Voices of children previously excluded from school at heart of North-East conference
More than 200 delegates will listen to the voices of children and young people sharing their experiences of school exclusion and the impact it’s had on their lives. It’s hoped that the youngsters’ views, shared through a series of powerful films and aired at the University of Sunderland conference, will offer delegates a unique perspective of exclusion from the child’s perspective. Representatives from government, including Ofsted and the Department for Education, children’s services, charities, headteachers, teachers, parents, academic experts and educational psychologists, are among those attending. The showing of the films, funded by the University and UKRI (UK Research and Innovation), will be followed by in-depth discussions reacting to the views of the children, aged five to 16, and what can be done to transform the current education system. The Child and Young Person-Led Conference: Preventing School Exclusion is the result of five years of research work by University of Sunderland academic Sarah Martin-Denham, focusing on childhood adversities, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and school exclusion. Sarah has been working with over 200 children and young people from five Local Authorities in a range of educational provisions. Sarah says: “As a result of successful funding bids I have been able to launch various projects which capture the voices of children, who have shared what matters most to them. “The delegates will be able to watch nine films, facilitating a conversation on what we can do differently and how to make things better for these children. “Hopefully we can help improve provision for children across, through sharing an insight into their world. They are the heart of this conference.” She added: “We want children to be heard, it’s about listening, becoming more aware of how important their voice is and the influence their voice can have.” One of the research projects – the largest into school exclusions in England, found that major improvements are needed in the current system and has made a series of recommendations to prevent more pupils from losing out on their education. Commissioned by Together for Children Sunderland, which provides children’s services on behalf of Sunderland City Council, the study sought to provide clarity on the experiences of children at risk of exclusion or those permanently excluded from school and learn the factors leading to the exclusion and the impact on their lives, mental health and learning. One of the most concerning areas of the study was finding evidence of significant numbers of children, in some secondary schools, placed in isolation booths for large parts of the school year, compounding mental and physical health needs. Simon Marshall, Director of Education Services in Sunderland, said: “We’re pleased to have worked alongside the University on this project to better understand the experiences of young people who’ve been excluded from school. “It was crucial for us to put young people’s voices at the forefront of this project, as it enabled us to better engage with pupils and understand the impact that school exclusions have had on their learning, their experience of school, and their mental health. By listening to them, we can understand how we can support and develop services for young people in the future.” Delegates are encouraged to share the hashtag #pullupachair, tweet @SeeMeNorthEast and @blogsenco to promote the conference messages through their social media channels. The conference, at the Sir Tom Cowie lecture theatre, St Peter’s Campus, has been funded by the University of Sunderland Interdisciplinary Research Network Adverse Childhood Experiences and Together for Children. For more information or to register, email lynn.carr@sunderland.ac.uk
Esri UK provides mapping expertise for Department for Education’s major new climate project
Nature Park project will map grounds of every school, creating one vast nature park roughly twice the size of Birmingham. The Department for Education (DfE) has released further details of its National Education Nature Park, created to teach children about climate change and improve biodiversity across the country. Esri UK is providing a digital mapping platform and expertise in biodiversity mapping to help underpin this exciting initiative, first announced at COP26 by the Education Secretary. The National Education Nature Park will engage young people and teachers with nature, supporting them to play a driving role in mapping and monitoring biodiversity on their grounds using citizen science and, critically, taking action to enhance it. The DfE believe this could play an important part in increasing biodiversity across the education estate and have a real impact on halting the decline of nature in England. The Nature Park project will map, manage and enhance the grounds in every school, college or nursery in the country, creating one, vast nature park roughly twice the size of Birmingham. Students will have the opportunity to transform their green spaces into their own Nature Park and play leadership roles in studying, managing and enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience. To deliver the project, DfE has created a partnership led by the Natural History Museum working with Esri UK, the Royal Horticultural Society, the Royal Society, Royal Geographical Society, Learning through Landscapes, Manchester Metropolitan