School Exclusions Have Negative Impact On Students
School Exclusions Have Negative Impact On Students Article by Barrie Laslett All across the country young people are being excluded from mainstream schools and consigned to the scrap heap of education in Pupil Referral Units (PRU’s) When a child is referred to these units it diminishes their life chances on paper. Data suggests those in a PRU are destined to either be a victim or perpetrator of knife crime. There are also strong links between PRU’s and gangs and county lines operations. The circumstances that lead to young people being referred to a PRU vary immensely. While in theory the PRU should be a last resort, a measure taken once all other avenues have been exhausted. Sadly in practice this is not always the case. To us working in the charity sector it seems like schools are burying their heads in the sand – taking the easy option by excluding troublesome children from a healthy learning environment and that is having a huge knock on effect on society. At The Wickers charity, we aim to reduce gang and knife related crime by supporting young people aged 8 – 18 with learning opportunities and positive role models. From the sample of young people we work and engage with on a weekly basis, there are worrying trends to suggest that PRU are a contributing factor to the rise in knife crime. Children with behavioural disorders are disproportionately being referred, and overzealous decisions are rashly made off the back of specific incidents. For example a young person is being bullied, and is threatened with violence, that young person takes a knife to school for protection. Is a referral to the PRU the best course of action? Surely there were other courses of action that would have been more effective? Or was the incident used as an excuse to move a young person with ADHD out of mainstream school? We at The Wickers fully appreciate the pressure schools are under, and the negative impact that disruptive students can have on a class, we also recognise the responsibility is not solely with the school and teachers, and no one should expect them to have all the answers. Parents and carers have a big role to play, but again they do not have all the answers. There are organisations like ours, that are out there who can provide support. We have seen the power of mentoring, and seen how engaged young people become when they have a positive role model they can relate to. We can also help to repair and build the relationships between the schools, parents and carers, by acting as an impartial mediator. At The Wickers we really try to understand the root cause of the issue and the needs of the young people. This takes time, as you need to build a relationship, gain trust and get the young person engaged. The engagement can happen through a range of activities such as music and sport. Once the child is engaged you then have a better chance of understanding the root cause of their behaviour, which enables you to provide better support. There is a bigger question or debate, are PRUs in their current format the right alternative provision? I think we all know the answer to that…..
Building The Classroom of the Future
Building The Classroom of the Future: Why Tech Will Be An Asset and a game changer for Education Dr Andrew Hobbs, Chief Operations Officer of the UK’s biggest children’s home-learning support provider, Exemplar Education, explores how AI will reshape the learning environment of the future. Few issues have captured the public’s consciousness as much as AI and the rise of the robots and what it could mean for the job market of the future. The speed at which technology is evolving is faster than anyone could have imagined and with that comes an overarching sense of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of our hard-earned skill sets growing redundant, fear of everyday tasks being replaced by AI all together. The anxiety surrounding the impact of AI does not come without warrant. The Office for National Statistics recently revealed that over 1.5 million jobs will fall into that category of uncertainty in the next ten years. But with one in five teachers expecting to leave the classroom within two years and a further two-fifths wanting to quit by 2024, according to a poll by the National Education Union, it seems the threat of redundancy as a result of AI is just another concern to add to a growing list of workplace pressures for teachers. With respondents citing excessive workloads and tough accountability practices, the poll gave incisive insights into the most pressing challenges facing the system. When asked “what would be the one thing that would make your job better in the next 12 months?” respondents pointed to a stronger work-life balance with a less excessive workload and a reduced focus on assessments and marking. Surely then we should be pulling out all the stops to retain our talented teachers and looking more positively at the technical innovations that will make a major mark on the classroom of the future. While policymakers can look towards simplifying and reducing the admin pressures confronting teachers; any review which fails to consider technical innovation and how it could re-imagine the classroom of the future, could only ever work in the short-term. Many teachers feel under pressure on a day to day basis, there’s no denying that, which makes it ever more important that they feel supported and appreciated. A teacher’s success in the classroom has the power to single-handedly transform our children and their futures. With technology ever evolving it is imperative that the teachers and the education system evolve as well, so the role of the teacher is not diminished. While we should never look to the future with rose tinted glasses, we should be looking at the positive changes that a more technical world can bring to the classroom of the future. A