Girls in STEM careers: Nothing is impossible
Najwa Jawahar MEng, BEng CEng MIStructE, is a senior structural engineer at WSP – which provides a range of services from building high-rise property to mining precious metals. Here, she reviews the Rocking Ur Teens event which took place earlier this year in a bid to inspire young girls to pursue careers in STEM industries – and boost pupils’ confidence. Nothing Is Impossible I am a chartered structural engineer and specialise in the design of tall buildings. I joined WSP, a global design consultant in the built environment as a graduate engineer and have now been in the industry for over 7.5 years. I believe nothing is impossible and all you need to do is truly believe in your dreams. I am a huge advocate of inspiring, educating and mentoring the next generation. For this reason, when Sandy Parris from Rocking Ur Teens approached me in 2017, I couldn’t say no. Since then I have been supporting the event and absolutely enjoy being part of their journey. “What if there were no engineers?” is the question I ask the girls. What if there was no clean water, nowhere to sleep, no school to go to, no mobile phone, no hospitals, roads. Everything around us is engineered in some way or form. Without engineers, life would be very different from how we see it today. I let the girls imagine their own life without the facilities they have around. The reactions are amazing. In May, Rocking Ur Teens hit Manchester for the first time, to inspire, excite and educate our teens. I looked forward to the conference myself because it brings together so many role models under one roof and empowers them with fun. Careers engagement with added fun As a speaker, I shared my story, I shared what I do and how I chose my career path. Believe it or not, I used the method of elimination. I decided what I didn’t want to do and ended up being a Structural Design Engineer. I shared that you don’t necessarily have to be an engineer to work in an engineering firm and you don’t need to have done mathematics and physics to make a difference to the world around you. But in engineering, you don’t just talk. You build. So, I got the girls to construct their own towers using spaghetti and marshmallows – a challenge to either engineer the tallest structure or the longest structure. I received fantastic responses. Within the groups in action, I saw leaders, I saw the team working, I saw creativity and innovation, and above all, I saw huge smiles. I genuinely believe in the vision of Rocking Ur Teens and the impact it is having on the future generations. It’s an excellent platform to empower teenagers in a fun way. For more information on the careers opportunities promoted by Rocking Ur Teens, see rockingurteens.com
Keeping careers advice accessible: Top tips for SEND teachers
Kirstie Mackey, Head of Barclays LifeSkills, on how relating careers advice to real-life school situations can help pupils with SEND to explore their employment potential… Helping young people realise their aspirations and reach their full potential is a universal aim for teachers. Particularly when it comes to careers education and building the life skills that will prepare young people for the world of work, we know that educators are constantly on the look-out for better ways to equip their students for this next phase. And this is no different for educators of young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In the era of a changing world of work where the nature of future job roles is increasingly uncertain, every young person deserves to have access to quality careers education. However, from five years of working alongside educators through our LifeSkills sessions, we know that with already busy teaching staff and a packed core curriculum, it’s increasingly difficult to devote time specifically to this. That is why we were delighted to partner with Talentino, who specialise in developing career development programmes particularly for students with SEND, to develop a suite of high-quality SEND-oriented LifeSkills careers resources. As educators already well know, careers guidance isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s why it is important to put together flexible, adaptable lesson plans and resources that teachers can easily work into the existing curriculum and apply to both mixed-ability and exclusively-SEND student groups. From our experience of producing SEND content for educators that focuses on building key 21st-century skills, we have put together some top tips for teaching specific transferable skills to students with special needs that will help prepare them for the world of work. 1. Help students to recognise their transferable skills Building employability skills can often seem daunting to SEND students, as they may not see themselves as possessing skills that are relevant to the workplace. It’s important to show students that employability skills can be developed through a variety of experiences, and to help them recognise the value of what they have already learnt at school. Ask your students to list out various activities they’ve done at school recently, from presenting an idea in class, volunteering to help a teacher, or playing a team sport. Then give them examples of common workplace tasks – such as serving a customer or working in a team – and help them connect the skills they’ve used in their school life to the workplace examples. Doing so can make the world of work seem much more relevant and far less daunting. 