SEPTEMBER 2011 / ISSUE 72
SEPTEMBER 2011 / ISSUE 72
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
supporting business and financial excellence in schools and colleges
FREE SCHOOLS COMMUNITY OUTREACH FLEXI-LEARNING
BREAKING FREE What’s in store for England’s free schools?
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A FLEXIBLE APPROACH One flexi-school has the answer to rural learning
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editor’s letter
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
SEPTEMBER 2011
www.edexec.co.uk
Education Executive is the first business management magazine written exclusively for school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to premises, procurement to HR. EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here, every month.
EDITOR julia dennison julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR matthew jane matthew.jane@intelligentmedia.co.uk REPORTER jonathan hills jonathan.hills@intelligentmedia.co.uk PUBLISHER vicki baloch vicki.baloch@intelligentmedia.co.uk SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE neil pauksztello neil.pauksztello@intelligentmedia.co.uk 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
Finding free
T
here’s a new contender on the UK education scene this academic year: the free school. As existing school business managers and school leaders, what affect, if any, will these new schools have on you? The answer is, probably not much – or at least not to many of you…yet. The number of free schools to open their doors this September is less than 20, despite the Department for Education receiving over 300 proposals for schools opening in September 2011 and beyond. Many of these proposals will open their doors as schools in a year, so the ones opening now are almost like pathfinders. The eyes of the nation will be on these small schools as they find their fledgling feet. Of course, a fair few of these independently-run state schools already existed as fee-paying private schools, for example, however, no matter how much experience they’ve had to date in the world of education, this will be new territory for them – and they will undoubtedly be seeking advice and guidance from educators local to them or perhaps similarly-minded. With the onset of school federations as a growing trend in the world of British education, I would not be surprised to see free schools working with other established schools to share resources, expertise or seek leadership advice. As an existing school leader, you may well be approached or may wish to reach out to these new schools – or perhaps you’ll remain on the side-lines, quietly curious. For a sneak-peak into free schools as they stand right now, see my article on page 35. You’ll notice we also have a new news section preceding it, dedicated solely to the independent, whether it be statefunded or fee-paying. For more detailed articles on independents of both kinds, see our new bi-monthly title, Independent Executive, launching this month with this issue. As is expected of a September issue, from Vogue to a school leadership magazine such as ourselves, it’s a hefty one, covering lots of information from school uniforms, to HR and catering, ending in a particularly enlightening edition of ICT Matters at the back. Welcome back, hope you had a great summer and here’s wishing you the very best in the 2011/12 school year.
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
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Contents 46
rocure
lan
make your school’s budget go further
36 Legal
Better together? As academies band together, it’s important to know your rights
38 Case study
The Duke of York’s Royal Military School Bursar Nick Scott-Kilvert talks state-run boarding schools
41 Uniforms
sector
Dress for success The changing face of school uniforms
46 Catering
the lowdown on the business management world
06 Sector news
Healthy food: at a price? The School Food Trust discusses school meal uptake
The latest school business management news
08 Event preview
WorldSkills London 2011 UK pupils compete for bursaries at this international skills event
Learning outside the box What relaxing school trip rules means for your school
48 HR
12 Diary
The school they deserve Development director Philip Edmundson surprises his school
14 Feature
A local presence Schools as community cohesion hubs
Free to be you and me Just what’s in store for Britain’s free schools?
The soft approach Why choosing the right software can make or break your school
66 Help Desk
A money issue John Hampden Grammar School fights budget cuts
35 News analysis
Room for interpretation Hinchley Wood School uses data to improve attainment
62 Software
28 Interview
Independent school news and views
The latest updates and developments in school technology
58 Case study
A flexible approach Flexi-schooling at Hollinsclough School gives rural a chance
34 independent update
54 ICT news
22 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
26 SECONDARY update
Interviewing staff Top tips for getting the right staff for your school
ICT matters
20 PRIMARY update
Future forward Bexhill High School: a school built for the future
what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you
50 Top 10 tips
schools in focus
Human resourced When to hire in, when to out-source, when to share with other schools
51 WORK/LIFE
16 Interview
management
tune up your management skills
10 Policy
Techno Geek When to pay for software and when to get it for free
For the latest news and views check out
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sector Sector news is brought to you by Free banking for schools supported by local specialist relationship managers Lloyds TSB Commercial - well educated banking
FUNDING WATCH WHITEHALL “ADDICTED” TO “INEFFICIENT” PFI PROJECTS
STORY OF THE MONTH GOVE OUTLINES FUNDING PLAN Education Secretary Michael Gove has set out the Government’s new funding plans, which include a new privately-financed school building programme worth around £2bn, funding of £500m to provide extra school places, and a new consultation on developing a fairer funding system. The building programme, applications for which are now open, is designed to address schools in the worst condition across the country and will be open to local authorities that were due Building Schools for the Future (BSF) money and also those that had never managed to secure BSF funds. “The scheme will be rigorously policed to ensure we do not incur the excessive costs incurred by previous privately financed schemes,” said Gove. “The programme should cover between 100 and 300 schools with the first of these open in September 2014.” However, authorities that saw their BSF plans scrapped by Gove when he cancelled the BSF programme will not get their projects restored, although he did say they would have “a further opportunity to make representations to me before I take a final decision”.
The Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) that have been used by successive governments to pay for new school developments have been deemed poor value for money by MPs. Originally set up by John Major’s government in 1992 to bring in private funding into public projects, the PFI is said to have become increasingly inefficient following the economic crisis and the increased cost and risk of borrowing money. Criticised by some as a ‘buy now, pay later’ scheme, Whitehall has been accused of becoming “addicted” to the PFI and the easy money it provides on an immediate basis without concern for future expenses. If the government takes steps to remove or reform the PFI, consequences for the education sector are likely to result in schools having to become more diverse and innovative when it comes to raising funds for development projects. According to a cross-party treasury select committee, borrowing from the PFI has become far more expensive than more conventional forms of borrowing. Due to the financing costs, and the repayment of money by the taxpayer over a 30 year period, paying off a £1bn debt through the PFI would be equivalent to paying off a £1.7bn debt by conventional means. Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie MP, said: “PFI means getting something now and paying later. Any Whitehall department could be excused for becoming addicted to that – we can’t carry on as we are, expecting the next generation of taxpayers to pick up the tab.”
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SCHOOL FUNDING Gove also announced a new consultation to gauge opinion on proposals for a new, fairer and more transparent school funding system, with the current funding system for maintained schools ending after the 2012/13 year. A consultation has been launched with local authorities on LACSEG academy funding, to ensure that the rapid growth in academy numbers is funded fairly and to ensure that local authorities are not double funded for services they no longer provide. Funding for the 2011/12 year has changed significantly from previous years and falls into three main categories: the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), pupil premium and devolved formula capital (DFC). Many previous revenue grants have either been phased out or incorporated into the DSG, which is not ring-fenced, so individual schools have the power to decide how it is spent. The rates for 2011/12 DFC have reduced significantly from last year and are £4,000 per school plus a sum per pupil (£11.25 per primary pupil, £16.875 per secondary pupil and £33.75 per pupil in special schools and pupil referral units). The level and basis of allocation of capital funding for schools in 2012/13 depends on the outcome of the current DfE review of schools capital funding. Until then there can be no certainty that schools will receive any DFC in 2012/13. Photo: Department for Education
06
They said... Allowing the unplanned expansion of ‘popular’ schools and the opening of new free schools in areas where there is no shortage of places will divert much-needed resources from those schools which need them most ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman on the government’s policy to encourage the expansion of free and popular schools under the motive of “healthy competition”
sector NEWS
INBRIEF
PICTURE STORY
CAREERS SERVICES
The National Careers Service advisory group, formerly the All-Age Careers Service, has criticised the reduction in its remit and scope. The new National Careers Service will include face-to-face services for adults, but not for young people. Instead, its service for young people will be confined to telephone- and web-based services. Responsibility for providing the face-to-face services is being transferred to schools, without any transfer of funding: the previous provision of around £200m per annum for the service for young people has been axed. A statement from the group read: “At a time when young people are facing massive changes in further and higher education, and new apprenticeships – as well as high youth unemployment – stripping out the professional help available to them is not only foolhardy: it is potentially damaging to young people’s lives and ultimately to the economy.”
TEACHING SCHOOLS
Pupils from Kingsmead Community School in Wiveliscombe, Somerset take part in the Real Cool Futures programme at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The initiative is a careers resource programme for secondary schools run by the eco-friendly greenhouse and visitor attraction.
STATS & FACTS
DIARY 15 September Academy Status For All Schools: The Implications & Timetable The Commonwealth Club, 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 19 October Capita’s Third National Conference On Academies Central London
Fixed Period Exclusions 300,000
The National College has designated its first 100 teaching schools to start this month. These outstanding schools – all of which have a track record of substantial initial teacher training, leadership development and school improvement – will be responsible for leading a group of schools through training and professional development to help them raise their standards. The 36 primary schools, 57 secondary schools and seven leading special schools from across England will work with other partners, including at least one university. Each teaching school will receive £190,000 over four years to help them build the necessary leadership and administrative capacity. They will also be able to generate additional income as they develop and start delivering services such as initial teacher training, continuing professional development, leadership development and school-to-school support.
279,260
250,000
Nearly 900 children are suspended from school for abuse and assault every day. There were an estimated 5,740 permanent exclusions from primary, secondary and all special schools in 2009/10.
200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000
37,210 14,910
0 Statefunded schools
Primary schools
Special schools
‘MISLEADING’ DATA
Parents could be making false assumptions about schools from data released this summer on the Department for Education website, school leaders warn. The DfE’s School Workforce Survey gives raw figures on individual schools regarding pupil-to-teacher ratios and teacher sickness absence, but the Association of School and College Leaders worries it does not put things in context for parents. For example, the number of days lost through sickness may not necessarily reflect the quality of education provided as classes can be taught by qualified replacement staff.
www.lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking | 0800 681 6078 www.edexec.co.uk
/ september 2011
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sector Event preview
It’s a skilled world after all WorldSkills London 2011 takes place at ExCeL London from 5-8 October. We bring you a sneak peak at the global event
TO BOOK For free tickets to WorldSkills London 2011, visit http://www.worldskillslondon2011. com/book-tickets/. For the full WorldSkills Premiere Experience (WSPE) conference programme, speakers and to book tickets, go to worldskillspremiere.com.
W
ith the reduction in local authority-led careers services and the onus on schools to support their pupils’ own career development, never have events like WorldSkills London 2011 been more important to the UK’s education scene. Taking place at ExCeL London from 5-8 October, the global event is set to be the world’s largest, international skills competition, featuring young people from across the world competing to be the best of the best in their chosen skill. Over 150,000 visitors are expected to attend to see over 1,000 pupils from over 50 countries/regions compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 46 skill areas over four days. The WorldSkills Competition takes place in a different country every two years and brings together ‘skill Olympians’ from around the world to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 45 different skills categories. The event promises to inspire young people and open their minds to the endless possibilities the future can hold when it comes to vocational careers. Visitors can ‘Have a Go’ in designated areas at dozens of skills ranging from electronics to plumbing, web design and fashion to cabinet making.
Travel bursaries available Bursaries are now available for schools and sixth form groups attending the event. Register now at www.worldskillslondon2011. com/book-tickets/ to qualify. All visitors (students/teachers/non-teaching staff/accompanying adults) attending as part of a school or sixth form college group will get a bursary of £1 per visitor, which will apply to visitors from across the United Kingdom. All school groups that have 45 or more visitors will receive £2 per visitor.
School leaders’ conference The WorldSkills Premiere Experience (WSPE) is the conference and events programme being held in partnership with WorldSkills International alongside WorldSkills London 2011 from 4-9 October. It is designed specifically to bring education leaders together from around the world for a productive and informative programme with the WorldSkills Competition as its centre-piece. It is an ideal opportunity for school business managers to meet others in their profession from all over the world.
Free careers advice Finally, WorldSkills London will have a relaxed, informal area within the event where pupils and their educators can come and chat to people who really know how to get them on the next rung of the career ladder. With the dwindling availability of career guidance from the local authority, this could be a great opportunity for free advice for pupils as a range of partners across the skill sectors will be on hand, including Next Step, Jobcentre Plus, Apprenticeships and City & Guilds.
september 2011
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Event timings Wednesday 5 October 10.00 - 17.00 (10.30-13.00 Junior WorldSkills) Thursday 6 October 9.00 - 17.00 Friday 7 October 9.00 - 17.00 Saturday 8 October 9.00 - 16.00
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10
sector analysis
Perform a trip tease Following the government’s move to cut the bureaucracy involved in planning school trips, some commentators remain unconvinced. Matt Jane considers how this could impact on schools
E
arlier this year, the government announced it would be cutting the bureaucratic red tape that was preventing pupils from breaking out of the confines of the classroom, with Education Secretary Michael Gove decreeing the new guidelines would help make lessons “more inspiring and fun”. The new guidelines, which have been cut from 150 pages down to just eight, have been designed to encourage teachers to take children out of the classroom on school trips and outings, with a precedence placed on common sense rather than lengthy legislation and legal guidelines. Many schools have previously balked at the idea of taking children out, believing they had to fill in endless risk assessment forms and get written consent from parents. However, the new guidance means schools only need a ‘one-off’ parental consent form, which covers all activities outside the normal school day, including residential visits, adventure activities, and sporting events. The main stumbling block to providing school outings and trips has historically been a fear of prosecution should something go wrong. However, in the past five years, only two cases have been brought against the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for breaches of health and safety law in relation to school visits, and these were where there was evidence of recklessness or a clear failure to follow sensible precautions. While the potential to offer more trips and giving staff more freedom to choose activities and outings for children could provide excellent learning opportunities, there have been fears raised that simplifying risk assessments could lead to lower standards of care and supervision, and potentially leading to an increased number of claims against schools. The announcement was met with some reservation from teaching unions, who voiced concerned over the succinct guidance. “What we wouldn’t want to do is to see
september 2011
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a reduction of guidance, which could lead to a lot more accidents,” said Amanda Brown, of the National Union of Teachers (NUT). “What we want is advice which is very clear and straightforward but long enough to cover enough of the detail so that people do feel secure.” While it is still too early to discover whether the new guidelines will have an impact in daily school practice, the travel industry has been quick to lend its support, with Brendan Jones from TUI Education welcoming the reduction in red-tape. “It is vitally important that we all support learning outside the classroom as the benefits far exceed the potential risks,” he says. “Hopefully the recent government initiative will encourage teachers to continue to provide these alternative learning experiences.” Despite the emphasis on a common-sense approach instead of form filling, there will still be a level of administrative work, which will be relative to the activity. “Some activities, especially those happening away from school such as mountaineering, canoeing and sailing, involve higher levels of risk,” says the guidance. “However, a risk assessment is certainly not needed every time a school takes pupils to a local venue such as a swimming pool, parks or museums.” It also stresses the importance of having a well-trained risk assessor, who understands the processes and is familiar with the planned activity and it will no doubt be down to schools to ensure their staff receive the necessary training. The decision on whether to pursue more outdoor activities will obviously be down to individual schools, but by having a clearer structure in place to allow trips to go ahead, it is well worth considering the opportunities that your school could offer and whether the possibilities outweigh the risks.
