£100,000 investment allows North East company to deliver app to tackle nationwide teacher shortage
Angel investor Gary Dewhurst has injected £100,000 into a North East company to fund the development of an innovative mobile app that is set to transform the teacher recruitment process. The serial entrepreneur opted to invest in Sunderland-based Premier Teachers after recognising that the app could cut recruitment costs while expanding the talent pool – increasing a school’s chances of hiring the ideal candidate. It also allows candidates to maximise their job search by applying for multiple posts quickly via mobile phone or tablet using just one tailored submission form. It also provides schools and local education authorities with a searchable database of applicants exactly matching their criteria. The specialist education recruitment agency was founded by experienced teacher Mike Donnelly in 2013 and supplies teachers and support staff to schools throughout Teesside, County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. However, it was his experience working in the sector, supported by research by Sunderland University, that led him to put a team together to begin work on the mobile app. Mike added: “This £100,000 investment was absolutely critical as we had taken the product as far as we could and were unable to access the necessary funds to make it a viable product. “It is a simple and scalable tech solution to address a nationwide shortage of teachers in a profession that has missed government recruitment targets for secondary school teacher trainees for the seventh year in a row.” Currently candidates face spending two to three hours filling in application forms for each individual teaching position – prompting many to limit how many they apply for. The app is due to undergo testing next month and is scheduled to be launched later this summer. Gary said: “I’m excited to be investing in Premier Teachers and its app as it offers a simple solution to ease the chronic shortage of teachers. “I have three children in education and have seen first-hand the challenges that both teachers and schools face in recruiting the right people. I value education highly and that is my main motivation behind this investment.” He recently left his role as part-time CEO of gap Personnel Group after selling his remaining shares in the Wrexham-headquartered company, having sold a 75% stake in 2017 to Japanese-listed recruiter BeNEXT – allowing him to devote more time to his investment portfolio of 10 companies. The £100,000 investment in Premier Teachers was fast-tracked via the government’s HMRC approved Enterprise Investment Scheme. In addition, he is also able to provide the company with full back office capability, supplier savings and non-executive management support to help grow the business. For similar articles please visit our features section
Appreciating and learning using our outlook, not just our Outlook.
Education experts at the University of Chester are encouraging us to use the view from our windows as a way of appreciating and learning more about the world. Elaine Jackson, Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Initial Teacher Training in the Faculty of Education and Children’s Services, has published a blog as a reminder to not dismiss where we live but to appreciate the beauty around us while we live our lives in a different manner. Elaine took her inspiration from a book Window by Jeannie Baker, which has been used as an educational text book. Elaine used this book herself when she was a primary school teacher and head teacher and with a colleague in the Faculty, Wendy Garner, utilised it to develop Geography lessons for pupils in years three and four. She said: “The book Window gives children, and adults, an understanding of how growth has affected the world in which we live. How year by year, little by little, the small changes in the view from ‘the window,’ changed the landscape, reflecting the impact of the relentless expansion of urban environments into the surrounding countryside. Jeannie Baker illustrates each double page spread with her beautiful and unique collages, which achieve a wonderful three-dimensional illusion. They are created from materials and textures both from the natural world (bark, flowers, feathers, vegetation), as well as from the more usual artists’ materials.” To watch Window: Jeannie Baker visit https://youtu.be/4JLVneJa1Is or Window: A digital media production https://youtu.be/j4MMzPOV8yI Elaine also refers to Belonging, another textless picture book about the view from a window, also by Jeannie Baker which is Windows in reverse, with the land being reclaimed from built-up urban, concrete environment. This book shows how, year by year, the natural world can return to urban landscapes. To find out more, watch https://youtu.be/uFd12NAoSoQ or https://youtu.be/cteuiljxfYc She added: “Instead of all the hustle and bustle, the dashing and scurrying around, charging here and there, travelling miles and miles in cars, on trains and aeroplanes, attending this meeting here and that conference there, we all now have time to stop for a moment or two, to take in the beauty which is just outside our window and surrounds us all. “Travel has been curtailed, but, by opening up our windows and looking through them, we can experience just how wonderful our world is. Don’t dismiss the view from your own window as just mundane, but look with renewed eyes at the awe and wonder, of both the natural and man-made world, and become more sensitised to and alert to the small details of this wonderment.” Elaine also recommends using technology to bring families together to share each other’s views. For parents home-schooling their children there are additional activities from subjects across the curriculum for children to complete, based on Jeannie Baker’s book Window. Also read Windows on a Changing World https://www.jeanniebaker.com/focus/window-on-a-changing-world/ Caption: Elaine Jackson.
