Educate Magazine January 2020 by Educate Magazine

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Educate Contents 62

Welcome...

Welcome to the January edition of Educate and the start of a new decade. With a new year brings new possibilities and here at Educate HQ we hope everyone is excited for 2020 and all that it will hopefully bring. First of all though we want to celebrate 2019 and in particular the prestigious Educate Awards ceremony, held in November at Liverpool Cathedral. The awards, in partnership with Copyrite Systems and Ricoh is the largest education awards in the North West. Over 700 guests came far and wide to the event, and on the night 21 awards were handed out to schools and teachers in the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. We captured the evening on camera and full coverage with all the winners can be found in our Educate Awards Special. As the new term begins many students will be preparing for exam season, and January’s mocks are a key part of the process in getting ready for their upcoming exams. Perfect planning is always key in achieving success and with the help of some students, who took their exams last year, we have put together top study tips to help both students and parents get ready.

50-51 Features

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13-15

Time Out Get outdoors

Perfect planning Exam season is fast approaching

17-28 A night to remember Bringing 2019 to an end was the prestigious Educate Awards ceremony

32-33 And the winner is... Educate Awards announces new categories

36-37 Big Chef, Little Chef Developing life skills

42-43

66-68 Routes to Success Making those key decisions

74-75 Attention Please How to reduce your screen time

80-81 Where can we go? Our pick of what’s happening out & about

82 My school days Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross - Radio Presenter

One top tip is regular exercise and ensuring students get outdoors for fresh air, as well the importance of good sleep. The good news is we have two features in this issue to help. The first is a selection of amazing outdoor attractions and wonderful walks in the UK that would be the perfect time out for students preparing for exams. We also look at how to reduce screen time, with some useful tips to help students take a detox from their mobile devices and steer some time away from their screens, especially in the bedroom.

The Alsop Way Interview with Chris Wilson headteacher of Alsop High School

Published by CPMM Media Group, Suite 4 Pacific Chambers, 11-13 Victoria Street, Liverpool L2 5QQ. Tel: 0151 709 7567 Email: enquiries@cpmmmedia.com Executive Editor: Kim O’Brien kim.obrien@cpmmmedia.com Editorial: Alan Birkett alan.birkett@cpmmmedia.com Elle Foster and Jack Poland Advertising Sales and Sponsorship: Sam Lawrence sam.lawrence@cpmmmedia.com Louise White louise.white@cpmmmedia.com Social media support: Lawrie O’Brien, Will Lawrence Photography: Liam Deveney, Robin Clewley Design and Production: CPMM Media Group Distribution: Barbara Troughton Tel: 0151 733 5492 Printed by Acorn Web Offset Limited The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. Disclaimer The information contained within Educate we believe to be correct at the time of printing, no responsibility can be accepted for errors or omissions. © Copyright CPMM Ltd 2009.

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#CareerCrossroads AS A NEW DECADE DAWNS, COULD THERE BE BRIGHTER PROSPECTS ON YOUR HORIZON? As we welcome in another new year, many of us find ourselves wondering whether the time is right to take on a new challenge. We often find ourselves talking about being stuck in a rut and January can be a brilliant time to galvanise those feelings of wanting to make positive changes in our lives. One of the biggest changes we can make is in our career path. If you’ve ever wondered about teaching as an option, now is the perfect time to discover if this could really be a feasible choice for you. Here at Liverpool John Moores University, increasing numbers of our Teacher Training students have decided to take the plunge and make a career switch, moving from a wide range of roles to join a profession where they can have a direct impact on the next generation. Chatting to these students, they talk enthusiastically about the renewed sense of purpose which working with children and young people has given them, and the job satisfaction they find in making a difference to their pupils’ lives. So, if your New Year’s resolution was to explore teaching as an option, what might you need to know? Teaching is a graduate profession*, so a degree is essential, but not necessarily firmly in the subject you want to teach. For example, on our Science and Mathematics programmes, we have successful student teachers with degrees (and sometimes previous careers) in Engineering, Accountancy and Pharmacy. If you need to refresh your relevant subject knowledge or plug gaps from your undergraduate degree,

there’s a range of fully funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement Courses of varying lengths, available online (with a £200 per week bursary).

All teacher training courses are a balance of university and school-based learning and experience. But whichever route you choose, at least two thirds of your time is spent in schools.

You’ll also need GCSEs in English and Maths (and Science too for Primary) at Grade C/4 or above, but if you currently don’t have these, there are equivalency tests which can be taken and accepted instead.

If you are worried about being a mature student, life experience is genuinely valued on our programmes and by our Partnership schools, and if you’re worried about standing out amongst a sea of younger recent graduates, you might be surprised to find out how many of our students move into teaching later in their working lives.

...MANY SECONDARY SUBJECTS NOW OFFER BURSARIES, WITH HIGH DEMAND SUBJECTS OFFERING UP TO £34,000...”

So if you want to join the increasing number of career changers in teaching, like ex-LJMU trainee Tony Grogan (who features in the latest government Get into Teaching TV campaign, after leaving the army to become a History Teacher), now could be the perfect time to do it! Why not make that New Year’s resolution happen? You can find out more by: I Visiting the Get into Teaching Website - getintoteaching. education.gov.uk

Leaving any job to retrain is financially demanding but many Secondary subjects now offer bursaries, with high demand subjects offering up to £34,000 tax-free, paid monthly over the course of the programme and as early-career payments. All student teachers are also entitled to access Student Loans through Student Finance England. If you have the support of an employing school, Liverpool John Moores’ School Direct Partnership also offers an employment-based Salaried Route into teaching. This enables student teachers to work as an unqualified teacher while they train, becoming fully qualified with a PGCE at the end of the school year. This route has enabled a significant number of Teaching Assistants to make a successful move into teaching, without leaving the school in which they work.

*If you’re looking for an undergraduate qualifying degree, check out our BA (Hons) Primary Education QTS programme.

I LJMU School of Education web pages – ljmu.ac.uk/teach I Contacting us at education@ ljmu.ac.uk

Jan Rowe Head of Initial Teacher Education Liverpool John Moores University

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Having been in the military for almost 24 years, Tony Grogan was ready to take on a new challenge. Excited by the prospect of helping the next generation achieve their goals, he embarked upon a career in teaching. “For me, it was the right time in my life

to change career and take on a new challenge. Teaching presented the opportunity to do something that was rewarding and genuinely made a change to my community and wider society. I have always tried to have the ethos of making a positive difference and in teaching you get to do that on a daily and hourly basis in every lesson.”

Tony gained his teaching qualification aged 45 with LJMU and our School Direct Partner, Turton School in Bolton, where he has been teaching a range of pupil age groups from Key Stage 3 through to A level for two years now. Moving from a career he was comfortable with to something completely different wasn’t without challenges. On his first day in front of his class of pupils, he experienced a full range of emotions:

“I was nervous that I would not be up

to the job and the students would see through me, or not take me seriously, however that was outweighed by excitement for the profession I was entering. By the end of that first day I was pleased, proud and exhausted, but ready for more.

“LJMU gave me the confidence to face

the classroom early in my training year and make progress quickly. I remember my University tutor often saying, ‘You are not a trainee teacher, you are a teacher undergoing training’. That gave me huge confidence.”

But like any on-the-job training experience, not every day is smooth sailing no matter how prepared you are:

“There was a moment during my training that I felt a lesson had been awful. I felt deflated, confused and couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. It is at those points your mentor steps in and I remember the 6pm call reassuring me it was ok, it was normal to have those lessons and that I would learn more from that than I ever would from a bland ‘ok’ lesson. Those words were true and whilst, thankfully, never a regular occurrence, I did learn much more when the lesson went slightly off track and I had to work hard to bring it back.

