Accelerate your pupils maths ability with Maths-Whizz
Looking for a way to raise student attainment in maths and ease teacher workload at the same time? Have you considered Maths-Whizz, the multi-award-winning online tutor from Whizz Education? What is Maths-Whizz Made up of four core elements, including the award-winning AI driven tutor, in-depth assessment and reporting tools, a bank of high-quality resources and the customer success team. Each element works together to help progress maths within schools. How can Maths-Whizz help With just 45-60 minutes per week on Maths-Whizz, your students’ maths ability will, on average, increase by 18 months in their first year of use* – that’s a six-month acceleration! How does Maths-Whizz achieve this? By providing each student with a personalised learning journey that matches their unique needs and pace of learning. After an initial no-pressure online assessment which pinpoints each student’s strengths and weaknesses across the maths curriculum, the Tutor provides them with fully-individualised, interactive lessons which aim to close the specific gaps in their knowledge. What’s more, it does all this without teacher input! That’s not all though, our Assessment and Reporting tool allows teachers to view student progress in each individual topic, while our Teachers’ Resource has a collection of over 1240 exciting lessons and worksheets all in one convenient location. The Maths-Whizz Money Back Guarantee At Whizz Education we always keep our promises. So when we say 45-60 minutes per week will accelerate your students’ maths attainment – we mean it! In fact, we’re so confident of this that we’re prepared to give you a full refund if at least two-thirds of the students who use Maths-Whizz for a minimum of 45 minutes a week over one year, do not experience more than 12 months growth in their Maths Age.** Please note that you need to purchase at least 100 subscriptions for this offer to apply. If your school has less than 100 students, you will need to purchase Maths-Whizz for your entire school. Sound interesting? T&Cs apply *Research by Whizz Education – conducted with over 12,000 students and verified by independent experts – found that students who used Maths-Whizz for 45-60 minutes a week increase their Maths Age, on average, by 18 months in the first year of use. **Maths Age is a measure of how each student is progressing through the Maths-Whizz curriculum. Students are first assigned a Maths Age after the initial assessment, which then grows as they progress through Tutor.
How will Brexit impact the recruitment of teachers
For the past 20 years membership of the EU has been at the forefront of the political debate, whether it be parliamentary sovereignty, open borders or bendy bananas. However, one side of this debate that has gathered less fanfare has been how leaving the EU will affect the teacher shortage and as a result how education recruitment agencies will evolve their businesses and business practice. One response is to branch out into countries where demand for teachers is high for example, UAE Asia pack region where the demand for teachers and especially those trained in the UK is extremely high. On average a UK teacher will earn £10,000 P/A more (tax-free) than their UK based counterpart would. Dubai specifically aims to promote development by investing in education and the development of knowledge in the region. In a statement H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said: ‘’We must believe in people. Human beings – their ideas, innovations, dreams, and connections – are the capital of the future. In this sense, the ‘brain regain’ is not so much an achievement in itself as it is a leading indicator of development, because where great minds go today, great things will happen tomorrow’’. This investment in people-to-people exchanging doesn’t end in the Middle East. In a phone call between Hwag-Kyo-Ahn prime minister of the Republic of Korea and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyá»…n Xuân Phúc on the 12th of January to discuss their 25th year of bilateral ties they also discussed how to expand on their free trade agreement into education and culture; a rather different position to the one Britain is pursuing with Brexit. With other nations seemingly moving forward with bilateral education investment EU teachers in the UK and vice versa are left in the dark until a decision is made between the two during the divorce-like proceedings. Here are some numbers that illustrate just how many teachers are currently in limbo • 5,000 teachers from EU countries qualified to teach in 2015 a big increase from just over 2,000 in 2010 • 1 in 6 new teachers in England qualified overseas • The largest numbers came from Spain, Greece, Poland and Romania. • The number from Greece has shot up more than six fold – from 88 to 572 – since 2010 Department of Education Failings In my 17 years of experience of providing quality staff, we are inundated by schools with vacancies they can’t fill. Prospero would love to be able to fill every position but the UK just lacks the necessary number of qualified teachers. As a company, we have had to look further afield. Australian and Canadian teachers have become almost a regular feature of our UK schools. These overseas teachers are very happy to travel to start and develop their careers and use this opportunity as a temporary working holiday. In fact, 30% of Prospero’s London teachers are originally from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone involved