Schools urged to sign up for NSPCC maths fun day
Primary and secondary schools are invited to sign up for the NSPCC’s Number Day, which will take place next week. Number Day is an annual fundraising event that sees teachers and pupils raise vital funds for the NSPCC so it can continue its important work to protect children from abuse and support them with any issues they may face. This includes the charity’s Childline counselling service which has been a lifeline for thousands of children since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. The service’s frontline volunteers have been an essential listening ear for those who have struggled to cope with the challenges they’ve had to face including worries about the virus, school closures and many have spoken to our volunteer counsellors about the impact the pandemic has had on their mental health. The service has also provided vital support for children in homes that are not safe and whose access to the usual support networks was reduced. It is free for any school to sign up to Number Day and there’s still time to get involved. The maths themed fundraising day on February 4 will see hundreds of schools across the UK will come together for a day filled with fun educational maths activities. Once registered, the NSPCC will send each school everything they need to make their Number Day a success. This will include resources that can be used in the classroom, including games and activities such as Buddy’s Key Challenge. This features the NSPCC mascot Buddy the speech bubble, which pupils may recognise from the charity’s Speak Out. Stay Safe assembly. For this challenge, pupils complete maths puzzles to create a key which can unlock a door so the charity’s mascot Buddy can visit your school. They will also be sent tips and ideas on how to fundraise, resources to help promote Number Day and teachers will have access to a wide range of games and tasks. This includes information on keeping children safe from harm and supporting your schools safeguarding, as well online safety quizzes that can be used with pupils of all ages. NSPCC Fundraising Manager, Katie Fudge said: “After the challenges of the past 18 months and the disruption that children have faced, we hope that Number Day will be a day of fun that children look forward to. “I’d encourage any school that hasn’t already signed up to visit the NSPCC website and get involved. “The fallout of the pandemic has been huge for children and young people and by fundraising for the NSPCC through Number Day, your school will help our staff continue to be here for those facing abuse, neglect or struggling with their mental health. “I’d also like to thank all our partners that have helped with the resources for Number Day this year including Maths Circle, Man Group, Oxford University Press and Maths on Toast.” To sign up to take part in Number Day, all you need to do is visit the NSPCC’s website and search for Number Day and fill in your school’s details using the registration form.
Spellzone: The English Spelling Resource Created for Online Learning
What is Spellzone? Written by a dyslexia specialist, Spellzone is an online spelling resource that unlocks the mystery of English spelling and adapts to students of all abilities. Students can work on tailored learning pathways at their own pace and on any device. Time-saving reporting tools allow teachers to monitor progress and evaluate student activity with just the click of a button. Spelling Ability Test and Course Pathway The Spelling Ability Test and Course Pathway provide students with a guided experience through Spellzone, keeping them on track with minimal teacher intervention. “The Course Pathway personalises learning for the children, saving the teacher hours of work in preparing individual resources,” says Anna Hughes, Head of English, St Hugh’s School Spellzone uses the Spelling Ability Test to identify any gaps in student knowledge and then calculates a Course Pathway indicating which units should be studied. Students are retested periodically, and their Course Pathways are updated to reflect new learning. “The programme really can be tailored to suit individual needs,” says Pauline Guinan, Y5 and Y6 Teacher and SENCo, Sheering Church of England Primary School. “The resource allows every student to work at a level that has been set according to their individual strengths and needs. This means children whose spelling ability is strong don’t have to slow down and those with weaker spelling don’t struggle to keep up. They are all learning at the same time, at their own unique pace. Everyone is equal.” Spelling Courses The entry-level Starter Course consists of eight units and uses multi-sensory activities and tests to teach basic phonics rules. The Main Course covers all the English spelling rules and their exceptions in 36 units made up of learning tips and multi-sensory spelling activities. Basic concepts taught include vowels, consonants, syllables, prefixes, and suffixes. Students are tested in different ways throughout the course. “The site is appealing and easy to navigate. The definitions, practise sessions (Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check), and the games reinforce the relevant spelling pattern superbly – it is everything I need in a busy classroom environment. “ Siobhan Moulding. Class Teacher Thomas A Becket Junior School Word