Make handwashing part of the daily school routine
If schools are to avoid the spread of germs and bacteria, handwashing is crucial. Paul Jakeway, Marketing Director at skin care expert Deb, explains. Children are naturally curious. They like to explore things – and for this they often use their hands. At school, this comes with a risk. Hands can become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria – and the main vehicle for their transfer. Illnesses such as colds and the flu can be the result. On average, children have 3 to 8 colds a year as their immune system is more vulnerable to infection. Illness is the largest contributor to absenteeism from school, constituting almost 60% of all absences across schools in England. This can massively impact children’s learning and class performance. Absenteeism also affects parents, who are forced to take time off to look after their ill children. The simplest way for schools and parents to help avoid illnesses at school is that age-old mantra of effective handwashing. It is important to note that water alone does not clean hands effectively. Over 75% of people either don’t wash their hands at all or don’t use soap to clean their hands properly. This lack of education about the importance of soap when washing their hands could be contributing heavily to the spread of infectious diseases in school. A survey by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine unearthed that only 63.8% of primary school pupils regularly washed their hands with soap at school, a figure which dropped to 39% for secondary school pupils. Every primary school in the UK is obliged to teach pupils how to maintain personal hygiene and improve their health and wellbeing as part of the National Curriculum. Schools must adhere to this and value effective hand washing as a priority within schools to improve attendance and reduce illnesses, and one way this can be done is by informing school children of the generally accepted technique for hand washing. The correct technique is to wet, lather, rub, rinse and dry, however this aspect of hygiene education isn’t being effectively taught in school. Many school children are unaware of the importance of correct and thorough hand washing, or the impact it may have on their health. If schools were to make the hand washing procedure fun, engaging and memorable for schoolchildren, then it is likely to increase overall hand hygiene compliance. Teachers and parents also have a responsibility to promote hand hygiene awareness and compliance to school children. Both should be leading by example and be seen to wash their own hands frequently throughout the day, using the proper techniques. In order to reduce germ transfer, it is advisable that primary schools set up a sealed cartridge soap dispensing system, a far more hygienic, economical and environmentally-friendly option than bar soap or bulk fill systems. These dispensing systems are easy to operate for children, and maintenance costs are minimal for schools. To further encourage hand hygiene compliance and reduce the transfer of bacteria, schools must also understand the value of investing in brightly coloured and attractive dispensers to help engage children in the hand washing process. In addition to these visually enticing dispensers, schools should also ensure that education materials are in plentiful supply throughout the school. Posters for children on how and why they should wash their hands with soap are crucial to reinforce the message, as is providing teachers with well thought-out lesson plans and activities on the topic. Effectively conveying the importance of hand hygiene compliancy from an early age and getting children into the habit of washing their hands as part of a daily routine at school and at home will help to ensure that this practise becomes part of their lifelong routine.
Bleasby Primary School takes the honey bee crown
After a month-long search, Bleasby Primary School is the winner of £500 worth of gardening supplies in a competition run by The Cornerhouse. Nottingham’s premium leisure and entertainment venue launched the National Honey Bee competition back in August, asking parents across Nottinghamshire to nominate their chosen schools, with Bleasby Primary School, in Bleasby, gaining the most nominations. Centre manager of The Cornerhouse, Suzanne Green, said: “We were amazed with the response to the competition, with over 1,200 nominations. It’s great to see such strong support for our local schools and green initiatives. “The new equipment will help Bleasby Primary School to achieve its school gardening goals and help promote the importance of green living in their community.” The Cornerhouse also has its own outdoor vegetable patch, with annual donations of fresh vegetables being given to Emmanuel House, a charity that supports homeless and vulnerable adults in the city. Ann Town, headteacher at the school, said: “We couldn’t be happier to have won the Honey Bee Day competition. We’ve seen lots of enthusiasm for the Gardening Club from parents and students. “Using this prize money, the club will be able to buy some much-needed supplies, such as more gardening tools and equipment and hopefully a small shed, that will really help the school continue to teach our green-fingered students more about healthy eating and sustainable living. “We would like to thank everybody who nominated us and The Cornerhouse for running such a great competition.” The Cornerhouse also has its own collection of beehives on the third floor, and managed to raise over £1,000 for the national learning disabilities charity Mencap, through the sales of its homemade jars of honey. For more information on The Cornerhouse, visit www.cornerhousenottingham.co.uk , www.facebook.com/TheCornerhouseNottingham/ or www.twitter.com/Cornerhousetv.