Major stressors for parents during COVID-19 revealed in new report
Work cited as the most frequent source of stress for parents, followed by their children’s wellbeing 80% of families previously receiving support from services say it’s been stopped/postponed Parents of children with special education needs and neurodevelopmental disorders report higher levels of stress across all areas The interim report from 5,000 responses to the Co-SPACE (COVID-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children in Epidemics) survey led by experts at the University of Oxford, indicates some important concerns for parents, employers and health professionals. Professor Cathy Creswell, Departments of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, said, “This study is so important to understand the experiences of families currently and how this crisis is impacting on them, but also so we can know how best to support families going forward. Our results are showing some hotspots of concern, particularly for parents of children with special education needs and neurodevelopmental disorders. These parents report increased stress across all areas, including managing their children’s behaviour, they also express a desire for personalised support from professionals.” Other highlights from the interim report: Parents particularly want support around their child’s emotional wellbeing, education and coming out of social isolation Nearly half the parents/carers thought that their child was concerned about family and friends catching the virus A third of parents/carers reported that their child was worried about missing school The Co-SPACE survey aims to track children and young people’s mental health throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Survey results will help researchers identify what protects children and young people from deteriorating mental health, over time, and at particular stress points, and how this may vary according to child and family characteristics. It also aims to identify what advice, support and help parents would find most useful. Parents/carers are invited to complete an online longitudinal questionnaire monthly until social distancing measures end. The first survey takes about 15-20 minutes, and subsequent surveys about 10 minutes. Parents/carers will be asked to answer questions about family life and relationships, overall health and well-being, parenting, psychological symptoms and how they and their child are coping during the Covid-19 pandemic. In collaboration with colleagues at University College London, parents of 11-16 year olds are also invited to give permission for their adolescent to take part and give their own perspective on how they are getting on. Regular summaries of key findings are made available via the UKRI www.emergingminds.org.uk research network website throughout the study and will be shared directly with partner organisations in health and education services and the community and voluntary sector, to inform the development of effective support for children, young people and families. This research is supported by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, the
What helps or harms adolescents’ mental health during COVID-19 crisis
A new research survey from experts at the University of Oxford along with collaborators from the Universities of Cambridge, Glasgow, and New South Wales. It will track adolescents’ mental health during the COVID-19 crisis to find out what promotes or hinders their resilience. We know that mental health problems often first appear during adolescence. The COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation is likely to intensify stresses and mental health issues, particularly for young people. The research study, called Oxford ARC (Oxford Achieving Resilience during COVID-19: https://oxfordarcstudy.com/) will evaluate what hinders and what promotes resilience during the pandemic. The study will assess common mental health problems relating to worry, anxiety, depression, eating-related problems and mental inflexibility as well as examining how various activities such as social media use, video conferencing and exercise affects young people’s mental health. The Oxford ARC study is international and 13-18-year olds and their parents or carers are being asked to take part. Professor Elaine Fox, Professor of Psychology & Affective Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said, ‘Understanding how social isolation and the pandemic is affecting young people’s mental health is crucial. This study will help us to better understand how to safeguard mental health and how to promote resilience in young people and their parents or carers, should similar situations arise in the future.’ Dr Amy Orben, Research Fellow, MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, added, ‘Tracking how young people feel during this unprecedented time will provide a rich data source to support urgent work aimed at mitigating the crisis’ impact on mental health; it will also enable longer-term research that can provide new perspectives on resilience, coping and community.’ Elina Thomas Jones from the TRIUMPH Network’s Youth Advisory Group says, ‘From my perspective, everything that made me anxious before lockdown has been taken away, however I’ve also lost the socialisation which kept me happy. The uncertainty of the future and the sudden changes lead to confusion and rising levels of anxiety and other mental ill health. Additionally, with counselling and other support networks being online only, it feels as if it’s not really there at all which makes this period much harder than it is already.’ For further details and how to take part, please visit: https://oxfordarcstudy.com/ | Follow the study team on Twitter @oceanoxford
Staff and students have been producing PPE for NHS frontline workers
Tutors and students at The Manchester College and higher education provider UCEN Manchester, both part of LTE Group, have been helping in the fight against coronavirus by producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for NHS frontline workers. College Media tutors Katy Rushton and Ben Elson, along with Advanced Practitioner Anna Kettlewell, have joined forces to make protective visors and ear guards for face masks with a 3D printer and files available online. The items have so far been distributed to an infectious diseases doctor at a London hospital and a GP surgery in Bolton, with around 100 more ear guards planned for a hospital in Bury and 50 ear guards being prepare for a hospital in Yorkshire. Katy said: “I have friends in the NHS who were saying they could do with bits and pieces as they know I have a 3D printer. I started out just wanting to keep them safe, then once I knew I could produce the items put a shout out on local Facebook groups. We have a DaVinci Mini 3D printer which has been a bit tricky as it’s smaller than most printers. I am lucky as I am not a 3D specialist but Ben has helped me to refine the 3D models because that’s his speciality as a games tutor. It’s interesting how our media skills can be adapted to other situations. I had to print a few prototypes to get the visor design working beforehand. It takes about two hours to print five ear guards and four hours to do a visor in two halves as it is only small so I can’t do loads in one go. Hopefully Ben’s revision of the visor will speed this up a bit. Anna lives near me and offered to do deliveries as I don’t drive, so it’s become a bit of a TMC team effort with Ben and Anna offering to support me!” Access to HE medical science student David Gardner, from UCEN Manchester, has also been putting his FOUR 3D printers to good use by producing over 1,500 face shields to medical staff across the country. David, who will start a BSc in Plant Sciences at Edge Hill University in September, and his two housemates have been printing a range of six different face shields for health care colleagues around the UK, from the Scottish Highlands to Canterbury. He said: “A couple of weeks ago I joined a dental and medical Facebook group and it was my housemate who suggested using our printers to create mask for staff who did not have PPE but were expected to treat Covid-19 patients. “I added a 20 second video of one of our printers in action onto my own Facebook account and by the next day, it had received thousands of views and we received 10,000 order requests. Our only limit now is that we’ve run out of acetate and sheets, but it has been great to be able to help people and see our efforts be put to good use.” David has set up a gofundme page to raise money to buy materials and raise funds for two other organisations. Find out more about The Manchester College, UCEN Manchester and LTE Group.
