Education Executive

NOVEMBER 2011 / ISSUE 74

NOVEMBER 2011 / ISSUE 74

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE supporting business and financial excellence in schools and colleges

BEHAVIOUR  SCHOOL MEALS  LEADERSHIP

RIOT REACTION Options for schools with underperforming children and pupils with behavioural problems

A HEALTH BOOST How to increase school meal sales against all odds in these financially difficult times WWW.EDEXEC.CO.UK

NATURAL LEARNED LEADERS Few are born great leaders – many learn how

EdExec partners

editor’s letter

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

NOVEMBER 2011

www.edexec.co.uk

Education Executive is the first business management magazine written exclusively for school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to premises, procurement to HR. EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here, every month.

EDITOR julia dennison julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR matthew jane matthew.jane@intelligentmedia.co.uk REPORTER jonathan hills jonathan.hills@intelligentmedia.co.uk PUBLISHER vicki baloch vicki.baloch@intelligentmedia.co.uk SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE neil pauksztello neil.pauksztello@intelligentmedia.co.uk SALES EXECUTIVE jonathan love jonathan.love@intelligentmedia.co.uk DIGITAL MANAGER dan price dan.price@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER sarah chivers sarah.chivers@intelligentmedia.co.uk PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATIONS natalia johnston natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Education Executive is published by intelligent media solutions suite 223, business design centre 52 upper street, london, N1 0QH tel 020 7288 6833 fax 020 7288 6834 email info@intelligentmedia.co.uk web www.intelligentmedia.co.uk Follow Education Executive on Twitter at Twitter.com/edexec Printed in the UK by Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.co.uk

Hedging your BETTs

W

ith November already upon us, and the crazy late summer definitely gone for another year, it’s time to turn our attention to January’s BETT show. Whilst it’s a bit on the early side to start plying you with detailed show previews, we figure now is the time when you decide whether taking time away from your daily duties, and that of your colleagues, is worth it. To this end, we’ve done some research around what the show has to offer those of us with specific interest in leadership and the business management of schools. Looks like there’s plenty to satisfy us – it’s not called the education technology event of the year for nothing (page 28).

A trend I’ve noticed, which is apparent in this issue, is the prevalence of school business managers sharing their time between schools. Is it just me, or is this happening more than ever? Ian Bradbury, in his diary column on page 12, tells us what it’s like running three schools, while Nick David, business and finance manager of the West Trafford Learning Partnership oversees two, with a third on the way. Talk about multi-tasking. How do you all get the time? Any other school business managers working for more than one school, get in touch on editor@edexec.co.uk and let me know your secret.

While I’m on the subject, we’re always looking for more stories to listen to and feature, so if you’ve got one to share, whether it be as a diary page, interview or news story, please do get in touch.

EDITOR

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Contents 32

rocure

lan

make your school’s budget go further

28 Events

BETT 2012 Discovering how technology advances education

30 Catering

Healthy eating boost The School Food Trust on how to boost school meals sales

32 Academies

sector

Value for money Accountant Laragh Jeanroy looks at the financial benefit of academies

36 Case study

the lowdown on the business management world

06 Sector news

The latest school business management news

Group work Manchester’s Broadoak School finds fiscal strength in federation

08 Event

NASBM Awards 2011 The latest leaders in the field of school business management

tune up your management skills

12 Diary

management

The three crowd Ian Bradbury runs three schools – and loves it

38 Leadership

Natural learned leaders Few are born leaders. We look at how to learn to be great

40 WORK/LIFE

schools in focus

what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you

Break time Put your feet up and take your break right here

14 PRIMARY update

Primary school news and views

ICT matters

16 news analysis

A sporting chance Help on hand for nurseries struggling to fund sports equipment

20 SECONDARY update

Secondary school news and views

22 News analysis

Riot reaction What to do with underperforming children and behavioural problems

24 independent update

the latest technological innovations in schools today

42 ICT news

The latest updates and developments in school technology

44 in practice

46 Advice

Independent school news and views

26 guide

Academy types A run-down of all academy types – from stand-alone to umbrella trusts

For the latest news and views check out

www.edexec.co.uk

So tecxited!

Haringey schools celebrate the opening of hi-tech ‘Tecxitement’ room The VLE effect Tips and advice on setting up your own virtual learning platform

50 Help Desk

Techno Geek Best education websites out there

Look out for the latest news, products and promotions from our sponsors where you see this logo

sector Sector news is brought to you by Free banking for schools supported by local specialist relationship managers Lloyds TSB Commercial - well educated banking

FUNDING WATCH MORE PUPIL PREMIUM TO BE MADE AVAILABLE

Photo: Flickr/Liberal Democrats

06

Disadvantaged pupils in England are set to benefit from an additional £58 as this year’s pupil premium increases from £430 to £488 due to fewer than expected children signing up for free school meals (FSMs) this year. News of the extra cash comes after ministers announced that the total funding available for the pupil premium in 2012-13 will rise to £1.25bn, double the amount in 2011-12. The funding for FSMs is set to rise again each year until 2014-15 when it will be worth £2.5bn.

Evidence demonstrates that children from low income families generally do not do as well as pupils from more advantaged backgrounds – the pupil premium programme aims to help them reach their potential and aid schools in reducing educational inequalities.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather (pictured) commented: “We know that just 27% of pupils on free school meals get five good GCSE grades compared with 54% of non-free school meal pupils. This extra funding will help tackle this inequality and enable schools to provide the extra support they need to reach their full potential.”

Meanwhile, a government representative revealed at the recent f40 conference that school funding will become fairer across schools in the UK, following a three-month consultation on school funding reform, though they could not confirm when.

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STORY OF THE MONTH SCHOOLS SUFFER FROM REDUCED FUNDING School leaders are struggling with reduced budgets as the number of schools in deficit increases, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) shows.

The watchdog found that 18% of secondary schools were in deficit at the end of 2009/10 – and performed worse as a result.

It said the reduced funding for schools comes as a direct result of the Department for Education expecting schools to save £1bn by 2014/15 from procurement and back-office costs.

The NAO warned that finance in many schools is a major issue and the problem is exacerbated due to the fact that school leaders generally have “no personal experience of leading a school during a period of financial constraint”.

The report also showed that in 2009, only 61% of academies had filed their accounts on time to the Charities Commission as required.

Furthermore, only 38% of academies filed their financial reports to the DfE each year since they opened, with 39% having never submitted one.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, commented on the report: “Financial pressures are growing on local authoritymaintained schools and the need to reduce costs is becoming greater.

“At the same time, the capacity of local authorities to monitor and support financial management in schools is itself under pressure. There must be early warning systems in place to alert the Department for Education to emerging issues requiring action and intervention.”

As part of the published report, the NAO recommended that the DfE should make it clearer how it is going to review the working of the financial management arrangements in the future.

The criticising report has come at a time when the DfE has seen many of its senior staff members leaving the department, including permanent secretary Sir David Bell.

They said...

The apartheid between our private and state schools is one of the biggest wasted opportunities in our country today Prime Minister David Cameron speaking at the Conservative party conference last month. School leaders denounced his comment as inaccurate, upholding that rapport between fee-paying and non-fee-paying schools has never been better

DIARY 10 November Autonomy in education: the potential of academy status The Waterside, Bristol 21 November School funding reform Central London 23-24 November NASBM national conference Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire 23-24 November International And Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF) Westminster Conference Centre, London

sector NEWS

PICTURE STORY

INBRIEF BEHAVIOUR CHECKLIST

A checklist to helps schools improve pupil behaviour has been published by special school headteacher and the government’s behaviour expert, Charlie Taylor, following a behaviour summit where outstanding headteachers from schools in areas of high deprivation gathered to discuss the key principles for improving behaviour. The importance of consistency in discipline was a leading theme to come out of the conference. Other things for schools to consider include being clear about the expected standard of pupils’ behaviour; displaying school rules around the building; and ensuring members of the senior leadership team are a visible presence around the school.

PARENT REVIEW WEBSITE

Pupils from Great Missenden Church of England School in Buckinghamshire sign up for the ‘Get Gardening for Greenfingers’ children’s hospice charity initiative with (from left to right) Richard Jackson, chairman of Greenfingers, a charity that creates gardens at children’s hospices; David Hodgkinson of organiser Honda UK; and headteacher Rozalyn Thomson

STATS & FACTS

Ofsted has launched a website that allows parents and carers to assess their child’s school at any time of the year. ParentView.Ofsted.gov.uk covers over 22,000 schools across England and contains a 12-question survey the watchdog hopes will inform them on priorities for inspection, including whether parents would recommend their child’s school to other parents. The results are to be published on the website in real-time and are also to be saved at the end of the academic year so that an ongoing, year-on-year picture can be formulated from parents’ views. Ofsted chair Baroness Sally Morgan said that while these views alone cannot trigger an inspection, they will provide a “vital piece of the jigsaw”.

EXCLUDED PUPILS

£21,500 The amount the Carbon Trust says a school can save in energy bills by switching off lights and installing more efficient heating – roughly the equivalent of a newly qualified teacher’s salary

School leaders are to be made responsibly accountable for the students they exclude, according to a pilot scheme announced by the government. The decision will amend current protocol that sees parents take responsibility for an excluded pupil up to five days after exclusion, with responsibility passing to the local authority to find the child appropriate full-time education.