What we wouldn’t want to do is to see a reduction of guidance that could lead to a lot more accidents
12
sector premises
DIARY
Changing rooms Philip Edmundson was recently appointed director of leadership development at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy and is currently leading a surprise summer refurb for deserving staff and pupils. He tells his story
I
n my mind, the key to the future of developing the environment for teaching and learning is to create the school that everyone involved deserves: It needs to be a testament to strong teaching and learning – aspirational for children and inspirational for staff. The suspension of BSF in Sandwell has been a huge blow for the teachers, associated adults and children that attend these schools. We have all seen the massive impact a brand new building can have on pupils’ ambition and self-esteem and in turn, the achievement of those schools fortunate enough to have been successful over recent years. At Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy, we lost out on BSF, although we do have a significant, if not ever-changing sum of money to spend on refurbishing a 60-year-old building. The premises have a feeling of many school types – with a history of 20th century architecture at play (you can see which bits were built when and how they were added). After becoming an academy, the principal Janice Farrell and vice principal Zoe Stucki embarked on promoting and enhancing the overall quality of teaching and learning, with a rise in results after the first year of 17% at 5 A*-C English and Maths. At the time of writing, we are expecting another rise, but let’s not jinx that with hubris. My role in the academy is new and fleeting – a 12-month contract to add impetus to the changes. Key to this is developing refurbishments as a mutual process with teaching and learning. The staff and children need to be rewarded for their efforts – as I write, a new teaching and learning laboratory is being developed in conjunction with the new education think tank, the Education Foundation. Designers, architects and builders have discretely been on site to assess what can be achieved and work has begun after the school closes for the summer. The staff and children are not at all aware of the plans and the reveal, along with a significantly smarter reception area on top of some clever adjustments to the corridors and canteen areas should come as a surprise come Results Day. To create the school that they all deserve in one fell swoop would be amazing. It is not going to happen. The new teaching and learning space will create not only the opportunity to celebrate the distance travelled over two years, but also to explore what could be achieved in the future. It’s not a case of how to create these spaces, but to learn to develop the ones we have got. We were frustrated when BSF was cancelled, but it means we are now thinking more inventively for ourselves.
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To create the school that they all deserve in one fell swoop would be amazing. It is not going to happen
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14
sector Community cohesion
Community outreach programme In the wake of the 7/7 attacks, schools have a statutory duty to take a lead on community cohesion and are inspected on their progress by Ofsted. But how far are schools willing or able to take a lead on integrating people in their community? A new report by the CfBT Education Trust explores this issue. Director Tony McAleavy advices school business managers
S
ince 2007, schools have had a statutory duty to take a lead on community cohesion and be a hub for building local understanding – partly in response to fears about extremism and terrorism. But how far are schools willing or able to take a lead on integrating people in their communities? Is this focus on community cohesion a distraction from the core business of educating children? A new report published by CfBT Education Trust has looked at the response of schools to the community cohesion duty. The coalition government’s plans to reduce the bureaucratic burden on schools means an end to Ofsted inspections of the duty, but the duty itself stays in place. Should this be the case? Our research involved a variety of schools across three local authority areas, including two large counties and a multi-racial city authority. We found that overall, the duty to promote community cohesion has received an ambivalent response from school leaders, managers and teachers. Some schools see the duty as not a central concern, but most regard it as important, not only for their students’ wellbeing but as essential to the building of a successful school. It has encouraged some schools to emulate those that have already started to address their communities’ needs and concerns. The schools also see a focus on community cohesion as an opportunity to improve relations with and between parents. It also provides a2010 chancewww.edexec.co.uk to draw on resources available within the wider community. november
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sector community cohesion
For all the ambiguities and the lack of objectivity around inspection of cohesion, the imposition of the duty has undoubtedly had the effect of focusing the attention of many schools in ways they would not otherwise have done
The study found that children are regularly arriving at schools unannounced, having widely differing backgrounds and lacking any English language. For example, at one school in the report, there was not only a high proportion of Muslim children but great diversity within the Muslim population – including both cultural differences (Asian and African Muslims) and also Sunni and Shia. Another school, serving the children of military families, had a very transient population to contend with, and no fewer than 15% of these were newly arrived Nepalese Gurkha children. A few schools had faced complete shifts in their character. Two of the faith schools we visited, one Catholic and one Jewish, had witnessed an exodus of local families, and had a new cultural mix of children. We identified promising schemes put in place with the potential for integrating parents not only with school but their local communities. Crash courses in English have been set up in response to the arrival of a large group of non-Englishspeaking newcomers; one school made a videobased version of the school prospectus for use with parents speaking other languages; another primary school staged a ‘community week’ when parents were invited to take part in a range of activities including playing games with the children, something not done in some home cultures. In a secondary school serving a large army barracks, teachers were faced with a large group of immigrant children from Gurkha families. Among other measures, the school developed a detailed monitoring system showing
which children participated in what activities. This enabled the school to see how well migrant children were entering into the life of the school. In addition it showed that other groups of children, such as those who were carers at home, were also at a disadvantage and needed special support. Schools appear to be particularly successful at supporting outsiders to thrive. Making links between pupils in schools with different ethnic make-ups is one strategy that has been nationally recommended by the Ajegbo Report. Nationally, several local authorities with diverse schools in terms of ethnic mix successfully manage to link local schools of very different character – guidance and training is provided as to how to manage such schemes sensitively and, for those students fortunate enough to participate, the experience can be memorable and, according to the urban local authority advisor in our sample, “life-changing”. But such schemes are demanding of time and resources and, in practical terms, may not be able to be extended to all students as an entitlement. Questions remain as to how vulnerable such schemes will be when external funding assistance has dried up. At the national level, schools seemed to encounter more difficulties. While some schemes had successfully run, logistical problems were greater and schemes appeared to be more difficult to sustain over the longer term. They are also often highly dependent on the goodwill of individual members of staff who often take on such responsibilities in addition to existing duties. Several managers mentioned to us that
implementing the duty placed considerable additional resource burdens on the school, which it found difficult to meet. Some schools reported to us that they made staffing adjustments in order to implement the new duty, typically placing the day-to-day responsibility for community cohesion with a senior member of staff. Providing evidence and reporting on community cohesion continues to be a problem, however, schools offered a wide range of impact evidence to inspectors and in their forms based on cohesion activities in relation to particular ethnic, cultural, faith and socio-economic factors, and often referred to strong and developing partnerships with a range of community organisations. Levels of recorded racist incidents provided objective evidence of cohesion, as did successful activities helping or supporting disadvantaged students or groups. Others were able to draw on attitudinal data and anecdotal evidence drawn for example, from the experiences of students following linking activities. For all the ambiguities and the lack of objectivity around inspection of cohesion, the imposition of the duty has undoubtedly had the effect of focusing the attention of many schools in ways they would not otherwise have done. Many schools were already active in areas of school life which contribute towards community cohesion. But as a result of the duty imposed in 2007, many schools have re-doubled their efforts in this area, have developed new structures and strategies, and developed new projects from which many students have benefited.
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sector Interview
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sector Interview
Bexhill High School replaces traditional classrooms with learning pods, connected to a central heart space, facilitating principal Mike Conn and East Sussex County Council’s vision for delivering a transformational curriculum focused on project-based learning. Julia Dennison visits the school
B
exhill High School is the first and last of its kind. It’s the first Building Schools for the Future-funded school to take a truly flexible and personalised approach to its design and the learning under a Scandinavian-type model, which occurs in large, open-plan office-style classrooms with a strong emphasis on IT, alongside the ‘heart space’ of the school, which is a café-style hub where pupils and staff eat their meals together. It’s also one of the last multi-million pound BSF new-builds to get its project completed before the programme was shut down under the Conservative government. The new Bexhill High School started life as a One-School Pathfinder under BSF, when the last government approached all the local authorities without academies to open a school in each that was transformational in the area. A bid was put together by a team setup by east sussex county council, which included principal Mike Conn, with the help of an external curriculum consultant and the Government, it was accepted and the new build was given the green light in January 2007, funded by £34m from BSF and more than £4m from East Sussex County Council, including £2m on ICT. “It was manna from heaven,” remembers Conn. The new building, designed by Devereux Architects, opened its doors to pupils on 8 November last year – in the middle of term, which had its difficulties as the pupils had to move from the old building during exam time (the opening ceremony fell during the Year 11 exam). The length of Bexhill’s school day has also changed and will run from 8.30am to 5pm for at least two days a week starting from this month, with lessons lasting three hours and breaks decided by teachers and pupils. There’s no homework, as children are encouraged to have a life outside of the slightly longer school day.
Thinking inside the pod Each of Bexhill’s 15 education pods are the equivalent to three traditional classrooms and can each accommodate up to 90 students permanently supervised by three teachers, and a deputy principal oversees two pods’ worth of teachers across maths, science and language for 80% of the child’s week. “So 180 students have their own headteacher who is responsible for every aspect of that child’s wellbeing and education,” Conn explains. The remaining 20% of the week is spent in the ‘wellbeing’ aspect of the curriculum, which includes anything from dance to Pilates, gym and sports, as well as the arts. This teamwork approach to teaching has had a positive impact on the school’s staff. “It really has absolutely boosted their self-confidence and they just love their job so much more,” comments Conn. “Everything is about a central space with learning communities feeding off it and people working as teams. There’s a lot more integration and interaction and I’ve always believed a teacher is isolated for about 80% of the day normally – with their baggage – but now it’s still one to 30 but suddenly you have three people working with 90, which has its challenges but also has its rewards.” Not all teachers loved the idea, and some left when the school changed over to the new building, but Conn has also
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sector Interview
project leader Chiji Okeke from Devereux Architects with principal Mike Conn
A DT workshop
been able to recruit new staff far easier than he has been able to in the past. Conn also believes the larger classes with a team of teachers means the school is better off financially too – particularly when it comes to SEN support. “We do put in additional staff where we need to for special needs or as support, but I think it’s more economically manageable because traditionally you would have had much smaller learning support groups with kids who were struggling, but actually you don’t really need that because it’s not axiomatic that a child who is struggling has lower ability in everything and not even in every part of a subject,” he says. “For too long dyslexic kids were treated as the lowest set in English when actually, their potential for verbal reasoning and other aspects of language are really high – and we can get around that.”
It was an opportunity for me to really get involved in the nitty gritty of planning a school from the learning, not trying to plan the learning around a building
Community outreach
The new school building did not have the warmest of welcomes from the community when it first opened. Bexhill High School received a negative Ofsted inspection last year, before moving into the new building, and Conn felt people in the community resisted a project that meant expanding a school that hadn’t been doing very well. “We couldn’t have been more rock-bottom,” he remembers. “It was partly because they felt there wasn’t enough leadership while I was out ‘doing the new school’. That’s a very bitter pill to swallow, and the easiest thing would have been for me to resign and let someone else come in and do it but that’s not in my nature – my nature is to put it right. Once we have the place working as we would like it to be working, I think we’ll be in a stronger position.” Relations are better now and it does its best to include the local people wherever it can. For example, the sports and drama facilities are located at the front of the building to allow maximum community access during out of hours use. This approach also allows these facilities to continue in use while the rest of the school is closed.
A 21st century school With the £2m technology grant, the school’s ICT offering is of a very high standard. “In a 21st century school, you’ve got to have 21st century technology,” comments Conn. “There’s very little point in teaching in a 1930s-type school and
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fact box School Bexhill High School Type 11-19 mixed community comprehensive Local authority East Sussex Pupils 1558 Principal Mike Conn Background Mike Conn started as principal at Bexhill High School in its previous building in 1998
pretending you’re modern – I’m not being funny, but chalkboards are gone.” The building itself is environmentally friendly and meets the government’s 60% carbon reduction target through a strategy of natural ventilation and lighting to virtually every space in combination with biomass boilers for power and heating. Other features include solar panels for hot water, thermal mass for night cooling, rainwater harvesting and 600sqm of photovoltaic cells to provide free electric primary energy. The new school also embraces the government’s ‘Learning through Landscapes’ initiative with each ground floor pod having direct access to individual garden spaces. As a result of the innovative design, the school’s architects have been shortlisted for a slew of Best of British Schools Awards this year, including Excellence in Design for Teaching & Learning, Sports Award, Healthy Schools Award and Green School Award. Tragically, schools like Bexhill High School may be a thing of the past with slashed devolved capital formula and the termination of the BSF programme, which is something Conn feels is unfortunate. “[Building the new Bexhill High School] was an opportunity for me to really get involved in the nitty gritty of planning a school from the learning, not trying to plan the learning around a building,” he says. “And that’s my biggest concern about the decisions that are being taken [in school building design today], that we’re back to the bogstandard school that does its job. In economically-challenged times that’s what we’re going to have, but what people don’t realise is the idea of transforming learning will now be put off for the lifetime of all the new-builds that are built in a particular way and you can’t just knock them down and change them.” While £40m for a new school is hard to come by these days, there is a dynamism and determination for learning seen at Bexhill that can be emulated everywhere.
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/ september 2011
schools in focus
primary update
liverpool
welwyn garden city
What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management devon
literacy watch
A third of 11-year-olds fail their three ‘Rs’
Nearly one third of 11-year-olds did not reach the expected ‘level four’ attainment for combined reading writing and mathematics in the Key Stage 2 results last month. Figures also revealed that one in 10 11-year-old boys were leaving primary school with a reading age of seven and that one in 14 11-year-old boys were leaving school with the writing age of a seven-year-old. Despite this, however, the average capability of pupils leaving primary school has actually increased. SATs demonstrate an overall improvement in results from last year, including a four per cent increase in those achieving an expected level four or above in writing and a one per cent increase in reading and mathematics, when assessed individually. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) praised pupils for the positive results, as well as the schools’ workforce, which it said “continues to deliver year-on-year improvement and is seldom given the recognition it deserves”. It said schools having to become “increasingly inclusive” was partially to blame for the poorer statistics.
Key fact
21%
Only of 11-year-olds managed to achieve a level five or above in English and mathematics, and achieved a level five or above in reading alone — a reduction of two per cent and eight per cent respectively from last year.
42%
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Primary schools should offer career advice, says Hughes might only have access to career advice online. In his report, Hughes has asked for better guidance for secondary pupils, including guaranteed face-to-face advice from experts and even recommended starting careers advice at primary school. He also suggested linking every school to at least one university. Hughes recommends each school and college have one lead member of staff responsible for coordinating career and access activities and another member of staff responsible for ensuring maximum access to further and higher education, training and apprenticeships. He said there should also be regular training for these members of staff. The MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark also said achievements on careers advice should be tracked by Ofsted. “It is never too early for people to start thinking about future careers and educational opportunities,” he said. “Children in their last year of primary school can be inspired, and can form their first clear impressions of the world of work and further study.” Photo: Simon Hughes
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Simon Hughes, the government’s advocate for access to education, has submitted a report to the prime minister setting out his recommendations on increasing access to education for all and improving careers advice in schools. In his ‘Hughes report’, the Liberal Democrat MP recommended that all schools in England should offer careers advice to pupils from as young as primary school level. The careers service in England has suffered from cuts recently, leaving critics worried some pupils
What we learned Government accused of phonics favouritism. The government has been accused of giving schools financial incentives to use certain phonics resources for teaching reading. The claim was made by an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education, which said matched funding was directing schools towards a “small range of products”. In its report, the group said: “For cash-strapped schools the incentive to take advantage of the matched funding offered for phonics products and training will push them in the direction of synthetic phonics.” It added: “Phonics materials are being assessed externally and approved at departmental level and linked to a matched funding stream. Additionally the matched funding stream is only available to those approved products purchased through one supplier appointed to the catalogue of resources. The message appears to be that if educational professionals want to take advantage of matched funding, they have to buy from only a small range of products and only from one source. The financial incentive will be very strong and will be hard to ignore for many cash-strapped schools.” The report challenged phonics, warning it can turn children off books.
schools in focus primary news
Primary pupils explore renewable technology in pilot scheme Rowans Primary School, Welwyn Garden City
Students from Rowans Primary School in Welwyn Garden City have been exploring renewable technology in a pilot scheme with local manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric, which is making its new renewable training centre in Travellers Lane, Hatfield available to schools that wish to study renewable energy as part of their curriculum. The 24 students, ranging in age from six to 10, spent the morning learning the importance of reducing energy use, reusing things wherever possible and recycling to help reduce carbon emissions and limit the effects of climate change. Organiser Jenny Maskrey was class teacher for the day and explained to the children how important it was for everyone to think about the energy they use: “We set experiments for the children so that they could get involved and have tried to base the morning on the curriculum so that the session becomes a benefit to the teachers as well,” she said. Using a specially designed workbook and purpose-built experiments, the children discovered how photovoltaic panels can use solar
energy to reduce electricity consumption and also investigated how air source heat pumps can provide heating in the middle of winter, by extracting ‘free’ energy from the outdoor air. They also recycled their drinking cups into bird feeders and visited the company’s special wormery, where kitchen waste is recycled. “Around 44% of total UK carbon emissions come from the buildings we live, work and play in, so as a nation, we have to find ways of reducing energy use in our homes, offices and schools,” Maskrey explained.