Lists Teachers and students can use over 1.8 million pre-loaded word lists in a variety of spelling activities, word games, and printable worksheets. Word lists can be translated into over 90 languages. Teachers can adapt any word list to suit their specific needs or create their own word lists for different school subjects and spelling abilities. Spellzone creates dynamic word lists for each student based on the words they spell incorrectly in spelling tests. Students can also create word lists for their own practice. “Spellzone broadens their vocabulary significantly, improving comprehension and attainment across subjects.” Anna Hughes, Head of English St Hugh’s School Classroom and Homework Tasks Teachers can set the Spelling Ability Test, any Spellzone unit, and any Spellzone word list as a classroom or homework task for individual students, for a class, or for the whole school. Spellzone automatically marks all tasks and provides teachers with easy-to-analyse results. “The ability to find specific content for individual students and tailor learning support accordingly is superb. We’re very keen to make sure that work is specifically targeted to relevant age groups, and Spellzone makes this very easy to do. Being able to set tasks is another great tool, as it allows staff to set and mark homework quickly and easily.” Alison Ridyard, Director of Literacy King’s Leadership Academy Results and Evaluation Spellzone logs all student activity in real time and teachers can map student progress against National Curriculum requirements. Teachers can download a variety of reports to evaluate student success – perfect for parents’ evening and review meetings! “His standardised score has risen from 99 to 131. This is a truly phenomenal result. I just wanted to share the best result I have ever seen.” Terrie Penrose-Toms Casterton College Training and Support Spellzone is always happy to help with any queries or problems. Teachers can book free online training sessions at any point. “Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they’re really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I’ve very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time.” Sarah Taggart Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill Looking to boost student spelling? Keen to reduce teacher workload? Begin your Spellzone story today with a free 30-day trial for your school.
Major study shows staff wellbeing in schools is on a knife edge
Teachers are reeling from the shock of the pandemic as the continued pressures on them are taking a lasting toll on their wellbeing, according to the latest Tes Staff Wellbeing Report. Worryingly, just 38% of the UK teaching population surveyed feel confident in their roles. The report shows how school staff are battling unmanageable workloads exacerbated by inadequate resources and a lack of flexibility, as well as limited opportunities for career development. Poor school staff wellbeing could lead to absenteeism, long term sick-leave or even valuable school staff quitting the profession. These all have serious implications on student outcomes, fellow teachers, and can also prove costly for already cash-strapped schools. The concerning conclusions of the 2022 Tes Staff Wellbeing Report include: Tes Senior Analyst Grainne Hallahan said: “This report shows the damaging effects of the pandemic on the wellbeing of school staff are going to be with us for some time. Teacher wellbeing is on a knife edge as they struggle with increased demands, mounting workloads and a real lack of good CPD. Staff in schools are enjoying their work less and most don’t feel valued as part of a whole school team. “These are worrying findings for schools, but these problems are not insurmountable. By offering staff the right support, training and knowledge that their voices are heard and understood, senior leaders have the opportunity to inspire a dramatic shift in wellbeing at their schools, with all the benefits for teacher retention and pupil outcomes that will bring.” Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support, a charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of staff in schools, colleges and universities, said: “School staff continue to display an incredible capacity for adaptability, focus and resilience. But teachers and other school staff are struggling with heavy and intense workloads. They are struggling with work-life balance and often don’t receive enough of the right support. “This report sheds light on the severe impact of the pandemic on the teaching profession. Wellbeing has to be at the heart of our education system, and a central part of the education recovery agenda. Proper recognition of the importance of teacher mental health is essential to support the people who are responsible for teaching and inspiring our children. Katie Shearer, a principal teacher at St Patrick’s Primary School in Glasgow was featured in the Tes Staff Wellbeing Report. She said: “The vocational commitment of teachers should not then be used as a vehicle to overwork, guilt trip or compromise teacher mental health. Our commitment to the profession at times can leave us feeling very self-critical, under pressure and trying to manage an overwhelming amount of stress. If practitioners want to be able to make a real difference, our health and wellbeing needs to be a priority, now more than ever.”
