Beyond the walls of a gallery – an art trip unlike any other
Imagine a living, breathing art gallery, where nature and art work in harmony to create a truly magical and unique experience. Magnificent sculptures are placed amongst mature trees and architectural plants, whilst gently moving water provides a sense of calm and an accompanying backdrop to the wildlife that calls this outdoor gallery home. The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden in Ockley, Surrey has proudly exhibited an ever changing collection of contemporary sculpture within 10 acres of landscaped gardens for 35 years, and has played host to hundreds of schools. In a unique environment, students are given the opportunity to explore their creativity and that of the exhibiting artists on may levels. Seeing and touching the sculptures gives students and pupils a rare experience and an appreciation of different textures, shapes, forms and media – all within a natural setting. The Sculpture Garden welcomes school visits from the first week in April to the last week in October. There are around 200 sculptures to see in the Garden, in a huge variety of styles and materials. The Sculpture Garden provides a safe place to study and is relevant to various subjects across the curriculum, not just Fine Art. Other relevant subjects include Art & Design, Design and Technology, History of Art, Photography, Landscape Design, Leisure & Tourism, and Environmental Studies. Ofsted believes that learning outside the classroom is an essential element of a broad and balanced curriculum, and recommends that schools bring learning to life through compelling learning experiences. Bookings for groups no larger than 30 pupils with a suitable number of adults should be made in advance and visits take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10.30am till 5pm. Smaller groups (under 15) are also welcome to visit on Thursdays and Fridays, when the general public will be in the Sculpture Garden. A recce visit is highly recommended. We advise that at least one adult accompanies 8-10 pupils, with a higher ratio for those with special needs. Unlike a normal gallery the art is accessible for visually impaired students, whom are welcomed to touch and explore the surfaces of the sculptures on display. A unique school trip that will inspire and capture imaginations, and be remembered for years to come. Please email hannahpescharsculpture@gmail.com or telephone 01306 627269 to discuss any queries, or to book your visit. www.hannahpescharsculpture.com.
Protecting Universities from Cyber Attacks
Cyber security is rated as one of the top concerns for organisations worldwide. As a global leader in the security technology industry, Gallagher is working with Universities all over the world to help them mitigate risk and secure their systems against potential attacks. In looking at the cyber risks that relate to Universities, there are three main areas of concern: protecting Intellectual Property (IP), protecting personal data, and protecting facilities and infrastructure. “A vulnerability in any of these areas is serious business for our University customers” says Richard Huison, Gallagher Regional Manager for UK & Europe. “A cyber attack that steals IP, particularly with regards to unproven and unpublished research, could have significant impact on a University’s bottom-line by preventing them from commercialising their findings later down the track” says Huison. Similarly, IP relating to teaching material and course work must also be protected against cyber-attacks. The introduction of online teaching means that students are no longer required on campus to learn, and material is therefore accessible by more people in more places than ever before. In order to continue to deliver their core service and maintain competitive edge, it’s important for Universities to protect their academic IP with strong cyber security measures. Universities hold massive amounts of personal data on current and past students and staff. That data encompasses a lot of personal information, including residential addresses, next of kin information, performance results/grades, and – in the case of students living on campus – medical notes which could involve details such as a mental healthcare plan. “A huge concern for Universities is the risk of personal data being accessed by unauthorised parties” says Huison. “It’s vital that staff and students feel their privacy is being managed and protected by their chosen University. We work very closely with our customers to ensure they understand and maintain the most-up-to-date technology and, therefore, have the greatest cyber resilience possible”. Gallagher’s intelligent data management uses industry-leading standards for data protection. End-to-end encryption with secure, encrypted SQL databases and end-to-end authentication are all part of the Gallagher solution. They provide system hardening and configuration advice, and their network of fully trained and certified installers ensure your system is as cyber-secure as possible on installation. In a world where cyber threats evolve daily, so too must our defences. If you would like to talk about your cyber security concerns call us on 02476 641234 or visit security.gallagher.com to find out more.
