and the latest mobile phones. They didn’t bring up dreamcatchers or sweet dispensers.

Design & Technology needs to change to be relevant, if a pupil is going to make a choice to study the subject, they have to be able see why it will be useful to them in their future. The consistent decline in the numbers taking Design & Technology is one indication that students don’t view it as critical. In the subjects defence, the governments focus on the EBacc has also had an effect with the way in which school leadership views the subject.

The way Design & Technology can ensure it is relevant is by adapting and changing, just like Computing has. Not necessarily the entire project, but just how the project itself is delivered. For example, the use of CAD software and 3D printing for students to design and produce parts in a dreamcatcher. Or the use of gears, motors and structural parts from a robotic

design system to complement the materials typically used in a sweet dispenser.

Why not even include some programming?

Use the technology that is available and make the project relevant to the students. It doesn’t need to be a sea-change, it can be gradual and must be done in partnership with those companies working to support education – whether they be software developers offering training, or hardware providers developing free curriculum resources.

Another question, are we equipping students with the core academic and life skills that are needed by industry? Again, sadly, on the whole schools are not. Big players in UK industry - National Grid, Jaguar Land Rover – have both been clear through the CBI that both school leavers and graduates do not all have the key ‘life skills’ that industry requires. Communication, time management, perseverance – all important attributes and something that is very difficult to teach, but well delivered Design & Technology lessons can achieve this.

The current Year 7 student, at 11 years old, needs to see the relevance in the subject now if they are going to make the choice in pursuing it for the career they will be starting when they get to 2025.

It’s our job to make that happen. L FURTHER INFORMATION For more information on the innovative VEX Robotics platforms, please visit: www.rapidonline.com/vexrobotics

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EVENT REVIEW  For example, on Stand E71, The Singapore Pavilion featured six Singaporean ed-tech 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 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.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “I hope this convention is a fantastic success, helping to deliver the ed-tech tools and apps that will be used by our young people to ensure London’s success as a global leader for decades to come.”

GLOBAL EDUCATION This year, Abu Dhabi will play host to the international education community. Over 1,000 influential education leaders, practitioners and industry experts from across the region are set to attend the inaugural ‘Bett Middle East Leadership Forum & Expo’ where the future of education will be debated and discussed. Taking place in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council, the event is set to be the most senior gathering of Education Leaders in the region.

Bett Middle East will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 6-7 April this year.

Bett will also yet again arrive in Brazil on 18-21 May bringing innovation and technology. After 30 years as the leading education technology event in the UK, Bett arrived in Brazil for the first time in 2014. Co-located with Educar/ Educador, the event brings the best solutions in technology applied to education to inspire and improve learning.

Over 1,000 influential education leaders, practitioners and industry experts from across the region are set to attend the inaugural ‘Bett Middle East Leadership Forum & Expo’ in Abu Dhabi where the future of education will be debated and discussed The event provides seminar sessions, panel discussions, and access to leading suppliers – giving the opportunity for visitors to experience new technology which will allow them to teach in a way that reflects our ever-changing world.

Bett Latin America Leadership Summit’s mission is to power learning and to promote the discovery of technology and knowledge. The Leadership Summit is the only event in the region that unites the world’s most innovative minds to discuss education and technology with a focus on Latin America.

Bett Latin America Leadership Summit, taking place on 27-28 October, is Latin America’s meeting place for education decision makers. The inaugural Latin America Leadership Summit in 2013 was the first international Bett leadership Summit and welcomed more than 550 attendees over three days, who enjoyed seminars and workshops from over 100 speakers from 25 countries at the World Trade Center São Paulo, Brazil.

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 E

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Advertisement Feature

RECRUITMENT

THE TEACHER SHORTAGE ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE, BUT TEACHERS ARE With teacher shortages continuing to grow, schools are facing an ever‑diminishing pool of applicants, making recruitment harder than ever. It can be expensive, time-consuming and carries with it no guarantee of success

role because the school was slow to respond.

Last, move fast. Everyone’s on a short timeframe – 50 per cent of candidates had already found a role where they were shortlisted. Move fast so you don’t miss out on attracting high quality talent.

The teacher shortage isn’t going anywhere, but teachers are. So how are you planning to overcome the recruitment challenges of today?

Once upon a time teaching was a profession that allowed people to combine their passion with their career. They could share their experience, knowledge and excitement with students. And they had time to do what they do best – teach. But now teachers are expected to juggle marking, lesson planning, bureaucracy, teaching, oh, and a life.

ahead of retirement increased from 64 per cent to 75 per cent.

SO WHO WOULD WANT TO DO IT? Well not graduates it seems. At a time when schools need more teachers coming through the door, many graduates no longer consider teaching a sustainable career choice. They’re put off by the lengthy working hours and the impact it would have on their work-life balance.

Attracting teachers isn’t the only problem facing schools. Not only are fewer people taking up teaching, but more and more qualified teachers are dropping out. The proportion of teachers leaving state‑funded schools in England is rising. In 2012, it reached 43,440., and by 2014, that figure had risen to 49,120.

SO WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? In an ideal world, teaching would become an attractive career once again. Thousands of university graduates would flock to classrooms, teachers that got away would return and no one would want to leave. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Far from it.

So what can schools do to cope with today’s recruitment crisis?

IS IT GETTING WORSE? Recent indicators suggest teacher shortages are growing. Between 2011 and 2014, the recorded rate of vacancies and temporarily filled positions more than doubled from 0.5 per cent of the teaching workforce to 1.2 per cent. With secondary school teacher training places proving particularly difficult to fill.

Over the same period, the number of teachers leaving the profession increased by 11 per cent, and the proportion of those who chose to leave the profession

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SERIOUS RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES 900,000 more pupils will be expected by the early 2020s. There is a 56 per cent drop in recruitment of trainee teachers to certain programmes.

150,000 extra teachers will be required by international schools over the next 10 years. And the UK loses more teachers overseas than any other nation.

TES’ TOP 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU ATTRACT TALENT TO YOUR SCHOOL First, know how to sell your school.

Your website and school brand is more important than you realise - 84 per cent of teachers’ applications are influenced by the look and feel of a school’s website.

Second, simplify your application process. Make it simple and easy to apply - 82.4 per cent of teachers find the process frustrating and time consuming. If it’s too complicated many won’t bother.

Third, speak to all your applicants quickly.

Applicants will judge you by your response – 63.5 per cent of jobseekers had to wait some time or never even heard back on their application. Fourth, keep candidates in the loop Be clear on what the next steps are – 60 per cent of candidates have lost interest in the

TURNING CHALLENGES ON THEIR HEAD Maybe you’re thinking ‘that all sounds great, but I don’t have the necessary time or resources to do it?’ Don’t worry, you’re not alone. For the past year TES has been talking to heads at schools across the UK and listening closely to what they have to say.

As a result of these conversations, TES is doing more than ever to support you, by introducing TES Recruitment Services – the complete package to Reach, Promote, Manage and Save. TES have just introduced a brand new cost-effective recruitment subscription, specifically designed to help schools meet the challenges they are facing in finding and attracting the right teaching talent.

WHAT A TES RECRUITMENT SERVICES SUBSCRIPTION GIVES YOU First, it offers unlimited online recruitment advertising. With an annual cost paid up front, it is easier management of your annual recruitment budget, with no risk of over spending. You also get with it, an all‑year‑round school micro-site to help you promote your schools and all your vacancies.

TES also offers with it a whole new analytics feature with a dashboard which gives you real-time applicant data to monitor your advert’s performance.

And to make sure you get all the support you need in your recruitment process, your school gets assigned a dedicated account manager to guide you on where to place your advert on the site, how best to write it and design it. L FURTHER INFORMATION To find out more, call TES today on 02038 115 526, or go to tes.com/recruit/subscriptions

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 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 ed-tech 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’; Ed-tech 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 ran the

Bett Show

Sponsored by

A self-organised learning environment, where children are grouped and left unsupervised with the internet, encourages pupils to search for the answers to questions that they normally are not faced with main InformationPoint magnificently, on‑hand to help visitors plan their visit and get the most from the day.

of inspirational talks, presentations and activities to teach you about the skills you need to succeed in this sector.

SATURDAY AT BETT This year, Saturday 23 January at Bett was viewed through the lens of the wider education community, welcoming digital leader student groups, governors, parents and guardians. Recognising education isn’t just about school, but a wider understanding of learning and inspiration, the organisers of the show planned for the chance to hear the student voice loud and clear.

As part of the Bett Next Generation, young and inspirational speakers took to the stage. Some of the highlights included: Sophie Healy‑Thow, Google Science Fair 2014 winner and one of Time magazines most influential teens of 2015, discussing My Journey – Food Security – Everybody’s Business; Jordan Casey, a 15 year‑old entrepreneur from Waterford in Ireland, sharing her passion for programming; Ready Salted Code’s Genevieve Smith‑Nunes running a hands-on coding demo; Raspberry Jams; and Step into STEM Skills Day, a mixture

TRIED AND TRUSTED SUPPLIERS In addition to a great line-up of speakers, over 600 exhibitors showcased the latest and greatest technologies that are helping transform not only classrooms, but all aspects of schools. Technology is being used to inspire change, to help the education system ‘break the mould’ and raise standards. Innovative technologies have to be at the heart of this journey, and nowhere is this more evident than in the development of AV technology and internet-based learning resources.

Sony understands this and is on the frontline, developing technologies and products to meet the demands of contemporary teaching – such as 4K and laser projection. The Sony team were on hand at the show sharing more about how its range of education solutions gives schools and universities the reliable, long-lasting and cost-efficient tools they need to capture student attention and enhance learning.

Global education company Promethean presented its latest generation ActivPanel E

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Advertisement Feature

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

“NO WONDER I WAS CONFUSED, THERE IS SO MUCH TO CONSIDER!” Whether you are considering pencils for the classroom, or new hockey sticks for the sports field, the same procurement considerations apply. The advice of getting the best value, buying from a recommended supplier and considering how the product is ‘fit for purpose’ is relevant whatever the purchase However, when it comes to your school’s ICT infrastructure, with a possible price tag of more than £100,000, making the right decision becomes essential.

But as Paul Begbie of South Lee School exclaims in the heading, ‘there is so much to consider’; getting the best value and best fit for your specific needs requires a lot of consideration and experience.

Neil Watkins, managing director of Think IT provides us with his advice, based on years of experience of working with schools and local authorities across the UK, on how to get it right.

MAKING IT EASY Step number one is to spend time with all staff to consider the outcomes you want for your pupils, parents, staff and governors. Your managed service provider should then work with you to offer consultation and advice around this.

While your requirements are the most important thing, they will be able to input their IT experience to ensure you get the best results.

One important, complex and time‑consuming consideration is the need to put the requirement out to tender. From my experience, many schools are not aware of their public spending responsibilities; as schools come out of their BSF agreements they should be aware that there is an EU requirement to tender public sector contracts for any investment over £172k.

There is no easy way to get around this.

If you are replacing your BSF contract with a managed service, or simply upgrading your wireless network while investing in new Wi-Fi tablets over a three-year period, you could potentially breech this financial threshold.

Thankfully, because Think IT comes under the East of England Broadband Network (E2BN) EU tendered procurement framework, our schools don’t have to go through this process, but it is an important consideration.

If in doubt we recommend that you speak to us.

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GETTING WHAT YOU WANT As many schools’ BSF contracts come to completion, they are getting their first chance to consider other options. From my experience many make the mistake of signing up for another similar contract. It may not be the right technology but it’s easier than re-specifying a new infrastructure. My strong advice to all schools is that you deserve better.

All schools have their individual needs, and technology suppliers should be able to work with you to understand your end goal.

SAVINGS Some suppliers will procure the technology for you and add on their commission. With our EU tendered framework, all our suppliers have to provide the cheapest prices through the framework, and these savings come directly back to you. Ensure your supplier is completely transparent with their pricing.

Not-for-profit organisations such as E2BN manage to obtain significant discounts through economies of scale. One RBC achieved the installation of a regional network, which was initially bid at £15.7 million, for the significantly lower price of £6.9 million with those savings passed on to schools.

SAFETY Schools understandably think they can save money by going directly to the suppliers themselves. However, when something goes wrong the hardware supplier may claim that the problem lies with the network and the network engineer blames it on the broadband provider and so it continues. Our framework agreement is like an insurance policy; we proactively manage our suppliers to ensure a quick, stress-free solution every time.

YOU’RE IN CHARGE My next piece of advice is to always make sure that you insist on flexibility and choice; your requirements and the technology will undoubtedly continue to change and it is important that this is bought into your contract. Schools should never have products or brands dictated to them. While

there is an obvious advantage to the managed service provider assessing and pre-approving suppliers to ensure their products are fit for purpose, with good service level agreements and training provision, schools should be able to choose from a wide range of products that support the specific outcomes they have identified.

ONLY PAY FOR WHAT YOU WANT The common scenario with managed service providers is that they come into the school and take over the installation and management of the ICT. Where does this leave the head of ICT? It is our belief that schools should be able to work with us to decide on the level of support they want, and only pay for this. Heads of ICT have different skill levels and this should be used where possible.

It can be confusing, and expensive with lots to consider but by working with an experienced, education sector managed service provider, you CAN have the technology you want with the level of support to suit your specific needs, at the lowest price available. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.think-it.org.uk

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Bett Show

Sponsored by

EVENT REVIEW  to Bett 2016, showcasing front-of-house instruction, whole-class learning and small group collaboration capabilities. With ActivGlide surface technology, the ActivPanel eliminates the risk of finger burn which can be experienced during long periods of use in the classroom. Meanwhile on stand D80, SMART Technologies continued to raise the bar in collaborative learning tools with new additions to its interactive flat panel (IFP) portfolio, including new sizes in both its 6000 and 4000 Series. SMART also shared new ways for teachers and students to seamlessly incorporate SMART’s latest collaborative tool, SMART kapp, into their daily learning.

Visitors to Stand G88 gathered advice in providing a safe and effective science and technology curriculum from experienced consultancy, CLEAPSS. At this year’s show, CLEAPSS launched its new ‘CLP’ hazards and new safer chemistry procedures website, for use by science teaching staff, and will be featuring a bigger focus on the Design & Technology curriculum.

Fujitsu Services Limited had four dynamic zones on Stand C128, including: the Robotics Zone, showcasing a robotics and programming demo using Fujitsu laptop and tablet devices; the Coding Zone, where its partners, the National Museum of Computing and the Tablet Academy, showed-technology through the ages, highlighting how the principals and logical thinking of coding remain the same; the Internet of Things (IoT) Zone, which provided audiences a sneak peak of future innovations and how they can be applied in education; and the Cyber Security Zone, which offered insight into the very topical issue of cyber security.

On Stand E378, TOPdesk, whose service management software helps organisations manage IT, facilities and HR helpdesks, and improves services

with user-friendly standardised solutions, showcased their ideal solution for facilitating collaboration among multiple departments, and is currently working with numerous universities, libraries and schools.

Providing more than just fast, reliable, uncontested broadband, TRUSTnet boasts designed-for-schools ICT services, award‑winning digital education resources, specialist online safety (including counterextremism and Prevent) guidance and dedicated support. This is delivered costeffectively, due to being backed by The London Grid for Learning, a not‑for-profit and charitable trust now benefiting over 2,600 schools nationwide. They were on hand to share their success with guests.

Meanwhile, stand D100 saw the latest and most unique approach to ICT procurement and support; giving schools the freedom to choose what they want and how they want it. Think IT’s cloud based computing service for schools and colleges across the UK recognises that each school’s needs are very specific. The Think IT team does not dictate the products that each school must take but gives it the freedom to choose.

