OCTOBER 2011 / ISSUE 73
OCTOBER 2011 / ISSUE 73
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
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WIND TURBINES FREE SCHOOLS DEGREE-AWARDING
RUN WITH THE WIND
The educational, environmental and financial benefits of a wind turbine at your school
THE BUSINESS OF FREE What will business management look like in England’s free schools?
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AND THE AWARD GOES TO… New College Durham finds fiscal stability in awarding foundation degrees
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EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
editor’s letter OCTOBER 2011
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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
Ready or not, here it comes …or perhaps I should say, ‘like it or not’. What I’m referring to here is academy status. It seems that the Department for Education is more determined than ever to see most (if not all) schools, especially secondary schools, become academies as soon as possible – or so Joe Farrell of the department’s academy convertor division admitted at a recent Westminster Briefing I attended. MPs are so confident in this education model, which has seen the phasing out of the local authority, they want all of England to take it up. The London Borough of Southwark, where I call home, is taking the lead with all of its secondary schools converted, or in the process of converting, and more local authorities will be following suit. It’s become less of a debate over whether to become an academy, but when. The title of the Westminster Briefing was telling: ‘Academy status for all schools: The implications and timetable’. And there’s more than one way to skin an academy cat. The government is working from the top, through high-performing ‘convertor’ academies, and also from the bottom – turning underperforming schools into ‘sponsored’ academies. But what about the ones in the middle? There are academies for them too – with multiacademy trusts, schools don’t just have to become an academy on their own. These federations of schools hold one funding agreement with the secretary of state between them. Even if you are doing well, but still feeling insecure – there’s an academy for you too, in the shape of an umbrella trust, a less formal group of academies that work together, each with their own funding agreement with the government. Have you ever seen the movie Up? I picture the schools that are left in a year or two to be like the little old man in the Disney/Pixar film, who wouldn’t give up his house to be bulldozed into a housing development, choosing instead to launch it into the sky in a cloud of balloons. I have no idea quite where that analogy is going, but maybe you get the idea. There are proven benefits to academy status, which is good news, but if you really don’t want to convert you might have to hold on tight.
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Contents 18
rocure
lan
make your school’s budget go further
32 Advice
One step ahead How to save money through preventative maintenance
36 Interview
Gathering energy Cleeve Park School saves with an online energy management system
40 Energy
Run on the wind The educational, eco and financial benefits of wind turbines
management
tune up your management skills
sector
42 HR
the lowdown on the business management world
06 Sector news
The latest school business management news
44 Top 10 tips
08 Diary
Green principles Rachel de Souza of Ormiston Victory Academy runs an eco academy
schools in focus
what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you
10 PRIMARY update
Primary faction Leverington Primary Academy is a first of its kind
26 independent update
Independent school news and views
28 Case study
For the latest news and views check out
www.edexec.co.uk
Class participation The pros and cons of kids bringing in their own equipment
60 SEN
The business of free We find out England’s free schools’ business management plans
In touch Technology improves Swavesey Village College’s parental communication
58 Hardware
Keep ‘em keen Retention and student success: Spotting the early warning signs
Staying non-committal Sir Thomas Boteler High School saves with an ICT rental scheme
56 Case study
And the award goes to… New College Durham finds fiscal stability in degree-awarding power
24 News analysis
The latest updates and developments in school technology
52 Case study
18 Interview
ICT matters 50 ICT news
12 Interview
Secondary school news and views
Break time Put your feet up and take your break right here
the latest technological innovations in schools today
Primary school news and views
16 SECONDARY update
Health & safety How to avoid work-related injuries among your school’s staff
46 WORK/LIFE
Equal parts The rules around equal pay regulations
A sound investment How text-to-speech software aids the learning disabled
62 Help Desk
Techno Geek What kind of tablet is right for your school
Look out for our favourite news, products and competitions
sector Funding watch lib dems ring-fence £50M OF PUPIL PREMIUM money Fifty-million pounds of the £625m pupil premium will be ring-fenced to send 100,000 secondary school pupils from deprived backgrounds on two-week summer school courses, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced at last month’s Lib Dem conference. The announcement was made in response to the riots, which many believe predominantly involved disenfranchised young people. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said there was “no question” that early intervention with young people at-risk is a positive step, however he branded Clegg’s initiative as a “media headline” rather than a well thought-out response to the riots. “Taking money away from the pupil premium will force schools to abandon plans they have already put in place,” Lightman said. “The coalition government has repeatedly said that it wants to make the education funding system fairer and it wants to give schools more freedom and autonomy. With this initiative it has abandoned both these principles and turned the pupil premium into the kind of ring-fenced grant it criticised the previous government for.” He said money would be better spent restoring face-to-face careers guidance in schools. Pupils eligible for the summer school scheme must already be eligible for the pupil premium and be identified by their school as likely to benefit from the additional fortnight of teaching.
STORY OF THE MONTH Ofsted: ‘Federated schools work better for education’ Schools in a federation raise teaching standards, behaviour, and pupils’ achievement, according to the Ofsted report ‘Leadership of more than one school – An evaluation of the impact of federated schools’, which evaluated the benefit of schools sharing leadership arrangements. Her Majesty’s chief inspector Miriam Rosen said: “School federations clearly play an important role in our education sector, with effective leadership being the single most critical feature in helping generate and sustain improvement. The best leaders we saw had a vision and drive focused on raising expectations and providing benefit to pupils. They all had rigorous procedures for holding staff accountable and assessing and improving the quality of teaching and learning.” School leaders gave three main reasons for forming federations. Some had been approached by a local authority to help a school that was struggling. Others were small schools in danger of closure or unable to recruit high quality staff. Another group were seeking to strengthen the overall education of pupils in their community. Rosen added: “The characteristics of effective leadership of federations are no different from those expected in any school. But what we found noteworthy was the success leaders had when transferring these skills to federations which are larger and more complex to run than single schools.” The study also found that the federations had led to an increase in pupils’ enjoyment and confidence, as well as a more consistency in teaching quality and curriculum opportunities for the students. ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman found the report encouraging. “It adds to the body of evidence, from research done by ASCL and others, that shows that school-to-school support is the best way to continue to drive up standards,” he said. “If the government is serious about wanting a world-class education system, it should concentrate its efforts on initiatives like this which encourage collaboration and partnership rather than competition and fragmentation.”
They said... Ministers would hope that all schools would be applying to become academies as soon as possible. They believe academy status and the freedoms it offers is right for schools
photo Flickr Liberal Democrats
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october 2011
Joe Farrell of the DfE’s academy convertor division at a Westminster Briefing event on academy conversion
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DIARY 4-9 October Worldskills London 2011 ExCeL London 13 October The Academies Show 2011 – Transforming Education QEII Conference Centre, London 14 October Schools Northeast Summit 2011 St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne 17 October F40 Annual Conference Local Government House, Smith Square, Westminster, London
sector news
inbrief
picture story
School trips cancelled
Education tour operators have written to 5,000 schools throughout the UK with clear advice about what to do if their school trip organiser goes into liquidation following the collapse last month of Pinnacle Travel, affecting up to 4,000 pupils and 100 schools. Schools that are affected and want to rebook may have to claim a refund via the Civil Aviation Association and then pay again for their flights. However, SkiPlan and Pavilion Tours have advised schools that, as ABTA members, they can undertake this process on behalf of schools and make bookings immediately to secure the trips schools want. This includes assisting by taking on the responsibility of a group’s booking and reassigning any deposits that have been paid. To reassign a booking, schools need to collect and provide evidence of payments to the failed tour operator, including a copy of the confirmed invoice and all paperwork received regarding the booking.
In the run-up to the opening of its new £2.5m science centre next month, archivists at Sherborne Girls School in Dorset have uncovered a fascinating selection of old science examination papers and photographs, such as this one of a science class dating back to 1905
sTATs & FACTS Half of parents support a return of the cane
100 80
A survey conducted by the TES found that nearly half of all parents and almost a fifth of children would support the reintegration of the cane to restore order and discipline in the classroom and punish unruly children.
60
Only 45% of those surveyed said that they were opposed to the idea.
0
Furthermore, 93% of all parents and 68% of children also said that they believed that teachers need to have more authority in the classroom, as similar numbers (91% of parents and 62% of children) also said they believe that teachers should be allowed to be tougher when it comes to pupil’s discipline.
93% of adults
40
68%
20
of kids Percentage of people who believe teachers need to have more authority in the classroom
100 80 60 40 20 0
91% of adults
62% of kids
Percentage of people who believe teachers should be allowed to be tougher with their discipline
Innovate launches ‘Lunch Box Amnesty’ Innovate Services has announced the launch of a new ‘Lunch Box Amnesty’ study, which will analyse the contents of students’ lunch boxes from a food health and safety perspective, in addition to reviewing the nutritional aspects. The project is being led by renowned independent food specialists, Dr Lisa Ackerley and Robert Hobson MSc, and is designed to highlight to parents the typical life of a lunch box and what their children are really eating every day. Derick Martin, co-founder and CEO of Innovate said: “There are no guidelines or rules as to what food students can have in their lunch boxes and so we are embarking on the lunch box study to assess not only the typical nutritional content but, importantly, to also analysis the hygiene and food safety aspects to uncover just what is lurking inside.” For further information, visit www.innovate-services.com.
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/ october 2011
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sector eco academy
DIARY
Lean, Mean and Green Rachel de Souza, principal of Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, describes running a new academy along the greenest of lines
I
promised myself two things when we opened Ormiston Victory Academy on the outskirts of Norwich in September 2010: First, a transformation of education and a rapid improvement in results – from special measures to success; second, to run the new academy along green lines. We only have one environment; it’s up to all of us to take responsibility. There are challenges in our green quest – lacklustre 1950s buildings and no immediate funding for capital improvement or renovation, but I don’t like the word ‘no’ and we produced a green plan to implement the three ‘s’s — soil, salvage and sustenance. Our environmental outdoor learning coordinator is developing the academy’s organic allotment area, award-winning wildlife garden and new sensory garden. She is leading our Ground Force gardening club and establishing an outreach programme for Norfolk schools, providing plants, training programmes and setting up gardening clubs. We have installed two beehives and applied for funding for a Fruitful orchard (see box out). All these resources are cross-curricular, particularly aimed at science but also at art in the wildlife garden and maths and food technology with the bees. Under the eagle-eye of our eco committee, a major recycling programme is in progress. Bins for paper and plastic bottles dot the academy. We have a large one for glass and, in cooperation with the Salvation Army, a recycling bin for clothing and shoes. Ink cartridges and car batteries are also being recycled. On the food front, our canteen has been rebranded as Horatio’s Café, using organic vegetables and fruit from the allotment and as much Norfolk, or at least East Anglian, produce as possible. We carefully plan our menus with seasonal vegetables – we say ‘no’ to air miles. Our progress was celebrated with a massive eco day at the end of the school year with an eco fashion show, solar car racing, pond-dipping – lots of fun! Our next project is energy reduction. Some progress has already been made with a Switch-Off Month, particularly aimed at computer monitors. A full energy audit will be undertaken soon, looking at insulation, heating and lighting. We want our academy to be as green as possible.
We only have one environment; it’s up to all of us to take responsibility october 2011
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Principal Rachel de Souza with students in the wildlife garden
jargon buster Fruitful Schools Fruitful Schools is part the Children’s Orchard campaign to help children plant fruit trees and enjoy picking and eating what they grow, while improving the local environment and benefiting their health and education. For more information, visit Fruitfulschools.com.
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schools in focus
primary update
What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management
Wembley basildon
Nursery watch
Most preschools struggle to fund sports
One in 10 primary children under 10 has their own iPhone One in 10 parents in the UK feels it’s appropriate for children as young as four years old to own a mobile phone, while one in 10 kids under the age of 10 already owns an iPhone, according to a recent survey by a cloud-based internet security services provider. The report also found that one in 20 primary school children now own an iPad. The study of 2,000 parents of children aged 10 and under found that 17% of parents bought their kids a phone after they succumbed to their child’s pestering. Typically, parents felt comfortable buying their child a mobile or the latest smartphone like an iPhone or Blackberry at the age of 10, with 68% doing so because they wanted to keep tabs on their kids. The survey also revealed that almost one in 10 primary school-aged children had a social networking account (the age at which children are eligible to have a Facebook or MySpace account is 13). A quarter of parents said their child had an email account. Bill Strain, director of Westcoastcloud, which commissioned the report, said: “It’s great that youngsters are interested and engaged with the latest technology, but children owning their own phones as young as four does seem unnecessary. Kids will always be able to gain access to their parents’ phones and laptops but when primary school age children gain access to the internet on these devices, parents need to be aware. There’s the potential that they could access unsuitable or potentially harmful content.”
A nationwide survey of preschools and nurseries has found that 88% are struggling to fund sports at their early years’ settings. These results come following a recent NHS report that found nearly a quarter of four-year-olds are overweight or obese. Naomi Woodstock, campaign manager at Haven Fun & Fitness, which conducted the survey, commented: “Despite often being the only place a child can be active and run around with no restrictions many preschools receive little or no funding for sports equipment.” The Haven Fun & Fitness campaign was set up in 2009 to support early years’ settings in keeping children active and to help make it easier to provide physical activity for under-fives by providing free equipment to nurseries. “We have helped thousands of preschools all over the country to improve the sports and physical activities available to the children,” Woodstock continued. “Early years’ leaders are in a unique position to help develop children’s natural enjoyment of being active and we want to support them as they support our children.” The 2011/12 Haven Fun & Fitness campaign is now open and preschools and nurseries can register for free sports equipment by visiting www. havenfunfitess.com and following the instructions on the site. Registrations close on 31 January and places are limited.
What we learned this month
88%
of preschools are struggling to fund sports
october 2011
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Milk hydrates better than water. A study by McMaster University in Ontario, Canada of eightto 10-year-olds showed that milk hydrates better than a sports drink or water because it is also a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium and electrolytes.
schools in focus primary news
GRANT WATCH
EMMA THOMPSON PAYS FOR 6,000 BOOKS In June, 30 pupils from six local schools were treated to an activity day at Reading’s Madejski Stadium in an event organised by Chartwells to highlight the benefits of healthy eating and the importance of a balanced diet. Aside from touring the grounds, trophy and dressing rooms, the children got to spend time with Bridgette Harris, head chef at the training group, who is responsible for feeding the Reading FC team when at the club.
