Questions about teaching apprenticeships?
Qualified Schools has launched the new Teaching Apprenticeship Programme to help schools recruit and train new graduates. Here, programme director Neil Gamewell explains why the programme provides a simple, fee-free and paid route into teaching. How can the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme help alleviate the shortage of STEM teachers? There are a number of reasons for the persistence of recruitment and retention problems across the teaching profession, which occur most acutely in STEM subjects. Worryingly, a Public Accounts Committee Report, published in January 2018, found 67% of those surveyed cited workload as the barrier to teacher retention. There are significant and well documented issues around teacher pay, working conditions and workload – but the lack of ease by which graduates can enter the profession is a major issue too. The teaching profession over the years has made it way too difficult for schools to attract talented graduates. In my experience, existing routes to Qualified Teacher Status are seen as tortuous and unclear by many graduates. This issue is particularly acute for STEM subjects, where desperately needed high-skilled graduates are being tempted into other comparatively well-paid professions and industries. This puts the onus on the teaching profession to create the right environment for these graduates to pursue a career in teaching. In particular, it needs to highlight the accessibility of teaching roles. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programmes breaks this cycle by offering a simple to understand, fee-free and salaried route into teaching. After 9 months, graduates will achieve Qualified Teacher Status and within a year, have completed their End-Point Assessment to complete the apprenticeship. For this, they will receive a salary in line with the unqualified teacher pay scale. Through grant and apprenticeship levy funding, the cost-burden for schools is very small in comparison to other routes. Is the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme available all over the country? Are LA schools able to take part as well as free schools/academies? Yes, all schools across the country can take advantage of the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme. Access to grants may differ depending on the area or local authority, but access to apprenticeship levy funding is universal. Local authority maintained schools should speak with their local authority about accessing funding from their centralised levy account to train teachers. Following Damian Hinds’ announcement on QTS, how will the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme ensure high-quality candidates are recruited and retained? The Education Secretary’s recent speech on the issue of teaching apprenticeships and QTS was encouraging mainly because it explicitly recognised the challenges facing trainee teachers. His confirmation of Government support for teaching apprenticeships was also encouraging. With Government backing I believe that teaching apprenticeships could become the flagship apprenticeship of this generation. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme only accepts graduates and the training is provided by a Department for Education approved Initial Teacher Training provider. Our principles are very much in line with the vision set out by Damian Hinds, namely to provide trainees with a clear structure and support in early career development. The core idea of simplifying the teacher training process and providing clarity for new recruits allows them to strip away the unneeded extras and focus on reaching QTS. The benefit for schools is that they can grow their own staff organically – they can pay graduates an unqualified teacher pay scale salary and develop them into the culture of their school. Are schools using their apprenticeship levy funds effectively? No, but the apprenticeship levy is still relatively new and many professions, not just teaching, are still getting to grips with the system and how to access funding. In my experience, school leaders often have a limited understanding of the apprenticeship levy, what it means for them, and how they can make the most of it. What should concern them most about this situation is that if the money is not spent each year, it disappears. Schools must plan to ensure they spend levy funds at the right time and on teachers, rather than lower skilled labour. If decisions are taken at the right time, many will be able to take advantage of grants as well as levy funding in order to minimise the costs of recruitment and training high quality candidates. We recognise that the teaching profession is currently under significant pressure, so the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme guides schools through the process of accessing levy funds, step-by-step. What advice do you have for people thinking of going into teaching, but are put off by the workload? Teaching is a challenging, but immensely rewarding profession. This should be embraced. The road to becoming a qualified teacher is shorter and simpler than it may often seem. If you are passionate about a topic or subject area, teaching is a profession that allows you to entertain these passions and grow them further. You get to work in an area that you enjoy and share your knowledge with others. Seeing young people learn and develop into young adults ready for the world of work and life is an enriching experience, one that is unmatched by most professions. There are stories in the media every day about workload pressures in teaching. The profession must grapple with this issue if it is to stand a chance of hiring great people, but such stories can also mispresent the very many positive aspects of teaching that go unreported. For more information about the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme please click here
