Cash-strapped education professionals work longer hours but struggle to make ends meet
Brand new research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that despite 62.5% of professionals in the education sector working more hours than they’re contracted to, over half (61.1%) struggle to make ends meet at the end of each month. The study surveyed 1,200 working professionals and found that one in four (44.2%) work 1-3 hours extra per week, amounting to 96 hours per year and meaning education professionals are missing out on £1,467.84* unpaid overtime. Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “We’ve certainly built a reputation for ourselves in the UK for working overtime, with full-time employees working two and half weeks more than the EU average. This is no different in the education sector, where severe underfunding for schools has put extra pressure on its professionals to work longer hours. “Of course, we all have stressful days which cause us to work longer than we’re contracted to. However, if you’re continuing to go the extra mile, without your efforts being recognised, then something’s gone wrong. It’s unfair for managers to expect you to give up your valuable time without financial recognition. Know your worth and don’t settle for any less!” Although professionals in the education sector may be putting in extra hours in the hopes of impressing their boss and securing a pay rise, it appears that employers are failing to pick up on their efforts. The majority (77.8%) of the sector’s professionals believe they’re underpaid, with the survey revealing that: 66.7% of education professionals go into their overdraft before the end of the month 26.3% struggle to pay off their credit card each month 44.4% think that colleagues at a similar level earn more than them Aside from living costs, the top three expenditures of education professionals are groceries (44.4%), insurance (29.6%) and entertainment (24.1%) Biggins concludes: “It’s highly demotivating to feel like you’re putting in extra hours, without reaping the rewards. So, if you think you deserve it, don’t be afraid to ask for a pay review. It will do wonders for your motivation and productivity to have your boss acknowledge your hard work. Plus, we deserve to enjoy our hard-earned money by socialising and doing things we enjoy, rather than worrying about how to pay the bills at the end of the month!”
University refurbishment sees new flooring laid in Peel Hall
Based just one mile west of Manchester, the University of Salford has been established since 1967. Home to over 19,500 students and 2,700 members of staff, the University is made up of two campuses which are part of a £650m regeneration scheme for the local area. The university refurbishment began in 2014, when a number of areas in the main campus of the University of Salford including Peel Hall, a historic Victorian building with original features housing the University’s lecture theatres, were revamped. Despite the extensive refurb, the main entrance to Peel Hall was left untouched. In 2018, the University decided that the beige flooring throughout the hall was not on brand, or of the same high standard as the rest of the building, so turned to Barratt and Hughes flooring specialist to help find a solution. The University provided a clear brief to Barratt and Hughes. Due to the high volume of traffic in the room, the flooring needed to be hardwearing and able to hide inevitable stains. It also needed to look modern yet still be in keeping with the original period features. In addition, as the flooring was going to run up and down the stairs, the University wanted a flooring that would create a clear walkway for students and staff. University refurbishment inspired by store fitting Barratt and Hughes selected CFS Precision Txture tiles after using the product in a store refurbishment project and being impressed with the quality. By specifying the flooring in the colour Rioja, they were able complement the Hall’s existing interior design scheme. Due to being single tiles, the carpet can easily be replaced in the event of damage, cutting down potential refurb time and costs for the University in the future. CFS Precision Txture was designed to enhance any room with a modern aesthetic, meaning it fit the brief exactly. The product is also manufactured from recycled yarn with a high tuft density, ensuring that a heavy commercial rating is achieved, making it the perfect fit for a room where heavy footfall is expected. Paul Britton, Building Manager at the University of Salford, said: “We are thrilled with the flooring. The project was completed in record time, with one day to lift and one day to lay. We gave the team a brief of a flooring that would be subtle yet standout, distinguishable yet not garish, and they delivered. We look forward to working with Barrett and Hughes again in the future.” Simon Peers, Director at Barrett and Hughes, discussed the installation, saying: “We have a partnership with the University, and so when they asked me to take on the project, I was more than happy to. The flooring tiles that were previously there were beige, and didn’t suit the room, so we selected the CFS flooring in a colour that matched the seating and colour scheme. “We chose CFS Precision Txture because we had actually recently installed the flooring in a Carpet and Flooring store, after receiving a recommendation. So we knew the carpet looked great and that Carpet and Flooring would be reliable in its delivery.” CFS flooring products are available from specialist flooring supplier Carpet & Flooring, which supplies a range of flooring that covers all performance and aesthetic requirements. For more information or to request samples please call 01527 511860 or contact us at info@cfscarpets.co.uk.