University and other supporting partners. The partnership will be working with Esri UK to devise digital tools for use by children and young people, such as mobile apps, enabling them to map the biodiversity of their school grounds and its improvement over time. “We are delighted to be working with the Department for Education and partners on the National Education Nature Park initiative,” said Stuart Bonthrone, Managing Director of Esri UK. “Biodiversity and environmental sustainability are at the heart of much of the work that Esri UK and our customers are involved in globally and we have a long-standing commitment to Education, providing our software free to schools in the UK and around the world. We are therefore particularly proud to be part of this initiative which closely reflects the core nature and values of our business.” In addition to improving biodiversity across the country and engaging young people in nature, the application of biodiversity mapping will help children and young people develop competences in mapping, numeracy and spatial awareness. The Nature Park will therefore help pupils and students to develop skills in data visualisation and analysis, encouraging analytical thinking and problem solving. The project is a perfect fit for Esri UK. For over 50 years, Esri has been committed to the conservation of the planet, developing geospatial solutions that help to protect it. In the UK Education sector, over 3,000 schools currently use its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software as part of the Esri UK Education programme, which provides free access to its software, teaching resources and teacher training. The partnership will be creating a wealth of curated and quality assured information and teaching resources easily accessible to teachers to support them in delivering climate education across the curriculum. A new climate action award scheme will also recognise the work being undertaken in all education settings to protect green spaces and promote biodiversity. To find out more about the National Education Nature Park, schools and students can read the Department for Education’s blog and register for updates on the Natural History Museum’s website.
Socio-economic attainment gap remains stubbornly wide after pandemic, with reading skills particularly affected
EEF publishes findings from longer-term NFER study on the impact of the pandemic on younger pupils’ attainment. New evidence shows schools continue to face big challenges supporting socio-economically disadvantaged and low attaining pupils because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to a major piece of research published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) today, that tracks the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on younger pupils’ reading and maths skills. The study, by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), followed 6,000 pupils who were in Reception and Year 1 (four to six-year-olds) in March 2020 until the spring term of 2022. It investigated how this group of pupils’ attainment and social skills had been affected by disruptions to learning. Many children have caught up, but younger pupils still struggling with reading Today’s research finds that – on average – pupils who were in Year 3 in spring 2022 (seven and eight-year-olds) have caught up in both reading and maths compared with pupils before the pandemic. The picture is more mixed for Year 2 pupils (six and seven-year-olds). While these pupils have also – on average – caught up in maths, they are still behind in their reading by about three months. More very low attaining pupils in the typical classroom However, for some groups of pupils, learning recovery is proving more challenging. The researchers found an increase in the proportion of very low attaining pupils, particularly for reading. For Year 2 pupils, the proportion of very low attainers in reading more than tripled from 2.6 per cent before the pandemic to 9.1 percent in spring 2022. For Year 3 pupils, the proportion more than doubled from 2.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent. For maths, the proportion of very low attainment in Year 2 more than doubled from 2.6 per cent before the pandemic to 5.5 per cent in spring 2022. For Year 3 pupils, the increase was less pronounced, rising from 2.5 per cent to 3.9 per cent. In the typical Year 2 classroom, this means that there will be three very low attaining pupils for reading, compared to one before the pandemic. This creates additional challenges for schools and teachers, particularly those in disadvantaged areas with higher proportions of lower attaining pupils, as they work to provide targeted support for their pupils who are struggling. Socio-economic attainment gap is wider than before the pandemic and shows no sign of reducing An additional and significant challenge identified by today’s report is that the attainment gap between socio-economically disadvantaged pupils and their peers has widened since before the pandemic and has remained at a similar level since spring 2021. In Year 2, the disadvantage gap in spring 2022 was around six months’ progress for reading, and around five months’ progress for maths. For Year 3 pupils, the gap was even wider, at around nine months’ progress for reading and around eight months’ progress for maths. Headteachers concerned about their pupils’ wellbeing The research also investigated the impact of the pandemic on younger pupils’ social skills and wellbeing. Surveys with headteachers found that they were concerned about Year 2 and Year 3 pupils’ wellbeing, with many introducing interventions to tackle this, adding to teachers’ workload. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of schools surveyed said they were redeploying staff to support social skills and wellbeing, while a slightly smaller proportion (63 per cent) said they were running small-group wellbeing sessions. Targeted support important for socio-economically disadvantaged pupils, with reading a particular focus Today’s report provides yet more evidence that socio-economically disadvantaged pupils have been the worst affected by the partial school closures and highlights the importance of targeting support and funding at this group. The EEF would like the government to make sure that – as more pupils become eligible for pupil premium funding – the amount paid per pupil is protected, ideally increasing in real terms. Today’s findings also tell us that supporting reading development in younger pupils should continue to be an area of focus. The EEF has a suite of resources to support literacy development in Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. These include a specialised guidance report complete with eight evidence-informed recommendations to help teachers maximise the impact of their literacy teaching. Relevant strands of the Teaching and Learning Toolkit also provide information around approaches to teaching early reading. Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “Today’s research gives us clear evidence that the efforts of schools and teachers across the country in supporting their pupils learning are paying off. It is encouraging to see that, on average, younger pupils are making good progress. “However, the findings add to a heavy body of evidence telling us that socio-economic inequality in education – already entrenched before the pandemic – has grown. Schools are doing – and have done – a lot to mitigate against this, but it would be naïve of us not to recognise that factors outside of the school gate – such a widening poverty – also play a significant part in the widening attainment gap. “Tackling education inequality – and the factors behind it – is the biggest challenge our education system faces. But doing so must be a top priority for this government. At the very least, pupil premium funding levels should be protected, ideally increasing in real terms for every eligible pupil.” Dr Ben Styles, Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce at NFER said: “The huge effort from teachers and school leaders appears to be leading to encouraging recovery amongst some of our youngest pupils, but the disadvantage attainment gap remains a real concern. “Schools which already face huge challenges are now faced with a large number of very low attaining pupils, particularly in reading, who have suffered most at the hands of the pandemic. It is essential that the National Tutoring Programme is protected from Government cuts and that funds are distributed in a way which directly supports disadvantaged
Use of non-specialist teachers in schools struggling with recruitment could have negative impact on learning
New research reveals the use of non-specialist teachers is more prevalent in schools facing teacher supply challenges, and that this is likely to have a detrimental impact on pupils’ education and learning. The data, covering schools in England, shows that among secondary schools finding teacher recruitment the most difficult, 62 per cent reported at least ‘some’ maths lessons being taught by non-specialists, 55 per cent for physics and 26 per cent for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). This compares to 28 per cent for maths, 29 per cent for physics and 14 per cent for MFL in the schools that reported finding teacher recruitment the least difficult. The study, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, examines national and local level trends in teacher recruitment and retention in England. NFER surveyed nationally representative samples of senior leaders with responsibility for staffing in autumn 2020 (reflecting on the 2019/20 academic year) and autumn 2021 (reflecting on the 2020/21 academic year) to gather information about their experience of teacher recruitment, retention and what actions, if any, they had taken to manage shortages. It found that many secondary schools are facing recruitment challenges. School leaders were asked to rate the extent they were ‘unable to assemble a field of quality applicants’ (1 being ‘not at all’ and 8 being ‘to a great extent’). On average, secondary school leaders said 5 and primary school leaders 3.8. NFER School Workforce Lead and co-author of the report, Jack Worth, said: “The growing recruitment and retention challenges in England are likely to be having negative impacts on pupils’ education and learning. Under-recruitment to initial teacher training leads to school leaders facing teacher recruitment shortages, which they can mitigate to some extent by, for example, deploying non-specialist teachers or asking school leaders to take on more teaching. But these measures make school improvement harder right across the system. “We call on the Government to place a renewed focus on improving teacher recruitment and retention, to ensure a sufficient supply of teachers, and in turn, support the improvement of pupil outcomes in schools throughout the education system.” Josh Hillman, Director of Education at The Nuffield