Surprisingly, Tony’s vast military experience comes in handy when it comes to teaching pupils.

“My military experience taught me never to see the obvious answer, always to dig deeper and look under the surface for the real answers. It has also taught me to recognise that we are all facing challenges every day and that includes students. Teenagers are simply doing their best; they might make what appears to be irrational decisions in the classroom but when you pause and look closer, their reasons become clear. Simply listening and allowing students to express themselves can have great results.”

“The relationships with students can be rewarding, seeing them grasp complex ideas, forming their own ideas and then articulating them to you is amazing.”

MAKE 2020 YOUR TIME TO TEACH VARIETY OF TRAINING ROUTES WHICH ALL LEAD TO QUALIFIED TEACHER STATUS I PGDE Primary I PGDE Secondary

I School Direct PGCE I School Direct (salaried) PGCE

DISCOVER MORE ljmu.ac.uk/teach | 0151 231

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Primary News

Bee-day at All Saints Pupils hold a bee awareness day

An environmental group the ‘Eco Emeralds’ at All Saints Primary School, Ainfield, showed their passion about promoting environmental awareness and nature conservation with a ‘Bee-Day’ awareness event. Teacher and event organiser, Lesley Donohue, said: “The children have showed concern for many different and important issues both locally and globally. “During this past year the children were made aware of the serious plight of bees and during the summer term the whole school planted flowers to help them to find food and shelter. “The ‘Eco Emeralds’ were then delighted when the Iceland charity foundation group invited them to help solve this problem on a much bigger scale. “The group worked along side the foundation to develop a national campaign that would promote awareness of the plight of our bees and inspire people to plant more flowers that would give bees much needed habitats and source of food. “The Eco Emeralds also worked locally by holding a school bee-day with all staff and children dressing in black and yellow. The day was dedicated to the celebration of the importance of bees and full of fun bee-themed activities”. At the end of the day the school hosted a ‘community eco event’ filled with activities that would inform and inspire children, their families and members of the local community to think about making changes in their everyday lives that may help to protect our environment.

Schools on the run for Pudsey Staff from seven schools in the Fazakerley and Walton areas took part in a sponsored run for Children in Need. The imaginatively named ‘The School Run’ took a basic route just over eight miles and incorporated each school along the route. Neil Mattocks, higher level teaching assistant and Children in Need school run organiser at Barlows Primary School, said: “As we arrived at each school, we were joined by some of the children who ran a lap or two of their school grounds with us. So although, the basic route was just over eight miles, we actually ran 11.5 miles! “The children and staff at each school lined their school grounds and cheered us on. It was the second time we had ran this course, having run it previously for Children in Need in 2018. “After 2018’s success, I asked the schools if they would like to take part again and everyone was really keen to do it again. “So far we have raised just over £1000 for Children in Need. It’s a really good 6

way for the schools to come together and the support we got from each school was absolutely tremendous. “We are all ready looking forward to this year’s run!” The schools involved were: Bank

View High School; Barlows Primary School; Fazakerley High School; Fazakerley Primary School; Longmoor Community Primary School; Northcote Primary School and Rice Lane Primary School.

Pupils from Longmoor Community Primary School greet the runners

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Primary News

Celebrating hard work A real success at Blessed Sacrament Staff and pupils at Blessed Sacrament Primary School in Aintree are celebrating after its recent Ofsted report. The school has recieved a positive report which the school believed that the inspection team really did capture what their ‘good’ school is all about – including all of the hard work that went into

turning the school around to be a real success. Headteacher Mr Davey, said: “Ofsted said that we are a happy school and that we all have the highest of ambitions for every child and we are determined to give all children the best possible education (including high ambition and good support in Early Years).

“They saw how keen, enthusiastic and safe our pupils are and they witnessed the excellent relationships adults in school have with them, including staff dealing with any concerns quickly and effectively. “Our curriculum is very exciting for the children, they love to learn. We have amazing outdoor play areas from early Years – Year 6, an edible playground, a forest school and den making area and even an outdoor gym for the infant children – not to mention our giant school field. All this, alongside the huge variety of day trips and holiday’s away with school give our children a great school offer. “We are very positive about what the future holds for Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, as were the inspection team, who commented that “they would be fascinated to see where we will be in four years as they had a really good feeling about our school. “Achieving this good judgement has been a whole team effort from the children, to their parents, to my staff team and the governors and I cannot thank them enough. All we want to do now is to continue to make our school even better.”

Halewood C of E School tops the league table! Pupils and staff at Halewood Church of England Primary School are celebrating after topping the Department for Education’s table for Key Stage 2 SAT results for Merseyside. The SATs test assess a pupil’s reading, maths, grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) and pupils also receive a statutory teacher assessment in writing and science. The latest figures, published earlier this week, show that 96% of pupils at Halewood C of E Primary school met the expected standards, with 32% of pupils achieving a higher standard. Nationally, 65% of pupils met expected standards with 11% reaching a higher standard. The figures show that Halewood Church of England Primary School is not only the best performing school in Merseyside, but is also one of the best performing across primary schools in England. Dave Smith, headteacher at Halewood Church of England Academy, said: “We have had an amazing start to the school 8

year and look to build on our successes in 2020. Our staff, pupils, parents / carers and governors are all committed to providing the very best education for our children, with our pupils keen to learn and excel. I am incredibly proud of our SATs achievements and the whole school community.” Halewood Church of England Primary

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School is an ‘Outstanding’ school (judged by Ofsted) and the school also scooped the Spirit of Enterprise Award at Educate Awards – the largest education awards covering the North West region. At the awards evening, the school was also runner up for Outstanding Commitment to Sport in Primary School.

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Kirkby Gallery Exhibitions coming up in 2020... From Kirkby with Love: solo exhibition by Philip Garrett 3 February - 3 April 2020 Making an Impression: from The Ashmolean, Oxford 27 April - 11 July 2020 The Printed Line: from the Hayward Gallery,

London 27 July - 5 September 2020 19th Knowsley Open Art Exhibition 21 September 2020 - 9 January 2021

MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING SOON... For more information on the exhibitions or events at Kirkby Gallery and Prescot Museum please contact Tina Ball Email: tina.ball@knowsley.gov.uk Telephone: 0151 443 4936

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School Cedar Road, Aintree, Liverpool L9 9AF T: 0151 525 9600 F: 0151 525 2998 W: www.bsprimary.com Places available in all year groups - Every day is an open day, come and have a look around

We offer: • 2 year old provision • 30 hour offer • Breakfast Club and After School Club • Fantastic EYFS provision If you have any further enquiries please contact the school ofﬁce on 0151 525 9600 or check out our website www.bsprimary.com From our November 19 Ofsted Inspection: They all have the highest of ambitions for every child and they are determined to give all children the best possible education (including high ambition and good support in Early Years).

‘Aim High - Live Life to the full’ (John 10:10)

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Primary News

Making a difference Class of 2019 celebrate another rise in SATs results Kensington Primary School have been celebrating the opening of their new school library. The school has championed reading for pleasure and wanted a new and exciting space for children to be able to go to spend time enjoying their favourite story or investigate what was new to read. The library was opened by their reading partners Helen Moss and the Under 18 Liverpool Football Club Academy players. Headteacher Mrs Davies, said: “The opening was a great success and we are so happy that our children have this special inspiring place to read. “We are extremely lucky to have author Helen Moss as our patron of reading who visits our school regularly throughout the year. She will recommend books for the children to read and also inspires them to delve into books to find exciting and adventurous stories. “We also have a long standing reading partnership with the LFC Academy. The Academy players come into school and

read with children of all ages to ensure that they have positive reading role models. “This partnership has helped raise the profile of reading in our school and this has been particularly inspirational for the boys”.