Under the current system, excluded students are most likely to be sent to a pupil referral unit or similar organisation that specialises in vocational subjects or improving behaviour.

Under new proposals, 300 secondary schools will take responsibility for roughly 3,000 pupils at risk of exclusion that are to take part in the three-year trial.

www.lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking | 0800 681 6078 www.edexec.co.uk

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sector analysis

Award to the wise Last month saw the NASBM host the annual School Support Staff Awards 2011, which proved a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the great people behind the scenes of the education system. Matthew Jane was there to raise a glass to the worthy winners

I

t was a night of glamour, glitz and celebration as the crème of the school support staff crop descended on the stunning Thistle Hotel in London’s fashionable West End for the NASBM National Awards for School Support Staff 2011. For many in attendance it provided a unique opportunity to receive some wellearned acknowledgement for the hard work, long hours and endless dedication they show in their school every day of every term.

The evening was preceded by a champagne reception, giving nominees, sponsors and other VIP guests the opportunity to raise a glass to their achievements. Many of those in attendance had travelled great distance, with finalists from as far afield as the Isle of Wight, Lancashire and Belfast. Following an introduction by National Association of School Business Managers (NASBM) chairman Andrew Dodd, in which he praised the achievements of all the finalists, guest speaker Trevor Summerson, head of school business management at the National College, highlighted the unique challenge that faces schools at present, with ever-changing legislation and the new opportunities open to schools to explore.

After enjoying a beautiful three-course meal, the moment of truth arrived as the winners were announced.

It was fantastic to see the unsung heroes of the education sector have the spotlight shine down on them as they stepped forward to claim their awards and the recognition for their efforts that often go above and beyond a standard job description. Among those receiving awards were administrators, premises workers, catering staff, learning support assistants, and technicians, all of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth daily running of schools.

A new addition to this year’s awards programme was the introduction of a primary and secondary school

november 2011

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business manager of the year award. The primary award was collected by Jo Watts from Norbury Manor Primary in London, of whom her headteacher said: “She has been hugely instrumental in the fantastic improvements shown at our school over the past four years and her work as a National College advocate has benefited many schools. This recognition is thoroughly deserved.”

Collecting the School Business Manager of the Year award at secondary level was Adrienne Laing of Bridgewater High School in Warrington, whose headteacher described her as being an integral member of the leadership team, stating: “In summary, pupils are as important to her as spreadsheets.”

There was also a chance to celebrate the achievements of those business managers who were awarded Fellowship status, having completed their qualification through the National College. The evening was rounded off with a special Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Carol Thompson of St George’s School on the Isle of Wight, who was thrilled to pick up the prestigious prize.

It was great to see so many support staff roles celebrated in such an enjoyable event. As NASBM CEO Bill Simmonds emphasised in his closing remarks before guests made their way to the hotel bar, just making it to the final is huge testament to the tireless work undertaken by all those in attendance. While much is said about the challenges that lie ahead for schools up and down the country, with the exemplary efforts showcased at this event, the future for education and the next generation of learners certainly looks stronger than ever.

It was fantastic to see the unsung heroes of the education sector have the spotlight shine down on them as they stepped forward to claim their awards

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sector analysis

NASBM School Support Staff Awards 2011 School Business Manager of the Year, Secondary Winner: Adrienne Laing, Bridgewater High School, Warrington Runners up: Key Cheetham, Albany Science College, Lancashire; and, Russele Dalton, Pershore High School, Worcestershire School Business Manager of the Year, Primary Jo Watts

School Business Manager of the Year, Primary Winner: Jo Watts, Norbury Manor Primary, London Runners up: Karen Tellett-Pickess, Harbour PRU, Lowestoft; Mandy Allwright, West Park CE and Middle School, Worthing Administrator of the Year Winner: Joan Cooper, Collingwood College, Camberley Runners up: Alison Dix, Silcoates School, Wakefield; Sandie Roskelly, Pershore High School, Worcestershire Premises Worker of the Year Winner: James Lundy, Campbell College, Belfast Runners up: John Shackell, St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School Bristol; Stephen Barry Brown and Michael Gentle, The Priory School, Hitchin Eco Award Winner: Barbara James, The Long Eaton School, Nottingham Runner up: Peter Fulwell, St Edmund Campion Catholic College, Birmingham Catering Worker of the Year Winner: Bev Higgins, Horbury School: A Specialist Language College, Wakefield

Technician of the Year Dr Elizabeth Carter

Runners up: Darren Cowell, St Anthony’s Girls’ School, Sunderland; Mario Testa, The Hayling College, Hayling Island Learning Support Assistant of the Year Winner: Sarah Lyons, Didsbury Road Primary School, Stockport Runners up: Caroline Bills, Lacon Childe School, Shropshire; Julie McDaniels, Moulton Primary School, Northamptonshire Technician of the Year Winner: Dr Elizabeth Carter, The Warwick School, Surrey Runners up: Jennifer Chislett, Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, Marlow; Shane Kilbee, St Hugh’s Communication and Interaction Specialist College, Scunthorpe Lifetime Achievement Award Winner: Carol Thompson, St George’s School, Isle of Wight Runners up: Barbara Johnston, The Richard Rose Foundation, Carlisle; Ann Kearns, St Paul’s Catholic School, Leicester

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sector federations

DIARY

The three crowd If you think you’re busy, try running three schools. Ian Bradbury, executive headteacher of The Quantock Federation, talks about what it’s like heading up a first school, nursery and middle school within a federation – and enjoying it

E

very day in headship can be hectic. Today, a Monday, wasn’t too bad at all. I arrived at school number one at around 8.10am and then talked to staff followed by parents in the playground. Some admin, telephone calls and a Spanish lesson to Year 4 werew rounded up by running club at lunchtime. Then over to school number two to read emails and phone my chair of governors. By mid-afternoon I was in school number three, finalising the confusion over uniform and working in Years 1 and 2.

Oh yes, then more parents in the playground and a short staff meeting.

As headteacher of two five-to-nine first schools, one nursery and one middle school, most days are spent in at least two venues. Fortunately, we are all really quite close with two schools on the same site (thank goodness!). Most of my colleagues can’t understand how I can run three schools, remain reasonably sane and really enjoy the experience.

Without a doubt, having a superb associate headteacher, strong middle leadership and 99 staff who take responsibility for their actions really helps. The team is everything. I have to rely on colleagues to ‘get it right’. The idea is that I retain an executive role doing strategic thinking (well, up to a point!). This week I have veered between planning a possible extension of our age range to 16, finding out where parents can buy girls’ black pinafore dresses and deciding the site of the parents’ after-school yoga class.

What is great about running three schools within a hard federation is being able to completely control pupil continuity between phases and schools and thus raise standards of attainment. We have almost completely removed the dip in school transition. We have introduced specialist teaching from Year 3 and we have given staff in smaller schools access to much greater professional development opportunities.

But what I also like about running three schools is what I have learned about other phases of education, particularly early years. I can’t resist going into reception or Year 1 and helping construct a Lego pirate ship or helping two girls decide who is going to be mummy or baby. Conversely I look towards discussing whether European Reformation could have been avoided with our older pupils.

For me, running three schools encourages me to stay with the children. And surely, isn’t that what headship is all about? The downside? Three separate Ofsted and SIAS inspections in less than seven months – a tad harsh perhaps, as all three schools are either good or outstanding.

Next week’s challenge: grey or black pinafore dresses, free school or academy?

Most of my colleagues can’t understand how I can run three schools, remain reasonably sane and really enjoy the experience november 2011

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schools in focus

primary update

amlwch, north wales shropshire

What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management

Nursery news

E. Coli spread by poor hand washing methods After three cases of E. Coli were recorded at a nursery in Wales last month, educational establishments are being urged to improve children’s hand hygiene to prevent infection.

The potentially deadly E. Coli bug was found at Tri Ceffyl Bach in Amlwch, North Wales, which has been temporarily closed by public health officials who say there could be further cases.

Donna Row, owner of the Yorley Barn Nursery in Little Cornard, Suffolk, says this could be combatted elsewhere by improved hand hygiene. “I am in no way criticising the hygiene standards at the nursery in Wales. However these unfortunate circumstances do give us the opportunity to remind people of the importance of good hand hygiene in educational settings,” she said.

Due to the playful nature of children and their close contact, infections can be spread more easily at nurseries and the only effective way to prevent the spread of infections, says Row, is by the implementation of correct hand washing techniques.

“I am convinced the time has come for all educational settings to introduce stringent hand hygiene policies. Not only would this reduce the risk of unusual outbreaks such as E.coli but it would also dramatically reduce the spread of common infections such as the cold, stomach bugs, sore throats and ear infections which cause children and staff to take days off school.”

sTATs & FACTS

5.2%

“In my experience...the earlier poor patterns of attendance are addressed by schools, the less likely it is that it will become a persistent issue,” In state-funded primary said Charlie Taylor, the DfE’s schools, the percentage of adviser on behaviour. “Good pupils classed as persistent primary schools take a zero absentees increased from tolerance approach to poor five to 5.2 per cent. attendance.”