A Coaching Revolution: why schools need extra help
Annie Boate, author of A Coaching Revolution, discusses why schools need extra help when it comes to improving the skills of existing staff, and details the impact of her work: How did you first get into the world of education and coaching (which one came first)? I began my teaching career in a very challenging school in a deprived area. I quickly realised I had skills in motivating some of the most disengaged children with low prior attainment, low aspirations and low self-esteem. I desperately wanted to help these children escape the poverty trap and believe in themselves so they could have a better future, so I learnt some basic coaching strategies to boost their confidence and help them recall things easily, ready for their GCSEs. When I realised the success of these basic coaching techniques I knew that I could use them to develop the sixteen members of staff I line-managed, having been promoted again in my new school. I knew they were under pressure and I wanted to help them to overcome their challenges, to do better, and to feel better. The more I experienced the power of coaching the more I wanted to learn. I invested my personal time and money to learn from the best coaches. I then became a coach in the corporate world. Despite my lucrative earnings from coaching CEOs, I soon realised that my passion for making a difference to people in schools was far more important than my bank balance. That’s when ‘Coachinginschools’ was born. Why do you think there needs to be a coaching revolution in education? There are three main reasons: One – because ‘coaching’ is too often done badly in schools. People call things ‘coaching’ which aren’t really coaching. They use old, inefficient models (like GROW) and don’t understand their limitations. These models take up way too much time so they aren’t practical for busy educators, and they don’t deliver anywhere near as much impact as my 12-Step Model. Two – because when people adopt the coaching strategies shared in my book they’ll instantly get better outcomes and take the pressure off themselves and others. And three – because coaching impacts positively on all aspect of school improvement, which saves schools a lot of time and money. School improvement is such an incredibly complex issue, and there are so many aspects and strands that interconnect. Each school context is different, and it’s difficult for school leaders to be confident that they’re adopting the best school improvement strategies for their school. It sometimes seems that you need a different strategy for each area, leading to ‘initiative overload’ and workload issues. That’s why strategic Headteachers have realised that coaching is the answer. Not only does it impact positively on all aspects of school improvement (whether it’s leadership and management, teaching and learning, pupil progress or mental health) but it also saves a vast amount of time and money. How long have you been working as a ‘coaching in schools’ expert? Over 18 years. What are the top three challenges facing headteachers and school leaders in the UK today? 1) Staff recruitment & retention (including wellbeing in view of workload issues, pressure to get results and constant policy changes!) 2) Financial pressures owing to budget cuts 3) Pupil progress and wellbeing What is the biggest success story of your career? Developing the 12-Step Coaching In Schools model which has made a difference to thousands of people worldwide, and is frequently described as “life-changing” and “transformational”. It’s easy to follow, simple and powerful, and as long as people do it correctly they can’t fail to get results. It’s also been tested and proven to outperform other coaching models and deliver far better impact/results. People who have been coached using my model report faster progress, greater success and huge increases in confidence and motivation. For example: • One reception class went from just 13.79% to 72.41% of children writing through choice when their teacher was coached • Combined reading, writing and maths at Whitefield Primary School went from 37% to 64% in one year and their Ofsted judgement went from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ • All three schools supported by a ‘National Support School’ increased their GCSE Results, going from 37% to 60%; from 40% to 55% and from just over 20% up to 55% Although I originally developed my coaching model for schools I’m always delighted and excited to know that people are using it on a daily basis with colleagues, pupils, friends, family and on themselves. Not only has it transformed teaching, learning and leadership, it’s also been successful in helping weight loss, work-life balance, depression, and even helping someone escape from a dreadful domestic violence situation. Once someone has read A Coaching Revolution and they want MORE – how do they get that and what else can they get from you and your business? If someone wants more they’re welcome to contact me directly for a chat so that I can see what would work best for them. They can also: a) Apply for a place on one of my online training programmes to learn the 12-Step Model and advanced coaching skills b) Request face-to-face training for a group of staff c) Order the ‘dual factor’ 360 Diagnostic Tool to take a more forensic and effective approach to staff development and school improvement planning, leading to more rapid improvement. May is notoriously a stressful time of year for students, teachers and parents as it’s exam season. What advice would you give to each of those ‘groups’ in terms of navigating through the month of May and coming out the other side? Use my 12-Step Model to coach students to success. This will keep them focused on the positive outcome they want and they’ll work out the best way to get there. It will help them to break overwhelming revision down into bite-size chunks, and
