Progress on empowering schools across Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire councillors today agreed a number of key workstreams to progress with the devolution of school budgets. As part of a national drive to empower head teachers, primary schools across the local area will have more flexibility on how budgets are used in a similar way to the way secondaries have been able to operate since April 2017. The principles which will support head teachers and their teams in their decision-making reflect the National Improvement Framework – to ensure every young person has the same opportunity to succeed, to be fair, to ensure costs can be easily understood and explained, and to deliver value for money. Evolving national policy aims to create a culture of empowerment and collaboration. The first workstream the local authority’s Education and Children’s Services Committee agreed to today will work to develop a professional learning and support offer to schools. Another focuses on reviewing and evaluating the processes in place for devolving budgets in the secondary school sector. The third workstream will look at the management of budgets to support children and young people with additional support needs at a cluster level. The final workstream sets out how piloting devolved budgets in primary and special schools will begin to take shape this year. Aberdeenshire’s Education and Children’s Services Committee today also acknowledged the importance of ensuring appropriate consultation with stakeholders continues in local areas, within the evolving budget context. Cllr Gillian Owen, Chair of Education and Children’s Services Committee commented: “Our aim is to provide the most effective service for pupils. Devolving budgets will help do this by ensuring spending decisions can be made in the context of local priorities. “We are committed to ensuring each and every head teacher, along with their committed teams, across Aberdeenshire is empowered so that decisions about a child’s learning, and the budget associated with that decision-making, can be made as close to that child as possible.” As part of the Joint Agreement at a national level, a Head Teacher’s Charter has been adopted across Scotland to enable head teachers to determine the most appropriate approach in the areas of leading learning and teaching, to empower their local learning communities and to make the best use of schools’ resources. New national guidelines on devolved school management are available at: https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/devolved-school-management/Education Scotland’s Empowered System resources are also available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/an-empowered-system Vice Chair Cllr Mark Findlater added: “There is recognition that all stakeholders, including teachers, head teachers, parents and carers, and communities must work together in a collaborative way, keeping the interest of children and young people front and centre.”
What teachers need to know about ADHD
Dr Mark Kennedy is a Senior Teaching Fellow at The Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King’s College London. He is also Lead Educator on the Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice course on the FutureLearn Platform. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is regarded as a “neurodevelopmental disorder”; which puts it in the same category as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It’s the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting around 4-5% of children. Despite this, teachers frequently say that they lack specific knowledge about ADHD and what strategies can be used to help children affected by ADHD. When you ask people what ADHD is, they describe a child with too much energy. In reality, there’s a lot more to it than hyperactivity. In fact, there are three “presentations”; Hyperactive-Impulsive, Inattentive and Combined Type. The most common form in the general population is actually inattentive, not hyperactive-impulsive, which comes as a surprise to some people. Teachers need to be aware of ADHD for a number of reasons. Children with ADHD often struggle academically. As well as being a concern for parents and teachers in itself, ADHD and associated difficulties in school can also begin to impact the child’s self esteem. Beyond this, it has been linked to poorer outcomes in adulthood, such as unemployment and difficulties in relationships. Importantly, research has shown that teachers simply being aware of what the disorder is, can actually be beneficial. I think that’s a really positive message, especially given the immense pressure teachers are under to accommodate the broad range of issues children in their class may be facing. Free-to-join online ADHD course Motivated by a desire to increase awareness, King’s College London have partnered with FutureLearn to create the free-to-join, online course: Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice, which launched in May. The course is an accessible and time-efficient resource for anyone looking to learn a bit more about the disorder. Being ADHD aware also matters because there’s reason to believe that girls with ADHD are being missed. When you look at population-based studies, for every one girl with ADHD, there are two boys. But when you look at clinical referrals, the ratio is double that (1 girl: 4 boys). In our course, we speak with a mother of a daughter with ADHD. She describes her daughter’s report card, which contained descriptions of ADHD behaviours, but no-one had considered that she may have ADHD. Much like Autism Spectrum Disorder, there’s a huge amount of evidence to suggest that the brains of children with ADHD are hardwired differently, compared to those without it. That matters because it means that children with ADHD are less able to regulate their behaviour, again like those with ASD. Understanding that – and the increased empathy that this understanding brings – along with helping children to understand this, has again been shown to help. As well as being aware of the disorder, there are low-cost, practical things teachers can do to help. For instance, sitting a child with ADHD close to the teacher has been shown to help; it’s harder to get distracted and makes it easier to pick up on the teacher’s cues. More practical tips, strategies and evidence based advice is discussed in the Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder course on the FutureLearn platform.
