CLOSED – WIN five classroom books worth over £65
Thanks to publishers Featherstone, Bloomsbury and Button Books, we have five brand new classroom books to give away which will make a great addition to any primary school. The classroom books cover everything from PSHCE to gardening and span age ranges from Early Years to KS2. They are all brand new titles in the bookshops and have a combined value of over £65. The classroom books we have to give away to one lucky winner are: Winter of the Wolves, by Tony Bradman (£5.99, Bloomsbury) An Anglo-Saxon tale following Oslaf, who moves across the sea to Britannia to start a new life. Will Oslaf be as brave as the heroes in the tales he loves? 50 Fantastic Ideas for Developing Emotional Resilience, by (£10.99, Featherstone) This title provides short but snappy practical activities as starting points for practitioners to develop emotional resilience in the children they work with. Plant, Sow, Make & Grow by Esther Coombs (£12.99, Button Books) This book is all about getting growing with children and learning about the fun and rewards that brings – it’s full of interesting activities, information and all the mudtastic sense of achievement that eating homegrown veg creates. Teaching Children to Listen in the Early Years, by Liz Spooner and Jacqui Woodcock (£24.99, Featherstone) Written by specialist speech and language therapists Liz Spooner and Jacqui Woodcock, this book presents interventions to teach young children the rules of good listening and why they are important. Featuring photocopiable resources, assessments and teaching suggestions. What’s Going On Inside My Head? By Molly Potter (£10.99, Featherstone) This book helps parents and teachers to start conversations with children about positive mental health. With illustrations by Sarah Jennings to guide children through issues such as “thoughts that bother me†and “what can I do when someone upsets me?â€. Youtube Vidoe: https://youtu.be/lq2dlOWlxVs To be in with a chance of winning the five classroom books, worth over £65, enter the Rafflecopter competition below. a Rafflecopter giveaway ***The administrator of this competition is QA Education Magazine (“administrator”). By participating in the competition, each Entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Administrator is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the competition. Entrants should look solely to Administrator with any questions, comments or problems related to the Competition. Administrator may be reached by email at socialmedia@euromediaal.com during the Promotion Period. * This giveaway will close at 12.00am, 6th August 2019. * The prize is five classroom books worth over £65. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. * Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Administrator, the sponsor, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion. * There is one compulsory entry which requests that to enter the competition you answer a question based on the classroom books. Additional entries are available. * The prize winner will be asked to provide their email address so that contact can be made to arrange prize delivery, and their name and county be published in the next issue of the magazine * By entering the competition, you grant the Administrator permission to add your details to the mailing list, share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with the other competition Entities for the purpose of administration and prize fulfillment, including use in a publicly available Winners list. * Entries will only be accepted as instructed and any entrant that does not complete the qualifying requirements will be disqualified * The winners will be chosen using the random entry selector built into the widget. * The winners will be informed by email within 5 days of the closing date, and must respond within 5 days to claim their prize. If there is no response within the 5 days and new winner will be drawn at random. *This prize draw is governed by English law and the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising in connection with it. For further T&C and our privacy policy please see here Euromedia Associates Ltd: Privacy Policy https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/66331438/legal**
Essential School-Leaver Event Returns To Olympia London
With so many options available for school-leavers, deciding what to do next can be a daunting prospect. This autumn, What Career Live? and What University Live? returns to Olympia London to provide students, parents and teachers with the chance to explore over 100 apprenticeships and higher education options side-by-side. There will be expert advice at over 40 free presentations with topics ranging from degree apprenticeships and how to choose the right career path, to student finance and building positive mental health at university. Careers advisors will be on hand to give one-to-one advice to visitors and interactive features including a STEM Challenge, Buskers’ Corner and a Creative Hub will help to inspire students on their future career choices. Apprenticeships will be on offer from Warner Bros, Rothschild & Co, Deloitte, EY, Network Rail, Amazon, DSTL, Capgemini, Health Careers (NHS) and many more. Universities at the event include University of Liverpool, Brunel University, Aston University, Southampton University, University of Hull, Coventry University, University of Law and more. Amanda Knee, a parent and previous visitor comments: “This event was excellent for me as a parent who didn’t know what the next steps were for my 17 year old. There were so many different options to explore and investigate. Each one was well explained and very helpful to both myself and my son. I would recommend to every parent and child who doesn’t know what career path they wish to follow.†Entry is free for students, parents and school groups and tickets can be booked at www.whatcareerlive.co.uk