Make hand washing part of the daily school routine
If schools are to avoid the spread of germs and bacteria, hand hygiene is crucial. Paul Jakeway, Marketing Director at skin care expert Deb, explains. Children are naturally curious. They like to explore things – and for this they often use their hands. At school, this comes with a risk. Hands can become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria – and the main vehicle for their transfer. Illnesses such as colds and the flu can be the result. On average, children have 3 to 8 colds a year as their immune system is more vulnerable to infection. Illness is the largest contributor to absenteeism from school, constituting almost 60% of all absences across schools in England. This can massively impact children’s learning and class performance. Absenteeism also affects parents, who are forced to take time off to look after their ill children. The simplest way for schools and parents to help avoid illnesses at school is that age-old mantra of effective hand washing. It is important to note that water alone does not clean hands effectively. Over 75% of people either don’t wash their hands at all or don’t use soap to clean their hands properly. This lack of education about the importance of soap when washing their hands could be contributing heavily to the spread of infectious diseases in school. A survey by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine unearthed that only 63.8% of primary school pupils regularly washed their hands with soap at school, a figure which dropped to 39% for secondary school pupils. Every primary school in the UK is obliged to teach pupils how to maintain personal hygiene and improve their health and wellbeing as part of the National Curriculum. Schools must adhere to this and value effective hand washing as a priority within schools to improve attendance and reduce illnesses, and one way this can be done is by informing school children of the generally accepted technique for hand washing. The correct technique is to wet, lather, rub, rinse and dry, however this aspect of hygiene education isn’t being effectively taught in school. Many school children are unaware of the importance of correct and thorough hand washing, or the impact it may have on their health. If schools were to make the hand washing procedure fun, engaging and memorable for schoolchildren, then it is likely to increase overall hand hygiene compliance. Teachers and parents also have a responsibility to promote hand hygiene awareness and compliance to school children. Both should be leading by example and be seen to wash their own hands frequently throughout the day, using the proper techniques. In order to reduce germ transfer, it is advisable that primary schools set up a sealed cartridge soap dispensing system, a far more hygienic, economical and environmentally-friendly option than bar soap or bulk fill systems. These dispensing systems are easy to operate for children, and maintenance costs are minimal for schools. To further encourage hand hygiene compliance and reduce the transfer of bacteria, schools must also understand the value of investing in brightly coloured and attractive dispensers to help engage children in the hand washing process. In addition to these visually enticing dispensers, schools should also ensure that education materials are in plentiful supply throughout the school. Posters for children on how and why they should wash their hands with soap are crucial to reinforce the message, as is providing teachers with well thought-out lesson plans and activities on the topic. Effectively conveying the importance of hand hygiene compliancy from an early age and getting children into the habit of washing their hands as part of a daily routine at school and at home will help to ensure that this practise becomes part of their lifelong routine.