The knock-on effect of Brexit on career opportunities
With the once distant idea of Brexit fast becoming a reality, concerns over the future of the current labour market have grown. For young people, the impact on the job market presents a lot to be worried about, particularly with the threat of large firms moving their offices to Europe. Giving rise to the gig economy, Brexit means young people face increased job insecurity, resulting in potentially hugely damaging consequences. Whilst there’s no way of perfectly determining what will happen, it’s not all doom and gloom for those starting out in their career – Sharon Walpole, Director of www.Careermap.co.uk, has identified the potential good, the bad and the ugly impacts of Brexit on the labour market… Apprenticeships Change doesn’t have to be all bad, in fact 2019 marks a big year for apprenticeships as they are expected to be boosted after Britain’s exit from the European Union. Indeed, whilst the 2017 levy that was introduced by the Government has led to a decline in the total amount of people taking up apprenticeships and a huge strain has been placed on smaller businesses, the quality of apprenticeships has risen greatly. By 2020, The Apprenticeship Levy has promised to create 3 million apprenticeship starts, equipping more young Brits with the opportunity to earn whilst they learn. As a result, there has been a rise in the number of those applying for the new high-quality apprenticeship courses as businesses are desperately looking for more highly skilled workers to replace the departing Europeans. Additionally, the opportunity to build a better career within businesses means that retention and motivation within the workplace is expected to improve. With tuition fees putting so many off university, this is a perfect opportunity to explore what apprenticeships are on offer. Take this time to explore Further Education and School Leaver Programmes as many even offer you the chance to earn yourself a degree or vocational qualification without the student debt. What about my degree? With the decline in attractiveness and reputation of the UK after a possible hard Brexit, there is much concern over the loss of funding for humanities and social sciences due to the financial impact that the loss of international students will have. With the expansion of Higher Education into businesses, it has been suggested that whilst The Russell Group will face the biggest economic loss from a decline in international students, they will be given greater support, meaning smaller institutions will lose out. Alongside this, universities could lose their research opportunities abroad, as well as the ability to participate in collaborative funding. However, a decrease in students can also be positive for UK students as they will be given greater opportunities to benefit from smaller numbers on their course, giving them the ability to build better relationships with lecturers and build better skills for the future. Travel European students currently studying in the UK face a race against time to complete their education as the costs of studying are likely to increase. An end to the free movement of people means that immigrants will no longer have the same privileges as British citizens and this works similarly with Britons studying abroad, damaging job prospects as well as access to education and services. Additionally, the potential scrapping of the EU’s student exchange scheme, ERASMUS, means that young Britons won’t have nearly the same travel opportunities to live and work abroad as older generations had. This can lead to a generation largely closed off from the international world, eliminating opportunities for international friendships and impacting chances in the job market. This does not meant that equivalent schemes cannot be established however, as UK universities will still have strong relationships with European universities, so all might not be lost.
