Bringing history to life through animation
Victoria Nielson, CEO of Waterloo 200, discusses getting youngsters engaged with history through the Age of Revolution project… Q&A on Waterloo 200’s history animation competition 1. Tell us about Waterloo 200 charity, about its background and how the Age of Revolution Project came about. Waterloo 200 is the official body recognised by the UK government to support the commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo. As part of our work we have launched a five-year educational legacy project – the Age of Revolution. The aim of the project is to broaden understanding and engagement of the revolution in Europe between 1775 and 1848. Our goal is to engage with over 2,000 national UK schools across the education spectrum through providing bespoke educational materials, multimedia technologies and creative educational partnerships. The Age of Revolution resource brings together objects and artworks from museums and galleries across the UK, together with facts, information and curriculum-linked ideas to help bring this extraordinary period to life. 2. Why did the charity decide to run an animation competition? We’re always looking for ways to link the extraordinary people, events and ideas of the time – such as protests, equality and the invention of things we now take for granted – with the lives of children and young people today. Animation is a great way to pull all of these aims together. One of the best ways to learn about something – including history – is to present or explain it to someone else. By creating an animation about the Age of Revolution, students have to really focus their learning about the period and think creatively about how to get their message across, in a fun and engaging way. We hope that presenting this as a competition will not only encourage more schools to have a go, but will also mean they can share their wonderful ideas with us – and others. We’ve included a step-by-step guide to making an animation in our online resource so we hope that will also help students (and teachers!) develop new skills in digital making. 3. Have you seen any entries yet and, if so, what impressed you? It’s a little early for entries at the moment as schools have until February 2020 to submit their entries. The judges are looking for imaginative, creative animations, which genuinely reflect students’ own ideas and thoughts about ‘Revolution’. We really want to encourage schools to be as creative as they want to be – they can use photography, clay or digital apps. We just want people to have fun with it and for their film to answer the question “What Does Revolution Mean to Me?” We are lucky to be working with hugely talented judges who are experts in creativity, filmmaking and history. From historian and Waterloo 200 ambassador Dan Snow to award-winning Casting Director Kate Rhodes-James, BBC Animation Producer Barry Quinn and Anra Kennedy, Partnerships Director at Culture24, our judges are waiting to be impressed. 4. How can schools get involved in the competition? Firstly, we need schools to encourage their children to engage with the competition and what revolution means to them. We would point teachers towards our Revolutionary collection held on our website (ageofrevolution.org) to introduce their students to the objects and images of the Age of Revolution. Students may want to look at the Age of Revolution as a whole or concentrate on a specific theme for their film – be that Riots and reforms or the Industrial Revolution. We then would ask teachers to plan a simple story with their class which will form the arc of their animation, as well as to think about the different elements – from characters to format to colours and storylines. It’s then down to creating the film! 5. Do you provide wider resources on the Age of Revolution for schools? We have many free online resources for teachers supported by the Age of Revolution project. It includes an online gallery of over 100 revolutionary objects, carefully selected from museums and galleries across the UK, with facts and information written specifically for teachers. Teachers can choose from our range of tried-and-tested historical enquiries, creative challenges, activities and ideas, to bring classroom learning to life across the curriculum, for all ages. Schools can visit ageofrevolution.org for more information and a bank of free resources. 6. What do you have planned for the future? We’re about to launch a graphic novel about the Peterloo Massacre – created specially for schools. It’s been created by Polyp, Robert Poole and Ben Marsh (our historian partner from the University go Kent) – it’s described as: “The explosive tale of Peterloo, told through the voices of those who were there. A vivid, original and historically accurate ‘comic book’ visual account of the 1819 Manchester massacre, to be published as part of the 200th anniversary commemorations.” As with all our resources it will be accompanied by associated classroom activities for teachers. We have also just closed an exciting funding opportunity for schools and museums to apply for funding to develop digital making projects. We want them to work together to use simple digital tools such as apps, green screening, video, 3D printing, microcomputers etc to get creative with ‘Revolutionary’ museum collections – and with our own online ‘Revolutionary collection’ of objects. We’ll be working with successful applicants from September on these projects and will share any great ideas on our website as part of our resource, for other museums and schools to try.