WisePay provides a suite of unrivalled, managed services to schools, colleges and universities, including online payment, enrolment, booking and shop services, all automatically integrated with email and text communications. Featured for the first time at Bett on Stand A120 was the latest updated version of the WisePay Sports Bookings, Activity Management and Gym Subscription Service, the Parent Evening Booking Service and the Holiday Activity Booking Service. All services are designed to be easy to navigate by parents and students.

IN A STAND OF THEIR OWN Exa Education is a multi-award winning ISP. Now in its 13th year of providing schools with award winning internet connectivity, email, content filtering and multi-award winning customer support, the company were present at Bett to showcase its award winning internet services for primary and secondary schools.

Unlike the majority of ISPs in the UK which cater firstly to the home user market; Exa does not supply to the residential market at all and has used its experience to make sure all of its products, services, network and support are designed inhouse from the ground up to meet and surpass the specific requirements of today’s educational organisations.

Smoothwall is looking for 2016 to be the biggest and best year yet. Bett 2016 saw Smoothwall and its e-Safety partners, e-Safe Systems and the IWF, provide expert-led sessions aimed at supporting schools and colleges in strengthening their e-safety strategies. Talks ran daily from the e-Safe Zone on Stand E300 and featured presentations on the Prevent Duty, Ofsted safeguarding policy changes, cyber bullying, mental health and more.

By the Saturday, the company had given away over 1,000 smoothies, plenty of freebies and held plenty of back to back conversations with visitors to their stand.

Co-founded by Sir Bob Geldof, Groupcall is one of the education sector market leaders in communication and data extraction tools since launching in 2002.

At Bett, Groupcall showcased its product portfolio, comprising of Messenger, Emerge and Xporter.

Messenger enables schools to send personalised SMS, voice and email messages instantly to parents/staff/students/ contacts in multiple languages. It now includes the Xpressons app, allowing push notifications on their child’s activity to the parent’s mobile phone.

Emerge is the app enabling schools to have an up‑to‑the‑minute copy of their MIS data instantly and securely available for access anytime, anywhere. Its automated data solution, Xporter is used in approximately 17,000 schools by over 65 education authorities and academy groups. L

In n additio ers, k to speaxhibitors 0e over 60 cased the show hnologies ec latest t re helping that a sform tran ls schoo

Next year’s Bett Show will be taking place at London’s ExCeL on 25-28 January 2017.

Watch highlights of this year show online at: www.youtube.com/user/bettshow/videos FURTHER INFORMATION www.bettshow.com

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We can help you rise to the challenges of school leadership.

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Join today and save 50% Visit www.amie.atl.org.uk/join or call 0843 783 2034 (local call)

AMiE is the only union to represent leaders and managers across the education sector. We provide specialist advice and guidance when you need it most. Our publications and CPD opportunities also offer invaluable information and support for you in your role as an employee and leader.

Let AMiE take you further.

AMiE is ATL’s section for leaders in education.

ADVERTISEMENT TACKLING TEACHER FEATURE WORKLOAD UPPER HEAD ON CASE HEADLINE

Advertisement Feature

STAFF WORKLOAD

Excessive workload is one of the biggest issues facing the education sector.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers and AMiE’s work-life campaign is helping individuals and workplaces to manage workload better Obit, elit eum doloriatur sam reprae voluptatur? Qui officiis cum escipicipsam hit exerferi exceaqui omnis sinctatem. La A recent workload survey of membersquibus, of the Association of Teachers non non nossi ute and disLecturers rest dolupta acescipsant everum que nis (ATL) and its leadership section, AMiE, paints a troubling picture. The survey of teachers, support staff and senior leaders in schools across England highlighted the key drivers of excessive workload and some of the challenges facing leaders and managers in education.

The vast majority (80 per cent) of more than 2,000 respondents reported that their workload is ‘unmanageable’, while 81 per cent said they had considered leaving the profession because of workload.

The activities that contributed most to members’ workload issues included marking, attending meetings, preparing for lesson observations, responding to emails and collecting evidence for performance management. The tasks they wanted to spend more time doing were working collaboratively with colleagues and professional development.

The government recognised the workload problem and launched the Workload Challenge, which prompted more than 44,000 teachers to share details of their ‘unnecessary and unsustainable workload’, but its response disappointed many. The Department for Education (DfE) has since launched three workload review groups, which ATL is engaged with, on marking, planning and resources, and data management.

IT’S ABOUT TIME… The ATL and its leadership section AMiE’s work-life campaign, ‘It’s about time…’, aims to empower education professionals to find ways to tackle the issue, to reduce hours, to reduce unnecessary workload and to give professionals the time and trust back to make a maximum impact on pupils’ learning.

The campaign gives leaders, teachers and support staff an opportunity to assess their own workload and offers help to manage it better. Over the coming months, ATL and AMiE will develop resources in conjunction with members, to help leaders collect data to get a view of what is happening in their workplace and what they can do to get on top of workload issues. A major part of the campaign is the workload tracker tool, which has been well received across the country, with over 2,000 education staff signed up to use it.

ATL rep Louise Atkinson, from Cumbria, says

A recent workload survey in schools highlighted the key drivers of excessive workload the tracker went down well in her school: “We know we’re working all these hours but what are we actually doing with them? That’s where the tracker is a really useful tool. You can see over a period of time where the peaks are. I completed mine in front of my colleagues and they saw it was a two-minute job.”

WAYS TO TAKE PART Workload is a complicated and individual issue. Use the workload tracker to get a sense of the drivers of workload for you and in your workplace, and how these and your work-life balance can change over time. Share the tracker with your colleagues and friends – to build a broad picture of the issue throughout the education sector, over many weeks and months.

Explore the help and advice ATL and AMiE has developed for some of the major problems that education professionals say increase their workload, and find out how you can work with colleagues to take a whole-school approach to deal with the specific workload issues

that cause problems in your place of work.

Making a difference to children’s and young people’s lives, and wanting to share enthusiasm and knowledge of a subject are why many enter the education profession.

However, the hours worked and the type and impact of that work frequently result in stress, illness, and in many valuable and experienced staff leaving the profession.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY ATL and AMiE wants healthy and enthused staff in workplaces, who have the time to teach and inspire young people and give them the high-quality education they deserve. As well as leaders who can support and motivate their teams, and who have the time to relax and be with their own family and friends. L FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 7930 6441 www.atl.org.uk/abouttime #abouttime

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The Education Show

Sponsored by

EVENT PREVIEW

The ideas that will inspire the next generation The Education Show 2016 returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 17 to 19 March bringing the latest innovative ideas, resources and insights to enthuse anyone interested or invested in the education sector Now in its 26th year, The Education Show has become the recognised event for educators to keep up to date with the latest developments in education, and for those looking to find out how to make their school an even more inspirational place to teach and learn.

This year, the show is furthering its mission to provide an extensive programme of free continuing professional development (CPD) by partnering with non-profit organisation, the Teacher Development Trust. The CPD programme will be peer-led and free to all practitioners, to ensure teachers get as much out of the event as possible. Promoting equal opportunities in all schools, it has launched the Leaders Campaign, funded by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA). The campaign will help school leaders from outside the West Midlands area to attend the show for the first time by allocating 75 vouchers of up-to £100 to those that fit the criteria.

Caroline Wright, director general designate at BESA says: “Our latest research shows that there is a growing desire and need by teachers for high quality CPD: 48 per cent of primary schools and 41 per cent of secondary schools state that CPD will be a focus for 2016/17.

BESA feels it is therefore very fitting and important that teachers have access to the wealth of CPD and product information available at the Education Show, hence our investment in providing funding for the travel to and from the event, to ensure this is accessible to as many educators as possible.”

Anita Pal, event director at i2i Events Group comments: “The Education Show is dedicated to providing the best support and guidance to teachers and leaders, completely free of charge. The Leaders Campaign will offer leaders the opportunity to visit the show and help ensure equal opportunities for all teaching staff to receive the high quality

CPD, training and development they need for a successful career in education. The show also has a School Leaders Designated area, offering school leaders the opportunity to speak to expert suppliers about the solutions and services they can provide to schools.”

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, with 20 per cent consisting 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.

IN THE THEATRES This year’s show welcomes a number of education visionaries who will be speaking across four different theatres about some of the most challenging topics educators are currently facing.

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.

Speakers taking to the Central Theatre stage this year include Nick Gibb, Minister of State at the Department for Education (DfE), who will be delivering an update on the educational landscape and Robert Winston, researcher, doctor, writer, broadcaster and Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London, who will be discussing ‘Learning Values’.

Having served as Shadow Minister for Schools from 2005 to 2010 and as Minister of State for Schools from May 2010, Nick 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’, E

The show is ideal those lo for for insp oking innovat iration and i teachinon in general g re and schsources o servicesol

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Helping schools monitor and benchmark pupil progress

Support pupil ability and accelerate pupils’ progress with the Progress Test Series.

The assessments helps schools to:

Visit us at The Education Show at Stand D70 to find out more!

Benchmark pupils to peers nationally Set a baseline for target setting Measure progress year-on-year Identify profiles for both groups and individuals Raise attainment without levels Adapt to Progress 8 The Progress Test Series 11T tests have been specifically designed for use at the beginning of Year 7 to benchmark pupil performance at the start of secondary school. The tests cover the two subjects double weighted in Progress 8: English and maths, as well as science. With tests 12–14, progress can be tracked all the way up to GCSE level.

All tests in the Progress Test Series are rigorously standardised and reflect the new national curriculum.

0330 123 5375 interest@gl-assessment.co.uk www.gl-assessment.co.uk/Ed-show

“It’s an added advantage that the Progress Test Series results also act as robust evidence for Ofsted” Lisa Crausby, Principal Improvement Director, Academy Transformation Trust

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

EVENT PREVIEW  while 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 challenge 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

sessions will provide advice on meeting the needs of early years and SEN students.

This year, the pick of the bunch on the stage is Rosie King, storytelling activist and winner of Emmy’s Kid Award, who will present ‘What’s great about Autism?’.

Meanwhile, ‘SEN: Making the most of your budget’ looks into a number of insights that can help SEN departments spend effectively and with impact, and ‘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,

The Maths and Science Theatre will host The Big Bang ‘Meet Me’ on 18 March. The event brings together teachers and employers to share ideas, stories and best practice for STEM events

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.

A GREAT SEND OFF The Early Years and SEN Theatre is dedicated to exploring the key challenges faced by SEN and early years professionals. The

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

A STEM OF POSSIBILITIES The Maths and Science Theatre will host The Big Bang ‘Meet Me’ on 18 March.

The event brings together teachers and employers to share ideas, stories and best practice for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) events.

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 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.

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

The Education Show

Sponsored by

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 anticipated that by 2015, over 50 per cent of teaching time will incorporate ICT. Therefore, the Education Show will be leading E

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PROFESSIONAL | INFLUENTIAL | EFFECTIVE

“I appreciate having the protection of a union that understands my role.”

Tanya Douglas | Deputy Head, London

Membership packages from £11 per month

Find out more www.ascl.org.uk/offers ASCL Mship_ADVERTS_Feb2016.indd 1

18/02/2016 12:33

178 x 125mm – PSI Group

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The Education Show

Sponsored by

EVENT PREVIEW  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.

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.

SHOWCASE OF PRODUCTS AND LEARNING RESOURCES The three-day event will once again host over 300 exhibitors, all offering a wealth of knowledge and experience in their fields, and will provide teaching professionals with the opportunity to explore hundreds of exciting resources and products. Here is an outline of the exhibitors you can expect to see at the show.

Gifts for Little Hands is a new company that will be showcasing its products at the Education Show this year. Gifts for Little Hands is dedicated to supplying affordable, high quality educational and creative gifts to schools and nurseries. Its products are aligned

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 to the early years curriculum and allow a more personalised service, as gifts can be purchased based on the child, their age and their educational requirements. There are products to suit every child and a range of gifts that will help parents to support their child’s personal and educational development at home. Gifts for Little Hands is also dedicated to supporting fundraising activities.

Visit stand E106 for more information.

London Emblem Ltd, the UK’s leading supplier of badge-making machines and components, has been supplying the

education industry for over 50 years and will be exhibiting on stand A88. All of its machines are UK engineered and manufactured, so they are of the highest quality and reliability, and its badge making machines are the most versatile on the market. London Emblem supplies school enamel badges such as Prefect, School Council, Eco-School, and Star of the Week; all badges are available in a variety of shapes and colours to suit your needs.

The FitNut Program (stand F119 Launch Pad) is a practical, fun and engaging fitness and nutrition learning resource designed E

Inspired by a vision of Putting students in the high quality education for best position to achieve all young people excellence ASCL believes that the key to making our schools and colleges world-class is a culture of trust and respect between politicians and the profession. School and college leaders are absolutely committed to raising standards and want to lead a world-class education system with world-class schools. Huge strides have been made right across the system to continue to raise standards, with school and college leaders at the forefront.

ASCL has responded to the needs of all its members by developing a wide range of professional support services.

It is the only association to speak for all senior leaders of Britain’s schools and colleges. Its steadily growing membership, now over 18,000, reflects the way in which its distinguished heritage has been adapted to meet the needs of today.

ASCL members receive legal

cover and support, access to advice through a hotline, guidance and resource materials, updates on the latest education news via the website and commercial discounts. ASCL ensures members’ concerns and views are heard at the highest government levels, as well as being a major provider of training courses and consultancy for schools.

To find out more information on the latest subscription offers, visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0116 2991122 jointheleaders@ascl.org.uk www.ascl.org.uk/offers

Maped Helix offers a comprehensive range of both traditional and innovative school essentials that people have grown to love.

Helix has been helping children and teens through their schooling for over 125 years and now offers three of the world’s most recognised educational brands; Helix, Oxford and Maped.

The world famous Helix Oxford range – which includes the UK’s number Maths Set – is backed by a diverse range of traditional, premium academic school accessories. Helix is a trusted brand offering a complete range of quality technical education equipment.

Maped is design-led, user friendly, innovative school stationery. Its unique range of writing instruments, colouring and school equipment have exceptional design and quality.

Award Winning products such as the Maped Jungle Innovation

felt pens have been appearing in homes and classrooms all across the country, leaving the days of scattered pens and lost lids in the past. The high quality, washable pens and patented holder are perfect for group work in the classroom.

New 2016 products to the Color’Peps colouring range include the innovative Gel and Plasticlean Crayons, Long Life Felt Pens in Class Packs and a range of Maxi Felt Pens and Colouring Pencils specifically designed for younger children.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01384 286860 www.mapedhelix.co.uk

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The Education Show

Airkix makes the dream of Committed to supplying flight a reality with your high quality stationery best physics lesson ever products at value prices Teaching students about forces, friction and air resistance can seem a bit of a drag. Because the children can only see the effect of the force, not the force itself it’s a difficult concept for them to grasp, until now.

Imagine a wind tunnel that could be used for testing the aerodynamics of an F1 racing car, turn it upright, step into the airflow and you are skydiving. Now imagine using this to demonstrate surface area and air flow.

Carlsberg don’t do science lessons but if they did it would probably involve a trip to Airkix Indoor Skydiving.

Perfect for year one through to year six, the CREST accredited interactive Wind Workshops offer a unique, hands-on experience with the emphasis on fun. For secondary school pupils aged 11‑15, Airkix has developed Physics of Flight, a unique opportunity to

apply physics theory from the classroom to the live workings of a vertical wind tunnel.