Foundation said: “Knowledgeable and inspiring teachers are vital for ensuring that every pupil receives a high-quality education. It is therefore of great concern that the report’s findings highlight how recruitment challenges are leading to an increased use of non-specialist teachers, particularly in schools struggling to hire teaching staff, and in particular parts of the country.” Other findings include: Quantity and quality of applicants to vacancies are particularly acute challenges for secondary schools, where recruitment of trainees to teacher training programmes has been below the target numbers required for many years. Schools that reported finding teacher recruitment the most difficult were considerably more likely than other schools to report recruiting less-experienced teachers than they would otherwise like, and more likely to employ more unqualified teachers then they normally would. Recruiting inexperienced or unqualified teachers may have negative implications for teaching quality. In the autumn 2020 survey, only 13 per cent of primary school leaders and 27 per cent of secondary school leaders reported that they could have afforded to recruit another teacher, regardless of whether they wanted to or not. As part of NFER’s research into England’s growing teacher recruitment and retention challenges, it has created a data dashboard, in partnership with the Nuffield Foundation, which will launch in December. The tool provides information on the nature of the recruitment and retention challenges, and their implications for pupils and schools in terms of teacher shortages, across different dimensions, including geography, subject and school types.
Brian Blessed Helps Schools Generate Up to £13K for Energy Bills Through Story Writing
The current energy crisis has seen bills rise by 54% in September 2022, and has been described as ‘worse than the pandemic’. As well as homes, the crisis is massively affecting schools, with price hikes threatening resources. To help schools in the crisis, actor and writer Brian Blessed, known for his portrayals in Flash Gordon and Blackadder, has teamed up with children’s education platform, BoomWriter in its latest campaign. Brian will be writing the first chapter of a story book, with schools across the UK finishing the entire book. The finished book will then be published by BoomWriter and sold, with all profits going towards school energy bills. Schools could individually receive up to £13k for their energy bills as a result. In addition, Brian will select his favourite book and visit the winning school in April 2023. Effects of the energy crisis on UK schools According to The Guardian, some schools have seen energy prices increase by 300%. The Guardian reported that, as a result, schools are looking to pay for the extra energy bills through existing funds, leading to cutbacks in school activities or even teachers themselves. Headteacher unions have even said that some heads have no choice but to pay for the extra costs by cutting staff hours, particularly teaching assistants. As a result, schools and both students and teachers are struggling, which is why Brian Blessed and BoomWriter decided to stand up. Brian Blessed said: ‘’I am delighted to be working with BoomWriter on this project, which will help schools across the UK in a time of need. As a longstanding member of the arts community, I am thrilled to be using my love of the written word to support students and teachers in the energy crisis, as well as encouraging students to pursue reading and writing. ‘’With enough involvement, this project has the capacity to dramatically change the state of UK schools during this time. No school should have to choose between delivering an excellent student experience and paying their energy bills.’’ BoomWriter and Brian Blessed combat the energy crisis BoomWriter has paired up with Brian Blessed in a bid to help schools manage the rising bills whilst still engaging their students. Brian has written a story prompt for classes to finish chapter-by-chapter, with each school putting its own spin on the story. Once the book is complete, BoomWriter will publish each book and give a copy to each student for them to sell, with all profits going to the schools to help their energy bills. From all participating schools, three finalists will be chosen, with Brian selecting his favourite story and visiting the winning school in April 2023. Schools across the UK are encouraged to sign up to BoomWriter for free now, and can start writing the book from 9th January 2023 until the 14th of March 2023. It’s estimated that if 30,000 students signed up, each school could receive around £13k to help towards their energy bills. This is based on £5.40 per book sold per student going back to the school. BoomWriter is an online platform that allows children to become published authors. Classes are given the beginning of a story and will complete it until they have a finished book. BoomWriter will then publish the book for students and families to keep. With BoomWriter UK pupils have an authentic audience for their writing – their classmates. Children peer review each others’ work anonymously to decide a class winner for each piece of writing. This provides fantastic motivation for pupils to not just write, but to write to the best of their ability. Sign up for Write to Raise here: https://boomwriter.co.uk/write-to-raise To find out more please visit: https://boomwriter.co.uk/
How can schools navigate a winter energy crisis?