compelling PricewaterhouseCoopers report suggested that AI would be more of an asset to the UK economy that previously imagined, creating 7.2M extra jobs – easily offsetting the 7M jobs it displaces. The firm estimates that the education sector could benefit from 200,000 extra jobs. Technology and teaching should not be pitted against each other as they go hand-in-hand and will continue to do so for many years to follow. Change is challenging for most people; it always has been, and it always will be. But technology in the classroom shouldn’t be seen as a force of evil, but rather as a tool. A tool to support teachers and allow them to continue to do the jobs that robots or technology simply can’t do – empathise, connect and work with children to get the best out of them. There is no denying that AI will have an impact on the economy, but in regard to learning, I believe that the advancements will only work to re-emphasise the importance of a teacher’s role in their classroom. Through my work at Exemplar Education, I have seen first-hand how combining technology and traditional teaching enhance a child’s learning. Rather than replacing teachers, robots and AI could free up their time by handling the jobs that a teacher doesn’t need to be doing – the more administrative-based tasks. If we can utilise technology on these repetitive or time-consuming tasks, such as routine marking, reporting and record keeping, it will ensure that teachers are freed up to get on with actual teaching and not zapped by the baggage that comes with it. There is every reason for us as a profession to embrace technological advancement in our sector with confidence. About Exemplar Education Exemplar Education is the largest UK supplier of high quality, affordable, supplementary home-based maths and English education. Starting in 1991, Exemplar Education has developed and refined the use of home-learning to supplement and support schoolwork in maths, English and reading, from Year 1 to GCSE and now have over 350 people working from 6 locations across the UK. Over 400,000 children in the UK have registered on Exemplar Education programmes.
WIN a books package for primary teachers worth over £90
Navigating your way through teaching is no easy feat – whether it’s behaviour management, effective leadership or engaging with parents, a teaching role is wide and varied and must be carried out effectively. To help primary teachers improve their practice, we have a package of CPD books worth over £90 to give away thanks to publishers Bloomsbury, Crown House Publishing and Featherstone. This useful and informative book package for primary teachers includes: How to be an Outstanding Primary Middle Leader, by Zoë Paramour (Bloomsbury, £18.34) A compendium of research, advice, anecdotes and practical tips to help middle leaders excel in this complex and demanding role, without compromising their mental or physical health. In Zoë’s unique, straight-talking and witty style, this book is an accessible and enjoyable read for both new and experienced primary middle leaders looking to reflect on their practice and maximise their impact. From Able to Remarkable, by Robert Massey (Crown House Publishing, £18.99) Robert Massey provides a pathway to help teachers guide their students through the gauntlets of the gifted, the underpasses of underachievement and the roadblocks to remarkable on their learning journeys. Reflecting on the sometimes limiting scope of what is often labelled as ‘gifted and talented provision’ in schools, Robert Massey argues that remarkabilities are there, latent and dormant, in many more students than we might at first acknowledge. A Sense of Place – Mindful Practice Outdoors, by Annie Davy (Featherstone, £19.99) A Sense of Place is an easily accessible guide that will make outdoor learning more interesting and fun, while also supporting children’s development of resilience and resourcefulness so that they can survive and thrive in the world as they grow. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Engaging Dads, by June O’Sullivan and Alice Sharp (Featherstone, £10.99) Children benefit from the sensitive and supportive engagement of both their parents from the earliest of ages, but involving dads can be challenging. This book is designed to provide simple and accessible activities for practitioners looking to engage dads. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Nursery Gardens, by June O’Sullivan and Clodagh Halse (Featherstone, £10.99) This title is packed full of exciting activities, such as making a bird feeder and a garden treasure hunt, that have been tried and tested in the LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) nursery gardens with the children and nursery staff. These are designed to enrich children’s skills and knowledge by broadening their horizons and opening up wider opportunities, extend language and contribute to deeper conversations about the great outdoors. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Children with EAL, by Natasha Wood (Featherstone, £10.99) Every year, an increasing number of children enter the Early Years setting either new to English or with English as an additional language (EAL), which can be daunting, not just for the child but for the practitioner too. This title is an invaluable resource to help integrate children with EAL into the classroom with fresh, exciting and engaging activities that are easy to resource, require little preparation and are fun to carry out. Primary teachers should note that they can buy any two books from the 50 Fantastic… series for only £15! To be in with a chance of winning this book package for primary teachers, worth over £90, enter the Rafflecopter competition below: a Rafflecopter giveaway *The administrator of this competition is the QA Education Magazine (“administrator”). By participating in the competition, each Entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Administrator is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the competition. Entrants should look solely to Administrator with any questions, comments or problems related to the Competition. Administrator may be reached by email at socialmedia@euromediaal.com during the Promotion Period. * This giveaway will close at 12.00am, 13th March. * The prize is a books package for primary teachers worth over £90. