The award winning teaching and learning platform – CENTURY Tech
CENTURY Tech, a UK based education technology platform, tackles some of the biggest pain points in education by combining artificially intelligent technology, big data and cognitive neuroscience. With 1.3 million children underperforming in the UK (Ofsted, 2016) and 74% of teachers considering leaving the profession due to unmanageable workloads (TES, 2016), it is clear that the current education system is facing some serious challenges. CENTURY has been developed by teachers, students, parents, tech-engineers and neuroscientists with the purpose of improving education for all teachers and students. CENTURY’s revolutionary technology has resulted in them being a finalist at the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield. Priya Lakhani OBE, CENTURY Tech’s Founder CEO says, “At CENTURY, we are passionate about improving education. Our platform uses advanced technology that makes a real difference to both the teacher and student. I am thrilled that this has been recognised by TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield!” How CENTURY Tech works Students access learning the material through CENTURY. CENTURY hosts a multimedia library of content including, GCSE maths and English language, and maths and English Functional Skills, Entry Level 3, Level 1 and Level 2, all of which is mapped to the curriculum. Teachers can also easily add their own subjects and content. Artificially intelligent technology then learns how each student learns, providing them with a personalised and adaptive learning journey, constant, formative assessments and instant feedback. All messages students receive are tailored to their experience and are grounded in cognitive neuroscience, designed to encourage a growth mindset and resilience. Teachers and SLT are presented with real-time actionable data that supports evidence-based teaching and reduces time spent on planning. By tracking homework, auto marking and finding resources, CENTURY reduces the admin burden faced by teachers. The deep insights presented to educators show their students achievement, knowledge, skills and performance against assessment objectives, identifying their strengths and indicating where interventions may be necessary. Who uses CENTURY Tech? CENTURY Tech is currently being used by more than 10,000 students, with several more secondary schools and colleges receiving their logins in January. CENTURY Tech is also a finalist for the BETT Awards and Learning Awards and Founder CEO, Priya Lakhani, recently won the Special Achievement Award at the Mayor’s Fund Awards. The platform that reduces workload & improves outcomes Feedback from current CENTURY teachers: “It’s great to have a diagnostic tool which accurately and constantly reflects what the student knows.” Headteacher “It’s really going to revolutionise the way we can teach.” Maths teacher Call CENTURY Tech today to discuss you needs on 0207 907 0893
The importance of workshops in the school environment
Workshops are extremely important in a school environment to promote pupils’ wellbeing and increase awareness of topics. Here, Richard Fitzgerald, the head teacher at Langdon Park School, discusses how workshops are valuable for students, staff and parents as well as highlighting how workshops in the future must become proactive by nature. Currently, in the UK, the picture of youths’ wellbeing and mental health remains patchy and overall quite bleak, with an estimated one in ten children estimated to have been clinically diagnosed with either a mental health disorder and/or emotional or behavioural problems, according to the BBC. Suicide remains one of the three most common causes of death amongst youngsters and the prominent rise of social media has allowed for new problems to emerge such as cyberbullying, which can, of course, contribute to emotional and mental health problems. It has been suggested that Government policy has not reflected the need to focus on children’s wellbeing especially with the removal of criteria from Ofsted reports to monitor how well schools promote students’ health or personal development. The London School of Economics has suggested that schools, in recent years, have been called to take up a ‘protective’ role that traditionally the families and communities have always undertaken. Finding the balance of this role can be tricky, yet one way in which schools can remain vigilant in promoting pupils’ wellbeing is through workshops that can be provided throughout the school terms. Workshops allow for key information to be distributed with support available if necessary, whilst also informing the traditional protectors of children (the families and communities) of the same information and support. All schools should share the same ethos that every child deserves to be happy, safe and successful at school. This can be the tone that permeates every aspect of school life and can be shown to be one of the key determinants of wellbeing and mental health in schools. Pupils who have better health have been shown to be better educated, so anything that can promote pupil wellbeing will benefit the pupil, family, community and ultimately the school itself as it provides an opportunity to improve the achievement levels of a pupil. This clearly highlights the need for workshops surrounding wellbeing and mental health in schools. Although many are present on a national level, it has been suggested that these are too reactive in their nature. They are addressing issues that have already emerged and often occur long after an issue has arisen within the school or in society. It is therefore important for schools to provide workshops of a preventative and/or proactive nature as the most effective interventions are those that take place early on. This is because they can help students, parents or teachers identify any issues and equally prevent or minimise the effects from escalating whether this is a mental health issue or bullying in the classroom. At Langdon Park School, we recognise the need for proactive workshops. We have held sessions surrounding mental health for both our pupils and parents as we are aware that early intervention and support networks can really help our community. From our recent mental health workshop, nearly three-quarters of pupils who had requested help for their mental health issues went to their teachers first. In addition to this, there was a significant number of parents making self-referrals to receive counselling. Workshops are important within school environments to promote wellbeing and happiness for our pupils, but also for raising awareness within the community in general. They provide the right guidance and advice to support everyone involved without taking away the ‘protective’ role which parents and the community are responsible for – they just provide the helping hand when needed.