MSP celebrates 12 months of The Daily Mile™ MSP’s The Daily Mile™ local coordinator, Grace, visits just one of the schools in Merseyside that’s already signed up to The Daily Mile.

In December 2018 news reached Merseyside that it had been selected for National Lottery funding through Sport England, to support primary schools to implement The Daily Mile initiative. Not-for-profit organisation MSP was tasked with leading on the local support offer here in the county. It aims to help Merseyside feel the benefits of being active and, 12 months into supporting the initiative, says it’s delighted to see over a third of the county’s primary schools signed up and feeling the positive effects. As MSP reflects on its first year of support, Grace Perry, the organisation’s The Daily Mile™ local co-ordinator, said: “It’s been amazing watching the impact the scheme is having. We’re seeing improvements to children’s mental wellbeing, better concentration and raised attainment, reductions in obesity, plus loads of other benefits. I’m incredibly 10

excited to help more schools get started this year” Nicola King, PE co-ordinator and Y2 teacher at Bedford Primary School, Sefton, said: “Every class takes part in The Daily Mile. Children are encouraged to track their own laps so they can see their fitness improving. “Results include: a boy with poor attendance who consistently attended for six weeks after starting The Daily Mile; a pupil who had hardly spoken with me in term one who willingly engaged in conversation as I ran The Daily Mile with the class; plus, an overweight girl who progressed from four laps to 12 as she built her fitness, lost weight, and gained confidence in the process.” Primary schools in Merseyside can get more information about the support available to implement The Daily Mile™ and details of how to sign up for FREE at www.merseysidesport.com/the-daily-mile.

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Welcome return for Cathedral event It’s that time of year again, Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout is back! After last year’s sellout event, Liverpool Cathedral and The Whitechapel Centre are teaming up for the fourth time to host another family fun fundraiser on Friday 1 May. This unique event provides an amazing opportunity to sleep within the walls of one of the country’s biggest cathedrals, whilst also raising funds for two great causes. The Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout is a fun and meaningful event which can be enjoyed by all ages. With entertainment through the evening and prizes for best shelter and onesie, the evening is set to be unforgettable. Taking part is so easy, simply register online, collect some cardboard and don’t forget to pack your PJs and sleeping bag! While there is lots of fun for those involved, there is an important message about homelessness as many children and young people have growing concerns about seeing people on the streets or who are less fortunate. The Cathedral Sleepout offers them the opportunity to help those in need. Although it doesn’t compare to the reality of sleeping on the streets, children and young people will be able to find out more about homelessness and understand the importance of everyone having a place to call home. To register for the Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout, please visit: www.liverpoolcathedralsleepout.org

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2019

A night to remember The awards, in partnership with Copyrite Systems and Ricoh, is now in its ninth year and is the largest education awards in the North West.

schools and colleges on their fantastic award wins.

Over 700 guests came far and wide to the event, which was hosted by broadcaster Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross.

“We are so proud to host an event which champions the creativity, diversity and dedication of teachers, school support stars, schools and colleges from across the North West.

On the night, 21 awards were handed out to schools in the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

“This year we have been inundated with exceptional entries and so congratulations to all the winners, runners-up and ﬁnalists for 2019.”

During the evening there was a number of incredible performances by schools including a tribute to The Beatles by Riverside Primary School, a surprise ﬂash mob from LIPA Sixth Form, a Mary Poppins recital by The Belvedere Academy, whilst Wirral Grammar School for Boys & Wirral Grammar School for Girls sang hits from the musical Chicago and over 60 students from St Julie’s Catholic High School’s performed a medley from its own original production called ‘This is Liverpool’.

Associate sponsors included: All About STEM, Angel Solutions, CER, CPMM Media Group, DMR David M Robinson Jewellery & Watches, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST), Liverpool Learning Partnership (LLP), LSSP, Progress To Excellence Group, Satis Education, School Improvement Liverpool, Signature Living and Winstanley College.

Kim O’Brien, founder of the Educate Awards, says: “A huge well done to all

Once again the calibre of entries were outstanding and the difﬁcult task of compiling the extensive shortlist fell upon the esteemed judging panel

which includes: Michelle Dow, managing director of All About STEM, James Tartt, architect at Falconer Chester Hall, Councillor Gary Millar, assistant mayor & mayoral lead for business & international trade, Chris Walker, regional managing editor of Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales, Lesley MartinWright, chief executive of Knowsley Chamber, Andrew Pimbley, managing director of Wirral’s Claremont Farm, Sue Cronin, head of teacher education at Liverpool Hope University, Suzanne Ramsey, former partnership manager at Liverpool School Sports Partnership (LSSP) and Allan Williams, learning manager at Everyman and Playhouse Theatres. For those already thinking about this year’s event, you’ll be glad to know plans are already underway and the date has been set - Friday 20 November! Entries for 2020 are now open and the deadline for submissions is Sunday 21 June at midnight.

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Bringing 2019 to an end was the prestigious Educate Awards ceremony which saw schools and colleges, from all over the region, honoured at the Liverpool Cathedral on Friday 15 November.

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1. The Communication Award – sponsored by CPMM Media Group Whalley Range High School’s media and web team is like a well-oiled machine; they work to an incredibly high standard – proactively, independently and collectively. They design, produce and share content to audiences across appropriate and powerful mediums, ensuring that parents, carers, students, staff and the wider community are kept up to date with the latest news.

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2. Eco School Project of the Year Heswall Primary School is on a mission to raise awareness of the vital importance of animal conservation using the power of ﬁlm making, collaborative projects and global school twinning.

Kim O’Brien, Director at CPMM Media Group, presenting the award to Whalley Range High School

Cllr Gary Millar, Educate Awards judge, presenting the award to Heswall Primary School

Gary See, Community Relationship Ofﬁcer at Signature Living, presenting the award to Halewood Church of England Primary School

Chris Walker, Educate Awards judge, presenting the award to Rainford High School

Sue Cronin, Educate Awards judge, presenting the award to Parish Church of England Primary School

Its successful ‘Wirral Science Under the Stars’ event attracts over 1000 children, families, students, environmental professionals and businesses, and has over 50 organisations from across the North West running stalls to promote science and conservation. 3. Spirit of Enterprise Award – sponsored by Signature Living Enterprise is built into Halewood CE’s curriculum. Many opportunities are provided enabling children to develop the skills required to be a successful entrepreneur. From Reception to Year 6, all children experience and learn about enterprise. 4. SEND Provision Award Rainford High’s ethos, ‘Everyone Matters, Everyone Helps, Everyone Succeeds’, is a way of being for the school. Its dedicated SENCo team means that its SEND provision and reputation within St Helens and beyond has grown massively. Every child on the SEND register, regardless of funding or statement, is allocated a key worker, who is always on hand to ensure that pupils are thriving. 5. Innovative and Creative Literacy Award Parish Church of England Primary School demonstrated its commitment to literacy and how it encourages reading outside of school. Its mission involved gaining the support and understanding of parents who encourage their child to read for pleasure. From parental workshops, coffee mornings and whole school events, the school now has classes full of book worms!

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6. STEM Project of the Year – sponsored by All About STEM Cardinal Langley recently represented the North West at the ‘Race for the Line’ national rocket car competition. Three year 7 students travelled to RAF Wittering to compete against the other regional ﬁnalists to design and build a rocket car to travel over 60 mph. They achieved second place out of all schools across the UK.