With a combination of indoor skydiving and bespoke educational workshops designed with children and accessible science in mind, Airkix is a truly inspirational and comprehensive life and learning experience.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0161 359 3864 www.airkix.com/schools

Grosvenor House Papers (GHP) Ltd began trading in 1949, selling paper to local businesses. In recent years, the company has grown considerably – supplying exercise books and paper, craft materials, copier paper and office equipment to schools, local authorities and businesses nationally.

GHP is the UK stockist and distributor for the Rhino brand of exercise books and papers.

The Rhino range is enormous, with over 650 different products stocked, which ensures immediate delivery. The company specialises in the printing of exercise books covers. GHP has been supplying educational products to schools throughout the UK for over 50 years.

The company provides a personal and professional service. GHP is committed to supplying high quality products that conform to the highest

environmental standards.

Through the sale of Rhino branded products, Save the Rhino benefits directly.

They have a range of over 30 items suitable for special educational needs.

In addition to the Rhino range the company also supplies art and craft materials as well as many other well-known brands such as Berol, Staedtler, BIC, Derwent and many others.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01539 726161 info@ghpkendal.co.uk www.ghpkendal.co.uk

Improving learning in schools for more than 30 years Visit us at the Education Show on Stand H80 to learn about our newest curriclum! @FW_Education

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EVENT PREVIEW

ASCEL aims to lead excellence in library services for children, young people and schools, so that every child has the opportunity to be inspired by an exciting and stimulating library environment  to promote healthy habits in students. The cross-curricular program can be used within a unit or as an individual lesson, and can be differentiated for different age groups. The FitNut Program is multi‑sensory and comes to life through the FitNut Superstars audio visual materials, physical exercises and hands on practical nutrition education.

Speech Link helps to support speech and language in the classroom and improves attainment for those pupils with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). The user friendly, online packages deliver evidence of narrowing the gap for disadvantaged pupils and aim to empower education professionals. The standardised assessment identifies pupils with difficulties understanding core language skills. Identified pupils receive a tailored programme of interventions. Retesting provides evidence of levels of improvement, essential for Ofsted and the Pupil Premium. Visit stand C118 to find out more and to receive a special Education Show discount code.

IPEP Limited, the creator of the UK’s first fully interactive physical education (PE) planner, tracker and assessment tool, iPEPlanner (iPEP), will be showcasing its innovative software at the Education Show. The iPEP revolutionises the way primary schools plan, deliver and assess their PE lessons. In addition to dramatically improving PE standards, iPEP strives to save schools time and money through its platform which allows teachers to easily create long, medium and short term lesson plans within minutes. The fully interactive assessment tool enables tracking of individual pupil development allowing for accurate and efficient reporting. Visit stand A48 for more information.

REMEMBER YOUR LIBRARY CARD ASCEL Schools Library Services UK, a unique and affordable library service for schools, will be exhibiting its products and services on stand B89. The service is run by experienced librarians who are qualified to provide expert advice and support in creating and sustaining an outstanding school library, as well as guidance on how to use and manage resources in the school. ASCEL aims to lead excellence in library services for children, young people and schools, so that every child has the opportunity to be inspired by an exciting and stimulating library environment. The service includes a range of fiction and non-fiction books and contemporary resources that can be purchased to help instil

a love of reading in all pupils and ensure that schools’ libraries support the school curriculum, as well as encouraging pupils to read for pleasure.

Laveer Legal (stand K88) is an employment law specialist firm that supports schools and academies with HR and employment law matters. It offers expert, bespoke and cost-effective support to educational establishments and ensures employment contracts are fully compliant, investigations and disciplinary processes are carried out correctly and, in the unlikely event that a school is faced with a claim, provides a membership scheme where clients can access legal representation at a heavily discounted rate.

At Laveer Legal, clients are assigned their own lawyer from the outset and have access to a helpdesk service that provides immediate and unlimited employment law and HR advice.

Plastic Tokens, the UK’s largest token manufacturer, will be exhibiting on stand C48-D49. The tokens and collectors can be used for a number of things including: schools rewarding good behaviour, cashless currency at events and festivals, and to create visually impressive voting systems. It provides a range of sets that start from small desktop tubes, perfect for use in classrooms, to floor standing tubes that sit perfectly in school receptions and assembly halls.

These colourful tube units are a great way to show off your school’s achievements and are used to positively reward children and show them how well they perform individually or as part of a team.

Publicly-owned buying organisation, YPO, supplies education establishments with everything they need to operate successfully, including over 30,000 products and 80 frameworks. YPO is working with social enterprise organisation Community Inspired to launch FundEd, a new programme to help schools across the UK access vital funding, from sources such as crowdfunding, grants and sponsorship. The FundEd programme aims to help raise £300m additional funding for schools by 2020. YPO is 100 per cent publicly-owned, meaning that all profits are returned to its members and customers for reinvestment in frontline E

The Education Show

Sponsored by

Helping schools to monitor and benchmark pupil progress GL Assessment will be showcasing a range of assessments at the Education Show (Stand D70), with a series of exclusive offers.

The company’s Life After Levels primary offering and assessments that can help secondary schools with Progress 8 may be of particular interest. GL Assessment has also recently launched the new Progress Test in Science assessment, which completes its Progress Test Series of new attainment assessments.

Support pupils to reach their potential in English, maths and science by attending the free Progress Test Series workshop on Saturday 19 March at 13:4514:15. Visit the GL Assessment website for more information.

The company would also like to invite you to attend its Education Show seminars that provide support, guidance and advice on some key assessment topics:

‘Supporting effective teaching and assessment of reading in Reception’ – Beccie Hawes, Rushall Inclusion Advisory Team. Early Years and SEN Theatre, 11:10 – 11:40, Thursday 17 March; ‘The use of technology to identify and support SEND’ – Gareth D. Morewood, Priestnall School, Stockport. Early Years and SEN Theatre, 15:10pm – 15:40pm, Thursday 17 March; ‘Life after Levels: let’s assess what matters’ – Jonathan Bishop, Broadclyst Academy. Early Years and SEN Theatre, 13:45 – 14:15, Thursday 17 March.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0330 123 5375 www.gl-assessment.co.uk

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The Education Show

Sponsored by

EVENT PREVIEW

 education. At The Education Show, it will be focusing on innovative STEM resources, making savings and generating income and investment. Visit stand F18 to discover more.

A HELPING HAND The SEN Information Point will once again be hosted by nasen, providing visitors with valuable insight into policy changes and the statutory requirements of the new SEND Code of Practice.

Nasen is the UK’s leading organisation that provides training, development and support for those who work with or care for children and young people with special and additional educational needs and disabilities.

The association helped to curate the show’s three-day SEN CPD programme: free to attend seminars and workshops developed to enable best practices and outstanding methodology for pupils with SEN to be shared and discussed. The team will also be launching free online training for all schools in order to help embed the reforms in the SEND Code of Practice and continue to develop excellent provision. This free training will use existing expertise to share the most effective practice with schools.

To help exhibitors plan their route around

BESA’s knowledge and experience will help visitors plan their time at the event and ensure they get as much out of it as possible the show, BESA will be on hand at the BESA Show Information Point. The association’s knowledge and experience will help visitors plan their time at the event and ensure they get as much out of it as possible.

GETTING TO THE NEC The NEC is just ten minutes by train from the centre of Birmingham and 80 minutes from London, with Birmingham International airport and railway station located within the same complex as the NEC. Birmingham International train station is just a five-minute walk under a covered bridge link from the show, linking The 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, however, the most convenient is Birmingham Airport. Once you’ve landed in 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 05:15 and 02:00, connecting the airport passenger terminals and The NEC. L

The Education Show is jam-packed with innovative ideas, resources and insights to advance pedagogy, so whether you’re a teacher, SENCO or pupil, there is a reason to visit the show.

You can follow @EducationShow on Twitter for further news and updates, or join #EdShowChat every last week of the month.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.education-show.com

Honey-Bee: Creating versatile and customisable equipment

Providing schools with quality software, training and consultancy services

Honey-Bee is proud and excited about the launch of its HoneyBee 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. HoneyBee 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

EES for Schools (owned

by Essex County Council) provides a range of specialist education services all focused on improving school effectiveness. Its mission is to help schools of all types become (and stay) the best places of learning they can possibly be.

EES works with over 4,500 schools across the UK and in 21 countries worldwide, delivering sophisticated software (including Target Tracker which is now used by over 25 per cent of primary schools), training and consultancy services in the areas of school effectiveness and improvement, pupil assessment and progress tracking, clerking, finance, HR, governor services and school library services.

A comprehensive review of the international research base into school effectiveness led EES to ‘The 25 Characteristics of High-Performing Schools’

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

which forms the foundations of its new School Effectiveness+ service. SE+ supports a school-led improvement system, allowing schools to evaluate themselves, identify their strengths and weaknesses, benchmark against other schools, and have a clear view of their improvement priorities. The service has been successfully trialled in Essex schools over the last nine months.

To find out more, please visit the company’s website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0345 200 8600 enquiries@EESforschools.org www.eesforschools.org

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CURRICULUM

A new and more challenging programme of study has been announced for computing on the national curriculum. Dave Whyley and Brett Laniosh of Naace analyse the current situation in schools and discuss the benefits, progress and challenges that any changes may pose

Computing has been part of the national curriculum since 2014, with the changes gaining a mixed reception from both primary and secondary schools across the country. For 2016, a ‘new and more challenging’ programme of study has been announced, featuring a number of key changes and additions which have been met with widespread uncertainty. There is a very clear divide between schools

when it comes to computing. In some schools, teachers are meeting the challenge head-on and adapting incredibly well. When computing is delivered effectively, it can be a highly-structured learning experience and holistically very beneficial, as the subject itself develops problem solving capability; something which is relevant in every subject.

In her speech at Bett this year, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “I want our next

Written by Dave Whyley and Brett Laniosh, Naace

Computing: Digital divides and evangelist educators

IT & Computing

Sponsored by

Whe it comen comput s to technol ing and the clas ogy within are a lo sroom, there to teacherf nervous so there ut

generation to have the skills to compete in the global jobs market. That’s why we have put in place a computing curriculum that gives them the basic building blocks but also seeks to give them specialist knowledge, too.” E

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CURRICULUM  She also went on to say that the government is committed to delivering ‘world-class’ qualifications. The UK used to be a world leader in computing, however today we are seeing other nations, especially the likes of North America and Canada, forging streets ahead.

The main issue is that there is no clear strategy for what we are trying to achieve with the teaching of computing. Other nations have clear-cut objectives, including the cultivation of positive digital footprints, and understanding

Python and HTML. It is the process of learning these languages that will teach students more about how to use technology and to solve problems through perseverance. Computing is also a highly collaborative subject, as working in teams will often provide multiple solutions to the same problem, allowing all students to work out the logic of the language.

Those students who may have struggled to engage with traditional subjects, often find computing far easier to engage with. This is particularly true of students for whom English

When computing is delivered effectively, it can be a highly-structured learning experience and holistically very beneficial, as the subject itself develops problem solving capability; something which is relevant in every subject how to use technology effectively. In the UK, however, we are continually hearing claims of our need to be ‘preparing young children for the digital world’, but how many jobs truly exist in the UK technology and computing industries? Technology is fast becoming one of our greatest assets, and the establishment of Tech City is a testament to this, but is the current narrow interpretation of computing as coding really preparing our students for the future workplace?

In reality, it’s not so much about the languages that students learn. Many secondary pupils will now learn to code in more than one language, including Javascript,

is an additional language (EAL), as the logical structure of coding languages has helped them to demonstrate their intellect and give their teachers a real insight into their abilities.

LITERACY, ETHICS AND LEGALITY There is a great deal more to computing than just learning how to code and the recent changes to the curriculum reflect this. Our world is increasingly becoming more and more digital, and understanding the ethical and legal aspects of technology, as well as having a strong understanding of online safety, are crucial to any lesson based around the study of digital practices. We must teach pupils

how their use of technology can affect those around them, and how to act safely and legally online, both inside and out of the classroom.

Accessing and evaluating digital content is one of the skills that will definitely be of significant benefit to students in the future. It used to be that all pupil work was done using books and paper, however, today students often use the internet to research their topic, so the ability (or lack thereof) to discern the validity and legality of a source can have serious implications for their work. In this sense, working with the wider community can be incredibly valuable, and making sure that parents also have a solid understanding of online safety issues and the legal implications of technology can help reinforce this learning massively. Digital literacy is incredibly important in today’s society after all.

IT & Computing

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WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE Contrary to what you might expect, it is often the older teachers who excel in the teaching of coding, simply because they initially learnt to use computers on systems which required commands to function. Modern computers now execute most of these commands autonomously, thus the knowledge of manual operation has slowly faded away. Teachers who have never worked with computers in this way often struggle with the concepts of computational thinking and there is still a great deal of confusion in the classroom around certain terminology, such as ‘algorithm’ for example, particularly at Key Stage One. When it comes to computing and technology within the classroom, there are a lot of nervous teachers out there. The annual Bett E

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CURRICULUM  show is a great platform to demonstrate what technology has to offer but it’s important to remember that those who visit make up a small percentage of the total number of UK teachers, and many of them are ‘evangelist teachers’, who are already incorporating technology well in the classroom. There are many others who are feeling lost and have only two sides of A4 in the curriculum programme of study to work from; these are the people we must support and reach out to.

One of the things we must focus on in the next two years is ensuring that teachers have the resources and support frameworks in place to deliver a rich and exciting curriculum. Although there are some very high-quality resources for computing available, there still aren’t enough to support teachers effectively. Schools are struggling with the allocation of budgets and where to focus their continuing professional development (CPD). Indeed, there is a great demand for computing training courses in schools.

Some schools will have an enthusiastic ICT teacher who will pick up the subject and run with it, whereas others will employ a single teacher or support assistant to teach the subject. Some will even focus on computing over a period of a week to ‘get it out of the way’ so to speak.

Computing is not yet being delivered in a consistently effective manner and the level of support offered to teachers has not been sufficient, despite the injection of funding to organisations, such as Computing at School. There simply aren’t enough professionals to support schools in developing the full range of their computing programme.

APPROPRIATE INFRASTRUCTURE, RELEVANT TEACHING Although the digital divide is partly due to a lack of teacher confidence in using and teaching technology, there is a far more fundamental issue at hand in that some schools simply don’t have the capacity to implement new technologies.

The BESA Leadership Briefing report showed that 38 per cent of primary school pupils and 20 per cent of secondary-level students will continue to suffer from poor internet access in 2016, meaning that a great deal of superb and helpful resources for computing, such as Espresso Coding, 2Simple’s 2Code and J2e’s J2Code will remain out of reach no matter what they cost.

We have made a positive start, but we still have a long way to go before all schools are delivering computing appropriately and effectively.

All schools are finding it a challenge as it is still a relatively foreign concept to teachers, so they have to get to grips with the terminology and practice of programming. It used to be that the Department for Education (DfE) and the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) published reports on the efficacy of the computing curriculum, but this has recently dwindled, and thus, we have no authoritative research on how well we’re doing, how effective the government sponsored support mechanisms have been or how teaching computing really benefits our students.