T Levels – The Future of Technical Education in the UK
Educational services provider, NCFE’s Policy and Research Manager Michael Lemin, explains how the new technical qualifications, T Levels, will work, how they differ from existing qualifications and the benefits for young people. The Government’s new flagship technical qualifications, T Levels represent a significant change in how technical education is taught and studied in England. Designed for learners aged 16-18, these new qualifications will be equivalent to three A Levels. T Levels are being introduced to ensure that learners have access to well-respected vocational qualifications, as a credible alternative to A Levels. They are designed to create parity of esteem between academic and technical qualifications and ensure that the country has a world-class technical education system, developing students who can succeed in the modern economy and compete on a world stage. What are T Levels? The concept of T Levels was first introduced in the Post-16 Skills Plan published in July 2016. The idea behind the plan was that at 16, following their GCSEs, students would choose to study either an academic (A Levels) or technical (T Levels) route. It set out 15 pathways based on the recommendations set out in the Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education led by Lord Sainsbury, which recommended grouping technical education options by the skills required to work in 15 different industries. Within the 15 occupational maps, 11 have T Levels planned with the remaining 4 routes intended to be delivered through apprenticeships. More than three years on, and after some initial setbacks, the first T Level qualifications are currently being developed by the chosen awarding organisations, including NCFE, in collaboration with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and Department for Education. The first courses are set to be offered from September 2020, with phased roll-out of all pathways to be completed by 2023. T Levels will be two-year programmes aimed at 16 to 18-year olds, each one is made up of a technical qualification (TQ) that integrates maths, English and digital skills, includes an industry placement of up to 50 days and an employer set project. They will also be awarded UCAS tariff points in line with 3 A Levels. The content of the technical qualification will be based on the same occupational standards as apprenticeships, with their content defined by employers. It is made of up core knowledge, and occupational specialisms, which allow the learner to follow their desired path. The technical qualification and assessment will be developed by an awarding organisation. At the end of the programme, the student will be able to enter skilled employment in a particular occupation or to continue to study that technical subject at a higher level. What does this mean for learners? The introduction of T Levels will significantly reshape the technical qualifications landscape at Level 3, with the Government set to concentrate resources on these new qualifications and potentially withdrawing funding from others. The DfE will be reviewing the qualifications it currently funds at Level 3 and below, with a view to streamlining this and has been consulting on the subject. T Levels will become one of three major options when a learner reaches Level 3, alongside apprenticeships and A levels. The first three T Levels, being launched in 2020, are: • Education and Childcare • Digital Production, Design and Development • Design, Surveying and Planning From September 2021 they will be offered in: • Digital Business Services • Digital support and services • Health • Healthcare Science • Science • Building Services Engineering and Onsite Construction There are a further two waves to be launched, in 2022 and 2023 respectively. These will offer an additional 15 pathways for young people to choose from. Where are T Levels being delivered? The providers for the first wave of T Levels were announced in early 2019 and depending on where you live in the country, the chance of having a T Level delivered in your region varies. These providers will play an important role in ensuring more young people across the country can access these courses and help develop the skilled workforce the country needs for the future. More than 100 further education providers will be delivering T Levels by 2021, with the recent announcement of a further 64 colleges having been chosen to deliver wave two. A list of providers can be found here: Wave One and Wave Two. More are expected to be announced in the future, for Wave Three