Education Business 21.6

www.educationbusinessuk.net

A member of

VOLUME 21.6

Business Information for Education Decision Makers STEM

IT & COMPUTING

CATERING

EB AWARDS

AWARDING EXCELLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS

Recognising successful investment in education

STEM

THE STEM REVOLUTION How will your school deliver innovative learning?

PLUS: CLEANING | ENERGY | HEALTH & SAFETY | MODULAR BUILD | SCHOOL TRIPS

www.educationbusinessuk.net

A member of

VOLUME 21.6

Business Information for Education Decision Makers STEM

IT & COMPUTING

CATERING

EB AWARDS

AWARDING EXCELLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS

Recognising successful investment in education

STEM

THE STEM REVOLUTION How will your school deliver innovative learning?

PLUS: CLEANING | ENERGY | HEALTH & SAFETY | MODULAR BUILD | SCHOOL TRIPS

Comment

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

The EU outcome and educational change The majority decision to leave the European Union has already sparked some drastically speedy decisions in UK politics. We await a new Prime Minister, we have been presented with a new shadow cabinet, and face the possibility of a new Labour leadership campaign following a vote of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn.

But, amid all of the change, what will Brexit mean for education?

Within the sector, much of the news has centred on a period of uncertainty for universities, but the ramifications will likely be felt much lower down the age brackets soon enough.

While Nicky Morgan has decided it unwise to put her name forward for Prime Minister, other governmental positions of authority are shifting.

Lucy Powell has departed her post as shadow education secretary after less than a year in the job, Pat Glass decided to half fill it and, following a ‘bruising’ and ‘divisive’ campaign, lasted only two days.

It has been a week since Brexit was confirmed and change has already begun. More change is yet to come, and the only thing that won’t change is the rate of change that is changing our current political landscape.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

As negotiations begin to take place over Europe and campaigns begin to gain the keys to No 10 Downing Street in October, it is unlikely that educational policy will be prioritised, but that’s not to say that change will not soon affect our schools.

Michael Lyons, acting editor

! ONLINE ! IN PRINT ! MOBILE ! 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 Jackie Preece, Raj Chohan, Harry Harris, Kathy Jordan, Stephanie Matthews 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 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Inspiring, Practical, Engaging Get your students enthused about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)!

Created in partnership with the British Science Association, Spinning Solutions is a fantastic experiment demonstrating the principles of separation.

Have a go at Richie’s CREST Start activity!

Download the resource for free at: www.britishscienceassociation.org/crest-superstar-activities

www.learnwithrichie.com @RichieURENCO richie.enrichment

CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 21.6 07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

15

NUT backs strike action; NFER report questions academy performance; and school population continues to increase

15 MODULAR BUILD

Jackie Maginnis, of the Modular Portable Building Association, looks at the fast capacity that modular buildings hold to construct more than just basic classrooms

23 DESIGN & BUILD

With an increase in pupil numbers, schools are having to expand. Andrea Squires provides a legal perspective on what considerations should be made

27 HEALTH & SAFETY

School construction work can be dangerous, as well as disruptive.

ROSPA’s Nathan Davis talks about safety management during building work

35

30 ENERGY

53

Allowing students to take ownership of their school’s energy issues can encourage a more expansive type of learning, says Global Action Plan

35 CASHLESS FINANCE

Finance and payments can be a tricky subject for schools to approach. Adrian Buckle of Payments UK looks at how cashless payments can incorporate accountability, assurance and safety

39 ACADEMIES

With more and more schools converting to academies, Sam Henson, head of information at the National Governors’ Association, explains how effective academy governance works

62 76

43 EB AWARDS

The Education Business Awards are being held on 13 July at the Grange Hotel, St Pauls. With the shortlist for all 21 categories having just been published, we list all of the nominated schools

49 TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Do teaching assistants help the teacher or detract away from their teaching? Do they help the student or distract them?

Dr Jonathan Sharples reflects upon evidence from both sides of the coin

Education Business

Contents

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

53 IT & COMPUTING

John Galloway, a SEN ICT adviser in Tower Hamlets, discusses how teachers can assist students with special educational needs develop computational thinking

62 STEM

Education Business rounds up the award winners from this year’s TeenTech Awards, where pupil engineering innovation is celebrated and encouraged

65 CATERING

Following the announcement of a sugar tax in March, Education Business takes a look at the importance of healthy drinks in schools and the problem of hydration

69 SCHOOL TRIPS

Gill Harvey of the School Travel Forum explores the benefits of cross-curricular learning in an outdoor setting, and explores the experiences of school trips

76 SUN CARE PROTECTION

Sun screen in school is a particularly touchy topic. But, despite this, exposure to UV radiation should be more of a concern to both parents and teachers, says Marie Tudor of SKCIN

78 PLAY

Schools should need no reminding of the importance of play in child development.

Mark Hardy of the Association of Play Industries is clear on the topic – play matters

81 SPORT

The Sports & Physical Education (PE) Association UK discuss why investment in sport is crucial to pupils’ health and well-being

84 CLEANING

Disease and illness can spread quickly in the classroom. Guy Charteris, of Biocote, analyses the importance of preventing absenteeism among students

87 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Catherine Ritman-Smith of the Design Museum argues that pupils deserve a balanced curriculum which recognises the importance of design

www.educationbusinessuk.net Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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STRIKE ACTION

NUT backs strike action The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has backed its members calls for strike action over pay, working conditions and school funds.

The teaching union will support a walk out on Tuesday 5 July, after 91.7 per cent of its members who voted backed the action, claiming significant change was needed.

In a letter written to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the NUT, listed three appeals to avoid action: to fund schools sufficiently to cover increased staff costs; to tell academies that they must at least have regard to the national terms and conditions; and to promise meaningful talks to look for a full resolution of the dispute.

In a recent NUT survey, 70 per cent of school leaders said that a lack of funding was affecting educational standards in their schools. Furthermore, the Institute of Fiscal Studies is predicting that the biggest real terms cuts to per pupil funding in a generation are on the way.

Courtney said: “The NUT is taking strike action in response to the funding crisis in our schools, which is impacting on teachers’ terms and conditions and children’s education.

Teachers do not take strike action lightly. It is essential that the government listens. We need investment in education, not harmful cuts.”

Discussing his personal letter to Morgan, Courtney said: “Now more than ever in these uncertain times we need a properly funded and staffed education system.

I have written to Nicky Morgan asking her to take actions that would protect our children’s education. Our country’s pupils and teachers deserve a positive response.”

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OFSTED

GOVERNANCE

Poor pupils being let down, Wilshaw says

Spotlight focuses on shadow education secretary

Ofsted boss Michael Wilshaw has warned that the English education system is still failing disadvantaged pupils.

In a speech at the Festival of Education, Wilshaw said there is an ‘appalling injustice’ of children from poorer homes continuing to fall behind their peers. The Ofsted boss called for a tougher stance on ‘feckless parents’ who allow their children to break school rules.

Wilshaw continued to defend testing in schools, which has been heavily criticised, claiming the practice offered disadvantaged pupils the prospect of a better life.

He said: “Through no fault of their own, many simply aren’t aware of what is possible. Why should they be? Few of them have had access to the life-enhancing opportunities a good education brings.

Middle-class children always have a head start. Their cultural hinterland is usually rich.

Their parents are usually well educated.”

Ofsted has also highlighted to its inspectors to be aware of schools that are trying to boost their league table scores by crossing over content.

Analysis of last year’s exam results show that some schools may have ‘entered pupils

for qualifications specifically to improve overall school results, although this may not have been in the best interests of the pupils’.

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Pat Glass has resigned as shadow education secretary, just two days after being appointed to the role.

Glass claimed that while she regretted her decision, the situation was ‘untenable’.

The news follows a hurried reshuffle of shadow ministers, after more than 40 MPs resigned from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, claiming a vote of no confidence.

On Sunday 26 June, Lucy Powell offered her resignation from the post amid a lack of trust in Corbyn’s leadership and direction. Having been put in the role on Monday, Glass lasted only two days.

In a statement published on Twitter, Glass said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have today resigned as Shadow SoS Education. My dream job but the situation is untenable.”

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Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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ACADEMIES

LEADERSHIP

Academy performance questioned in new report There is no compelling evidence to suggest that academy status improves pupil performance, a new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) argues.

Studying the association between academy status for primary and secondary schools and their pupils’ attainment in the Key Stage 2 tests and GCSE exams from last year, NFER claims that there is no significant difference between the performance of primary academies and maintained schools.

The government has announced its ambition for every school to become an academy by 2020, despite backtracking on forced academisation. As of the start of February, 65 per cent of secondary and 18 per cent of primary schools were academies.

The research investigated academies that have been open for between two and five years and compared them with local authority maintained schools with similar characteristics using several attainment measures.

Any differences were deemed as minor and insignificant, with no short term benefits noted. However, the report did note that academies are significantly more likely to be rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’ compared to similar maintained schools, although this finding is less robust for converter academies because many have not been re-inspected since becoming an academy.

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Teacher leadership charities to merge Teaching Leaders and the Future Leaders Trust, two of the top leadership training charities for teachers, are set to merge.

The charities, which have a joint network of more than 3,500 school leaders, will continue to run current programmes as normal, but will pool collective expertise from each organisation to enhance their programme offerings.

As part of the move, James Toop, chief executive officer of Teaching Leaders, will become chief executive officer designate of the newly merged organisation, with the aim of eradicating educational disadvantages in England’s schools. In addition, Baroness Sally Morgan will be

the chair designate for its first year.

Toop said: “This is the right time for us to be taking this ambitious step. The education landscape is changing fast and school leadership has diversified to include executive heads and academy trust CEOs. “Head teachers and leaders looking for expert leadership development will now be able to deal with one organisation and we, in turn, will continue providing them with outstanding professional development.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/zrvod3v

STEM

‘Digitally savvy’ businesses urged to work with schools The Independent has reported that ‘digitally savvy’ businesses are being encouraged to work with school teachers in order to help close a persistent skills gap in STEM subjects.

A recent survey has revealed that young people are turning their backs on the relevant qualifications that will equip them for ‘the jobs of the future’, despite many showing an interest in IT careers. With STEM qualifications necessary, collaboration between teachers and industry is being seen as key in changing this dynamic.

Your Life, the campaign group behind the calls, argues that it wants to see more teachers spend time in ‘real businesses’ as part of their continuing professional development schemes, in order to better inform students on possible career paths and the best routes to take.

Edwina Dunn, Your Life campaign chair, said: “Our research shows young people have not had experience of new era employers to allow them to make informed decisions about their future. One fundamental way to change this is to invest teachers with a better understanding of the reality of working and Jobs of the Future.

“This is why we are calling on STEM employers to open their doors to teachers as part of their CPD. Collaboration like this is the only way we can achieve lasting change for young people and ensure we close the persistent STEM skills gap that hampers business growth and our economy today.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/jvdobkd

Ofsted to consider scrapping ‘outstanding’ grade Amanda Spielman, the new chief inspector of Ofsted in waiting, has told MPs that the body will consider scrapping its controversial ‘Outstanding’ grade.

Admitting to finding the grade ‘quite uncomfortable’, Spielman told the Education Select Committee that it was ‘something I would like to see fully discussed’ when she begins in January. Current boss, Sir Michael

Education Briefer

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Wilshaw, will end his term in the New Year following four years in charge.

The ‘Outstanding’ grade, held by only 12 per cent of schools as of December last year, splits opinion within the education sector.

Many feel that it places unnecessary pressure on schools that are ‘Requiring Improvement’ to become ‘Outstanding’, rather than aiming for the next level, which sits as ‘Good’.

SCHOOL GRADING

Within the meeting, Spielman also addressed her lack of teaching experience, a clear distinction between herself and Wilshaw, and her views on leadership style, in which she dismissed her new role as being a ‘superhead’.

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Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

9

—

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Our latest Android powered operating system has been designed to reflect the tablet interfaces that we are all familiar with, allowing you to simply turn on and teach.

With a focus on Education, our operating system gives you the freedom to connect, upload, share and collaborate with effortless ease – knowing the proven technology is adaptable & dependable.

If you are looking to engage with your students, Clevertouch Plus can dramatically alter your classroom dynamic. Bursting with full ad-free versions of your favourite apps, as well as a comprehensive software package for lesson building and collaboration, all for free for the life of the product, Clevertouch is the full solution.

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PUPIL PLACES

School population increases by 121,000, DfE figures show According to figures from the Department for Education (DfE), the school population in England has increased by 121,000 since last year.

The rise in pupil numbers means there are 470,000 more school children than in 2009, with schools being put under increasing pressure to provide enough places. The figures revealed a net increase of 12 state primary and 20 state secondary schools over the past year.

However, because of the closure of some pupil referral units and independent schools, the overall number of schools has fallen.

The data also showed an upward trend in the number of ethnic minority pupils, with 31.4 per cent of primary pupils defined as being from ethnic minorities, a one per cent increase on the previous year. In secondary schools the proportion of ethnic minority pupils has risen to 27.9 per cent, from 26.6 per cent last year.

A spokeswoman from the DfE said the government still expected to deliver 600,000 more places by 2021.

She said: “Delivering good quality school places is a top priority for this government and the latest figures show that the system continues to work. Today’s figures reveal thousands fewer children are being taught in large infant classes. The data also shows that primary school class sizes remain stable at 27.1 pupils.”

Earlier this month, official figures reportedly showed that the number of children applying for primary school in 2016 exceeded the current number of secondary school places by 16,284.

Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: “It is resulting in overcrowded

classrooms, schools expanding beyond an optimum size and children travelling further to school. Population changes are not a new phenomenon and local authorities, who are responsible for providing sufficient school places, have traditionally been able to plan to meet rising and falling demand.

“The significant factor in the current situation is that, since 2010, the government has undermined local authorities’ legal powers to deliver new school places.

This is an abdication of responsibility.”

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STAFF SECURITY

FAST FOOD

Half of teaching assistants face violence at school

Calls for ban on pupils ordering fast food to school

53 per cent of classroom or teaching assistants working in schools across the UK have experienced physical violence over the past year, according to figures published by Unison.

The figures were published in the Bad Form: Behaviour in Schools report, which also found that 76 per cent of teaching assistants had witnessed violence at their school in the last 12 months.

Overall, 20 per cent of education support staff, which includes school business managers, technicians, librarians, administrative workers, caretakers, cleaners and catering staff, that took part in Unison’s survey reported to have experienced violence.

The public sector union believes that worsening behaviour in school is a direct result of cuts to staff and resources, which has left teaching assistants to

The Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) has published a report calling on the government to ban children from being allowed to order takeaways to their school.

It warned that one in four children have ordered unhealthy foods to be delivered to school, with numerous reports concluding that takeaways were most to blame for childhood obesity. The group surveyed 500 children and young people between 13 and 18 and found 40 per cent were able to walk from their school to a fast food restaurant or sweet shop in less than two minutes.

The report comes ahead of the long awaited government childhood obesity strategy.

The RSPH recommended using loyalty cards which gave shoppers points for making healthy food choices, encouraging supermarkets to give away vegetables considered too unconventional looking to sell.

face a barrage of violent behaviour, threats and abuse.

Unison has called on school governors and head teachers to do more to manage behaviour of unruly pupils and better support staff who encounter violence.

Additionally, the union wants more to be done to make clear to parents that violent behaviour will not be tolerated.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/h8aosuu

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The report also suggested that free Wi-Fi should be offered in healthy environments such as parks, to provide alternative options to visiting restaurants and coffee shops in search of free wi-fi.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of RSPH, said: “Our childhood obesity rates are disappointing, and tackling this must be a priority for government – there can be no excuses for fudging action on what is our number one public health challenge.

“While we welcome the government’s introduction of a sugar levy on soft drinks, it is absolutely critical that the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy builds on this positive step with a basket of hard-hitting measures, from greater controls on advertising and marketing of junk food to food reformulation.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ha6jhmo

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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SCHOOL SAFETY & SECURITY

It’s all about communication

TK-3401D

PKT-23

Every school, college or university owes its students, staff and visitors a duty of care. But with the sheer scale and numbers of schools continuing to grow, management teams in the education sector are having to shoulder an increasingly heavy burden.

A safe, secure and vibrant environment In addition to meeting DfE targets, the expectations of School Boards and Trustees, retaining quality staff and providing a vibrant and engaging environment for learning, management teams are also having to deal with with the responsibilities for running an efficient operation, the safety and security of students, staff and visitors and the protection of school property and assets - and all within extremely tight budgets.

Of course, you already know this But what might come as surprise is how a dependable and reliable Kenwood two-way radio communication system can significantly lighten the burden; improving safety, security and efficiency, by empowering management, teachers and support staff with the ability to: • • • • • • •

Instantly communicate with other staff members on campus Instantly report incidents and accidents Instantly call for help in the event of assault, bullying, anti-social behaviour and other suspicious activity Instantly alerting the security team of threats to school property Coordinate on and off-campus activities Call on facilities and caretaking services Effectively implement the school emergency plan and safe evacuation of the campus in the event of a major incident

Instant, clear communication The simplicity of Kenwood professional two-way radio communication means that as long as the battery is charged and the users are within range of each other, instant, clear communication is assured throughout the school day at the press of a button without having to worry about the availability and strength of GSM networks, recalling telephone numbers, line rental and call costs. The real question is which Kenwood two-way radio system is right for your school?

Technologies and formats to meet your needs Kenwood offers a wide range of two-way radios to suit every application and situation – from license-free analogue and digital portable radios to the most advanced licensed digital system; all of which have been proven in professional use.

While digital technology offers the additional benefits of increased coverage, security and flexibility; for simple short range onsite communications, analogue radios are usually more than adequate.

The simplicity of license-free PMR446 radio Low-cost, license-free PMR446 can provide the ideal solution for smaller schools. Simply decide on the analogue or digital model that best meets your needs, select a channel for the various user groups and press the Push to Talk (PTT) button for instant communication with all radios on the selected channel without disturbing others.

The PKT-23 analogue PMR446 model is simple to use, light weight, ultra-compact and perfect for use by classroom and office based staff while the TK-3401D ProTalk Digital dPMR446 is suitable for staff working outdoors or where a more rugged, longer range radio is required.

Licensed two-way radio For larger schools, where grounds are extensive or to cover multiple campuses, the best solution would be a licensed radio communication system which requires a ‘Business’ license from Ofcom.

The equipment used in licensed systems is more powerful which gives them wider coverage and they usually incorporate more advanced features such as SMS text, automatically activated and prioritised distress calls, man-down functions, improved security and even GPS location of the radio.

Kenwood offers a number of choices in digital licensed twoway radio formats including dPMR, DMR and NXDN, which all incidentally feature automatic digital/analogue mixed mode operation, allowing you to communicate with any analogue radios you might already be using.

If that all sounds a little Double Dutch, don’t worry it’s much less complicated than it appears The choice between the different digital formats will largely be self-selecting based on meeting your specific operational requirements which might be the location of your school, user groups required, number of users, the number of sites you want to cover and the distances involved.

Depending on what you want to achieve, selecting the right format will not only meet your objectives cost-effectively but also give you the flexibility to grow and adapt the system into the future.

And what makes selecting the right system simplicity itself is your authorised Kenwood dealer who will bring years of experience along with expert advice. They will also help you with your Ofcom license application if applicable, install the infrastructure, maintain the system, provide updates and service and repair equipment when necessary.

Your next step to improved safety, security and efficiency Whether you choose the convenience and simplicity of license-free analogue or digital formats or the more advanced features and functions of a licensed digital two-way radio system, we’re certain that all your stakeholders will appreciate the benefits a Kenwood two-way radio communication system brings.

For more information, contact us at: schools@uk.jvckenwood.com or visit our website at www.kenwoodcommunications.co.uk/schools.

-DESIGN

PLANNING

With pupil numbers on the increase and school places more contested, Jackie Maginnis, of the Modular Portable Building Association, looks at the fast capacity that modular buildings hold to construct more than just basic classrooms St Bede’s Church of England Junior School

The Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA) is urging schools to ‘act now’ to ensure that they can provide the best possible facilities as pupil headcounts grow nationally.

Both primary and secondary state-funded schools are projected to require increased space for rapidly growing student numbers over the next eight years, according to research carried out by the Department for Education.

It’s been well documented that many schools will face increasing pressure on their infrastructure over the next few years. At the MPBA, we want head teachers and school governors to be aware that modular buildings have the potential to be more cost-effective than conventionally built projects. Furthermore, because the structures are made to the highest standards off-site, modular buildings can frequently be installed over school holidays causing minimal disruption during the term.

Modular building companies specialise in providing a ‘complete service’ to schools and

colleges from undertaking the initial design and carrying out all necessary groundwork to construction and final fit out. They can create standalone structures, single-storey ‘cluster’ departments, two-storey schemes or whole-school configurations.

Teachers greatly appreciate the possibility of sourcing these cutting-edge facilities both quickly and cost-effectively.

Modular buildings can be manufactured with ultra-quick lead times and supplied as a complete school, an extension or an ‘add-on’ to meet peaks in demand.

Sometimes, the education sectors are not aware that these structures are available as a permanent – as well as a temporary

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

Building schools with a need for speed approach

Modular Build

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

– option at a cost to suit their needs.

Other major benefits of modular buildings include energy compliance, meeting the latest regulations and the ability to create buildings that are designed to meet the precise specifications of those schools requirements.

There is still ation FULLY FUNCTIONAL ep SCHOOL BUILDINGS misconcnce a Modular units are that o uilding planned and designed b r modula installed, it to suit specific user n requirements. Buildings has bee ubsequently are also created off-site in a factory, which enables can’t s moved urgent facilities to be be re delivered faster, resulting in elsewhe minimum disruption in a school.

There is still a misconception – in some quarters – that once a modular building has been installed, it can’t subsequently be moved !

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

15

Shortfall in school places?

A report by the National Audit Office warns that there is a shortage of 256,000 school places.

Elliott has developed a new standard rental fleet designed to meet the needs of the shortfall in school places.

BenefitS Low cost rental rates

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up to 50 year design life Robust fixtures & fittings

Elliott is the market leading education specialist with over 50 years experience, and is the UK’s largest supplier of

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portable accommodation and secure storage solutions.

Other layouts, sizes, and toilet options are available to rent or buy.

for more information please contact us on

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Typical rental rate from as little as £265 per week* *Rates are based on a 2 year rental period. Prices exclude delivery and installation.

DESIGN PLANNING

Case study: St Bede’s C of E Junior School

Modular Build

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

Off-site construction specialist, the Portakabin Group, has been awarded contracts by the Department for Education to rebuild two schools in the South East worth £8.2 million.

Modular buildings can be manufactured with ultra-quick lead times and supplied as a complete school, an extension or an ‘add-on’ to meet peaks in demand World-class sixth form centre built using off-site construction methods Using off-site construction specialists, Actavo | Building Solutions, Tonbridge Grammar School’s IBarn has been designed to inspire and motivate student development.

The Sunday Times’ International Baccalaureate school of 2014 has been working with offsite construction specialists, Actavo | Building Solutions, to create a sixth form study centre to meet the school’s need for a world-class facility.

Designed to inspire and motivate pupils, Actavo created the ‘IBarn’ – a brand-new, two-storey, sixth form hub created to improve pupil facilities and respond to rapid student growth.

Meeting the need for a world-class facility, the IBarn sixth form hub provides the ideal learning space for those preparing for university.

Freeing vital space in the existing sixth form accommodation, the IBarn provides the ideal learning space for those preparing for university while also facilitating more flexible space for the school’s talented artists and musicians.

! and used elsewhere. If the requirement for additional facilities is that of a temporary requirement the beauty of modular buildings is that they can be also designed to be removed and reused in other parts of that school complex – or elsewhere - as the need arises.

Modular buildings are constructed to the latest building regulations and encompass ‘Part L’ energy efficiency – which means new modular buildings also have lower carbon emissions. This also applies to temporary school buildings that are provided for hire by companies who specialise in this type of equipment. The industry is committed to energy efficiency. They can also incorporate specific requirements tailored to suit specific individual requirements.

FAST CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS It is a known fact that it’s the ‘flexibility’ of a modular approach that gives the education sector the greatest benefits. And this is particularly relevant when it comes to urgent and difficult projects. The length of time it takes to install new modular buildings will vary according to a specific requirements and the ease of access to the site are among many more considerations.

But it will always be quicker than ‘conventional’ construction projects.

The benefits of a quick installation combined with minimal on-site disruption are not to be overlooked.

Whilst the groundworks are being dealt with on site, the building is under production in the factory. Both operations taking place at the same time. These are just some of the many reasons for the increasing popularity of modular buildings within the education sector.

