Schools invited to take on UK’s biggest cycling, walking and scooting challenge
Schools are being invited to take up the Big Pedal 2019 – the UK’s largest cycling, walking and scooting challenge for schools. This year’s competition is backed by Angellica Bell, British television, radio presenter and cycling advocate, who took on the ‘Tour de Celeb’ in 2016 where she found her love for cycling. Organised by the walking and cycling charity Sustrans, the competition will run from Monday 25 March to Friday 5 April and will encourage young people from across the UK to travel by bike, foot or scooter for their journey to and from school. During the 10 days, participating primary and secondary schools will compete with one another to make the most journeys by bike, foot or scooter. To coincide with this year’s event, dozens of schools across the UK, will for the first time, be closing the road outside the school gates to motor vehicles. This is to limit the volume of traffic and help reduce air pollution, while creating an environment in which cycling and walking is safe, convenient and enjoyable. New research shows four in ten children are breathing toxic air at school, leaving pupils at an increased risk of developing lifelong conditions including asthma[i]. Walking and cycling can play a key role in improving air quality outside the school gates while helping to boost children’s activity levels. Angellica Bell, who is backing the campaign, said: “I’m delighted to be supporting this year’s Big Pedal. It’s a fantastic way to encourage more children to cycle, walk or scoot– doing wonders for their health and the environment around them. “I hope as many schools as possible sign up for the challenge and inspire children and families across the UK to get on their feet, scooter of bike for their journey to school.” Xavier Brice, CEO at Sustrans, said: “The Big Pedal may only run for two weeks but can leave a lasting effect on the way children travel to school by showing parents what’s possible and how easy it can be to leave the car at home for a few extra journeys a week. “With scores of schools already confirming that they will be closing surrounding streets to cars for this year’s Big Pedal, we are confident that 2019 will be even bigger and better than 2018 and demonstrate how people prioritised streets can create a much more pleasant and safer environment for children and parents to travel.” The theme of this year’s Big Pedal is ‘Travelling around the body’, with pupils tracking their progress on a wall chart, learning about the human body and how active travel benefits their health as they go. This year’s competition aims to build on the success of 2018 which saw over 1,300 schools register to take part, with teachers, parents, siblings and pupils making more than a million journeys to school by bike or scooter. In addition, participants travelled almost 2.4 million miles – that is nearly 96 trips around the world – and saved 1179.2 kilo grams of nitrogen oxide (NOx) from being emitted into the atmosphere. With 60,538 gallons of fuel not being used on the school run, parents also saved over £330,000 on fuel. The Big Pedal 2019 is open to individual classes as well as whole schools, with hundreds of thousands of pupils expected to take part. Children, parents and teachers will also be able to log, track and compare their journeys online using the Big Pedal website. For schools unable to take part in the main challenge there is also a one-day version, which can include cycling, walking and scooting activities during the school day as well as on the journey to school. Schools and classes will be entered into daily prize draws for rewards, including scooters, if more than 15% of a school cycle, walk or scoot on each day of the challenge. Ask your child’s school to sign up to Sustrans Big Pedal 2019. For more information visit www.bigpedal.org.uk Follow us: Twitter @sustrans #BigPedal Facebook https://en-gb.facebook.com/Sustrans Photograph credit: Neil Hanna
Stratford Circus Arts Centre and National Theatre stage free theatre shows for 5000 Newham Schoolchildren
This January all Year 6 students in the London Borough of Newham will have a chance to watch performances of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale as part of an initiative to introduce children to live theatre. Every Child a Theatregoer is a partnership between Stratford Circus Arts Centre and other local theatres alongside Newham Council which is now in its sixth year, with January’s performances taking place between 21st Jan and 1st Feb. For many children attending it will be their first visit to the theatre. The National Theatre’s production of The Winter’s Tale that the students will see is an abridged version of the text adapted by Justin Audibert and directed by Ruth Mary Johnson. The aim of Every Child a Theatre goer is to ensure every child in Newham, East London is given a chance to see a theatre show before leaving primary school. In a time when arts provision in many schools around the country has been reduced, the programme alleviates the challenges schools and parents face in paying for theatre trips. The scheme has proved popular with teachers who are provided with classroom materials that can be used to enhance learning across a number of curriculum subjects including English, Maths, Science and Geography. In previous years 90% of teachers attending agreed that seeing the production had a positive impact on pupils’ attainment. The borough is known to have high rates of child poverty with statistics from End Child Poverty suggesting 2 in 5 children in Newham live in poverty. This is the second time the National Theatre has staged a show at Stratford Circus as part of Every Child a Theatregoer having presented Romeo and Juliet in 2017. Other artists to have performed include Akram Khan, Gyre and Gimble with Fuel and Michael Rosen. Alice King-Farlow, Director of Learning at the National Theatre said, “The Winter’s Tale is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for young audiences. It is so exciting to be collaborating with Stratford Circus Arts Centre again to give every Year 6 pupil in Newham the opportunity to see this production. We believe that all children, no matter where they are in the UK, should have the opportunity to see, create and explore theatre as part of their core education and we hope this experience will open their eyes to theatre-making and spark their imaginations.” Tania Wilmer, Director of Stratford Circus Arts Centre said: “Every Child a Theatregoer is an incredibly important project for Stratford Circus that gives many young people their first taste of live performance. Made possible through our important partnership with Newham Council, 5,000 children will see an exceptional theatre performance in their local venue. This is followed by an opportunity to discuss what they thought with the cast to create a relaxed, enjoyable and high-quality theatre experience which we hope will give them the confidence to seek out more.” @StratfordCircus | Stratford-circus.com