Heather Duggan, Chief Education Ofﬁcer at Liverpool City Council, presenting the award to Riverside Primary School

Allan Williams, Educate Awards judge, presenting the award to St Julie’s Catholic High School

Jayne Worthington, Deputy Group CEO at Progress to Excellence Group, presenting the award to Abbot’s Lea School

Father Richard Peers, Director of Education for the Diocese of Liverpool, presenting the award to Gateacre School

8. Outstanding Arts in Secondary School St Julie’s Art School 2018 was a festival of the performing arts for young people in years 7 to 13 with categories in dance, drama and music. The festival was open to all secondary schools across the Liverpool City Region, allowing them to showcase their students’ talent and celebrate performing arts as a whole. The event saw over 10 other schools take part with a renowned judging panel awarding performances and providing expert feedback. 9. Career Aspiration Award – sponsored by Progress to Excellence Group The Woolton-based school, which specialises in the highest quality education for students with autism and associated learning needs, prides itself on delivering a dedicated approach in promoting equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Last year it launched a dedicated ‘supported internship’ programme for senior students enabling them to gain experience within a real-life workplace. 10. Community Partnership Award – sponsored by LDST Gateacre School prides itself on its work within the local community. This year the school really pushed themselves … literally to the other side of the world! World Challenge became the ‘Gateacre Challenge’ during the summer of 2018 as staff and students embarked on the trip of a lifetime, ﬂying to Johannesburg and travelling across to Swaziland and Mozambique, where they helped build a classroom for local children.

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Michelle Dow, Director at All About STEM, presenting the award to Cardinal Langley RC High School

7. Outstanding Arts in Primary School – sponsored by David M Robinson Having recognised there are words of the natural world disappearing from children’s lives, Riverside Primary School became ‘Guardians of the Lost Words’ and went on a quest to unearth the words that are being removed from young people’s vocabularies today. From bluebells, conkers and otters, the pupils took inspiration from the great outdoors and created an art masterpiece exhibition which was displayed at Hope University.

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11. Mental Health & Wellbeing Award – sponsored by LLP Bickerstaffe CE Primary School prides itself on its initiatives that promote whole school mental health and wellbeing, including: • Engaging chats with children each day when taking part in The Daily Mile, giving them the opportunity to discuss anything that may have been troubling them • Weekly ‘Knit and Knatter’ club where children can chat with members of the local community, whilst also giving elderly neighbours the chance to socialise • Motivational messages left for members of staff around the school • Meditations and yoga sessions • Counselor support • School dog ‘Bob’ who lifts the spirits of pupils and staff 12. Innovation in Education Award With the National Statistics standing at 85% unemployment for the visually impaired (VI), there is a real need for innovation in education to challenge and change these statistics. The SIGHTBOX has been generated at St. Vincent’s school, with Rotary International, and the creative strengths of its pupils are channelled into designing access to sports technology to facilitate inclusion, participation and friendship generation.

Elaine Rees, CEO at LLP, presenting the award to Bickerstaffe CE Primary School

Lesley Martin-Wright, Educate Awards judge, presenting the award to St Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment

The Belvedere Preparatory School

James Tartt, Educate Awards Judge, presenting the award to Formby High School

Laura McGunigle, Director at Satis Education, presenting the award to Wright Robinson College

13. Outstanding Commitment to Sport in Primary School – sponsored by LSSP The Belvedere Preparatory School believes it is paramount that children have the chance to enjoy a wide range of sporting activities. This year, it offered the opportunity for a year 6 pupil to become the new School Sports Leader who worked closely with the Director of Sport to ensure all the PE and sport within the school, including competitions both internally and externally, ran smoothly. 14. Outstanding Commitment to Sport in Secondary School At Formby High, sport plays a big part in the school and there is staff wide support for the subject, with non PE staff also helping to take teams and deliver extra-curricular. Formby’s inclusive approach also means that its new KS4 curriculum focuses on health, ﬁtness and wellbeing. 15. Leadership Team of the Year – sponsored by Satis Education The senior leadership team at Wright Robinson College is one of the smallest in the country. Despite its small in number, it leads one of the largest and highest performing schools in the England and Wales. It comprises of seven highly skilled and experienced school leaders who have a profound understanding of the challenges of the inner cities and who dedicate their professional lives to enabling the students they serve to achieve their career aspirations.

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16. Teacher of the Year – sponsored by CER A teacher with almost 30 years’ experience, Mr Edwards has been the force behind the introduction of two phenomenally successful programmes at Cowley International College. Mr Edwards’ enthusiasm, passion and drive is infectious and he is regarded very highly and is incredibly popular with students, parents and colleagues. Mr Edwards is the epitome of Cowley’s motto ‘Non sibi sed omnibus’ which roughly translates as ‘Not for oneself, but for all’.

Andrew Cooper, Schools and Colleges Account Manager at LJMU, presenting the award to FEFA

Alison Green, Principal School Improvement Officer at School Improvement Liverpool, presenting the award to Katherine Lockley from St Thomas CE Primary School

Louise Tipping, Principal at Winstanley College, presenting the award to The Academy of St Francis of Assisi

17. School Support Star of the Year – sponsored by School Improvement Liverpool Kathy Lockley has worked at St Thomas’ CE Primary School for thirty one years, devoting her whole career and life to the children, families and communities she serves. As well as being an amazing teaching assistant, Kathy has single-handedly helped to raise thousands of pounds through her myriad of fundraising events – believed to be well in excess of £100,000 over the years! The school has one of the smallest budgets in the Sefton LEA and without Kathy’s fundraising, St Thomas’ would not be able to continue to invest in providing new resources and improvements to the school. 18. Most Inspirational 16-18 Education Provider – sponsored by LJMU FEFA has an unwavering belief in making a difference in the lives of the young people that walk through its doors, backed up by a diverse education and football programme. FEFA empowers its young people to find and commit to a career and life pathway whilst most importantly, being the best person and player, they can be. 19. Most Inspirational Secondary School – sponsored by Winstanley College The Academy of St Francis of Assisi is a catalyst for social change. For cultural and racial acceptance with a clear ambition to ensure every child reaches the limits of their capability, despite previous experiences, to shine in their own way. This year Ofsted praised the academy for creating ‘a culture where students are at the heart of every decision and action’. 20. Most Inspirational Primary School – sponsored by Angel Solutions Eldon Primary School continues to seek innovative ways to inspire its children and develop their life skills whilst raising their aspirations. Pupils have the opportunity to learn key personal skills, enrich their speaking skills through TV and radio station or they can leave the streets of Lancashire and be transported to jungles, the solar-system and the bottom of the ocean through the school’s 4D immersive room.

Andy Kent, CEO at Angel Solutions, presenting the award to Eldon Primary School

Andrew Hampson, Sales Manager at Copyrite Systems, presenting the award to Chorlton High School

21. WOW Recognition Award – sponsored by Copyrite Systems Chorlton High School has a long-standing history of supporting local and national charities. After raising an impressive £4000 in just one month for the Refugee Crisis, this inspired the student body to lead and develop the school’s charity work in a coordinated and meaningful way. They could see that their actions had made meaningful difference to the lives of others, but also realised that there were social injustices, and so, the CHS Community Pledge was born and with it a wide range of yearly whole school activities.