Keeping careers advice accessible: Top tips for SEND teachers
Kirstie Mackey, Head of Barclays LifeSkills, on how relating careers advice to real-life school situations can help pupils with SEND to explore their employment potential… Helping young people realise their aspirations and reach their full potential is a universal aim for teachers. Particularly when it comes to careers education and building the life skills that will prepare young people for the world of work, we know that educators are constantly on the look-out for better ways to equip their students for this next phase. And this is no different for educators of young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In the era of a changing world of work where the nature of future job roles is increasingly uncertain, every young person deserves to have access to quality careers education. However, from five years of working alongside educators through our LifeSkills sessions, we know that with already busy teaching staff and a packed core curriculum, it’s increasingly difficult to devote time specifically to this. That is why we were delighted to partner with Talentino, who specialise in developing career development programmes particularly for students with SEND, to develop a suite of high-quality SEND-oriented LifeSkills careers resources. As educators already well know, careers guidance isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s why it is important to put together flexible, adaptable lesson plans and resources that teachers can easily work into the existing curriculum and apply to both mixed-ability and exclusively-SEND student groups. From our experience of producing SEND content for educators that focuses on building key 21st-century skills, we have put together some top tips for teaching specific transferable skills to students with special needs that will help prepare them for the world of work. 1. Help students to recognise their transferable skills Building employability skills can often seem daunting to SEND students, as they may not see themselves as possessing skills that are relevant to the workplace. It’s important to show students that employability skills can be developed through a variety of experiences, and to help them recognise the value of what they have already learnt at school. Ask your students to list out various activities they’ve done at school recently, from presenting an idea in class, volunteering to help a teacher, or playing a team sport. Then give them examples of common workplace tasks – such as serving a customer or working in a team – and help them connect the skills they’ve used in their school life to the workplace examples. Doing so can make the world of work seem much more relevant and far less daunting. 2. Creative careers advice sessions which foster an entrepreneurial mindset Developing an entrepreneurial mindset isn’t just important for students who might want to set up their own business. It’s also an effective way of building valuable resilience and problem-solving skills. Putting creativity at the heart of teaching enterprise skills can bring these skills to life through exercises like coming up with a need or problem and then working about a way to solve it. Supporting students to work through various problem scenarios in fun and imaginative ways keep them engaged, shows them how to be creative in their approach to solving issues and fosters an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them succeed in any workplace. 3. Boost self-confidence by learning from past experiences Building self-confidence in young people with SEND is particularly important. Here it’s helpful to encourage students not to shy away from situations that make them feel nervous, but instead to see them as opportunities to learn and grow. Try asking students to share a challenge they’ve faced and overcome at school and have other pupils pick out what they did well and the skills they used to succeed in that situation. Not only will this help to boost their self-confidence to be complemented by their peers, but it will also help reinforce to the student that they are capable of overcoming obstacles, and that they have grown as a result. Whether you’re an educator working with mixed ability groups or delivering lessons to groups of young people with additional needs, employing these methods can make teaching life skills easier and more effective. Through tying key life skills to young people’s everyday life experiences and making content simple and easy to understand, quality careers education can be made available and accessible to young people of all abilities and needs. The LifeSkills programme offers careers advice lesson plans and teacher resources for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The lesson plans can be used alongside mainstream LifeSkills content with mixed ability groups or separately with exclusively SEN-focused groups. These resources have been created with experts at Talentino, are supported by the National Development Team for Inclusion, and have been tested with staff and students at several different schools.