£7m primary school expansion is energy ‘excellent’ Sudbury Primary School Wembley, North London
Sudbury Primary School in Wembley, North London, has undergone a £7m expansion and refurbishment programme to help meet increasing demand for school places in the London Borough of Brent. As part of the redevelopment, planning requirements stipulated that the new build part of the redevelopment must meet a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’, while the refurbished areas were required to achieve a ‘very good’ score. The borough, school and design team wanted to achieve an excellent rating throughout anyway, and did so by using renewable technologies, including the heat pumps for the heating system as well as sedum roofs, photovoltaic cells to feed electricity into the grid, plus sun and wind catchers to provide natural light and ventilation, installed by JCA Engineering. Additionally, water and energy saving devices have been introduced throughout the building. The new-build aspect of the project included a two-storey extension accommodating a new hall, changing rooms, learning spaces for ICT, science,
art therapy, meeting rooms and offices and a striking circular building housing eight classrooms with an open learning area in the centre. In remodelling the existing buildings, clearly defined space has been created for a library that can function as a central point for the school. The refurbishment programme also includes Year 1 areas, reception, staff/ administrative and nursery areas, plus other classrooms and drama facilities. The new school also provides a range of services and resources for the wider community including community education provision. The construction project needed to be completed in one academic year, with the school continuing to operate on the site during the building works.
A primary school in Basildon, Essex has raised £80,000 to build a classroom extension to the main school building. The Kingswood Infants School had wanted to move pupils out of a run-down demountable classroom since it was put up to save space in 1992, but the school repeatedly saw applications for funding turned down by the local authority, reports the Essex Echo.
news INBRIEF Schools: ‘Don’t scrimp on playground equipment’
Infants school raises £80k for new classroom Kingswood Infants School, Basildon, Essex
Emma Thompson is one of three Amnesty supporters to donate nearly 6,000 copies of Amnesty International’s award-winning book We Are All Born Free to primary schools across the UK, in a gesture that marked Children’s Book Week 3-9 October. The book is a collection of 30 illustrations, representing the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a foundation stone of Amnesty International. Thompson commented: “I was hugely impressed when I saw their delightful book We Are All Born Free... It is a wonderful educational tool and I strongly believe that every school should own a copy.”
Two years ago, they decided to take matters into their own hands and through fundraising events and savings from the school budget, finally raised the £80,000 needed to build a more spacious extension to the school building. Head Debbie Loveless told the newspaper: “It feels like a great achievement as it’s been such a battle to get here – we’re really pleased with the result.” The school is hoping an £8,000 bid for Lottery funding will allow them to create a fenced-off outdoor area for reception and nursery pupils next year.
School leaders should not scrimp on playground safety as government budget cuts start to bite, warns Bob Jones, director of Re-Bound, a rubber play surfaces manufacturer, who worries that maintenance of play areas is slipping down the list of priorities for some schools trying to claw back reduced budgets. “Children’s safety is of paramount concern to everyone and teachers are really concerned about the consequences of doing anything to compromise that,” he commented. “However when hard decisions have to be made, as many are in the wake of the government’s spending review, playgrounds are often the area where cutbacks are reluctantly being made.”
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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/ october 2011
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schools in focus CASE STUDY
While many primary schools have been reluctant to press ahead with the academy conversion, Leverington Primary Academy is already reaping the benefits of the change. MATTHEW JANE spoke to headteacher ROSIE SIMMONDS to share her secrets for success
T
he academies programme is now well underway and the number of converting schools has continued to gather pace as more school leaders opt to break away from local authority control and seek the autonomy promised to them by Education Secretary Michael Gove. However, despite the continued interest in the programme, there remains a considerable disparity between the primary and secondary sectors, with around a third of academies primary schools. One such school, now flourishing under the new system, is Leverington Primary Academy in Cambridgeshire, which converted from being the Leverington Community Primary School in April. Under the leadership of headteacher Rosie Simmonds, the school has enjoyed a successful conversion with a strong team of dedicated staff backing the changes. The decision to become an academy was boosted by a successful Ofsted inspection in February last year, when the school was awarded an ‘outstanding’ grade. “The governing body and the leadership team discussed converting to academy status at length,” explains Simmonds. “We ticked all the boxes – including supporting other schools – as sharing our practice has always been a strength at Leverington Primary.” While many schools may view the autonomous nature of academies as a daunting prospect, Simmonds saw it as an opportunity to provide more for the children and the transition has had a positive impact on the school. “Having greater flexibility and freedom to develop would surely benefit all our children, which was the main drive towards the conversion,” she explains.
october 2011
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schools in focus CASE STUDY
Having greater flexibility and freedom to develop would surely benefit all our children, which was the main drive towards the conversion
FULLY SUPPORTED The actual conversion process required support from various channels. Leverington is fortunate to have a governors’ finance committee that consists of experienced governors, including three accountants, which gave the school a great level of expertise to begin with, and they were able to take the lead in financial matters. One of the issues that did cause concern during the conversion was in the audit requirements, but Simmonds acknowledges that she had a team in place with the appropriate skills to deal with this. “Schools converting will need a very competent business manager and finance and audit governors committee, which I am very pleased to have,” she says. Another useful source of information was the DfE website, which Simmonds says is extremely good and holds all model policies for conversion. “Although these take a great deal of time to read through, the governors approved most of them and registration with Companies House was easy through my account governors,” she explains. “We employed solicitors for the lands lease agreement and commercial transfer agreement with the LA.” She also arranged for the compulsory TUPE process to be handled by the school’s HR and payroll providers, who transferred staff contracts and liaised with the unions, while the contact at the DfE provided a useful dialogue throughout. While the change to an academy setup entitles schools to break free from local authority control, Leverington Primary has continued to utilise the services provided to them by the LA. “Cambridgeshire LA has been very helpful and we buy back into most areas, including admissions, internet, and education welfare,” says Simmonds. “We will be monitoring their support for value for money and have the power to buy from independent service providers if we wish.”
POSITIVE IMPACTS The real test for any new academy is whether it can deliver the necessary benefits to pupils. For any conversion to be deemed a success, there must be sufficient monitoring in place to record the required information. “Our processes for monitoring school improvement is fully embedded into our school self - evaluation,” explains Simmonds. “Ofsted graded our systems ‘outstanding’. The leadership team and governing body are fully involved in maintaining our high standards and aspirations for all our children.” The school is also involved with the Wisbech Schools Partnership (WSP), which is a cluster of 17 schools. It covers all education phases and is focused on working together in an area of high deprivation with the aim of providing benefits to schools and children through various activities and staff training. This group has also been a useful resource for Simmonds by providing valuable networking opportunities, with strong links forged during the many years it has been
october 2011
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FACT BOX SCHOOL NAME: Leverington Primary Academy TYPE: Primary school PUPIL NUMBERS: 195 STAFF NUMBERS: 20 employed directly BUDGET: approx. £600,000 NAME: Rosie Simmonds JOB TITLE: Headteacher
established. The current campaign among the cluster is on raising the attendance profile, which is something Simmonds is working hard towards. Given the controversy surrounding the academy plans when they were first announced, it was important for any developments to be properly discussed with parents and associated parties, in order to avoid any scaremongering and misinformation. “We ran a parent survey to gain their views, which was important,” says Simmonds. “Analysis showed that only five parents requested further information, so I kept all parents informed of the conversion through newsletters and at the parent council meetings. We also try to keep a high profile in the local newspapers.” The school is also transparent in its dealings, as all its data is available to the local authority, so any concerned parties could gather information from various means. The future for the academy certainly looks to be in safe hands, with a well-skilled team ready to face the challenges that inevitably lie ahead. “The governors and leadership team will continue to lead the academy as it has always done, having more freedom to develop without being answerable to the LA,” comments Simmonds. “Of course, we are still answerable, only now it is to the DfE. There will still be government initiatives to explore but we will have greater flexibility to adopt for the benefit of our children.” There are still many unknown factors with running academies, the biggest of which Simmonds believes are the budgets and funding systems. “I expect the running of the academy will develop further with increased knowledge and understanding over the years,” she adds. Being in a position to reflect on their own progress, Simmonds is well-placed to share her experiences with other schools. “My advice for those considering conversion? I would not have considered without an outstanding governing body, including those experienced in finance and a very competent business manager,” she says.
schools in focus CASE STUDY
“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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/ october 2011
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schools in focus secondary news
secondary update
prestwich wilford
What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education
GRANT WATCH £10K for Swimming Hundreds of children have benefited from free ‘top up’ swimming lessons thanks to a £10,000 grant through the Kellogg’s Swim Active Scheme. The grant was awarded to Kellogg’s Swim 4 Schools, a project set up by the South Cambs Schools Sports Partnership based in the ASA East region. The project provides a lesson programme for weak and nonswimming children aged eight to16 years, who are recognised as unable to meet the Key Stage 2 standard of 25 metres without additional swimming support. The Kellogg’s Swim Active Scheme offers funding to projects that increase swimming; participation; benefit deprived communities; break down barriers and target non-swimmers. It supports the ASA’s key initiative to encourage people into the pool and promote the health, fitness and social advantages a 30-minute swim can offer to all ages. The one-year Swim 4 Schools project aims to target 350 children and young people. Those attending lessons will be provided with swimming vouchers for use at their local pool, to encourage swimming as a family and recreational activity. It is hoped that a further 350 children and young people, and 400 adults will be targeted through the swimming vouchers. This award round was the first phase of this funding opportunity provided by Kellogg’s and the ASA. The next round this autumn will be advertised on the ASA website, www.swimming.org.
SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk
october 2011
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The first 100 teaching schools take the lead The National College’s group of leading schools are tasked with designating 1,000 Specialist Leaders of Education to support schools struggling to improve The first 100 of the National College for School Leadership’s teaching schools started their new roles last month, advising other schools of better teaching and leadership techniques. One of their first tasks is to designate 1,000 Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) by March 2012, with numbers rising to 5,000 by 2015. The SLEs are a cadre of outstanding professionals in leadership positions below the headteacher who will support their counterparts in other schools struggling to improve. Teaching schools will lead groups of schools, working with other partners including at least one university to deliver support for teachers and leaders at all stages in their career. Over time they will also have a lead role in maintaining the supply of high-quality headteachers by talent-spotting and inspiring future heads. To be eligible for the role, teaching schools must demonstrate that they have a clear track record of substantial initial teacher training, leadership development and school improvement. At a National College induction event in Nottingham on 13 and 14 September, the teaching schools discussed how they will take the lead and
heard more about the programme, which will work closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Steve Munby, chief executive of the National College, said: “This move to more school-centred training and development is significant as it puts the profession in charge of developing great teachers and leaders. These teaching schools should be proud as they will be championing outstanding teaching practice for the benefit of pupils beyond their own school gates so that all pupils can experience education at its best.”
They said... The best advice we can give young people is to aim for the best, whether it’s a job, course, college or university. We have to equip young people to go where their imagination and potential leads them Dame Patricia Hodgson, principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, at a conference forging a partnership between schools in London’s Tower Hamlets and Cambridge University
schools in focus secondary news
CURRICULUM WATCH
Maths, science, results and discipline priorities for schools
Gary Cutts, education relationship manager for Lloyds TSB Commercial, and Nichola Wealthall, school business leader at The Becket School, a Roman Catholic comprehensive school in Wilford, Nottinghamshire that, with three of its primary feeder schools, became one of the first groups of Catholic schools in the UK to be awarded academy status after receiving banking support from Lloyds TSB
New sixth form centre offers practical subjects with a Catholic ethos St Monica’s Sixth Form, Prestwich
Last month saw the opening of the first sixth form centre in north Manchester to offer practical subjects with a Catholic education ethos. After four years of planning, St Monica’s Sixth Form, Prestwich, welcomed its first intake of 82 students in September, much to the delight of headteacher Frank McCarron. “This is something we have always wanted,” McCarron commented. “In the past, our students who wished to advance in practical subject areas have had to leave Catholic education, but now they have the option to stay. The new sixth form will also give students a choice of either taking a
route straight into the world of work or to take an academic path to progress to university.” Designed by Cassidy and Ashton, the £5.2m St Monica’s Sixth Form is one of a handful of centres that were funded through the Learning & Skills Council in a three-year window from 2007 to 2010. The 250-place centre for 16-19-year-olds, on the grounds of St Monica’s Roman Catholic High School, offers future-forward facilities for vocational training or advancement to university in hospitality and catering, hair and beauty, theatre arts (production and performance), digital imaging, art and design and sports science.
The key focuses for schools in the 2011/2012 academic year will be raising exam results, maths, science and school discipline, according to a study by Encyclopædia Britannica. Twenty-four per cent of people believe that discipline will be the single biggest issue for 2012, 16% think that results will dominate the school agenda and 10% believe that the encouragement of maths and science will be the main focus. The integration of technology into school practice will also feature prominently, as mobile learning, educational apps, smart devices and netbooks will become more popular with teachers and students – schools are also expected to invest more in ICT infrastructure. There is also speculation that creativity in the school syllabus may become a key area for debate in 2012. Furthermore, nearly one in 10 believe that for many schools the movement to academy status will dominate education, while the adoption of the International Baccalaureate, which encourages pupils to focus on five key disciplines, as well as reforming school career advice will be focus areas for school managers this year. Caroline Kennard, director of education at Encyclopædia Britannica, said: “[Next year] is set to be a very important year in the education sector. As teachers and students return to the classroom... many schools throughout the country are facing the familiar pressures of managing squeezed budgets and overcrowded timetables, while trying to raise standards.”
news INBRIEF Minibus fees for London
Schools that operate minibuses face new regulations next year. From 3 January, the Low Emission Zone London (LEZ) will affect more vehicle types, for both private and commercial use. Minibuses with a gross vehicle weight of under five tonnes, more than eight passenger seats and registered before 1 January 2002 will be expected to pay £100 a day to enter the zone. Failure to pay ahead of time could result in a penalty charge of £500. Operators can check if they will be affected by entering their registration numbers at www.tfl.gov.uk. An exhaust filter could help operators avoid the fine, but it would need to be fitted and a certificate issued by a vehicle test station. Ron Bray of vehicle sales specialists Abacus warned: “The next six months are going to be challenging for the industry.”