The industry trade body strongly recommends that if there is a requirement for a new facility and they are thinking

The projects for St Bede’s Church of England Junior School in Woking and Riverview Church of England Primary School in Epsom are part of the Government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), which addresses the needs of those schools in the worst condition across the country.

Both buildings will be manufactured off site at the Portakabin Group’s production centre in York and will use Yorkon advanced off-site construction solutions to create outstanding environments for teaching and learning. The approach will also cut the build programme by half to the benefit of the children’s education and reducing disruption during construction.

Designed by Surface to Air architects, each school will have state-of-the-art education facilities to replace sub-standard accommodation in poor condition. The designs, which have been developed in close collaboration with teaching staff, will maximise natural light and ventilation, and feature two two-storey classroom wings.

These are separated by a central ‘street’ which runs the full length of the building and provides good passive supervision and zones for informal learning. of going down the modular route they should talk to industry directly.

Engage with the supplier from the very beginning, companies have the skills to be able to design a cost effective building that suits the client’s needs and budget. This is obtained by designing a building that works around modular sections and only the industry that has that knowledge can make that work.

All too often companies are presented with a design that has been drawn to suit a traditional building but can work better with modular.

This will without doubt save money. "

The MPBA has members who have been fully vetted before joining and have had many years’ experience in this type of buildings.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.mpba.biz

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Constructing a solution to the problem of space

Modular Buildings

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More and more schools are turning to modular build solutions as a result of two unmanageable and unrelenting increases – a rise in pupil place demand and a rise in building cost. Education Business looks at both increases and how modular buildings form part of the solution Annual figures from the Department for Education have revealed that the school population in England increased by 121,000 since last year, meaning that pupil numbers have risen for seven successive years. This translates to roughly 470,000 more pupils in the school system than in 2009.

Moreover, the figures show that the average size of a primary school in the UK has increased by 30 pupils, which, in most schools equates to an extra class.

Additionally, due to the closures to pupil referral units and independent schools, the overall number of schools has dropped.

While this poses questions over government plans for providing places, a Department for Education spokeswoman said the government expected to deliver 600,000 more places by 2021. She commented: “Delivering good quality school places is a top priority for this government and the latest figures show that the system continues to work.

“The figures reveal thousands fewer children are being taught in large infant classes.

The data also shows that primary school class sizes remain stable at 27.1 pupils.”

But is it feasible with current design projects? Last month, a projection by the Office for National Statistics said that West Midlands schools will need places to

accommodate an extra 82,000 pupils by 2039. Earlier in the year, the same region claimed it was in the middle of a ‘teaching recruitment crisis’, leaving the region with a lack of quality teachers, a surplus of students, and an unequal demand and supply scenario.

Stuartfield Primary School, in Peterhead, Aberdeen, is one school contemplating setting a pupil cap. Councillors have backed proposals to have pupil numbers capped, despite concerns it will send the wrong message to families interested in moving to the area.

If the local authority’s education committee backs the village’s councillors the school will have its roll limited to 125 pupils. The school was originally built to host 93 pupils, is recorded to have the capacity to teach 118, but, like most schools, is facing expected rises.

PUPIL PLACES 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. 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.

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

The role of the local authority in running schools has been brought into question this year with the government intention to force academisation upon all schools by 2022. While this has now been backtracked, the role of the local authority in providing schools places remains a strenuous, and often, impossible task.

The local authority has to ensure suitable and appropriate accommodation is provided early enough for schools to set up over a summer holiday and be ready and open for the start of term in summer. Where accuracy in numbers can be achieved and finance is plentiful, the local authority will often want to pursue a permanent solution and !

It is secret t no majorit hat the y of UK schools a r e stru with hig h dema ggling schoo nd for a lack ol places with f ad f a c i l i t i ditional availabes le

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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As news of rising pupil numbers unfold…

…here’s a second storey from Wernick!

Rising pupil numbers mean many schools face a classroom shortfall putting pressure on them to provide more space quickly and economically.

Modular buildings from Wernick provide a modern, spacious, energy efficient environment for pupils and staff. What’s more, while the building is being manufactured, the foundation is being prepared on-site. This makes it possible for us to deliver a building of exceptional quality very quickly and with a saving of up to 50% when compared to a traditional building.

A story of less room, more space Modular buildings can be sited where space is limited and can be multi-storey.

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PUPIL PLACES ! deliver a traditional building solution, but, as Graham Olway of West Sussex County Council informed us last year, those days are fast disappearing.

BUILDING COSTS AND PROGRAMMES While the reach of the government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) has been vast and funding generous, the reality is that many schools are still under pressure to perform building maintenance, refurbishment and regeneration works on a tight budget in an expensive market. A report by The Guardian from last year discovered that over a third of head teachers believed that their facilities were unfit for purpose, with 60 per cent desiring reparation or improvement works.

Worryingly, the evidence doesn’t stop there – a recent report by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) claims that the government’s school building programme is leading to ‘dangerous, poorly built and wasteful’ schools. The report finds enormous costs, both initial and ongoing, and consequential substandard buildings.

This is leaving many local authorities to finance the necessary works that remain once the government programme finishes.

While funding is given by the Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency, a number of local authorities are having to draw on finances elsewhere

Last month, a projection by the Office for National Statistics said that West Midlands schools will need an places to accommodate an extra 82,000 pupils by 2039 to bridge the gap. As a result of this, to keep programme cost under control, school decision makers are increasingly becoming favourable to modular solutions.

A modular classroom maintains the functions of a familiar conventional build, but includes lower costs, less building time and minimal disruption. Additionally, on the topic of rising pupil numbers, modular buildings hold the easy possibility of extension and the capability to be easily moved, far more suitable to a changing school site than a traditional construction. Used modular buildings are also growing in popularity, typically costing 50 per cent less that new manufacturers.

On top of this, modular buildings can be manufactured and installed quicker than traditional structures, with less restrictive planning regulations, and a growing capability to match energy efficiency targets. Typically, the end product often achieves an Energy Performance Asset rating (EPA) of B, as standard, although an ‘A’ rating would easily be gained if sustainable add-ons are

Modular Buildings

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

incorporated. This is most commonly seen through the inclusion of solar panels.

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 Modular Portable Building Association as their advice is free.

Engage with a modular builder, this will enable the architect to at an early stage to see how best to manufacture the building being designed, 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. The education sector can get all of their requirements met; there is no need for the process to be complicated. "

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CHALLENGES

The risks involved with signing up to construction contracts, and the ongoing complexities arising from academisation plans, require a legal perspective. Andrea Squires of law firm Winckworth Sherwood addresses what schools should consider when discussing the prospect of expanding The school estate is always in a state of flux.

Demographic changes influence not only the size of schools but also their location as schools thrive when they are considered to be at the heart of their community.

The changes brought by the academies programme have had a fundamental impact on how education is delivered.

The role of local authorities is changing dramatically, increasing pressure on school based teams, and the free school programme (an off shoot of the academies programme) has introduced competition between schools which focuses attention not just on academic performance but on the image a school wants to project. When all this is factored into a growing population, threats to public funding and an increasing shortage of available land for development, the challenges for those with the responsibility to plan, design and deliver school places are significant and there has never been a greater need for innovative solutions.

be known as a free school), independent therefore of local authority control.

There are conditions which local authorities must meet when they are putting forward a proposal for a new school, most importantly they must demonstrate they have a site and funding available (for any capital works) and that there is a demand for the new school places. It is worth comparing the difference here with the free school programme, which is operated by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) - the successor to Partnerships for Schools which many will remember from the days of Building Schools for the Future.

Firstly, a promoter of a free school need not identify any site for the location of the school, merely the need for places. Many successful free school bids have ultimately foundered for lack of a site for the school.

Secondly, whilst in more recent times there is more emphasis on the need for places, in fact the genesis of the idea behind the free school programme was to allow those who could demonstrate they could run schools successfully (be they parent groups, foundations and sponsors or indeed other schools) to be allowed to do so in an attempt to use competition to drive up standards.

The funding differences are even more stark: if a new school is opening under the free school programme the capital funding comes from the generous free school budget but if a local authority is opening a new school, the funding must come from either general local authority funds (the calls upon which of course are many), or more

Local s tie authori ngoing o have no sibilities respon ls and do o for schoide any kind v not pro mnity for the of inde cy estate lega

NEW SCHOOLS There are two ways of creating new schools: either by providers applying to the Department for Education (DfE) under the free school programme (which has become the government’s main tool for tackling the school place shortage), or by a local authority inviting bids from providers as part of a ‘new provision’. The latter is a statutory process. The key provisions are contained in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (as amended by the Education Act 2011).

Any new provision which a local authority is seeking to put in place is subject to what is called ‘the free school presumption’ and therefore whilst a local authority will put in place a process for a new school to open, it will not open as a maintained school but as an academy (to

likely from ‘targeted basic need funding’, which is funding provided by the DfE to address the shortage of school places.

The disconnect between the two presents challenges. Local authorities will tend to have the project management resources to undertake these kinds of projects as well as a clearer idea of the need, but less and less funding capacity. The EFA are in a better position to negotiate a greater funding allocation (with the DfE and Treasury) and have the opportunity to drive efficiencies through framework procurements and standardised designs, but fundamentally don’t control provision – they are dependent on providers submitting a viable free school bid.

In response, the EFA are being more proactive, being ready to purchase sites for development in areas where there is a shortage of places. Local authorities have been working more closely with potential providers (particularly strong schools and effective academy trusts) to support free school bids and have been increasingly looking to use targeted basic need funding to support expansion in existing schools, including new development ‘off-site’ utilising the ‘annex’ principle best but most controversially demonstrated by the recent decision in the Weald of Kent Grammar School case.

Written by Andrea Squires, head of education, Winckworth Sherwood

Expanding schools from a legal perspective

Design & Build

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

NEW PARTNERSHIPS What is interesting is that we are starting to see a growing enthusiasm for both developers and school providers to take control of new provision and expansion, recognising that there is an opportunity to create an effective local partnership to deliver projects which meets both the needs of a developer to build an effective community resource, as well as those of the provider who may lack the technical skills and capacity to manage significant build projects.

Whilst it is early days, the trend is being encouraged by both local authorities and !

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Advertisement Feature

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REFURBISHMENT

NEED EXPERT ADVICE ON YOUR CLASSROOM PROJECT? Additional help with school refurbishments may not feel like a cost effective option. The extra cost of project managers, designers and specialist FF&E companies can be daunting. Herts FullStop has the right balance of excellent quality and superb value. Our specialist services can make the difference between a mundane classroom and a truly inspiring learning environment Since then the school has extended to accommodate increased numbers of pupils, with the provision of a new administration block, staffroom, conference room, hall and classrooms.

Our project was to convert the old staffroom into a Year 4 classroom for 30 pupils. We took this project on as a blank canvas, utilising the existing service points, adding statement furniture and brightly coloured chairs, transforming the space into a light and airy classroom, this modern look was created all within the summer holiday period.

Herts FullStop has been managing school projects for over 60 years.

As a trusted educational supplier with experienced project leaders, we provide a tailored solution helping you create your vision, guiding you through each stage of the process. We utilise our extensive access to a network of specialists, guaranteeing that you have the right expertise in place, to deliver your vision on time and on budget.

Herts FullStop’s industry experts take the time to understand your vision; whether it’s upscaling to improve sixth form intake or creating an interactive learning environment in a nursery. Our objective is to create practical, functional, affordable teaching environments, by listening to our client’s needs and specifications in every aspect.

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

Fire Protection Standards to EU Procurement Directives, through to the reuse and repurposing of legacy equipment in your own environment, all within our networks.

Our unique service is independent from manufacturers and specialists.

Therefore, we are able to support you from project inception, right through to the process of stakeholder engagement, surveys, design, testing, procurement, consolidation, legacy moves, delivery, installation and even post build cleaning.

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“We have received fantastic support and advice throughout the project and are delighted with the workmanship and quality of the installations; their team of installers are very efficient and extremely accommodating. I highly recommend Herts FullStop and will be using them again this summer to install a learning wall in our family room.” !

FURTHER INFORMATION Call us on 01707 292 300 to arrange a free site survey, where we can discuss bespoke designs, colours, and furniture essentials with one of our team.

Design & Build

CHALLENGES ! the EFA, perhaps recognising the need locally and nationally to develop capacity to deliver new build works and that schools are best placed to make decisions about where to focus investment to secure the right educational outcomes. Certainly the more effective providers, e.g. the larger multi-academy trusts and those schools supported by experienced foundations and sponsors, are increasingly stepping up ready to take control of new provision.

Section 106 monies can be ring fenced and supplemented by both local authority funding and EFA grant to deliver new school buildings.

Many local authorities are just as happy now to provide capital grant to schools and academies to deliver additional school places and the EFA is currently trialling local delivery of the Priority School Building Programme (which they had previously delivered centrally) with funding allocated to local authorities, dioceses and larger multi-academy trusts.

This will work best where there is a high degree of openness and transparency i.e. where there is trust and any formal procurement should prioritise this.

FLEXIBILITY For developers and contractors, the fragmentation of commissioning may be off putting. Projects started by local authorities may need to be taken over by schools/academies. The recent White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere (March 2016) stressed the intention to make all schools academies by 2020 and by 2022 at the latest. Although the message may have been softened since to appease Unions and Tory back benchers, there is no doubt about the government’s intention and the likelihood that there will be legislative changes at some point to achieve this (if only for the rump of schools left by then who have refused to engage so far). The impact on local authorities will be stark as their funding flexibility ebbs away, precipitated by the introduction of a national funding formula, designed to smooth out regional funding variations, in 2017.

When schools become academies, the legal responsibility for maintaining the school (both in physical terms and in relation to funding) passes to the academy trust with whom the Secretary of State has entered into ‘academy arrangements’ (pursuant to the Academies Act 2010). As well as the focus on a ‘school led system’, government policy is to encourage schools to collaborate under multi-academy trusts, i.e. academy trusts which operate a number of schools. The DfE has been reluctant to be too prescriptive about the optimum size of a multi-academy trust, but it is likely that over time we will see MATs grow from 3, 4, 5 schools, typically, to trusts operating at least a dozen and may be upwards of 20 – 25 schools, with there still being a place for academy chains of 50+ schools.

For any supplier of goods, works and services to schools its crucial to know who you are dealing with. Academy trusts are companies and must publish their annual accounts. Whilst they are funded by the EFA, the EFA do not provide a guarantee of liability or performance. Local authorities have no financial liability and these days no historic liability for legacy debts owed by schools. By the same token, local authorities have no ongoing responsibilities for schools and do not provide any kind of indemnity for the legacy estate. The general principle behind schools becoming academies is conversion ‘as is’, i.e. warts and all. Whilst this might not have been an issue for schools becoming academies on their own (as a single academy trust) this is becoming more of an issue for multi-academy trusts and particularly for sponsored academies who may be reluctant to inherit either crumbling buildings or new buildings commissioned by a local authorities without a full set of warranties.

In our experience, a more risk averse approach is being adopted by the trustees of multi-academy trusts (who may have only a remote knowledge of the school) and as yet the ability of the EFA’s Risk Protection Arrangements (a typed of pooled self-insurance) scheme to tackle any financial exposure is untested.

PFI This is very aptly illustrated in relation to schools built under the Private Finance Initiative. Whilst the EFA require local authorities

to continue to manage these contracts if a school converts to an academy, it is becoming increasingly obvious that some local authorities are struggling to do so effectively with the pressure of funding cuts and the decimation of local authority teams.

Some might argue (quite rightly in some cases) that local authorities were never up to the challenge of managing these contracts and there is a poor history of holding contractors to account both for defects in design and now the longer term maintenance of the school buildings.

You can always tell a PFI school from the outside, it’s the one with all the windows open in winter and the MUGA lighting up the whole community.

The even bigger problem is that many of these schemes were unaffordable on day one and to protect school budgets, general needs funding has been plugging the gap. Few local authorities can continue to afford to do so but passing the cost onto school budgets (even pooled budgets formed from that element of the Dedicated Schools Grant which is not delegated to schools) is controversial and likely to be a short term solution as the national funding formula arrives.

One solution is for the EFA to take responsibility for all historic School PFI schemes and for them to manage these in the same way it does for the new PFI schemes delivered through PF2 under the Priority School Building Programme. So far PF2 has been successful and a number of PFI schools procured and being built, but only time will tell if these schemes are better managed (and better value for money). The EFA’s ability to handle disputes involving PFI schools at the moment raises some questions which must be addressed if both schools and contractors are to have any confidence in the future. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.wslaw.co.uk/core-areas/education 0208 647 9846

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It’s what we do!

SCHOOL BUILDING

Nathan Davis, water and leisure team leader at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, talks about the importance of safety management during school building work School buildings need to change, adapt and be repaired. But what issues need to be considered to make sure that the work is completed safely and that the end result will actually be safe for the teachers, children and visitors in the years to come?

In recent years there have been a number of high profile serious incidents in schools which related to the condition and fabric of the buildings. Keane Wallis-Bennett, aged 12, died when a changing room wall collapsed on her at a Glasgow primary school in 2014 and 16 schools in Scotland were closed earlier this year due to concerns with construction standards.

The exact cause of these incidents are still being established by the authorities.

Mercifully these cases are the tragic exception, nevertheless large numbers of children are sent to A&E each year after suffering an injury at school.

A key issue is when repairs actually need to be made and money spent – there is always a question of cost and practicalities.

Duty holders need to think very clearly about the severity of incidents rather than spending too long guessing the likelihood.

If there is a chance that a serious event can happen would the legally famous ‘Reasonable Man’ fix it? The point is not to guess whether something is dangerous or not - if in doubt get specialist advice.

Clearly the design of any new structure needs to be clear on avoiding the major causes of accidents to children. As children are

developing their strength and fine motor skills, they will run around, bump, trip and fall as they play. However serious outcomes can be designed out of schools, while maintaining an interesting and engaging environment.

There are a number of common issues that need to be carefully considered when new designs are produced.

Are the floor surfaces wide, flat and level?

How easy will it be to clean them properly and maintain them in the future? Is it possible to specify or obtain a slip resistant value for a flooring surface? Are blind corners avoided? Are cloakrooms, toilets and vestibules actually large enough to accommodate the needs of the children?

Think about edges and falls – will children fall or slip into glass, into blunt edges of walls or can they easily climb or fall under, over or through the edge protection specified? When it comes to falls, design windows and ledges to level to prevent falls, including fixed seating and ledges close to the window which will act as a step. With glass – replace old non-safety glass with toughened non-shatter glass.

Further questions include where will storage materials be kept? Is adequate power supply provided to avoid trailing cables? Can power,

Written by Nathan Davis, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

School safety during maintenance, building and renovation work

Health & Safety

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

including gas, be isolated quickly? Are RCDs, or similar, fitted to the electrical supply?

Are TLVs fitted to the hot water supplies?

MANAGING THE A RENOVATION PROCESS key issu As a project size increases is when e in complexity and cost, r e actually pairs so does the thought and be mad need to effort required to deliver e and m it safely. However, the o spent – ney process for getting always there is the work conducted aq is the same. There is a of cost uestion piece of legislation a practica nd called the Construction, lities Design and Management

Regulations (CDM). The main aim of this law is to make buildings safe to build, and importantly safe for the people that use and maintain it. CDM must be followed for all construction work.

The key to getting construction projects right is: sensibly planning the work so the risks involved are managed from start to finish; having the right people for the right job at the right time; cooperate and coordinate your work with others; having the right information about the risks and how they are being managed; communicating this information effectively to those who need to know; and consulting and engaging with workers about the risks and how they are being managed.

The first step is to clearly establish who the client is. The need may be yours, but !

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SCHOOL BUILDING ! the responsibility and authority may rest with another individual or organisation.

This may be straightforward, but with some business models, the person or organisation that may not actually be clear.

For example with PFIs, PPPs, DBOMs and trusts. If you are not sure get all parties to agree who will accept the client role. This is very important for CDM notifiable jobs.

As children are developing their strength and fine motor skills, they will run around, bump, trip and fall as they play. However serious outcomes can be designed out of schools, while maintaining an interesting and engaging environment

ENSURING COMPETENCE Schools and teaching staff need to rely on competent architects and builders. Authorities vary on the ways that these are engaged.

If you don’t have the support of a local authority you must ensure that any people you employ are competent and this includes having a suitable level of experience in the work that you need completing. Most schools have a contractor’s procedure and this principle should be applied to any architects and other designers that you use.

Competent, experienced people will always have regular meetings and discussions with you to establish what you need, how you intend to use the building and what you already know about the structure and fabric e.g. is there an asbestos survey.

At an early stage, think about having an early meeting with all parties to establish the boundaries of the project, budgets, timescales, and especially standards for work on site. This should include issues that may be unfamiliar to all construction staff e.g. behaviour on school premises, DBS, working hours, and location restrictions, use of language, and how you will organise issues such as transport and parking.

These three parties will need to be formally appointed and arrangements made for them to work together.

The client must provide resources and appoint competent people into job roles.

The designer must aim to design out, or minimise risks to health and safety, both during the construction and especially during the use of the structure. Finally, the principal contractor is responsible for delivering the construction phase safely and managing sub contractors on site.

Think about how your fire and emergency arrangements will need to change.

What risk assessments will need to be reviewed during the work?

What temporary arrangements will need to be implemented?

Who needs to know? Do the neighbours, outside groups need to make changes to accommodate the work?

When the work starts, ensure that the boundaries between the work and the schools activities are clear and robust.

Children will be interested in the building site. Many builders find it useful to give a site tour to children to satisfy any enquiring minds or nervousness about the noise and mess created. Teachers may like to build curriculum and PHSE lessons around the work to encourage understanding and practical real world learning e.g. how many bricks will be used? What skills might be needed to be a

CONSIDERING ALL IMPORTANT INFORMATION You should provide the designers and builders with the information they need to work safely and deliver the project on time. Among things to think about are known problems with the structure, and the problems that you need the new building to overcome. Be aware of the format needed for the tests, system diagrams - e.g. paper, CAD which will be provided in the building file.

Know your standards for working at height. This is a common cause of serious accidents during construction and for maintenance staff. For example, are you happy to use a tallescope? Are you comfortable with training staff to use a fall arrest system, or would edge protection be better? What protection is needed to prevent children getting onto the roof?

How will ‘hot works’ be managed? Fires during construction activities are not uncommon and it would be terrible for the school to burn down during the long anticipated improvement work. How will the new building be used, and will the facilities be suitable for all your children and staff? Will the new building be more susceptible to arson?

There are three key roles, the client, the designer and the principal contractor.

Health & Safety

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builder? What are the dangerous things about building sites? During the build, maintain a programme of daily or weekly meetings with the contractors to discuss any ongoing issues.

PRIOR TO HANDOVER Work with the contractor on snagging issues.

Never accept the building if it is clearly substandard. Think about obtaining the services of an independent third party if you don’t feel confident yourself, although you should establish this at the project inception.

When the construction phase is practically complete make sure that you are provided with an accurate building file. The building file is critical for the ongoing life cycle of the building. Maintenance staff, visiting contractors and future architects will all have an interest in the contents of the file.

Getting it right and keeping it up to date will increase safety confidence and reduce costs in the future. Being clear on standards will help to smooth the path of any corrective action that is needed within the defects liability period.

The safety of the users and maintenance staff starts with a clear picture of how the structure will need to be used and working with the specialists to get it right, design out hazards and build it correctly. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.rospa.com

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Energy Written by Luke Wynne Global Sction Plan

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SUSTAINABILITY

Making energy an ownership issue Luke Wynne, of Global Action Plan, urges teachers to allow their 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 grounds, but also take it to the wider community ‘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 behaviourchange charity, has taught me many things and, as principal programme manager on Schools, I’ve witnessed some effective ways of enacting 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 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 When across energy, food, water g and waste have proven the applyin rning a e effectiveness of school l t children becoming the differenes, there is m e ‘agents of change’ o h c t t ou bout a within their school n o i t s g community. An example no que of embeddin of this is our Water value e situations Explorer programme real-lif earning at which partners with HSBC over 11 countries. After its into l ool sch first year, it achieved a massive

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586 per cent over its water saving target by saving 1.3 million m3 of water and 581 per cent over its carbon 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 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 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

Energy

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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 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 ‘…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. !

FURTHER INFORMATION www.globalactionplan.org.uk

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CASHLESS SCHOOLS

AN INCOME COLLECTION REVOLUTION TRANSFORMS SCHOOL UK schools are now taking significant steps towards becoming ‘fully cashless’ – removing the need for parents to send cash or cheques to school to pay for school dinners, clubs, trips, fees and more

GOING CASHLESS BY TAKING PAYMENTS ONLINE Monica Morley, school business manager, and Sara Smithdale, senior finance officer, at St. John Payne Catholic School in Essex explain why the school went fully cashless and the lessons learned in the process.