Pupils at Rowans Primary School explore renewable technology in pilot scheme
Merseyside preschoolers given e-records of work Gingerbread Pre-Schools, Liverpool
Young children at a Merseyside pre-school and day nursery group have become the first in the UK to receive electronic records of all their work. Gingerbread Pre-Schools has started to issue its children with e-folders containing scanned versions of every piece of work they do while at the nursery. Each week, one item of work – for example, a painting, drawing or letter formation – is scanned and emailed to every child’s parents for them to share with other members of the family, for example. The e-folders are the latest innovation by Gingerbread, which has pre-schools in Crosby and Fazakerley, with a third opening in Mossley Hill this autumn. The group already allows parents to view video images of their children securely at any time on its NurseryCam internet viewing system, which can also be accessed from parents’ smartphones. In addition, all of the nurseries have biometric fingerprint door entry systems for its front doors, as well as boasting the latest IT, whiteboards and interactive smart tables. The Gingerbread Pre-Schools Group has invested around £250,000 in technology over the last five years. Chief executive Stephen Collins commented: “The technology has been harnessed to ensure that our children can receive the best possible early years and pre-school education in a safe and secure environment. We believe our electronic work folders are a first in the UK... [This] timeless electronic folder to be enjoyed for years to come.”
news INBRIEF After School Sport Partnerships
An Ofsted report issued last month says schools should work to build strong partnerships with sports clubs, community groups and other local organisations in the absense of School Sport Partnerships, to stimulate participation and competition and engage children at risk of adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Chief inspector Christine Gilbert said: “This report shows that where secondary, primary and special schools can work together they can increase the quality and quantity of PE and sports opportunities on offer for young people. Partnership in teaching and leadership can have a positive impact on both pupils’ participation in PE and sports and their overall performance at school.”
SEND IN YOUR STORIES Teacher Charlotte McCarroll with two of the St Giles-onthe-Health’s pre-school children outside their new pre-school building, designed by NPS South West and fast-tracked to accommodate growing pupil numbers.
We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk
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/ september 2011
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schools in focus interview
Our flexible friends At Hollinsclough Primary School in rural Derbyshire, a unique approach to flexible schooling has seen pupil numbers soar and interest in its work spread to a global level. Matthew Jane met with headteacher Janette Mountford-Lees
F
or many schools in rural settings, dwindling pupil numbers and access to school services are just two of the many challenges they face every day. There has been much debate over the viability of rural schools, with pupil numbers barely sufficient to keep the books balanced (see an example on page 23). Amidst the ongoing threat of small school closures, one primary school in rural Derbyshire has pioneered an innovative approach to ensure it remains a viable establishment and a vital part of the local community. Set in the foothills of the looming presence of Chrome Hill in the lush green countryside of the Peak District, Hollinsclough Primary School appears to be an ordinary village school surrounded by farm buildings and fields. Yet, despite the unassuming appearance, the school has embarked on an innovative approach to teaching that has seen it develop a flexible curriculum that allows for a combination of home schooling and a traditional classroom education. Having once had a pupil population as low as just five children, headteacher Janette Mountford-Lees saw the necessity to change the delivery of education to give parents more choice and allow the school to cater for a much wider audience. Within 18 months of developing the new system, the school grew from five to 21 children. The school has three options for parents to choose from, including full-time education, flexi-schooling, which allows parents to send children to an agreed number of days each week, and The Hub, which offers education as and when parents require it. “With those in full-time education, they must be in school as normal, and absences need to be authorised,” says Mountford-Lees. “The flexi-schooling approach means children are contracted for a certain number of days. Each day is delivered as a separate day, so the children don’t ever fall behind the rest of the class. It means all children get the same opportunities. The Hub is open to all children, even those who don’t belong to the school. All we ask is that they make a donation.” The only stipulation of being part of the flexi-schooling approach is that children must attend school at least once every 10 days to be registered at the
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schools in focus interview
Some schools offer flexi-schooling as a short-term measure, but we support it as a philosophy and as a way to support those parents that want to home school their children
fact box SCHOOL Hollinsclough CofE Primary TYPE VA, 3-11 mixed LA Staffordshire PUPILS 21, (nine full-time) Name Janette Mountford-Lees POSITION Headteacher
school. School places are funded by the DfE, as they would be for full-time children, but The Hub is not state funded, which is why the school asks parents to donate a nominal amount to allow the service to run. There has certainly been a demand for the new set-up, with children coming from as far as Sutton Coldfield, Sheffield and Stockport, as well as all parts of Derbyshire. “Some schools offer flexi-schooling as a short-term measure, but we support it as a philosophy and as a way to support those parents that want to home school their children, but don’t want them to miss out on the valuable classroom experience,” explains Mountford-Lees.
BENEFITS FOR ALL By offering a flexible attendance policy, the school can provide a vital lifeline for the local parents and rural community, as well as giving children who have struggled with mainstream education a chance to engage in classroom activities. “We get some children who simply can’t cope with a normal school routine,” says Mountford-Lees. “Perhaps they have been bullied or just don’t like the system. Other parents have an ethos in home schooling and have chosen this as the best option for their child, [as part of] their philosophy. Some parents don’t agree with having their child assessed, so their main purpose for attending this school is for the social interaction.” During our conversation, a parent walks into the school office, and offers her personal view of her child attending Hollinsclough. “I was looking into flexi-schooling as a bit of an investigation for another school where I am one of the governors. When I came here I instantly thought this was perfect for my children. I had been considering home education for some time, but this offered me the security, that safety net you need,” she says. The school can also provide support for home school parents, with a host of resources available for them to use. “Our library is full of teaching resources and information that families are welcome to use,” says Mountford-Lees. “We have got maths and English books that people can borrow, as well as the National Curriculum guidelines and assessment materials.” This relationship between parents and the school is a mutually beneficial one, with parents helping deliver specialist lessons in activities such as pottery and archaeology.
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schools in focus interview
IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES
We never thought we were doing anything special, but there has been such interest, and from an international level
Having developed a new way of working at Hollinsclough School, Mountford-Lees can reflect on how the scheme has taken off. From the initial conversations she held with a member of the local authority, the flexi-school agenda has gone from strength to strength. She believes the real catalyst for success was a chance meeting with education consultant Sir Jim Rose. “I saw him at a conference and during the coffee break I explained our plans and asked for his views,” she explains. “He was very interested and put us in touch with the CfBT Education Trust, who were able to advice and support us.” Mountford-Lees believes that the system she has developed is a good response to societal requirements. “People are a lot more open to new ideas,” she says. “We are responding to the changing society. It is important to find a way to keep the school open. The villages where schools have closed have just died. Nobody wants to move there because there is nowhere to send their children.” While she is understandably a keen advocate of flexi-schooling as a means to help prop up rural school numbers, Mountford-Lees adds that they don’t believe it is anything revolutionary. “It just feels normal to us. I think every county will have small schools that need to remain [in place] in order for the rural community to be viable. I don’t know how it would transfer to larger schools, but I’m sure it would. Our children have never questioned it; they just see it as normal. The full-time children realise they are lucky and the home schooled children think they are lucky because they have the best of both worlds,” she says.
FORGING AHEAD There is certainly a great deal of interest in this little village school, and a glance at the location of visitors to its website suggests there is global appeal
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for its flexi-schooling approach. “We have got visitors from around the world – as far afield as America,” says Mountford-Lees. “We never thought we were doing anything special, but there has been such interest, and from an international level.” Hollinsclough School has also developed a link with Erpingham Primary School in Norfolk following an initial approach from the headteacher there. “He contacted me to find out more about flexi-schooling, he thought it could potentially work well there,” explains Mountford-Lees. “He came to see us and put some information on their website and instantly people we interested in it. I have also had interest from Cheshire local authority, but I think schools have to really do it for themselves, the LA role is becoming increasingly smaller.” The future certainly looks encouraging for the school, and Mountford-Lees is already looking into developing the e-learning opportunities. “We want to give more opportunities to the children who struggle to get here, and online resources could be the way to do this,” she says. “As long as we can meet the children’s needs, and as long as the children get something valuable from it. We are happy to share our findings too and all our resources go online.” With such a pioneering approach to the delivery of education, Hollinsclough Primary School looks set to continue to offer a vital educational lifeline to the rural community it serves. As the interest in its work spreads further afield to an international audience, its potential to influence the learning of even more children looks set to grow even wider.
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SAVE THE DATE
SCHEDULE MORNING (9.30AM – 12) • Morning coffee and registration • Opening speaker • Clinics and seminars • Supplier Exhibition LUNCH (12-2PM) • Networking lunch • Inspirational lunchtime speaker AFTERNOON (2PM – 5PM) • More seminars and clinics • Afternoon keynote speaker • Supplier Exhibition • Early evening networking over cocktails
EVERYTHING YOU LOVE ABOUT EDEXEC MAGAZINE AS A LIVE EVENT
CLINIC TOPICS LEGAL • Becoming independent – academies and free schools • Property • TUPE
WHAT? An independent one-day event aimed at bursars, school business managers and school leaders that will leave delegates feeling like they really learned something – no fluff, no puff and no unnecessary yawn-inducing speakers EdExec Live, an event that will do what it says on the tin: bring the pages of EdExec to life through a series of hard hitting, information packed clinics and seminars. An event that offers a tangible learning experience through best practice from colleagues, education specialists, inspirational speakers and business leaders. Think of it like a mini MBA for SBMs! (For more information, see page 32 of this issue). WHERE? London’s Business Design Centre WHEN? 22nd June 2012 WHY? Having attended a fair few conferences ourselves, what we at Education Executive felt was missing from the conference circuit was a collaborative learning experience specifically targeting the school business leaders. And who is better placed to host such an event than EdExec!
HR and training • Upskilling yourself • Upskilling your staff • Accountancy qualifications – are they worth it? ICT • Moving to the cloud • Capital funding and leasing • Upgrades – when to do it? • Trends and innovations ACCOUNTANCY AND FUNDING • How to raise money • Going for grants • The changing funding formula • School banking
SEMINAR TOPICS Strength in numbers – the pros and cons of joining a federation or group of schools Changes to the funding formula – with autonomy comes accountability Learning from the independents – what the state sector can learn from feepaying private schools and universities (from fundraising to alumni relations)
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER This event is a must and we’re anticipating very high take-up. The price, which includes a ticket to the event, breakfast, lunch, refreshments and networking drinks, start from £49.99 for early birds. The first 30 people to register their interest by emailing editor@edexec.co.uk will receive free tickets for the day
Running a 21st century school – what every modern school should have and know
CONTACT US edexeclive.co.uk editor@edexec.co.uk
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schools in focus secondary news
newcastle durham
secondary update What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education
altrincham North West Wales
croydon
funding WATCH
‘Money wasted on badly run colleges’ The Public Accounts Committee has issued a report assessing the value for money that the current education system is providing for 16- to 18-year-olds as the implementation of the Education and Skills Act (2008) comes into effect – introducing the requirement for all young people to continue in education or training up to age 17 (from 2013) and 18 (from 2015). Over 1.6 million 16- to 18-year-olds participated in some form of education and training (at a cost of over £6bn in 2009), according to the report, and most of these young people were studying full-time for Level 3 qualifications (such as A-levels or National Vocational Qualifications). Some of the findings, however, demonstrated that there were complications regarding the submittal of funding information and results by colleges and it was therefore difficult to assess the value for money for students in these instances. The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, chair of the committee, said: “The competitive market in which providers operate can act as a barrier to cooperation.” She referred to findings that smaller educational establishments aimed at 16- to 18-year-olds run less efficiently than larger institutions. “The Department has announced that the Education Maintenance Allowance will be replaced by a bursary scheme which it believes will offer greater value for money,” she added, “however... the potential impact on participation in education and training, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds [has not yet been assessed].” The Department for Education confirmed that any under-performing sixth-form would be “subject to improvement action”.
FE colleges given degree go-ahead Two FE colleges become the first institutions of their kind to be given the right to award their own foundation degrees corporation of newcastle college Newcastle corporation of new college Durham
The Privy Council has granted foundation degree awarding powers to the Corporation of Newcastle College and the Corporation of New College Durham, following detailed scrutiny of their applications by the Quality Assurance Agency. Foundation degrees have grown in popularity in recent years, with around 100,000 students enrolled in them last year. “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,” explained Business Secretary Vince Cable on the launch. Universities and Science Minister David Willetts was delighted with the news. “We want to ensure that institutions offering high quality work-focussed degrees can compete on a level playing field for prospective students.” Chief executive of NCG, the parent group of the Newcastle College Corporation, Jackie Fisher shared Willetts’s enthusiasm. “Foundation degree awarding powers create a platform for us to forge ahead with our plans for taught degree awarding powers and gives us the opportunity to provide students with degrees that will give them the powers to get jobs and progress in their careers,” she said.
They said... Young people taking life-defining decisions at 16 need clear information on the support they may receive and deserve better than rushed and ill thought through reforms Graham Stuart MP, chairman of an education select committee criticising the speed in which the government replaced the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme
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schools in focus secondary news
Croydon pupils first to benefit from UK sports kit donation day addington school Croydon
Pupils from Addington School in Croydon took delivery of the first ever UK distribution of sports kit by LV= SOS Kit Aid – a nationwide initiative that aims to give more access to sport by providing young people in the UK and overseas with recycled rugby and cricket kit. LV=SOS Kit Aid, supported by youth sports charity The Lord’s Taverners, presented a haul of rugby and cricket equipment to over 50 pupils from the school. The donation included everything the school requires to teach both sports, from rugby shirts, shorts, boots, corner flags and scrum caps to cricket bats, whites, balls and protective helmets. The kit was then put to immediate use in the playground as the pupils, aged 11-14 years old, participated in rugby and cricket coaching sessions hosted by LV=SOS Kit Aid and England women’s rugby player, Amy Turner. The sessions were geared to give the pupils first-hand experience of how sport boosts self-confidence, discipline, teamwork and good health. The donation will help counter the lack of funding that Addington School receives to buy much-needed sports equipment and will give the pupils more access to sport. The event at Addington School in Croydon was part of the scheme’s wider target to collect and redistribute 20,000kgs of rugby
and cricket kit by the end of 2011. The charity has already run several successful collection days, including recent support from Middlesex CCC at Lord’s Cricket Ground in June. Tim Davies, headteacher at Addington School, said: “The biggest thing that this donation does for us is that our pupils see support coming from the outside. It gives them energy, self-belief and a sense of purpose – you can see it just from their body language. We aim to teach our pupils some lifelong learnings of which sport plays a major part. With this kit, they will now have a greater choice of sport which is fantastic.” Lauren Melville, a Year 9 pupil at Addington School, added: “Sport helps me to release my energy, learn about teamwork and is the best way to get involved outside of the classroom at school.”