in education knows that there is a chronic teacher shortage and issue that has been insufficiently addressed over many years, so much so that a recent national audit office report. “Public Accounts’ Committee stated in 2016 that ministers have “no plan” to meet the growing teacher shortage†and “assumed that headteachers will deal with gaps,” Furthermore it also states: • The Department has missed its targets for filling training places over the last 4 years with secondary training places particularly difficult to fill. • The Department finds it difficult to recruit enough trainees in most secondary subjects. • The Department’s short-term approach means providers do not have a clear, stable basis on which to plan for the long term Despite the £40 billion investment in education this still falls short bearing in mind growing population bigger classes and demand for more schools the impact of this means there is additional demand on EU teachers. One of the many things this does is put additional demands on teachers, increasing the pressure on them and their stress levels which is leading to increasing numbers of them leaving the profession. This in turn leads to lower pupil attainment and the increased need to find teachers from overseas. Brexit Delaying Policy Change UK government action in recruiting UK teachers may remain stagnant throughout the next few years due to focus on Brexit negotiations. Therefore the UK must remain to hire as heavily from overseas as possible. UK Teachers Abroad Compliance is a huge part of the education recruitment business process and agencies are used to incorporating new legislation into their practice. We believe that this experience will be hugely valuable to the sector as and when it has to deal with the new visa arrangements that will undoubtedly arise post-Brexit. Conclusion Both business and political spheres will remain unsure of the effects of Brexit until the final details are hashed out. The current UK teaching shortage may not be fixed anytime soon due to political emphasis placed on negotiating Brexit and in the short run the status quo will likely carry on. For now, UK schools must take advantage of saturated markets abroad. In the long run Brexit may prove advantageous on the proviso that EU national teachers are granted the same rights as before. Leaving the EU we are no longer beholden to EU’s immigration and working policies. Upon leaving, the British government should look to establish further inroads and freer movement with Commonwealth countries. Thus making it easier for teachers to move to the UK and take further advantage of these saturated markets. Early reports suggest non-EU governments are very willing to discuss formal trade deals with the UK upon our departure from the bloc. This is promising as it will open further markets to help fill positions in UK schools. We hope a Brexit government moves to make inroads with countries with a hunger for British teachers in the ever-growing number
How Tassomai revision tool can help boost pupils science results
Tassomai is a GCSE learning and revision program which helps close the attainment gap and levels the playing field for all students. It can be used by all pupils – including those with health problems, behavioural issues, those suffering from mental health issues or going through other difficult circumstances. It also allows children to work at their own pace but ensuring clear progress – and the best thing about Tassomai? Pupils can use it from home on their smartphones. Editor Victoria Galligan spoke to founder Murray Morrison about its effect on attainment in the schools where Tassomai has become part of everyday life… Practice, research and technology combine in this clever science revision programme, which is the brainchild of former teacher Murray. The overall aim is to take away the stress of learning from pupils, teachers and parents alike, with measurable results. Murray said: “I have worked with children who had health or behaviour issues before, and saw how a range of difficulties, from anxiety to dyslexia, affected learning and the pupils’ ability to prepare for exams. “My aim with Tassomai was to build the pupils’ confidence and improve the outcome of the exams. I worked closely with psychotherapist Madeline Inkin, who is a director at Tassomai, to create a platform which makes learning accessible and engaging while reducing the workload for teachers at the same time.†Tassomai has built its reputation on its delivery of GCSE science content, though it also supports English, maths and French for students from Y6 to Y11, as well as A-Level sciences. ItsTassomai focuses primarily on the GCSE science syllabus, with content is tailored to different exam boards, and teachers can track pupils’ use of the app to see how much time they are spending on revision. This helps them to quickly identify the areas they are showing strengths or weaknesses in and to discuss this with the pupil or with parents. The app has accessible features so pupils who are colourblind can use it, those with reading difficulties can choose spoken-word options, and on 4G the data usage is minimal so pupils are unlikely to use much of their allowance on Tassomai – for example, a YouTube clip uses around the same data as one month on the program. Tassomai releases around 6-8 hours of revision a week for pupils and encourages users to practice over a long period of time, revisiting each topic in turn. It’s easy to identify the areas in which a pupil is struggling, allowing teachers to