Many teachers understand the need for the subject, and enthusiastic IT specialists have been keen to pick it up, but from experience, it seems that most are still very daunted by the task. Schools are told by conferences and suppliers what they should be doing, but very

The digital divide is partly due to a lack of teacher confidence in using and teaching technology, but there is a far more fundamental issue at hand – some schools simply don’t have the capacity to implement new technologies

few explain how to go about it, and it is this crucial element that has led to the piecemeal adaptation of computing. If we can lay out clear objectives for our pursuit of coding excellence, as well as establishing a strong support network for teachers and schools, we will be able to begin teaching computing in a way that truly benefits young people. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.naace.co.uk

Based on the Wirral, Imagen has an enviable reputation for great service and for attracting a wide range of trading partners from very different areas of business.

Their speciality is to provide professional, efficient and cost effective document management, archive storage and confidential disposal services to its many clients.

Imagen has built up an extensive list of clients in the education, financial, high street retailing and the legal profession etc and they are always keen to prove and demonstrate the many unique systems which exist in their business to all customers, both large and small. Our aim is to offer an exceptional service. The storage service is backed up by an innovative, eco-friendly and secure alternative to destroying your confidential documents.

Any documentation which is due for destruction will go through a mulching process, sometimes referred to as pulping. The documents are pulverised and within seconds reduced to liquid paper. Your unwanted documents and paper waste is 99% recycled and the’ liquid paper’ is processed into newsprint.

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Written by Elspeth Houlding,The British Science Association

Celebrating science in your school Taking place on 11-20 March, British Science Week will once again challenge schools to engage in science, promoting innovation and inspiration for a generation of pupils in the UK. The British Science Association’s Elspeth Houlding provides an insight to the week British Science Week is back again, bigger and better than before. Over 10 days, thousands of events will take place across the UK from 11-20 March, celebrating the impact that science, engineering, technology and maths have on our daily lives, with engaging events, fascinating talks and hands-on activities.

Three thousand events are taking place across the UK meaning that getting involved in British Science Week is really easy to do, and will allow you to showcase your school’s openness to science.

Last year, there were over 5,000 events on all manners of different topics, including a fireworks display at the Science Museum in London, a debate on overpopulation in Cambridge, an engineer rescue team workshop in Glasgow, as well as much, much more.

However, this year, we want to make it even bigger! Our events database is growing each day, so it’s easy to find an event near you on our website – you could even organise your own event and register it on the site. There’s plenty of resources on helping you put together your own activities, whether it be a celebration in a church hall, a science demo in the classroom, or a workshop with a local expert.

Start planning your classroom activities by registering your event. All teachers who register between 23 February and 10 March will be entered into a draw to win one of ten Educator memberships worth £25.

PARTICIPATE FOR A DIGITAL BADGE Participating in British Science Week activities, such as an event or our poster competition, can enable you and your students to achieve special British Science Week 2016 digital badges. In partnership with Makewaves, the British Science Association is enabling young people and educators to register their activities for digital badges – it’s a great way to quickly

science of their subject. Last year teachers described Demo Day as a great way to raise the profile of their subjects within school, and also a fantastic opportunity to motivate and fire the curiosity of students. Events ranged from a heart rate experiment in the school gym, to creating hot ice cream, lava lamps and elephant’s toothpaste. Some teachers invited families in to participate, and others hosted Demo Day as an event for local feeder schools.

Over 10 days, thousands of events will take place across the UK from 11-20 March, celebrating the impact that science, engineering, technology and maths have on our daily lives evidence and reward everyone’s hard work.

You can register for free, and students can upload evidence of their events, poster competition entries or other British Science Week activities to gain the relevant badges.

A LARGE LIVE SCHOOL EXPERIMENT On Thursday 17 March, secondary school teachers of science will be taking part in Demo Day, celebrating the art of the science demonstration and showcasing creative, practical demos. Other subjects can join in too – food tech, music and PE will be using live demonstrations to showcase the

Demo Day has run successfully for the last two years in hundreds of schools across the UK. In 2016, we want to encourage even more schools to get involved – both those who run in-class demos often, or who have taken part in Demo Day before, and those schools who are less familiar with demonstrations. There are plenty of resources available (see below) to give teachers and technicians ideas, inspiration and confidence to run demos with students.

For Demo Day 2014 we released Demo: The Movie, a 30-minute film which follows science teacher Alom Shaha as he goes on a journey to explore the use of demonstrations E

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Sustainable… Creative…

Collaborative…

Utilising the skills of design and engineering students from universities in the USA, Techstyle Haus* is used to promote the practice of sustainable living to future generations.

Designed for maximum efficiency, the house uses 90% less energy for heating and cooling than a traditional house.

STEM projects don’t need to be dull.

Think creatively and use the Arts to engage your students.

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

Visit:

www.learnwithrichie.com * Techstyle Haus: www.brown.edu/academics/engineering/news/2014-06/risdbrownerfurt-team-unveils-unique-fabric-solar-house

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Science

Sponsored by

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK  in science teaching. We also released demo videos and written guides of six teacher and technician demonstration favourites. You can view Demo: The Movie via the link at the end of this article.

By pledging to take part in Demo Day in March, teachers receive brilliant free resources and new ideas for demonstrations on a wide range of topics. Let’s not forget to inspire our SEND students - we’ve put together some expert tips to ensure everyone can get the most from your Demo Day.

It’s not just for scientists: science is all around us…

BEHIND THE BRITISH SCIENCE SCENES Fascinating science, engineering, manufacturing and technological innovation is taking place on everyone’s doorstep all over the UK and Behind the Scenes of British Science brings this to the fore.

We’re throwing open the doors of Britain’s most fascinating science, technology and engineering locations, operation sites and laboratories, sharing the science that is happening at your company or organisation to your local community.

This year, L’Oreal, Royal Mail, Historic England, Cancer Research UK, Aerozone Stansted, Creative Skillset, Bletchley Park, and more, are opening their doors to students in these unique ‘Open House’ style events.

BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST For 2016, we’ve teamed up with Zooniverse to bring you the citizen science project Bat Detective – where you can help identify species of bat by listening to their calls.

Forget what you’ve read about humans having terrible hearing and sight, we actually have great audio and visual skills, enabling us to easily tell apart animal calls from other noises.

We’ve partnered with the Zooniverse project, Bat Detective, a fun and fascinating audio visual citizen science project that asks people to identify bat calls.

The Bat Detective project team needs your help to go through the sonograms and pick out the different calls.

First launched in 2012, nearly 4,000 volunteers have explored almost 100,000 audio snapshots and more than 11,000 bat calls have been discovered. The team have been able to use this data to develop algorithms that can automatically search for and detect bat calls in audio recordings with a very good success rate.

While the team are a step closer to developing automated software for accurately detecting and species-identifying bat calls from recorded audio, they need your help to classify more data to help them do this.

During British Science Week, we are aiming to complete a further 100,000 classifications.

DELVE INTO OUR SCIENCE RESOURCES We have a wealth of science resources for teachers of all disciplines and Key Stages.

This year, the theme for our activity packs and poster competition is ‘Spaces for Science: Science in Spaces’ and is all about the different places where science can be found and done. We’re focussing on five different types of space; open space, outer space, digital space, built space and personal space.

Young people across the UK are invited to enter the British Science Week annual poster competition. Take a look on our website for inspiration and to check out the terms and conditions. E

Last year teachers described Demo Day as a great way to raise the profile of their subjects within school, and also a fantastic opportunity to motivate and fire the curiosity of students

79

Mathletics is a digital resource used by more than 5,000 schools across the UK. It is proven to improve pupil engagement and results in maths.

Mathletics can support the delivery of your maths curriculum with 1,400 curriculum aligned activities plus courses covering mathematical fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills. It also offers in-built assessment and diagnostic reporting tools for teachers and can be accessed on PCs and tablet devices.

Spellodrome is a digital resource that helps children to develop their spelling, writing and communication skills, to support them in the ‘GPS’ elements of the new English curriculum.

It offers pre-populated 2014 curriculum-aligned word lists for KS1 and KS2, word lists that can be customised (from more than 10,000 words) to your own specific needs; extensive printable worksheets focusing on spelling practice, grammar and punctuation; fun and engaging activities based on your word lists; tools to develop writing skills and online standard benchmarking tests.

Reading Eggs is a digital resource for literacy, designed to help teach children how to read and to develop a love of reading.

With 120 phonics and 200 comprehension lessons; 2000 eBooks with comprehension tests; creative writing areas; a teacher toolkit with lesson plans, comprehensive reporting and ‘big books’, plus online spelling, punctuation and grammar games, Reading Eggs provides you with all the tools you need to raise the profile of reading and nurture high literacy standards.

IntoScience is a groundbreaking leap forward in secondary school science education.

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

For more information or to register for a free trial please visit www.3plearning.com/uk, phone 0117 370 1990 or email info@3plearning.co.uk

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Science

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BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

Forensic science

Forget what you’ve read about humans having terrible hearing and sight, we actually have great audio and visual skills, enabling us to easily tell apart animal calls from other noises  CREST AWARDS Each year, over 32,000 CREST Awards are undertaken by 11-to-19-year-olds, giving them opportunities to explore real‑world science, technology, engineering and maths projects in an exciting way.

CREST Awards are student-led projects that recognise success, and enables students to build their skills and demonstrate personal achievement in project work.

In the 30 years that the CREST Awards have been running, we’ve witnessed how doing practical, creative science and technology projects have increased students’ enjoyment

and understanding of science, but now we’re proud to share evidence of the CREST Awards scheme’s impact on academic attainment, too.

The Pro Bono Economics report, conducted by a group of volunteer economists, has discovered that students who take part in CREST Awards get better GCSEs and are more likely to pick STEM AS Levels.

The research also found that: students who took a Silver CREST achieved half a grade higher on their best science GCSE result compared to a statistically matched control group; students who undertake a CREST Silver Award are 21 per cent more likely to take a

STEM AS Level. 82 per cent of Silver CREST students took a STEM AS Level, compared to 68 per cent of a statistically matched control group; Silver CREST students eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) saw a larger increase in their best science GCSE (two thirds of a grade) compared to a matched control group who were also eligible for FSM; and that students who were eligible for FSM and took part in a CREST Silver Award were 38 per cent more likely to take a STEM subject at AS Level than the matched control group.

It also discovered that: students who undertake Silver CREST have higher average GCSE grades compared to those who did not do a CREST Silver Award; the sample for this analysis included 2.4 million Key Stage 4 students (of whom 3,800 took CREST Silver) and 1.0 million Key Stage 5 students (of whom 2,300 took a Silver CREST Award); and that half (50 per cent) of students taking Silver CREST Awards were young women.

Imran Khan, chief executive of the British Science Association, said: “As a society, we need more and more young people who are curious about, and comfortable with, science – not least to ensure that we have a competitive economy and vibrant culture – so we hope that this report encourages more young people, teachers, schools, and parents to explore science and technology through the CREST Awards.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole team at Pro Bono Economics who have volunteered many hours of their own time to produce this report, and to make some excellent recommendations for the BSA and education sector to take forward for the future.”

David Willetts, chair of the British Science Association, said: “The BSA has been running the CREST Awards for almost 30 years. We have long-suspected that CREST is a great thing, of course – but we now have quantitative evidence to suggest that undertaking CREST Silver Award appears to have a positive impact on students’ GCSE grades and the likelihood of them continuing on study STEM. “That in itself is hugely significant.

However, I am particularly interested in the finding that there is an even greater impact on students who are or have been eligible for free school meals.”

REMOVING BARRIERS TO ACCESS The British Science Association is also delighted to announce government support for a new digital platform to support its CREST Awards scheme. The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has agreed a grant of £270,000 to develop Digital CREST, a new digital platform to enable more young people to participate in its CREST Awards scheme.

CREST Awards, the UK’s largest national award scheme for project work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects, enrich students’ interest in E

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Price comparison is based on prices in the public domain as at 15 January 2016. The YPO prices are from www.ypo.co.uk. The Timstar prices are from www.timstar.co.uk.

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with with with with 82

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

with

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Children with micro-organisms

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK  STEM subjects and careers. The Association wants more young people to benefit from doing CREST in their schools, youth clubs and homes. Over 30,000 11 to 18-year-olds achieve CREST Awards every year, 51 per cent of whom are girls – and we intend to grow this to over 60,000 over the next two years.

The digital platform will help to remove barriers to access for schools not currently involved in the programme, especially students and teachers in disadvantaged and remote areas. It will provide a streamlined way for teachers and students to sign up and receive guidance on the CREST Awards process and enable more volunteers from academia and industry to help young people with their CREST projects.

Jo Johnson, Universities & Science Minister, said: “By recognising the hard work of pupils and teachers the CREST Awards are helping inspire young people to follow a career in STEM. Our investment in this new digital platform for the awards will recognise the hard work of pupils and teachers across the whole of the country and help secure the UK’s position as a world leader in science and innovation.”

Khan added: “We are extremely grateful to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills for awarding us this grant that will enable us to transform the CREST Awards MTA_TDI Challenge 1 programme and expandAdvert_AW.qxp_Layout its reach. The BSA

Science

Sponsored by

By pledging to take part in Demo Day in March, teachers receive brilliant free resources and new ideas for demonstrations on a wide range of topics wants all young people to have the chance to experience the excitement and creativity of science in a context that fits their own identity and interests, and - through its student-led approach – CREST provides that.” L

the UK through our network of regional branches and by building partnerships with national and local organisations that match our vision of a world where science is seen as a fundamental part of our culture and society.

The British Science Association coordinates, delivers and oversees a number of different projects and programmes aimed at engaging 17/02/2016 14:38science.

Page We 1 work across more people with

FURTHER INFORMATION www.britishscienceweek.org sciencedemo.org/demo-movie bsa.sc/CRESTImpact

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83

3D Printing

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TECHNOLOGY

The third dimension of school technology The evolution of 3D printing in schools is not new, but with the reliance on technology beoming ever-more stringent, is it a surprise that more schools haven’t invested in 3D printing technology. Education Business puts on its 3D glasses and explores the situation 3D printing is no longer the new technology that everyone is talking about. Since its arrival in 1984 (under the name of rapid prototyping), the technology has received wide spread press coverage and more than its fair share of acclaim. Yet, for some reason, many educators remain unaware of the benefits that 3D printing can offer to the classroom.

3D printing is the process of making a three-dimensional object from a digital model. Using an additive process whereby successive layers of material are laid down, it produces layers that are thinly sliced and horizontally cross-sectioned.

Poised to revolutionise manufacturing in a similar fashion to how the computer changed media and the MP3 changed music, the generation that are either currently in school or due to enter school in the next decade, will benefit highly from familiarisation with the technology in the classroom. If the skills gap that is predicted to effect UK industry over the next decade - a report in 2015 suggested

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that 1.4 million digital professionals would be needed to keep pace over the next five years – is correct, then the advantage of a pre-existing knowledge of systems such as 3D printing will heighten the number of entrepreneurs available.

CHANGING THE LESSON LANDSCAPE One of the reasons for why schools remain sceptical of investing heavily in 3D technology is funding. Many schools, and indeed departments within those schools, feel that they are unable to justify the cost of the technology.

However, since its initial interest growth, 3D printers have become not only far more affordable - many companies who sell 3D printers to schools offer all-in-one packages for squeezed academic budgets -

but have also become more in demand. 3D printers are not only deemed an option for Design & Technology lessons, but also possess numerous benefits for subjects across the board. In science labs students can build models of molecules or print out complete models of cells.

In mathematics, abstract problems become far less abstract as angles, shapes and other geometry topics can take on new meaning for students which will benefit learning. More obviously, in engineering and other design subjects, product design leaves the page to showcase a new way of understanding.

