Innovative education App wins GSK Awards
Innovative activated charcoal research and music education App wins GSK UK Young Scientist & GSK UK Young Engineer of the Year Awards. Maeve Stillman, from St Mary’s College in Derry, and Grace Lord, Brendan Miralles and Aalia Sellar from Loughborough Schools Foundation have seen off tough competition from over 1,100 entries from across the UK to be awarded the top honours of GSK UK Young Scientist of the Year and GSK UK Young Engineer of the Year at The Big Bang Fair in Birmingham on Thursday, March 14. The two awards are the top accolades in The Big Bang Competition – an annual competition for young people aged 11-18 in full-time education or training – designed to recognise and reward achievements in all areas of STEM, whilst promoting vital STEM skills and confidence in project-based work. Winner of the GSK UK Young Scientist of the Year Award, 15-year-old Maeve Stillman from St Mary’s College in Derry, aimed to improve our understanding of how activated charcoal effects the absorption of everyday medicines including paracetamol for her winning project. The team from Loughborough, consisting of students from Loughborough High School and Loughborough Grammar School, took out the GSK UK Young Engineer of the Award category. The team’s project ‘Music Splash’, inspired by a need for better access to music education, is an app that uses machine learning to analyse music performance and provide feedback that helps the user improve. The standard of creativity in this year’s awards was exceptionally high, with other ideas including everything from aids for the visually impaired to sustainable fertilizer, and edible water bottles to a door with facial recognition. Previous winners of the competition, which is now in its fourth year, have gone on to forge successful careers in STEM, compete at international awards and present their groundbreaking concepts on television. The 2018 GSK UK Young Scientist of the Year, Emily Xu, represented the UK and won first place at CASTIC (China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest), and a special donated prize at EUCYS (European Union Contest for Young Scientists). Emily is now pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London and has spoken at Parliament during Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2018 as an ambassador for young women in STEM. This year’s winners will continue to show their ideas to the thousands of visitors to the annual Big Bang Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, which aims to inspire other young people to consider a career in STEM by showcasing the huge depth and breadth of opportunities available in the sector. Over 500 finalists from across the country were selected to show their ideas at The Big Bang Fair where ten were then shortlisted to pitch Dragon’s Den-style to panels of VIP judges including: Dallas Campbell (The Gadget Show and Bang Goes the Theory TV presenter) Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (Co-founder of STEMettes) Roma Agrawal (structural engineer on The Shard, STEM promoter and TV presenter) Dr Ozak Esu (IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2017) Nikki Yates (Senior Vice President of European Mid-Sized Markets, GSK) Chris Hurst (Engineering Lead for Pharmaceutical Operational Performance, GSK) GSK has sponsored the UK Young Scientist of the Year award since 2017, as part of its work supporting STEM education throughout the UK. This year, GSK has extended its support to include the UK Young Engineer of the Year Award, to inspire future engineers and help address the UK’s annual deficit of 59,000 engineering graduates (The State of Engineering, Engineering UK). In January 2019, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) published a report on the skills gap in the pharmaceutical industry showing that UK STEM students have increased just 16% in the last ten years, compared to 63% worldwide. As a science-led global healthcare company, GSK believes the scientists and engineers of tomorrow will help to solve the biggest global healthcare challenges and are passionate about inspiring young people to study a wide range of STEM subjects. Nikki Yates, Senior Vice President of European Mid-Sized Markets, GSK, commented: “Seeing the incredible quality of creative thinking and STEM understanding that inspired this year’s winning entries reiterates just how vital awards like this are. They give our future STEM innovators and leaders unique opportunities to develop and showcase their talents and to inspire thousands of other young people in the process. I’m excited to see what our winners will go on to achieve.†Daljit Kaur, Head of STEM Innovation at Loughborough Grammar School, said: “We are all so proud of our team’s achievement. It has really inspired all our students to see what is possible. Awards like this can provide a real ‘light bulb’ moment for young people. They enable them to apply their STEM skills to areas which really interest them and help them see that the STEM skills they are learning in the classroom are transferable and prized in the real world. The role of a teacher or, an educator is pivotal in helping to shape young minds to realise their full potential, to realise that their ideas can help shape the future.†Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of Engineering UK, which organises The Big Bang Competition, said: “The judges have been blown away by the quality of entries from all the finalists – not only for their brilliant new ideas but for how eloquently they spoke about them to the crowds of people at The Big Bang Fair. Huge congratulations to Maeve, Grace, Brendan and Aalia. It certainly bodes well for the future that the engineers, scientists and inventors of tomorrow are already producing such astute and creative project work.†As a result of their win, Maeve, Grace, Brendan and Aalia will all benefit from a range of exclusive mentoring and work experience opportunities, and VIP visits to top science centres with their families. For more information about young scientist and engineer of the year click here