“Post-Exam Stress Disorder” Still Causes Nightmare For One In 10 Adults
Young people receive their GCSE results next week, which might also be an unpleasant reminder for parents as one in 10 adults still have nightmares about their own exam experiences and results. This is according to research from MyTutor that explored how stressful experiences during school and university assessments can follow us through life. Coined Post-Exam Stress Disorder, a range of different anxieties still exists in half (48%) of adults, ranging from recurring nightmares to a fear of failure in life. By far the most common bad dream is failing a test, experienced by four in 10 (39%) of those affected. Similarly, one in six (17%) are tortured by nightmares about not revising enough, while 11 percent turn up ‘inappropriately dressed’ for their test – be that in their pyjamas or without clothes at all. Psychologist Dr Kate Jenkins, who specialises in counselling adults with PTSD, has come across persistent exam nightmares in many of her patients. Dr Jenkins said: “Dreams often reflect our deepest fears – humiliation, abandonment, being attacked but unable to scream. Exam dreams may be experienced by those who fear being measured against others and found lacking in some way – a manifestation of imposter syndrome perhaps? The nocturnal representations of a feeling of “intellectual fraudulence.” Women are nearly 50 percent more likely to dream about failing an exam than men (29% vs 20%), indicating a lingering lack of academic confidence disproportionately affects women. Meanwhile, men were more than twice as likely (16% vs 7%) to dream about being inappropriately dressed or being given the wrong paper (9% vs 4%), indicating worries about logistics were more prevalent. Such is the impact of exams on our psyche, one in four adults (24%) say that their sense of self-esteem is linked to the grades they ended up with at school or university. A similar proportion (22%) say their performance at school has affected their confidence in the workplace. Better interventions at school could help prevent this kind of long-term impact, however. One in five (19%) adults think that celebrating other forms of achievement could act as a way to reduce the importance placed on exams, as well as the associated stress. Similarly, almost one in five (19%) say a change as simple as making exam settings more relaxed would make a big difference. Meanwhile, one in nine (11%) say that one-to-one academic support and mentorship would give young people the framework to be more confident about exams and see them as a less stressful experience. Bertie Hubbard, CEO of MyTutor said: “Exam season can be a very distressing time of year for students, with results day often the pinnacle. And the concern is that the stress of exams doesn’t stop with being a student. While we can’t stop recurring nightmares years down the line, more can be done to make the exam period better for the next generation of pupils. “We know that one-to-one support can have a big impact, giving students the opportunity to run through revision one-to-one in more depth. So whether the next step is resitting some GCSEs or moving on to A levels, MyTutor offers flexible access to a wide range of tutors who can help provide that extra bit of confidence ahead of exams.”
Keeping the love for history alive
Benedict Freeburn, history teacher at St Mary Magdalene CE School, explains the positive impact great CPD can have on teachers’ passion for their subject. After giving explanations of how William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings to a multitude of classes, does your passion for teaching shine as brightly as it did the day you first walked into the classroom? The best teachers are highly skilled at ensuring true love for their subject endures, regardless of how many years they have been teaching it. But schools have an important part to play in nurturing this. History beyond the classroom School trips are a great way to spark students’ imaginations and immerse them in the subjects they are learning. Our school is ideally located for this and as a history teacher, I’ve seen the positive impact of taking students on half-termly trips to exciting locations such as the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. Giving students the chance to chat about the famous characters from history inside the rooms they inhabited, or see the actual graffiti created by those imprisoned in the Tower for themselves, really helps to bring history to life. But spending time outside of the classroom in these places can be hugely beneficial for teachers too, as I discovered recently when my colleagues and I attended a CPD event at the Tower of London. Always learning Having visited the Tower with our students at least eight times a year as part of the history curriculum, we were amazed at how much a CPD-focussed event enabled us to learn about the subject we love and the different ways of teaching it. One highlight of the event, which was run by Historic Royal Palaces, was being able to chat to a current GCSE examiner about the new numerical grading system. As a relatively new school, St Mary Magdalene is about to start teaching GCSEs for the very first time, so it was great to be able to ask questions and get a clearer understanding of what examiners look for in a grade 9 answer, and how this differs from the previous A* grade. Taking a tour from a teacher’s perspective, rather than that of a student, helped to underline how our trips to the Tower can support teaching at Key Stage 3, as well as our GCSE units. We returned to school invigorated with new lesson ideas and a deeper understanding of the site’s history – it is quite amazing how many questions you have when you’re not monitoring thirty students. The experience has changed our approach to teaching Key Stage 3 history. The Tower now plays a central role in developing students’ enquiry skills, featuring heavily in our Normans and Tudor schemes of work. The CPD event has also provided a strong introduction to the Elizabethans for Key Stage 4 too. Inspiring students School trips are designed to an experience that motivates students to make good progress back in school. CPD days away from the classroom are equally important for allowing teachers to delve deeper into their subjects and explore the most effective ways of teaching them. With over 70% of students at St Mary Magdalene studying history GCSE, we believe that the passion our teachers have for history is shared by our students. For more information, visit CPD for schools.