By Ian Johnson, SVP Market Development at Soldo In his Autumn Statement, Jeremy Hunt proudly promised that schools would get an extra £2.3bn per year for the next two years. But will this be enough? Thousands of schools across the nation are having to cut staff, ration heating and put a pause on important building work. For many working in the back office of schools up and down the country, the term is already filled with uncertainty as the country faces crippling financial pressures. An unprecedented rise in inflation and spiralling energy prices (in some instances rising by as much as 500%) are leaving schools to wonder how they balance the books before they head into winter. In an open letter to MPs, the Worcestershire Association of Secondary Head Teachers said “Schools face a choice between cuts to staff or maintenance.” Non-staffing costs account for over 30% of all expenditure at schools, universities and higher-education colleges. These costs include everything from school trips to IT equipment, stationery, catering and stocking libraries. Schools are already underfunded, so predictions of continued price rises as well as a recession will only strengthen that trend. It’s why it has become essential for schools, colleges and universities to ensure they have complete visibility over their costs, so they in turn can maximise budgets. With full control over outgoings, education institutions can dramatically improve how costs are managed, understand what savings can be made and spend as efficiently as possible to stay open this winter and avoid any harsh decisions that potentially lie ahead. Educational institutions are held back by manual finance processes Many educational institutions are still relying on manual processes – meaning a lot of the work they are doing to manage spend is manual and laborious. It may not come as a surprise to learn that, according to research by Soldo, three quarters of education professionals rely on manual processes to manage school spending and employee expenses. Yet manual methods of spend management do not provide full visibility of the spending going on within the institution. Without visibility, those working in education simply can’t understand what’s coming in, and importantly what’s going out. This makes it hard to determine how to make the most of their budgets. Modernising spend management to make teachers’ lives easier For educational institutions to survive, the right technologies can help ease the burden when it comes to spend management. Spending and expenses can often be an invisible drain on an institution’s finances, which if left unchecked is a huge problem and can make tracking costs difficult. Our survey revealed that over half (52.4%) of staff rely on reimbursements from expenses, and one in four (39%) use petty cash to make payments. Which makes it almost impossible to get a complete view of spending without creating unmanageable amounts of paperwork. It was also revealed that 29% of teachers spend approximately between £1,000 – £9,999 per month. That’s a lot of spend that teams, who are not using spend management technology, will not have visibility of until the end of the month. Without some form of automation in place, tracking this large amount of spend involves a lot of manual admin – processing expense receipts, sharing updates with the teachers, manually updating systems, etc. These manual methods of tracking and auditing a constant stream of significant payments will make it harder to control, track and report on school spend and will increase the risk of mistakes or gaps in the data that come from manual data entry. With financial technology, institutions can better control spend. Teachers’ lives can be made easier by giving them pre-paid cards – meaning they no longer need to pay out of pocket, making it clear who has been spending and on what. More time for strategic thinking in schools Spend management can be time-consuming. According to our data, almost a quarter of teachers (23.2%) spend half a day per month just processing expenses. That’s a lot of time and effort that could be saved and invested back into what teachers want to do – focus on educating children. Instead of wasting days putting together school-wide expenditure and spend data with manual methods, technology can make it easier to see every purchase made and identify every pound that could be saved. Without these manual methods of managing spend undermining attempts to find savings, finance teams can help cut unnecessary time-wasting admin. They can get a complete view of every payment in real-time which makes it easier to monitor where supply contracts need to be renegotiated, where services could be brought in-house or outsourced, or even what areas are underspending. Optimising schools’ budget with automation Better use of time often means understanding where repetitive, menial tasks are being