Nine fun activities to teach kids about money
As schools have closed to help combat the spread of Covid-19, parents are taking a greater lead than ever before in teaching their children at home. One invaluable lesson is how to manage money. Moneywise magazine has the nation’s best personal finance teachers on hand ready to help. Here, the winners of the Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Awards 2019, sponsored by interactive investor, share their ideas to teach kids everyday money tasks. With activities for primary and secondary pupils, the scope ranges from a ‘discount detectives challenge’, a ‘bare necessities challenge’ to a ‘bank statement challenge.’ There is even a ‘create your own bank’ challenge and a ‘great savings race.’ Do you know a great personal finance teacher? Nominate them for this year’s Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Awards for the chance to win a share of a £24,000 cash prize pot from interactive investor for their school? Or teachers can nominate themselves – just email editor@moneywise.co.uk interactive investor has also launched a New Family Financial Education Award for parents/ carers who have best taught children about money matters – with a £5,000 prize pot. £250 individual cash prizes for up to 20 households are available – families need to send examples of their financial education home learning to editorial@ii.co.uk. Tips from the teachers Primary school winner: Sian Bentley, deputy principal, Queensmead Primary Academy, Leicester. Activity ONE – Create your own restaurant Level: Primary and Secondary (five to 16 years) Money skills: Budgeting, Saving How it works: Setting up a home restaurant is a clever way to help your children learn about money. First, get your children to think about their favourite restaurant meal out or takeaway and have a look online to calculate how much it would cost the family to order a takeaway. Then make a list of ingredients needed to help recreate the meals at home and work out how much this would cost. Either using ingredients that you have or topping up during your next supermarket shop, make those meals at home. Then calculate how much you have saved by cooking, rather than eating out or ordering a takeaway. You can do different variations of this activity – for example, creating your own cinema, café or even spa. Activity TWO – Bare necessities challenge Level: Primary (five to 11 years) Money skills: Money management, Saving How it works: Sit down with your child and write a list of all your regular costs, including bills, commuting, food, toiletries, cinema tickets, etc. Review your child’s list first and work out what they are still receiving during the lockdown. Then review your list and work out what you are still spending on, for example, bills, food and insurance. Work out the items that you are no longer buying – for example, trips to the café, theatre or cinema. Then discuss whether or not you miss those expenses and how much you are saving. This can help children to understand the difference between essential and non-essential spending. Activity THREE – Bank statement challenge Level: Secondary (12 to 16) Money skills: Banking, Money Management, Saving How it works: Print off a copy of your bank statement from a few months ago and a copy of one from after the lockdown began. Sit down with your child to look at the differences between the two and how your expenses have changed. This can open up a conversation about the family’s financial wants, needs and how you can save money. It can also help you discuss how Covid-19 may have impacted your household finances, through loss of business or loss of income. This activity is designed to help children understand the value of money and how to survive financially during difficult times. Judges’ Award: Tom Raffield, mathematics teacher, St David’s School, Purley Activity FOUR – Create your own bank Level: Primary (five to 11 years) Money skills: Banking, Currency conversion, Saving How it works: Get your child to identify something that they want – for example, a toy – and set its value as the target. Then encourage your child to save money and log their progress. Giving them the flexibility to save what they can will help them to work out how long it will take to reach that target. To take this a step further, you could create your own household currency. Help your child to name and design the tender, and the conversion rate to pounds sterling. For example, 5 ‘Star Dollars’ could equal £1. This new currency could be used to reward your child for helping around the house, good behaviour and doing well in home school. At the end of the week, you can convert what they earn into pounds, which they can then choose to save or spend. Commended: Nicola Butler, teacher of mathematics, finance and Welsh baccalaureate, Ysgol Eirias (Eirias High School), Colwyn Bay Activity FIVE – Discount detective challenge Level: Primary (five to 11 years) Money skills: Bargain hunting, Saving How it works: This challenge is designed to help children shop around and find the best deals. For this activity, set a challenge for your child to complete. This could be anything from finding the best-value broadband deal to the pet insurance policy. Encourage your child to note down what the different deals include – for example, what channels are included in different TV and broadband deals. This will help distinguish which offers are better value for money rather than just being the cheapest option. Secondary school winner: Helen Westwood, teacher of financial studies, Caroline Chisholm School Activity SIX – Pocket money challenge Level: Primary (five to 11 years) Money skills: Budgeting, Saving How it works: Teaching children the importance of having an effective budget can help them develop good money habits as they grow up. Creating a budget for pocket money is a fun and interactive way to learn money management. Encourage your child to set financial targets – for example, saving for a new bike – and work toward
Occupational therapist finds innovative way to tackle eating disorder in vulnerable children