The Importance of Hands on Learning in Schools
Alex Dalton, Managing Director of woodworking machinery specialists Daltons Wadkin, takes a look at the importance of hands on learning, and why subjects such as Design and Technology are important. I think the best example to outline why hands on learning is hugely important is when trying to teach someone to ride a bicycle. You can try and teach them in a classroom, but to actually learn, they should go out and actually ride it. There is the argument that learning from books or academics is the best way to learn, however you can’t ride a bike from reading a book, no matter the number of books you read about cycling, you are still likely to fall off the first time you try! So it is clear that certain situations that hands on learning is vital. It is often hard to properly understand something you have never experienced. This is why hands-on learning is so important in education – there are now more vocational courses that provide more work based experiences than ever before. Hands-on learning allows students to directly take on board and understand what is happening, or how to do something. This is a particularly successful way to teach kinestheticlearners, who learn best by example. However, classes such as art, music, woodworking and mechanics are few and far between these days, which is a shame. This types of classes provide important avenues for both education and career success, not to mention they motivate kids who love hands-on activities to remain interested in coming to school and learning. They also teach practical problem solving, and introduce students to highly skilled trades. Subjects such as Design and Technology (D&T) incorporate many aspects of hands on learning, and give children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. D&T is often a misunderstood and misrepresented subject. For many people, including employers and parents, it is still perceived as the subject they probably studied when they were at school, i.e. woodwork or metalwork. But it is vital that pupils develop an understanding of aesthetics and its role in the design of everyday items and architecture, as well as developing communication skills through designing and group work. In reality, it helps to put the T and E into STEM, and does so within school curriculum time, not as part of extra-curricular, enhancement and enrichment activities. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring the world in which we all live and work. The design process is central to project work and as a method of problem solving. It is the act of generating, developing and communicating ideas for products, services, systems andenvironments. Hugely important in responding to user needs and wants and/or market opportunities. Both digital and traditional design tools may be used. Addressing needs though this problem-solving, creativity bounded by constraints and combined with hands-on practical manufacture are the fundamental skills of an industrial economy. Lastly, there is a huge shortage in this country of people to fill jobs in the highly skilled trades. There are many high paying jobs for auto mechanics, certified welders for the oil industry, electricians, and so on. These are jobs that are intellectually challenging, and offergreat job security. Long live Design and Technology!
Is Outsourcing ICT Support Becoming Inevitable in Education?
Martin Pipe, Head of Service Scope & Design at RM Education, explores the growing trend in schools seeking to outsource or co-source their IT support services as a measure to not only save time and cost, but to manage risks, access expertise and future-proof their technology provision. According to RM Education’s latest annual survey, a growing number of schools are now considering outsourcing and co-sourcing their IT support in order to keep up with the constant changes in technologyand minimise overall support costs. As moving to the cloud continues to help schools drive down expenditure and enhance learning, educational institutions of all sizes are also beginning to look for IT partners who can not only help them transition to the cloud, but provide ongoing IT support and expertise as the breadth of available technologies develops. In guidance issued in July this year, the Department for Education (DfE) reiterated that the marketplace is increasingly seeing cloud services as the way forward, but advises schools to select a knowledgeable and experienced service provider that shares the school vision and can provide both initial and ongoing assistance. They also stipulate that ‘as the complexity of locally hosted, school based ICT solutions increases, it can become more and more challenging to ensure the same level of reliability in respect of the ICT provision in schools’ – making the support of a trusted partner in this journey essential. So what are the key influencing factors driving a growing number of schools to outsource or co-source? Central motivators “You’d think there would be a clear starting point, but the motivators for outsourcing IT services are different for every school as it depends entirely on the long-term and unique issues they face,” says Martin. “However, there’s often a more critical driver, such as their existing systems aren’t working well enough, technology is too slow or failing during lessons, infrastructure isn’t supporting new apps and software, the cost of in-house IT support is too high or they’ve had a change of senior leadership who has brought in new ideas.” Cost is still a prominent factor in the decision to outsource IT support and services – almost half the schools surveyed cited cost as a central influence for bringing in third party support – whilst riskmanagement is another key driver, both from a technical and a staff perspective. Outsourcing IT support allows schools to transfer the risk of day-to-day mishaps