performed and looking at ways of making them more efficient, hence the role of automation. But for automation to become widely accepted, some narratives need to be addressed. For school administrators for example, the belief that job roles may be replaced with automated software is drastically wide of the mark. In reality, the exact opposite is true. Automating these tasks means each staff member, from head teacher to support staff, can add value back into the system. Finance teams should aim to work with automation rather than compete against it. When institutions get the right mix of human and automated work, processes are more efficient, and individuals are freed up to focus on more useful tasks like data analysis or forecasting. The data they are using also becomes more accurate and more reliable – meaning more precise predictions. And because the data is richer, decision-making is better too. Whether it’s the cost-of-living crisis, a recession or an unforeseen hurdle not yet on the horizon, the industry will continue to face cost pressures. With the right technology, they can modernise departments and get the full visibility and control needed to maximise their budgets, empowering them in the process and allowing staff and teachers
75 per cent of teachers agree girls face greater barriers to engineering careers
Three quarters (75 per cent) of teachers believe girls face additional barriers to pursuing careers in engineering, according to new research released by the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship programme. The programme is encouraging schools and engineering industry leaders to redouble their efforts to tackle the growing gender gap and increase diversity in the field. The survey was conducted for the Scholarship’s 30th anniversary to capture the engineering industry’s perspective on its own diversity. By polling teachers, engineering firms and Scholarship participants from across the UK, the programme found 68 per cent of organisations and 77 per cent of Scholarship alumni don’t consider the industry to be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disability. Despite recognising these challenges there was widespread support for empowering future engineers through education, with 87 per cent of engineering organisations agreeing that more could be done to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds consider an engineering career. “Engineers shape the world we live in. For that reason, it’s essential that people from all backgrounds are participating in that process,” says Dr Kevin P Stenson, CEO of The Smallpeice Trust, the children’s education charity behind the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. “Imagine for a moment that until now the engineering industry had been dominated by women or people living with a disability. Our built environment would look radically different. “That’s why the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship exists. We want to widen access for all young people to consider a career in engineering and give them opportunities to connect with employers and work experiences, that might otherwise be too expensive or difficult to access.” Continued Dr Stenson. Most employers believe attracting diverse talent can begin in the classroom, as 68 per cent of engineering organisations in the survey agreed that making engineering careers guidance more accessible in schools will improve social mobility. “The demand for skilled and creative engineers is continuing to grow and we need to start now to build the diverse and thriving workforce that is best equipped to take the industry into the future. “Through our Scholarship programme, The Smallpeice Trust is proud to have played a role in that. With greater support and engagement from the industry and educators we can do even more. Both women and men of all backgrounds and abilities should have a hand in shaping our future. By opening the door to engineering, we can give them that chance.” says Dr Stenson. As part of its 30th anniversary, the programme is celebrating the incredible achievements of women past and present in the engineering field. This includes Era Shah, an Arkwright alumna who has recently been recognised as one of the Women’s Engineering Society’s Top 50 Women in Engineering 2021 for her efforts to promote gender equality in the industry. Applications for the 2023 Arkwright Engineering Scholarship are now open and will close Friday 20th January 2023. For more information about the benefits of the programme and to apply, please visit: https://www.arkwright.org.uk/
Mock exam results could suffer as 6 out of 10 teachers denounce classroom air quality