Children design their own Christmas Cards & Gifts. We Print. You Fundraise
IQ Cards print high quality personalised Stationery & Gifts using each child’s individual design. Schools raise money for EVERY pack purchased, a great fundraising project. IQ Cards Info Children have great fun designing a picture in class, IQ Cards print high quality Christmas Cards, Stationery, Keyrings & Magnets using the child’s individual design, these can be kept as a memory forever. Our competitive pricing and fantastic quality products combined with a very simple process all help to maximise the funds raised for the school and most importantly encourage parents to order! Raise funds on every item Perfect project for PTA’s Very simple to manage orders Very low prices Free delivery & collection High quality printed products Variety of products Design form & Flyer for every pupil Free to run the project, no costs No risk, payment on receipt of orders 6 SIMPLE STEPS TO FUNDRAISE Children create their designs in class on bespoke design forms provided Designs are sent home to parents with a covering letter & A5 flyer to encourage them to place their order. Organiser collects completed orders and banks the payments IQ collects all completed forms by courier IQ check all forms, scans the images and prints all orders IQ deliver all orders back in year order (each child’s order is individually wrapped for easy distribution) THE PROJECT IS FREE TO RUN WITH NO UPFRONT COSTS Ali Keyes – Ashdown Primary PTA This year your company has been outstanding! The order process was easy, the quality of the cards is out of this world and the fact that you even sorted the cards into year groups for me was an added bonus I didn’t expect! Thank you so much, we couldn’t recommend you more! All the feedback from parents is equally fantastic! We won’t hesitate in using you again next year! Thank you. Kathryn Malfatti – PTA St John’s College, Cardiff This was our first fundraising project since the initiation of the parents association in October and has been a huge success. The school has raised almost £300 and the children and parents have received such wonderful Christmas cards and stationery! The products were of outstanding quality and the packaging, by form and pupil, was so very much appreciated. The task of distribution was made so much easier because of your wonderful organisation! Find out more
School security risks – matching boundary protection to your needs
Cris Francis, security consultant for Jacksons Fencing, offers a guide to ensuring pupils are safe when it comes to school security… Whether renewing, refurbishing or building from new, the school fence, entrance gates and access control should be carefully considered for today and in anticipation of the future. Here are our top five areas to consider when evaluating the security of a school site: Access points Over half of teachers say their school has more than one entrance (56%). Access points, however, should be limited in number, with one main point located in view of the reception or school office, to allow school staff to monitor pupil movement patterns and vehicle access. Type of risk Criminal damage is a problem at 28% of schools, according to teachers. This is part of a range of risks, from theft and vandalism to arson and anti-social behaviour. Other risks can include heavy traffic or equipment and fencing appearing as an incidental climbing frame for young pupils. Aesthetics For a school, the balance between deterring potential intruders whilst welcoming students and visitors is vital. Creative use of colour can soften a perimeter’s appearance. While metal railings may be suitable for some schools, nurseries and primary schools may benefit more from timber fencing, which still provides security but with a ‘friendlier’ appearance and greater privacy. Usage Your school site will probably experience heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic at peak times of day, such as immediately before and after school hours. Think about creating separate traffic routes for pedestrians and cars to ensure safety during these busy times and discuss how your site security should be managed in off-peak times. Local environment It’s important to take a good look at the landscape around your site. For instance, are the foundations firm enough for fences, gates and barriers to sit effectively? A significant 36% of parents know of children leaving the school site by climbing over the perimeter. Are there any potential climbing aids, such as overhanging branches, parked vehicles or storage bins that need to be borne in mind? Performing a thorough risk assessment is an essential part of putting together a robust and appropriate perimeter security strategy. Whatever you choose to improve school security should provide a realistic and appropriate level of physical security, commensurate with the risks it could face. For more information on school security and boundary protection, see jacksons-security.co.uk [1] In April 2018, Jacksons surveyed 1,000 parents (nationally representative), 282 teachers (including 44 head teachers) and 75 architects, quantity surveyors and contractors.