GRANT WATCH Green energy awards open for entry The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy is seeking entries from UK schools and colleges that encourage the use of sustainable energy through the curriculum, pupil behaviour and the school building and grounds. Winners will receive individual prizes of up to £10,000, with an overall UK Gold Award of £20,000; a package of benefits; and support, including a broadcast-quality short film about their winning work, tailored business support, introductions to influential policy makers and, in certain cases, funders. The awards will be presented at a VIP ceremony in London in May. The deadline is 25 October. To download an application, visit http:// www.ashdenawards.org/apply, phone 0207 410 7023 or email ukapps@ ashdenawards.org.
news INBRIEF Women’s World Cup finalist Amy Turner hands kits to kids at Addington School
£15m keeps northwest wales teens in school
More than 4,000 young people across northwest Wales at risk of dropping out of school are set to benefit from a new £15m grant scheme to keep them in education. The Potensial (Welsh for ‘potential’) initiative will target 11-16-year-olds who are facing difficulties, such as under achievement or absenteeism. Backed with almost £9m from the Convergence European Social Fund through the Welsh Government, the scheme is led by Gwynedd Council in collaboration with Anglesey, Denbighshire and Conwy councils along with Coleg Menai, Coleg Llandrillo and Careers Wales. “We are determined to raise aspirations and increase participation rates in education, training and employment amongst our young people,” said First Minister Carwyn Jones. “Equipping them with new skills and confidence will improve their career prospects. It will also help us create the workforce the economy of North Wales will need to compete in the 21st century. By working together with local authorities, schools and further education colleges, we can maximise our resources to deliver the very support young people need.”
SEND IN YOUR STORIES Zubair Hoque (left) and Max McGuire (second to left) from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Cheshire, were rewarded for being on the winning team of the British Schools Karting Championship with a tour of Red Bull Racing’s Milton Keynes HQ
We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk
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schools in focus interview
High Wycombe’s John Hampden Grammar School for boys is an institution, counting famous names like Heston Blumenthal and Terry Pratchett among its alums. Julia Dennison meets headteacher Stephen Nokes as the school battles funding cuts and takes on academy status
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schools in focus interview
JHGS is a very good grammar school with a fantastic ethos, but it was massively under-resourced. It’s been about bringing it up to date
J
ohn Hampden Grammar School (JHGS) is a well-known institution in High Wycombe, where ever since 1893, local boys have entered its halls to leave a few years later the better educated for it, under the auspicious motto ‘Quit Ye Like Men’. In its current site, dating back to the 1960s, awards, cricket gear and framed photos of year groups through history line the walls, making it easy to mistake this institution for one of the more prestigious public independent schools, the likes of which give rise to Westminster politicians. While this school is certainly prestigious, and definitely produces successful alums (the likes of celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, best-selling author Terry Pratchett and mountaineer Kenton Cool), it is in fact a state-run grammar school, coping with a popular reputation that sees it oversubscribed, ever-expanding and at the mercy of dwindling government funding. Like most state-maintained schools these last few months, John Hampden has had the trial of restricted budgets to contend with, a challenge that headteacher Stephen Nokes has taken on with both hands, transforming the school this summer into a new-style academy in a bid to supplement reductions in funding to its sixth-form. He’s not alone – in Buckinghamshire, every secondary school that can transform into an academy at this point has. Primary schools are a different story however, with only one in the area making the change at the time of this interview (Nokes is convinced this is because they are much more dependent on the local authority than their secondary cousins.) When Nokes started his role as headteacher of JHGS in 2000 there was much to do. “It was a very good grammar school with a fantastic ethos, which is still there, but it was massively under-resourced,” he remembers. “It’s been about bringing it up to date, really.” In 2006, a new classroom block, quad and sports hall were opened by footballer Bob Wilson. This in turn led to the creation of a music technology suite. There was a setback to building works last year when on 4 November, a gas explosion occurred in the school caretaker’s house on the premises, which resulted in him being airlifted to hospital with serious burns. As we visit, he had just started back at the school after undergoing rehabilitation, and is recovering from his injuries. After the explosion, the school raised money for the caretaker in his recovery by means of a mufti day where the pupils came to school in their own clothes as opposed to the standard uniform. A new food technology room is due to be completed for this academic year to the tune of £350,000, £250,000 of which came from a government grant (which didn’t include the food). Another major project to do with food started around two years ago with the overhaul of the school canteen, transforming it from a bog-standard room where 600 boys gathered to eat once a day into a café space for students to eat, socialise and study in a calmer, sophisticated setting. Where before a series of catering companies would come in to supply basic food, under a new contract with an education catering service provider, JHGS has had its dining room transformed and better choices of food supplied by the one company. “What I wanted was a place that was friendly to go into with a bit that looked like a Starbucks and a bit that looked like a Wagamama – so different areas in one room,” Nokes remembers of his initial ideas for the project. “Despite being one the largest spaces in the school, the old canteen would sit empty for five hours a day. One of the key things for me in a new design,
Above | Headmaster Stephen Nokes
fact box School John Hampden Grammar School Type 11-18 boys’ grammar school Specialisms Technology, sports and language Pupils 1,050 Teaching staff 70 Support staff 50 School budget £6m Headmaster Stephen Nokes Time in role 11 years
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schools in focus interview
along with the quality of the food, was to have it available all day so sixth formers can go in there and work. We also wanted to put a wireless facility in so they could take laptops in, so it could double up to some degree as a working place.” All this was made reality once they found the right company to partner with, a capital grant and some savings in the budget. “We didn’t want to make a profit from the food,” Nokes adds, “so we wanted to make sure the package, apart from the quality and range of the food, was an appropriate price – the kids still moan about the prices though!” On the whole, however, the students are more than happy to have the new space.
ABOVE | TERRY PRATCHETT AND HESTON BLUMENTHAL’S SCHOOL PORTRAITS AND JHGS’S FAMOUS MOTTO
september 2011
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Show ‘em the money As chair of the Bucks County Forum, which allocates money for schools and works closely with the local authority, Nokes is well aware of the need for adequate funding to see schools improve. JHGS’s three specialisms of technology, music and language, granted thanks to its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted status, enable extra funding in those areas, something that was particularly helpful in the procurement of interactive whiteboards for all the classrooms. Nokes hopes becoming an academy will also supplement depressed budgets. While academic freedom is one appeal and freedom from local authority is also a “huge factor”, finance was certainly central to the school’s conversion, as estimates show the school will be better off as an academy by around £180,000-£200,000 a year. This doesn’t sound like much for a school with a budget of £6m a year, but with the news that cuts to sixth form funding will see the school worse off by around £200,000 a year for the next four years, it became a near-essential decision. “Money has now become a significant part of the attraction of it,” Nokes admits, though he fears it still won’t be enough to keep the sixth form running as it is. Indeed, sixth form cuts will be inevitable, which will mean some minority subjects will have to go. As 83-85% of the school’s costs are staff, “which is unusual compared to a private company,” Nokes admits, he asks rhetorically: “Where else can we cut? Colleges offer different packages – terms and conditions are different for college lecturers [than they are for sixth form teachers]; we have to pay [teachers] more and we can’t get rid of them as easily [if they’re no longer needed] or take them out for a year or two as we put some courses on hold, they’re here permanently.” With academy status comes the option of freedom from the national pay and conditions framework, but Nokes is adamant he’s sticking to it nonetheless. “At the moment we’re definitely keeping to the national pay and conditions framework because it would be a bloodbath to try and move away from that,” he says. “We’re not unionised here, but the governors’ intention was as an academy we would improve salaries. Because we’re just outside London we don’t get the London allowances, so the aim was to try and improve conditions of service, but then, bang, the cuts come in.” To make matters worse, schools in the Buckinghamshire area have a problem getting parents who earn less than the required £16,000 to claim their children’s free meals, thus putting the schools at a disadvantage for the additional funding that comes with the pupil premium. At JHGS, only around 20 children claim a free school meal allowance, despite more being eligible, so Nokes is trying his best to encourage them to claim and numbers have gone up a little bit as a result. Adding to the challenge of coping with cuts comes the fact that JHGS is outgrowing its sixth form premises, and will have to rely on fundraising for a badly needed new building, library and Year 11 resources centre since the money is just not there in the budget. The project is set to cost £1m and the aim is to raise money for that target by December. To do this, Nokes is using a fundraising company to approach local businesses, influential parents and some alumni to spread the word, and then in September he plans to launch the campaign to every parent. Despite its famous graduates, JHGS has had to work hard to build alumni relations. “We don’t have strong alumni relationships unlike independent schools and some of the more organised grammar schools,” Nokes admits, “so we’re not going to get much money from them [for this project] but we hope it will start that relationship so that in future they’re involved.” He has found Facebook has really helped to find influential alums JHGS might not know about, for example a CEO of Fox TV. As EdExec finishes its visit, Nokes and his colleagues, including school business manager Paul Manktelow, have raised £200,000 towards the £1m target already. While times are hard, JHGS is doing everything it can to maintain a solid reputation that is worth its weight in gold.
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schools in focus VENDOR PROFILE
SAVE THE DATE:
Education Executive magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural event, EdExec Live 2012, is due to take place next June. Editor JULIA DENNISON explains the thinking behind what she hopes will be a school business management event like no other
september 2011
\ www.edexec.co.uk
schools in focus VENDOR PROFILE
T
here are plenty of events out there for education leaders – many of them good, a lot of them are great. Having been along to a fair few of them ourselves, what we at Education Executive feel is missing from the conference circuit is an independent event aimed specifically at bursars and school business managers, with focus and drive that leaves delegates feeling like they really learned something – so no fluff, no puff and no unnecessary yawn-inducing speakers. We therefore took it into our own hands to launch EdExec Live. Taking place for the first time on Friday, 22 June 2012 from 9am to 5pm at London’s Business Design Centre (also the magazine’s headquarters), we hope to present a day-long event that is exactly what it says on the tin: a live version of our magazine – in other words, chock full of case studies, valuable information and inspiration for school business managers, specifically. Being bang-up-to-date and responsive to our audience and what’s current in the sector has always been one of our strengths. It’s always been our ethos that you can’t lead from the front if you’ve planned 12 months ahead. So, while it’s still early days and we’re working to confirm all the details, we can confirm broad topics that will be covered. We are determined to bring you a day’s worth of valuable seminars, clinics and talks from leaders in the business of running schools. Visitors will be presented with tangible information that they can take home and actually use to their advantage back at work – think of it like a mini, day-long MBA for SBMs.
A DIFFERENT DAY OUT We’ve chosen to make collaboration and focused information central to our day; that’s why the learning will come from sessions split into clinics or seminars with a small exhibition space where you can meet and chat to EdExec supplier partners in between.
Clinics Clinics will be short, half-hour sessions with a 20-minute presentation by a leader in each respective field on trends, potentials and pitfalls in their area, followed by 10 minutes of pragmatic Q&As.
The first 30 people to register their interest by emailing editor@edexec.co.uk with their contact details and the subject line ‘EdExec Live’ will receive a free ticket coffee and a talk from an opening speaker, who will be well-known on the SBM scene. There will also be a lunchtime break where delegates will hear from an inspirational school business manager leader. The day will culminate in a keynote speaker who will address tangible issues the profession is experiencing this year.
GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY The aim is to make the event accessible to as many SBMs as we are able, so we’ve tried very hard to keep the cost to a minimum – the main aim was lots and lots of value or bang for your buck. Clearly, we know how tight school budgets are because we’re talking to you about it daily so the first 30 people to register for the event by visiting edexeclive.co.uk or emailing editor@edexec.co.uk with their contact details and the subject line “EdExec Live” will receive a free ticket. Tickets thereafter will start at £49.99 for early bird bookings. The ticket price includes attendance to the day-long event, exhibition, lunch, coffee and refreshments throughout the day, not forgetting networking cocktails at the end of the day. We know how busy school business managers are, and with this in mind, it will be a fast-paced event that we promise will be the best possible use of your time. As it’s on a Friday, you can use it as an opportunity to make a weekend of being in London if you’re from out of town.
As the event is designed to respond to your areas of interest, we value your feedback and suggestions. Please get in touch with me by way of the details below and we hope to see you in June of next year – save the date!
LEGAL • Becoming independent – academies and free schools • Property • TUPE. HR and training • Upskilling yourself • Upskilling your staff • Accountancy qualifications – are they worth it? ICT • Moving to the cloud • Capital funding and leasing • Upgrades – when to do it? • Trends and innovations. ACCOUNTANCY AND FUNDING • How to raise money • Going for grants • The changing funding formula • School banking.
SEMINAR TOPICS Strength in numbers – the pros and cons of joining a federation or group of schools
Seminars Seminars will be a little longer and much more of a collaboration and open discussion between presenters and their audience.
Changes to the funding formula – with autonomy comes accountability
LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION Due to the ever evolving character of today’s education sector, topics are, of course, subject to change, but what we do know is EdExec Live’s clinics and seminars will have a collaborative feel between delegates and facilitators and will lead off of a central event space, where supplier and service partners will also be available to attendees. There will, of course, be one or two key speakers during the day – the aim is for speakers to compliment the themes of the day, which will be an intense learning experience in the key areas of school business management. The day will start in the morning with
CLINIC TOPICS
CONTACT US TODAY TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Julia Dennison, editor Education Executive magazine 020 7288 6833 editor@edexec.co.uk www.edexeclive.co.uk
Learning from the independents – what the state sector can learn from fee-paying private schools and universities (from fundraising to alumni relations) Running a 21st century school – what every modern school should have and know.
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schools in focus independent news
independent update
midlands
ealing
What’s going on in the world of academies, free schools and fee-paying private schools
MIDLANDS ACADEMY EDUCATED Midlands schools considering academy status heard about the potential opportunities and pitfalls from a range of financial and legal advisers at a recent education event in June, hosted by Lloyds TSB Commercial in association with the Birmingham Bursars’ Group. Issues addressed included transferring staff pensions from Local Government Pension Schemes; the responsibility of owning and maintaining school buildings and grounds; and financial and legal frameworks that need to be in place, from forming an academy trust to finalising a funding agreement. Phil Herriott, relationship manager for Lloyds’s education team in the Midlands, who opened the event, said: “All schools face the decision of whether or not to convert to academies, but it’s important to remember that it may not be an option that’s best for every institution, as there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for schools. “While academies have the advantage of freedom from local authority control, they also no longer have the security of that financial backing, so it’s essential to be aware of the risks involved if not approached correctly.” Around 80 guests, including headteachers and financial directors from schools and local authorities, attended the event. The was a series of presentations and a Q&A session with heads of local academies, who shared their retrospective and current insights into the debate.