Three tips to enhance maths in your school
Alexandra Riley is author of the Power of Maths report and Senior Publisher in the Primary Maths team at Pearson. She leads the team behind Power Maths, a whole-class mastery programme developed in partnership with White Rose Maths. Here, she highlights how schools can not only boost results but improve perceptions about how maths is used in everyday life… Maths can unlock doors by giving children and young people the tools needed to access new learning or pursue a career that increases their future earning power. And yet, only 36% of males and 23% of females at Key Stage Four feel that mathematics is most likely to lead to a job in the future [1]. Meanwhile, myths about mathematics continue to perpetuate, from the belief that some people just can’t do maths to the perception that this isn’t a creative subject. Following the release of Pearson’s Power of Maths report, shaped by leading thinkers across education and business, here are some ways you can improve both the perceptions and teaching of mathematics in your school: 1. Bust myths Maths is relevant and important in our lives beyond the school gates. In your school, talk openly about the utility and creativity of maths. Maths is not about getting “the right answer”. Instead, show pupils that debate, discovery and creativity are an integral part of maths, rather than characteristics confined to humanities, and this makes maths fascinating and exciting. You can do this in practice, by regularly integrating problems with more than one solution into maths lessons, and debating the strategies used and solutions. Pupils will become engaged in their learning by thinking creatively and participating in rich mathematical discussion. 2. Build resilience If an adult is under-confident in maths, they can unknowingly pass on their anxieties to children and young people, leading to many arriving in their lessons ready to hate it. Building mathematical confidence among parents can be key to tackling maths anxiety in your school. At a primary level, teachers can give parents simple suggestions for engaging their child in learning at home, whether it is working on a puzzle book at bedtime, creating a maths picture storybook or talking about shape while they play together. You can run workshops to communicate this or draw on Pearson’s Handy Parent Factsheet, which explains the importance of a growth mindset and how parents can encourage their children to be confident mathematicians. 3. Never underestimate the power of professional development Teachers are one of the biggest influencers on our young people yet many maths teachers are not subject specialists (particularly at primary) and feel under-confident in teaching the subject. High-quality resources, such as textbooks and teacher guides, can help teachers to consistently implement what they have learnt in the classroom. You can also encourage teachers to observe, or even film, lessons and reflect on them with a colleague or as a team. This gives an opportunity to reflect on best practice, build subject knowledge and share new ideas. The future of mathematics is ultimately one where people from diverse backgrounds and interests come together to collaborate and drive change. By harnessing a passion for mathematics in schools and classrooms, we can all inspire young people with its power one step at a time. To read the Power of Maths report and its recommendations, please visit: pearsonprimary.co.uk
The importance of school playground safety
Playgrounds play a great part in the development of a child, the memories in a play park are often ones that are remembered. They’re the place where we play and explore risk, socialise with others and create memories that we will treasure long into adult life — but what happens when the risk becomes all too much? Retailers of lawn top dressing and play bark, Compost Direct have provided us with some research on playground safety and some suggestions on how to improve the levels of safety in a play area. We look specifically at the accident rates before offering tips to prevent injury and safeguard children without limiting their play potential. The current accident rate in British playgrounds It is hard to judge the overall playground safety levels in Britain as there is little research surrounding this. However, some studies have taken place that do shine some light on the safety of our playgrounds. One notable study is that done by Play England. They suggest that when you compare the risks involved of playing in a playground to partaking in a sport, the sport poses more harm to a child. For example, rugby has the highest non-fatal accident rate per 100,000 hours of exposure, with roughly 280 incidents. Football and hockey are the next most dangerous, with approximately 130 and 90 incidents respectively. In comparison, public playgrounds have one of the lowest non-fatal accident rates at around 5 incidents per 100,000 hours of exposure. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health and Safety Advisory Group suggest that many playground accidents are due to incorrect design and layout, poor inspection and maintenance, unsuitable clothing and lack of adult supervision – amongst other reasons. Playground safety hazards There are some actions that can be taken by schools to reduce harmful incidents. Of course, children love exploring and being mischievous and often accidents are inevitable. Playground designers cannot be overly safety conscious when deciding how a playground should look or else the adventures and challenges that children enjoy in a play area will be eliminated. However, a well-designed playground will not raise any additional hazards for children and will encourage safe play. When considering the layout of a park, a key thing should be that it is easily accessible by those who need it. Large groups must be able to navigate around the park, disabled children need access and emergency services must be able to reach the play zone in the case of an accident. The materials that are used to create surfaces in the park should have been carefully evaluated and tested for safety hazards. Hard surfaces should be non-slip, especially in rain and adverse weather conditions as this is a common cause of accidents. Impact absorbing surfacing should be fitted around all apparatus to reduce injury level in the case of a fall. This could be in the form of play bark (bark chippings) or sand. Surfaces should be level too, with adequate opportunity for drainage to reduce risk of corrosion on any of the equipment. In a park, there should be plenty of seats around the play areas so that children can socialise. What can teachers do? The key thing that staff can do is keep a watchful eye over what is happening in the playground to ensure effective safeguarding. Keep an eye out for older and younger children playing together. Although we don’t like to think so, this can lead to bullying or your child feeling uncomfortable when they are playing. In this situation, encourage children to play on another piece of equipment. Age-segregated areas can be beneficial for this reason – as well as accessibility reasons. Keep an eye out for any litter too which may be harmful. Take on board suggestions for improvement around playground safety too – ask your pupils about their experiences; they might have come across something that you did not notice.
Why cybersecurity needs to be a priority for the education sector
Adrian Jones, CEO at Swivel Secure Education institutions need to make cybersecurity a priority. Despite the sector facing major challenges such as a lack of staffing and a lack of funding and resources, cyber attacks are no less frequent or less severe in education. In fact, they seem to be gaining ground in prevalence year-on-year as instances of breaches in schools and higher education are widely reported. In recent years we’ve seen news of ransom attacks causing financial damage – like that on the University of Calgary where the institution allegedly handed over $20k to cybercriminals, and malware attacks causing mass disruption – similar to the disruption which, apparently, caused the Minnesota School District to shut down for a day while IT professionals rebuilt the system. The more worrying breaches are where student safety is compromised. Educational institutions are entrusted to safeguard their students, many of whom are minors, but a weak cybersecurity infrastructure can put them at risk. This was made all too clear when the CCTV in several schools in Blackpool was allegedly breached, and the footage reportedly live-streamed on the internet. It’s an unfortunate fact that, while cybersecurity in education is necessary to protect against financial loss and prevent disruption, it’s also crucial to protect students from harm. Which is why the sector needs to do everything it can to ensure their applications and systems are protected, and work to overcome any challenges. In this article, we’ll look at the current state of cybersecurity in education. We’ll discuss the most common reasons for attack, the highest threats and the main challenges facing the sector to help you understand why cybersecurity needs to be a priority, and how you can make it a priority for your educational institute. Why education is a target for cybercrime There are four key reasons why Education is a target for cybercriminals. With Education venues varying in size, purpose, and stature, the motives for attack can vary too. For example, what might be a common threat for world-renowned Universities/Colleges might not be an issue for schools or school districts. So, institutions need to evaluate the risk and understand what data is vulnerable to unauthorised access. DDoS attacks – Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS attacks are a common type of attack on all levels of Education venue. This is where the attacker’s motive is to cause widespread disruption to the institute’s network, having a negative effect on productivity. This can be a relatively easy attack for amateur cybercriminals to carry out, especially if the target network is poorly protected. There have been instances of students or teachers successfully carrying out a DDoS attack, with motives ranging from simply wanting a day off, to protesting the way a complaint was handled. Data theft – This is another attack affecting all levels of education because all institutions hold student and staff data, including