Play and arts therapy experts Clear Sky are helping children boost their mental health
At least three children in every UK classroom will have a diagnosable mental health difficulty. Many more will be struggling with psychological difficulties which impact on their learning such as anxiety and low self-esteem. Play & Creative Arts Therapy creates a safe environment for children who are finding it difficult to explore and express themselves, through the language of play. By also offering support to parents, and providing professionals with specialist skills we can help parents and carers to better understand the emotional needs of the children in their care and attend to them appropriately. Ultimately this leads to improved emotional wellbeing and increased resilience putting them in good stead for a happy and healthy future. Clear Sky Children’s Charity are experts in Play and Creative Arts therapy. We work in schools providing 1:1 and group therapeutic interventions to children who have experienced trauma, or who may be experiencing emotional or behavioural problems. All of our sessions are child-led and are delivered by experienced and fully qualified Play and Creative Arts professionals. We support schools through our Attachment-Play based learning programmes and offer a range of CPD in-school training which is supported in turn by our online ‘Emotionally Healthy Schools’ framework; giving settings the opportunity to embed the principles of good emotional health to support their entire community through the use of resources, games and videos. We work with groups of parents and in groups of parent-child together to help strengthen the important relationship between child and carer through the medium of Play. At the beginning of lockdown as this face to face support was not possible, we created a 94-page practical Parents Play Kit, full of ideas for parents to use at home with their child to build and strengthen communication, understanding and empathy, and create time and space for parents to connect with their child. Our Play Kit was downloaded thousands of times and made available in print for therapeutic practitioners and professionals working with children. We work with the National Education Union as part of their CPD programme, delivering our Space to Shine programme for NQT’s and experienced teachers alike where we enable professionals to practice play! Finally, we provide support for those professionals who are working within the therapeutic sector to enable them to access the very latest research, resources and learning through our online membership body ‘The Institute for Play and Attachment’. Our aim is to support all children to survive and thrive through ‘The Power of Play’! To find out about how Clear Sky’s services and to download a copy of our Parents Play Kit, or to enquire about our school training and resources, please visit our website: www.clear-sky.org.uk or email us at: info@clear-sky.org.uk
Identifying meaningful measures to address the attainment gap
A project to explore how to make better use of data to assess the poverty-related attainment gap across eight local authorities has begun. The research is being led by the Northern Alliance – a collaboration of Scottish councils – and the Data for Children Collaborative, and international partnership of universities and government. The partnership also includes researchers from University of Strathclyde Fraser of Allander Institute, the CivicDataLab, and additional support from Glasgow Caledonian University and East Neuk Analytics. Addressing the poverty-related attainment gap is a huge challenge for schools and services across Scotland and globally. It is appreciated there are many factors with the school day which impact on this. All local authorities hold information that paints a picture of the challenges families face and the numbers of children and young people living in poverty. The project team has been working closely with education practitioners to understand what data currently exists, how these datasets may link with one another and, crucially, how this may help inform issues associated with poverty and deprivation. They have also completed an in-depth analysis of the tools currently available to teachers, to understand what is needed to enable practitioners to make better decisions with the data that is available to them. The work provided an overview of existing features, their capabilities and limitations, and provided insight into potential alternative solutions. The Data for Children Collaborative is a unique partnership between UNICEF, The Scottish Government and the University of Edinburgh, hosted by Edinburgh Futures Institute. Their goal is to leverage expertise from partner organisations in order to address existing problems for children using innovative data science techniques. Northern Alliance Research Assistant Grant Murray explained: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the Data for Children Collaborative. It’s a great example of how working together across council areas means we can look