act by planning interventions or by revisiting as a whole class if needed. The introduction of videos to Tassomai Since September 2019 schools working with Tassomai have had access to a suite of 150 videos designed to target gaps in knowledge identified by their use of the program. The Tassomai algorithm automatically identifies students’ weaknesses and picks out a video targeted at helping them. The addition of video content comes about after evidence showed it to have a significant impact on a students’ knowledge, recall and memory retention. In a research project overseen by academics from University College London and the Institute of Education’s UCL EDUCATE programme, the team measured the impact of brief, targeted intervention videos on short and long-term attainment. When quizzed on a topic, GCSE science students who had been shown a related video subsequently answered correctly 70.7% of the time, compared to 27.6% for the control group that had not seen the video. All the students who answered correctly were questioned on the same topic a week later. Those that had originally watched the video answered correctly 52.3% of the time, compared to 41.5% for the control group: a 10% uplift in long term recall. Murray said: “Because Tassomai’s algorithm is able to really identify weak areas we knew we had the potential to do something that was really targeted and focused towards the learner. “These short videos are digestible and accessible for each student and crucially, unlike other video based tools, Tassomai only shows videos to students when a weakness has been identified through their usage of the program.†Why you should choose Tassomai About 4,000 teachers now use Tassomai, after four years, and the results speak for themselves. In 2017, pupils who completed at least 80% of the program fared better at GCSE science than the national average. Half gained A or A*, compared to 21% of pupils nationally, and 90% gained C or above, compared to 68% across the country. This is strong evidence to back up all of the evidence-based research which has gone into making the app – which, has won the award for Best Resource for Home Learning at Bett 2019.
Empowering the Education Sector – Schools and Academies Show
The education sector remains under pressure and faces both new and long-standing challenges. Funding remains tight, inspection frameworks are changing, rates of disadvantage and high needs are increasing, all of which places more work on teachers and school staff. But there is opportunity too, with more solutions, providers, talent and expertise within the sector than ever before. There is also a new Secretary of State, with a background as a Governor and a TA as a wife, promising extra money and support in the coming months. To address these challenges and make the most of the opportunities, the Schools & Academies Show returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 13th-14th November, with a renewed focus on the key things that are important to the sector. Funding and income generation; Wellbeing & mental health, for both learners and teachers; SEND and the Curriculum will be central to the agenda of sessions across the expanded two days. Supporting staff is more crucial than ever, with the extra burdens on their time and greater demands being made of many. To reflect this, we have several case studies on the subject, as well as bringing the Wellbeing Demo Area to Birmingham. This dedicated area on the exhibition floor will showcase a range of classes, mini-presentations, demonstrations and talks aimed at senior school and education leaders with the purpose of tackling the growing mental health crisis and wider pupil health issues within the education sector. Stonewall, Food for Life, and The Teen Yoga Foundation, among other organisations, will all provide practical, free workshops for staff on things that they can implement day today. With policymakers continuing to drive change across the sector, we are proud to host the Government Education Village, returning once more in partnership with the DfE and ESFA, which will include as a new offer for Birmingham, demo sessions running throughout both days. This means that you will be able to explore in detail specific policies and make the most of their expertise and advice, with representatives from Schools Resource Management, Academies Funding, Finance, Educate Against Hate and The Apprenticeship Service. Sharing best practice and innovation is important to you, as it is to us, so we have arranged case study seminars in the main agenda on topics such as Opportunity Areas, Private/Maintained School Partnerships, EdTech Implementation and many more. Minister for the School System, Lord Agnew, will be delivering a speech to open the Show and a representation of the political opposition with education spokespeople from Labour, the Lib Dems and the Green Party offering competing alternative futures for education on Day 2. The Business & Finance Theatre will be packed with offerings from the DfE and ESFA as well as specialist case studies in income generation and procurement advice. We have partnered with nasen to bring you the biggest ever SEND Theatre, alongside talks from Dr Adam Boddison the government’s independent advisor and founder of research ED Tom Bennett. Panels will debate Ofsted, the future of work, the curriculum, technology in schools, optimum school resource management and the sad rise of youth violence. We have brought together Public Health England, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, a