Education Business 22.5

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Cover: Mellor Primary School by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects. Credit Beccy Lane

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Comment

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

The manifestos are out With the general election fast approaching, the political parties have released their plans on how they will reform education.

There are lots of promises of much-needed extra money for education.

But how realistic are they?

Labour has outlined plans to inject £25bn into education, which is expected to be funded from extra tax revenue. The party says that it will scrap tuition fees, reintroduce maintenance allowances, limit class sizes, and introduce free school meals for all primary school children.

PLUS: CATERING | FIRE PREVENTION | SECURITY | PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile pledge to inject an extra £7bn into education.

This will ‘reverse all cuts to frontline school and college budgets and protect per pupil funding in real terms,’ the manifesto says. They also promise to introduce a fairer national funding system, ‘with a protection for all schools, so that no school loses money.’

Lastly, the Conservatives intend to pump an extra £4bn into education by 2022.

Controversially, they also plan to scrap free school lunches for infants, instead offering free breakfasts. It has since emerged however that this would work out as 7p per meal to cover costs, which has met with widespread criticism.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

Whichever way the general election goes, I hope the new government will listen to teachers and tackle the real problems facing the sector.

Angela Pisanu, editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 11 issues of Education Business magazine for £250 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Education Business website at:

www.educationbusinessuk.net PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Gooding EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Andrea Pluck PRODUCTION CONTROL Ella Sawtell PRODUCTION DESIGN Jo Golding WEBSITE PRODUCTION Victoria Leftwich ADVERTISEMENT SALES Raj Chohan, Yara O-dulaja, Richard Dawkins, Kathy Jordan PUBLISHER Karen Hopps ADMINISTRATION Vickie Hopkins REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

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Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Contents

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 22.5 07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

13

Guidance on pupil support released following Manchester attack. Conservative free breakfast pledge allocated 7p per meal

13 DESIGN & BUILD

Education Business picks its top ten educational buildings that use modern design and construction techniques to provide an outstanding learning environment

19 FIRE PREVENTION

Inadequate passive fire protection was among the failings identified in the Edinburgh Schools inquiry, which saw 17 schools close last year due to construction defects. Jeremy Ockenden investigates the problem

23 ENERGY 26 43

The LESS CO2 programme was created in response to schools wanting more practical information and support on cutting costs and saving energy.

Ellie Mika shares some tried and tested tips from participating schools

26 SECURITY

The BSIA’s James Kelly discusses the importance of measures such as intruder alarms to keep schools safe in and out of working hours

43 TRIPS

One of the main barriers to offering residential experiences to all students is cost. The Youth Hostel Association explains ways to fund such trips, as well as the many benefits overnight trips can bring

47 CATERING

School meals ensure children get good nutrition and are far more beneficial to a child’s health and energy levels than packed lunches, writes Sally Shadrack, Chair of LACA

50 EDUCATION & ACADEMIES SHOW

The Education and Academies Shows are designed to bring together school leadership teams from around the UK for intensive one-day events offering interactive workshops

The arts is instrumental to academic achievement and personal development in schools, writes Paul Roseby, artistic director of the National Youth Theatre

Melanie Bowden, mathematics subject leader at Sandon JMI School in Hertfordshire, explains how the school has effectively communicated with parents to encourage them to support and get involved with pupils’ learning

54 DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION

With an endless list of competing priorities, information destruction in the education sector can often fall by the wayside. However, careless disposal of confidential information can have severe repercussions if data falls into the wrong hands, writes the British Security Industry Association’s James Kelly

37 IT & COMPUTING

BESA has launched a campaign to highlight the impact of the sharp drop in resources expenditure in UK schools over the past two years, with IT resources behind hit the hardest www.educationbusinessuk.net

Aled Williams, deputy head teacher of All Saints Church in Wales Primary School, explains how it has developed a strong audio visual and technology presence in the school to give pupils the opportunity to learn in a 21st Century way

52 MUSIC & DRAMA

31 PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT 47

39 IT & COMPUTING

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5

Lighting for education Poor lighting can cause eyestrain1 and headaches, as well as drops in task performance. In schools, colleges and universities, it’s important to create an environment where students can thrive.

This is the thinking behind Dyson technology. Lighting that creates efficient illumination and long-lasting brightness to enable optimal lighting conditions for learning and studying spaces with reduced running costs. Light isn’t wasted, so energy and costs are saved.

Lighting

Hand hygiene

See what Dyson technology can do for your business.

Available to buy or rent, for more information: Call: 0800 345 7788 or visit: www.dyson.co.uk As per the Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) The Lighting Handbook Tenth Edition.

Reference and Application, publisher: Illuminating Engineering Society; 10 edition (July 30, 2011).

1

Air quality

CYBER SECURITY

Schools need to develop a ‘hack plan’ following NHS cyber attack

Guidance on pupil support released following Manchester attack

Hack plans must be developed by schools after the NHS’s computer system fell victim to a cyber attack.

Security experts say teachers should not open links or attachments on laptops or phones connected to a school’s network in case the message is a fraud.

Ken Corish, online safety director at the education tech charity, South West Grid for Learning, said “more and more schools” had been hit by ransomware viruses that encrypted sensitive data before the hackers demanded payment to get it back.

He said that “tens of schools” in the southwest had been affected over the past year, with some paying thousands of pounds to hackers.

The warning comes after a computer virus entered the NHS’s outdated XP Windows system, which left many hospitals unable to access the medical records of patients.

Not only this, a ransom of bitcoins was demanded, which is the internet currency.

The PSHE Association has released guidance on how to help pupils who might want to discuss the events of the Manchester bombing.

Twenty-two people have been killed and 64 left injured after a suspected suicide bomber detonated a home-made device at the end of a pop concert.

The explosion happened on 11 May, which saw 60 ambulances and 400 police officers in attendance. More than 240 emergency calls were also made.

The PSHE Asocciation has since put together a planned programme to be used in PSHE or Citizenship lessons which can provide the space and opportunity for discussions that provide timely support for pupils at a difficult and sensitive time.

This guidance is not intended as a script

or lesson plan, but to help teachers answer questions, structure discussion and, if appropriate, extend children’s learning and understanding.

Two separate documents are presented on the association’s website; one with a focus on primary pupils, and the other for those in secondary education.

The association’s website reads: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected in any way by the tragic incident and thank you for the work you continue to do to support children and young people in difficult times.”

For more information or to view the guidance issued, see below.

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS

GENERAL ELECTION

Younger people do not support grammar schools, survey shows

Conservative free breakfast pledge allocated 7p per meal

According to the Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday, the majority of people aged under 55 do not support the expansion of grammar schools.

The poll found that 33 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds and 32.7 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds support grammar schools. Of those aged over 55, more than half (50.9 per cent) believe that grammars are a good idea.

Men were more likely to support the expansion with 45 per cent for grammars compared with 34.3 per cent of women.

More than 1,000 adults took part in the online survey after the conservative party confirmed plans to expand grammar schools in its manifesto.

Meanwhile, new research from UCL, London, Bristol and Warwick Universities found that only a third of children from “just about managing” families in selective areas are likely to obtain a place at a grammar school.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ks4qdgk

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ljyuoww

The Conservative party’s free breakfast promise budget will leave just under 7p per meal to cover costs, manifesto calculations show.

According to Schools Week, food experts have labelled this a “black hole” in its manifesto calculations.

The Conservative’s manifesto promises to scrap universal infant free school meals, which cost around £600 million a year, to be replaced with free breakfast for primary pupils, which has been said to cost £60 million a year.

This is in order to save a sum of around £650 million of school money.

However, critics have calculated that if the country’s 4.62 million primary state school pupils were fed a free breakfast on this budget for 190 school days each year, each meal would have to cost no more than 6.8p.

Even if just half of those pupils took up the offer of free breakfast, these meals would cost just 13.6p each.

Aisling Kirwan, the founding director of the Grub Club, a school-based social enterprise that provides cooking lessons for pupils in poorer areas, said that a nutritious meal costs 25p per pupil on average – which even then would

Education Briefer

PSHE

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/mz2az5k

only amount to porridge with milk.

Dr Rebecca Allen, director of think tank Education Datalab, said schools were looking at a bill in the region of £400 million once costs of paying a teaching assistant to oversee the breakfast club were included.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/jvn2jna

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

7

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RESEARCH

Less academic children are being “set up to fail” A new report has highlighted that there is concern that less academic pupils are being failed by an increasingly academic school system.

According to a report from The Key – an organisation providing leadership and management support to schools – found that more than seven in 10 (73 per cent) secondary school leaders in England are calling for the school system to provide better outcomes for their vocationally and technically minded pupils The State of Education survey also revealed that more than three-quarters (78 per cent) of secondary school leaders believe too much focus is placed on academic testing as a measure of pupils’ success.

The same proportion (78 per

cent) has seen an increase in fear of academic failure among pupils over the past two years.

Provision in vocational and technical education, which includes subjects such as catering, construction and engineering, has become weaker in more than half (56 per cent) of secondary schools since 2014.

Many school leaders attribute this to changes over the past two years in how school performance is measured and the greater focus on pupils’ achievement in academic subjects.

Almost a third (31 per cent) of the secondary heads and school leaders surveyed think these changes have also had a negative impact on pupils’

readiness for the workplace or further education.

In addition to this, eight in 10 (80 per cent) of the secondary school leaders surveyed by The Key maintain that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure, in particular, is limiting opportunities for their pupils with vocational or technical aptitude.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/mo7bjdv

New Teach First chief executive appointed Russell Hobby, general secretary of union NAHT, is set to take over as chief executive at Teach First.

Hobby is set to take over the social mobility charity in September when chief executive and founder Brett Wigdortz stands down.

Wigdortz announced his departure from the organisation he set up 15 years ago in January.

However, he will remain Teach First’s honorary president.

Hobby commented: “Over the last 15 years I have watched the Teach First movement grow from a handful of raw recruits to the national scale and influence it has today,” he said.

“Yet it has never lost its focus on young people, their enormous potential and the power of teachers and leaders to change lives.

“I’m looking forward to building on all that has been achieved.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/lr2l4os

RECRUITMENT

Demand for EBacc subject teachers set to rise Government figures show that the demand for teachers in EBacc subjects is set to increase, which indicates the demise of creative subjects.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published its initial teacher training allocations

SOCIAL MOBILITY

Education Briefer

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

for the next school year, which shows that twice as many trainees in geography, for example, are needed.

Demand for new teachers in creative subjects is expected to fall by up to 11 per cent in some cases.

Among the data was the government’s teacher supply model predictions that reveal how many teachers it presumes should be trained in each subject to meet national demand next year.

It forecasts a huge increase in the need for teachers of EBacc subjects, with some estimations nearly doubling.

Associations representing non‑EBacc subjects say the figures are “deeply concerning” and criticise the government for “pre-judging” the outcome of the delayed EBacc consultation.

The teacher supply predictions show that that number of would-be geography teachers has risen by 97 per cent, from 778 in the last academic year to 1,531.

History places have also seen an increase of 42 per cent from 816 to 1,16.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/msrlheu

GENERAL ELECTION

Lib Dems pledge to invest £7 billion into children’s education According to the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, the party will inject an extra £7 billion into education “so no school loses money.”

In addition to this, the party has promised to triple Early Years Pupil Premium to £1,000 in order to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds “the best start in life.”

The party plans to reintroduce maintenance grants for the poorest students, but there is no commitment to abolish tuition fees in England.

The manifesto also says that the Lib Dems would put a stop to the planned expansion of grammar schools and give local authorities responsibility for “local school places planning.”

Free school meals for all primary schools in England is also promised.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/mr4gnjg

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

9

We know washrooms.

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When developing our Lollipop and Genesis ranges for younger children, our design team envisioned versatile washroom cubicles that combine fun, safety and hygiene in equal measure. With important

features such as low level and shaped doors, clever safety hinges and emergency release mechanisms, our education washrooms make supervised washroom trips much easier.

Secondary school cubicles need to be clean, easy to maintain, secure and vandal resistant. With tough demands like these, you’ll be glad to know we build these things into our designs as a matter of course.

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FUNDING

Campaign launched to highlight resource spending drop in schools

The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has launched a new campaign to highlight the impact of the sharp drop in resources expenditure in UK schools over the past two years.

The Resource Our Schools initiative, which has already attracted support from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and numerous subject associations, comes following procurement research published by BESA that shows that primary schools are spending 3.7 per cent less on resources than last year.

It also shows that secondary schools are spending 5.7 per cent less. ICT in secondary schools is being hit the hardest, with a year-on-year decline in expenditure of 7.5 per cent.

The research, undertaken with a representative sample of 906 school leaders by the National Education Research Panel (NERP), reveals that 53 per cent

of primary schools and 52 per cent of secondary schools say their school is not adequately funded to provide a suitable teaching and learning environment.

Seventy-nine per cent of primary leaders and 92 per cent of secondary leaders also say they are not optimistic about future funding for their schools.

The campaign is intended to highlight the importance of ensuring that every school has access to the resources they need to deliver the education that children deserve.