ONVU Learning reviewing tool allows teachers to play back lessons
Ever wish you could look over your lesson to see what went right or wrong? Teachers across the country are doing just that – and getting independent feedback from experts outside of school. Editor Victoria Galligan spoke to Sean Warren at Bett about ONVU Learning – which films the class from above as the children work. ONVU Learning isn’t a CCTV system – although the small black dome camera placed on the ceiling in the classroom looks like any other monitoring device. ONVU Learning is actually a reviewing tool for teachers. The developers are keen to stress that this is not a way for senior leadership to “spy” on teachers – the footage is private to the teacher, who can choose to save some, all or none of a day’s footage as they see fit. And the footage can be reviewed by the teacher, or remotely by experts at ONVU Learning who advise on how to adapt practice based on the reflection of the teacher and their discussion about the footage. It’s like having an observation, only the teachers are observing themselves rather than being watched by a besuited inspector seated in the corner of the room – an experience which not only increases anxiety in the teacher but can also change the way children behave. ONVU Learning cameras blend into the background and become part of everyday life. The system works on the ethos that teachers and children have a relationship which they both have an investment in – but when there are 30 children in the class, it’s hard for teachers to nurture those relationships with every child, and for them to be aware of how each child worked throughout the lesson. This is where the observation tool comes in. ONVU Learning helps by reviewing a lesson – teachers can check who was on task straight away, who struggled to stay on task, who didn’t understand what was asked of them and what the “critical moment” of the lesson was. Sean explains: “One teacher found out after the lesson that a child hadn’t done a lot of work, even after re-explanation of the task was given. So we discussed and the teacher implemented a re-check method, where she returned to check if the child with the problem had implemented the instructions he had been given. The teacher noted the time she gave the instructions on the child’s book, which helped to track the amount of work done and to spur the child on to produce more work. “ONVU Learning is there to deconstruct what teachers do, and help them to articulate what happened in a lesson. “We focus on the teacher’s ‘with-it-ness’ – are they fully ‘with it’ during the lesson, are they monitoring those who need more help or are some children slipping under the radar?” Sean added: “Sometimes teachers will discuss footage with other staff or even show to parents where necessary – the other children in the footage can be blocked out to ensure privacy. Often it’s used to give positive feedback to families about their child’s concentration, hard work or kindness.” Sean said schools had reported excellent progress since ONVU Learning was installed. The obvious use of the observation tool is for new teachers who need a little help in tweaking their teaching style, although Sean said teachers with years of experience had also found the system useful. The self-reflection element of ONVU Learning gives teachers autonomy. Dan Thomas, executive headteacher of The Learning For Life Partnership, said: “I would recommend this system for any school that is looking for a simple way to develop teaching and learning in their school. This system gives the ownership of professional development to the teachers so they can reflect and develop their skills.” For more information on ONVU Learning, see the website here
More than 100 young artists shine at Stockport Grammar Art Competition
This year Stockport Grammar School’s Year Five Art Competition welcomed 113 entries from young artists from 16 local primary schools. Sponsored by Brewin Dolphin and based around the theme of ‘self-portrait’, the young entrants showed off their creativity and imagination with a wide range of final pieces that included 2D and 3D artwork. Artists and their families visited Stockport Grammar School for an exhibition evening which showcased their work. Lukas Schwarzmayr of Gorsey Bank Primary School won the competition with an eye catching self-portrait with fantastic shaded detail created in a collage style. Runners-up Maria Majid of Lady Barn House School created a colourful 3D project and Lucas Bird of Vernon Primary School impressed with his half photo, half drawing piece which showed great skill in both the drawing and shading aspects. Stockport Grammar School’s Head of Art, Richard Davies said: “All the pieces were fantastic and the amazing artwork produced showed the talent, imagination and time the artists had put in. “We were impressed by the quality of the work, both in terms of the technical skill that was evident in the use of a range of media, and also with the level of creativity which could be seen in the variety of outcomes. “Clearly the boys and girls had enjoyed responding to the theme of ‘The Portrait’ and having seen their work displayed alongside their peers, they will be encouraged to keep drawing and painting long into the future.” The entrants were selected to represent their school at the competition and every artist went home with a ‘goody bag’ which included a range of wonderful art equipment.
Dr Emily Grossman: ‘Anyone can be a scientist!’
