Education Business 25.3

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ISSUE 25.3

Business Information for Education Decision Makers HEALTH & SAFETY

CATERING

PROCUREMENT

TECHNOLOGY

REMOTE LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC Using digital education platforms to keep pupils engaged while learning at home

PLUS: SOCIAL DISTANCING | EB AWARDS PREVIEW | ONLINE SAFETY | REMOTE LEARNING

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www.educationbusinessuk.net

A member of

ISSUE 25.3

Business Information for Education Decision Makers HEALTH & SAFETY

CATERING

PROCUREMENT

TECHNOLOGY

REMOTE LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC Using digital education platforms to keep pupils engaged while learning at home

Teaching at a distance It has been a strange period in education for the last six weeks. As the COVID-19 pandemic has flared, schools have been closed to all children except those with key worker parents and vulnerable children.

Parents have had to rise to the challenge and teach from home, while schools try and keep pupils motivated and engaged from a distance.

PLUS: SOCIAL DISTANCING | EB AWARDS PREVIEW | ONLINE SAFETY | REMOTE LEARNING

This period has definitely shown the worth of educational technology, especially solutions that enable remote learning. On page 14, Amy Cook from The Key writes about the funded support the DfE is offering for digital education platforms to enable remote education.

This period of home schooling has also highlighted the fact that not all families have internet connected devices, which could cause the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers to widen. The government has acknowledged this problem, and has said it will fund tablets and laptops to those that need it.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @EducationBizz

Due to the pandemic, our Education Business Awards have been postponed until 3 November. This means the entry deadline has been extended until September. For information on the categories and a reflection back to past winners, read the preview on page 33.

Angela Pisanu, editor

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Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Contents

Contents Education Business 25.3 29

33

14 17

37

07 News EPI calls for a “catch up plan” for when schools re-open; Guidelines released on the safe re-opening of schools; Predicted grading could be unfair on disadvantaged pupils

14 Remote learning

Sponsored by

With the Department for Education recently announcing funded set-up support for digital education platforms, Amy Cook from The Key takes a look at why schools and trusts are adopting these platforms and explains the ins and outs of the new funding scheme

17 Online safety

21 25

With many children using the internet for education during school closures, there are increased risks of exposure to online harms.

Schools should encourage parents and carers to put in place measures to ensure online safety while learning from home

25 Catering Schools are expected to provide eligible pupils with free school meals when they’re self-isolating or during school closure. Bethany Eadie from The Key, outlines the options available to schools and how to support the most vulnerable families

29 Procurement Procurement and tendering can be complicated and time consuming at the best of times, but in times of a crisis, it may seem like running an effective tender process is almost impossible.

Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case

33 EB Awards 2020 On 3 November this year, schools from the primary, secondary and independent sectors will once again be recognised for innovation and leadership in the 13th Education Business Awards

21 Health and safety

37 Business management

It is likely that when schools re-open for the majority of children, social distancing measures will need to be observed to some extent, as is currently being done in the schools that remain open. But what does

The Institute of School Business Leadership’s (ISBL) national conference on 12 and 13 November will focus on how we can further unleash the potential from within ourselves, our colleagues and our organisations to allow for further growth and development and, in turn, improve pupil outcomes and progress

social distancing in educational settings look like, and – is it even possible in practice?

Education Business magazine

www.educationbusinessuk.net Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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News

CORONAVIRUS

“Significant caution” urged when re-opening schools

The general secretaries of ten teacher trade unions have signed a letter to education

ministers, urging for significant caution in any consideration of re-opening schools, saying that it could create a “very real risk of creating a spike in the transmission of the virus”.

The letter was sent by British and Irish Group of Teacher Unions (BIGTU), which collectively represents almost one million education practitioners and staff.

The letter says that opening the schools before any “test trace and isolate” system is in place, “would be catastrophic to the rate of infection”.

The letter also says schools cannot reopen

as normal and would require significant operational changes to ensure effective social distancing, strong hygiene routines linked to thorough cleansing practices, appropriate PPE available where required, and ongoing risk assessments in place to monitor operations.

It says that a phased return will be required and priorities established around attendance, which is likely to be part time for most pupils.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/ybnrntd2

SEND

Children with SEND failed by support system, says new report The Public Accounts Committee has claimed that many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are seeing their education, well-being and life chances damaged by failings in SEND provision.

Joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Inspections have found that half of local authority areas (47 of the 94 areas) have significant weaknesses in SEND provision, with the Public Accounts Committee also warning that the Department for Education does not have a grip on mounting pressure in the system.

As of January last year, 1.3 million schoolage children were recorded as having SEND. More than one in five of these had legally enforceable entitlements to specific packages of support that are set out in formal education, health and care (EHC) plans. These were children whom local authorities had assessed as needing the most support. Receipt of these EHC plans has become a ‘golden ticket’ that parents fight for to try and secure access to adequate support for their children.

That left just over one million children with SEND who did not have EHC plans but had

been identified as needing additional support at school. At January 2019, 87.5 per cent of all pupils with SEND attended mainstream state primary and secondary schools.

The committee is concerned that the current structure of funding and provision gives little incentive for mainstream schools to include pupils with SEND, and budgethit local authorities are left paying over the odds to transport pupils to the few places in state special schools, or for costly places in independent special schools. Local authorities can allocate additional funding to support genuinely inclusive mainstream schools, but in 2018-19 only 85 of 150 local authorities had budgeted for this.

Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said: “Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities deserve the same quality of education and to get the same value from our education system as their peers.

Disturbing disparities in identifying pupils with SEND, and in provision for them, point to underlying problems that can only be addressed through proper data collection and information. These children,

already facing extra hurdles and challenges in this life, must not find themselves discriminated against several times over.”

Judith Blake, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Councils, schools and the NHS continue to provide individual special educational needs services for children and young people, despite the huge challenges they face during this pandemic.

This report raises some important areas of learning for councils and it is essential that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission work proactively with them to identify solutions to meet the needs of all children and young people. By working with parents, families and children with SEND, we can agree on what a ‘good’ system of support looks like.”

Judith Blake, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “The government must use its planned review of the SEND system to ensure it works effectively for everyone.”

READ MORE tinyurl.com/ydcg8294

CORONAVIRUS

EPI calls for a “catch up plan” for when schools re-open The Education Policy Institute has released a paper calling on the government to set out a school “Catch Up Plan” to provide targeted pupil support when the schools re-open.

One of its recommendations is that the pupil premium is doubled for one year to provide schools with more resources for catch up classes and small group tuition for those disadvantaged pupils making transitions into primary and secondary education, and those taking their GCSEs. Doubling Pupil Premium funding for one year, from September 2020, for pupils entering Year 1, Year 7 and Year 11, would cost around £500m, the EPI says.

EPI also recommends doubling the disadvantage funding made available for

students set to enter Year 13, who will be taking their A Levels and other Level 2 qualifications. This would cost around £242m.

The EPI also suggests the Early Years Pupil Premium is doubled for one year (costing £31m), as well as the Looked After Premium for children in care (£263m), and permanently extending the Looked After Premium to those on the Child Protection Register (245m).

They also called for Ofsted inspections of schools to be suspended until at least January 2021, to allow schools to focus this year on the challenges of re-starting education while maintaining social distancing.

The EPI also wants new guidance to schools to prevent a significant increase in exclusions and

“off-rolling” of pupils, as schools return. The return of pupils during this period of disruption may bring fresh behavioural challenges. Exclusions and off rolling particularly impact disadvantaged and vulnerable learners.

The EPI also wants a review of the current plans for national examinations in 2020 and 2021 to avoid the risk of adverse impacts on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and from certain ethnic backgrounds.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/yb8lpgkr

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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News

REMOTE LEARNING

Schools share approaches to remote teaching on DfE website The Department for Education has published a number of case studies on how schools and academies are operating during school closures.

The case studies share best practice in areas such as using video lessons, adapting the curriculum and

keeping pupils motivated and engaged at a distance.

Other case studies share an effective approach to supporting the wellbeing of primary pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

The educational establishments range

from large and small academy trusts, alternative provision schools, schools in high deprivation areas, and remote schools.

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EXAMS

CORONAVIRUS

Young people think exam cancellations will damage university chances

Guidelines released on the safe re-opening of schools

Almost half (48 per cent) of university applicants think that the coronavirus crisis will have a negative impact on their chances of getting into their first-choice university, according to new research by the Sutton Trust.

The research looked at how the coronavirus crisis is affecting both university applicants and current students.

The concern amongst young people is likely to stem from changes to how grades will be awarded this year, as well as uncertainty around this year’s university admissions process, such as a potential cap of places. Almost a fifth (19 per cent) of applicants have changed their mind on going to university or are now uncertain about whether to go.

When asked how they thought predicted grading would affect them, over two-fifths (43 per cent) of university applicants thought they would have a negative impact on their A level grades. While most

university applicants feel that the impact will be small, almost three‑quarters (72 per cent) think that the new grading system is less fair than how A-level grades are usually awarded.

Young people also reported that many schools are not teaching content following A level exam cancellations, with a quarter of applicants overall reporting they are not receiving any work from their schools. However, students at private schools were almost twice as likely to be regularly completing work and receiving feedback than those in state schools (57% v 30%).

In the report, the Trust makes a series of recommendations, including a call to make sure the new grading system as fair as possible, and for Ofqual to monitor any attainment gaps and consider adjustments if necessary.

New guidelines on the safe reopening of schools following closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been released by UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and World Bank.

The guidelines say that the best interests of children, as well as public health considerations, must be central to national and local authorities’ decisions to reopen schools.

UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and World Bank – as part of the Global Education Coalition – urge governments to assess the benefits of classroom teaching compared to remote learning, and the risk factors related to reopening of schools, noting the inconclusive evidence around the infection risks related to school attendance.

“While many students are falling behind in their learning journey because of prolonged school closures, the decision of when and how to reopen schools, while far from straightforward, should be a priority. Once there

is a green light on the health front, a whole set of measures will need to be in place to ensure that no student is left behind. These guidelines provide all-round guidance for governments and partners to facilitate the reopening of schools for students, teachers and families. We share one goal: to protect and advance the right to education for every learner,” said UNESCO Director‑General Audrey Azoulay.

The guidelines include information on ensuring conditions that reduce disease transmission, safeguard essential services and supplies and promote healthy behaviour.

This includes access to soap and clean water for safe hand washing, procedures on when staff or students feel unwell, protocols on social distancing, and good hygiene practices.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/yddtuf2q

READ MORE tinyurl.com/y7ujh3os

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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News

REMOTE LEARNING

Virtual cyber security school launches for young people A virtual cyber security school has been launched to teach young people cyber security skills, such as how to crack codes, fix security flaws and dissect criminals’ digital trails while progressing through the game as a cyber agent.