Holistic Healing approach empowers children with emotional issues
Jacqueline Gray, the co-founder of Holistic Healing 4 Children along with Terri Allen, talks to QA Education editor Victoria Galligan about the work her team carry out with pupils and their families, as well as schools, to provide a holistic approach to empowering pupils to control their emotions. What is Holistic Healing and how does it help children? Holistic Healing 4 Children works closely with the family to bring about a positive change for pupils. As we are holistic we look at the whole child including their environment, diet, exercise, how much TV they watch, how much sleep they get etc. We have a questionnaire that we ask the parent to fill out initially and we generally have a talk to the parent before seeing their child, to get a good idea of the issue from their point of view. The pupil has a minimum of three sessions (this is usually enough to make a desired change to the situation) and the sessions are totally non invasive and very creative. We get a lot of information from the child through their drawings and guided imagery. Once we have got an idea where the problem lies and where they are out of balance, we then make recommendations to the pupil and the family. Sometimes an adjustment in the family is needed in order for them to become back into balance. They are given suggestions, recommendations, tools and strategies as to how they can make positive changes and we send a write up report with these suggestions after the initial consultation. We believe that working closely with everyone really benefits the client. This can even involve going to the school and doing observations and making recommendations for the teacher where necessary. What different types of services do you offer? We work individually with clients and we offer emotional wellbeing workshops in schools and training for teachers and parents on how to use our resources to get the very best out of them. How does the crystal healing bed work? The Crystal bed is something that we offer our individual clients, including members of their family. It helps to balance and harmonise the body as well as the emotions. Can you give some examples of how holistic healing has helped mainstream schools? We go into schools and deliver emotional wellbeing workshops using our books My Magical Garden and My Magical Tree. The workshops help the children with emotional expression and regulation through the use of their imagination.. We also offer teacher training to give the teachers the tools to access the child’s imagination and through this approach, which when used regularly, it can help a child/teenager to transfer a physical safe place to a mental safe place, giving them a new skill to cope with difficult situations. We have had great feedback from our workshops and they are always very well received. The children connect to the approach very quickly and when encouraged they use it to help them through negative moments. The books also offer advice in the back which teachers have found very informative and a way of encouraging their pupils to communicate their feelings. If you see our YouTube channel, you will see interviews that we have had with teachers who give their feedback after attending the workshop. It’s all about giving the children and teachers a strategy to use when there are emotionally challenging moments. What advice can you give to headteachers of mainstream schools re holistic healing? We totally recommend trying our workshops and learning about our approach. It is simple, enjoyable and yet very effective and in particular for children who present with challenging behaviours. When the strategy is fully embraced by the whole school it becomes a powerful tool to help develop emotional wellbeing in schools; a great resource for PSHE and an opportunity for cross-curricular activities in creative writing and art. It can have a significant impact, especially for the children who are more emotionally challenged, allowing them to flourish. Can children with severe SENDs benefit from holistic healing? Absolutely. Everything we do can be adapted to whoever we are working with. Holistic Healing 4 Children offers a non-threatening way to communicate and it offers a strategy for children who struggle with their emotions. Does holistic healing help families as well as schools? Yes we work with both schools and families. With schools we generally go in for a full day of workshops and at the moment we offer these for free (we do need to ask for travel expenses where necessary). We train the teachers and offer a workshop for the parents too so that everyone is onboard with the approach. We run workshops for parents and we offer individual sessions. The idea is to empower the child. We give tools and strategies so that they can learn to regulate their emotions without becoming reliant on us. We recommend a minimum of three sessions and usually that is enough but if more sessions are needed then we go with what feels best for each client. For more information, see the Holistic Healing 4 Children website.