Leading online safety experts Smoothwall join forces with VESPA Mindset and Warwickshire County Council at BETT 2019
This week at BETT, leading online safeguarding solutions provider Smoothwall, will be joining forces with VESPA Mindset and Warwickshire County Council to provide expert advice on internet safety and mental wellbeing within an academic environment. For those unfamiliar with BETT, it’s the UK’s leading education technology show attended by over 34,500 educators and decision makers from all around the world. Taking place at ExCeL London from 23rd to 26th January 2019, those attending can expect to see the latest and most innovative information technology set to inspire the future of education. At the Smoothwall stand on Thursday 24th January, Steve Oakes, at VESPA Mindset will be hosting two sessions looking at how active monitoring can impact academic attainment. Steve will discuss how technology can help in recognising and developing mental wellbeing needs to improve examination results. Advanced monitoring technology means that schools aren’t having to physically monitor pupils’ online activity as any risks are picked up and alerted via the solution. This frees up teacher’s time and resources so they can concentrate on pupils academic learning and in turn promote a positive learning environment and higher standard of academic achievement.Smart monitoring solutions will become increasingly important when you take into account Ofsted will now focus on promoting a positive learning environment. This new behaviour judgement will assess whether schools are creating a calm, well-managed environment free from bullying, which monitoring solutions can identify. Those attending BETT will also be able to find out about how to run effective safeguarding across a school cluster. On Friday 25thJanuary, Steve Holley, Systems Engineer at Warwickshire County Council will look at the work they are doing with the safeguarding provider to improve its safeguarding capabilities. WCC currently manage IT systems for schools within the Warwickshire area, monitoring 45,000 staff and pupils across Primary and Secondary schools. To learn about and interact with its market-leading filtering and monitoring solutions, visit Smoothwall on stand D250. Here you can discover its brand-new monitoring solution RADAR and how it can detect children at risk of mental health concerns or cyberbullying, and hear exclusively what new product innovations Smoothwall has in store for 2019.
NewVIc achieves Ofsted outstanding
Newham Sixth Form College’s latest Ofsted inspection has praised the college for being outstanding in their provision for personal development, behaviour and welfare. Students were found to achieve excellent results at the college. The report highlighted that “the proportion of students who successfully achieved their qualifications was high” with many students achieving top grades. The report, published on the Ofsted website today (22 January 2019) confirms NewVIc as a diverse and collaborative community with excellent academic success, personal development and progression. Ofsted commented on how students “benefit significantly” from the specialist A Level Honours programme and how “students on vocational programmes make good progress”. Many students we found to progress to university with an increasing number securing high level apprenticeships. NewVIc’s expert teaching was celebrated with teachers being described as “very enthusiastic” practitioners who “motivate students to have high aspirations and make good progress”. Teachers’ dedication to students resulted in the majority of students meeting or exceeding their expected grades. Inspectors were particularly impressed by the college’s focus on personalised support, unique opportunities, and tailored skills development. The extensive programme of sports and other enrichment activities such as debating; sports clubs; women’s club and voluntary work was found to be extremely popular with many students participating. NewVIc principal and chief executive Mandeep Gill commented: “I’m delighted that Ofsted has recognised NewVIc’s outstanding contribution to education in the borough. As a college, we are very proud of our broad offer and the wide ranging achievements of students with different abilities and ambitions. I am very much in favour of giving every student the opportunity to achieve on their terms. Our outstanding judgement reflects this.” Inspectors gave emphasis to how much students enjoy life at NewVIc and noted the college’s warm, happy and welcoming environment. Inspectors described student behaviour as “courteous to each other and to staff” and commended the college for ensuring “that there is a culture of tolerance, respect and safety for all students.” Inspectors also praised the college for the individual support and care given to students, including those requiring additional learning support and complex needs. Looking to the future, Mandeep Gill added: “NewVIc will continue its drive to meet the needs of all young people, giving each and every one a chance to create the future they want for themselves. Whether that is a place at Oxford or Cambridge; an English or maths GCSE; an apprenticeship; or a first ever qualification, NewVIc will continue to offer the most inclusive, exciting and engaging post-16 education experience for all the young people in Newham.” Key strengths from the report: ● Outstanding personal development ● Outstanding support and welfare ● High and increasing proportion of student achievement ● High grades on vocational courses ● Good outcomes for learners ● Excellent access to work experience ● Good teaching, learning and assessment ● High-quality careers advice and guidance ● Extensive programme of sports and enrichment ● Strong student voice ● Collaborative and inclusive ethos ● Good leadership and management ● Strong partnerships with employers and universities ● High-quality facilities and resources Find out more about what NewVIc has to offer, visit our Open Day on 26 January 2019. NewVIc offers a wide range of A Level and vocational courses. Prospectuses and more information are available by calling 020 7473 4110.