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schools in focus interview
A degree of independence New College Durham was one of two FE colleges given foundation degreeawarding powers this summer. Julia Dennison speaks to principal and chief executive John Widdowson CBE to find out why he bothered
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schools in focus interview
F
oundation degrees have seen a rise in popularity over the last few years, with over 100,000 students enrolled in them last year. This is thanks in part to rising university fees and increased unemployment among graduates, but also because of a trend towards vocational training in education. These two-year vocational courses, combining academic study with workplace learning and worth two-thirds of an honours degree (see box out on page 20 for some examples), offer a flexible, often more affordable alternative to a three-year honours degree and look certain to become more popular. The courses themselves are usually designed by universities, colleges and employers in collaboration, and are available in a range of work-related subjects. To date, colleges have to seek validation of their higher education provision from a university. This changed this summer when Newcastle College and New College Durham were the first further education colleges to be awarded foundation degree-awarding powers by the Privy Council after years of work on applications and detailed scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). At the time of their launch, Business Secretary Vince Cable explained the government’s motivation: “We want to increase the study choices for students by enabling FE colleges to offer higher education qualifications; they can often do so in a more flexible way.” This was a big step for both colleges, and while there are a plethora of motivations for becoming a foundationdegree awarding organisation, New College Durham had a sensible approach to the changeover: principal and chief executive John Widdowson CBE felt the degree-awarding power would reward his college with better financially solvency and allow it to be more responsive to market conditions from a curricular perspective.
of activities and partnerships with local organisations. The Corporation of New College Durham (an FE college’s equivalent of a school’s board of governors) is made up of members from the business and local community, local authorities, stakeholders, partners, staff and students. “We try to get a good cross section that represents the [local] business community, but also the wider community as well,” he comments. The principal also believes it’s important for further education colleges to have a good relationship with local secondary schools and thus New College Durham is also sponsoring two academies, the first of which opened last month and the second will open on 1 January. “You have to have good relationships with secondary schools because that then screws in that transition for students as they come through,” he explains. The academy sponsorship involves sharing staff time with the new secondary schools, something Widdowson is happy to do. “Because colleges are corporate bodies as of 1992, and not a part of the local authority, quite a lot of the process of setting up an academy is very familiar to us,” he says. Indeed, as a college, New College Durham is not only responsible for its own governance, but also for its financial stability and the quality of what it offers. “Because we are an independent business
It’s not simply that we can rubber-stamp things, there’s a definite process to go through that is quality assured Some background work In 2005, New College Durham was one of the first colleges to undertake a total campus rebuild, whereby both its further and higher education courses were moved onto the same location. This has helped significantly in an area where participation in higher education is lower than the national average. “You have 16- to 18-year-old school leavers, who make up the bulk of the further education group, alongside people studying for degrees, and we think that gives them something to aim for,” explains Widdowson of the motive for the move. “They can see that people like themselves are studying degrees on the same campus.” The new building cost £36m and was made possible in equal parts by a grant from the then Learning and Skills Council, money from the sale of the other college site and a commercial loan from the bank, which they are in the process of paying off. Since the move, there has been a significant increase in pull-through from New College Durham’s FE to its HE provision.
Community outreach programme Widdowson has always focused on developing New College Durham’s role in the community, striving to extend its range
New College Durham foundation degrees include: Computing and networking Graphic design Housing Counselling Travel and tourism Sport and exercise studies Salon and spa management Complementary healthcare Business Public sector administration Internet computing Assistant practitioner in podiatry
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schools in focus interview
organisation in many respects, we have things like human resource and financial expertise and managers, so we have brought all that to the academy development process.” One of New College Durham’s staff members has even stepped in to help design the curriculum at one of the academies, which has resulted in the school taking a vocational lean.
Before we were a customer for a service, now we’ve got control over our own costs, which means we can use systems that we’re familiar with and control, much more to our advantage Degree awarding powers The introduction of the Further Education and Training Act in 2007 gave colleges the power to apply to the QAA for foundation degree awarding powers. New College Durham was one of the first. “They went through really quite an exhaustive level of scrutiny,” Widdowson remembers of the process. “They sent a team in to look at the college; followed us through a full academic cycle; talked to staff, students and governors and if they weren’t happy with anything, they’d ask for more detail.” He found it a challenging but necessary process all told, which took over two years. The last few hurdles were approval from the QAA and eventually the Privy Council on the advice of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which occurred this past summer. The college’s internal processes received much scrutiny. “If they weren’t rigorous, then we wouldn’t have got approval,” says Widdowson. “It’s not simply that we can rubber-stamp things, there’s a definite process to go through that is quality assured.”
The associated freedoms The freedom that comes with being outside local authority control is something colleges have been enjoying for some time, however, FE institutions were still reliant on universities to award their higher education degrees. New College Durham wanted total freedom. “Universities are under quite a lot of pressure now, with all the changes in higher education, so they’re looking at their strategies and sometimes what we do might figure in there, sometimes it might not,” comments Widdowson. “We wanted to have a degree of independence from decisions of other bodies.” He will not miss the red-tape that comes with dealing with universities. “Universities are quite big bureaucracies and we found that the response time could be quite slow sometimes, [and] if you’re trying to work with an employer to design a foundation degree for their employees, they want it as soon as possible,” the principal comments. “Universities’ validation systems are largely designed for fulltime courses and because of the rigour of the process they take a long time sometimes, so we’re hoping to streamline that to be much more responsive to what local employers want.”
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Financial benefit Applying for foundation degree awarding status was worth the time and effort, not just because of the freedoms mentioned above, but also for a twofold financial benefit. The first advantage is saving money on validation fees. “We pay significant amounts to universities in validation fees and it does cost quite a lot,” explains Widdowson. “Now, that cost won’t go, but it will be kept within the college and we have much more control over [it]. Before we were a customer for a service, now we’ve got control over our own costs, which means we can use systems that we’re familiar with and control, much more to our advantage.” Having control over validation does, however, mean the college has to look carefully at its staffing infrastructure and plans to recruit more staff where appropriate. The second financial benefit is an ability to grow the business in response to the market, by taking on more degrees and subject areas to suit the needs of employers. With this in mind, Widdowson has been holding meetings this term with staff to help plan out the college’s future. Budget has been freed up under the new HE arrangements, which means the institution can expand its provision at that level, but it also means the college’s leaders can sit down with employers in the community and ensure New College Durham is delivering what these businesses need when it comes to higher education, adjusting their provision if not. Widdowson’s tendency to focus on the community will come into good use in the next few months, as he and his team involve local businesses in their academic decisions: “Provided we guarantee the standard, which is always important, we can talk to employers about what suits them and their employees.”
The future Now that New College Durham has the ability, it can start validating the 20-odd foundation degree courses it offers, which Widdowson estimates will take at least an academic year. His advice to other colleges considering foundation degree-awarding power is to think carefully before taking the decision: “It takes a lot of time, it does cost money and it’s a long-term commitment, therefore it’s got to fit with the college’s strategy.” Taken carefully, however, the decision for a college to validate its own degree can not only be beneficial to the bottom line, but to the future of education as well.
fact box College New College Durham Type Mixed-economy further education college and sixth form Students Over 4,000 Annual budget £34m Teaching staff Over 300 Support staff Over 200 Principal John Widdowson CBE Background John Widdowson joined New College Durham in August 1998, having previously worked as vice principal at Cambridge Regional College for 10 years. Prior to entering further education, he worked as a lawyer in local government. He is also chair of the Mixed Economy Group of colleges and is a board member of the Association of Colleges and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
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schools in focus vendor profile
A secure approach to buying broadband With less money to spend on internet procurement, schools have to think smart when buying broadband services. We speak to Winston Poyton of RM Education to find out what his company has to offer schools that is leagues ahead of the rest
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chool budgets have hit hard times – right when technology in the classroom is at its best. Government funding through the Harnessing Technology Grant has been cut and BECTA is no longer around to help schools make their technology procurement decisions, meanwhile schools have more choice than ever. School leaders would be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. Technology supplier RM Education understands the pressures being placed on schools and their budgets. They specialise in developing best-value internet connections and have been providing schools with fast, resilient broadband for over 14 years. Some 8,000 schools now rely on RM’s internet connectivity to learn and teach every day and the supplier prides itself in straightforward, transparent pricing, with filtering and security services included, which can save a school up to 70% over its existing connection.
helps run your school. Like electricity, broadband is a means to an end. A good internet connection allows a school’s pupils and staff to teach and learn to the best of their ability. One thing that gets the staff from RM Education up in the morning is keeping broadband procurement as simple as possible for everyone to understand, so schools know what services they’re buying and what they can do with them – whether buying 10 or 100Mbps worth of broadband. “It’s not really about the broadband connection itself, it’s about how you’re going to use it,” explains business development manager Winston Poyton. “We help determine what you need to buy by focusing on what you’re going to do with it.” Uses for good internet connectivity range from accessing a learning platform to sharing video content with schools around the world, video conferencing with staff or communicating with parents. “Broadband connectivity is an essential enabler, but it isn’t the reason why you do it,” Poyton adds.
It’s not what it is, but what you do with it
Buying trends
Broadband is often seen as a complex and intimidating purchase that, if not done well, could leave a school spending too much on things it doesn’t need. RM Education argues that broadband should be treated more like any other utility that
RM Education has seen smaller school federations collaborating to purchase a broadband deal and using that connection to share curriculum content. For example, a lesson could be given at one school and broadcast into another one
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schools in focus vendor profile
nearby. This partnership also allows one site to use another as a back-up site for data. Similarly, RM Education is seeing much more content going out from schools, whereas historically it’s always been about taking content in. “Now that you’ve got cameras and microphones built into laptops, it’s really easy for a teacher to record a short video and upload it to YouTube or a learning platform,” explains Poyton.
So many choices With so many broadband options available and so many different types of schools, it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to procuring a service. With tighter budgets and their own money to spend (in the case of academies for example), schools are looking for more choice in their broadband packages. “Gone are the days where suppliers can bundle in a whole lot of options for you and be inflexible about taking those options out,” Poyton says. “If you only want to buy internet connectivity and the filtering service, then that’s all you should pay for. You shouldn’t be forced to pay for an email platform and everything else that has been traditionally bundled into it.” RM Education offers a brokerage service that helps schools decide which service is best for them. “We look at all the available telecoms options in a region or around an individual site to work out who’s got the best provision and then work with the supplier to get the school the best deal we can,” he explains. “We’ve got multimillion pound deals with most of the major vendors and we use that leverage to get the best pricing.”
An end-to-end service
fact box Eight things to ask when getting a broadband quote 1.
How much will it cost?
2.
What kind of speed do we need?
3.
Can I get through to the support team whenever I need them?
4.
Will essential telecommunications costs get marked up?
5.
Is the service tailored?
6.
How secure is the service?
7.
Is the price all-inclusive?
8.
What is the service’s up-time performance?
For details, download RM Education’s new guide to broadband procurement at www.rmeducation.com/profile
RM Education is one of the few internet companies to offer an end-to-end service for the education market, from connectivity to internet security/filtering and email services, all tailored to the needs of schools. They work hard at this; for example, they make sure they have the right amount of people at the service desk to take calls when teachers are on lunch, something that is particularly important at primary schools where being an ICT coordinator isn’t always a full-time job. They also offer online support services for those who would prefer (or don’t have time) to pick up the phone. Internet e-safety is always an issue for schools, particularly as more and more pupils become better-versed in using technology, even bringing in their own devices. “We’ve adapted our products and services to be flexible depending on where students are within the education cycle,” explains Poyton. “So if they’re primary school pupils we protect them very securely. If they’re sixth form students, at some point you do have to start trusting them to use the internet in a safe way by reducing the level of protection around them, while still monitoring and managing it so you understand what’s going on if they do something they shouldn’t, and then you can re-educate them. This requires a combination of education and flexible software, rather than a one-size-fits all approach.” RM Education has produced a broadband buying guide for schools’ leadership teams, which includes eight things to ask providers when researching a purchase (see box out for a list). This, along with more information on technology in schools, is available at www.rmeducation.com.
Contact details Winston Poyton 08450 700300 broadband@rm.com www.rmeducation.com
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schools in focus Student retention
Early warning system
With the rise in university fees, colleges have a chance to look at recruitment and ensure they keep their funding at the best possible levels to encourage student success. Richard Forrest looks at how FE can learn valuable lessons on student retention and spotting early warning signs from at-risk students october 2011
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schools in focus Student retention
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t’s no secret that the rise in university fees throughout the UK will make competition for student places even fiercer and will ensure that institutions across affected areas must work harder on student recruitment and retention. Yet, it’s not just universities that are impacted; colleges, keen to ensure that funding remains at the best possible levels must also look for more effective ways of supporting student success. Historically, academic institutions have faced significant challenges around student retention, especially with less capable students or those deemed likely to fail. However, the idea that, for a multitude of factors, some students will inevitably drop out, has given way to new and positive thinking from academic institutions. Today, the prestige of the institution is about more than simply saying to students “sink or swim”. Today, success should be thought of in terms of persistence to graduation, transfer success, time to degree or improved learning outcomes. With the emphasis being placed on how institutions support students, a virtual cottage industry of retention initiatives has sprung up. From writing centres, and academic resource centres, through to outreach and student engagement programmes, colleges and universities have taken up the challenge with great appetite. Yet, results have been mixed, with student retention still being enough of a problem to cause serious concern. It begs the question, what more can be done? A 2010 survey from SunGard Higher Education identified a common perception among academic administrators that the students most likely to fail their degree course don’t take advantage of available support services even when they are aware of them. It is also clear from the survey that even when high-risk students are identified, resources for delivering appropriate interventions to them are limited. The
Success should be thought of in terms of persistence to graduation, transfer success, time to degree or improved learning outcomes gap between theory and execution must be bridged if colleges and universities are to attack the problem of student retention in a systematic and effective manner. A fundamental challenge facing most institutions is that success is generally measured through end-of-term grades. However, for university students in the second or final year of a standard degree course, these gradings are not frequent or early enough. The clock is already running down for meaningful interventions from staff to students failing their courses and thinking of quitting. It is ironic then that today more than ever, we have the data at our fingertips about the factors that could contribute to student success or failure. And it is this information that, if used more intelligently, can be applied to develop early intervention programmes to get students back on track at a very early stage. It can also help with the identification of students who would benefit most from these programmes, and create awareness of the red-flag factors, such as absenteeism, weak writing and maths skills, poor grades, economic struggles and changes in behaviour. Yet, are we using this data to put the tools in place to monitor students more consistently and respond to what we see and hear? There is widespread research calling for this kind of ‘intrusive’ advising with engaged and early institutional support to be implemented. The next step is how can we design, develop and deploy retention strategies that recognise and foster the potential of all students? Some key strategies are:
• Establish a shared vision of student success between students and staff Establishing a shared vision of what success really looks like between students and academic staff across the institution and communicating that message means you can more effectively align resources to support defined goals. • Focus on what successful students do Many students arrive at college with little or no knowledge of what it takes to be successful. By watching and involving high achievers and those performing well, colleges and universities can build successful retention programmes that identify and communicate what these students do. • Determine an intervention strategy Early intervention is key to helping students before problems become too overwhelming to handle. Helping these students establish a solid academic and social foundation for future success should be an integral part of the institution’s core mission. • Start small and grow Starting small, either by course, department or programme can be a good way of putting systems in place to support referral programmes, intervention tactics, measures of success etc. A model programme can then be developed and rolled out across the school, ensuring every student involved with the institution benefits from the appropriate support and outreach. • Use data, don’t just collect it Using good data is essential to guiding a retention strategy, monitoring students’ progress, assessing programme effectiveness and directing decisions and resource allocations. Identify your sources and repositories of data; ensure you are using the right resources to pull this data together and in the right format, and make sure the data is easily available to the concerned team members across the institution. • Build bridges To make successful pilot programmes into comprehensive, school-wide student success initiatives you will need the cooperation of everyone across your campus. Identifying at-risk students can begin with course absences, but it shouldn’t end there. Taking a comprehensive approach to student success means finding a way to communicate with every school stakeholder who holds a piece of the puzzle. And by connecting what is happening inside the classroom with what is happening outside of it, we can provide not one, but multiple safety nets for our students. To build student success initiatives that consider and value the full student experience, collaboration will be key. Student affairs, financial aid, academic affairs – all of these functions and more play a role in student success. A school-wide student success strawtegy will need to create common goals, consistent messages, and appropriate incentives to ensure the participation of all of these stakeholders.