At a time when schools remain closed to most children, the online initiative aims to inspire future talent to work in the cyber security sector

and give students a variety of extracurricular activities to do from the safety of their homes.

The school provides free weekly webinars run by industry experts teaching fundamental security disciplines such as digital forensics, cryptography and operating systems.

Enrolled students will learn how to code and carry out cybersecurity operations in an

instructor-led virtual classroom to help guide the students through the programme and build a sense of camaraderie within each cohort.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/yb8g4y7h

EXAMS

Predicted grading could be unfair on disadvantaged pupils The Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned that disadvantaged young people could be subjected to conscious or unconscious bias when receiving predicted grades during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to Ofqual’s consultation into the matter, the Commission says that predicted grading, if not conducted properly, could have a lasting effect on young people from certain ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, who are already often disadvantaged compared to their friends.

Research suggests there may be patterns of conscious or unconscious race bias when predicting grades. With this in mind, there is a danger that predicted grading may have an adverse impact on some disadvantaged groups.

The Commission has called for the Department for Education to issue guidance to schools on the approach which teachers should take to predicting grades and ranking pupils in order to minimise the risk of conscious or unconscious bias.

It wants Ofqual to publish a report evaluating the predicted grades process

and outcomes for pupils. If the evaluation reveals higher than average disparities for pupils with protected characteristics, these should be investigated thoroughly, with appropriate remedial action taken.

In the event that pupils are not happy with the outcome of their assessment and awarded grade, the Commission wants there to be “a meaningful and timely route of appeal”.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/ycrtbb42

INSPECTIONS

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Schools will not be judged on COVID-19 response

DfE pauses or cancels all but essential data collections

Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Speilman has said they would not be judging schools on how schools have responded to the coronavirus.

Speaking by video link to the Parliamentary education committee, she said: “There is no standard of home or online learning by which we would be able to judge schools.”

“We wouldn’t be asking for evidence of what you set children. There would be no ‘prove that you set children meaningful work’.”

Spielman also said that Ofsted is not expecting to be asked to resume full routine inspections before the end of the summer term, and that it was too early for her to say how any return to routine inspections might work.

“We’re going to have a year where there are going to be no tests and exam results, so there is going to be more weight, not less weight, put on the outcomes of Ofsted visits,” she said.

She added: “Of course it’s about finding the right time, and it’s about using the inspection tools we have, because we have full inspections but we also have various kinds

of short inspection visits, making sure that we’re using the right tool at the right time.”

Spielman also spoke of Ofsted’s concern about vulnerable pupils and the impact of partial closures on them.

She said: “The longer the closure or almost closure, the greater the problems for those children,” she said.

The chief inspector added that COVID‑19 “is clearly going to present the biggest problem for the poorest, the lowest-achieving academically and the least motivated children.

“Whether we like it or not, it is going to widen gaps, especially in the short term.”

READ MORE tinyurl.com/yawen7mh

The Department for Education (DfE) has released guidance on how it reducing burdens on the education sector during the coronavirus pandemic.

The DfE and its agencies have “cancelled or paused all but the most essential data collections, services and requests from educational and care settings until the end of June 2020”.

Data collections which are paused will be reviewed and the pause period extended if necessary.

It says a decision on data collections or services which are not due to go live until later in the year will be made in due course.

Data collections and services that are cancelled this year include the special provision capital fund (SPCF), key stage 1 (KS1) assessments, and phonics screening checks.

Data collections that are paused until June 30 include the academies capital grant and land and building information request for new academies.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/yb6taz8e

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

by Jeremy Payne, International VP Marketing, Enghouse Interactive

Video communications in schools – a solution whose time has come The COVID-19 lockdown has raised the stakes in education and added urgency to the need for schools to find virtual learning and video conferencing solutions to keep pupils engaged with their work and connected to their teachers and peers

The world of education is rapidly changing.

Even before the current coronavirus crisis, traditional styles of teaching in schools, which had held sway for so long, were shifting.

Schools have increasingly been discovering the power of video conferencing to extend the learning experience beyond classroom walls, and connect their pupils with people, places and events in a way that compliments traditional textbook and blackboard learning.

Many forward-thinking schools have been cognisant of the new technologies coming

on stream and many have already started exploring the best of what these kinds of video-based solutions have to offer. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, raised the stakes in education and added urgency to the need for schools to find virtual learning and video conferencing solutions to keep pupils engaged with their work and connected to their teachers and peers.

More and more organisations are continuing to operate using video collaboration platforms such as Vidyo by Enghouse Interactive.

The robust and secure technology gives educational institutions of all sizes the flexibility to run online classes, virtual learning centres, teacher training programmes or one-to-one music lessons as well as staff meetings for crisis & continuity planning.

Vidyo not only supports video calls, the platform also allows screen and application sharing as well as an interactive whiteboard, facilitating interaction, illustration and explanation.

Video learning in a school environment is about breaking down the barriers that might otherwise get in the way of an effective learning experience. It is all about collaboration. Video communication allows educators to extend the learning experience beyond the four walls of the traditional classroom. Subject matter experts can be brought online to help enhance the learning experience or it could be used to visit a museum exhibition in another part of the world. Video learning is a great way to enhance the curriculum, easy to use and understand, and typically cost effective.

The ability to record lessons further enhances the learning experience. It enables pupils to go back and replay lessons at their convenience either to catch up on a missed lesson or as a revision aid.

Along with the rapid growth in video collaboration, comes the need to effectively manage and leverage libraries of highly valued video content. It’s no longer sufficient to simply record and upload a video conference to a storage folder in the cloud. Institutions need ways to easily categorise, search, index, trim, clip, re-use, publish and share specific content quickly and cost-effectively.

Broader benefits Video conferencing does not just benefit school pupils though, teaching and administrative staff within schools can also reap the rewards of this approach.

Teachers can share best practices between different schools and access online teaching conferences in order to help enhance their own professional development. Using video collaboration doesn’t need to stop there. It can be used effectively for staff meetings, enabling teachers to dial in if they can’t attend physically or even catch up after the meeting.

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

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Also, it is not always possible for a school to offer a full range of subjects to its pupils.

This could be down to resource or budgets or perhaps the school is an academy focusing on specialist subjects. Through video the curriculum can be extended by collaborating with other schools to offer courses currently not on the agenda.

But it also offers advantages to pupils that struggle to attend school whether through illness, social anxiety or perhaps home schooled out of choice. By creating access to classrooms through video they can continue to keep up with their lessons whilst not being excluded from the curriculum. Video can also be applied to other areas, for instance connecting autistic children with assessors and education specialists as well as support groups outside the local school and community.

It can assist in providing an easy to use and affordable way for schools to connect students to the college prep experience.

Here, Vidyo solutions for education help high school students participate in SAT and other training sessions. Students and their parents can also take advantage of college virtual tours and financial aid workshops.

Security is non-negotiable All of these capabilities demonstrate the rich learning experience that video can help drive within schools but in the educational environment, it is critically important that all this capability is grounded in the most robust and resilient security possible.

At a time when we hear regular reports about hackers infiltrating video meetings to broadcast unsuitable images, or to abuse participants, the robust and resilient security offered by Vidyo is key in ensuring that learning is not just enriching and engaging but also safe and secure.

Through its video-conferencing solution, VidyoConnect, Vidyo offers technology with stringent security measures and the reassurance and peace of mind schools and teachers need when using any video conferencing application.

Protecting the login process from eavesdroppers and hackers is fundamental to securing the VidyoConnect service. Vidyo protects this process by establishing a critical front line of defence in a manner similar to the way online banking access is secured using TLS. The VidyoConnect service supports using industry-standard public key infrastructure, whereby each component is issued a digital certificate by a trusted third party certifying authority. This allows endpoints to verify the identity of VidyoConnect and also helps prevent malicious users from eavesdropping on communication.

Protecting the information passed in this machine-to-machine communication from would-be hackers is also key for securing the network. The VidyoConnect service leverages robust encryption technology to protect the

content of video-conferences from being intercepted and decoded without the user’s knowledge. Vidyo’s solutions also offer built-in technology for spoof prevention, preventing hackers from stealing the identity of a trusted component of a network in order to gain access. Vidyo maintains an information security governance policy that controls the way the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information is handled, thereby preventing misuse and malicious damage that could impact operations.

The big picture All the trends and capabilities discussed above are shaping the development of educational video conferencing today. And between them, they are all already bringing a raft of benefits to schools and colleges.

They are all examples of where Enghouse Interactive Vidyo conferencing solutions can help. And they are all areas where we expect interest from schools to ramp up over time.

The use of virtual classrooms and videoconferencing for education is increasing.

But they are far more than just a temporary stopgap measure. Instead, they represent a trend that will continue to transform education in the longer term. A trend that’s being supported by the latest secure and reliable video collaboration platforms, such as Vidyo, that have the potential to overcome barriers, and bring the enhanced pupil/teacher engagement and richer learning experience of video to schools across the UK and the wider world.

To take advantage of Vidyo in your classroom download our 12 months trial to see how video collaboration can enhance the learning experience, using the link below. L FURTHER INFORMATION https://enghouse.producttrial.co.uk/education/

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Remote Learning Written by Amy Cook, The Key

Support for setting up your digital education platform With the Department for Education recently announcing funded set-up support for digital education platforms, Amy Cook from The Key takes a look at why schools and trusts are adopting these platforms and explains the ins and outs of the new funding scheme As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve and schools transition to a ‘new normal’, remote teaching and learning will likely remain a part of school life – to some degree – for a little while yet.

In recognising this, the DfE is now offering funded support for schools to get set up on one of two free-to-use digital education platforms: G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education.

Many schools are already successfully using such platforms, but for those that don’t have one set up, it’s worth exploring what the benefits could be for your school and getting to grips with what’s on offer from the DfE. So what is a digital education platform?

Given the circumstances, it’s as close to a real classroom as you can get. It’s a place where your pupils’ learning experience at home can continue as close to normal as possible.

The platforms are purpose-built for remote learning in a way that a school website isn’t.

For instance, teachers can communicate directly with pupils, set individualised tasks, let pupils work together, and easily give personalised feedback.

There’s no statutory requirement to have a platform or sign up to the DfE scheme, but there are plenty of benefits if you do.