and Wave Four. How are T Levels different? T Levels aim to prepare learners for careers in specific industries. They were designed by employers, who sat on T Level panels convened by the DfE developing the outline content, to ensure that students completing T Levels have the skills employers need and the knowledge and understanding to hit the ground running in their chosen profession. One of the key differences that sets them apart from other Level 3 qualifications though is the mandatory industry placement. How they can benefit young learners? The T Level has been designed to help young people “secure a lifetime of sustained skilled employment” and to “meet the needs of our growing and rapidly changing economy” according to the Government. Those young people who complete a T Level will have completed a substantial work placement, helping them to develop ‘on the job’ skills and hands-on experience that will make them well prepared for a successful career in their chosen profession and an asset to employers. A key part of the T Level assessment will be achieving ‘threshold competence’, which will provide evidence of achievement in work-specific skills that show learners can work and succeed in their chosen industry. They will also have a strong understanding of the realities of a job in their chosen sector that will help them to make the right choice regarding their next steps and ensuring that they chose the path that will help them to fulfil their potential. Learners who complete these new technical qualifications will have a range of options for further
Climate change – through the eyes of our school children
Our younger generation is now more aware of the world’s environmental issues than ever before – especially around the subject of climate change and the effects of global warming on our planet. Greta Thunberg brought the issue even more to the forefront of their minds, leading the revolution when she walked out of school and organised a strike to raise awareness of climate change. It was proven just how much our school children care about their planet when on the 20th September 2019 millions of children around the world left their classrooms to follow her in a global climate change protest – it was the biggest ever! Our school children have become so passionate about the subject as it will be them who will be hit the hardest and will have to deal with the impact of global warming in the years to come. With this knowledge, here at QA Education, we want to share schoolchildren’s work from up and down the UK, giving their perspective on the effects of climate change and how they are tackling the issue within their schools and communities. Whether this is through poetry, posters, videos or in another medium, we will share their work here with you. School children’s work on climate change Plastic Pioneers from St Andrew’s Church of England High School in Worthing: “St Andrew’s entered a piece of art called ‘Man ‘O’ Waste’ in the 2019 Worthing Light Festival. The exhibition showcased a number of stunning, sustainable art installations that lit up using renewable energy on Worthing’s East Beach recently. There were over 35 entries that were judged by Ali Lapper MBE and a panel of experts and we were delighted to be awarded 1st place in our category. “As part of St Andrew’s Plastic Pioneer project we are looking at ways to reduce the use of single-use plastic in school, raising awareness about the environmental effects single-use plastics have and change behaviours whilst at the same time creating stimulating new experiences for our students. “St Andrew’s are building an environmental policy around the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. This will, in turn, save money and help ensure that any changes the school make have a positive environmental impact, improving the future of our planet and leaving our legacy for future generations to enjoy.” Plastic Pioneers from Monkspath Junior & Infant School in Solihull give advice on how to reduce, reuse and recycle: The Sustainers group from Acland Burghley, North London give their insight into climate change and sustainable living: Protest on Plastic – Rufus, a Year 7 pupil at Acland Burghley School in Camden, London: Would you like to be included? If you are a pupil or teacher and would like us to include yours or your pupils’ work above, send it over with the pupil’s name, school year and the name of their school. If your school has a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest account, please send those details too and we can tag you into our social media posts: follow @qaeducation!