to address shared challenges. “This work is allowing us to conduct in-depth analysis at a regional level, alongside local insight and challenges on the ground, drawing on potential new data sources and techniques.” Jo Kirby, Northern Alliance Lead Officer for Raising Attainment and Closing the Gap, said: “More relevant data in a local context will serve to improve the system so that those working in schools can better understand and facilitate equity and progression in the classroom for all our learners, regardless of the barriers they may face.” Alex Hutchison, Director of the Data for Children Collaborative added: “This project highlights the power of academia, private sector and public sector working together, and how each of those areas brings different strengths to look at a problem in a new way.” Laurence Findlay, Regional Improvement Lead for the Northern Alliance and Director of Education and Children’s Services for Aberdeenshire Council thinks the analysis of data will help to inform approaches at a local level. He said: “This important work will help practitioners to think about the trends identified within their local context. This isn’t just about schools but all services that support children and families understanding how best they can work together to make a difference. Understanding the factors that present barriers to families and young people will help us to better support families to access the help they need to thrive.” The outcomes of the first phase of work are now available on the project summary webpage. The Northern Alliance is currently reviewing proposals for the second phase of works, which will aim to take a deeper look at the data identified, and build meaningful measures for education practitioners to use.
Ethnic minority teachers offered free Google backed training scheme
Happy2Host Education, a UK-based professional development and creative agency, has announced it has been chosen to run an innovative program aimed at improving diversity and increasing the number of Black and Asian educators in the Google for Education Trainer community. The worrying lack of Black and Asian trainers in the Google community also extends to Google’s partners. Last year, Happy2Host Education became the first black-owned company in Europe to become a Google for Education partner. The agency hopes that through their involvement with the scheme and their work within the community, diversity and inclusion will improve. The program, with cohorts starting in February and April, will focus on empowering educators from minority backgrounds to have a greater impact at their school through upskilling using Google software. The mentoring program lasts for six months where candidates will receive 20 hours of guided professional development, including 6 hours of mentoring from Google Trainers – like Happy2Host Education. CEO of Happy2Host Education, Lawrence Tijani says, “We are incredibly proud to be running this very important project on behalf of Google UK. We are looking forward to working with incredible educators from Black and Asian communities to help them gain the Google for educator certifications.” Happy2Host Education is an inclusive environment that provides a range of affordable creative services for educators. The black-owned company celebrates what makes people unique and utilises these differences to help education providers stand out from the crowd through digital marketing and personal development. Completing Google certifications has been shown to improve student outcomes in the classroom, drive forward organisations’ digital culture and lead to further career progression for educators. However, many educators on previous Google-backed schemes haven’t been representative of the current diverse educational community. To improve this, the new wave of mentoring has been supported by 60 educators from marginalised communities, and Happy2Host are happy to be able to support in any way they can. Applications for the next cohort of the Google mentoring scheme open in March 2022. To book a place click here. To find out more about the EdTech tools, training, and strategies that Happy2Host offer, visit https://happy2host.education/
Coronavirus closures have left pupils more than 18 months behind
The learning gap created by the pandemic will take more than 18 months to close, teachers have warned. State school teachers were far more likely to offer a gloomy forecast of how long it would take pupils to catch up compared to teachers in private schools, according to a survey of 4,690 teachers for leading EdTech event, Bett. The survey – carried out by Teacher Tapp – showed that 14 per cent of teachers in private primary schools and 23 per cent of private secondary teachers had not seen a learning gap created by the pandemic. A majority of private secondary school teachers thought that their gap would be closed within 6 months. Just three per cent of teachers in state schools did not think there was a learning gap thanks to Covid19 compared to 19 per cent of private school teachers who thought