Dr Emily Grossman is an expert in molecular biology and the face of many a scientific TV and radio slot (including The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Duck Quacks Don’t Echo). Here, Emily speaks to QA Education editor Victoria Galligan about why she’s involved with Rocking Ur Teens, a social enterprise that runs inspiring conferences that help encourage girls and boys to become confident in their school life and beyond… To say Dr Emily Grossman is an inspiring person is, quite frankly, an understatement. In 2017 Emily was made the second Honorary STEM Ambassador by STEM Learning – the first was astronaut Tim Peake. When I ask her about her childhood influences, she immediately tells me about her dad – a doctor and research scientist. Emily – who discovered a new molecule while working in cancer research – says: “We used to go on some long car journeys and dad would tell me really fun stories about the world, which were inspiring and relevant to my life. They were really scientific facts and theories, like telling me our ancestors were monkeys. So obviously I thought I may have monkey cousins and aunts and uncles somewhere! “Stories about science fascinated me and I loved finding out about the world around us. “Because these stories were framed for me by my dad, and made relevant to my life, I found them so interesting and that’s how we need to engage youngsters today.” Emily attended an all-girls school and her teachers also had a positive influence on her. The female environment eliminated sexism in the classroom and girls were encouraged to communicate, ask questions and find answers – although Emily admits not all of her peers were enamoured by the STEM subjects. “There was no stereotyping in the classroom and maths was taught from the root upwards, which really helped my understanding. But it wasn’t always easy for me and on occasion I was bullied, being labelled the “teacher’s pet”. Girls still face this stigma in school when they speak up – luckily I had some great friends and teachers who were really supportive and the female environment allowed our ideas to thrive.” Talkative, passionate and friendly during our interview, it’s hard to believe that she has ever suffered a crisis in confidence. However when Emily started university, where she studied physics, natural sciences and later cancer research, that’s exactly what happened. She noted a huge shift in attitudes working alongside her male peers. Emily says: “Many women feel out of place in a scientific learning environment – traditionally it’s seen as a cold, calculating and competitive world. “It can be challenging in this environment, and I found it very hard. I was used to a more supportive learning experience and I became scared of asking questions. I lost my confidence and see this today in many girls – and boys – who I meet when I visit schools now. They are nervous to try things and speak up, and we as educators need to let them know that they shouldn’t be put off by how confident other people seem to be. “I dropped physics after a year and remember before I ended that part of my course, many of the boys were bragging after an exam about how easy it had been. I had found it difficult but gave it my all – and I came out with better results than those boys!” It is these traditionally competitive, often sexist attitudes in the STEM subjects that Emily is working to change, through her work giving talks in schools and as a speaker at events like Rocking Ur Teens. Emily was asked by a friend who she met through a women’s group, Hannilee Fish, to attend the all-female event as Hannilee was speaking there too. Emily says: “Hannilee is an incredible role model and very inspiring. I was grateful for the opportunity to speak at Rocking Ur Teens and was happy to help dispel some myths about what it is to be a scientist, and help and inspire young women. “It was great to communicate with pupils from so many different areas and from such different backgrounds. For schools that don’t get a lot of funding, Rocking Ur Teens is a great opportunity for youngsters to hear from so many speakers and it really works. Seeing women like them, who perhaps were not very confident as teens and are just normal, everyday people, but who have become successful after working hard and being tenacious, really helps.” Having had quite a few career changes – Emily spent around 10 years acting and worked on the stage and screen in productions from Macbeth to Snow White – she is keen to impress upon youngsters the fluidity of STEM subjects and the range of options available. Emily adds, “Not all girls feel confident in STEM subjects and some feel they’re not clever enough, or that they’re too sensitive or creative. Girls who like science are often called ‘geeks’ or ‘weird’ or ‘boring’, but they shouldn’t be put off. Sensitivity and creativity are very beneficial to STEM. We need every sort of person to study STEM – gender, colour, sex, race etc doesn’t matter. If you have a passion for STEM then get involved!” Regarding women working in STEM, Emily would like to see policymakers continue to make roles accessible for women who have to consider their family needs, and to encourage women to bring their “whole self” to work. She believes that if STEM employers are compassionate, supportive and inclusive, then more women will want to start working and stay working in the field – even after starting a family. So what advice does Emily have for teachers who want to better engage girls in STEM? “Keep encouraging them to see the diverse range of careers and impress upon them the different types of people that STEM needs. They may be outgoing, shy, sensitive, analytical, team players or better working in private. Whatever sort of person