former young offender and parents to discuss this life-changing issue. New this year is the Charity Village. We recognise the huge contribution charities are making and the good work they are conducting within education. This interactive village of key organisations will provide the perfect opportunity for third sector organisations to showcase their work to you and foster collaboration between the two sectors. We will also offer new opportunities for networking. Key to this is our MAT Matchmaking Area, where roundtables comprised of MAT leaders will share their knowledge on specific issues, with each 45-minute session chaired by an expert. All MAT leaders and wider senior leadership teams that register for the Show will be offered the option to upgrade free of charge to a VIP ticket which will give them access. As ever, we are solutions-focussed, with expert providers such as Sage’s finance software, CENTURY Tech’s ground-breaking AI-powered tools which can improve student performance by 30% and cut teacher workload by 6 hours per week. For schools struggling with staffing, Randstad and Smile Education will be on hand with their specialised recruitment systems designed to give top-class support both inside and outside of the classroom. If your school is looking to expand, look no further than Maun Funding and Arcadis, experts in securing funding and delivering high-quality facilities. Classroom resources abound too, with such successes as Mighty Writer: a brand new, innovative and multisensory resource that transforms children’s literacy almost overnight. Join us for this and more at the Schools & Academies Show Birmingham on 13th-14th November at the NEC. Click here for full agenda and speakers list Click here for 5 brand new features onsite You can register for free to attend by clicking here Schools and Academies Show – Birmingham – 13th & 14th November Schools and Academies Birmingham is the UK’s leading 2-day education policy and best practice event for schools, local authorities and the wider public sector. Over the past 8 years, we have seen great representation from professionals like yourself who are keen to learn more about funding and financial management in schools. This year, we are delighted to have organisations such as ISBL, Ofsted, ESFA and the Department for Education supporting and speaking at our seminars. Why attend the Schools & Academies Show this November? • Meet 200 education suppliers, innovators and solution providers • Network with over 4,000 school and MAT leaders and over 120 speakers. • Get Involved in our live Hot Seat debate and have your questions answered by experts • Network with Government officials and other education professionals from across the UK • Government Education Village supported by the DFE and ESFA to provide you with practical advice and policy updates. • The newly launched MAT Matchmaking Area; sponsored by ParentPay, will provide visitors with a dedicated area
CLA – online service has potential to ease teacher workload
A service launching this autumn for schools aims to reduce the amount of time involved in lesson preparation by delivering digital books needed for the classroom on a single online platform. Eela Devani explains. At a time when government and educational publishers are focused on improving digital access in schools, the traditional processes of lesson preparation – often involving teachers in time-consuming photocopying of chapters and extracts from physical books – are becoming increasingly outdated. Stretched resources don’t help to reduce the workload involved in lesson preparation. So the continuing shift to digital offers a better way to manage time and get the job done more effectively. An online education platform for books is currently being tested by a number of schools before its launch in the autumn to all schools licensed by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) across the UK. The platform allows teachers to access thousands of digital copies of the books that the school owns. Digital library offers flexibility Digital access to books brings significant advantages. A digital library gives schools a complete view of the books they own and helps teachers make the most of them. The platform gives teachers the flexibility to access their school’s books remotely without needing physical copies. Teachers access their school’s books remotely on any device to make copies without needing the physical book to hand. They share them with students by sending a link in an email direct to their device, linking through the VLE or printing a hard copy for use in class. The platform, which is available at no cost to CLA-licensed schools, allows teachers to make digital extracts of books that the school owns and share with colleagues and students. For students, whose personal lives are spent predominantly in a digital world, online access to learning content fits neatly into their comfort zone. Schools can read more about the CLA Education Platform at a dedicated website educationplatform.co.uk. It provides a searchable database of books, with content summaries provided by educational publishers, and details of how the unlocking process works. Eela Devani is Strategy and Digital Director of Copyright Licencing Agency. As a non-profit organisation, CLA ensures that schools can legally access, copy and share the published content they need, while ensuring copyright owners are paid fair royalties for the use of their work. Find the CLA on Twitter, Facebook.com and Linkedin.com.