there was no gap. Some 36 per cent of primary teachers in state schools thought the learning gap would take 18 months or more, while 32 per cent of secondary state school teachers thought the same. Overall, classroom teachers were slightly more pessimistic about how long it would take to close the learning gap than headteachers or members of the senior leadership teams (SLT). Some 32 per cent of teachers at the coalface thought it would take 18 months or more, compared with 31 per cent of SLT and 28 per cent of heads. When analysed by subject, language teachers and Key Stage 2 primary teachers were the most pessimistic, with 34 per cent warning it would take more than 18 months to catch up students. Some 28 per cent of maths specialist teachers thought it would be more than 18 months, while the figures were nearly the same for English teachers (27 per cent) and humanities (27 per cent) while nearly a third of science teachers – 31 per cent – also warned of the longest time delay. For teachers of early years and Key Stage one in primary, a third warned it would take more than 18 months while 30 per cent of PE teachers and 24 per cent of art and design and technology teachers thought the same. School closures ban Nearly four in ten – 38 per cent – of teachers agree or strongly agree with banning school closures and classing them as ‘essential infrastructure’. The move is proposed by senior Tory MP Rob Halfon, the chairman of the education select committee, who wants school closures to be banned unless they are voted for in parliament. Mr Halfon has put forward a Private Members’ bill to argue the case, saying that school closures and lockdowns had led to massive gaps in learning and to a safeguarding crisis. Many teachers remain uncertain about the proposed ban, with 29 per cent saying they were unsure whether they backed it. Slightly fewer teachers were against the ban – with 20 per cent disagreeing and 10 per cent strongly disagreeing. Primary school teachers remained marginally more supportive of keeping schools open – with 39 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with a ban on future closures, 30 per cent being uncertain, nine per cent strongly disagreeing and 18 per cent disagreeing. Among secondary school teachers, 39 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with a ban on closures while 27 per cent were unsure and a third disagreed or strongly disagreed. The split was starkest between state and private schools. Private schools were much more likely to want to stay open – with 25 per cent strongly in favour compared with 15 per cent in the state sector. Overall, 48 per cent of private school teachers backed the ban compared to 37 per cent in the state sector. Private primaries were strongly in favour of Mr Halfon’s proposals by 53 per cent compared to state primaries on 38 per cent. Just 37 per cent of state secondary school teachers backed the ban compared to nearly half – 48 per cent – of private secondaries. More state secondary teachers disagreed with the ban – with 34 per cent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing – than private secondary teachers (23 per cent). For private primaries, just 20 per cent opposed the move compared with 28 per cent in state primaries. A further 23 per cent of private school teachers agreed with the ban on closures compared to 22 per cent of state schools, Headteachers were also more likely to be very supportive of keeping schools open – with 42 per cent strongly agreeing or agreeing with an outright ban compared with just 35 per cent of classroom teachers. There were also regional variations, with London schools most in favour of a ban on closures – 40 per cent vs 31 per cent in the East of England. A third of teachers in the East of England disagreed or strongly disagreed with school closures while that figure was 29 per cent in London; 35 per cent in the Midlands, 31 per cent in the North West, 32 per cent in the South East, 30 per cent in the South West and 28 per cent in Yorkshire and the North East. Schools rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted were the most likely to want to stay open – with 38 per cent supporting the proposed ban compared to 34 per cent of schools rated as ‘Good’ and 33 per cent of schools rated as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’. Eve Harper, event director, at Bett UK at Hyve Group plc, said: “Our survey shows that teachers are clearly concerned that the learning gap has widened since the pandemic. More teachers think that the Covid catch-up will take 18 months or more. There is also a stark difference in how long state school teachers fear it will take for pupils to recover lost learning compared with private school
New film released for schools to highlight ‘County Lines’ grooming threat