The Evolving World of Sixth Forms: The Challenge of Change
In today’s evolving educational landscape, the challenge for school sixth forms to justify their existence and remain relevant and appealing to students looking for a ‘college style’ experience is greater than ever. As ‘consumers’ of further education, young people today have a multitude of options, experiences and opportunities open to them as they enter into the next stage of their educational journey. This new wave of students are clear about what they want, requiring a bespoke education that meets individual needs and expectations. They crave ‘newness’ or novelty of experience at post 16 but also a sense of belonging and ‘excitement’ for learning new things along with a stimulating learning environment. They want more freedom, bigger rewards, more choice, greater flexibility and a wealth of cutting-edge resources at their fingertips. The real challenge is how schools interpret and realise these new demands: sixth form today must appeal to the young adult who expects autonomy, quality and choice and whose parents encourage this. It’s a world away from ‘school life’ as we know it. The need for change As well as the general perceptions of ‘freedom’, funding vs. the range of qualifications on offer can also prove challenging for many schools. Creating an exciting, aspirational environment that mirrors a ‘college’ existence is no easy feat within the realms of a traditional school building. Yet modern sixth form provision, even five years ago, is beginning to look tired and out of date. Add to that, competition from state-funded colleges, independent ‘crammer’ colleges and even university-led foundation courses, all competing for the same pupils and it’s easy to see how the pressure on school sixth forms has grown in recent years. Students want a college-style environment because they believe they need a ‘change’ from the limitations of their previous school life. Yet pinning down what this specifically translates to in reality, can be tricky for schools. Whilst the need for ‘change’ can mean a great many things, a major factor for students is the need for greater freedom, in which case sixth form schools could revisit the current rewards on offer at Key Stage 5 – could students be allowed to sign out early, are they allowed to go out at lunchtime or could they ‘earn’ their freedoms through effort grades? How could this be ‘sold’ to them? For other students it is about the need to move as far away from being that Year 11 school pupil (who perhaps has not enjoyed their schooling at GCSE) as is humanly possible. Sixth form is a chance to ‘remake’ a student’s reputation and start afresh. In which case, is this about looking at how the staff perceive sixth form students moving through from Year 11? Is it about the language staff use to talk to sixth formers? Does the sixth form ‘feel’ different or more collegiate in atmosphere? If there is still a strong desire to move across to a college to experience these changes, schools could be proactive, drawing up a list of students to speak with, questioning perceived need against learning maturity or readiness for this environment. Rely on the expertise and knowledge of the Head of Year 11 in your school and include the Y11 pastoral team on this journey because their role in marketing is as important as anyone else’s in the school. A conversation with the students and their parents to discuss these perceptions and their educational needs using evidence of their learning from data and teacher testimony will make a compelling case. Getting parents on board and to realise their role is very important in this decision is crucial so it is important to win the hearts and minds of the entire family. A hard act to follow Cutting-edge college facilities today can be a hard act to follow, with roomy seminar spaces, high-tech innovation, modern furniture, laid-back café cultures etc. therefore, schools need to take a creative look at their sixth form common rooms, study spaces, libraries and refreshment facilities to create that college ambience that students are looking for, if they are to truly compete. There is a place for school sixth forms who can offer this and manage well the challenges that come with it, operating within whole school rules and restraints. Beyond, this, schools need to think about what they can offer well, which other institutions cannot. Where sixth form schools have an advantage is that the relationship with the Year 11 student is already established, and staff can form new relationships with external students quickly with a suite of transitional and induction marketing events. We can also use prior knowledge of existing students to communicate that individual needs would be better met in a sixth form school where they are known, where their current standard of work is known and therefore will receive more personalised academic attention quickly. Of course, having an outstanding HE programme and the gold dust of supportive Alumni to offer careers fairs, panels, networking breakfasts, high profile visiting speakers etc. could entice students to consider their options more carefully. Partnering with other schools to ensure mixed-sex experiences or state-independent experiences is a great way to ensure students mix with people from diverse backgrounds, thereby replicating a more college-like experience. Ensuring your relationships, teaching and learning standards are known for excellence is also important and often the key reason students stay on at a school or will make the leap to a new school. It is about creating a loyal following based on faith in the ‘product’ you are marketing for this consumer-savvy market. Separate but still integrated Probably the biggest challenge is to keep the sixth form separate and also a part of the school that Year 11 students still want to attend for their further study. Using your happy sixth formers to engage in initiatives across the school such as peer mentoring, House systems, vertical tutoring and prefect- led events will help spread the message positively in addition to the more formalised
Don’t let these 3 common school HR issues cause a problem