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Teachers can also easily give pupils Why make the move? personalised feedback. This means that Only you can decide on the approach pupils can keep learning new skills and to learning that’s right for your school concepts from home, rather than focus community. The point is that, whatever your only on consolidating knowledge. ambition and hopes for the rest of the year, The platforms allow you to these platforms can make it possible. stimulate pupils with a wide There are many reasons why range of activities. Digital schools are adopting them.

A digital education platforms allow Firstly, you can keep the educati teachers to provide a special connection between o n platform package of resources your teachers and pupils. for their pupils, Many pupils want to see where is a place ranging from videos their teachers and have learning your pupils’ to interactive that sense of normality. e x p e rience a home c whiteboard drawings, Digital education t all in one place.

platforms allow pupils to as closean continue They give pupils a video-call their teachers to norm al as poss place to submit creative for remote lessons, and ible tasks of all levels of have supervised group calls complexity, too. This might be to catch up and check in with a photo of their latest artwork, each other socially. It’s easier or a video of a Tudor house they’ve for teachers to keep that personal built in Minecraft. Pupils can also use shared touch when they give pupils feedback, too. documents and interactive whiteboards You don’t need to compromise on pupils’ to work together on group projects. When learning. Whether you want to drip-feed it comes to classwork, the only limits are tasks to pupils over the coming your teachers’ and pupils’ imaginations. weeks, or are keen for pupils The platforms are also safe and secure as to log in for a full day of you have full control over the features pupils lessons and submit work, a can access. For example, if you don’t want digital education platform pupils video-calling each other unsupervised, has you covered.

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

Resources to support remotelearning

Remote Learning

Sponsored by

BESA has relaunched and repurposed its online educational technology trialling portal LendED to help connect teachers with content, software and materials from reliable suppliers that can be used to help support remote learning

you can customise these tools to keep your pupils safe. If you’re worried about family members going rogue in the background on a call, you can set house rules, just as you have in place in school anyway, to set expectations about behaviour, dress and so on. You’ll also have an audit trail of chat logs and recordings too, just in case there’s ever a problem.

You’ll still need to adopt sensible safeguarding precautions when using the platform, as you would in school. For more support, take a look at The Key’s free article on how to build safeguarding into your remote learning and the DfE’s guidance.

The digital platforms are also easy to set up and use. With someone with a bit of tech know-how on hand, you can set up either of these platforms to meet your needs in a matter of hours, and get staff and families using them effectively within days.

What’s on offer from the DfE? Schools and trusts can now apply for DfEfunded support to get set up on G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education.

These are the two most-used platforms.

They are free to use, but eligible schools/ trusts can receive funded support from a Google or Microsoft-accredited partner to get set up and trained on their chosen platform. Schools/trusts will be assigned a partner once they register for this support.

Eligible primaries will receive £1,500 and secondaries £2,000. Funding for academies in trusts is capped at £1,000 per school, with an upper cap of £10,000 per trust. The DfE will release funds to the school/trust once completion of the work has been confirmed.

The school/trust will then pay the partner directly. The DfE will be publishing detailed guidance on the payment process imminently.

Who’s eligible?

This funded support is available to statefunded primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units in England that don’t currently have a digital education

platform; or are already using Office 365 or G Suite, but are not yet set up to assign work and communicate with pupils.

Independent schools are not eligible for funding, but can still apply for support if they cover the costs themselves.

The eligibility criteria above also applies to trusts. There are benefits to all schools within a trust being on the same platform under one tenancy, such as instant communication between staff across schools. In this instance, trust leaders should apply directly for schools within their trust.

Similarly, academy leaders should speak to their central team about applying on their behalf. If there’s already a mix of usage between G Suite and Office 365 across a trust, then trust leaders have two options.

You can instruct schools that need support to apply individually, or you can apply for support yourself and speak to a partner about the benefits of consolidating your schools across two separate tenancies, one for G Suite and one for Office 365.

It’s worth noting that the platforms will remain free (apart from premium Google Meet), but the funded support on offer is for the initial set up. After that, the platform is yours to manage and any additional support you request from accredited partners will need to be paid for by your school/trust.

Also, the DfE scheme only covers schools looking to get set up on G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education, so don’t apply if you want to use a different platform.

How do I apply?

You can apply directly via The Key’s digital education platform hub (link below). It links to the forms you’ll need to use, and provides feature comparisons and bestpractice case studies to help you choose the right platform for your school/trust. L FURTHER INFORMATION

The website focuses on amplifying supplier efforts to share many more general resources, guidance, and support to the UK’s teaching community. It also gives advice on how to continue effective teaching and home learning during the schools closure period.

Whether teachers are looking for an online maths learning platform, a foldable work desk and webcam, or printable resource packs, LendED offers a wealth of resources that can be accessed both on mobile devices and offline.

The benefit of using the LendED website, is that all the companies and products on the site are provided by BESA members and Launchpad subscribers, and all product entries have been checked and approved by BESA before appearing. At this crucial time, it is now more important than ever for schools, colleges, teachers and parents to be able to rely on trusted, quality suppliers who adhere to the BESA Code of Practice and who follow quality standards.

As a user of LendED you can search via a dedicated ‘Home Learning Resources’ link on the homepage which will allow you select products that have identified themselves as ‘Home Learning’. In addition to this many companies are adding links on their product pages to their websites where you can access their resources directly – keep an eye out for products that have the ‘Access Home Learning Resources’ button on them.

Furthermore, a dedicated Tips & Advice page now provides guidance on best practices in implementing home learning strategies, covering issues such as how to get the best out of existing technologies and ensuring online safeguarding.

Visit the LendED portal here: www.LendED.org.uk

www.thekeysupport.com

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

It’s easy to use SMART learning suite online to support distance learning Available through any web browser, SMART Learning Suite Online (SLSO) supports learning and teaching in any environment, even when some, or all, students are unable to join a physical classroom space – perfect for use during these unprecedented times SMART Learning Suite Online (SLSO) enables students to connect remotely to live lessons delivered by teachers and engage in real-time with lesson activities. Available through any web browser, SLSO supports learning and teaching in any environment, even when some, or all, students are unable to join a physical classroom space.

The cloud-based classroom offered by SLSO easily supports student collaboration on any devices anywhere, anytime breaking down the barriers of distance learning with: Flexible lesson delivery Teachers can share lessons to student devices with a variety of virtual delivery methods: whole class, small group, projectbased, individual and collaborative.

Flexibility during lesson delivery: teachers can easily switch from teacher-paced to student-paced anytime during a lesson.

With the student-paced option, students can review and complete activities independently at their own pace – anytime that the lesson is running.

Virtual collaboration Collaborative Workspace activities empower students to work together from home on a shared digital canvas to co-create, add content and problem solve. The workspace allows students to add text, images, and digital content to share research, compare and contrast information, and truly

collaborate. It’s easy for teachers to see which student has added what content and add feedback and follow-up questions for students within the virtual workspace.

‘Shout It Out’ activities enable students to send text and images from their devices to a lesson. Teachers can then rearrange, organise, discuss contributions – allowing for student voice and input even in a cloud classroom.

Activities and assessments to gauge students’ understanding Teachers can assess and support individual learning needs with clear insights into student work using individual handouts,

activities and collaborative workspaces to monitor progress and assess. By seeing students’ work in either real-time or upon completion, teachers can adapt and offer individual support as needed. Teachers can also provide real-time feedback into both individual and small group activities virtually.

Teachers can engage students with a variety of assessment types including multiple-choice, short answer, and true/false questions using ‘Response’ and the other interactive activities available in SLSO. With assessment activities, students can see their own individual results on their devices, allowing them to direct their studying and ask questions to support their learning.

Google and Microsoft Integration SMART Learning Suite works with existing technology, familiar platforms and workflows including Google and Microsoft.

Students can use their existing Google drives/accounts to access content from any web browser on any device.

There are so many options for teachers to use SMART Learning Suite Online to create and deliver lessons for students no matter where they are. L

SMART Learning Suite Online is developed by SMART Technologies FURTHER INFORMATION go.smarttech.com/distancelearning

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

With many children using the internet for education during school closures, there are increased risks of exposure to online harms. Schools should encourage parents and carers to put in place measures to ensure online safety while learning from home With more parents educating children from home using technology, the government has published new guidance on online safety, which includes tailored advice for parents on keeping children safe. Schools can use this guidance to inform parents of the measures they can put in place to ensure online safety while home-schooling.

The guidance includes information on using parental controls to manage what children can access, switching on family filters to protect children from inappropriate content, and having conversations with children to encourage them to speak to a trusted adult if they come across anything online that makes them uncomfortable.

Other areas of online safety are covered, such as checking facts and guarding against disinformation, being vigilant against fraud and scams, and managing the amount of time spent online so that

Online Safety

Online safety during the outbreak

why we have brought together a wealth of practical advice which I urge parents to use and share with their children.”

UK Safer Internet Centre Director and Childnet CEO, Will Gardner, said: “Technology has proved to be enormously important in these unprecedented times. We know that children are benefitting hugely from being connected, but we also know it’s even more important that we take steps to keep them safe and happy whilst online.

That’s why we welcome guidance which brings together practical and simple advice for families in this difficult period.”

Make use of parental controls It is likely that parents will have downloaded new apps or bought new devices like web cams or tablets during the coronavirus lockdown and they must remember to adjust the privacy and security settings accordingly.

Government has encouraged Internet Service Providers to help parents easily filter content. Parents or carers can switch on family friendly filters to help prevent age inappropriate content being accessed on devices at home. Internet Matters has step by step guides on how to set these up.

If a parent or carer is concerned or upset about something a child has seen online, they can seek support from the online platform using the report function on the app or website - these can often be found in the ‘help’ section or ‘settings’. The UK Safer Internet Centre also offers a ‘Report Harmful Content’ service.

mental health is not negatively affected.

The guidance was published following a virtual roundtable to assess the impact of coronavirus on child online safety, held

by Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Digital and Culture, James Brokenshire, Security Minister, and child safety organisations.

Caroline Dinenage said: “Staying at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives means we are spending more time online.

This means we must all be extra vigilant, follow good security practice and make sure our children are safe too. It’s also important that we check the facts behind what we read and remember to take regular breaks.

Child “We are completely has gui net committed to on how dance making the UK the safest place to be a conve to begin rsation online, and that’s

Conversations about safety Teachers should encourage parents or carers to have online s a a conversation with afety, w bout ‘Ditch t their child about staying h i l e safe online. Childnet has resourc he Label’ guidance on how to begin e cyberbus tackle a conversation about online llying safety, meanwhile ‘Ditch the Label’ teacher resources can be helpful for parents to discuss cyberbullying. The child should be encouraged to speak to their parent or a E

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Online Safety

Schools could be at increased risk of fraud during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fraudsters are actively exploiting these difficult times and targeting vulnerable areas for financial gain  trusted adult if they come across content that makes them uncomfortable.