Rachel Peek, an occupational therapist at the Greater Manchester based charity the Together Trust, has been working recently to tackle eating disorder Pica amongst local vulnerable children. Pica is characterised by a tendency to eat substances that provide no nutritive value such as soil, chalk, hair or paper. The condition can affect a number of groups, including those who have a learning disability and people with autism. People suffering with Pica run the risk constipation, vomiting, choking, poisoning and blockages to the gut or intestines. Rachel said: “I first became interested in Pica when my line manager gave me an article detailing a case in which a young man suffering with the condition died. That set me thinking about the children I work with in local schools that specialise in helping vulnerable children with complex needs. Working with teachers and teaching assistants I drew up a list identifying students who had either already been diagnosed, or who often sought out non-edible items. We found five children who manifested classic Pica symptoms, only one of whom had a pre-existing diagnosis.” Next, Rachel began to research appropriate interventions practised by occupational therapists, which is how she discovered the Pica box. A Pica box contains multiple compartments, each of which contains food items that are designed to be a substitute for specific non-edible items that a person has been observed eating. “When I read about the Pica box I knew that this was an intervention I could introduce to the children I was working with, so the next step was a trip to my local DIY store, where I bought a plastic box into which I fitted some compartments. We’d already compiled a list of the non-edible items the children most often ingested and into each compartment I put edible alternatives, in terms of both appearance and texture. For example twigs were replaced with vegetable sticks, Twiglets and celery sticks. Leaves were replaced with spinach leaves and crisps; sand with grape nuts and gravel with crushed digestive biscuits and cornflakes. I filled that first prototype box with the edible alternatives, labelling each item and listing what non-edible item it was replacing and I put the picture of the first student we were working with on the front of the box. On the back of the lid I posted a short explanation of what a Pica box is, for the teachers and teaching assistants, along with some additional Pica strategies. Then came the moment of truth. I approached the student, who was sat in the playground eating twigs, and I offered her a celery stick and asked her to drop the twig. Not only did she do so she also tapped the box when she’d finished the celery stick and asked for more!” This continued for several minutes, after which the child lost all interest in eating non-edible items and instead asked for the box by taking off a removable symbol from the lid, which was designed to help a child ask for the box in a simple and easy way. Following this first success Rachel held a training session for teachers and teaching assistants and shared the idea with her colleagues in the occupational therapy team. She has also continued to make boxes for other children she has identified as being at risk from Pica. Jill Sheldrake, Service Director at the Together Trust said: “Rachel may only have been with us as an occupational therapist for a year but she’s actually been working for the Together Trust for more than seven years, having started off as a support worker. Through hard work and determination she’s made the most of the opportunities available within the charity. With work like this she’s not only continuing to progress in her career but she’s also making an important contribution to furthering awareness of Pica, both at the Together Trust and in the wider professional community. We couldn’t be more proud of her.” For simialar articles visit our features section
Yes peas! Launches the Ha-Pea zone for kids learning at home
New educational hub equips families at home to Grow, Cook and Learn about the Great British Pea! The Yes Peas! campaign, run by the British Growers Association and funded by growers, freezers and machinery companies from the pea vining sector, has launched a fun educational hub for children – The Ha-pea Zone. Supporting the national effort of families learning together at home, the new online platform provides a range of resources dedicated to all aspects of the Great British pea, including information about the pea industry, the journey of the pea from field to plate, how to grow and harvest peas as well as advice and inspiration for cooking. There will also be free downloadable resources, from fact sheets and checklists to games and quizzes. Children will be able to lead a ‘grow your own’ project and apply for their own seeds to plant at home, following downloadable step-by-step guides and watching top-tips videos from British pea growers on the farm, to help them along the way. The Ha-pea Zone will feature cooking ideas using store cupboard essentials, as well as recipes created by kids, for kids. The ‘Pea Hall of Fame’ section of the hub enables children to share their work and upload their own recipe creations. Coral Russell, Crop Associations Manager at the British Growers Association, which runs the Yes Peas! campaign, says: “We wanted to provide a platform which features detailed resources to support parents with new ideas for home schooling, as well as fun educational activities for kids to enjoy. We want to build knowledge and encourage everyone to get involved in practical activities which is why we are encouraging children to get creative in the kitchen and cook with their family, and also take learning out into the garden by following a ‘grow your own’ project. “The UK is the largest producer and consumer of frozen peas in Europe, with Brits eating an average 9,000 peas per person every year, so we hope The Ha-pea Zone sparks a real passion for peas within Britain’s households, and who knows, this could be the inspiration for the next generation of pea growers!” There has never been more of a relevant time to learn about the pea industry as the annual UK pea drilling process has just begun and in three months’ time, around 35,000 hectares – equivalent to about 70,000 football pitches – of pea crops will produce 2 billion portions of peas to feed the nation. To access the Yes Peas! Ha-pea Zone, please visit peas.org/ha-pea-zone/ and for more information on the Yes Peas campaign, please visit www.peas.org. Families can share how they have been learning about peas at home! Whether it’s a pea-inspired recipe creation or a request for seeds to do the ‘grow your own’ project, please email YesPeas@hatchpr.co.uk.
