The Effects of Digital Media Consumption on Education
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 92% of teens report using the internet on a daily basis, with 24% claiming to be online “almost constantly.” The prevalence of digital media consumption among young people can have a significant impact on their education and study habits. In another Pew study, while nearly three-quarters of high school teachers admit that digital research tools can have a positive impact on student performance, 87% also say that digital tech has resulted in a generation of teenagers who are far more easily distracted than teens of the past. On the one hand, teachers acknowledge the fact that driven teens who are already exemplary students benefit from access to research tools. If they’re already interested in a subject, they now have the opportunity to not only explore the topic further, but also to develop their own research skills outside of the school environment. This helps prepare them for their future academic careers, where they’ll be expected to be more self-reliant. That said, educators participating in the survey express concerns that teenagers may rely too greatly on digital research tools, neglecting other methods of inquiry. Additionally, the vast majority of teachers have noticed that constant computer and smartphone usage has significantly affected teens’ ability to remain focused on a task. Parents can monitor their children’s digital consumption when they’re teenagers. After they graduate and move out, however, most teens will have to rely on themselves to cultivate strong educational habits. They must understand how to use their phones and computers to help improve their academic performance, rather than harm it. In the lower grades, teachers can also help to instill healthy digital research habits in students. With this in mind, it’s important to provide younger students with additional resources that they can use to monitor and evaluate their own digital behavior independently. A product like Xooloo Digital Coach can be useful for students who aren’t naturally motivated to treat their digital devices as educational tools. This product provides teenage users with a clear picture of their online habits, making it easier for them to identify and address areas where they may be devoting too much energy or attention. By having this information available in user-friendly and easily understandable format, they can modify their behavior accordingly. Doing so will prepare them for future academic years, and instill the right kind of autonomy over their digital behavior. Students will continue to spend a good portion of their time on the internet. Rather than trying to stop this trend, educators and parents should work to promote the idea that digital devices can be powerful educational tools. Article by Joe Oliveto
Is Outsourcing ICT Support Becoming Inevitable in Education?
Martin Pipe, Head of Service Scope & Design at RM Education, explores the growing trend in schools seeking to outsource or co-source their IT support services as a measure to not only save time and cost, but to manage risks, access expertise and future-proof their technology provision. According to RM Education’s latest annual survey, a growing number of schools are now considering outsourcing and co-sourcing their IT support in order to keep up with the constant changes in technologyand minimise overall support costs. As moving to the cloud continues to help schools drive down expenditure and enhance learning, educational institutions of all sizes are also beginning to look for IT partners who can not only help them transition to the cloud, but provide ongoing IT support and expertise as the breadth of available technologies develops. In guidance issued in July this year, the Department for Education (DfE) reiterated that the marketplace is increasingly seeing cloud services as the way forward, but advises schools to select a knowledgeable and experienced service provider that shares the school vision and can provide both initial and ongoing assistance. They also stipulate that ‘as the complexity of locally hosted, school based ICT solutions increases, it can become more and more challenging to ensure the same level of reliability in respect of the ICT provision in schools’ – making the support of a trusted partner in this journey essential. So what are the key influencing factors driving a growing number of schools to outsource or co-source? Central motivators “You’d think there would be a clear starting point, but the motivators for outsourcing IT services are different for every school as it depends entirely on the long-term and unique issues they face,” says Martin. “However, there’s often a more critical driver, such as their existing systems aren’t working well enough, technology is too slow or failing during lessons, infrastructure isn’t supporting new apps and software, the cost of in-house IT support is too high or they’ve had a change of senior leadership who has brought in new ideas.” Cost is still a prominent factor in the decision to outsource IT support and services – almost half the schools surveyed cited cost as a central influence for bringing in third party support – whilst riskmanagement is another key driver, both from a technical and a staff perspective. Outsourcing IT support allows schools to transfer the risk of day-to-day mishaps and any other risks associated with IT to the service provider, as well as providing cover for sickness and holidays. It also minimises any disruptions from technology, as IT partners providing managed services to schools can run proactive checks on the schools’ systems throughout the day to instantly pick up and rectify issues before they become a problem. Conversely, co-sourcing IT support can fill in gaps in internal expertise and save schools time, money, and effort in recruiting additional staff. By combining services from within the school and from a well-chosen partner, both parties can work to achieve the same goals. Bridging the gap However, perhaps the greatest motivator of all is no longer simply about cost, but about addressing the widening technology