The Mason Trust set to hit even greater heights in 2019!
Since its foundation in 2008 as a charity with the mission of inspiring young people of East Anglia to fulfil their potential, 2018 has been The Mason Trust’s most successful year to date, and the charity is looking forward to 2019 with the intention of bettering that record. It has achieved success in various ways. A total of 64 young people have been helped to achieve their dreams in 2018 by personal funding. These encompass a variety of activities from a volunteering trip to Honduras with Project Trust to scooter hire costs; from a medical placement in the Dominican Republic to piano lessons; from Rotary youth leadership award course fees to performing arts tuition fees, and many more besides. Since being established, the Trust has made 395 grants totalling £602,000 helping in excess of 6,000 young people. G rants from both the Dudgeon Community Fund and the Sheringham Shoal Community Funds have enabled the charity to deliver Renew Your Future energy day workshops to five secondary schools in the Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and Breckland regions of Norfolk. The workshops are designed to inspire and encourage students to consider studying STEM subjects [Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics] in sixth form or at college, thereby opening up a variety of engineering career options being offered in the region by the offshore wind farm developers and operators. The interactive icanbea… careers guidance website [www.icanbea.org.uk] was used within these energy day workshops to demonstrate how students can explore opportunities in the renewable energy sector and the regional supply chain. It was also the focus for 22 workshops and 25 careers fairs and school assemblies at 47 schools across Norfolk and Suffolk during 2018, and its innovative mobile App attracted much attention at both the Norfolk and Suffolk Skills Shows. Mason Trust founder, Yvonne Mason, is proud of the impact of the charity on the region’s young people in 2018, commenting: “My fellow Trustees and I believe implicitly in the benefits that The Mason Trust can offer our young people. We recently celebrated our 10th anniversary with an Anniversary Ball, all proceeds from which will go towards the continuation of work by The Mason Trust during 2019. We couldn’t think of a better way to both have a good time and to raise funds to take the organisation forward. “The Mason Trust’s aim for 2019 is to continue in the same vein, providing even more of our young people with funding for particular projects, global experiences, ambitions and vocations, and by providing an insight into the world of industry and its many facets.”
