Edition 2, 2015

w w w . e d u c a t i o n - m a g a z i n e . c o . u k - f o r a r t i c l e s n e w s a n d p r o d u c t s

The Education Show 2015 see page 14

Safeguarding: perimeter protection for schools see page 20

Using mid-year reviews to improve performance see page 26

Classrooms that bridge the gap see page 28

The new sixth form facility at Holmes Chapel School see page 30

Recruiting the best online see page 36

Education is a business John Brooks, Vice Chancellor, MMU see page 16

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If you are building, developing new ideas or have some excellent examples of

‘good practice’, spread the word about them and contact PIR Education Magazine

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Contents

2 News

13 How schools can help make reading cool for kids

14 The Education Show 2015

16 We are creating individual autonomous learners, in a business

Talking to John Brooks the Vice Chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University

20 Safeguarding: perimeter protection for schools

24 To do: Be more active!

26 Using mid-year reviews to improve performance By Denise Inwood

28 Classrooms that bridge the gap

30 The new sixth form facility at Holmes Chapel School Talking to Tony Halsalll

36 Recruiting the best online Article by Tony Brookes

38 News

The Magazine for Heads and Financial Directors of Academies,

Independent and Free Schools

The Publisher holds all copyright and any items within may not be reproduced in any way, for any purpose, without the written permission of the Publisher. While every care has been

taken to ensure accuracy, the information contained within this publication is based on submissions to the Publishers who cannot be held responsible for errors and omissions. The publisher does not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors and cannot

except responsibility for claims made by manufacturers and authors, nor do they accept any responsibility for any errors in the subject matter of this publication.

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Children’s music and arts initiatives receive £109 million boostEducation Secretary Nicky Morgan announces £109 million funding to support children’s cultural education programmes.

A range of projects that support children’s music, filmmaking, dance and local-heritage activities are to receive funding worth more than £109 million in the 2015 to 2016 financial year, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Culture Secretary Sajid Javid announced on 25 January 2015.

Access to music and the arts is an important part of this government’s plan for education to ensure all children receive a broad and balanced education.

More than £4 million will be distributed to a number of organisations to support cultural education programmes, including the:

• BFI Film Academy• National Youth Dance Company• Sorrell Foundation’s Art and Design

Saturday Clubs

As a result of this funding, thousands more pupils will have the chance to develop their confidence and unique talents in arts disciplines, such as dance and film making, as well as having the opportunity to develop areas of personal interest through visits to museums and learning about local heritage.

The government also believes every child should have access to good music lessons and the opportunity to learn to play an instrument. The network of 123 music education hubs that supports schools with this task is set to benefit from £75 million of funding in the 2015 to 2016 financial year. An additional £1.1 million will be allocated this year to support education through 6 In Harmony programmes, and National Youth Music organisations such as the National Youth Orchestra and Music for Youth’s School Proms.

In addition, funding for the Music and Dance Scheme that supports exceptionally talented young musicians and dancers will increase to £29 million.

This brings the government’s investment in music and cultural education to more than £400 million since 2012.

Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan said: ‘As part of our plan for education we believe every child should be able to enjoy music and the arts while they are at school.

To ensure this happens we are providing more than £109 million to support music, art and cultural education projects so thousands more pupils can benefit from a wide range of enriching activities.

Whether it is the dedication and perseverance it takes to learn an instrument, or the confidence and self-expression which they may find on the stage, this funding will ensure every child receives a truly rounded education that gives them an appreciation of Britain’s cultural heritage and prepares them for life in modern Britain.’

Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

‘I want to see all children have access to the arts regardless of where they live and go to school.

By providing vital funding for local music, art and cultural education projects, with the support of the Arts Council, government will ensure that children have the opportunity to experience a broad selection of art and cultural activities on their doorstep. Not only will this give them the enriching experiences they need at a young age but will both develop the creative thinking that is powering the UK’s world-beating creative industries and spark a love of the arts that can last a lifetime.’

Annual report of the Chief Schools Adjudicator for EnglandOffice of the Schools Adjudicator annual report for September 2013 to August 2014.

The Chief Schools Adjudicator, Dr Elizabeth Passmore, on 16 January 2015 called again for all admission authorities in England to comply fully with the School Admissions Code on consulting, determining and publishing their arrangements to promote fair access for all children.

In her annual report for 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014, Dr Passmore states that concerns about admission arrangements continue to make up the largest part of the OSA’s work and accounted for 274 of the total of 351 new cases of all types referred to OSA.

Dr Passmore concludes that the application of fair access protocol procedures is again mostly working effectively in placing children who do not have a school place in a school that best meets their needs, with very few instances of schools needing to be directed to admit children. However, to improve further fair access for all children to state-funded schools in England, Dr Passmore calls for:

• all admission authorities to comply with the requirements of the code in respect of consultation about; determination of; and publication of their full admission arrangements

• all schools that admit students new to the school to the sixth-form to comply

with the general requirements of the code, including those for consultation, determination, having a published admission number for new students and publishing the arrangements, as well as complying with the requirements that apply specifically to the sixth-form

• own admission authority schools to determine admission arrangements that comply fully with admissions law and the code, in particular they must not request prohibited information and must have arrangements that are reasonable, clear, objective and procedurally fair

The Chief Schools Adjudicator said:

‘This is my third annual report as Chief Adjudicator and it has been an extremely busy year for the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. There has been an increase in the number and variety of the cases referred to OSA and a trend towards increasingly complex cases.

I would like to thank my team of adjudicators, administrative staff and legal advisers for the valuable work they do. Our aim is to address often-difficult and emotional disputes with professional and impartial application of the legislation and guidance that governs our work’.

Government and automotive industry start the motor on £30 million skills investmentThe government is joining forces with leading UK automotive manufacturers to boost skills across the sector, inspire the next generation of vehicle makers and create new routes into automotive careers.

Business Secretary Vince Cable on 20 January 2015 announced £11.3 million of government funding alongside a £2.8 million cash investment and £16.4 million in-kind contributions from industry.

The project, developed through the Automotive Council’s Business Environment and Skills Group, brings together major automotive businesses to ensure future skills needs are met for UK vehicle manufacturers and supply chain companies. It follows a successful bid from the group for funding through the government’s Employer Ownership Pilot.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

‘This investment puts our automotive sector in

the driving seat to design the skills our

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Jan is passionate about improving children and young people’s emotional and personal development, believing that if their self-esteem is high and self-awareness well-tuned, their learning and life chances will be impacted for the better. RE and PSHE are prime contributors to this.

High quality Personal, Social and Health Education is therefore every child and young person’s entitlement!

She is equally passionate about Religious Education believing this can be the curriculum opportunity for pupils to explore the huge questions life and religion pose.

Jan qualified as a Primary school teacher in 1981 with a B.Ed (Hons), Religious Studies as her special subject. There was never an option to study PSHE, so Jan learnt as she went along, always sure that children would be more able to learn if they were empowered to manage their own emotions and get on well with their peers, hence the need for great PSHE.

She is dedicated to making children and young people’s experience of PSHE engaging, relevant and compelling. She believes very strongly that this should provide a safe space for the open-minded exploration of the big questions and personal issues facing children and young

people, as well as offering them accurate information and opportunities to build character and individuality.

Jan also understands the complexities and sensitivities of teaching PSHE and has always been a great advocate for those teaching it, appreciating how little training is available to them. This is partly the motivation for writing Jigsaw, which includes the most sensitive aspects of PSHE: loss, bereavement, sex and relationships, bullying etc.

Since becoming an independent consultant in 2010, she has made it her business to continue to be alongside those teaching RE and PSHE and to support them to offer high quality leaning experiences, through training and writing high quality teaching materials that make teachers lives easier.

Children and young people need resilience and knowledge, self-esteem and self-awareness to make the best of the educational and life opportunities open to them. Hopefully Jigsaw will be a valuable part of this puzzle.

Jan Lever

See more at: http://www.jigsawpshe.com/about-us/#sthash.8iQL4kCH.dpuf

High quality Personal, Social and Health Education is every child and young person’s entitlement!

Jan Lever Director Jigsaw PSHE Ltd

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manufacturing companies need. There is a risk that without adequate investment in skills, the industry will run into serious skills bottlenecks.

Through our industrial strategy we are working in partnership with the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength. We are providing businesses with the confidence to invest and to create high skilled jobs.’

Employment in the automotive industry is set to grow in the coming years, with multi-billion pound investments taking hold and production volumes on course for record levels. With developments such as connectivity and advanced manufacturing taking the sector into exciting new territory, recruitment is a major challenge facing the industry.

Manufacturers will work together to identify and meet the skills needs for their current and future workforces, ensuring the UK automotive industry is in pole position. Young people will also gain first-hand experience of the industry in action, inspiring future generations of engineers and technicians.

Decisions following consultation on GCSEs and A levelsOfqual has confirmed the assessment arrangements for a number of GCSE, AS and A level subjects which will be taught from 2016.

The decisions follow a public consultation on the assessment arrangements for the reformed qualifications. They cover the fol-lowing reformed GCSE subjects:

• Art and design• Computer science

And reformed GCSEs, AS and A levels in the following subjects:

• Dance• Music • Physical education

Ofqual has produced a short document ex-plaining the decisions it has taken. The key decisions are summarised below.

Summary of decisions

1. Ofqual has previously confirmed that new AS and A level qualifications will not be tiered, and that new GCSEs should only be tiered where a single set of assessments cannot in a valid and manageable way assess students across the full ability range. None of the GCSEs included in today’s announcement will be tiered.

2. Ofqual has finalised the assessment objectives for all subjects included in today’s announcements.

3. The balance of exam and non-exam assessment for new qualifications in these subjects is detailed in the table below. The current % is in brackets*.

Remaining 2016 subjects

Ofqual and the DfE have also recently con-sulted in parallel on the content and assess-ment arrangements for a further group of qualifications planned for first teaching in September 2016. These are:

1. GCSEs in: citizenship studies, cooking and nutrition, design and technology, drama and religious studies.

2. AS qualifications and A levels in: drama and theatre, and religious studies.

3. The results of this consultation will be announced in February 2015.

£3.6 million for technology experts to train computing teachersCompanies including O2 and Google are helping to ensure pupils receive the best standards of computing teaching.

£3.6 million is to be provided to launch top technology experts - from firms including O2 and Google - into schools up and down the country to help prepare England’s primary school teachers for the new computing curriculum.

In a speech at the annual BETT conference in London on 21 January 2015 Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced 5 new projects that will see major tech companies parachuting experts in to top-tier universities like Queen Mary University of London, UCL and Oxford to provide the latest training.

An initial batch of projects was announced in June 2014, when Microsoft and IBM were among the companies to offer training to more than 43,000 teachers in the first year of the new computing curriculum. Among the services provided through the 5 new projects will be online seminars, national conferences, thousands of booklets for teachers, and video examples of teaching approaches.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

‘We know a significant number of jobs in the future will be in the tech industry, which is why we are committed to

supporting tech companies to connect with our schools - preparing young people to succeed in the global race.

Increasing the focus on subjects like computing is a key part of our plan for education - which is why we are investing in the latest training and support so our teachers are fully prepared to plan, teach and assess the new computing curriculum.

I am delighted that once again top industry experts have taken an active role in helping develop these projects, and I look forward to seeing them pay dividends in our classroom.

Introducing children to computing and coding from an early age is all part of the government’s long-term plan to ensure young people have the first-class education they need to succeed and make sure Britain leads the global race in innovation. The new computing curriculum began in September 2014 and sees pupils taught how to code and use a range of programming languages’.

More than 4 million primary school children have already received lessons through the new curriculum, which puts much more emphasis on experience of programming and understanding the fundamental principles of computer science.

These latest projects will complement ongoing sector-led work funded by the government to train teachers in how to deliver the new curriculum, including:

• providing the British Computer Society (BCS) with more than £2 million to set up a network of 400 ‘master teachers’ to train teachers in other schools and provide resources for use in the classroom

• providing £1.1 million to Computing at School to help train primary teachers already working in the classroom through online resources and school workshops

• increasing bursaries for those wanting to become computing teachers

• introducing computing teacher training scholarships of £25,000 - backed by Microsoft, Google, IBM and Facebook - to encourage more of the very best graduates to become teachers

The Department for Education (DfE) is match-funding all the projects as part of a £3.6 million package support to schools. A £500,000 fund was launched by DfE in February 2014, with industry groups and computing organisations invited to submit proposals for training projects that would be match-funded.

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GCSE in design and technology: delay in teaching

Minister for School Reform Nick Gibb on delaying the introduction of reformed subject content for the GCSE in design and technology.

‘We are reforming GCSEs and A levels to strengthen their academic rigour and to ensure young people are prepared for life in modern Britain. The reforms are extensive and represent a new qualifications standard, keeping pace with universities’ and employers’ needs.

Draft content for the new GCSE in design and technology was consulted on in autumn 2014. The consultation showed many positive reactions to the creation of a single title for design and technology and the way in which the content had changed to reflect far better the processes of design. These changes will ensure that the subject prepares students well for further study in a rapidly changing world.

The reforms do, however, represent a significant change to the design and technology GCSE. To ensure all the component parts of the qualification work well together, it is my view that more time is needed to give students the best experience possible. First teaching of GCSE design and technology will, therefore, be delayed from 2016 to 2017 to enable the awarding organisations to complete their work and undertake further consultations and discussions with stakeholders.’