Monica stated: “Back in 2008, the time required for collecting, reconciling and banking cash and cheques was almost becoming unmanageable; we had to do something to tackle this issue.

“Parents were already shopping and banking online so I couldn’t see why they wouldn’t also want to pay for school items online. Having spoken to other schools using ParentPay, I persuaded the School Leadership Team (SLT) that we should start to take online payments from parents.”

In 2008/09 the school started to use ParentPay to enable parents to pay online for trips and other items. Monica commented: “Within a year we were starting to see benefits – with over £75,000 collected on trips and other items – we saved numerous administration hours, which were put to good use elsewhere.

“The ParentPay system was already giving us a good return on investment but as far as I was concerned, that was just the start, we really needed to exploit all the possibilities ParentPay offered.”

HALF TERM REPORT: GOOD SO FAR BUT COULD DO EVEN BETTER Despite an impressive start, around 60 per cent of the schools total income was still being paid in cash for school meals.

To tackle this issue, the school invested in a cashless catering system which integrated with ParentPay. This enabled parents to not only pay online for school dinners on ParentPay, but also see what their children were eating and receive low balance alerts via email/SMS text, helping to reduce the time needed to chase debt.

At the time (2009) the SLT felt it was not fair to insist parents ‘had’ to pay online, so a cash loading facility was provided for students to top-up their dinner money accounts.

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Monica commented: “It was a step in the right direction, but as far as I could see, our finance team and school caterers were still spending too much administration time; time which could be better utilised on more productive tasks. Around 40 per cent of parents were paying online for school dinners and the rest still sending children to school with cash.”

By 2010, Monica and her team felt the case to go fully cashless was now a strong one. Parents enjoyed total transparency, ease of payment and peace of mind, while the school could continue to drive forward time saving efficiencies.

For those parents without a bank account or access to the internet, the ParentPay system also allowed them to pay cash in one of the numerous local stores offering PayPoint. The whole solution was socially inclusive whilst enabling a cash free environment in school.

Sara commented: “We (the finance team) set about communicating a very convincing argument internally that we should go fully cashless and what’s more we already had ParentPay in place to achieve this.

Most of our parents had activated and used their ParentPay accounts for school trips and other items at some point – so why not for all school meals too?”

ISSUES BECOME OPPORTUNITIES When the cash loader stopped working one day, queues of students were again at the finance office – a headache our staff thought they had long seen the back of.

Monica saw the opportunity they had

been waiting for: “Instead of rushing into a quick and expensive fix, we asked ourselves should we really be spending money on upgrading the cash loading system, when we already had a proven, ready-made solution that would eradicate the need for cash to be in school at all?”

Based on the success of online payments to date, SLT made the decision not to replace the cash loader and instead direct parents to use ParentPay to pay for school meals.

STICKING TO A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Sara said: “We followed a six month plan provided by ParentPay and it worked brilliantly. When we told parents we only take payments online or through PayPoint, there were very few objections – in fact many welcomed the move.”

The plan emphasised the need to regularly communicate the benefits of paying online to parents. As a result of sticking to the plan, within 12 months the school collected over £130,000 through ParentPay for dinner money payments. Long queues in the canteen are now a thing of the past, encouraging more children to take school meals.

Monica wanted other schools who are considering going cashless to take one major lesson she learned away with them.

She said: “With any big change, communicating what the change will look like and the benefits it will have for everyone is key. Now, not a penny of cash is now handled in school, benefitting the school, our parents and of most of all…our students.”

CASH & RESOURCE EFFICIENCY GAINS AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS

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Improving financial efficiency through a cashless online payment system is helping schools reduce administration, enabling parent payments for meals, trips and other items to be collected securely and providing finance staff a detailed overview of their finances South Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust consists of five primary schools based in Devon. With countless administrative hours and staff resource spent counting, handling and recording cash coming in and out of schools, the Trust were looking to introduce efficiencies, primarily redirecting valuable staff resource away from counting cash and tracking income as well as reducing the risk of money being lost.

Sam Tse, head of finance at the South Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, had a list of key factors a cashless online payment system should meet before coming to a decision.

Sam explained that these requirements included competitive pricing, flexibility and ease of use for both the school and parents.

After researching numerous, reputable online payment providers and their solutions, Sam decided ParentPay’s tried and tested solution, would be the best option to help reduce the time-consuming administration, improve efficiency and importantly, provide a safe and secure audit trail.

What’s more, ParentPay could meet different requirements at each school within the Trust. For example, one primary school was keen to roll out online menu choices to ensure parents make their selection in advance, whereas others opted to introduce ParentPay first then introduce this later.

HOW HAS PARENTPAY BENEFITED THE TRUST? Since ParentPay was implemented in 2015, the system has already helped staff to work more efficiently. The Trust has saved administrative time and valuable staff time: “The main benefit is time saved in preparing the banking and also receiving money at reception.”

Sam also commented on another key factor – being able to track and report accurately: “The reports within ParentPay have also reduced having to manually track payments. Cash collection services have also been reduced which has saved money across all schools.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER TRUSTS OR FEDERATIONS? Sam’s advice to other schools that are considering going cashless is to engage

openly with parents; so the benefits of collecting payments online are realised.

Sam added: “Communicate with parents well in advance regarding reasons behind the change and the benefits to themselves and the school. Parents have time to ask any questions, and for those concerned with using an online payment system to understand the alternatives, e.g. PayPoint/ debit card by telephone. Using ParentPay means transactions are clearly traceable and there is no danger of money getting lost” TIPS ON SELECTING AN ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM Business case: Carry out a cost analysis based on time it takes administrators to collect and manage the cash. Your final objective: ask the supplier/s you’re considering to provide evidence of what’s realistically achievable.

Do the maths: build a quote comparison between suppliers for the cost of a cashless payment system, and remember to encompass the total cost of ownership; any annual costs; training, support costs and upgrades.

Provide for cash-based payers: does the solution offer socially inclusive

payment options such as PayPoint?

Protect against fraud: ensure your chosen system offers a secure Payment Collection Service to avoid the dangers of collecting money from parents’ debit and credit cards. Whoever a school uses to collect payments should be PCI Compliant.

Check reporting features: ensure your system allows you to record and report on UiFSM, FSM and paid for meals. A broad reporting functionality including income reconciliation, electronic payment receipts, audit trails and banking reports.

Remember alerts and reminders: Providing balance alerts to parents can help reduce the need to chase debt.

Find a healthy supplier: check the financial stability of your preferred supplier.

Look to achieve best value: how fit for purpose the product is, its value and whether the company issues new, free upgrades through an investment in development and support services including training.

Have a plan: consult with pupils and parents so they know what to expect. !

FURTHER INFORMATION www.parentpay.com

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CASHLESS SCHOOLS

INVESTING IN ICT – COST EFFECTIVE IDEAS With advancements in digital technologies moving at such a pace, how can schools keep up? Kate Davies, category manager for ICT, explains how YPO can help ensure that you’re getting cost-effective solutions that fully meet the needs of your school QUESTION 2 Would you recommend upgrading all of our ICT products in one hit or doing it incrementally?

ANSWER 2 This would depend on your budget, levels of cross-departmental support, the state and age of your current assets, and whether there’s a long-term plan in place.

If an incremental approach is used, it’s advisable to prioritise which kit and/or systems need replacing first, by setting out a clear and achievable project plan with timeframes. Be mindful of your spend levels being aggregated, as EU procurement regulations apply to all public sector bodies, so all purchases need to be fair and transparent. If you’re unsure of any aspect of the requirements, or how to conduct a procurement review, YPO is on hand to provide advice and could direct you to a framework that can help meet your needs.

QUESTION 1 Our ICT infrastructure needs an overhaul, but we don’t have any time or expertise.

How should we go about evaluating what we need?

ANSWER 1 Having a robust long-term strategy in place is key to identifying your requirements and setting objectives.

Pre-market engagement – contacting potential suppliers to discuss what solutions they have and how this might shape the direction you take – is a very useful exercise as it involves your suppliers at an early stage and could help to inform your specification.

You could talk to your local authority to make sure that your long-term plans are aligned and are suitable for the local area.

You could also talk to one of our experts at YPO to see if we can recommend any schools that have been through a similar process to take advice from and discuss lessons learned.

Most of YPO’s frameworks include a ‘Lot’, or option for audit and consultancy, which is designed to allow a thorough and impartial analysis of your current systems to help determine the best strategy moving forward.

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QUESTION 3 Are we better off buying equipment or exploring lease-hire agreements?

ANSWER 3 Again, this would depend on your long-term strategy. There are many benefits to both options but the decision can boil down to the expected length of requirement for the equipment, and whether there’s a need for a planned product refresh.

This should be considered on a case-by-case basis and reviewed annually to ensure the approach remains fit for purpose. Our team at YPO are more than happy to give advice and guidance on this, especially around the use of operational leases.

QUESTION 4 What about technical support, servicing, software updates and training?

ANSWER 4 All of YPO’s frameworks cover these aspects so you can be assured that suppliers have already been through an evaluation process to test their suitability. We also work to strict key performance indicators to which suppliers must adhere – for example, training to be delivered on new equipment within a certain number of days.

QUESTION 5 Can we use technology to save costs around the school in other ways?

ANSWER 5 Absolutely. YPO has frameworks that cover Electronic Kitchen Management (Ref: 684) – software to replace paper-based ordering, stock and recipe management; Travel Management Services (Ref: RM1034) – for online travel and accommodation bookings; and Energy Bureau Service – a fully-hosted service to allow energy bills to be checked and validated, to name a few.

CASE STUDY: OUR NEW FRANKING MACHINE WILL PAY FOR ITSELF Alistair Stewart, procurement officer at Titus Salt School, Yorkshire, said: “Despite the school’s drive to use email communications more widely, a staggering amount of information is still sent out by post – rewards certificates, joining packs for Year 6 pupils, exam information, etc.

Our old franking machine was nearing the end of its life, and when Royal Mail introduced Mailmark, a new barcode system, we knew it was time for an upgrade.

“I contacted YPO, having used their frameworks in the past to purchase iPads and a minibus. Both times the team at YPO were a great help, providing impartial support and advice, whilst also saving us time and delivering value for money.

We bought the new franking machine outright for £2,500. This means we can now access the discounted postage rates offered by Royal Mail through the Mailmark service.

“In fact, we estimate that our cost savings will be such that within 18 months, the new machine will have paid for itself.”

ABOUT YPO YPO has over 80 procurement frameworks.

To find out more about the procurement service and to get advice on how you can make the most of your school budgets, contact YPO on the details below. !

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01924 664664 procurementservices@ypo.co.uk www.ypo.co.uk/frameworks

FINANCE

Adrian Buckle of Payments UK looks at the advantages of developing payment methods in schools and how it can incorporate accountability, assurance and safety The payments industry is fast paced, and ever growing, and affects every type of organisation, and every person in the country, including schools. The UK is a global leader in the payments industry as a result of our world class payments system, which offers so much choice.

Figures published in a report by Payments UK shows that new payment methods are becoming increasingly popular, driven in part by changes such as Transport for London (TfL) enabling contactless payments on tube journeys in London. The Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that underpins contactless is starting to be seen more widely than simply on plastic cards too, with high profile launches in this area including Apple Pay and Android Pay. Last year, Payments UK informed Education Business readers about the variety of different, alternate payment methods that were open to them, which could make life easier for parents and their children, as well as the schools themselves (Education Business 20.7). Much focus has been put on the pros and cons of new payment methods, and understandably, there is still an element of unknown for many people, who worry about how new ways to pay could be misused, or about the level of security they offer. Here, we explain why alternate payment methods not only make payments easier, but why they are just as safe as traditional payment methods.

TRACKING TRENDS Figures by Payments UK show that around half of all cards in the UK had contactless functionality at the end of 2015. More than three times as many contactless card payments were made in 2015 than in 2014, with one billion contactless payments made, accounting for almost three per cent of total consumer card payments. We only expect this figure to rise over the next 10 years, and by 2025 we

predict contactless payments will amount to 25 per cent of total consumer payments, with customers also making use of the Samsung, Apple and Android pay NFC technologies.

More businesses are beginning to tap into contactless technology, and at the end of 2015, there were just over 0.3 million contactless enabled terminals in the UK. Currently, the spend limit on contactless technology is set at £30. Fraud on contactless cards and devices remained low during 2015, out of spend of £7.75 billion, there was £2.8 million worth of losses, according to figures produced by Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK).

Figuresnts e

by Paymow UK sh half of und that aro s in the UK NEW TECHNOLOGIES all cardontactless Paym is a simple and secure way c d e h ha to send and receive payments lity at t a n o i t c directly to a current account held 5 fun 1 20 with a participating bank or building end of society using just a mobile number, and

eliminates the need to ask for an account number and sort code. Paym has been developed by the people who run the services that move mobile and internet banking payments between the UK’s banks, and built to the highest possible security standards. The

Written by Adrian Buckle, chief economist, Payments UK

Paying the price of accountable payments

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system is available through your usual online banking app that you already send and receive your money from. Originally designed for p2p payments, Paym is now available to businesses via five banks. You can register multiple mobile numbers to one account, making it easy for businesses and schools to access the account, and depending on the bank, the recipient will get a text to confirm a payment has been successfully made.

There are also many other online payment systems, which offer secure payments, tailored specifically for school and have already been implemented with success. Examples include ParentPay, which is currently used over 6,000 schools across 200 local authorities in the UK, and ParentMail, which offers parents an account from which they can pay the school, view when payments are upcoming, and allow for cash and cheque payments to be made.

ACCOUNTABILITY, ASSURANCE AND SAFETY Over and above specialist products aimed directly at schools, technology that we !

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FINANCE ! take for granted such as the internet – and increasingly – mobile banking have great potential for use in schools. The convenience of online banking is demonstrated by results from Payments UK’s National Payments Study. In 2015, more than two out of three account holders (69 per cent, up five per cent from 2014) used online banking to manage their current account, while mobile banking services (typically through an app) were used by one in three (up four per cent from 2014).

Electronic payments can also be easily traced by the sending bank, cash payments have no trail. In cases of depute over payment between the school and the parent, alternate payment methods can not only provide proof of payment, but a sense of accountability.

Yet it is important for you and any parent that uses these payment methods to take steps to protect from fraud and mistakes.

Electronic payments, such as mobile and online banking payments, are addressed using just the sort code and account number.

Yet new research conducted for Payments UK found that more than half of people (55 per cent) incorrectly believe the recipient’s name is checked, a further 15 per cent think the recipient’s debit card number is used and just over one in twenty (six per cent) even believe their post code is checked.

With that in mind, Payments UK has produced new advice on how to avoid making errors. The new guide, published as part of Payments UK’s Pay Your Way consumer advice campaign, explains how to make electronic payments correctly, how to prevent mistakes from happening and what steps customers can take if they mistakenly send a payment to the wrong account.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF It’s vital to stop and think about the process you normally go through to make a payment to someone – be suspicious if it differs from the last time you used it.

You should also think about the circumstances

handling cash, it reduces the security risk of cash being left on site.

For parents, alternative technologies also offer assurance, that the money they give to their children is being spent on what they intended it to be for, as well of decreasing

Cashless Schools

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For schools, removing cash not only reduces administrative time spent handling cash, it reduces the security risk of cash being left on site in which you are being asked to send money – be particularly wary if you are asked to send money by someone you do not know.

Another increasingly common tactic for fraudsters is to target individuals and businesses with unsolicited emails, calls or home visits claiming to be from your bank, the police or someone else you usually deal with. Fraudsters sometimes try to trick people into making a real payment by claiming ‘it’s just a test’ or money needs to be ‘moved to a safe account’ or ‘handed to a police officer’.

Your bank will never request login details or passwords in full over the phone or by email so never give anyone your details in this way. If in doubt, talk to your bank either in branch or on an advertised number.

TRADITIONAL PAYMENT METHODS Cash payments still remain popular, especially when it comes to those on a lower income who need help budgeting their money, and cash payments still made up 45 per cent of payments in 2015.

However, for schools, removing cash not only reduces administrative time spent

the chances of money being stolen from their child and other dangers associated with carrying money in schools such as bullying.

Cheque usage has fallen from the peak of four billion cheques written in 1990, however, plans are underway to enable banks to process cheques using electronic images taken on your smartphone.

This new technology will allow cheques to clear quicker than the current six working days, bringing them up to date with the current payments environment.

In addition, cheque fraud accounted for only three per cent of total 2015 financial fraud losses in the UK last year.

The above are just some of the ways that alternate payment methods can help improve life for both school leaders and parents alike, giving both confidence and a more secure option of payment, that said, cash and cheques will be around for as long as people want them. Choice for the customer is the most important aspect. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.paymentsuk.org.uk

37

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Academies

GOVERNANCE

The government’s U-turn on forced academisation has brought the issue of governance back onto the educational landscape. Sam Henson, head of information at the National Governors’ Association, explains how effective academy governance works Regardless of sector or industry, the importance of strong governance is sometimes overlooked. All too often the investment into good governance practice is considered as an ill-timed after-thought when things have already started to go wrong. But good governance is at the heart of organisational improvement – you only have to look at recent examples where organisations have failed, such as the collapse of Kids Company in 2015, to see that those organisations not investing thought and time in identifying and adopting strong governance structures and practice do so at their own peril.

At the National Governors’ Association (NGA), we have taken to using the following definition of governance from the Institute on Governance in Canada: “Governance determines who has power, who makes decisions, how other players make their voice heard and how account is rendered.” If governing boards keep this description in mind then it should help them adopt structures and practices to ensure more effective governance.

In March, the government released its white paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, with the headline policy that all schools would have to convert to academy status by 2022. Although the original intention to legislate for universal academisation was subsequently dropped amidst much pressure from parents, governors, and even from within the Conservative party, the government has made clear that its preferred outcome is for all schools to become academies. It will use other drivers, including in some cases compulsory academisation, to achieve that goal. The government has also said that it thinks the majority of schools will be governed through multi-academy trusts (MATs) rather than as standalone schools.

This potential shift to a fully academised system presents an extensive yet, in NGA’s view, underplayed change, one where all schools are effectively moved into the third sector and so bringing about a transformation to governance by trusteeship.

HOW ARE ACADEMIES GOVERNED? Academies are charitable companies limited by guarantee which exist to deliver their charitable aims on behalf of their pupils with the trust board accountable for the performance of the trust.

Academy trusts have a contract with the Department for Education (DfE), the Funding Agreement, which sets out the basis on which it will be funded and for which schools. Its governing document is the Articles of Association, which sets out how members and trustees are appointed and provides over-arching written rules for running the company.

An academy trust that is responsible for more than one academy is called a multi-academy trust (MAT). A MAT is a single legal structure that is responsible for maintaining, managing and operating multiple academies within it. All academy trusts have at least two layers of governance – the members and the trustees. The members are the top governance tier operating as the custodians of the governance of the trust, and they usually have the power to appoint some of the trustees.

Both single academy trusts and MATs have an overarching board of trustees. The academy trust board is appointed to govern the trust and the academies within it. In MAT’s there are also often additional layers of governance, depending on the size of the organisation.

These are committees of the over-arching trust board and often referred to as a ‘local governing body’ (LGB) which is essentially, a committee of the trust board – NGA prefers local governing committees for the sake of avoiding confusion with the role of maintained governing bodies.

As of 31 March 2016, 66 per cent of secondary schools and 20 per cent of primary schools are already academies; 65 per cent (3,611 out of 5,449) of academies (including free schools) were in MATs, up from 53 per cent at the end of the 2013/14 academic year.

It is important to ensure there is differentiation between members and trustees to provide sufficient independent oversight and challenge; while some members can also be trustees, this should be kept to a minimum.

The legal minimum is three, although DfE advice is now that there should be at least five. The members receive an annual report on the performance of the trust from the trustees, in order to ensure the trust is meeting its charitable aims, are responsible for signing off changes to the articles of association and will usually have the power to appoint and remove a number of trustees.

The trustees will appoint a number of people to such a committee but their role may differ significantly to that of ‘governors’ as !

Written by Sam Henson, head of information, National Governors’ Association

Adopting structures for effective governance

The number of pupi school ls in the key dec will be a as to w iding factor sustain hether it is ab a stand le to be alo school ne

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NOW OPEN TO PRIMARY COLLEAGUES Your invitation to Join the leaders The Association of School and College Leaders The professional voice of school leadership When?

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Don’t miss out Join the leaders today “I really appreciate the protection of a union that understands my role.” *Terms and Conditions apply

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

GOVERNANCE

This potential shift to a fully academised system presents an extensive yet underplayed change – one where all schools are effectively moved into the third sector and so bringing about a transformation to governance by trusteeship ! they are likely to only be delegated certain decision making functions as prescribed by the board of trustees. In some cases, no powers or functions will be delegated at local level and instead, a school council will be appointed as the eyes and ears of the local context.

STANDALONE OR MAT Last year, the NGA, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and Browne Jacobson published Forming or Joining a Group of Schools: staying in control of your school’s destiny; a publication designed for governors and senior leaders of both standalone academies and maintained schools to help them consider the benefits of forming or joining a MAT. The DfE expectation, as outlined in the white paper, is that most schools converting to academy status will be expected to do so by either forming or joining a MAT unless they are ‘successful and sustainable alone’ – but even when classed as such, going it alone will not necessarily be the best course of action.

The number of pupils in the school will be a key deciding factor as to whether it is sustainable to be a standalone school. NGA is led to believe from recent department speeches that probably only those which are over 1,000/1,200 pupils will be allowed to remain stand alone. The performance of the school, including exam results and Ofsted judgement may also determine the options available. Schools in ‘special measures’ are already subject to forced academisation. Although no specific announcement has been made about ‘requires improvement’ schools, it is highly unlikely that they will be allowed to be standalone academies.

STRUCTURE, DELEGATION AND KNOWING YOUR SCHOOLS The board of trustees is accountable in law for all major decisions about its academies – this does not mean that the board is required to make all the decisions itself, especially in a MAT where it would impractical for it to do so. Delegation to the CEO and/or executive principal, regional and local governing committees and academy councils should be considered.

A scheme of delegation (SoD) is the key document agreed by the MAT board to define the lines of responsibility and accountability. It establishes who makes which decisions and should ensure that the lines of responsibility and reporting are clear to those within the MAT – members, trustees, committees (including local governance committees), executive leadership and academy heads. This is an area in which practice is still developing and SoDs have not been as clear as they need to be.

Before drafting a SoD, the trust will need to ensure the governance structure is fit for purpose. There is no one right way, how much the board decides to delegate will vary depending upon: the size of the MAT: number of schools and/or number of pupils; the way in which its leadership is structured; geographical spread of schools; ethos and values; and strength of schools.

SCHEME OF DELEGATION An effective scheme of delegation: promotes a culture of honesty, transparency and accountability; ensures the executive leadership is clear about which decisions the trustee board and its committees take; ensures that the role of the executive leadership is fully understood throughout the MAT; identifies responsibility

Academies

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for the appointment and performance management of the lead executive (usually a CEO/executive head) and individual academy heads; identifies responsibility for HR policy and practice in each academy; identifies responsibility for oversight of each academy’s budget; identifies responsibility for assessment of risk in each academy; identifies responsibility for oversight of educational performance in each academy; and identifies the mechanism for taking account of the views and experiences of stakeholders.

The SoD is intended to be a working document that the trust board and the executive team should revise and adapt in response to their context and circumstances. As MATs mature and grow the workings of the MAT, both in terms of governance and operational leadership, are likely to change. Whatever the structure and delegation agreed, it should be reviewed annually and revised if necessary.

Adaptation is not a failure, but a recognition of the need to be responsive to changing circumstances. NGA has devised four model SoDs, which represent a range of approaches: with academy governing committees; with academy councils; with cluster governing committees (reporting on a number of academies); and with so-called ‘earned autonomy’ (variable levels of responsibility for academy committees, often depending on the school’s performance). " FURTHER INFORMATION www.nga.org.uk

Supporting you to deliver an improved teaching estate PFI Support Asset Management Procurement services Training and Mentoring Capital Project planning Performance Monitoring Feasibility and Option appraisal

Registered by RICS

Contact us on 020 3633 0083 Or email paul.quarrell@reappraiseconsulting.com Or email enquiries

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ESPO: Helping you to save time and money on your next buying decision

ESPO is a public sector buying organisation and has been supplying education establishments for over 30 years. It is 100 per cent owned by the public sector meaning that any surplus it makes after recovering its costs will be returned to the public purse.