E D U C AT E AWA R D W I N N E R S 2 0 1 9

Paul Morgan, Business Development Manager at CER, presenting the award to Paul Edwards from Cowley International College

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

1 – Cardinal Langley RC High School on stage with Michelle Dow, Director at All About STEM. 2 – Director of Angel Solutions, Andy Kent, taking a selfie on stage. 3 – The room is set up ready for the evening ahead. 4 – The magnificent main space in The Liverpool Cathedral. 5 – The CPMM Media Events team greet the guests as they arrive. 6 – The Educate Awards 2019 menu. 7 – The Awards. 8 – Mary Poppins in The Belvedere Academy’s performance

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

9 – Mary Poppins performed by students from The Belvedere Academy. 10 – The team at Bickerstaffe CE Primary School celebrating winning the Mental Health & Wellbeing Award. 11 – The team at CER. 12 – Chorlton High School students making their way down the famous red carpet. 13 – Andrew Hampson (left), Sales Manager at Copyrite Systems, Kim O’Brien (centre), Director at CPMM Media Group and Tom Doyle (right), Managing Director at Copyrite Systems. 14 – Tom Doyle (left) and Andrew Hampson (right) from Copyrite Systems. 15 – Copyrite System’s Managing Director, Tom Doyle making his opening speech.

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

16 – CPMM Media Group and their guests. 17 – Dinner is served. 18 – The 2019 Educate Awards’ desserts. 19 – The awards ceremony begins. 20 – The School Support Star of the Year, Katherine Lockley. 21 – Kim O’Brien delivers her opening speech. 22 – Gateacre School on the stage with Father Richard Peers from The Liverpool Diocesans School Trust. 23 – LIPA Sixth Form College surprise the guests at the Educate Awards with their flash mob.

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24 – LIPA Sixth Form College performing their flash mob. 25 – LJMU. 26 – The LSSP team and all their guests. 27 – Elaine Rees, CEO at Liverpool Learning Partnership presenting the Mental Health and Wellbeing Award. 28 – The 2019 Teacher of the Year Paul Edwards from Cowley International College. 29 – Parish Church of England Primary School celebrating their win. 30 – Progress to Excellence Group. 31 – Medley of hits by The Beatles performed by Riverside Primary School. 32 – Riverside Primary School performing their tribute to The Beatles

E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

33 – Riverside Primary School with their unique way of making it down the red carpet. 34 – Gemma Parsley, Deputy Headteacher at Riverside Primary School. 35 – The Educate Awards’ host, Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross making his entrance. 36 – Huge celebrations from Riverside Primary School as they win Outstanding Arts in Primary School for the third year in a row. 37 – Wright Robinson College celebrate winning with Helen McGunigle and Laura Stevenson from Satis Education. 38 – School Improvement Liverpool with their guests. 39 – Gary See from Signature Living presenting the Award to the winners of the Spirit of Enterprise Award, Halewood Church of England Primary School. 40 – The drinks reception.

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

41 – St Damian’s RC Science College. 42 – ‘This is Liverpool’ by St Julie’s Catholic High School. 43 – St Julie’s Catholic High School performing at the Educate Awards. 44 – Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross. 45 – Smiles all round for The Academy of St Francis of Assisi. 46 – Adam Sirett from The Barlow RC High School. 47 – The Belvedere Academy with their performing students.

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E D U C AT E AWA R D 2 0 1 9 G A L L E R Y

48 – The Belvedere Preparatory School winning Outstanding Commitment to Sport in Primary School. 49 – The Hollins. 50 – Wirral Grammar School for Boys and Wirral Grammar School for Girls performing Chicago. 51 – The Chicago performance in motion. 52 – The guests of Winstanley College. 53 – Guests enjoying the drinks reception. 54 – The social media team worked around the clock to keep everyone up to date with what was happening at the Educate Awards.

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Secondary News

Raising awareness Rainford High goes green! Students and staff at Rainford High celebrated all things to do with the environment. Keen to raise awareness and do its bit for the planet, the school hosted a range of activities which encouraged individuals to think about what needs to be done in order to create a more sustainable future. Every lunchtime during the week, students and staff had the opportunity to build eco bricks. These unique bricks are a means of utilising single use, non-recyclable plastics and can be used to build homes in less developed countries. Over 10 bricks were made during the week, with more to be made over the year which will be sent to the Ecobrick network for distribution around the world. The ‘Cans’ film festival was held in the library and students were tasked with bringing a recyclable can or bottle in return for watching a film with an environmental message. WALL-E was shown in order to highlight the importance of environmental responsibility for the future of the planet. A clothes swap shop was also set up in order to raise awareness of the effects of fast fashion. Students were asked to bring in a piece of clothing they no longer wear and swap it for something with another student. Any items that weren’t claimed were donated to CAREUK for Syrian refugees. In addition, a toy recycling scheme was introduced to highlight just how many children’s toys are made of plastic that cannot be recycled. Staff asked for donations of old toys, or toys from incomplete sets or that were slightly broken. The aim was to repair them to sell at the the school’s Christmas Fayre in aid of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Finally, guest speaker Jessica Edlin came into Rainford High from Scarsbrick School. She talked to students about her initiatives to reduce single use plastic at her school and in her community.

Ian Young, principal at Rainford High, said: “As a school we are always keen to highlight the importance of sustainability to students and staff. Awareness weeks such as this get everyone talking and questioning their behaviour towards the environment. “We identified that break and lunchtimes are a key point during the day as students purchase drinks and food in the canteen, and so we’ve installed huge window graphics in order to create an impact and get everyone thinking about their actions. “We look forward to rolling out more eco initiatives into school later this term.”

Studio students visit Liverpool Football Club Students from the Studio, Liverpool’s creative and digital school, recently visited Liverpool Football Club (LFC) to talk all things tech. The group of Year 10 students from the Studio, and neighbouring Liverpool Life Sciences UTC, enjoyed a welcome from the club’s CEO Peter Moore. The students listened to lightning talks and Q&A sessions from Amazon Web Services’ Leanne Jagger and LFC staff, covering technology and transformation and human resources. The programme is designed to equip girls between 12 to 16 with the self-belief, confidence and skills to pursue a career in technology, working with companies to create inclusive workplaces. Simon Thornton, diversity and inclusion senior manager at LFC, said: “I hope the girls found the visit both informative and inspirational, whilst also giving them the confidence to pursue a career in the tech industry should they wish to do so. 30

“As a club we are dedicated to promoting best practice in the workplace,

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including supporting inclusivity and gender diversity”.

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Proud supplier of St Hilda’s CE School & St Margaret’s Academy

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Secondary News

ST MARY’S COLLEGE SALUTES PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENTS IN ITS CENTENARY YEAR St Mary’s College in Crosby looked back on the achievements of pupils during its centenary year at its annual prize giving ceremony recently. Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral was the spectacular setting for the event, which saw the school welcoming former head girl Jane Barrett as the VIP guest speaker. Jane - one of the first girls to join St Mary’s when it went fully co-educational in 1989 - is one of the founding directors of award-winning, London-based management consultancy, Cadence Innova. In her passionate and well-received speech, Jane said that the values she

acquired at St Mary’s have gone on to shape the values of her company, and she stressed the importance of equality and diversity, positivity, resilience and team work in achieving success in any area of business. Meanwhile, in his speech Principal Mike Kennedy looked back at the highlights of St Mary’s 100th birthday celebrations. These included a centenary dinner at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral at which the special guest was former pupil Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. Other celebrations

St Mary’s principal Mike Kennedy with guest speaker Jane Barrett, head girl Georgina Duncan and head boy Charlie Allen.

included a concert at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall which featured more than 100 former students playing alongside