Advice for students after receiving their GCSE results
Deciding what you want to do after your GCSE results can be a tough choice, and you might not even know what career path you want to head down just yet, so making decisions on A Levels and further education can be hugely overwhelming. The key is to keep your options open and throw yourself into everything; nothing needs to be set in stone just yet. Below is some advice to help you navigate your way through this tricky period from Sharon Walpole, Director at www.careermap.co.uk… Gain some hands-on experience As part of your school curriculum you’ll be given the opportunity to do work experience, which usually involves spending a week shadowing members of staff as they go about their jobs. This is a great chance for networking so put some effort into finding a worthwhile placement; think about what sort of work interests you and what kind of environment you might want to work in. Don’t panic if you have no idea what career path you want to take yet, this is the perfect time to try new things out, discover what you like and what’s not right for you. It can sometimes be tricky to secure work experience so make sure you’re flexible and open to trying different things; your placement may not be your dream job but it can give you valuable experience or help you get your foot in the door. Make use of your school’s advice and careers services as well as your family, as they may be able to put you in touch with potential contacts. Remember, to secure the most lucrative opportunities, you must be proactive: make phone calls and email out your CV, for example, as the more positions you apply for the greater your chance of being successful. Throw yourself into all things extra-curricular A great way to develop essential skills for your CV (and personal statement if you end up going to university) is through extra-curricular activities. Whether it’s debating to enhance your communication, or sports to improve your team-working abilities, it all counts. Not only that, but this is also a great opportunity to meet new people, find out what you enjoy and work out where your strengths lie. Take a step back A Levels aren’t for everyone, so don’t feel pressured into staying in school if you already have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. Whilst aspiring doctors and vets will have to get the grades, there are plenty of apprenticeship schemes – from engineering to accounting – available that might be a better fit for you. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications such as BTECs and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) can be done alongside A Levels, or even instead of, and they focus on the practical side of the working world, meaning that you can put what you already know into action. Apprenticeships even give you the opportunity to be paid around £170 per week, meaning that you can start earning early on, and get a head start into the concept of ‘adult life’ from an early age. Be sure to do your research into all the alternative options out there to find the best choice for you. If you change your mind about higher education later on, you can apply to university with your level 3 NVQ qualification or your BTEC results. Think it through If you’ve decided A Levels are the route you want to take, think about the relevance of your chosen subjects to your future. If you’re unsure what you want to do later on, keep your subjects varied, but if you know which area you want to go in to, then it’s important that you pick subjects relevant to the topic. Employers are crying out for those with more technical skills in maths and sciences as these jobs tend to not be too oversubscribed. Take this into account if you have a flair for these subjects, and perhaps consider a language if this is something you enjoy as it’ll make your CV stand out a little more. More information on what to do following your GCSE results can be found in the Careermap Results Day Guide: careermap.co.uk
Research offers lessons for young people heading for university