New headteacher standards and review of ITT publishedEducation Secretary Nicky Morgan on 19th January 2015 unveiled new professional standards for headteachers in England ahead of a speech she will give at the Education World Forum - the biggest global gathering of education ministers.

Raising teaching standards lies at the heart of the government’s plan for education - and world-class, excellent school leaders are vital to driving this ambition forward. But while the education landscape has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, the standards we expect of our school leaders have not.

The revised standards, created by the profession, for the profession, are designed to empower and inspire heads, drive aspiration, promote excellence and reflect the greater decision-making powers heads now enjoy.

A review of the existing 2004 standards was conducted last year, led by Dame Dana Ross-

Wawrzynski and assisted by other leading members of the profession with the aim of defining leadership standards that are applicable to all headteacher roles in the current educational landscape.

Rather than simply creating a set of baseline standards, the new ‘standards of excellence’ set out the skills, knowledge and behaviour headteachers should aspire to, including:

• raising the bar for all pupils, overcoming disadvantage and instilling a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on pupils’ success

• boosting teacher quality through high-level training and sustained professional development

• identifying talent and coaching current and aspiring leaders of the future

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

‘At the heart of our plan for education - at the heart of all great education systems - are great teachers and great teaching.

But strong leadership in all our schools is absolutely crucial and a key part of securing the best outcomes for pupils. We already have many talented headteachers driving forward our programme of improvement and ensuring young people are prepared for life in modern Britain.

That is why we want to champion these dedicated professionals who regularly go the extra mile for our children by providing them with aspirational standards of excellence that will support them to get the best of their staff and pupils

I’d like to thank Dame Dana Ross-Wawrzynski and the reviewing panel for all their hard work.’

More young people continuing in education, employment or trainingGovernment shows commitment to annual destination data by publishing 6 months early.

Thousands more students are staying in education or going on to employment or training, according to figures published on 27th January 2015.

The data shows that between October 2012 to March 2013 91% of pupils continued down 1 of these 3 routes after key stage 4 (normally 16 years old), rising from 89% the previous year - a total of 6,500 pupils.

Ensuring more young people leave education prepared for further study or the world of work is crucial to the government’s long-term economic plan.

The latest figures come at a time when the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is at its lowest since consistent records began in 1994.

Destination measures are increasingly being seen as key to assessing how well schools and colleges prepare their students to make a successful transition into the next stage of education or training, or employment.

The annual key stage 4 and key stage 5 destination measures, which predominantly cover the post-16 age group, are being released 6 months earlier than previous cohorts, showing the government’s commitment to improving the timeliness of the data.

Schools Minister David Laws said:

‘It is crucial that parents have access to the information that lets them judge how well schools and colleges are preparing

young people for the future.

Today’s data show many examples of schools - including those in the most deprived parts of the country - which are ensuring their pupils are moving on to meaningful destinations.

The figures are hugely satisfying, with thousands more pupils going on to further education, training or employment - showing the significant progress this coalition government has made in building a fairer society.

At the same time there are some schools which could be doing more to make sure all their pupils can get on in life, and today’s data will be extremely valuable in helping hold those school leaders to account.’

The publication was also welcomed by Ofsted, which now takes into account a school’s destination data when considering the effectiveness of its careers advice for pupils in years 8 to 13.

High-quality and more rigorous arts-based GCSEs and A levelsEducation Secretary Nicky Morgan announces final content for more rigorous and demanding arts GCSEs and A levels, and GCSE computer science.

Final content for more rigorous and demanding GCSEs in music, art and design, dance and physical education (PE), and A levels in dance, music and PE, was been published on 26 January 2015 as part of a commitment to raise the quality of arts education.

The new content will allow pupils to develop their creativity and self-expression, and broaden their understanding of Britain’s cultural heritage, while equipping them with

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the underlying knowledge and technical skills they will need to compete in the arts.

Key changes in the new content include:

• music: a greater focus on knowledge and critical engagement with a wide range of music. The level of demand has been increased at GCSE, with students expected to write (as well as read) staff notation, understand chord symbols and analyse unfamiliar music

• art and design: a new emphasis on drawing, with students required to demonstrate an ability to draw for different purposes

• dance: new theoretical content requiring critical appreciation and understanding of professional works at GCSE, and critical engagement and embodied knowledge at A level

• PE: a greater emphasis on theory and use of data to evaluate physical activity. At GCSE students will need to be assessed in the role of player/performer in 3 activities, including at least 1 team sport

Announcing the subject content today for the new, high-quality GCSE and A level subjects, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

‘Our plan for education is ensuring all pupils experience a broad and balanced education which will prepare them for life in modern

Britain and enable them to access a wide range of jobs in a competitive global market.

We are sending a clear message that arts education can be every bit as rigorous as the rest of the school curriculum. These subjects can lead to creative and rewarding careers in everything from engineering and design to our emerging digital industries.

Together with the announcement of more than £109 million to support young people’s cultural education, these rigorous standards will ensure that our country continues to be seen as the cultural capital of the world’.

Also published today is a new, more challenging GCSE in computer science, which will teach pupils how to write code, design programs and understand the ethical and legal impacts of digital technology.

The new, rigorous computer science GCSE, which will be taught from 2016, includes up-to-date content on issues such as cybersecurity, and will provide young people with the knowledge and tangible skills they need to go on to further education and successful jobs.

The new GCSE in computer science builds upon changes made to computing teaching within the new national curriculum. More than 4 million children have already received crucial computing lessons since the introduction of the new national

curriculum introduced in September 2014.

The reformed content across arts and computing demonstrates the government’s commitment to providing high-quality qualifications so every child leaves school prepared for life in modern Britain.

Welcoming the content, Althea Efunshile, Acting Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:‘The UK’s creative industry is a huge success for UK plc. This success wouldn’t be possible without the input of the arts and cultural sector, and they in turn rely on a strong curriculum in schools. We welcome today’s announcement’.

Simon Peyton Jones, Chair of Computing at School, said:‘I am delighted that Ofqual have formally introduced computer science as a GCSE subject with its own subject specification. The subject content reflects the computer science component of the new programmes of study for computing, and gives students a clear progression pathway from GCSE, through A level, to university study in the subject’.

The government announced in April 2014 that a number of subjects would be reformed as rigorous, demanding and world-class new GCSEs and A levels for first teaching from September 2016.

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Ofsted confirms radical reforms to education inspectionOfsted confirmed on 3rd Feb some of the most significant changes to the inspection of education in its history, following an extensive programme of public consultation.

Setting out the reforms, Ofsted’s National Director of Schools, Sean Harford, said that frequent but shorter inspections of good schools

and further education and skills providers, introducing a common inspection framework to standardise the approach to all education inspections, and inspecting all non-association independent schools in the next three years will contribute to driving up educational standards across the country.

Almost 70% of respondents supported Ofsted’s first key proposal for frequent, but shorter, inspections of well maintained schools and academies, with over 60% supporting the proposal for further and education and skills providers. As a result, from September Ofsted will inspect good schools and further education and skills providers approximately once every three years, meaning that signs of decline can be spotted early and the necessary action taken. The focus of these inspections will be on ensuring that good standards are being maintained, that leaders have identified key areas of concern and that they have the capacity to address them. Frequent but shorter inspections will also mean that parents and employers can be kept much better informed.

The second change, supported by nearly 80% of respondents, will see a common approach taken to all education inspections from September 2015. This will ensure even greater consistency in inspections and will make it much easier for parents, pupils, learners and employers to compare different providers and make more informed choices.

More than 2,500 children in Blackpool get inadequate education - OfstedOnly half of the secondary schools in Blackpool that have been inspected by Ofsted are good or better.

Too many schools in Blackpool are inadequate and attempts by the council to improve standards have been insufficient, Ofsted has found.

Following a local authority school improvement inspection in December 2014, Ofsted has written to the council to advise it of the findings.

The school improvement inspection took place between 8 and 12 December 2014. During the inspection, discussions were held with senior and operational officers, elected members, headteachers, principals, governors, strategic

partners and other stakeholders. Inspectors scrutinised the local authority’s arrangements for school improvement and took account of the feedback from school and academy leaders.

As it currently stands, only half of the secondary schools in Blackpool that have been inspected by Ofsted are good or better. This has created a situation where more than 2,500 secondary age students in the town are attending inadequate provision.

Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are also the ones most likely to lose out from these low standards. Less than three in ten disadvantaged pupils obtain five GCSEs, including English and mathematics, at grade C or above, putting Blackpool in the bottom three local authorities in England for attainment.

However, some positive attributes were found during the inspection, particularly in primary schools. Ofsted found pupils are developing well and that schools were helping them to reach the levels expected of their age.

New leadership has also led a renewed determination to improve the performance of the local authority. Although still in its early stages, the approach is helping to ensure standards improve in the town’s schools.

Commenting on the report, Ofsted’s Director for the North West, Jo Morgan, said:

“It is extremely concerning that, despite being judged ‘ineffective’ in November 2013, so little progress has been made by the local authority

to support school improvement.

“A situation now exists in Blackpool where more than 2,500 secondary school students are being educated in provision that is not good enough. This has had a serious knock-on effect; too many students finish Year 11 without gaining five good GCSE qualifications, including English and mathematics.

Ofsted will continue to monitor Blackpool’s arrangements for school improvement in order to encourage greater progress in raising standards in the town’s schools.

Barking and Dagenham schools moving in the right direction - OfstedThe numbers of primary and secondary schools in the area judged good or better by Ofsted has outpaced the national rate of improvement.

Barking and Dagenham council is making good progress in supporting school improvement but there is still more to be done, Ofsted inspectors have found.

Ofsted wrote to the council on 19th February, setting out the findings of an inspection into its arrangements for school improvement. The inspection was carried out in November 2014 in response to concerns that, while the council was performing in line with national averages,

it was still not doing as well as many other London boroughs.

Inspectors visited the council in November and found that its work to support school improvement was leading to genuine, sustained improvement - although there remained some way to go to close the gap in performance between Barking and Dagenham and other London boroughs.

The inspection found strong leadership in the council. Senior officers and councillors provided clear direction and schools that inspectors spoke to appreciated their involvement in school communities.

Inspectors also found that school-to-school support was used and commissioned effectively. School networks were working well where they were mature, and were developing well in other areas of the council. Strategic education plans were being reviewed and evaluated thoroughly, to ensure that they helped drive up standards and to inform targets and priorities.

Barking and Dagenham is in the bottom 20 local authorities in England for primary school inspection outcomes. Over 7,000 primary school children and over 2,000 secondary school children in the borough currently attend a school that is not judged as good or better. However, since September 2013, the numbers of primary and secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham being judged good or better by Ofsted has outpaced the national rate of improvement.

Those schools causing concern were kept under tight scrutiny, which means that numbers have reduced incrementally over the last three years. All such schools monitored by Ofsted reported that the support they received from the council was good.

Urgent action needed to tackle underperforming schools in ReadingOfsted focused inspection findings show sharp rise in schools judged to be inadequate since October 2013.

Too many schools in Reading are inadequate and the number is growing, Ofsted has found.

Following the focused inspection of 10 of the 56 schools in Reading in October 2014, Ofsted has written to the council on 10 February to advise it of the findings.

The focused inspection took place between 9 and 23 October and included six primary schools, two special schools and two nursery schools. The schools were all due for inspection by the end of the 2014/15 academic year and selected to encompass a range of schools, with an emphasis on primary schools due to their poor performance.

Of the 10 schools inspected, only one school had improved since its last inspection. Three schools had declined. Two of these had declined so significantly that they now require special measures.

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Lancashire school wins visit from CBBC starA CBBC presenter has delivered a workshop this week, including 12 fun and fascinating experiments such as ‘make your own urine’, ‘make your own sweat’ and ‘save my plant’, to a primary school of 37 pupils in Clitheroe, Lancashire.

Stefan Gates, who presents the children’s TV programme Gastronuts, held the ‘Wacky Water Workshop’ at Bolton-by-Bowland CE Primary School after they won a national competition to encourage children to drink water. The workshop was a demonstration of water-based science experiments designed to educate children about the importance of drinking water and staying hydrated.

The Wise up with Water challenge, which was launched by the Natural Hydration Council (NHC) in partnership with The Children’s Food Trust, comes at a time when schools are being advised to ensure children are making healthier food choices.

To enter the challenge, schools across the country were invited to create ideas to encourage pupils to drink water. Bolton-by-Bowland Primary School key stage 2 children came up with a range of ideas for the challenge that could be implemented across the school to encourage everyone to drink water. Ideas included:

• Creating posters and sending home newsletters to highlight the importance of drinking water

• Nominating a pupil to be the ‘water champion’ for drinking lots of water and challenging the other children to keep up with him

• Replacing water labels with sticky labels saying ‘drink me’ to encourage the pupils to drink water.

Joanne Eidsforth, teacher at Bolton-By-

Bowland said: ‘I am so proud of the children for winning this nationwide competition with their fantastic hydration ideas. They made some really engaging posters and newsletters, and even suggested creating a wristband to remind people to drink water. Here at Bolton-By-Bowland we are really committed to teaching the children about how to live healthily and water has a big role to play in that. It was fantastic to be rewarded for our ideas with a visit from Stefan, everyone had a great day.’