Leaders condemn government’s ‘healthy competition’ for schools The ASCL opposes the government’s drive to encourage the expansion of popular and free schools at the expense of others The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has criticised the government’s policy to encourage the expansion of free and popular schools under the motive of “healthy competition”. The statement follows the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles’ announcement last month concerning the introduction of new planning measures to encourage the expansion of popular and free schools. Pickles (pictured) condemned local authorities as “seeking to use planning red tape to stop the healthy competition of new free schools” and wishes PHOTO: Flickr conservativeparty
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to implement his party’s pledge to “ensure there are sufficient state-school places and improving choice and opportunity in state education so every child can reach their full potential”. However, the ASCL has criticised the policy as neglecting poorly performing schools while encouraging those that are better resourced. General secretary Brian Lightman said: “Allowing the unplanned expansion of ‘popular’ schools and the opening of new free schools in areas where there is no shortage of places will divert much needed resources from those schools which need them most.” The criticism alludes to Education Secretary Michael Gove’s affirmation that the country needs “more good school places” without consulting school leaders before implementing the policy. “The government should draw on the experience of school and college leaders and involve them in an open-minded debate,” argued Lightman. “Only that will lead to considered and sustainable solutions.” This new development in the government’s education policy accentuates the belief that the coalition may encourage polarisation of school performance and that some schools may be left behind in the drive to give schools autonomy.
They said... Improvement in the education of every child does not arise from changing the status of a school and making it an academy Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, warns against academy status as a quick-fix solution to falling SATs scores
september 2011
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St Benedict’s Senior School in Ealing celebrates its Eco Schools Silver Award in recognition of the increasing work that the private independent catholic school’s Eco Council is doing
schools in focus News analysis
As free schools open up for the first time, Julia Dennison takes a look at how they might be run
Freedom fighters The free school revolution is upon us. This month will see the opening of 24 new free schools set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, religious, businesses and voluntary groups. They are funded directly by central government and are mostly small, with often less than 100 pupils. There are little requirements when it comes to the administration of free schools. One of the additional freedoms enjoyed by free schools, like academies, is their ability to set their own terms and conditions for staff. Free school principals are not required, for example, to hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). The major difference between free schools and their academy cousins is free schools are starting from scratch, often by people with little education experience, and this means they could be run very differently. “Although, there will be teachers teaching, you could argue that the business administration of those schools will be significantly different from academies or schools under standard local authority control,” agrees Andrew Thraves of Granada Learning, “because in free schools you’ll have a wide variety of people running free schools.” Because of this, the kind of people running the school may well be the people who set it up, with parents sometimes working there unpaid. Free schools will undoubtedly also be inundated by companies offering their services for a fee, of course, and those running these new schools will have to be wary. “Because a free school is set up organically, it can be easier for them to be led down an expensive path,” warns Phil Neal, MD of Capita SIMS. He predicts these schools will be more reliant on software solutions to manage their administration than a state-maintained school, as they won’t have the benefit of a full-time school business manager. That’s not to say free schools won’t be held accountable for their administration. Ofsted will inspect free schools just as it does to maintained schools, though like academies, free schools are not tied to the national curriculum. With autonomy comes accountability, and for this reason, Thraves believes data will be important. “Free schools, like any other school, will need to show how its pupils
have been performing, how attainment’s been raised,” he explains. “Although many of them will be run by parents, they’ve also got to make sure that they deliver what other parents want.”
Autonomy and finances Reasons for setting up free schools vary. There are existing fee-paying independent schools, like Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire, which wants to offer places to more people who might not have been able to afford their fees. Meanwhile, schools like the Bedford and Kempston Free School are hoping to offer a smaller, alternative education experience to what’s normally available in the state sector. There are religious schools and schools like the Free School Norwich, which hopes to make good links with local businesses to use their facilities and expertise to help deliver a broader curriculum. For other schools, it’s about creating a school in an area where there’s a shortage of school places. Free schools have to be run by a charitable trust and, like other charities and limited companies, have to follow certain standard financial requirements, such as preparing an annual financial statement. The Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) will be checking that funding provided to free schools is being spent appropriately, for example, through periodic financial management review visits. Pre-opening costs are paid prior to the free school opening and a start-up grant, which varies depending on the school’s need, is payable once the school has opened. Pre-opening costs can be anything from recruitment and salary costs associated with getting staff in place before the school opens to non-staff costs associated with marketing and publicity, office facilities and admissions. The annual revenue funding for free schools will be based on the average funding received by maintained schools and academies in the same local authority.
The future of free schools The permanence of schools set up by existing pupils’ parents has been called into question. What happens when the pupil leaves the school? Will the
parents stay on working for the team? Also, the Government has been talking at length about a trend towards federations of schools, which may mean that free schools may well be looking to their local state-maintained schools for help, support or shared services. A large proportion of free schools opening this September are in the Greater London area, so they may wish to collaborate and share experiences themselves, or, with technology and the internet being as accessible as it is, perhaps they won’t need the confines of a local area and will be able to reach out digitally to other like-minded schools here or abroad. Existing schools and their business managers should ready themselves for the phone call.
Free schools due to open this month include: West London Free School, Hammersmith and Fulham Eden Primary School, Haringey St Luke’s Church of England Primary School, Camden The Free School Norwich Bradford Science Academy Batley Grammar School, Kirklees Stour Valley Community School, Suffolk Krishna-Avanti Primary School, Leicester Aldborough E-ACT Free School, Redbridge Canary Wharf College, Tower Hamlets Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy, Enfield Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School, Barnet
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Cuddle up for corporate collaborative working In some areas, newly-launched academies are now banding together to improve their purchasing power so that they can replicate the â&#x20AC;&#x153;muscleâ&#x20AC;? the LA had previously in purchasing products and services at good rates. Great idea, but what are the pitfalls in terms of contracts and liabilities? Do all schools bear an equal burden? Peter Hill, looks at the ins and outs of forming federations
september 2011
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Federations
Where there can be bulk buy-ins, collaborative purchasing can yield significant savings
I
t is a truth universally acknowledged (in this magazine at least) that SBMs can make a big contribution towards helping academies deliver better value and improve outcomes. Where there can be bulk buy-ins – such as energy, catering, consumables, facilities management services, ICT hardware and software, training, and insurance – collaborative purchasing can yield significant savings. There are other areas where bulk purchasing can leverage benefits, but the approach is slightly different: for example, teaching staff costs – through opportunities to share specialist and supply teachers. Similarly, there may be opportunities for achieving efficiencies through pooling other support services. So how can you exploit these opportunities, and do so without compromising the independence and unique governance of your own academy? First, find some friends who share your objectives, who are nearby, so you can get to see them easily, who think like you, share your interests and who you respect and trust. Next, find out what they are really interested in; are they really into savings or is it income generation through selling services to other schools that turns them on? Then, devise the system for collaboration. The simplest arrangements can be ad hoc one-offs for a specific type of purchase; but the benefits of a system which can handle wider collaboration are obvious. If the choice is very limited (all or nothing) maybe this is not so clever. Can systems provide a menu of choices, allowing users to tailor benefits in a flexible way to suit particular needs? The best type of system allows stakeholders to own it, direct it, ensure it delivers what was intended and to enjoy the rewards and benefits. In other words, to be fully involved, but in a way that saves school leaders’ time. Is this possible? In volume purchasing, big is beautiful. Fifty academies banding together will get a better volume discount than 25. Too amibitious? Is 10 a better number? So join together two groups of five and what have you got? What you do need if you are just three schools that want to share the services of say, a school business director? Well, the director should be employed by one school with reimbursement contributions coming from the other two. In the space between these opposite ends of the spectrum are collaborative models that can provide the infrastructure you might need. All models can be enhanced with external inputs if desired.
this compatible with the exempt charity status of an academy? Is Department for Education consent required?
Resourcing and financing the collaborative vehicle Be clear also about what human and other resources the collaborative vehicle needs to fulfil its function properly and how overheads will be met – it will need a business plan. If it is to generate a surplus, to whom and for what purpose may this be distributed?
Governance If there is to be a new legal entity (such as a company limited by guarantee or a company limited by shares) you must resolve how ownership is held. Who will be the members/shareholders? Are shares to be equal (one member, one vote) or held in proportions according to the degree of participation by each member? Who will be company directors? Is each member represented by a director on the board? What constitutes a quorum for board meetings and, if the entity is to be a company, should it be a Community Interest Company? There are certain legal restrictions on distributions by a CIC, but a CIC cannot be a charity.
School companies Academies can participate in school companies set up under the Education Act 2002 and School Companies Regulations 2002 but at least one maintained school must be involved. The local authority for that maintained school has a duty to monitor the management and finances of the school company. Such local authority involvement may be unappealing to an academy.
Other models
Trading
Other models for collaborative working include: • Informal: collaboration based on a memorandum of understanding, expressed not to have legally-binding effect. • Partnership agreement: a legally-binding contractual joint venture with obligations to co-operate, provide funds, and accept liabilities as set out in the agreement. This does not involve a new separate legal vehicle. • Mutual vehicle: a new legal entity owned by its members. This allows new members to join later (and existing members to leave if they wish). The key principle for a mutual is democratic control by its members, and the conduct of a business for a specified common purpose, which may be the members’ own benefit, or some community or social benefit. Mutuals can be created through companies limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee, and industrial and provident societies, although the latter may not be suitable for partnering between academies. Where the mutual is intended to have consultation as distinct from business or trading functions, a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) is also a possible vehicle. Mutuals can be charitable, but are not necessarily so. They are often social enterprises - businesses with a social purpose. Depending on the membership and constitution, that purpose may be closely linked with identified outcomes benefiting the members. A mutual organisation is most likely to be the preferred solution for the mid–range collaboration. The particular solution must be tailored to suit the style of working relationship chosen by the participants.
Will the collaborative entity itself have charitable status? It cannot if it is intended to trade for profit. If it is to trade, but be owned by academies, is
Peter Hill is an associate director at TPP Law
What function would a collaborative vehicle have? When choosing a model, be clear about what you want it to do. Will it: • procure, but leave the individuals schools to manage contract delivery • or procure and deliver at lower cost and/or higher quality than individual schools can obtain themselves • or procure, deliver and manage the service through the entire life cycle? Also, will it have a role in developing the service? Once you are certain about the function, be clear about how success will be measured.
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case study
Fighting fit The Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Kent used to be a boarding school exclusively for children of military personnel and funded by the MOD but has recently opened to everybody as an academy. Julia Dennison speaks to bursar Nick Scott-Kilvert about the changes
O
verseeing the financial administration of a state boarding school is a very different proposition than that of your average maintained school. Particularly when it’s the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, a long-standing institution founded by Royal Warrant in 1803 that has been serving the children of Britain’s military personnel ever since. Once funded directly by the Ministry of Defence, the Kent-based school recently underwent a change to become an academy, due in part to budget cuts on Whitehall but also so it could benefit from the expertise of the Department for Education and share its own expertise with other state schools like Astor College for the Performing Arts. Its new status means the school can now share its military ethos and high quality education with non-military families and it also means the school is far more accountable for its own budget. The school needed the talents of a good bursar to see it through the transition, so it brought in Nick Scott-Kilvert a little over a year ago. Scott-Kilvert is an accountant by training and experienced in the financial administration of boarding schools, having worked for six years as a finance bursar at exclusive girls’ boarding school, Benenden. Moving from the independent to the state education sector had its challenges, particularly when it meant stepping into the major project that was transitioning the Duke of York’s school from an MOD-funded school into an autonomous academy, which happened on 10 September 2010. “This was a big project with a lot of change and uncertainty,” he says of when he first came into the role. “The boarding facilities were at best adequate and one of the incentives for becoming an academy was the promise of significant investment [from the government] to improve those boarding facilities and expand the school.” As we speak, ScottKilvert is waiting for the DfE to come back to him with just how much money that investment, which will be part-funded by a PFI scheme and the MOD, will comprise.
september 2011
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The uncertainty within the military arena at the moment means that a boarding school can certainly offer a continuity for their children’s education Better boarding The Duke of York’s Royal Military School is a 100% seven-day-a-week boarding school, so it is essential that no matter what funding it gets, the boarding facilities be top notch. “Effectively we have to create a home from home since they’re here all the time,” explains Scott-Kilvert. A new sixth form boarding house with 60 en suite single study rooms was completed by the MOD in time for the academy opening in September 2010 – to the tune of £4.5m. The first thing that’s needed now, is a general upgrade of the current boarding facilities. The school would also like to build a new boarding house for the school’s younger pupils and Scott-Kilvert is keen to expand the school from 443 pupils to up to 700, who would all need places to sleep. As expected from a boarding school, extracurricular programmes and sport are very important at the school, particularly at the weekends. The school charges a nominal boarding fee to cover these expenses, which at £3,250 a term is significantly less than its independent counterparts.
Funding fixes Even with the addition of boarding fees, funding is still an issue for the school. “We are careful,” explains Scott-Kilvert. “We get the same funding for education that any academy
Bursar | Nick Scott-kilvert
fact box SCHOOL The Duke of York’s Royal Military School TYPE Mixed 11-18 state boarding school Pupils 443 Teaching staff 65 Support staff 60 Bursar Background Nick Scott-Kilvert is an accountant by trade and joined the Duke of York’s Royal Military School a year ago to help it transition from an MOD-funded school to an academy, before which he was the finance bursar at leading girls’ boarding school Benenden for six years. Prior to that, he worked in the telecoms and international monetary sectors.
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tHe duKe oF yorK’s royal Military scHool’s Historic victorian dining Hall
“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.
students outside tHe nye Hall
would.” However, it’s hard to tell whether this will feel any different from previous years, as under the MOD, the school never received its own budget – costs and expenses would be paid directly by or reclaimed from the government organisation, so the school was often left not knowing how much things actually cost. For example, if the sports teams had an away fixture, the school used the local brigade’s minibus and driver. now they have to pay for these kinds of things themselves. all this was a confusing quagmire for a new bursar, as Scott-Kilvert remembers well: “I turned up on the first of June last year and one of the first things i had to do was put the budget together for the next academic year and it was very difficult to assess what the true costs were, but we had to do it and some estimates were closer than others.” There have had to be some cutbacks: such as larger class sizes than before (they still remain smaller than most traditional state schools) and some teachers have had to be made redundant. Scott-Kilvert is also considering additional fundraising measures, which is something the school has never had to do before on any large scale. This would include turning to its active alumni group for help if need be. academy or otherwise, the school is determined to retain its military ethos. its 443 children all belong to the cadet Forces and nearly a quarter of the school play in the military band. “in lots of ways the school has carried on as it always has done,” says Scott-Kilvert. even with the school’s expansion, it will undoubtedly remain popular with the armed forces set. “The uncertainty within the military arena at the moment, in terms of where people are going to be posted, how many soldiers, RaF men and navy folk there are, means that a boarding school can certainly offer a continuity for their children’s education,” he adds, seeing it as an opportunity to increase our numbers both from within the military world – but also for busy, non-military parents for whom, he says “the state boarding sector offers excellent value for money”.
For Bruce, like anyone else managing a school, change is always on the horizon. So his local Relationship Manager’s in-depth knowledge of the education sector is very important to him. All our school clients benefit from this locally-based expertise, as well as: • Direct access to a local specialist support team • A best value package of services, support and products • Discounts on ParentPay – an innovative service which provides a cashless online payment system for schools and parents.
To see if our service impresses you as much as it has Bruce, visit www.lloydstsb.com/schoolbanking or call us on 0800 681 6078.