With children using technology for learning as well as entertainment and communication, the issue of too much screen time should be addressed.

Everyone should take a break after a couple of hours sitting or lying down using a screen.

It’s good to get up and move about a bit.

Screen-free meal times are a good idea – families can enjoy face-toface conversation, with adults giving their full attention to children.

Some devices and platforms have special features – try using these features to keep track of how much time is spent looking at screens or on social media.

Good quality sleep is also vital during these worrying times.

Parents or carers should talk to their children about sharing photos and information online and how photos and words are sometimes manipulated.

Parents should also talk with children about using screens and what they are watching. A change in behaviour can be a sign they are distressed – make sure they know they can always speak to a parent or another responsible adult if they feel uncomfortable with screen or social media use.

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Fraud risks for schools Schools could be at increased risk of fraud during the coronavirus pandemic. Fraudsters are actively exploiting these difficult times and targeting vulnerable areas for financial gain. Indeed ActionFraud has reported a 400 per cent increase in reports of coronavirus related fraud in March 2020.

The Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) says that during these periods, staff wanting to be helpful and flexible when dealing with suppliers can be more susceptible to targeted attacks from fraudsters, particularly around changes to payment details.

Organisations should continue to follow all business processes and procedures designed to protect them from fraud.

The ESFA says that schools should maintain effective governance and financial management and oversight. Staff should be periodically reminded that, despite the instability, the organisation continues to implement and require compliance with internal controls.

The EFSA advises that schools review internal control risk assessments and fraud risk assessments as well as ensure that staff know how to report suspected fraud.

Internal audits to monitor internal controls and segregation of duties to ensure they are operating effectively is also advised.

Cybercrime is an increasing risk to all business, including the education sector, and is a particularly vulnerable area in the current situation.

There have been instances of email scams asking parents for payment details to get support for Free school Meals during the pandemic. Parents should be advised to not respond and delete these emails immediately.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has launched a suspicious email reporting service (SERS), which has resulted dozens of malicious web campaigns shut down in its first day after spike in coronavirus phishing scams.

NCSC Chief Executive Officer Ciaran Martin said: “The immediate take-up of our new national reporting service shows that the UK is united in its defence against callous attempts to trick people online.

“While we have not seen a rise in email scams in the last month, coronavirus is the top lure currently used to conduct cyber crime, exploiting public unease and fear of the pandemic.

“We hope the success of the Suspicious Email Reporting Service deters criminals from such scams, but if you do receive something that doesn’t look right forward the message to us – you will be helping to protect the UK from email scams and cyber crime.”

Dubious emails – including those claiming to offer support related to coronavirus – should be reported to report@phishing. gov.uk. The NCSC’s automated programme will immediately test the validity of the site and any sites found to be phishing scams will be removed immediately. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

If you are thinking of introducing multiple devices such as laptops, Chromebooks or tablets into the classroom, buying a trolley or cabinet to keep them safe and charged is simple, right?

You couldn’t be more wrong Over the years numerous charging solutions have flooded into the marketplace, so working out which will meet your needs and offer true value for money can be a real headache. Schools often take the easy option and buy the cheapest but as we all know; cheap is not always the best!

So before you rush off and make that mistake, here are a few points to consider Firstly, think about how your students will use the devices. Do you need to share the devices from one classroom to another?

Will the devices need to be taken outdoors?

How will you keep them secure when not in use? Are students going to bring in their own devices or would loaning out laptops or tablets be better suited to your students?

Give some thought to your ICT Technician, how will he/she manage updates and downloads to these devices? Will tablets need to be synchronised or do you need to add data transfer capability to network laptops?

More importantly, who is going to manage these devices?

Across the marketplace there is a wide variety of solutions being offered from mobile trolleys, fixed wall cabinets, desk cabinets and selfservice loan lockers. Most offer storage and charging for a range of devices and can cater for multiple devices. For loaning out devices or loaning individual charging bays there are a range of intelligent lockers that can be integrated with your library management system to loan the device similar to that of a library book. This solution can work really well in a library and with very little interaction from the library staff; students can borrow a device for a short period of time.

Once you have decided upon your preferred option, be it mobile or fixed you need obviously to set a budget. When

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making a decision upon spend, consider the products life cycle and longevity, do you really want to buy cheap and then buy again in a year’s time or is it better to choose a solution that can be upgraded as your needs change i.e. as you refresh your devices.

Important questions Here are just a few important questions to help make your decision to buy a charging solution easier.

1. Does the laptop/tablet charging solution meet all of the British Health & Safety electrical standards and also meet HSE Safety guidelines?

2. Has the solution been tested for compliance by an independent body in the UK? Is it CE Certified? (Some trolley manufacturers self-certify).

3. Look for a solution that has safe power management as standard.

Some trolleys have this as an option; safety should NEVER be an option.

4. Does the laptop/tablet trolley come with load protection (also known as ‘soft-start’ protection) as STANDARD, to ensure that it does not trip circuit breakers when it is fully loaded?

5. Does the laptop/tablet trolley have surge protection, to ensure laptops aren’t damaged by any sudden fluctuations in electricity?

6. If using a data transfer function is there additional cooling provided with the unit to prevent overheating?

7. Consider how you want to charge your devices. A great way to save time in the classroom is to purchase a solution with fully integrated charging. This means it has in-built charging leads made to match your specific make and model of device so there is no need for AC adaptors. Some integrated charging also shuts down the power after devices become fully charged to save energy and reduce carbon footprint.

8. If you need to accommodate several different devices in one trolley or cabinet or let students bring their own then choose one with easy cable management and one where AC adaptor store safely out of the way of students. Some trolleys allow you to ‘mix and match’ devices in one trolley or cabinet.

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Questions to ask when purchasing a charging solution for your classroom 9. Look for a trolley that charges all devices simultaneously and charge in the fastest possible time. (Some trolleys use ‘round robin’ charging which only charges a few at a time or it limits the amount of charge to each device before moving on to the next).

10. When choosing a solution for tablets such as iPads ensure the solution will accommodate them in their protective cases.

11. For security choose a solution that comes fully assembled and is made of a fully welded steel chassis with no weak points such as plastic mouldings, or wooden panels or doors.

12. Some charging solutions come with enhanced security features such as built-in alarm, twin locking doors, high security keys and anti-drill locks. Additional features can include reinforced steel and anti-jemmy plates at risk points, to help combat against opportunist theft.

13. Does the laptop/tablet trolley have separate keys to unlock the front and back doors, for enhanced security and student safety?

14. Security loops to chain the trolley to the floor can give extra protection or choose a trolley with a docking station.

15. Most trolleys come with various extras ranging from built-in 7-day timers, built in printers, network connectivity and data transfer.

16. If you are thinking of automating your manual device loans then look for lockers which loan the ‘best-charged’ device and simultaneous charging. If the locker system integrates with the library management system, then it can loan the device just like a library book.

17. Lastly, before you buy ask for a demonstration or reference site.

Safe, secure and fully charged Remember, you can spend a lot of time choosing the right devices for your school or college. So spend just a bit more deciding on how to keep them safe, secure and fully charged. Security is important as the loss of devices due to theft can be heartbreaking to both the school and the students, not to mention the loss of valuable teaching time.

Visit www.lapsafe.com for a full range of storage and charging solutions that meet all of the above criteria. There are a lot of case studies available and LapSafe® can provide on-site demonstrations. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.lapsafe.com

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

Vertical bar fencing protects Barnardo’s special needs school Meadows Junior School is a purpose-built school for children with special needs, situated in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. In order to keep the students safe at the new site and mitigate the risk of trespassing and vandalism, perimeter fencing and gates were required to secure the school grounds

Situated in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Meadows Junior School is a purpose-built school for children with special needs aged between 7 and 11 years. It offers an additional annex facility to the existing Meadows School in Southborough which provides education and care for 90 students between the age of 7-19. The new campus was opened in June 2018, and offers additional space and support for Key stage 2 children who have an EHCP, or are in the process of obtaining one. The school is run by the children’s charity Barnardo’s, and has the same ethos: to protect, support and nurture the UK’s most vulnerable children, no matter who they are or what they have been through.

The new school site includes three classrooms, a hall, and an atrium space, as well as smaller meeting rooms and offices. The outside space creates a green environment in which pupils can be close to nature, with separate play areas and equipment, and the potential for an allotment and planting area.

The aims of the school are to engage children by providing age-appropriate bespoke learning, with the view to introduce them to mainstream education if and when it is suitable. All students have a named key worker who provides pastoral support and guidance to help children improve their social and independence skills.

In order to keep the students safe at the new site and mitigate the risk of trespassing and vandalism, perimeter fencing and gates were required to secure the school grounds.

An existing timber and chain link fence had fallen into disrepair, and offered little protection against climbing or break-in attempts. While advantageous in providing privacy and creating a natural environment, the presence of large trees along the perimeter

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made areas of the playground shadowed, reducing visibility beyond the school perimeter. Furthermore, the school’s location on a busy main road also presented the danger of oncoming traffic, so an additional method of security was necessary.

Solution Jacksons Fencing supplied and installed 61 metres of their Sentry® vertical bar fencing around the perimeter of the school site at a height of 2 metres. Comprising of wide vertical bars with concealed fixings and a flat bar top, Sentry® is a non-intrusive, attractive fence that offers security through its anti-climb design and welded semi pale-through-rail construction, making it extremely difficult to break through. The pales are spaced with a maximum gap of 100mm to conform to antitrap regulations, reducing the risk of children getting their limbs or heads trapped. As with all of Jacksons’ products, Sentry® fencing can be tailored to suit specific requirements;

it is commonly seen with a security comb topping, but was forgone in this case in order to provide a non-intimidating solution.

Due to the uneven terrain, the panels were stepped upon installation along the sloping ground to maintain an even height around the playground. The fencing and gates were powder coated green, enabling them to blend with the natural foliage in the surrounding area and create a welcoming and peaceful environment.

To provide access to the different areas of the site, four manual single leaf pedestrian gates were installed to match the fencing, two with push pads to stop unauthorised access from the outside but allowing access when required.

All Jacksons’ fencing and gates come with a 25 year service life guarantee, offering a cost effective, sustainable solution for the future. Find out more about their school solutions by visiting the website or calling on the details below. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.jacksons-security.co.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

Health & Safety

Social distancing in schools It is likely that when schools re-open for the majority of children, social distancing measures will need to be observed to some extent, as is currently being done in the schools that remain open. But what does social distancing in educational settings look like, and – is it even possible in practice?