Schools, parents, suppliers and general election candidates will be encouraged to sign up to the Resource Our Schools statement in the run-up to the election, with the signatures presented to the next Secretary of State for Education when the new government is in place.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/mrymndj

GENERAL ELECTION

Labour promises to invest billions into a “national education service”

Education Briefer

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

Labour’s manifesto has outlined plans to inject £25 billion into a national education service, which is expected to be funded from extra tax revenue.

According to the manifesto, “Labour will create a unified National Education Service (NES) for England to move towards a cradle-to-grave learning that is free at the point of use.”

It goes on to say that the NES will be built on the principle that “every child and adult – matters.”

The party says that it will scrap tuition fees in England, reintroduce maintenance allowances, and limit class sizes.

Labour has also labelled the Conservative’s plan to roll out grammar schools a “vanity project” and state that Labour “will not waste money on inefficient free schools.”

Further promises by the party include introducing free school meals for all primary school children; abandoning plans to reintroduce baseline assessments; and extending schools-based counselling to improve children’s mental health.

The Conservative Party has, however, labelled the manifesto “nonsensical.”

Jeremy Corbyn Credit: ChathamHouse

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/m5za6cm

PSHE

Pupils share basic school tools to understand learning in poverty Around 25,000 pupils took part in Share a Pencil Day on 17 May to learn about issues faced by children around the globe.

Children in a range of schools up and down the country were asked to share a pencil for a single lesson, an afternoon or the whole day to experience what learning is really like for many children in other parts of the world.

The event was organised to give pupils

the opportunity to learn about the issues faced by many children around the world trying to access an education while living in zones affected by conflict, natural disasters or extreme poverty, and who lack the basic tools and teachers they need to learn.

Schools and teachers had the opportunity to download lesson plans,

films and posters to support learning.

Proceeds from Share a Pencil Day pencils was also donated to Hope’s Bright Futures mission in partnership with Plan International UK, supporting the charity’s education projects worldwide.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/lhp3k54

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

11

DESIGN & BUILD

EB top ten: outstanding school buildings

EB Top Ten: School Buildings

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

It is widely recognised that a good environment enhances education, as well as wellbeing for both pupils and staff. Education Business picks its top ten educational buildings that use modern design and construction techniques to provide an outstanding teaching and learning environment SANDAL MAGNA, WAKEFIELD and age groups of children to Sandal Magna Community Primary meet and learn together.

School takes the top spot for its To encourage sustainable thinking in its contemporary design which is occupants, the ‘eco’ features of the building inspired by its surroundings and are visible to the eye; its Wakefield’s industrial heritage, rainwater harvesting pipes as well as being one of the most are transparent and carbon‑efficient schools in the UK. the ceilings show Sandal a Accommodating 210 primary its sprinkler n g Ma ry a pupils alongside a nursery channels m i r P y t i n u and a community room, the and acoustic m n Com ol’s desig building takes elements cushions, so o y Sch b d from neighbouring red-brick that pupils can e r i p houses, terraced streets was ins ’s industrial see how things ld and factory chimneys. go together Wakefietage and its Brick and timber are used and work. heri undings alongside other materials The passive such as corrugated rainscreens design methods surro and weatherboarding to provide enables Sandal Magna interesting forms, shapes and textures. to reduce its energy Inside, the school is spacious and colourful, needs, consuming 70 per cent and flexible less energy than a typical primary school. spaces allow To prevent overheating, classrooms are different positioned north, whilst red brick chimneys numbers use the breeze to draw fresh air in and stale air out. A borehole heat pump connected to solar panels heats the school, and rainwater is collected

1

to flush toilets and irrigate the green roof.

Each classroom opens directly outdoors where allotment gardens bring the natural world alive.

Architects: Sarah Wigglesworth Architects BURRY PORT COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL, WALES Burry Port Community Primary School in Carmarthenshire houses the town’s once separate infant and junior schools on one central site. It is a mixture of old and new buildings, and makes excellent use of Welsh timber.

Hailed as the ‘first Passivhaus school building in Wales’, it is built using energy efficient methods.

A standout feature of the building is the egg-shaped ‘pod’ for multi-use purposes.

This pod has been constructed using the ‘Brettstapel’ method, which uses solid timber without nails or glue to hold it together, and is one of the first examples of this technique being used in the education sector in the UK. What’s more, the building makes use of Wales’ abundance of low-grade softwood, Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce.

The timber also creates a natural, toxin-free interior that complements the internal air quality.

The original infant school has been renovated to solve a number of environmental defects. It is now four large, open-plan classrooms as well as multi-use space for teaching and messy play, breakout space, and covered outdoor areas.

2

Architects: Architype BURNTWOOD SCHOOL, WANDSWORTH, LONDON Burntwood School takes the third spot for its striking and modern 1950s design which incorporates an sculptural concrete exterior which vividly contrasts with its green campus.

The building includes four-storey teaching pavilions, sports hall and performing arts building, which are linked to a number of retained buildings by renowned 1950s/1960s architect Sir Leslie Martin. The new and old E

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Sandal Magna Community Primary School, Wakefield 2011 © MH

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EB Top Ten: School Buildings

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

DESIGN & BUILD  buildings form a harmonious campus, with lawns, squares and a covered walkway.

Within each pavilion, classrooms are arranged along a central corridor with double-height spaces at each end to increase natural daylight and connect to the outdoor landscape.

The sculptural concrete facades and the green campus are striking, while inside the walls come alive with large, colourful murals.

Burntwood School won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2015.

The south facing canopies have been strategically angled at 15° to reflect winter sunlight onto the internal ceiling and into the heart of the building through the high-level clerestory windows.

The school is built to energy performance standard, Passivhaus, and won a Passivhaus Trust Award in 2015.

HOLYWELL SCHOOL, FLINTSHIRE Formerly three separate schools, the new Holywell Campus in North Wales has merged the schools into two co-located buildings which share reception areas. The school has 915 education spaces for nursery children through to secondary school pupils. Classrooms stretch out into the main atrium which allows for an open learning environment and

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Architects: Architype

Architects: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris MELLOR PRIMARY SCHOOL, STOCKPORT Mellor Primary School’s new building provides a series of imaginative and inspiring new spaces connecting it to its woodland setting. It houses a classroom, SEN room, library and an extension to the hall. Inspired by the school’s forest school ethos, the low energy building uses locally sourced natural materials. It features a striking habitat wall which was designed and built in partnership with the school’s pupils and provides homes for birds, bees, bugs and bats. Locally found timber offcuts, clay tiles and glass bottles infill the compartments of the habitat wall.

The building has separate out-of-hours access, meaning the suite of new spaces can be hired out to generate income.

The building has won a number of awards, including the 2016 RIBA Award for the North West Region and the Judge’s Choice and Best Education Project at the Structural Timber Awards 2016.

Mellor Primary School

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Architects: Sarah Wigglesworth Architects WILKINSON PRIMARY SCHOOL, WOLVERHAMPTON Wilkinson Primary School was born out of the unfortunate circumstances of an arson attack in 2010. The local community pulled together in helping the school get back on their feet and were involved in the new design.

The site is a former iron works from the industrial revolution and the building was designed with this in mind, using polished grey tiles and rusted steel finishes to the exterior.

The building houses Key Stage 1 and nursery on the ground floor and Key Stage 2 on the first floor, with shared hall facilities and external soft play areas. The design focuses on a central ‘hub’ space, allowing for flexibility and accommodating a range of learning techniques such as focused learning, quiet break out and messy play.

The building has been designed to maximise natural daylight and ventilation for a healthy internal environment. It is made from natural, sustainable materials, that wherever possible are low-carbon, recycled and free from toxins.

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

Mellor Primary School

the reception and office staff share a space that overlooks the main atrium. The school features a shared sports wing which has a four court hall with full changing facilities.

The buildings each have their own library, fitted with state of the art IT equipment and soft furnishings to create a relaxed environment for students. The secondary dining area sits proudly in the main atrium of the respective building, overlooked by

three storeys of classrooms creating a high-impact, vibrant socialising area.

The style inside the buildings embody a Scandinavian theme, including different wood textures and a calming colour palette.

What’s more, clever use of colour and texture have united the buildings and created continuity.

The building won the Construction Excellence Wales BIM Project of the year

Mellor Primary School’s new building provides a series of imaginative and inspiring new spaces connecting it to its woodland setting

award 2016, and is on schedule to have a BREEAM Excellent design this year.

Architects: Lovelock Mitchell

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Q3 ACADEMY, BIRMINGHAM Q3 Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham houses 1,000 students and 250 sixth formers. The school occupies a challenging sloping site E

EB Top Ten: School Buildings

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

Mellor Primary School, Stockport. Credit: Beccy Lane Architect: Sarah Wigglesworth Architects

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DESIGN & BUILD  alongside the M6 motorway in Sandwell.

At the heart of the building sits the design centre, a triple height space with exposed triangulated timber structure, ETFE roof and full height glazing opening onto the landscaped grounds. This impressive space is used as an informal lecture area and a gathering space. Despite the complexities of the site the building benefits from renewable energy techniques, natural daylighting and passive ventilation to achieve BREEAM Very Good.

Architects: Ellis Williams MERCHANT TAYLOR, LONDON Founded in 1581, the historic Merchant Taylors’ School is a British independent all-boy’s school located in north west London. The school has a new design and technology building, which was designed to fit within an extremely sensitive setting – adjacent to the Grade II listed 1930’s school buildings and the open countryside.

The building promotes sustainability, achieved through the use of natural ventilation and the provision of photovoltaics to generate renewable electricity. Environmental concerns were prioritised and audited throughout the design process, which has resulted in a building with a low energy demand that is simple to operate and maintain.

The original brief stated that the building should become an educational tool for the department, to demonstrate different materials and techniques to pupils. The materials and construction methods are therefore evident, particularly in the main workshop.

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development in Coopers Edge.

The architects were challenged to design a building that could both respond to the needs of the community and provide an exemplar educational environment for the students that attend the school. Innovative features of the design include the village square which sits below a dramatic fabric roof and is accessible to both the school

and wider community. There is also a dance/multimedia studio, wide learning ‘streets’ with group pods, and an internal early years playspace. External areas at the school included wildlife areas, growing gardens, animal enclosures and slides and tunnels integrated within the landscape.

EB Top Ten: School Buildings

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

Architects: Robert Limbrick L

Merchant Taylor School: The building is an educational tool for the department, to demonstrate different materials and techniques to pupils. In the main workshop therefore, the materials and construction methods are evident

Merchant Taylor School Photographer: Mark Hadden

Architects: Architecture PLB SYBIL ANDREWS ACADEMY, SUFFOLK Sybil Andrews Academy is a brand new school located in an attractive university style campus to the north of Bury St Edmunds. The £22 million modern new build offers first rate accommodation, exceptional facilities for science and technology subjects, and an impressive sports complex that includes a 4G football/rugby pitch, dance studios and fully equipped gym. Energy efficiency features include a biomass boiler for heating, PV arrays on the roofs of the teaching blocks and sports building, and sustainable drainage.

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Architects: Concertus

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COOPERS EDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL, GLOUCESTERSHIRE Coopers Edge Primary School in Gloucestershire is a 420‑place 2FE Primary School on a greenfield site, and is part of a new community

Holywell School, Flintshire

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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DESIGN & BUILD

Inadequate passive fire protection was among the failings identified in the Edinburgh Schools inquiry, which saw 17 schools close last year due to construction defects.

Jeremy Ockenden, principal fire engineer at BRE Global, investigates the problem The Edinburgh Schools inquiry exposed a worrying range of construction defects following the emergency closure in 2016 of 17 schools built under the same PFI (Private Finance Initiative) contract.

Passive fire protection, which is critical for the life safety of occupants and inhibiting the spread of fire and smoke, was among the failings identified in Professor John Cole’s inquiry report.

The legacy of inadequate workmanship, compromised safety and school disruption left by this particular PFI contract made national headlines. However, school estate managers should not assume that issues with passive fire protection are solely a PFI problem; the fire safety sector is seeing concerning levels of deficiency in education buildings of all ages.

Much of the UK’s school infrastructure consists of ageing stock, which invariably has been extensively refurbished or extended to meet modern educational needs.

Decades of maintenance and alterations may substantially

change the fire hazards within the building, leading to modified structures where the level of performance regarding passive fire safety is no longer understood.

RE-EVALUATING THE STRATEGY In dynamic environments like schools, it is frequently found that the fire strategy and associated documentation have been amended and added to over the years. This often leads to a current strategy which is either difficult to interpret or no longer meets the holistic needs of the school. It is common to find that passive fire ratings are being maintained in areas where there is no longer any purpose in doing so, while new risks introduced to the building may not have been properly assessed.

In such circumstances it may be advisable to re-evaluate the fire strategy for the school as a whole.

The generation of an ‘as-built’ fire strategy document

A large n io proport pping to of fire-surk above l defectsilings and in false ce at are out of areas thand difficult sight access to

for the building can assist in bringing its current status into a single comprehensive plan. The present-day needs of the building can be clearly laid out in order to rationalise and clarify exactly where the critical elements of fire compartmentation are required in addition to addressing other fire safety issues.