A new film tackling the growing issue of criminals grooming and exploiting teenagers has been released for schools. New this week on Into Film’s free screening service for UK schools, Into Film+, is the film County Lines, an Award-winning British drama depicting the story of a teenage boy pressured into running ‘County Lines’, an escalating issue facing vulnerable children and young people today. Aimed at pupils aged 16+, Into Film launched the film and accompanying teaching resource to highlight the UK crisis affecting pupils who lack support and safeguarding within society and to provide valuable insight and support for teachers tackling this challenging subject matter in the classroom. “This film authentically depicts the reality for young people caught up in the County Lines trap,” said Stefanie Roberts, Signs of Safety Practice Lead, Bexley Children’s Social Care. “This is exactly the model used and the film tracks it brilliantly. It’s an important film to share with young people, their teachers and families, and we will be using the film as part of our training.” Inspired by true events, County Lines is the highly acclaimed debut feature from writer/director Henry Blake who based the film on his own experience as a youth worker operating in an East London PRU (Pupil Referral Unit) for children excluded from mainstream school). The film is a vivid and moving coming-of-age story about a struggling mum and her 14-year-old son, Tyler, who is groomed and recruited into a lethal drug-selling network, a ‘County Line’. The director’s first-hand knowledge from working with young people already taking part or at real risk of ‘County Lines’ exploitation has enabled him to create an authentic film that captures the harsh reality that so many young people in the UK currently face. The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that more than 10,000 children in the UK are now exploited by or forced to work for drug gangs and that there are now more than 2,000 individual deal line numbers in operation. Police forces, the government, charities and academia are working to combat and disrupt the threat, which can have traumatic and long-lasting consequences for those exploited. “Frontline staff are so crucial because they can urge other professionals to recognise and acknowledge a child’s vulnerability; something that if it goes unchecked can send a young person on a whistle-stop tour of the UK’s criminal justice system,” said County Lines Writer/Director, Henry Blake. To watch County Lines and access the teaching resource, sign up to the free* streaming platform, Into Film+ Into Film and the Into Film+ streaming platform is supported by the BFI using National Lottery funding, thanks to National Lottery players, and the UK film industry through Cinema First. The National Lottery raises £36 million each week for good causes across the UK. *Into Film+ screenings of Filmbankmedia’s films for an entertainment or extra-curricular purpose require a Public Video Screening Licence (PVSL) from Filmbankmedia. State-funded schools in England are covered by the PVSL.
Kaiser Chiefs frontman and Radio 1 star host new CBBC art show
Kaiser Chiefs frontman and former art teacher, Ricky Wilson, is teaming up with award-winning Radio 1 presenter, Vick Hope for a brand new CBBC show, which sees 27 budding young artists from around the UK compete to be crowned Britain’s Best Young Artist. Armed with a sketchbook and pencil, each episode sees three contenders take part in an Inspiration day, designed to challenge and stretch their artistic muscles, before returning to the art studio to create a showstopping artwork. The wannabe artists must impress Ricky and a guest judge who will be on hand to critique the finished artwork and decide who moves onto the next round. Joining Ricky as a guest judge will be world-class artists including Alison Lapper, Simeon Barclay, Si Mitchell and many more. Those that make the semi-finals are commissioned to create an original piece of art for celebrities including, Dr Alex George; acing driver, Jamie Chadwick and former Blue Peter presenter, Lindsey Russell, all appearing in the series. The series culminates with the grand finale, in which the top 3 artists have to draw on all of their creative skills and experience to produce a winning masterpiece which best depicts their hometown. Out of 3 semi-finalists, there can only be one winner who goes on to be crowned Britain’s Best Young Artist and win the prize of their final masterpiece displayed at an art gallery in their home town. Ricky says: “I’ve really enjoyed seeing what all the kids in the show can do and what they can do is astonishing. If I could do anything as half as good as them at that age then I’d be winning the Turner Prize.” Vick says: “Britain’s Best Young Artist is a place for experimentation, for getting your hands dirty, getting stuck in and trying new things. This show proves that anyone can make art and anyone can be an artist, no matter how young they are.” Britain’s Best Young Artist made by BBC Children’s In-House Productions will air Monday to Thursday on CBBC and BBC iPlayer from Monday 7th February. Britain’s Best Young Artist was filmed in a warehouse studio in Bolton, Greater Manchester and across several UK locations including Wales, Cumbria, Yorkshire, West Midlands and London.