BTS Spark offers free leadership coaching to support with pressing issues arising from school and college closures
As schools and colleges deal with ongoing challenges and requirements to reconfigure the way they operate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS Spark, the not-for-profit education practice within one of the world’s leading coaching organisations, launched a free coaching programme for school and college leaders. Delivered by BTS Spark’s network of highly qualified and experienced professional leadership coaches, the initiative will provide up to 250 school and college leaders with confidential telephone coaching sessions to explore the pressing and urgent issues they are currently facing. The programme, which will be rolled out immediately, will be available for at least the next two months (April and May). Leaders will be supported with relevant, tried and tested tools and insights around maintaining their resourcefulness and leading in uncertainty, drawn from BTS Spark’s comprehensive leadership curriculum. Launching the new programme, Denise Barrows, Head of Education at BTS Spark, said: “At a time when we are all dealing with high levels of personal anxiety and uncertainty, schools are charged with completely reconfiguring the way that they operate. At BTS Spark, we want to do what we can to help school and college leaders successfully navigate these challenging times, maintain their personal resourcefulness and continue to successfully engage and support their staff. “Our coaches are experts in helping leaders to be at their best in the moments that matter the most and will be matched to leaders according to their needs. We hope that we can support hundreds of school and college leaders during these difficult times.” Susan Douglas, CEO at The Eden Academy Trust, said: “I can highly recommend this valuable opportunity to school and college leaders as we all come to grips with the impact of COVID-19. My own coaching experience with BTS Spark has been extremely helpful, guiding me through decision points as well as challenging me. The coaching has allowed me to untangle things, see things more clearly and therefore make improved strategic plans moving forward.” Dominique Charles, BTS Leadership Coach, said: “This is a time of extreme pressure for school and college leaders. Working with them over the years, I have witnessed first-hand the many challenges they face on a day-to-day basis but now, more than ever, their resilience will be tested while having to be at their most creative to develop new ways of working remotely with their teams and students. “I’m thrilled to be part of this free programme, where we can draw on BTS Spark’s wider expertise and insights for those that need it in these difficult times.” BTS Spark offers targeted leadership development and coaching for school and college leaders so they can unlock new capabilities and perform at their best. Founded in the UK in 2005 as Coach in a Box, the not-for-profit practice helps busy leaders to secure and sustain key shifts in their mindset and practice. These shifts increase leadership impact, build personal influence, enhance relationships, and drive change. School and college leaders wishing to participate in the initiative should enrol at https://www.bts.com/en-gb/spark/our-programs/coaching-through-covid-19. Once leaders are matched with their Coach, they will be given access to the BTS Spark coaching platform so they can easily book their sessions at a time that suits them. For further information on BTS Spark, visit: www.bts.com/spark or follow on Twitter @BTSSparkUK #coachingthroughcovid