Serving up school food buying efficienciesÂ
Daniel Ball, director of Wax Digital spending management solutions, discusses efficient and cost-saving approaches to school food buying… Purchasing for school catering is never an easy task. Under pressure to feed hungry mouths a range of nutritionally-balanced meals on a daily basis, while at the same time accommodating government standards and compliance with food safety guidelines, there’s a lot to consider when planning menus for a new term and placing orders with the supply chain. And then of course, there’s the small matter of trying to meet all the above criteria on tighter than ever budgets. Many schools benefit already from the bulk buying efficiencies of collaborative procurement. This approach sees many academy trust procurement teams looking after the catering needs of a number of schools and tasked with menu planning and ordering for two or more thousands of children per day. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important to schools, and catering teams are being asked for locally sourced produce from suppliers who use minimal packaging to deliver their produce. Working within strict budgetary guidelines and under pressure to meet nutrition, sustainability and other government standards, it’s essential that school food buyers have the right ingredients in place for quick, cost effective procurement. Here are my top three suggestions for easing school food buying challenges: 1. Simplifying ordering processes Schools need quick and efficient ordering processes. However, having to place orders with a variety of suppliers who meet cost, sustainability, dietary and government standard criteria can be a tricky process to manage. To do this, schools need fast access to this supplier information and certifications to prove that they are compliant. The quickest and most effective way to place orders with suppliers that meet your criteria is via an electronic purchasing system that is integrated with the food supply chain’s ordering channels. Schools can choose to place orders with specific suppliers that meet their criteria; orders are quick and immediate; and a clear and detailed record of what’s ordered can be maintained. 2. Make budgeting and menu planning easy Menu planning and ingredient costing software tools can help caterers to budget more effectively by giving them immediate access to an up-to-date view of all food purchasing activity and allowing them to cost and plan menus in advance of placing an order. And as these tools can be integrated into an electronic procurement system it enables food buyers to effectively manage all purchases and payments for the new menus aswell as plan for budgets in advance. 3. Pre-agree school food pricing with suppliers Lots of different factors can have an impact on the cost of food including bad weather, exchange rate volatility, inflation or a poor harvest forcing suppliers to increase their costs. However, it is possible for school food buyers to pre-agree prices for key ingredients and produce in advance with key suppliers. Pre-agreed pricing structures, together with any current supplier discounts and promotions, can be automatically applied within today’s food and drink purchasing systems, as well as terms and processes for emergency last minute ordering. To make procurement efficiencies and ensure catering needs are effectively met, it could be time to review all your school food buying processes and systems in order to secure better buying outcomes. After all, school catering teams are busy enough, so alleviating ordering and stock control pressures leaves them free to do what they do best – serving up healthy, nutritious meals that meet cost, nutritional and sustainable agendas. For more information on school food buying and other budgeting advice, see Wax Digital
Grow your own teachers
Qualified Schools has launched the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme (TAP) to help schools recruit, train and retain the best graduates into teaching roles. The TAP handle the whole process, from sourcing, screening and recruiting graduates for shortage subjects (including STEM), supporting schools to access available apprenticeship levy funding and delivering a 1 year programme which guides apprentices towards Qualified Teacher Status. Teaching Apprenticeships are proving to be very successful in attracting graduates compared to other Initial Teacher Training programmes, which have failed to meet recruitment targets for five years running. They also provide schools with useful benefits, for instance, Inner London schools can access grants up to £17,400 to support the recruitment of graduates to teach subjects with staff shortages. Graduates value Teaching Apprenticeships because they are simple to understand and provide a fee-free, route to achieving Qualified Teacher Status. Trainee teachers will be paid in line with the unqualified teacher salary scale starting at £20,909 in Inner London and £16,626 across the rest of the country, alongside a valuable training package leading to QTS. According to UCAS figures, applications for teacher training courses fell by one third last year – from 19,330 in December 2016 to just 12,820 in 2017. Schools are also struggling to retain staff, with the National Audit Office figures stating 8% of qualified staff left the profession for reasons other than retirement in 2016. With workforce issues persisting, it is vital that new, simpler routes into teaching are explored and sources of funding are fully utilised. Given the complex nature of the numerous routes into teaching, the programme provides a simple way for schools to tackle workforce gaps and for talented graduates to enter the profession. Most academies and local authority maintained schools are impacted by the apprenticeship levy and public sector apprenticeship target, but many are unclear of how to access apprenticeship levy funds available to them. The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme will guide schools through every step, ensuring they access and use funding to hire and train teaching apprentices before it runs outs. Commenting on the launch, Teaching Apprenticeship Programme Director Neil Gamewell said: “Data shows us that existing pathways are not doing enough to attract high quality graduates into the teaching profession. “The Teaching Apprenticeship Programme is a highly attractive option for both graduates and schools. It is simple and fee-free for graduates, offering them security and a clear route into a respected profession. “For schools it is cost-effective in the short and long term. They can pay for it in-part through apprenticeship-levy funding and limit future retention issues by growing their own teachers. Schools should not miss out on this opportunity.†For more information about the Teaching Apprenticeship Programme please click here