New online course to help music teachers inspire next generation
ABRSM partners with FutureLearn to provide an intensive teacher development course Becoming a Better Music Teacher is a free online course for teachers created by ABRSM and available through FutureLearn. The course is aimed at teachers who are beginning their teaching journey or wishing to refresh and refocus their teaching skills. It is now open for enrolment and will provide teachers with a strong foundation for effective music teaching. ABRSM is passionate about inspiring musical achievement and believes that music teachers play a vital role in leading and shaping their pupils’ musical journey. It offers a range of teacher support initiatives including teacher development and annual teacher conferences; and this latest partnership with FutureLearn represents a new expansion into e-learning. ABRSM’s Chief Executive, Michael Elliott said: ABRSM’s mission is to inspire achievement in music, and in recent years, it has experienced increasing global demand for the provision of training and support for music teachers. Our partnership with FutureLearn provides a new venture into online courses and its success will guide the further development of our teacher support offering. We trust all those enrolling on our FutureLearn course will enjoy the rich array of teaching support and materials prepared by our many contributors and will be keen to continue their journey of learning and discovery in association with ABRSM and its many partners around the world. Enrolment for ABRSM’s Becoming a Better Music Teacher is now open. The online course has been developed to inspire effective music teaching and musical progression. Commencing on Monday 10 June, it will cover five key areas of teaching practice including: Teaching and Learning Principles; Core Musical Skills; and Professional Values and Practice. The course is focused towards teachers’ professional development and includes: how to develop your own teaching philosophy, explore the basis for motivation and how motivation is linked to progression, and design individual learning plans for pupils. Nigel Smith, MD of Courses and Learning at FutureLearn, said, “Learning to play a musical instrument or sing is a life-enriching experience, and we’re delighted to be partnering with ABRSM to help music teachers be as effective as possible. Few subjects have such capacity to inspire all, regardless of ability or age, and we’re happy to be providing teachers with the tools they need to be inspirational.†ABRSM is excited to be able to offer this course in partnership with FutureLearn. FutureLearn has partnered with some of the world’s most renowned universities and institutions and ABRSM’s Becoming a Better Music Teacher is part of their continued commitment to teacher support. Enrol today
Innovative £320k development aids pupils’ wellbeingÂ
School children in Cheshire are enjoying a renewed sense of health and wellbeing, following a ground-breaking project at Alsager School. The £320k development has provided students with space to enjoy the fresh air – whatever the weather. Tasked with overseeing the design, build and installation of a sleek new ETFE canopy to enclose what was previously an open courtyard, Access North Build has made waves within the education sector with its industry-first solution. Yorkshire-headquartered Access North Build designed, developed and installed a pioneering solution, a lightweight steel space frame – the first of its kind supporting an ETFE membrane in the UK – erected to span the quad, thus enclosing the area beneath. Alsager School site manager, Matt Harris, explained: “Fresh air plays a pivotal part in the wellbeing and health of people of all ages. Creating a space which allows students to ‘go outside’ while providing protection from the elements – including rain and solar shielding – is key to supporting their development.†Engineered to carry more weight over a greater area – in order to provide plenty of natural light and promote student wellbeing – the greatest challenge was the location and layout of the outdoor space, which was enclosed by existing buildings on all sides. As a result, the superstructure – which is over 400 square feet in size – had to be assembled in the school car park before being carefully manoeuvred over the establishment and precisely into position on the pre-installed locating bolts. Access North Group managing director, Berenice Northcott added: “This type of ETFE enclosure provides an extremely beneficial space for organisations within the education sector where student wellbeing is crucial. Additionally, the new ETFE canopy has a design life of 70 years providing it is regularly maintained, but if the time comes when it is no longer required, the ETFE membrane and steel space frame are recyclable, extending the environmental-friendliness of the build with the circular economy in mind. “We relished the challenges of this particular project. Craning a huge space frame over a school and courtyard – which was bordered on all sides – without damaging buildings or people, was a testament to the planning, organisation and attention to detail of the team. The new roof has transformed a previously under-utilised area into a light and airy multifunctional space, resulting in a positive impact on staff and pupils.”