PASSIVE FIRE RESISTANCE NEEDS Adequate passive fire resistance requirements form the critical backbone of the fire escape strategy for school buildings, all the more so in multi-level teaching blocks.

Compartmentation is relied on to contain fire and smoke spread between zones and floors, creating areas of relative safety where occupants will be safe for a time from the effects of fire, giving staff adequate time to evacuate all pupils. This is particularly important for high dependency students, allowing them to safely reach and wait in designated disabled refuges/ zones while providing the additional time needed to assist them from the building.

Traditionally used for fire stopping, asbestos has been largely replaced across older school buildings. But do records show where and how the work was carried E

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Written by Jeremy Ockenden, principal fire engineer, BRE Global

The hidden defects in passive fire protection

Fire Prevention

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

Fire Prevention

DESIGN & BUILD  out, and whether the replacement system provides an adequate level of fire resistance performance? Often such modifications result in a wall construction which does not conform to any known fire tested system.

Other commonly cited issues relate to the modernisation of services which can leave walls, ceilings and floors peppered with holes in order to route new electrical/ IT cabling, or mechanical upgrades. All too often, such modifications are implemented with little understanding of the fire strategy objectives for the building or without adequate attention to fire-stopping.

All this creates a challenge of unknown proportions for the school facility manager who is unlikely to have the expertise to assess passive fire protection and may have only patchy documentation on the safety compliance of the past.

FIRST STEPS Whatever the age of the school, and in the absence of a robust paper trail of building compliance, a thorough assessment of passive fire protection is a vital first step in understanding your current fire risk.

The initial challenge is to identify if there is a problem and the extent of it.

A large proportion of fire-stopping defects lurk above false ceilings and in areas that are out of sight and difficult to access. It means that many potential weaknesses and gaps in passive fire protection will not be spotted even during a routine fire risk assessment.

A suitably qualified specialist should be called in to carry out an initial sample survey of the building. This is a starting point that will give an indication of the quality and condition of passive fire protection to identify any deficiencies and make an expert judgement about whether there is probable cause to suspect widespread defects.

ASSESSING OVERALL RISK If evidence of a systematic problem is found, what should follow is a rigorous process to determine the overall level of risk that these defects pose to the building. This will involve an understanding of fire dynamics, smoke movement, and the likely impacts on the building occupants, requiring expertise in fire behaviour and fire risk management.

Such technical judgments rely on a forensic level of fire behaviour understanding and risk appraisal generally outside the expertise of a risk assessor or contractor installing passive fire protection. Without this insight, unqualified decisions may be taken to rip out and replace fire-stopping, involving unnecessary disruption and expense.

A competent fire engineer should have the in depth knowledge of fire behaviour in order to make technical assessments of the impacts of a fire on a building and likely fire spread in its present condition. This risk assessment is paramount to the planning, design and cost rationalisation of efficient interventions

Aftermath of a fire

Decades of maintenance and alterations may substantially change the fire hazards within a building, leading to modified structures where the level of performance regarding passive fire safety is no longer understood to minimise intrusion on building activities.

First and foremost, it provides a clear quantification of the current fire risk. Even if a defect has been identified, it may not have compromised the specified fire performance of the compartment. Can corrective work be targeted to avoid wholesale upgrades?

Does the problem need action now or can treatment be safely managed in phases?

WORK PLANNING A robust understanding of fire risk impacts will provide the scope and confidence to prioritise and plan a programme of work. It is advantageous to work with a fire risk specialist who can also provide coordinated expertise in planning interim strategies for fire risk management.

This involves a range of often complex risk considerations. Will the current fire strategy and fire protection still function safely during a phased scheme of works, or do fire management systems need to be adjusted to address changing fire risks as work progresses? They can also advise on the implementation of suitable evacuation strategies in line with the changing logistics of work on site.

TESTING BEFORE REPLACEMENT If an installation defect could require extensive replacement of fire protection, then testing of the current system may be advisable.

Although a system may not have been installed in accordance with the tested specification, this does not necessarily mean that it will not achieve the intended standard of performance.

Where it is considered plausible that a system may demonstrate the expected level of performance, it may be possible to test a sample section removed from the building to demonstrate whether the existing installation is acceptable and may be safely retained.

A competent fire testing specialist may be able to assess whether a system is likely to perform to the expected standard, avoiding potentially significant costs and disruption of refurbishment for the client. Equally, they may be able to

judge whether a simple modification is possible, via a desktop assessment involving professional judgment based on experience and previous test evidence.

RESOLUTION IN FIVE STEPS In summary, the following steps are recommended in addressing and remediating passive fire resistance risks: Firstly, survey the building to identify the presence, nature and extent of any problems with passive fire resistance.

Following this, identify the level of associated risk including the likely spread of smoke and fire; the persons at risk due to mobility, medical dependency or other circumstances; and the presence of active fire safety systems and their reliability. Staffing considerations and safety and other potential consequences of the risk should also be considered.

The next step should be to compile a clear risk register to assess and prioritise works.

Once that is done, it’s time to determine action: does passive fire protection need remediation or will existing installations, though not in accordance with specification, achieve the intended level of performance?

The last step is to formulate a clear plan of remedial works which does not introduce new risks to the building.

Inspection and treatment of passive fire protection problems can be a major operation in terms of the cost and logistical impacts on facilities management.

The best outcomes will be achieved by engaging a full service fire specialist who can provide a holistic, coordinated appraisal and strategy for risk management and treatment.

This offers the most effective route to quantifying the problem, understanding the risk, controlling the cost of remediation and minimising the impacts on school continuity. L

Jeremy Ockenden is a Principal Fire Engineer at BRE Global, a leading research centre and international authority in building fire performance and fire risk assessment.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.bregroup.com

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SUSTAINABILITY

The LESS CO2 programme was created in response to schools wanting more practical information and support on cutting costs and saving energy. Ellie Mika from Ashden’s LESS CO2 team shares some tried and tested tips from participating schools Getting students and staff involved in saving energy and sharing advice between schools not only cuts energy costs but inspires positive behaviour change and is key to the success of the Ashden’s LESS CO2 programme.

Supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the programme was created in 2010 in response to schools wanting more practical information and hands-on support on saving energy and cutting costs.

The free energy efficiency programme teaches schools how to get energy smart and how to save vital funds that can be invested back into schools in other ways.

The programme runs over the course of a school year in a series of four half-day workshops, and includes expert advice and resources for staff as well as the opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas, and brainstorm solutions. The workshops cover various aspects of energy saving, from recording meter readings to monitoring energy use, behaviour change for staff and students, and how to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.

Local schools work together in geographic clusters of up to 15, sharing information,

experiences and advice on how best to tackle energy usage and reduce energy bills. On average, schools that take part in the LESS CO2 programme save £2,600 and 10 tonnes of carbon in their first year.

As well as the workshops, participants also receive mentoring from Ashden Award‑winning schools, an energy audit, and advice on steps to reduce their energy use.

IMPACT So far, more than 135,000 pupils have learnt about energy saving and nearly 300 schools have benefitted from the programme, saving nearly 17,000 tonnes of CO2 and £830,000 in energy bills.

LESS CO2 is aiming to work with 3,000 UK schools in total over the next five years.

Gail Hill, business manager at Abbey Road Primary School, commented: “Working with the Ashden LESS CO2 programme really helped us to bring our energy saving efforts into sharper focus.”

In 2012, schools in Devon and Cornwall

who participated in the programme saved an average of £5,000 on their energy bills, made a real impact in the behaviour change of pupils and staff, and started to integrate sustainability throughout the curriculum.

The amount of carbon savings from participating schools is also impressive.

Schools in Devon and Cornwall reduced their CO2 emissions by over 300 tonnes over the course of the programme. Many schools also reported a greater sense of community from the local support networks created through their participation in the programme.

Furthermore, LESS CO2 can help boost local economies by encouraging schools to work with local contractors such as solar power installers and energy efficiency advisors.

According to Alex Green, LESS CO2 programme manager: “From staff awareness to student engagement, the positive change we’ve seen in the participating schools as a result of the programme has been remarkable, not to mention their reduced carbon emissions.” E

Written by Ellie Mika, Ashden’s LESS CO2 programme

Energy saving tips from sustainable schools

Energy

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The energy free efficien cy program me teaches sc to get ehools how smart a nergy nd to savehow vital fu nds

Members of the eco team at South Farnborough School Credit: Andrew Aitchison/Ashden

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Energy

SUSTAINABILITY

Thornhill Primary School’s Eco Club notice board. Credit: Alex Green/Ashden

LESS CO2 makes students and staff in primary and secondary schools more aware of the impact they have on the environment and inspires pupils to take more responsibility in the running of their school  TOP TIPS FROM SCHOOLS One of the key elements that makes the LESS CO2 programme a success is the emphasis on learning and the sharing of ideas, tips and stories between schools and amongst students. One of our graduating clusters in Devon shared some advice on what they found to be key in their transition into a sustainable school. Aside from basic energy-saving actions such as switching off lights and computers, and limiting and conserving heat, they shared a few additional tips for schools preparing for their energy management journey.

THE POWER OF DATA Collect data at the beginning of the process. This can help show the potential impact of the work and the progress made, and can also support any funding requests. Learning how to calculate savings and payback times can also be valuable in assessing impact and planning.

Keep tabs on how much energy is being used. This information can be used to identify and change non-sustainable behaviours.

Set short, medium and long-term goals. Short-term goals can be simple solutions that are quick and easy wins and keep everyone engaged, while long‑term goals should be ambitious.

Change takes time, so plan accordingly. Take the time to speak to all members of staff, contact energy suppliers, and review the energy data.

Key to the success of any energy saving initiative is the involvement and collaboration of everyone. Inform students, teachers and building staff of school‑wide goals and changes they can make to ensure a more sustainable school.

GETTING STUDENTS INVOLVED LESS CO2 makes students and staff in primary and secondary schools more aware of the impact they have on the environment and inspires pupils to take more responsibility in the running of their school. To get students really involved and to give them a feeling of ownership over the school’s energy saving plans, we’ve come up with a few ideas to get them excited and engaged with the programme.

Green clubs: students can be an energetic and creative source of ideas, and are great at encouraging others to save energy (and telling them off when they’re not). Have them establish an Energy Saving Club and hold an assembly to give other students tips on how to save energy.

Monitoring: give students ownership and responsibility in their energy‑saving actions. Have them run regular checks on classrooms to make sure computers and lights are switched off.

Rewards: reward individual students or entire classes with badges for remembering to turn off their lights and computers.

Provide incentives for them to engage in sustainable practices.

For example, award good energy-saving behaviour with gold

stars and tally these on a board in the classroom. Have a prize each term for the top three students on the board.

Laura Stanley, staff governor of West Byfleet Junior School in Surrey, commented: “I have really enjoyed taking part and, as a result, big changes have been made. The children are so enthusiastic about energy saving/monitoring. Our mentor has been so supportive.”

INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAMME? The free LESS CO2 Programme is recruiting schools for the next academic year. Whether your school has already made a start in cutting energy use or is starting from scratch, all that is needed is willingness to learn and engage in the programme.

Register your interest on our new website and start saving.

LESS CO2 is run by Ashden, a charity with a mission to help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world through increasing the take-up of sustainable energy. Ashden’s annual Awards Ceremony recognises and rewards the most innovative sustainable energy pioneers in the UK and developing world. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.lessco2.org.uk

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Security Written by James Kelly, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

ALARMS

Securing the education sector An intruder alarm in a primary school in Keighley recently interrupted three teenagers after they broke into the school, causing them to swiftly leave without taking anything. The BSIA’s James Kelly discusses the importance of such measures to keep schools safe in and out of working hours With today’s constantly evolving technological landscape, not to mention the sheer amount of products available on the market, it can be difficult to know whether or not the chosen security solution is truly fit for purpose and will meet the specific security requirements of the school. With this in mind, the BSIA’s Security Systems Section recently compiled a free guide to help key decision makers within schools understand the real, tangible benefits of installing intruder alarms – and other systems – as well as providing clear advice as to what standards such systems should meet, and how decision makers should go about procuring such a solution.

Discussing the need for the guide, Martin Harvey, chairman of the BSIA’s Security Systems Section explained: “It is essential that key decision makers are taking security seriously and making the necessary arrangements to protect their premises from both internal and external threats. The installation of high quality intruder alarms and their integration with other security systems, such as access control and CCTV, can provide vital peace of mind that the site is being protected both in and out of school hours. With such a wide variety of products on the market, as a section we felt it was necessary to create a helpful, concise guide to inform decision makers of the benefits of different security systems.”

MONITOR AND DETECT The key purpose of an intruder alarm system is to monitor and detect unauthorised entry to a premises, consequently alerting the police or other response services and / or authorised people – such as a caretaker, headmaster or key holding service – to attend the property as part of a response plan. An intruder alarm can also incorporate a panic alarm (PA) facility; a panic alarm, which is sometimes referred to as a hold up alarm (HA/HUA), is an electronic

The keyf an eo purpos der intru m is yste alarm s itor and to mon tect de orised unauth ry ent

SECURING EDUCATION Members of the BSIA’s Security Systems Section already have a wealth of experience within the education sector. To demonstrate this, the BSIA conducted a survey of the section members and their involvement in securing the education sector. 50 per cent of respondents felt that the use of private security measures in the education sector had increased over the previous 12 months, while 67 per cent anticipated them increasing over the next 12 months. In terms of the biggest threat facing the education sector, survey respondents felt that student and staff welfare was the most important factor

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to protect, emphasising the importance of investing in high quality security solutions.