How to get children excited about STEM
It’s unsurprising that children who have confidence in their abilities tend to be more successful in their studies – and that confidence isn’t just built within the school gates. Teaching kids about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) early on helps lay the foundations for deeper learning, and parents can play a big role in supporting this. Leading chemistry specialists Radleys share their top tips for getting kids excited about STEM subjects. Look outside the classroom Demonstrating that STEM doesn’t just happen inside the classroom can really open children’s eyes. And it’s true – we use skills from these subjects as an everyday occurrence. Maths at the supermarket, science when we talk about the weather, even something like travelling in the car can put these basic skills to the test. Why not put their knowledge to the test in a shop by getting them to figure out the change from a £10 note? Or work out fractions and percentages with products in the sale? Quick calculations are great brain exercises, and they’re simple yet effective. Make it fun It’s a tried-and-tested method, but when you disguise problem-solving as a fun and engaging activity, kids get excited about it without even realising! And if they think maths is “boring†or they’re “rubbish†at science, it’s all about trying to change their attitude. These subjects can feel overwhelming, but if you apply them to everyday life they can learn in all kinds of different ways. Let them lead with regards to what they’re interested in. When you’ve figured this out, you can focus their learning around that – and the fun can begin! Get hands-on Getting hands-on and stuck in is one of the best ways to learn, with plenty of intellectual benefits. Something like baking a cake is a great example of using essential skills like maths, science and communication. They can measure out the ingredients, and experiment with substituting different textures and flavours. It doesn’t have to be limited to baking, either – you can link it with any of their hobbies, from ballet to football to painting. Think about future skills STEM skills are an essential part of laying the foundations for a child’s future – and can even pave the way for a career in STEM itself. Get them thinking about what the future might hold; kids love to role play, so you could build this into the game. Whether they want to be a maths teacher or a pharmacist, getting them excited for a potential career is a great way to help them enhance the skills they’ll need. Keep them curious The most important thing to remember is that if you keep their minds curious, their enthusiasm will soar. Why not take them on fun, educational days out to places like the aquarium or museum? New places spark curiosity naturally in children, and present an opportunity for them to ask plenty of questions and think in a different way. Who knows, you might all learn something as a family! Planning an outdoor adventure is another great way to stimulate their creativity. Go to the park or for a walk around your neighbourhood, and get them to collect some of nature’s souvenirs along the way. Leaves, pinecones and rocks can all be brought home and studied in more detail. Give it a go! For more information about STEM please click here
phs provides free-vend sanitary dispensers to education sector to tackle period poverty
Washroom services and consumables provider phs Group has launched a free-vend sanitary dispenser for schools, colleges and universities in a bid to tackle period poverty. The purpose-designed free-vend dispenser was created in response to the growing period poverty agenda and rise in demand from customers across the UK and Ireland. It has already been extensively trialled in Scotland following a directive by the Scottish Government to make free sanitary products available to all pupils and students. In the Spring Statement today (Wednesday, March 13), Chancellor Philip Hammond was set to announce a similar scheme for secondary schools across England from September. phs worked with facilities management companies as well as education establishments to develop a solution which would best meet their needs and offer free sanitary products to students in the most convenient and accessible way. Several establishments, including schools, colleges and universities, now have permanent free-vend machines from phs to provide free sanitary products to students. And since being introduced to market, demand has already started to grow across the UK – despite no legal requirement to provide free sanitary wear. The phs slim line free-vend machines stock individually-wrapped sanitary products and can be accessed without the use of a coin. The units are offered by phs for rent or sale, with stock available from phs DIRECT. Clare Noble, Head of Healthcare of phs, said: “Period poverty is a growing concern and an issue which needs to be addressed. Sanitary products are not a luxury, they are an essential and it’s been proven that being unable to afford these items can have a detrimental affect – whether it’s by causing females to skip school, miss work or expose themselves to health risks. “Free-vend machines are a real solution in tackling period poverty. Installing these within washrooms gives females who need it instant and discreet access to sanitary products without the embarrassment or inconvenience of having to visit an office or school nurse. The products are also stored appropriately so they are kept clean and dry, dispensing one item at a time as needed.†The University of St Andrews provides 15 free-vend machines for students within its washrooms, including within student residences, the student association building, the library and sports centre. Gillian Jordan, estates cleaning manager at the University of St Andrews, said: “Providing a range of sanitary products in educational establishments gives girls choice and less worry around their periods, particularly if they have a low income. We collectively decided that free-vend was the most discreet way of doing this and they are now in place in the most appropriate and busiest buildings to ensure products are available for girls who need them. The feedback from students has been positive.†For more information, visit https://www.phs.co.uk or follow @phsGroup on Twitter and phs Group on LinkedIn