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london

School farmers’ markets raise funds for food education Three London primary schools held farmers’ markets last month as part of a two-year project to teach pupils about where their food comes from.

Over the coming year and a half, the Soil Association will work with 10 primary schools across the capital in the Farm Academy Programme, taking them on farm visits and helping them establish school farmers’ markets – organised entirely by the pupils.

Last summer, Jubilee Primary and Sebright Primary in Hackney and Poplar Primary in Merton spent four days on an organic farm, taking part in a variety of activities – from cheese-making to hen-keeping and growing and harvesting vegetables.

Back in the classroom, the pupils applied what they learned on the farm to establish termly farmers’ markets, which started last month, selling their own school-grown produce as well as that from local and organic producers.

Pupils are involved in running the markets from start to finish. They take responsibility for what happens and all decisions are theirs, enabling schools to communicate the importance of sustainably-produced local food and providing a context for looking at food chain issues and understanding where food comes from.

Money raised from producer stall fees and the sale of produce made and grown by the school will go towards further farm visits or food education in their school.

Rupert Aker, head of learning at the Soil Association, commented: “You see a real difference in pupils as they learn ‘on-the-job’ about farming, animal welfare, food growing and cooking – but it also helps provide a new market for local producers and micro-food enterprises; and it gives the local community the opportunity to buy affordable and fresh local produce, and meet the farmers who are producing the food.”

Millfield Primary is a London school taking part in the programme. Roz Wilson, a teacher there, added: “The scheme is really important to help London pupils realise where their food comes from. The Food for Life Partnership and our school garden have already helped pupils at our school learn more about food and food production. The Farm Academy Programme will allow us to build on this success. Through the farm visits and the running of school farmers’ markets, the pupils become champions for helping promote healthy eating in the wider community.”

schools in focus primary news

picture story

news INBRIEF Parents demand more info from child’s school

Parents would like more information from schools to help support their children’s learning, according to a report by the Pearson Centre for Policy and Learning, Family Lives and education commentator Fiona Millar. Parents want a fuller, more frequent picture of their child’s progress, with little less than half wanting to know more about teaching quality and their child’s happiness and social and emotional development. Around the same amount want to know the way bullying and poor behaviour is managed, while only 42% feel that they receive regular information on their school’s overall performance. Parents would like termly reports via email (36%), a secure website they could check (32%) and information via text message (25%). However, nearly half would still like a hard copy report of performance each term.

Pupils at Moorfield Primary School in Newport, Shropshire, use their new upgraded lockers that formed part of a £500,000 refurbishment project at the school. The 271-pupil school had a variety of coat pegs and “rickety, old” lockers, which school business manager Joanne Jones said were “in dire need of replacement”. She installed 183 half-, three-quarter- and full-height lockers from Link Lockers.

What we learned this month

Packed lunches aren’t as healthy as school meals.

Forty per cent of packed lunches prepared by parents do not contain any fruit or vegetables compared to just 10% of school dinners, it has been revealed. A study of 3,500 packed lunches from 135 schools in England in 2009 demonstrated that children are far more likely to get a nutritionally-balanced diet from eating school dinners than from packed lunches. The Primary School Food Survey by the School Food Trust also found that just 58% of pupils with packed lunches had at least one item of fruit compared to 90% of school dinners.

They said...

If we want children from the more deprived communities to achieve social mobility, we have to start at primary school level Alex Cunningham, who ran Magic Breakfast’s school research programme, responding to school breakfast club closures. Magic Breakfast’s research found that 88% of 140 primary schools see improved student attendance and attainment when their children eat breakfast, as well a 91% improvement in child energy and concentration.

blinds easy enough to be fitted by school staff The cost of installing window blinds in schools and colleges can be quite high, since installers invariably need to travel to and from the site. The smaller the number of blinds, the higher the fitting cost per unit.

One way that facilities managers and school bursars can make economies, and stretch their budgets, is to arrange for installation of blinds using their own personnel, and this is where KAMPUS blinds are proving successful.

KAMPUS blinds have been designed for easy installation by school staff. Clear fitting instructions are provided and there is a helpline in case of difficulty.

KAMPUS blinds have a distinctive, pink KAMPUS-LOK safety feature, which ensures the blinds cannot fall out of their brackets, even with misuse. The crank handle is removable, and avoids the breakages and ligature risk associated with chains and cords.

KAMPUS blinds also carry a five-year guarantee.

TEL: 0845 382 2000 E-MAILS: info@aluzion.co.uk WEBSITE: www.aluzion.co.uk

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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schools in focus analysis

Safety first Preschools and nurseries have been struggling to fund play equipment and a recent survey found a vast majority are cutting back on their provision as a result. Julia Dennison looks at the state of playgrounds and sports supplies and the repercussions of these cuts on children’s safety november 2011

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schools in focus analysis

T

hough most likely a tragic accident, the premature death of Samuel Orola, a five-year-old from south London who lost his life after falling from a climbing frame at Tolworth Infants and Nursery School in September, should have sent shockwaves to early years educators throughout the country. Playground safety must be taken seriously, no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, this is not happening as much as it should. Experts in playground safety have been concerned that the maintenance of play areas in nurseries and primary schools is slipping down the list of priorities and becoming an area some schools sacrifice to claw back reduced funding. In his role as director of Re-Bound, a rubber play surfaces manufacturer, Bob Jones has seen a worrying demise in the level of care given to playground maintenance. “It’s become more noticeable to myself and my colleagues when we go in to see schools that [playground] surfaces have been allowed to deteriorate to a state that they’re no longer offering any protection and can’t have been suitable for quite some time,” he says. “It goes without saying that it’s a budgetary thing.”

Unfortunately, sporting equipment is another area to suffer from depleted funding. A recent survey of preschools and nurseries across Britain found that as many as 88% are struggling to fund sports at their early years settings – this when nearly a quarter of four-year-olds are overweight or obese, according to an NHS report. “A lot of preschools have such demand on the funding that they do have, with regards to all the other things that Ofsted require them to do, that finding money for sports equipment is something that we’ve noticed [is sometimes a struggle],” explains Naomi Woodstock, campaign manager at Haven Fun & Fitness, which conducted the survey.

A duty of care Safety and having adequate equipment is not optional – nurseries have a duty of care for their children and installing play equipment brings with it a raft of legal obligations and considerations.

Before installing new or building upon existing play equipment, nurseries should risk-assess where the equipment is to be used and how, recommends solicitor Dominic Collingwood of John Pickering and Partners. He highlights the example of a North Lincolnshire local authority, which installed a large aerial activities piece of equipment only for it to be opposed by local residents whose properties it overshadowed. This, combined with running costs, brought about closure of the site and the equipment is now up for sale. Collingwood says that in this case, consideration needs to be given to the contractors that install the equipment and upon which the obligations to repair and maintain fall. “Legal liability will generally rest with the organisation directly involved in the use of the equipment be it the school, play group or otherwise,” he says. “That is not to say, however, that contractually, responsibility rests there. Defective equipment will be the responsibility, in a contractual sense, of the supplier or manufacturer and the same sort of principle will apply with any routine maintenance agreed as part of the installation arrangement. It must be borne in mind that tortious liability, for example liability due to negligence, creates different inter-relationships between parties.”

Once installed, equipment must then be subject to further risk assessment.

“Legal case law shows that the ingenuity of children to create mischief knows no bounds and that has to be taken into account,” comments Collingwood. “Far more leeway is allowed in relation to children in terms of what the law may regard as a reasonably foreseeable risk of injury; the courts will not expect a child to have the same level of common sense as an adult. Eventualities such as weather will need to be factored in and also levels of supervision required for the use of equipment. Failure to adequately risk-assess can create a strong presumption that a breach of duty of care has taken place.” Height, for example, creates a risk of falling and increases risk of injury as a result, to which Collingwood urges schools to ask: “Has the equipment therefore been surrounded by cushioned ground coverings? This would clearly increase expense but not to put in place such measure would create a high risk of litigation should the worst happen.”

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schools in focus analysis

Similarly, equipment must be subject to a reasonable and effective system of inspection where appropriate. Extra vigilance will be needed where equipment might be vulnerable to vandalism or the elements. “It might be worth considering a recent notable legal decision in Scotland in which the play equipment under scrutiny was as simple as a paint brush,” Collingwood continues. “A group of small children were painting a large piece of paper on the floor with long-handled paint brushes. One child, bending over the art work was knocked over and the brush handle caused a serious eye injury. Liability was found against the school due to the way the art session was run (on the floor) combined with the long handled brushes.”

Thought also needs to be given to how the equipment will be used once in situ. For example, can it be used in the wet outdoors and if not how can its use be prevented if it rains? Also, is instruction needed for its use? “In another recent legal case a team-building day saw a member of the RAF seriously injured by diving headlong into a soft play type pool,” says Collingwood. “He had not been told not to and might have been encouraged in fact to ‘go for it’. Ball pools and so forth are now commonplace but, as with the RAF officer, under what circumstances might they be unsafe?