To mark Bolton-by-Bowland’s competition win the NHC and Children’s Food Trust have launched a follow up competition on Twitter asking schools to submit their top tips to encourage people to drink water, using the hashtag #waterwise.

Myles Bremner, director of The School Food Plan said: “It’s great to see schools getting on board with the Wise up with Water challenge. It is so important that children understand the importance of a healthy diet and drinking water is very important to that. Bolton-By-Bowland is doing an amazing job of embedding the importance of drinking water throughout the school and the children have come up with some great ideas to make drinking water fun.”

Dr Patricia Mucavele, Head of Nutrition, at The Children’s Food Trust, said: “All children should have access to free drinking water

throughout the school day to help them stay hydrated. We challenged children to come up with some simple and easy ideas to encourage their classmates to choose water and loved the winning school’s suggestion of swapping sugary drinks for water at home.”

Kinvara Carey, General Manager, Natural Hydration Council, said: “We were really impressed with the ideas the school came up with. Encouraging healthy hydration habits and general awareness of basic hydration from a young age is important. The new school food standards launched at the beginning of the year emphasise making water the drink of choice and it being one of the healthiest ways to hydrate.

The #waterwise Twitter competition will launch on 2 February and will close on 15 February. Twenty-five schools will be picked at random to win £20 of Tesco vouchers.

Wise up with Water is free to access and the resources will be available throughout the 2015 academic year. Materials are available to all primary school teachers and families across the UK, and include curriculum-based lesson plans designed to creatively educate children on the role of water in the body and healthy hydration.

To download the resources please visit www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/schools/wise-up-with-water

Research findings released on the 6th February have shown that schools’ budgets continue to rise significantly above the level of inflation.The annual Resources in English Maintained Schools survey of 900 English maintained schools (597 primary and 303 secondary) reveals that actual budgets and budget forecasts continue to show an increase in almost all areas of expenditure.The findings of the survey carried out by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) suggest that primary school budgets have increased by 4.1 per cent to £1,022,000 and secondary budgets are up by 2.2 per cent to £4,502,000.

Forecasts predict a further increase of 2.3 per cent across all schools for 2015/16 resulting in a typical primary school seeing an additional £28,000 per annum and secondary schools expecting an extra £70,000.

In terms of the implications for resource expenditure, the sector has also seen an increase of 4.2 per cent in primary schools (£40,270 per school) and 4.4 per cent in secondary schools to an average of £171,520 per school.

At a time when the Government is working to reduce the current skills gap between the number of technology jobs and the

people qualified to fill them, the research has revealed a significant increase in expenditure on technology, with schools currently realising an increase in their budgets of 6.6 per cent.

Caroline Wright, director of BESA said,

“Our research shows schools have a positive outlook for school funding. However we must be mindful that this research was carried out before the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week that a Conservative Government would provide an extra £7 billion for extra places for rising numbers of pupils at a ‘flat cash’ rate that would reduce with inflation.”

Schools’ budgets increase above the rate of inflation

Education Magazine 13

Encouraging a positive attitude towards reading is one of the most important steps in helping children to read, improve literacy, and ultimately boost academic achievement. For many schools, this challenge is met with the use of reading tools that monitor achievement and promote further reading.

A new report by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has shown that children who use the Accelerated Reader programme are more likely to enjoy reading, read more often and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use it. The report, “Accelerated Reader and Young People’s Reading in 2013” analysed reading enjoyment, habits and attitudes of 29,422 children and young people aged eight to 16. Accelerated Reader (AR), which is created

by Renaissance Learning helps to monitor and manage independent reading practice. It motivates students of all ages and abilities to read for pleasure.

The report compared both students who used AR in 2013, and those who didn’t. It showed that more children and young people who use AR think that they will get a better job when they grow up if they are good at reading (64.2% vs. 52.6%). Also very interestingly more young people who use AR are likely to agree that reading is “cool” than young people not using AR (43.8% vs. 35.5%).

Tools like AR are designed to monitor a pupil’s understanding of the books they are reading and ensure that levels of motivation and challenge are set at the right level for each child. By ensuring this

level is set appropriately, reading tools are a great way to encourage reading and change attitudes towards it, although there are many things that schools can do to help boost this further.

How schools and teachers can foster positive attitudes towards reading

Having a well-stocked library is essential in encouraging young people to read more. By providing a wealth of choice, children can choose books to their taste. It is also important to refresh the library to ensure that children have access to more recent releases, allowing them to experience a variety of content and themes. Encouraging pupils to suggest books for

the library can be a great way to get them involved and excited about reading.

In the same vein, encouraging peer to peer book reviews are a good way of helping pupils to engage with their reading material. If pupils can recommend their favourite books to others, it creates a community of learning that will expand as more books are read. Also children are much more likely to be influenced by their peers and older children, so anything that can be done to encourage this is a great way to foster a love of reading.

Some schools allocate Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) time. Everyone, both teachers and pupils, make reading part of the daily routine and this helps reinforce reading as a positive pursuit.

Positive results from Mile Oak primary school in Brighton

One school that has introduced a successful approach to encouraging reading is Mile Oak Primary School in Brighton. The NLT survey showed at this school 87.9% of children like reading and 87.6 % think it is cool, both well above the average shown in the report. Nine years ago Martin Cooper joined Mile Oak Primary School as Deputy Head, when reading was a key challenge facing the school. Upon arriving in his post, Martin decided that he would implement a ‘whole school’ approach to literacy, whereby children would be encouraged to read more, both in school and at home, and the school would encourage an ethos of children reading for pleasure, not just because it was part of the curriculum.One of the core elements to the new approach was ensuring that literacy and reading help was tailored to the individual child as opposed to whole classes, meaning that struggling readers could be adequately supported whilst advanced readers would be stretched sufficiently. Given the breadth of abilities that Mile Oak caters for this was particularly important for the school.One of the key barriers the school needed to overcome at the start of the new approach was that staff needed a better understanding of the ability of their pupils in order to start better tailoring their reading choices. In order to do this, the school used Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader (AR) programme to give teachers a detailed picture of each child’s reading ability. It is accompanied by a STAR Reading test taken by all 300 Junior Pupils (year 2 pupils were assessed later) to determine a ‘reading age’ for each child, and suggested a range of books appropriate for their level.Martin believes that the school’s success is down to keeping things fresh and staying in the 21st century by recommending books that appeal to individual tastes. This is made possible by utilising data from Accelerated Reader that helps staff identify the books students are reading most as well as those which are their favourites providing useful insight in to individual preferences which helps when recommending books to pupils.

Both the 2014 and 2013 reports are available from: www.renlearn.co.uk/nlt

How schools can help make reading cool for kids

14 Education Magazine

The Education Show 2015Guidance through a changing sector

For education professionals looking to meet and anticipate the needs of the changing sector, the Education Show returns to the NEC, Birmingham on 19 to 21 March. The three day event continues to be a calendar highlight for educators looking to stay up-to-date with the world of teaching and learning. With a rich offering of new content, inspiring training and development, and hundreds of pioneering educational suppliers, this year is no exception! From innovative teaching resources and practices, to networking opportunities with like-minded teachers, the Education Show 2015 is not to be missed.

Free CPDIn true Education Show fashion, this year promises a jam-packed programme of valuable free continuing professional development (CPD) from the sector’s experts.

Visitors will have the opportunity to hear from speakers including Jenny Smith, headteacher at Frederick Bremer School, as featured in Channel 4’s Educating East End, and Stephen Drew, headteacher at

Brentwood County High School, from Educating Essex. Francesca Simon, creator of Tiny Terror and huge bestseller Horrid Henry, and Alan Watkinson, partnership director for Sport Impact and Mo Farah’s mentor also features in the line-up!

The central feature for 2015 focuses on teaching innovatively to improve literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects, and addressing the changes to assessment facing both primary and secondary institutions. The free CPD accredited sessions on offer will feature practical and engaging content to ensure all visitors leave feeling inspired.

To access the full programme of speakers, visit www.education-show.com.

What’s new?The ‘Learning through Technology’ zone is brand new for 2015 and provides a dedicated

space for visitors with a specific interest in technology. The new feature will be home to a number of suppliers showcasing technology-focused products and services.

For schools looking to invest in tablets, the Education Show has teamed up with The Tablet Academy to provide the ‘Tablet Advice Hub’; a place to go for free impartial advice on the best solutions for schools, from a team of teachers with experience of embedding mobile devices in the classroom. Whether a school is looking to go down the 1:1 route, or is considering a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme, the Tablet Academy is inviting visitors to trial a range of devices in an educational context.

To help exhibitors plan their route around the show, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) will be on-hand at the BESA Show Information Point. The team will be on-hand throughout the show to answer questions and make recommendations.

The Education Show 2015 takes place from 19 to 21 March at the NEC, Birmingham. Get your complimentary ticket now by visiting: www.education-show.com and follow the conversation on Twitter @EducationShow.

Revolutionary school improvement programmes from the National Literacy Trust hit secondary schools in the UKThe National Literacy Trust has launched a range of new school improvement programmes, thanks to funding from The JJ Charitable Trust and Oxfordshire County Council. The charity is delivering a revolutionary whole-school approach to improve secondary school attainment by changing school culture and embedding literacy throughout the curriculum.

The National Literacy Trust programmes have been designed in response to the growing need for literacy support in secondary schools nationally:

• A significantly lower proportion of children reach the expected level in their GCSEs than at the end of primary school (55.9% vs. 78% in 2014)

• National Literacy Trust research shows that children’s attitudes to literacy become more negative when they reach secondary school.

• Department for Education figures show that 52.6% of pupils in England gained

five A*-C grades this year, down from the 59.2% last year.

• Disadvantaged pupils were hit the hardest, with just 34% of pupils gaining five good GCSEs in deprived boroughs of the UK.

To address these issues, The JJ Charitable Trust has granted £1m over 3 years to the National Literacy Trust to implement the ‘Academies Programme’ with the Aldridge Foundation and Ormiston Academies Trust academy chains. The National Literacy Trust has also been commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council to work with a cluster of secondary schools over two years, as the ‘Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum Campaign’. The Campaign seeks to address the county’s above average gap in attainment between disadvantaged and other pupils, with a focus on students in Years 7 and 8.

The Programmes will provide a framework to improve literacy by working through five steps from diagnostic to leadership and skills assessment, and the approach will draw on community resources, families and students’ passions and interests.

The National Literacy Trust will work closely with the participating academies to identify their pupils’ key literacy needs. The programme will then support them to identify and apply the best solutions, which will enable them to improve attainment and literacy attitudes and behaviours amongst

their students. The National Literacy Trust’s programme aims to improve teaching and learning by giving teachers the skills and knowledge they need to implement effective literacy teaching in their classroom, offering coaching support to help teachers put this into practice and accredit literacy leadership in partnership with an HEI. The charity’s work with the academies will engage the whole community in literacy, including governors and parents.

These approaches will be applied in the academies in a systematic way. The National Literacy Trust will evaluate how improvement occurs through five steps (diagnostic, planning, evidence-based practice, leadership, and skills and assessment). The programme seeks to create a framework to improve literacy which can be replicated in any secondary school, which will form the basis of the National Literacy Trust’s support for secondary school improvement.

The approach and nature of the support for teachers has been designed to fit within existing secondary school structures and processes rather than being an additional layer of monitoring and intervention. This will help to ensure that the progress made by the programmes in the participating schools is sustained after the funded phase ends.

To find out more visit www.literacytrust.org.uk/schoolimprovement.

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John Brooks read his physics degree and a PhD at Sheffield University. He was offered a job at Phillips the electronics company based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, but could not afford the cost

of housing, so when a teaching job at Sheffield Polytechnic was offered he seized the opportunity to further his career and also to get on the housing ladder! 25 years and a lot of research later he left Sheffield Hallam to become the Vice chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton. Seven years later he decided that he had achieved all he could there and so took up the post at MMU, the attraction being that it was one of the largest and most comprehensive universities in the country. He has been in post for ten years now and is due to retire in June of this year. He has served as Chair of the Equality Challenge Unit and as a member of the Board of Universities UK. Currently, he is a member of the Board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and sits on several national committees. He served on the Board of the Northwest Development Agency and is a former Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Daresbury Laboratory in Warrington. He is the Chair of Corridor Manchester, a collaboration between the two Manchester Universities. He was the lead on a £350 million investment programme in new teaching and learning facilities at MUU.

Education Magazine Since you joined MMU a dramatic change has undergone education. A major factor was being the introduction of university fees and student loans. Students are now choosing to buy their education from the university so there is now a business relationship being created. How has this affected the university and what has been done to adapt to these changes?

John Brooks The most dramatic catalyst for change was the introduction of student loans, giving students the ability to purchase their higher education from the establishment of their choice and a responsibility to pay back the costs. In the process this has created a free market in further education. Over a period of 3 years we lost all our direct government funding and this placed all universities in a competitive situation. We were then in a highly diversified free market where we had to provide information to students so they could make informed choices about our range of products and prices. For MMU it became very important to understand who our key competitors are, what were our strategic advantages and to identify and address our weaknesses.