ESPO can offer you a onestop shop solution to all your educational buying needs including a comprehensive products catalogue with over 27,000 products, a wide range of free-to-access framework solutions and

bespoke support and advice on large scale procurement projects.

ESPO’s team of procurement experts work hard, day-in, dayout to bring you great value you can rely on all year round, while its dedicated team of account managers can help you make the most of your budget.

For more information about how ESPO can save you time and money on your next buying decision please visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION info@espo.org espo.org

Combining innovative technology with quality content and creative minds Ultimaker launched the CREATE Education project in 2014 to make 3D printing accessible to everybody. The CREATE Education Project brings together game changing technology with inspirational content and creative minds. This collaborative platform is designed to provide free resources to seed innovation, learning and development.

Contributors and community members are provided with a network of people embracing the same passion for sharing and improving access to education benefits. Listening to the challenges educators faced when incorporating technology in the classroom guided the development of the project, which incorporates award winning hardware, free software and expert UK based support. Ultimaker has brought together lesson plans and schemes of work and is uniting the maker community

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to ensure that teachers and students have all the resources required. Everybody is striving for engaged pupils, innovation and communication in the classroom and seeking collaborative learning opportunities. By embracing the CREATE Education project you will achieve all of these goals make education kinesthetic and equip the next generation with relevant skills to ensure employment in the jobs of tomorrow.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01257 276116 enquiriesgb@ultimaker.com www.createeducation.co.uk

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

ISS Education: putting quality, choice and value back on to school menus At ISS Education, the company loves to feed hungry minds, learners of all ages need refuelling during the course of the day, but it is also there to ensure that the learning environment is a clean, safe and pleasant place, allowing those hungry minds to grow.

ISS Education recognises the difference in age groups and takes the dining experience of each type of education establishment seriously.

That’s why it has created relevant concepts that revolutionises the way students of every age group enjoy their meals and drinks.

Comprising distinctive graphics, pleasing dining environments and marketing support, the distinctive concept aims

to create memories around the mealtime experience.

The result is an engaging identity that encourages more students to consume healthy and nutritious meals onsite.

In addition ISS Education is proud to support schools and colleges around the country with all its other facility services, where it can offer well managed, higher quality and cost effective environments consistently available to students, managed and delivered by experts.

For more information contact Amanda Fisher, partnerships director.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 057 6300 isseducation.commercial @uk.issworld.com

Education in the 21st century – MakerBot in the Classroom Founded in 2009, MakerBot has the largest install base in the industry with more than 100,000 MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers sold to date and sets the standard in reliability and ease of use.

MakerBot believe that 3D printing and modeling offer a rich way to enhance and reinforce science, technology, engineering, art, math, and design skills already being taught in the classroom.

MakerBot has launched the ‘MakerBot in the Classroom’ handbook, which is intended to be a solid foundation to learn and teach 3D printing, to provide first ideas for bringing 3D printing into the classroom as well as to provide knowledge about different types of 3D modeling software and their strengths. With this handbook, students are taught basic 21st century

skills like STEAM literacy, critical thinking, reasoning, and creative skills, as well as developing strong communication and collaboration skills, and practicing visualisation and decision making. It therefore helps educators that are embracing 3D printing as a new way to prepare students for the jobs of the future. Additional tools and resources for educators are available on the new MakerBot education landing page, such as real-world MakerBot stories, videos, and challenges.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +49.7229.7772.999 eu-contact@makerbot.com eu.makerbot.com

EVENT PREVIEW

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Recognising achievement in outstanding education Taking place on 13 July, the 2016 Education Business Awards will once again reward outstanding achievements in the UK education sector. With the shortlist for 2016 recently released, Education Business lists the categories and nominees vying for the trophies The nominations this year are: Dalziel High School, Motherwell; Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, East Sussex; and Banovallum School, Lincolnshire.

The 2016 Education Business Awards, supported by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), will once again recognise outstanding achievements in the UK education sector, and the hard work and dedication of teachers, department heads, business managers and support staff that are instrumental in contributing to the success of the school.

This year, 21 categories focus on academic progress, facilities, best practice, specialisms and innovation. Shortlisted organisations are given free tickets to attend the glittering awards ceremony, which includes a champagne drinks reception and four course luncheon, before the winning schools are revealed. The Awards, which take place on 13 July at London’s Grange Hotel in St Pauls, will be presented by television presenter Konnie Huq. Huq is best known for presenting the BBC children’s television programme Blue Peter, on which she worked from 1997-2008.

OUTSTANDING PROGRESS The following three awards are presented to the schools that have made outstanding progress in the management of its facilities, finances and human resources and can demonstrate an increase in the educational performance of the school. Sponsored by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, St Joseph’s College, Reading; Bromley High School, Kent; Shrewsbury High School, Shropshire; Epsom College, Surrey; and Wolverhampton Grammar School make up

AWARDS FOR ICT Sponsored by Stratasys GmbH MakerBot Division, the ICT Innovation Award will be contested by: Bolsover Church of England Junior School, Derbyshire; Shrewsbury High School, Shropshire; The Studio Schools, Merseyside; Westmorland Primary School, Lancashire; and Plymouth School of Creative Arts, Devon.

The ICT Facility Award will be won by either Westmorland Primary School, Lancashire, Portway Junior School, Hampshire, or Clevedon School, North Somerset.

The ucation d E 6 1 0 2 s Busines 3 July 1 on Awardsecognise will r cation UK edu nts from me achieve tegories 21 ca

the shortlist in the Independent School category.

In the Outstanding Progress Primary School category the shortlist consists of: Moreland Primary School, London; Ark Bentworth Primary Academy, London; Burton Primary, Dorset; Cotsford Junior School, Durham; and Harris Primary Academy Kent House, London.

The Secondary School category for Outstanding Progress, sponsored by School Business Services, includes: Ashcroft High School, Bedfordshire; Matravers, Wiltshire; Prendergast School, London; Attleborough Academy, Norfolk; and St Matthias School, Deansfield as potential winners.

EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARD This award, sponsored by IOSH, recognises the valuable work that responsible managers do to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for teachers and pupils.

Nominated for 2016, Irby Primary School, Maltings Academy, Pensby Primary School, Queen Elizabeth School, Barnet, or St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School will win the award.

ACADEMY PARTNERSHIP AWARD Sponsored by HotBoard by Ward Hendry, this award is presented to the established specialist academy that can demonstrate benefits to the community through a partnership with an existing establishment.

EDUCATIONAL VISITS AWARD Sponsored by The Rainforest Cafe, the Educational Visits Award is given to the educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to providing students with a range of subject specific educational visits in order to further their learning experience. Springfield School, Portsmouth; Ashby School, Leicestershire; and LVS Ascot, Berkshire will all be hoping to win.

SCHOOL CATERING AWARD Sponsored by ParentPay, the nominees for this award include: St Thomas Primary School, Huddersfield; Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls, Monmouthshire; North Liverpool Academy; Ballard School, Hampshire; and Bishops Stortford College, Hertfordshire.

SEN AWARDS The SEN Inclusion Award and the SEN Provision Award are both sponsored by nasen.

St James CE Primary, Northamptonshire; Eversley Primary, London; Marine Primary Academy, Plymouth; Matravers, Wiltshire; and Woodhouse Primary Academy, Birmingham will all compete for the Inclusion Award.

Parkside Complex Needs School, Norwich; Catcote Academy, Hartlepool; Westmoorland School, Lancashire; Greenside School, !

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Providing a quality range of specialist education recruitment solutions With over 15 years’ experience, eTeach helps schools and colleges recruit better, smarter and faster, by providing a number of recruitment solutions. eTeach services include best value advertising, education recruitment experts and innovative technology.

It operates as a strategic recruitment partner to deliver outstanding candidate results. eTeach is trusted and used bymore than 7,500 schools, colleges and academies. Its clients also include the leading recruitment and advertising agencies. Last year the company’s advertisers placed more than 50,000 education vacancies in front of eTeach’s 1.4 million registered candidates, who on average make five million job searches and one million site visits each month!

Whether you need support advertising a single vacancy; placing teachers in hard to fill and

leadership roles; require supply staff or want help managing their employer brand or planning or a proactive recruitment strategy, eTeach is here to help. eTeach will provide a solution matched to the needs of a school, local authority, academy group or college as well as the needs of each individual vacancy; finding the right solution to deliver the best candidates quickly, easily and cost effectively.

To find out more visit the website or call to discuss your recruitment needs in greater detail.

FURTHER INFORMATION 0845 226 1906 www.eteachgroup.com

Transform your school’s learning environment with Ward-Hendry Ward-Hendry has worked with a variety of schools and academies across the country to create a varied selection of innovative products combined with high-quality, creative photography and design. The company not only provides a wide range of stunning large-scale photography display boards, window film and wall graphics, but also banners, prospectuses, signage and Hotboards.

Creativity and imagination are at the heart of everything WardHendry does and its dedicated in-house team will assist you in communicating your school’s message to parents and students. Whether you are a primary, secondary, independent school or academy and you require school photography, design and print services you have come to the right place. Ward-Hendry can help your school or academy

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stand out in a competitive marketplace and assist you in showcasing your school’s values and ethos to the outside world.

Ward-Hendry also has a team of experienced installers and works very closely with only the best couriers to ensure your projects and products get delivered and are in place when you need them.

If you are interested in any of Ward-Hendry’s photography, design and marketing services, the company would love to hear from you. Please visit the website for more information.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01295 814443 sales@ward-hendry.com www.ward-hendry.com

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

Proud to deliver the most comprehensive regulatory audit of its kind The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is the largest representative body for the recruitment industry in the UK. Jobs transform lives, which is why REC members are building the best recruitment industry in the world. As the professional body for recruitment the REC is determined to make businesses more successful by helping them secure the people they need.

The REC is absolutely passionate and totally committed in this pursuit for recruiters, employers, and the people they hire.

The REC is committed to delivering excellence through compliance and one of the ways in which it supports employers in the education sector, is through REC Audited Education. It ensures

safeguarding and that agencies are undertaking all the relevant checks when recruiting teachers.

REC Audited Education enables schools and education providers to be confident that they are using an accredited supplier, who puts standards at the centre of their business.

For more information about REC Audited and how it helps your business to get the best possible service from the agencies you work with, visit the REC website.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.rec.uk.com/ business-support/audited/ audited-education

Promoting wellness in everything from product design to social projects Technogym is a world leader in the design and manufacture of fitness equipment and for over 30 years the dedicated Technogym team, along with medical professionals, researchers and academics has been committed to promoting Wellness, a lifestyle based on regular physical activity, a balanced diet and a positive mental attitude.

Today Technogym is the world leading supplier of products, services and solutions and fully embraces the ‘Internet of things’ represented by the Technogym Ecosystem which includes a wide range of cardio, strength and functional training equipment connected to a cloud digital platform, mobile apps, training programs and content. Technogym also provides services such as design, consultation, training, post sales assistance and marketing support.

Physical exercise offers profound and far-reaching benefits to students of all ages, which is incredibly important in a world where young people lead increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Technogym offers a broad and durable range of fitness equipment and services tailored including design, education, marketing, financial and technical support to help deliver the best fitness facilities supporting everyday Wellness right up to elite athlete performance.

Contact Louisa Wright-Wastell for more information.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01344 823770 lwastell@technogym.com www.technogym.com

EVENT PREVIEW ! Hertfordshire; and The Moat School, London will all hope to win the Provision Award.

STEM AWARD Awarded to the educational establishment that has excelled in the provision of a first class environment for teaching STEM subjects, the nominations in this category are: Plashet School, London; Dalziel High School, Motherwell; Highgate School, London; Bromley High School, Kent; and Parkfield Community School, Birmingham.

This award is sponsored by Ultimaker.

SPORTS AWARD Sponsored by Technogym, the Sports Award will be the prize for one of: Ellesmere College, Shropshire; Beech House School, Manchester; Wolverhampton Grammar School; The Kingsway Academy, Wirral; or Matravers, Wiltshire.

SCHOOL PROCUREMENT AWARD Recognising where a school has externally worked to refine its buying practices and increase value to the taxpayer, this category, sponsored by ESPO, includes: Prince’s Mead Preparatory School, Winchester for its waste rebate; Coplestone Primary School, Suffolk for its reprographics tender; Academies Enterprise Trust for Cloud migration; and Astor College, Kent for a communications tender.

SCHOOL RECRUITMENT AWARD Sponsored by eTeach, Herts for Learning – Recruitment Fair, Bradford Birth to 19 Teaching School Alliance, and Hillside High School/Liverpool Echo are the nominees in with a chance of bagging the School Recruitment Award.

COMMUNITY AWARD This award recognises schools working in partnership with other public sector bodies on projects that bring specific benefits to the local community. Beddington Park Primary School, Surrey; Parkwood Academy, Sheffield; Shrewsbury High School, Shropshire; North Liverpool Academy; Nansen Primary School, Birmingham; and Plymouth School of Creative Arts, Devon fill the category shortlist.

SCHOOL SECURITY AWARD Recognising outstanding efforts to increase security, this award will be contested by: Monkton Combe School, Bath; Yatton Junior School, North Somerset; and Sir Thomas Abney Primary School, London.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE AWARD Awarded to the school project that can demonstrate a benefit to the environment and the environmental education of its pupils, this award will be handed to Mellor

Primary School, Cheshire; Benenden School, Kent; or King’s Ely, Cambridgeshire.

SCHOOL MUSIC AWARD Showing a commitment to improving the quality of musical learning, the nominees for this award are: Ellesmere College, Shropshire; Lindley Junior School, Huddersfield; and Chipping Norton School, Oxfordshire.

SCHOOL BUILDING AWARD Presented for technically advanced building construction for the purpose of teaching present and future pupils, the School Building Award category contains: Mellor Primary School, Cheshire; Epsom College, Surrey; Chalgrove Primary School, London; Plymouth School of Creative Arts; and Prestwood Infants School, Buckinghamshire.

ART & CRAFT AWARD Looking at first class learning environments and modern, flexible facilities for students of art & craft, this category contains: Nansen Primary School, Birmingham; Matravers, Wiltshire; Hangleton Primary School, Hove; King’s Ely, Cambridgeshire; amd University Church of England Academy, Ellesmere Port. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.ebawards.co.uk

Leading providers of consultancy and support services for schools

Setting high standards for health and safety professionals everywhere

School Business Services (SBS) is a leading global specialist in providing services and products to the education sector.

Across its core specialisms SBS offers consultancy, service desk advice and support, project management, training and fully managed services to schools, academies and MATs. Support packages for Finance & Business Management, HR & Payroll, ICT and MIS/SIMS are tailored to your school’s current and ongoing development strategy to ensure you make the most of your valuable resources.

SBS’ unique budget and staff management software, SBS Online, empowers you

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the world’s leading professional body for people responsible for safety and health in the workplace.

IOSH acts as a champion, adviser, advocate and trainer for safety and health professionals working in organisations of all sizes.

The company’s focus is to support its members in their efforts to create workplaces that are safer, healthier and more sustainable.

IOSH supports members through forums, events and helplines, sharing information, advice and best practice. It petitions governments, advises policy-makers, commissions research and sets standards.

IOSH runs high-profile campaigns to promote awareness of issues affecting workplace safety, health and wellbeing. The company’s

to make on-the-spot, sound financial decisions and boost your budget confidence.

Concerned about the many aspects of Academisation or joining a MAT? SBS provides a range of academy conversion support services to assist you, from full project management to bespoke back-office projects.

For more information visit the SBS website, or call to speak to an advisor and discuss your individual requirements.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0345 222 1551 (option 5) sales@schoolbusiness services.co.uk bit.ly/SBSsupportservices

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accredited training courses provide valuable knowledge, skills and qualifications for members and their colleagues.

Chartered Membership of IOSH is recognised worldwide as the hallmark of professional excellence in workplace safety and health. IOSH’s shared objective is a world where work is safe and healthy for every working person, every day.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)116 257 3100 www.iosh.co.uk

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Now available on your tablet device...

Education Business magazine is now available on iOS and Android platforms, offering an interactive experience for readers.

Download your copy now, free of charge.

app.educationbusinessuk.net

Introducing hot chocolate with a difference – with 50 per cent less sugar Not for nothing have Fairtrade Vending introduced a delicious hot chocolate with less than 50 per cent sugar. Hot chocolate traditionally has a high level of sugar content, which is recognised as being a contributor to the high levels of obesity in society today.

Fairtrade vending offer two models of hot chocolate dispensers, designed with schools in mind, as 80 per cent of all hot drinks sold in schools (secondary and above) is hot chocolate. For schools, these offer a high profit margin and from just six hot chocolate drinks per day, it will cover all the costs.

Fairtrade Vending in association with VanHouten – the worlds leading brand of chocolate drinks, is focused on introducing the

50 per cent less sugar chocolate to the education sector. As with all Van-Houten chocolates drinks, all the cocoa is ethically sourced.

The packages available to all schools either via an operating lease or straight lease rental include three years parts and labour warranty and a dedicated support service to assist schools with their healthy eating agenda.

Fairtrade Vending also supply a wide range of vending and beverage equipment for the education sector.

For more information, please call or email or alternatively, visit the Fairtrade Vending website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01634 726163 mike@fairtradevending.co.uk fairtradevending.co.uk

Helping staff meet pupil needs through training, development and support nasen is the United Kingdom’s leading professional association embracing all special and additional educational needs and disabilities. Its mission is ‘to promote the advancement and development of all children and young people with SEND’.

Membership of nasen is an invaluable source of advice for educational professionals internationally, offering an exclusive range of benefits to support the education network in the delivery of high quality inclusive practice. Benefits include topical publications, bespoke consultations, innovative education resources, and dynamic conferences and seminars with world-class speakers. nasen recently launched the free online training, Focus On SEND, which is now freely available to access for all

mainstream practitioners in Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Further Education. Developed to better meet the needs of learners with SEND through disseminating best practice, this training is an invaluable asset for all education settings and highlights all that nasen stands for.

Registering for a nasen membership has never been easier with the option to join online or by calling.

Alternatively, please visit the website to download, complete and return an application form by post, fax or email.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01827 311 500 nasen.org.uk

Schools can go cashless with ParentPay ParentPay is the market leading online payment service for schools and families. It provides online payments, income management and dinner money administration for schools, local authorities and caterers.

The school online payment and communication system helps 6,000 schools save administration time and reduce costs, enabling over two million parents to pay schools quickly and securely, keeping children safer.

ParentPay makes collecting dinner money easy because payments are automated and visible; debts and timeconsuming administration are reduced; payment reminders and alerts are sent directly to parents; and because ParentPay increases take-up of free school meals and promotes social inclusion, meaning eligible children are no longer

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differentiated from other pupils.

You can also accept bookings and payments for extracurricular lessons and school activities; school uniform; exam fees; and school trips, plays, productions and events.

ParentPay improves communication and parental engagement by allowing you to use ParentPay to send information by text and email about trips, events, meetings, emergency closures and parents’ evenings; enabling parents to fill in forms and give consent online; and making alerts, notifications and payment reminders automated, so that parents know when they need to top up.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.parentpay.com

Experience something extraordinary at the wildest restaurant in town!

Situated in London’s West End in the heart of Theatreland, Rainforest Cafe is the perfect venue for a family adventure or for those looking for a dining experience that’s just that bit different!

Fill your senses from the moment you enter with the sights and sounds of the Amazon rainforest.

Discover real running waterfalls, trumpeting elephants and tropical thunder to beautiful butterflies and birds, all housed beneath a rich canopy and starscape.

It’s the number one dining destination for children, students and those looking for American style dining with a theme who will love the animatronics, interactive floors and tropical fish tanks, as well as the chance to meet its lovable mascot ChaCha the Red Eyed Tree Frog.

The Rainforest Cafe has an extensive menu of American and International cuisine including speciality burgers, ribs, steaks and

pasta dishes, not to mention the famous Sparkling Volcano dessert.

There’s also a children’s menu and a delicious variety of ‘free from’ options for allergy sufferers.

Winner of the 2015 Group Leisure Award for Best Group Dining Restaurant Experience in the UK, it caters for parties of all sizes with set menus available and welcome tour groups, school groups, pre/post theatre dinners and corporate events.

They also offer educational tours using the restaurant as a visual backdrop to bring the subject of rainforests to life.

For more details, visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.therainforestcafe.co.uk

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GREAT SERVICE, UNIQUE SOLUTIONS Academy Recruitment Ltd is a specialist educational recruitment agency that prides itself on great service and its range of recruitment solutions that are unique to the industry.

A TAILORED APPROACH TO RECRUITMENT We understand that every candidate and every school is different. That is why we offer a bespoke recruitment service, tailored to candidates needs and schools budgetary requirements. We learn about you, understand your needs and only give you the opportunities that match.

HELPING CANDIDATES FIND THEIR NEXT OPPORTUNITY Whether you’re a UK qualified teacher or an overseas-trained teacher looking to work in the UK, we can help you find your next challenge. With hundreds of live jobs available at any given moment, you’re sure to find a job that matches your needs. And by registering with us and creating a profile, you can even let schools in your area find you.

HELPING SCHOOLS FIND THE RIGHT STAFF We want to stop schools from worrying about staff recruitment. That’s why our service is different from other agencies. We work with you to meet your yearly budget targets. We can provide emergency support on the day that you need it. We let schools search our database of live candidates to find suitable staff. We even let schools advertise jobs on our website and send the shortlisted applicants directly to them. We’ll do everything we can to help.

01702 567 040 Mark.Bacchus@academyrecruitment.com 1729A London Road, Leigh on Sea, Essex SS9 2SW

RESEARCH

There is much debate about whether teaching assistants are a help or a hindrance in the classroom. Dr Jonathan Sharples of the Education Endowment Foundation, reflects upon evidence from both sides of the coin, and discusses how to best impelment and involve teaching assistants in schools

With 240,000 employed across English schools, teaching assistants (TAs) are an important part of our education system.

Yet they’re a relatively modern classroom phenomenon and the rapid increase in their numbers has changed the way that many classrooms operate. Unfortunately, we know from a number of studies that many schools have struggled to deploy, train and support teaching assistants in ways which benefit pupils.

Evidence summarised in the Teaching and Learning Toolkit suggests that, on average, TAs have a small positive impact on learning, but highlights that for some children, particularly those from low-income families, working with a teaching assistant can actually be associated with a negative impact on learning.

It is likely that in these cases the support provided from a teaching assistant comes

at the expense of, rather than in addition to, attention from the classroom teacher.

Given the existing evidence and the estimate that almost £5 billion is spent on their employment each year, it’s not surprising that teaching assistants have been given a rough ride: it’s all too easy to make a simplistic case for reducing their numbers.

But recent research by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) paints a different, more positive picture.

Written by Dr Jonathan Sharples, senior researcher, Education Endowment Foundation

Making the best use of teaching assistants

high-quality, targeted support to pupils who were struggling with their literacy, either in one-to-one or in small groups.

Pupils who took part in the randomised controlled trials of Nuffield Early Language Intervention and REACH, made over three additional month’s progress, compared to pupils in the control group.

Whilst these results are encouraging in themselves, look at them in the context of the EEF’s previous evaluations of TA-led projects and they are particularly striking: all six have shown positive impacts on pupil’s learning, typically adding around three to four additional month’s progress.

Encouragingly, there are signs that these interventions disproportionality benefit low attaining and pupils eligible for Free School Meals, and so could be effective approaches to ‘narrow the gap’.

Getting positive results in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted at scale in real world conditions is difficult, illustrated by the fact that only 12 per cent of the RCTs commissioned by the Institute of Education Sciences, a US equivalent to the EEF, have shown positive effects.

Having worked in communicating the findings from research for over ten years, this is by far the most consistent, positive set of results I have seen for real-world RCTs, which I imagine will be difficult to repeat.

So why is the evidence so competing and what are the implications for schools? As is so often the case, the devil is in the detail.

Crucially (and you can’t emphasise this enough), the positive effects observed in these randomised controlled trials only occur when TAs work in structured settings with high-quality support and training.

When TAs are deployed in more informal, unsupported instructional roles, they can impact negatively on pupils’ learning outcomes. This was one of the key findings from the large-scale Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) study, which looked at typical ways in which TAs were being used in UK schools, and the impact they were having on pupil attainment.

The research team observed that the majority of TAs spent most of their time working in a direct, but informal, instructional role with pupils on a small group and one-to-one basis (both inside and outside of the classroom).

Shockingly, the amount of time TAs had in this role was negatively correlated with pupil progress.

So what makes the difference here?

Clearly, it is the amount and type of training, coaching and support provided by the school: the content and delivery of the intervention, !