“It should not be forgotten that serious incidents might well carry criminal sanctions under health and safety legislation and in some circumstances, that criminal liability can be personal as well as corporate in focus,” he warns.

the Department for Education’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework’s requirements for teaching the under-fives. “For example,” says Howarth, “a sand box will offer children lots of opportunities for fun, but it will also provide a platform for social and creative aspects of learning.”

The Haiven Fun & Fitness campaign was set up in 2009 to support early years settings in keeping children active and make it easier to provide exciting and engaging physical activity for under-fives. By donating free equipment to inspire kids to have fun getting fit, the campaign helps to encourage youngsters to get into the habit of fitness early, while also helping preschool leaders meet their Ofsted guidelines for early years’ developments, which 40% already struggle to do.

To be eligible, nurseries have to roster support from parents in the community through their own web page, reminiscent of a Facebook ‘wall’. Bees Knees Day Nursery in Hemel Hempstead was one such lucky school last summer, receiving free sporting equipment from the likes of bats and balls to parachutes and cones equipment they might not have thought to procure otherwise.

“Schools have to have some equipment that’s part of Ofsted it’s just a question of what it is,” comments Woodstock. “We’ve visited some schools that have got some really manky things in a cupboard. Children really love bright colours, so old, faded equipment isn’t much fun for the children and it isn’t much fun for the teachers, whereas if they’ve got this lovely box of bright, brand new equipment, it suddenly motivates them.”

If you are still struggling, another way to make funds go further is by investing in playground items with multiple uses and play values.

For example, a small tower unit allows for climbing, sliding and crawling, but Howarth reminds that it also helps children develop their problemsolving skills.

When existing funds simply can’t go far enough, it’s worth involving the community in fundraising. “Hold events and encourage parents to get involved,” Howarth recommends. “With December rapidly approaching, it’s the perfect time to host a Christmas party, nativity play or carol concert. Take the opportunity to generate some extra funds by selling tickets, homemade cards, sweets and other items that would make perfect gifts.” Finally, if you are still unable to raise a capital sum to pay for equipment, some suppliers offer payment plans.”

First and foremost on the list of priorities at any school should be the safety of its children and unfortunately, it sometimes takes a tragic accident to remind education establishments of just how important good quality play equipment is. “Opting for poor quality equipment may be putting children at risk,” warns Howarth a risk that simply isn’t worth taking.

Defective equipment will be the responsibility, in a contractual sense, of the supplier or manufacturer and the same with maintenance

A guide to purchasing There are a number of considerations for schools looking to invest in playground equipment. It’s important that nurseries purchase playground equipment from a reputable dealer to ensure a child’s safety. “If attractive prices seem too good to be true, the chances are they probably are,” advises Karen Howarth of Playdale. She says schools should look for companies that offer Kitemarked equipment, which means it complies with safety standards and has been independently tested by the British Standards Institution.

Higher quality equipment is often better value than the cheaper varieties, which can wear out quickly. “Before you buy any equipment,” Howarth adds, “check the guarantees – market-leading terms can stretch to up to 25 years.”

Keeping up the fun But while safety is imperative, it’s also important, for the benefit of children’s learning, that nurseries and preschools ensure they have adequate sport equipment and toys, not just for their children’s safety, but for their amusement too.

While the key factor is play, it’s important to also consider the educational value of equipment, as there are plenty of play things that will also compliment

november 2011

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These are the children Enjoying their creative lesson With brushes, paper and paints Ordered from Viking By their favourite teacher Call us today on 0844 412 0000 or shop online www.vikingschools.co.uk

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schools in focus secondary news

secondary update What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education

Sixth formers take part in childhood obesity study Sixth form students at 11 secondary schools across the Midlands are being taught research skills to help gather and analyse data as part of a major study into childhood obesity, funded by children’s charity Action Medical Research.

The three-year project looks at the links between obesity in teenagers and sleep deprivation, academic performance and the use of electronic gadgets such as games consoles.

Once the students have been trained, they will be tasked with supervising the study – involving 800 11-12 year olds from their own schools for one year. A new cohort of sixth formers will be trained each year.

The younger children will complete a seven-day sleep diary and questionnaires about their sleeping patterns and their use of technology, once a year, for the three years.

They will also wear watch-like devices on their wrists for one-week periods that monitor sleep patterns by detecting movement. The children’s height and weight will also be measured and information on their academic performance will be collected.

Project leader Dr Shahrad Taheri, from the Diabetes Centre at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, said: “I run the UK’s largest obesity clinic at the hospital so it’s really important to me

to be able to contribute to trying to prevent this condition in children. My clinic mainly sees adult patients but we are getting more and more children coming in with diabetes, obstructed breathing and wanting surgery at just 15 or 16.

“In the Midlands, one quarter of Year 6 children are obese and around 70% of those will grow into obese adults. We are hoping our research will lead to an intervention that could help teenagers to sleep better and reduce their risk of obesity.”

The project team has been awarded a grant of £138,762 from Action Medical Research to run the study. They will spend the next few months running training programmes with the sixth formers at all the schools so they are fully equipped to supervise the study, go through the ethics process, and then gather and analyse the data. The sixth formers will then carry out the research during February, March and April next year.

Dr Taheri, said: “The sixth form students benefit from this as they gain key scientific and analytical skills which they can use in their studies. Also, they can put on their CVs that they have taken part in a national research programme, which might help them secure a place at university in the future.”

hull leicester midlands

newham dagenham

Two new £30m BSF schools open in Hull Archbishop Sentamu Academy the Winifred Holtby and Tweendykes School Hull

Two new state-of-the-art schools have opened under Hull City’s Council’s £400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Construction firm Morgan Sindall completed work on the £33m Archbishop Sentamu Academy (pictured below) and the £38m Winifred Holtby and Tweendykes School on behalf of Hull Esteem Consortium.

Winifred Holtby School Technology College, which co-located with Tweendykes Special School, features a range of specialist facilities, including areas for motor vehicle maintenance and a swimming pool.

The Archbishop Sentamu Academy specialises in health sciences and is kitted out completely with Mac computers and high-tech equipment.

Both schools also include the latest eco-friendly features such as biomass generation for heating and rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets.

Gordon Ray, regional MD at Morgan Sindall, said: “We’re delighted to hand over these fantastic buildings to their local communities. Both schools provide an outstanding learning environment and mean Hull has some of the best education facilities in the country.”

They said...

The current funding system is neither fair nor transparent Sarah Healey, director of education funding at the Department for Education, speaking at the f40 conference after a three-month consultation on funding reform will see funding get simpler and fairer across Britain’s schools

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schools in focus secondary news

Leicester College gets a sporting chance as charity fundraising reaches £7,500 Leicester College

Leicester College has partnered with Sport Relief as its chosen charity for the 2011/2012 academic year.

The charity was chosen as the college plans to focus on the seven values of the Olympics and share the vision of how the games’ values are applied to education and society as a whole, as well as to sport.

The college’s charity last year was Loros, specialising in hospice care for the over-16s, which the college presented with a cheque for £7,503 after a year of fundraising activities (see side bar).

Diane Morris, fundraising manager for Loros, said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by the tremendous effort made by Leicester College and its learners. To have raised £7,503 over a year really shows the commitment made and is sure to make a difference to our terminally ill patients. We were astounded to hear of some of the innovative fundraising activities that occurred, such as the Ben Nevis trek; it has been a great privilege to have worked with Leicester College.”

Leicester College’s impressive fundraising activities last year • • • • • • • • • • •

Charity week Themed dinner nights Health and beauty events Ben Nevis challenge Football tournament Loros wrist bands Fancy dress Performing arts showcase Bike rides Car boot sale Cake sales.

Stratford special school gets 2012 legacy JFK School, Newham, London

Standing in the shadow of the Olympic Park, Stratford, the JFK School – the only one in the London Borough of Newham catering for young people with profound physical disabilities – has been given fresh hope for the future after years of witnessing funds being poured into the surrounding area.

Numerous Paralympic athletes highlight charity intervention as key to development in young people with a range of disabilities and The Lord’s Taverners, the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, is taking the initiative with the support of its national partner, BT. Newham-born Paralympian and BT Ambassador, Ade Adepitan MBE, visited the school last week to meet the pupils and staff (pictured).

Adepitan, whose sister attended the school, said: “Every time I visit friends and family in Stratford I’m thrilled to see the impact the London 2012 Games is having on my home borough. As a local I’m really proud to be involved in supporting the regeneration of the JFK School. Thanks to BT and The Lord’s Taverners, the children will benefit from the installation of fantastic new sensory equipment, and all just a stone’s throw from the Olympic Park itself.”

The Lord’s Taverners and BT are instigating a £200,000 overhaul that will restore JFK School to the beacon of hope originally opened in 1964 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of iconic US President, John F. Kennedy. The youngest Kennedy sister, Rosemary, had learning difficulties and her experience inspired Eunice to become an advocate for disability and establish the Special Olympics.

corero in reseller partnership with serco learning Corero Business Systems (“Corero”) is delighted to announce the signing of a reseller agreement with Serco Learning to provide integrated finance and schools management business solutions. Known for innovative solutions that meet the needs of schools and academies in the 21st century, Serco Learning is the natural choice for systems which deliver intelligence and insight for school Senior Leadership Teams.