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. * Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Administrator, the sponsor, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion. * The prize winner will be asked to provide their email address so that contact can be made to arrange prize delivery, and their name and county be published in the next issue of the magazine * By entering the competition, you grant the Administrator permission to add your details to the mailing list, share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with the other competition Entities for the purpose of administration and prize fulfillment, including use in a publicly available Winners list. * Entries will only be accepted as instructed and any entrant that does not complete the qualifying requirements will be disqualified * The winners will be chosen using the random entry selector built into the widget. * The winners will be informed by email within 5 days of the closing date, and must respond within 5 days to claim their prize. If there is no response within the 5 days and new winner will be drawn at random. *This prize draw is governed by English law and the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising in connection with it. For further T&C and our privacy policy please see here Euromedia Associates Ltd: Privacy Policy https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/66331438/legal
Free period products for all schools and colleges
Free period products are to be made available to all schools and colleges in England from next week, as the Department for Education launches its fully funded scheme. The new scheme is set to give pupils easy access to free period products at school or college, helping to break down stigmas and ensure no young person’s education is disrupted by their period. From Monday 20 January, schools and colleges across the country will be able to order a range of period products from supplier phs Group, making period products readily available for all young people when they need them. Millions of period products are being prepared by phs Direct, part of hygiene and washroom services provider phs Group, in a newly refurbished, dedicated warehouse ready to be dispatched ahead of the first orders. Schools and colleges will receive an activation email from phs on Monday 20 January which will enable them to access the purpose-built phs Direct portal and order products for their organisation. There is a wide range of products from pads and tampons to environmentally-friendly pads and reusable products. David Taylor-Smith, CEO of phs Group, said “We have been busy preparing for the launch of this scheme and we are ready for the first wave of demand. We encourage schools and colleges to look out for their activation email and make their first order so they can start offering free products as soon as possible. “Period products are a necessity, not a luxury, and we believe providing free products for young people will be a catalyst for change in creating period equality. We are proud to be the supplier for such a worthy scheme.” This follows the Government’s commitment last year to fully fund period products for all state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges. It also forms part of the Department’s ambition to improve provision of products for young people, helping to support campaigns to break the stigma around periods and raise awareness of menstruation. Children and Families Minister Michelle Donelan said: “Periods are a normal part of everyday life and we do not want young people missing out on lessons because of them. “We know that it is not easy for everyone to access period products where and when they need them. This scheme will deal with those problems so young people can go about their daily lives without getting caught out if they have come on their period unexpectedly, forgotten to bring products with them or if they can’t afford the products they need.” The scheme also comes just months before health education becomes a compulsory for all state funded primary and secondary schools, under new guidance on relationships, sex and health education from September 2020 – to ensure all young people learn about living healthy lives, including menstrual wellbeing. The Government also introduced the £15 million annual Tampon Tax Fund to support women’s charities – and made a commitment to end period poverty globally by 2030. Amika George, founder of #FreePeriods, said: “We have been waiting for this day for a long time! As a grassroots, student-led movement, Free Periods has been fighting for every single child in this country to be able to go to school without worrying about their next pad or tampon. For the first time in history, this scheme will ensure that becomes a reality. “We ask that schools have open conversations with students about what they need and start signing up to the scheme – no child must miss out. Free products in schools will ensure that every child can learn and be their very best, without periods holding them back.” For support, schools and colleges can get in touch with phs Direct by emailing periodproducts@phsdirect.co.uk or calling the helpline on 01827 255500. For more information on phs, visit https://www.phs.co.uk. You can also follow @phsGroup on Twitter and phs Group on LinkedIn
Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in teachers
Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in teachers By Helen Kirk-Brown, Director of Hays Education, South East The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2018, a report generated by the Educational Support Partnership, notes that 67% of education professionals describe themselves as stressed and 31% have experienced a mental health issue in the past academic year. Worryingly, 57% of all education professionals have considered leaving the sector over the past two years as a result of health pressures. Teacher wellbeing needs to be enhanced for the sake of the teachers, their colleagues and, ultimately, the children. Funding is a major challenge, so what simple low-cost actions can your school take to enhance mental wellbeing? We’ve put together our top tips on how you can promote positive mental health to your teachers. 1. Encourage staff to share their stories Whether it’s via an informal staff room chat, an agenda point on a staff meeting or encouraging staff to post blogs on your intranet. It will help an individual not to not feel isolated – to understand that other people have had similar experiences and come out the other end. Be it a work-related or personal challenge they are facing. 2. Promote mindfulness You can promote apps to download (many are free or offer a reduced subscription for teaching staff) or run a yoga session. It is proven that mindfulness helps. You could introduce mindfulness books into the staff room or school library. Is there a guest speaker you could invite in to talk to your staff? Some schools have Mindfulness Gurus. 3. Communication is key Some schools have designed posters with Top Tips for Wellbeing or with signposts to get help if needed, such as the Employee Assistance Programme, to drive awareness and help. How often do you talk about it with staff, SLT or in Governors’ meetings? 4. A charitable focus With the funding challenges within the sector, charity has to start at home, however, it is recognised that collectively raising money for a charity is beneficial for an individual’s mental health. Indeed, if you are doing a physical challenge, it will boost your physical health too! In our recent What Workers Want report, social responsibility is a key factor that people look for from their employers as it links to positive mental wellbeing. 5. A staff charter Do you have a staff charter? Staff charters encourage a positive work-life balance and take positive steps in addressing some of the underlining reasons teachers feel stressed. Some of the actions include: • After school meetings have a published finish time and it’s kept to • A minimum of one evening per week where teachers don’t take work home 6. A school dog Don’t laugh. Some universities and many private sector companies now have dogs at their places of work… again, it is proven that looking after a dog significantly boosts happiness levels. Some schools have introduced them already with great results so look to see if there are any near you that you could learn from. The kids will love it!
Mental health and wellbeing in the classroom
Mental health and wellbeing in the classroom by Paul Matthias, National Director of Hays Education As mental health and wellbeing becoming an increasing priority for schools, we’ve put together our top tips on how you can promote positive mental health in your classrooms. 1. Building awareness Giving students the knowledge and awareness about mental health is the first step in forming a culture of positive mental health in school. A useful initial activity would be to have an assembly to form an open discussion about what students think mental health is and addressing the reality of mental health and its different forms. This concept could be rolled out termly and even extended out to the wider community by inviting parents to also attend. Parental involvement would aid in creating a sense of community, all dedicated to building awareness of mental health and wellbeing. 2. Tackling stigma It’s important to go further than raising awareness of mental health in schools. Try to tackle the possible stigma and prejudices surrounding mental health in order to set the right tone and culture in your classrooms. This could also be addressed with a Q & A section as part of the assembly, so any thoughts or questions surrounding mental health can be answered. This will help students to be more understanding and compassionate to anyone who may be dealing with mental health issues. 3. Communication is key Having a clear focus on mental health awareness in the classroom and school lets you have a basis for communication between you and your pupils. By openly addressing what mental health is you will build confidence in your students, allowing them to feel more comfortable when talking about mental health. The more that communication is encouraged will ultimately help maintain a positive wellbeing ethos in the school. 4. Promote life skills Actions can often be better than words, therefore it’s useful to introduce life skills to students to help them to sustain positive mental well-being which they can take with them for throughout their lives. For example, meditation is a popular technique that some schools have adopted. Lessons can also be adapted with activities for students to help them learning how to, relax, self-manage, and be compassionate. These activities will give students the tools for both their own well-being and aiding others. 5. Assign dedicated roles Alongside the first four tips, it’s a good idea to assign a dedicated ‘Mental Health Champion’ within the school. This person will have the task of ensuring mental health awareness is maintained and that any activities you should decide to integrate into school life are acted on. Also, publicly assigning this role to a member of staff within the school gives everyone a clear point of contact should there be any questions, suggestions or concerns about mental health and wellbeing.