2. Creative careers advice sessions which foster an entrepreneurial mindset Developing an entrepreneurial mindset isn’t just important for students who might want to set up their own business. It’s also an effective way of building valuable resilience and problem-solving skills. Putting creativity at the heart of teaching enterprise skills can bring these skills to life through exercises like coming up with a need or problem and then working about a way to solve it. Supporting students to work through various problem scenarios in fun and imaginative ways keep them engaged, shows them how to be creative in their approach to solving issues and fosters an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them succeed in any workplace. 3. Boost self-confidence by learning from past experiences Building self-confidence in young people with SEND is particularly important. Here it’s helpful to encourage students not to shy away from situations that make them feel nervous, but instead to see them as opportunities to learn and grow. Try asking students to share a challenge they’ve faced and overcome at school and have other pupils pick out what they did well and the skills they used to succeed in that situation. Not only will this help to boost their self-confidence to be complemented by their peers, but it will also help reinforce to the student that they are capable of overcoming obstacles, and that they have grown as a result. Whether you’re an educator working with mixed ability groups or delivering lessons to groups of young people with additional needs, employing these methods can make teaching life skills easier and more effective. Through tying key life skills to young people’s everyday life experiences and making content simple and easy to understand, quality careers education can be made available and accessible to young people of all abilities and needs. The LifeSkills programme offers careers advice lesson plans and teacher resources for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The lesson plans can be used alongside mainstream LifeSkills content with mixed ability groups or separately with exclusively SEN-focused groups. These resources have been created with experts at Talentino, are supported by the National Development Team for Inclusion, and have been tested with staff and students at several different schools.
UNCOVERED: Maths mastery for four-year-olds
Katie Hiatt is a Publisher at Pearson and has led the development of Power Maths Reception. Here, she explains the CPA method and how it’s suited to children in early years. With a mastery approach becoming increasingly popular in primary schools, many school leaders are starting to consider how to embed mastery in their reception classrooms, without compromising on giving children a rounded experience of early years. Here are some ways you can align a mastery approach with early years best practice: Focus on foundations Don’t worry about teaching reception children to count to higher numbers or the names of every 3D shape you can find – these things can come later. What’s really important is that children begin to develop a sense of the underlying concepts and structures of maths. Some children may come to school already fluently counting to ten and beyond – but do they really, deeply understand what these numbers mean? Can they recognise and represent five in a variety of ways? Can they pick five pencils from a pot of ten? Do they know what pairs of numbers make up five, and when they’ve found all the pairs? Children need to master these foundation skills in order to succeed in KS1 and beyond. CPA the early years way CPA stands for concrete, pictorial, abstract – an approach that is being championed by the NCETM and Maths Hubs. Many teachers find that using concrete resources in maths comes naturally in EYFS – and that’s great! Being able to touch, feel and manipulate the maths is an ideal way to help children develop an understanding of the underlying concepts. But some teachers find it more difficult to move children from that great starting point to a pictorial and then abstract approach. Teaching children how to represent objects is a good starting point – it’s not practical to get three elephants and two camels into the room to sort them, so what could we use instead? Moving from a representation with a clear link (such as toy elephants and camels) to representation with something less obviously linked (such as counters and a part-whole model) ensures children understand the concept of representation as well as the underlying structure of this particular problem, building a firm foundation for later success in maths. Abstract maths doesn’t have to mean formal written maths. Try using sound and movement – how many claps can you hear? Can you hop five times? Can you line up in threes? Activities like these ensure children are not relying solely on visual cues. Develop a growth mindset in maths A key way to help children become ready for KS1 is to embed a growth mindset right from the start. Made a mistake? No worries! Learn from it, and have another go. Something you tried hasn’t worked? What could you try instead? Growth mindset attitudes to learning will help children become confident, curious and resilient learners, not just in maths but across the whole curriculum. Power Maths Reception combines a mastery teaching approach with Early Years best practice to help children be ready for maths in KS1 and beyond. It also includes built-in professional development for teachers. Find out more at: pearsonprimary.co.uk