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

device designed to assist in alerting somebody in emergency situations where there is a real threat to a person or property. This could mean alerting the police, local security guards or another response service. Often, intruder alarms are remotely monitored and linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), where trained operators can assess the situation and respond accordingly. Remote monitoring can be beneficial in that it gives vital peace of mind that the premises is being closely monitored outside of hours and that if an incident does occur, it will be dealt with promptly.

First and foremost, before choosing a security system, it is very important for key decision makers to undertake a comprehensive risk assessment of the property. The risk assessment must address the specific security risks that are both present and foreseen, as this will have a direct impact on the ability of the installed security system to function effectively. Once the requirements have been laid out, it is also important that the decision maker has a clear understanding of the standards a system must comply with in order to be fit for purpose. In the case of monitored intruder alarms, it is very important to be aware of the fact that in order for a police response to be issued once an alarm is raised, the monitored intruder alarm must meet with the specific requirements set out by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

It is also important to note that in Scotland,

requirements are set out by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS).

For one, the installation of the alarm and the services provided by the installing company must be certified by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)‑accredited certification body. For monitored systems that send signals to an ARC, the ARC must also comply with either British Standard BS 5979 (cat II) or BS EN 50518. Compliant systems will be issued a Unique Reference Number (URN), meaning they will then receive a level 1 priority police response. These systems will receive this priority response until three false calls – or four in the case of Scotland – within a rolling 12‑month period. According to the NPCC, a false alarm would be one that has not resulted from: a criminal attack, or attempts at such, on the protected premises; actions by the emergency services in the execution of their duty; or a call emanating from a hold up alarm with good intent. The activation of detectors without apparent damage or entry to the premises and line faults are considered as a false alarm unless proved otherwise.

SECURITY PERSONNEL As well as adhering to these essential police guidelines, there are many other crucial standards that intruder alarms and their installers must meet with in order to ensure you are choosing a reliable product and service. This

Security

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A compliant, high quality intruder alarm can result in lower insurance premiums, helping to reduce costs whilst providing around the clock protection includes the fact that any security personnel should be vetted to BS 7858, which is the Code of Practice for Security Screening of Individuals Employed in a Security Environment. This code sets the standard for the security screening of staff in an environment where the safety of people, goods or property is essential. As such, when choosing someone to install an intruder alarm system – or any other type of security system – it is essential that they meet with BS 7858. In addition, compliance with the PD 6662 scheme enables intruder and hold‑up alarm systems to be installed and maintained in accordance with published British and European standards. Full details can be found in the BSIA’s new guide. In general, a compliant, high quality intruder alarm can carry many added value benefits, for one, a high quality system can result in lower insurance premiums, helping to reduce costs whilst providing around the clock protection. They can also be valuably integrated with other security measures, such as CCTV systems and access control measures, in order

to form a more comprehensive layer of security.

Overall, when choosing a security company to install an intruder alarm, there are many requirements that the company should meet.

The BSIA’s new guide provides a useful checklist of such requirements in order to aid decision makers in the procurement process. Perhaps one of the most important ones is that the installer must be a member of a trusted trade association like the BSIA. Membership of the BSIA would mean the installer meets with `the essential British and European standards and would be able to supply an intruder alarm that would gain the necessary police response and ensure the safety of the school, staff and pupils. The guide also provides some best practice examples of BSIA members who have supplied their services in the education sector, demonstrating the benefits of working with a trusted, reputable supplier. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk

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COMMUNICATION

Melanie Bowden, mathematics subject leader at Sandon JMI School in Hertfordshire, explains how the school has effectively communicated with parents to encourage them to support and get involved with pupils’ learning The National Curriculum for mathematics demands a new way of learning; the objective being that all pupils will become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice, with increasingly complex problems over time.

It isn’t difficult to understand the government’s reasoning – teaching children in a way that allows them to develop a conceptual understanding of maths, which will in turn lead to an ability to recall and apply knowledge accurately

and effectively, is fundamental to building confidence in adulthood.

Our own journey started with supporting all staff in getting to grips with changes to the curriculum; we provided additional resources so that teaching methods could evolve.

Furthermore,

we recognised that to achieve a high level of success, we also needed to encourage the whole school community to be a part of that process and embrace this new method.

We u n d e rs that pa tand are bus rents and com y people, success municating them n fully with ee appreci ds to be at their ne ive of eds

PARENT COMMUNICATION We began by focusing on the ‘parent’ tab of our website.

Our website hosts information for parents such as: internet security, the school uniform E

Written by Melanie Bowden, mathematics subject leader at Sandon JMI School

Taking parents on the learning journey

Parental Engagement

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31

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COMMUNICATION

 policy and events, but we also added a section entitled ‘Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home.’ Here we illustrated a number of maths fact sheets for each key stage, which explained to parents some of the different methods of calculation. These sheets provide links to online films so that the methods can be demonstrated and easily replicated.

However, we understand that parents are busy people, and communicating successfully with them needs to be appreciative of their needs. We therefore decided to provide an additional concrete representation of maths which parents could take away and refer to.

In order to do this I started by adapting our Calculation Policy as the current version was too long for parents to read. I condensed it into a short booklet which aims to outline the progression of calculation from Foundation through to Year 6. Whilst, we live in the 21st Century and are encouraged to adopt a paperless environment, it is important to understand how best to communicate with our parents. Storing information online is important, but a booklet that they can take away with them and read at home has produced a higher level of interest.

Despite hosting the fact sheets online and handing out the booklets, we couldn’t expect parents to instantly understand the new methods of teaching maths: learning through the application of a broad range of mathematical skills to solve a problem. We decided to communicate with parents from

Parental Engagement

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

We believe that pupil voice is so important.

It provides an insight into children’s thoughts and children feel they have been listened to all possible angles, and invited them into school to discuss our goals and ensure they understood how they could help. During this session, we used games such as Battleships, dominos, card games and snakes and ladders to illustrate ways in which parents could share the teaching of mathematical concepts and use the opportunity to develop their child’s mathematical competence.

ENGAGING PUPILS Alongside parental involvement, we have found that pupil voice is also key to improving the experience of learning. Recently, I met with the school council who expressed an interest in additional cross curricular maths activities. We believe that pupil voice is so important. Not only does it provide an insight into children’s thoughts but equally children feel they have been listened to. As a result of a meeting, over Easter, our whole school homework project was to design and produce hats that would illustrate mathematical thinking. This not only gave children the opportunity to link art with mathematics but provided time at home to discuss maths in a fun and engaging way.

Certainly I believe my role is to try to ensure children are excited about learning

so that in the future they grow to be adults who will wish to continue to learn. This will in turn mean that they become able to contribute more independently and effectively within society. In order to achieve this, we need to support both parents and children to understand and appreciate how fun maths can be. Most of us grew up in a learning environment where maths focused on facts, and involved reciting times tables, and repeating individual mathematical skills. For some this generated a negative view and has in some cases resulted in adults who feel they ‘don’t like maths’. We believe changing this opinion is a vital part of helping children thrive.

ONLINE LEARNING AT SCHOOL AND HOME Therefore, part of our journey has been to help change parents’ mind-sets when it comes to maths, and as a result, ensure their children develop a positive view of the subject. Parents may not realise the potential damage they may be causing when they offer ‘sympathising’ words of “Oh! You poor thing, is it maths today?” or “I won’t be able to help you I always hated maths”, when their children come home with maths homework. E

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COMMUNICATION

Whilst we encourage children to use maths in different learning environments, one of the key areas they enjoy is technology. We therefore decided that it was important to implement an online learning resource that worked in-line with the new curriculum’s requirements and one that could also be used with their parents at home.  It is alarming the power of such comments, in turning a child away from learning to love and enjoy maths. After all, maths is everywhere and sooner or later they will enter adulthood and have to use it every day.

Whilst we encourage children to use mathematics in different learning environments, one of the key areas they enjoy is technology. We therefore decided that it was important to implement an online learning resource that worked in-line with the new curriculum’s requirements and one that could also be used with their parents at home. We reviewed a few primary maths resources, but for us, Matific was exactly what we were looking for as it adopts a fun problem solving approach to learning.

For each online activity, the children have to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and developing a justification of how to solve the problem. Another priority we believe is for children to feel that it isn’t necessarily about getting the correct answer, but the process and the reflection afterwards, which hopefully leads towards success. The software helps us to achieve this by ensuring that every pupil operates at their own level to explore various mathematical applications.

Each week we focus on an area of mathematics and then children are encouraged to compound their learning by attempting tasks at home. They love it and enjoy showing their parents what they can do.

It is early days, but we certainly feel that by including parents in their child’s mathematical development, introducing maths across all areas of the curriculum and implementing Matific as part of the home-school learning process, our pupil’s achievements and enjoyment will continue to improve.

Of course, depending on the IT hardware that each child has access to, it may not be possible to do this at home; we therefore set up a ‘Homework Club’. What we actually find now is that most children use computers or mobile devices at home and then also come to the club. As all activities are mapped out as a learning pathway, each child can start at their current level, and work at their own pace.

GAINING FEEDBACK In order to assess the impact, I sent out a survey to both parents and children to gather feedback. The main reason was to ensure both

Melanie Bowden, mathematics subject leader, Sandon JMI school, Hertfordshire

parents and children were involved in our assessment of the product as we value their opinions After all, why would a parent bother communicating with their child’s school if they felt their views weren’t taken seriously?

All parents surveyed responded. The majority said that their children were increasingly more enthusiastic about maths. Others wanted to stress how much they enjoyed sitting alongside their child at home while they were doing the fun online activities.

It was also interesting to note that some children and parents wanted to know what level the children were being given. Whilst Matific is levelled, this isn’t something I want to focus on; there is of course a starting point, but from there, children are encouraged to progress at their own rate. Equally any unit studied might provide a different starting point, so levels will not be consistent across the board. We are proud of our community’s attitude towards mathematics.

Children recently stated in a whole school council meeting (Foundation through to Year 6) that they enjoyed mathematics.

Personally, I was absolutely delighted and

Parents call for primary schools to go mobile Research has revealed that over half of parents want their primary school to send information about their child home through an app or mobile-enabled web portal.

Parental Engagement

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

The survey, commissioned by Capita SIMS, also revealed the extent that primary schools had adopted different forms of communication technology so far.

Almost half of primary schools (48 per cent) were offering updates to parents online through a portal, and 37 per cent offered updates by text. However, only 32 per cent offered a mobile app or mobile‑enabled website. Over 1,000 parents with children at state primary schools in England were interviewed as well as 850 teachers at state primary schools in England.

Graham Cooper, head of product strategy at Capita SIMS, said: “Smartphones have radically transformed our lives. We can hail a taxi, order a takeaway and listen to our favourite song in a few taps.

But now, parents are demanding the same technology to revolutionise the way they communicate with their child’s school too.”

“With an app, a parent can access information about their child’s progress during their lunchbreak on their smartphone, allowing them to help with learning at home. Having alerts sent to tell parents that Jemma has a spelling test on Friday, that Jane did great in her maths project or that Ravi needs to bring his PE kit tomorrow are something that most busy parents would wish for and something that apps can deliver.”

Anthony Mayo, a parent of two primary school children, concurs: “As a working parent, I would love information about my children available on my phone. Finding a suitable time to speak to teachers can be difficult. It would be far more convenient to be able to access information about progress in each subject at the touch of a button.” will continue to research effective methods to support this in the future. I firmly believe that our approach to the teaching of mathematics, alongside the involvement and communication with parents, created a positive learning experience for the future. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.sandon.herts.sch.uk

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

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SCANNING SOLUTIONS

SUPPORTING ADMIN AND IMPROVING LEARNING As schools, colleges and universities attempt the tricky balancing act of cutting costs while improving service level, more are more are discovering the benefits of deploying Fujitsu scanners in the classroom and offices Primary and secondary school teachers are working almost 60 hours a week, according to the DofE, and a lot of this time is spent carrying out bureaucratic tasks such as form filling and general paperwork.

By implementing digital working practices including the scanning and digitisation of material, a school will very quickly see the benefits bought about from the enhanced collaboration between staff members, pupils and parents, as well as supporting SENCO in the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which is laid out in their code of practice 2001.

The speedier capture of correspondence such as permission slips, catering requests, HR material, bursaries and paperwork related to special needs, as well as the implementation of technology driven teaching methods for a more enriched learning experience and marking, will additionally see time being freed up whether for teaching or personal recreation.

By the time children start school many are already familiar with technology, giving teachers a platform of knowledge on which to build.

Infant and junior schools that have the technology to enhance learning are setting the benchmark, both in terms of actual achievement and parent or government recognition.

ENHANCED LEARNING For many customers in the education sector, the ability of Fujitsu scanners to aid learning is as important a benefit as improved administration. It is also a major priority for Fujitsu, who are working with a number of establishments to explore how scanners can be used to improve learning in the classroom.