UNCOVERED: Maths mastery for four-year-olds
Katie Hiatt is a Publisher at Pearson and has led the development of Power Maths Reception. Here, she explains the CPA method and how it’s suited to children in early years. With a mastery approach becoming increasingly popular in primary schools, many school leaders are starting to consider how to embed mastery in their reception classrooms, without compromising on giving children a rounded experience of early years. Here are some ways you can align a mastery approach with early years best practice: Focus on foundations Don’t worry about teaching reception children to count to higher numbers or the names of every 3D shape you can find – these things can come later. What’s really important is that children begin to develop a sense of the underlying concepts and structures of maths. Some children may come to school already fluently counting to ten and beyond – but do they really, deeply understand what these numbers mean? Can they recognise and represent five in a variety of ways? Can they pick five pencils from a pot of ten? Do they know what pairs of numbers make up five, and when they’ve found all the pairs? Children need to master these foundation skills in order to succeed in KS1 and beyond. CPA the early years way CPA stands for concrete, pictorial, abstract – an approach that is being championed by the NCETM and Maths Hubs. Many teachers find that using concrete resources in maths comes naturally in EYFS – and that’s great! Being able to touch, feel and manipulate the maths is an ideal way to help children develop an understanding of the underlying concepts. But some teachers find it more difficult to move children from that great starting point to a pictorial and then abstract approach. Teaching children how to represent objects is a good starting point – it’s not practical to get three elephants and two camels into the room to sort them, so what could we use instead? Moving from a representation with a clear link (such as toy elephants and camels) to representation with something less obviously linked (such as counters and a part-whole model) ensures children understand the concept of representation as well as the underlying structure of this particular problem, building a firm foundation for later success in maths. Abstract maths doesn’t have to mean formal written maths. Try using sound and movement – how many claps can you hear? Can you hop five times? Can you line up in threes? Activities like these ensure children are not relying solely on visual cues. Develop a growth mindset in maths A key way to help children become ready for KS1 is to embed a growth mindset right from the start. Made a mistake? No worries! Learn from it, and have another go. Something you tried hasn’t worked? What could you try instead? Growth mindset attitudes to learning will help children become confident, curious and resilient learners, not just in maths but across the whole curriculum. Power Maths Reception combines a mastery teaching approach with Early Years best practice to help children be ready for maths in KS1 and beyond. It also includes built-in professional development for teachers. Find out more at: pearsonprimary.co.uk
Nationwide Platforms
Nationwide Platforms – Working at Height Specialist for the Education Sector As the UK market leader in powered access rental, Nationwide Platforms provide working at height solutions with a concentrated focus on offering the best customer service, commitment to safety, innovation and training. Working at Height in Schools, Colleges & Academies According to a recent HSE study, most major injuries in schools relate to ‘low level’ falls below two meters. These accidents all have a common theme – using unsuitable methods for working at height. Whether it’s from standing on a desk to install displays in a classroom or using a ladder on an unsuitable, slippery gymnasium floor to change a lightbulb, these scenarios can all be overcome by using powered access solutions. Why choose Nationwide Platforms Nationwide Platforms have long been the industry leaders in providing working at height solutions for a wide range of customers across a huge scope of industries. With their low-level access solutions range starting with working heights from 3 meters up to 9.5 meters, Nationwide Platforms can provide machines which are either manually or electrically powered and self-propelled. Push around machines are easier and more productive than manual access, allowing users to position the platform exactly where it’s needed. Making jobs easier, simpler, quicker and more efficient than manual ladders, steps, podiums or small scaffold towers. For those larger repair and maintenance tasks they hold the largest range of scissor lifts, boom lifts and tracked booms in the UK. Suitable for indoor and outdoor tasks, over 60% of the new additions to their extensive fleet are non-diesel (Electric, Hybrid or LPG) with ultra-low emissions making them ideal for use on indoor enclosed areas. In addition, their indoor machines also feature non-marking tyres suitable for finished flooring. Narrow access into confined spaces needn’t be an issue either as their range of narrow boom lifts can easily fit through a standard door and offer zero tail spin – ideal for use in narrow corridors. About Nationwide Platforms Nationwide Platforms offer a comprehensive product portfolio with an unrivalled fleet of over 13,000 MEWPs; including a complete range of scissor lifts, track boom lifts, low level access platforms and van & truck mounted platforms with working heights ranging from 3 to 90 meters. As well as offering access platforms Nationwide Platforms also provide a wide range of working at height training, which include IPAF (operative, management and PAL+), PASMA, IOSH and Health & Safety training. Nationwide Platforms priority first and foremost is making working at height a safe activity. Through their research and development team BlueSky, the company develops a range of exclusive innovations which enhance safety and productivity when using powered access equipment. These safety attachments – which comprise of material handling attachments, secondary guarding devices preventing entrapment and fleet management systems – are now being increasingly demanded by customers. Find out how Nationwide Platforms can help you with your powered access requirements by visiting www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk or call 0845 745 0000.