Commenting upon signing the agreement, Bernard Snowe, Managing Director of Corero Business Systems said: “We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Serco Learning; this is a significant step forward for Corero Business Systems and represents an exciting opportunity to build upon the growth and success we have enjoyed in the past few years.

Serco Learning has an outstanding track record in the education sector and we look forward to developing a successful business relationship with their team.”

01923 695190 Resourceinfo@corero.com www.coreroresource.com

sTATs & FACTS

5,020 The number of secondary school pupils who were permanently excluded UK-wide last year

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schools in focus analysis

Riots of passage In the aftermath of the riots that erupted across the country, the education system has been scrutinised to see how it can support disengaged youths. Matthew Jane looks at what we can learn from the trouble

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elevision news channels streamed ongoing live coverage of the carnage, residents cowered in their homes as the streets became a battleground outside, and business owners watched helplessly as their livelihoods went up in smoke.

The riots that broke out across major cities, including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester in August had a devastating effect on communities, left families without loved ones and caused huge financial damage, not to mention tarnishing the entire country with negativity in front of a shocked global audience. While the majority of rioters were young adults, a worrying statistic from The Daily Telegraph revealed that 22% of those involved were of school age, thrusting the spotlight on the education system and forcing policy makers to question what went wrong.

In reaction to the riots, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced a move that will see a large portion of the funding for the pupil premium programme ring-fenced to provide summer school activities for 100,000 pupils from deprived backgrounds. Clegg described the proposal, which will see £50m from the £625m scheme set aside for activities, as a way to raise the aspirations of the young people involved, many of whom he claimed had nothing to lose. “It was about what they could get here and now, not what lies in front of them tomorrow and in the years ahead,” he said.

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analysis

LOCATING THE PROBLEM There have been many theories over what happened to push young people into taking such violent and destructive actions, many of which have focused on the changes in education. Lightman suggests that a change in government emphasis has left schools with a curriculum that is lacking in vital areas. “There is a big focus on academic subjects, examinations and university,” he says. “However, there is a very limited focus in terms of personal and social education (PSE). They are having a go, but emotional and moral education is not being emphasised enough. Activities in the curriculum that develop citizen skills, community service, and work experience are all part of the ethos of a good school that develops responsible citizens. We need a government that is very publicly supportive of this practice and not seeing it side-lined from the main curriculum.”

Poor literacy is also a key contributor to social unrest.

“We know literacy is a key to success in life,” says Lightman.

“A lot of people who become NEETS [not in education, employment or training] have poor literacy skills. I think we know what the solutions are, but unfortunately a lot of these things have been cut back because of a lack of funding.” He points to practices such as one-to-one support and interventions to improve reading as vital activities to address these problems. “Bearing in mind that most of the rioters were above school age, they perhaps haven’t developed these skills. All the signs are that we need to make sure we can emphasise these skills, which is something that we can use the pupil premium money for.”

Another scheme that has fallen victim to cutbacks is behaviour partnerships, whereby schools work together to provide the best facilities to pupils who are excluded or at risk of exclusion. Lightman highlights alternative education provision as a key player in addressing the issue of disengaged young people, allowing them somewhere they can go to get a fresh start when they have exhausted the possibilities of mainstream education. “The requirement to take part in behaviour partnerships has been removed by the government and we can’t see any alternatives being put in place,” he says. “I think they need to look at these things to make sure there is proper provision for those excluded from school.”

I think we know what the solutions are, but unfortunately a lot of these things have been cut back because of a lack of funding RAISING ASPIRATIONS One thing schools and government leaders can do to encourage a more positive society is to raise the aspirations of young people. In the current climate of economic concern and shortages in employment opportunities, it would be understandable for school leavers to lose hope. One scheme that is aiming to show young people that they can achieve their goals even in the face of adversity is the newly launched Speakers for Schools initiative, which was unveiled last month. The programme, which was created by BBC business editor Robert Peston, aims to deliver a series of talks to secondary schools from inspirational speakers and leaders in various fields.

So far, over 700 people have agreed to participate, including leading CEOs, politicians, media and arts people, scientists, entrepreneurs and academics, with the goal of broadening the horizons and raising the aspirations of disadvantaged young people.

At the launch, Peston emphasised the importance of telling young people how much they are valued and encouraging them to aim high. “One way of doing this is for inspirational speakers, brilliant thinkers, leading business people and community figureheads to go into schools in order to share their precious knowledge and experience,” he says.

While the riots were an extreme reaction to a range of problems within society and government, schools have a duty to address any issues that may have contributed to this. Despite tightening funds, there are still many actions school leaders can put into practice to ensure young people are fully engaged and to instil an ethos of moral values and self-worth, which will hopefully help prevent a repeat of the trouble.

Photo: dutourdumonde / Shutterstock.com

However, the decision to take money away from the pupil premium policy has been met with criticism from many parties that are anxious from the lack of clarity and possible implications this could have on schools. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), described the scheme as a “media headline rather than a well thought out response to the riots”.

Lightman believes the plans will force schools into adopting programmes that may not be best suited to meet the individual challenges of their area. “The pupil premium is based on the idea of leaving decisions to the schools. It is designed to enable schools to find the best solutions about attainment of people from deprived backgrounds and to find the best solutions for them.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for this; after all, the riots did not happen in every area.”

fast facts } 22% of rioters were under the age of 18 } £50m of the £625m pupil premium will be set aside to run summer schools in deprived areas.

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schools in focus independent news

independent update

rutland

What’s going on in the world of fee-paying, academies and free schools

schools WATCH Government approves 79 new schools The government has approved 79 state schools to open from September 2012 onwards. They come in the shape of 63 new mainstream and free schools and 16 new university technical colleges (UTCs). The new schools are being set up by independent groups, including teachers, charities, universities, and employers, in response to local demand. Some alternative provision free schools, special free schools and studio schools are likely to be approved later this year. Of the free schools to open from 2012, 21 are primary schools, 33 are secondary schools, eight are all-through schools and one is a 16-19 school.

news INBRIEF Private schools claim charity ruling victory

The Charity Commission will rewrite its charity guidelines for private schools in England and Wales, after the Upper Tribunal has ruled that there is more to public benefit than just helping the poor. Since 2006, private schools have to prove their wider public benefit to keep their charitable status, which gives them tax benefits.

The Independent Schools Council challenged the commission’s guidance for putting too much emphasis on bursaries for poor pupils. While the ruling by the Upper Tribunal confirmed certain parts of the Charity Commission’s guidance were “erroneous” and should be rewritten, it said private schools as educational charities should give “more than a token benefit” to poorer children and not all the benefits a school provides the community need be for the poor.

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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Private schools urged to sponsor struggling state primary schools The HMC persuades some of England’s top independent schools to sponsor poorer state primary schools following a meeting with the prime minister The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) has written to some of England’s leading independent schools asking them to consider sponsoring struggling primary schools in an attempt to tackle the achievement gap between rich and poor pupils.

The decision to write to independent schools in the HMC, which represents 252 schools in the UK and Northern Ireland, follows a meeting between the HMC’s leading members and Prime Minister David Cameron.

General secretary of the HMC, William Richardson said: “A number of HMC schools are already partnered with academies and the recent meeting with the prime minister and Michael Gove explored the government’s aspiration that this work could be extended.

One response to this would be involving HMC in co-ordinating interest among members

who might wish to sponsor a primary academy.

“We will be undertaking that work during the coming year in order to support these schools for whom this form of working with academies meets their needs pretty well,” adds Richardson.

Private schools have been encouraged to work with struggling state schools in the past, with some independents actually setting up schools in the state sector. However, the move for private schools to work with primary state schools has not been so common in the past, and likely comes with the government drive to persuade more primary schools to become academies.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The government is keen to see more partnerships between maintained and independent schools. Ministers are very aware of the benefits for both pupils and staff that can arise from such arrangements.”

picture story

Construction and civil engineering company Stepnell is now working on the final phase of a major building project for Oakham School in Rutland to create a new £4m Faculty of Science. Left to right, pictured outside the new Faculty of Science, are: Andy Dowding, architect at Franklin Ellis Architects; Stepnell quantity surveyor Richard Foster; headmaster Nigel Lashbrook; head of science, Dr Patricia Ingles and students from Oakham School

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schools in focus analysis

With all the confusion around academy status, we bring you a run-down of all the academy types available

What’s your type?

S

ince 2010, the government’s academies programme has made it possible for any school to become an academy – defined as an independent school run on state funding – with the support of their governing body. Representatives from the Department for Education conceded to widening the net with the idea of fostering a future in which all schools, especially secondary schools, convert to this model, gradually phasing out the role of the local authority in Britain’s education system.

But not all schools are equal, and naturally there are those that would wobble without the sturdy support of the LA. What then for those schools? To navigate this minefield, the DfE has created a number of different academy types. For those of you utterly confused by what’s on offer, or just in need of a refresher course before considering academy conversion, we bring you this short guide.

Models to date Option 1: Sponsored academy Under the previous government, academies were generally set up to replace underperforming schools. This model still exists in the shape of a sponsored academy. Sponsors can be anything from businesses to charities, universities to successful schools. Under this scheme, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to improve the performance of its sponsored school.