EM So what did you identify as being your weaknesses and what did you do about them?

JB Eight years ago it was very apparent that our physical estate was in a very poor position. We had seven campuses and there had been historically poor investment across them. As a result of identifying this situation and over the last 7 years we have invested £350 million in the teaching and learning environment. We have consolidated into 2

campuses - this, and the vocational nature of our curriculum, has enabled us to position the university as the choice for world class professionals. In addition we have obtained the accreditation of 70 professional bodies for our under and post graduate

programmes. We already had world class courses, academics and teachers so it became very apparent and vital that if we were to be serious about delivering a world class education that we also had the world class facilities to deliver them in.

This was also the result of a decision, brought about by the funding changes, to put the student at the centre of everything we do. This involved asking the fundamental question of, ‘what would the 21st century learner at MMU look like?’ What would be their background, school experience and expectations? What will they have been used to in terms of educational group size and access to ICT? We set out to build a model of the learner to find out how they wanted to be educated. With this we discovered that face to face contact with staff was the way forward whilst using technology to

enhance its effectiveness. As a result we have developed a blended learning approach where face to face contact is essential; however our primary objective is to create independent autonomous learners. We give all our students the ability to self-

We are creating individual autonomous learners, in a business

Professor John Brooks is the Vice Chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Spanish Steps.

Education Magazine 17

teach, to do this they need extensive access to a wide range of learning resources. When I was a student these would have been the lecture room, the laboratory, seminars and the library. Now the same information is expected to be available 24/7 via the internet. So all our books are electronic, all our lectures are digitised and our learning materials are available on an open source cloud computing platform. This means all the information the student needs is available wherever the student wants to access it. However we have not replaced the lecture and seminars, as we regard the social learning aspect as vital. This is what we call ‘Blended learning’ it’s where the electronic information is delivered along with the face to face and social learning. We have found

this is how our students want to learn.

EM Could this ‘Blended learning’ have taken place before? Was the rationalisation of the campus and the £350 million rebuilding of much of it actually needed or was it a cosmetic exercise to attract students to the university?

JB When I first came to MMU 10 years ago we took 30% of our students from clearing, are average UCAS points on entry were 200 and we had 4.5 applications per place. Last year we were the 2nd most applied to in the UK, we had 60,000 applicants, we had 6.6 applications per acceptance and our UCAS points average was 342. We didn’t have the ability, or the luxury of a blind test to prove the building programme made a difference

but I would argue that having done all the research and surveys we have delivered what the students want. This has resulted in a situation where almost all students who attend an open day here subsequently apply to study.

The quality of the learning isn’t dramatically affected by the buildings; a good teacher is good whatever the surroundings however we have enhanced the environment and the experience for both teachers and staff. We have created flexible open social learning spaces, and this characterises many of our buildings, this is because we believe that this is where deep learning takes place. So the cafes and the Spanish steps are for this

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An outdoor communal study area. The Business School.

18 Education Magazine

purpose, they are almost extravagant in their provision and appearance however we believe it’s where the most comprehensive and important learning is done. The lecture is where we impart the framework of learning, the seminar reinforces it. Some of our buildings are almost cathedral like in their scale and have the ‘Wow factor’ in abundance, but it’s in the eye of the beholder if we have been excessive in the provision of facilities. We think they attract and keep the students in the buildings where they can gain most from there time here.

EM How much of it is based on the need to attract thousands of students here at 9k per year in order to fill your study places? In reality are you doing it because you are in a market and in competition with all the other universities for customers just as Alton Towers is in competition with other theme parks and so has to keep building better facilities and attractions?

JB In part you are correct, however let me put it a different context, you don’t get fit by paying your subscription to a gym, you get fit by using its equipment and facilities. What attracts you to the gym is the service and facilities they provide. We use these buildings and our reputation, to attract the students as we need them to come here and study. But where they become students again is because it’s only by self-endeavour they can achieve there learning goals. Of course they are customers, but the business model is more sophisticated than the theme

park one because we are creating individual autonomous learners and we are about facilitating that process. Higher education is not taught by rote, it’s by individuals and we are about creating the right environment, resources and facilities for that to take place. These days’ students use social media, group discussion and self-assessment using technology in ways that were undreamt of a decade or so ago. It’s changed the way all universities work and operate. When I arrived here there was a big sign on the Library that said: ‘No drinking, eating, talking or group work’. These days a room with restrictions like that could not be used to learn in. Learning is achieved like business meetings are conducted; we eat, drink, talk and exchange ideas, however now it’s done on a whole range of media.

But media isn’t the be all and end all; students still value the lecture and seminar. The lecture is like a piece of theatre, with some excitement, drama and intrigue. They are not a dull rote of repetition. The lectures set the questions, the dialogue, they talk through the issues and the route to the answers, it’s in the deep learning afterwards where the individual learns that real progress is made and part of this takes place in the social context and facilities we have created for that purpose.

EM How have you shaped the provision of the technology to enable the learning and sharing to take place?

JB The average student arrives at MMU with 2.5 mobile communication devices. They

We are creating individual autonomous learners, in a business continued

The Art School roof terrace.

One of the open areas in the Business school.

will already have several email accounts plus Twitter and Skype accounts. They don’t want a @mmu.ac.uk account. So we have to work within their environment and not enforce them to work in ours. We have to provide saturation broadband on the campus and all our learning materials are cloud based so that wherever they are in the world they can access them. We give them the opportunity to use printed material when

it’s necessary or desirable, for instance in art and architecture. But for other subjects such as business studied its far less important. Strangely enough the Law and Accountancy students also are to be seen trundling piles of books about as those professions are still dependent upon them.

We do provide PC’s, at a rate of one for three fte students, but even this level of saturation isn’t enough. A student will still access material on their Ipad whilst in the coffee

house. The information highway is and will remain all pervasive and we have to provide it and work with its flexibility.We also use mobile technology for registration purposes. We have to know when student are at lectures or what items they are taking from the library. So mobile phones are used to register and books can be ordered using the mobile phone as an identification device. By this we also get

information on how students are using our facilities therefore enabling us to adapt them according to changes in learning practices.

We issue electronic timetables that are individual to the student, if there are room changes or cancellations then these are communicated electronically. We toyed with the idea of issuing every student with an iPad with their learning materials already installed. However as students will bring their own devices, and update them more

regularly, we put all our resources into the infrastructure and delivery of information. EM The removal of headcount restrictions is imminent, what will be the effect upon MMU?

JB This summer is the first time this will happen, we are a big university and have a first year intake of 9000 students. Out

total headcount is 37,000. We have decided to maintain at that number and not grow. Other universities will seek to increase their headcount so there will be an over provision of places. This will lead to a rationalisation of courses, programmes and perhaps even institutions. We have decided to enhance quality, be more selective but not to grow.

Thank you for talking to Education Magazine.

Education Magazine 19

Inside the Business School.

The inside of the Art School. The Business School cafe.

20 Education Magazine

Safeguarding: perimeter protection for schoolsThe safeguarding of pupils, staff and visitors is of paramount importance at any school site, a fact that is all too frequently highlighted by media coverage detailing the tragic outcome if this issue is left unresolved.

A key element of any school security strategy relates to the physical measures that are taken to effectively contain pupils during the day; prevent unauthorised entry to the grounds; protect pupils, staff and visitors from accidents and injury; deter theft and anti-social behaviour and reduce the risk of malicious damage.

Planning the perimeter

Whether renewing, refurbishing or building from new, the fence, entrance gates and access control in a school should be carefully considered in order to provide a realistic and appropriate level of physical security, commensurate with the risks it could face.

Resolving the physical perimeter security measures and effective access control to create a safe and secure school environment requires significant planning and should always commence with a risk assessment that identifies site specific issues. This should be conducted by walking around the site to view it from an intruder’s perspective,

since in most cases the primary function of the boundary protection will be to inhibit unauthorised access to the school grounds. The Crime Prevention Design Advisor or Architectural Liaison Officer at the local police station can provide a good source of guidance on the design of any boundary protection, while a specialist fencing and access control solutions provider familiar with police preferred Secured by Design and LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) recommendations, should be able to offer

a free security review of the site, alongside the CPDA.

Ultimately the height of any fence will be determined by the school’s specific needs, the nature of the site, local circumstances, the functionality of the fence required and the risks that need to be mitigated.

Performance balanced with aesthetics

The type, condition and aesthetic appeal of the fencing and gates impacts on the image of the school and its values. But, it is possible to introduce a ‘hardened’ perimeter security boundary, which boasts the necessary strength and resistance to attack, whilst still blending in with the local landscape and avoiding a ‘fortress’ type appearance.

Welded mesh fencing of smaller mesh apertures provides a good basic level of security, offering anti-cut qualities and presenting no obvious foot and hand holds to enable scaling of the boundary. Alternatively, a more traditional welded metal railing of vertical bar design offers a more attractive and effective alternative but avoid generic triple point palisade designs which are less attractive and lacking in security capabilities. Dark colours of steel fencing are less visually intrusive than a standard galvanised finish, softening the appearance and to some extent disguising the fact that it is a security fence. Other options include combination mesh and timber systems, which by employing dissimilar materials are particularly difficult to compromise yet deliver a visually pleasing perimeter solution.

General guidance

Key principles to be considered in relation to fencing for schools:

• Perimeter fencing should enable a clear view of the building, grounds and surroundings to deter unauthorised entry and exit from the school, bullying and anti-social behaviour. The risk assessment may identify specific areas where there is a requirement to shield students from unwanted attention from the outside boundary or to control the projection of noise (either inbound or

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26651 Jacksons Education AD 210x297.indd 1 04/03/2015 09:33

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outbound) and these will impact on the choice of fencing

• Schools located in higher crime risk areas should employ fencing and gates exclusively designed to resist more determined forms of attack. In such instances the fence and gates will need to be to a design certified to an LPCB recognised security rating

• Steel security bollards should be considered if there is a realistic chance of a vehicular borne attack as a means of gaining access to the school grounds or building. These are available in the guise of fixed and rising bollards but only a bollard which has achieved PAS 68-1:2013 testing is appropriate

• The tops/top rail/capping of fencing and gates should be of a design able to accommodate a security topping where likely attempts to scale the fence exist

• All gates must emulate the same high standards as the fence itself and not represent a weak point within the boundary. Gate fittings should be galvanised as standard so that rust does not impact on the performance of

any hinges or locks. The design of the gates should be such that they cannot be lifted from their hinges and gaps beneath should be minimised to prevent potential access

• Where automated gates feature, they must be CE marked and accompanied by a Declaration of Conformity. All automated gates should be installed to comply with current best practice in terms of the recommended procedure to ensure a safe device

Safe play

All fencing / gate and access control measures must be carefully considered to ensure they are compliant with the stringent safety regulations designed to minimise the risk of accidents. In infant or junior schools and play areas, RoSPA approved as well as BS EN 1176 compliant products should be sourced. These have been tested for their ability to provide a safe fencing or gate solution, reducing the risk of puncture wounds or entrapment of limbs.

Sports’ fencing features within most schools and investing in the right products is necessary to ensure the continued safety of school pupils, but decision makers must also be seen to be adopting a responsible approach to ensure the best use of available funding. Products which are strong enough to allow sports webbing / mesh to remain safely in place all year round and which boast added rigidity to ensure durability and protection for both users and the public are desirable. Multi Use Games Areas designed to accommodate a variety of outdoor games, must incorporate the provision of bolt holes

to prevent a person from being backed into a corner in bullying situations.

Maintenance matters

Perimeter security products must be supported by an extended service life, so thought must be given to identifying suppliers who offer a solid long-term guarantee. With schools increasingly under pressure to show evidence of a responsible approach towards sustainability, every effort should be made to work with companies capable of demonstrating ethically sound

and environmentally friendly business practices.

By Jacksons Fencing www.jacksons-security .co.uk. Tel 01233 750 393.

Safeguarding: perimeter protection for schools continued

Crime Prevention Minister announces mandatory reporting of FGM

Crime Prevention Minister Lynne Featherstone on 12th February announced front line professionals will have

a mandatory duty to report cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The government has tabled amendments to the Serious Crime Bill to ensure the new duty is legislated for ahead of the dissolution of Parliament. The government will also include a measure to provide multi-agency statutory guidance for front line professionals.

The move follows a public consultation which sought views from a wide range of professionals, community groups, survivors and law enforcement on how a mandatory reporting duty could work and who it should apply to. A summary of responses to the consultation has also been published.

The intention to introduce the measure was announced by the Prime Minister at the Girl Summit 2014, the first global summit to mobilise domestic and international efforts to end FGM within a generation.

The proposed mandatory duty will:

• Apply in cases of ‘known’ FGM - i.e. instances which are disclosed by the victim and/or are visually confirmed. This is in line with the majority of the consultation responses

• Be limited to victims under 18 - those responding to the consultation held differing views on whether the duty should be limited to under 18s, but a number highlighted concerns regarding extending the duty to adults, including the risk that this could deter women from seeking medical advice and assistance

• Apply to all regulated healthcare and social care professionals, and teachers

• Require reports to be made to the police within one month of initial disclosure/identification - depending on the circumstances of the case, this

will not necessarily trigger automatic arrests; the police will then work with the relevant agencies to ensure an appropriate safeguarding response is put in place which places the interests of the child front and centre

• Failure to comply with the duty will be dealt with via existing disciplinary measures, which may include referral to the professional regulator and/or Disclosure and Barring Service as appropriate - this will ensure that all breaches are dealt with appropriately and in accordance with the specifics of the individual case and is in line with the approach favoured by the majority of respondents to the consultation

The new duty is one strand of a wide range of measures the government has taken to help stop FGM including updating multi-agency guidelines, introducing an NHS prevention programme and providing training for NHS staff, prosecutors and police.