Wellbeing and the benefits of SCITT buy-in
Wellbeing and the benefits of SCITT buy-in from current and prospective partnership schools The latest Teacher Wellbeing Index, launched by Education Support in November, suggests that teachers are suffering from more severe psychological problems than at any point this century. Teacher stress, workload and wellbeing are also the focus of research recently published by Ofsted (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-well-being-at-work-in-schools-and-further-education-providers). I would support further research into the impact rather of the mental caseload of those working with children since it seems this is worthy of clearer definition and understanding and allows us the progressive gift of considering, and collaborating more, with other professions who work to support children as they develop to adulthood. Those training to teach are given increasing study and reflection time to consider their own wellbeing when faced with assessing their impact on pupil progress and the barriers to doing their bit to ensure children reach purposeful adulthood in the norm-referenced value-system, which ultimately defines our assessment procedures at each stage of public examination. The What Works Centre for Wellbeing framework looks at factors such as physical and mental health, relationships at work, purpose (autonomy), environment and security. It seems we are more akin to the children in our care during the school day than we might have thought. But what about beyond the school day? Teachers currently report working an average of a 51-57 hour week. You do not go into teaching for the money. Working evenings and weekends is not an exception. In this most recent report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-well-being-at-work-in-schools-and-further-education-providers/summary-and-recommendations-teacher-well-being-research-report) teacher dissatisfaction is broken down into the following categories: volume of administrative tasks; volume of marking; staff shortages; lack of support from external specialist agencies (behaviour, SEND); challenging behaviour of pupils; changes to external exams; frequently changing government policies and regulations; and lack of skills or training. Having worked alongside experienced colleagues as they engage increasingly with SCITT partnerships, I have personally witnessed positive effects in all these areas and therefore in wellbeing. In so many cases, SCITT mentors report back positive impact on their own teaching practice in working with initial teachers on placement. Watching someone else teach your class allows you time to reflect. Becoming a partner with SCITT colleagues gives you access to enhanced training opportunities e.g. mental health first aid to combat mental caseload fatigue; breakthrough conversations to try on colleagues; a boost to staff recruitment and energy through salaried trainees and retention of homegrown yet highly innovative NQTs and beyond; increasingly energy-efficient approaches to marking, recording, reporting and feedback; behavioural strategies which work for children living with significant challenges – an increasing number of trainees come into teaching as parents of children with autism/ADHD; strategic disengagement routines which restore dignity to teachers as humans; Wellness Recovery Action Plan where individuals retain ownership and responsibility of their self-care; 5 ways to wellbeing role-modelling; promotion of seeking support from a range of colleagues and professional services and increased confidence in framing and owning the support required; and access to the latest audio-visual resources for classroom instruction through engagement with subject specialist support all leading to counteract the reported de-professionalisation experienced through increased lack of autonomy. Those colleagues in partnership schools, from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Requires Improvement’, who open their minds to engaging with the wealth of opportunities available through understanding and engaging with school-centred initial teacher training, are in turn opening their schools to a re-professionalisation which rejuvenates and restores low-mood and brings about a fresh collaboration between experience and innovation, between confidence and experimentation. If colleagues report a current lack of support from leadership in schools, buying in to local SCITT partnership allows for this support to be bolstered from colleagues who work with (rather than do to) teachers in need. 1. support with workload through sharing approaches between local schools; 2. recognition of achievement through co-analysis not judgement; 3. sourcing meaningful feedback on work through joint reflection; and 4. providing support and development through ready-forged links with organisations and thinkers who have time to support schools to make a specific difference. Sally Price works at Oxfordshire Teacher Training as central trainer, wellbeing coach and youth and adult mental health first aid instructor. Her book in the Essential Guides for Early Career Teachers series, Mental Well-being and Self-care, edited by NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis and published by Critical Publishing, is out now.