Whilst every school is different in their characteristics there are some common school HR issues they face. Here Natalie Spink, Employment Solicitor for Education Services for Your HR Lawyer, explains how schools can handle three of the most common problems. 1. The school needs to change the staffing structure for its Senior Leadership Team, how do we do this? It is highly likely that you will have a restructuring policy, so the first thing for you to do is have a read through this. The policy will set out the procedure to be followed when going through a restructure and will help ensure that employees are treated fairly and help reduce the risk of an employment tribunal claim, which may arise as a result of the process. One of the key things when going through a restructuring process is to plan: What is your current structure and what do you need it to look like moving forward? You should draft the proposed new staffing structure in conjunction with the Governing Body and whilst this is in draft form, consult on these proposals with any recognised Trade Union for the affected staff. As you are in budget deficit it is important that you cost out any possible redundancies before starting the process. An employee who has two years’ service or more is entitled to a redundancy payment, so this could have big implications for what you can and can’t do. You must ensure that any dismissal as a result of this process is fair, so before you go ahead please seek advice from your HR/legal advisors. 2. We have a Teacher who is underperforming, and he has been placed on an informal support plan, however, he has just been signed off as unfit to work by his doctor due to stress. We don’t know what to do? This is a common issue. As the teacher is now absent from work due to ill health, the informal procedure cannot continue until the employee returns to work and therefore this must be put on hold. As the employee is now off sick, this will need to be managed under your absence management process. The process will depend on how long the employee is absent for. In these types of situations, it is recommended that action is taken quickly, as this is sometimes (not always!) used as a way of avoiding going through the support process. By acting quickly, you are sending the message that this will not go away. Depending on the circumstances you may benefit from an occupational health report for the employee as that will give you all the information you need to decide how best to deal with this. Communication is key in these types of situations to help facilitate the employee back to work. Communication will demonstrate that the informal support plan is a supportive measure and you are trying to help the teacher succeed in their role. Where an employee is off with stress, it may be best to have any communication via the employees Trade Union representative (if they have one). Once the report is obtained (or where a report isn’t required) a meeting with the employee should be arranged to discuss its contents, how the employee is feeling and the concerns that they have. Hopefully, this will help alleviate their worries and they will feel well enough to come back to work. Our advice is don’t just leave them off sick and not take any action. A delay in addressing this will add to the employee’s stress, and will make it much harder for you to address later on. 3. We have a teacher who was awarded a TLR (Teaching and Learning Responsibility) by the previous Head Teacher but they don’t actually do anything for the TLR – we are not even sure why it was awarded! What can we do? A Teaching and Learning Responsibility is a payment given to a classroom teacher for undertaking a sustained additional responsibility for the purpose of ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning for which that teacher is made accountable. The School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) provides a mechanism for removing a TLR and this can be easily done provided the change is consulted on. This is a fairly straightforward process. The value of the TLR may need to be safeguarded for a period of three years in accordance with the STPCD, however, if the value of the safeguarded sum exceeds £500, you can allocate the teacher additional duties as is reasonable in the circumstances, proportionate to the safeguarded sum. These examples show that the answer to most HR problems is to act quickly and decisively and seek the right support. Investing resources into HR and employment issues when they first arise can save schools a significant amount of time money down the line.
Accelerate your pupils maths ability with Maths-Whizz
Looking for a way to raise student attainment in maths and ease teacher workload at the same time? Have you considered Maths-Whizz, the multi-award-winning online tutor from Whizz Education? What is Maths-Whizz Made up of four core elements, including the award-winning AI driven tutor, in-depth assessment and reporting tools, a bank of high-quality resources and the customer success team. Each element works together to help progress maths within schools. How can Maths-Whizz help With just 45-60 minutes per week on Maths-Whizz, your students’ maths ability will, on average, increase by 18 months in their first year of use* – that’s a six-month acceleration! How does Maths-Whizz achieve this? By providing each student with a personalised learning journey that matches their unique needs and pace of learning. After an initial no-pressure online assessment which pinpoints each student’s strengths and weaknesses across the maths curriculum, the Tutor provides them with fully-individualised, interactive lessons which aim to close the specific gaps in their knowledge. What’s more, it does all this without teacher input! That’s not all though, our Assessment and Reporting tool allows teachers to view student progress in each individual topic, while our Teachers’ Resource has a collection of over 1240 exciting lessons and worksheets all in one convenient location. The Maths-Whizz Money Back Guarantee At Whizz Education we always keep our promises. So when we say 45-60 minutes per week will accelerate your students’ maths attainment – we mean it! In fact, we’re so confident of this that we’re prepared to give you a full refund if at least two-thirds of the students who use Maths-Whizz for a minimum of 45 minutes a week over one year, do not experience more than 12 months growth in their Maths Age.** Please note that you need to purchase at least 100 subscriptions for this offer to apply. If your school has less than 100 students, you will need to purchase Maths-Whizz for your entire school. Sound interesting? T&Cs apply *Research by Whizz Education – conducted with over 12,000 students and verified by independent experts – found that students who used Maths-Whizz for 45-60 minutes a week increase their Maths Age, on average, by 18 months in the first year of use. **Maths Age is a measure of how each student is progressing through the Maths-Whizz curriculum. Students are first assigned a Maths Age after the initial assessment, which then grows as they progress through Tutor.