Recently Merged College Judge To Be The Best In Birmingham
Staff and students at South & City College Birmingham and Bournville College are celebrating after receiving a “Good” Ofsted grade across all areas, just fifteen months after the two establishments merged. The college, with campuses in six locations across the city, is now judged to be the best Further Education College in Birmingham. The Ofsted report follows a successful inspection which took place in November 2018, where inspectors observed lessons, met with staff, students, governors, employers and key stakeholders. Inspectors were impressed with the achievement rates of students who leave the college to go on to pursue higher education, employment, promotion or training having developed good practical and vocational skills under the guidance of highly-skilled teachers. The report highlights the college’s inclusive environment and the progress students make, adding that “students benefit from highly effective pastoral guidance and support, which means that they remain on their course”. The personal development, behaviour and welfare of students were also judged to be “Good”. The inspection report highlighted structured and meaningful work experience and a comprehensive programme of guest speakers and enrichment activities, all of which contribute towards the development of students’ skills for employment. The inspection also included the newly established Bournville College Vocational Academy for 14-16-year-old students. The Academy was praised for a broad and balanced curriculum, strong and productive relationships between staff and pupils and for the progress pupils make in a safe environment. Principal, Mike Hopkins, commented: “Coming so soon after the merger with Bournville College, we are delighted with the inspection outcome and how it clearly shows the college is totally focused on its students. It also shows what incredible, dedicated and capable staff we have. Anyone considering where to study only has to read the Ofsted report to see that no matter who you are, this is the college where you will be supported, be safe and above all else will achieve your qualifications. We are now beginning our journey from “Good” to “Outstanding”.” Each year, South & City College Birmingham supports the education and training of over 22,000 individuals. For further information, visit www.sccb.ac.uk
Education sector to host over 50% of its workloads in the cloud by 2020
Nutanix-commissioned survey by Vanson Bourne reveals the education sector will benefit from increased security, decreased TCO and ease of management Nutanix has announced the findings of its first ever global Enterprise Cloud Index, which included education institutions’ plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds*. The Index found that 55% of educational institutions’ workloads will be running in the cloud by 2020, compared to 38% currently. The results depict a future powered by hyperconverged infrastructure, with institutions in the education sector to benefit from advantages including improved scalability, lower total cost of operation and flexibility of workload applications. The report also revealed that in the education sector specifically, 32% of IT decision makers envision all of their applications working in the hybrid cloud within the next 1-2 years, mostly due to the flexibility on offer with a hybrid environment. Overall, seven in ten (70%) IT decision makers stated that the flexibility to choose the right cloud for each application is a major benefit of hybrid cloud. The findings also revealed that application mobility across any cloud is a top priority for 97% of respondents – with 88% of respondents saying it would “solve a lot of my problems.” One example of how hybrid deployments really work in educational institutions comes from The University of Reading who – driven by the requirement to reduce and simplify IT infrastructure while making it cheaper, opening up computing power to all academics and freeing up time for the IT team – turned to Nutanix to build its own on-premise Reading Research. While the public cloud could deliver the on-demand agility and self-service management it was after, the unpredictable workloads of the education sector meant it would be more expensive and potentially harder and more time consuming to manage, which is why the University looked to work with Nutanix. Running its workloads in a hybrid cloud environment provides a scalable, manageable and cost effective solution that benefits both the IT team as well as the researchers, teachers and students at The University of Reading. Other key findings of the report include: • Hybrid cloud better addresses business needs over single public cloud, including the price tag: 87% of respondents said that hybrid cloud was having a positive impact on their businesses, and more hybrid cloud users reported all their needs were being met (49%) compared to single public users (37%). • Security is top of mind for determining workloads: 71% of respondents surveyed for the report ranked data security and regulatory compliance as the top factor in determining where to provision workloads. • App developers circumventing IT: 57% of respondents said developers are circumventing IT when it comes to deciding where applications run, putting the organisation at potential risk. • Finding hybrid IT talent is difficult: With clear benefits to a hybrid model, respondents say scarcity of hybrid experts is a challenge. • EMEA is expected to surpass the Americas with hybrid adoption: U.K. businesses, in particular, plan to decrease data centre workloads by more than half in the next two years, and double use of hybrid clouds. Nutanix commissioned Vanson Bourne to survey IT decision makers about where they are running their business applications today, where they plan to run them in the future, challenges in setting up their cloud environments and how their initiatives stack up against other IT projects and priorities. The survey resulted in approximately 2,300 respondents from multiple industries, business sizes and geographies in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) regions. To learn more about the report and findings, please download the full “Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index 2018”, here.