The landscape of the classroom has the

Since its initia l interest g r o wth, 3D pr becomeinters have n more af ot only far f but hav ordable become e also mo demandre in

3D Printing

potential to adapt in so many ways. From fairly new initiatives such as Learning Outside of the Classroom, which brings education and the teaching environment outside of the classroom walls, to the more common and traditional practical science lessons, lessons have the ability to be taught in a number of ways. The saying ‘one size fits all’ is often opposed when it comes to students, but its opposition is also applicable to the lesson set up.

Hands-on technologies create a different experience for students, a certain ‘wow’ factor and an excitement that is

The landscape of the classroom has the potential to adapt in so many ways. The saying ‘one size fits all’ is often opposed when it comes to students, but its opposition is also applicable to the lesson set up sometimes lost in the traditional subject. 3D printing enables more teacher-student-technology interaction and has been reported to increase engagement. Critical thinking, often looked down upon, is brought to life, creativity is encouraged and practicality evolves, as there is an end product to work before.

FDM MACHINES The most common technology used in schools is fused deposition modelling (FDM). An extruder rather like a hot glue gun squirts softened polymer onto a base. The new polymer must fuse with the previous layer and there are two keys to this – the temperature of polymer being extruded and keeping the model as close to the glass transition temperature as possible. Too hot and the part will droop and distort losing dimensional accuracy.

Two techniques are used to keep the model warm.

Stratasys were the first to market with an FDM machine and patented a heated chamber kept a few degrees below the glass transition temperature of the polymer.

Heating the table is another method of keeping the model warm but can suffer from temperature drop as the build gets taller.

FDM machines that aren’t enclosed are also susceptible to changes in room temperature and draughts from doors and windows.

MATERIALS The most popular polymers for FDM 3D printers are ABS and PLA. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) combines the strength and rigidity of acrylonitrile and styrene polymers with the toughness of polybutadiene rubber.

The 3D printers with enclosed build spaces heat the chamber to around 100oC, just below the liquid state to ensure new layers fully bond with the previous layer. ABS has good impact resistance and toughness. It is amorphous with no specific melting point but the temperature when it changes to a liquid state (glass transition temperature) is 105oC. Density is 0.350 – 3.50g/cc; hardness is 90.0 – 119 (Rockwell); tensile strength (ultimate) is 24.1 – 73.1 MPa; and tensile modulus is 0.778 – 6.10 GPa. Polylactic Acid (PLA) plastics are produced from corn or dextrose including Tapioca roots and sugarcane. PLA is bio‑degradable and used for medical implants and food containers although opinion seems divided on how green PLA actually is.

PLA has good impact resistance and toughness. The glass transition temperature of PLA is 60 – 65oC. Density is 1.00 – 1.62g/cc; hardness is 59.0 – 77.0 (Shore D); tensile strength (ultimate) is 16.0 – 114 MPa; and tensile modulus is 2.7 – 16 GPa. The low melting point of PLA means it can be encased in plaster-like moulding materials then burned out with the space filled with molten metal, a variation on lost wax casting.

ADVANTAGES The advantages of FDM machines is that the materials are low cost and there are low cost versions of printers available. They are high strength models with relatively short build times.

The disadvantages of such materials is that additional material/ structures are needed to support overhanging geometry and support material must be removed by breaking away or dissolving. Support material is waste and parts cannot easily be nested inside one another or vertically. Plus these machines only come in single colour parts.

ACCESSING THE ‘WOW’ NOW If the technology wave that is sweeping through most industries continues at its current pace, our reliance on technology in the next 10, 20 or 50 years will demand a school based understanding of industries like 3D printing.

The excitement and ‘wow’ factor that it may bring to a lesson today, may be a necessity in the future. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.data.org.uk

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STEM Written by Ems Lord, director of NRICH, University of Cambridge

Sponsored by

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

MATHEMATICS

Adding inspiration to the mathematics equation Mathematics is often wrongly deemed as just a subject on the curriculum, rather than the subject that underpins it. Ems Lord, director of NRICH, tackles some of the key misconceptions regarding the subject, and highlights the prominent role it should hold in the teaching of STEM subjects

Mathematicians are addressing some of our world’s most urgent challenges – including tackling climate change, modelling disease transmission and solving the human genome sequence. They also ensured that the London 2012 Olympics showcased the very best in sports technology through their contribution towards the development of the world class velodrome facility, affectionately nicknamed ‘The Pringle.’ In each case, their contributions relied on exploiting the connections between mathematics and other STEM subjects.

MISTAKEN BELIEFS Nevertheless, many school children mistakenly believe that mathematics is solely devoted to learning rules and procedures. They fail to make connections between their mathematical studies and the real world. They rarely experience the thrill of discovering patterns or making connections from the classroom to the wider world. By encouraging a STEM approach, teachers can highlight those connections, nurturing future generations of mathematicians whilst developing a greater understanding of the importance of mathematics amongst all of their students.

Ask any primary school pupil why they study mathematics, and in my experience most of them will reply that learning mathematics has

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something to do with their end of Year 6 SAT exams; most primary-aged children fail to link their studies to real life applications. As they enter their secondary schooling, the need for making explicit connections between maths and other STEM subjects becomes much more urgent. Secondary schools usually employ specialist teachers to deliver their curriculum, who deliver their lessons at specified times

tasks for schools. We believe that all students should have access to problem solving resources. At the last count, the NRICH team had uploaded over 1,100 free resources to our website. In particular, NRICH has produced a range of resources and approaches to support schools to fully embrace a STEM approach to their teaching. In this article, I will describe how two of our key approaches – supporting

Unless students are given opportunities to experience the power and beauty of mathematics across the curriculum, many of them will continue to regard maths as a subject solely required for examinations during the school week, often resulting in missed opportunities to identify connections between STEM subjects. Unless students are given opportunities to experience the power and beauty of mathematics across the curriculum, many of them will continue to regard maths as a subject solely required for examinations rather than as a subject which underpins the whole curriculum.

At NRICH, we develop rich mathematical

the training of teachers and developing a resource bank of STEM activities – helps schools to embed a STEM approach.

TRAINEE TEACHERS Trainee secondary school teachers quite rightly tend to focus on their chosen specialist subject. However, by encouraging trainees to make strong STEM connections, we believe that they can also inspire future generations

STEM

STEM connections: mathematicians contributed to the design of the velodrome facility at London’s Olympic Park, used during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

to explore STEM subjects. Trainees can plan and deliver lessons which model how mathematicians, scientists and engineers rely on one another’s skills in more ways than many students realise. And, by working collaboratively with other STEM departments in their schools, the trainees discover how they can develop curriculum maps within and beyond their own curriculum areas.

For example, a trainee science teacher may be planning a lesson which involves an experiment where test results are displayed on a VDU. At NRICH, we would challenge the teacher to identify ways in which their lesson relies on mathematical skills too, such as recognising different types of curves that they might observe on their screens and how they might record them. This would result in a single lesson where science and mathematics skills would complement one another, but such short term planning would overlook further opportunities for effective collaboration between individual subjects.

For example, trainee science teachers need to know that their students have already studies curves, and curve sketching, in their maths lessons in order for the science lesson to be as effective as possible. Therefore, we also encourage trainee mathematics and science teachers to plan together, explore one another’s curricula and recognise where and when specific skills are required throughout a student’s schooling.

By taking such a long term approach, effective connections can be fully embedded across each key stage.

Once trainee teachers have successfully identified possible connections between STEM subjects, they also require high quality classroom resources for those lessons.

Our NRICH website features a dedicated STEM area where teachers can access resources making STEM connections. In this next section, we will explore some of our STEM NRICH resources to highlight the importance of mathematics in STEM. CLIMATE CHANGE: MATHS AND GEOGRAPHY The Arctic sea ice cover is shrinking fast and the potential consequences are grim. To predict how much longer the Arctic sea ice will be around and to assess the impact of an ice-free Arctic, we need to understand how sea ice responds to its environment. Mathematical modelling of sea ice behaviour can provide this much-needed glimpse into the future.

Any mathematical model is built on observations and its predictions must be compared to real-life data.

Gathering data on the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice involves information from satellites and from submarines that travel under the ice. Analysing the data requires sophisticated statistical methods.

But luckily for the members of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at the University of Cambridge, gathering the data means lots of exciting field work in the Arctic!

By encouraging schools to adopt a STEM approach, more students will not only encounter real life applications of mathematics but also sample the amazing opportunities available to anyone who works within STEM subjects INVESTIGATING EPIDEMICS: MATHS AND BIOLOGY This project contains three simple mathematical models for the spread of an epidemic: Standing Disease, Network Disease and Counter Plague. The three models in this project are very simple, but do provide useful information. Standing Disease illustrates how quickly a disease can take off. It would only take 33 steps for the whole world to be infected under certain conditions if there was perfect transmission from one person to two people at each stage. However, experience tells us that epidemics generally self-limit or become stable in a population (as malaria has in sub-Saharan Africa, for instance).

The Network Disease includes attempted transmission to people who are already ill (and this could also be seen as transmission to people who have become immune), and thus provides a mechanism which shows how transmission of a disease might be constrained. Counter Plague is a model which incorporates a way of changing the models in more subtle ways. One model will mean that, in general, epidemics die out quite quickly, whereas using the another model will mean they tend to escalate.

HOW THE VELODROME FOUND ITS FORM: MATHS AND TECHNOLOGY With its sweeping curved roof and beautiful cedar clad exterior the London 2012 Velodrome is a stunning building. But during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games what athletes and spectators were most interested in was the curled ribbon of wooden track at its centre.

The Velodrome track was designed to produce world-record-beating times. The exact geometry of the track, designed by

world famous track designer Ron Webb, is top secret. Like all velodromes, however, the track is sloped, from around 12 degrees on the relatively flat straights up to 42 degrees at the steepest part of the banked turns.

Seen from the centre, or looking down into the turns from the spectator seats, the banked turns seem perilously steep. But rather than tackling the slopes with caution cyclists use these steeply banked turns to create the high speeds necessary to fly around the track.

Mathematicians employed a technique known as parametric modelling to ensure that the design met the constraints placed upon it.

The geometry of speed also inspired the curves of the sweeping roof and the cedar clad exterior of the Velodrome. The external shape of the building allows for seating around the whole of the track, creating, according to Olympic cycling legend Chris Hoy, a ‘wall of noise’ and a ‘gladiatorial atmosphere’.

In this article, we have witnessed some of the amazing projects undertaken by mathematicians collaborating with their STEM counterparts. Their skills helped to make the London 2012 Olympics such a resounding success, and their abilities to model subtle changes in a design allows scientists to investigate more effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases. Yet we have also seen how students often fail to recognise the importance of mathematics in the real life. By encouraging schools to adopt a STEM approach, more students will not only encounter real life applications of mathematics but also sample the amazing opportunities available to anyone who works within STEM subjects. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nrich.maths.org

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School Clubs Written by Maria Quevedo, director, Code Club

Sponsored by

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

CODING

Building digital literacy outside the classroom

With computing now in its second year as part of the English National Curriculum, Maria Quevedo, director of the UK arm of the not-for-profit Code Club, details the benefits that running extra-curricular computing clubs can offer schools, staff and pupils alike The importance of computing and digital skills is a point of ongoing discussion and debate in the UK. By now, we are well aware of the ‘digital skills gap’, which threatens the growth of the country’s economy, leaving those without skills at risk of unemployment or becoming trapped in low-paid, unskilled work.

The first steps have already been put into place to increase the opportunities for children to develop digital skills, with the introduction of computing to the English National Curriculum in September 2014. Yet, in February 2015, a report entitled Make or Break: The UK’s Digital Future by the House of Lords digital skills committee, argued that the curriculum change was not enough.

The report called for a radical rethink of

education, arguing that ‘from an early age we need to give digital literacy as much importance as numeracy and literacy’.

The report also acknowledges a fundamental sticking point that ‘many teachers are not confident or equipped to deliver relevant digital skills’. However, from my work with the not-for-profit Code Club, I have seen that many educators have increasing interest in, and knowledge of, computer science and coding. This is reflected in the increasing number of teachers and school staff who run, or have expressed an interest in running, an extra-curricular Code Club in their schools. In the last year, we have had almost 2,000 new clubs registering

with us, bringing our total number of active clubs to almost 4,000. The majority of our clubs are hosted at schools, and around 50 per cent of our clubs are run by teachers.

Since 2012, Code Club has developed a strong network of volunteer-led after school clubs across the UK. It’s our ambition to offer the opportunity for all children to learn to code and become digital makers, through after school clubs and teacher training sessions. We believe that running extra-curricular computing clubs is a fantastic way for schools to take an extra step to improve the provision of digital skills and digital literacy amongst their pupils, and to work towards the aim of giving these skills as much attention as numeracy and literacy.

ing Developn’s childre cy is a litera digital allenge for great chrs across the educato t, has been UK. Ye ncreasing given i ority pri

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY One of the major benefits of the Code Club model is the fact that the club sessions are run outside of a formal teaching environment. Code Club are strong advocates of the idea of learning through play. That is, that children should be given the opportunity to learn new skills through experimentation and invention, both inside and outside a classroom setting.

In Code Club, children work for an hour each week to complete engaging projects.

This ranges from making an animation using Scratch (a visual coding language created

by MIT, which is free to download or use online), to creating simple games using textbased coding languages such as Python. The projects offer a balance of directed tasks and independent work, and include openended challenges which allow exploration, personalisation and experimentation. The aim is to give children the space to build their skills, try new things, and ultimately, have fun.

COMPLEMENTING THE CURRICULUM We want children who attend Code Clubs to be inspired to pursue other digital activities, whether that’s in their spare time, at school

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or as a career. We also want them to gain skills that are useful to them – not only learning to code but also learning about computational thinking, problem solving, designing, collaborating and sharing.

These skills take time to learn, and are best developed in longer, project-based work.

Code Club’s projects give children the time that they don’t always have within lessons to tinker, experiment, find and fix bugs and other problems, as well as refine and improve based on their own (and others’) testing.

Matthew Cave, assistant head teacher at West Town Lane Academy in Bristol, is one of the teachers who uses Code Club to complement his school’s curriculum learning. Code Club’s fun approach has provided notable benefits for the children. He commented: “It’s amazing to see the sense of achievement the children get when they finish their projects. We can really see them starting to persevere with the tasks in Code Club, using analytical thinking to troubleshoot. They seem to be applying this in other ways, with an increase in resilience in Maths, for example.”

Caroline Harding, a Year 4 teacher, who helps to run a Code Club at her school in Croydon, also saw major benefits for the children who attend Code Club sessions.

She said: “Making Code Club available to the children in our school has helped tremendously with increasing children’s confidence and engagement in coding and computing in general. It taps into their problem solving skills and enables them to develop critical thinking skills.”

BUILDING TEACHERS’ CONFIDENCE Ms Harding told us that ‘programming and code is an area of the curriculum that many staff can find intimidating and can become nervous about’.

We believe that starting a Code Club is a great way for teachers to build their experience and confidence using code. The projects we provide, which frame each weekly Code Club session, act as step‑by‑step guides for the children and the club leader to follow. If the individual who is leading the club runs through the project before starting each session, they would be better equipped to deal with any questions or issues that arise during the club.

In this way, teachers and staff can build their

technology and programming, but this is not essential. Anyone can help run a Code Club, as long as they have the enthusiasm and passion to dedicate their time to running a club.

For the children in the club, having a new face to help inspire and excite them about coding and digital making can be really beneficial as well. Volunteers may act as mentors and role models for the children, helping them to stay interested in the club and showing them where learning to code can take them in terms of career opportunities or personal hobbies.