Damian Hinds announcement on tackling teacher recruitment and retention
Secretary of State Damian Hinds has announced the DfE’s initial response to the report ‘Strengthening Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and Improving Teacher Career Progression’, at Friday’s National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) annual conference. Changes include extending the induction period from one to two years, while he blasted Mocksteds and triple marking as “costly distractions”. The Department for Education (DfE) launched the public consultation in December 2017, and it set out a range of proposals for ensuring teachers have the right support in place at the beginning of their careers, improving access to high-quality professional development, and improving progression opportunities for all teachers throughout their careers. At the NAHT conference, Mr Hinds also announced a £5million sabbatical find for teachers with over 10 years’ experience, allowing them to take between a term and a year out of school to further their professional development. ‘I think it an utter travesty that so many NQTs end up losing their early enthusiasm’ Damian Hinds And he vowed to focus on cutting teacher workload, adding, “When I see NQTs brimming with passion to change young lives for the better, I think it an utter travesty that so many end up losing their early enthusiasm, because of the pressures of the job. Especially when so many of those pressures are entirely unnecessary. “Because that’s what endless data cuts, triple marking, 10 page lesson plans, and, worst of all, Mocksteds are: a distraction from the core purpose of education. And a costly distraction at that.” Mr Hinds previously made a statement at the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference, backing more freedom for teachers so they can focus on the tasks which will make a real difference to learning. In his speech, Mr Hinds said, “We need to get back to the essence of successful teaching; strip away the workload that doesn’t add value and give teachers the time and the space to focus on what actually matters. Trust teachers to teach. That’s in the interests of teachers but it is also in the interests of children.” The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) was one of the 2,033 respondents to the QTS consultation and their response, submitted in February, is here. Giving her reaction to the publication of the DfE’s initial response to the consultation, NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis said, “We are particularly pleased that the government is seating these proposals within a wider strategy around recruitment, retention, workload and professional development. This is demonstrative of the joined-up approach that NASBTT has been advocating. We are also exceptionally pleased that the DfE plans to continue to work with the sector as the proposals set out in this consultation response evolve. As a profession, we have long been asking to be done ‘with’ rather than ‘done to’, and it seems that these proposals are taking this approach. “In terms of the details of the response, we are thrilled to note that QTS will remain where it is, as the end of the ITT year and it is the induction period which will be extended to include a greater entitlement to professional development and support, including additional time for early career professionals to access these. From the first launch of this consultation, we have strongly advocated for this result and the proposal rightly recognises the strength of the ITT sector and seeks to improve the quality of induction, which is where we believe the greatest gains can be made. We are fully supportive of the development of the Early Career Framework for the induction period and look forward to working closely with the expert team to help shape this. We are also pleased to note that the DfE is ‘attracted’ to our suggested alternative to QTS(P) and QTS. We advocated strongly for QTS and Endorsed QTS and this has been recognised in the consultation response. “We welcome the proposals around recognising the importance and status of mentors and the review of mentor training needs. We have seen with the development of NASBTT’s Teacher Educator Programmes, launched earlier this year, that the appetite for additional support and training for mentors is there and we are pleased the government is recognising this important role. Similarly, we welcome the commitment to the development of specialist qualifications and will continue to work closely with government to champion a career path for teacher educators as part of this development work. “We also note with pleasure the willingness to consider our proposal that the appropriate body market should be opened up to ITT providers and are also very supportive of the plans to strengthen the appropriate body function and to introduce an accreditation and quality assurance process for these bodies. In particular, we are pleased that the proposal sets out clear aims to approach these changes in a joined up, iterative manner which ensures that each element is considered in conjunction with the other and will not lead to stand-alone strategies which conflict. We recognise that this means the process will take time but are very supportive of an approach which takes a measured, considered approach to these fundamental changes, ensuring they are done properly with adequate thought and consideration. In involving the profession along the way, this will lead to greater buy-in and longer lead times for schools and other stakeholders to adopt and implement the changes. “However, the issue of funding remains unanswered. Whilst we fully understand that this is a matter for the next Spending Review, we must not lose sight of the fact that for these proposals to be successful, they must be properly funded and fully resourced. More funding is needed.â€
Children’s Meditations In My Heart: review