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The potenti al impact o f 2 4 0 well-us ed teac ,000 hing assist pupil at ants on tain is hugement

NARROWING THE GAP In February of this year, we published independent evaluations of two different interventions, both of which involved teaching assistants delivering

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RESEARCH ! not whether an intervention is being used.

In this sense, structured evidence-based programmes provide an excellent means of aiding high-quality delivery.

The potential impact of 240,000 well-used TAs on pupil attainment is huge. In order to enable this, we need to make sure the evidence-informed approach to their use becomes the rule in schools, and not the exception. To support schools, the EEF published its first guidance report last year.

Making best use of TAs is a good starting point for anyone looking to review and reframe the use of TAs in their school or classroom and provides seven practical and evidence-based recommendations.

Key recommendations include: avoid using TAs as substitute teachers for low-attaining pupils; using TAs to add value to what teachers do, not to replace them; ensuring TAs are fully prepared for their role in the classroom, through out-of-class liaison with teachers; and using TAs to deliver high-quality, one-to-one and small-group support using structured interventions.

EXTENDING CLASS-BASED LEARNING But finding out what the evidence says is just the first step. To assist schools in applying the guidelines we have created a free pack of resources, developed with schools, that provide practical support for implementing the recommendations. This includes an online audit tool to establish how TAs are currently being used in your school and an interventions ‘health-check’, to help review how TAs are

delivering out-of-class interventions. Overall, we suggest schools should adopt one or two well-chosen, and well-implemented, TA-led interventions, judiciously used to complement and extend class-based teaching and learning. Intervention sessions should be brief (<30mins), regular and sustained, with clear objectives and expectations. Teachers should

to work with hundreds of primary schools in the area to help them understand and apply the guidance and recommendations. Schools with large numbers of disadvantaged pupils will receive funding to implement targeted interventions, benefiting 13,800 pupils in total.

Over the next few years the EEF will continue to evaluate both new TA-led interventions,

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It’s down to school leaders to act on the evidence and ensure that their teaching assistants are given the best possible support and guidance so that pupils can have the best possible educational experience have a good awareness of the structure and coverage of the programmes, and help pupils make connections between their learning in interventions and the wider curriculum.

Head teachers need to ensure there is space and time for these interactions to occur.

Our guidance report signals a long-term commitment by the EEF to maximise the impact of TAs in English schools. The seven recommendations are currently informing a £5 million campaign focused on primary schools in West and South Yorkshire, regions where the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils is large and there are a significant number of schools with a high percentage of disadvantaged pupils.

We have partnered with regional champions

as well as re-evaluate projects that have shown promising effects, at greater scale. We want to capture the long-term impacts of these approaches, as well as better understand how they can be integrated into general classroom teaching and learning.

Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with school leaders. It’s down to them to act on the evidence and ensure that their TAs are given the best possible support and guidance so that pupils can have the best possible educational experience. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose by doing this. " FURTHER INFORMATION educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

51

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SEN INCLUSION

John Galloway, a SEN ICT adviser in Tower Hamlets, discusses how teachers can assist SEND students in developing computational thinking, and encourage their learning beyond the lesson The principle of entitlement enshrined in the national curriculum holds good for all pupils, regardless of their abilities, even those with more challenging and complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Making that entitlement a reality brings challenges for classroom teachers.

The computing curriculum, for instance, has three strands, one of which is computer science, within which is the discipline of ‘computational thinking.’ This requires learners to understand a number of concepts, including decomposition – the ability to break a problem down into component parts – and abstraction – removing any unnecessary details. Alongside this is the need to use logic, and to develop algorithms, that is, creating a series of steps to reach a desired result. To do this effectively they will need to debug any glitches that occur, and demonstrate the perseverance required to see it through to the end. For many teachers these are new concepts to teach, let alone make them intelligible to learners with complex learning difficulties.

The other main threads of the computing curriculum – digital literacy and information technology – are less of a concern, because they involve knowledge and activities we are all generally familiar with.

They are about using technological tools to complete tasks digitally, for instance, being creative and publishing the results, whether that is a composition, a video or an image. Or finding out information and displaying it in a

way that makes it comprehensible to a particular group. Such things can be as straightforward as researching a role model online and creating a poster or presentation.

It could also mean making a greetings card, writing a letter, measuring and plotting temperatures, or recording an animation. All fairly commonplace in British classrooms. But programming a robot, whether a real one that rolls across the floor, or a virtual one on a screen, brings a different set of challenges.

OLD CHALLENGES, NEW STRENGTHS However, these are not new. Despite the brouhaha the difference between the computing curriculum and its predecessor, ICT, is more about emphasis than content.

Programming and coding were a requirement, but now re-framed as writing algorithms and debugging programs. The shift is more than cosmetic, but the challenge is not new.

The difficulties faced by the children and young people learning the subject

Those h it pupils wectrum sp autistic s (ASC), for n conditioce, may have instan eristics that charact emselves to lend th ramming prog

Written by John Galloway

Computing and SEN: the challenges and opportunities

IT & Computing

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are not new, either. Whilst the increase in the number of learners in our classrooms deemed to have autistic spectrum orders, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, or myriad other conditions is real, the challenge of creating lessons that are meaningful, rich and rewarding for all of them remains the same.

Seen from another perspective, however, what may seem like barriers to learning can be opportunities to discover new strengths.

Those with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC), for instance, may have characteristics that lend themselves to programming, such as thinking in a clear, logical, order and to have resilience and tenacity whilst carrying out repetitive activities. Whilst those with dyslexia are thought to be good at lateral thinking, a useful ability when confronted by a problem in coding and there appears to be no straightforward route to progress.

Learners with speech, language and communication difficulties can benefit from the need to be precise in the choice of language, to sequence it in the right order, and to use correct syntax, whilst those with physical disabilities can control a device and make it behave in a precise, predictable way that may be a real challenge when it comes to their own bodies. !

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SEN INCLUSION

IT & Computing

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A n commo oint p starting sroom is las in the c floor robot, to use aas a robot s such respond h c i h w car, simple to very ands comm

! ABSTRACT TEACHING Across the board, meeting the demands of the computing curriculum can support learners with diverse special needs. It can also be a lot of fun. When teaching the computer science strand there is a need to move from the concrete to the abstract, from making connections with what learners already know and understand, to what is new knowledge, and from actual robots and devices to virtual ones on the screen, and then onto to myriad other programming challenges. Then there comes the challenge of different approaches to coding and the language employed.

For some learners, those with the greatest learning difficulties, the first step, and one which a few may not move beyond, is understanding cause and effect – that when a switch is clicked it brings about a response that is predictable and consistent. This can allow the child or young person to take control of an element of their immediate environment. This may be turning on and off a toy or fan, playing a piece of music, or cycling through the colours of an LED light.

Others may need to start by developing an understanding of giving and receiving instructions, and of what a sequence is. For instance, they could talk about the steps in a known routine, such as getting ready for school, making a sandwich or crossing the road. More able learners could add decision loops about what might go in the

sandwich, or whether there is a Pelican Crossing handy and what its cycle is.

Drawing a simple two by two grid in the playground to navigate whilst giving and receiving directions can help pupils appreciate the need for precision and getting things in the right order so that they successfully move from one place to another.

It is helpful from the beginning to insist on accuracy in the language used as this is

to simple commands. This might be preceded by using a remote control car to get across the difference between steering a device and programming it, that one is predictable and consistent and the other can seem less so.

Most floor robots also have on-screen resources associated with them. This could be a means of programming the device remotely, through a cable or blue tooth connection, or a virtual emulator. These help

When teaching the computer science strand, there is a need to move from the concrete to the abstract, from making connections with what learners already know and understand, to what is actually new knowledge a key discipline in coding, to reinforce this they could take turns to navigate a ‘robot’ teacher around the room, with only correct commands being followed. Parents can be asked to try similar activities outside of school, along with talking about routines, and reinforcing directional language.

FLOOR ROBOTS A common starting point in the classroom is to use a floor robot which responds

bridge the step from working with the actual device to working with a representation of it.

Beyond that there are a number of options for teaching coding. When using a structured course of small steps from a specific provider, learners can work at their own pace, with the faster moving ones having open-ended activities to extend their learning whilst others progress through the stages.

There are also plenty of options for progressing on to programming with "

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SEN INCLUSION

Whilst the increase in the number of learners in our classrooms deemed to have autistic spectrum orders, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, or myriad other conditions is real, the challenge of creating lessons that are meaningful, rich and rewarding for all of them remains the same ! freely available software such as Logo or Scratch, both from MIT. These offer different approaches to coding, one text based on the other using drag and drop segments, and each with their own challenges advantages.

The latter can allow learners to quickly create complex activities on-screen. And both can be downloaded for home use.

A number of websites have also become available, such as code.org, that teach computing at a variety of levels with different approaches using a range of familiar games, such as Angry Birds, Frozen, or Minecraft.

Again, ideal for individual study outside of school. It is at this stage that children and young people will be working towards the expected outcomes of the national curriculum.

DISPARITY IN RECORDING ACHIEVEMENT But for a small, but significant, number of them – perhaps 2.5 per cent of the school population – they might never get to this point. These are pupils whose achievement is recorded using the P Scales. Despite the revision of the national curriculum, and the move to ‘life after levels,’ these are still in use for learners with more complex and challenging SEND, and they have not been updated, so there is a disparity between the curriculum content and the means to record achievement.

A group of teachers and other

s Websites such a ach g, te code.or ing at a comput levels with of variety nt approaches differe a range of using r games familia

professionals have recently created a more appropriate version of the P Scales for the computing curriculum which can be found here: http://casinclude.org.uk/ resources/revised-p-scales-for-computing.

Whatever level children and young people are working at valuable learning can be found in the Computing curriculum. It can also be a lot of fun, and offer them opportunities to achieve in ways that are not easily available in the rest of the curriculum.

The challenges of teaching and assessing the computer science element of the computing curriculum are being explored at ‘Difficult to Teach? SEND and Computing’ on Friday 1 July at the Tower Hamlets PDC in Bethnal Green. "

IT & Computing

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

John Galloway is an expert in the use of technology to support teaching, learning and communication for children and young people with SEND. He is also a successful author. His latest book, Learning with Mobile and Handheld Technologies, co-authored with Merlin John and Maureen MacTaggart, won the Book of the Year in the Innovation and Technology Awards, 2016.

To get in touch with John email johngalloway@hotmail.com or tweet @johngalloway FURTHER INFORMATION ictandinclusion.edublogs.org/sendand-computing-conference

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We have built a strong community of teachers who help shape our products and services by utilising cost effective hardware and providing access to world class educational resources for the new ICT and STEM curriculum. Hundreds of educators and schools have come together to help pi-top create the world’s leading STEM ecosystem, designed with the classroom and ease of use in mind.

classroom. Pi-top lesson plans focus on core computing concepts in an straight forward pathway built with educators in mind.

Pi-top lesson plans seamlessly interfaces with the Raspberry Pi, meaning you can code and create amazing hardware projects in a classroom or after school club environment!

Additional software includes a full Microsoft Office compatible suite, Scratch coding, Sonic Pi and CEED Universe. CEED Universe is Pi-tops own learning game created to teach the computing curriculum in an adventure based game that delivers quantifiable results for your students.

HOW DOES PI-TOP ENHANCE RASPBERRY PI AND HELP DELIVER INNOVATIVE LEARNING? Pi-top focus on teaching individuals computing with project based learning goals supported by industry leading software found on pi-topOS making it easier than ever to effectively teach STEM based subjects with a focus on computing and hardware interaction.

The operating system comes with the revolutionary pi-topCODER, an all-in-one development environment which teaches students how to code and allows educators to build customised lesson plans for their

WHAT HARDWARE IS AVAILABLE? Pi-top is a $299 (USD) Raspberry Pi powered laptop that you build yourself – it has over 10 hours of battery life, a 13.3 HD screen and full access to the Raspberry Pi. Similar to a lego laptop, users snap all the components together.

After shipping Pi-top to over 70 countries world wide, the London based team completed a second successful Indiegogo campaign launching the pi-topCEED. The pi-topCEED is an all-in-one $99 (USD) Raspberry Pi powered plug and play desktop.

It has a 14” screen, front facing access

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

PI-TOP’S MISSION After pi-top’s launch in 2014 they have continued to evolve and improve the hardware and software to ensure the best quality education tool for everyone. Updates are automatically pushed to pi-topOS meaning very little maintenance is required.

Pi-top also offers unlimited support to partner schools as part of their commitment to improve the quality of STEM education in the classroom without taking up extra preparation time for teachers.

Using pi-top in your classroom opens a world of engaging maker and game-based technology to use in your school. 100’s of educators have provided feedback to ensure pi-top content is easy to integrate and provides a tangible positive impact on the success rate of students. It’s easy to be intimidated by computing, electronics, 3D Printing and other new evolving technology which could be applied to the classroom.

Pi-top aims to change the uptake in STEM based subjects by providing exciting devices that can engage students.

Based in London, pi-top is designed and built by a passionate team of engineers and creatives. We want people to have fun when learning and use pi-top as an empowering tool to inspire the next generation in this new digital age.

For a more detailed list of resources please use the contact details below. !

FURTHER INFORMATION pi-top | CEED Ltd 499-505 Hackney Road, London, E2 9ED, UK. support@pi-top.com www.pi-top.com

CURRICULUM

The new computing curriculum is proving daunting for many teachers preparing to teach the subject for the first time. Niel McLean of the BCS Academy analyses what progress is being made and what advice to give to teachers ahead of the next academic year Computing is still a relatively new subject in schools. While some teachers have taught computing for some years, it was the introduction of computing within the national curriculum in September 2014 that secured the place of computing and computer science as essential components of the education of all young people. So what has been achieved in that time, what is still to do, and what support is available to schools? Before answering those questions, it is worth reflecting on why computing is so important that all young people should, in the words of the national curriculum, be equipped ‘to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world’.

The global movement to get young people coding has significantly raised awareness,

but, important as writing computer programs is, computing is far more than that. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use information and communication technology to express themselves, collaborate, develop and share their ideas – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

Like any worthwhile subject, computing also contributes to young people’s intellectual development. It teaches them to think computationally about problems, issues and opportunities and to apply this to wider problems in broader contexts. The positive experience of creating working solutions to real challenges also helps develop young people’s personal qualities, increasing their sense of self-worth, resilience and agency. It contributes to their wider understanding of the world, where all aspects of human activity are being shaped by the application of computational thinking, and, of course, it increases their future employability as technology transforms the workplace. !

Written by Niel McLean, Computing Education CPD senior manager, BCS Academy

A curriculum centering on digital literacy

IT & Computing

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ting Compu es teach think s to studenttationally compu blems and ro about ptunities and oppor ly this to to app n wider issues i exts cont

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CURRICULUM ! Whatever the great intentions of the national curriculum, statutory documents do not teach young people, teachers do, and the schools that do best are those where teachers feel confident and enthusiastic about computing. A number of initiatives are in place to help teachers develop that confidence by increasing their subject knowledge and understanding of ways of teaching computing that work.

COMPUTING AT SCHOOL For most teachers, the first port of call for information and support is Computing At School (CAS). This ever-growing professional network is free to join for all those interested in teaching, promoting and supporting computing teaching. It offers leadership, support and training and is supported by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Microsoft, Google, Ensoft and the UK Committee of Heads and Professors of Computer Science.

It is a grass roots organisation, whose energy, creativity, and leadership comes from its members. Members run over 190 local CAS hubs where computing teachers meet together, talk, exchange ideas and share resources. Last year over 390 CAS Hub meetings were held.

These were attended by over 5,500 teachers.

The CAS website with over 22,000 members provides access to over 3500 resources, and members participate in animated online discussions with over 75,000 discussion posts.

QuickStart Computing has been developed as a CPD toolkit to help deliver inspiring computing lessons in primary and secondary schools. The resources can be downloaded from the website and printed packs can be picked up from a number of schools throughout England. CAS continues to develop innovative ways of supporting and inspiring computing teachers. With support from Google, CAS has launched CAS TV, a YouTube channel with short videos aimed at teachers.

THE NETWORK OF EXCELLENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE With support from the Department for Education (DfE), BCS and CAS have developed the Network of Excellence to provide direct support and CPD for teachers. CAS Master Teachers form the heart of the network, recognising that teachers particularly value support and CPD from others who face the same challenges that they do. Teachers clearly value the support that the CAS Master Teachers provide, with over 99 per cent of those teachers benefiting from CPD from CAS Master Teachers reporting that the CPD provided was high quality, implementable and would have an impact in the classroom.

The CAS Master Teachers are in turn supported by 10 regional centres. These CAS regional centres are hosted in a number of universities, which were selected on a competitive basis which took into account their ability to perform as an effective focal point for their region, combining depth of

subject knowledge with the ability to support pedagogical development. Relevant activities already being run and their recent history of teacher support with respect to computing and computer science also featured strongly in the selection criteria, such that the institutions chosen could ramp up activity quickly and had the potential to deliver value over and above basic the contractual commitments.

Each centre is now responsible for working with the CAS Master Teachers in their area to promote and support relevant teacher engagement and CPD activities, with the ultimate aim of establishing effective and enduring local communities of practice involving CAS Master Teachers, lead schools and local hubs. The CAS Regional Centres are also helping CAS Master Teachers further extend their subject knowledge, so they can better support other teachers in their communities and are promoting best ‘on-the-ground’ practice.

Over 95 per cent of CAS Master Teachers feel proud to be in the role, and last autumn the Network of Excellence delivered over 14,200 teacher hours of CPD to over 4,100 teachers.

This is set to grow further over the next two years, with the recruitment of additional CAS Master Teachers. Teachers who received Master Teacher-led CPD from the Network of excellence reported that their confidence in teaching computing had increased with half of them identifying improvements in their pupils’ learning within 10 weeks of a CPD session.

BAREFOOT COMPUTING The Barefoot Computing Project, which was originally funded by the DfE, offers free workshops and downloadable teaching

WHAT NEXT? A huge amount of progress has been made, however, the challenge is still significant.

75 per cent of computing teachers having concerns over their lack of subject and pedagogical knowledge, new GCSEs are being introduced, and all this is taking place against a backdrop of significant change in schools. Through its work with CAS and Barefoot, BCS has identified a number of priorities for the next couple of years.

Firstly, the teacher to teacher support approach works, and it is important that the Network of Excellence continues to grow with more CAS Master Teachers and hubs. The funding from DfE and the support of the CAS Regional Centres will prove critical in making this happen.

Secondly, after the initial support to get them up and running and to build confidence, computing teachers need formal recognition of the knowledge and skills they have developed.

CAS now offers a unique accreditation for teachers of Computing, accredited by BCS. The qualification is evidence-based and recognises that every teacher is working in a different context. Over time this will become the bench mark for a career as a computing teacher.

Thirdly, there will be a continued need for teaching resources, especially ones that allow teachers to create a complete curriculum rather than just supporting one off lessons.

Finally, head teachers have a significant role to play, and there is a need to raise their awareness of the importance of computing and what they can do in their strategic leadership role to ensure its success. With support from Microsoft,

IT & Computing

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75 per cent of computing teachers have concerns over their lack of subject and pedagogical knowledge, new GCSEs are being introduced, and all of this is taking place against a backdrop of significant change in schools resources to help primary school teachers in England deliver the computer science elements of the new computing curriculum.

The project was set up by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and supported by CAS, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and BT. School-based workshops are delivered by specially trained local volunteers who come from varied professional IT backgrounds, and the resources build teachers confidence while providing valuable subject knowledge.

The project has been incredibly well received, with over 26,000 registered users and over 90,000 downloads, and its success led to BT extending funding to allow more teachers to benefit from the free workshops and resources.

BCS and CAS will be developing a campaign to reach this crucial group.

Change in schools is complex. The scale of education demands continued support to ensure that any change is firmly established within schools and benefits all young people, wherever they are in the country and whatever their background. Introducing a new national curriculum subject is no exception, but the potential gains for young people, wider society and the economy make it a challenge well worth addressing. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.barefootcas.org.uk www.computingatschool.org.uk www.quickstartcomputing.org

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STEM

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TEENTECH AWARDS

Harnessing technology to make a better world More than 120 teenagers from schools across the UK presented projects designed to make life ‘easier, simpler or better’ to a host of celebrities and judges at the TeenTech Awards. Education Business looks at this year’s stand out entries TeenTech events are designed to educate and enthuse young people about the future possibilities available to them in the fields of science, engineering and technology. With technology infiltrating growing industries like cyber security set to offer over 4.5 million more jobs worldwide by 2019, TeenTech aims to drive awareness of the wide range of career opportunities available to the youth of today. The TeenTech Awards, hosted on 16 June at the Royal Society London, saw over 120 students from across the width and breadth of the country present their projects to a panel of expert judges, including: TeenTech founder and Tomorrow’s World presenter Maggie Philbin; Professor Brian Cox; Channel 4’s Dr Christian Jessen; and MP Jo Johnson.

Following last year’s awards, Education Business revealed that one project has successfully made the transition into product. Pupils from Park House school in Newbury have visited Gambia where their contribution to an innovative way to ensure water taps are kept in working order is already being put into practice. The students have worked alongside Africa Water Enterprises, a UK registered charity, to develop ‘eWaterTap,’ a device for use in developing countries to aid communities in water system management.

Other successful previous entries include ‘Indicate’, a high visibility jacket for cyclists designed by pupils from James Allen’s Girls’ School in London, which allows cyclists to indicate using LED lights on their back and is being brought to market and sold in Maplin stores. Iona and Alice from the school returned to the Awards this year to showcase the working prototype of their product.

They said: “For us, TeenTech has been a really life changing experience that’s helped us see the world in a different way. It’s made us realise that if you have ideas you don’t have to wait to be 18 or wait until you graduate from university to make something of them. You can start whenever you want – coming up with ideas and designing products that can actually make a difference and people want to use.”

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING Over 800 girls across the UK participated in this year’s competition, and with Women in Engineering day having recently passed, it was encouraging to see that eight of the 20 category prizes were won by teams of girls. This included the Design and Construction prize for a remarkable design for an ‘Emergency Necklace Bridge’ and a cancer detecting bra.

These positive female numbers clearly demonstrate that girls are just as enthusiastic as boys when it comes to developing tech ideas that will change our world.

The kids of lay isp today des of bundl nd prove asm a enthusi pable they are how ca ing the future of shap ally positive in a re way

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‘Bras with Benefits’ was the winner of the Wearable Technology Category.

Created by Alexandria Hall, a 15 year-old from Alton Convent School, BwB – Bras with Benefits is a cancer detecting bra, designed to identify early stage breast cancer before outward signs are visible.

Alexandria said of her win: “Everyone knows someone affected by cancer and what’s more it’s not just the person diagnosed who suffers – it’s their friends, family, and loved ones too. So when we were asked to ‘solve a problem’ that seemed a good place to start.”

Isabelle and Kyoka, also of James Allen’s Girls’ School, won for their idea ‘GreenNet’, a biodegradable fishing net that will break down in water after only two weeks. Minimising damage and

STEM

destruction, this product was heralded as the winner the environment category.

WINNING ENTRIES The award categories spanned several sectors, including healthcare, education, transport, energy and environment, amongst others.

David, Sankha and Hari from Loughborough Grammar School won in the healthcare category for their design – Medivest.

The product is a unique, advanced piece of wearable technology designed to combat the often crippling cases of severe epilepsy, allowing patients to monitor and send their vital signs to their doctors from the comfort of their homes in a safe, accurate and crucially non-invasive manner.

In the education category, the focus of the winning product was on school trip decision making. Woldingham School celebrated as Milan, Imogen and Maria won for their product ‘MyST App’.

This app is designed for teachers to use to find new and exciting school trips that they would like to take their class on. Trips can be arranged for all age groups and Key Stages with over 20 subjects included and over 100 excursions to choose from.

Elsewhere, Adwaith, a student from Westcliffe High School for Boys, set about investigating different forms of fuels and alternate engine configurations. The result was the Palat Engine, the emission from which is almost pure water, and the energy prize.

Over 800 girls across the UK participated in this year’s competition, and with Women in Engineering day having recently passed, it was encouraging to see that eight of the 20 category prizes were won by teams of girls Meanwhile, Casper, David and Oliver created ‘Sensosafe’, a versatile bike light that senses when a car is approaching and notifies the cyclist.

This innovative product from the boys at Caterham School was the winner in the transport category.

BUILDING ENTHUSIASM The manufacturing award was held aloft

by Chloe, Lini and Ashley from Loughborough High School for their ‘Steerclear’ product.

The idea behind the model is to adapt the modern steering wheel to make driving a more enjoyable experience whilst making it safer and more interesting to drive.