and any other risks associated with IT to the service provider, as well as providing cover for sickness and holidays. It also minimises any disruptions from technology, as IT partners providing managed services to schools can run proactive checks on the schools’ systems throughout the day to instantly pick up and rectify issues before they become a problem. Conversely, co-sourcing IT support can fill in gaps in internal expertise and save schools time, money, and effort in recruiting additional staff. By combining services from within the school and from a well-chosen partner, both parties can work to achieve the same goals. Bridging the gap However, perhaps the greatest motivator of all is no longer simply about cost, but about addressing the widening technology skills gap; in today’s competitive marketplace and with technology moving at a rapid pace, schools are finding it increasingly difficult to attract the right type of IT specialists to support them. This trend is again reflected in RM’s survey, with 60% of schools citing the need for additional skills and expertise as the most important motivating factor. “Schools have so many of their own challenges that recruiting top IT talent – quite understandably – tends not to be their main priority,” says Martin. “However, the problem is that when they do try to find the right staff, the marketplace is tough – they’re competing with the enterprise IT market and candidates can often get much more from an organisation than from a school. “As technology becomes an increasingly integral part of education, schools need IT expertise in multiple types of technology, which leaves them with two choices; to find a single IT support specialist with the knowledge and expertise of five different people, which is almost impossible – or to employ multiple experts to cover the vast range of technologies, which is very expensive. “When an IT issue occurs that goes beyond the expertise held locally – such as server failure, or pupils not being able to log into something – schools have to rely solely on their Network Support Manager or IT technician, who may not always be able to help. This puts schools in a vulnerable situation as it could ultimately lead to hours of lost teaching time and major classroom disruptions. “And that’s where outsourcing or co-sourcing IT support can become a major advantage for schools, as whatever the issue, they have access to the infinite expertise of a much larger organisation with every possible skillset they need.” Reclaiming time But while existing IT support staff may perceive outsourcing as a threat, the reality is often that they are not only benefiting from broadening their skillset by working with third party IT support providers, butare actually freed up to concentrate on offering more practical, hands-on IT support around the school. The DfE’s guidelines agree that ‘reducing the costs of managing and supporting a school’s ICT infrastructure can make more effective use of available in-house technical support’ and that ‘staff may be refocused away from purely technical support of a multitude of in-house systems towards supporting the uptake of the ICT and thus delivering improved benefits for the teaching and learning outcomes.’ Martin adds: “When you think about the sheer scale of what an IT technician has to do – from in-class support for teachers using ICT and proactive and reactive management and repair to monitoring security updates and load times and everything in between, it’s becoming almost impossible for them to achieve everything on their list without the support of a third party. “For Network Managers, the plethora of responsibilities is even more pronounced; in addition to network and server management they have to manage tight budgets, constantly monitor performance, implement and manage filtering and safeguarding policies, produce monthly reports and manage their team – as well as staying up to date on the changing technologies and developing an intrinsic understanding of how they can support teaching and learning. Ultimately, that model isn’t sustainable.” Bringing in a third party IT partner allows IT technicians, Network Managers and Business Managers to reclaim the headspace they need to focus on the more important tasks; rather like having a smoke alarm – you can confidently walk around your house knowing that if anything happens, you’ll be told. A good IT partner should understand
The Importance of Gates and Access to School Sports Areas
Emily Thompson, Marketing Manager of GateQuote, offers some guidance, and looks at why good and safe access to play and sports areas are essential. Gates can be used in a variety of ways, mainly outside in a residential or commercial capacity. Ranging from automatic security gates, to a standard driveway gates, there is one important type of gate that often goes unnoticed – gates and access to play and sports areas in schools. Physical Education and Sport play a very important part in the life of children at school, young people learn more about key values, such as co-operation, teamwork, fair play and respect for themselves and others. Therefore, an effective and safe environment is key to its success. In a school environment, most fencing and gates are used when there is either a need to prevent children straying away from the area, or to keep sports equipment in. In this post I will offer a few top tips and important considerations to take in when assessing or planning sports gates in school. Firstly, all fencing, gate and access control solutions must be carefully considered to ensure they are compliant with the stringent safety regulations designed to minimise the risk of accidents. Multi use games areas, designed to accommodate a variety of outdoor court games, are very popular due to saving costs and space. Attention must be given to creating a suitable play surface, as well as