Extra-curricular activities in UK schools are often limited to the private sector, where resources and facilities make it easier for teachers, parents and school staff to support activities that take place after school or outside of the classroom.

Code Club is free to run, and our flexible model is aimed to be used by any school or community venue that has access to a computer suite or laptops. Our mission is to provide children, no matter who they are or where they come from, the opportunity to learn coding skills for free, and at little or no cost to the school.

BUILDING DIGITAL LITERACY Developing children’s digital literacy is a great challenge for educators across the UK. Yet, it is a challenge which arguably has been given increasing priority, and which schools have already begun to tackle head-on. There are now a growing number of organisations, initiatives, and support networks which have been developed to offer teachers, parents and children new ways to build their digital skills.

The first steps have already been put into place to increase the opportunities for children to develop digital skills, with the introduction of computing to the English National Curriculum in September 2014 coding knowledge incrementally, just like the children. This helps to build confidence and knowledge, and could prove useful to teachers who are keen to integrate computing into everyday lessons and across the curriculum.

MENTORING FROM VOLUNTEERS For the wider community, Code Club can offer a fantastic chance to play a part in school life. Schools can recruit volunteers to help teachers and staff run their weekly Code Clubs. Our volunteers come from all walks of life, they may be parents of children who attend the school, they may work for a local business that is keen to give back, or they may be students keen to gain practical new experiences and share their skills.

Many of our volunteers have existing knowledge of coding or experience with

Code Club is just one of these, but we believe that our model stands out by offering a free and flexible way for educators and enthusiasts to help improve digital literacy for themselves, and the children in their communities.

Later this year we will be publishing the findings from a study conducted by the NFER, which will show the real impact of Code Clubs in schools, giving an understanding of the children’s coding ability, computational thinking skills, and attitudes to digital making.

Our hope is that this report will reinforce the feedback that we have so far received from our community of volunteers and educators, who have highlighted the many benefits of extra-curricular computing sessions. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.codeclub.org.uk

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Literacy

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CURRICULUM

In England, one child in three from a disadvantaged background leaves primary school unable to read well. Jonathan Douglas of The National Literacy Trust looks at the link between low literacy and poverty, how to narrow the attainment gap and equip young people with literacy fit for employment and life

Literacy is at the heart of education. Reading, writing, spoken language and vocabulary are essential to learning in all subjects and without these skills, pupils are unable to access the wider curriculum.

For example, if a pupil has a good grasp of geography but cannot understand how to present their knowledge in a piece of written homework, they will not do well in the subject. In science and maths classes, which may not be immediately associated with literacy, pupils need to read and analyse texts and have a working knowledge of specialist words.

The National Curriculum emphasises how good literacy skills provide ‘access to the whole curriculum’ and a ‘foundation for success in all subjects.’ The Department for Education insists that every school must have a rigorous whole-school literacy policy which is implemented systematically across the curriculum, that all teachers view themselves as teachers of literacy and language regardless of their subject specialism and that all schools must do everything possible to ensure pupils can read.

Teach have a ers vital role in equippi ng pupils literacy with the th to fulfil ey need t potenti heir al

Written by Jonathan Douglas, Director, The Literacy Trust

Equipping pupils with the literacy skills they need to succeed

SUPPORTING LITERACY TEACHING As an increased emphasis is placed on embedding literacy across all subjects, a National Literacy Trust survey of over 2,300 teaching professionals, Teachers and Literacy: Their Perceptions, Understanding, Confidence and Awareness, found that teachers want to champion literacy but need more support to meet the literacy requirements of the new National Curriculum. The survey found that while almost all the teachers (95.3 per cent) say it is their job to teach and promote literacy, just two in five (42.4 per cent) say they have particular strategies E

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Literacy

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CURRICULUM  for teaching literacy that they feel work well and almost a quarter (23.9 per cent) do not feel confident teaching the literacy set out in the new National Curriculum.

The research also found that only half of participants said that they get helpful continued professional development in literacy. This needs to be addressed, as a 2013 report by Ofsted indicated that secondary schools where teachers of all subjects received literacy training and taught it in class saw an improvement in results across the curriculum.

The National Literacy Trust’s new Language and Literacy Within the Curriculum reports that continued professional development training helps teachers to develop their skills for teaching literacy in their subject by drawing on expertise from a wide range of schools. The training develops subject leaders’ literacy pedagogy and equips literacy leaders with tools for the audit, evaluation, monitoring and implementation of literacy strategies in their school.

The challenge for teachers is how to engage their pupils by increasing the demand for reading across their school and website pages, and learn skills like skimming and scanning. Evaluation shows that three out of four participants make six months reading progress or more.

Being literate reaches far beyond classrooms – reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will have a huge impact on students’ future lives. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ‘adults with good literacy skills (the equivalent of a good English Language GCSE or better) are much more likely to be in work than those with lower levels of literacy: 83 per cent compared to 55 per cent’. The same report shows that literacy skills also have

a strong impact on wider social outcomes: ‘adults in England with low literacy levels have twice the odds of reporting low levels of trust as their peers with high literacy, and three times the odds of reporting poor health’.

Without language and literacy skills, a young person’s life chances are severely diminished; their employability, health, confidence and happiness are all compromised.

Teachers have a vital role in equipping pupils with the literacy they need to fulfil their potential. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.literacytrust.org.uk

A CULTURE OF ENJOYMENT Reading for enjoyment is key to encouraging pupils to adopt more positive attitudes towards literacy as well as improving their attainment. The National Literacy Trust’s research, Children’s and Young People’s Reading in 2014, found that children who enjoy reading ‘very much’ are three times more likely to read above the level expected for their age, compared with their peers who do not enjoy reading at all. The more a child reads, the better their writing is also likely to be, as well as their speaking and listening skills.

Events, competitions, whole-school reading initiatives and book corners can all help to develop a culture of reading for enjoyment - the National Literacy Trust Network offers a wealth of resources and ideas to help teachers to promote reading for pleasure across the school. The challenge for teachers is how to engage their pupils by increasing the demand for reading across their school by helping pupils to find a text that unlocks a whole new world of ideas and viewpoints or one that can help them to explore their own identities, situations and aspirations.

MAKING READING RELEVANT One tactic to engage some of the most reluctant readers is to use their interests and influences to make reading relevant to their lives. Evidence consistently shows that boys in particular are at significant risk of underachievement in reading and writing. The National Literacy Trust’s Premier League Reading Stars programme uses the motivational power of football to boost literacy outcomes. The programme builds on evidence that footballers can influence the way young people view reading, particularly among boys and pupils eligible for free school meals. Over ten sessions, pupils are introduced to a range of different reading materials, including newspaper reports

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Stationery

Sponsored by

EXPENDITURE

Keeping stationery moving forward Patrick Hayes, director of BESA, shares his insight on the changing buying patterns of stationery in schools and asks BESA members to offer their advice on wise investment again forecasting a reduction in expenditure, this time by a more significant 3.0 per cent.

Before 2009, expenditure on general school items and stationery generally recorded strong annual increases; especially across primary schools. It was from 2009/10 that schools started to indicate negative growth in expenditure. While there has been some upturn, the negative trend continues.

There are possibly two reasons for this.

Firstly, if we consider the ever-increasing adoption of technology in schools, why wouldn’t we see a reduction in the use of stationery items? Children are typing instead of writing and saving document files rather than using exercise books. Their learning activities are delivered via eLearning resources rather than textbooks, and even art work is carried out digitally now, rather than on coloured paper.

MONITORING EXPENDITURE Our annual ‘Resources in English Maintained Schools’ research has shown that growth in expenditure on general items and stationery switches between small losses and gains each year to bring static spending over recent years.

Looking at primary schools first, in 2013 we saw schools only increase their stationery budgets by 0.7 per cent. By the school year 2014/15 this had dropped to -1.2 per cent, but their expenditure forecast for 2015/16 is back to an increase of 0.7 per cent. Of course if we bring inflation into the equation we actually see a decline in investment. However, with price reductions this is possibly less marked.

In secondary schools, a similar fluctuating stationery expenditure has been experienced.

In 2013, schools planned a decrease of just 0.5 per cent. The following year this rose to +0.6 per cent and this year they are once

argument in our sector that the creative subjects, including the arts, are being marginalised in favour of the core subjects. Last year the BBC reported on findings from Warwick University that ‘creativity and the arts are being squeezed out of schools’. These findings led to a general agreement within the cultural and creative industries and education industry more broadly, that the government’s focus on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) should include the arts (STEAM).

So while schools are working hard to save budgets how can their continue to invest in stationary for the classroom and creative arts department?

For this advice, we turn to our experienced member organisations. Graham Harrison, business manager for education at Staedtler (UK) Ltd, reminds schools to always buy from recognised, reputable suppliers.

From , 2009/10icated ind schools growth in e negativenditure. n exp has bee e r e h t While pturn, the an u e trend ACKNOWLEDGING negativinues THE ARTS t con Added to this is the current

He said: “We have operated in the UK for 50 years. Our specialist product range for the education sector has been developed and perfected in close association with the teaching profession so we know it meets their exacting requirements.”

In addition to ensuring Staedtler (UK) has input from teachers during its product development process, it also supports them via the ‘Teachers Club UK’; its online platform for primary school teachers to access free product samples, curriculumlinked teaching resources and competitions.

Karen Mather, national account manager of education at Pentel, agrees by adding: “Whilst I appreciate that schools and colleges have to spend their budgets on stationery wisely, buying the cheapest products all the time will not always give you value for money.

Quality products will cost more but will last you longer and save money in the long-run.”

She uses their Pentel Maxi-Flo Whiteboard markers as an example by explaining: “Whilst not the cheapest on the market have a unique ink replenishment system that allows all the ink to be used in the pen. No throwing away of pens because they fail to work.”

This is a quality that all BESA members adhere to, so you know that you are buying wisely.

Written by Patrick Hayes, director, British Educational Suppliers Association

Over the years, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has carried out numerous and regular surveys with the aim of understanding the changing needs, budgets and buying patterns in schools.

The purpose of this has been to keep suppliers informed to ensure they develop resources to meet these evolving needs.

The interactive whiteboard and learning platform frameworks of old saw a spike in IT expenditure. The arrival of the new primary and secondary curricula and pressure on schools to raise standards in English and maths resulted in an increasing need for high quality, subject specific learning resources. However, one area of expenditure that has appeared to be unaffected by any policy changes has been stationery and general classroom items. In our research we define ‘general school items and stationery’ as paper, exercise books and general administrative consumables. In most cases this excludes photocopying costs, but not paper.

STOCKING WISELY Another piece of advice is to implement a stock management system. It is common to see stationery art cupboards in classrooms with faded, crumpled sheets of paper and pots of pens with some working and others that have run out a long time ago. One class may be re ordering coloured pens while another class has too much stock. Having an effective stock management system across the school can save a lot of money and ensure each teacher has the resources they need.

While we are all motivated by the latest technologies it is wise to remember the importance of good quality stationary to inspire and engage the students in their work. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.besa.org.uk

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Catering Written by Jo Wild, Food For Life

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HEALTHY MEALS

Reaping the benefits of a whole school approach to food With new frameworks in place to monitor how schools support health eating, Jo Wild of Food For Life examines the benefits that healthy school meals can have on pupil well-being and attainment, and why schools should be more engaged in cooking and learning about where food comes from School food has come a long way since it was thrust into the spotlight by Jamie Oliver and his battle against the infamous turkey twizzler a little over ten years ago. There has been a clear, measurable improvement in the quality of school food which has been further accelerated in the last two years by the implementation of actions recommended by the independent School Food Plan.

The Plan aimed to ensure that not only did school food guarantee that pupils were well-fuelled to learn, but that it also plays a positive role in their overall health and wellbeing. Key initiatives that began with the School Food Plan, including universal free school meals for infants, the reintroduction of cooking in the curriculum and an updated set of School Food Standards, have all been implemented with children’s health in mind.

The role that food and food education at school plays in children’s health has been further highlighted by the new Ofsted Common Inspection Framework which requires inspectors to look at how schools are supporting ‘children and learners keep themselves healthy, including through healthy eating’. In an update at the start of the year, inspectors were asked to familiarise themselves with the School Food Plan’s guidance around developing a whole school approach to food as it is ‘relevant to their assessment of how schools are supporting pupils to keep themselves healthy’.

But in practice, can this be easily evidenced by schools and headteachers who already have many demands on their time and resources? And can healthy eating and food education be woven into school life and support not just pupils’ health, but their learning and the wider curriculum?

The team behind the Soil Association’s Food for Life school award believe that

it can. The award has already been cited in the School Food Plan guidance as one of the ways that schools can evidence how they are supporting pupils to be healthy.

Sian Creagh-Osborne, Awards Manager for the programme, tells us more: “The key to success in Food for Life schools is a simple one; a whole school approach which brings together all those who are involved in school food, including pupils, caterers, staff and parents.

“It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but a

It’s ot not a n fits ize a ‘one s ach, but ro all’ app work that a frame schools to ts suppor the quality of look at od they are the fo rving se

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framework that supports schools to look at the quality of the food they are serving, how they can create an environment that makes lunchtime an enjoyable experience and provide food-based education, including practical cooking, growing and visits to farms.

“We see schools approaching the programme in ways that suit them and that fit with their wider priorities. Our job is to provide the resources and guidance that allows them to do this and create a positive culture that not only supports pupils’ health now, but provides them with the skills and knowledge that will help them to make good, healthy food choices in the future.”

Catering

they are supporting pupils to be healthy. She said: “We pride ourselves on using food as a vehicle for learning across growing, cooking, outdoor learning and beyond so our pupils are immersed in a good food culture. I think many schools are wondering what evidence they need to show and how to record what they do.

“What they may be missing is a way of concisely documenting it and rather than start from scratch, they should look at the Food for Life School awards – I think they would be pleasantly surprised about how much they already do. If you cook with your pupils, involve parents in school meals and have displays for inspectors to see about food education you are well on the way.”

But even a school like Clifton Green isn’t resting on its laurels.

New initiatives include the school chef involving a panel of pupils in menu creation, ensuring the views of the customer are taken into account. As well as supporting good meal take up, they believe working on menus that also meet nutritional guidelines teaches pupils a valuable lesson about how to eat well.

Can healthy eating and food education be woven into school life and support not just pupils’ health, but their learning and the wider curriculum?

AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH Independent evaluation of the programme indicates that the programme is achieving what it sets out to do. Researchers from the University of the West of England found that pupils in Food for Life schools were twice as likely to eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day than those in other schools and significantly more fruit and vegetables at home.

Further research has also shown that the potential benefits of the programme go wider than pupil health, with FFL schools ‘consistently reporting that FFL had contributed to their school improvement agendas, helping improve attainment, behaviour and school environments’ and that the experiential learning resulting from Food for Life activity ‘appears to have been particularly effective at helping engage or re-engage pupils with learning issues and challenges.’

Sian continues: “Our work is about more than just the food on the plate; we support children, their carers and the wider community to understand the importance of good nutrition and where their food comes from. Where a school works with an external caterer, food quality is verified through the Food for Life Catering Mark, which allows schools to demonstrate that the food they serve is nutritious, locally sourced and meets the school food standards.

“The emphasis of the Food for Life award is on learning through experience and enjoying that learning! Schools grow their own food, visit local farms, source food from local producers and set up schools farmers markets. They set up cooking and growing clubs for pupils and their families and make lunchtime an attractive feature of the school day.”