Richard Forrest is from SunGard Higher Education
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schools in focus independent news
independent update What’s going on in the world of independent schools
FEES WATCH heads’ fees double Headteacher salaries at independent schools have as much as doubled in just three years, with almost half receiving a raise of over £20,000 in that time, The Daily Telegraph revealed. Information taken from the Charities Commission found nearly half of headteachers moved up three or more salary bands and three heads took raises of more than £50,000, while parents have been forced to meet the cost of rising fees. Twenty-four headteachers are now earning over £150,000 compared to just five in 2007, and the number of senior teachers earning more than £60,000 has increased from 372 to 759 in the same time period. Eton College defended its headmaster’s £20,000 raise on the basis that competition against the state sector, in particular city academies, are driving up salaries for high performing teachers. They stated that headteachers’ pay is linked to pupil attainment and exam results, and therefore heads can enjoy reward much like company chief executives. “Eton College seeks to employ the very best teachers and has a remuneration structure designed to attract and retain them,” said bursar Janet Walker. Tony Little, headmaster of Eton College since 2002, has been rewarded with a pay increase from £170-180,000 to £200-210,000 during his time as headmaster.
SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk
october 2011
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west london Long Sutton
First free schools open As David Cameron and Boris Johnson attended openings of the country’s first free schools – EdExec visits Toby Young’s West London Free School on its first day
One of the country’s first free schools, the West London Free School opened last month under the prowess of chairman of the governors and celebrity journalist, Toby Young. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson gave his blessings at the opening of the school, praising staff and pupils for venturing into a new arena of education. “One has to go back and look at the meandering, sometimes disappointing history of education in this country – to realise what an achievement this is,” he said. Despite stating that “Labour began this”, the mayor honed in upon the fact that it was a Tory-led coalition government and a Tory policy that led to the establishment of the free schools. Johnson was determined to make a distinction between the newly formed free schools and the old style of grammar schools – presenting free schools as an end to the “division of sheep and goats”. In his speech, Young said the free school movement was primarily about an equal opportunity education for all. “We want to convince middle class parents, and I concede to being one myself, that they weren’t able to completely monopolise places in a school just by buying houses in the catchment area, which is what happens so often when a state school is pretty successful,” said Young. He argued that the school he helped set up was “not just for the privileged elite”, rather it is intended to be “a genuine comprehensive”. He continued : “We have achieved our aim of recruiting a cohort of pupils
who are genuinely reflective of the social and ethnic diversity of the local area,” When EdExec asked Young about the potential of parental interest declining after the initial generation of pupils had left the school, he said that he “didn’t think there was a sustainability problem anymore than there would be at local authority schools”, considering he had helped set up West London Free school without knowing if any of his children would get places. “I’m not going to resign as chair of governors if my children don’t get in,” he said. “I’ll stick with it for at least 10 years, and I’m sure they could find someone to replace me.” Head Thomas Packer agreed that the continuance of the school in the long-term was a necessity: “We have already bought a grand piano – so it has to!” Packer will act as bursar for now and continue to run the strategic finance in the long-term, having over 15 years’ experience running school finance. “If you have responsibility of...the teaching timetable...and an understanding of the finance behind that, then you can run a school with a very successful business model.”
sTATs & FACTS
5,000
The number of academies the Department for Education estimates will be open by 2013
A Green Key handover ceremony celebrating Lord Wandsworth College’s new energy-saving £1.6m classroom block
schools’
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schools in focus Analysis
Free as a bursar As free schools welcomed the first intake of pupils into the classrooms last month, business managers could be in high demand. Matthew Jane speaks to the new schools to find out the different methods being taken to ensure business management challenges are looked after
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schools in focus Analysis
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hen Education Secretary Michael Gove first announced his plans to introduce free schools, it was greeted with a mixed reception. Many doubted the longevity of schools set up by parents and sponsors, while questions were also raised over the standard of education that would be delivered in unorthodox settings, such as village halls and unused commercial spaces. However, despite the raised eyebrows, last month saw the first of the new wave of education institutions open their doors to pupils. The 24 free schools that emerged across the country have proved a popular parental choice, with figures from the Department for Education showing that 15 of the new schools are oversubscribed for their first year – some even seeing over three applications for one school place. While the new schools have seemingly had no issues with filling spaces, it is important to consider what the initial impact has been within the school business management community and what options free schools could open up to existing business managers. It could be viewed that with 24 new schools opening their doors, it would create positions for 24 new school business managers to explore, but the reality is slightly different, as many of the new schools have different needs, different setups and will require different levels of expertise. At the Batley Grammar School in Kirklees, which is one of the free schools to be oversubscribed for the new academic year, business management has not been an issue as they already have a very good school bursar in post. As an existing independent school, Batley Grammar has built a strong reputation for delivering excellent results. The move to free school status was largely brought about as a result of fewer parents being able to afford the tuition fees for private education. “Batley is not a terribly affluent area,” explains headteacher Brigid Tullie. “We have not always been an independent school, the status changed in 1978. We found that once the assisted places scheme was abolished we only had a few fee-paying students and we couldn’t afford to support the demand through our bursary scheme.” Initially, Batley Grammar was in discussions with the previous government over establishing itself as an academy, under the Labour model. “When the coalition government came to power, it soon became apparent that the free school route was the only option available to us,” says Tullie. As an established school, Tullie admits that the situation at Batley Grammar is quite different to most of the new free schools that are starting from scratch. “We already have a bursar who is established in the school, so what we do will be very different to the new free schools,” she explains. “Coming from the independent sector, we already have that experience of running a school as a business as well as an education provider. We are very self-sufficient already as we do not rely on the local authority for support or services, so a lot of the skills needed are already second nature to us. The school is over 400 years old, and one of our strengths is that we are adaptable and able to look at new opportunities.”
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schools in focus AnAlysis
having such well-established bursarial skills in place opens up the possibility of Batley Grammar outsourcing its expertise to other schools in the area, or even other free schools, which is an option the school could consider across a range of platforms. “It is not just the bursar services,” says tullie. “we could also look to hire out our other services too, such as grounds maintenance.”
GOinG iT AlOnE there is the possibility that some free schools will have sufficient skills within the leadership team that they will not require a designated school business manager in place. that is the situation at the west London Free School, which boasts author and journalist toby Young as its lead proposer and chair of governors. the school does not have a business manager in place and, for the foreseeable future, does not intend to invest in one. headteacher thomas Packer explains that he has done the bursarial role before, and is confident that he has the skills needed to run the strategic finance of the school. “I have nearly 15 years experience of running school finance,” he explains. “I would always want a handle on the strategic finance as you often find that heads and bursars are not quite on the same wavelength. If you have a handle on the strategic finance, such as the teaching timetable, which is our biggest cost, and also an understanding of the finance behind that, then you can run a school with a very successful business model.” while the west London Free School will not be making any moves to employ a school business manager, Packer will employ a finance manager, who along with the deputy headteacher, will help deliver the strategic management plan. “I see my role as setting the overall strategy and saying this is where I want the curriculum to be, this is where I want the children to be, and this is where I want the staff to be,” adds Packer. “I will know what we can afford because I will know the global pot, so it will be down to these guys to make it happen.”
through the interview process and everything and I got the job. It’s very difficult to find someone who can squeeze in three hours a week to do the role,” explains Beschizza. A model of sharing business managers between schools is one that Beschizza believes should be adopted by free schools and smaller state schools alike. “these schools need this sort of expertise, but they often can’t afford to pay someone the salary to sit there and do it,” she says. “Most state schools are not sharing business managers, buying into some sort of LSA agreement where they have a business manager who works across two or three schools.” She adds that this is also beneficial to the person in the role as it keeps the job interesting and provides variety in the work. the advantage of employing Beschizza is that she can bring the necessary level of knowledge and skills to the job, which she suggests would be difficult to do if a school tried to employ someone solely to work for a few hours a week. At present, she dedicates three hours to the school, but there is a level of flexibility there. “If I did anymore, I would need to do it in my own time, at weekends,
If you have a handle on the strategic finance, and also an understanding of the finance behind that, then you can run a school with a very successful business model
PlAyinG A PART the other option available to free schools, particularly the smaller establishments, is to employ a school business manager on a part-time basis. At St Luke’s School in hampstead, bursar Sam Beschizza works one afternoon a week to provide essential business management skills. her time will be divided between St Luke’s and her full-time post at nearby St Margaret’s School. her role at St Luke’s is still very much in its infancy, focusing on setting up the necessary systems such as payroll and budgets. the close link enjoyed by the two schools is a logical step, with the vicar of St Luke’s also being on the board of governors at St Margaret’s. “the links are very strong and he approached me to see about doing some work at St Luke’s. I had to go
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which is possible for work such as the management accounts,” she says. “One afternoon a week is the agreement now, and we have said that as they grow we will review the situation.” St Luke’s is also interested in Beschizza passing on some work to an administrator, effectively training them up with business management skills that will prove invaluable as the school grows. Beschizza admits that there is an element of give and take involved in the relationship, especially from St Margaret’s School. “I do get a lot of phone calls and St Luke’s will often contact me to sort things out,” she says. “I’m sure that once we get into a routine and everything is not so urgent that it can wait until Friday afternoon, I’m sure it is going to work out really well.” One of the reasons that Beschizza believes shared personnel will prove successful is the strength of the business management community. “It’s very charitable,” she says, “almost like mentoring.” She adds that for smaller schools to be successful, they will have to use the skills of existing academies to ensure that the essential skills needed to run successful education establishments are in place.
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Preventative measures It’s important to plan now to prevent high building costs. Education property consultant Jo Parody gives her tips on how to save money and create value through preventive maintenance and asset planning of school building
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he independent review of education capital led by Sebastian James, director of operations at Dixons Plc, has now been published. The review considered how the Department for Education could achieve better value for money and improve efficiency in capital investment. The report delved into the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) record, to see if lessons could be learned, and looked at proposals for a new capital spending regime for schools. It is too early to be talking about the BSF ‘legacy’ but it will reflect poorly on the system where focus was on transformation for the few and neglect for the many. Targeting ‘fitness for purpose’ is the new agenda. On 19 July the Government provided an initial response to James’ review of education capital. Their response accepts many of the review recommendations, subject to a thorough 12-week consultation period. There is much to be resolved emanating from the report and the industry response is mixed. The ‘fitness for purpose’ agenda needs to be developed and there is a need to clarify what this means. Building condition is at the forefront of this. A large proportion of my work with schools currently revolves around establishing the stock
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condition, looking at maximising the use of the accommodation and squeezing more out of what is available for the schools, both in terms of money and space – in effect, getting real value for the schools via practical, economic and realistic means. In an era of reduced capital spending, schools need to be paying particular attention to their existing buildings, and look to save money while still endeavouring to create enhanced educational environments. The question of course is how to do so in a practical and cost-effective manner. In many instances, schools will require a mixture of refurbishment and new-build extension with an element of ‘refresh’. With the help of advisers, schools should be looking at their estates as a whole and seek solutions that are tailored to the reduced financial capital available.
Planned preventative maintenance One area where schools can particularly benefit is in planned preventative maintenance, which in turn leads to more effective asset planning. Unlike corrective maintenance, planned maintenance is based on systematic inspections that detect, correct and prevent any failures before they become actual or major. Planned preventative maintenance ensures that routine maintenance is undertaken, smoothing out the
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preventative maintenance
In an era of reduced capital spending, schools need to be paying particular attention to their existing buildings and look to save money while still endeavouring to create enhanced educational environments
peaks and troughs in an annual maintenance cost cycle. This in turn ensures that the asset value of the building is maintained or enhanced. Current planned maintenance programmes tend to be written with facilities managers in mind, focusing more on mechanical and electrical services rather than the building fabric, which often makes up an equal proportion of annual maintenance costs. At the outset of an instruction, the survey should be designed specifically to a school’s individual needs. This approach ensures the maximum benefit is gained from the information obtained through the survey. Works can be broken down into elements of fabric, structure and mechanical and electrical services and prioritised/ budgeted accordingly to enable forecasting of preventative maintenance and to inform business plans of forthcoming required capital expenditure. Reports derived from the planned maintenance inspections are then developed to ensure that a robust case for funding can be submitted and justified. Considering additional elements of the James review, the ‘standardisation’ strand in the review is very interesting. Solutions that offer excellent value for money and significant programme, quality, sustainability and health and safety benefits are available. Off-site manufacture can offer exceptional level of quality in design and delivery. ‘Standardisation’ can relate to many things, but it does not have to deflect from attainment of high quality, great value ‘bespoke’ accommodation. You can use both terms together. At the time of publication, schools will also be considering the Priority School Building Programme. This newly privately financed school rebuilding programme has been launched with the aim of rebuilding schools in the very worst state of repair. Open to all publicly funded schools, local authorities, schools and organisations with responsibility for schools are able to submit applications for this programme via the Partnerships for Schools (see box out). Schools are entering an age of significant change in their capital spending programmes and the amount of funding actually available. They must look at new and innovative ways to improve and maintain their estates.
Jo Parody is a senior partner at construction and property consultants calfordseaden LLP
JARGON BUSTER Partnerships for Schools Partnerships for Schools (PfS) was established in 2004 by the Department for Education (previously DfES/DCSF) as both a company and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB). It was financed through a joint venture between Partnerships UK (PUK) and the DfE until 31 March 2009 to deliver Building Schools for the Future (BSF), the schools’ capital investment programme. In March 2006, it took on responsibility for delivering the academies programme and in 2009, it took on responsibility for delivering all schools’ capital investment programmes.