skills gap; in today’s competitive marketplace and with technology moving at a rapid pace, schools are finding it increasingly difficult to attract the right type of IT specialists to support them. This trend is again reflected in RM’s survey, with 60% of schools citing the need for additional skills and expertise as the most important motivating factor. “Schools have so many of their own challenges that recruiting top IT talent – quite understandably – tends not to be their main priority,” says Martin. “However, the problem is that when they do try to find the right staff, the marketplace is tough – they’re competing with the enterprise IT market and candidates can often get much more from an organisation than from a school. “As technology becomes an increasingly integral part of education, schools need IT expertise in multiple types of technology, which leaves them with two choices; to find a single IT support specialist with the knowledge and expertise of five different people, which is almost impossible – or to employ multiple experts to cover the vast range of technologies, which is very expensive. “When an IT issue occurs that goes beyond the expertise held locally – such as server failure, or pupils not being able to log into something – schools have to rely solely on their Network Support Manager or IT technician, who may not always be able to help. This puts schools in a vulnerable situation as it could ultimately lead to hours of lost teaching time and major classroom disruptions. “And that’s where outsourcing or co-sourcing IT support can become a major advantage for schools, as whatever the issue, they have access to the infinite expertise of a much larger organisation with every possible skillset they need.” Reclaiming time But while existing IT support staff may perceive outsourcing as a threat, the reality is often that they are not only benefiting from broadening their skillset by working with third party IT support providers, butare actually freed up to concentrate on offering more practical, hands-on IT support around the school. The DfE’s guidelines agree that ‘reducing the costs of managing and supporting a school’s ICT infrastructure can make more effective use of available in-house technical support’ and that ‘staff may be refocused away from purely technical support of a multitude of in-house systems towards supporting the uptake of the ICT and thus delivering improved benefits for the teaching and learning outcomes.’ Martin adds: “When you think about the sheer scale of what an IT technician has to do – from in-class support for teachers using ICT and proactive and reactive management and repair to monitoring security updates and load times and everything in between, it’s becoming almost impossible for them to achieve everything on their list without the support of a third party. “For Network Managers, the plethora of responsibilities is even more pronounced; in addition to network and server management they have to manage tight budgets, constantly monitor performance, implement and manage filtering and safeguarding policies, produce monthly reports and manage their team – as well as staying up to date on the changing technologies and developing an intrinsic understanding of how they can support teaching and learning. Ultimately, that model isn’t sustainable.” Bringing in a third party IT partner allows IT technicians, Network Managers and Business Managers to reclaim the headspace they need to focus on the more important tasks; rather like having a smoke alarm – you can confidently walk around your house knowing that if anything happens, you’ll be told. A good IT partner should understand
The Importance of Gates and Access to School Sports Areas
Emily Thompson, Marketing Manager of GateQuote, offers some guidance, and looks at why good and safe access to play and sports areas are essential. Gates can be used in a variety of ways, mainly outside in a residential or commercial capacity. Ranging from automatic security gates, to a standard driveway gates, there is one important type of gate that often goes unnoticed – gates and access to play and sports areas in schools. Physical Education and Sport play a very important part in the life of children at school, young people learn more about key values, such as co-operation, teamwork, fair play and respect for themselves and others. Therefore, an effective and safe environment is key to its success. In a school environment, most fencing and gates are used when there is either a need to prevent children straying away from the area, or to keep sports equipment in. In this post I will offer a few top tips and important considerations to take in when assessing or planning sports gates in school. Firstly, all fencing, gate and access control solutions must be carefully considered to ensure they are compliant with the stringent safety regulations designed to minimise the risk of accidents. Multi use games areas, designed to accommodate a variety of outdoor court games, are very popular due to saving costs and space. Attention must be given to creating a suitable play surface, as well as the need to provide a safe enclosure for both players and spectators. It’s a good idea to consider the direction from which students or children will approach the area. Are they coming from a changing room, or a class room? Detours can affect time, and it goes without saying the entry should be convenient. There should be enough width to allow passage of all equipment and wheelchairs, a minimum of one metre is a good start. The gates and access, should normally open outward, except when opening outwards may cause a hazard like a road or drive. Another consideration is for the gate not to close quicker than 5 seconds, to give enough time to go through without the gate striking the back of a child, when walking through. A self-closing mechanism, is a very popular choice to help maintain the gate in a closed position. Mechanisms can vary from a simple spring to offset hinges. Again, it goes without saying that gates should be locked when the area is not it use. It’s important there aren’t any accidents when the area is accessible unsupervised. Which