Getting Cosy in the Great Outdoors
Learning in the great outdoors, we know, is a great benefit to children – but it is sometimes easier said than done. Creating that outdoor space which provides both freedom to play and opportunities to learn can be a tricky task. The space needs to feel natural yet flow, give children options to choose what they do and still provide that element of awe, wonder and risk – that’s no mean feat. Fear not! Here at Cosy we understand what it takes to make an outdoor space special – having spent many an hour working with schools, nurseries, practitioners and trainers -working out what works, we can guide you to the resources which support an outdoor learning environment. No matter what space you have available outside we can help you to make the most of it and provide children with natural resources which enhance their experiences and encourage curiosity and exploration. Our sheds, shelters and playhouses are all made from natural materials and are fully treated – they are the perfect solution to provide specific areas or zones which encourage learning in the areas you require – why not take a seat, choose and book and share a story with a friend in our Outdoor Reading Corner. If you’re looking for something a little more compact then our Shedlets enable you to create outdoor themed areas where children can self-select resources. Choose how you fill them up and change the themes/contents to suit your topics and provide children with multiple learning opportunities. Let’s not forget the importance of physical development and keeping children active. Climbing, carrying, balancing and risk taking are all crucial for a child’s physical and mental development and there’s no need to blow the budget. This Loose Parts Obstacle Course allows children to build their own trim trail – the joy of building the course is as much fun as using it – and children can develop new configurations every day! Putting the great into the great outdoors is what we try and do here at Cosy. We strive to use sustainable materials to create resources that complement the natural environment. We know budgets are tight and our key aim to ensure children have the access they deserve to resources that enhance their learning and their lives and that don’t cost the earth (in more ways than one!). Find all our resources at www.cosydirect.com.
Lessonvu from ONVU Learning – evidence-informed EdTech
From concept to operational in schools, action-based research and evidence-informed practice has been, and always will be, at the heart of the Lessonvu 360-degree video recording and sharing system, DNA and developments. It’s a cliché but Lessonvu in all aspects is truly, “from teachers, with teachers and for teachers”. But that headline is the only thing about Lessonvu that is a cliché, everything in the technology, workflow and use of the Lessonvu system for teacher professional development has been well considered using first hand insight from partner school teachers and other published experts. Andrew Goff, Founding Director of ONVU Learning explains more… EdTech built on teacher user experience The ONVU Learning team behind Lessonvu are constantly haunted by me bringing up the phrase PRISME which stands for Problem, Research, Ideas, Solution, Make and Evaluate: The design cycle. At the bedrock of any good product is this design cycle and we are constantly running through this with Lessonvu looking to enhance and refine all aspects built first hand on teacher user experience. When I was a Design and Technology teacher I used to drum PRISME into my DT students over their project portfolios, and especially the Evaluation section where they used to potentially lose the most marks, and this is how we are now at ONVU Learning; constantly evaluating and considering every aspect so that it supports teachers to achieve their objectives. We won’t get everything right but as our school customers will already witness, we listen, innovate, evaluate and improve Lessonvu to fit teacher and schools needs as fast as possible; exactly what our teacher users are trying to do with their own teaching, in using the Lessonvu system for lesson review, reflection and professional development. Also, we don’t just talk the walk and design and develop Lessonvu, we actually use it ourselves to coach real teachers in real classrooms remotely. Dr. Sean Warren is our own well experienced teacher coach and he uses the Lessonvu system on a daily basis to remotely coach teachers in the UK and now also in India. His work in coaching teachers is based on his and other published academic research and therefore the Lessonvu technology is always under review from him and developments feed back into the development cycle; from niggles that we smooth out to “how abouts” that we look at building into our development sprints. Applying EdTech at the right time Referring to Martin George’s recent article (tes.com) there is one thing about EdTech that I’d like to clear up from the off; “EdTech is not a golden bullet and is only as good as the teachers that apply it as a part of their teaching arsenal at the right time and aligned to students learning needs in front of them.” EdTech can get a bad name and reputation because of misplaced high expectations. I’m a big enthusiast for EdTech I know that over my career as a