Review: Children’s Meditations In My Heart, by Gitte Winter Graugaard (£14.95, Room For Reflection Publishing) With test season in full swing, the importance of pupils getting a good night’s sleep is paramount. But worries about school, friends, arguments and all the other stresses which feature in everyday life can prevent children from nodding off. The Danish – who coined the term ‘hygge’ for homely, cosy feelings and moments with loved ones – have found that children can be lulled to sleep in minutes thanks to meditation-style ‘stories’ and author Gitte Winter Graugaard has let us in with their secret in her new book, Children’s Meditations In My Heart. Gitte says, “Children today sleep one hour less than we did 25 years ago. It might be the same in your country? We need to teach our children to handle their thoughts and get enough sleep. “This is a collection of meditations originally published in Danish, which focus on the love you already share in your family. They give you a language full of symbols of love, and strengthen your child’s sense of belonging and self-love. “The book contains four short stories for sharing together. After a brief introduction, you will guide your child into their heart and teach your child to fill their heart with love. In the later meditations, your child will learn to send and receive love from a distance, to pick up love from the little cloud of love, and to send love out into the universe. “You will also enjoy your own beautiful journey into your heartland with your child. If it’s been a long time since you’ve been there, you can feel confident that your child will show you the way.†Our editor Victoria Galligan’s review of the book, which she read with her children – aged six and two. Victoria said, “Children’s Meditations in My Heart is a beautiful book, inside and out. The cover shows a heart being projected out of a door on a mountain: and all becomes clear when you settle down at bedtime. “The message in the stories is direct and soothing: you are loved, and when you love others it makes you happy. “The stories feature mental pictures of nature scenes and encourage deep breathing and quiet reflection, telling children to ‘think about your heart’ and ‘choose what colour your flower is’ but not to talk, just to reflect. “My six-year-old took part wholeheartedly and was pretty much instantly relaxed. I’m not going to lie: bedtimes in our house can get quite frantic so I didn’t hold high expectations of the book’s magic. But she lay down and closed her eyes straight away, breathing deeply and smiling as I read the mediation. She loved the part where the love spreads through each part of the body, before beaming out onto all she meets! “The book recommends reading to children separately and our two-year-old is perhaps a little too young to stop and listen for eight to ten minutes, which is how long the stories take (allowing for some quiet reflection periods). Maybe when she is four or five, she will appreciate the meditation and partake better! “I would recommend to parents who are finding it hard to settle children at night, particularly after a stressful day at school or at other anxious times. I am sure older children will react well too: who doesn’t love some quiet reflection at night, and some precious, relaxing time with a loved one? “Our six-year-old now looks forward to the meditation and loves putting on an eye mask while she listens. She is left feeling calm, content and loving and we always finish with a goodnight cuddle before she drifts off completely. As for our toddler – well I’m still working on it! The Children’s Meditations In My Heart is available from amazon.co.uk priced £14.95 for a hard copy, £4.97 for a Kindle copy, and £5.09 for a pdf download from roomforreflection.com.
How Mammoth Memory can boost brain power among GCSE students
Mammoth Memory, the GCSE revision aid website, has been launched recently to help boost brain power among teens. Here, illustrator Kate Ulloa-James explains why students are able to remember more effectively when they can picture their subject… What is Mammoth Memory and how does it help GCSE students? Can you give an example? Mammoth Memory is a completely free education website that specialises in helping students memorise key points for their GCSE exams. Our fabulously fun images and mnemonic stimulus help the brain embed information for those visual learners who sometimes stumble when faced with traditional methods of revision. Here is one of our favourite examples: Think of the periodic table. All of those elements and their often seemingly unrelated one or two-letter abbreviations. Can you bring to mind the chemical symbol for tin or iron? Perhaps not yet, but check out our mnemonics and you’ll never forget them again. Every time you see a tin, just think of that slimy snail crawling out and the association between tin and snail (Sn) will be locked in your mind for evermore. Equally, just look at those hairy feet doing the ironing. Creating that memorable link between iron and feet will help solidify that Fe is the chemical symbol for iron! How did the concept come about, where did Mammoth Memory begin? Leading educationalists recommend that “students should be taught how to remember as well as what to rememberâ€. With this in mind, Mammoth Memory was founded two and a half years ago, but the idea had been alive long before! Dean Hammond, our Director, came up with this concept decades ago after having struggled himself as a student when it came to memorising information for exams. He came across some diverse memory techniques that changed his life and ever since, he has made it his Mammoth Mission to pass this methodology onto others! Is Mammoth Memory used in lessons or as a revision tool? The website has been designed so that it can be used for both independent learning as well as in a classroom with a teacher. We have had many teachers excited about using this with their students to help them with some of the trickier content in their curriculum. What subjects does Mammoth Memory cover? Are you planning to add more? We are currently focusing on building our content for Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English. History and Religious Studies will follow swiftly after, as our small team works hard to build up our content. We see this as an ongoing project that keeps expanding with more subjects in the future so who knows where it may take us! What is the cost to the school and pupils? Do students need to pay to subscribe? There is absolutely no cost. This website is completely free and accessible to anyone and everyone, which is very important to us! See Mammoth Memory’s website here.