brings me onto the issue of emergency access. It should be recognised that even in the best regulated area with the best teachers or supervisors, accidents can occur and therefore access for emergency vehicles is essential. An ambulance requires an opening of at least 2.15m and ideally an ambulance should be able to get right up to the area. When gates are the sole means of access to a playing field or larger area, they should be wide enough for an ambulance trolley bed. Disabled Access is one of the most important features of a gate, the Disability Discrimination Act requires reasonable provision for disabled people. This means that not only should gates be suitable for wheelchairs but also that these should be able to get to the play area unhindered, for example, no gravel paths. When looking at the issue of safety, there is a lot to consider. It is important that there are no finger or hand traps. This means that there should be a minimum gap of around 12mm between the gate and the posts etc, both sides of the gate. This minimum gap should be maintained throughout the full range of movement of the gate throughout its full arc. Also, there should be no sharp edges or fixings. Gates should ideally be of a different colour to the fencing to make their location easily identifiable to those with visual impairment. Gate latches, if present, should be able to be operated from both sides of the gate, and any projecting bars for catches should ideally be mushroomed at the end (These are normally at eye height for a small child). Bigger gates will require extra strong hinge and slam posts. They will also require heavy-duty hinges etc. Finally, in my opinion, the most important consideration is to ensure that children are supervised at all times when entering and playing inside a gated sporting environment. This is the best way to ensure that gates and access aren’t misused or used dangerously.
How can schools improve their recruitment and retention of teachers?
It is common knowledge for everyone with an interest in education that primary and secondary schools across the UK are finding it more and more difficult to attract and retain teaching staff. The route of the problem is evident: numbers of pupils in schools are increasing year on year whilst the DfE’s targets for recruitment of new teachers are not being met. In addition to this, last year alone 42, 000 teachers left the profession and the pull of sunshine and tax free earnings culminated in 18,000 teachers leaving for schools abroad. It is not surprising that adverts for teacher vacancies are not yielding the same success as they were 5 years ago. So how can schools improve their recruitment and retention of teachers? Key Skills Education is an inner London based education recruitment agency providing teachers and support staff for schools and education centres across London and the Home Counties specifically for long term and permanent positions. The success of Key Skills has been achieved by understanding the problems faced by schools in recruiting high-calibre teachers and improving retention of the teachers once they are in post. Search and Selection Process – Advertising can still be an effective way of attracting teachers for any specific teaching role, we here at Key Skills Education advertise for teachers and support staff all year round – if there are good teachers actively looking for work then we want to know about them! However, with the current teacher shortage this however is no longer a sufficient way of finding quality teachers within restricted timescales. We have pioneered innovative search techniques that enable us to tap into passive teachers, who may not be actively looking for a new post immediately but will be at some point in the future. We continually invest heavily to attract the highest quality teaching staff, focusing on keeping in contact throughout the year, listening to their career motivations and understanding when they might be looking to progress their career. Through our extensive network we are able to reach high-calibre teachers and support staff looking for positions in London and the Home Counties that are not available to our competitors. It follows that many of our staff work exclusively with us and have done for some time – schools that work with Key Skills Education as their education recruitment agency will have access to this exclusive network of teachers and considerably improve the schools chances of finding good to outstanding teaching staff for any given vacancy. Retention of Teachers – Recruiting the right personality for your school plays a significant part in creating an ethos for success and ensuring a harmonious working environment, which in turn improves staff turnover. Having a successful strategy for retaining teachers starts at the recruitment stage – this is where schools can benefit from using recruitment experts. All our consultants here at Key Skills have completed or are working towards specific qualifications in recruitment to ensure highest quality of practice. Interviewing teachers is an integral part of a recruitment consultant’s day-to-day responsibilities. We have therefore made it paramount that our consultants are highly trained interviewers, experts in uncovering the right character attributes that will ensure they are a good match for schools we are working with. We are not just looking for teachers with a consistent work history, we are also looking to uncover classroom practitioners who have the right character attributes to fit into the unique personality of the schools we are working with and have the drive and enthusiasm to compliment the ambitions at the school. Our proficient team of consultants aspire to meet all the schools that we work with so as to accurately understand the kind of individual that will be a success at the school. Once teachers are in post, schools benefit from our continuous dialogue throughout the academic year which allows us to resolve any minor issues before they escalate. If you would like to learn more about Key Skills Education and the services we provide, please check out our website at www.keyskillseducation.co.uk.