Teachers have warned poor air quality is negatively impacting performance, as students prepare for mock exams. According to a recent survey, over three-quarters (77%) of teachers said poor air quality in their schools affected students’ ability to concentrate, which could lead to underperformance in upcoming mock exams. Students’ grades in these exams can determine school and university admissions, but classroom conditions could seriously harm them. More than half (55%) of the teachers surveyed noticed a negative impact on grades and performance when air quality is poor. The Air Quality in UK Classrooms Report – conducted by experts in air movement and ventilation solutions Airflow – asked teachers at 133 UK schools for insights into working and learning conditions at UK schools. The findings show that almost three in four (72%) classrooms suffer from air quality that is ‘below standard’. Nearly three in five teachers (59%) deemed a classroom with poor air quality to be ‘not fit for purpose’ – for either teachers or pupils. Some 91% of teachers agreed that poor air quality had a negative impact on students’ health, behaviour or ability to work. This rose to 96% in London. While 6 in 10 teachers (61%) have seen pupils’ health being affected – by worsening asthma or other lung conditions. In response to the report, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has described the state of indoor air quality (IAQ) in UK classrooms as a ‘national scandal’. What improvements do teachers want to see? The study highlights that teachers are aware of air quality issues and have often raised concerns. However, 31% of teachers at schools with ‘below standard’ air quality reported that despite requesting improvements, no action has been taken. More than a quarter (27%) said their school is trying to improve air quality, but cannot due to a lack of funding or government support. Teachers also identified the changes they’d want schools to make if funding was available: • Replace old heating appliances (which can contribute to indoor air pollution) – 72% of teachers • Install air filtration or purification systems – 71% • Ban cars on streets with schools during school run times – 38% • Relocate playgrounds and classroom windows away from roads – 32% With school holidays around the corner, now could be the perfect time for schools to implement such changes and improve student welfare. Alan Siggins, managing director of Airflow Developments, said: “We all know how much hinges on the outcomes of exams, so classroom conditions need to be as conducive to learning as possible. But this study reveals that conditions are far from ideal in many schools. “Poor air quality can obviously lead to health problems and absences. Yet, even when students are in school, substandard air quality can mean pupils find it tough to concentrate and commit what they’re learning to memory – crucial skills for exam preparation. “Improving air quality is our area of expertise and we know the solutions available to overcome these problems. However, significant investment is required and there must be support from the upper reaches of government for that to happen. We hope this report will act as a wake-up call for people who can sanction funding.” Mrs. X, who works at a London primary school but did not want to be named for job security reasons, says: “Returning to school after the pandemic, all schools were advised to keep windows open to improve air quality. However, in winter, the classrooms would obviously get very cold. Children would be distracted and this impacted learning. “Even with windows open, pollution around the school area means that air quality is not drastically improved. We know that poor air quality and ventilation lead to higher levels of CO2 in the classroom, which affects cognitive performance (reduces memory, impairs concentration, lowers decision-making abilities) and inhibits learning. “In addition, children who struggle with self-regulation find it particularly hard to be in poorly-ventilated environments and may demonstrate disruptive behaviour, leading to them being sent out of the classroom, meaning they are not learning from their teacher.” Nicola D’Urso, school speech and language therapist, says: “Some schools I work in have indoor areas which are poorly ventilated without any windows. I’ve seen examples of children fainting and disengaging due to dehydration in excessively hot and stuffy classrooms. It’s not uncommon for children to become drowsy and even the brightest students can stop interacting in lessons. I notice caring and responsible teachers often having to prioritise children’s health and wellbeing during lessons instead of teaching them the educational content. “The main obstacle is that senior leadership teams in schools are at the mercy of their local council’s policy on clean air and limiting air pollution. The roadblock for schools is that it’s a bit out of their hands given that it’s up to the council and the government to get a grasp of air pollution and put adequate policies in place.”
GCSE and A level exams – are we ready to return to normality?