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vendor profile
Some great food for thought Eagle Solutions Services is a family business success story – a venture that follows one woman’s passion for healthy eating in schools that saw her become one of the inspirations and mentor for Jamie Oliver and his school food movement that would change the face of school dinners forever. As budgets tighten, and school meals lose their ring-fencing, this catering firm’s mission is more important than ever
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here are a number of options available to schools deciding on their catering provision and Olukemi (Kemi) Atijosan, founder and MD of education catering consultancy firm Eagle Solutions Services, has worked in all of them. She came to this country as a student migrant in the 1970s, supporting her family by working as a kitchen porter for hospitals and schools. She worked her way up through the ranks to eventually head up a local authority catering service having achieved her MBA from Strathclyde Business School. As a DSO catering manager, Contract Manager for one of the largest Catering Contractors and a Catering Client Officer in local authority, she worked with schools in different capacities, eventually inspiring her to set up Eagle Solutions Services, a firm specialising in a holistic approach to in-house school catering, reducing costs and risks. In-house catering, she believes wholeheartedly is the best option for schools to provide not only the best food to their students, but also the best education. Kemi was well aware that there are headteachers and governors who want to take control of their catering service but are not always equipped to do so. She believes that for education institutions to successfully take and manage their catering in-house it would require support from someone with specialist catering knowledge on an ongoing basis. With the establishment of Eagle Solutions Services, she wanted to make sure in-house arrangements could be sustainable, cost-effective and not reliant on having a person well-versed in healthy eating and the management of commercial catering as a member of the school’s staff. Yinka Ewuola, who left her job as a city investment banker joined her mother’s business when she too became a mother. Her financial background provides an essential skillset for the business whilst sharing the passion of giving every child who goes to school the best possible meal and the best education. Before Jamie Oliver and his school food revolution, education catering
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vendor profile
was more about pennies in the pocket than food on the plate. Kemi saw the negative effect of compulsory competitive tendering during the early ‘90s. School catering appeared to be financially driven with profits the priority. in the days of ‘turkey twizzlers’ the cheapest quote was the most successful. upholding the sentiment encapsulated in the phrase ‘righteous indignation’ Kemi started Eagle Solutions Services (ESSl). Some of the things she was witnessing and being asked to do in the education catering industry didn’t sit with her morally. ESSl has enabled Kemi to get rid of the dubious practices that had become commonplace in the industry with all whom she partners with and put the most important people back at the heart of the agenda – the children.
We can trace the food that’s served in our schools from farm to fork A HoliSTiC ApproACH To SCHool CATerinG ESSL seeks to use high quality, affordable food as a tool to empower children to become better adults. the catering consultancy company promotes integrating the healthy food it supports schools to serve through their in-house catering services into their broader curriculum. one of the methods is running a food week, whereby every subject at a school is taught using food. Former teacher, chair of governors and member of the ESSl team anna explains; “those lessons are always the most memorable. Fractions come to life start cutting up apples and the angles in Star fruit definitely inspire the students”. ESSL found that academic attainment increased in schools undergoing a transformation of food culture in addition to an improvement in general behaviour. ESSl works hard to show that healthy in-house catering is an affordable option. Kemi explains; “We make in-house easier because we reduce its costs and risks to the schools and governors. Because of the financial systems we put in place from end to end, our schools are able to take their catering in-house and run them as sustainable and profitable businesses and they’re able to reinvest their profits back into the school and the children’s education.” Eagle offers comprehensive training programme for all members of the school community. From school leaders training to help them understand catering operations and finance, to various training options for catering staff including food safety, customer service and even confidencebuilding. Enabling the catering staff to become valued stakeholders in the wider school community is vital Kemi believes. Empowering kitchen staff benefits all members of the school, especially the pupils.
THe eSSl frUiT Tree one of the innovative ways they inspire children to try new fruits and vegetables
they’ve never seen before. Eagle prides itself in cooking foods from the vast array of cultures, giving children from various cultures the chance to see their family’s food on the tables at school, having a hugely positive effect on the children’s experience and attitude towards school and encouraging multiculturalism through everyday practice. it therefore becomes the resource by which the whole school can transform every area – attainment, behaviour, health, entrepreneurship and other essential life skills. as a former educator, anna knows the powerful effect food can have; “We capture the hearts and minds of the children who go to our schools and their parents”. “Every school that we work with has a menu that is reflective of its cultural diversity. We empower our partner schools to get involved in that process and think about what makes a healthy meal. they have input on a regular basis to the make-up of the menu, we then do the work to ensure compliance with the government’s nutritional standards.” ESSL schools have meals from as far afield as Eastern Europe, asia, africa and everywhere in between. involving parents and representatives from the local community is the easiest way to encourage involvement and cooperation. the recipes are authentic, and parents often teach how something is made so that when it is served, it’s recognisable for the people of that country.” ESSL also promotes taster portions, so they don’t force children to eat a whole portion of an item of food they’ve never tried before. Every school ESSl has worked with has a different menu, to accommodate the unique cohort that each school has. this menu changes termly to account for seasonality and keep it affordable and fresh. ESSl vets all its suppliers, auditing annually to ensure they are compliant with health and safety standards. “We can trace the food that’s served in our schools from farm to fork” says Kemi. While most ESSL schools grow some of their own produce, some operate veg-box schemes and keep chickens, whose eggs are used in catering and even sold to parents. Kemi is hugely proud of the achievements of ESSl to date and intends to reach more children. “We’re not claiming to be the only people that do what we do, but we’re the national leaders in providing the solutions in the way that we do.” They also believe there’s nothing that people won’t eat – it’s just not been cooked in a way that people want to eat it. “the whole fussy eating culture you see in young people today is often man-made,” she explains. “ There are many appetising and appealing ways to present healthy food and to help children understand the healthy eating ethos of moderation. We are conscious of the important role that schools play in shaping habits – so we work to do all we can to ensure that the moderation and discipline promoted in the food culture is carried through to the finances of the catering services. The finances have to work, and we do all we can to ensure that in-house catering is the optimal choice for our partner schools at all levels..”
food AS A SeCreT WeApon Before Jamie oliver’s campaign was branded the media machine that it is today and before the celebrity chef knew anything about school catering, he called on Kemi to act as one of his advisors. However, one element of oliver’s approach that strays away from Eagle’s policy is that of forcing children to try things
CONTACT DETAILS Yinka ewuola yinka@eaglessl.co.uk 020 7241 7160 | www.eaglessl.co.uk
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case study
Climate control Cleeve Park School in Sidcup, Kent has installed an internet-based advanced energy management system earlier this year under the National Energy Saving Service Share programme, which is already proving its value with significant savings. Julia Dennison visits assistant headteacher Don Blaylock to find out more
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case study
fact box School Cleeve Park School Type Mixed 11-18 community secondary modern school and engineering college Specialism Engineering Pupils 1,200
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leeve Park School is a community secondary modern school set on the outskirts of London in Sidcup, Kent. The specialist engineering college exists in a hodgepodge of 1950s and ‘60s buildings that have the expected site issues to contend with. It doesn’t help that the school exists in a post-Building-Schools-for-the-Future-era of reduced capital budgets. If not watched carefully, the inefficiencies inherent in the school’s building structure could lead to spiralling energy bills and put the school further into debt. This could have been the outlook had not the senior leadership team stepped in about a year ago with the idea to install an internet-based energy management system to track and control the school’s energy output in a bid to help the school raise money for a budget deficit. “Any money-making schemes were obviously looked at very seriously,” explains assistant headteacher Don Blaylock, who was tasked with looking after the school’s premises at the time. He felt there must be better ways of using power, heating and lighting without a financial outlay. Cleeve Park School made contact with the people behind with the non-profit National Energy Saving Service (NESS), which came in and did some basic surveys of the school property and recommended the school take part in its share programme, which involves a quarterly subscription that allows the school’s management team to track and control temperatures and lighting via a centralised system, to ensure everything runs at an even keel. It also allows the school to plant control systems around the building through a leasing arrangement. “So rather than having to come up with money up front or enter into some kind of finance agreement, it’s just done through them and only effects our subscription figure,” Blaylock explains. “That works really well. If you’re tight on pennies year to year and you suddenly have to find an energy management or building maintenance system, they’re pretty expensive.”
Cooling down Temperature management has always been a problem for the school. “The prime issue is that this building is difficult to heat and very difficult to cool,” comments Blaylock.
The east and the south side of the buildings are exposed to strong sunlight from about 10.30am onwards and with big windows that don’t open much. Like many older buildings, parts of the school can get very hot. This is a particular problem in ICT rooms, which can become very difficult to work in in the summer. Using the NESS system, Cleeve Park installed a film on the windows to filter out some of the heat and light, which could be installed right away and paid for as part of the subscription service, avoiding any capital expenditure. This was important as Blaylock and Cleeve Park’s leadership team struggled to find any funding to help with cooling the school. “There are all sorts of things to help schools save money for insulation and things like that, but nobody’s tuned in to how to keep the place cooler,” he comments. “We need to improve the working environment for staff and students. We cannot have the unnecessary distractions from learning, especially in the run-up to exams.” Stop-gap solutions included buying fans and putting them on circulate – “but all they do is create a nice little eddy for the flies to ride on,” quips Blaylock, “they don’t cool the room at all.” One significant expenditure that came as part of Cleeve Park’s cooling plans was the installation of a series of fire door chocks throughout the school’s corridors. “Because of the fire regulations, you’ve got to have fire doors wherever you have an opening – stairwell, lifts or whatever,” explains Blaylock. These form separate enclosures throughout the school, which create pockets of hot or cold air, depending on what goes on in them. As a solution to air flow and temperature management, the school has fitted a device to hold open the fire doors, shutting them when the fire alarm sounds. “It cost about £100 per door but there are a number of reasons these have been worth the investment,” Blaylock explains. Not only does it allow for a movement of air, but with the doors open all the time, the amount of wear and tear on the expensive fire doors themselves is reduced. “So by chocking them all open, I’m saving money on maintenance; I’m improving the environment for the movement of people; and I can move the air around.”
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case study
Heating up Managing the heating during the winter months can prove equally difficult as cooling Cleeve Park. The benefit of an internet-based system such as the one NESS offers, which was installed around Christmas last year, means Blaylock can oversee both the heating and cooling to maintain an even climate in the school. The school has two plant rooms for heating and hot water. Zone one contains the main boiler room, with three boilers, and zone two, a smaller room with two boilers. Prior to the energy management system installation, the boilers were operated independently using basic timers and manual controls, which proved a headache for staff to monitor, particularly when there is such a discrepancy in temperature between different parts of the building. “While some parts of the school were hot enough to open the windows, other parts were cold enough for the students to ask to have their coats on.” Blaylock then spent time with the school’s plumber making sure that the boilers and radiators were working well before he tracked them using four monitoring points placed throughout the school. “Using the monitoring system, I’m now in the position where I can look online and find out what’s going on in the different parts of the building,” he says. It also enables him to control the temperature for special events, for example heating the hall for a parents’ evening from home if he wanted to. “If I had a clever phone, I could probably do it from that,” he quips. The system produces graphs with peaks and troughs for different parts of the school over certain time periods, so Blaylock can compare their temperatures against an average or outdoor temperature. He can also look at light levels, to ensure lights are getting switched off or compare temperature against light levels to make sure the climate is right when people are working in a room. “If I suddenly got a ridiculously high peak, I’d want to know why,” Blaylock explains. “The reason this is useful is you can then start analysing patterns of use and that allows you to think, well actually this part of the building needs to be warmer for longer, or we’re heating it for no reason – and that starts to get interesting. It sets up patterns and once you’ve got patterns, you can see anomalies – you can get drawn into it and if you’re not careful, you can use a lot of time looking at the data.” Overall, it lets the school feel in control. With the new system installed, boiler run times in zone one went from 96.5 hours to 40.75 hours – a reduction of 57.7%, and in zone two, from 168 hours to 40.75 hours – a reduction of 75.7%. As a result, the run times for the school’s central heating and hot water boilers have been reduced by an average of 69% with no degradation in quality of service. This is expected to lead to cost savings in excess of £10,000 per annum. As he hands the energy management reins over to the school’s business manager this term, he can rest assured that it will be in good hands. Not only because of the robust system and his competent colleague, but also because the students themselves – with their natural interest in engineering – can get involved with the energy management as part of the curriculum. “The aim is that once we’ve got a wealth of data we want to let the maths department use it for data analysis as part of their course – particularly the sixth form; science have to do data logging, so we’ll get them involved; and once we’ve got comparison data from this year and last, the object is to put some of this information on the television screen in the entrance hall so we can do a campaign around being green and encouraging people to turn the radiators off.” While budgets don’t allow for a new building, the staff and students at Cleeve Park School can be confident in the knowledge that at least the building they do have is at least that much more hospitable.
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You can then start analysing patterns of use and that starts to get interesting. It sets up patterns and once you’ve got patterns, you can see anomalies – you can get drawn into it if you’re not careful and spend a lot of time looking at the data
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Wind turbines
At a time when educational establishments are under pressure to reduce costs, financial incentives have transformed the economics of renewable energy projects. EdExec reviews the educational, environmental and financial benefits that a primary school, a secondary school and an education centre have achieved from installing wind turbines
Run with the wind E
nvironmental studies have come a long way since students first learned about recycling and picking up litter. These days, thousands of youngsters are being given a window on sustainability thanks to facilities like Staffordshire’s Apedale
Energy Centre. Set in Apedale Community Country Park – a former open cast coal site – the £850,000 centre offers what, for local children from deprived backgrounds, “may be the only opportunity to see green in action”, according to Ian Wykes, head of sustainability for Staffordshire County Council. “It’s the only piece of public open space for miles around,” he says.