On 20 March 2020, the school term came to an abrupt end, following the announcement that schools would close to the majority of children due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic. Schools would however, remain open for those who have ‘key worker’ parents, as well as ‘vulnerable’ children.

Social distancing – the requirement to keep apart from others to limit the spread of the virus – is required in those schools that remain open, although it is acknowledged that this is difficult, especially for younger age groups.

There is much talk of schools re-opening in a phased manner to stop too many individuals sharing the school environment at one time.

Social distancing to some extend will also need to be adhered to when schools reopen.

The Scottish government is carrying out work to study how “physical distancing” could be continued in schools, transport, businesses and recreation. Its says: “Easing restrictions will not mean returning to how things were before the virus. Physical distancing, hand hygiene, and other critical behaviours will be essential in each sector.”

So what is the official advice from the Department for Education on staying safe and social distancing for the educational settings that remain open?

Main considerations For schools that remain open, class sizes The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly must reflect the numbers of teaching staff transmitted through droplets generated when available and are kept as small as possible. an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.

Lunch times, break times, and the movement These droplets are too heavy to hang in the of pupils around the school must be air. They quickly fall on floors or surfaces. staggered, to reduce large groups of children Much of the advice for schools, colleges gathering. Parents should also be discouraged and childcare settings is to follow from gathering at the school gates. steps on social distancing,

All staff and children must wash handwashing and other their hands with soap and water for hygiene measures, and 20 seconds frequently, and staff Clea cleaning of surfaces. must help those who have messag r The first piece trouble doing so. Everyone to pupi ing l of advice is to is encouraged not to touch s a b o ut the pur ensure that those their faces and must be told social d pose of that display to use a tissue or elbow istancin any symptoms to cough or sneeze and g persona of coronavirus use bins for tissue waste. l hygienand e is partic (COVID-19) do There must be increased ularly , not enter the cleaning of surfaces in i mporta school. This applies classrooms, including desks nt to children, parents, and handles, and within carers or any visitors, toilet blocks and changing such as suppliers. rooms, adhering to guidance on Consideration should be cleaning of non-healthcare settings. given as to how children arrive at the The DfE says it is putting in place a new education or childcare setting, and any process that allows schools to be reimbursed unnecessary travel on coaches, buses or for costs that they face as a result of extra public transport should be reduced. cleaning during this period. E Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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 Schools should inform parents and communities about the measures they are taking. Schools should also ask parents to talk to their children about coronavirus, social distancing and handwashing, as well as to follow guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection.

Social distancing in practice So what does effective social distancing involve in practice in educational settings?

As much as possible, children, young people and staff should be spaced apart at all times. This means sitting children at desks that are far apart and ensuring everyone queues and eats further apart than normal. In the playground and when doing physical exercise, children should be kept apart. Visits to the toilet should be taken one at a time and break times should be staggered. Guidelines should be put out in corridors and unnecessary staff gatherings should be avoided.

Social distancing measures should also be in place when providing meals, or food for collection, from families of free school meal pupils not in school.

Clear messaging to pupils about the purpose of social distancing, and personal hygiene, is particularly important.

For schools that remain open with a small number of pupils attending, these measures are feasible. But when schools open for the masses, social distancing becomes more difficult. Indeed, almost

three-quarters of school staff have said that social distancing in UK schools is “impossible” in a recent Tes survey.

Once schools re-open, social distancing could involve only a few year groups attending, or pupils taking it in turns between studying at school and at home.

It could also see some children work one week and others the next, or some attending school in the morning and others in the afternoons. In addition, classrooms could be redesigned to ensure social distancing.

Young children Social distancing for settings with very young children is harder to maintain and staff should implement the recommended measures as far as they are able.

Staff should pay particular attention to handwashing before and after supporting children who need toileting or eating, as well as avoiding touching their own face whilst at work. Teachers and other staff may want to use age and developmentally appropriate ways to encourage children to follow social distancing, hand-washing and other guidance, including through games, songs and stories. They should encourage parents/ carers to reinforce these messages at home, by asking them to remind their children.

As much as possible, schools should seek to prevent the sharing of food, drink, utensils, equipment and toys. Equipment, toys and surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected more frequently.

Personal protective equipment The DfE says that scientific advice indicates that educational staff do not require personal protective equipment. This is needed by medical and care professionals providing specific close contact care, or procedures that create airborne risk, such as suctioning and physiotherapy, for anyone who has coronavirus (COVID-19), and is displaying symptoms.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks and these droplets quickly fall on floors or surfaces. The advice for schools, colleges and childcare settings therefore is to follow steps on social distancing, handwashing and other hygiene measures, and cleaning of surfaces.

Some children, and young people with special educational needs, may be unable to follow social distancing guidelines, or require personal care support. In these circumstances, staff need to increase their level of self-protection, such as minimising close contact (where appropriate), cleaning frequently touched surfaces, and carrying out more frequent handwashing.

All educational settings are advised to follow the Public Health England (PHE) guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare settings. Schools should clean and disinfect equipment, toys and surfaces more regularly. This includes keyboards, mouse, tables, chairs, door handles, light switches and bannisters. Bins for tissues should be emptied throughout the day.

Staff, children, young people and families should be reminded to wash their hands for 20 seconds more frequently than normal, including on arrival at the setting, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing. L

Health & Safety

Lunch times, break times, and the movement of pupils around the school must be staggered to reduce large groups of children gathering.

Parents should also be discouraged from gathering at the gates

FURTHER INFORMATION The government advice can be found at: www.gov.uk

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisement Feature

Office Depot: not what an ordinary office supplier looks like Office Depot’s experience in education gives the company a real insight into the products and services needed for the challenges that the sector faces. Here’s how Office Depot, what inspires us?

Simple – we help our customers create great workplaces.

That passion has fuelled our work, our thinking and our people for decades and still excites us today. We’ve always been an expert in workplace solutions. But these days, we’re far more than just paper and pens. We have transformed and evolved to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are now proud to call ourselves a total business solutions provider.

Much more than just paper and pens This has enabled us to become the right partner for academic establishments across the education sector, from the smallest school to the largest university. While we still provide quality office supplies and print management, we now also provide print and marketing solutions; cleaning, hygiene and catering solutions; furniture, interiors and signage.

We also provide training in everything from leadership and management skills, HGV and forklift licences to health & safety and first aid.

We can personalise our offering to your needs Our experience in education gives us a real insight into the products and services needed for the challenges that you face.

That said, we get that you are unique and we can tailor our products and solutions to meet your needs, whether that be your own personalised catalogues and product listings to tailored reporting, we will partner with you to develop a proposition that works for you.

We can simplify your indirect procurement It is your budget and we can help ensure you stay in control by setting up approvers and approval limits. We can also work with you to simplify your life by streamlining your indirect procurement purchasing. We can work together to identify opportunities to consolidate your orders, whether that be improving the efficiency of existing orders or the consolidation of suppliers. With the breadth of our service and product range we will be able to help you reduce the complexity of supply, reducing admin, reducing costs and reducing transportation impacts on the planet – one supplier, one invoice, one delivery.

Over 2,000 sustainable products to choose from We can help you meet your green and CSR agenda. Along with the 2000 products in our range that have externally verified environmental attributes, we take several steps to care of our environment. We operate a chain of custody for our entire product range and a package reduction programme. We also send none of our waste to landfill, resulting in 90% of it being recycled and all of our deliveries are carbon neutral through carbon offset schemes.

Buy from us with confidence Our scale means that you can buy from us with confidence. Our extensive distribution network ensures that the majority of mail order products are available on the next day. We also provide a 30-day money back guarantee returns/collections

service, giving you piece of mind and letting you get on with the thousands of other task you need to get done.

Case Study Originally, The University of Bristol was ordering through Office Depot via a third party hosted catalogue. This didn’t make order consolidation an easy process, with extremely high numbers of low value orders being processed (over 50 per cent below £30) and hundreds of small deliveries per week.

We worked together and developed a plan, moving to a punchout account with low value orders clearly discouraged through messaging on their bulletin boards and pop up banners. Consolidation was encouraged by having a wide range of products available and we activated a ‘switch and save’ option with a green emphasis, driving customers towards the best sustainable products…If there was a green option, we promoted it, only Fairtrade catering products were available, we blocked bleach, and looked to drive consumers to larger pack sizes and recycled options for their general office products.

And the result? Not only have we made The University of Bristol a greener place to work and study, we have also reduced the amount of traffic on site making it a safer place to be (now less than 40 per cent of orders are below £30 and this figure continues to drop). This work is of course an ongoing initiative. We have the support of a great procurement team who continually strive to make improvements, recognising that no matter how small the change is, it will always make a positive contribution to the overall achievement.

Talk to us We’ve changed the shape of what an office supplies partner looks like - but this is just the beginning. To find out more about how Office Depot can help you, just contact us today. L FURTHER INFORMATION Racheal Cropper Tel: +44 (0) 161 301 8480 Email: racheal.cropper@officedepot.eu www.whyofficedepot.co.uk

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

Catering Written by Bethany Eadie, content producer at The Key

Providing free school meals during lockdown

Using the national voucher system The government has launched its voucher scheme for schools providing free school meals. The scheme is run using the Edenred portal. You should’ve received an activation email from Edenred through the email address the DfE holds for your school. Once you’ve activated your account, you’ll be able to create vouchers using the step-by-step guide.

For each eligible child, you’ll be able to order either a single £15 voucher each week or a weekly £15 rolling voucher.

You can also combine funding where a family has more than one child eligible.