How will Brexit impact the recruitment of teachers
For the past 20 years membership of the EU has been at the forefront of the political debate, whether it be parliamentary sovereignty, open borders or bendy bananas. However, one side of this debate that has gathered less fanfare has been how leaving the EU will affect the teacher shortage and as a result how education recruitment agencies will evolve their businesses and business practice. One response is to branch out into countries where demand for teachers is high for example, UAE Asia pack region where the demand for teachers and especially those trained in the UK is extremely high. On average a UK teacher will earn £10,000 P/A more (tax-free) than their UK based counterpart would. Dubai specifically aims to promote development by investing in education and the development of knowledge in the region. In a statement H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said: ‘’We must believe in people. Human beings – their ideas, innovations, dreams, and connections – are the capital of the future. In this sense, the ‘brain regain’ is not so much an achievement in itself as it is a leading indicator of development, because where great minds go today, great things will happen tomorrow’’. This investment in people-to-people exchanging doesn’t end in the Middle East. In a phone call between Hwag-Kyo-Ahn prime minister of the Republic of Korea and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on the 12th of January to discuss their 25th year of bilateral ties they also discussed how to expand on their free trade agreement into education and culture; a rather different position to the one Britain is pursuing with Brexit. With other nations seemingly moving forward with bilateral education investment EU teachers in the UK and vice versa are left in the dark until a decision is made between the two during the divorce-like proceedings. Here are some numbers that illustrate just how many teachers are currently in limbo • 5,000 teachers from EU countries qualified to teach in 2015 a big increase from just over 2,000 in 2010 • 1 in 6 new teachers in England qualified overseas • The largest numbers came from Spain, Greece, Poland and Romania. • The number from Greece has shot up more than six fold – from 88 to 572 – since 2010 Department of Education Failings In my 17 years of experience of providing quality staff, we are inundated by schools with vacancies they can’t fill. Prospero would love to be able to fill every position but the UK just lacks the necessary number of qualified teachers. As a company, we have had to look further afield. Australian and Canadian teachers have become almost a regular feature of our UK schools. These overseas teachers are very happy to travel to start and develop their careers and use this opportunity as a temporary working holiday. In fact, 30% of Prospero’s London teachers are originally from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone involved in education knows that there is a chronic teacher shortage and issue that has been insufficiently addressed over many years, so much so that a recent national audit office report. “Public Accounts’ Committee stated in 2016 that ministers have “no plan” to meet the growing teacher shortage” and “assumed that headteachers will deal with gaps,” Furthermore it also states: • The Department has missed its targets for filling training places over the last 4 years with secondary training places particularly difficult to fill. • The Department finds it difficult to recruit enough trainees in most secondary subjects. • The Department’s short-term approach means providers do not have a clear, stable basis on which to plan for the long term Despite the £40 billion investment in education this still falls short bearing in mind growing population bigger classes and demand for more schools the impact of this means there is additional demand on EU teachers. One of the many things this does is put additional demands on teachers, increasing the pressure on them and their stress levels which is leading to increasing numbers of them leaving the profession. This in turn leads to lower pupil attainment and the increased need to find teachers from overseas. Brexit Delaying Policy Change UK government action in recruiting UK teachers may remain stagnant throughout the next few years due to focus on Brexit negotiations. Therefore the UK must remain to hire as heavily from overseas as possible. UK Teachers Abroad Compliance is a huge part of the education recruitment business process and agencies are used to incorporating new legislation into their practice. We believe that this experience will be hugely valuable to the sector as and when it has to deal with the new visa arrangements that will undoubtedly arise post-Brexit. Conclusion Both business and political spheres will remain unsure of the effects of Brexit until the final details are hashed out. The current UK teaching shortage may not be fixed anytime soon due to political emphasis placed on negotiating Brexit and in the short run the status quo will likely carry on. For now, UK schools must take advantage of saturated markets abroad. In the long run Brexit may prove advantageous on the proviso that EU national teachers are granted the same rights as before. Leaving the EU we are no longer beholden to EU’s immigration and working policies. Upon leaving, the British government should look to establish further inroads and freer movement with Commonwealth countries. Thus making it easier for teachers to move to the UK and take further advantage of these saturated markets. Early reports suggest non-EU governments are very willing to discuss formal trade deals with the UK upon our departure from the bloc. This is promising as it will open further markets to help fill positions in UK schools. We hope a Brexit government moves to make inroads with countries with a hunger for British teachers in the ever-growing number