The government is also bringing forward legislation to highlight parents’ and guardians’ liability for failing to prevent their child being subject to FGM.

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To do: Be more active!Dagenham students get active and back the ‘Get Britain Standing’ campaign by Daisy Hamilton at All Saints School in Dagenham.At the top of many of our ‘to do’ lists is the affirmation to ‘be more active’. Whether that’s reminding us to take a break from the computer screen at work to clear our heads, or prompting us to take the stairs rather than the escalator when out and about to introduce more exercise to our daily routines. And while this should be a priority on the ‘to do’ list of all students, getting

students involved in sports at school has proved a challenge since Physical Education (PE) was first introduced to the curriculum in 1988.

All Saints Secondary School in Dagenham, however, seem to be bucking this trend. Last year, the school reported a significant increase in students’ uptake of physical activities, with 95 percent of Key Stage 3 pupils attending at least one extracurricular club. Daisy Hamilton, head of PE at the school, shares her tips for keeping kids engaged and enthusiastic about physical education.

Last year, we were inundated with adverts promoting the ‘Get Britain Standing’ campaign. With hard hitting slogans like ‘sitting is the new smoking’ or ‘sitting is the new taking a lift from a stranger’, they shone a much needed spotlight on the serious issue of childhood and adult obesity. Research shows that childhood obesity is a growing concern in the UK, and although it is undeniably parents’ responsibility to help prevent their children from becoming another statistic, with children spending the majority of their waking hours in school, as teachers, it’s important for us to ensure that students are practicing a healthier lifestyle.

By providing a broad and balanced extracurricular programme for all our students, we aim to help each and every one find a sport that they enjoy and want to play, and we are working hard to ensure that regardless of their age or physical ability, students are able and willing to participate.

Other teachers or schools may find these tips useful when trying to increase engagement in PE amongst their students:

1. Offer variety – it’s the spice of life after all

It’s important to encourage pupils to experience as many different roles as possible, such as umpiring and coaching. By utilising the roles of coach, organiser or official, every student can engage and participate, without having to be a player every time.

But student engagement is not the only factor of a successful PE department; having enthusiastic staff is also crucial. If staff are willing get involved, it helps to build a school community which has teamwork and supportiveness at its core. Our RE teacher, Mr McCloskey, is currently running a Rugby club and one of our P.E teachers, Mr Siva, has started a ‘Friday Night Futsal Club’ (a variation on 5 a-side football, usually played indoors) which has been taken up with huge interest from our students. He also arranged an inter-form competition for Year 7, which has been brilliant for team building.

2. Make it inclusive Involvement is the name of the game. By making sure everybody, irrespective of ability, is able to get involved, you are generating an environment which fosters physical activity and inclusivity.

As a part of our endeavour to be as all-inclusive as possible, we have been running an SEN club that has had the opportunity to go to the Dagenham YMCA to try Boccia (a precision ball sport, related to bowls), boxing, and to use the fitness suite. The SEN club has also received football coaching with Euro Dagenham and Panathalon, where three pupils were selected to go through to the next round of the competition representing Barking and Dagenham.

The feedback we received from this event has been excellent, both from the pupils and organisers, and it is also great to have the school making links with the local community.

Offering a range of sports to students is crucial to achieving the highest possible levels of student participation. Try to offer both recreational and competitive clubs, so for those students who don’t want to compete against other schools or their peers there is still an opportunity for them to get active; essential for schools looking to raise the profile of sport in their school.

3. Don’t let ‘opting out’ be an option

The NHS recommends that young people get 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

However, today’s students have very busy lives. With coursework pressures, after school jobs and general teenage drama, finding a spare 60 minutes can feel like a mammoth task. Nevertheless, schools should not allow opting out to be an option.

From the social interaction you get through sport to the mood-boosting endorphins released when you exercise: it is, quite literally, incredibly healthy for students to find a stress relieving outlet through sport. And by changing the attitude of children so that they see exercise as a fundamental part of day-to-day life, we are cultivating their future lifestyle into one which will make them healthier and happier.

Going forward

Experts have, quite rightly in my opinion, described sitting as a ticking time bomb of ill health just waiting to explode. The World Health Organisation has already identified physical inactivity as the fourth biggest killer on the planet ahead of obesity. As such, we’re 100 per cent behind the ‘Get Britain Standing’ campaign, and are determined to generate enthusiasm in our students for sport and physical education from an early age.

Without a doubt, I believe that by ensuring a wide variety of activities are available for students of all abilities, children can grow to see sport and exercise as a natural part of their daily life, perpetuating better fitness levels and a healthier lifestyle for the next generation.

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26 Education Magazine

Conducting mid-year reviews in line with appraisal objectives can often be seen as a tick-box exercise that helps schools follow appraisal

policy and procedure. However, if schools approach mid-year reviews as an opportunity to have a focused learning conversation with their staff, these reviews can inform the school’s annual programme of professional learning or CPD entitlement.

The benefits of mid-year reviews

Appraisal is a key driver in staff performance and when done well, will support staff in their performance, career prospects and most importantly, have a positive influence on how they feel professionally which usually increases job satisfaction and morale. Mid-year reviews are an opportunity for staff to reflect upon their teaching and performance, share successes and areas in which they would value more professional learning as well as formally record progress towards objectives. In doing this, school leaders can ensure that their staff receive appropriate professional development to impact positively on their pedagogy and the learning and progress of all pupils.

Using the review as a professional learning conversation

Effective pedagogy is characterised by regular and focused feedback. This feedback ensures reflection upon practice, measures the impact of learning through performance and provides a clear pathway to improvement. It makes sense to apply these same principles to professional dialogues.

Conducting mid-year reviews as professional learning conversations, rather than to ‘check how you’re doing against your objectives’, is a positive method in helping staff achieve their goals.

Ensuring an effective mid-year review

Model and train – don’t leave it to chance

All appraisers should be well trained in managing review dialogues, both mid-year and end-of-year. To make the mid-year

review a professional learning conversation, it needs to be modelled accordingly by senior appraisers and given prominence in a mandatory training programme. Providing a structure for these conversations, for example, using coaching models like Goal, Reality, Obstacles, Way forward (GROW), allows appraisers to prepare in advance as to whether the conversation should be celebratory or if performance needs to be questioned.

Be prepared

Ahead of the mid-year review meeting, both appraisee and appraiser should review each objective carefully with a detailed focus on the success criteria, identified actions and any CPD and support that was identified and provided. Both parties should look at the evidence of progress so far. This should be linked to the evidence base agreed when the objective was set.

The appraisee should be ready to outline their progress, based on this evidence, and to judge whether they are on track (or not) to achieve, or exceed, each objective. The appraisee should also highlight factors that are supportive and factors that may be proving to be barriers to further progression.

And now the conversation…

A professional conversation is a dialogue that can be made effective by using a coaching style that allows the appraisee to lead the dialogue with carefully positioned questions after which the appraiser can guide and shape the review to qualify and validate the appraisee’s perception.

By detailing how they view their performance based on evidence, the appraisee can give feedback on the CPD that they have received and the impact it is having on meeting objectives and improving performance, teaching or leadership.

Finally, the appraisee can share their view on what support is particularly helpful to them and if there are any potential barriers they face.

Mirroring and recapping are helpful techniques that ensure the conversation ends with clear agreement on the judgement about progress; outlining the how to meet objectives, leaves the appraisee empowered to take those next steps.

Documenting the conversation

The appraiser records the overview of the conversation for both parties. This should detail the extent to which the appraisee is on track to achieve, not only each objective but objectives overall. It should also summarise the request for further CPD to support the appraisee’s need to meet their set objectives

and improve overall performance. On the rare occasion that both parties cannot agree, then your school’s appraisal policy should be followed, which should outline what is recorded and how leaders proceed from this point.

Identifying and agreeing support

The mid-year review should be designed to formally track any member of staff who may need additional support to meet objectives. If the review identifies that further support and guidance is needed, the appraiser should write a clear plan of action, defining the support offered to help that individual succeed in meeting their objectives. Appraisers will then follow the plan of action to ensure that this support is provided.

Impact measures of support should be used to regularly update the appraisee on progress towards any objectives at risk of not being met. There should be ongoing engagement with the appraisee by providing precise, carefully-planned guidance and monitoring the recognition of success and progress. This communication should be documented for all parties.

Moderation and monitoring

On completion of mid-year review statements, the school’s senior leaders should moderate a selection to ensure fairness, consistency and rigour. Any issues should be addressed immediately and the mid-year review statement amended and agreed. The outcome of this moderation can be reported to governors and, if appropriate, used to shape further appraiser and appraisee training before the end-of-year review.

Taking feedback from staff about the mid-year review process helps members of the senior leadership team to manage self-evaluation.

Effective mid-year reviews, can provide schools valuable information such as the impact of CPD, staff views on their CPD and its impact and future professional learning requirements for individuals, teams and the whole school. It can identify what coaching or mentoring is required and where and most importantly, which staff are on track to achieve or exceed their objectives and which need additional and more personalised support.

By Denise Inwood, former Assistant Head Teacher and the Managing Director of BlueSky, creators of BlueSky Education, the leading online performance management, CPD and self-evaluation solution for schools.

Using mid-year reviews to improve performance

Denise Inwood

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When Leigh Academies Trust (LAT), the Dartford based Trust which has gone from strength to strength since its creation in 2008, approached Farrer Barnes to assist with the next phase of its recruitment growth, we were delighted to assist.

Providing the educational vision and direction for the Trust, the CEO, Simon Beamish and the Deputy CEO, Neil Willis, decided in line with the strategy, to recruit a HR Director, new Finance Director, Cluster Finance Controller and Business Controller, to prepare effectively for the future.

The steady and successful progress that has been made since 2008 is apparent with all of their current academies judged ‘Good’ or better by Ofsted, and their mission is to achieve ‘Outstanding’ in all of their schools.

‘As a successful multi-academy trust, we are being encouraged by the Department for Education to grow further, but will never do so at the expense of the communities we already serve. We have no intention of expanding beyond the South East of England’.Simon Beamish, CEO, December 2014.

Given the importance of recruiting the right people to enable them to drive their vision, LAT chose to use a recruitment company not just to access the expertise a specialist recruiter can bring, but also to tap into a known source of candidates with the specific skills and experience required for such a drive.

LAT approached Farrer Barnes, a national specialist within the academy world and with over 20 years’ experience of senior leadership recruitment. Farrer Barnes was chosen due to their reputation as one of the ‘finance and HR leaders’ within this specialist sector and holders of the Independent Academies Assured Service Quality Mark.

Working closely with LAT, branded advertising in relevant trade journals and online sites combined with Farrer Barnes’ extensive database of Academy candidates were used to establish an initial list of suitable candidates for each separate position. Farrer Barnes’ Sarah Ottley (Head of Education Recruitment) then held detailed discussions with each of the prospective candidate around Dartford, to present the final shortlists to LAT.

The deadlines for the positions were arranged to match LAT’s timelines and to ensure that resources were available for the interview process with minimal disruption.

Farrer Barnes were on hand to offer further insight and background information on each of the chosen interviewees, and provide candidate feedback afterwards.

The interview processes went smoothly and the four successful individuals were delighted to join this exciting Trust, Richard Taylor and Jonathan Shaw above being two of them.

In describing the interview process and its subsequent outcome, Neil Willis commented;

'We were delighted with the quality and range of applicants that Farrer Barnes was able to attract for each post, and the assistance that we received throughout the recruitment process. As a consequence we have added further outstanding leadership to the Finance and HR functions of the Trust, ensuring exceptional support in these key areas to all senior leaders in each of our academies'

Senior Leadership Recruitment – a case study by Farrer Barnes

Advertising feature

Farrer Barnes 7-39 Saint George’s Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2LE

Tel: 01227 863900 www.farrer-barnes.com Reply No.

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Classrooms that bridge the gapThe educational landscape is changing. The rapid pace of development in science and technology means staff with STEM skills are in high demand, but many college and university graduates are still entering employment without the workplace experience they need to hit the ground running, according to a 2013 survey of businesses by the CBI.

Both employers and educators recognise they need to forge stronger links in order to close this skills gap and create learning environments that better prepare students for careers in industry. Colleges and the newly developed University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are at the forefront of the move to equip students for this brave new world, but in order to attract the best candidates and the best prospective employers, their facilities need to be cutting edge and on a par with those found in the workplace.

So what does it take to turn a tired old science lab or engineering workshop into a learning environment that truly bridges the gap between education and employment? Melanie Laing from Innova explains.