A NETWORK OF INSPIRATIONAL SCHOOLS Clifton Green School is one of many inspirational Food for Life schools, many of whom have exceeded their own expectations in terms of what they have achieved thanks to the flexibility of the award framework. Putting pupils and the wider school community at the heart of a school food policy can lead to creative solutions to issues which previously may have been barriers to success.

Food for Life’s Sian concludes: “Ofsted may be the driver for some school leaders to record their work around healthy eating, but Food for Life schools demonstrate that a whole school approach to food can have much wider benefits to both learning and pupil well-being.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.foodforlife.org.uk/schools

A GOOD FOOD CULTURE Food for Life Silver award holders Clifton Green School in York took some time out to tell us how they are ensuring healthy eating and food education isn’t just a time-consuming addition, but something which enriches school life for their pupils and wider community.

Even the briefest of visits gives you a sense that good food is embedded across the school and curriculum, from the displays in the corridors to the well planted garden and photos on the school’s website.

Lisa Green is Food Development Manager for the school and leads on their Food for Life work. She tells us they are feeling confident that they already have good systems in place which demonstrate

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Visit LEGOLAND.co.uk /Education to find out more Email us at activelearning@LEGOLAND.co.uk LEGO, the LEGO logo and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. Š2016 The LEGO Group.

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School Trips

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OUTDOOR LEARNING

Educational trips can broaden students’ horizons. Jane Cooper, of the Countryside Education Trust in the New Forest, regularly witnesses how school trips can connect people with the countryside.

Having hosted thousands of school visits over the last 40 years, she shares her experiences Take a minute, close your eyes and think: I can almost guarantee you will remember a school trip from your childhood. To the beach, or the mountains, somewhere exotic or just out of sight of home, all of us have such memories.

I lived in the East End of London, busy, noisy, dirty and home. The school was very ethnically mixed, and somewhat segregated, but somehow these barriers broke down when we were away from school. Going into the countryside was particularly exciting for inner city kids. I remember flinging myself down a hill with my heart in my mouth, wondering if I would or could stop: I left my sandwiches on the train and my classmates shared their food, much more exotic than mine; and after the trip new friendships remained. That is the point of a school trip in a nutshell, different scenery, new experiences, and better relationships; all catalysts for change.

As a teacher, or a head teacher, residential school trips are undoubtedly a challenge. The responsibility of bringing children into a new environment, not only new to the children but often to the teaching staff as well, can be a significant deterrent and that is before paperwork strikes, with risk assessments, county council requirements, and making sure that the destination itself can meet all the school’s needs, both educational and social.

Parents worry about everything: money, homesickness, separation, whether their children have the right equipment. Heads worry about SATs results. Governors worry about risk. So at the end of it all, why bother?

REAL BENEFITS The Paul Hamlyn Foundation published its final report in May 2015 into its ‘Learning Away’ experiment, which evidenced what many in the education sector already knew. Both at the secondary and primary level, relationships were improved by the residential experience.

In long term follow up at Key Stage 2, for example, 79 per cent of children felt that they

knew their teachers better, and 71 per cent claimed that they had better relationships with their peers as a result of the residential.

At secondary the figures were even more impressive, with 80 per cent feeling that relationships both with peers and teachers had improved. In terms of achievement, in both age groups there was an improvement in confidence about exam outcomes, which translated into actual improvements.

Staff noticed that this was particularly true for previously low achievers and for boys’ literacy scores. Benefits were not restricted to pupils: staff felt that the residential experience enabled them to develop new pedagogical skills, and that it had impacted on their practice and that of their colleagues.

such as map reading and shelter building, they walk between activities, they often get wet and the resilience they learn as a result and the confidence they gain in handling new situations is palpable.

Watching birds, lying on the grass looking at the sky, or drawing trees all connect with a more spiritual side. Feeding our livestock or clearing up after dinner depends upon good communication and teamwork.

While school residentials add great value to learning, enabling new approaches for staff and students alike, there are challenges.

We see a wide range of schools and over the last forty years we have developed some strong, evidence based thinking about why some visits are more effective than

Written by Jane Cooper, Countryside Education Trust

Residential trips: Are they worth it?

Children have fewer opportunities to be outdoors than their parents enjoyed – 33 per cent of families spend less time outdoors than in the previous generation NEW OPPORTUNITIES Ofsted’s 2015 inspection framework takes into account ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’. Aspects of all of these can be explored through school trips, to complement the work done in school. Here at Home Farm, for example, the children eat our own meat, harvest vegetables from the garden and collect eggs from our hens.

As a result, every day there are conversations about ethics, fairness, vegetarianism, and religious beliefs about meat which arise naturally because of the environment. Physical and mental well-being is similarly enhanced.

Children have fewer opportunities to be outdoors than their parents enjoyed – 33 per cent of families spend less time outdoors than in the previous generation. Here in the woods, visiting children learn new skills

others. Designing a good residential is a matter of being clear early on about the objectives for the students, the staff and the school, and how those can best be met.

CLARITY AND CREDENTIALS It is vital to be clear about the purpose of any residential, so that the right partner organisation can be identified.

Create a set of learning objectives and make sure that everyone understands them.

In an ideal world, this is not only the teacher planning the trip, but any colleagues coming with the group, the provider and the young people themselves.

Residential trips should offer a real enhancement to curriculum‑based classroom work so that the two are fully integrated. E

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OUTDOOR LEARNING their involvement and behavior during the trips. Even younger participants can help to set the objectives themselves, especially on a social level: for example, in terms of acceptable manners, the use of mobile phones, bedtimes and looking after each other.

BRIEFING PARENTS Brief parents early and fully. Make sure they know contact procedures, as carefully managed contact with children makes life better for everyone. Where a parental contribution is requested, ideally offer different payment plans. Supply a kit list but keep it short, as this is often a source of anxiety. And talk about special needs as soon as planning is underway so that, for example, food allergies can be identified.

When it comes to rules, draw up a code of conduct for participants, and involve them. Have a similar code for staff. What is your alcohol policy? And smoking? Make sure that if your partner organisation has guidelines about appropriate outdoor wear, staff abide by them: it is much harder to persuade a 10 year old into waterproofs if a member of staff is wearing shorts.

The responsibility of bringing children into a new environment, not only new to the children but often to the teaching staff as well, can be a significant deterrent and that is before paperwork strikes  Due diligence is good for everyone.

Check the background and qualifications of the providers’ staff as well as insurance documentation and risk assessments. Risk assessments drawn up by providers are more reflective of real risk, as the staff run the same activities multiple times over the course of the year. Utilise that specialist knowledge.

Understanding what skills a residential requires is important. Sometimes, all the specialist support comes from the provider, and all the pastoral work is implemented by the school, but this can vary. A confident staff team can imbue the whole group with a greater sense of resilience and independence; the converse can also be true.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PROVIDER Take advantage of pre-visits. These occasions provide an opportunity to understand site dynamics, to explore potential issues around individuals, to make sure that any special needs are fully accommodated and to start to build a working relationship with the provider. Understanding what can (and can’t) be delivered is constructive in finalising plans.

Research shows that involving students in planning delivers real benefits in learning outcomes. Technology is a great benefit in this regard, as staff can show the students where they will be staying, what it looks like, how each day will run and what the expectations will be in terms of

LEAVING YOUNG PEOPLE BEHIND The Department for Education’s policy is clear: no child should be excluded from an activity simply because his or her parents are unwilling or unable to pay. Especially where a trip will extend classroom curriculum focused work it is really important, and equitable, to ensure high take up. Socially too, it is vital to encompass as many kids possible; 12 per cent of children who have not been able to afford to go on a school residential have been bullied.

Obviously this is one valid use of the Pupil Premium, and subsidies or even funding may be available from providers. Here at the Countryside Education Trust we fund raise ourselves to help schools to try to ensure that cost is not a barrier. All the equipment required is available to our visitors, including water proofs, wellies, tractor suits and backpacks, to obviate additional cost and allay parents’ concerns.

Ensure that there is a mechanism in place for measuring the success of the visit, both educationally and socially, ideally repeated after a few weeks. Use the information in inspections, with governors and prospective parents. Be sure to feedback appropriately to the provider too. We see many schools repeatedly over the years and knowing what has worked well and less well means that we can adjust appropriately to suit our customers.

The words of Michael, one of our young visitors, sums up why all this hard work is worthwhile: “I learned how to milk a goat, it’s more fun than I thought, how to measure different parts of a stream, how to set the table and a lot more. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t know half the stuff I know now.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cet.org.uk

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FUNDING

Sport

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Top 10 considerations 1. Who is reviewing the school’s PE provision and what areas for development have they identified?

2. Has the school got a designated subject leader for PE? What is their role in deciding how the Premium should be spent?

Premium sport for schools

4. How is the Premium being used to enhance, rather than maintain, existing provision?

The route to improving sport can be unclear and a concern for schools. But with the help of the School Sport Premium, the role of sport is steadily improving and the routes to change are becoming wider

6. Does the school website include a breakdown of how the Premium is being spent and a report on its impact on pupils?

Since 2013, the Primary PE and School Sport Premium has played an important role in making school sport better. Worth £150 per student, the premium collectively sees £150 million annually invested in schools across England, improving not only the quality of PE and school sport but also broadening the range of sports on offer.

As no two schools are the same, the core strength of the Premium is that head teachers decide how the money is spent, based on their individual needs. Some schools choose to extend after-school opportunities or buy new equipment and invest in facilities. Some are even joining forces: extending local and regional sports competitions, sharing sports coaches and introducing both traditional and new sports to their pupils, with sports like football and cricket now sitting alongside Zumba, gymnastics and rock climbing.

subsequent years being reinvested in creating more sports facilities for the school.

Head teacher Mark Elliott said: “PE and sport gives children the opportunity to excel in lots of different ways, and I think if we are able to offer them a variety of different opportunities they surprise themselves and they surprise us, and that can lead to a lifelong love of exercise and sport.”

Meanwhile in St Matthews CofE Primary School in Smethwick, West Midlands, a pupil survey showed a great appetite for street dance among both boys and girls. Premium funding was used to employ a specialist dance coach initially for a group of children specifically interested, but the activity has now become so popular that it’s available throughout the school, with adapted teaching for those with special educational needs.

The school hosts PE coffee mornings for parents to learn more about how they can help their

As no two schools are the same, the core strength of the Premium is that head teachers decide how the money is spent, based on their individual needs OUTREACH Sturton CofE Primary School in north Nottinghamshire chose to invest part of its funding to create a 5k race open to the whole community. This initiative led to the formation of a running club which now includes more than 30 per cent of the school’s pupils. The event has become a fixture in the community calendar, with race fees in

children’s fitness, whilst a healthy lunch habits campaign was recently launched in the school, to dovetail with the school’s renewed health focus.

It’s little wonder that a new Department for Education (DfE) report finds that a staggering 95 per cent of schools said that the Premium has had a positive impact on the physical fitness of students, as well as improving the skills and behaviour of pupils. Nearly 90

5. How will these improvements be sustainable in the long term? What will the impact of the changes that the school is making now be on pupils arriving at the school in five to 10 years’ time?

Written by Sport England

3. What specific outcomes does the school aim to achieve with the primary PE and Sport Premium?

7. Have the new grant conditions and guidance been considered when planning how to spend the funding?

8. Have staff accessed resources to support effective use of the primary PE and sport premium?

9. Where external specialist coaches are being used in curriculum time, are they working alongside class teachers to improve their skills – securing long-term impact?

10. Where external providers are being used either in PE lessons or extra-curricular activities, how is the school assessing the quality and impact of their delivery? per cent also found that the quality of PE teaching has increased since the Premium was introduced. Better yet, amongst those schools doing less than the recommended level of two hours of PE per week, the curriculum time devoted to the subject has increased by over 40 per cent since the Premium was introduced.

SPENDING PREMIUM WISELY Ensuring children become active and stay active is a goal held by many agencies in the sport sector, that’s why Sport England has joined up with the Youth Sport Trust, the DfE, Sports Coach UK, the association for Physical Education, County Sports Partnership Network, and UKactive Kids, to help schools make the right choices when spending their Premium. Together, they have created a one-stop-shop online toolkit, offering handy advice to head teachers, PE leaders, coaches and coach deployers. E

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Sport

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

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FUNDING  When done correctly, school sport can help children, whatever their ability, develop a real and long-lasting love of sport and develop a habit of being active. Conversely a bad experience can put children off, making it challenging for them to re-engage later in life. Published studies also show the positive effects of sport on education include improved attainment, with memory, attention and concentration all improving with more activity. Lower absenteeism and drop-out rates are also recorded for active pupils, and increased progression to higher education.

For instance, young people’s participation in sport improves their numeracy scores by eight per cent on average above non-participants.

Moreover, a 2014 Public Health England report found that the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity students engaged with at 11 years of age had an

effect on academic performance across English, maths and science, including final GCSE exam results, with active students found to achieve up to 20 per cent higher results than non‑active students. Other studies have found that sport programmes aimed at youths at risk of criminal behaviour can enhance self-esteem and reduce reoffending.

existing provision: not simply maintaining the status quo, but driving up quality and encouraging more children to take part.

Clearly when using the Premium correctly it can yield fantastic results, but it’s important that in the first instance a school reviews its current sport facilities before deciding on where to invest the Premium.

SPORT ON THE CURRICULUM While the benefits of being active are clear, often the route to improving sport isn’t.

A 2011 report before the Premium was introduced found that only 20 per cent of teachers rated PE in their top three subjects, while 50 per cent listed it as their worst. Thus in order for the Premium to deliver real and lasting results, it’s important that a focus is placed on sustainability, whereby the addition of new coaches do not displace teachers, but complement them, ensuring that teachers feel confident and capable in any new initiative.

Head teacher Mark Elliott says: “The role of the coach is to provide support and expertise for teachers it is not to replace them in the classroom, that approach is neither sustainable nor healthy in the longer term. To develop PE and sport in your school fundamentally that comes down to the teacher delivering the PE curriculum.”

Funding must be used to improve

THE COACH APPROACH Coaches should only be employed through the Premium funding when a need has been identified by the school’s PE and school sport review. Choosing the right coach can be tricky, the School Premium online tool offers help on how to recruit coaches, and what to look for. There are also some excellent examples of schools using the premium well: for example, using the funding to work with specialist sports coaches, making sure that the coach works alongside existing teachers, increasing their specialist knowledge, skills and confidence and ensuring that the impact lasts long after the coach has left. It is important to realise the long-term ambition and professional development which will benefit future year groups as well as current pupils. L

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FURTHER INFORMATION www.sportengland.org/our-work/childrenand-young-people/primary-school-sport/

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School Play

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PROVISION

Despite the media turmoil, there are some simple and effective actions that schools can take to ensure the safety and well-being of students during school playtimes, says Neil Coleman of OPAL More and more schools are recognising the need to ensure that all children are outside, engaged and active during playtimes. With being overweight now the leading health issue in the UK and the government launching their National Obesity Framework, school playtimes have become a key resource for the health, safety and well-being of children.

In recent years many high-profile people, including Anne Longfield,

the current Children’s Commissioner for England, have spoken out about the need to get children outside and playing much more.

The practical, low-cost solutions to increasing sedentary behaviour, poor fitness and physical literacy and slowed personal development are actions which any school can easily take, once they have committed to changing.

Schools are now one of the few locations left where parents will

Access ire nt to the e site school ound r all yearo ensure t is vital ient play suffic each and r space fory pupil eve

Written by Neil Coleman, Outdoor Play and Learning & Play England

Good practice principles for safe playtimes

allow their child out of sight for a while.