Liverpool students meet NASA’s chief flight director Students from the Academy of St Francis Assisi and the Academy of St Nicholas recently got a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet NASA’s chief flight director at Liverpool University. 50 students spent the day enjoying a number of science and engineering based activities at the university including communicating with and controlling Lego Rovers on the ‘moon’ and investigating meteorites under the microscope to discover what they are made from. Later in the day, the students got to hear from Holly Ridings, NASA’s chief flight director, who deals with managing human spaceflight missions from the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Hollie manages 32 active flight directors and flight directors-in-training who oversee a variety of human spaceflight missions involving the

International Space Station, as well as Orion spacecraft missions to the moon and beyond. Hollie is a native of Amarillo, Texas, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1996. Following the talk, a Q&A, facilitated by Dr Jackie Bell who is a native of Liverpool and a participant on the BBC’s ‘Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes?’, took place which allowed students to put their own questions to Holly and find out more about her exciting role at NASA. Mr Kevin Maddocks, head of school at the Academy of St Francis Assisi, said: “This was a fantastic experience for our students and particularly as a great way of encouraging careers in STEM. Not many people will get the opportunity to meet such a key member of the NASA organisation and I’m delighted that it was our students who have had this chance.”

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current pupils, and a special centenary production of the school’s Proms in the Park event.

ABS helping the community

Year 12 pupils from Archbishop Blanch School were able to help out local church “South Liverpool Vineyard” by sorting through hundreds of baby clothes. Archbishop Blanch work closely with the community and have organised many recent fundraising events taking place across the school. The local church run a weekly clothes bank called ‘Grow Baby’ supplying good quality second hand children clothes to those in need within the local community. Headteacher Mrs Madeloso, said: “This time of year they have a lot of donations that need sorting and washing and the sixth form team worked really hard, showing great community spirit”.

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Visiting Day: Friday 10th January 2020 Entrance Exam: Friday 31st January 2020 Register now for admissions to all year groups St. Mary’s College & Preparatory School 0151 924 3926 www.stmarys.ac The independent Catholic school for boys and girls of all faiths aged 0–18

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NORTHERN PSHE CONFERENCE

It was a full house for the PSHE Conference event

Focus on the countdown to statutory status School Improvement Liverpool (SIL) welcomed over 100 education professionals from across the region to its PSHE Conference. The day had a particular focus on relationships and sex education (RSE), and health education as they become statutory within the curriculum in September 2020. They were joined by Jono Baggaley, the CEO of the PSHE Association, Lucy Emmerson, director of the Sex Education Forum and mountaineer, Simon Yates (of ‘Touching the Void’ fame) who delivered informative and thought provoking key notes. Delegates had the opportunity to explore the impact of the most up-to-date guidance and legislation and took away practical ideas to use in their classroom. School Improvement Liverpool’s (SIL) PSHE specialist, Julie McCann, who is also a member of the PSHE Association Advisory Council, has developed successful training and support in all areas of PSHE education. Julie said: “We were especially pleased that a fifth of delegates were from neighbouring authorities, showing that their reach is steadily growing. Well done to everyone involved”.

SAVE THE DATE PSHE Conference 2020 update SIL has announced that this year’s PSHE Conference is to take place on Friday 13 November.

Julie McCann, School Improvement Liverpool’s (SIL) PSHE specialist

Jono Baggaley, the CEO of the PSHE Association

Lucy Emmerson, director of the Sex Education Forum

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ADVERTORIAL

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The company maintains and supplies commercial gas, electrical and refrigerated appliances, along with educational machine tools, LEV systems, kilns, fume cupboards and TR19 internal ductwork cleans to comply with insurance. Their aim is to offer as much of a service to schools as possible, removing the need for business/facility managers having to contact several different suppliers for servicing, supplying or reactive call outs whereas one call to DCE can take care of everything. Director Brendan Doyle, said: “DCE opened a 4000sq ft catering equipment showroom in 2017. We found ourselves ordering new units for our customers only to be told that delivery would typically be within 7-10 days. “This had a massive effect on service, so we made a decision to open up our own showroom to minimise disruption, it’s likely that we carry more stock than any other dealer in the North West. “We supply both catering and DT equipment and, as engineers first and foremost, we looked for brands that we knew we could rely on. That’s why, over the years, we have developed a close relationship with Falcon, Hobart and Williams. They are, quite simply, the best products out there. “As a leading supplier of commercial catering equipment into schools, Falcon Foodservice Equipment are always keen to work alongside professional companies as a route to market in this sector.” For the last two years, Falcon has worked together with

• Commercial catering kitchen equipment • Kitchen deep cleans • Mechanical machine tools • LEV/Fume cupboards/kilns • TR19 Kitchen ductwork systems deep cleaned

DCE in such sites across the North of England, ranging from primary schools to high schools and colleges. The reputation of DCE within the public sector, as a one stop shop for maintenance, repairs and replacement equipment is rising fast. As a leading manufacturer of catering equipment, Falcon pride themselves on choosing the right dealer to take our products to market. Sean Finnerty, business development manager at Falcon Foodservice Equipment, said: “The last two years have been a success story for both companies, and I genuinely believe DCE are well equipped to take care of all schools catering requirements and ensure they receive market leading, reliable, and fit for purpose equipment, and our children enjoy a healthy school meal.” Gary Nicholl, Hobart UK regional manager said: “Hobart UK have been very proud to partner DCE over the last few years as they have proven to give great customer service and support to local education catering as well as the private sector” Williams Refrigeration area sales manager, Dave Wynn said: “Williams Refrigeration has developed an outstanding relationship with DCE, they are backed by a comprehensive showroom of Williams products and stock means that the integral part of a kitchen, refrigeration, means fast replacement of cabinets to ensure the a seamless catering operation for their clients.”

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Interview with: Chris Wilson headteacher of Alsop High School

Educate sits down with Chris Wilson, the new headteacher of Alsop High School to talk about his inspired vision, The Alsop Way and having the most committed staff in Liverpool.

The Alsop Way By Elle Foster From a young age, Chris Wilson was encouraged by his parents to do the very best he could at school as it will ‘set you up for life’. “This ensured that I paid greater attention in school and what teachers did and their influence on young people in a school environment,” he says. Wakefield-born Chris attributes his passion for education to his head of sixth form and English teacher. He says: “They really shaped my life and destination. They gave me a passion for learning that wasn’t there at GCSE and it inspired me to do better.” It was at this time Chris realised he wanted to do the same and give back to society. Chris went on to study History at the University of Sheffield and later completed his PGCE there. He also met his wife during this time, who is originally from South Liverpool. Up until now, Chris’ teaching career was based around Barnsley, Sheffield and Wakefield. Starting as a history teacher, he went through to middle leadership, then at a multi-academy trust in Wakefield, he moved into the senior leadership team, looking after teacher and learning, NQTs and the ICT provision. He also put into place the Schools Direct Programme and progressed to assistant principal and head of sixth form. 42

It was in Sheffield that Chris developed the passion, vision and desire to be a headteacher. The idea of being responsible for implementing a vision and a plan, that would help regenerate a community for generations to come, was what spurred him on to take the next step in his career. “As my wife is from Liverpool, we always knew we wanted to move here eventually. It wasn’t until I saw the opening here at Alsop and the advert which included a piece written by the head boy and head girl. It was written with such warmth and determination. They knew their school was good but it could be much better and they wanted someone to come on board and help achieve this.” Chris was really inspired and moved by the advert. He recalls how he thought ‘he found the one where he could put his first application in for headship’. “I remember coming into to Alsop and speaking with the students about their hopes and aspirations. They are such an amazing group of young people who have passion and absolute kindness – they just want to be recognised and celebrated. If I could wave a magic wand it would be to help the rest of the world realise what people in North Liverpool have got to offer.” Chris couldn’t be prouder of the students. He says: “We’ve got the people