the need to provide a safe enclosure for both players and spectators. It’s a good idea to consider the direction from which students or children will approach the area. Are they coming from a changing room, or a class room? Detours can affect time, and it goes without saying the entry should be convenient. There should be enough width to allow passage of all equipment and wheelchairs, a minimum of one metre is a good start. The gates and access, should normally open outward, except when opening outwards may cause a hazard like a road or drive. Another consideration is for the gate not to close quicker than 5 seconds, to give enough time to go through without the gate striking the back of a child, when walking through. A self-closing mechanism, is a very popular choice to help maintain the gate in a closed position. Mechanisms can vary from a simple spring to offset hinges. Again, it goes without saying that gates should be locked when the area is not it use. It’s important there aren’t any accidents when the area is accessible unsupervised. Which brings me onto the issue of emergency access. It should be recognised that even in the best regulated area with the best teachers or supervisors, accidents can occur and therefore access for emergency vehicles is essential. An ambulance requires an opening of at least 2.15m and ideally an ambulance should be able to get right up to the area. When gates are the sole means of access to a playing field or larger area, they should be wide enough for an ambulance trolley bed. Disabled Access is one of the most important features of a gate, the Disability Discrimination Act requires reasonable provision for disabled people. This means that not only should gates be suitable for wheelchairs but also that these should be able to get to the play area unhindered, for example, no gravel paths. When looking at the issue of safety, there is a lot to consider. It is important that there are no finger or hand traps. This means that there should be a minimum gap of around 12mm between the gate and the posts etc, both sides of the gate. This minimum gap should be maintained throughout the full range of movement of the gate throughout its full arc. Also, there should be no sharp edges or fixings. Gates should ideally be of a different colour to the fencing to make their location easily identifiable to those with visual impairment. Gate latches, if present, should be able to be operated from both sides of the gate, and any projecting bars for catches should ideally be mushroomed at the end (These are normally at eye height for a small child). Bigger gates will require extra strong hinge and slam posts. They will also require heavy-duty hinges etc. Finally, in my opinion, the most important consideration is to ensure that children are supervised at all times when entering and playing inside a gated sporting environment. This is the best way to ensure that gates and access aren’t misused or used dangerously.
Being a Primary Deputy Head, This Much I Know…
Laura Knight When I was 11 years old I knew that I wanted to be a primary school teacher. It wasn’t just the influence of having parents as teachers (they didn’t put me off!) I just knew that I liked doing pretty much everything. I loved learning and I loved the day-to-day variety of being busy doing different things at school. It’s this sense of being into ‘everything’ that has seen me progress from class teaching into my current role as a Deputy Headteacher. Being a Deputy Head is an ‘everything’ job. Teaching commitments aside, not that this is in any way a small part, the sheer range of tasks that a Deputy may be required to perform means that the role is a very unique one indeed. Spinning Plates The job title signposts that on some occasions, when the Headteacher is out, you have to do all of the things they do. And then some. I have worked with a number of Heads who say that the Deputy Head role is harder than their own. Whether this is accurate or not, it is certainly true that as a Deputy you have your fingers in a great many pies. First and foremost most Deputies teach! Teaching children and the reward you gain from watching them learn is central to why we do what we do. It’s what stands teaching apart from so many other run of the mill jobs. I no longer have a whole class teaching commitment. Instead I continue to interact with the children through cover, intervention groups and mentoring. Now the highlight of my day can follow a tentative knock on my office door, when a small person brings me their best work to celebrate. I know that when you are a Deputy, balancing fuller teaching responsibilities alongside your leadership role can be a demanding and challenging task. Maintaining high quality planning, preparation and marking whilst ensuring you fulfil other strategic and supporting roles as well as the day to day business of helping to lead the school can require skill, organisation and a persistent drive. In many schools it can be the Deputy Head who is on the ground, involved in developing effective practice, focussed on improving teaching and learning. As such, much of a Deputy’s time can be taken up with coaching, support and discussion. Working with staff can be as rewarding – and frustrating! – as working with the children. After the children the school’s greatest resource is the teaching staff and the relationship you develop with them is fundamental to the success and happiness of the school. I know that a crucial part of a Deputy, or any Senior Leader’s role, is nurturing the staff, training them and facilitating development opportunities and trusting people to do a great job. Taking the time to reflect upon and appreciate the positive impact you make as a Deputy is important whether that be with the progress children or other teachers make. “Have you got a minute?” ….And the answer, although sometimes I dearly wish to say ‘no, sorry’, is always ‘yes, of course.’ As a Deputy you find yourself in the middle of everything, the go-between, bridging the ‘gap’ between the teaching staff and the Head. This can be quite an interesting place to be to say the least. At times, in any school, hard questions have to be asked and you can find yourself having challenging conversations. Finding the best way to deliver a difficult message takes diplomacy and sensitivity, the more constructive you can be the better. Remembering to temper tough issues by reinforcing the positive and using praise can make the difference when trying to support others. Sometimes this can make you popular and sometimes, well, not so! You have to resolve yourself to the idea that you cannot always get everything right for all people but I know that you always need to have an open door, a box of tissues and a listening ear. I once worked with a Head who explained to me the 80:20 rule. In schools this translates to the way in which you spend 80% of your time focussed on 20% of children, staff or parents. For example I spend 80% of my time supporting 20% of our teachers, specifically the NQTs. Sometimes it means that I don’t always get to see all staff regularly and out of the classroom this can be quite isolating. Popping into classes, getting into the staffroom and being a presence around school or the playground can be important to ensure that you are accessible and approachable for all. The one person you can probably spend more time working with and have a far greater understanding of than anyone else in the building is the Headteacher. Now I have worked with many, many Heads in my career and they have all had their special foibles, talents and quirks. The reciprocal relationship between Head and Deputy is a distinctive partnership in any school. With a great Head you can learn what can make a really great school and be cultivated into a great senior leader yourself. The place of a Deputy Head to support and challenge the Head can also be an exceptional position to be in. And whilst you can be the buffer for the staff to share their worries with, it’s important that you and the Head are there to back each other up too. Relieving tension by having the occasional moan can be supportive, as can be finding things to laugh about. As a Deputy I know that from listening to woes, to answering questions, to sharing jokes and relaying tricky messages being a good communicator really helps. To do or not to do? Like many teachers I love a good to-do list – I have long handwritten ones, colour coded ones with deadlines on my iPad, collections of scribbled Post-it notes and even a bedside notebook or two. In truth, at my school, my Girl Scout preparedness and slightly OCD organisation is a cause for
Worry in school on the rise over pupil mental health
Concern for pupils’ mental health has risen by 13% among school leaders over the past year, according to findings released today by The Key, the organisation providing leadership and management support to schools. Eight in 10 (80%) headteachers and other school leaders surveyed by The Key this year are worried about their pupils’ mental health, an increase on two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed in 2015. For the second year running, mental health has topped the list of pupil health and safeguarding concerns for school leaders across both primary and secondary schools and all English regions – it came ahead of issues including bullying, obesity and domestic violence. This increase in concern among school leaders correlates with a recent Department for Education (DfE) research finding that young people’s health and wellbeing was worse in 2014 than in 2005; girls in particular recorded higher levels of psychological distress. Speaking about The Key’s findings, Fergal Roche, CEO, said: “Pupil mental health is a significant and growing concern, and one that transcends school stage and location. Schools take their duty of care seriously but need the right resources to best support their pupils. It’s encouraging that the government has committed funding with the aim to transform support for children and young people’s mental health by 2020, and I hope that schools will both have a say in how this is used and see the impact.” The Key’s latest findings also highlight changes in school leader concern about other pupil health and safeguarding issues. Over the past year, worry about the effects of domestic violence on pupils has increased by 11% – up from nearly six in 10 (58%) school leaders expressing concern about this in 2015 to almost seven in 10 (69%) in 2016. While a smaller proportion of school leaders in 2016 appear to be worried about bullying among their pupils (33% this year, down from 38% in 2015), concern about obesity has seen a rise of 5% over the same period – up from 36% to 41%. The findings also show slight increases in the proportion of school leaders worried about sexting, drugs and radicalisation for their pupils, as well as gangs and youth violence. In primary schools, the issues concerning school leaders after mental health (79%) are domestic violence (73%) and child poverty (61%). In secondary settings, it is concern about the effects of sexting (62%) and cyberbullying (60%) on pupils that is most prevalent among school leaders, after mental health (82%). Awareness of a need to safeguard pupils in their use of technology is reflected in the changes to government statutory safeguarding guidance which came into effect earlier this week (5th September). From the start of the autumn term, all schools will be expected to ensure appropriate internet filters and monitoring systems are in place to protect pupils from potentially harmful or inappropriate content, and should have a clear policy on the use of mobile technology. Fergal Roche, CEO of The Key, continues: “This year’s survey findings about pupil health and safeguarding concerns illustrate the challenging and complex task befalling schools when it comes to protecting their pupils from harm. As society changes and technology evolves, schools are constantly having to adapt and ensure they are equipped with the skills and understanding to meet new demands.” To support school leaders with some of the issues highlighted by its survey, The Key has made a number of resources on pupil health and wellbeing available at: www.thekeysupport.com/pupil-wellbeing-2016 For a visual summary of The Key’s survey findings, go to www.thekeysupport.com/pupil-wellbeing-2016