Option 2: Converted academy Ever since the 2010 Academies Act, any primary or secondary school that is performing well can apply to the DfE for academy status. Schools that are not doing as well can still become part of an academy trust (see right) as long as the trust contains another school or schools with a proven track record of school improvement.

Chains of academies It has been proven by Ofsted that collaboration raises standards, not to mention allows school leaders to work together to share best practice techniques and resources. There are academy models for schools that do not want to go it alone, but before entering into a federation with other schools, it’s recommended schools set a clear structure for distinct roles and accountability within the education structure. It’s also important you choose your group academy type wisely for there to be strength found in numbers.

Option 3: Multi-academy trust In this model, multiple academies are created under one funding agreement with the secretary of state.

An academy trust may decide to govern each academy directly or it can set up a local governing body for each academy, to which it can delegate some leadership tasks. Otherwise, the trust can set up an advisory body for each academy with no delegated powers. It is inevitable that a percentage of the academy budgets will go towards this central governing body, so may not be the best option for schools considering academy status for the independence it bestows. In other words, it may still feel a little like a smaller version of the local authority model.

Option 4: Umbrella trust In this model, each member academy has its own funding agreement with the secretary of state, its own trust and governors. The umbrella trust runs separately to what’s been agreed with the secretary of state and is controlled by staff from all the schools in the chain. Outstanding and good schools can choose the level of umbrella trust control, while satisfactory and inadequate schools could still join but the umbrella trust would have majority control.

Option 5: Collaborative partnership A collaborative partnership is slightly less formal than the above models. Within this structure, each academy exists on its own, each with its own funding agreement with the secretary of state. The collaborative partnership exists as a management agreement to bring the academies into a working partnership for a particular reason.

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BETT 2012 Your route to discovering how technology enhances education

B

ETT 2012, the world’s largest education and technology event takes place from 11- 14 January 2012 at London’s Olympia.

Featuring an extensive educational programme which includes seminars, interactive workshops and high-level conference content, visitors to BETT 2012 will be able to learn firsthand from the industry’s most eminent experts on how to enrich learning with technology. BETT 2012 is also used by leading suppliers as the launch platform for the very latest technological innovations in the market, providing you with the most time and cost-effective way of exploring this dynamic sector.

A comprehensive seminar programme under the brand new banner, Learn Live will provide four tracks of interactive and inspirational sessions. The tracks include: ICT Learning and Teaching; Leaders; SEN; and of particular interest to ICT managers and school business managers, ICT Buying and Integrating. Visitors will come away from the seminar sessions with practical, proven ideas for enriching learning with technology.

Highlights of the ICT Buying and Integrating track include a workshop led by Naace fellow, Simon Shaw entitled ‘Buying ICT, cutting costs, taking risks and improving outcomes’. Choosing the best ICT solutions for your school is becoming increasingly complicated with the introduction of cloud computing solutions and software available as a service online. This workshop session, taking place at 10.15am on Friday 13 January in the Club Room provides you with tools to help make decisions about the solutions and support that will best meet your needs.

Communication is key to all aspects of school life. IT Support is no different, but how do you make sure that the right language is used and people listen to what is said? A panel discussion entitled, ‘More effective communication between ICT staff and teaching staff’, led by Northamptonshire County Council’s Harnessing Technologies manager Tony Sheppard, will tackle this debate at 1.30pm on Friday 13 January in the Club Room.

All seminars are free of charge to attend or for a £15 fee you can reserve and guarantee your seat at the more popular ones.

The ‘Education Leaders @ BETT’ conference will once again provide a high-level strategic programme which explores the most pressing issues facing leaders today. Subjects discussed will include curriculum and assessment change; maximising the benefits of greater autonomy and teacher recruitment and retention.

New Worlds of Learning will be the central feature of BETT 2012. Hosted by Professor Stephen Heppell, children will be showing how easy it is for schools to use technology to interact with schools from around the world

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to share ideas in order to enhance learning. To explore how technology is currently used within the many different educational institutions in the UK, New Worlds of Learning will feature speakers from a variety of establishments including academies, independent schools, international schools and free schools. These representatives will share their experience of how technology can best be incorporated into these different environments.

Both the speakers and the children will be featured in the continuous broadcast stream from BETT Radio, which will be running live throughout the event.

With a comprehensive cross-section of exhibitors, visitors to BETT 2012 will also be able to explore the most cutting-edge products and technologies available in the market. Here’s a preview of just some of the exciting product launches you can expect to see at BETT 2012.

Communication is key to all aspects of school life

Information Management Serco Learning will be demonstrating its fourth generation information management system, Progresso, which will be available late 2011. Designed to help senior leaders, teachers and administrators to work more efficiently and effectively, the system will seamlessly integrate with schools’ existing systems and claims to dramatically reduce staff time spent on managing applications. Visit stand F20 to learn more.

Pupil performance analysis On stand D20, SIMS from Capita will be showcasing SIMS Discover, a powerful tool that helps teachers analyse pupil performance. As well as enabling teachers to easily track the achievement, behaviour and attendance of their pupils, the latest version of the software to be unveiled at BETT 2012 will allow schools to monitor how many pupils are following EBacc subjects and their predicted grades in the exams.

Utilising cloud technology Visit stand SW11 to discover how Aladdin Schools has adapted 3rd generation cloud technology to develop a widely deployed, cost effective, secure and easy to use student information management system.

Speak up!

Unlike traditional speakers, eno play’s unique technology fills the room with rich, even sound. Multimedia content comes alive with synchronized music and video and all students hear at a comfortable volume, no matter where they are seated. Eno Play from Polyvision integrates sound with its durable interactive whiteboard. Hear and see more on stand D99.

Integrated management Following the success of its primary school integrated management system; the innovative team at eSchools has developed the much-anticipated secondary school version. Featuring a new design, format and lots of unique learning tools, eSchools uses cutting-edge and highly secure techniques to allow a whole school to communicate in an organised and user-friendly environment.

BETT 2012 is free to attend, visit www.bettshow.com/ register to register. You can also keep up to date with the event’s news and developments by following the event on twitter @BETT_show or on Facebook, www.facebook. com/BETT_Show.

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Catering

Healthy eating at what cost?

Jon Rayment, a children’s food adviser for the School Food Trust and former teacher, gives his advice to schools on how to boost school meals sales

E

very September brings a wave of headlines about the costs of the return to school – new uniforms, changing bus fares and the going rate for pocket money – but this year, the price of school meals was under particular scrutiny ahead of the autumn term.

Which? research with local authorities around the country highlighted an average rise of three per cent in meal prices for the back-to-school period (the same as reported in the School Food Trust’s annual survey of school lunch take up, published in July).

While far below wider food inflation rates, it was a timely reminder of the importance of increasing take-up of healthy school meals if we’re going to keep them affordable for everyone.

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Keeping school meals affordable The School Food Trust has always been clear about the role of affordability in growing the school meals market. School meal take-up is particularly sensitive to changes in price, while a poll of parents carried out for us this summer suggests that families would be prepared to try healthy school meals if they were on special offer.

Let’s just remember why this is important: when children eat better at lunchtime, they do better in the afternoons. Our research has found that primary school children are around three times more likely to concentrate and be on-task with their teachers after lunch if they’ve had a healthier meal in a decent environment, and in secondary schools pupils are around 18% more focused. Teachers

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Primary school pupils are already eating more of their five-a-day at school and are being offered a lunch that is lower in fat, sugar and salt than the average lunch of 2005

often talk to us about the impact on pupils’ behaviour when they’ve had a proper lunch rather than filling up on foods full of empty calories, and smaller studies comparing exam results at schools with breakfast clubs to those at schools without found pupils got better results where healthy breakfasts were on offer.

But healthy school lunches are also making a difference for children’s health and wellbeing. In the short time since the introduction of national standards for school food, primary school pupils are already eating more of their five-a-day at school and are being offered a lunch that is lower in fat, sugar and salt than the average lunch of 2005. And for many pupils having free school meals, their school lunch may be the only proper meal they eat in a day. With almost a third of children either overweight or obese by the time they reach Year 6, school meals play a key role in their education about making better food choices.

Increasing take up Take-up is on the rise – this year climbing in both primary and secondary schools for the third year running – but school meal eaters are still in the minority. Regardless of the reality of tasty food, cooking from scratch and creative menus, for many pupils and parents school meals still have an image problem. The legacy of decades of decline and parents’ own memories of disappointing dinners in the school hall isn’t easily shaken off.

It makes the school meals market one of the toughest nuts to crack. Boosting take up numbers – and keeping them there so that prices can remain affordable – takes creativity, innovation and the energy to tackle a whole range of contributing factors. Solutions don’t have to be large-scale or costly, but creativity can be in short supply when you’re busy enough with just keeping your service going.

That’s why training can pay back such a big return – and gave us the starting point for a new series of low-cost training sessions.

We’ve designed these specifically for the school food sector, combining the questions we’re asked most often and expertise gained from working with schools and caterers over the last six years.