Schools are expected to provide eligible pupils with free school Once you’ve confirmed the voucher’s meals when they’re self-isolating or during school closure. value, you have two options. You can either Bethany Eadie from The Key, outlines the options available to send an ‘eCode’ directly to parents, they can then choose an eGift card from a range schools and how to support the most vulnerable families of supermarkets). Or you can select an eGift card on the parents’ behalf, and print The Department for Education (DfE) Using your existing catering and post the card to them – you’ll need to recommends three options to make sure service and create a ‘take-away’ check which supermarket they use. you can provide lunch to eligible children. or delivery service

E-Gift cards are These are; contact your existing catering If it’s safe and practical to do so, available for the following M ak service and find out if they can prepare your school kitchen could stay supermarkets: Aldi; sure yo e meals, give out supermarket vouchers open and prepare lunches in McColl’s; Morrisons; u t e ll families (using the national scheme) or use local paper bags as you normally Tesco; Sainsbury’s; out for to watch initiatives like community hubs or charities. would for FSM-eligible Asda; Waitrose; We’ll explore each of these options below. pupils going on school and M&S. example scams. For , Funding will be available to compensate trips. Parents can collect Families are e m a il parents s for costs not covered by the national these from school, or you free to select the for ban asking kd voucher scheme, such as costs arising can create a collection most appropriate because they qu etails food and drink for from providing meals before the national point just outside school alify for Free voucher scheme was introduced. Or costs or in your playground. their child, but when S c h o o from where you’re providing meals to pupils Stagger collection times selecting products, are l Meals for whom the national voucher scheme throughout the day (e.g. year encouraged to consider is inappropriate, such as if there are no 1: 9-10am, year 2: 10-11am, health and nutrition. The participating supermarkets locally or if etc.). Alternatively, if it’s possible, School Food Standards may act you’re providing meals directly to pupils. you could organise a delivery service. as a useful guide. E Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

There might be other families in your school community who are close to living in poverty.

They might be impacted significantly over the coming months by self-isolation or changes in economic circumstances as a result of coronavirus. Be aware of who these families are in case you’re able to help them further. You won’t be able to offer them vouchers via the national system, but you may want to provide them with meals through your existing catering systems or put them in touch with local initiatives. L

Catering

Funding will be available to compensate for costs not covered by the national voucher scheme, such as costs arising from providing meals before the national voucher scheme was introduced. Or costs from where you’re providing meals to pupils for whom the national voucher scheme is inappropriate

Bethany Eadie is a content producer at The Key, a provider of up-to-the-minute sector intelligence and resources that empower education leaders with the knowledge to act. The Key has created a coronavirus hub filled with practical advice and resources to help schools every step of the way as the situation evolves.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.thekeysupport.com

Free school meals will remain in Wales until pandemic over Wales has guaranteed the ongoing funding for children to continue to receive free school meals until schools re-open or until the end of August.

 Consider whether your parents can access the internet when deciding which option to take. If you’re not sure, get in touch with them.

Using local initiatives Consider contacting your local food bank - you can find your local food bank through the Trussell Trust and get in touch with it directly.

The food bank will be able to offer you a number of food bank vouchers to give to your most vulnerable families, on a case-by-case basis. Please be aware that food banks are facing unprecedented demand at this time, so they may be slower than usual to respond. If you aren’t able to access vouchers because of this, make sure all parents are aware of the closest food bank(s) in your area.

You can also get in touch with local charities who can help. Many charities are stepping up their provision in light of the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable families. Share details of these charities with your families or get in touch with them directly. Some organisations, such as Street Games Fit and Fed and FareShare, work in a range of locations.

Warn families about scams Make sure you tell families to watch out for scams exploiting the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, emails asking parents for bank details because they qualify for FSM or phone calls purporting to be official bodies (such as HMRC, Sky, BT, etc.) asking for bank details. Citizens Advice has information on how to check if something is a scam.

Expectations over the holidays Schools were expected to provide free school meals for eligible pupils not attending school over the Easter holidays. You’ll receive compensation for this if you used vouchers (the national voucher system continued to operate over Easter) or if you used a supplier, you’ll be compensated, at a later date, up to £15 per eligible pupil for the costs incurred. The guidance doesn’t specify, but we’d expect this to be £15 for each week to match up with the cost of vouchers.

Think about which other pupils are most at risk of going without food

Education Minister Kirsty Williams confirmed each eligible child will receive the equivalent of £19.50 a week.

With the support of the Welsh Local Government Association, the Welsh Government will make £33m available to help local authorities continue to provide free school meals.

After weeks of local authorities providing free school meals to communities across Wales, and following a review into the possibility of adopting a national voucher scheme, the Education Minister said the way forward for Wales was for local authorities to decide what works best for their local communities.

In the revised guidance issued to local authorities, the Welsh Government outlines three options for providing free school meals that require the least amount of social interaction, they are: the provision of vouchers; the delivery of food items to the families of pupils in receipt of free school meals; or a transfer of funds to the bank accounts of families eligible for free school meals (BACS payments).

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Advertisement Feature

Choosing the finance system with the best control Julie Tannett, director of finance at Bishop of Winchester Academy, explains why she moved to Dimensions for Academies in 2016 and how it’s given her the control she wanted Based in Dorset, Bishop of Winchester Academy comprises a secondary school, sixth form and centre for special needs. Twenty-five per cent are pupil premium children and it runs a specialist centre for children with autism.

Julie Tannett is the Director of Finance. A qualified accountant, she told us why she moved to Dimensions for Academies in 2016 and how it’s given her the control she wanted.

When a period end close can still open Julie inherited a finance system she described as “absolutely appalling”. Not before long, the deficiencies of this system became her priorities for a new provider.

“The software was terrible. You couldn’t even hard close the year. You just ticked a box. And it could easily be unticked. At the time, nobody understood that once the year was closed, you didn’t post things backwards. I had to impose very strict period end controls to make sure the figures couldn’t change once the management accounts had been produced. It was an absolute nightmare. I don’t understand how anyone could call it an accounting system,” said Julie.

She told the governors this issue was a huge risk for the academy. The figures couldn’t be trusted due to such poor control. Pretty quickly, they all agreed to find a new finance system.

“There had been a very clear month end process on the college system, so I wanted something as close to that as I could find.

We looked at the supposed market leader, another well-known system and Hoge 100.

I was put off the market leader immediately because it’s a unified ledger and they’re very poor for exercising control. And Access from Hoge just had much better period end controls than the other system. We could do an initial close and then a final close. But once that first close happened, no more orders or invoices were going into that month. I could safely start work on the management accounts.

It was the ability to do that hard close on the purchase ledger that sold me on Access (and Dimensions for Academies).”

Mirroring an expensive system for less Julie had previously worked at a local college and loved the finance system there. But it was too expensive for a single school academy. So, her ideal scenario was to find the same level of control, for less.

“I’m a qualified accountant. I like to have the controls and I prepare the accounts myself.

So, I wanted a system I could safely rely on.

An incredibly smooth changeover Transitioning to a new finance system can be challenging. But Julie found with Hoge 100’s help, the process was trouble-free.

She explained: “I worked with Liz Collier [at Hoge 100]. She showed me how to set up nominal accounts, how to link them, and how to build the chart of accounts in advance. Once I was happy with everything, they installed the live system and imported what I’d set up.

Then Liz helped me import the opening debtors and creditors and bank reconciliations. And we were away. It was all very straightforward and simple.

It was an incredibly smooth process.”

“There’s nothing about it I’m not happy with.”

Three years on, Julie remains very happy with her decision to move providers. In fact, she told us she’s often singing Hoge 100’s praises on the FD Forum. So, aside from the reassurance of a hard close, we asked what she particularly liked about Dimensions for Academies.

“We’ve found Finance Portal particularly useful. I’ve been able to give logins to budget holders, so they can go in and look at their own report and spend against budgets. They can do that at any time. That’s one of the big bonuses.

The ability to attach invoices to transactions has been hugely useful too. At year end, it makes such a difference. Instead of constantly having to get the files out and look invoices up, I can just open them, which is brilliant.

The direct link to Excel is great too. I always do accounts in Excel so I can keep a clear record of final journals for the auditors. That link to Excel is very useful to me. In fact, there’s nothing about it I’m not happy with.”

Proven first-class support It’s not just the software that’s impressed Julie. Having previously experienced support that “wasn’t great” with her last provider, she can tell the difference with Hoge 100.

“We have been so impressed. The support from Hoge 100 is just incomparable. I mean, it was one of their selling points. But people say they give great support, and then in reality, they don’t. But Hoge do. I think they are first-class; I really do. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.hoge100.co.uk/academies/dfa-home.html 01905 947257

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

Procurement Written by CPL Group

Tendering during a pandemic Procurement and tendering can be complicated and time consuming at the best of times, but in times of a crisis, it may seem like running an effective tender process is almost impossible. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case CPL Group have created a step-by-step guide which provides you with hints and tips that facilitate compliance whilst making sure you can complete an effective tendering process.

Current contract / provision Should you need to extend your current contract: discuss with your supplier about extending the contract beyond its current term.

We recommend not to agree a new contract end date yet but to establish that this would be a viable option if the tender process needs to be delayed. Your current supplier will value the advanced warning as it will allow them to make any arrangements that are necessary.

Prepare your in-house team if your service is currently delivered in-house: Make sure your onsite team including HR, are prepared for the scenario that the in-house service will need to be continued to be delivered for a period. Check that everything is in place to ensure the service can continue seamlessly until the new contract is in place.

Supplier site visits Site visits are extremely useful when you are tendering for services as it allows the potential supplier to view the applicable areas of your building. A visit isn’t going to be possible if

your organisation has adopted a work from questions. We recommend minuting the home policy or is restricting access to your call and distributing the notes circulated buildings. When a visit is unable to take place, via your e-tendering portal to ensure we recommend considering the following transparency and to provide an audit trail. options to assist suppliers submitting bids: Supplier site visits and an effective Photographs – insert photos of the tender pack should always contain the relevant areas into the tender document following pieces of information whether to provide suppliers with visual tendering for goods or services: imagery of the areas covered

Specification – based by the service contract. on the site’s requirements C onsid Videos – produce a video under the new contract. offeringer of the area to provide Site plans (if applicable) telepho a a virtual tour of the – provide all detailed ne or video c site or the main areas site plans that you which will be covered possess so suppliers instead onference cal l by the service contract. can fully understand of a site allowin v Conference call the site layout. i s i t , g suppl question and answer Square meterage details i e r t s o hea session – consider (if applicable) – provide require r your offering a telephone as much accurate detail ments or video conference on the square meterage call instead of a site of your site as possible. This visit, allowing suppliers to is extremely important when hear your requirements and ask tendering for cleaning contracts. clarification questions on the content of the TUPE (if applicable) – accurate TUPE details tender document. We strongly recommend are integral to allowing the interested suppliers inviting all suppliers onto the same call to to understand your current staffing structures, ensure they all hear the same information numbers, terms and conditions etc. Should and are given the same opportunity to ask you be unable to delay your tender process, E Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Procurement

 suppliers could always submit their proposals based on TUPE data. Bids based on TUPE would be limited in achieving economies of scale but if you have no other option then this would be a key piece of information to allow suppliers to submit.

Contract terms – all tender packs must include the terms and conditions so that all stakeholders are fully aware of the contractual requirements throughout the life of the contract. This is important in today’s climate with contractual concerns amongst all parties.