Helping pupils thrive through self-assessment
Haylie Taylor, EducationCity’s education consultant and a former teacher, provides insight on the importance of boosting independent learning and looks at how schools can help their pupils thrive by prioritising regular self-assessment activities over formal testing… The ability to think and act independently is one of the most important skills that students can learn. Creating learners who are in control of their education helps to nurture them to become independent thinkers outside the classroom, and in the interim, helps improve their educational outcomes. Through the adaptation of more independent learning activities in the classroom, teachers may need to surrender some teacher-centric strategies to make room for those that enable students to have greater input into discovering their preferred learning style. Consequently, some concerns may emerge regarding the diminished role for teachers however, there is little cause for concern. Teachers are, and will continue to be, an imperative aspect of education and the development of independent learning among pupils. Additionally, as teachers work in tandem with edtech resources, like EducationCity, they are actively helping students thrive through self-assessment, building on self-confidence and empowering each student through the provision of instant feedback, data, and progress reports – all of which are important tools in establishing the basis for independent learning. Self-assessment methods Importantly, self-assessment methods are valuable in helping students to achieve learning objectives and providing an insight into their preferred learning style. In many instances, formal assessment is unavoidable however, regular self-assessment can not only lead to mastery, it can also be a useful tactic for developing self-correction and in easing pupil anxiety and stress in the lead up to exams. Through the provision of constructive feedback, self-assessment slowly builds students’ confidence and transforms barriers to learning into challenges that can be overcome with appropriate support and guidance. Self-assessment also helps students’ attainment through the repetitive, but importantly not monotonous, delivery of content in a range of contexts that help instill a deeper understanding of foundational concepts using methods that best suit each student. It is this prioritisation of personalised learning that allows students to effectively evaluate their learning methods and develop a better understanding of their coursework. Creating independent learners is a top priority for teachers and using resources that emphasise self-assessment goes a long way towards ensuring students are receiving personalised tutelage and revision methods that leverage their personal strengths and build upon their weaknesses. Implementing independent learning in the classroom also provides students with a sense of responsibility and ownership over their education, both of which are valuable characteristics in the greater education objective of developing responsible learners who will pursue their interests with critical inquiry and passion. For more information see EducationCity
Rocking Ur Teens: Year 9 pupil Caitlin blogs about conference
Caitlin McShane from class 9D at Southend High School for Girls took part in an empowering conference organised by Rocking Ur Teens, aimed at boosting confidence amongst young people. Here’s how Caitlin found the experience… On Tuesday 12 March, following International Women’s Day celebrations, twelve Year 9 pupils attended the Rocking Ur Teens girls’ conference, which took place at the NatWest offices, Bishopsgate. Rocking Ur Teens is a social enterprise whose goal is to give young people the skills, confidence and ideas needed for their futures. Stepping through the revolving doors perfectly welcomed us to the corporate world that the rest of the day would begin to ease us into. It seemed almost surreal at first to be given lanyards – something only workers are frequently seen with. The vibrant presenter Remel London (Capital Extra, Sky One and a live events host) somehow managed to make approximately 200 Year 9 girls, who had travelled from all over the south of England, feel energetic. The speakers who followed came from a vast variety of backgrounds and jobs; each of them sharing their unique experiences from the working world. Sherah Beckley, a sustainability and corporate responsibility specialist, spoke about how she went from a sixth form student to working with members of the UN. Her message was about re-inventing yourself – telling us that life is not a single pathway and that the only blockade to success is our self. Rocking Ur Teens leads to Rocking Ur Life! Next came Jillian ‘JJ’ Simmons from Houston, USA, a radio and TV host, speaker and author. She taught us about self-empowerment, the power of words and the social empowerment among our friends. After ‘JJ’ was Nick Howe, a businessman working for NatWest, who told us about entrepreneurship and his speciality in supporting small to medium enterprises. We learnt how to push ourselves forwards towards what we want, and about the appeal of working for yourself and the best ways to do so. A corporate panel formed of employees from some of NatWest’s numerous partners (e.g. Hermes, Sage, Coca Cola) followed. This was one of the most informative talks as we were able to discuss almost on a one-to-one basis with a speaker. We spoke to a lady who represented women and ethnic diversity in new businesses and we learnt how to prepare for our futures as well as receiving wisdom about job interviews – something that we have never really discussed before. After lunch Jillian Kowalchuk talked to us about Artificial Intelligence and how it would affect the future. She had great experience in the field, having created an award-winning app, Safe and the City, and it was impressive to hear her story as CEO of the company that developed it. The Armed Forces then showcased their diversity. This section was presented by three women from the Navy, Air Force, and Army. They showed us how leadership isn’t just one person in control but really just organised methods of teamwork. The day came to a close with a vocal performance by Sherika Sherard, a busker turned music star. Her story was particularly inspiring as it showcased how your world can be turned around provided you remain passionate at what you’re doing. All in all, it was an insightful and empowering day. For more information on Rocking Ur Teens and the work it does with young people, see rockingurteens.com
Pioneers OKIDO & OjO launch the first coding board game
London-based STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths) learning pioneers OKIDO and OjO, have joined forces to launch the first coding board game for four-year-olds. OKIDO, makers of Messy Goes to OKIDO CBeebies TV show and OKIDO arts and science magazine, and educational game and toy developer OjO, are today (May 13) launching the Which Way? game as part of a joint Kickstarter campaign to raise £15,000. Designed to make learning engaging and fun, the game has been created by OjO’s team of product designers, educational and child development experts and digital marketeers. Using a magnetic, self-driving, toy car, it helps to teach four of the top coding skills to children aged 4-8 years. Suitable for home, classroom-based learning and clubs, it helps youngsters develop ‘computational thinking’ incorporating planning, problem solving, coding and testing skills – essential attributes for successful coders. Currently it is believed to be the only game of its kind which is suitable for pre-school children. It is the brainchild of OjO founder and London Business School graduate Maha Khawaja, who started making STEAM educational games from her Shoreditch base after struggling to find something suitable to keep her four-year-old son occupied. Khawaja said: “Apart from Lego, there was hardly any choice when it came to fun, educational STEAM games and toys and we know that children need and want to learn much earlier. So I started inventing my own and testing them with the harshest critics – children! The games and toys have to be fun and educational in equal measure and combine STEM subjects with the arts because creativity is key. By collaborating with OKIDO, we hope to help to inspire the next generation of innovators and inventors. Coding is the language of the future and the game makes it second nature for young kids to learn coding. It’s also affordable for parents and schools, unlike other coding toys, which can be expensive.” The collaboration with former research scientist Dr Sophie Dauvois and artist Rachel Ortas, founders of Bethnal Green-based OKIDO, was a natural step, as OKIDO regularly holds STEAM-based activities, interactive experiments and live shows for youngsters throughout the capital. Its magazine features recycled paper, edible vegetable ink, boasts no plastic wrapping and offers young readers educational activities and a board game. Dauvois, who has two PhDs, said: “Our readers and viewers are looking for educational, meaningful toys, combining learning and having fun. Board games are something we really believe in and it’s rare to find an engaging STEAM toy that children will enjoy playing with again and again. This game will help to get young children interested in the scientific world around them using play, art and fun. You repeat the playing and learning every single time that you engage – we call it hidden learning. We started our magazine from a kitchen table in Brixton in 2007, after we struggled to find a suitable magazine for our son. It does away with stereotypes, fires up young imaginations and helps to spark a life-long love of art and science. OjO shares this same ethos and we are delighted to be working with them on the launch of the Which Way? game.” OjO also works in partnership with The Science Museum, offering Mars Mission and Moon Friends Creativity kits and is currently setting up a New York base, which will trade via Amazon. Khawaja believes children are capable of developing sophisticated, complex skills before they can read. Similar to the widely-held understanding that learning a language is easier for