Edtech provider CoSector partners with Janison
CoSector – University of London, the provider of choice for products and services that enhance and enrich digital learning, has announced a partnership with Janison, a provider of learning and online assessment platforms, in order to bring efficient digital assessment to the UK higher and further education sectors. The partnership means that customers of CoSector – University of London will be able to purchase digital assessment software directly through Janison. It will then be implemented by CoSector, which will also provide ongoing customer support for the assessment platform. The Janison digital assessment platform allows education organisations to create the assessment, and deliver it in a locked-down, controlled environment, as well as closely manage the marking process. It also offers an analytics tool that, once results are in, can help staff identify how to improve student performance through reviewing the data. The benefits of an online assessment solution include improved efficiency, with intuitive platform that allows educators to quickly and easily design authentic assessments that include engaging multimedia, and tailor them to students with specific accessibility needs. Security-wise, for students, it means that their tests are now completely traceable through a digital footprint once submitted, meaning less room for human error and mistakes in the delivery of their results. Tests can also be sent to examiners to review faster, which means that results arrive sooner. James Silcock, Commercial Director at CoSector – University of London says, “Partnering with Janison will allow us to offer a smarter and much-needed solution to the outdated assessment practices currently used by organisations in the higher and further education sectors “Digital assessment addresses the current challenges of paper-based assessment, being the unengaging media format, the environmental issues around use of materials to create and deliver the assessment, not to mention ongoing security issues and long processes for papers to be marked.†Wayne Houlden, Founder of Janison, says: “This partnership with CoSector will allow Janison to tap into CoSector’s deep industry experience in helping education institutions around the UK and Europe to digitally transform the delivery of education services and enhance the student experience.†Growing ICT provision is not about making it ‘good enough’ Q&A on future-proofing ICT provision in education settings Antony Mellor, Head of HE at Stone Group and Mark Newton, Managing Director at CoSector – University of London, discuss how future-proofing your organisation as far as is economically viable, is the key to growing your ICT provision and improving the learner journey. Which new trends can education’s ICT departments expect to see within the next five years? AM: The rise of 5G Networks will drive an improvement in application performance and lead to the creation of new applications that will benefit from the significantly higher speed, latency, and capacity that 5G brings. For the higher education sector, this will mean a capability to deliver a faster, better user experience, and to further encompass the Internet of Things (IoT), leading to more and more connected devices. MN: Cloud is the most pertinent trend, and it’s emerging as the most cost-effective way to manage infrastructure within higher education. It allows a setting to eliminate that cost of running a data centre on premise and it can be managed by a cloud provider, reducing time and money spent being managed in-house. AM: Within the next couple of years, the clamour for IoT will lead to an adaptation of teaching style, as students begin to rely more and more upon connected devices such as tablets, smartwatches, and AI assistants. One result of this will be an increase in data, and in turn, the need for more scalable storage, which lends itself to more utilisation of cloud-based storage solutions. What about compatibility with student devices? Will BYOD be widely adopted by education? AM: BYOD has been a buzz-acronym for quite some time, and in the ideal world it is a way in which the setting can save on device cost, as students or staff are likely to own a laptop or tablet, which they would prefer to work on, are more comfortable with, and they have the ability to use that device in a variety of environments. The pitfalls here, however, can quickly outweigh any benefit; what happens if the students forget their device? What if the device fails? What about application incompatibility? Giving everyone access to really good WiFi, for example, is great, but the underlying need is that those that need a device, always have one available. MN: I agree, and I don’t think certain trends that claim to be cost-saving solutions, such as BYOD, always reap the benefits they promise. Having an infrastructure that is compatible with a whole range of devices may well cost you more in order to make sure your systems can do that. It’s undeniable though that this is an expectation for students now – they come with their own devices. AM: A laptop loan programme can remedy this issue. It helps to save on cost, and ensures that those who don’t have access to a device, are able to get their hands upon one. This simple solution has already been implemented in lots of universities, the student can access a locker using their ID Card, and loan a laptop for a period of time. To keep the cost down even further, these devices could be Chromebooks – inexpensive, secure, and they are extremely mobile devices. MN: Personally, I think it should be more of a question of what they want to use to access education systems. It’s not a cost-saving practice, but it’s what universities should be doing to improve overall student experience. What role can a scalable ICT framework play in cutting down budgets and how easy is it to adopt? MN: You want to be able to flex up and down, and one of the ways to do that is to use a pay as you use supplier. If you use more capacity you can scale up for it, but you can scale down at quieter times when you don’t need it.