teacher and as a businessman leading EdTech businesses I’ve maybe got too enthusiastic at times and got carried away with what can be achieved with EdTech. But even with some of the more outlandish aspects that I’ve been involved in have had research layers. Referring back to when I lead PlayStation’s Education Strategy into schools we carried out projects with PlayStation 4s and a software title called Little Big Planet which involved ‘Sack Boy’ navigating gaming levels that the students themselves had created. Research was carried out by Don Passey from Lancaster University and his team and a research paper of the findings published for teachers to build upon. I can understand Sir Kevan Collins’s comments about “wonder and snake oil”. When I was a teacher striving to do the best for my students daily, it was easy to be taken in by marketing headlines that promised help in achieving your aspirations for them. But in defence of the EdTech sector I don’t think that there are many snake oil merchants left – and if there are then I would hope that now-discerning teachers would spot them and quickly rule them outas we would all want. Back to the crux of this debate about the evidence-informed development of EdTech: Lessonvu has been continuously developed with academic research in mind. For example, the Hawthorn Effect; in the context of schools this is when either other teachers or technology is noticeably present in the classroom and changes the environment. The students act differently as there are potentially two or three adults in the room and the teacher leading the lesson does a teaching performance on what they think that the observers want to see in order to “check their boxes,” as opposed to responding and interacting with their class and their learning needs as they normally would. “At the beginning of the Lessonvu journey I remember observing a young maths teacher in Wolverhampton. Normally he would have had some banter with the students about football results as they entered his classroom and through that engaged and checked the students in for learning. However, when being physically observed by senior leaders in the back of the classroom they acted as they thought a “model teacher should” and which resulted in the students quizzically looking at the teacher and wondering where their normal Maths teacher that they loved had gone. What a waste of everyone’s time! Out of the above experience and many others, Lessonvu is as discreet as possible. Students and teachers forget that the cameras are in the ceiling within a day or so and therefore normal teaching and interactions are recorded meaning that teachers can reflect on real teaching and be curious on real moments that if developed could have positive outcomes on teaching and learning. A powerful tool in more ways than one Recently it hit home to me very personally how powerful the Lessonvu system is for teachers and EdTech or other resource manufacturers when I was testing them out in one of our new school customers classrooms. I logged into an anonymous room numbered Lessonvu system to discover that it was a DT lab: To me a fond place with lots of great teaching memories. As a DT teacher you immediately remember the noises that mean one of the students is not holding a piece of material low enough in a vice, or the smells of plastic that has maybe been overheated before it is formed. But for me this was a very
Don’t just book an activity, gain an experience & get Back to Wilderness in East Anglia
Back to Wilderness is a high quality Bushcraft, Survival and Wilderness educational centre of excellence in the heart of East Anglia. We provide a conduit for all ages & abilities to reconnect with nature in a safe, topical, fun & memorable way, all while learning serious survival skills! Back to Wilderness holds the Learning outside the classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge, which is a national benchmark that accredits providers of learning outside the classroom offering good quality educational experiences and managing risk effectively. The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel has endorsed the award and ask that their Local Authority members request that teachers look for the LOtC Quality Badge, when planning educational visits. Research shows that children learn best through real world experiences. Our activities are designed to help develop self-confidence, problem solving, self-reliance, adaptability & team work, all “real life skills” experienced through interaction & engagement outside of the classroom setting. LOtC is most successful when it is an integral element of long-term curriculum planning and closely linked to classroom activities. When planned and implemented well, LOtC contributes significantly to the raising of standards and improvements to pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. LOtC is effective in delivering learning outcomes across all areas of the curriculum including literacy, numeracy, science, history, geography and IT and has the most impact when opportunities to learn outside the classroom are frequent, continuous and progressive. Working with us, we can: Help to design your activity to meet your needs, making things as clear and easy as possible for you. Provide flexibility, options & assistance with planning & delivery, to