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Education Leasing that’s top of its class Flexible enough to assist in funding all equipment purchases Enabling your school to benefit from: • • • • • •
A lease which allows schools to spread the cost of equipment Competitive lease rates Flexible payment terms - typically 3-5 years A straightforward & compliant line of funding Simple documentation Favourable options for continued equipment use
Investec Education – Operating Lease for Schools As school budgets continue to tighten, the outright purchase of essential equipment has become even more difficult; schools will now have to consider alternative methods of payment and operational leasing has become increasingly popular with many Local Authority funded schools. Under guidelines set out by the DfE the method by which your school is funded determines the type of funding or lease you school should always sign up to. Local Authority funded schools, and Academies funded via the YPLA, are not permitted to borrow on grant monies received; the only third party lease available to schools funded this way is an Operating Lease. Other establishments such as universities, Independent Schools and those specialising in further education, do however enjoy a greater flexibility when it comes to funding. Investec Education has been providing finance and Operating Lease solutions to schools for over 20 years. As one of the few providers of all types of funding to the UK education sector, we ensure that schools are able to arrange the finance they require for almost any type of equipment from IT, Technology and Furniture to sports equipment and vehicles. Already paid for equipment? It’s not too late to lease! Investec Education have the ability to arrange for supplier invoices to be paid on your behalf and even if you have paid your equipment supplier already, we can put a lease facility in place that enables monies to be refunded, allowing you to spread the cost of the project and employ the funds in other essential areas of the school. Our team of consultants will work alongside your school to finance the equipment you require, whilst giving you the reassurance that any equipment leasing undertaken is compliant with current accountancy regulations. For more information on our Operating Lease facilities or to learn how it could improve your school’s purchasing plans, contact the Education Team today on 01244 525406 stuart.hughes@investec.co.uk
National Association of School Business Management
Investec Education, Dee House, St David’s Park. Flintshire CH5 3XF Tel: 01244 525406 Fax: 01244 527309 Investec Education leasing is a business division of Investec Asset Finance Plc (Registered Office: Windrush Court, Blacklands Way, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1SY. Registered in England and Wales. Number 2179313) and Leasedirect Finance Limited (Registered Office: 2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QP. Registered in England and Wales. Number 02029122).
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Dressed for success School uniforms form a large part of the image of a school. With the education secretary promoting traditional forms of uniform, Matthew Jane looks at some of the options available and how these can be made affordable to all parents
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t is a moment that makes all parents feel proud: the first time their child puts on the uniform that symbolises their involvement with their chosen school. Whether students always enjoy their school uniform is often up for debate, but supporters of uniforms argue that they support discipline and sense of belonging to an academic institution. The education secretary, Michael Gove is a vocal supporter of not just school uniforms, but traditional blazers and ties. While the majority of English secondary schools (90%) insist on pupils wearing a uniform, the style and preference for what this consists of has been evolving. In general, uniforms in the primary setting have not changed a great deal in the past five years. It is important that these are comfortable for the smaller wearers and allow them to engage in all the activities of early years education. In secondary schools, however, there have been some substantial changes, with uniforms becoming increasingly formal and more akin to those in the private setting as more school opt for traditional blazers. “In many instances schools are opting to blazers with contrasting piping and linings to give them a more modern look,” explains Anthony Buckland of school uniform manufacturer Price and Buckland. One of the catalysts in the adoption of more formal school uniforms has been the academies bill. According to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), every academy in operation enforces a strict dress code. “With increasing competition among secondary schools, it has become more important for schools to differentiate themselves from one another,” says Buckland. “Many have wanted to reflect a more academic image with traditional values and this is particularly the case where standards have gradually slipped.” The academies movement has also given schools the perfect opportunity to revitalise and refresh their school uniform and general image.
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE Whenever there is a change in image or design at a school, it is important to consult with all affected parties. This will help to ensure that parents, students and teachers are all supportive of the new uniform policy. “If they feel that their views have been taken into account, then the pupils are more likely to support the decision and wear the garments properly,” says Buckland.
With increasing competition among secondary schools, it has become more important for schools to differentiate themselves from one another www.edexec.co.uk
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There may also be some more unusual criteria for schools to consider when choosing uniforms. The King’s Park Secondary School in Glasgow made the news recently when it asked parents to ensure children do not wear tight or revealing clothing. In a letter to parents, published in the Daily Mail, the school said: “We believe an appropriate school uniform protects children from being targeted by sexual predators. There is evidence in south Glasgow of adults photographing schoolgirls in short skirts and schoolgirls/boys in tight trousers, then grooming them through the internet. We must do all we can to keep our children safe. A modest school uniform is more appropriate than fashion skirts, trousers or tops.” The actions were dubbed alarmist and extreme by some parents, but it nonetheless highlights some of the concerns raised over the issue. There is also more than just the image and design of a new uniform that needs to be considered, and schools must be aware of the logistical implications of any decision. “Schools should bear in mind not only quality and price but also the ability to deliver,” says Buckland. “The more reliant a supplier is on other suppliers, the greater the likelihood of being let down.” Buckland adds that schools should look for suppliers that have the greatest amount of control over quality, manufacture and supply of the items to ensure a reliable service. “Schools should choose uniform items that are not only practical to wear but also practical to supply,” he says. “Minimum order quantities and lead times need to be taken into account to ensure the uniform is readily available.”
AN AFFORDABLE CHOICE It is all very well opting for a uniform that looks stunning and fits with the educational ethos, but it also needs to be within the budgets for every parent. Buckland suggests schools avoid forcing parents to buy the staple items, such as shirts and trousers from the school. He also suggests it would be preferable to avoid putting logos and badges on these staple items to make them more accessible. “Parents should be allowed to buy plain standard items, such as shirts, blouses, trousers and skirts from the high street retailers,” says Buckland. “These are usually the items that parents need to buy in multiples, so by
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allowing them to choose an appropriate retailer, parents can significantly reduce the cost of buying uniforms for their child. He adds that strict guidelines can still be enforced and logos can easily be displayed on outer garments, such as blazers. “If a school also has a uniform for sports, plain shorts and socks could also be bought from a shop of the parents’ choice to further reduce expense.” While schools would be frowned on for making a profit from the sale of uniform items, it is possible to charge a small administrative fee to cover the cost of selling the uniforms from the school. “Selling uniforms from the school is cheaper than leaving it to a retailer, so there is still room to add a certain amount to cover the costs while continuing to offer excellent value to parents,” says Buckland. With careful consideration of the needs and preferences of all those involved, schools can ensure all students look presentable and represent their institution to outside observers.
AT A GLANCE
u90% of English secondary schools insist pupils wear a uniform uAll the academies in the UK enforce a strict dress code uniforms should be comfortable and allow wearers to uPrimary take part in all activities pupils when you change uniforms – they will be more uConsult likely to wear it properly for suppliers with the most control over the manufacture uLook of their product to ensure a reliable service.
Design & Individuality Style & Fit Durability
www.schoolcolours.co.uk Tel: 01423 866906 enquiries@schoolcolours.co.uk
School Colours
LOOK SMART FEEL PROUD
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vendor profile
Parental engagement
2.0
The biggest innovation to come to the world of parent-school relations is to be unveiled this month. EdExec finds out what ParentMail 2 brings to the parental communication table
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arentMail, the leading school-tohome communication service, was revolutionary when it was created in Cambridgeshire in November 2001 by three fathers who had become frustrated at the unreliability of communications coming from their children’s school. During a playground discussion about email and text messaging, the dads came up with the idea of electronic communications replacing the traditional letter in the school bag, which they found was an unreliable way to transfer information between a school and its pupils’ parents. ParentMail was born as a result, as the first dedicated system to enable mass communications between schools and parents. This autumn brings the next ground-breaking innovation to come to school-parent communication: ParentMail 2, the £1.5m nextgeneration development of the software that comes with a free mobile app for parents, and is set to revolutionise communications between schools, clubs, nurseries and parents yet again.
THe GreAT CoMMUniCATor ParentMail is used by one in six schools in the UK (around 5,000), to help them to communicate to and collect payments from just over three million parents. Over the next few months, the schools and organisations that use ParentMail will be migrated over to the new ParentMail 2. Research has shown that children achieve more when their parents are fully engaged in what they do – and this applies to activities in and out of school. ParentMail 2 uniquely consolidates information for parents from every school, club or nursery their children attend into one single account, accesible on their computer or mobile, so they can keep better informed and also deal with the huge amount of day-to-day things involved in bringing up their children.
A feelinG of ConTrol Communicating effectively with parents is never easy, bringing up children means there are many things competing for their time. The problem of paper-based communications is universally acknowledged by education leaders – it’s expensive for schools, letters can get lost in school bags and parents are often left out of the loop as a result. ParentMail 2 helps parents feel in control by sending them information, helping them pay for things online rather than by cash or cheque and keeping them abreast of diary events from all the schools and clubs their children attend, using just one cloud-based account. With the notifications and alerts that come through on its built-in calendar, organisations can alert parents to things, like when their child’s dinner money needs topping up, ahead of time. As a result, the mad-dash for school trip money and clean sports kits that often happens around the breakfast table can be a thing of the past. “Our ParentMail app will be able to alert parents in advance of when these things are coming along, so no longer will
Parents’ lives are pretty chaotic – trying to deal with all these different things that are going on in their children’s lives – ParentMail 2 is designed to make all that a lot easier, helping to achieve true parental engagement parents get chased for money or reminded at the last-minute about a swimming kit,” comments ParentMail director, Geoff Jones. “Parents’ lives are pretty chaotic – trying to deal with all these different things that are going on in their children’s lives – ParentMail 2 is designed to make all that a lot easier, helping to achieve true parental engagement.” Developed using the latest software technology, ParentMail 2 has a faster, slicker user interface that helps organisations compose and send hundreds of email or text messages in just seconds; create their own stationery template; take payment for things easily online or over the phone; automatically address and print letters for parents not registered with ParentMail; and allocate parent payments into multiple bank accounts. It also helps schools manage dinner money by integrating with cashless catering systems, but it also offers an innovative solution for schools without automated systems, which are predominantly primary schools. ParentMail 2 also allows parents to give consent without having to print, sign and return slips.
service, particularly as its often their parents that run things like local clubs, so they’ll already be on the receiving end of ParentMail. As would be expected, a lot of referrals and recommendations come from word-of-mouth, resulting in typically 150 schools and organisations a month signing up to the service. ParentMail’s relationships with parents span decades – from when their first child starts nursery right the way through to when their last child leaves school when they’re 18 years old. ParentMail 2 is such a special piece of software that its creators are confident they will see a threefold increase in schools using the service by the end of 2012, as well as several thousand more children’s clubs. “We’ve got so many plans for ParentMail, we could see it even helping parents beyond their children’s school years as well,” Jones adds. “We’re all parents here and we’re genuinely here to improve communications around what goes on in children’s lives.”
noT JUST A SCHool prodUCT As the trend for school federations and stronger collaborations between schools and local organisations grows, products like ParentMail 2 help to bridge the gaps by offering support to parents in all aspects of their child’s life, from football matches to dance classes or school trips. “ParentMail 2 is not just a school product, it links together all these other organisations as well, allowing parents to receive all communications in one central place,” explains Jones. The ability for parents to share an account adds to ParentMail 2’s appeal. For example, a school might put a diary item, like a parent’s evening or school sport day, into their ParentMail 2 system and that will then be pushed out to both the mother and father’s diary. Parents can also create their own reminders, which can give them access to a custom-made, shared family calendar. ParentMail believes that by making the technology easy to use for parents, parental engagement with schools, nurseries and all other organisations is improved. Schools pay a subscription fee of around £500-£600 per year on average to use ParentMail, which is then free for parents to use. For the service to have the best effect, it is important that the differing organisations, whether they be feeder primaries and their secondaries or local scouts groups, all use the software. The schools will usually be the organisations to take the lead on recommending the
CONTACT DETAILS Geoff Jones director 0844 356 0000 geoff.jones@parentmail.co.uk www.parentmail.co.uk
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Catering
Have you had your six a day? Good food at school comes down to six staples, says the School Food Trust’s chairman Rob Rees. Here, he takes a look at the latest figures on school meal take up and key issues for school catering in the current economic climate
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f there was such a thing as a silver bullet for making sure that every child gets a great lunchtime experience at school, we would’ve fired it long ago.
What’s clear, six years since we began our work, is that the task of helping the school meals service across the country to grow the market and become fully sustainable is still both huge and complex. The list of factors in the mix is lengthy: continuing to make the case for why and how good food at school matters for children’s education and their performance (research proves that when children eat better, they do better, yet all too often food has to compete with the leaky roof or upgrading IT for so many hard-pressed schools). Add to that the need to help schools meet some of the world’s toughest nutritional standards for school meals and showing their worth for children’s attainment and health; developing training opportunities; supporting schools with marketing menus on tight budgets; helping schools to protect kitchens and improve dining rooms, and to get better value for their services and supplies. But we are seeing a steady impact. The number of children eating healthy school meals in England has climbed for the third year in a row – with more than three million children now having a school lunch every day.
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New figures, published in July by the School Food Trust and LACA, show that an average of 44.1% of children in primary schools and 37.6% of pupils in secondary school opted for school meals in the 2010-11 year, up from 41.4% and 35.8% respectively in the previous year. It means that around 173,000 more children had healthy school meals last year, compared with around 100,000 extra children in 2009-10. In total, almost 590 million healthy school lunches were served up last year. Figures in primary schools have now notched up a rise of almost five percentage points over just three years, more than compensating for the fall in take-up seen after Jamie Oliver’s original campaign. Crucially, despite the un-ringfencing of government funding for school food from April, the research also shows encouraging signs that schools are pledging to continue investing the money in good food at school. Two thirds of councils taking part in our survey (65%) indicated that their catering services would continue to receive School Lunch Grant funding, with fewer than one in five indicating otherwise. The average meal price across all schools was £1.93, a rise of 5p – less than three per cent and below the current rate of food inflation – on the previous year.
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1. Give children enough time for lunch Children need enough time and space in which to eat their lunch. A 25-minute break simply isn’t enough for them to refuel and recharge their brains for the afternoon. Research with children for the trust found that lack of time to eat is one of the main things that can turn them away from the canteen. Queues have a significant impact on take-up of school meals and are where bullying, pushing-in and intimidation tend to occur most frequently. 2. Have a decent dining room What’s most important to children isn’t what they eat – it’s where they eat. Get the environment and food right and children will want to eat in the canteen. It’s not about huge capital spending – small things that don’t cost the earth can make a huge difference. For example, our Small Step Improvements programme – which helps schools find small, low-cost ways to make lunchtime a better experience for their children – saw average take-up increase in all five pilot areas where schools took part. One school increased school meals turnover by more than £12,000 in the six months after starting to make little changes – such as buddy systems to help younger students feel more confident in the dining area, re-arranging tables to improve capacity and allowing packed lunch students to sit with school lunch students. 3. Serve freshly cooked food The way in which school meals are prepared is linked to take up, which is why we need to protect freshly cooked food in schools. Research proves that more children tend to eat school meals in places where more schools can offer freshly cooked food. Helping schools to protect and improve their kitchen and cooking infrastructure is an investment in children’s performance at school. 4. Have a stay-on-site policy Children miss out when they can go off-site for lunch. Polling for the trust suggests that 90% of parents think schools should adopt a stay-onsite policy at lunchtime, with 67% agreeing that children would eat more healthily if they weren’t allowed to leave school at lunch. It can help make sure that children don’t turn up late in the afternoons, and allows teachers to focus on behaviour in school rather than outside. A stay-on-site policy can also ease tensions with residents living near school and cut littering. Rob Rees eating a school meal with a pupil
For me, there’s no better review for any restaurant than to see the number of returning customers going up each year – and that’s exactly what’s happening here, thanks to the hard work of cooks and catering teams, lunchtime supervisors, schools and councils. But the majority of children are still bringing packed lunches to school, or get dinner money to spend in the local takeaway or supermarket. If we’re going to keep school meal numbers rising, we have to keep healthy school meals affordable. That means helping schools to grow their market, to get the best deals for their food supplies and services, to protect their kitchens and dining rooms and to operate their catering services efficiently. With more children registering for free school meals, we’ve also got to make sure that we continue to encourage more children to take them up. At a time when funding is so tight everywhere, good school food is a solid investment in children’s learning and health. That’s why we’re setting out six staples of good food at school that will keep these figures rising: giving children enough time for lunch; decent dining rooms; freshly cooked food; stay-on-site policies; cooking in the curriculum; and affordable prices.