Zoom video platform improves communication in education
Jane Ross, head of public sector at the Zoom video platform, discusses how it’s helping schools both in meetings and in the classroom… Could you explain what the Zoom video platform is, and how it helps teachers? Zoom is a unified video-first communications platform that provides remote communications services using cloud computing. It offers software for video, voice, chat, and content sharing. Zoom was named a Leader in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions. The Zoom solutions also have the benefit of being available for procurement through the UK government’s official G-Cloud Digital Marketplace framework. This accreditation provides full access to Zoom’s range of solutions, including its Zoom Rooms, which implements its high-quality video, audio and content sharing in rooms of all sizes. Zoom services are available in cloud or hybrid deployments, and the solutions are available on the G-Cloud version 10 of the framework, in the Cloud Software category. Zoom also benefits the ease of sharing critical information, with the one-click activation, the school board can hold meetings, students can join classes, teachers can bring in remote guest lecturers or host office hours online, and so forth. We are living in a digital age, and more and more schools are looking for ways to adapt to this transformation while being conscious of their budget restrictions. Zoom can bolster any eLearning initiatives, by providing a secure platform for online tutoring, online parent teacher meetings, teacher conferences etc. The possibilities for Zoom to positively impact and transform the way a school works is only limited to what they can imagine doing with it! What is the effect on pupils’ attainment when Zoom is used? Zoom can be the next step in introducing synchronous activities into school’s existing or future eLearning programs, it can work to build stronger relationships and better learning experiences for students and teachers alike. For example, webinars and online teaching sessions hosted via Zoom can bolster the engagement of pupils whether at home or at school, providing alternative outlets for those students who are hungry to learn. This will not only build their academic confidence, but also give them a chance to hone this confidence in situations outside the comfort of a classroom, by giving them vital experience of a technology and a way of communicating that they will most likely be using when they come to enter the working world. How does Zoom save the school money? With unique but straightforward pricing structure, Zoom offers affordable and attainable solutions for organisations with even the strictest of budgets. That is why over 17,000 educational institutions are using Zoom for virtual and hybrid classrooms, office hours, administrative meetings, and more. Does Zoom help students prepare for higher education and the world of work? Zoom can play a huge part in helping students understand the tools available to keep up with the modern world of work, and the often-remote experience of attending a University far away from home. Zoom can teach students how to work effectively from anywhere, a skill that will be vital in the world of work as more and more companies offer a flexible working structure. Not to mention, that most companies, even if based in the office 5 days a week, will need to use some form of conferencing software to communicate with other parts of their business, customers, or clients. Using Zoom at school gives students this exposure to collaborative working from a remote environment. What do you see in the future of video technology: what will students be using next year, for example? Today’s students are mobile first. We are talking all the time about the benefits and pitfalls of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and so we are now seeing schools and universities addressing the need to integrate this into a learning environment in a productive way. Teachers are now realising they need to meet the students where they are, with synchronous engagement that goes straight to their mobile devices with real-time video, audio, and content sharing. The future of video technology is bright and totally mobile, and is sure to become something that students, teachers and school boards see as a seamless and entirely essential part of learning in the modern era. Could you give an example where the Zoom video platform has really made an impact on a school? The University of San Francisco was looking for a solution to support its growing online programs, and it decided that the answer was Zoom. The impact that Zoom has had at the organisation is real and palpable; not only does Zoom create an easy and accessible way for teachers and students to connect no matter where they are, it has also expanded the University’s ability to share knowledge globally. This is demonstrated by its collaboration with remote hospitals in Vietnam, with whom the University’s faculty and researchers share healthcare knowledge and best practice to ensure patients are receiving the right treatment – all through Zoom. The University has credited the ease of clicking to connect, and simplicity of deployment and usability as some of the reasons why Zoom has made such an impact. See www.zoom.us for more details on the Zoom video platform.