One of the key elements in making a ‘businesslike’ classroom a reality – and a success - is to ensure it can adapt to new technologies easily. Visual and interactive learning spaces are becoming central to teaching with the introduction of smart boards, touch screens and green screen technology. Smart phones and tablets are also increasingly used as resource tools in lessons. Classroom design needs to

be optimised to incorporate these new elements and ensure any future changes can be accommodated. Seamless cable management, secure storage for tablets and other portable electronic devices and sufficient power sockets for each student are major considerations when planning a futureproof classroom which has the flexibility to keep pace with changes in the modern workplace.

The look and layout of a room can have a huge impact on how people behave and

respond to it. Workplace environments have become more open plan, with areas ‘zoned off’ for informal meetings, quiet individual working and collaborative ‘break out’ sessions. Incorporating these design elements into an education space not only helps to put students and visiting employers in a ‘businesslike’ frame of mind, they also make it easier for modern teaching methods to be adopted in the classroom. Group working and live projects are fast becoming effective ways of teaching where students can interact and work together to solve problems or collaborate on a task. From multi-functional teaching hubs to break-out spaces with modular seating and

adaptable libraries, creating spaces which allow team working encourages students to work independently of supervision and adopt a more professional, responsible frame of mind.

Whilst it is of course possible to replicate the feel of a commercial lab in a teaching environment, it’s also important to strike a balance and remember that ultimately whether the focus is on electronics, microbiology or veterinary science, a classroom is still a classroom and will have a different set of requirements to a workplace.

Teaching laboratories need space for teaching equipment, such as a lectern and marker boards, storage areas for student microscopes, space for books, bags, and coats and generally have less instrumentation than in research labs. Teaching labs must also support a wide range of dynamic activity from standard lectures to active team-based inquiry with all the tools and technology necessary to enable teaching and learning.

In order to meet all these demands and still convey a business like feel, flexible design is the key. Space is often an issue for colleges, so creating a layout which allows students to conduct both practical and theory work easily and efficiently in a professional setting is paramount. Dual function centre floor benching which accommodates both practical and theory can be a space-saving solution, as well as providing the room for much needed built-in cupboard space. To achieve a ‘break out’ area feel in a room where space is restricted, loose tables and chairs can be used and easily configured to the task in hand. Incorporating extra storage into perimeter benching and beneath teacher walls reduces clutter and allows a clear, clean, professional environment to be presented to visiting employers and businesses seeking space for training.

Using high quality, durable materials and work surfaces in science and technology

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classrooms may be costly, but the benefits of attractive, well designed furniture, fixtures and equipment mean they are an investment worth making. A light, bright learning space presented in clean, neutral colours will echo the style of a commercial lab or engineering environment, making it an attractive prospect for potential students and employment partners as well as businesses looking for venues to train their personnel.

Hardworking, stylish work surfaces such as Trespa Toplab or solid surface Velstone have the added benefit of being resistant to the more aggressive chemicals used at FE level and within the workplace, guaranteeing that the professional look you’ve created is one that will last.

A well thought out, well designed STEM classroom can have a positive impact on all who use it. By combining the flexible layouts

of modern classroom design with the high quality, tech-ready furniture and fittings of a professional workspace UTCs and colleges are breaking the mould of classroom design, creating inspirational, forward-thinking environments which appeal to and motivate students, businesses and prospective workplace partners alike.

For further details please visit www.innova-solutions.co.uk or call 0161 477 5300.

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Tony Halsall is the Director of Business Services at Holmes Chapel School in Cheshire. He is part of the core leadership team at the school that consists

of the Executive Head, Head of School and the Deputy Head. He is responsible for managing all school support functions. This includes all aspects of financial and estates management. Holmes Chapel School and Sixth Form College is located in Cheshire has been an Academy for 2 years. With a student head count of circa 1250 of which around 200 are Sixth Formers, there are 150 staff. They have just celebrated their best ever success rate at A level with 100% pass rate. They have just commissioned the new 6th Form college building and are looking to it to continuing to build on their already impressive results.

Education Magazine The new 6th Form building and performing arts centre is a most impressive building; however I believe it replaces one that had only been in use for a few years. What’s the reason behind that?

Tony Halsall The Sixth Form block is made up of two buildings the oldest of which was constructed only a few years ago but which developed a serious defect. In short they had not attached the roof to

the walls in a satisfactory way. This led to cracks appearing in the masonry and as the construction company had gone out of business we were left with a building that was dangerous and needed to be emptied very quickly. It happened a week before the summer holidays and we rapidly re housed the 6th Form in a modular buildings complex. The team here did remarkably well to get a new facility in place so quickly but in the longer term we still had a building that needed major repairs.

EM Why not just have the building walls and roof repaired, why go for a completely new structure?

TH One of the problems we have here is that many of our potential Sixth Form students want to leave and go to another college where they perceive it’s all far more grown up and move away from a ‘school’ atmosphere or environment. As all our Sixth Form lessons were held in the classrooms used by the rest of the school, it didn’t seem any different to them. The problem gave us an opportunity to make a quantum leap in our provision and create a separate and different environment that would attract the older students who sought a more college like learning environment which is something the management team had wanted to do for some time. It was important to think about the identity of our Sixth Form. This

year our students hit 100% pass rates in A Level exams and these were the first cohort of students who had spent two years in a separate environment.

A bid for emergency capital to sort out the repairs was made however within a very short space of time a £2.8 million bid for something far more substantial was also made. The concept was to add to the Sixth Form an arts and music centre with the two buildings joined by an impressive atrium. This formed part of an overall grand plan for the school.

EM So what do you have on the site now? It sounds like you have a Sixth Form centre mixed in with an arts and drama facility that’s used by the rest of the school. How does that create a different identity for the Sixth Form?

TH Now the two buildings are complete we have a Sixth Form centre on one side plus a centre that contains all the arts and music facilities the school provides. What we have managed to do is put the music and arts downstairs at one side, and then there is an open atrium area with the auditorium on the other with the Sixth Form facilities next to and above it. The whole Sixth Form area has a different design and style from the rest of the school. We have also created a different entrance for the

The new sixth form facility at Holmes Chapel School

The entrance for the 6th form students.

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younger years to access the drama and music facilities so they do not have a need to access the Sixth Form areas at all. In the sixth Form area there is a café that’s modelled along the popular Apple Store style with higher level surfaces for laptops and ‘leaning’ spaces. In the adjacent atrium we have put in place high level bistro tables and stools. The café serves fresh coffee and good food.

The auditorium has been designed and equipped to give drama, dance and performance students the experience and feel of working in a proper theatre. We invested £50k in the lighting and sound system so anyone following an A level in performing arts has a fabulous facility to study and perform in.

Upstairs we have set aside a large area as a lounge and have fitted it out with carpets and comfortable low seating, which looks like a high end airport lounge. There is also a huge Sixth Form study area that has high ceilings, air conditioning and is a very bright space. We needed to invest another £50k on IT technology to create a platform that will soon mean that people can use their own devices such as tablets and smartphones

on the school network. In doing this we changed all the computers in that area so they work faster. We are recognising that we need to move the technological provision for the Sixth Form students along from sitting them at school computers to giving them the sort of access they would find in public places and universities. The ethos has been one of creating spaces and services that are more responsive, that are a very obvious step on the journey to the next stage of their development.

EM What about the staffing of the area, in a school environment you have to have playground monitors and dinner ladies, having staff ‘on watch’ is not the sort of atmosphere conducive to treating Sixth Formers as adults.

TH There are staff in the buildings but they are not supervising the students and teachers are just passing through occasionally. We have an ID card system and we are very firm in ensuring that these are on display at all times, to be fair the students police this as well. The behaviour

standards for the students who have come through all their education here is very high, a lot of the Sixth Formers expect to treat others with respect and to be treated with respect in return, so this isn’t new to them. There isn’t a uniform and there are areas that are exclusively for their use where younger students from the school have no expectation in being.

EM How many students come here from other establishments and how much are you looking to increase this figure?

TH We do have a small amount of students from other schools, we would like to increase this however our aim is to retain more of the pupils who leave here to go to another local colleges that offers a lot of vocational qualifications. We are particularly good at A level subjects and our last cohort of A level students achieved 100%. Our aim is to attract a higher percentage of our own students to stay here to complete their studies but we are clear that we can’t meet everyone’s needs and our curriculum needs to find the balance between offering a wide range of subject and keeping with the things we are known to be good at providing. So we have great results at A level, we have the teachers, the curriculum and now we have the new facility that will create the bridge between school and university or work life.

EM You have had the new facility up and working for a few months now, have you had any significant feedback from the students?

TH The latest intake has been the first ones to enjoy the new facility and they seem to be very impressed with it. We have had a separated Sixth Form for the last 2 years however it’s been located in the modular buildings that were put up soon after the structural problems were discovered. The year that just left spent their entire last two years in the modular buildings and achieved 100% in the exams. One of the year groups has spent one year in the modular unit and just moved to the new facility, they are very impressed and we are hoping for similar results, both in academic terms and in social terms.

EM What energy efficiency had been designed into the new building?

TH We have a solar lake on the roof, this is the name given to an area of solar panels. Low energy bulbs and high efficiency heating systems have been installed and insulation is industry standard. The building doesn’t waste a lot of energy.

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The entrance for the lower half of the school into the drama facility.

A 6th form common area that’s used for informal study.

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EM What feedback have the kids come to you with, what’s been the change in their behaviour?

TH They are absolutely delighted with it and have adopted it as their own already. It’s interesting to see how they have altered the use of certain areas. We see where people like to sit to socialise and where they go to work. Between the new and old building there is a glass atrium which is part of a grand master design plan we have for developing a central spine to the school. The Sixth Form part of the atrium is a lovely area to be in so students’ mass there in large numbers using the bistro tables and chairs. It’s interesting to see how that has bought the area to life. If we do develop a central spine then it would make sense to follow that pattern.

EM What headcount do you need to do to make the Sixth Form viable, what sort of numbers and will you change status?

TH No doubt that we need to up our game and get to about 250 students, that’s when I think it becomes vibrant and really starts to enable us to continue to invest. The important thing is to achieve these numbers year in and year out whilst maintaining the high level of achievement that we are known for. So this facility should go a long way to

making students stay here and not want to go elsewhere. We also think the package of courses and teaching is about right to achieve that too. We have always been determined to stay a true comprehensive school. When the conversion to an academy

happened we retained the ‘comprehensive’ part of our name so that it was abundantly clear that’s what we were and that it was the way we are going to stay.

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The new sixth form facility at Holmes Chapel School continued

The Drama hall, its the part of the new building that’s used by the whole school.

The cafe for the 6th Form students.

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EM What is the school ethos on intake?

TH Denis Oliver, Executive Head Teacher, has made it abundantly clear to all our feeder schools that he will not turn away any child who chooses to be educated here. This year we have taken 53 more children than last year. We are committed to supporting our local community. We have found that we are becoming a school of choice for children with additional needs some of whom would normally have to travel quite some distances

across Cheshire looking for a school that can meet their needs. We now have a specific set of buildings where we can carry out provide very specific inputs to students in small groups or one to one situations that we previously couldn’t accommodate. In the last year we have closed the achievement gap between the children who attract the special premium and the rest of the school population, something we are very proud of.

So we believe that we now have a great offering for students from our local community from 11 years to 18 where we provide first class education in a safe and sustainable environment. This is something we are very proud of.

EM Thank you for talking to the Education Magazine.

The new sixth form facility at Holmes Chapel School continued

Choices, choices…Choosing the right staging & lighting set-up for your hall or drama studio can be a minefield! Getting it wrong can be an expensive mistake, but talking to a specialist like Active Visual Supplies can make the process a whole lot simpler. Active work closely with schools & colleges throughout the UK, providing impartial help and advice alongside a full supply, installation and maintenance service.

Stage Lighting: The current trend is toward LED lighting, but the market is flooded with low power LED fixtures which are totally unsuitable for stage lighting purposes. A proper stage light will have a power rating of at least 150W. Also look out for warranty cover - all lighting supplied by Active comes with a 3 year warranty.

Portable Staging: Portable modular staging should be robust and safe, but easy to handle. Go above 30cm height and you’ll need to think about adding steps and safety barriers. You may also want to consider carpeted decks, backdrops and valances.

Stage Curtains: Curtains and drapes can make all the difference to a production. Most curtains are made to order, so make sure you allow plenty of time for production and installation!

Audio: No two spaces are the same and a full site survey is essential to ensure you get sufficient output while avoiding reverberation and feedback.

Active offer a range of helpful guides and brochures as well as free demonstrations and site surveys to explain your options and help you to make an informed choice.

Active Visual Supplies Ltd, 5 High Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1JW

Tel: 01952 250166 Fax: 01952 249766Web www.active4staging.co.uk Email sales@activeuk.com

The music studios.

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36 Education Magazine

Recruiting the best online

Recruitment can be a challenge for those involved in the education sector, whether for teaching or support staff.

The reasons for this are many and various, and some are common to recruitment in other sectors, such as finding personnel who not only have the right qualifications and experience but who also fit a particular educational establishment’s culture and ethos. In addition, while the UK government is committed to simplifying legislation around workplace laws, including those relating to recruitment * there are still many aspects that busy teaching and educational administrative staff need to take into account.

As well as the more general rules governing recruitment, the education sector has specific recruitment issues, one of which is the need for particular types of compliance. It is therefore understandable that educationalists are looking more and more to use systems, including IT, that will help them do their jobs as effectively as possible, including ensuring that they comply with relevant legislation during the recruitment process.