Google for Education partners up with itslearning
A partnership between itslearning, Europe’s most widely used learning platform, and Google for Education was announced recently, enabling teachers to plan, deliver, communicate and engage. The partnership will also allow educators to formatively assess student learning against academic goals, all within one platform, in any location and from any device. The ability to collaborate at any time, anywhere will help to maximise the benefits of both itslearning and Google’s G Suite products. The integration between G Suite and itslearning will combine users’ favourite Google tools alongside those of itslearning. Benefits include Google Drive integration and file uploading, Google file collaboration, giving feedback in real-time on Google Docs, creating Google document templates, Google Hangouts within Instant Messaging amongst others, all seamlessly within itslearning. Additional integration features will be released throughout 2019. Liz Sproat, at Google for Education, said: “We are looking forward to working with itsLearning who share a similar approach to us in the solutions they provide to schools. Both Google and itsLearning work closely with teachers to create tools to help enrich and streamline the teaching & learning experience in the classroom.†Matthew Jordan at itslearning UK said: “The best features of Google Classroom will be a prominent place in itslearning’s LMS and vice versa. The learning environment is easy to use for both students and teachers, and it makes the learning platform an even stronger educational tool.†The interaction between the itslearning platform and Google’s “G Suite” is intended to benefit teachers and students worldwide. These benefits will also be extended to Fronter customers (which itslearning acquired in 2015) via a free upgrade path to itslearning. For more information on Google for Education, see the website.
North Yorkshire County Council Rolls Out Wrapmaster
North Yorkshire County Council has partnered with Cofresco Foodservice, rolling out the award-winning Wrapmaster across its 25 secondary schools and 298 primary schools. Wrapmaster is the catering professional’s dispensing system for cling film, foil and baking parchment. With 42,000 meals served daily, the affiliation is part of the council’s strict policies on hygiene and food safety, as well as its ongoing commitment to pupil welfare and allergies. Joanne Simpson, Area Manager, North Yorkshire County Council said: “Food Safety is a top priority and we were keen to source new products that will help us to maintain the high standards we have in our kitchens, ensure we provide the very best levels of food safety and meet the needs of individual pupils. We recognise that some more traditional packaging options can deteriorate over time, which can lead to the possibility of cross-contamination happening and this is simply not an option for us. “ Built with health and safety in mind, Wrapmaster has a concealed blade for safe, speedy cutting and is robust and shatter resistant. Recommended by food safety practitioners, it’s also easy to wipe clean during service, and can be easily disinfected in a commercial dishwasher to minimise cross-contamination, as well as help keep kitchens hygienic. Joanne continues: “Wrapmaster provides a solution to minimising the risk of cross-contamination and helps us to ensure that we are always able to work in an environment that meets the needs of pupils and their welfare. The catering team are delighted with the new system; the dispensers are easy to use, keep clean and can be put in the dishwasher – we have rolled them out in just two months across all of our schools and the feedback is very positive.†Following LACA 2018 every school in North Yorkshire now has one in its kitchen With the catering teams using the Wrapmaster 4500 to dispense 45cm cling film and foil and the small but mighty Wrapmaster 3000 for baking parchment. Speaking about the partnership, Adrian Brown, Managing Director, Cofresco Foodservice says: “Food safety and hygiene is critical in any kitchen, but perhaps never more important than when pupil welfare is concerned. With 42,000 meals served every day, North Yorkshire County Council provide a phenomenal service across the county and we’re proud to support their dedicated team in maintaining these high food safety standardsâ€. Wrapmaster is part of Cofresco Foodservice, a division of Melitta UK Ltd. The award-winning range includes the Wrapmaster 3000, Wrapmaster 4500, the Wrapmaster Duo which dispenses two types of material, or can be used for large volume users of one material and the Wrapmaster Compact. For more information call 01952 678800 or visit www.wrapmaster.global
The role of building consultancy in securing Condition Improvement Funding