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Wind turbines
The brand-new energy centre, dubbed “a showcase of renewable technology and low carbon building techniques”, was created with natural materials like hemp and wood and is powered by solar panels, thermal heating and two 5kW wind turbines. Visitors can see how the building is functioning and how much energy it is exporting. Wykes hopes it will encourage both domestic users and schools to take advantage of the government’s Feed in Tariff scheme (FiTs). The scheme, launched on 1 April 2010, means that licensed electricity suppliers pay a tariff to small-scale, low-carbon energy producers for the electricity they generate, as well as an export tariff when that energy is exported to the national grid. Staffordshire County Council is deeply involved with the eco-schools programme, and has prepared learning resources for schools highlighting the implications of leaving a whiteboard or lights on. Wykes believes that wind energy is ideal for schools with suitable sites, and has already been in discussion with local headteachers about the value of renewables. “In any school, energy use is always the second biggest cost after staff, and given that the budgets are all very squeezed, and you can see we’re looking down the barrel of fairly substantial rises in energy prices, it’s an area that’s going to become more and more on headteachers’ radar,” he says. At Denes High School in Lowestoft, Suffolk, wind energy is more than on the radar – it’s been helping to power the site for a year. As part of a progamme to be fully sustainable by 2015, the school installed a 5kW turbine in the summer of 2010. Students were intimately involved in the project, with sixth formers driving both planning and funding applications. “They really did take it to heart,” says Denes’s operations manager, Justin Smith. “Because it’s such a long project, we had to get planning permission, do a bat survey and one or two other things,as well – it’s very easy to lose heart with these things, so they needed a little bit of refocusing from time to time but they were really, really fantastic.” Much of Denes’s 800-strong student base also comes from an underprivileged background. “Lowestoft has got a number of challenges,” says Smith. “It’s a seaside town. The fishing industry, of course, has pretty much died away, so it’s economically deprived: a number of our students come from challenging backgrounds and homes.” All the more reason to get them involved in a project in which they could really take pride. “There’s no way some of these students would ever consider a project like this,” says Smith. “They just wouldn’t have it in their thoughts. So to say: ‘Actually, you can play a part, even if it’s just helping come up with the name of it, or collecting some of the data and understanding what it means, you can be part of this project’, that’s really important for us.” Named ‘Centurion’, to represent both strength and the school’s 100-year history, the turbine sits in the school field and is a “visible, visual landmark,” says Smith. Its output represents three to five per cent of the school’s electricity cost. “The point was to show that actually students can achieve something that most schools don’t have and it’s there to stay as a legacy” he explains. Funding for the £37,000 project came from the Low Carbon Building Fund and from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Data from the turbine is already used in maths classes and will
be used in other subjects this term, since the school became an academy in September. Smith, who is now looking into installing solar panels at the school, believes renewable energy is a growing trend among educational institutions. Two or three schools have already asked if they can draw on Denes’s experiences. “It all snowballs a little bit, because we’re commenting on our experiences and other schools are thinking: ‘Well, actually, it may be worth following through’,” he says. “I think going forward, schools have to become more sustainable institutions. In the past, they’ve been large buildings. Some of them are quite old and inefficient in terms of energy, but sustainability is more than just energy efficiency, it’s about caring for each other as well as for the environment, and that goes to the heart of what a school is all about, as well.” This is a view shared by Gill Harper, business manager at St. Columb Minor Academy near Newquay. The primary school has its own sustainability action plan, and installed a 6kW wind turbine in December 2008. Its solar programme is on-going, and students are treated to yearly workshops on climate change and renewable technology. “It’s having that visible opportunity to actually see it working,” says Harper. “It brings home technology, really, and gives children a better understanding.” Already, St. Columb students have been involved in making presentations about their school’s renewable resources to the community and to other schools all over Cornwall. “It’s all part of the expanded local sustainability programme in schools, looking at renewable technologies, turning off lights, recycling, and so on,” says Harper. She hopes that eventually, meter readings can be uploaded to school computers so that students can have access to what the wind and solar units are generating and what the school is using them for in maths, science and environmental studies. St. Columb received funding for its turbine from EDF Energy and from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. Because it was installed before the FITs scheme, and any returns won’t be backdated, it will only earn the school 9p per kilowatt hour exported. Still, Harper is pleased: “It’s been really efficient. We’ve saved 10-times the CO2 and it’s six per cent of the school’s energy costs.” The school already has 400 pupils and is always expanding, so in terms of cost savings achieved by the renewables, “it’s just balancing out,” says Harper. “But at least we’re making a contribution.” For staff and students alike, that’s the most important thing.
In any school, energy use is always the second biggest cost after staff, and given that budgets are all squeezed and we’re looking down the barrel of fairly substantial rises in energy prices, it’s an area that’s going to become more on headteachers’ radar www.edexec.co.uk
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In equal measures
Changes to EU law could have an impact on equal pay measures within schools. Jawaid Rehman and Phil Allen consider what this means for school leaders
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legal
It will be unlikely that a council can prevent a community school’s employees bringing or being used as a comparator in an equal pay claim, regardless of the regulations that empower the governing body to make recommendations about pay
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iven the abundance of equal pay claims in local authorities up and down the country, it is no surprise that emphasis in recent times has turned to whether the discretion given to governing bodies in recommending pay affects the potential for non-teaching staff employed within community schools to bring equal pay claims. At the outset, a distinction needs to be drawn between community schools and voluntary-aided/ foundation schools. It is relatively well-established that in the case of the latter the employer is the governing body and not the local authority. As such, a local authority will avoid the rap impacting from equal pay issues that may arise in respect of such schools, because the correct forum for such claims is the governing body of the school. To bring an equal pay claim, women must either be employed on work rated as equivalent, work of equal value or like work to that of a man in the same employment. It is clear that staff working at foundation or voluntary-aided schools are not in the same employment as those working at the council. Female teaching support workers from these schools are therefore restricted to using the limited male comparators from the schools, and not the traditional bonus-earning comparators working at the local authority in bringing equal pay claims. But what is the position in respect of those working at community schools? These schools are funded by the local education authority and it has generally been thought that the employees will be the responsibility of the council and in the same employment as those employed directly by the authority. Under domestic law, men and women are employed within the same employment when they work for the same employer or by an associated employer at the same establishment, or at different establishments where common terms and conditions apply. The recent judgements at tribunals suggest that this definition means staff at community schools and council staff are both in the same employment. However, this was recently questioned in light of European Union law, which offers an alternative mode for comparison. In order to be in the same employment, workers terms and conditions must be attributable to a ‘single source’ where a single body is responsible for the inequality and is able to restore equal treatment. The matter was considered in the case of Beddoes v Birmingham City Council, where the claimants were employed by the council in non-teaching roles in state schools. The claimants argued that they should be paid the same as other manual council workers because they were ultimately employed by the council. The council on the
other hand argued that, when construing and applying the concept of ‘same employment’, the claimants’ and comparators’ terms and conditions needed to derive from a single source that has the power to remedy any inequality of pay. The council contended tht there was no single source as a result of the governing body having ultimate control to set terms and conditions under the school staffing regulations 2003. This raises an interesting point. The governing body is well aware of its discretion in terms of recommending the pay of schools’ support staff, which the council may well feel obligated to accept. Surely the council has little control and therefore it must be arguable that there is not a single source ultimately responsible for pay of school staff and those employed directly by the council? The employment appeal tribunal (EAT) rejected this argument and held that the terms and conditions were derived from the same source as their comparators and they were consequently in the same employment. The EAT, following an argument in the court of appeal case of Anderson v South Tyneside, which stated that the discretion afforded to governing bodies by the regulations did not preclude the council from being the ‘single source’. In turn it would be ‘legally and factually fanciful’ to suppose that a governing body could, by means of the regulations, select and bind the local authority to an inappropriate grade. It went further to say that this could not be relied on to support the contention that the governors, rather than the council, were the true ‘source’ of the terms and conditions of the employees rather than the council. Both these cases therefore suggest that it will be unlikely that a council can prevent a community school’s employees bringing or being used as a comparator in an equal pay claim, regardless of the regulations that empower the governing body to make recommendations about pay. In light of the above, it is imperative that managers of schools are alerted to the fact any discretion applied by the governing bodies in recommending pay could lead to significant equal pay issues developing in the future. This is all the more paramount given that councils up and down the country have spent several years and millions of pounds in developing and implementing a new job evaluation scheme in accordance with single status. Any discretion that is applied must be in accordance with the rules of the local authority’s job evaluation scheme to ensure no subjectivity creeps in to what may otherwise be a legally robust job evaluation scheme.
Jawaid Rehman is an associate solicitor and Phil Allen is a partner in the employment team at national law firm Weightmans LLP
www.edexec.co.uk
/ october 2011
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health and safety
Top 10 tips
Injury Prevention Risk management can seem like a never-ending task, but it is vital to keep everybody safe in school. Matt Jane offers 10 top tips to help schools manage health and safety Health and safety may be three words that fill every business manager with fear, but ensuring your school is as safe as possible for everybody working or visiting is an essential part of the job, and failure to take sufficient precautions can result in large fines, devastating publicity, not to mention the human cost of serious injuries. These tips and advice will provide a useful checklist on some of the key areas to consider so that you can more confident that your school is as safe as it can be.
1
POLICY IN PLACE
Every school should have a health and safety policy, which is designed to clearly identify the actions that will be taken to keep the working environment as safe as possible. A good health and safety policy should state who will be required to carry out all actions, and when these should be done. Having designated people to undertake key responsibilities will help manage the risks and ensure the necessary action is carried out. Also, risk assessment forms should always be filled out by the appropriate people whenever there is an element of risk involved.
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ON THE LOWDOWN
Given that falls from height is one of the key concerns in terms of health and safety in schools, there are certain steps schools can take to reduce the need to work at height. The actual school could be designed to reduce storage or display areas that are high up, while windows could be modified so they can be opened from ground level or remotely to avoid having to climb up to them. It is also worth considering installing long-life light bulbs so that staff do not need to climb up and replace them at such regular intervals.
october 2011
\ www.edexec.co.uk
A HEIGHTY ISSUE Information from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows that in the last five years there have been three deaths and over 2,000 major injuries in the education sector due to falling from a height. Most major injuries in schools are caused by ‘low’ falls, such as tripping down stairs, but other activities are also involved, such as falls from desks while putting up displays; falls from stools while closing windows; and falls from ladders while carrying out repairs and maintenance work. This is a key area for schools, especially when considering that these accidents cost schools more than £3,700 on average every year. It is essential that staff carry out necessary risk assessment whenever undertaking work at height and that any work is carried out safely, taking steps such as having two people working with a ladder and not overstretching when putting up displays.
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HANDLE WITH CARE
Manual handling accidents account for over a third of all workplace injuries and include work-related musculoskeletal disorders, such as upper and lower limb pain, joint and repetitive strain injuries. Staff must undertake proper manual handling training to ensure they can assess the risk, adopt the correct posture and seek help when needed. Where necessary, schools should provide tools to help move heavy objects.
health and safety
DON’T TRIP UP Slips and trips are another potential risk in schools, especially when considering the busy classroom environment. Staff should be aware of any risks and corridors or pathways should be kept clear from bags, cables and general clutter to minimise the risks. The HSE has a designated campaign, called Shattered Lives, which offers advice on preventing slips and trips (www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/index.htm).
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SCREEN SAFETY
Schools should be wary of the fact that injuries can also be a result of prolonged use of computer and desktop equipment, with injuries such as wrist strain and back pains common. Research from office supplies company Fellowes suggests that 80% of people will suffer from back pain, so ensuring staff have adequate seating is essential, especially for admin staff who may be sat at a computer for many hours. It is also important to encourage staff to take breaks from the computer screen, which will help relieve back stress and avoid headaches and migraines from eye strain.
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HIGHLIGHT THE RISKS
While schools will do everything to keep risks to a minimum, there will inevitably be instances that are unavoidable, for example, when there is a spillage in a hallway, or workmen are carrying out maintenance in corridors. It is essential that schools manage these risks appropriately and put signs up in highly visible spaces so that staff and students are well warned and can avoid these areas. Also, where possible, schools can arrange for maintenance to be done outside of school hours, so that the risks to students is minimised. Schools are also required to display the Health and Safety Law poster, which outlines the legal requirements in this area.
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SUBJECT SPECIFICS
There are unavoidable risks associated with certain subjects that require proper management. For example, science labs may use potential harmful chemicals in experiments, while resistant materials subjects require students to work with heavy machinery. All these risks should be managed by the staff involved, and proper training and correct labelling and warning posters should be used.
PLAY SAFE Play areas are vital parts of schools, particularly in the primary sector, and schools should ensure these are enjoyable but safe. Bob Jones, director of rubber play surfaces manufacturer Re-Bound, says that schools should be aware of the risks, but not let it spoil the key purpose of playtime. “We’ve all seen children in the playground, running around, playing games, bumping into each other – it’s what they should be doing,” he says. “But with the rough comes the tumble, and we need to make sure that when they do fall the impact is minimised as much as possible.”
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ALL INVOLVED
By engaging all necessary parties in health and safety management, schools can expect projects to be more successful. As long as everybody is aware of the risks, staff are well-trained and supported, schools will be well placed to provide exceptional experiences, while keeping everybody safe at the same time.
www.edexec.co.uk
/ october 2011
45
work life
Break Time ?
Secret life of a business manager
number crunching Everyone deserves five
9
minutes break, and
My secret life gives me a great escape, not only
business managers are no
from work, but from the trials of urban life. I am a
exception. So pour
keen hill walker and regularly escape to the Lake
yourself a coffee, get a
District where I have a small summer house,
biscuit from the tin and
which provides a perfect base to explore the
have a go at this little
beautiful countryside surrounding us. During the
puzzle. It is sure to keep
winter, it is more difficult to escape as the remote
your little grey cells ticking
nature of the area leaves us quite isolated, so I
over and help while away
always make the most of the summer months
your break time.
and will spend the majority of my time away. I work in a fairly challenging school in the North East, so getting out into the countryside and tasting the fresh air is always a welcome break. It allows me to unwind, enjoy the scenery and get some exercise too. I think hill walking is an ideal hobby for a
3 2 5 7 4
3 6 7 4 6 8 6 2 1 9 8 2 5 1 8 6 7 3 7 4 2 1 7 9 5 8 7 6
business manager as it just gives you something so different from the working day and also keeps you fit. I always come back to work feeling really refreshed after my trips to the country.
Around the classeS
Juliette Barlow, Middlesbrough With all those classes going on around you every day, we think you should be well placed to answer these little teasers
RE What is the fifth book of the Old Testament?
GEOGRAPHY What is the currency of Pakistan?
........................................
........................................
SCIENCE What does the chemical symbol ‘U’ represent?
MUSIC What does the Italian musical term adagio mean?
........................................ Do you have an interesting hobby or activity? Are you involved with any clubs at your school? We would love to hear from you. Simply 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?
october 2011
\ www.edexec.co.uk
PE In which country was former motor racing driver Ayrton Senna born? ........................................
........................................ ENGLISH In literature, how are the famous duo Charles and Gerald better known? ........................................
ANSWERS RE – Deuteronomy; Science – Uranium; PE – Brazil; Geography – Pakistani Rupee; Music – Slow; English – Mills and Boon
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The latest updates and developments in school technology
A sound investment How text-to-speech software helps the learning disabled
Update 50 ›› ICT news The latest updates and developments in school technology
IN PRACTICE 52 ›› Staying non-committal Sir Thomas Boteler High School saves with a rental scheme 56 ›› In touch Technology improves one college’s parental communication
FOCUS ON 58 ›› Class participation The pros and cons of kids bringing in their own equipment 60 ›› A sound investment How text-to-speech software aids the learning disabled
HELP DESK 62 ›› Techno Geek What kind of tablet is right for your school?