best suit your budget. Work with you to link activities to the National Curriculum, where possible – supporting the Department of Education’s “My Activity Passport” Suggest content for all Key Stages or assist with research into new areas of interest. Facilitate one-off or longer-term progressive activities for staff or pupils. Provide teacher training, to help facilitate progressive in-house development. Help seek solutions to address location constraints to accommodate your specific needs. Provide ongoing support after delivery. Content wise, we offer a range of core Survival Skill activities, such as: Fire Lighting Shelter Building Foraging – Tree, Plant & Resource Identification Campfire Cooking Game preparation Water Sourcing & Purification & bespoke activities tailored just for you. Additionally, as we are based in High Lodge, Thetford Forest, there are also options to collaborate with other onsite learning providers & activities such as Look out Archery, Go Ape & bike hire – giving you complete flexibility to make your day a truly well-rounded experience to be remembered! If that’s not enough, licensed under Survival School, Back to Wilderness is also able to provide Level 1 and 2 courses accredited by the NCFE. Survival School Level 1 Bushcraft Qualification NCFE CQ ACCREDITED – Suitable for KS2 & above Survival School Level 2 Bushcraft Qualification NCFE CQ ACCREDITED – Suitable for KS3 & above For more details or to book, please contact Ray on 07833 182 180 or mail ray@backtowilderness.co.uk Learnt through Desire, Built on Professionalism, Delivered with Passion – Get www.BacktoWilderness.co.uk All pictures courtesy of ©GTS Photography
Moulton School & Science College wins Redway Networks “Win Big” competition
Moulton School & Science College wins Redway Networks “Win Big” competition with a £20,000 Aerohive new WiFi 6 802.11ax solution! Redway Networks popular “Win Big” competition returned at the end of last year with a bigger than ever prize for the education sector. The competition was supported by Aerohive Networks to offer a school, college or university the opportunity to win a wireless solution with their new 802.11ax WiFi 6 wireless technology worth over £20,000, providing the very best in connectivity and mobility for their students. Redway Networks has now been running their “Win Big” competition for three years and this year saw a record number of entries and one winner was selected at random after a four-month entry period. Moulton School & Science College in Northampton were chosen as this year’s winner and were delighted to receive the news that they had won. They were very excited at being able to replace their outdated solution with the latest AX wireless technology and to be one of the first schools in the UK with this technology. The solution included 15 x Aerohive AP650’s access points which are designed for high performance environments and combine the latest in WiFi standards (IEEE 802.11ax technology), the latest in Ethernet standards (2.5G capability) and Aerohive’s software-defined dual 5 GHz radios for indoor and industrial environments. The wireless solution has now been installed and configured and the school is now benefitting from much faster download speeds and increased coverage, as well as higher density capabilities across the network, which has already proven invaluable for the large school. Leigh Hayes, Director of Redway Networks Ltd said: “We are committed to providing support to the Educational Sector, enabling them to benefit from our provision of leading-edge technologies. I am excited about the future for the pupils and staff at Moulton School & Science College who are already benefitting from the installation of the wireless solution, and the fantastic AX technology will really ensure that the school is future proofed for at the least the next ten years.” Phil Tomaselli, Network Manager, commented on the win “This is amazing for the school, the AX access points will ensure longevity and will now take us into the future, offering the very best in technology for our students and staff. This has allowed us to replace our outdated wireless network which was 6 years old and takes the pressure off our budgets and can now enable us to grow and continue our rolling IT programme. At present, we have installed the solution in our main building but we are now planning to roll out the installation of AX access points across the entire school to ensure that all of the school benefits from the latest technology and its capabilities. We really appreciate Redway Networks support with the competition; the solution will provide immense benefits to the school. They provided a detailed site survey before the installation to take place to ensure that the solution gives maximum coverage and performance. They have continued to provide support through the configuration and installation. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Redway Networks when we extend the solution across the rest of our buildings later in the year.” Redway Network’s “Win Big” competition will be back for Autumn 2019 and we will be offering another school, college or university the chance to win a 802.11ax wireless solution worth over £20,000! Keep an eye out on our website for details or follow us on LinkedIn to be in with a chance of winning!