How Tassomai revision tool can help boost pupils science results
Tassomai is a GCSE learning and revision program which helps close the attainment gap and levels the playing field for all students. It can be used by all pupils – including those with health problems, behavioural issues, those suffering from mental health issues or going through other difficult circumstances. It also allows children to work at their own pace but ensuring clear progress – and the best thing about Tassomai? Pupils can use it from home on their smartphones. Editor Victoria Galligan spoke to founder Murray Morrison about its effect on attainment in the schools where Tassomai has become part of everyday life… Practice, research and technology combine in this clever science revision programme, which is the brainchild of former teacher Murray. The overall aim is to take away the stress of learning from pupils, teachers and parents alike, with measurable results. Murray said: “I have worked with children who had health or behaviour issues before, and saw how a range of difficulties, from anxiety to dyslexia, affected learning and the pupils’ ability to prepare for exams. “My aim with Tassomai was to build the pupils’ confidence and improve the outcome of the exams. I worked closely with psychotherapist Madeline Inkin, who is a director at Tassomai, to create a platform which makes learning accessible and engaging while reducing the workload for teachers at the same time.” Tassomai has built its reputation on its delivery of GCSE science content, though it also supports English, maths and French for students from Y6 to Y11, as well as A-Level sciences. ItsTassomai focuses primarily on the GCSE science syllabus, with content is tailored to different exam boards, and teachers can track pupils’ use of the app to see how much time they are spending on revision. This helps them to quickly identify the areas they are showing strengths or weaknesses in and to discuss this with the pupil or with parents. The app has accessible features so pupils who are colourblind can use it, those with reading difficulties can choose spoken-word options, and on 4G the data usage is minimal so pupils are unlikely to use much of their allowance on Tassomai – for example, a YouTube clip uses around the same data as one month on the program. Tassomai releases around 6-8 hours of revision a week for pupils and encourages users to practice over a long period of time, revisiting each topic in turn. It’s easy to identify the areas in which a pupil is struggling, allowing teachers to act by planning interventions or by revisiting as a whole class if needed. The introduction of videos to Tassomai Since September 2019 schools working with Tassomai have had access to a suite of 150 videos designed to target gaps in knowledge identified by their use of the program. The Tassomai algorithm automatically identifies students’ weaknesses and picks out a video targeted at helping them. The addition of video content comes about after evidence showed it to have a significant impact on a students’ knowledge, recall and memory retention. In a research project overseen by academics from University College London and the Institute of Education’s UCL EDUCATE programme, the team measured the impact of brief, targeted intervention videos on short and long-term attainment. When quizzed on a topic, GCSE science students who had been shown a related video subsequently answered correctly 70.7% of the time, compared to 27.6% for the control group that had not seen the video. All the students who answered correctly were questioned on the same topic a week later. Those that had originally watched the video answered correctly 52.3% of the time, compared to 41.5% for the control group: a 10% uplift in long term recall. Murray said: “Because Tassomai’s algorithm is able to really identify weak areas we knew we had the potential to do something that was really targeted and focused towards the learner. “These short videos are digestible and accessible for each student and crucially, unlike other video based tools, Tassomai only shows videos to students when a weakness has been identified through their usage of the program.” Why you should choose Tassomai About 4,000 teachers now use Tassomai, after four years, and the results speak for themselves. In 2017, pupils who completed at least 80% of the program fared better at GCSE science than the national average. Half gained A or A*, compared to 21% of pupils nationally, and 90% gained C or above, compared to 68% across the country. This is strong evidence to back up all of the evidence-based research which has gone into making the app – which, has won the award for Best Resource for Home Learning at Bett 2019.