4 Great Reasons to have African Drumming and Dance in Schools
If you’ve never experienced one of our Unbeatable Energy workshops before, you might never have considered the many ways that African Drumming and Dance can benefit children’s health, well-being and ability to succeed. Here are four reasons why an Unbeatable Energy workshop can help create a success in your classroom: 1. African Drumming and Dance brings cultural topics to life! 2. African Drumming and Dance boosts children’s confidence! 3. African Drumming and Dance gets children active which improves the brain! 4. African Drumming and Dance improves listening skills – not just in music! 1. African Drumming and Dance brings cultural topics to life! An African Drumming and Dance workshop provides a fantastic activity for Black History Month, an Africa topic or to include in a Cultural Diversity Day. It is an exhilarating experience for pupils and teachers alike when they make that first rumble all together with the African djembe hand drums. As each pupil plays on their hand made drum, they discover a whole world of history, tradition and culture – not just by passively listening or reading, but by actively playing and participating. This way they really experience the ethnic tradition and culture of West Africa. To quote a recent Headteacher at one of our schools ‘it is the hands-on activities like African drumming which children really take away and remember from cultural topics because they become active participants in the music as opposed to merely spectators.’ 2. African Drumming and Dance boosts children’s confidence! It happens frequently in workshops – a child who really struggles with maths and literacy, or is shy and socially disengaged in class, completely transforms in a drumming session. It is as if they have finally found the thing that ‘pulls’ them emotionally and gives them a sense of release. African Dance is also a fantastic way for children to build their self-belief. Dancers normally perform to a crowd either on their own or accompanied by one or two other dancers. In our workshops, children are invited to dance to their peers in the space inside the drum circle. This part of the workshop is entirely optional for pupils, but we provide some gentle encouragement by saying that the experience will make them one feel great afterwards. After a few of the more confident children have given it a try, we start to see a cascade of other children all wanting to have a go. In this way, some of the most shy and reclusive children amaze everyone by jumping into the circle and sharing their joy of the beat! The smiles on children’s faces after this session speaks volumes about their sense of achievement! 3. African Drumming and Dance gets children active which improves the brain! African Drumming and Dance is a fantastic way to for children to exercise and channel their energy. African djembe drumming builds strength and stamina in the upper body while dance improves cardiovascular fitness and is an all-over body workout. Obviously this is great for enhancing children’s fitness and wellbeing, but studies show that such exercise sharpens the mind; makes for happier children and improves their performance in other areas such as maths and literacy. 4. African Drumming and Dance improves listening skills – not just in music! It is a typical thing which you hear a teacher say in class music lessons – ‘listen!’ For good reason too because good listening is crucial. Like all music, learning African drumming is great for building a variety of listening skills. For example the ability to focus listening on an individual pattern within a poly-rhythmic piece of music (multiple rhythms being played simultaneously) or developing the listening skills required to understand the feeling of a rhythm when hearing against a regular pulse. Whatever the type of listening required, there is a common personal attribute that becomes essential for any budding musician – the ability to give oneself time to reflect and process what has been heard. Experienced African drummers who are learning something new always give themselves time to listen before they start playing, because they are all too aware that their mind can quickly make wrong assumptions of what they have heard, based on what they already know. Although the children often find it hard to resist playing straight away! The great thing is that children can not only improve their listening in music through African Drumming, but can also apply the same skill to social situations – for example in conversation. By giving yourself time to hear what someone is saying, you can stop one’s internal chatter from making assumptions; truly absorb what someone is being said and then create a greater sense of rapport – this is called ‘active listening’ a great life skill for a child to learn at an early age! If you are a school who would love a day of African drumming and dance workshops for your pupils or have an Africa Topic or Black History event coming up and think we could help, we’d love to hear from you! Visit us at http://www.unbeatable-energy.co.uk/education/ Special offer: 10% discount if your school books a workshop in September and October 2016. Just quote ‘QA Magazine’ in your enquiry to us to receive the discount.