Develop your personal skills: New research offers lessons for young people heading for university New research on the importance of non-cognitive skills – such as conscientiousness, self-esteem and feeling in control of one’s life – for graduates’ earnings potential offers important lessons for young people receiving their A-level results. The study by Gerda Buchmueller and Professor Ian Walker, of Lancaster University Management School, confirms previous evidence on the importance of curriculum choice: STEM subjects add more value in terms of earnings than Arts subjects. Moreover, graduates from elite institutions, on average, earn more than those from less prestigious establishments. But even within any given course, the variance in graduate earnings is still large – despite prior ability, as measured by cognitive tests such as A-levels, having little variation across students within a course. What varies are their non-cognitive skills, and these differences drive degree class – and give rise to large pay differentials. The research will be presented at the European Economic Association annual congress in Manchester this month. Co-author Gerda Buchmueller, from Lancaster University’s Department of Economics, said: “While what you learn matters, how well you master what you learn is important too. Indeed, earnings differentials between degree classes are as large today as they were 20 years ago, even though four-times more students now earn first-class degrees. “The analysis points to the importance of university students’ own skills as inputs into their own further intellectual development: non-cognitive skills complement cognitive ability, as well as complementing good quality teaching.” The authors pointed to important lessons for young people: Understand that your choices matter for your future. Choose to do as well as you can in school. Be mindful of your non-cognitive skills. Choose university if you think it is the right way for you to develop your skills. But otherwise choose to develop your skills elsewhere. A dead-end job will end badly. Choose the best institution you can get into. Choose a subject that you will be enthusiastic about – one where you will want to choose to put in the effort to be successful. And be sure to choose any opportunity to improve your skills, especially if your chosen subject is, on average, not a high return one. Analytical skills are particularly highly valued in the labour market – ask at open days precisely how your course of interest will fill any gaps in your skill set. Professor Walker said: “Employers remunerate skills, not qualifications. Students who choose to treat university as consumption will take away only memories – and unfortunately for taxpayers, the loan system makes them pick up much of the resulting debt. “But students who choose to engage in university as an investment opportunity will, on average, go on to develop improved skills – and the taxpayer will be forever in their debt.”
Over half of education professionals say work has damaged their mental health
Summertime blues: Over half of education professionals say work has damaged their mental health Are you feeling down right now? With summer drawing to a near close, a new survey from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that education professionals are feeling the effects of the upcoming seasonal change, with over half (56.9%) claiming that work is damaging their mental health. The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, found that almost half (49.7%) of education professionals even considered resigning from their job because of this, with a further 62% stating that their workplace doesn’t do enough to support employees. When asked what their workplace could do to support employees with mental health issues, the respondents suggested the following: Reduce pressure to work longer hours (46.7%) Promote a healthy work-life balance (43.3%) Allow employees to take time out when they need to (39.5%) Refer employees to a counselling service (36.7%) Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “At this point in the year, daylight is dwindling, schools are set to reopen and the next prolonged period of time off may seem far away. It’s no wonder then that employees are already facing the post-summer blues; especially in education where teachers have to prepare for a new intake of students. “Indeed, the survey shows that those in education are feeling the effects of working longer hours; even in the summer personal time is quickly eaten up by marking and planning classes for the year ahead. It’s completely normal to struggle with the transition between the seasons, so don’t be afraid to put your mental health first by prioritising your work-life balance.” When asked who they’d be most likely to talk to about their mental health, a partner ranked highest (49%), with family (43.1%) and friends (37.3%) following. Shockingly, a fractional 5.9% of education professionals listed their boss as who they’d talk to, underlining that they are not seeking support from their employers. Biggins continues: “Our research shows the changes that education professionals most want to see in the workplace, but these aren’t likely to take effect if you don’t raise the subject with your employer. The more of us that speak out about our problems, the quicker we can establish change at work. Once we shake the stigma, solutions will follow.”