sensitive details like names and addresses. This type of information can be valuable to cybercriminals for several reasons, whether they plan to sell the information to a third party or use it as a bargaining tool and extort money. The concerning aspect of this type of attack is that hackers can go unnoticed for long periods of time. As was the case at Berkeley, where at least 160,000 medical records were allegedly stolen from University computers over a number of months. Financial gain – Another motive for hackers carrying out an attack on an education institution is for financial gain. This might not be as high a risk for public schools, but with private institutions and Universities/Colleges handling a large number of student fees, they’re a prime target for cybercriminals. Today, it’s usual for students or parents to pay fees via an online portal, often transferring large sums of money to cover a whole term or year of tuition. Without proper protection or preparation on the part of education institutions, this presents a weak spot for cybercriminals to intercept. Espionage – The fourth reason why education is a target for cybercrime is espionage. In the case of higher education institutes like Universities/Colleges, they’re often centres for research and hold valuable intellectual property. Universities/Colleges need to be suitably protected, as it’s thought that scientific, engineering and medical research by UK Universities has been previously compromised by hackers, and with plenty of time and money to fund them professionals are often at the helm of these attacks. With these four motives in mind, the way in which hackers carry out an attack on Education networks can further help us understand how to protect them. How education is targeted JISC’s 2018 Cybersecurity Posture Survey questioned IT professionals within further and higher education. They were asked to name the top cyber threats facing their institutions, and the top three answers give us insight into the most common ways Education networks are breached. Phishing – Phishing scams often take the form of an email or instant message and are designed to trick the user into trusting the source in a fraudulent attempt to access their credentials – whether that’s sensitive student data or confidential research. This type of attack is highlighted as the top threat facing higher education venues, suggesting hackers regularly target the sector using the method. Ransomware/Malware – Also in the top three cyber threats highlighted by the report, ransomware and malware attacks prevent users from accessing the network or files and cause disruption. More advanced forms of this threat can see attackers hold files to ransom. Ransomware or malware typically infects devices using a trojan, a file or attachment disguised to look legitimate. However, some ransomware (like the WannaCry attack) have been shown to travel between devices without user interaction. Lack of awareness – The third threat listed by professionals in both further and higher education is a lack of awareness or accidents. This could be on the part of staff or students who aren’t sufficiently trained to practice good cyber hygiene or accidentally compromise the network. Despite taking on different appearances,
Zehnder UK unveils integrated heating and lighting panel for schools
Zehnder Group UK is proudly unveiling its integrated Multi-service ‘Foil’ product, which encapsulates heating and cooling, lighting, acoustics and other functions all in one panel. The Foil has been jointly engineered with lighting specialists Whitecroft Lighting, and is ideal for schools and other educational facilities. Bringing together Zehnder’s expert knowledge in radiant heating and cooling and Whitecroft’s heritage in specialist lighting, the Foil combines all the best features of energy efficient heating and cooling, lighting and acoustics. Other services such as speakers, fire alarms, sprinklers and smoke detectors can also be easily incorporated into the design. Case study: Mercia School, Sheffield In 2017, Sheffield Council and the Mercia Learning Trust embarked on an ambitious, £25million new school development in the Bannerdale area of south-west Sheffield. Upon announcing the project, Mercia Learning Trust commented: “The offer of Mercia School will be very different. We intend it to be a traditional school with its culture rooted in exceptionally high behavioural standards and an academic curriculum which celebrates mastery of knowledge.” Educational excellence was the common theme that ran throughout the project brief, ensuring that the school would provide an optimal space for learning, development and achievement. All contractors and building products were chosen with this aim in mind, meaning that every aspect of the build would adhere to these high standards and contribute to the enhanced learning environment. Zehnder’s multi-service foil, developed with lighting specialists Whitecroft Lighting, provided the ideal solution for the school’s science classrooms, combining heating, lighting and acoustic services within one easy-to-install solution. The build was approved in April 2017 and completed in September 2018. The project brief £25million invested