How will GDPR affect schools? UCL data expert tells heads how to prepare
UCL’s Nathan Lea tells our editor Victoria Galligan about how the incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have an impact on schools and what can be done to prepare for the new regime, which comes into force on May 25th… How will GDPR affect the way primary and secondary schools use data overall? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) places a far greater emphasis on transparency with data subjects and indeed their guardians around how data is used. It is likely that schools will need to make their uses of data clearer to parents and guardians, who will be able to ask questions and seek clarifications according to updated and new provisions enshrined in the rights for the individual component of the GDPR. The legal bases upon which data is processed are also being modernised, but where a school is processing data pursuant to an established purpose enshrined in law, it is unlikely to change much, though the new legal bases have been developed to support existing and proposed data use more clearly. It would be important for schools to think about how the six legal bases and additional provisions for special category data (including that related to health and biometrics) will relate to their purposes, but they must be very clear on purpose – why and how you’re collecting and using the data. Where the purpose is unclear, it will need to be clarified or amended to bring it into line with GDPR. Schools in particular should pay particular attention to age at which parental consent for data processing is likely to change. Currently it looks as though the age will be 13 years old across the UK, however they should take extra care in how they interpret it, engage with students and parents, and proceed on their legal team’s and Data Protection Officer’s (DPO) advice. In short, provided schools are clear on purposes for data use, the legal bases for these, are transparent about their processing and are able to be accountable for the processing and protection of data, they should find that their uses will be supported and may not need to change very much. For any new uses they are planning, they will need to perform a Data Protection Impact Assessment in line with the Information Commissioner’s Office’s recommendations. What measures should staff be taking to ensure they comply with GDPR in schools? It is important to take any training that their school is providing for them, and these should be mandatory courses. If staff are unclear, they should seek advice from their data protection officers – it is likely that schools will either have one or share one with other schools in the area. If anyone is unsure, they should seek clarification about what they are expected to do when it comes to data handling and use – it’s important to think about how they currently handle data, for example checking work emails on mobile devices – it is likely these policies will need to be updated and that new policies will be available. But in general, greater care in the handling of data and liaison with the DPO with regards training and good and/or required practice will be vital to ensure compliance. Is the introduction of GDPR in schools going to be a costly process? The biggest “cost†will likely be culture change fuelled by a greater need for awareness about what data is being handled and how. Safe handling of data will need to be much more of a priority and whilst the fines for improper use will be higher, the reputational cost will be even more if something goes wrong where it might have been avoided. Furthermore, certain breaches need to be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of discovery, so schools will need to make sure they have an information risk, security and management process in place, key to which of course is their Data Protection Officer and IT management groups. However this is an important opportunity for schools to really think about what data they are processing, how they are doing so, whether they need to and how they can do it safely. Do heads need to hire data experts to ensure they meet GDPR in schools? It will be very hard to declare that GDPR compliance is being met from day one as nobody knows what that looks like in practice and will not for some time as mistakes are made and cases are pursued by the Information Commissioner or courts. It would not hurt to hire experts to help give an indication of where schools need to improve their data handling processes, but it will be important to provide awareness raising training and education to all staff so that they are clearer on what good practice looks like. Schools should have the required officers in place, including an appropriate DPO. But the decision about hiring a data expert should reside with the head, their IT management groups and their data protection officer. Can schools still use old data (pre-GDPR) for marketing and fundraising purposes? It would depend on the basis upon which the data was originally collected and if it were clear to the data subject that their data would be used in the way that it is proposed moving forward. Schools should look at the legal bases and make sure that they meet the consent requirements for handling contact data: were the purposes clearly identified? Was the consent a positive action and freely given? For example, did the school ask people to tick a box to say they had consented to having their contact details used for marketing or fundraising purposes? Or if people had to untick a box or were told that the data would be used and did not give them a choice in the matter, this is unlikely to meet the test for consent that GDPR now requires). Schools should seek advice from their DPO, legal teams about this point in particular and