Mayor’s Fund for London supports legal education project with primary schools in London
Almost 1000 primary school pupils have gained an insight into the workings of the justice system through taking part in the Mayor’s Fund for London Theatre of Law project during this academic year. This innovative legal education project is delivered by the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law (NCCL) who have an education team based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The project works with primary school pupils from London and aims to improve students’ understanding of the law and the contemporary justice system. The project consists of two days – one at school and one at the Royal Courts of Justice. At the start of the project, pupils are asked to consider how much they know about what happens to someone who breaks the law and how much they know about the different people who work within the legal system. This is then reassessed at the end of the project, usually resulting in a positive increase in knowledge, awareness and aspirations to see the law and related areas as a future career possibility. Matthew Patten, CEO Mayor’s fund for London said: “Working with young people to understand the law and their role in society at an early age is essential to ensure they play a full part in London’s future. Theatre of Law meets this need and promotes social and emotional skills that underpin effective learning and positive behaviour.” During the Mayor’s Fund for London Theatre of Law project, pupils work on creative crime stories inspired by real cases, learn about the consequences of crime, write scripts to prepare for their mock trial at the Royal Courts of Justice and debate punishments. The project aims to improve participants’ knowledge and understanding of the justice system and the consequences of what happens when someone breaks the law. It helps pupils gain an insight into the workings of the justice system and the roles of legal professionals, encouraging students to raise their aspirations to see the law and related areas as a future career possibility. Pollie Shorthouse, Executive Director, NCCL said: “The professional environment of the Royal Courts of Justice is an ideal venue for this project and allows pupils to learn more about crime and punishment and the legal system as they explore real courtrooms. The Mayor’s Fund for London Theatre of Law project provides opportunities to enhance knowledge and understanding of the law among young Londoners and to raise aspirations. This is something we are very passionate about.” One primary school participant told the NCCL team that through the project they had learned: “How many people can be affected by a crime… I didn’t understand how serious crime can be”. Theatre of Law participants are encouraged to develop a variety of important life, literacy and social skills through their involvement in the project. This includes attainment in spoken language, reading and writing, analysis, confidence, public speaking, debating and team work. The project also includes a set of comprehensive resources for schools to use throughout and legal education experts from NCCL are on hand to support and guide pupils in all activities. A teacher from Parkwood Primary School, London stated that the best part of the project was that: “It helped the children to understand the legal process – and getting to see a real court was fantastic. It was also very good that the judge who spoke to us was female.” This helps reduce stereotypes. Another teacher from Roe Green Primary School, London commented: “We really enjoy it and find that it gives the children a really clear idea of law and how the court works.” Schools interested in taking part in future Theatre of Law workshops should contact: london@nccl.org.uk or call 0207 947 7047. Theatre of Law is available for primary schools across London with above average free school meal eligibility. The project is funded by the Mayor’s Fund for London which means that schools only have to contribute £9 per pupil.
Multi-Academy Trusts: What now for quality assurance?