Interactive learning platform Quizlet seeks expansion in the UK
Now fully launched in the UK, Quizlet (www.quizlet.com) is one of the world’s leading user-generated learning platforms and apps (and the market leader in the US): each month, relied-upon by over 50 million active learners, from 130 countries, to study and master more than 300 million user-generated study sets, on every topic and subject, from languages, mathematics and photography, to science, economics, and history. Beyond providing students with seven study modes (in 18 languages) to help them learn, revise, and test themselves on a plethora of subjects (both on and off-curriculum), Quizlet is also relied upon by more than one million teachers worldwide for its activities and collaborative in-classroom game. Quizlet was first devised in 2005 by Andrew Sutherland, at the time a 15-year-old high school student in California who needed a flashcard application to help revise for a French exam. Following its popularity amongst friends and fellow students, Sutherland released Quizlet to the public in 2007 as he was enrolling in a Computer Science degree at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, within three years, Quizlet had hit one million users and, at the encouragement of his professors, Sutherland left MIT to focus on his business. Today, Quizlet regularly ranks in the Top 10 lists for downloads in the educational category within the App Stores. The majority of study sets created and studied in the UK are focused on languages, science, and the humanities, highlighting how vastly popular Quizlet is among students in secondary school preparing for exams like the GCSE. The platform is also utilized by students who continue to use Quizlet for a variety of studies once in university and beyond. The platform supplements existing modes of learning, enabling students to engage with the study material in a way that suits their learning styles, as well as providing teachers with a vast array of study sets they can use with their own students. The learning activities and games on the platform help people effectively study over time and master foundational information. By using AI-powered technology, Quizlet also provides a customised learning experience, for example, giving guidance on what to study depending on the user’s level of understanding, suggesting ways in which to better master a subject if the user is struggling with a specific topic, as well as helping teachers recognise where to focus their curriculum content and roadmap. According to Edtech UK (2015), education technology is one of the fastest growing digital sectors in Britain making-up 4% of all digital companies, and a report by Metaari shows that the global edtech investments surged to $16.3 billion in 2018. Founder and CTO, Andrew Sutherland, says: “It makes me proud that what started as an online flashcard builder created for my high-school French exam has now become a tool depended upon by millions of students and teachers across the world. As Quizlet expands, we remain committed to providing affordable access to effective and engaging learning materials. Our aim is not to replace traditional learning but rather have a positive impact on education by offering a support tool for everyone.” Matthew Glotzbach, CEO comments: “Technology is key, and education is no exception. With students increasingly seeking digital tools to feel better prepared for classes and exams, growing our consumer learning platform in the UK is a priority. Our vision is to serve students and teachers by offering access to personalised and affordable resources, in order to enhance their learning and achieve success.” How Quizlet Works Millions of learners get to experience Quizlet for free. In addition to the free-to-use service, there are three paid-for subscription options and Premium Content that can be purchased. Study Modes and Games: The content that is accessible for everyone includes the following seven study modes and a classroom game: ● Flashcards – users can study digital flashcards based on the terms and definitions from any study sets they create or from millions of study sets put together by others. ● Quizlet Learn – this newest study mode uses machine learning technology to identify where a student is having trouble and adapts the study sessions to help them move from easier questions to tougher ones until they master the subject. To ensure achievement within a set time frame, Quizlet Learn can provide an individualised plan to remind students of when and what to practice, identifying areas of focus along the way. ● Quizlet Write – users are quizzed on terms and their definitions by writing in the answer. ● Quizlet Spell – users can practice their spelling by listening to audio definitions, and then write-out the word that they hear. This mode is particularly effective for those studying a new language or practising spelling and pronunciation in their native language. ● Quizlet Test – users get a chance to see how they might perform on in-class tests. This mode allows users to quiz themselves on the material and choose different question types based on the user’s preferences or how their teacher typically administers tests. ● Quizlet Match – this study game has users match up terms and definitions from their study sets and compete for the best score. ● Quizlet Gravity – in this space-themed game, users can gain points for identifying the right answers before the asteroids hit the ground. ● Quizlet Live – this collaborative classroom game lets teachers test students on specific topics as they work in teams to identify the right answers and get the most points. In addition to the seven modes and the classroom game, Quizlet also offers: ● Quizlet Diagrams – allows students to upload images and pin information to them. This new feature is useful for visual-heavy subjects, such as geography, anatomy, and architecture. Subscription Options: There are three types of subscriptions available for those who want enhanced study tools and resources. For students, Quizlet offers two subscription options, which allow access to these additional features: ● Quizlet Plus (£1.67/month) – offers users advanced content creation tools including image uploads, advanced diagram creation, night mode,