BenQ helps school integrate 44 interactive flat panels
Over 40 Interactive Flat Panel (IFP) displays from global electronics manufacturer BenQ have been integrated into Woodmansterne School in London, as part of a large-scale transformative expansion and dedication to providing exceptional educational facilities to its students. Building a state-of-the-art secondary school to accompany its primary school facility, Woodmansterne School appointed experienced education technology integrators, Partnership Education to specify and manage the AV integration for the five-fold expansion. Increasing its student intake from 350 to 2000 pupils, Woodmansterne School specifically requested an interactive display solution which would be easy to use for students ranging in ages from 2 – 16 years, as well as its staff. Specifying the 75” RP750K IFP from BenQ’s RP Series, Partnership Education installed 44 displays throughout classrooms, support rooms, dedicated music studios and library to encourage active learning. Featuring 4K resolution, 20 multi-touch interactivity and BenQ’s exclusive EZWrite software, Woodmansterne has future-proofed its site for students as they progress through their school years. Sam Palin, executive headteacher, Woodmansterne school: “We love the greater display size BenQ were able to provide, that was a key feature for us and we were also able to put a couple in the library and in the support rooms. I would also say the support we’ve had in terms of training has been really good so absolutely, I’d recommend BenQ.” BenQ provided teachers with initial training with the IFPs as well as ongoing support and additional training twice a year, ensuring all staff felt confident with the equipment and can use the full educational software toolbox of features on offer. As a result of the large roll-out, Woodmansterne has entered BenQ’s list of “super users”. Woodmansterne’s IT department utilised BenQ’s exclusive Account Management System (AMS) to provide teachers access to their lesson plans and materials on any display throughout the entire school, as well as gain remote access for display maintenance and service. In addition, Partnership Education specified cutting-edge equipment across five IT suites with 3D printing facilities, to dedicated music studios and a high-tech assembly hall. The school operates on a dual fibre network system integrated by Lynx Networks, with the primary and secondary sites operating independent networks. After the school had suffered with delays and quality issues from its previous project, the overall challenge for Partnership Education was to deliver the project on time and within budget. Palin continues: “What Partnership Education has done has worked in harmony with us. They’ve been completely committed to delivering on budget and delivering ahead of schedule. For me personally, we went from the worst experience a headteacher could have on a new build to one of the best experiences that you could have.” For more information, find BenQ on Twitter or visit the website. BenQ will also be attending Bett 2020 and can be found on Stand SP20.
STEM event set to launch competition to stop plastic pollution
The British International Education Association (BIEA) is proud to host its second annual international Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) conference on 15 January 2020. Focusing on the theme of plastic pollution and how to combat the global issue, the conference will convene a series of expert speakers and panellists who will discuss how technology can help counter plastic waste and save threatened marine and land-based life. “We know that the world has a plastic problem as our oceans and lands have become polluted with our carelessly discarded plastic waste. This plastic will take thousands of years to decompose on land, whilst the plastic in the oceans break up into toxin-laden tiny particles, causing chemical pollution in the oceans. By bringing attention to this crisis and discussing how scientific technology can help clean up plastic waste before it becomes environmentally dangerous, we at the BIEA hope to engage today’s international youth to use education to become the ones who can help save the planet of plastic pollution,” said David Hanson, STEM competition chairman at BIEA. The 2020 conference will also mark the beginning of the BIEA’s International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, whose theme will also encompass the plastic pollution problem. The competition will engage young STEM students in technological innovation and how it can be used to clear detrimental plastic waste from our rivers and oceans. Teams from 40 countries and regions have registered so far, including UK, USA, Australia, China, Finland, Mexico, Pakistan, UAE, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland etc. Participating international student teams will research, write a report and design the solution on how to ‘Save our shores from plastic waste through STEM,’ with finalists moving on to final rounds in June/July 2020. Open to anyone between the ages of 9 and 21 years old, and the winning teams will take cash prizes to contribute to their school/university STEM labs. Conference speakers, panelists, and moderators include experts from Imperial College, Thames21, the Royal Society, the British Council, BIEA and the Royal Institution. A mystery giant marine animal sculpture is being made by a team of young artists to highlight the impact of plastic pollution. The empty plastic bottles are loaned from London Energy and will be returned after the campaign for recycling. The conference will be held at the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle St, Mayfair, London W1S 4BS. To purchase tickets to the BIEA conference, visit https://tinyurl.com/wvdrosr For more information about the STEM Youth Innovation Competition visits www.bieacompetition.org.uk or follow BIEA @BIEAeducation on social media.