Cardiac Science Launches New Defibrillator For Schools
Cardiac Science Launches New Defibrillator For Schools Thousands of school children will learn about the role of a defibrillator in saving lives next year under the latest government plans for health education. From 2020 pupils in secondary schools will be taught basic life-saving skills and first aid, including how to administer CPR, the purpose of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and basic first aid treatments for common injuries. It is a landmark result for those who have long campaigned for school children to be given the opportunity to learn these important skills and looks set to improve the odds of survival for countless people who have a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in the future. Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, commented that learning the basic skills of first aid and techniques like CPR and being introduced to the workings of a defibrillator will give young people the confidence to know that they can step in to help someone else in need and in the most extreme cases – it could potentially save a life. Every year there are around 30,000 out of hospital sudden cardiac arrests across the UK, but, sadly, less than 1 in 10 survive. According to the UK Resuscitation Council, 270 children a year die from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome in school. Having a defibrillator nearby can increase the chance of surviving by up to 90%. Shaun Ingram, Managing Director of Cardiac Science, said that getting defibrillators into public places is only half the battle. He commented: “Encouraging a new generation of youngsters to recognise what a defibrillator is and feel comfortable using it – and knowing how to administer CPR – will make a massive difference. We welcome the plans to push a life-saving agenda in schools which will also help raise awareness Once young people start to drive the message home we will make great progress I am sure. These are literally skills for life that they will be learning.†Schools and councils getting ahead of the curve Two years ago Ealing became the first council in London to ensure that all its schools had access to defibrillators provided by Cardiac Science. Defibrillators were given to 91 schools in the Borough free-of-charge through joint funding from Labour Councillor’s ward forum budgets and the Leader’s Fund. Training on the devices was also provided to staff members and pupils, although, defibrillators are designed to be used by anyone regardless of training or first aid experience. The training also included basic CPR, which is vital to increase survival chances alongside and/or before a defibrillator can be brought to the scene. What does CPR do in those crucial early moments? During a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a person’s heart stops pumping blood around the body and brain. Without CPR the person will die within minutes. CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is an emergency procedure of manual chest compressions and rescue breaths, performed to help save a person’s life who is in sudden cardiac arrest. If you want to know more about how to perform CPR, including how to give CPR to a child, go to https://www.cardiacscience.co.uk/how-to-perform-cpr/ When a person is in sudden cardiac arrest, their heart can’t pump blood to the vital organs and the rest of the body. If the person doesn’t receive help immediately they will die within minutes. By performing chest compressions and rescue breaths, you are taking over the role of their heart and lungs, pumping blood and oxygen to their vital organs. Every second counts, because a delay quickly reduces a person’s chance of survival. A delay can also lead to permanent damage to the person’s brain if they do survive. The importance of a defibrillator for schools It is imperative to perform CPR on a person in sudden cardiac arrest, however CPR alone cannot restore the heart’s normal electrical function. Defibrillation within the first few minutes of an SCA is vital to give the patient the best chance of survival. That’s why Cardiac Science specialises in developing and distributing innovative defibrillators, training devices, and related services throughout the world. With the right defibrillator on hand anyone can help save a life. Cardiac Science have had a range of Powerheart®defibrillators aimed at the schools market for many years and have taken the opportunity to introduce a new generation version of the popular G3 model. The Powerheart®G3 Elite AED is an affordable option for schools; featuring modern circuitry as well as the industry-leading technology you would expect from the Powerheart®brand. The G3 Elite is simple to use, providing clear, user-paced voice and text prompts to rescuers of any skill level. Prompts only advance after successful completion of each critical step. Powerheart® AEDs use non-polarised defibrillation pads