Education Destination Creates Over 700 Free Teaching Resources
Education Destination has created over 700 teaching resources that cover all Key Stages, Abilities and Subjects, and are free for teachers to use. Created by Education Destination’s own team of teachers, with over 175 years’ experience between them, no other school trip provider in the world offers such a depth and breadth of teaching resources. All address specific National Curriculum or main exam board syllabus requirements. And most are differentiated for ability, making it easy for mixed ability groups to share the same activities whilst working at different levels. Some physically demanding lessons have variants for mobility impaired students and Education Destination’s SEN specialist can help develop specific variants for SEN pupils on request. Peter Tomlinson, Chief Executive, Education Destination, says, “We are driven to provide superior educational experiences outside of the classroom. The high quality of our business is based on the high quality of our teaching resources. We overlay the resources onto stimulating activities to instil deeper learning. All of which we do on the Isle of Wight – the UK’s foremost education destination. With so many natural and man-made features in such close-proximity, the Island is perfect for opening minds, capturing imaginations and creating life-long memories. Where else can a ferry teach history? A dinosaur teach physics, a steam train teach science and a donkey teach business studies – all in one day?” To view samples and request free teaching resources visit http://www.educationdestination.co.uk/showallresources
Oldham primary school pupils reach final of UK robotics competition
Thirteen Key Stage 2 pupils from Lyndhurst Primary School, Oldham – one of the 15 schools within Focus Trust – have been crowned winners of the regional finals of an international robotics competition, VEX IQ Challenge. Lyndhurst was the only primary school to attend Greater Manchester’s regional finals with the team’s resilience and technical performance seeing them come out on top against teams of much older children to secure a place in the national finals, which took place in Telford last week. Presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, which works to increase student interest and involvement in STEM subjects by facilitating the introduction of hands-on, sustainable and affordable robotics engineering into the curriculum, the challenge tasks pupils with designing and building a robot to compete against other teams in a game-based engineering contest. One of only six primary schools across the country to make it through to the national finals, the team from Lyndhurst travelled down to Telford’s International Centre to compete in the two-day event and, following a tough fought competition, ranked 45th – placing them higher than around a quarter of the teams competing. Head of Science and Technology at Lyndhurst, Collette Donnelly, who led the children through the competition, commented: “The whole school are so delighted with how well the children have done in the VEX IQ Challenge – each and every one of them are assets to our school and should be extremely proud of what they have achieved. “It was heart-warming to hear the team speak with such confidence and passion when the judges asked them about their progress and hopes for the future, especially since the vast majority of competitors were much older than our children.” The team were praised by the competitions organisers for their ‘excellent communication skills’ and ability to successfully liaise with other teams during the collaborative rounds and the experience allowed them to gather ideas for improvement as they look ahead to take on the challenge again next year.
Have children lost their love of reading?
The number of five-16 year-olds who read books for pleasure has declined, according to recent research[1] from Childwise, so Achievement for All is calling for schools, settings, families, libraries, community groups, businesses and organisations from across the world to come together to reignite a love of reading during their 200 Million Minutes Reading Challenge. The research shows that whilst the average amount of reading per day has remained consistent year on year (0.6 hours),more than one in five (21%) children never read books or magazines for pleasure, compared to 17% last year. In addition: Boys and girls have similar reading habits at primary age, but differences appear from the start of secondary school. Worryingly, 40% of secondary-aged boys say they never read compared to a third of girls of the same age More than a quarter of children and young people (27%) never read books in their own time, compared to 21% last year Unlike offline reading, online reading doesn’t decline with age, with teenage girls remaining the most intense online readers Speaking about the findings, Achievement for All CEO, Sonia Blandford, said: “Literacy levels are one of the greatest drivers of social inequality in the UK today. Up to two in five children from socio-economic disadvantage leave primary school without achieving the expected standard of reading and, sadly, many of them go on to fall further behind in their schooling, lack self-confidence and face a future with significantly diminished opportunities. “It is up to us to inspire a generation of lifetime readers, to ignite a love of reading among all children and young people and keep the flame alive throughout their education and long into their lives. And that, is what our 200 Million Minutes Reading Challenge hopes to do!” On World Book Day, Achievement for All launched their biggest challenge yet as they invited children and young people across the world together to collectively attempt to read for 200 Million Minutes!! Following the huge success of the charity’s 100 Million Minutes Reading Challenge in March 2018, which saw more than 420,000 children and young people collectively read for 100,019,560 minutes, Achievement for All, in association with Pearson, is doubling the target to 200 Million Minutes. The challenge will end on Children’s Book Day, Tuesday 2nd April 2019, giving children and young people just 26 days to collectively reach this ambitious goal. Achievement for All, the leading not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with schools and settings to improve outcomes for all children and young people vulnerable to underachievement, hopes that through this global challenge, more children will discover a love of reading. Lindsay Nadin, Director of Primary Learning Services at Pearson, who are providing £10,000 of books to the Challenge winners, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the 200 Million Minutes Reading Challenge this year. At Pearson we work with children, teachers, parents and literacy experts to develop books and resources that spark joy in reading and nurture lifelong readers. This challenge is a fantastic way to get all children and young people reading, and working together to reach an amazing goal.” Prizes will be awarded to those who achieve the highest average number of reading minutes per child or young person and certificates will be available to the individuals who reach key reading targets throughout the reading challenge. For further information on the 200 Million Minute Reading Challenge and to register your place, please visit www.200millionminutes.org For further information about Achievement for All visit https://afaeducation.org.