Increasingly educational organisations are turning to online recruitment systems to make the task more effective and much faster. Recruiting without these systems can take organisations a great deal of time in order to ensure they comply with policies and producing reports.

Online recruitment systems should – and many do - offer educational establishments the ability to automate and centralise the hiring process to save time and money, recruit and retain top talent while reducing reliance on recruitment agencies, improve candidate experience and build the organisation’s brand. At the same time they should align recruitment activity with key goals and priorities.

Some of these systems provide features such as a checklist module so that recruiters can score against specific criteria to ensure hires are made with no bias, and all notes regarding candidates are made online. Policies such as the requirement for diversity and gender equality mean that a system which automatically strips out information prior to shortlisting by a hiring manager indicating, for example gender or ethnicity, are very useful for this sector. Removing this kind of information manually before a recruiter sees it can be time-consuming and inaccurate.

The best of these online recruitment systems can speed up the process quite considerably, and also make time-consuming administration tasks such as the completion of year-end forms on the gender and ethnicity of candidates who

have applied, been interviewed, or recruited very much faster and more accurate.

The ability to automatically post vacancies to a large number of appropriate job boards, which can eliminate the need for expensive advertising; provision of online application forms and online shortlisting, automatic communication with candidates (for example acknowledgement of receipt of application forms), the option of video interviewing, ‘onboarding’ where employment contracts are generated automatically and everyone in the organisation is advised automatically that a new recruit will be joining, communicating via

SMS as well as email, the building of a ‘talent pool’ for candidates who may be suitable for future roles, automatic background and criminal records checking at an appropriate stage in the process are just some of the features of many of these systems.

Huntingdonshire Regional College is an example of a college using such as system to good effect. The organisation hosts around 800 students from over 100 different countries and employs around 350 staff across two campuses in Huntingdon and two sites in Cambridge. They use the Vacancy Filler Software recruitment system in a number of different ways. The system posts details of a vacancy to multiple job boards, thus relieving the HR Team at the college of this time-consuming task, and can then deal with the responses that filter into the system direct from the website.

From here, the team passes applications onto hiring managers who log into the system and begin shortlisting online. The shortlisting process is regulated using the system’s checklist function which allows managers to score candidates against set criteria, meaning there is greater objectivity. After the shortlisting stage, the HR team can communicate with candidates through the system to arrange interviews or to send out regret emails.

Since using the new system, Huntingdonshire Regional College has recruited senior and middle management, as well as for academic and support positions. This has generated a significant saving to the college, whilst at the same time they have seen the volume of applications triple, meaning they have a wider choice of applicant and ability to appoint a much better calibre of candidate.

Another organisation using the system is Central College, Nottingham. Employing around 1200 staff, the College currently operates on eight sites across the City.

A key reason for adopting the software was to enhance the amount of information gathered from candidates during the application process, particularly in relation to equal opportunities. The new system allows Central College to select what information is provided in order to apply. As the college does not accept CVs alone, candidates have to apply through the Vacancy Filler system by completing an application form that includes information on working with children. The college has just started using the calendar module which allows candidates to book themselves in for interview and text messages can be sent out

easily to remind them of the date and time of the interview. In addition, they make use of the Request a Reference feature. This automatically emails a questionnaire to referees that have been provided by the candidate, inviting them to provide a reference on behalf of the applicant. The e-mail request can be stored as a template and personalised to the campaign. Overall this significantly reduces the administration of requesting and collating responses from referees.

While providing a high level of automation, the best of these systems are easy to use and allow a high degree of flexibility – for example application forms may need to be tailored to the type of candidate required, and organisations often require other customisation.

Although the concept of online recruitment systems is still relatively new, there are a number of such systems currently on the market and they can differ quite considerably in terms of ease of use, cost and functionality. Any system chosen should streamline the recruitment process quite considerably for both candidate and recruiter. It should help improve quality of hire, while offering a low cost of ownership and measurable return on investment.

In a sector which can find it challenging to recruit and retain the best, and which has a number of legislative and administrative issues to contend with, using technology to improve the process is seen increasingly as not merely an option but as a necessity.

By Tony Brookes.*Recruitment Sector Legislation January 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/52049/13-530-recruitment-sector-legislation-consultation-on-reforming-regulatory-framework.pdf

Tony Brookes is the Sales Director at Vacancy Filler Recruitment Software.Web: www.vacancy-filler.co.uk Email: sales@vacancy-filler.co.uk Tel: 0844 800 9376

Tony Brookes

A screen shot of a on line recruitment system.

Education Magazine 37

Notre Dame Catholic College – Winner of the Education Estates Project 2014

The Notre Dame Catholic College was the first of eight schools in the first phase of an investment program carried out by Liverpool City Council as part of their “Liverpool Schools Concept”.

Rubber flooring specialist, nora systems supplied 2,400 sqm of its noraplan® unita flooring to the upper level circulation areas of the college, and 1,500 sqm of norament® grano was installed in the ground floor atrium. To meet the brief set by Liverpool City Council for achieving high flexibility and adaptability for the college’s atrium functions, norament® grano was specified as it is one of the most resilient and hardwearing products on the market.

This new school, designed by architects Sheppard Robson, was constructed as a large shell space to allow the interior to be adapted to the individual requirements of the college throughout the lifetime of the building.

For more information contact nora flooring systems Tel. 01788 513 160 email. info-uk@nora.com www.nora.com/uk

What does 2015 hold in store for renewable heat?Oil resource experts predict the price in coming years to be ‘somewhere between $20 and $200!’ John Findlay, Managing Director of Carbon Zero Consulting, says, “Although we all welcome recent reductions in fuel costs, the latest bout of oil-price mayhem demonstrates why you cannot build a long term strategy around cheap oil or gas.” Despite clear government objectives to electrify the UK’s heating systems using ground source heat pumps, the uptake of biomass boilers outstrips other technologies. This is almost entirely due to favourable Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments for biomass. This position is about to change as biomass RHI tariffs reduce from April 1st; small non-domestic biomass by 15% and domestic biomass by 20%. There is no change to ground source heat pumps tariffs.The RHI is becoming more firmly established, and realisation is dawning that this is a great time to buy a ground source heat pump or other renewable heat system. However, it seems the impending election is causing a bout of nerves! Regardless of who moves into number 10 in May, the worst outcome for a healthy renewable heat market would be for the new government to impose another review of tariffs. This would (once again) stall the market and cause unwelcome loss of experienced designers and installers. The RHI should continue, although there remain some major discrepancies which must be addressed. Some even predict the RHI might be scrapped altogether. This would be ill advised and would send the wrong signals with regard to the UK’s role in tackling climate change – especially with the Paris Climate Summit due in December. However, if the RHI were to go, it should be remembered that prior to the advent of the RHI, the uptake of (ground source) heat pumps outstripped biomass. Findlay concludes that, ‘’the choice of technology should always be based on site specific technical issues – not simply which technology yields the highest RHI’’.

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38 Education Magazine

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New scheme to boost middle management in challenging schoolsExcellent school middle leaders will be placed in underperforming schools in a drive to raise standards.

One hundred exceptional middle leaders will be placed in some of the most challenging schools across England in a move to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching and subject leadership.

The secondment programme will invite up to 100 ‘outstanding’ middle leaders - such as heads of department, subject or year group heads - to apply to spend a year in underperforming schools, including those in deprived, coastal and rural areas.

The 1-year scheme will enable schools which face some of the greatest challenges to benefit from the skills, expertise and knowledge of strong middle leadership to help raise attainment. It will also provide an important professional development opportunity for participants with a view to training the excellent school leaders of the future.

Schools Minister David Laws said:

‘We know that strong leadership and high-quality teaching are vital to improving pupil outcomes. That is why we launched

the Talented Leaders initiative last year, placing ‘outstanding’ headteachers into struggling schools. Today we are announcing a new programme to do the same with ‘outstanding’ heads of department and subject leaders.

This new programme will allow schools facing some of the greatest challenges to benefit from the skills, expertise and knowledge of an exceptional middle leader who can drive improvements and raise standards.

We want to encourage the movement of high-quality middle leaders to the areas which need it most, to help close the attainment gap and build a fairer society in which every child is able to reach their full potential.’

The initiative forms part of the government’s wider ambition for a school-led system in which strong schools and leaders work with other schools to share best practice, knowledge and experience and raise standards in all schools. Many top academy chains already share their best staff between schools to improve performance.

The first cohort of middle leaders will spend a year on secondment in underperforming schools to share excellent teaching, diagnose issues and put in place an improvement plan to ensure long-term sustained progress.

David Laws announced an ambitious national programme to support 100 middle leaders

from ‘outstanding’ schools to work in schools across the country. This will include the secondment of 30 excellent middle leaders to work in challenging schools in the East of England, as announced by the Prime Minister.

The new scheme follows the launch of the Talented Leaders programme in September last year to recruit top-performing heads and aspiring heads to turn around some of England’s most challenging schools.

£1.6 billion to help ensure every child has a school placeDetails of local funding allocations to support the creation of the new school places needed by September 2018.

Details of how £1.6 billion will be invested to create thousands of new school places across England have been outlined by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Schools Minister David Laws.

Making sure there is a good local school place for every child in England that needs one is a key part of the government’s long-term plan for education.

Since 2010, the government has invested more than £5 billion which has helped to create more than 445,000 new school places across the country. A further £2.05 billion has already been allocated for 2015 to 2017.

Nicky Morgan and David Laws confirmed that:

• a further £1.3 billion will be provided in 2017 to 2018 to help ensure every local authority has the school places they need ready for September 2018

• an additional £300 million will be allocated in 2015 to 2017 to help provide school places in areas experiencing significant and unexpected increases in their pupil numbers - this is in addition to the £2.05 billion already allocated for this period.

As well as this sustained investment going to local authorities, funding for new places is also provided through the free schools programme. Over 100,000 mainstream school places have already been created by more than 250 open free schools. In addition, around 100,000 more will be provided by free schools that have been approved but not yet opened. As well as ensuring more parents have the choice of a great local school, the vast majority of open and approved free schools are in areas facing a shortage of places.

Announcing the detail of funding allocations for 2017 to 2018 today means that local councils across the country will continue to benefit from a 3-year funding commitment, giving them certainty so they can plan ahead,

make good investment decisions, and ensure every child that needs one has a school place in the coming years.

Short breaks damage young people’s futuresResearch based on pupil absence and exam results data reveals the link between attendance and achievement.

Even short breaks from school can reduce a pupil’s chances of succeeding at school by as much as a quarter, research revealed on 22nd February 2015.

The research, based on extensive pupil absence figures and both GCSE and primary school test results, highlights the importance of clamping down on pupil absence to ensure more pupils regularly attend school, and ultimately leave with the qualifications needed to succeed in modern Britain.

It shows 44% of pupils with no absence in key stage 4 (normally aged 16) achieve the English Baccalaureate - the gold standard package of GCSE qualifications that includes English, maths, science, history or geography and a language - opening doors to their future. But this figure falls by a quarter to just 31.7% for pupils who miss just 14 days of lessons over the 2 years that pupils study for their GCSEs, which equates to around 1 week per year, and to 16.4% for those who miss up to 28 days.

The same pattern is also seen at primary school level, where pupils missing up to just 14 days of school in key stage 2 (normally age 11) are a quarter less likely to achieve level 5 or above in reading, writing or maths tests than those with no absence.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

‘The myth that pulling a child out of school for a holiday is harmless to their education has been busted by this research.

Heads across the country have been vindicated - missing school can have a lasting effect on a pupil’s life chances.

This is why we are doing all we can to encourage more pupils back into class by toughening up on term-time holidays and attendance. Heads and teachers are now firmly back in charge of their classrooms thanks to our plan for education and new flexibility over term dates allow them to set term breaks outside of peak times.

Fewer pupils than ever before now regularly skip class, while more pupils than ever before are leaving school with a place in education, employment or training.

But the research shows we must never slip in our mission to ensure all pupils leave school properly prepared for life in modern Britain.’

Education Magazine 39

Keep winter bugs at bay with good hand hygiene The colder season brings with it different challenges for schools and nurseries but hand hygiene should always remain a top priority in order to shield children from winter bugs, such as colds, flu and even norovirus.

According to the Department of Education, 62% of overall absences in the school year is due to illness - the equivalent of 11.4 million school days.

Manty Stanley, managing director at TEAL, says: “Viruses such as the flu and norovirus occur more frequently in the colder months.

“Hand hygiene needs to be kept top of the agenda as it can safeguard both pupils and staff against winter bugs and the distress they can cause.

“Anti-bacterial gels are not enough to protect children – washing hands with soap and warm water is the gold standard of hand hygiene,” says Manty.

TEAL manufacture the Kiddiwash range – portable, warm water, hand wash units which require no access to mains water or drainage.

The KiddiSynk, is fun to use and makes hand hygiene fun and educational. The unit can be filled with up to eight litres of fresh warm water – enough for 10, 40-second hand washes.

Highly portable, the KiddiSynk has a secure waste water container which is separate to the fresh hand washing water.

The KiddiSynk is just one of a range of solutions available from TEAL.