The Open University Business School receives EOCCS certification for its courses on FutureLearn
The Open University are delighted to announce a suite of eight Business and Finance Fundamentals massive online open courses (MOOCs) has been awarded the EOCCS Certification: – Customer engagement – Effective communication – Effective networking – Project management – Managing the household balance sheet – Financial planning and budgeting – Investment theory and practice – Financial services after the banking crisis These eight MOOCs are delivered through the FutureLearn platform. As part of a strategic partnership between EOCCS & FutureLearn, EOCCS reviewed and consequently certified the suite of eight Business and Finance Fundamentals MOOCs designed by The Open University Business School in the UK. The MOOCs are delivered via the UK-based MOOC platform, FutureLearn which uses design, technology and partnerships to create enjoyable, credible and flexible online courses as well as undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that improve working lives. It partners with over a quarter of the world’s top universities and is also involved in government-backed initiatives to address skills gaps such as The Institute of Coding and the National Centre for Computing Education. Kerry Houchen, the Director of Online Degrees at FutureLearn, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with EOCCS and a certification system that shares our commitment to quality assurance and courses learners can rely upon for their rigour.“ “That The Open University courses granted EOCCS accreditation have already enjoyed several runs on the FutureLearn platform is testament to their popularity. The subjects covered on the eight courses really are fundamental to success in business, and we’re pleased that today’s announcement further illustrates the value and integrity of these courses.” The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the university was founded with a clear purpose: to open up education to all. Since those beginnings in 1969, the OU has taught more than 2 million students worldwide and has over 170,000 current students, including more than 15,000 overseas. Doctor Keith Pond, the EOCCS director, remarked: “We are very happy that the suite of eight Business and Fundamentals MOOCs have successfully completed the Online Couse Certification System EOCCS. The Certification Board appreciated the efficient cooperation and communication between the Open University and FutureLearn as well as the committed course team that provides high-quality academic support.” Professor Mark Fenton-O’Creevy, the Associate Dean External Engagement at The Open University Business School, said: “The Business School is delighted to have received EOCCS certification for this suite of massive open online courses (MOOCs) which we run in partnership with FutureLearn. The extension of EOCCS certification to courses run on the FutureLearn platform recognises the increasing importance of open approaches to learning and should do much to further develop quality standards for MOOCs.” With 95 certified courses from 19 institutions in 11 countries, EOCCS presents an international quality benchmark for online courses worldwide. The certification system is firmly embedded in the general philosophy of EFMD accreditations: internalisation, practical relevance and quality improvement. Being certified with EOCCS makes you a part of a vibrant learning and networking community which meets annually at the EOCCS Learning Community Symposium and throughout the year, shares good practice in its virtual community of practice. EOCCS provides in-depth peer review and feedback as well as suggestions for improvements and sustainability, all in less than 3-month completely online process. Students taking courses from EOCCS certified institutions, whether they come from a MOOCs platform or directly from their school or whether they are higher education or corporate, can be ensured that they will boost up their career prospects with courses that are officially recognised and professionally relevant. If you would like further information or are interested in your online course taking part, please visit the EOCCS website or contact eoccs@efmdglobal.org
PET-Xi Training’s New Skills Hub
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has visited PET-Xi Training’s new Skills Hub in Nuneaton to see first-hand the difference digital training is making in communities. Skills shortages is one of the key areas the Mayor is keen to address throughout the region to ensure businesses are able to employ qualified digital staff. Andy met staff and learners taking part in the Positive Futures and ITQ programmes run by PET-Xi Training to break down employability barriers at its Skills Hub in Abbey Street. The Skills Hub provides work experience opportunities, support to lone parents through childcare and parenting courses, self-employment enterprise programmes and expands on the quality of careers advice for young people through tailored interventions. Positive Futures is aimed at 15 to 24-year-olds not currently in education, employment or training – or at risk of becoming so – to achieve qualifications and employability skills including being provided with advice and support on applying for jobs, CV writing and interview tips. The ITQ scheme was also taking place which helps unemployed people back into the workforce through a seven-day level 2 IT user skills qualification. Andy said it had been great to meet learners benefiting from improving their digital skills through intensive training courses. “I have come to have huge admiration for PET-Xi Training and since they have recently expanded into Nuneaton, I wanted to come and see what they are doing in a different community which has got slightly different challenges,” he said. “It has been fantastic to chat to people taking part in the Positive Futures and ITQ programmes and find out more about the work being done to encourage digital skills. “We know through our research into developing the region’s economic plan that there is a real challenge around the depth and breadth of people’s understanding of digital skills. “It is great to see people coming together to obtain these skills whether they are changing careers, returning to work after a career break or having not taken these courses at school, because they will have improved their chances of securing their career ambitions through digital training and in turn, that will benefit businesses.” Fleur Sexton, managing director of the award-winning PET-Xi Training, said she had been proud to explain the courses they were running to the Mayor since they were making a real difference to peoples’ lives. She said:“We are known for operating at a community level to engage marginalised 16-24 year olds and have a constant track record of success in community engagement – and we are also renowned for going the extra mile to help learners stay engaged and on-track to success. “We have responded to the CWLEP skills strategy by using the hub to create employment opportunities, equipping the right people with the right skills to meet future employer demands. “The Skills Hub for North Warwickshire is the focal point of all our courses which interlink to help more people have access to learn digital skills. “Since we opened the Skills Hub in November, we have noticed we are helping a high proportion of people achieve digital skills as well as basic level English and maths qualifications as part of our Positive Futures course, particularly those with disabilities since our office is accessible to all and learners feel comfortable here. “Digital Skills is an area which the Mayor is determined to improve and upskilling people in Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft opens up new career paths and also builds a workforce for the future to attract and retain skilled people in the West Midlands.” www.pet-xi.co.uk