36

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

CAPTURING EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS An important aspect of this programme is to discover how technology can help early learners develop confidence in their abilities and recognise the progress that they have made.

Fujitsu scanners can help in this regard by capturing a pupil’s work throughout the term so that children, teachers and parents can see how their work has evolved and improved as well as providing a discussion point in school. Providing digital files at the end of term instead, or as a supplement to, the actual artwork is also convenient for parents.

Some schools are even charging for this service to recoup the cost of the scanner.

IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS Schools are making use of Fujitsu scanners, both to improve their administrative processes and to enhance collaboration with students and parents.

The Student Services department at Ryburn Valley High School is a case in point. It is using a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 scanner to digitise and distribute the large number of financial documents handled by the bursaries office and to streamline everyday administrative processes, including the management of absence notes.

Pre-planned absence notes handed in by parents used to be photocopied by the department, stored in filing cabinets and handed out to teachers spread across the school grounds – a slow, time consuming and unreliable process.

Now, absence notes are digitised on the iX500 and, using the scan-to email function, circulated instantly to the teachers concerned.

The iX500 doesn’t just save paper and time; it has also enabled Ryburn Valley High School

to improve the learning experience. When a pupil is absent, missed classwork can now be scanned and emailed to them so that they can catch up on coursework remotely.

THE ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY Since implementing a scanning solution, survey response rates have trebled, rising from 15-20 per cent to 65 per cent, while the total volume of documents scanned has increased by 20-30 per cent and is expected to double by next year as the solution is expanded beyond module evaluation surveys.

The scanners have already been drafted in to process surveys from other departments which are heavy paper users, processing surveys on accommodation, catering, the union environment and other student services which are increasingly becoming as important to the student experience as teaching and learning.

The solution is saving time and resources, making data more easily accessible from the automatically archived files, and streamlining reporting of corporate key performance indicators – of which an increasing number are satisfaction based and can be pulled directly from the survey figures.

To comply with legislation, the University of Bristol needed to store passport and visa details for foreign students. They have implemented an easy-to-operate data capture and management solution based on Fujitsu scanners. As a result, it is now able to fulfill its statutory obligations in an efficient manner, processing information quickly and accurately.

For further information, case studies, white papers and videos, see below. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.fujitsu.com/uk/products/ computing/peripheral/scanners/education

IT FUNDING

A call for more IT resources The British Educational Suppliers Association has launched a campaign to highlight the impact of the sharp drop in resources expenditure in UK schools over the past two years, with IT resources hit the hardest Procurement research published by BESA shows that primary schools are spending 3.7 per cent less on resources than last year, and secondary schools are spending 5.7 per cent less. ICT in secondary schools is being hit the hardest, with a year-on-year decline in expenditure of 7.5 per cent.

The research, undertaken with a representative sample of 906 school leaders by the National Education Research Panel (NERP), reveals that 53 per cent of primary schools and 52 per cent of secondary schools say their school isn’t adequately funded to provide a suitable teaching and learning environment. Looking ahead to the next year, 79 per cent of primary leaders and 92 per cent of secondary leaders say they are not optimistic about funding for their schools.

Whilst the current conservative government maintains spending in schools is at record levels, most, if not all of schools are feeling the pressure of tightening purse strings.

THE CAMPAIGN In response to this, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has launched

a campaign to highlight the impact of the sharp drop in resources expenditure.

The ‘Resource Our Schools’ campaign has already attracted support from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and numerous subject associations.

It is intended to highlight the importance of ensuring that every school has access to the resources they need to deliver the education that our children deserve. Schools, parents, suppliers and general election candidates alike are encouraged to sign up to the Resource Our Schools statement in the run up to the election, with the signatures presented to the next Secretary of State for Education when the new government is in place.

Announcing the launch of the campaign, Caroline Wright, Director General of BESA, said: “It is vital that pupils have access to high quality classroom resources. The unprecedented and continued pressure on school budgets over

Accordi to resea ng rch, ICT in s e c o n dary schools the har is being hit year-on dest, with a -y in expe ear decline nd 7.5 per iture of cent

recent years is now having a real and lasting damaging impact on the quality of our children’s education. Politicians must act to stop the cuts now.”

Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the NAHT, said: “Schools are currently being expected to make £3bn of savings by 2020.

These reductions put the stability of the whole education system at risk. NAHT’s Breaking Point Survey from January 2017 revealed that eight out of ten school leaders are cutting back on equipment in order to balance their budgets. Six out of ten are cutting back on the hours worked by support staff. Support staff are crucial to making sure that all pupils in the class can participate fully in practical subjects like science and technology. Any future government needs to commit to fund education fully and fairly, reversing the £3bn real terms cuts that schools are facing.”

Alan Kinder, Chief Executive, Geographical Association, said: “To introduce children and young people to the amazing variety and complexity of their ever-changing world, teachers need curriculum materials of the highest quality. At the same time, teachers themselves need professional guidance to develop their expertise. If the resources in our schools and classrooms do not match the excellence of our teachers and young people, we do them a great disservice.”

IT & Computing

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

NORTH OF THE BORDER Meanwhile in Scotland, a recent conference by union NASUWT revealed that ICT provision in Scottish schools is failing teachers and pupils. It was highlighted how IT systems and equipment in schools are not fit for purpose and must be “urgently upgraded to cope with the demands of the curriculum”.

Teachers at the conference have called on the Scottish government to “commit to making adequate finances available to ensure all schools have effective and up to date ICT systems for pupils and staff.”

Representatives discussed the problems with current ICT infrastructure in their schools, including outdated software, poor internet connections, lack of or ageing hardware and unacceptably limited capacity on computer networks, meaning multiple pupils cannot use school computers at the same time.

Chris Keates, the union’s general secretary, said: “It is clear that current ICT systems in many schools are not fit for purpose and significant investment is required to ensure that they meet the needs of 21st Century education provision.

“It is also clear that there are inequalities between schools in terms of the quality and quantity of ICT hardware and software. This must be addressed to ensure all schools have high-quality equipment to aid pupils’ learning.” L

FURTHER INFORMATION www.resourceourschools.com

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FREEFONE: 0808 035 0799 EMAIL: education@misco.co.uk VISIT: www.misco.co.uk/ict-for-the-classroom

U N L O C K

Y O U R

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P O T E N T I A L

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Misco has thirty years’ experience in providing ICT products and services to schools across the UK. As one of Europe’s leading IT resellers of technology products and solutions, our team has the scope and ability to provide full service and support for the whole ICT life-cycle.

Whether you’re equipping a classroom, staff room or school, we’ll help you select the hardware which meets the needs of your organisation and unlocks your students potential to learn.

We partner with the leading brands in the I.T market who can provide any education establishment with the most up-to-date products and solutions at some of the best prices. To learn more about our ICT for the classroom campaign, visit www.misco.co.uk/ict-for-the-classroom

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AUDIO VISUAL

Aled Williams, deputy head teacher of All Saints Church in Wales Primary School, explains how it has developed a strong audio visual and technology presence in the school to give pupils the opportunity to learn in a 21st Century way I believe that technology, has become part of a pupil’s 21st Century pencil case.

It’s so integral to their everyday life, and provides them with everything they need to perform research and collaborate with others, so as a responsible school, it’s crucial for us to ensure that both pupils and teachers alike are equipped with the skills to make use of the tools at their disposal.

In our ICT suite, we have a range of different devices, including 15 Mac Minis, three MacBooks, six HP laptops and five

Chromebooks. We also have a number of iPads which are used across the school; some of these are set up for Foundation phase, and others for Key Stage 2, as the apps we need to buy and use for the different year groups are varied. While these devices are all housed in the ICT suite, they are often only there in the mornings, as people come to pick them up and use them in their

lessons. The children use them all the time, and the message we put to them is that they don’t need to ask to use a pencil, so they don’t have to ask to use an iPad or other device; as long as the pupils can show me and justify how they’re using it to present their work, that’s all I ask of them.

CROSS-PLATFORM CONFIDENCE We want our pupils to be familiar with different technologies, so we have Android, Chrome, Windows and Apple devices available for them to use. They will have a preference – as many of us do – but at least this way, they will have had exposure to all of the potential platforms that they might come across in E

T pressur he edtech e around is that s investment c make phools often u withou rchases knowin t really gw do with hat to it

Written by Aled Williams, deputy head teacher of All Saints Church in Wales Primary School

Dipping into the 21st Century pencil case

IT & Computing

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FREEFONE: 0808 035 0799 EMAIL: education@misco.co.uk VISIT: www.misco.co.uk/ict-for-the-classroom

U N L O C K

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S T U D E N T S

P O T E N T I A L

T O

L E A R N

Misco has thirty years’ experience in providing ICT products and services to schools across the UK. As one of Europe’s leading IT resellers of technology products and solutions, our team has the scope and ability to provide full service and support for the whole ICT life-cycle.

Whether you’re equipping a classroom, staff room or school, we’ll help you select the hardware which meets the needs of your organisation and unlocks your students potential to learn.

We partner with the leading brands in the I.T market who can provide any education establishment with the most up-to-date products and solutions at some of the best prices. To learn more about our ICT for the classroom campaign, visit www.misco.co.uk/ict-for-the-classroom

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AUDIO VISUAL

 secondary school and beyond.

Pupils today have grown up not knowing life without technology, so we often see children teaching adults how to use devices. Take my daughter for example: she’s currently in Year 2 and has shown her grandparents how to use their iPad. They think she’s a genius; she’s not, but she is used to technology and naturally doesn’t have a fear of using it. We have children in Year 2 now who have the same digital skills as our Year 5 pupils, so we have to keep providing opportunities for them to keep their learning going over a lifelong period.

In addition to the mobile technology we have on-site, we also have interactive whiteboards in many of our classrooms, and more recently, we’ve invested in 4k HD‑ready touch screens. All of these displays are connected to computers that have the AirServer app. With this, we can show the content of multiple devices on the screen at once, as opposed to the Apple TV, which only allows you to beam one device at a time.

Not only does this enable pupils to showcase the work they’ve done, but it also promotes collaboration with the whole class. For example, you can show four or five pieces of work on the board at once, and make comparisons between the different examples, looking at how bits of one piece might improve another and vice versa, which is a really powerful tool for peer assessment.

We also have sound recording devices and cameras, which are used predominantly by our younger pupils, as they’re more tactile. We use BeeBots for programming in the foundation stage, and we have walkie‑talkies and phones that can be used in the roleplaying area, so we get an

even wider range of devices, not just the traditional laptop or PC learning experiences.

IT’S ABOUT THE LEARNING The problem with the pressure around edtech investment is that schools often make purchases without really knowing what to do with the technology once they have it.

I’ve worked in schools that have over 60 iPads locked away in a cupboard, with no real indication of how they plan to use it.

They could have over £10,000 of kit, simply because other schools have them. We don’t need technology for brilliant classrooms, but we do need teachers who understand the value and purpose of it. As it’s something that pupils will use every day, boosting teachers’ confidence to get involved is essential.

When you look at technology as a teaching and learning experience, rather than just a technological advancement that teachers have to get involved with, it really improves the outlook of even the most technophobic staff members. We have developed simple ways for technology to be used by the teacher as well, so that they can get hands-on as much as possible. One of the main strategies here is through tweeting, which we do every day.

We now use hashtags to combine the content of each year group and subject, so if you’re a maths, PE or art co-ordinator, you can archive all of the posts, videos and images together, if you ever need to provide evidence of what’s been going on in your lessons. This is really powerful in subjects like PE, where very little is recorded on paper or in books. With Twitter, you can simply show off the photos of the great work being done with school sports and PE, and we’re again using the iPads to achieve this.

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THE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY The most important thing for teachers to learn and understand is what technologies are appropriate for the lesson at hand.

Sometimes, it is better to have a large sheet of paper shared between a group of pupils to write and draw on, but this can then be enhanced. By taking a photo of the finished sheet, teachers and pupils can annotate their original ideas and share their work online. It’s all about encouraging pupils to think differently.

This applies even more when things go wrong with the technology. While many people (pupils and teachers alike) would usually be put off by the fact that something isn’t working, I like to see this as a learning opportunity. I love it when any of my pupils say “it’s not working,” as this means that things are going to get interesting, we’ll have a good laugh trying to fix it, and we’ll learn even more. After all, you don’t learn in straight lines, straight lines are boring. Let your pupils get it wrong and make a mess of it, because through this, they’ll learn more and be far more enthused by the success of when it does work.

Trust your pupils to figure it out.

By combining teaching and learning with a digital platform, you’re developing responsible digital citizens who know how to use technology appropriately and safely, and when not to use technology at all. This is how you create true impact with the digital resources at your disposal, so break them out of the cupboard. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.allsaintspsbarry.com

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RESIDENTIAL TRIPS

One of the main barriers to offering residential experiences to all students is cost. The Youth Hostel Association explains ways to fund such trips, as well as the many benefits overnight trips can bring According to Learning Away research, teachers agree that learning outside the classroom makes lessons more memorable, improves student motivation to learn and improves engagement with the subject matter.