by Mercia Learning Trust and Sheffield City Council Brand new secondary school and sixth form building for 11-18 year olds Modern building facilities to deliver a traditional academic environment Ergonomic furniture and room design throughout Specific requirements and challenges Aesthetically aligned to the building Save space and not disrupt the learning environment Cost-efficiency Easy to install Easy to maintain The architect, Bond Bryan’s, vision for Mercia School was to have clean, uncluttered spaces conducive to a positive and academically rigorous teaching and learning environment. The contractor, BAM Construction, was tasked with selecting solutions which adhered to this vision and would supply the necessary functions needed in the building whilst not detracting from the idea of a clean, productive learning space. Over 200 foil radiant luminaires were installed in the science classrooms. The ergonomic furniture design in the classroom resulted in a lack of space for heating services against the wall. Thus, integrating both the heating and acoustic services into a single lighting feature ensured an uncluttered space matching the teaching and learning environment that had been envisaged by both the architect and the Mercia Learning Trust, to support the vision and values of the school. Product specifications: Maximum working temperature: 80°C Maximum test pressure: 7.8 bar Maximum working pressure: 6 bar Tested to EN14037, EN12464 and ISO 354 standards Product benefits: Space saving: combining heating, lighting and acoustics in one unit Radiant panels: savings in excess of 20% vs. traditional heating systems Silent operation: enhancing the quality of the learning environment for students and staff Ease of install: a single install reduces risk of delay to the building programme Simplicity: accessible for easy cleaning and maintenance Energy efficiency: reduces the school’s carbon footprint
Quality First Aid courses delivered on your premises
SPA Training (UK) was established in 1995 and has been successfully running first aid training courses since then across the UK. The key to our success has been reliability, flexibility and the quality of delivery plus our 200+ trainers strategically placed across the country. We all know how important it is that your staff are fully trained in subjects such as food safety and first aid – for your own peace of mind as well as your customers. The costs associated with poor food safety are both financial and social and can affect both employers and employees. Similarly, accidents can happen, even in low risk organisations with few employees. Having the correct first aid provision in the workplace is not only a legal requirement, it is incredibly important for the safety of you and your employees. As a minimum, a low-risk workplace such as a small office, should have a first aid box and a person appointed to take charge of first aid arrangements such as calling the emergency services if necessary. Workplaces where there are more significant health and safety issues are more likely to need a trained first aider. A first aid needs assessment will help employers decide what first aid arrangements are appropriate for their workplace. At SPA Training (UK) Ltd, our comprehensive list of courses means we can help to ensure that you have the right provision of first aid in the event of an accident or illness in your workplace. SPA delivers the essential training required such as first aid, health and safety and food safety to all levels at very competitive rates. Courses are delivered on your premises at times to suit you and we are happy to include any site specific information if required. All courses are certificated by recognised awarding bodies such as Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance and Qualsafe Awards. Our trainers are all fully qualified in their respective fields and have a wealth of experience within the commercial sector. At SPA we provide the best possible training, advice and guidance to enable your staff to improve their personal skills and knowledge and gain the most appropriate qualifications to help them succeed in the workplace. Contact us for full details of the courses we run or visit the website – spatraininguk.com and take a look at what we have to offer. Contact: Jules Hutchings – 01579 324116 – jules@spatraininguk.com
Roehampton’s digital learning journey
Xavier Briche, Head of Digital Learning at the University of Roehampton, discusses how the Digital Learning department has enhanced the student learning experience. Here at Roehampton, we have created a robust Digital Learning Services department (DL) to support technology for teaching and learning. The department strives for innovation within the University and focuses on new and existing technologies to support the learner’s journey and to provide digital tools to the teaching community. We have separated the two departments to allow a greater focus on cutting-edge educational technologies to support the outstanding student digital experience. A solution for diversity In 2015, the University decided it was time to enhance the virtual learning environment (VLE) as a key enabler for improving accessibility. The existing solution wasn’t