Allan Hunt is director of education at AHR Building Consultancy, and an expert on the Condition Improvement Funding (CIF) bidding process. Here, he advises on making a successful bid… MATs, both large and small, are acutely aware of the pressing issue of school condition and the shortage of funds to deal with this. For lone Academies and smaller MATs, CIF funding remains fiercely competitive, so that for anything other than the most urgent work (and even then) it is hardly a guaranteed solution. As for larger MATs, formula funding can seem like a drop in the ocean. Yet a new pot of money is unlikely to appear on the horizon – so how to make less go further? It may sound self-evident but the single most important thing that an Academy or small chain can do for the future of their school buildings – and to achieve efficiency savings – is to ensure a full knowledge of all their current condition, and likely deterioration over the near future. This is best achieved through a good-quality, thorough condition survey and development plan, which form far and away the most effective basis for strategic long-term planning. After all, you cannot make coherent plans by working with patchy information, and for smaller MATs and single Academies, who are unlikely to have a dedicated Estates Manager, this can be even more important. This is not just good practice for the sake of it – although this is certainly the approach recommended by Government in this year’s guidance document Good Estate Management for Schools. The benefits of long-term planning are manifold. For one, not considering the whole picture can create duplication. As a hypothetical example, imagine, say, refurbishing the interior of a school block one year, only to find shortly afterwards that the roof begins to leak, destroying the entire scheme. You have wasted both money and effort. Repeated interventions, necessitated by tackling problems as they come up rather than planning in advance, is not only disruptive of school life but cost inefficient, since bulking like works together can garner savings from contractors. Detailed knowledge of the condition of your campus also stands you in good stead if disaster does strike, since waiting for urgent issues to arise creates added pressure. For example while CIF exists for critical problems (and by and large the more urgent the problem the more likely a bid is going to succeed), a bid put together too hastily can nonetheless scupper your chances. So whilst unexpected issues can arise, the more you know about the condition of your buildings, the better prepared you will be to take appropriate action. Failing to plan, or to consider the bigger picture of how buildings interrelate, has longer-term consequences too. While change appears to be a constant in education, and it is difficult to anticipate shifting future needs, there are ways to head off problems. Isolated thinking creates isolated solutions, so you might, for example, set out to undertake a basic refurbishment of one school block (possibly with CIF funding for critical aspects) only to realise a few years later that curricular changes or new teaching methods make a wholesale rethink necessary. Instead, the expectation of change could have been ‘built-in’ at the same time by designing flexibly, to create a space that can be used in many different ways. Nurturing long-term relationships with consultants, rather than repeatedly drafting in new teams, can also help prevent disconnected decision-making. When under financial pressure (not to mention the time pressures so prevalent in school life), it is tempting to tackle problems as they arise, and forward-planning can feel like yet another burden. Yet this is almost inevitably a false economy. Not only is it the recommended approach, taking a step back and investing in proper planning will ultimately make life easier – and funds go further. See ahr.co.uk for more advice on securing Condition Improvement Funding for your school
Whizz Education – a pioneering education organisation
Whizz Education is a pioneering education organisation committed to improving learning outcomes. Its proprietary personalised virtual tutor, Maths-Whizz, is available in five languages – English, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Kiswahili – and has been adapted to multiple curricula. Educators are supported by Whizz Education teams in London, Seattle, Nairobi and Dubai as well as partners in Russia, Mexico, Thailand and New Zealand, enabling communities around the world to reach their full potential through personalised learning. The team were announced as winners of the ‘Collaboration with a School’ award at the Bett Awards 2019, beating nine other prestigious finalists in their category. This marked Whizz Education’s third BETT Award in recent years and came at a time of unprecedented interest in the organisation’s approach to delivering measurable learning gains. Richard Marett, CEO of Whizz Education, who collected the award alongside Svetlana Tarassova, the firm’s director of global strategic partnerships, said: “We are delighted to be recognised by the judging panel at BETT for the contribution Whizz Education and its international partners have made in working with schools to achieve transformational education impact in some of the most challenging learning environments around the world. Eddie Ralston, project manager international development, added: “Our work in Kenya, and specifically our partnership with Bahati Primary School, who were the focus of this award entry, is immensely rewarding for all involved. “The headteacher and ICT lead at Bahati are wholly supportive and the students should be deservedly proud of their progress in maths since using Maths-Whizz. Bahati is an exemplar case of how an engaged school, iterative program design, evidence and insight coupled with on the ground support can achieve optimum learning gains.†Since 2004, Whizz Education has been entrusted and supported by schools, ministries of education, commercial partners and donor organisations, such as the Department for International Development (DFID), to implement education impact projects worldwide. Whizz Education delivers measurable learning and teaching gains through personalised virtual tutoring, teacher-led digital resources, real-time learning analytics and teacher and government capacity building. For more information about Whizz Education, visit whizzeducation.com Photo: Bett