For more information: W: http://www.kiddiwash.com T: 0121 770 0593 E: enquiries@tealwash.com

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40 Education Magazine

Can a child’s life be changed by a school trip? Can a one-day school trip to a nature reserve lead to lasting improvements in a child’s values and attitude towards the natural world?

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is pioneering research into the long-term effects on primary schoolchildren that visit their Wetland Centres. To our knowledge, it’s the first time the subject has been explored in this way.

The research will catch up with the children and teachers once they return to the classroom. Follow-up discussions and activities will draw out subtle changes over time. For example, how the children might remember the best bits of their day in a drawing, whether they did anything at home as result of the trip such as put up a bird feeder, and where and how long they play outdoors can indicate the values towards nature that are forming in their heads.

Researchers will compare the approaches taken by different schools on similar visits, which will show, for example, whether children are more inspired by things they are shown or those they find for themselves.

The findings will help children get the most personal benefit from a school trip and maximise the odds of sparking the interest of the David Attenboroughs of tomorrow.

Education sector overspending on energy by £173 million per year reveals new analysis from the Energy Efficiency Financing schemeNew analysis from the Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) scheme has revealed that the education sector is overspending on energy to the tune of over £173 million per year.

The analysis, based on official sources and proprietary EEF data, examined a number of sectors to calculate the amount that they were overpaying on their energy bills because of inefficient technology, equipment and controls.

The EEF scheme, which provides organisations with finance for the acquisition of energy-efficient and renewable energy equipment, regularly highlights the difficulties that organisations have in allocating budget for energy-efficiency

investments. This is especially the case in government funded schools which remain under pressure to reduce spending and achieve budget efficiencies.

Darren Riva, Head of Green Financing of the EEF scheme, comments: “Our analysis has shown that there is a huge market potential for cost effective energy savings enabled by green technology in the education sector, amounting to more than £173 million. That potential energy saving covers heating, lighting, cooling and ventilation, amongst others.

“Over the past few years, limited access to affordable finance has been hindering green investments. That is why EEF was created – a joint financing initiative between the Carbon Trust and Siemens – to make finance more accessible and affordable. The EEF scheme matches monthly payments to real monthly energy cost savings, which means that organisations effectively end up paying no extra for their new equipment investment. These investments improve organisational efficiency, cut carbon and boost the green growth.”

To help schools raise finance for green investments, the EEF scheme covers a wide range of technologies including solar photovoltaic panels, low energy lighting and biomass heating, amongst others. Any school is able to apply for new green growth finance from the scheme, which is designed to match monthly payments with the equivalent savings from lower energy consumption/or income from energy generation. The Carbon Trust will apply its expertise in carbon saving from energy-efficient technologies to provide a reliable and trusted assessment of the carbon, energy and cost savings of any application for finance. Siemens Financial Services Limited in the UK provides the financial backing and manages the provision of funding.

Any school wishing to apply to the scheme to finance the implementation of energy-efficient and renewables technologies, or any equipment supplier wishing to offer the scheme to its customers, should visit: http://www.energyefficiencyfinancing.co.uk

Active IQ launches new qualification to target childhood inactivityActive IQ, the UK’s leading awarding organisation in active leisure, has launched a new qualification to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to deliver safe, effective and stimulating physical activity sessions for children under the age of five.

The Level 2 Certificate in Delivering Behaviour Management and Physical Activities to Children Under 5 will address the common core set of skills and knowledge developed by the Children’s Workforce Development Council and aims to give learners the skills needed to promote healthy living to families and children.

Jenny Patrickson, Commercial Director, comments: “The issue of physical inactivity in the younger generation is a growing concern and we believe education is key in tackling this. By learning how to engage, deliver and manage activity and behaviours amongst young children and their families we can truly impact on the health and wellbeing of future generations. If we can educate young children and their relatives, together they can take this knowledge and experience into the rest of their lives.”

Recently, there has been a flurry of childhood activity initiatives, with Places for People harnessing the popularity of Peppa Pig in its partnership with tumuv’s ‘Move with Peppa’ programme. Fit for Sport has also joined forces with Saban’s emPOWER scheme teaching the values of being a Power Ranger and Les Mills launching its new children’s ‘Born to Move’ programme with Everyone Active.

This qualification is open to all and no previous experience or qualifications are required, from fitness instructors or personal trainers looking to expand their skills base, or as an entry point for those wanting to specialise in this area. To find out more about Active IQ and qualifications available please visit www.activeiq.co.uk

Product Showcase

Gopak top the table for schooldining furniture

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To find out more about Gopak’s extensive range, visit www.gopak.com or call 0845 702 3216.

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Number of young people NEET falls across the boardYoung people not in education, employment or training has fallen by almost 150,000 since same period in 2010.

The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England is at its lowest level for more than 8 years with figures for October to December showing falls across all age ranges, official figures revealed on 26th February 2015.

The quarterly figures show those in the 16 to 24 age group recorded as NEET dropped to its lowest level for the period since 2007, while the 16- to 18-year-old rate fell to the lowest since records began in 2000.

Since 2010, the number of 16-year-olds NEET for the period has almost halved, while the 16 to 24 age range has seen a fall of 146,000.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said:

‘As part of our long-term economic plan we want to ensure young people are

getting the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in modern Britain.

With a return to NEET levels not seen since before the economic crisis, today’s figures provide yet more evidence that our long term economic plan is working.

We are determined to ensure the trend continues so that even more young people are able to fulfil their potential and contribute to our growing economy.’

The figures, which cover October to December 2014, show a fall across all recorded age ranges compared to the same period in 2013.

Bright but disadvantaged pupils failed as parents don’t know how to help ‘Gifted and talented’ pupils from low-income families are being failed because their parents don’t have the knowledge and understanding to build on their early potential.

According to research carried out by Brunel University, children who have high potential, but live in disadvantaged areas of London, often don’t get the support they need because their parents isolate themselves from the community.

The research suggests many consider their local neighbourhood to be unsafe and other children in their peer groups a negative influence. This leaves parents without access to the educational support their high-potential children need – such as a library or extra-curricular classes .

However, the findings don’t support the widely-held view that there is a need to raise the aspirations of children and parents from lower income families, with the majority demonstrating high expectations for their children’s future.

The research included interviews with 21 parents of children selected by inner-city schools in London to attend Brunel University’s Urban Scholars programme – an intervention scheme giving gifted and talented students aged 12 years old the chance to visit the university on nine Saturdays each year for four years, for support specific to their needs.

The majority of the parents felt that the intervention programme compensated for their lack of knowledge and understanding of the education system. Of particular benefit, they said, was the use of external speakers and targeted teaching on critical thinking, which encourages rationality and informed decision making.

Sita Brahmachari named Booktrust’s new Writer in ResidenceAward-winning author Sita Brahmachari has been appointed the new online writer in residence for British literary charity Booktrust.

Sita, who is well known for addressing topical issues in the literary world, will take on the role for six months.

She recently wrote an article on what books children can read after the terrorist attacks

in Paris; and her latest title Red Leaves was endorsed by Amnesty International UK as a book to enhance understanding of human rights.

She has also won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Artichoke Hearts and written a dyslexia-friendly book called Brace Mouth, False Teeth.

From Monday 23 February Sita will provide weekly blog posts on Booktrust’s website (www.booktrust.org.uk), addressing issues facing children’s publishing.

‘I will be writing this blog as we approach a general election in Britain in which many themes children’s writers don’t shy away from are being constantly raised,’ Sita explained.

‘How is society addressing some of the pressing needs of young people facing poverty, homelessness and social inequality? How do parents, educators, librarians, authors and publishers offer this generation narratives that can lead to greater understanding and empathy? What opportunities can placing a book in a child’s hands bring them?’

Taking over from Philip Ardagh, Sita’s residency will also see her championing diversity in children’s books and revealing her own personal experiences with diversity. She is also keen to hear from young people and those who work with them, about the impact of diverse representations in stories.

‘The Writer in Residence programme has been a wonderful and popular addition to the Booktrust website, giving visitors to the site a sneak peek into the lives, notebooks and sketchbooks of acclaimed writers and illustrators, along with insider tips for becoming published authors and illustrators.’

To find out more about the 11 previous Writers in Residence visit: http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/writing/online-writer-in-residence/previous-writers-in-residence/

Product ShowcaseExpert advice on restoration from Crown PaintsCrown Paints’ renowned specification services combined their expertise to support the restoration of an historic hall at a prestigious school.A team of technical, colour and product experts collaborated on the project at The Manchester Grammar School - an independent school for boys founded in 1515.The process enabled the school to see exactly how the restoration would take shape, giving them the reassurance the project was in capable hands.Completed in 1931, the school’s imposing Memorial Hall was built to honour former pupils at the school who were killed during the Great War and needed some restoration ahead of the school’s 500th anniversary this year.Find out more about Crown Paints Specification services at The Manchester Grammar School in a video at http://youtu.be/5uhAFWnBRRQ For more details, contact the Crown Paints’ Specification Team by calling 0845 034 1464, email info@crownpaintspec.co.uk or visit the website at www.crownpaintspec.co.uk

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42 Education Magazine

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Six months on, how are schools coping schools coping with delivering new topics such as algorithms, logical reasoning and debugging since the introduction of the new curriculum?52% of head teachers who responded to a recent CPD for Teachers survey said that they felt that their school was not successfully delivering the new computing curriculum. With the pressure on head teachers to deliver outstanding results growing, Anthony Sharp, Deputy Headteacher to 323 pupils at Midfield Primary School, explains the steps they have taken to successfully deliver the new curriculum.

A new focusThe expectations of what teachers need to understand to deliver the new computing curriculum have channged. ICT used to focus purely on computer literacy, teaching pupils how to use software packages, for example, creating PowerPoint presentations, producing documents in Word, and e-safety. With the new curriculum there is a new focus on programming and understanding how computers work.

Our teachers are competent and can teach ICT to a more than acceptable standard. Earlier this year, we reviewed the new curriculum so we could see what gaps emerged. Quite quickly we saw that there was a gap in programming skills in our school and a lack of confidence from our teachers, who were saying that they had concerns that

delivering parts of the new curriculum would be challenging.

Interestingly, the results of the CPD for Teachers survey also showed that we were in the same boat as many others. 44% of those schools who had not received any face-to-face training, also felt that they were

not delivering the new computing curriculum effectively.

Effective deliveryWe needed to prioritise computing curriculum training to re-set teachers’ thinking, eradicate the ‘programming’ fear factor and give them guidance and further information on how to deliver it effectively. We selected a course which met our needs in terms of being practical and hands-on from the start. It covered the fundamentals of computing programming through exciting tasks such as creating simple games, interfacing with the real world and drawing computer graphics.

Focus on what you knowIt’s not always apparent why when you talk to someone who doesn’t like maths, there’s no particular reason they don’t like maths, usually they just don’t. The same applies to a lot of teachers and adults with computers. The approach which was taken in the training really helped to break down those feelings and reset their thinking. Now, the teachers explore how they can engage the children in programming, rather than the preconceived idea, which was along the lines of opening up a computer and looking at wires.

The cross curricular content from computing compared to science, English and maths is quite extensive, so using the skills and working with these experts to help deliver programming was a great starting point for our school. It gives teachers the confidence to

approach it. Far less concerned about what they don’t know, they now focus on what they do know.

Step away from the PCThe interesting approach was that with this course we took a very large step back. We didn’t even go near a computer; we pushed all the tables and chairs to the side of the room and literally walked through a program using a variety of delivery methods. One of the methods we used was to create an obstacle course where a person answered questions to navigate their way through a course of pathways, obstacles and directions. Their responses to the questions determined their next step.

This brought programming to life and helped us to understand the way that coding works. It was a simple way of demonstrating binary logic and with our young pupils introducing basic programming using this delivery should work well.

Later in the day, we applied the knowledge from the ‘Computer Science Unplugged’ activities of the morning. Overall, the face-to-face training was great and gave us fun and motivational ways to deliver coding to young pupils, breaking down any aversions teachers may have had.

The course really helped us with innovative methods of delivery, which would help us engage children so that it’s fun and makes it easier for them to learn.

CollaborationWe now deliver and prepare for lessons as teams so that we can share the knowledge, using a collaborative approach. It’s made our teachers less nervous and has increased confidence in the classroom as it gives them ways to approach it and they are far less concerned about what they don’t know. The focus now is on what they do know and what other existing skills they can draw on to help them deliver the new curriculum.

PC ExpertsAt our school one of the concerns for many teachers used to be that once you set children on their way it’s possible that they will steam ahead of the adults. This is natural as adults are scared to press the wrong button, whereas children don’t have that fear so are free to explore. We’ve learned not to fear this situation, in fact the opposite. We are embracing the possibility of this as a positive outcome and we can use the skills of our little PC experts.

If I had to give one recommendation to another school, it would be to get some form or face t face training and to speak to other teachers. If you register on Tweacher, a free tool, you can find others teaching the same subjects and level in your area to speak to.

We are just six months into the new curriculum, but are now in a confident place to deliver the new computing curriculum in a way which truly engages and inspires our young pupils.

Anthony Sharp is Deputy Headteacher of Midfield Primary School in Bromley, Kent and they chose CPD for Teachers to deliver their How to Teach Programming Course. www.cpdforteachers.com

Coping with the new computing curriculum

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