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“

If I could wave a magic wand it would be to help the rest of the world realise what people in North Liverpool have got to offer

”

and the talent here and when you look at the students; the writing they produce, the shows they produce, films they create – they are so talented but I need them to believe it as much as I do.” The school recently launched the Alsop Way - a new initiative with three key pillars that they are trying to base all of its school improvement around. “The three elements are Knowledge, Respect and Opportunity. ‘Knowledge’ – helping students acquire knowledge and them to value it. ‘Respect’ – helping students respect others and themselves, and ultimately that will lead to ‘Opportunity’ because everything we do has got to be improving the life chances of these young people.” The Alsop Way has helped clarify decisions and methods of improvement. When it comes to behaviour, Alsop’s focus on respect means lots of positivity

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on rewards. Chris says: “All my staff make a positive phone call every week to parents and they are all made up by it. This is a great way to build relationships and also to say to young people that ‘positive actions can get lost sometimes but we see it, recognise it and value it’.” Having worked in areas of social challenge, Chris brings a level of determination and complete refusal to believe that deprivation should be a barrier that stops children from fulfilling their potential and aspiration. Chris has faced situations with challenging behaviours before and believes that it is about understanding students and why you want them to do something. “It’s not about power, it’s about purpose.” “Naturally I want every single student to achieve excellence, whatever that represents for them. I want them to have those life chances and opportunities. I want to see an increase in results and outcomes.” However, he also believes in teaching them how to be resilient and how to deal with the fact that education is not a linear journey. He says: “There will be ups and downs along the way but they can still enjoy success along that journey – it’s not just about the end point. I want that [vision] to breed a sense of positivity and inclusion, and that every student can recognise that they are valued and they have something to contribute.” Speaking about immediate improvement, Chris’ biggest focus, like many other schools in the city, is attendance. He says: “I want every child to want, and to love, to come to school. I want them to recognise they have a place here in Alsop and that we deeply care about them and we will not only look after them, but we will serve them.” “I want students to feel secure and be inspired by the academic process of learning which is all about the highquality teaching and learning, where staff are regularly coached and supported to be the very best version of themselves. Once you have that going on in a school, then you have something really special because that will drive the future improvements.” Alsop High School is a school where the community wants it to do well. He

says: “The community recognises we have had some challenging times but they are fully behind us. “I really want to build upon this as we still have hard to reach families and want to show them that the school can work for them. We’re investing a lot in adult education, in the hope that this will become a hub in the community for people where they might not have had the greatest experience in education previously.” Talking about his strong team of over 190 staff, Chris reckons he has the most committed staff in Liverpool – although he quickly adds he doesn’t want to be too controversial with that statement! “They are just fantastic! They work long hours on behalf of the students that they serve and I’m looking forward to working with them to ensuring that we focus our energies on improving teaching and learning, to ensure every student can learn and fulfil their potential.” For Alsop, the school understands it has to move forward and there are things

to improve. Chris says: “We need to do this in a sustainable way that means staff are happy to work here, and be a part of Team Alsop and are going to be here for years to come, serving the community. It is no good doing things that burn people out for the year and then move on – meaningful and manageable change is what we’re looking for.” Posed with the question ‘where do you see Alsop by this time next year?’ Chris says: “I’d like to ensure we are a school where students are safe, happy, well looked after. I’d also like to be recognised, as a community, that we are providing a very high-quality education for young people. “I also expect that there will be excellent teaching in every classroom and we will really focus our principles around retrieval practice and extending writing and reading. Ultimately in time this will increase outcomes and progress for students, and ensure they are all moving on to really meaningful destinations in the future.”

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Secondary News

Jolabokaflod! BIG Little Library holds Book Flood Gateacre School staff and pupils from the multi awardwinning community venture The BIG Little Library celebrated a traditional celebration by giving away brand new books for Christmas. The campaign was in conjunction with BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity and Belle Vale shopping centre in Liverpool. They also had 100’s of nearly new books which were kindly donated by the former Ticket to Read Project in Woolton Village. The idea for the library came about from a simple idea; wanting to help improve literacy within the community. In Iceland, books are exchanged on Christmas eve, and you spend the rest of the night reading. People generally take their books to bed along with some chocolate. The tradition, known as Jolabokaflod, which means ‘Christmas Book Flood’ a tradition that dates back to World War Two when foreign imports were restricted but paper was relatively inexpensive. Lisa Mitchell, who heads up The BIG Little Library said: “The books are for all ages, from babies up to young adults, and we hope that not only will this event help ease the monetary pressure of Christmas, but it will also start a tradition with families and friends to give and receive books and spread the love of reading for pleasure. “This is the second time we held a Book Flood, and myself and the Gateacre students can’t wait to get as many children as possible excited about reading.” Belle Vale Shopping Centre kindly gave the BIG Little Library a second shop unit to hold the Book Flood. In total just over 1800 books were given away. This now

brings the total amount of books given away by The BIG Little Library to over 87,000 books! They have also raised £500 for Claire House in memory Peter Morgan, of one of their volunteers.

Alsop High give all their pupils the gift of reading Christmas arrived early at Alsop High School as headteacher, Mr Chris Wilson, gifted every student and staff members a reading book as a Christmas present. As part of the ‘Reading the Alsop Way’ initiative, every student was invited to attend a session in the school library, to select a paperback from a wide range of books. The initiative looks to promote reading in the school and the wider community, and was recently launched by children’s author Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Ms Tapia-Bowes, disciplinary literacy co-ordinator said: “We all know that reading is important as it helps you to develop both mentally and emotionally. “It develops our thoughts and gives us endless knowledge and entertainment, as well as keeping our minds active. It is true that you are never lonely when you are reading a book!” Headteacher Mr Wilson said: “At Alsop, we are delighted that all of our students and staff are committed to 44

reading on a daily basis. The benefits of reading are indisputable, from improving

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mental health to creating healthy habits. It is no wonder books and reading have been around for an incredibly long time; they have not lost their importance throughout the years! “Many parents often ask how they can help to develop the reading skills of their children. “Educational research suggests that the best ways are to continue to share books with children, regularly listening to them read, sometimes reading to them, but also discussing books read in increasing depth. At Alsop High School, all staff are committed to ‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap’.” Frank Cottrell-Boyce added: “I am absolutely delighted to hear about this important Christmas initiative. As the Alsop Patron of Reading, I would like to reiterate that reading is the portal to the future of all children. I would like to congratulate Alsop for leading the way in making young people word-rich, so that they are empowered through their reading experience.”

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CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT St Bede’s awards evening marks outstanding pupils The St Bede’s awards evening is always a very special evening as the school welcomes back past students to celebrate their academic and personal successes. For some of the students, this is the first time they will have seen each other since they left the previous summer. This year was no exception, supported by over 150 parents, the majority of the Class of 2019 returned to the school hall for one final time as a year group. The head boy and head girl gave an emotional speech about their journey through St Bede’s. Both Joe Caygill and Skye Hayes, moved the large audience by describing the challenges they faced and the inspirational stories explaining their perseverance and grit. There were some big winners on the evening with Tom Arnold picking up four subject awards. Joe Caygill also picked up several along with the Headteacher’s Award. They were joined by special guest, fomer elite athlete James Tartt, still competing at an elite level who has overcome much adversity in his life. His inspirational words directed students to have belief in themselves, learn from failure and never give up. James is now a successful architect at Falconer Chester Hall and his message will no doubt have inspired many of the audience. Headteacher, Phil Denton said: “We would like to thank James Tartt for attending on the evening and the school wishes the Class of 2019 all the very best for the future”.