Additionally, Iona, Isabel and Lucy from Alton Convent School won the future of food category for ‘Natural Nutrients’. Driven by three concerns – the global levels of poverty and malnutrition, the loss of our rainforests and the need to empower local communities to support themselves – Natural Nutrients capitalises on the resources of a living rainforest, providing local people with the tools and skills to produce nutritious food supplements from edible bugs.

Speaking after the Awards, Maggie Philbin said: “Every year we are blown away by the exceptional standard of entries coming through the awards, and this year has been no exception. The Awards offer an incredible opportunity for businesses, and academics to get a genuine insight into just how entrepreneurial and tech-savvy the youngsters of today can prove to be.

“With the right support, the kids of today display bundles of enthusiasm and time and again prove how capable they are of shaping the future in a really positive way.

The Awards are without doubt the highlight of the TeenTech calendar and really sum up what we’re about; embracing creative talent, putting youngsters face-to-face with industry professionals, and encouraging them to see the power and potential of their ideas.” !

FURTHER INFORMATION www.teentech.com

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Case Study

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

allmanhall draws on its expertise and understanding of supply chains to inspire better food procurement allmanhall’s goal is to inspire improvement for clients’ procurement of food and beverages, cleaning materials and catering equipment. This is broken down into seven clear objectives: lower costs; greater added value; security of supply; reduced supply risk; improved quality; increased process efficiency; and finally, insight and innovation. allmanhall work alongside the existing catering and facilities teams, with a fully integrated procurement solution driven by four areas.

The company ensures procurement value with the negotiation skills of experienced buyers, coupled with leveraged purchase volumes, resulting in cost-savings and profit improvement.

For clients, allmanhall undertake: cost negotiation with suppliers on products and logistics; menu development and range management; contract management of nominated suppliers; new product innovations; demand management; and e-auctions.

It carries out procurement control, with its industry-leading, end-to-end cost management platform, which delivers efficiencies and control. Clients benefit from being able to track and manage every penny of spend.

Key functionality includes: full EDI integra-

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tion (e-ordering and invoicing); stock take; recipe and menu management (costing and nutritional); cost centre transfers; bookwork; reporting; and EPoS / cashless integrations. allmanhall also offer a central billing function through outsourced purchase ledger management.

Commenting on allmanhall’s usefulness, Hilary Garrison, senior catering manager at Ampleforth Abbey & College, said: “In addition to cost savings, Ampleforth also benefits from allmanhall in a number of ways, such as vetting suppliers and dealing with issues, sourcing new equipment, constant information updates… and allows us to monitor and control costs more effectively.” allmanhall offers procurement support where clients are aided by a dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable support

team. The result? Quick and effective resolution of supply challenges.

The company also delivers procurement insight, using expert insight regarding market trends and forecasts, allmanhall make predictions. This helps negotiations and innovations, alike. allmanhall has close working relationships with various third party food and cleaning accreditation standards. It closely monitors any changes in such standards and is well equipped to provide expertise regarding the sourcing of sustainable products.

Mark Vernon, general services manager at St Paul’s Girl School, said: “We believe that we are at the forefront of catering services and this is in no small part down to the support we receive from allmanhall.”

In addition to this procurement expertise, allmanhall’s consultancy arm ‘avisso’ advise on improvements to catering operations.

Why not explore the improvement allmanhall could help inspire for your organisation?

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01225 745 520 hello@allmanhall.co.uk allmanhall.co.uk

HYDRATION

Healthy hydration necessary for pupils Following the announcement by the government of an impending Sugar Tax and a renewed focus on the dangers of sugary drinks, Education Business evaluates the importance of nutritional value in children’s diets and the importance of hydration for students

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As part of his March Budget, perhaps Chancellor George Osborne’s biggest announcement was his plan to introduce a sugar tax on the soft drinks industry, due to come into effect in two year’s time. A large proportion of the health sector have been calling for such a levy for a number of years, with TV chef Jamie Oliver, who set up a similar levy in his restaurants, gaining over 150,000 signatures in an e-petition campaigning for action on sugary drinks.

The tax will be imposed in line with the volume of the sugar-sweetened drinks a company produces or imports. Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks are excluded, while the smallest producers also have exemption from the scheme. Those that will face more taxation will be categorised in one of two groups – one for total sugar content above 5g per 100 millilitres and a second for more than 8g per 100 millilitres. The predicted levy stands at 18p and 24p per litre for the two groups.

HOW TO LIMIT POPULAR DRINKS Currently, drinks such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Lucozade Energy and Irn-Bru would fall into the higher rate category, while Sprite, Fanta and Dr Pepper would fall into the lower. The concern for schools is that these are the drinks proving popular with students – particularly at secondary school age. Therefore, Osborne announced that the money raised from the tax, believed to be nearly £520 million a year, will be spent on increasing the funding for sport in primary schools. The hope is that primary school PE will be improved, with facilities, resources, equipment and skilled teachers all more possible with the extra funding than it was without, with a knock-on effect to gradually be in place for future generations.

Figures released this year detail how one in every ten children in England are obese at the start of primary school. By age 11, when children leave primary school, that figure deflates to one in every five. The sugar tax news from March has once again raised the question of how schools can best implement nutritious foods into pupil’s diets and play their part in fighting the obesity problem?

Outside of the school gates, a number of associations and organisations are trying to play their part. On 13-17 June, the British Nutrition Foundation held it’s annual Healthy Eating Week, aiming to promote healthy eating and drinking, being active, food provenance and cooking in school.

With free resources, programmes and activities for five different age ranges, the week was a success. The lower age ranges, for children aged five – eight, focused on four areas – healthy eating, cooking, food and !

Drinks such as epsi, la, P Coca-Code Energy Lucoza u would fall -Br and Irn the higher into egory of rate catar Tax Sug

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FAIRTRADE VENDING ARE AN INNOVATIVE FORWARD THINKING COMPANY, BRINGING NEW VENDING AND BEVERAGE CONCEPTS INTO THE VENDING MARKET. HEALTHY VENDING

FAIRTRADE

Fairtrade vending was a pioneer in introducing healthy vending into secondary schools (prior to Jamie Oliver!). Whether it be for cold drinks and snack vending, Fresh Food Vendors or Hot Beverage systems, cashless or coin operated, Fairtrade Vending can offer a range that meets your specific requirements.

Fairtrade Vending was the pioneer of Fairtrade within the vending industry and was the first company to introduce Fairtrade branded beverage machines to the market.

FURTHER INFORMATION For more information please contact Mike Steel: Mobile: 07949 135999 Email: mike@fairtradevending.co.uk

www.fairtradevending.co.uk

HYDRATION ! farming and learning with stories. The range dedicated for 11-16 year-olds explored the areas in more depth, examining dietary needs and health, energy and nutrients, ingredients and food science, and food processing, as well as being introduced to ‘mywellbeing’ – an online diet and physical activity tool.

HIGH PRIORITY FOR HYDRATION Young children have a higher proportion of body water than adults, and are therefore less heat tolerant and more susceptible to dehydration. Dehydration is defined as ‘a lack of water in the body resulting from inadequate intake of fluids or excessive loss through sweating, vomiting, or diarrhoea’. Hence, encouraging children to drink fluids regularly is particularly important to stay properly hydrated.

Part of the problem with young children is that habits are very easy to form but not as easy to break. Encouraging children to stay properly hydrated early on can be very beneficial, but a failure to do so can have major health and lifestyle dangers.

That is why teachers, alongside parents or guardians, have an essential role to play.

Drinking fluids is not necessarily prioritised in schools, with pupils often forgetting to drink appropriate quantities, especially at lunch times when they may be running about outside and in most need of hydration.

It is advised that children, primarily between the ages of four and 13, drink approximately six-eight glasses of fluid a day. These should be unsweetened and free from additives – such as water, milk, fruit juice or vegetable juice.

According to the Natural Hydration Council, ‘dehydration, even if only mild, can cause tiredness, headaches, lack of concentration, reduced mental performance and dry skin’. But is there an opposing positive correlation between hydration and cognition?

C.J. Edmonds’ investigation, ‘Should children drink more water? The effects of drinking water on cognition in children’, examined such a question and concluded that consuming water benefits cognitive performance in children, much in the same manner as with adults. As part of their investigation, Edmonds found that those who consumed additional water performed significantly better than the comparison group involved.

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Many overlook the nutritious value of milk in their diet, despite a large number of people consuming it on a daily basis. Milk contains lots of essential nutrients such as protein, B vitamins and calcium, and is also a source of water The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) is calling for tighter regulation around the promotion of sports drinks to children, after highlighting their link to tooth decay. Paul Jackson, FSEM president, warned that ‘water and milk are sufficient enough to hydrate active children’, saying, in the majority of situations, high-sugar sports drinks are unnecessary.

Maria Morgan, senior lecturer in dental public health, said: “The purpose of sports drinks are being misunderstood and this study clearly shows evidence of high school age children being attracted to these high sugar and low pH level drinks, leading to an increased risk of dental cavities, enamel erosion and obesity.”

THE MILK IS ON ME When discussing the hydration and healthy drinking habits among children it is all too easy to think only of water (more of...) and fizzy drinks (less of...). Many overlook the nutritious value of milk in their diet, despite a large number of people consuming it on a daily basis. Milk contains lots of essential nutrients such as protein, B vitamins and

calcium, and is also a source of water.

A study from McMaster University, in Ontario, Canada, found that milk is better than either a sports drink or water because it is a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium and electrolytes. It also replaces sodium lost in sweat and helps the body retain fluid better. The fat in certain milks can slow and delay fluid replacement, so it is imperative to offer pupils slimmed down cartons.

Essentially, teachers and school authorities have a responsibility to play their part in improving child well-being and health, and in doing so, witness a revival for the ‘unhealthy’ and ‘obese’ younger generation. Much of this revival is dependent upon installing healthy habits rather than radical lifestyle changes, and much more can be achieved before the problem is unmanageable – and this is why schools are responsible. Ensuring pupils are well hydrated can do a lot more than scare away thirst. Healthy hydration at a young age can lead to healthy lifestyles later in life. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk

SPORTS DRINKS While encouraging children to take on board more water, as the sugar taxed drinks show, it is equally necessary to provide, promote or encourage the correct drinks. A recent research paper by Cardiff University discovered that 89 per cent of Welsh 12 to 14-year-olds questioned used high-sugar sport drinks, with 68 per cent of those using them at least once a week. While the drinks are designed for consumption after vigorous physical activity, the research found that many teenagers were attracted to the sweet taste, low price and mass availability.

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THE NATIONAL THEATRE

The theatre can enhance educational learning, open up opportunities, build upon classroom learning and improve a pupil’s involvement in creative subjects, says The National Theatre’s Alice King-Farlow In amongst all the many demands on schools, what’s the value of a trip to the theatre?

Some of the answers given by students from Allerton High School, Leeds, visiting the National Theatre in October 2015, were: ‘Trips give me cultural and ‘outside’ experiences that I can use in adult life’; ‘Meeting someone in the theatre industry may help me when I’m older by letting me understand different jobs’; ‘School trips highlight the skills I have that I can transfer outside of school’; and ‘Today everyone got involved and we were learning through doing’.

The group weren’t just here to see a performance.

As well as watching Our Country’s Good in the Olivier Theatre, the students took part in a pre-performance workshop led by a professional theatre director, exploring how the production had been rehearsed and directed. They also had a chance to tour behind the scenes of the Theatre, visiting the spaces where props and scenery are constructed and getting an insight into the wide range of skills and disciplines needed to put a show on one of the Theatre’s three stages.

see National Theatre productions here on the South Bank, in the West End or broadcast to cinemas through National Theatre Live.

Seeing a performance brings to life a play being studied in the English classroom.

Students understand it not as words on a page but as a live medium, newly interpreted by actors, director and designer, each night creating an imaginative world shared with its audience.

Drama GCSE and A Level specifications rightly require students to develop an understanding of contemporary professional theatre practice, the different roles of theatre-makers such as directors and designers and explore the use of design, costume and lighting in performance.

But a visit to a theatre isn’t just about supporting the study of English and Drama at GCSE and A level, important though that is. This month Arts Council England launched the Cultural Education Challenge with the joint support of the Department for Education and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The initiative underlines the crucial role played by schools, in partnership with arts organisations, in introducing all young people to the arts and the wider creative industries – a sector that now provides one in 20 jobs and is the fastest growing in our economy.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan argued in a speech to the Creative Industries

A visit e atr to a the about t isn’t jusg the study in supportsh and Drama i of Engl E and A level, at GCS tant though impor at is th

BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE The students’ comments reflect our own views at the National Theatre on our responsibilities to schools – and the reasons that more than 1,000 schools and colleges, from primary to further education (FE), get involved each year in our education programmes. Many more

Federation in July 2015 that access to the arts is a birthright. She said that ‘a young person’s education cannot be complete unless it includes the arts’.

Evidence shows that patterns of participation in the arts are determined in childhood, and that participation varies considerably between different socio-economic groups, with the most disadvantaged children the least likely to have access to the arts outside school. So the role of schools is vital. By organising visits to theatres and other arts experiences, or inviting artists into the classroom, schools open a door for their students not just to inspirational learning experiences but to lifelong opportunities.

Written by Alice King-Farlow, Director of Learnin, National Theatre

Putting educational learning on the stage

School Trips

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THE OFFER FROM THEATRES Like many arts organisations, the National Theatre was founded with a mission to educate as well as entertain. An early photograph in our archive shows a crocodile of ’70s primary school children filing into the newly-opened theatre on the South Bank.

In that era, they would have been coming to watch a performance, but our idea of an education in theatre is now so much wider than seeing a play. It can encompass design, direction, technical skills in sound and lighting, the crafts of costume and prop-making.

Playwriting, devising and reviewing hone students’ creative and critical skills and their confidence in developing an idea. Plays can offer new perspectives on the complex topics, sparking debate. In the primary schools we work with much of a term’s curriculum from literacy to history and maths can be taught through a theatre-based topic.

The National Theatre has recently taken a step-change in our work with schools and opened the first dedicated spaces for !

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THE NATIONAL THEATRE ! education at the heart of the theatre. The new Clore Learning Centre has two spaces, one housing talks, debates, screenings, and workshops, the second designed to introduce backstage and production skills. Just across the foyer, the Dorfman Theatre is in regular daytime use as a thrilling workshop space for students, before opening to audiences each evening. And the Sherling High-Level Walkway, open daily and free of charge, allows schools visiting the South Bank to drop in for views into the Theatre’s busy backstage workshops.

The newly-opened spaces have transformed our offer to schools. Primary schools are invited to our Make Theatre Days, active introductions to theatre-making for children in Years 4-6. Options include a hands-on puppetry workshop where children create and animate their own animal puppet, performance skills, focusing on speech and movement, and a design workshop, where children create a set model, costume design or prop. All sessions are led by professional artists, skilled at sharing their craft with young people.

Teachers value the combination of inspiration, skill-development and enjoyment the days offer. One said: “All our children, including those who have special educational needs, were well looked after, included and fully engaged in the whole day. [They] will have memories to cherish forever.”

Another teacher commented: “An amazing workshop, inspiring all of our children to be confident and brave. They all learnt so many skills and we did too.”

VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES The National Theatre’s offer to secondary schools and FE colleges, similarly, combines practical and hands-on skills development with insights into professional theatre, introducing students to a wide range of disciplines. The programme is designed to support the English and Drama performing and production arts curriculums, although there are also valuable opportunities to enhance Art and Design and Design Technology curriculum and indeed STEM subjects.

Where else but in a theatre can students witness such an extraordinary marriage of technology, design and story-telling?

National Theatre productions require skilled engineers, technicians specialising in sound, lighting, video and automation; designers and craftspeople to realise their designs in 3D costumes, props and scenery – and playwrights, actors, musicians, directors and stage managers. Creative Choices, a regular event for Key Stage 4 students, gives an insight into this diversity of careers opportunities.

Students can also take part in practical workshops linked to productions, offered on performance skills, directing and design.

Archive Learning Days explore key National Theatre productions and theatre genres through screenings of past productions, costume bibles, production images and press

School Trips

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

By organising visits to theatres and other arts experiences, schools open a door for their students not just to inspirational learning experiences but to lifelong opportunities reviews. For students at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 with a developed interest in technical theatre, masterclasses with some of the UK’s most senior theatre practitioners are on offer. The breadth of provision means that schools can build a day’s visit to the NT, giving their students the chance to engage with professionals and develop new skills, as well as seeing a production.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY Inspiring opportunities and the chance to meet and work with professionals are also available to teachers. A highlight of the year is our Drama Teachers’s conference, two days of practical workshops with some of the UK’s leading theatre practitioners.

This year’s conference on 18 and 19 February 2016 will include the chance to work with the director Katie Mitchell.

A teacher at the 2015 Conference said: “The sessions I attended were fabulous in terms of creative rejuvenation. There were so many ideas, practical tasks and approaches that I can directly apply to my work and it was excellent to have access to such experts in their field.”

The National Theatre is also increasingly using digital technology to bring theatre directly into schools. This September we launched National Theatre On Demand In Schools, a free streaming service which will enable students to see three iconic National Theatre productions in the classroom.

Othello, Hamlet and Frankenstein, in which actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller alternate in the title role, are now available to watch with supporting learning content. The offer compliments, rather than replaces, trips to see live performances, enabling students to study the play in performance day-to-day in their classroom.

WIDENING ACCESS Not every school can get to London. Some of our programmes, like Connections, our nationwide youth theatre festival, or New Views, a playwriting course and competition, take place in schools throughout the country.

But there are also brilliant theatres, on all scales, in towns and cities throughout the country, offering exciting performances and inspiring opportunities for primary and secondary students to get involved in theatre.

Theatre education departments can guide you on the projects available and the suitability of plays for different age-groups; some will offer work experience or insights into careers in the creative industries.

The Arts Council’s re-launched Arts Mark can help schools to plan, deliver and evaluate their approach to cultural education, and provide evidence of a broad and balanced curriculum and the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of all pupils.

And with budgets increasingly stretched, many organisations including the National Theatre offer free or highly-subsidised projects; while schools are using Pupil Premium funding to narrow the gap in access to the arts for disadvantaged students.

Many of us who work at the National Theatre today can pinpoint the an experience at school – a theatre visit, an inspirational teacher, an encounter with a professional artist – as the spark to their career.

Not all students will go on to work in theatre. But every one of them should have the chance to experience it before they leave school. As schools and theatres, let’s work together to make that a reality. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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School Trips

CROSS-CURRICULAR LEARNING issues, especially when third parties such as the STF exist to provide solid reassurance.

Many schools need to re-align their understanding back to the basic principle of a school trip – to bring a sense of experience and enjoyment to learning. Gill Harvey of the School Travel Forum explores the benefits of cross-curricular learnings in an outdoor setting It’s undeniable that school trips have a positive impact on children’s lives, their academic potential and understanding of the world. From boosting their confidence to improving their relationships with their peers and teachers, the interpersonal and educational benefits of these experiences cannot be overlooked.

With schools taking an average of 2.7 educational visits per year, teachers continue to be a huge driving force behind the commitment to enabling students to learn in the context of the big, wide world. Yet, many teachers need support to handle the administrative burdens of arranging these trips and to ensure that they provide the quality of safety and education that parents, schools and pupils deserve.

CUTTING THROUGH THE RED TAPE Fortunately, help is at hand. The work of the Council for Learning Outside of the Classroom (CLOtC) and the School Travel Forum (STF), means that schools can count on providers that have been assessed as compliant with the high standards of the LOtC Quality Badge.

Through this easily recognisable kite-mark, teachers are saved the burden of hours of painstaking red tape and can rest assured that their provider offers only independently audited safety and quality standards.

Financial security is also a benefit, as all STF Assured Members are required to work so

clients benefit from the protection of the Package Travel Regulations and additionally, they must be members of approved schemes ensuring fair trading and full financial security.

Written by Gill Harvey, School Travel Forum

The life-changing benefits of outside learning

CONFIDENCE AND WELL-BEING The improvement of social skills following a successful school trip is dramatic; Learning Away’s recent survey of UK schools found that 87 per cent of students felt more confident trying new things, whilst 60 per cent of teachers noticed increased confidence, resilience and well-being. Learning in a real-world context in unfamiliar environments can also spark a life-long love of travel, exploring and understanding new cultures and as the saying goes, travel definitely has the potential to broaden the mind.

More specifically, such positive experiences whether in the UK or further afield, can boost engagement in the classroom and provide a bridge to further and higher education by igniting students’ previously untapped passion for their subjects.

BUILDING LIFE-LONG MEMORIES These UK-based statistics on the profound benefits of LOtC provision are backed by worldwide research. These white papers indicate that high quality school trips, which are adequately planned and followed up, offer students opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in ways that add value to their everyday experiences in the classroom. Specifically, outside learning can have a profound impact on long-term memory due to the memorable nature of the fieldwork setting. With this legacy in mind, it’s worth taking steps to ensure that children can hold life-long memories of their school trips for all the right reasons.

s Teacher e continuuge h to be a ce behind for driving mitment to the com students to g enablinn the context learn i big, wide of the orld w

LEARNING IN A REAL-WORLD CONTEXT Teachers know that by taking education beyond the classroom, it becomes possible to make learning concepts more relevant by setting them in a more realistic context.

Pupils that have previously struggled to grasp concepts can find them much easier to understand and as a result feel more engaged and motivated in their studies.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that 84 per cent of teachers according to the recent Learning Away survey said that they wish they could take more school trips because of these powerful benefits in the classroom.

As Ofsted stated: “When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving students’ personal, social and emotional development.”

Clearly, such an important asset in the teachers’ toolkit to benefit their pupils’ cognitive and interpersonal skills cannot be hampered by concerns over risk and liability

BENEFITS TO SCHOOL LIFE Looking at the lasting impact of LOtC experiences in terms of academic performance, Learning Away’s recent research found that school trips resulted in higher academic achievement, with 61 per cent of students achieving higher than their predicted grade following a school trip based on the subject area. Parents also witnessed a long-term impact, with 23 per cent of parents reporting better school attendance.

Importantly, 71 per cent of students felt that their teachers better understood their learning habits and knew their teachers better, whilst 70 per cent reported getting on better with their peers. In the same survey, 84 per cent of teachers stated that LOtC improved their relationships with their pupils. With these far-reaching benefits to all aspects of school life and academic achievement, the case for providing increased opportunities for outside learning has never been stronger. !

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understanding and explore ideas • Make links with new vocabulary

CROSS-CURRICULAR LEARNING

Positive experiences can boost engagement in the classroom and provide a bridge to further and higher education by igniting students’ previously untapped passion for their subjects

School Trips

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

! CROSS-CURRICULAR LEARNING The cost of school trips is a topic often discussed in the media (often in an inflammatory way, which doesn’t reflect the fact that the vast majority of school trips take place in the UK and Northern France).

Obviously parents want to ensure that they are paying for the most rewarding experience possible for their child, which is why many trips are structured to provide cross-curricular benefits. With affordable trips to European cities offering children the chance to advance their language skills, appreciate architecture or learn more about art, history and politics, this money represents an investment in a child’s appreciation of the wider world and an understanding of many topics in one fell swoop.

Similarly, the chance to undertake a trip any of the LOtC-badged centres in the UK, whether the focus is on STEM, history or politics etc, there is always the scope of such trips to be planned to enhance students’ understanding in a variety of subject areas.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO LOTC PROVISION Returning to the subject of teachers needing more support to take the stress out of arranging school trips. Feedback from teachers on their main concerns must be taken seriously. Learning Away’s recent survey showed that 64 per cent of teachers have concerns over safety and risk when organising a school trip, whilst liability was rated a burden by 56 per cent of teachers and paperwork was seen as a barrier by 48 per cent of respondents.

Booking issues were also viewed as an obstacle, causing problems for 29 per cent of teachers surveyed. Worryingly, statistics from the STF’s 2015 survey showed that 22 per cent of school trip organisers opt to make their own travel arrangements and bypass the quality, safety and financial security benefits of travelling with a badged provider. Our role going forward, is to help all teachers (and particularly those still taking a DIY approach) to easily find providers offering reliable and regularly audited safety and quality standards. " FURTHER INFORMATION www.schooltravelforum.com

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Sun Care Protection Written by Marie Tudor, SKCIN

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

HEALTH & SAFETY

Sun safety in schools – Ensuring a duty of care With children spending over eight hours of the school week outside, and with hot weather that we are awaiting this summer, the exposure to UV radiation should be a concern to both parents and teachers, says Marie Tudor of SKCIN: The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity Around 80 per cent of our lifetime exposure to UV is accumulated during our childhood and whilst some sun is definitely good for us, too much of it can be seriously harmful. UV is a known carcinogen, meaning that damage from UV is accumulative, irreparable and can even result in death. It’s harsh, but it’s also true.