Only 15% Of New Schools Built With Sprinklers
By Iain Cox, Chair of the BSA Of the 673 new schools built and open under the government’s flagship school programme, only 105 were fitted with sprinklers. With hundreds of schools in the UK having a fire each year, this alarming statistic once again only emphasises that money spent on dealing with the aftermath of fires should be being spent on sprinklers. The BSA shares the concerns of Labour MP and former teacher Stephanie Peacock who said: “The ridiculous thing is that we spend far more rebuilding and repairing schools after fires than we would have paid to install sprinklers in the first place.†School fires have a devastating impact on both a school and a community. Measures such as sprinklers drastically reduce the amount of damage done when there is a fire, and enable schools to get up-and-running quickly, reducing the cost, both economically and socially, to the public. On the 24th April, the Selsey Academy opened the doors to its rebuilt premises after a fire devastated the original, unsprinklered school in August 2016. In the interim, pupils were taught in temporary classrooms in four locations in the Selsey area and then temporary school portakabins until the new school was completed. Sadly, the trust that runs it has confirmed the new school has been rebuilt without sprinklers. Commenting on the lack of sprinklers in schools, Iain Cox, Chairman of the BSA, said: “This is another case of value engineering, where the cost of installing sprinklers has been cut out without any idea of the potential impact. Surely, it is better to protect the asset, so you won’t have disruption and the lost opportunity?†Ensuring the safety of a building’s occupants is considered the bare minimum under current regulations, but it is clearly not the optimal outcome. A sprinkler system would serve to protect both the occupants and the building, allowing students to return to normality far more rapidly and with considerably less disruption to teachers’ already hectic schedules. Furthermore, the Association of British Insurers says the most expensive school fires typically cost around £2.8 million to address, and over the past four years an average 24 of these large-loss fires have occurred every year, totalling £67.2 million. Currently, sprinklers are mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. The government advises that even a single missed day of education can have significant effects on future exam results. The installation of sprinklers could limit the damage from fire; significantly reducing the potential disruption to the students’ school life. The same misconceptions about cost and the impact of disruption can be seen across the commercial and industrial sector. The BSA is calling for better education on the substantial benefits that fire sprinklers can deliver to the business community and wider economy. Fire does not discriminate; whether it is a school, a car park a warehouse or an office, fires happen on a regular basis. However, they can be contained and extinguished by systems such as sprinklers to ensure that life is not put at risk and businesses, jobs and the economy are protected. For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
Only 15% Of New Schools Built With Sprinklers
By Iain Cox, Chair of the BSA Of the 673 new schools built and open under the government’s flagship school programme, only 105 were fitted with sprinklers. With hundreds of schools in the UK having a fire each year, this alarming statistic once again only emphasises that money spent on dealing with the aftermath of fires should be being spent on sprinklers. The BSA shares the concerns of Labour MP and former teacher Stephanie Peacock who said: “The ridiculous thing is that we spend far more rebuilding and repairing schools after fires than we would have paid to install sprinklers in the first place.†School fires have a devastating impact on both a school and a community. Measures such as sprinklers drastically reduce the amount of damage done when there is a fire, and enable schools to get up-and-running quickly, reducing the cost, both economically and socially, to the public. On the 24th April, the Selsey Academy opened the doors to its rebuilt premises after a fire devastated the original, unsprinklered school in August 2016. In the interim, pupils were taught in temporary classrooms in four locations in the Selsey area and then temporary school portable cabins until the new school was completed. Sadly, the trust that runs it has confirmed the new school has been rebuilt without sprinklers. Commenting on the lack of sprinklers in schools, Iain Cox, Chairman of the BSA, said: “This is another case of value engineering, where the cost of installing sprinklers has been cut out without any idea of the potential impact. Surely, it is better to protect the asset, so you won’t have disruption and the lost opportunity?†Ensuring the safety of a building’s occupants is considered the bare minimum under current regulations, but it is clearly not the optimal outcome. A sprinkler system would serve to protect both the occupants and the building, allowing students to return to normality far more rapidly and with considerably less disruption to teachers’ already hectic schedules. Furthermore, the Association of British Insurers says the most expensive school fires typically cost around £2.8 million to address, and over the past four years an average 24 of these large-loss fires have occurred every year, totalling £67.2 million. Currently, sprinklers are mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. The government advises that even a single missed day of education can have significant effects on future exam results. The installation of sprinklers could limit the damage from fire; significantly reducing the potential disruption to the students’ school life. The same misconceptions about cost and the impact of disruption can be seen across the commercial and industrial sector. The BSA is calling for better education on the substantial benefits that fire sprinklers can deliver to the business community and wider economy. Fire does not discriminate; whether it is a school, a car park a warehouse or an office, fires happen on a regular basis. However, they can be contained and extinguished by systems such as sprinklers to ensure that life is not put at risk and businesses, jobs and the economy are protected. For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
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!â€
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.