5. Put cooking on the curriculum Learning to cook and understand food is too valuable to be an optional extra or ‘nice to have’. Cooking and food skills should be a compulsory subject in all schools. They enable children to learn the skills they need to make healthy and informed choices about the food they buy and eat, setting them up for life. When children know how to eat better, they will do better. They offer practical ways to learn across the curriculum and secure the future success of a significant part of the UK food industry. 6. Keep school meals affordable Keeping school meals affordable for parents is essential if we want more children to benefit from them. Our research proves that school food is particularly sensitive to changes in price, so schools need support to build their market, run their catering efficiently and to deal with rising costs. While these six staples of good food at school may not quite be that silver bullet, they will get us pretty close to the target: a great lunchtime experience at school for every single child. The national statistical release, methodology and full report can all be found at www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/documents/annualsurvey6/ statisticalrelease and www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/documents/ annualsurvey6.
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Freshen up
As many schools adjust to a newly restructured workforce, Matthew Jane considers what the next stages could be and how to ensure staffing efficiencies and more stable futures
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The recent frugality in education budgets will have left many schools meticulously combing their spending to find every possible saving as they are increasingly asked to fulfil their roles on ever limited resources. In many schools, this will have led to the unpleasant situation of reducing staff numbers, with redundancy an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of the financial constraints the education system is under. However, restructuring the workforce could result in other staff stepping up to the plate, or could pave the way for fresh faces and renewed enthusiasm. Before a school can consider moving forward, the first step for schools is to assess their existing staff, which may have changed in recent months, to ensure they are getting the most out of the current workforce. Carrying out a thorough analysis of staffing practices is an essential first step and there are several options available to help improve working practice. Chris Cook from SA Law suggests methods such as reducing the use of temporary staff, training or retraining, or redeploying staff. It is also possible to minimise the use of supply cover by investing in in-house cover supervisors, which may prove more cost effective over time. Another option is to merge departments together. “For example, merging biology, physics, and chemistry to form one science department, or French, Spanish and German to form one modern languages department,” says Cook. It is also worth considering ways to improve staff wellbeing to avoid staff absences, which can be a costly drain on school budgets. There is also the option of outsourcing in order to save costs. “Support functions, such as cleaning, catering and transport could be outsourced to other companies,” suggests Cook. “However, if schools choose to do this, the implications of potential TUPE transfers should be considered.”
HR
FRESH FUTURES Once the upheaval of staff restructuring has settled down, schools may find themselves in a position to be able to recruit new talent, particularly given the diverse skillset and quality of new teachers coming through the current training programmes. However, any school that has been through a redundancy programme would be well advised to bide their time before recruiting new members to the team. Victoria Duddles from Weightmans LLP explains that if a redundant member of staff hears that the school has recruited again, they could bring a claim for unfair dismissal. “Although ex-employees would ordinarily have three months to bring a tribunal claim, this time limit can be extended if new facts come to the individual’s attention, such as a replacement being recruited,” she says. “To demonstrate that the dismissal was genuine, the school should be able to point to factors that have caused the situation to change, such as an increase in number of pupils.” Recruiting a replacement for a redundant employee within three months of the redundancy carries a very high risk of action being taken against the school. “This is on the basis that the post was arguably not redundant if it has been replaced,” says Caroline Yarrow from Bircham Dyson Bell LLP. She adds that a recruitment made outside the three month window will carry less risk, and the more time that elapses, the safer it will be.
GETTING THE BEST One of the most effective ways to help schools avoid spending unnecessary money on staffing costs is to ensure the initial recruitment process works to begin with. “Give proper thought to the role that is actually required; automatically recruiting to the same role when a member of staff leaves might
not fit with the school’s requirements moving forward,” says Duddles. “A thorough recruitment process and comprehensive training for individuals involved in recruitment will help ensure the school recruits the best candidates.” Chris Thompson from Engage Education suggests one of the main concerns when recruiting is timings and schools would be well advised to consider potential areas for recruitment as early as possible. “An issue we come across time and time again is schools that leave the process so late that the quality of teachers from which they have to choose, drops considerably forcing them to make a substandard appointment,” he says. “This comes at a high cost to schools as the wrong appointment is both time-consuming and expensive to rectify.” On the issue of cost, schools should carefully plan their recruitment drives to ensure they are as economical as possible, which will be increasingly important as the local authority’s role is continually reduced. Thompson says traditional methods are increasingly inefficient, with it taking between six to ten weeks for a school to fill just one post. “To achieve ultimate time and cost efficiencies, explore options to recruit for multiple roles,” he explains. “Some dedicated recruitment events provide the opportunity to meet many selected candidates in just one day, meticulously matched them by skill set, teaching style and personality, dramatically shortcutting the lengthy selection process.” Whether your school is streamlining its staffing structures, improving existing staff members or in the fortunate position to be considering bringing in new talent, having a clear plan in mind and a well-composed business strategy will ensure the decisions bring long term success, which will in turn help to deliver more financially stable situations so that future redundancies can be reduced or avoided altogether.
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TOP 10 TIPS
Interviewing staff EdExec brings you its top 10 pieces of advice when it comes to interviewing new staff – questions to ask, questions not to ask and how to find the best candidates
recruiT eArLY In such a candidate-driven market, particularly in the core subjects, schools must recruit early to attract the top teaching talent. “Traditional recruitment processes can be costly and inefficient, taking over six weeks, on average, for a school to fill just one teaching post,” says Chris Thompson, iday manager at Engage Education.
creATe A reLAXeD ATMoSPhere Personally greet the interviewee and try to put them at ease by asking informal questions. “Relaxing the candidate will help allow the conversation to flow more easily helping you give an honest appraisal of the candidate,” Shulman adds.
kNoW WhAT To Look ouT for froM cVS Once you’ve advertised the position, you may well be faced with hundreds of candidates, and it’s important to use your judgement to separate the wheat from the chaff. The more specific you are in your job ad the less chaff you are likely to get. Check academic qualifications, years of experience and how long they were in each position.
ASk The riGhT QueSTioNS Asking the right questions is key to finding your ideal candidate. Shulman advises using open-ended questions as this allows the candidate to give their views and opinions. Only use closed questions to find out facts. Examples could include: Give me an example of how you have managed poor pupil behaviour? What makes you a good teacher and why? Where do you see yourself in three years’ time? Why are you leaving your current employer?
ScreeN Your cANDiDATeS When you have a long shortlist, it can be a waste of time to meet up with them all. This is where a telephone interview to screen the candidate lets the employer determine if the candidate’s qualifications, experience, workplace preferences and salary needs are in-line with the position and your school. It’s OK at this stage to have a generic list of questions you ask all the candidates – later down the line you can customise it a bit for the individual.
DoN’T ASk The WroNG QueSTioNS No-go areas for job interviews include questions about place of birth, ethnicity or religion. While employers are allowed to ask if the candidate has the correct paperwork to legally work in the UK, they’re not entitled to go into their personal history. Questions about marital status, children and sexual preference are also illegal and could be grounds for discrimination. Also, apart from making sure a person meets the required minimum age for a job, you should not ask questions about age in an interview. If you have problems with some of the job interview questions you’ve been subject to and have reason to believe you have been unfairly treated at interview, you should seek advice from the Equal Opportunities Commission to determine whether or not a company’s job interview techniques have been unlawful.
Be PrePAreD “Familiarise yourself with the person’s CV and employment history prior to the interview and ensure that you have received two references,” recommends recommends Adam Shulman, MD of Simply Education.
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kNoW WhAT You’re LookiNG for Teachernet recommends considering whether the person will fit in with the existing staff easily; if they will be able to contribute most effectively to the work of the school; their attitudes to senior management and governors and their personal philosophy surrounding teaching and education. If they are a NQT, Thompson recommends asking them exactly what they are looking for from their first role and what previous experience have they had – “if your school is a challenging environment, for example, you need teachers that have the classroom management skills and personality for this career experience and will hit the ground running.” ProMoTe The SchooL “They key to getting a good candidate is selling yourself and the school,” explains Shulman. “The majority of candidates will attend multiple interviews, so you need remember that you are ‘selling’ as well as ‘buying’ so make sure you explain the benefits of your school and why it is such a great place to work.” DoN’T Be Too PickY After a series of interviews, you may well be overwhelmed by the choices. A good way to combat this is by creating a standard assessment form for the interviewer to fill in after a job interview. This allows you to assess the shortlist efficiently and using common sense, helping you find the perfect person for the job. But don’t be too fussy. “Although all interviewers have a job criteria to be filled, often the ‘check-list’ is too long and too niche, describing the ‘perfect candidate’ who often doesn’t exist,” advises Anton Roe of Alderwood Education. “You need to be realistic and willing to bend the boundaries slightly. You never know it might surprise you.”
Work / Life
Break Time ?
Secret life of a business manager
HOWZAT!
I am a huge cricket fan and have recently returned from a very enjoyable couple of days in Nottingham watching the England team deliver some amazing displays against India. I used to play a fair bit and would like to think I was quite handy with a bat, but now I am definitely more of an armchair fan. The beauty of working in a school and following a summer sport is that there is
number crunching Everyone deserves five minutes break, and business managers are no exception. So pour yourself a coffee, get a biscuit from the tin and have a go at this little puzzle. It is sure to keep your little grey cells ticking over and help while away your break time.
definitely potential for watching a few live games. While I have spent a fair amount of the holiday at my desk catching up on admin, I always allow myself a couple of days to watch a Test match, and this year I took my children along with me – it was a fantastic experience for
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number one team in the world. The nicest thing about it is that I was able to be there and enjoy the experience. Jon Bruce, South Yorkshire
Around the classeS With all those classes going on around you every day, we think you should be well placed to answer these little teasers
HISTORY Who founded the Scout movement?
GEOGRAPHY What is the longest motorway in England?
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ART Who created the iconic Angel of the North sculpture?
MUSIC Who recorded “Ebony and Ivory” in 1982 with Paul McCartney?
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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.
PE Faye White is the England captain in which sport?
ENGLISH Which poet married American writer Sylvia Plath in 1956?
Every entry featured wins a £20 M&S voucher, so why not share your secret life with us?
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ANSWERS History – Robert Baden-Powell; Art – Antony Gormley; PE – Women’s football; Geography – M6; Music – Stevie Wonder; English – Ted Hughes
By the time we return to school, I fully expect England to have been crowned the
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Coming up in next monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education executive Free school management
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Cornrow case lawyers speak on what it means for discrimination laws in schools
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The winds of change
Ormiston Victory Academy is run along the greenest of lines by its principal
The educational, environmental and financial benefits of wind turbines
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approach Why choosing the right software can make or break your school
update 54 ›› ict news The latest updates and developments in school technology
IN PRACTICE 58 ›› Room for interpretation Hinchley Wood School uses data to improve attainment
FOCUS ON 62 ›› The soft approach Why choosing the right software can make or break your school
HELP DESK 66 ›› Techno Geek When to pay for software and when to get it for free
Shar with e me IT m your anag er
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ICT NEWS & ANALYSIS NEW GUIDE HELPS SCHOOLS WITH LEASING AGREEMENTS A new guide has been launched by a collaboration of education groups to help schools get the most from leasing contracts A new guide by the National Association of School Business Management (NASBM), the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) and the Department for Education has been published to help schools avoid the potential pitfalls of leasing agreements and making costly mistakes. William Simmonds, chief executive of NASBM, which supports the training, qualification and professional regulation of school business managers, said: “The association [has] received many requests for assistance from schools who have been coerced by equipment suppliers into taking out new leasing agreements that were either not fit for purpose or rolled the previous outstanding value on the current lease into the new agreement.”
NEWS BYTE SCHOOLS WARNED AGAINST CUTTING CORNERS ON INTERNET SECURITY The adoption of sub-standard approaches to the internet in schools, as a result of cost-cutting, will negatively impact the users, Icomm Technologies warns. “With the current economic environment, establishments are now faced with some serious challenges of service provision,” commented technical manager Mark Allbutt. “Concern is emerging that security and quality of internet delivered services is under threat due to cost reduction. This could be a major blow to furthering technology education and attainment.”
FAST FACT
AVOIDING COSTLY MISTAKES The new guide, ‘Tips for Successful Leasing in Schools’, gives schools a useful checklist to help them to avoid potential mistakes when entering into a lease agreement. The issues schools currently face include not fully appreciating how to specify the terms of their agreements and not checking the terms and conditions or understanding that a previous balance would be rolled over and not written off. The guide was created to help schools identify the areas in the lease agreement to check and help combat these problems.
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TOP OF THE AGENDA Philip White, chair of the FLA’s working group on the guide and CEO of Syscap, commented: “Schools are facing a very tough budget balancing act at the moment, but they are determined that this should not affect pupils’ access to up-to-date technology to support their learning. “This is putting financing methods, like leasing, at the top of schools’ agendas making this new guide particularly timely.” Simmonds added: “We are pleased to have been able to develop a useful guide in response to our members’ queries and also hope that this guide will provide great assistance to all schools entering into lease agreements across the country.” It is available to download through the NASBM, FLA and DfE websites.
OF LOCAL AUTHORITY STAFF EXPECT ALL OR MOST NEW ACADEMIES TO KEEP USING THEIR IT SUPPORT TEAMS (Source: Capita Sims)
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TEACHERS VICTIMS OF CYBER-BULLYING Academic calls on schools to give staff more support and protection Teachers are the latest group found to be at risk of cyber-bullying, according to a recent report by Professor Andy Phippen that found several instances where teachers had been targeted for abuse by social media users on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. One headteacher interviewed for the study said she had a breakdown and was left feeling suicidal after suffering a year of abuse by a parent at her school who used a Google group to post libellous untruths about her and her school. “I eventually had a mini-breakdown in the summer holiday, needing an emergency doctor to be called out as I had become suicidal,” she told researchers.
GROWING ISSUE While cyber-bullying among children is a well-documented problem, Professor Phippen has uncovered alarming evidence that the trend is spreading to adults. Researchers surveyed 377 professionals and analysed 35 helpline cases. Of those, 35% said that either they or their colleagues had been subjected to some form of online abuse, ranging from postings on Facebook to campaigns of abuse on Twitter. Most of the abuse came from pupils, but in 26% of cases parents played a role. The researchers also uncovered cases where parents abused pupils online.
“Some parents view teachers as fair game for abuse,” Professor Phippen told the Western Morning News. “They use online technologies to hide behind while posting lies and abuse about their chosen victim. “It seems that, to a subset of the population, the teacher is no longer viewed as someone who should be supported in developing their child’s education, but a person whom it is acceptable to abuse if they dislike what is happening in the classroom.” Given the potential impact of this kind of abuse, Phippen calls on school leaders to take these matters seriously and have a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of their staff and said schools should not be afraid to involve the police. Laura Higgins manages the Professionals Online Safety Helpline, which is set up to deal specifically with these issues and commissioned the research as part of the UK Safer Internet Centre. She commented on the EdExec.co.uk, saying: “While the statistics were not surprising, we feel this is just the tip of the iceberg.” The service is available for all professionals and volunteers who work with children and young people and can be contacted via helpline@saferinternet.org.uk, www.saferinternet.org. uk/helpline, or 0844 3814772.