While the softened, non-legislative path to drive English schools to become academies within a wider multi-academy trust (MAT) seems an inevitability, let’s remember that it’s also a path that remains at the heart of the Department for Education plans. For new or potentially expanding MATs, this move has a significant impact on how their senior leaders choose to oversee and monitor quality within each school under their control, says Louise Doyle, a MAT trustee and maintained school governor as well as director of self-assessment and improvement planning resources specialist, MESMA. Currently, 2,075 out of more than 3,300 secondary schools are academies, while 2,440 of 16,766 primary schools have academy status, according to the latest figures. Slightly less than 1,000 of those conversions are part of a MAT (although it is fair to say some only have one school in them). Against such a backdrop, it would be reasonable to suggest that the notion of converting as a stand-alone academy is one that will likely be consigned to the recent past. What’s clear moving forward is the expectation that those converting will be either planning to, or already be part of, a proposed MAT as opposed to the solitary academies. Mesma’s Louise Doyle says that no matter what the size and shape of a trust, quality assurance and more robust governance is critical In the main, for individual academies within a trust, it will be – for those that provide good education for their students – business as usual. Ofsted will inspect them in line with the Common Inspection Framework, while the head teacher will manage internal quality arrangements. Where things may start to differ is the way in which the central MAT leadership team decides to monitor the arrangements across each constituent part of the trust. The need to make decisions based on consistency of reporting, a solid process in place for self-assessment and improvement planning, a clear line of sight to when corrective action needs to be taken based on comparable data are compelling. This notion of consistency and comparability is likely to drive technology decisions that result in changes to business as usual for schools and (hopefully) the delivery of better education for all. Sir Michael Wilshaw in his letter to the Secretary of State in summarising the outcomes of Ofsted’s focused inspections of academies in 2016 said “A MAT needs to provide robust oversight, challenge and support to ensure pupils in all their academies receive a good quality of education”. Whilst giving a nod to examples of good practice, the tone of the letter was one of serious concern about whether or not MAT Trustees were any better at driving improvements in educational provision (particularly for those children who most need it) than the local authority from which the academies came. He went on to highlight seven key weaknesses with those levied at leadership concerning confused governance, lack of challenge, an acceptance of information presented and a lack of strategic oversight. In this harder, perhaps less tolerant landscape, where quality assurance – and the effective management of it – is increasingly to the fore in a culture of accountability (and culpability), the adoption of intuitive technologies have to be seen as an integral part of an effective deliverance strategy. Where such tools are adopted, the balancing act must always be about the holistic improvement of educational provision and not using the data produced as the proverbial stick to beat teaching staff with. Their involvement and engagement in self-assessment is crucial. What we must do is avoid a repetition of the negativity that has surrounded graded observations for example, where the process and outcome should be one of development and support. It’s clearly evident that within our brave new world, no matter what the size and shape of a MAT, there’s going to be a critical requirement for quality assurance and more robust governance. Indeed, in the face of recent findings by Education Policy institute, which found that 20 of the largest multi-academy trusts (MATs) – running more than 300 schools – fall ‘significantly below’ the national average for improving pupils’ attainment, the importance of self-assessment not just within each school but right across the trust, is perhaps more important than ever before; and goes to the heart of addressing the issues raised in the all-party parliamentary group’s (APPG) 21 questions http://www.nga.org.uk/News/NGA-News/Pre-2016/21Q.aspx
Schools offered free service to help manage Ofsted inspections and improve results
Schools across England are being offered a high-tech solution to prepare for Ofsted inspections and improve results free of charge. Bluewave Education is offering its award-winning Common Inspection Frame work module for free to schools, as leaders face increasing budgetary challenges in the coming year. Managing director of Bluewave Education, Keith Wright, said: “Accurate assessment of a schools strengths and areas for development is an essential requirement for school improvement and school inspection. “For more than a decade Bluewave Education has provided school leaders with the structure, guidance and mechanisms to enable rigorous self-evaluation and facilitate the school improvement process. “With schools facing another year of financial uncertainty, our contribution to the sector is to remove some of the cost burden and to help them move on from the use of outdated systems based around paper and basic Word documents. “Our experience is that where schools make this transition, they rarely go back.” Bluewave SWIFT was developed by a group of education leaders who wanted to find a practical, modern day solution to managing school improvement and dealing more effectively with the processes involved. SWIFT allows schools to: – Create a clear and structured whole school self-evaluation – Identify and put in place key school improvement priorities – with direct links to school improvement plans* – Automatically feed Ofsted SEF/Common Inspection Framework evidence into other reports e.g. Safeguarding, Behaviour, Pupil Premium, Governance* – Include any or all of your staff can contribute to whole-school self-evaluation – Create departmental SEF’s/Common Inspection Frameworks Ofsted facility for academy chains In addition to offering their SEF for free to all schools, Bluewave Education is also offering a facility for academy chains, federations and Multi-Academy Trusts, whereby a Common Inspection Framework can be distributed to their family of schools and the responses can be aggregated for analysis and reporting. Mr Wright said: “This supports so many positive approaches to school-led improvement and it leads to far greater awareness and collaboration around strategic planning. “The only cost is a one-off set up fee determined by the number of schools in the family. “Whether we like it or not, schools have to act more like businesses every day. We help schools to think like a school and where necessary, work like a business. “This is recognised in our BETT award for supporting institutional leadership and management but most importantly in the feedback we get from the schools we work with”. For more help in preparing for Ofsted, see bluewavemosaic.com
Ofsted head criticises ‘one size fits all’ education system
Ofsted head, Sir Michael Wilshaw has criticised the ‘one size fits all’ secondary education system, which he said is letting down students. The chief inspector of schools believes the lack of high-calibre vocational training for those who don’t choose the university route is one of the reasons for the UK’s record on youth unemployment. He says the ‘one size fits all’ system lets down less academic pupils and the education system in England, as it stands, does not offer enough opportunities for those who do not succeed at GCSEs to set them up for the world of work. In his address on Monday to the CentreForum education thinktank, Sir Michael Wilshaw is expected to call for a more “inclusive” approach to education. Michael Mercieca, CEO of Young Enterprise said: “I welcome Sir Michael Wilshaw’s argument that the ‘one size fits all’ education system doesn’t benefit all young people. “Less academic young people should not be left behind, and we agree that education provision for children who do not get C grades or above at GCSE, or who don’t want to pursue an academic path, needs improving. “A strong academic curriculum is important, but we also need to think outside of academia and consider those key skills which all young people need to develop for when they do enter the world of work, such as resilience, confidence and communication. Surveys carried out by organisations such as the CBI and Pearson, and the British Chambers of Commerce have found that businesses place a strong emphasis on the key skills young people have. “These skills are even more important for those who don’t have a strong academic record, as they complement academic learning and can improve results later on if developed from a young age.”
£44 MILLION OFF-SITE SCHEME STARTS ON SITE IN EAST LONDON
The £44 million Riverside Schools off-site project – the largest ever in the education sector – has started on site in Barking. The scheme for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham was awarded to the Portakabin Group and is using a Yorkon off-site solution to deliver an innovative three-school campus. Now under construction, the 23,000sqm Riverside Schools campus will provide places for 2,645 children from 0-19 years on a six hectare site. The development will integrate provision for nursery, primary, special needs, secondary, and sixth form pupils, and will be operated by the multi-academy trust, Partnership Learning. The Portakabin Group is the main contractor for this pioneering project. The contract was procured and awarded by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham via the Council’s local education partnership, Thames Partnership for Learning. It is funded by the Education Funding Agency. Commenting at the ground breaking, Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Education and Schools at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham said, “I am very proud of the team for progressing the project so robustly. The off-site solution will help us to very quickly meet the urgent need for school places and deliver more outstanding schools in a good quality and modern educational environment. This will add to our ongoing work to help every child in Barking and Dagenham realise their highest aspirations.” Simon Ambler, Director of the Portakabin Group said, “This is our seventh project for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and follows on from the two earlier phases on the City Farm site near to the Riverside Schools campus, that are now in use. The scheme is one of the largest school projects now under construction in the UK and will create much needed additional school places for one of the fastest growing school-age populations in the country.” He added, “We are delighted to be part of a major development that will be at the heart of a vibrant new community with design-inspired public places and amenities.” Designed by Surface to Air and constructed using a Yorkon off-site solution for the curriculum areas, the scheme comprises an 1,800-place secondary school, a 630-place primary school, a special educational needs (SEN) school, and a 55-place nursery. The use of off-site construction will significantly reduce the programme time. The structure is now in production in York at the same time as the major ground works are progressed on site in East London. The project has been scheduled to complete the primary and SEN facilities at an earlier stage, in time for the start of the 2016/17 academic year to meet the urgent demand for places in the borough. The rest of the campus will be completed late Spring 2017. The Riverside Schools scheme is being developed in the Barking Riverside regeneration area, which is close to Barking town centre and part of the Thames Gateway development. Early phases of substantial housebuilding have already been completed with further plans for 12,000 new homes increasing the need for education provision. For further information about off-site building solutions from the Portakabin Group for primary and secondary education, call 0845 2000 123, email info@yorkon.co.uk or visit www.yorkon.info.