How can you develop a flexible menu, but still make sure it meets the national standards for school food? Flexibility within menu cycles can help you take advantage of seasonal ingredients and special offers from suppliers, to have a creative kitchen and to reflect school activities and events on your menu as part of your marketing to pupils to increase your lunch numbers.

A good support network Schools that give children a great lunchtime experience can only do so with the support of parents and pupils. They use a whole-school approach to healthy eating – building it into their curriculum and the school environment – to get over the barriers that can prevent families from choosing a healthy school meal instead of a packed lunch. But how can you apply this at your school? How can you get parents, pupils, staff and your community on board?

For many children, a free school lunch can be the only full meal they eat in a day. Yet too many pupils who would qualify are either not registered to receive their free meal, or choose not to eat it.

Why is this? The reasons are many and complex, but there are simple solutions to many of the barriers. With the direct link between pupil premium funding and registration for free school meals, learning more is invaluable if you want to secure additional funding for your pupils who most need it, but more fundamentally, to make sure they also get the benefits of good school food.

Promoting your offering Marketing is an essential weapon in your take-up toolkit. How do you focus your resources for best impact? What are the most effective tactics?

Cooking is a fantastic way to help children learn. We know from our work with thousands of school-based cooking clubs across the country that cooking activities make an impact with children of all ages and abilities. But how can you use cooking to support different aspects of the primary curriculum? How does cooking engage pupils who do not do well in a traditional classroom?

Our work on these dilemmas and solutions gave birth to our new ‘How to’ programme. This set of one-day sessions covers a range of topics that each play a part in growing your school meals market, bringing additional funding to your school or building your offer to parents.

From increasing your free school meal take-up, to engaging your parents and pupils with healthy food; creative marketing for your school meals even if your budget is limited; using cooking in the curriculum and developing flexible menus while still meeting the national standards for school food, you’ll walk away with practical actions and ideas that have been tried and tested in schools across the country.

Courses begin this month, with sessions in London and Birmingham. For more information, visit www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/howto.

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Academy conversion

The business of education As the number of schools converting to academy status continues to accelerate, Peters Elworthy & Moore audit partner Laragh Jeanroy reflects on the changing landscape for education and discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls of the conversion process

november 2011

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Academy conversion

W

ith four new academies opening every school day, the thoughts preoccupying the average school leader may now be focusing on budgets and forecasts. As they begin a new academic year, so too are academies starting their new financial year.

Since the Academies Act came into effect in September 2010, over 500 schools have completed the conversion process. This second wave of conversions brings the number of academies now open across the country to over 1,000 with a further 1,463 making progress towards conversion.

The government devised the academy scheme to allow schools to have more freedom and choice in their allocation of resources, so that it might better meet the needs of the school and its pupils.

This greater autonomy is intended to release the school from local authority control and allow independent decision-making for school business, including freedom to choose the length of the school day or how the curriculum is delivered.

Early considerations Becoming an academy is a huge undertaking and it is essential that the decision-makers recognise this very early on. To convert is to become a not-for-profit business and charity and as such the board of governors must become trustees of that charity. The role represents more responsibility and greater regulation, including being required to submit returns to the Department for Education.

Obviously, since governors are often proactive parents volunteering their time, this can in itself present an issue. Unlike a board of directors, governors are not subject to the same careful selection and screening process. They are not interviewed for their role, their CV is not scrutinised and their work is not appraised so it’s worth considering whether or not they are ideal for making demanding business decisions. It’s also important to factor in the impact of a transient board and the potentially greater challenge of recruiting volunteers once conversion is complete.

Conversion For a school to become an academy is timeconsuming as it’s about understanding the new decisions and processes and putting everything in place to handle them.

It’s not simply a compliance exercise. Yes, there is a tempting grant of £25,000 for the conversion process, but some schools are choosing the lowest-cost route to academy status, rather than investing in good advice and support that will provide a foundation on which to base a business. It has to be said that cutting corners at this stage is likely to prove painful and expensive further down the line.

Of key importance will be the recruitment of a competent business manager. Their responsibilities will go far beyond that of allocating classroom space and handling dinner money so it’s essential they possess some business acumen. Business managers with no prior conversion experience find that they don’t fully appreciate the scale and complexity of the process. There are lots of

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Academy conversion

Conversion is not simply a case of ticking boxes. It’s about going through the process correctly and being aware of the risks and priorities

internal changes including financial risk management and corporate governance, and that is before you have even considered the choices and decisions to be made about the pupils and the curriculum.

As a business, an academy must procure all its own services but without the buying power of a local authority. This, combined with becoming a new business, and thus having no credit reference file, weakens the academy’s position to get the best deal from suppliers.

Under the local authority, many services are shared and so in an attempt to achieve similar economies of scale, schools are beginning to work together to cross-subsidise. This strategy will help schools in their battle to survive and achieve financial objectives, especially for smaller or struggling schools.

It’s important to take account of the fact that, as a new business, all contracts (both employment and procured services) may need to be renegotiated so it’s crucial that resources are in place to handle this. With regard to employment contracts, due to the complexities of employment law, it may be that a school’s legal obligations will have a substantial financial implication, especially with long-serving staff. Although it’s generally understood that academies will have to handle their own employment contracts, it is a common misconception that this represents a freedom to renegotiate contract terms with employees. Existing obligations to staff will have an ongoing impact on the finance and resources of an academy and therefore must be planned for.

Similarly, planning for capital investment and capital projects will be a key consideration for new converting academies. At present there is no certainty on the amount of funding that will be made available or where this will come from. Schools know that funding agreements will be drawn up with the Young People’s Learning Agency (an agency of the DfE) on an annual basis, but there’s no knowing whether this will cover capital funding as this is still being debated by the government. Theoretically, local government will provide this but it’s wise to appreciate that there is no guarantee of the availability of funds. Schools should be mindful of the fact they are going into a regime where the funding is not set in stone and so it’s very difficult to plan. Our advice is to take precautionary measures by planning for it in forecast expenditure. This is why getting the financial position clear early on is so crucial.

Conclusions There is often significant pressure as other schools in the area convert and this is already noticeable in some of our neighbouring counties, such as Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire. While the £25,000 grant is an attractive financial incentive, it represents an immediate but short-term gain. To become an academy is to become a business and it’s quite a different scenario in this second wave of conversions. In the first wave, outstanding schools had a huge injection of cash, but this time there is not necessarily such sponsorship and now even struggling schools can opt for conversion. High-performing academies are expected to partner with these weaker schools as they’re likely to find it tough to survive as an academy without such collaboration. In addition, there is insecurity about funding as what a school receives one year is no measure of what funding they will receive the following year, even if costs remain the same. If an academy is to survive it needs to be able to react to circumstances and make tough business decisions to ensure the future of the school. If they either don’t have the information to see problems coming or don’t act, then they won’t survive.

However, once a decision has been taken to convert, it is essential to get good support and help from legal and financial experts from a very early stage. It’s all about the planning, as with any business. Conversion is not simply a case of ticking boxes. It’s about going through the process correctly and being aware of the risks and priorities. If a school can ensure that all parties understand the undertaking, implement appropriate business management and support systems, and apply planning and forecasting strategies, then it has every chance of becoming a successful education business.

november 2011

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case study

A partnership for learning Ashton on Mersey School is one of two in the West Trafford Learning Partnership with the Broadoak School in Manchester. Julia Dennison speaks to the schools’ business and finance manager, Nick David, about academy conversion and a new facility called The Fuse

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he West Trafford Learning Partnership is currently made up of two schools: Ashton on Mersey School and Broadoak School, but there have been talks this autumn of taking on an additional feeder primary school into the partnership, possibly under an academy structure.

This will undoubtedly add to the already busy workload of business and finance manager Nick David, who divides his time between both schools. But if he’s worried, he doesn’t show it – but this could in part be due to the 19 years of experience he has working for Ashton on Mersey School, which has always had an independent streak as a grantmaintained school and foundation school before. “A lot of secondary schools at that time made the decision to appoint people from a business or financial background to work with them, given their new autonomies, freedoms and the new responsibilities they held, particularly with the business and financial aspects,” he remembers of when he started in 1992.

Over the following 10 to 15 years, Ashton on Mersey underwent a great deal of growth and ultimately was given permission as a high-performing specialist school to bid for a sixth form in September 2008, which it won and built a new building to house it in. The school has had four consecutive ‘outstanding’ Ofsted reports, which David recognises as a “major achievement”. “We’ve never known anything less than outstanding, which is obviously a big challenge to maintain,” he says.

Working as a team Its partnership with Broadoak School began in mid-2005, when Trafford local authority approached Ashton on Mersey’s governing body to see if they would be interested in working with the smaller, then-struggling school six miles away. So David and the leadership team at Ashton on Mersey set up a soft federation with the school for the first year, whereby it was more like a collaboration, with each school retaining its own governing body and a joint committee linking the two. After that first year, they

november 2011

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moved to full federation, which meant the individual governing bodies were dissolved and a new overarching governing body was formed to become the West Trafford Learning Partnership.