fit for this purpose as it was too static. We needed a versatile solution, one that would easily allow regular upgrades and product functionalities to help improve the user experience for less able students as they enter HE. We’ve been implementing an SMS plug-in as an add-on to our online assessment workflow. The plug-in automatically sends a text message to students when their assessment feedback is on the VLE, to engage our students in their learning and close the feedback loop more effectively. Complying with GDPR The new GDPR regulations and EU directive on online accessibility needed some close attention, therefore discussions between both teams about GDPR, and the steps needed to ensure the online learning practices, processes and system compliance were addressed. Clear results for students Universities are underpinned by their scores in the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Teaching Excellence Framework. Our DL follows these performance results closely, to see how outsourced services are performing and whether they are adding value to the student experience. The Moodle platform and the service, provided by CoSector – University of London, has increased student satisfaction by around 6%. Students now feel the VLE is reliable and robust, and can be accessed 24/7 from any location. We are pleased with the Moodle platform and the benefits of supporting the VLE as well as the teaching and learning ecosystems. Blended and online learning are priorities to engage and support our extremely diverse student population. Students and staff often rely on assistive technology integrations in the VLE, its therefore vital to ensure the VLE is an inclusive and accessible digital environment. Online learning and VLEs are hugely beneficial for students with disabilities as e-resources and teaching material such as course slides are systematically uploaded to the VLE. Most VLEs now provide a way of navigating around an online course with ease, accessing web links and additional files by using keystrokes only. Changing a VLE host can be a big risk because the system is embedded in all aspects of the delivery of teaching and learning. In terms of account management and value added for our students and teaching staff, it has proven to be well worth the switch. See roehampton.ac.uk for more details on how the university uses digital learning to enhance the student experience.
Zoom video platform improves communication in education
Jane Ross, head of public sector at the Zoom video platform, discusses how it’s helping schools both in meetings and in the classroom… Could you explain what the Zoom video platform is, and how it helps teachers? Zoom is a unified video-first communications platform that provides remote communications services using cloud computing. It offers software for video, voice, chat, and content sharing. Zoom was named a Leader in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions. The Zoom solutions also have the benefit of being available for procurement through the UK government’s official G-Cloud Digital Marketplace framework. This accreditation provides full access to Zoom’s range of solutions, including its Zoom Rooms, which implements its high-quality video, audio and content sharing in rooms of all sizes. Zoom services are available in cloud or hybrid deployments, and the solutions are available on the G-Cloud version 10 of the framework, in the Cloud Software category. Zoom also benefits the ease of sharing critical information, with the one-click activation, the school board can hold meetings, students can join classes, teachers can bring in remote guest lecturers or host office hours online, and so forth. We are living in a digital age, and more and more schools are looking for ways to adapt to this transformation while being conscious of their budget restrictions. Zoom can bolster any eLearning initiatives, by providing a secure platform for online tutoring, online parent teacher meetings, teacher conferences etc. The possibilities for Zoom to positively impact and transform the way a school works is only limited to what they can imagine doing with it! What is the effect on pupils’ attainment when Zoom is used? Zoom can be the next step in introducing synchronous activities into school’s existing or future eLearning programs, it can work to build stronger relationships and better learning experiences for students and teachers alike. For example, webinars and online teaching sessions hosted via Zoom can bolster the engagement of pupils whether at home or at school, providing alternative outlets for those students who are hungry to learn. This will not only build their academic confidence, but also give them a chance to hone this confidence in situations outside the comfort of a classroom, by giving them vital experience of a technology and a way of communicating that they will most likely be using when they come to enter the working world. How does Zoom save the school money? With unique but straightforward pricing structure, Zoom offers affordable and attainable solutions for organisations with even the strictest of budgets. That is why over 17,000 educational institutions are using Zoom for virtual and hybrid classrooms, office