There is growing recognition of the unique value of learning outside the classroom.

Ofsted recognises that when planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom experiences significantly contribute to raising standards and improving young people’s personal, social and emotional development.

To promote the benefits of residential school trips, last year the Brilliant Residentials campaign was launched by the Learning Away Consortium, which is led by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) and chaired by Joe Lynch, YHA (England and Wales) commercial director.

The campaign was developed following extensive research amongst more than 60 primary, secondary and special schools in 13 partnerships across the UK. The resulting

report, which was published in June 2015, contained powerful research and statements to support the benefits of residential school trips. Both secondary and primary staff involved in the research phase stated that the residential was “worth half a term” in terms of the progress students had made.

Supporting the campaign, Joe Lynch said: “YHA wholeheartedly shares CLOtC’s vision; we want more children and young people of all ages and from all backgrounds to benefit from the life‑changing experience a school trip with an overnight stay can bring. This is at the very heart of YHA.”

GETTING PUPILS OUT YHA has extensive experience of the benefits of learning outside the classroom for pupils and teachers through YHAs hugely popular School Trips programme which has been running for many years.

In 2016 more than 140,000 young people from 4,158 schools enjoyed school trips to YHAs in England and Wales. More than 70 of YHA (England and Wales) network of properties are also Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) accredited properties.

LOtC accreditation significantly reduces the red tape for the thousands of education providers that use YHA’s Youth Hostels and learning experiences provided there each year. E

Written by the Youth Hostel Association

Make the outdoors your classroom

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Th Youth He Associa ostel bursary tion offers up to 50 funding of p cost of aer cent of the trip fro residential m for Kidsits Beaks fund

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RESIDENTIAL TRIPS

 THE BARRIER However, one of the main barriers to offering residential experiences to all students as an integrated and progressive part of their curriculum, is cost. As a consequence, for many schools residentials are provided as an enrichment, rather than as an entitlement.

There are 3.5 million children living in low income households which, research has shown, impacts on their physical and mental wellbeing.

Joe added; “Working together, the combined membership of the consortium can influence virtually every aspect of current residential provision. As well as campaigning for ever increasing quality of provision, we will also be looking to encourage more residential opportunities – especially low cost accessible stays, that will open these great learning opportunities to even more young people.”

WAYS TO FUND Pupil Premium funding can successfully part fund the cost residentials for these children. Alongside this, YHA offers bursary funding of up to 50 per cent of the cost of a residential school trip from its Beaks for Kids fund, for pupils in receipt of free school meals, this ensures that the financial pressure to attend the school trip is not placed on the youngster or the school.

The Breaks for Kids fund together with more than 70 of which are Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) accredited properties, means that the YHA School Trips programme is playing a key role in enabling young children, especially those from disadvantaged

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backgrounds, to participate in activities in rural and urban areas of England and Wales.

AIDING LITERACY Residential school trips have been able to demonstrate their impact on raising

the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and helping to ‘narrow the gap’ between them and their peers. In fact, the causal link between poverty and poor literacy is well documented. Research by Hart and Risley in 2003 showed that children as young as

As well as the Alex Rider Spy Academy, YHA offers a range of fully flexible residential options that are ideal for school groups of all shapes, sizes and abilities, from self-led adventures, a National Curriculum‑linked package to revision breaks or field study follow up, which can all be delivered by YHA’s own team of qualified instructors three from lower income families have a third of the vocabulary of children in higher income families. One in five children struggle to learn to read, in part because their parents have literacy issues themselves.

Linking the outdoors to literacy is at the heart of YHA (England and Wales) Key Stage 2/3 action-packed residential YHA School Trip Alex Rider Spy Academy which was developed in 2015 in conjunction with Walker Books and author Anthony Horowitz. The residential spy academy brings the first novel in the Alex Rider series – Stormbreaker (2000), to life to life in the grounds of 15 Youth Hostels in England and Wales.

Available as a three or four-night residential experience, the focus is very much on real experiences in the real outdoors as students learn how to become the next teenage spy hero, Alex Rider, with a primary aim of encouraging young boys to read.

Joe added: “Research has proven that outdoor learning has a long lasting impact on young people throughout their school career. The fact we have been able to develop the Alex Rider Spy Academy – giving young people real experiences in the real outdoors – is testament to the fabulous network of properties YHA has. Bringing the books to life in this way is an excellent way to get young people reading.”

To further encourage students to read, all participating students attending a YHA Alex Rider Spy Academy receive a free copy of Stormbreaker courtesy of Walker Books, and there are also exclusive discounts on the Alex Rider boxset for participating schools.

ENCOURAGING READING Year 6 pupils from Oasis Academy Wardon in Worcester, were the very first educational group to sign up for the Alex Rider Spy Academy. The school had a two-night stay at YHA Broad Haven. The accompanying class teacher Louise Rowland said: “It was really good to see how this encouraged them to read. A lot of them read on the way back, including those who struggle with reading or are not really excited by books, particularly the boys who became very engaged.”

She added: “A lot of the children come from deprived areas and many of them were doing things for the first time, such as the coastal walk and being beside the sea, which one pupil described as the best day of his life. This was one of the reasons why we decided to book again.”

As well as the Alex Rider Spy Academy, YHA offers a range of fully flexible residential options that are ideal for school groups of all shapes, sizes and abilities, from self-led adventures, a National Curriculum‑linked package to revision breaks or field study follow up, which can all be delivered by YHA’s own team of qualified instructors. With more than 160 Youth Hostels throughout England and Wales, from 26-bed self‑catering hostels in Cornwall to 300+ bed hostels in central London, YHA literally has accommodation and a school trip to suit everyone. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.yha.org.uk/school-trips

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Nutrition

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Food sector during Brexit talks: what’s going on? allmanhall is a celebrated team of food procurement experts.

They have recently been recognised for their commitment to their team’s professional achievements and development, and for the support they provide clients; they were announced winners of the Customer and Staff Care Award at the Wiltshire Business of the Year awards Awards 2017.

“Six months have passed since my marketplace outlook for 2017 (visit allmanhall.co.uk/blog for details) and events certainly continue to move at quite a pace,” says Mike Meek, procurement director at allmanhall.

Future implications to the food sector are pronounced. There is an incredibly complex balance of objectives to achieve within a limited timeframe.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) represents nearly 40 per cent of the EU budget, and is fundamental to the make-up of our regulation.

Circa 80 per cent of UK agricultural exports head to the EU and according to the Food and Drink Federation this rises 97 per cent of imports and 94 per cent of exports when including countries

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with which the EU has negotiated or is currently negotiating Free Trade Agreements and Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQ’s).

The EU CAP can be viewed by some as over‑regulated. Creating a new more effective and tailored policy solution that supports the UK’s interests to the rural and farming community, its approach to environmental standards, trade and animal welfare has its merits.

The food service sector has many other touch points and not just those focused on agricultural production via the CAP and Common Fisheries Policy.

For example, competition regulation, procurement rules, waste disposal, water management, emissions management, food

labelling, food safety, labour laws, labour access, movement of goods, capital and tariffs to name a few.

If the UK leaves without negotiating a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU, or interim arrangement, the UK would likely default to World Trade Organisation rules and would incur costs of trade to the EU with associated non-tariff and tariff barriers.

Non-tariff barriers become more pronounced if regulatory standards start to diverge from those of the EU. These stem from the effects of product and production certification and customs checks, particularly as food items are perishable.

At this stage, it is clearly too early to make any firm predictions about the outcome of our impending negotiations.

There are both benefits and challenges to consider and allmanhall will continue to monitor all future developments.

To read more from Mike and the team, see below.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.allmanhall.co.uk/blog

NUTRITION

Catering

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Packed lunches: do they meet the grade?

The debate around child nutrition has intensified in recent months. This is particularly true when it comes to childhood obesity, with nearly 10 per cent of all young children in England being obese according to the national child measurement programme (NCMP) in 2015-16.

PREVENTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY One way to halt this rise of childhood obesity is to ensure that children are educated early on about what constitutes a healthy meal, and one of the best ways to

reinforce these lessons is through ensuring that children eat healthily at school.

School lunches are far more beneficial to a child’s health, nutrition, and energy levels than packed lunches.

The introduction of new nutritional standards – as outlined in the school food plan – in January 2015 has now ensured that this is the case.

In contrast to the health benefits of school meals, packed lunches are consistently shown to be less healthy, less nutritious and therefore less beneficial to children.

In 2016, a Leeds University report stated that only 1.6 per cent of children’s packed lunches met the nutritional standards set for the school lunches being eaten by their classmates.

With the average packed lunch consisting E

Childho o obesity d is intr linked t insically in adult o obesity means hood, which esta good hablishing early o bits imperatn is ive

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Written by Sally Shadrack, Chair of LACA

Sally Shadrack, Chair of LACA, explains why the majority of pack lunches do not have the same health benefits for pupils as a school-cooked lunch

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 of a sandwich, a yogurt, a chocolate biscuit, a piece of fruit and a bottle of squash according to the Journal of Public Health Nutrition (2009).

Over the last few weeks newspaper reports of children going to school with packed lunches that have included cold fast food, and even entire packets of biscuits have appeared.

With one story reporting that a teacher encountered a child who was provided with the “previous night’s kebab meat”, whilst another said she saw a packed lunch containing “chocolate spread sandwiches, chocolate biscuits and chocolate mousse”.

These examples are clearly more horror stories than the norm, but as caterers we know that this is all too common an occurrence in schools across the country.

SCHOOL FOOD GUIDELINES The school food guidelines were intended to help children develop healthy eating habits and ensure they have the energy to learn and the nutrients to thrive while at school. Included in the guidelines are limits on foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt; whilst encouraging meat, fish and other forms of protein.

The school food standards also tell school chefs exactly how large portions should be, for example it states that every child should have at least one piece of fruit and one serving of vegetables per day.

According to government guidelines, “hot lunches should be provided wherever possible to ensure that all pupils are able to eat at least one hot meal every day.” Since these standards have been introduced the quality of food available in schools has improved as has the nutritional value of the meals.

The ‘eat well, do well’, Hull school food initiative showed that a packed lunch was more likely to provide an excess of calories at lunchtime, with more calories from fat, as well as more saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

POOR DIET-RELATED ILL HEALTH Childhood obesity is intrinsically linked to obesity in adulthood, which means that establishing good habits early on is imperative.

In 2014-15, nearly £6 billion was spent on poor diet-related ill health by the NHS in England, and nearly £1 billion was spent on those who were physically inactive.

This includes diseases such as heart disease and other chronic illnesses that are related to poor diet. The NHS is predicting that if nothing is done then this spending would increase by £2 billion by 2030.

In order to reduce the number of children growing up to be overweight and unhealthy, children must know what makes a healthy and unhealthy meal and the best way to do this is by teaching them early.

School meals, have other wide ranging benefits, including the provision of a hot meal, which some children may not have received otherwise, specifically in the case of those

who receive free school meals as a benefit.

Additionally, school meals also promote a sense of community, with children across all age groups sitting, eating and socialising together. During a Scottish pilot scheme, children who ate a school lunch were also likely to discuss what they ate with their parents, who in turn were likely to learn what constituted a healthy meal.

INCREASED ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT School meals are also linked to increased academic attainment. In the pilot studies carried out under the last Labour government, which saw all primary school children given free school meals in the London Borough of Newham and in Durham, those children

ones that are provided by parents, whether that be the horror stories noted above, or a simple sandwich and a bottle of squash.

Studies have shown that good nutrition, particularly early on, improves health and development in the short term and influences behaviours and developments in the long term. Additionally, healthy children are more likely to go to school, have normal cognitive development and have fewer behavioural problems.

School meals, which follow the nutritional standards set by the government are demonstrably better for children in the vast amount of cases in comparison to packed lunches that almost always miss nutritional targets.

The school food guidelines were intended to help children develop healthy eating habits and ensure they have the energy to learn and the nutrients to thrive while at school. Included in the guidelines are limits on foods high in fat who took part were found to be two months ahead of their peers academically, compared to those who had not received the meals.

This was particularly true for children who were in reception and year one, highlighting the importance of nutrition in the early years of child’s life and education.

It is likely that this occurred because school meals were more likely to have replaced a relatively poorer nutritionally based packed lunch. Further showing that lunches provided by the school far outweigh the

Far too many children are not eating the right food, if we want to take a proactive role in raising the next generation of healthy adults, we need to ensure that our children are eating well. Hot and healthy meals cooked by professional chefs, held to nutritional standards outlined by the government and supported by nutritionists, is a good place to start. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.laca.co.uk

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Education & Academies Show

EVENT PREVIEW

All fourre a events ttend a free‑to‑ts for even , finance chers sars, a e t d a e h rs, bur ool o t c e r i d nd sch PTAs, a ership lead teams THE SOUTHERN

Bringing school leadership teams together The Education and Academies Shows are designed to bring together school leadership teams from around the UK for intensive one-day events offering interactive workshops Each free regional event brings together around 400 education leaders and decision-makers with key service providers and policy-makers; to share new ideas, find innovative solutions to common problems and ensure the best possible outcomes for young people.