PUPIL HACKS INTO SCHOOL’S DATA SYSTEM Sensitive information on 20,000 individuals linked to Hampshire school leaked online by pupil after teacher’s password is discovered The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has disciplined a school in Hampshire after an inadequate password policy allowed a pupil to hack into the management information system and leak the personal details of 20,000 people linked to the school, including pupils, staff and parents. The incident happened in March at Bay House School and Sixth Form, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school in Hampshire, when a pupil discovered that a member of staff had used the same password to access the school’s website and data management system. Information on 7,500 pupils, including their names, addresses, photographs and medical history, was subsequently posted online, along with personal information on school staff and parents. The school had advised staff to avoid the use of duplicate passwords; however, no checks were in place to make sure this policy was being followed. The problem was identified shortly after the hack occurred and the security of the website was restored immediately afterwards. The school then reported the breach to the ICO on 17 March. Sally Anne Poole, acting head of enforcement at the ICO, said: “While it can be difficult to remember lots of different
passwords, it is vitally important that individuals do not use the same password to login to data systems that are supposed to be kept secure. “This is particularly important when the systems allow access to sensitive information relating to young adults.” The headteacher of Bay House School has now signed an undertaking with the ICO to ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to encrypt and separate sensitive and confidential information held on the school’s management system. The school’s website will also be regularly tested to ensure that the personal information they hold remains secure. The ICO has produced guidance, titled ‘Protecting your personal information online’, on the use of passwords.
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School: Hinchley Wood School Type: Mixed 11-18 foundation school LA: Surrey Specialism: Music college Pupils: 1,158 SIMS system manager: Gill Pearson
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Room for interpretation At Hinchley Wood School in Surrey, teachers are using data to identify students who are falling behind in individual subjects and investigate whether there is a link to poor attendance or behaviour so they can act on this information and improve achievement. Julia Dennison speaks to SIMS system manager Gill Pearson to find out more
L
ike most people who work behind the scenes in education, Gill Pearson wears a number of hats at Surrey’s Hinchley Wood School. On the one hand she looks after admissions, but it is her role looking after the school’s management information system (MIS) that is becoming an increasingly significant part of her job. As SIMS system manager, she is tasked with analysing and cross-referencing data from all corners of school life, “because,” Pearson adds, “everything is stored on the SIMS these days” – everything related to data and statistics, that is, from attendance to medical records, classroom participation to ethnicity and whether a pupil is on free school meals. “[Data analysis] started out as a small part of my job and it’s now become the largest part of my job,” she explains. “I’ve worked in the school now for 10 years, and to begin with, it was the sort of thing that was tagged on to the head’s PA-type-role.” While some schools have ICT specialists to look after their MIS, Pearson insists she’s not a “technical person”, rather someone who is good at interpreting the data the system produces. “It’s a very interesting role as it’s ever-changing,” she adds. Pearson is on the senior management team at the school, which means she’s able to bring the capabilities of the database, as it evolves and gets better, to the table at their regular meetings and present the data to the school’s leaders to help them do their job better. “[Data] is extremely important,” says Pearson, “particularly as it is used to inform the school, parents and the government about what’s going on in the school across all levels. We’re always looking at how we can use the data to improve teaching and learning.”
The admin staff at this mixed 11-18 foundation school work in teams and Pearson heads up the data and curriculum support team. To have a group of people focused entirely on interpreting the MIS may seem a luxury to some schools stretched for budget, but it’s becoming necessary for schools that wish to truly invest in interpreting data to the best of their ability – and this can pay dividends when it comes to improving education.
Room for improvement
Pearson relishes every update to the MIS Hinchley uses and a recent upgrade to the system has made it more user-friendly using a graphics-driven interface with a plug-and-play simplicity reminiscent of the iPad or iPhone, so it’s even easier for other members of staff, who are not necessarily experts in interpreting data, to use the system. This is ideal for teachers who Pearson says often “don’t want to learn another thing”. “I’ve shown [the new system] to the headteacher and the senior leadership team and we are now discussing how we’re going to use it [to the best of its ability],” explains Pearson. “It doesn’t replace some of the other ways that we interrogate and analyse data, but it is going to be much more useful for the non-SIMS specialist – so for teachers themselves it’s a very easy way of looking at the groups of children. So instead of having me produce reports, because I know how to, they can actually go in and learn very quickly how to interrogate the data in a very easy, user-friendly way.”
In the right hands
This not only saves Pearson time, but gives heads of department and other frontline staff ownership over the information, since
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they’re working where it matters – with the children. “One of the problems in schools is you’ve got all this data and by the time you’ve extracted and analysed it, time goes on,” she explains. “At least the more accessible the data is to the people who make the difference – the teachers – the quicker they’re able to look at it and put [initiatives] in place.” This also gives Pearson the time to focus on the behind-the-scenes task of making sure the school’s MIS is in good working order and interpreting the right kind of data tailored to the right people. For example, the head of year might be particularly interested in the pastoral side of education, so when children are starting to misbehave, they might look at how often they are late or absent to see if there’s a correlation between their bad behaviour and attendance and whether it’s affecting their performance in the classroom. Using the MIS, Pearson also helps staff members create bespoke test groups, for example if a particular group of children are underperforming in, say, the autumn term, she can track their progress the next term to see if any intervention strategies put into place actually worked. “Using the data to inform us as the children go on has been quite useful to see where “One of the problems in schools is you’ve these children need help got all this data and by the time you’ve and if it has made a extracted and analysed it, time goes on. At difference, then when they’re back on track, we least the more accessible the data is to the can look at other people who make the difference – the children,” explains teachers – the quicker they’re able to look Pearson. “So if a child at it and put initiatives in place” has met their targets and is doing OK, rather than continuing to give them support, we can invest in giving it to another child who is slipping behind.” The system can even dig deeper to look at certain teachers and whether their groups are performing better or worse than others. “That’s something that perhaps is not always looked at [in other schools],” comments Pearson. “When you’ve got new or young teachers in their first year of teaching, it helps make sure they are fully supported.” The school also uses the system to automatically produce three reports a year for parents. “Where you’ve got a piece of data that is a figure, our MIS translates it into a comment,” explains Pearson. “So if a child is working three levels below their target it will appear as a figure in our database but will come out to the parents as a statement, so they don’t have to understand figures to understand the report.” Indeed, the intelligent use of a data management system means a school like Hinchley Wood can make decisions based on hard evidence, rather than wasting time on finger-in-the-air interpretations. For Pearson, this makes all the difference: “As soon as the data comes in we are able to analyse it at the touch of a button.” In some ways it means a busier role for Pearson, but at least it’s a kind of busy that gets results.
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The
approach Choosing the right software can have a huge impact on the smooth operation of a school. Matthew Jane considers how the right solution can bring benefits across the board
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he modern classroom is now awash with the latest hardware devices, with interactive whiteboards, projectors and other hardware ensuring lessons are engaging and pupils are given the best educational experience. While this equipment is certainly helping transform learning, any investment will mean nothing if the systems running them are not up to the job. Ensuring schools have the best software installed can bring benefits across the board, from easing the administrative burden on staff to helping monitor the academic progress of students. Like putting lemonade in an Aston Martin, if the systems you invest in to run the machines are not fit for purpose, the performance of the equipment could be severely hampered. Software solutions are one of the key areas for investment in many schools, as investment is channelled towards getting the most out of hardware, rather than investing in new equipment. “Schools are investing heavily in technology, both in and out of the classroom, and it therefore makes sense that they would want to ensure they have the means to effectively manage this investment,” says Chris Lovesey from Net Support. Within the scope of this investment is the demand for a wide range of solutions, from management information services (MIS) and learning platforms, through to entire managed services. Schools are realising the importance of good software and its potential to free up time and allow staff to focus their attentions on their core duties. “The right software will deliver information in a way that makes it easy to understand and relevant to the job,” says Graham Cooper from Capita SIMS. “For a teacher, this could mean revealing there is a developing problem with literacy in white working class boys from Year 5 onwards or highlight which Year 11 students are truanting. For a business manager it could be modelling the impact that an extra member of staff would have on school budgets. And for the timetabler, it may be the impact of a new music class on room availability.” Having the correct software can have far-reaching benefits throughout a school. Cooper points to one school he worked with that saved 370 hours, or 10 weeks, of administration time
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by entering behaviour and achievement information directly into their MIS rather than using paper systems. “A school that introduced lesson-by-lesson attendance monitoring software reported that within two years, persistent absence had dropped from 7.4% to 4.9%,” he says. Employing the correct software could also bring benefits in terms of IT asset management (ITAM), which is particularly prevalent as schools attempt to improve product efficiency and get greater returns from investments. “Without comprehensive ITAM processes in place, school leadership teams will not have the information to be able to make informed decisions about upgrades or the rollout of new technology,” says Lovesey. “The initial purchase price of ICT assets pales into insignificance when compared to the annual cost of supporting the IT infrastructure.” One of the emerging trends in software provision is for hosted solutions that have the scope to deliver efficiencies at every level, from single schools through to federations. “The rise in the use of web 2.0 and cloud technologies is also widening collaboration opportunities, creating more effective communication between schools,” says Mohamad Djahanbakhsh from Serco Learning. “Time is money and hosted solutions can help to dramatically reduce staff time spent on managing applications. There is no local software to install, upgrades and back-ups are undertaken by data centre staff and servers are kept protected and up to date.”
MONITORING PROGRESS
Another area where appropriate software is having a positive impact for schools is tracking pupil progress. The solutions available allow users to analyse real-time data at the click of the button. “There is a rising demand from schools for online technologies that perform such functions and provide detailed analysis of assessment data to help teachers plan and prepare for lessons,” says Djahanbakhsh. “Next generation MIS and learning platforms convert raw pupil data into meaningful knowledge and push it back to a teacher’s computer screen at log-in, enabling teachers to focus on teaching and not the technology.”
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This software is becoming increasingly important for schools, especially in the light of recent policy that dictates schools must publish more data on pupil performance. “Software can play a key role in enabling schools to produce reports on each child’s progress quickly and easily without adding significantly to teacher workload,” explains Chris Scarth from Prime Principle. This ease of data production can also help schools deal with pupil transition, whether between classes or year groups as it will allow staff to have a comprehensive picture of attainment straightaway. Schools could also consider online profiling tools in order to analyse strengths and weaknesses as part of a strategy to engage students in learning. “Such technologies provide a complete toolkit to support teachers in a mixed learning environment, helping them to tailor lesson delivery and assist in preparing lesson plans to provide truly personalised learning to students,” says Mary Blake from ePace. “Understanding the learning profile of the whole class, with the facility to organise groups with similar skills accordingly, greatly enhances opportunities to teach effectively and also helps young people to become better independent learners.”
MAXIMISE INVESTMENTS
“The right software will deliver information in a way that makes it easy to understand and relevant to the job. For a business manager it could be modelling the impact that an extra member of staff would have on school budgets”
With a host of software available to suit a wide range of educational and administrative needs, it is important to consider how the solution will be used in order to get the most out of any investment. “To achieve maximum return on investment for technologies, schools must work with suppliers to simplify the ways staff and students access solutions,” suggests Djahanbakhsh, who recommends the use of technology that allows for quality communication and collaboration, such as Microsoft Live@edu, which is a hosted e-mail solution that is available free of charge to schools. As with any purchase, schools should consider the total cost of ownership of IT software investments. “Solutions may appeal purely because the upfront cost is affordable but look under the bonnet and you may find that they quickly become outdated or that for enhanced functionality you have to pay extra,” says Lovesey. “Clearly identify your requirements and be aware of what different solutions offer as standard, make sure there are no hidden costs.” With software, one of the most important considerations is how often the package will be upgraded and whether this will form part of your initial investment. “Most software suppliers release regular updates as part of their software development programmes,” says Cooper. “Make sure that your supplier is committed to ongoing maintenance of the product that goes beyond support. A software programme that is static will never last in the school environment, which is constantly changing and adapting.” Choosing the right supplier that will be able to cater to a school’s individual needs is imperative to ensuring any software investment is successful. “Ideally schools should be able to rely on their suppliers to regularly enhance products and if the customer has taken out an annual maintenance agreement with the supplier, they will qualify for upgrades during the period of cover,” explains Lovesey. Most vendors will also be happy to provide services on a ‘try before you buy’ basis with a free trial to allow schools to rate the effectiveness and operability of software solutions. Such is the range of products in the market that whatever challenge a school has, there should be a software solution available to fit the need. As companies invest more in research and development and constantly help pioneer new approaches, it seems the only limitation schools will have to worry about is the capability of the hardware and the funding for investments, and with the emergence of the cloud and an increasing range of cost-free options available, even these limitations may soon become a thing of the past.
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G follow edexec on Blogging www.edexec.co.uk/ technogeek Tweeting twitter.com/edexec Podcasting and news www.edexec.co.uk
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Free Software for Schools Vs Premium Techno Geek stands aside to let legal expert Chris Cook of SA Law guide you through how teachers should use social media
Its been a year since we began our exciting venture into the world of techno geekery, I have tried to bring you the inside track on all things online and for the classroom. This month we are looking at free software vs premium; do you need to invest in software or can you get away with getting it free? First of all lets get our terminology right: Premium: or proprietary This is software you pay for, from a company. They sell you a number of licenses to run it on certain machines, think Microsoft. Free: Or Open Source, usually developed by a community of programmers, for the benefit of people. Why do they do it? It can be for a range of reasons from not wanting to pay huge fees for premium and being alturisitic. Freemium: This software that’s initially free, sometimes supported by advertising, and then you can buy premium services from them. This is a model used by mobile phone applications So we know our options, what are the Pros and Cons of going free? This could apply to software for Staff at the school, and to programmes used with pupils:
Some free software examples, from @Doug_Patterson on Twitter: Jing: Jing is great for fast and easy creation of professional looking screenshots, so it’s mainly a teacher tool. (http://www.techsmith.com/jing/ ) Sumo Paint: Sumopaint is awesome for photoediting. It has alot of functionallity and is webbased, which I love, no installation needed! (http://www.sumopaint.com/home/ ) SEND US YOUR TWEETS technogeek@edexec.co.uk www.edexec.co.uk/ technogeek/
Xmind : Xmind is great for mindmapping which I used alot as a teacher and is great for the students to organise there work. (http://www.xmind.net/)
PROs Its Free! You also get the freedom to copy and redistribute the software on all the computers in the school Upgrades are also free! Not tied to one company for maintenance. If its not exactly what you want, vote with your feet and uninstall it and just more on to another one! CONs As its free, some free or ‘open source software’ can go under (so can premium) and there is no clear source for help or updates. Sometimes you need to search for support, rather than have one point of contact. Free software can be a great option for a school, particularly with classes working on particular projects, though for larger scale implementations there is a lot of piece of mind that goes with using proprietary software.
TG Recommends: Google Docs: Did you know the worlds biggest search engine has interests outside of search? They provide excellent free software to replace Microsoft Office, which is more its all stored in the cloud and free! http://docs.google. com, not to mention some pretty nifty email as well (http://mail.google.com) It can be setup for large organisations, like a school as well, but this carries a fee. Also check out: Schoolcomputing.wikka.com Bee-it.co.uk Schoolforge.net
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