Children spend almost half their childhood at school, with approximately eight hours per week spent outdoors. During the hotter months of the year children are exposed to UV radiation from the sun, the majority of which is when UV penetration is at its strongest – between 11am and 3pm.

Without adequate protection, a child’s delicate skin can burn within minutes, causing irreparable damage that can significantly increase their risk of developing skin cancer in later life. That’s a worrying thought considering UV is responsible for around 86 per cent of the UK’s most common and fastest rising cancers.

A survey of 1,000 parents in 2011, commissioned

by MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin, found almost 40 per cent of pupils have suffered sunburn while at school.

4/5 ma melano are deaths ble, a prevent on the to rise faster than any other on educati n and early cancer, yet little to nothing io is awarded to promoting prevent tion of skin the solution – education, c dete is clearly education, education.

Without doubt, sun safety cancer mount has to be regarded as a serious a r pa health and safety issue in schools

TAKING URGENT ACTION The fact is that we seriously need to get with the programme when it comes to skin cancer. UK statistics are compelling and as a nation we need to take urgent action against the disease. More people die from skin cancer in the UK than in Australia, the UV capital of the world – so what are we doing wrong and how can we put it right?

Well, honestly, we are currently doing a lot of things wrong. Given that four out of every five melanoma deaths are preventable, education on the prevention and early detection of skin cancer is clearly paramount.

Over £100 million is spent every year on the treatment of the disease as cases continue

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and the responsibility to ensure the health and safety of children during school hours is absolutely a schools duty of care.

The NICE guidelines for skin cancer prevention make it clear that children should never be allowed to burn and should be made aware of how important it is to protect their skin. Guidelines recommend that schools develop a policy on how to protect children when they are outside for more than a brief period in strong sunlight. However, these guidelines are not prescriptive or mandatory.

NOT KEEN ON SUN SCREEN A tricky issue that surrounds sun safety in schools is that of the application of sunscreen

during school hours. Most schools will not assist children in applying their sunscreen as teachers face time pressures and concerns over child abuse is a huge deterrent that comes with strong advice from local authority education departments and trade unions.

The big concern though is that many schools are using this as an excuse and thereby deferring all responsibility on the matter to parents. Unbelievably, some schools even ban or refuse to have sunscreen in school at all.

However, according to HSE (Health and Safety Executive) ‘health and safety legislation does not prevent school staff from applying or helping pupils apply sun cream.

The Department for Education has already made clear that schools are expected to take a sensible approach to this issue. Simply using health and safety as a convenient excuse is misleading and unhelpful’.

Deferring the problem entirely to parents is not a solution. If a parent applies sunscreen at around 8am in the morning – by approximately 10am it will need reapplying.

Sun Care Protection

If that child then has a lunch break outdoors, followed by PE or an outdoor lesson, they could well accumulate up to two hours of unprotected sun exposure during the hottest time of the day when UV is most damaging. Ensuring your child applies their own sunscreen and is wearing their sun hat may work for very few parents, but the fact is that most primary school aged children will need to be reminded and/or supervised to ensure they are protected.

In essence the government defers the problem to schools, the schools receive no firm policy to enforce and are too concerned about time and child safety issues, so they defer the problem to parents.

But the parents are not at school and cannot therefore enforce or control the problem effectively. In the meantime, children remain at risk. Surely children who are learning to read and write are capable of learning how to apply sunscreen?

UV awareness and skin cancer have always been regarded as a public health issue and not an educational one. The fact is that they are inextricably linked and if only the two government departments would ‘work together’, in the long-term huge health cost savings can be achieved and more importantly many lives would be saved.

Clearly the only solution is for someone to take ownership of this responsibility and the facts place schools at the helm, in the most natural position to make a powerful difference.

When it comes to education, primary school is the obvious place for children to learn about the importance of sun safety. If we educate children now, we can begin to evoke a culture change that will impact our future generations and those to come. It’s not rocket science, most skin cancer cases are preventable, yet alarmingly melanoma is now one of the biggest cancer killers in 15-34 year olds. This has to stop and we have to take action now.

So, how do we put it right? The prevention of skin cancer through education is the key objective of national skin cancer charity ‘Skcin’. In 2013 the charity launched the UK’s only Sun Safe Schools national, accreditation scheme, developed to educate children on the importance of sun safety and assist primary schools in implementing a suitable sun safe policy.

Key to the scheme’s success is recognising the importance of schools and parents working together to combine efforts. The scheme promotes a healthy communication with parents to combat the issues surrounding sun protective measures. Furthermore, all parents receive vital information booklets about sun safety and skin cancer courtesy of the charity who deliver the required amount to every school that registers. This creates a huge reach in raising awareness and helps parents reinforce key messaging at home.

Sun Safe Schools is free for all primary schools and consists of a four-step action plan that schools must complete, providing evidence and feedback that each step has been implemented before they are awarded their certification which is valid for one year and can be renewed annually.

The four-step process is guided and completed on-line via a schools login and is backed up by a huge range of resources to assist them in achieving each step of their accreditation and in educating children about

with helpful advice and free resources via the schools participation.

Some of the resources such as the illustrated and rhyming story ‘George the Sun Safe Superstar’ are being used in schools across Australia and Canada as the scheme is fast gaining global recognition with many British schools abroad, signing up to gain their accreditation and access these free resources.

Schools that register to gain their Sun Safe Accreditation are showing their commitment to their pupils and parents that

Without adequate protection, a child’s delicate skin can burn within minutes, causing irreparable damage that can significantly increase their risk of developing skin cancer in later life sun safety with quality, fun, curriculum linked educational resources for key stage 1 and 2 pupils. From lesson plans, worksheets and assembly plans, to books, song, fun activities and policy guidance – everything a school needs to become ‘Sun Safe’ is at their fingertips.

The Sun Safe Schools scheme puts a big tick in every box that government guidelines recommend offering the most comprehensive solution in implementing an effective policy and teaching in one place, free for every primary school.

The Sun Safe Schools website has over 2,500 primary and pre-schools signed up to the scheme from across the UK. That’s over 350,000 children learning via the scheme in addition to over 350,000 families reached

they are prepared to go that extra necessary mile to protect children in their care. The reality is that schools are in a position of great power and if they can combine the efforts of parents to overcome perceived obstacles, they can make a huge difference towards reversing the compelling statistics that surround this devastating disease and ultimately save lives! !

For further information about the scheme or to support the scheme in your area, please contact: marie.tudor@skcin.org FURTHER INFORMATION www.skcin.org www.sunsafeschools.co.uk

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Play

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

Written by Mark Hardy, chair, Association of Play Industries

OUTDOOR FACILITIES

Are you making the most of your outside space?

Stepping outside of the classroom door carries an abundance of opportunities to enhance pupil learning and development, says Mark Hardy of the Association of Play Industries If you thought the best classrooms have four walls and a roof, think again. Getting children out of their chairs and into the fresh air brings a host of benefits. Children look at the world with fresh eyes when outdoors.

You don’t need to travel far – stepping out into your school grounds can open up a world of exciting new learning experiences.

A large outside space is every head teacher’s dream, but for many schools, this simply isn’t possible. Having a small outside space needn’t limit opportunities for children to play, learn and be active. With expert planning and creative design skills, an accredited member company of the Association of Play Industries (API) will transform an unloved, unused spot into a hub for outdoor learning.

Improving your outside space can be a significant investment so you want to be sure the company you choose knows what it’s doing, has the experience and expertise to provide a solution that meets your objectives and budget, knows schools inside out and will be in business way beyond the completion of your project.

spaces to get children moving during lesson time, break and lunch times, before and after school, and for extra-curricular activities, as well as during sport and PE. It’s not just physical literacy levels that will improve. Schools report improvements in behaviour and well-being too.

Next, school is the only safe place for some children to play. For children in deprived communities, school may provide the only safe outdoor place to play and be physically active.

Additionally, there’s government funding to improve school sport and PE provision.

The Primary PE and Sport Premium is designed to help schools improve the quality of sport, PE and active play they offer, and to maintain those improvements.

Outdoor play equipment promoting

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REASONS FOR PLAY If you need persuading that improving or updating your school’s outdoor facilities is a good idea, here are five good reasons.

Firstly, children of all ages learn through play.

Learning through play is a Trojan Horse for all the learning experiences that will follow in a child’s school life. Without even realising, children develop knowledge, skills and lessons for life, from confidence and endurance to communication and leadership. Providing time, space, opportunity and a positive attitude to play benefits children of all ages and abilities.

Secondly, physical activity boosts concentration, learning behaviour and mood. Children have natural energy and enthusiasm so make the most of it by building physical activity into the whole school day. Use your playground and outside

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physical activity and movement skills is eligible for this funding.

Finally, open your facilities outside of school hours. Many communities lack high-quality facilities for sport and physical activity. Opening your facilities to clubs and the local community outside the school day raises the school’s profile and could generate an additional income stream.

Every year, hundreds of schools choose API member companies to help them improve their outdoor facilities. Recently, we asked our members what their school customers had to say about the benefits of improving their outdoor facilities.

They said that schools want to help children be as active as possible – the top three objectives for school customers to improve their outdoor facilities are to increase opportunities for active outdoor play (85.7 per cent), physical activity (68.5 per cent) and outdoor learning (62.8 per cent). Children also move more when schools improve their outside space – 68.5 per cent said schools report an increase in children’s physical activity following outdoor improvements.

Behaviour and classroom learning improve too – 45.7 per cent said schools report better behaviour and 28.5 per cent report more positive attitudes to learning as a result.

On top of this, enquiries from schools are increasing – over a third (34.2 per cent) say increasing numbers of schools are getting in touch for advice on how to make more of their outside space. Schools have big ambitions for their outside spaces – 75.7 per cent report that schools want major improvements or complete makeovers of playgrounds and outside spaces.

ADVICE FOR SCHOOLS For schools wanting to make outdoor improvements, it can be difficult to know

Play

where to turn for advice. You’ll find a host of useful advice and information there to help plan a new playground or outdoor space project, including details of API members in your area.

If you want inspiration from other schools that have updated their outdoor facilities, check out our case studies which show a wide variety of designs, equipment, surfacing and solutions by API member companies.

PLAY MATTERS The API campaigns at the highest levels for policy recognition of the value of play because the government is yet to acknowledge its vital importance in creating positive early experiences of physical activity for children.

Physical activity is a habit so starting early in a child’s earliest years is likely to entrench healthy, active behaviours in adulthood.

This improves health and well-being which reduces the burden on the NHS. At a time when physical inactivity poses as big a threat to public health as smoking, it’s hugely important that children have time, space and opportunity to be active and schools have a vital part to play. If we are serious about tackling the root causes of inactivity and obesity, then every school should be able to provide well-designed, high-quality outdoor facilities. School budgets are under pressure, of course, but the relatively low capital cost required to improve outdoor facilities delivers far-reaching benefits.

To improve child health and well-being and encourage active habits for life, we must look for wide-ranging solutions which engage children of all ages and abilities.

While sport and PE are vitally important, they cannot be the only antidote to sedentary lifestyles amongst children. The rigid rules and rituals of competitive sport can alienate

Six in ten think the government should be doing more to provide funding for schools to improve their outdoor facilities for physical activity some children which can discourage participation and physical activity in adult life.

We campaign vigorously for recognition by policymakers of the value and benefits of play because the evidence of its benefits is irrefutable. We also know that every child has a fundamental right to play, as set out in article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. But with local authority play budgets dwindling, there are many children for whom that right is under threat. A Freedom of Information investigation by Children and Young People Now magazine in 2013 found that 31 per cent of local authorities closed public playgrounds between 2010 and 2013 and cut spending on play by 38.8 per cent during the same period (£67.9m in 2010/11 vs £41.5m in 2013/14).

Research by the API last year found that over half (56 per cent) of parents are unhappy about the lack of high quality play facilities in their local area, with nearly four in ten (38.1 per cent) worried that playgrounds in their local community may close down altogether. Six in ten (61.4 per cent) think the government should be doing more to provide funding for schools to improve their outdoor facilities for physical activity.

INTOLERANCE OF CHILDHOOD The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by ratifying governments. Its latest report paints a damning picture of respect for children’s rights by UK law and policy makers, including the right to play. The report highlights serious concerns about the impact of UK government austerity measures on children, with disadvantaged children ‘disproportionately affected’.

The Committee slams the continued lack of measures to address ‘intolerance of childhood’ and raises deep concerns that children’s views are not being heard. The right to play is wholly undermined, it says, by: the government’s withdrawal of a play policy for England; insufficient provision of spaces and facilities for play and leisure, particularly those accessible to children with disabilities or from disadvantaged communities; a lack of public spaces where teenagers can socialise; and the underfunding of play and leisure policies in the devolved nations.

The Committee reserves praise for the Welsh government for its adoption of a play policy and integration of ‘children’s right to play systematically in relevant legislation and other relevant policies’. This report is a damning reflection of the lack of priority given to children’s lives by policymakers, particularly those that most need state support. If there was ever a chance to make good on the failings around play highlighted, it is with the forthcoming national obesity strategy.

Last year, children’s advocate Baroness Floella Benjamin, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood, made an urgent call to government to put play at the heart of policy on child health and well-being. But since publication of the APPG’s Play report, there has been little or no significant change in policy. Our hope is that the government will make good on the failings highlighted in the UN report with bold policy on play and children’s physical activity in the forthcoming and much-delayed national obesity strategy. !

FURTHER INFORMATION www.api-play.org

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Sport

FUNDING

Written by the Sports & Physical Education (PE) Association UK

Why investment in school sports is more important than ever Sport in schools can help to create a much needed active generation among the nation’s youth. The Sports & Physical Education (PE) Association UK discuss why investment in sport is crucial to pupils’ health and well-being If you have picked up a newspaper recently, or switched on the news, you can’t fail to have noticed the current debate around childhood obesity. In fact, it has become such a concerning issue that the World Health Organization (WHO) regards childhood obesity as one of the most serious global public health challenges for the 21st century.

The statistics speak for themselves. The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) measures the height and weight of nearly one million school children in England each year, and their latest report indicates that just over 19 per cent of children aged 10-11 are obese, with a further 14 per cent classed as overweight.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, much of the discussion has focused on children’s diet and nutrition. Any number of surveys and research papers demonstrate that the majority of children do not eat the recommended minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and that children’s intake of sugar, salt and fat has never been higher.

Clearly children’s diets need attention, and there have been a number of initiatives to break the unhealthy eating habit, including: The National Healthy Schools Programme (1998 to 2009), which included healthy and nutritious foods being made available in school canteens and vending machines; The School Food Plan, (launched in 2015), which provided a new set of standards for all food served in schools, offering children more healthy, balanced diets, and withdrawing

the provision of unhealthy snacks and drinks in school vending machines; and the much-publicised new sugar tax, which will be imposed on companies according to the sugar content of the energy and fizzy drinks they produce.

Healthy eating may be vital for tackling the obesity issue, as well as for providing for children’s longer-term health and well-being, but it is only half the story.

It is essential that we devote similar attention to children’s physical activity and exercise as well.

According to The Royal Society for Public Health’s whitepaper, published in November last year: “Childhood obesity has proliferated in recent decades in part due to children living increasingly sedentary lifestyles where physical activity has declined and activities such as watching TV, playing video games and time spent on smart phones has increased. In 1995, the average child spent three hours a day in front of a screen, compared to more than six hours today.”

children to live more active lifestyles. In the government’s Sporting Future, A New Strategy for an Active Nation, the role of sport in school was particularly highlighted: “The opportunity for children to take part in and develop a love of sport and physical activity is vital to ensuring their long-term enjoyment and participation.

“The provision for children and young people will rightly sit at the heart of a new strategy for sport in this country. We want to see healthy, happy active children becoming healthy, happy active adults and the talented primary school children of today becoming our sporting stars of the future.”

Raising healthy, happy children is every parent’s ambition, even if developing tomorrow’s sporting stars is just for the few. Nevertheless, the impact of sport and physical activity has been shown to reach every aspect of a child’s upbringing.

In their annual National PE, School Sport and Physical Activity survey, the Youth Sport Trust researched where schools see a positive contribution from their sport and PE provision. The survey findings reported that schools saw positive contributions to: life skills – confidence, resilience, resourcefulness, teamwork, communication !

It is essen that we tial a simila devote ra and foc ttention children us on activity ’s physical and as we d exercise healthy o to eating

BEYOND HEALTH Even if we put the health benefits of activity and exercise to one side for a moment, there are many other motivations for encouraging

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dancestudiomirrors.co.uk Universal Services specialise in the supply, manufacture and installation of both fixed and portable sports equipment including basketball goals, climbing frames, trampolines, weight training equipment and football goals.

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

FUNDING

Ten Point Plan

The opportunity for children to take part in and develop a love of sport and physical activity is vital to ensuring their long-term enjoyment and participation ! skills (95 per cent); achievement (91 per cent); behaviour and truancy (70 per cent); and attainment (69 per cent).

The Youth Sport Trust’s annual survey is just one example from more than forty research projects undertaken over the last decade that provide evidence for the positive impact that effective school sports provision can make.

In a paper prepared for Ofsted by Loughborough University, these research programmes were reviewed, summarised and compared for trends and similarities.

It led to the publication of The value of physical education and sport in schools, which highlighted dozens of positive outcomes achieved through effective school sports provision.

This included: attendance levels (studies show a positive relationship between participation in sports and school attendance); behaviour (research concludes that even a little organised physical activity, either inside or outside the classroom, has a positive effect on classroom behaviour, especially amongst the most disruptive pupils); cognitive function (several studies report a positive relationship between physical activity and cognition, concentration, attention span and perceptual skills); mental health (studies indicate positive impacts of physical activity on mood, well-being, anxiety and depression, as well as on children’s self-esteem and confidence); and attainment (a number of well-controlled studies conclude that academic achievement is maintained or enhanced by increased physical activity).

The research has not gone unnoticed by Ofsted. In its own investigation, entitled Going the extra mile, Excellence in competitive school sport, chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw concluded that ‘the real value of competitive sport in schools is the positive effect it has on education’.

FUNDING AND INVESTMENT Now that the Department of Education and Ofsted have placed greater emphasis on sports provision, a school’s investment

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in PE and sports facilities, as well as in the sports, clubs and activities that it offers, has never been more important.

The ring-fenced Primary PE & Sport Premium helps, but it is designed to support a school’s existing sports investment, rather than replace it entirely. It is hoped that one effect may be that primary schools will increasingly be selected on the basis of the sports and activities it offers, rather than solely on the basis of its performance.

That’s because prospective parents will be able to compare sports provision between schools, both during and after the school day.

Schools will be required to include not only details of their PE and sport provision on their website, but they must also publish details of where their PE and sport premium funding has been spent.

The vision for the Primary PE & Sport Premium is that by the time they leave primary school, all pupils will be physically literate, with the knowledge, skills and motivation necessary to equip them for a healthy lifestyle and lifelong participation in physical activity and sport.

Since Ofsted is holding to account how schools spend their additional, ring-fenced funding, it is worth reviewing how your school meets the Premium’s objectives: engaging pupils in regular physical activity – kick-starting healthy and active lifestyles; raising the profile of PE and sport in school as a means of whole school improvement; Increasing the confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport; offering a broad range of sports and activities to all pupils; and increasing participation in competitive sport.

Using the PE and sports premium, schools can invest in: hiring qualified sports coaches to work with teachers; providing existing staff with training or resources to help them teach PE and sport more effectively; introducing new sports or activities and encourage more pupils to take up sport; supporting and involving the least active children by running or extending school sports clubs, holiday

Whilst we may not need statistics to tell us that physical activity is good for our children’s health and well-being, there is overwhelming evidence demonstrating its impact on almost every aspect of their education. We have a duty to create an active and healthy generation of young people, so here is our ten-point plan for transforming your school’s PE and sports provision: Conduct a basic review and audit of your current PE and sports provision, both during and after the school day.

Identify where you have shortfalls in terms of equipment and facilities.

Identify where you have staffing or skills shortages.

Note areas where improvement is needed, or where investment is required.

Consider additional activities, clubs or events that you could, or would like to offer.

Compare your school’s offering with others, both locally and nationally.

Involve the school leadership team and governing body to establish a new plan for your school sports provision.

Identify where investment can be made using the PE and sports premium.

Ensure that you keep account of where and how the premium has been used.

Ensure that your school’s website publishes details of its PE and sports provision, as well as its premium allocation and how it is used. clubs and other clubs; and running sport competitions and activities with other schools.

The funding is reasonably flexible, as long as a school is not using it simply to deliver the basic requirements of the PE element of the curriculum. "

The Sports & Physical Education (PE) Association UK, an association under the Federation of Sports and Play Associations umbrella, is the lead trade association, established to represent organisations supplying and manufacturing sports equipment within the education and leisure industries.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.sportsandplay.com www.sportspe.org.uk

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Cleaning Written by Guy Charteris, partner development manager, Biocote

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HYGIENE

Reducing absence in the classroom through best practice cleanliness Maintaining high levels of cleanliness in schools is essential in keeping disease and illness away from the classroom and keeping pupils in them. Guy Charteris, of Biocote, explains why Coughs, colds, diarrhoea, sickness, skin infections: just some of the most common reasons why children are absent from the school. Some infections can spread quickly throughout a classroom and then the school, often resulting in school closures and expensive deep-cleaning. In fact, in the school year of 2014-15, 60.1 per cent of all absences from the classroom were due to sickness.

School absenteeism can have many negative effects. Missing school can cause a child to fall behind on their learning, and as a consequence, do less well in exams – this of course also impacts the school and how it is rated. Research also suggests that children who frequently miss school could also be at risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour,

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

crime or similar. It can also have a massively negative effect on the economy of the country – parents having to take time off work to look after sick children can impact businesses, and the increased use of supply teachers to replace absent staff not only costs our schools dearly (schools spent £800 million a year on supply teachers in 2015) – but our children too: teacher absences also affect children’s learning.

PREVENTING ABSENTEEISM So, how we can we reduce the numbers of children, and of

course teachers absent from the school classroom?

The idea is simple: create a more hygienic learning environment.

How? By using products and surfaces with built in BioCote protection, guarding against the negative effects of bacteria and other microbes such as mould.

It works by incorporating BioCote additives into

Some s n infectioquickly ead can spr ughout a thro and then m classroohool, often the sc in school g resultin sures clo

Cleaning

Missing school can cause a child to fall behind on their learning, and as a consequence, do less well in exams – this of course also impacts the school and how it is rated the product at the time of manufacture, to ensure hygiene is built-in for the lifetime of the product. All products that carry the BioCote logo are tested in the laboratory to ensure maximum antimicrobial performance – this is a requirement of carrying the BioCote trademark and why it is recognised around the world as a sign of antimicrobial quality. However, whilst laboratory testing does provide a reliable means to measure antimicrobial performance, it is not representative of the ultimate test: real life. BioCote looked to demonstrate this by creating the world’s first antimicrobial classroom.

RECORDING RESULTS A classroom at a primary school in Hertfordshire was completely refurbished with antimicrobial products, which included items such as tables, chairs, carpets, storage, wall paint and more.

After being in use by the school children for a number of weeks, swabs were taken and the findings analysed to understand the quantities and varieties of microbes recovered.

To compare the results, the levels of bacteria on comparable products within a standard classroom were also analysed. Repeat samples were taken from the two classrooms for the remainder of the academic year. The results were processed in the laboratory and the findings were very revealing. The antimicrobial classroom had a huge 96 per cent less bacteria across the environment than the standard classroom. There were also no pathogenic bacteria (those that cause sickness) recovered from the BioCote protected classroom.

In contrast, pathogens were found in the standard classroom.

Whilst the antimicrobial classroom was technically more hygienic, we questioned how or if this positively impacted the learning environment. For example did absenteeism attributed to illness decrease? With increased hygiene and less bacteria in the environment, it is reasonable to assume there would be a decrease in sickness, which will, in turn, have an effect on the numbers of children absent from school. But was this the case?

Absence levels were monitored across the period of the study. The antimicrobial classroom saw significantly less children absent due to sickness from the school classroom – a 20 per cent decrease in fact.

Whilst these figures apply only to the classroom featured in the study, what if every school classroom across the nation had antimicrobial products contained within it – not only to create a cleaner, more hygienic and better learning environment for our children, but also a dramatic decrease in the numbers of children absent from school as a result of such illnesses. !

FURTHER INFORMATION biocote.com/case-studies/school

Tips to reduce sickness in the classroom: Ensure thorough hand washing practices are implemented, and hands are washed after using the toilet, before handling food and eating and after touching animals.