The federation was approached last summer by the Department for Education to become an academy sponsor, “which was a little bit cart before horse for us because at the time we hadn’t made the decision to convert to an academy ourselves,” comments David. It had been something they had been considering, but no firm decision had been made at that point. “We felt that we would wait for a period of time, rather than rush into the conversion that was being offered to schools to become academies from September last year, to see how things pan out”, he adds. “I think it was the right decision, because there has been quite a lot of change and upheaval and the academy infrastructure has changed frequently. It’s not like you press a button and you suddenly become an academy, particularly if you’ve got a number of schools you’re working with. The infrastructure is key and getting that right has to be the priority before you really think about adding more schools into your structure.” The governors of the West Trafford Learning Partnership have since given the green light to convert to academy. However the primary school that’s considering joining the federation is still deliberating on whether it would want to be part of the academy trust.

Ashton on Mersey School has had plenty of experience working with other schools outside of the West Trafford Learning Partnership too, as the headteacher and executive headteacher are both National Leaders of Education with the National College and have been advisors to Westminster on education policy around federations. “There’s an unwritten understanding that where schools may require support from others, there won’t be any reticence about working together,” David says, taking a positive stance about collaboration in the education sector. “Having been into various schools in different capacities, it does very much help you to sharpen your own practice and bring that benefit back into your own school – it’s not just a one-way street.”

fact box School Ashton on Mersey School Type Mixed 11-16 foundation school and sixth form Specialisms Sports and applied learning Pupils 1282

School Broadoak School Type Mixed 11-16 foundation school Pupils 361

Federation West Trafford Learning Partnership Local authority Trafford Budget £10m Staff 260

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case study

THE FUSE the West trafford Learning Partnership has been undertaking a number of different projects recently, including building a new youth facility called the Fuse, which opened in september and came about through Broadoak school’s work with Partington and carrington youth Partnership. it was made possible by a £5m grant from the MyPlace initiative, which consists of public money from the department for education but distributed by the Big Lottery. ‘Built for young people by young people’, the Fuse is a youth-focused centre for performing arts, sports, recreation and business and was designed with the help of local 11-to-19-year-olds. nick david set up a limited company as a registered charity to manage the business. Without any local authority budget for the revenue budget, the facility has to be self-sustaining so funding has to be sourced from alternative avenues, including leasing out the facility to commercial businesses. But the leadership team at the West trafford Learning Partnership has never been shy of fundraising, to which david can attest: “We’ve always had a philosophy that we don’t just rely on our core funding for developing the school and that there is money out there if you’re prepared to go and look for it.”

“One thing is certain – nothing stays the same.

So it’s good to have solid specialist support.”

Bruce Doy, Business Manager at The Boswells School.

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To see if our service impresses you as much as it has Bruce, visit www.lloydstsb.com/schoolbanking or call us on 0800 681 6078.

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A natural taught leader Being a ‘leader’ is not a natural state for most. Few of us are likely to become the ideal mix of Nelson Mandela and Lord Nelson; instead we need practical tools to guide us. Jo Owen, author of How to Lead and an authority on leadership, explains how to develop the skills

november 2011

\ www.edexec.co.uk

leadership

Top 10 characteristics of leadership in practice 1. Everyone can learn to lead, and to lead better You do not need to be born to lead. Leadership is based on skills that everyone can and must learn: delegating, directing, influencing, motivating, and decision-making. Most of us learn from role models and experience, both good and bad. What counts is to make sure you never stop learning, never stop improving.

2. No leader is perfect

8. People and political skills become more important with seniority Technical skills are enough to gain promotion at junior levels. The more senior you become, the more your job becomes about people and politics.

Leaders only succeed by making things happen through other people, so you have to learn the arts of influence, managing conflicts and crises, aligning agendas, building trust, doing deals and knowing which battles to fight. As one CEO put it: “I hire most people for their technical skills and fire most for their (lack of) personal skills.”

No leader ticks all the boxes. As your career progresses, you will find that you live increasingly in a goldfish bowl where everyone will examine and comment on all you do: weaknesses become more visible over time. But do not worry. Do not strive for perfection, strive for improvement and build on your strengths. No one succeeded by building on weaknesses. Find the context in which your strengths will flourish.

9. The rules of survival and success change at every level of the organisation

3. You can lead at any level

10. You are responsible

Leadership is about performance, not position.

An effective leader is someone who takes people where they would not have got by themselves. That means you have to make a real difference: be brave, be bold.

Many leaders like to be responsible for successes, not for setbacks. You can delegate away most things, but you cannot delegate away your accountability: you are accountable for the performance of your team. You are also responsible for your career: if you have a lousy job with a lousy boss in a lousy firm then that is your responsibility and you have to find a solution.

Finally, and most surprisingly, you are responsible for your own feelings. If you want to be miserable, you can be: your little cloud of gloom will spread like a major depression across your team.

Choose well.

4. Build on your strengths All leaders have a signature strength that lets them succeed in the right context. Build on your strengths and work around your weaknesses. The best work around is to hire people into your team who are strong in the areas where you are weak.

Share the burden.

That means as a leader you have to keep on learning and keep on changing. The technical skills you learned at the start of your career are likely to be more or less irrelevant by they time you become CEO. The only way to avoid career altitude sickness is to learn and adapt.

5. Leadership is a team sport Don’t try to be the lone hero. You cannot do it all yourself. Work with others who have strengths that are different from yours and will compensate for any gaps you may have. Weak and defensive leaders hire clones of themselves, and get weak performance as a result. Confident leaders gather the best possible talent around themselves.

6. Make a difference

A

irport bookshops are awash with books telling us how we can be great leaders. We are urged to be an implausible combination of Churchill, Genghis Khan and Mother Theresa. We cannot succeed by trying to be someone else: we can only succeed by being the best of who we are. Here are some tips on how any of us can lead, whatever we do. We do not have to be a CEO to be a leader. This is about leadership as it is, not as it should be: it is leadership we can all learn, and we can all aspire to achieve.

Leaders do not manage the status quo. They make a difference. Leaders push themselves and others to go beyond their comfort zone, to develop themselves and their organisation. Be ready to challenge. Don’t accept excuses, because once you accept excuses you accept failure. Be selectively unreasonable in stretching and pushing people. We all remember Alexander the Great: who remembers his cousin Alexander the Reasonable?

7. Find your context Leaders who succeed in one context can fail in another. Think of Churchill: a great hero in the war. Before the war he was a maverick and when he was PM after the war he was totally forgettable.

Context is everything. Risk is like ambrosia to investment bankers and like kryptonite to civil servants: so is risk good or bad for leaders?

Different contexts lead to different outcomes.

The big question all of this raises is: “How can we learn to lead?” I have asked this question of thousands of executives, and I let them choose two from the following six sources of learning to lead: • • • • • •

Bosses (good and bad) Peers Role models (inside and outside work) Books Courses Experience.

Virtually no one chooses books or courses. We all learn from our own experience or the experience of others (bosses, peers and role models). This makes sense in the real world. But it also means that many careers are a random walk. We bump into good bosses and experiences and we accelerate. We have bad bosses and experiences and we head straight into a dead end. So we need a way of taking the randomness out of the random walk and to make sense of the nonsense we encounter day to day. That is where the books and courses help.

How to Lead (Prentice Hall), £12.99, is available now from bookshops and Amazon

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work / life

Break Time ?

Secret life of a business manager

Snap happy

My secret hobby is photography. I recently completed a course at an adult education college and now I am hooked. I am fortunate enough to live in a beautiful part of the country so I have taken great pleasure in exploring the surrounding countryside with my camera and snapping the different views and wildlife.

The children at my school have been hugely

number crunching Everyone deserves a five minute break, and business managers are no exception. So pour yourself a coffee, get a biscuit from the tin and have a go at this little puzzle. It is sure to keep your little grey cells ticking over and help while away your break time.

interested in my hobby and are always happy to see my photos. I am currently trying to secure funding to purchase some cameras for the school as the children seem to be really keen to have a go.

It is a great hobby to get into to. Initially it can be a little expensive to get the equipment,

6 1

7 3 5 4 9 6 3 3 4 5 6 9 7 1 2 2 7 3 9 2 6 3 4 5 9 8 2 9 3 9 2 3 5 4

but once you have the basics, there is nothing to stop you. It gets you out and about and at the end of it, you are left with some great reminders of your experience to brighten up your office!

Around the classeS With all those classes going on around you every day, we think you

Darren Hughes, Oxford

should be well placed to answer these little teasers

HISTORY Who was the King of the United Kingdom during World War II?

SCIENCE Miranda is a moon of which planet of the Solar System?

GEOGRAPHY Which river flows through Rome?

MUSIC ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ is the sixth album by which rock group?

Do you have an interesting hobby or activity? Are you involved with any clubs at your school? We would love to hear from you. Write to editor@edexec.co.uk with the subject line “Secret life” with 200 words on your hobby, why you enjoy it and why you would recommend it to other business managers.

If you have a photo of yourself, that would be even better.

Every entry featured wins a £20 M&S voucher, so why not share your secret life with us?

november 2011

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PE What nationality was boxing champion Roberto Duran?

ENGLISH What is the title of the 1869 novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky?

ANSWERS History – George VI; Science – Uranus; PE – Panamanian; Geography – Tiber; Music – Pink Floyd; English – The Idiot

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