Shar with e me I T m y our anag er
Coming up in next month’s education executive Diary
A rose by any other name…
Ian Bradbury, executive headteacher of The Quantock Federation, talks running three schools
A run-through of the different types of academies – from multi-academy trusts to convertors
A sporting chance?
Food for thought
The repercussions of nurseries struggling to fund sporting equipment
The School Food Trust on how to boost school meals sales
Riot reaction
A natural trained leader
A look at the options for pupils with behavioural problems – from PRUs to Lib Dem summer camp
Not all great leaders are born great leaders. We show you how to work on your leadership skills.
Out in november
50
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NEWS & ANALYSIS Schools take ICT into their own hands A BESA-funded study indicates that by 2012 more than half of lesson time will be spent using ICT in the classroom to teach pupils New British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) research suggests that by 2012/3 nearly half of all schools anticipate using ICT for more than 50% of their teaching time. The 2011 survey of 1,324 UK schools (772 primary and 552 secondary), which was conducted in July 2011, also found that 10% of schools note that nearly all pupil-time will involve exposure to ICT, and that 49% of primary and 33% of secondary schools said that they were to maintain or increase their planned ICT investments for 2011/12. The findings come from the 14th annual survey of the opinions and trends of ‘ICT in UK State Schools’. Ray Barker, director of BESA stated: “The BESA ICT in UK State Schools research indicates that despite negative views about the funding of ICT, an increasing amount of pupil-time is exposed to teaching and learning using ICT. The government has moved very quickly to change the entire education system over the past year and many educators are confused. We have to be clear that schools are not going to be ‘told what to do any more’ so don’t need to wait to be guided by the government on their ICT investments.” The research, carried out in conjunction with the National Education Research Panel (NERP), provides analysis into the likely provision of technology in UK state schools in the next year and indicates the value of teacher confidence and training concerning ICT in schools. The research suggests that schools are set to increase the prominence of ICT and technology as teaching tools within the education system and at their own discretion given the lack of guidance from the Department for Education. At a time when schools are being given more autonomy in deciding how to spend their own budgets, the research suggests that we will see a movement toward increased staff ICT training and the integration of technology into everyday school life. Barker continued: “Schools know that they must therefore continue to invest in ICT to stop a new form of digital divide being created – between schools. They are definitely not standing still – they are just getting on with it.”
they said There is very little valid and reliable research that shows [technological] engagement causes or leads to higher academic achievement Professor Larry Cuban of Stanford University in the USA in the wake of a report investigated by The New York Times, showing that technology in schools may have less of an impact on exam results as once thought. However, advocates of technology in learning have suggested that the study could be seen as too narrow in its objectives as to produce conclusive results
win technology solutions Win €15,000’s worth of NEC Display Solutions technology to upgrade your classroom Any school or college wishing to upgrade their technology can enter the competition by sending a video clip to NEC under the theme of ‘Why our school needs to upgrade a classroom’, depicting their technology-deficient classroom. Five lucky winners will be selected in January and can select technology solutions from NEC to the value of €15,000, including ultra-short-throw projection solutions with integrated whiteboard mounts, multi-purpose eco projection solutions, 3D projection packages and high brightness systems. Entry videos must be no longer than five minutes and submitted by 30 November by uploading it to www.nec-display-solutions.com/ educampaign
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Case study
SCHOOL OPENS HI-TECH ‘TECXITEMENT’ ROOM Haringey schools come together for the opening of their high-tech interactive ‘Tecxitement’ room as part a borough-wide BSF scheme Schools across Haringey came together last month to celebrate the opening of a hi-tech ‘Tecxitement’ room at the Heartlands High School in Wood Green. The official opening and cutting of the ribbon was undertaken by Councillor Lorna Reith, cabinet member for children’s services at Haringey council, and was attended by pupils and teachers from numerous other schools in the borough. The room features state-of-the-art technology, such as iPads, green-screen, stop-motion animation, and an interactive table. Headmaster of Heartlands High School, Simon Garrill, descibed it as “unique”, a “fantastic collaboration between schools and the local authority”.
The room has come from the £214m investment as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme within the Haringey borough, but is intended for regular use by all schools in the area. Councillor Reith told Education Executive the reasons for the central location of the room in the borough and its universal accessibility: “It’s quite a divided borough socio-economically – many of the children might not even have access to IT at home, and if young people are going to succeed at school, in further education and in employment they have to be acquainted with the latest technology.” Speaking about children with learning difficulties, Reith added: “There are a number of things in the room which can be used to engage the interest of these young people, so the technology here can not only be used as an educational tool but also as a calming device.” David Lubowski, 12, in Year 8 of Heartlands High School told EdExec why he felt the Tecxitement room would be beneficial to his studies. He said: “I think that this is important because it is more inspirational– it really can make you want to learn.” Roja Akyol and Nicola Lawrence, 13, both in Year 9 at Hansey School for Girls, plan to use the room after school hours to create an animation so they can enter in a competition for secondary school film students. “The Tecxitement room has got new creative stuff that we can actually learn from and enjoy,” said Roja.
DEMAND FOR ICT CONTINUES, DESPITE more school BUDGET CUTS Progressive schools are investing in technology that delivers long-term savings, such as print management and virtualisation Schools are investing in technology that delivers long-term operational savings as opposed to slashing ‘capex’ and associated services for perceived quick wins, according to research by technology services provider Probrand. Education technology budgets have essentially halved since the Harnessing Technology Grant was cut from £201m to £101m for 2011, yet demand for driving technology education and innovative learning platforms continues. Probrand has found that schools are taking a more entrepreneurial view and regularly turning to technologies that drive down long-term operational costs. These technologies often demand higher initial investment but return value long-term with controlled and reduced operational costs from maintenance, agility, power and cooling plus capabilities that future proof IT infrastructure and service provision.
Moves like ‘tokenless’ two factor authentication for remote access are delivering up to 73% savings in capex and opex versus token based approaches. Schools are also overcoming bandwidth challenges with allied modern firewall approaches, which monitor, allocate and protect bandwidth for delivery of vital services as opposed to erroneous pupil usage for downloading videos from YouTube. Lower energy devices, such as desktops and monitors, are another approach that schools are readily adopting to secure reduced operational costs from less power and cooling consumption with a ‘greener’ ICT environment. This is allied to the implementation of power management controls to ‘down’ applications and hardware when dormant, which is believed to save £9,000 to £30,000 annually.
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Instant access For the last four years, Sir Thomas Boteler High School has been supplying students with mobile IT equipment that can be utilised both from the home and on school premises, in order to maximise the pupils’ learning potential. ICT Matters finds out how they have been using a rental scheme to save money on their equipment
F
ounded in 1526, Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England is a high school that has provided high quality secondary education for nearly 500 years. Located in an area of social deprivation, the school wanted to be able to provide its pupils with high quality IT equipment that would directly benefit their learning that they may not ordinarily have been able to afford. Ever since 2009, when the school partnered with a computer hardware manufacturing firm specialising in hardware rental schemes for the education sector, Sir Thomas has been able to supply its pupils with netbooks, iPads and iPod Touches against all odds.
Improvements necessary
For the last four years, Sir Thomas Boteler has been supplying students with mobile IT equipment that can be utilised both from the home and on school premises, in order to maximise the pupils’ learning potential. In September 2009, the school decided to change IT suppliers after its existing IT equipment fell far short of expectations. The quality of the previous
equipment was extremely poor – indeed over 80% of all kit had to be sent back for repair or faults. Due to these issues, which required machines to be sent back every week, the school started looking for a new supplier.
Making IT accessible
The school finally settled on a company that offered a rental scheme that enables parents to contribute financially to the devices on a monthly payment basis, meaning less upfront investment for the school and cheaper technology for parents than if they were to purchase the same devices on the high street, as well as no VAT payable. Simon Taylor-Jones, systems manager at Sir Thomas Boteler, comments: “As the school is located in a very low income area, we had to balance providing high-end IT equipment for our students with their financial situation.” In 2009, the school purchased 75 netbooks on a lease, then gave parents the chance to rent them through monthly payments. In 2010, the school took on a further 28 netbooks, as well as 68 iPads and 24 iPad Touches on an operating lease, meaning costs to the parents were further reduced by 20%. As a result of Thomas Boteler’s investment, any pupil
FAST FACTS School: Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School Type: Mixed 11–16 comprehensive, voluntary-aided school LA: Warrington Pupils: 720
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can access IT to improve their learning experience in return for small monthly contributions over an agreed time period. This allows pupils to have access to high quality technology that may not typically have been available to some families, many of whom are unable to get approval for credit cards, loans, or even bank accounts. Furthermore, the school itself benefits from the high-specification technology at low cost, which was also supported by warranties and a customer service team. The scheme is now available to the Year 7 year group on a three year basis and Year 10 pupils on a two year basis. This means that a pupil can effectively join the school in Year 7 and have access to a high-end laptop or iPad to maximise the remainder of their learning experience in secondary education.
HELP DESK
Making the most of innovation
On opting for both Microsoft and Apple technology, Taylor-Jones comments: “Whilst the school is predominantly a Microsoft-based establishment, we aim to implement the latest technology at every given opportunity. With Apple products, our technical support costs have been reduced by at least 60% compared to when we were exclusively Microsoft, as not nearly as many man-hours are needed to configure the individual devices. With iPads and iPods, the hardware and functionality are so intuitive that pupils can do the majority of the configuration themselves. There are also hundreds of thousands of free educational applications available, making our choice to include Apple products seem like a sustainable step forward.�
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TeaCher TraInIng
Taylor-Jones continues: “To make the shift to mobile devices more seamless for staff members, a team of employees are currently having internal training sessions. All staff members have also been asked to complete a self-evaluation form to assess how ‘IT savvy’ they really are. The evaluation culminates in one of three levels being awarded: gold, silver and bronze standard. Teachers with the bronze standard for example will have the ability to complete basic entry level tasks, while gold standard will be for those teachers who require only the minimum training to be able to run IT-based classes and tackle individual technical queries. There will also be parts in the self-assessment dedicated to Apple device usage, for us to be able to gauge how successful the scheme has been for our staff.”
resUlTs so Far
In May 2011, feedback questionnaires were sent out to all pupils and parents to see how the personalised learning scheme at the school could be further improved. All respondents returned positive feedback on the IT accessibility scheme as a whole, with the iPads and iPods being cited as the most popular devices for the pupils.
FOCUS ON
Furthermore, the school has itself made substantial financial savings since first deploying the scheme. The first scheme Sir Thomas Boteler offered its pupils required a heavy investment in wireless networks to support the increasing numbers of devices that they were taking on. The school also put £20,000 into the scheme to try to bring prices down even further for parents. Furthermore, if parents for any reason became unable to continue with their monthly payments, the school was unable to return the devices and therefore had to step in and pay on behalf of the parents. Because these were unexpected costs, the school had to keep contingency funds available just in case parents became unable to keep up with payments. “Although we were insured, the school was actually losing money as a result,” comments Taylor-Jones. The new firm, in contrast, is a manufacturer, and is therefore responsible for its own supply chain, so can more closely control the pricing.
sUpporT anD on-goIng MaInTenanCe
Further costs are also removed from Thomas Boteler’s IT department by investing in higher quality products. The high standards of build quality and
HELP DESK
“As the school is located in a very low income area, we had to balance providing high-end IT equipment for our students with their financial situation” design have meant that the previous rate of 80% of devices being returned on account of sub-standard condition, and the costs that this entailed, has been reduced to negligible numbers. In just under two years, only one machine has had to be returned.
FUTUre
Taylor-Jones has been very impressed with the equipment rental scheme he uses, so much so that by the next academic year, he is hoping to extend it out to other year groups beyond Years 7 to 10. He adds: “It is the very definition of a win-win situation – the parents and pupils benefit from low-cost IT in manageable payments and we benefit from low-cost infrastructure with highest-end support.”
Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School’s hardware was supplied through Stone’s AccessAbility scheme
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Keep in touch At Swavesey Village College, technology has allowed for improved parental communication, which has created a productive learning environment and ensured all pupils are encouraged to fulfil their potential. Matthew Jane spoke to assistant principal Stuart Gent to find out how it worked
E
ncouraging parents to be involved in everyday school life has been one of the driving factors in the continued success of Swavesey Village College in Cambridgeshire. A combination of an innovative classroom structure and a well-designed and executed use of technology has seen the school excel and is now one of the top performing schools in the country, with 100% of students achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE. Following an encouraging Ofsted inspection in 2006, when the school was classed as good with outstanding features, it was identified that one area where improvement could be made was in parental engagement. “This is a very broad term and includes everything from parents’ evenings to the written information that we send home to them,” explains Stuart Gent, assistant principal at the college. Swavesey Village has subsequently established a system that encourages regular interaction with parents through emails. Logistically, the email system makes the school and parents accessible to each other and works well in the educational setting. “Phones don’t work very well for teachers,” says Gent. “They work funny hours without phones, whereas everybody now has email, whether it is on a computer or on an iPhone, most people can check their emails. “It is vitally important to engage the families,” he continues. “We can’t support the tutor without supporting the parents. The tutors and the students have a very close relationship and they have regular learning conversations, and the tutor is now expected to relay this information home via email.” Having a system that encourages teachers to send messages home to
parents has proved greatly successful and Gent says the quantity and quality of email traffic increased significantly. “The messages we send home are not just general messages, but we can provide some really focused analyses of student reports,” he explains. One area that the school has been particularly keen to engage with parents is through the recent changes that have taken place. “We are now an academy and a federation, so we have used our system to communicate these changes to parents who might be anxious,” explains Gent. “We like to give them a transparency and the systems we have for communicating with parents have allowed us to do that.”
BETTER ATTENDED Swavesey College’s adoption of technology has also improved the attendance of events such as parents’ evenings. By sending an email to inform parents of an upcoming event, the school can be sure they will receive it, unlike sending letters home with students. It can also be used to prompt parents to look out for progress reports that are sent home with students. “It used to be the case that reports would get lost in the bottom of bags and then the parents wouldn’t arrive at parents evening or receive their reports,” says Gent, adding that it was often the parents of students who were struggling or had bad reports that would not receive the invitations. “Teachers will say that they never see the parents that they really need to,” he explains, “but we didn’t allow that to happen.” By having a successful implementation of email communication, it could be easy for the college to become overly dependent on the system. “There are caveats involved,”
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Gent says. “For example, we do try to limit the amount of information we send – there is always a danger of overkill. We try to pull key information together, and the system we use allows us to select only certain year groups to receive certain information. We also make sure that any parents that don’t have email access receive a paper copy.”
ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK The college supports parents to give feedback wherever possible and Gent says there are annual parent surveys, focus groups and exit polls. “We do a lot of market research,” he says. “The parents will come back and tell us what they want. We recognise that we are service providers and we are accountable to the parents and the community. The parental communication system has facilitated that and also proved very cost effective.” One of the improvements that parents requested was to have more control of bookings for parents’ evenings. Gent says that the old system would be to send a letter home inviting parents into school on a certain date at a certain time. “Obviously some parents may not be free at that time or might want a later appointment,” he explains. “The parents can now book their appointments online as suits their needs. We also have student support assistants who can answer calls to give them advice and help them through it.”
“We are service providers and we are accountable to the parents and the community. The parental communication system has facilitated that and also proved very cost effective”
LEARN FROM THE BEST While the college has massively improved its parental engagement and employed systems that encourage constant, immediate interaction, Gent says that their initial criterion was not to reinvent the wheel and they sought advice from existing institutions. “Before we embarked on this we had a day when every member of staff, including governors and support staff, visited other schools in the country that had outstanding performance,” he explains. “We went to further education, universities and even a prison to get an idea of how they were giving the best education they could in the different settings.” One idea they took from a school in Peterborough was to change the class structures and implement a vertical house system, where pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 share a form. “This has been revolutionary and has allowed us to give a more personalised service between the tutor and the pupil,” says Gent. The college is constantly looking to improve and Gent explains that the next stage in their parental engagement journey is to allow parents to access the cloud as part of a communications review. “We will also have online reporting, where parents can see their child’s success and attendance at the click of a button. We have also improved student email and remote access for both teachers and students,” he says. “We have adapted our system to suit the needs of the parents. I looked into using mobile phones and sending text messages to parents, but the feedback we got was that this wouldn’t work well for them, so we haven’t pursued that.” He emphasises that schools need to be open with parents and see things from their perspective, something that the communication systems in place at Swavesey Village College have facilitated.
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With rising hardware costs and constant upgrades required, some schools are allowing students to use their own IT devices in the classroom. Matthew Jane looks at how schools can make this work to their advantage
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Each to their own T hey used to be the reserve of movie stars and yuppies, but now mobile phones are an essential item, and devices are being launched to target younger and younger users. The universal appeal and common ownership of these devices makes them an attractive option for schools when tasked with providing more access to technology in the classroom. The need to give pupils constant access to technology has seen many schools relax their policies on bringing mobile phones, laptops and other such mobile devices into the classroom. It is important that schools provide learning environments that pupils are familiar with and that will stand them in good stead for the wider world. “Schools need to respond to the changing needs and ways that their learners are gathering and processing information in our media-rich society,” says Lee Burley from Civica. “Why waste valuable learning time at a school training students to use devices that they may only use in school? It is better to allow them to use technology that they train themselves and their peers to use.” Melvyn Wray from Allied Telesis stresses the potential financial benefits of using student-owned devices. “The government budget cuts mean that schools have less money to spend on ICT, and with school equipment often being out-of-date and mistreated, there is an obvious cost benefit in allowing pupils to use their own technology from home where it can aid in teaching and learning.” While there are obvious financial benefits to schools in utilising pupils existing devices, there are many considerations to be taken into account. “Bringing your own device, or BYOD, is sweeping schools the world over and as a result schools need more infrastructure, new policies and procedures, new tools and new ways of thinking,” says Tom Newton from Smoothwall.
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS
For any scheme aimed at using pupil devices in the classroom to be successful, it is important that schools ensure no students are left behind if they don’t own the equipment. One option is to offer mobile devices through a ‘laptop share
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scheme’, where parents purchase equipment through the school at a discount, which can then be used in lessons and at home. “This encourages pupils to treat the laptop with more care than they would do if it belonged to the school, and also helps save money for the school,” explains Wray. There are also managed service options that schools can explore that offer all the benefits of universal access without the need for laborious resource management. Such systems allow families to pay for devices in full or part on a monthly basis. Burley suggests that by creating ownership of devices it ultimately creates ownership of learning, which leads to improved attainment. “The facility to use a range of devices for learning means that families on a low income may still be able to provide students with a low cost mobile phone that can be used in the classroom,” he says. “Most students will go out of their way to earn money or get devices as presents, so enabling them to feel included.” Schools must have sufficient infrastructure in place to ensure all devices work effectively in the classroom. “Firstly, there has to be filtered wireless connectivity that’s good quality, high-speed, relatively open and easy to use,” says Newton. “This helps to keep the devices on the network, which is where schools want them to they can apply control and remind users about the sorts of things that shouldn’t be in schools.”
“Bringing your own device is sweeping schools the world over and as a result schools need more infrastructure, new policies and procedures, new tools and new ways of thinking” SAFETY FIRST
When allowing pupils to bring external devices into school, there are safety issues that must be addressed in order for school networks, students and hardware to be protected. The first step should be to establish an acceptable usage policy, which Burley says should be based on trust and responsibility. “Our experience of working in a range of schools with teachers is that it is entirely possible to develop learning strategies that maximise the potential benefits of utilising these devices and minimise the time spent by the students off task,” he says. Another key issue is the threat to the school network. Robert Doswell from Tools4ever points to the fact that most data security breaches occur due to errors made within an organisation itself, adding that schools are under mounting pressure to take pre-emptive action. One consideration with mobile devices is the use of password protection. “Staff and pupils often have to remember a number of passwords and user names in order to log in to systems and various applications,” he explains. “This is often too much to remember and so pupils and teachers tend to write password combinations down on pieces of paper, or alternatively they choose very simple sequences that can be easily deciphered. This means the security of the network can easily be compromised.” One solution for this is to have a single sign-on solution, which allows users to use one password to control a range of systems and applications. There may also be concern over the safety of children bringing expensive pieces of equipment to school each day. “An important first point is that the size and weight of devices used for productivity are constantly shrinking, making it less obvious to identify those with the devices than in the past, where a student was forced to carry a 2kg laptop,” says Burley. This in itself makes the situation far safety for all involved. Schools should also teach pupils how to properly encrypt their devices and use effective passwords to make mobile devices less attractive to thieves. Burley suggests software that tracks stolen laptops when they log onto the internet.
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MOBILE IN ACTION At Sir John Leman High School in Suffolk, the IT team has been trialling a scheme to allow sixth form students to bring their own devices in to access the internet and school network at work areas around the school. “We’ve found that students love to use new technology and are more engaged if they use devices that they’re familiar with at home,” says network manager Matt Dyer. “To make use of what devices they already have, since April 2010 we’ve allowed sixth form students to bring in their own iPhones, laptops, netbooks and iPods to access the school network in between lessons.” The school manages usage through software that limits the amount of devices that can connect at one time. There is also software that warns users to check they have up-to-date anti-virus when they connect to the network. “So far the scheme has been running very well – from monitoring the servers I can see that we regularly get close to capacity at certain times each week,” says Dyer. “We’ve recently upgraded the technology in our library so we’re actively encouraging students to try it out using their own devices. As the school only needs to pay for the management software, it is also helping to limit hardware costs. Hopefully we’ll look at expanding the scheme into the classroom later this year.”
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A sound investment Dr Ian Smythe, looks at the technology, such as text-to-speech software, which can make a huge impact on supporting the reading disabled
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ext-to-speech (or TTS), put simply, is when a computer renders what is on its screen in a voice for the user to listen as opposed to, or in conjunction with, reading them. This does not consist of clunky word-by-word sounds reminiscent of Stephen Hawkins, but a flow of natural speech that uses complex software and a large database of sounds to produce a voice with the intonation and rhythm in the voice that makes for easy listening. It is this type of assistive technology that nowadays is mandatory for the visually disabled and obligatory for the dyslexic learner who is struggling to keep up with the academic workload. For this reason it is important to understand the issues surrounding the use of this technology and appreciate the alternative solutions (follow the links at the bottom of this article to hear this article read out). It is easy to quote the Equality Act 2010 as highlighting the need to implement such support in order to avoid discrimination; or the Rose Report 2009 on supporting those with literacy difficulties, but most of those working in schools already understand the issues pertaining to ‘duty of care’ and educational responsibility. The question is more about interpretation of legislation, contextualisation to the school environment and how best to make choices when there is a lack of independent advice. Before discussing the alternatives, let us look at how the technology may be used. Some of the basic uses as part of school work include: Hearing words as you type at the sentence, word or even letter-by-letter level Proofreading one’s own work Reading electronic documents (Word, PDFs, etc.) Reading online and offline e-books Reading text on the internet Checking pronunciation of a word or phrase Listening to text on the mp3 player, on the bus or train. It may be argued that the economics comes down to numbers. Do you use the ‘medical model’ of supporting those with identified needs, or do you use the social inclusion model, making the assistive technology available every pupil? Clearly legislation suggests the later, but economics may dictate the implementation.
The options
There are many different types of text to speech software, but the main ones to consider here are: Toolbar – A single interface that allows the TTS to be used with Word, Email, browsers and other software. Standalone – These are cut and paste versions where the text is copied from the original document and placed inside this standalone software. One of the best examples is Balabolka,
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which is a free interface, for which you need only buy a voice. USB – TTS software is usually loaded onto a computer. However, if it is on a USB stick, then it can be transported from one computer to another (and from school to home) without the need for additional installations or licences. Of these, the easier option would be to buy an institute-wide licence for a toolbar type software. Table 1 shows how this appears in a school of just under 1,000 pupils.
Table 1: Example of comparative cost of implementing text-to-speech Number of pupils in school Number of dyslexic pupils (possible beneficiaries) Number of identified dyslexic pupils (typical) Cost of unlimited (up to 999) users Cost to support 40 individuals Basic Claro SE - 40 users @ £49 each Basic Claro SE USB - 40 users @ £59 each Basic Cereproc voice - 40 users @ £30 each Balabolka Interface
999 100 40 £1,050 £1,960 £2,360 £1,200 Free
The institution wide version offers clear savings over the alternatives with many options available for small (and bigger) institutions. However, it may be important in some cases to consider the individual, either because the school need to make recommendations to the parents, or that the needs are for more than just the English version.
The dilemma of first language support
The dilemma is – should you support only in the language of tuition, or should you, where possible, support in the first language? Clearly the preference is for the pupils to access through the language of tuition, and if text is provided in that language, then it would seem unreasonable to be expected to also supply the text books in the first language given that there are so many. However, it may be argued that some kids will benefit from being able to access information in their first language, for example in doing background research for project work through the internet. And if they have the double whammy of still acquiring English and being dyslexic, then they deserve all the support available. Unfortunately, using the multicultural education of Birmingham as an example, the text-to-speech is currently available in the first language for less than seven per cent of the 58,000 who do not use English as the first language. Polish TTS could be supplied to each of over 700 Polish speaking pupils for as little as £30 each today. However, for the Urdu speakers, of which there are 20 times as many, they may have to wait a little longer before they can be given an equal opportunity. (A research project is already underway, and expects to have freely available Urdu TTS by 2013 at the latest.)
Recommendations
“The dilemma is – should you support only in the language of tuition, or should you, where possible, support in the first language? If they have the double whammy of still acquiring English and being dyslexic, then they deserve all the support available”
There is little doubt that text-to-speech does help many reading disabled students, including the visually disabled and ADHD pupils and not just the dyslexic 10%. What the schools needs to decide is how best to support these individuals, and where to install the necessary licences. Should it be available on all computers (probably yes), should it be in language labs in the taught languages (a debate beyond the scope of this article!), and should it be made available for home use? These are all questions that need to be decided locally. But as far as the software itself is concerned, check out the ‘try before you buy’ options, available for most of this software. Dr Ian Smythe is visiting professor of international literacy at the University of Wales, Newport
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iPad-ict a riot! Techno Geek takes a look at the latest trend to sweep the classroom: the invasion of the tablet computers
Tablet computers have been around for years and years, and where always seen as a gimicky way to get things done. The reason why they weren’t very popular is that they weren’t very good, the touch screens had more in common with stirring a jar of treacle with your finger than the slick futurisitic experience most of us are used to now on our smartphones. Then Steve Jobs decided he would do what he did to the mobile phone to the tablet computer and over night created a multibillion dollar industry spawning a cavalcade of imitations. Peoples initial reaction was, whats it for? Is it a laptop? (There is no traditional keyboard.) Is it an e-reader? (Kind of expensive just to read books off!) Is it a phone? (No, but it is a mobile communication device.) Well, its all of these things, and a lot more. Via its ‘apps’, a tablet computer allows the user to interact intuitively with the device, removing the barrier of a keyboard and mouse, which can be limiting for people who haven’t grown up using them. Its an internet browser, plays video and does basically everything a laptop will do but its in the palm of your hand and is much simpler to use. The variety of apps available are mind blowing, and there are a whole lot of them for use in the classroom. This makes them an amazing tool for use in schools, indeed many schools are quickly adopting them as they see the benefits that there kids are getting from them. Children have grown up with this kind of technology, so it is no great leap to use them in the learning process. The kids love them! It’s a whole lot more engaging for them They are simple to use, with a touch screen interface the technology stays out of the way. The cost is extremely competitive – tablets on the whole are cheaper than there less portable rivals Mobile versions of websites can be built into your VLE. There is an excellent video blog post from Moorside College about using iPads in a PE lesson: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KR_bOGaE09Y. There are a couple of different options when looking at purchasing a tablet for your school. The iPad is far and away the most famous of all the tabs, and has a host of apps along with it. Android-based tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy tab, are the next most popular and based on Google’s Android operating system. They both have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost and availability of apps. While the iPad seems to be proving most popular, the Android is definitely holding its own.
APPS For Education 1. Zebra Paint Paint with your fingers! 2. Maths Workout Test your mental maths and exercise your brain once a day. 3. Brain Genius Deluxe Get a head start to getting smart by playing through a daily dose of brain exercises. 4. WordPlayer Art of War WordPlayer is a book reader that allows you to add to your library from thousands of instantly downloadable books or load epub books. 5. My Maps Editor by Google Create, edit, share, and view personalised maps on your phone. 6. WikiMobile Encyclopedia Being a walking encyclopedia is now at your fingertips. 7. Google Sky Map Google Sky Map: A star map for Android. 8. Pintail (not educational but useful) Lost your phone? Find it with an SMS: Pintail replies automatically with your phone’s location to a PIN-protected message 9. School Email (UK-only as of yet) An easy and safe service for pupil and teacher emailing. Emails are checked for sexual predators and bullying. 10. Keepy Uppy A good reward for good work. With thanks to John McClear of mcclear.co.uk
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