Use antimicrobial products wherever possible.

Clean the environment frequently and thoroughly according to national guidelines.

T: 01689 836170 F: 01689 824520 E: sales@aquaairhygiene.co.uk W: www.aquaairhygiene.co.uk

Legionella Testing

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We have representatives on BSI Committees for Drinking Water and are long term members of the Water Management Society. Our personnel were also found on the steering committee for the BSRIA application guide AG1/2001 ‘Pre‑Commission Cleaning of Pipework Systems’.

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Design & Technology

CURRICULUM

Creating the people the future needs Young people deserve to experience a broad and balanced curriculum which recognises the importance of design, argues Catherine Ritman-Smith of the Design Museum One of the many issues facing schools today is the subject choice they offer their students. The decisions will be driven by how to enable students to achieve their best and to equip them for employability, as well as financial considerations, with some subject provision draining strained budgets.

Not least, schools are concerned about accountability and how they will be evaluated.

On 4 July this year, the proposed new English Baccalaureate (EBacc) will be debated, having gained over 100,000 signatures on a Parliamentary petition which called for expressive arts to be included in the curriculum. The new EBacc will require pupils to be entered into a minimum of seven subjects from a prescribed list – English literature and English language, maths, double or triple science, a modern and/or ancient language, history and/or geography. If students take triple science, history and geography, this goes up to nine GCSEs. The average number of full GCSEs taken by students is 8.1.

This leaves little room for creative subjects.

Written by Catherine Ritman-Smith, head of programme, learning, Design Museum

Celebration event: Miles Willis

Conne throughcting world e real and propositional creative xamples, thinking, p and ind ractitioners demanding higher order processing means ustry is the to move from of shap ing a the ‘what if we?‘, curricul um ‘how might we?‘ best se which questions that spark rve a design process to us all s resolve these into real

The creative industries represent 5.2 per cent of the UK’s economy, contributing over £84 billion in 2014, growing by almost 10 per cent between 2013 and 2014, and employing almost two million people. This is a sector which offers important employment potential for young people in our schools today. But it’s not just those who want to work in the sector which benefit from the inclusion of creative subjects. These subjects have proven value for all students.

For some schools the provision of Design and Technology is seen as challenging.

Yet, if it were evaluated more thoroughly the benefits would be easily convincing.

Design is a subject equipped to be at the heart of twenty-first century education, creating the people the future needs. Design is solutions focused, recognising problems and seeking opportunities to effect change.

It calls upon creative, imaginative, analytic

outcomes. This enables young people to engage critically with the made world and to make informed choices as consumers and producers. It also develops skills which positively impact across the other subjects they study and beneficial for what they do later in life.

But design education in schools is at a critical juncture. This isn’t the prescient defining moment of 1988 when Design and Technology became a subject in its own right in the new national curriculum. It set up a fresh paradigm as a problem-solving subject, becoming a core component within the !

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CURRICULUM ! educational foundation upon which today’s successful creative industries are built.

Instead, the subject is at the brink of potential decline with what would result in disastrous long-term effects for the flow of suitably skilled young people into higher and vocational education and into industry.

The exclusion of creative subjects from the EBacc remit; subject silos; out-dated subject orthodoxies; teacher shortages and financial and academic pressures on schools weighed down by accountability measures are creating a perfect storm in which students will be those affected in the short term and society in the long term.

Late last year, DATA, the Design and Technology subject association, launched its manifesto, Designed and Made in Britain…? D&T in schools is critical to the UK’s future success. At its launch a panel of expert practitioners from education and industry made compelling arguments for a pragmatic, solutions-focused call to action across government, awarding organisations, Ofqual and the broader D&T community.

Why design education in schools needs to be sustained is powerfully articulated in the excellent Design and Technology curriculum DV Workshops

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Young people need and deserve to experience a broad and balanced curriculum offer in which creativity and imagination, coupled with real world application and industry insight, are writ large Purpose of Study, which bears quoting in full: ‘Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution

to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation’.

This last point about wealth is particularly pressing given the needs of industry and employability. NESTA research describes a future in which the UK will need one million more people to fill new creative jobs by 2030 – the type of jobs that won’t be automated because they require creative and discretionary judgement. Meanwhile, Engineering UK tells us that by 2022 we will need 1.82 million new engineers, whilst the CBI’s campaign Raising Ambition for All is based on significant shortfalls in young people’s ‘work readiness’, an issue addressed

by Inspire the Future, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ programme.

Design education teaches not only the skills and knowledge that the future economy demands, but also the concomitant attitudes and behaviours. These include resourcefulness, creativity and imagination, innovative and enterprising thinking, the ability to work in a team, to see a project through to completion, with a solutions-focused approach.

At the DATA manifesto launch, arguments were strong for the wider benefits of the subject. David Anderson, head teacher at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, himself a former head of Design and Technology, cited prior professional experience of attainment improvements across the board when students also studied D&T. But academic achievement is not the only necessity of a skilled workforce for the twenty-first century education: whilst China may be producing high PISA achievers it also recognises a shortage of ‘creative problem-solvers’.

We welcome up to 25,000 learners annually to the Design Museum. We see the strongest models for design education as those that connect students with real world contexts and the professional practice of design. These models are shaped by schools in which the head and senior management team are enthusiastic about design and understand the subject as integral to their curriculum, with intrinsic as well as cross-curricular benefits.

Relevancy as well as leadership is critical, and can be achieved through themed, project based teaching, drawing on local contexts, with links to industry and inspirational examples of design. Design Ventura, the museum’s annual Design and Enterprise programme funded by Deutsche Bank, provides a one stop shop for a real world, relevant design experience and supports

teachers’ aspirations for their subject and students, providing a route to design skills that they may not otherwise encounter in traditional classroom or workshop set ups.

Students work in teams and adopt roles that model professional design practice (creative, communications, finance) to respond to a real life brief set by leading designers such as Barber & Osgerby of Olympic Torch fame.

The project has a positive effect on the status of the subject both in school and in the eyes of the young people. Teachers gain in confidence and understanding of the value of cross curricular approaches to design.

An independent review last year found that all participating teachers reported that Design Ventura had a very positive impact on students’ design and business capabilities. Ninety per cent of students acknowledged greater confidence levels in solving design problems.

Of wider impact was more general growth in confidence and in aspiration – a vital motivator for all students to achieve. Nine out of 10 students agreed they were more focused about the skills they needed for the future and what they are able to achieve through studying. Over 90 per cent of students had a better understanding of working in a team, presenting ideas to others and accepting that ‘mistakes and criticism can be useful as they help you learn and improve’.

These are the very skills for which industry leaders are calling. In 2015, members of The Institute of Directors cited the shortage of

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The creative industries represent 5.2 per cent of the UK’s economy, contributing over £84 billion in 2014, growing by almost 10 per cent between 2013 and 2014, and employing almost two million people ‘soft skills‘ in employees as the number one barrier to growth. Two thirds (68 per cent) were worried about poor communication skills, 35 percent teamworking, 36 per cent resourcefulness and 22 per cent creativity.

Both the Cultural Learning Alliance and the Creative Industries Federation are actively looking behind headline statistics, made to appear rosy, and calling for greater commitment to a curriculum which supports both individual growth and in turn the economy. The current danger with a drive to competitive educational attainment, a curriculum will be adopted that will squeeze out creative subjects – at great cost.

Author and policy educationalist, Yong Zhao, warns: “If Western countries successfully adopt China’s model; and abandon their own tradition of education, they may see their standing rise on the international tests, but they will lose what has made them modern: creativity, entrepreneurship and a genuine diversity of talents.”

A report published by McKinsey and Company in 2005, China’s Looming Talent

Shortage, found that the Chinese system produces students who excel in a narrow range of subjects with only 10 percent of its college graduates considered employable by multinational businesses because the students lack the qualities society needs.

Connecting young people with real world examples, creative practitioners and industry is the means of shaping a curriculum which best serves us all. Schools will benefit from industry rolling up its sleeves and working more closely with them. From my perspective as a cultural sector professional, there is an important opportunity here for us to create programmes that broker those connections.

Young people need and deserve to experience a broad and balanced curriculum offer in which creativity and imagination, coupled with real world application and industry insight, are writ large. Only then will education create the people the future needs. !

FURTHER INFORMATION

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DESIGN AND BUILD

DESIGN AND BUILD

Over the last 40 years, ESE Direct has established itself as the name to trust for safety and storage equipment for schools.

With thousands of products available, many with short lead times, they have proved to be a reliable partner to hundreds of educational establishments over the years, whether it be in the supply of lockers, changing room benches or one its thousands of other product lines.

Over the years, their product range has grown to include safety matting, signage, janitorial supplies and first aid supplies as well as the more traditional areas of lockers and canteen furniture.

ESE Direct focus on everyday

Agrippa fire door holders have been successfully installed at Surrey’s leading specialist Science College to improve access for staff and students, reduce the effects of door wear and tear, whilst protecting occupants in a fire emergency.

In high-use environments, such as at Blenheim High School, fire doors can suffer wear and tear from forceful opening and back-checking of the doors, and damage from kicks, bags and equipment.

Twenty Agrippa wire-free, fire door holders were installed at the top of the doors in Blenheim School: “Like any busy institution, our fire doors are subject to high levels of use, which makes them prone to excessive wear and damage, either accidental or deliberate. The Agrippa holders retain the fire doors tightly against corridor walls, which maximises the door opening and means they do not release even

Providers of high quality education equipment

low prices and, where possible, short lead times, to make sure you are getting the best deals and the best service possible.

ESE Direct offer free credit accounts for all educational establishments and ordering is easy via the company’s simpleto-use website or over the phone with one of its highly experienced technical sales agents.

To browse the ESE Direct range, simply visit the website or call for expert advice its Freephone number.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 616 3436 sales@esedirect.co.uk www.esedirect.co.uk

DESIGN & BUILD

A cleaner and healthier learning environment 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.

The company’s filtration systems have been 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.

From secondary through to higher education, typical settings for the filtration cabinets include Design & Technology, Arts and Science and BenchVent has recently added Healthy and Beauty equipment to its extensive catalogue.

For larger applications the company 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 BenchVent can keep you in stock with a range of filters should you require it.

Whatever the size of your project, talk to the specialists at BenchVent about ventilation and filtration projects to see which of the great products fit with your specifications.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01423 790039 info@benchvent.com www.benchvent.com

Agrippa fire door holders are the top of their class

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when students bang into them.

The pre-set closing flexibility suits the school day as we can set the doors to automatically close after school hours.”

Geofire’s advanced digital technology enables the batterypowered, Agrippa door holders to uniquely ‘listen and learn’ the sound of a specific fire alarm. This ensures the holder’s releasing trigger reacts only to the precise sound of the fire alarm rather than extraneous loud noises.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)1388 770 360 enquiries@geofire.co.uk www.geofire.co.uk

ENERGY

Providing innovative and efficient lighting design If you are looking for low energy light solutions then you have come to the right place.

Prime LED has a wide range of LED products to help you cut your energy bills down to size.

Whether you are looking to replace a few, or a full LED lighting upgrade, Prime LED can help.

Prime LED specialise in school and commercial, indoor and outdoor lighting including emergency lighting. With great value LED products from reliable quality brands like ENERGIZER, EPISTAR and BRIDGELUX that will give you a long 25,000 hour maintenance free service life and a three to five year warranty.

Their LED products consume up to 90 per cent less energy in comparison to conventional lighting and 60-70 per cent against florescent lighting.

Prime LED sell Energizer LED Tubes that can be easily retrofitted into your existing light fittings so saving time and

fitting disruption and expense.

The vast saving on your electric bills allows more school funds to be spent on the things that really matter to the outcomes of your pupils as well as reducing your school’s carbon foot print.

Prime LED also offer an installation service.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0121 7836146 www.lightsledbulbs.co.uk mike@primeled.co.uk

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Products & Services

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PLAY

CHARITY

A ‘Smooga’ is a unique, portable, modular, smart multi use games area or arena - ideal for playgrounds and playing fields. A Smooga can be any size and almost any shape which means that most sports and games can be played in a Smooga.

The modular panels also make robust moveable walls for zoning – a safe practical and impactful asset for any school.

A Smooga improves the overall PE environment; promotes skills development; creates higher levels of inclusion; fun; excitement; and engagement.

Smoogas have been proven to remove spatial conflicts in the playground, optimising available space and creating safer environments for all.

Children love playing football inside a Smooga and all those children outside it can play more safely and confidently.

Teachers, headteachers, PTAs and clubs. Delve into the Initiatives Fundraising Solutions, a company which does the hard work for you!

Time is precious, the Initiatives Fundraising’s method helps you create your own school aprons, tea towels or bags with children’s drawings on. Initiatives Fundraising will provide you with a quick and efficient way to create your fundraiser with a guaranteed quality product.

Raise funds for all events: be it school year, keepsakes, mother’s day, Christmas or summer fair!

The starter pack includes, free samples, picture frames, felt tip pens, an advice leaflet and parents order form which will help you raise awareness of your fundraiser and take pre-orders from parents. This allows you to order just the quantities ordered by parent. This way you will avoid being left with any unsold items.

This method is made to make your life easy so all

Encourage inclusion in the Experience the headache playground with Smooga free fundraisers!

Smoogas are used in over 150 schools around the country for games such as hockey; handball; football; movement and dance; scooting; drama; maths; rollerblading; cricket and much more.

Smooga Ltd assemble every Smooga installed in schools anywhere in the country, removing packaging, pallets and making the whole experience easy and hassle free.

Smooga is all about promoting fun, activity and inclusion.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01865 301917 keith@smooga.co.uk www.smooga.co.uk

SPORTS EQUIPMENT

PLAY EQUIPMENT

G.M. Services (Leicester) Ltd, specialists in the servicing, maintenance, repair and supply of P.E and gymnastic equipment throughout the UK. It also supplies and installs a wide range of playground and fitness equipment, trampolines and sports-hall equipment, in addition to the refurbishing, laying, and court lining of both indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

Established in 1974 G.M. Services is an expert in the field of supplying, servicing and repairing a vast range of sports and leisure equipment to a broad range of customers, nationwide.

As a family run business the company is proud of its reputation for safety, excellence and reliability, creating long standing working

With over 32 years’ experience, Notts Sport is the leading specialist in designing, advising upon and supplying artificial surfacing systems for sport, play and leisure.

Notts Sport enjoys partnerships and affiliations with a number of leading industry bodies, including the ECB and ICC Europe. It’s also England Hockey’s only Official Facilities Partner, offering the widest range of International Hockey Federation compliant pitches.

One of the key benefits of choosing a Notts Sport facility is the company’s free design and advisory service, with expert advice and assistance available from the design stage to installation and aftercare.

Notts Sport also offers Fast Track Funding, a flexible funding solution which lets schools, local authorities and sports clubs work together to

Servicing and repairs of PE and sports equipment

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relationships with the likes of Leicester City and County Councils; Coventry City Council; the British Taekwondo Association; De-Montfort and Middlesex University; Leicester Fire & Rescue Service; Lincolnshire County Council; The National Badminton Centre; G4S Integrated Services; and the British Armed Forces.

With over 40 years of industry experience, G.M. Services gains the majority of its work through repeat custom and client recommendations.

To find out more, please visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0116 2602475 info@gmservicesltd.co.uk www.gmservicesltd.com

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

you need to concentrate on is to get the children to draw on a decent sized piece of paper which is provided.

You will not be asked to worry about creating a document, cut out drawings to size, calculate, glue or allow for margins or anything technical untoward like that!

To find out more about how Initiatives Fundraising could help your school achieve effective and headache free fundraising, please visit the company website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 609 02 06 www.initiatives fundraising.co.uk

Providers of synthetic surfacing for play puposes

achieve their ideal sports pitch for little or no up-front cost.

Under the initiative, Notts Sport works with the client to design a bespoke scheme that’s perfect for their needs and arrange for it to be installed straight away.

Repayments are agreed to suit the customer’s budget and requirements, and because most facilities can earn significant income through community use, this additional revenue can cover most – if not all – of the project’s overall cost.

For more information about what Notts Sport could do for your school, visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01455 883730 www.nottssport.com

SCHOOL TRIPS

SCHOOL TRIPS

Blue Reef Aquarium Hastings is uniquely placed in the heart of the largest beach launched fishing community in the UK, providing a wealth of educational material for children of all key stages.

A school visit to Blue Reef Aquarium Hastings takes children on a journey, starting around the shores of the United Kingdom coming face to face with lobsters, seahorses, sharks and rays before continuing into tropical waters to explore bizarre pufferfish, giant octopus, deadly lionfish and of course the colourful clownfish!

An extra surprise also awaits with our Remarkable Reptiles which allows children to get up close to snakes and lizards.

The aquarium offers great rates from just £4.70 per child for a self guided tour of the aquarium.

For an extra £1.50 per child one of its highly trained aquarists will give a special guided tour teaching your pupils all about Blue Reef’s amazing sea creatures

For those teaching KS2 history this year, there’s no easier way to engage children than by bringing a ‘real life’ Viking or Anglo Saxon into the classroom.

With many years’ experience under their authentic leather belts, costumed visitors bring replica artefacts for children to explore, from warriors’ weapons and armour to household objects that would have been used in daily life. Workshops and activities are fun, exciting and full of imagination, with raiding and trading; Gods and monsters; conquest and settlement; law; language; morals and ethics all entwined to give children the depth and breadth of experience they need to put themselves in the shoes of an Early Medieval warrior.

Visits are usually half or full day affairs, and visitors will ensure that the children are occupied

Bring pupils to visit the ultimate undersea safari

as well as its Remarkable Reptiles! It can even tailor talks to suit your lesson plan.

Standard terms and conditions apply. For more information or to book please email or call.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01424 444412 leannal@bluereef aquarium.co.uk

Vexed by the Vikings?

Struggling with Saxons?

Events

SCHOOL TRIPS

FFT Education has announced its autumn roadshows for schools in England. Life beyond levels, welcome to scaled scores (KS2) will follow on from FFT’s sell out roadshows last year and will demystify statistics by looking at the real meaning of the scaled scores for your school and the new look accountability measures.

You will find out if your school is making real improvement with FFTs modelling of scaled score trends, discover how you improve performance in the scaled score world, get to grips with the new progress measures and receive an FFT data report.

Unpacking Progress 8: Getting to Grips with your 2016 Results will continue FFT’s valued briefings, this is an opportunity to look at the latest national research and identify the implications for your

Aylmerton Field Study Centre is a small, family-run, provider of residential school trips in beautiful North Norfolk based on the edge of the National Trust estate of Felbrigg with easy access to miles of open countryside and an outstanding coastline.

Managed by teachers and led by professional, experienced instructors, it offers a range of outdoor learning activities, linked to the curriculum but with an indefinable special something. It is the perfect venue for bringing the curriculum to life through outdoor learning, whether examining the effects of erosion at Happisburgh, exploring rock pools and discovering fossils at West Runton or learning about habitats and lifecycles on the unique Blakeney Day. The centre also offers a variety of different team building activities including Pirates, Alien Rescue and the famous Monster Trail as well as themed

FFT announces two new autumn roadshows

school. Discover if your school is really making improvement with FFT’s modelling of the new accountability trends.

You will get to grips with Progress 8, implications of entries upon the curriculum and receive an FFT data report.

The roadshows cost just £75 plus vat per delegate. To book, or for more information, please visit the FFT website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01446 776 262 www.fft.org.uk training@fft.org.uk

Products & Services

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

for the entire time. All schools need to provide is space, adult supervision, and enthusiasm.

Teachers frequently comment that: “They learned more in one day than I could have taught them in a whole half term!”

Viking School Visits can also provide staff inset days, and workshops to teaching/education degree-level students on the early medieval period, and the value of external visitors to the classroom environment.

For more information, please visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.vikingschoolvisits.com

Providing the very best in residential visits

Living History weeks which could include Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings or Evacuees.

Programmes are individually tailored to each school’s requirements and can even be linked to a theme of your choice if required (recent examples include extreme weather, eco warriors and dragons). Their over-riding philosophy is quite simple; to ensure that each and every child (and teacher) has their very best school trip possible.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01263 837759 info@afsc.co.uk www.afsc.co.uk

Volume 21.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisers Index

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

ENERGY

RECRUITMENT

If you are looking for low energy light solutions then you have come to the right place.

Prime LED has a wide range of LED products to help you cut your energy bills down to size.

Whether you are looking to replace a few, or a full LED lighting upgrade, Prime LED can help.

Prime LED specialise in school and commercial, indoor and outdoor lighting including emergency lighting. With great value LED products from reliable quality brands like ENERGIZER, EPISTAR and BRIDGELUX that will give you a long 25,000 hour maintenance free service life and a three to five year warranty.

Their LED products consume up to 90 per cent less energy in comparison to conventional lighting and 60-70 per cent against florescent lighting.

Prime LED sell Energizer LED Tubes that can be easily retrofitted into your existing light fittings so saving time and

The Education Network is more than a recruitment agency. It is an education recruitment specialist that has been in business since 1993 and now runs 15 offices nationwide.

The Education Network provides daily, supply and permanent teaching jobs in primary, secondary, early years and SEND schools and academies. The specialists match teachers to the position and school that best suits them using efficient, high-quality services without the corporate feel.

The Education Network works with schools to supply them with staff including but not limited to primary and secondary teachers, teaching assistants, SEND staff, one to one tutors, foundation stage teachers, cover supervisors, NQT’s, nursery staff and nonteaching staff such as admin, IT technicians and site managers.

The company is committed to building new partnerships

Providing innovative and efficient lighting design

fitting disruption and expense.

The vast saving on your electric bills allows more school funds to be spent on the things that really matter to the outcomes of your pupils as well as reducing your school’s carbon foot print.

Prime LED also offer an installation service.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0121 7836146 www.lightsledbulbs.co.uk mike@primeled.co.uk

Providing cost-effective recruitment solutions

which add value within the sector. These partnerships include academic partnerships and collaborations with commercial partners to bring beneficial and supporting products/services to teachers and schools.

The Education Network’s school partnerships provide bespoke recruitment and advisory services for many cluster groups, LA’s, learning trusts and diocese throughout the UK and its sporting partnerships promote healthy living and the benefits of exercise in schools.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0191 232 3780 offices@ednetwork.co.uk www.theeducationnetwork.co.uk

ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Academy Recruitment Allman Hall Alton Towers Resort Aqua Air Hygiene Solutions ASCL Aspect Safety Mirrors Aylmerton Field Study Centre Bariquins BenchVent Blue Reef Aquarium Carecheck CFH Docmail Cotswold Farm Park Danzer Elite Systems Elliott ESE Direct ESPO eTeach Fairtrade Vending FFT Education G.M.Services Gratnells Groupcall HCSS

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48 64 70 85 40 82 93 28 91 93 8 26 75 21 18 16 91 42 44 66, 47 93 92 60 52 40

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.6

Herts Full Stop 24 Highline Adventure 74 Ward-Hendry 44 iiyama International 54 Initiatives Fundraising 92 Insets and Toners 56 Intel Corporation 50 IOSH 45 ISS Mediclean 42 John Owen 25 JVKENWOOD 12, 13 Knowsley Safari Park 74 Kyocera Document Solutions 6 M2M Media - HP IFC Milk For Life IBC Nasen 47 Notts Sport 92 Office Depot 82 Parent Pay 32, 33, 47 PI-TOP 58, Front Cover Prime LED 94 Public Sector Software 28 Quicks Archery 80 Reappraise Consulting 41 Recruitment & Employment 44

School Business Services ScribEasy Synergy Meters Smooga SWAP Specktron Middle East sQuidcard Stephenson Gobin MakerBot Technogym Technology Supplies TES Global TG Escapes The Education Network The London Bridge Experience The Rain Forest Cafe Tiga Ultimaker Universal Services Urenco Viking School Visits Wernick Buldings Yeoman Shield YPO

45 57 31 92 26 BC 36 91 42 44 86 38 14 94 68 72, 47 10 42 82 4 93 20 22 34

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.milk4life.com

Display Technologies for Education 55”to 98” Interactive Displays Android embedded with an optional Windows PC Up to 5 Years Onsite Warranty

Interactive White Boards - 82”, 92” & 110” Ceramic Surface

All supplied with comprehensive and easy to use interactive software.

98”

Interactive Laser Projector 5 Year/10,000 hour warranty Ultra Short Throw WXGA Resolution

Please visit www.specktron.com or email infoeu@specktron.com for more information and our latest promotions.

To find your local reseller or installer, please contact our UK distribution partner AVM Ltd through

www.avmltd.co.uk