By Stewart Watts – VP EMEA at D2L The government has recently announced that GCSE and A-Level exams will ‘return to normal’. In line with the plans set out last September, Ofqual has confirmed a return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023, and less help with exams such as supplementary information given alongside exam papers. The decision reflects the government’s view that this cohort has experienced much less disruption than previous years and that it is time to return to normality and get students’ learning back on track. However, it’s likely that the current cohort may struggle with these changes, and it is predicted that A-level and GCSE grades awarded in 2023 will be affected as a consequence, with disadvantaged children – who experienced the most disruption throughout the pandemic – potentially being impacted. With gaps still present in this cohort’s learning it is essential that the government still works closely with schools to ensure that each child has the chance to learn in a way that is personalised to their needs. A data-led recovery strategy Despite the government’s promising statement, schools and teachers are still faced with the challenge of filling the gaps in students’ learning in preparation for their exams next year. As the education sector strives to recover the lost time in the classroom, it is vital staff take every student’s circumstances and learning pathways into consideration. Staff must use all data and digital tools at their disposal to ensure they have as much insight as possible into each students’ progression and needs. This will become particularly important in the months ahead, as teachers will need continuous insight into how students are getting on both at home and in the classroom. Staff will need real visibility into students’ performance, particularly when it comes to identifying specific areas for development. The ‘one size fits all’ approach is simply no longer viable. By using data to drive their teaching or courses, staff can plan more extensive learning programmes that account for all students’ abilities and learning requirements. Current learning analytics can provide teachers and lecturers with real-time insight into the location and extent of learning gaps – such as, whether a student has particular strengths or weaknesses. With this level of continuous insight, teachers will be able to fill the gaps in students’ learning and identify any of those that may be struggling, enabling earlier intervention. In fact, they will have the ability to create far more tailored learning pathways to help ensure that the needs of individual students are constantly being met. Hopefully then, students will be better prepared ahead of their exams. Reviewing the examination process – the need for continued assessment Given the disruption caused throughout the pandemic, many children have never sat a public exam before. The cumulative pressure that this causes, and the possibility of students having rushed, or incomplete learning is yet another reason to rethink summative exams in favor of more continuous assessment over the academic year. This shift can ‘even the playing field’ for students who may not perform well under pressure, as well as giving them a more lifelike assessment structure that mimics demands of the working world. Previous grades, or results from mock testing, can offer one part of the puzzle but getting an accurate reflection of the overall picture, requires a rethink. Teachers need more ‘data’ which can only be provided through regular testing and examinations – whether that is in the form of debates and chat forums, online tests and videos, or physical practice papers. Staff need to be able to test students’ knowledge, and the best way to measure that, is giving them a chance to put the theory into practice. However, designing complex learning programmes such as these, takes time. In the meantime, the best way to generate ‘real’ data and continuous insight, is by looking at access information, regular assessments, utilization of revision materials, and other data points which can give a more holistic view of how students are performing and how prepared they are for their final exam. That way, teachers will be able to establish a students’ average grade far more easily and fill in the gaps in their learning – maybe even review course content, according to students’ uptake. The ‘great readjustment’ – preparing students and teachers for exams Students are not the only ones who need to be prepped for next years’ exams, teaching staff will also have to readjust to ‘normality’ after the past few years. As suggested, data will play a vital role in their recovery strategy. However, faculty will need to ensure that staff are able to use all the tools that they have at their disposal. It is often the case that new solutions are implemented without enough support from senior leadership, meaning, teachers may not necessarily fully understand how to use a certain technology, let alone adapt it to their own courses or programmes. Staff need a greater understanding of digital tools and workflows. Moving forward, institutions must prioritise CPD for all teachers regarding technology, especially if they hope to make their lives easier and help fill the gaps in students’ learning in the coming months. Without this training teachers will find it extremely difficult to deliver effective learning pathways and track each individual students’ progress. Eventually, they should be able to apply these technologies far more effectively throughout each of their classes and deliver the best learning experience possible.