They combine inspirational speakers, interactive workshops and peer-to-peer networking.

Over the next nine months, the events take place in four key regions across the country.

These include the Southern Education and Academies Show, which takes place 28 June at Farnborough International Conference and

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Events Centre in Hampshire; the Midlands show, 11 October at Cranmore Park in Solihull; the Northern Education and Academies show, due to take place 7 February next year at Event City in Manchester; and the Eastern Education show, which will take place 22 February at Newmarket Racecourse, next year also.

All four events are free-to-attend events for headteachers, deputy headteachers, finance directors, bursars, business managers, governors, local authority education leaders, PTAs, IT managers and school leadership teams from the state, academy, and private sectors. Lunch, refreshments, and parking is completely free.

EDUCATION SHOW On Wednesday 28 June, the Southern Education and Academies Show (SEAS) takes place at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Hampshire, bringing together schools from across Southern England for a full day of networking, sharing ideas and learning.

Supported by key county councils such as Hampshire, Surrey and east Sussex, all schools in the region are encouraged to send at least one representative to the event, as a productive way to end the current academic year and plan for the next chapter of your school’s evolution.

Throughout the day, a high-level programme of free keynotes and workshops will provide visitors with expert advice on current challenges and opportunities for the education sector, with important updates from key organisations such as the Regional Schools Commissioner, Ofsted and the National Governor’s Association.

Kicking off the day in his inimitable style will be Vic Goddard, the inspirational headteacher known across the UK for his starring role in Channel 4’s ground-breaking ‘Educating Essex’ series. Vic’s opening keynote will provide an optimistic reminder of why being a teacher can still be “the best job in the world” despite its many challenges. As the principal of Passmores Academy and one of the country’s best-known educators, Vic is well-known for a straight-talking, informal approach that was often misunderstood by the tabloid

Each free regional event brings together around 400 education leaders and decision‑makers with key service providers and policy‑makers; to share new ideas, and to find innovative solutions to common problems impact they have had on Ofsted’s work.

Find out how the Regional Schools Commissioner sees academies and free schools improving educational performance in the years ahead. Deputy director Maria Dawes from the south-east south London region explains how the RSC is driving priorities such as challenging underperformance and raising standards.

Stay ahead of the new Department of Education’s Competency Framework for Governance with help from the National Governor’s Association. Clare Collins, the NGA’s head of consultancy will discuss the importance of effective governance within schools and the rationale behind the new framework.

media while the series was running.

In this energetic vision of the future, Vic will share some unconventional ideas on how to develop incredible teachers and school leadership teams – and how to transform a school from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’. Vic’s overwhelming positivity and refusal to give up on any student will leave you with a renewed feeling of positivity and empowerment.

Later in the afternoon, another recent star of the small screen, Darcey Bussell CBE, takes to the stage to discuss the hot topic of physical wellbeing and its close connection to educational performance.

As the former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and one of the most famous British dancers of all time, Darcey now uses her unique experience and expertise to advocate for dance fitness in the PE curriculum.

With the health and fitness of young people becoming a key issue of the 21st Century, Darcey believes that performing arts, dance fitness and physical literacy will benefit not only the individual child but the whole school, making a major impact on the whole education system and the health of future generations.

NEW INNOVATIONS Kinaesthetic learning has an important role to play within a person’s development. At the Southern Education and Academies Show, you’ll have a golden opportunity to get your hands on the latest classroom technology within the innovative Demo Hub. Learn to programme a robotic head with Ohbot and explore its text-to‑speech and face recognition technology. Ohbot programmed by children. It has seven motors to provide a range of realistic movement.

Visit the Tablet Academy to get hands-on with a range of STEM solutions including robotics, talk to experienced educators and check out Virtual Reality in the classroom.

Tablet Academy is dedicated in helping schools to develop their teaching and learning through the integration and application of new and existing technologies.

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Don’t miss the Winchester Science Centre and your chance to gaze at the night sky within their large state-of‑the-art mobile planetarium. Providing a 360° experience, the planetarium will be hosted by an astronomy expert who will present live astronomy planetarium shows and play 360° full‑dome film shows on a variety of topics.

Make the most of your day at the Southern Education Show with free entry, parking, lunch, and refreshments.

Online registration is now open and all schools in the region are encouraged to send at least one representative.

INNOVATIVE SUPPLIERS When you visit the Southern Education and Academies Show on 28 June, you can meet a huge range of specialist suppliers and support services, showcasing innovative products and services to help your school succeed.

Participants include: 100 Objects That Made Kent, 2Simple, 3D Recruit Education, Agile ICT, AGP Artificial Grass Products, and Altuity Solutions.

For a full list of exhibitors, visit the website.

Pre-register your place at the Southern Education and Academies Show before 27 June to be in with a chance of winning a package of school equipment, training services and educational products worth over £2,500. L FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01892 820366 www.southerneducationshow.uk

LATEST KEY DEVELOPMENTS Hear the latest priorities for schools in Southern England and what Ofsted is doing, through inspection, to support improvement. Ofsted’s HMI Sian Thornton will also touch on developments in the inspectorate over the past two years and the

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Music & Drama Written by Paul Roseby, artistic director of the National Youth Theatre

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CREATIVE ARTS

Recognising the importance of music and drama The arts are instrumental to academic achievement and personal development – and should be as important in schools as sport, writes Paul Roseby, artistic director of the National Youth Theatre

By 2020 creativity will be the third most important skill in the jobs market according to the World Economic Forum, which is attended by business leaders from across the globe.

Its 2016 Future Jobs report said that the only things that will be more important will be complex problem solving and critical thinking, two skills that anyone who’s ever staged a theatrical production or exhibition will know all about.

The recognition by global leaders of the importance of creativity is encouraging, but unsurprising given that in the UK alone the creative industries contribute £87 billion to the economy. It’s not just creative businesses than need creative people though. As artificial intelligence micro-chips away at traditional manual work, the new currency is creative and emotional intelligence across the economy.

From the Chinese government to the Harvard Business School, all are watching the success of our creative industries on the global stage and entrenching the skills required to succeed in them in their formal educational institutions. Sadly, closer to home, despite being quick to champion statistics about this positive economic impact, we are in danger of becoming victims of our own success.

The fundamental nature of what creatives do is being devalued far beyond our precious sovereign pound although in some way the two are inevitably linked.

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As we witness the polarity of ‘penguin politics’ like never before, where if everything is black and white, in or out, free or fortune, then the casualty is the nuanced grey with all the wisdom that would bring.

STAFF AND FUNDING While the all-consuming political debate around Brexit rages on, the state of the arts in schools is approaching crisis point.

There are now 1,700 fewer drama teachers than in 2010, 1,200 fewer art and design teachers, and 38,000 less hours provided for art, drama and music as a result. And yet we in the creative industries currently account for one in every 17 jobs.

Parents are being asked to pay for schools trips due to funding cuts, which means that in some cases only those that can afford it can access the cultural education that all deserve. Later this year here at the National Youth Theatre we’re teaming up with

of our cast members found out when he hit the phones this week to encourage schools to bring their pupils to a West End experience that could pique their interest and spark a future career in the creative industries. Time and again he was told “I’m sorry we’ve had to close our drama department.”

He left shocked but resolved to go back to his own school to make the case for a creative education for all. We need more like him, but also a coordinated national approach and simple message to fight back against the current educational tide.

Increasingly, I’m convinced that this message should be that drama must be as important in schools as sport and everyone must do it.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Great Britain won just one gold and came 36th in the medals table. Two decades and billions of secured funding from the National Lottery (immune from government cuts) later and the results are all to be gloriously

While the all-consuming political debate around Brexit rages on, the state of the arts in schools is approaching crisis point. There are now 1,700 fewer drama teachers than in 2010 and 38,000 less hours for art, drama and music as a result leading physical theatre company Frantic Assembly to stage their award-winning Othello in the heart of London’s West End. It breaks my heart to think that despite school tickets starting from just £14 (less than half the price of the average West End ticket) some young people will be denied the opportunity to see Shakespeare’s text brought to life. His work was written for the stage, not just the classroom.

DRAMA DISAPPEARING FROM SCHOOLS The threat to drama in schools is much bigger than cancelled trips though. As one

shared in with such a wealth of diversity and dedication thanks to a cultural and financial shift. It’s no surprise that school funding for sport is now at its highest level on record at almost £41 billion.

This is why, if we are really serious about finding the Mo Farahs of the film world, and the Tammy Grey-Thompsons of the theatre world we must begin to fight the prejudice in bolder, simpler terms. Unless the arts finally wins the same respect and status as sport both in and out of schools, the financial gains and our voices will be diminished to the back of the class and deemed an irrelevant luxury.

Elite sports are celebrated, but elite arts are either pilloried or deemed too soft an option to be taken seriously. Theatre arts and sport command the same disciplined team building skills and adrenaline making confidence boost.

It doesn’t matter how many qualifications you have, if you can’t communicate in the workplace, they are worthless.

The only way to secure meaningful change – to put the arts on the same footing as sports – is by making a certain amount of hours a week compulsory for creative learning taught by drama teachers in every school, just as sport is compulsory in early secondary education. As well coordinating our voices around one simple message, those of us with the power to make a difference must turn talk into action.

WORKING CLASS TALENT Earlier this year I was asked to give evidence at a parliamentary enquiry into working class access to the arts. On a panel of MPs, TV actors, writers and directors all agreed that the decline of drama in schools was one the biggest threats to working class talent coming through. This is particularly true in rural areas outside of London and out of reach of the brilliant work theatre education departments do in towns and cities around the UK. Whilst some schools have life-changing creative teachers who offer the only

The only way to secure meaningful change is by making a certain amount of hours a week compulsory for creative learning taught by drama teachers in every school, just as sport is compulsory in early secondary education provision in these areas, they are facing an uphill battle against funding cuts, department closures and the status of arts qualifications in the curriculum.

In response to this specific need, we are now actively committed to piloting an idea in schools in socially deprived rural areas to help lead by example. Offering up a formal solution to the diminishing arts opportunities to young people in schools. We want to empower drama teachers to become the creative directors of dynamic productions that are used to teach subjects from across the curriculum. We believe that alongside parity with sport, this is the key to bringing drama in from the periphery in schools to the core of everyone’s learning. Imagine a school coming together to study history, languages, food technology and literacy through the dramatic Victorian tale of the first celebrity chef Alexis Soyer by award‑winning playwright James Graham. Or, what about a creative

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production around the story of Alan Turing, covering maths, history and yes complex problem solving and critical thinking.

PARTICIPATING IN THE ARTS The positive wellbeing outcomes of participating in the creative arts at an early age are as recognisable as those from sport. And yet as the chalk lines are painted across many a playing field in preparation for sports days across the country, the dividing lines between sport and drama are still too great.

The arts don’t just offer soft power, it offers staying power. We need to install that staying power in every school and celebrate arts days alongside sports days or we are in danger of becoming an island museum of cultural heritage with no cultural financial future. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nyt.org.uk/

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Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Document Destruction Written by Kelly, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

DATA SECURITY

What do you know about identity theft?

With an endless list of competing priorities, information destruction in the education sector can often fall by the wayside.

However, careless disposal of confidential information can have severe repercussions if data falls into the wrong hands, writes the British Security Industry Association’s James Kelly New figures published by Cifas have revealed that identity fraud is on the rise. The statistics have been collected from 277 banks and businesses and show almost 173,000 recorded frauds in 2016, the highest level to date. As organisations that collect and retain personal information, schools have an important role to play in preventing identity theft. Student and staff records, as well as financial data, pose an attractive target for criminals who can use this information to their advantage. The repercussions for the individuals involved can be severe and can include financial loss, credit issues, benefit losses, legal problems and stress.

Worryingly, not all schools are aware of – or do not place enough importance on – the security of their data. Research conducted by the BSIA in order to identify trends within the education sector revealed that some 66 per cent of schools were not using a professional provider to destroy information.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Under the Data Protection Act 1998, everyone responsible for using data has to follow the data protection principles.

These include ensuring that

data is used fairly and lawfully, for limited, specifically stated purposes; used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive; accurate; kept for no longer that is absolutely necessary; handled according to people’s data protection rights; kept safe and secure; and is not transferred outside the European Economic Area without adequate protection.

Failing to abide by these principles can put a person’s information at risk which can lead to identity theft and fraudulent activity.

The seventh principle of the Data Protection Act stipulates that an organisation must take appropriate measures against accidental loss, destruction or damage to personal data and against unlawful processing of the data. To fully comply with the Data Protection Act, a handler must have a written contract with a company capable of handling confidential waste, which can provide a guarantee that all aspects of collection and destruction are carried out in a secure and compliant manner. To ensure this, suppliers should comply with European Standard BS EN 15713:2009 for security shredding and also BS 7858 for staff vetting.

Failing to comply with the Data Protection Act could result in large financial penalties being imposed on the school by the Information Commissioner, huge reputational damage and even prison sentences for those found culpable.

Worry not all ingly, are awa schools do not re of – or importaplace enough n securityce on – the o confide f their informantial tion

THE IMPORTANCE OF EN 15713 “Schools need to safeguard the individuals that they hold data on by ensuring that documents are shredded by a reputable data destruction company. The same caution must also be taken with computer or laptop hard drives and any other items which could be used to identify or impersonate individuals,” comments Don Robins, chairman of the BSIA’s Information Destruction Section.