Site plans, square meterage details and TUPE are integral if applicable to the procurement exercise but for some projects these will not be required so an accurate specification and contract terms are key.

Presentations Should you require presentations as part of your assessment criteria, this provides added complications regarding human contact and we would recommend the following to ensure compliance for bids not yet received: Assessment criteria amended – if you haven’t received any bids and the deadline date has not passed, you have the opportunity to amend the presentation questions in the assessment criteria to require a written response instead. These criteria would then be evaluated along with the rest of the bidder’s submission. We recommend contacting all the suppliers involved to make sure that they accept this change to ensure compliance. We expect suppliers to prefer this method of submission as it removes the need to attend site and put themselves or any stakeholders at risk.

Video conference presentations – if all stakeholders have the facility to conduct video conference presentations, the supplier could conduct their presentation against the agreed assessment criteria using this method. We recommend for only the key stakeholders to be involved in this option so as to limit the concerns regarding IT and any delays with the technology.

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Should you require presentations as part of your assessment criteria, this provides added complications regarding human contact but you can still ensure compliance for bids Bids already received Suppliers resubmit presentation criteria as written responses – you could message all suppliers and request that due to the current circumstances, you now require written submissions in place of the presentation criteria whilst providing them with adequate time to provide a response. This can then be evaluated as part of the written responses meaning you can fulfil 100 per cent of the criteria and award to the highest scoring supplier.

Award without conducting presentations – if you have presentations specified within your assessment criteria, the deadline date has passed and the bids have been opened, it is imperative that you are transparent with your suppliers to ensure compliance.

You could award without conducting them and inform suppliers you intend to do this via your e-tendering portal. The weighting for the presentations within the assessment criteria would then be removed and only the written responses would be evaluated.

An example of this would be if you had the weightings at written responses at 80 per cent and presentations at 20 per cent then you would only assess the responses against the 80 per cent and award to the highest scoring supplier at this level.

Communication Make sure that all communication is via the compliant channels such as an e-tendering portal, you keep all suppliers informed at all key stages of the decision-making process and you provide suppliers with regular updates.

New Procurement Policy Note Should you have an urgent requirement for goods, services or works due to COVID-19 and you need to procure this under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCRs), there are various options available, including: direct award due to extreme urgency, direct award due to absence of competition or protection of exclusive rights, call off from an existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system, call for competition using a standard procedure with accelerated timescales and extending or modifying a contract during its term.

Please see Procurement Policy Note 01/20: Responding to COVID-19 on www.gov.uk for further information.

CPL Group CPC and Tenet Education Services are not-for-profit organisations which are part of CPL Group, an education owned charity that gives back to the sector. CPC provides deals designed for education covering a variety of products and services, 12 deals are recommended by the DfE. CPC membership is free of charge to all institutions. Tenet provides procurement consultancy support.L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cpl.group www.tenetservices.com www.thecpc.ac.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

Advertisment Feature

Transforming your school: the lettings way With the whole country on lockdown, the closure of schools is a reminder of their significance in our communities. Beyond their vital importance for educating our next generation, schools and higher education institutions have some of the best facilities available – facilities which are an incredibly valuable asset to local groups, businesses and even other schools Many schools have also financially benefitted from making these ‘assets sweat’ by letting their fantastic facilities to the wider community. With the additional revenue generated, cashstrapped schools can reinvest money into their institutions, new educational resources, new buildings and much more.

Of course, letting out facilities can be very time-intensive and requires a significant amount of administrative work to manage – this is why many schools are now turning to a lettings management solution for support. In light of the current economic landscape and the impact of social distancing on communities, many schools will be looking to ‘rebuild’ in order to generate new revenue and bring local communities back together. With a managed lettings service such as BookingsGuru or a lettings management software system, BookingsPlus by Kajima Community, provides a fresh opportunity that schools will need after the effects of COVID-19.

As a not-for-profit arm of Kajima Partnerships Ltd, Kajima Community has over 40 years combined knowledge of school lettings, having worked alongside numerous schools across the country.

With a team of experienced specialists on hand, schools working with Kajima Community are assisted with managing their lettings from marketing and promotion to invoicing and payment collection.

with the service, schools will still retain the management of site staff which ensures total control over site operation. A core team of lettings specialists is on hand with the BookingsGuru service to help advise, suggest and support the school in getting the most of its lettings. With a complete customer management service in place, let the experts do the work whilst you watch your lettings income grow.

The complete no-hassle product As an equally efficient and costeffective alternative, BookingsPlus is the complete school lettings software system which enables schools to manage their lettings in-house, all while benefitting from the expertise and capabilities of Kajima Community.

This system offers a simple way to centralise the management of lettings, making the process easier and smoother for both the school and hirers involved. With the online BookingsPlus platform, lettings become a highly streamlined process, helping schools to keep on top of the daily management, in addition to identifying any outstanding lettings-related tasks.

Automation is the key to this software easing the burden for schools. Invoicing, credits, communications, marketing, reminders for both administrator and customer are all integrated functions which happen automatically, within the BookingsPlus software. A system that is clear and easy-to-use not only benefits the schools but also those who are hiring the facilities too and happier customers are repeat customers.

Both BookingsGuru and BookingsPlus are two valuable solutions to managing school lettings and making the most of your exceptional facilities.

The dedication and knowledge of the Kajima Community team makes us perfectly placed to support schools in this endeavour. When COVID-19 passes, and it will, let Kajima Community help transform your school and generate the additional income needed to keep schools at the heart of our communities. L FURTHER INFORMATION For more information, visit https://www.kajima.co.uk/community

The specialist lettings service BookingsGuru provides schools with a complete management service of the finances and administration that comes with community lettings. A designated account manager is on hand to complete these daily tasks, freeing up valuable time for school resources and offering a cast iron guarantee to increase your lettings income.

In addition, the BookingsGuru team’s market expertise can help schools develop a compelling marketing strategy, enabling you to reach target audiences for your facilities. A key part of the service also focuses on website development and social media to further promote your school and the facilities on offer to key groups in your community.

Although responsibility of the administrative work and marketing lies

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Carrier 10 or 15™ Putnam 8 or 16™ FUYL Tower 15™ Joey Cart™ Take back time and space.

Takes up minimal space and includes our unique, time-saving Baskets.

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CarryOn™ Small but mighty. THolds up to five devices, together with all the charging hardware and cables in one clean, compact unit.

On 3 November this year, schools from the primary, secondary and independent sectors will once again be recognised for innovation and leadership in the 13th Education Business Awards Originally scheduled for 9 July, the Education Business Awards have been postponed until 3 November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Awards, held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London (formerly the Grange Hotel), will showcase the effort and dedication of teachers, school management and support staff in 23 categories.

Presenting the 2020 Awards will be former GMTV anchor and TV presenter Fiona Philips who is involved in numerous charities including, The Children’s Society and PDSA. Sponsoring the awards this year are Office Depot, Emotional Logic, LocknCharge, PFU - a Fujitsu company, and Community Playthings.

Entries for this year’s awards close on 18 September and can be submitted on the website address at the end of the article.

Here is a look at the categories as well as the excellent work of past winners.

Outstanding progress There are three awards that recognise the outstanding progress that primary, secondary and independent schools have achieved, looking at all the factors that lead to better educational outcomes.

EB Awards 2020

Looking forward to the 2020 Education Business Awards

2014 as a girls only school to becoming coeducational and over-subscribed. In just four years, pupil numbers have more than tripled.

Community links The Academy Partnership Award is presented to the established specialist academy that can demonstrate benefits to the community through a partnership with an existing establishment, such as a primary school, secondary school, or university. In 2019, Castledon College won the award for the links it had built with numerous employers to develop work placements for learners with SEND. The Community Award recognises schools working in partnership with other public sector bodies on projects that bring specific benefits to the local community. The 2019 winner was Gilbrook Primary School in Wirral for the work the school has done to help parents’ mental help and for the links it has forged with a range of professionals to help support community cohesion.

Last year Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane scooped the award for Outstanding Progress in the primary category, for its excellent turnaround, going from ‘requires improvement’ in 2012 Arts, music, trips and to ‘outstanding’ in 2019. Leaders sport at the school are said to be The Art & Craft Award ‘uncompromising in their Origina is presented to determination to continually l l y schedu the educational improve pupils’ outcomes.’ for 9 Ju led establishment that The Outstanding can provide first class Progress award in the Awards ly, the EB h learning environment Secondary School a v e been postpo and modern, flexible category last year went Novemned until 3 facilities for students to Pleckgate High School b of art & craft. Last in Blackburn. In 2013, the cor er due to year Queens Park the school was judged onaviru s Primary School, ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted pandem ic which serves as a local and after converting to educational and community Academy status and winning hub for extracurricular an Educational Outcomes Award opportunity in the arts, in 2017, the school has been hailed was presented with the award. as a ‘Beacon of Success’ by the DfE. The The School Music Award is presented school was rated Outstanding in its latest to the educational establishment that can inspection report published in January 2019. demonstrate a commitment to improving Dunottar School in Surrey won the the quality of musical learning through the Outstanding Progress award in the provision of a first class teaching environment.

Independent school sector. The school has Last year Lindley Junior School won the E been transformed since facing near closure in

Issue 25.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Community playthings – Furniture that supports child development

Community Playthings is delighted to be offering a raffle prize of an Outlast School intro set at this year’s event.

Community Playthings’ love for children is the basis of everything it does. Since 1947, it has designed and manufactured innovative, durable, solid wood furniture and play equipment for early years settings and primary schools. Its products inspire play, support all aspects of child development and survive generations of wear

and tear by active children.

Community Playthings is uniquely equipped to support your staff. Its furniture is modular and adaptable, enabling the environment to be changed and developed.

Nothing from its indoor product line comes flat packed. You won’t have to put in a single screw. Where assembly is unavoidable it’s simple and tool‑free.

All products are delivered within two weeks and carry a standard 15-year warranty.

Visit Community Plaything’s stand to enter the raffle for the for your primary school! The winner will be announced at the end of the drinks reception. View the Outlast blocks in action.

FURTHER INFORMATION comunityplaythings.co.uk sales@communityplaythings.co.uk 0800 387 457

Enabling the learning experience in these challenging times

As the education spectrum adapts to the changes brought about by the impact of Covid-19, more and more are discovering the benefits of utilising dedicated scanning devices as a way to aid the seamless provision of the curriculum and to help with administrative processes including back-file conversion.

Digital processes are helping with engagement between all parties as well as serving as a way to share material via systems between pupils, teachers, parents or even isolated family members.