Even then, some fret over the most trivial issues. Sadly, between 15 per cent and 40 per cent of the children aged eleven living in some communities can be categorised as overweight. Of course, the last thing these children need when they arrive at school is more sitting down indoors. They should be outside and active at every opportunity, at the very least for an hour each day. They should be engaged in playful active outdoor adventures, exploration, challenges, friendships and learning.

What schools need is good guidance to help them get there. The key to success is knowing how to create the right playtime environment, whilst also ensuring the balance is right between offering positive, challenging play experiences and keeping children safe from the risk of serious harm.

The traditional approach has always been for a school to raise funds and purchase fixed manufactured equipment, similar to what is also provided down the road in the local park, with the ‘trim‑trail’ being a favourite item in many schools. These products are sold as being ‘challenging’ or ‘risky’ but watch several hundred school children during playtime and you’ll soon see how little engagement and risk is actually involved. No wonder children soon get bored of these items and start using them instead as ‘hang-out’ features where they will pass the time until they can go back into the classroom. What good does that do a child? E

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School Play

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PROVISION  ENGAGING PLAY OPPORTUNITIES Observation of playtimes, something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough, will frequently reveal that around 20 per cent of pupils are dominating the space by running around frantically with a ball, whilst the great majority of pupils are pretty much static, standing around the perimeter chatting, with very little highenergy activity going on anywhere other than at the ball game in the middle.

Success lies in ensuring that every playtime, which after all makes up a massive 20 per cent of the school day, offers as wide a range of engaging and challenging play opportunities and experiences to every single child as can possibly be provided. Access to the entire school site all year round is vital to ensure sufficient play space for each pupil and there should be lots of opportunities for each and every child, not just a dominant group, to get out of breath, to climb, to leap, to build, to create, to kick or throw a ball and to continually test themself in all manner of ways.

When considering what to provide, think not only of standard equipment and landscaping you’ve seen before, think instead of the different ways in which a child might journey from A to B. Then think of the feel of the places that are intended to promote socialisation, comfort and safety, and think of the ways in which different materials can be manipulated and combined. When that’s done then seek out objects which are not obviously intended to be played with, yet can start a new train of thought just by being there (e.g. a post box, a sculpture). When you’ve done all this, you are well on the way to a better play environment.

Remember that getting dirty is a positive sign that the outdoor environment is successfully working for children, and that issues around mud on clothes can be addressed by good communication with parents and proper management of outdoor clothing. All of this should be included in continual staff development.

There should always be a huge selection available each day of what are usually termed by playworkers as ‘loose-parts’. This is simply the collection of thousands of ‘thrown away’ items of little or no value to anyone which can therefore be scavenged from local businesses, from home and from around the school. These items are checked for sharp edges and the like, and then offered to children to use as they wish, in their own part of the playground or field, where they can be modified, moulded, used or abused as each child or group of playmates sees fit, without interference by adults (except for safety reasons). These objects can be man-made or natural, and storage and the instant availability of looseparts is just one part of the play enabling process. Training from school play experts will ensure a better understanding of what play is and in their training staff will be taught the right design and delivery techniques to make things happen the way they need to be.

Any larger-scale environmental changes can be achieved once the staff have the necessary knowledge and understanding to make informed judgements on the purchase of equipment and landscaping, if necessary over a period of several years, once a play policy has been agreed and a proper action plan has been devised.

HEALTH AND SAFETY Of course, hand in hand with any physical and cultural changes in a school’s approach to play comes the need to ensure that all children are kept safe from serious harm when they are playing.

This is why, in 2012, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued new guidance for children’s play. It came out at the same time the guidance on school trips changed.

The HSE is a member of the UK Play Safety Forum (PSF), a voluntary body consisting of the play organisations of the four home nations, RoSPA, the Association of Play Industries and many other organisations connected to children’s play.

The PSF has influence across the world and is regarded as the leading authority in many areas of play safety. It also has advisory experts who are occasionally commissioned to carry out research or to write the best practice guidance which has been agreed by the members.

The most successful PSF publication, now used by play providers all over the world, is Managing Risk in Play Provision, written

by D Ball, T Gill and B Spiegal which was first published in 2008 by Play England with contributions from many experts. It has been endorsed by both the Health and Safety Executive and the government, and was recently updated to add new material.

would result in a failure to ensure the original purpose of the play opportunity, experience or feature. As an approach to assessment, it simply wasn’t fit for purpose and eventually, after much urging by the PSF membership, the HSE recognised this.

This new, better approach is called Risk‑Benefit Assessment (RBA) and all providers of play opportunities are encouraged by the PSF to make full use of the new RBA tool. Guidance and a worked example are freely available to download on the Play Safety Forum website and if anyone is unsure, help is available via the PSF. The HSE has placed a ‘high-level statement’ on good practice for Children’s Play Safety on their website and the Department for Education has recently followed suit.

The key feature of RBA is that unless the play activity being introduced or assessed has clear value and benefits for children, it should not be there in the first place. Other than that, the standard approach dictates the application of common sense and requires a focus on the serious dangers to children as they play, not the trivial issues which are unlikely to cause lasting harm, such as scratches, bumps, stings and so on. In fact, there is an argument in favour of keeping some of these minor risks, as managed opportunities for children to learn to look after themselves and others, without coming to serious harm in the process.

The important point for all play providers is summed up on the Department for Education website under their Health and Safety advice for Schools: “Children should be able to experience a wide range of activities. Health and safety measures should help them to do this safely, not stop them. It is important that children learn to understand and manage the risks

Children should be outside and active at every opportunity, at the very least for an hour each day. They should be engaged in playful active outdoor adventures, exploration, challenges, friendships and learning RISK BENEFIT ASSESSMENT A key element in managing ‘risky’ or challenging play within schools is the requirement to look upon play in a slightly different way from the assessment of risks in industrial situations. When the Health and Safety at Work Act was written in 1974 there was no thought or intention to include children’s play in the assessment process, nor was there in the subsequent risk assessment requirements which followed in 1999. This meant that a gap existed in the management of risky play situations. Attempts to assess play risks in the same manner as industrial situations

that are a normal part of life. Common sense should be used in assessing and managing the risks of any activity. Health and safety procedures should always be proportionate to the risks of an activity.

Staff should be given the training they need so they can keep themselves and children safe and manage risks effectively.”

Provided this sensible advice and the rest of the guidance is properly followed, the requirements for play safety have been fulfilled. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.playengland.org.uk

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Products & Services

SCIENCE

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

For over 40 years the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) has been promoting greener ways of living and considers itself a ‘living laboratory’ which tries out sustainable practices in a real world context.

One of the most important activities at CAT is working with school and college groups who may visit for a day or come on a residential trip. Those groups coming to stay at CAT will spend their time in totally selfsufficient eco-cabins where they can monitor energy use through sophisticated displays; a highly educational activity in itself.

Its dedicated education team run sessions specifically tailored to age group and subject area which include core curriculum subjects such as STEM, Geography, Biology, Global Citizenship and the Welsh Baccalaureate.

CAT also offers CPD courses for educators, particularly focused at Education for Sustainable

The National Forum of Engineering Centres (NFEC) is a corporate membership organisation representing education and training providers of engineering and technology subjects. The company draws on the experience of current and former practitioners, experienced in regulation; qualification; programme design and management of involvement in strategic reviews; and national level working groups.

The NFEC has a track record of influencing change through consultation with regulatory and advisory bodies. Its participation in Trailblazer groups has involved advising on requirements, influencing both process and outcomes.

Members cover all aspects of technical education, including: providers; awarding bodies; company training departments and training equipment suppliers.

It focuses on technical subjects from pre-apprenticeship, through

Offering stimulating ideas Quality education and on a range of subjects training in engineering

Development provision (ESDGC in Wales). Quite regularly, CAT sources funding to provide these courses free for teachers in both Wales and the UK in general.

A visit to the CAT education pages of the website is highly recommended for information about bringing groups to the centre, CPD courses and links to a range of mostly free teaching resources.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01654 705983 education@cat.org.uk learning.cat.org.uk

EDUCATIONAL THERAPY

Therapy in the field of emotional education Anthea Harding focuses on developing emotional literacy, which is the ability to recognise and name emotions and display them productively.

To assist in the teaching of the emotional literacy process, the Emotional Literacy Floor sheet (ELFS), has been developed and comes with instructions making it straight forward to use.

The sheet allows children to experience the process by walking through the three stages involved. They then learn how to name their emotions and problem solve which, together, informs their behaviour. As a result, their self-confidence and self-awareness increases with a positive impact on their behaviour, academic

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achievement and the development of healthy relationships.

As children’s selfesteem increases through being emotionally literate, they also learn to establish boundaries in their lives and around their personal space. Using two mats gives children the opportunity to hear others’ opinions, learn about individual differences and understand that it is safe to disagree with people and yet still get along.

Becoming emotionally literate helps children to recognise that they have choices about how they live their lives and gives them the confidence to face challenges which will enhance their futures.

FURTHER INFORMATION mail@antheaharding.co.uk www.antheaharding.co.uk

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

to full and part time education and progression to degree level.

Networking is also vital to the company. Regional seminars and national conferences enable groups to share good practice and disseminate information alongside the latest developments in educational ‘kit’.

Whether you are a school, academy, UTC, private training company, FEC, GTA or a company training department; to find out more, please visit the NFEC website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07759 901 229 enquiries@nfec.org.uk www.nfec.org.uk

CLEANING

Dedicated to maintaining commercial premises

Any environment that accommodates large groups of children, is at high risk of the spread of contagious illnesses.

Trojan’s management team is fully trained in infection control to implement cleaning measures to stop the spread of both common, and rare contagious diseases that can affect children in a close-knit community. Trojan can also arrange regular deep cleans for all areas, either after an out-break or prior to an inspection. The company understands the pressures that managers face in keeping their premises hygienically clean.

To ensure that all the required tasks are being completed with the correct frequency, Trojan agrees a cleaning schedule that

is signed off daily by its cleaners.

Even at Trojan’s highly competitive prices, it can offer all your cleaning requirements under one roof, including CQC preparations, legionella testing and window cleaning.

Trojan is fully conversant with TUPE legislation, to ensure that any staff transfer goes smoothly - any existing staff are re-trained to its own high standards.

Trojan also ensures it can cover any leave, including holiday, providing a continuous service all year round. For more information please visit the website below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01353 724559 enquiries@trojan-services.co.uk www.trojan-services.co.uk

Creating a cleaner and healthier workspace For a cleaner, safer working environment and in order to comply with COSHH regulations, why not opt for a BenchVent filtration cabinet. All cabinets, downdraught benches and booths are made to order in the UK, and come with a lifetime guarantee. BenchVent filtration systems have been independently tested and proven to be 99 per cent effective in the removal of dust, fumes, particles and odours in an enclosed environment.

BenchVent equipment is designed for use in a variety of settings and over the years the company has developed more and more specialist equipment. Typical settings for the BenchVent filtration cabinets include Design & Technology, Arts and Science plus the new addition of Health and Beauty equipment. These make up only part of our extensive catalogue.

For larger applications,

BenchVent can also supply downdraught benches, and for scientific specialisms it has storage cabinets, fume cupboards and other technical equipment.

Service contracts are also available, and it can keep you in stock with a range of filters should you require it.

Whatever the size of your project, call up to talk to the specialists at BenchVent about ventilation and filtration projects to see which of their great products fits with your specifications.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01423 790039 info@benchvent.com www.benchvent.com

CLEANING

Dedicated to maintaining commercial premises

Any environment that accommodates large groups of children, is at high risk of the spread of contagious illnesses.

Trojan’s management team is fully trained in infection control to implement cleaning measures to stop the spread of both common, and rare contagious diseases that can affect children in a close-knit community. Trojan can also arrange regular deep cleans for all areas, either after an out-break or prior to an inspection. The company understands the pressures that managers face in keeping their premises hygienically clean.

To ensure that all the required tasks are being completed with the correct frequency, Trojan agrees a cleaning schedule that

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

HUMAN RESOURCES

LHC is the leading independent provider of procurement solutions for public sector building refurbishment, maintenance and construction.

Free to use procurement frameworks help local authorities, social landlords and other public sector bodies make more informed choices about the products and services they need.

With extensive technical knowhow, LHC’s team of procurement and technical experts produce OJEU compliant frameworks that help organisations to procure high quality, efficient and best value solutions.

LHC’s frameworks are available for use by both members and other public sector organisations.

Any organisation that is entitled to use the frameworks can become a member for free and take advantage of the benefits that include a spend dependent annual rebate from any surplus LHC makes. For

Actus Performance Management Software is designed to revolutionise the annual appraisal cycle and create year round conversations that are meaningful and engaging. By enabling staff and managers to agree on achievable objectives, Actus helps to create a high performance culture for both academic and operational staff.

Easy to use and highly cost effective, it is securely hosted in the UK Cloud and quickly available via the government’s G-cloud or Digital Market place.

The Actus software saves HR valuable time spent administering staff appraisals and development, freeing them up to focus on developing and retaining talent.

Education professionals value the way the system encourages staff to take ownership of documenting performance appraisal and development actions, reducing the need for lengthy annual appraisals that

Trusted procurement for new buildings and homes

2014/15, LHC re-distributed over £200m to members.

LHC frameworks include extensive options for school, college and community building refurbishment and extensions, house building through offsite construction, window and door replacements, kitchen and bathroom supply and refurbishment, asbestos removal and management services and energy efficiency measures including insulation and heating.

Frameworks are developed on a regional basis allowing clients to access small, medium and major suppliers.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.lhc.gov.uk

Products & Services

DESIGN & BUILD

is signed off daily by its cleaners.

Even at Trojan’s highly competitive prices, it can offer all your cleaning requirements under one roof, including CQC preparations, legionella testing and window cleaning.

Trojan is fully conversant with TUPE legislation, to ensure that any staff transfer goes smoothly - any existing staff are re-trained to its own high standards.

Trojan also ensures it can cover any leave, including holiday, providing a continuous service all year round. For more information please visit the website below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01353 724559 enquiries@trojan-services.co.uk www.trojan-services.co.uk

Award winning, cloud based software solutions

take up time that could be better spent helping students to achieve, particularly with the increased emphasis on league tables and the rise in tuition fees.

The software is designed and owned by culture change experts Advance Change who offer full support and training.

Advance Change already works with clients within higher education institutions and can easily configure the system to fit the individual needs of universities and colleges.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01582 793 053 info@actus.co.uk www.actus.co.uk

Volume 21.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisers Index

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

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Food and Drink

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Products 104

Lego Land Windsor Park

Sportyco.co.uk 104

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Federation

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The Manufacturing

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National Forum of

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Grosvenor House Papers

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Association of Teachers and Lecturers

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98

74, 75

IFC, 68

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Think IT

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Netgear OBC

Trojan 109 UK Energy Partners

Bench Vent

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Centre for Alternative

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90

Imagen Archive Systems

73

PI-TOP 72

Urenco 78

100

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RM Education

IBC

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School Business Services

12

Yeoman Shield

8, 48

Schools Buying Club

97

YPO 82

10

Scott’s Of Thrapston

27

Zycko 4

DCM Surfaces Designer Contracts EES for Schools

110

54, 55

83

20

102 16 56, 65

Independent Hostels Innova Design Solutions

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Innovation First Trading

Evac Chair International

28

SARL

EXA Networks

38

ISS Mediclean

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

31

Ultimaker 46 70

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