“Information destruction is vital to prevent identity fraud, therefore, if you don’t have the expertise, don’t take the risk,” adds Don. An essential element of choosing an information destruction company is ensuring that they comply with BS EN 15713:2009, which is a crucial requirement for organisations of all types and sizes, as it provides recommendations for the management and control of collection, transportation and destruction of confidential material and recycling to ensure such material is disposed of securely and safely.

The BSIA’s Information Destruction section was a key player in the development of EN 15713 and helped to provide specifications

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

on how the processes should be handled within the secure data destruction industry.

Essentially, EN 15713 ensures that companies providing data destruction services are doing so in a secure manner which provides maximum security for end-users’ information. The standard covers a number of key aspects of a data destruction service, from premises to personnel and a company providing data destruction services will need to meet these requirements to comply with the standard.

The standard requires that premises used for confidential data destruction must have an administration office where the necessary records and documentation is kept for conducting business, which should be isolated from other business or activities on the same site. An intruder alarm installed to EN 50131-1 and monitored by an Alarm Receiving Centre should be present and the premises should also have a CCTV system with recording facilities monitoring the unloading, storage and processing areas. CCTV images should be retained for a minimum of 31 days unless otherwise agreed with the client.

A written contract covering all transactions should exist between the client and the supplier and any sub-contracted work should only be allocated to other companies compliant with EN 15713. The client should be made aware if any sub-contractors are used.

All staff should be screened in accordance with BS 7858 – security screening of individuals employed in a security environment code of practice – and should sign a deed of confidentiality prior to employment.

Confidential material should remain protected from unauthorised access from the point of collection to complete destruction and should only be collected by uniformed and suitably trained staff carrying photographic identification. The destruction of confidential material should take place within one working day from arrival at the destruction centre, where shredding is taking place away from a customers’ site.

There are also a number of requirements relating to the use of vehicles for the collection and transportation of confidential material, or the destruction of confidential material on a customers’ site. These include the ability to communicate via radio or telephone to the home base, the ability to be closed and locked or sealed during transit and the ability to be immobilised or alarmed when left unattended.

PROCUREMENT AND GUIDANCE The BSIA’s Information Destruction section has produced a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to help end-users navigate and understand EN 15713, which provides a full list of the requirements which information destruction companies should meet to be compliant with the standard. The guide also offers some additional recommendations on other areas of best practice which aren’t requirements under EN 15713, to help end-users to make

Document Destruction

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

The BSIA’s Information Destruction section has produced a comprehensive, step‑by‑step guide to help end-users navigate and understand EN 15713, which provides a full list of the requirements which information destruction companies should meet to be compliant with the standard informed decisions when it comes to procuring or renewing information destruction services.

Using the information provided in this guide, along with the range of other publications published by the BSIA’s Information Destruction section – which includes a guide to the Data Protection Act for end‑users – can help schools understand their obligations to good data management.

The freely available information published by the section can help schools that may have concerns about their current confidential information destruction procedures.

Schools can also find a range of information to help them comply with the Data Protection Act on the Information

Commissioner’s website (www.ico.org.uk).

The BSIA’s Information Destruction section consists of companies that securely destroy a range of confidential information, including paper, DVDs, computer hard drives and other items that could potentially cause problems if they fell into the wrong hands, such as branded products and uniforms.

All members of the BSIA’s Information Destruction section are compliant with EN 15713 as part of their ISO 9001:2008 inspection and are committed to promoting best practice within the industry. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Products & Services

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

ENERGY

ENERGY

Small Feet Energy provides energy certifications with efficiency support and advice.

It works direct with the public, estate agents, social housing, public bodies, academies, facility management companies, SME’s and large organisations.

Small Feet Energy are wholly independent assessors providing unbiased compliance surveys such as energy performance certificates (EPCs – domestic and commercial – including new build on-construction), display energy certificates (DECs), TM44 air conditioning inspections (ACI), energy savings opportunity scheme (ESOS) and Scotland Section 63 assessments. It also conducts Legionella Risk Assessments on behalf of landlords to comply with HSE’s ACoP L8 (Approved Code of Practice).

Small Feet Energy can support renewable technology/battery storage installations and provide energy management via metering or building

AFS Biomass are proud to be at the forefront of promoting, installing and maintaining biomass heating systems nationwide. The benefits of adopting biomass are compelling.

For example, it replaces expensive fossil fuel heating costs with cheaper fuel; avoids potentially punitive carbon taxes; promotes eco‑credentials from almost carbon neutral heating; and provides effective heating for public sector or business premises.

Now is undoubtedly the time to invest in a biomass heating system for maximum rewards.

As one of the leading, Carbon Trust Accredited, biomass installation companies in the UK, AFS Biomass offers bespoke biomass system design, installation and ongoing maintenance provision.

From schools and care homes to hotels and leisure centres, biomass heating is fast becoming the preferred option.

Looking to reduce your energy consumption?

management systems (BMS).

Although, energy efficiency is ensuring your competitiveness over a longer term, a review of your utility costs is just as important for your current revenue, providing energy procurement for your business ensuring competitive prices and working hand in hand with energy efficiency. Much of the simple savings in any building can be via LED lighting.

As a supplier of (and installation if required) LED lighting to improve building efficiency, the products can be suitable for typical household, commercial, industrial or specialist lighting projects.

FURTHER INFORMATION 0191 495 7600 Turbine way, Turbine Bus. Park, Tyne & Wear, SR5 3NZ www.smallfeetenergy.co.uk

ENERGY

ENERGY

With tight budgets, cuts and stretched resources, the lighting within educational establishments may not appear to be a top priority.

LED By Vision is a renowned LED lighting specialist based in Hampshire which works on local and national projects within the education sector.

LED lighting represents the future of the lighting industry and is proud to be at the forefront of developments.

The firm’s cutting edge Carbon Trust accredited lighting products for interior and exterior applications are backed by its experienced and knowledgeable team of designers and partner installers.

Giving you confidence across all tiers of a projects lifecycle.

LED By Vision appreciate that no two locations have the same requirements so it offers versatility, dedication and responsive technology.

Occupancy sensors, dimming

Established since 2004, Power Solutions is one of the leading energy consultants in the UK. The firm’s energy consultants offer a wealth of knowledge regarding efficient energy management including procurement and energy reduction solutions.

Power Solutions currently work with several schools, colleges, and universities to help keep energy costs down, improve energy efficiency and green credentials, and get the best value for money for their utilities.

Many public-sector businesses don’t realise that by simply switching utilities providers, or re-negotiating their energy contracts, they could save thousands of pounds each year.

In such a busy environment, it is sometimes easy to overlook your own energy usage and utility supply costs in the process.

Let Power Solutions take away the hassle of negotiating your energy prices by securing

Optimum LED lighting for the education sector

56

Providing a cost-effective form of heating

and daylight controls reduces costs further. Even if the humans forget to conserve energy, the technology won’t, and that’s invaluable.

Eye friendly LED lighting plays a key role in maximising concentration and productivity levels which are integral to good education and goal achievement.

Please don’t let grades, money and energy slip through your fingers. LED by Vision design and deliver exceptional LED lighting solutions.

See below for more details.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01256 841677 sales@ledbyvision.com

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

Holbeach & East Elloe Hospital Trust, Bodawen Nursing Home, and Old Hall Country Club & Spa are just a few of the many businesses and institutions which have benefitted from the unparalleled experience and attention to detail offered

by AFS Biomass Ltd. References are available on request from these and many other highly satisfied clients.

For more information and advice see below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0161 302 2851 www.afsbiomass.com info@afsbiomass.com

Providing low-cost energy reduction solutions

contracts at the right time, ensuring that you get the best prices available. Mid-Contract?

Talk to Power Solutions to find out if they can get further savings for you.

This is a 100 per cent no obligation service.

The aim is to get the best energy provider for you.

Should you wish to better your energy efficiency while reducing your carbon footprint, please speak to one of Power Solutions energy consultants today.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 103 2970 www.powersolutionsuk.com

ENERGY

SECURITY

Energy costs have increased by 158 per cent over the last 15 years and projections show this trend is set to continue.

Yet complicated tariffs and government imposed taxes have made negotiating a competitive energy price a science in itself.

Approved Energy Services like to keep things simple and the simplest way to reduce your energy cost is to simply buy less of it.

Following a comprehensive survey of your current lighting and heating systems, Approved Energy Services will propose a range of technical solutions which meet your exact requirements, improving your environment, whilst dramatically reducing energy consumption.

For example, on average in the UK, lighting accounts for 35 per cent of an organisation’s electrical energy consumption.

So reducing this cost by up to 90 per cent will have a dramatic

Classic Security Solutions is a family run business that has specialised in the education sector for 25 years. Installing the most advanced, technologically superior security products is only effective when partnered with the best quality assured backup, support and service available. That’s why Classic Security Solutions is dedicated to providing 100 per cent satisfaction at all times.

“One-stop-shop” for maintenance and installation of lock-down systems, automated gates and doors, intruder and fire alarms systems, access control and CCTV. Classic will take the whole security management task off your shoulders, relieving you of the burden and saving you time and money.

The company’s quality assured management, service and support team is there to ensure that you always get the personal attention you deserve.

Classic will keep all your

Making energy saving simple and affordable

effect on your bill. Public sector organisations can attract interest free finance to pay for such measures and even after repayments expect to see a net benefit on their bottom line.

The medium-long term benefits can be staggering.

Approved Energy Services’ initial survey and consultation is free of charge and will give you all of the information to make an informed decision. VISIT www. approvedenergyservices.co.uk FURTHER INFORMATION www.approved energyservices.co.uk

Shouldering the burden of security management

IT

FIRE SAFETY

Uptech is a school’s broadband platinum partner, and a specialist internet service provider to the education market, delivering faster broadband connections, together with a globally unique web filtering and network protection service.

Uptech is a national IT company with a local feel and quality.

As a company, it has been providing IT business-focused solutions to schools for more than 20 years. Its industry‑level qualified team has a combined experience of more than 50 years with each coming from a different background in business, but all focused on IT. Using its continuing partnership with Microsoft and constant internal training and improvement program, Uptech is always positioned to provide you the best IT solution.

Getting the solution that is right for your school is critical; you need to trust that the people you select have your

Checkmate Fire is a leading specialist passive fire protection and air sealing company that provides professionally managed, cost‑effective and quality passive fire protection services.

Checkmate Fire reflects a diversity of expertise in the fields of fire stopping, fire resisting ducting, fire dampers, fire resisting partitions and doors, fire resistant glazing and all elements used for compartmentation.

For nearly thirty years, Checkmate Fire has worked hard to drive up the standards of passive fire protection and broaden both its reach of services and geographical coverage to the wide range of national services it provides today.

In recent years, Checkmate Fire has progressively broadened its range of third party accreditations and certifications to reflect and respond to the significant changes and challenges that

THINK

Providing globally unique IT services

best interests in mind and can understand your school and its needs. Equally important is the quality of service and support you receive both pre, during and sometimes forgotten important post implementation phases.

All these areas need attention if a long-term relationship is to be built and to last. Whilst Uptech is here to resolve problems, the firm is also here to guide and prepare you for future developments.

Uptech is your IT department: there when you need them, and on call when you don’t.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.uptech.co.uk

Products & Services

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security systems up to date, in peak condition, and arrange servicing and maintenance when necessary. Classic is approved to NSI (National Security Inspectorate), BSIA (British Security Industry Association), ISO 9002 standards and recognised by all UK police forces and insurers.

As the firm says, you can rest assured that “your peace of mind is our business”.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 8507 7771 www.classicUK.com education@classicUK.com

Driving up the standards of fire protection services

are taking place at many levels within the fire protection sector.

As founder members of the BRE / LPCB passive fire protection certification scheme, Checkmate operates as two divisions; compliance providing inspection and other consultancy services and solutions for third party accredited installations.

The Checkmate Fire booth will be showcasing its range of services, from nationwide fire stopping services and compliance advice, training and CPD seminars.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.checkmatefire.com

Volume 22.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

57

Advertisers Index

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CREATING IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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

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CLASSROOMS & NURSERIES from concept to completion

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

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

AD INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service AFS Biomass 56 Allmanhall 46 Approved Energy Services 57 AT Energy 25 Bauder 12 Carmel Jane Photography 34 Checkmate Fire Solutions 18, 57 Classic Security Solutions 27 Delaware North 45 Dyson Technology 6 Efteling BV IFC Elite Systems 16 Groupcall 32 Herts Full Stop BC

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ISS Mediclean 8 LED By Vision 56 Misco UK 28, 38, 40 PFU (EMEA) 36 Power Solutions 22, 56 Red Kite Vehicle Consultants 42 Schoolcomms 30 Serviceline 46 Small Feet Energy 56 sQuidcard 48 Stage Systems 53 SUK Retail 4 Swiftclean Building Services 20 Uptech Complete IT Solutions 57 Venesta 10 Yeoman Shield IBC

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 22.5

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