pre-school children, Khawaja says coding is no different. She’s also keen to encourage more young girls to engage in STEAM learning and become coders. “Studies have shown that very young children’s brains are more open to learning about new systems in a creative way. Over the past few years we’ve seen a massive increase in the number of girls choosing STEM subjects, which is long overdue. Learning to code before you start school is essential for both boys and girls, as it helps to enhance the types of skills that will be needed to do the jobs available for the next generation of college leavers.” says Khawaja. Investors have until June 12 before the funding window closes. Pledges start from just £1 up to packages costing £500, which feature a live OKIDO studio tour and workshop for 10 people. Limited copies of the WhichWay? game are available at a £24 early bird offer – a 20 per cent discount on the usual £30 price. The cash injection will be used to develop a range of new toys and games to spark STEAM learning. For more information about OjO and OKIDO and their coding board game for four-year-olds visit https://learnwithojo.com or www.okido.com
Building strong relationships within a multi-academy trust
How can a multi-academy trust (MAT) engage its schools during times of change? Leora Cruddas, CEO of the Confederation of School Trusts, shares some top tips from trust leaders… Working together in a trust provides schools with the benefits of mutual support and collaboration – but it can also mean changes in a school’s way of working. So how can trusts build strong links with schools and get them on board with their overarching vision? 1. Communicate, communicate, communicate Good communication is fundamental to engaging schools in your trust’s direction of travel. While many trusts share major developments in MAT policy with their schools, the everyday news can make all the difference in your communications. Daniel Moore, finance director at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust says, “We now have fortnightly head teacher briefings, news bulletins and promote all our good news and success stories.” 2. Tap in to your local knowledge hubs Never underestimate the importance of local level knowledge to your trust. School business managers have a wealth of experience, and each school has its own strengths, skills and values to share with its central trust team. As Sarah Appleby, finance director of the River Learning Trust explains, “We blend the local knowledge that the school has, which is invaluable, with the technical and accounting knowledge of the central school business partner.” 3. Promote the wellbeing of school staff Staff wellbeing is key to building strong, sustainable relationships with schools. By centralising some systems and processes, a trust can have a positive impact on school staff by freeing them from back-office tasks to spend more time on their core roles. “If we can save them 10 minutes in the day – every day – by centralising a process so they no longer have to do it, that means they have got a slightly better work/life balance.” says Sarah Appleby. 4. Share your trust’s vision Make sure your schools see the big picture for the trust. Schools will be more positive about changes to their processes if they have a clear view of the trust’s goals and achievements. Daniel Moore recommends showing schools the impact of trust-wide initiatives. “Whenever something works, like when we make a saving through pooling our purchasing, we make sure everyone knows about it.” By building relationships and forming stronger bonds with schools, a trust can work more effectively towards improving outcomes for its pupils. The views in this article are explored in greater depth in a PS Financials white paper, Checks and Balance which is available for download at www.psfinancials.com/checksandbalance/
New Business2School scheme launch
Business2Schools was established to connect businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover, Tesco and several City financial firms with schools so that pupils can benefit from both cutting edge technology and high-quality furniture. The programme has resulted in thousands of pounds of furniture and equipment, including state of the art computers – surplus to requirements for businesses, but still fully-functional and way beyond the reach of a normal school IT budget – being given to schools in the Chichester, Bognor Regis, Kent and Watford areas. Business2Schools plans to expand the programme across the UK creating new opportunities for both schools and businesses Lindsey Parslow founder of Business2Schools commented: “At Business2Schools, we hope to create an ethical and environmental solution to the way companies in the UK replenish, refurbish or relocate their offices. The programme aims to help businesses and schools collaborate in a sustainable way that has the added benefit of improving the level of infrastructure in schools.The firms involved have been very generous in terms of their time and investment because they see the importance of ensuring that the future generation and their potential future workforce is prepared for the offices of the future. We are extremely grateful for the recognition of all our hard work today. We hope that Bishop Luffa School is just the beginning. We’re looking for more