hours, administrative meetings, and more. Does Zoom help students prepare for higher education and the world of work? Zoom can play a huge part in helping students understand the tools available to keep up with the modern world of work, and the often-remote experience of attending a University far away from home. Zoom can teach students how to work effectively from anywhere, a skill that will be vital in the world of work as more and more companies offer a flexible working structure. Not to mention, that most companies, even if based in the office 5 days a week, will need to use some form of conferencing software to communicate with other parts of their business, customers, or clients. Using Zoom at school gives students this exposure to collaborative working from a remote environment. What do you see in the future of video technology: what will students be using next year, for example? Today’s students are mobile first. We are talking all the time about the benefits and pitfalls of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and so we are now seeing schools and universities addressing the need to integrate this into a learning environment in a productive way. Teachers are now realising they need to meet the students where they are, with synchronous engagement that goes straight to their mobile devices with real-time video, audio, and content sharing. The future of video technology is bright and totally mobile, and is sure to become something that students, teachers and school boards see as a seamless and entirely essential part of learning in the modern era. Could you give an example where the Zoom video platform has really made an impact on a school? The University of San Francisco was looking for a solution to support its growing online programs, and it decided that the answer was Zoom. The impact that Zoom has had at the organisation is real and palpable; not only does Zoom create an easy and accessible way for teachers and students to connect no matter where they are, it has also expanded the University’s ability to share knowledge globally. This is demonstrated by its collaboration with remote hospitals in Vietnam, with whom the University’s faculty and researchers share healthcare knowledge and best practice to ensure patients are receiving the right treatment – all through Zoom. The University has credited the ease of clicking to connect, and simplicity of deployment and usability as some of the reasons why Zoom has made such an impact. See www.zoom.us for more details on the Zoom video platform.
Schools “concerned” about Relationships, Sex and Health Education changes
New research by Headway Education, a social enterprise established to help provide children, and those who teach them, with the most up-to-date, sophisticated, high quality and engaging materials possible, has revealed that schools are growing increasingly concerned that they are not equipped to deliver the requirements of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum from 2020. In September next year, Relationships Education will become compulsory for all pupils in primary schools, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) mandatory within secondary schools, and Health Education compulsory in all schools. However, in a survey of 168 headteachers, other senior leaders and class teachers undertaken in January and February 2019, 66% of respondents said they were “concerned or very concerned” about funding to support the new curriculum. A further 60% reported being concerned or very concerned about the need for high-quality resources, finding time to teach these subjects (54%), teacher training (52%) and parental support (39%). Although the majority of respondents knew about the new curriculum, 36% were “vaguely aware or had little or no awareness” about the expectations around Health Education and even less about Relationships Education and RSE (34% each). There was an appetite for training, with 59% saying they would be “likely or very likely” to undertake an online programme to support their understanding of each subject. Around 35% of schools said they would have to invest in additional resources. Schools were asked how well PSHE (as currently the most commonly used term for these subjects) was embedded in their educational setting. Whilst 91% “agree or strongly agree” that their pupils generally enjoy participating in PSHE, that PSHE is at the heart of our curriculum (82%) and that PSHE is a timetabled lesson every week or at least every other week (81%), other responses were less positive. Around 57% of respondents “disagree or strongly disagree” that their school follows a locally agreed syllabus or has invested in a nationally recognised programme (56%). Ken Pritchard, Managing Director of Headway Education, said: “There are clearly high levels of concern regarding preparation for the new subjects. In particular, teacher training, the issue of funding and the need for high-quality resources are the main reasons behind this concern. Results show that over a third of schools are already certain they will need new resources to ensure they meet the new requirements. Whilst the majority of respondents know about upcoming change, there is still work to be done.”