Scanning documents and course material through OCR (optical character recognition), can make the scanned information easily searchable, retrievable and editable, saving time and improving productivity. Once digitised, the information can be organised and stored for anyone to access

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anytime and from anywhere.

Finally, with the reality of data privacy documents can be easily tracked, with a clear audit path, so you know who has access, where, how and why the information is stored with visible retention periods.

An ideal scanner model is the ScanSnap iX1500 for intuitive automated scanning of a range of material, the in-built touch screen with the ability to create multiple scan profiles makes operation a breeze for staff members, home users or other members of a household, it really is the smarter way to work.

FURTHER INFORMATION http://emea.fujitsu.com/ scanners-in-education marketing@uk.fujitsu.com

Manage pupil emotions more constructively

Emotional Logic (EL) is a conversational skill that equips people of all ages to manage change, setbacks, disappointments and hurts more constructively. It can be learnt in just a few hours and is used widely in schools, healthcare settings and with people of all ages.

EL is trauma responsive and is used in schools worldwide to help children, families and staff move forward during challenging times.

For pupils and their families in schools, areas of anger, depression, anxiety or self-harm are commonly addressed. By feeling heard, and safe, pupils become more resilient and academic levels improve. For staff it is often used in the areas of stress reduction, workload,

work life balance or conflict resolution. EL moves people towards taking carefully planned risks with others to address the root of issues and move forward.

The Emotional Logic Centre is a Devon charity founded in 2003 and is led by medical and education professionals. It trains schools to set up bespoke selfsufficient support systems for both staff and pupils. Schools currently use EL for-staff support, to target specific families and as part of their wider PSHE curriculum accessed by all children.

FURTHER INFORMATION For more information visit www.emotionallogiccentre.org.uk

Office Depot is inspired to help customers create great workplaces

That passion has fuelled Office Depot’s work, thinking and people for decades and still excites the company today.

Office Depot has always been an expert in workplace solutions.

But these days, it’s far more than just paper and pens. It has transformed and evolved to meet the changing needs of its customers and the company is now proud to call itself a total business solutions provider.

This has enabled it to become the right partner for academic establishments across the education sector, from the smallest school to the largest university. While Office Depot still provides quality office supplies and print management, it now also provides print and

marketing solutions; cleaning, hygiene and catering solutions; furniture, interiors and signage.

It also provides training in everything from leadership and management skills, HGV and forklift licences to health & safety and first aid.

Office Depot can simplify your life by streamlining your indirect procurement purchasing, through consolidation (of products and or suppliers), working with existing suppliers, helping you understand the opportunities for green and CSR led initiatives and switches and much more.

Office Depot has changed the shape of what an office supplies partner looks like - but this is just the beginning. Contact us today

FURTHER INFORMATION Racheal Cropper Tel: +44 (0) 161 301 8480 racheal.cropper@officedepot.eu www.whyofficedepot.co.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

 award for its choir which won Barnardos Choir of the Year three years running.

The Educational Visits Award is presented to the educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to providing students with a range of subject specific educational visits in order to further their learning experience. Last year, Ernesettle Community School in Devon scooped the award. It is in the highest quintile for deprivation in the country and offers fully-subsidised trips, visits and visitors to ensure the curriculum is as broad and inspiring as possible.

The Sports Award is awarded to the educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate an outstanding commitment to developing the sporting skills of its students through the provision of first class facilities and coaching programmes. In 2019 Winner, Fairholme Primary School for its excellent sports provision and after school clubs.

The environment The Environmental Practice Award is given to the school project that can demonstrate a benefit to the environment and the environmental education of its pupils. Bedford Drive Primary School in Birkenhead won the award last year. Its Eco Club started almost ten years ago and has since empowered pupils to improve their environmental awareness and drive change.

The Excellence in Health and Safety Award celebrates best practice in operational health and safety and recognises the valuable work the responsible managers do to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for teachers, pupils and the general public every day. The 2019 winner was Hallbrook Primary School in Leicestershire for its exemplary health and safety practices, including silent evacuations to ensure the school is successfully evacuated in the event of a terrorist attack.

Technology in schools The ICT Facility Award is presented to the educational establishment offers a first

class environment for the teaching of ICT and related subjects. Last year the winning school was Minehead Middle School in Somerset. The school boasts three ICT suites, one of which was refurbished with new computers in September 2018. What’s more, a set of Lego Mindstorms robots are used to learn about programming and robotics.

The ICT Innovation Award is given to the educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate innovation in its approach to teaching IT and computing that furthers the learning experience of its students. St Swithun Wells’ Catholic Primary School in Middlesex won the award last year for being in the top three coding schools nationally.

Facilities and play spaces The Play Space Award recognises the outdoor playground environment and spaces in nurseries/primary schools where innovative equipment creates opportunities for learning. In 2019 Putney High School in London was awarded the recognition for its play space that features trapeze handles, acrobatic bars, scramble beams, clamber nets, and a raised tree-house den and tipi platform for creative role play.

The School Building Award is presented to the establishment that has what is judged to be the most technically advanced building constructed for the purpose of teaching pupils. Bishop Chavasse Church of England Primary School in Kent won the award last year. Officially opening in April last year, the calm and spacious environment provides great opportunities for learning both inside and outside. The new library forms an integral part of the school, which features inspiring book areas in every classroom and breakout reading spaces.

The School Catering Award is presented to an educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate a commitment to healthy eating and a first class catering service available to all students. The Holmewood School in London wom the award last year for its Occupational Therapy Café, which started life as a way to help a student who was at risk of exclusion due to poor behaviour.

EB Awards 2020

The School Security Award recognises the UK school that has made outstanding efforts to increase security through a combination of increased awareness in staff and pupils and the procurement and installation of additional security measures. The 2019 winner was Hope View Independent School in Canterbury which has installed new security measures such as an anti-climb system.

Money matters The School Finance Award recognises effective financial practices, the results of which provide evidence of a positive impact on schools, academies and MATs. The Weald Community School and Sixth Form in West Sussex won the award last year for achieving a balance between an ideal curriculum and one the school can afford.

The School Procurement Award recognises an individual project where a school has worked with an outside agency or local authority to refine its buying practices and increase value to the taxpayer. Camden Learning won the award last year for its school led procurement practices and saving over 14 per cent on spending.

The School Recruitment Award is presented to an educational establishment which has invested in its recruitment methods and processes to ensure a timely intake of appropriate teaching and support staff. The 2019 winner was North Yorkshire Education Services which has developed a bank of talent to meet the demand for teachers.

Catering for SEND The SEN Inclusion Award is presented to the UK Mainstream School that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs. The 2019 winner was Marine Primary Acdemy in Devon which has a full time Speech and Language Therapist, three teachers who have the National Award for SEN Coordination Qualification (including the Headteacher), a full time Inclusion Teacher and a Pets as Therapy Dog. The SEN Provision Award is presented to the UK SEN Establishment that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs.

The 2019 winner was Castledon School & College in Essex for the work pupils do within the community to raise awareness of the needs of the students with SEND. The STEM Award is presented to the educational establishment that has excelled in the provision of a first class environment for teaching STEM subjects. Kirton Primary School in Lincolnshire won the award.

STEM involvement days with other primary schools, a STEM club and information evenings for parents have combined to help progress and attainment in science. L

Entries for this year’s awards close on Friday 18 September and can be submitted on the website address below.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.ebawards.co.uk

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Business Management Written by CPL Group

Unleashing your potential As school business professionals, 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges as we adapt to new ways of working following the COVID-19 world pandemic. You will have already released some of the potential within your organisations as you and your teams adjust with agility and speed to the crisis The profile and acknowledgement of the contribution that school business professionals (SBPs) make is ever growing. The current crisis has helped to further emphasis the significance of your role in delivering schools strategic aims. You are front and centre of the delivery of the repurposed school provision during this period and will continue to lead the plans as we move ahead to reopening schools in the coming months.

The Institute of School Business Leadership’s (ISBL) national conference will focus on how we can further unleash the potential from within ourselves, our colleagues and our organisations to allow for further growth and development and, in turn, improve pupil outcomes and progress.

The conference will explore how you as leaders can help your teams to grow following the pandemic crisis and the resulting challenges it has presented.

There is no better time for selfreflection and growth than after a period of crisis where both strengths and opportunities will have been identified.

With more than 16 workshops covering all areas of the ISBL Professional Standards, there is something for every school business professional. Topics include funding opportunities, maximising your estate’s potential, marketing your school for recruitment, reputation and revenue, and the six traits of effective school business teams.

More than a third of workshop sessions are practitioner-led by ISBL Fellows who can offer first-hand practical tools to allow SBP delegates to be the catalysts for change in

Panel The 2020 National Conference is booked for Thursday 12 – Friday 13 November 2020 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Speaker line-up COVID 19 developments permitting.

We are excited to announce Take the opportunity to invest in your our speaker line-up personal development and growth With includes Baroness and ensure your school is ready more th Karren Brady CBE to make the very best of its who has firstresources as we move forward 16 work an s hand experience post the pandemic. h o p covering s in unleashing

The early bird offer a ll a r eas of the ISBL potential is on now and you can P through her attend the full conference, Standar rofessional own career and including accommodation someth ds, there is her time on The on the Thursday evening, for ing for e ver Apprentice. just £325. This price has been school b usiness y There is every extended until 30 June 2020. professio reason to join Details regarding the conference nal us at this year’s can be found via the ISBL national conference, website: http://bit.ly/isblnc19 including the 14 hours of continued professional development across Win free packages the two full days, networking, and the During these challenging times we procurement fair within our exhibitor space. would like to offer you the chance to win It may well also be the first event specifically one of three, free, full place packages dedicated to SBPs post the crisis – providing at this year’s national conference. time to regroup with colleagues and share This opportunity is only possible due to the experiences. It is important that we look to generosity of our sponsors Zenergi, Telephone the future and ensure we have the time we Europe and EPM in funding these places. need to reflect and rebuild both ourselves To enter the prize draw, all you and our teams in the advent of this crisis. need to do is complete your details: Our physical and mental wellbeing will be https://bit.ly/NCPrizedraw L central to our future endeavours and success.

We hope to see many of you at this event in FURTHER INFORMATION November when we are finally able to meet in person and plan for the new year ahead. www.isbl.org.uk their own schools, unleashing the potential across its resources, including the succession development of new and existing talent.

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | www.educationbusinessuk.net

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3rd November 2020

Leonardo Royal Hotel • St Pauls • London

www.ebawards.co.uk