firms and schools to participate in the programme and to take Business2Schools nationwide.” Austen Hindman, Headteacher, Bishop Luffa School: “In offices across the UK, there is a regular need to replace and upgrade furniture and tech, far more quickly than a school would. The Business2Schools platform will allow us to fill classrooms with items that will help students fulfil their potential and provide them with far better technology and inspiring furniture. We hope it will also create a stronger relationship between businesses and schools across the UK, so we can also improve the educational experience and career path of students. I am delighted that so many businesses have got involved already. It is fantastic to see such a broad range of industries supporting the initiative. Dominic Pegram, Salt & Pegram, commented: “We supply businesses with millions of pounds worth of new furniture every year, but where does their old kit go? With the Business2Schools initiative, we now have the perfect answer. It will contribute to delivering the potential of Britain’s young people. Fabulous.” Richard Snowball, EFG Private Bank “EFG Private Bank is delighted to be involved in this initiative and to be giving a helping hand to future generations as well making a better impact on the environment. Supplying unwanted IT equipment and office furniture allows schools to really focus on using their already overstretched budgets on areas that really matter; providing tools and support to children to enrich and enhance their education. Business2Schools’ ethos is closely aligned to EFG’s five key values of being Accountable, Hands-On, Passionate, Solutions Driven and Partnership-Orientated. With the backing of EFG Private Bank, we will personally continue to provide support, where possible, to make this a success and urge other companies to think about this initiative when disposing of IT equipment and office furniture.” Stuart Bonthrone, ESRI UK: “ESRI UK have long supported schools and higher education providing both software and resources free of charge to the sector with the aim of helping students to develop expertise and understanding of geographic information systems and associated IT. This also supports future employment in a growing sector. We are delighted to combine these efforts with the Business2Schools’ mission to create an even more compelling offering to support schools and meet the multiple budget challenges in today’s environment.” For more information about Business2Schools please visit
The top construction skills needed from tomorrow’s workforce
With the global construction industry forecast to hit $8 trillion by 2030 – and the UK driving industry growth in Europe – it’s an attractive career for young people seeking versatility and progression. Here, Liz Scott, Head of HR at Actavo Direct, offers advice on the construction skills needed to help young people thrive in their chosen career. Communicating clearly Many associate the construction industry with just the physical work, however, most critical tasks are completed in the planning stage. Research shows 85 percent of construction projects experience delays, making strong communication skills key. When unexpected disruptions occur, ensuring your team knows its responsibilities – while also managing client expectations – is vital. Strong written and verbal skills are demanded in such a time-pressured industry, with project details, safety messages and more needing to be communicated clearly and concisely. Risk management Health and safety will be the foundation of any construction career, whether your work as an individual on-site or are responsible for managing a team. All employees should understand the importance of hazard perception and be able to perform a risk assessment for any project. This involves evaluating a site, building or office for every potential risk. Health and safety basics also include understanding the role of personal protective equipment (PPE) and how to dress appropriately for every environment. Those looking to gain knowledge of health and safety best practice can check out the bank of content on the government’s dedicated website, while those interested in a career more focused on regulations in construction could explore an apprenticeship in health and safety. Use your initiative Construction projects are constantly subject to disruption – from adverse weather to deadline movements – making a proactive attitude invaluable. With clients waiting and projects running to tight deadlines, employees need to make decisions on how to best manage tasks and time. If rain delays a project, are there tasks you can progress in the downtime to prepare for when the weather clears up? Even those looking to pursue physical roles are advised to learn project management basics to improve decision-making and initiative skills. Keeping pace with tech Technology is set to shape the future of the construction industry, with innovations like digital mapping, 5D modelling and the Internet of Things (IoT) revolutionising surveying and site management. Tech-literate employees will thrive as technology continues to play a greater role. Fluency in tools like Excel will set employees up for site management tasks like project tracking and budgeting. For more information on construction skills, see Actavo Direct