for quick placement on either side of the patient’s chest.The fully automated version of the device delivers the shock automatically to the patient. Using proven and unique Rescue Ready®technology the device conducts self-tests every day that ensure electrodes and battery are both present and functional so it is ready to rescue 365 days a year. Many other defibrillators test as infrequently as once a week. The highly visible Rescue Ready® indicator makes it easy to determine the Powerheart® G3 Elite’s status at a glance. If your device detects a self-test error, the indicator turns from green to red and is accompanied by alert tones to indicate attention is required. The device uses STAR® biphasic to provide an effective shock – a patented technology proven in successful rescues across the world. STAR® biphasic technology measures the impedance of the patient – as everyone’s is different – in order to deliver a tailored shock. Powerheart® AEDs employ variable escalating energy, if a subsequent shock is required the device will escalate the energy to deliver a higher dose of therapy to the patient. With a comprehensive indemnification policy covering anyone using a Powerheart®defibrillator, Cardiac Science always protects those who are willing to rescue others. The G3 Elite comes with a seven-year warranty and a four-year, operational replacement guarantee on the Intellisense® battery*. Better awareness of life-saving skills can’t come soon enough With many
How specialist STEM provision gives students a real advantage in education and beyond
There is a worldwide drive on STEM education because 75% of the fastest growing occupations require that particular skill set. One of the most effective ways to ensure students can develop the skills required is by introducing STEM enrichment days throughout the year. The most successful activities enable pupils to explore career options they have never previously considered, using skills they may not even know they possess. They allow participants to glimpse a possible future and be enthused enough to explore more. But it takes an inordinate amount of time to design and finely hone every aspect of an activity to ensure it has maximum impact. For this reason, it can be more effective to invite specialist providers into the school. Thinkers in Education (TiE) have carefully developed a unique range of highly specialised workshops that help students to improve their creative and critical thinking, whilst developing problem solving and communication skills. Participants use new equipment, explore new concepts and learn new techniques that reinforce and extend curriculum content. Simultaneously, teachers can quickly evaluate the impact of teaching strategies demonstrated and trial new resources for themselves. TiE workshops have been recommended by every host school since 2001 because all are designed and delivered by exceptional presenters – all highly experienced teachers – supported by their specialist classroom assistants. It makes a huge difference. Talk to the TiE team to find an unrivalled STEM workshop for your pupils or staff. Email: STEM@thinkersineducation.co.uk www.thinkersineducation.co.uk
Eagala model: An innovative approach to promoting wellbeing in children
Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association (Eagala) is the global standard in the facilitation of equine assisted psychotherapy and learning. Not to be confused with therapeutic interventions, Eagala is a bonafide model of psychotherapy and counselling that requires co-facilitation by a qualified mental health professional, horse specialist and horse(s). The model adheres to 4 key standards; team approach, 100% ground based, solution orientated and ethical code. Thereby contributing to increased emotional and physical safety for clients. There is no riding involved or the need to have experience with horses. The facilitation team are trained to develop the client’s story, for the client to gain the insight and understanding required for change. It is an experiential and relational therapy where the horses and the environment have symbolic and metaphorical significance in client’s life stories. Issues that Eagala sessions can assist with are anger, anxiousness, low moods, trauma, communication, relationships, ADHD, OCD, ODD, sensory processing difficulties, autism, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, bereavement/loss, cohesion, low self-esteem and more. With research indicating significant positive outcomes in areas such as emotional and behavioural regulation, psychological well-being and problem solving abilities. Clients can attend either individually, groups or families, and can be self-referred as well as by local authorities, CAMHs, social services, schools, police, GP’s & adoption agencies across the UK. To find out more, receive evidence based information or details of demonstrations around the UK, please email: eme@eagala.org www.eagala.org