The inspirational James Tartt

The awards evening gets underway

The school welcomed James Tartt

James Tartt presented the awards

Well deserved awards

Headteacher Phil Denton welcomed the students

A very pleased student

Smile for the camera!

Isobel Housley winner of the Music Award and Frank Meehan Award

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Secondary News

Sporting stars St Julie’s students called up for their country In the year when St Julie’s alumnus and Olympic heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson secured her World Championship title in Doha, two more students from St Julie’s have received the call from their national teams. Amy Quinlivan a Year 7 student, began trampolining three years ago having transitioned from gymnastics. Amy had to fight back from an initial rejection for trampolining and with dedication and determination has proven to her coaches that they made the right choice in allowing her to continue! Just before christmas Amy was invited to represent Great Britain in the 11-12 category at the FIG World Championships at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo, Japan, competing against the very best trampolinists in the world. Closer to home, it has been an equally exciting time for Year 9 student, and talented footballer, Mia Leath. The midfielder was playing for Liverpool’s Under 14 squad in a tournament when she was scouted for the England Under 15

Amy Quinlivan (left) and Mia Leath both set to represent their country

training camp. The national training camp took place at St George’s Park in Staffordshire, the £105M training complex that is the home of all 27 of England’s national football teams. Headteacher, Tim Alderman, was quick to praise the students’ achievements: “As is so often the case with successful athletes both Mia and Amy are modest about their incredible achievements, but I know that they have the talent and determination to follow Katarina’s example. The whole St Julie’s community are behind them!”

Animals take over

Animals Take Over are regular visitors to St John Bosco and the school was delighted to welcome them back to speak to its Year 8 geographers. In geography, Year 8 students have been learning about the continent of Africa and the diversity found in that part of the world, so it was a brilliant opportunity to look at the type of animals, insects and birds that are native to the continent. Students enjoyed a fantastic interactive lesson where they learn about the physiology of the animals and how they survive in their environment. They had the opportunity to touch and feel all the things they learnt about in class. The visit was as successful as ever and the students were fascinated.

A good year for CER There has been loads going on at CER since the start of the academic year. Alongside sponsoring and presenting the Educate Awards Teacher of the Year award they have been working hard with candidates across the region as part of its ongoing commitment to Continued Professional Development (CPD) and Wellbeing. In December, they ran an autism awareness training course with over 20 local candidates attending the session. Upcoming events for early 2020 include cover supervisor training, employability courses and team teach training. They were also delighted to award three pupils with literacy hampers having had over 300 entries to its literacy competition. Primary pupils across Liverpool were challenged to write a paragraph about what Christmas meant to them with the lucky winners being presented with their prizes before the Christmas break In addition the CER Liverpool team have already been busy at the start of 2020 delivering CRS reward cheques to schools around the region. So far delivering £10,000 in rebates across six schools. CER’s CRS is a unique reward scheme that offers schools and academies the opportunity to receive a proportion of their supply spend back as a cash rebate. Schools can use this to re48

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invest in supply, for resources and materials or simply as cash back in to the school budget. Danny Stenhouse, who recently received a rebate cheque from CER said: “Co-op Academy Woodslee were very pleased to receive a rebate from the CER education incentive scheme of nearly £2000. The school plans to use it for the establishment of an outdoor learning area for Key Stage 1. “During these uncertain times of education funding it is great to work with organisations that can give something back”.

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MOST INSPIRATIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOL 2019

St Francis of Assisi are celebrating their prestigious win at Educate this year. There are 60 nationalities and over 40 languages spoken at ASFA. All members of this close community are united by a very simple goal that

‘No Child is Left Behind’ ASFA is a catalyst for social change, for cultural and racial acceptance with a clear ambition to ensure every child reaches the limits of their capability despite their previous experience or disadvantage. They are a unique, vibrant, culturally diverse, speaking and listening community where students shine in their own way. This was recognised by Ofsted who summarised

This school is GOOD “It is a vibrant multicultural community” “Leaders have developed a culture where students are at the heart of every decision & action.”

The route to success at ASFA is not only through high quality teaching but also a commitment to instilling and belief in every child, from every nationality, that they really can achieve their dreams. They have achieved this through a plethora of initiatives, activities, competitions performances and joint celebrations to ensure their students experience the world and develop great FRQÀGHQFH WKURXJK RSSRUWXQLWLHV WKDW H[SDQG WKHLU culture capital beyond the classroom. Their achievements in the past year have included; • • • • • • •

Writing Quality Mark - Gold Standard Award Debate Mate Regional Winners Top in the Urban Debate Mate League Recognised as ‘School of Sanctuary’ Numeracy Quality Mark - Silver Standard Award NOW Festival ‘Most Powerful Mental Health Message’ Refugee Week teaching the community harmony, resilience & compassion.

OFSTED 2019 “To receive this award means a great deal to the students, their parents, our staff, governors and the community we serve.Thank you to Winstanley College and Educate for recognising excellent work in all schools.” Mr Maddocks - Head of School

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n o i s u F Prize

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Western Approaches HQ The secret World War Two bunker in Liverpool City Centre Step back to the darkest days of World War Two and learn all about the origins of the war, the importance of the Battle of the Atlantic, Liverpool’s key role and the stories of the men involved on shore and at sea. We provide unique guided tours and themed workshops to deliver the objectives of the national curriculum and to challenge and engage children and young people in their study of history

www.liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk 13 Rumford St, Liverpool, L2 8SZ For bookings Telephone: 0151 227 2008 wa@bigheritage.co.uk 52

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;North West State Secondary School of the Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sunday Times 2017

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Secondary News

Sporting superstars School celebrates their sporting achievements Students from every year group at St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School in St Helens were honoured at the second prestigious Sports Personality of the Year Awards ceremony. Over 100 invited guests gathered for the ceremony which was held in the school’s drama theatre and had been transformed for the special evening. The event was hosted by the school’s curriculum lead for PE, Nicola Lethbridge. During the evening, 20 awards were presented to students, staff and teams by guest of honour, Andy Turner, a track and field athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Andy Turner has competed in the Olympics, won gold at the Commonwealths and been crowned a European champion. He was once Britain’s premier hurdler, and is still the third fastest 110m hurdler in British history. He is now a champion bodybuilder. Speaking to the young people present Andy said it was important never to give up, even when it seemed that success was miles away. “Determination, hard work and a desire to succeed are what got me through some difficult times in my career”. Miss Lethbridge praised the students saying: “Tonight we celebrated all aspects of sporting success from individual and team achievements, to commitment and dedication shown to sport through various awards.

“At St Cuthbert’s we are extremely proud of our students and their attitude towards physical activity and were thankful to have them and their families here tonight to share this success.” During the evening there was an incredible piano performance by Saul who played John Legend’s ‘No other Love’. A staggering 1,490 votes were cast this year by staff, students and parents for the ultimate award - St Cuthbert’s Sports Personality of the Year. This year’s winner, Abbie S represents all of the qualities celebrated during the evening, in particular with the amount of time and effort that has been put into her sports over the years. Having picked up her first dart at the

age of six, four years down the line, she joined the St Helens Darts academy. At the age of 11 she was then scouted to play for Merseyside county youth darts team. Her team won her first county competition and she hit a 180. Abbie participated in a charity darts match, where she was selected and paired with Alan Tabern to play against Johnny Vegas and Paul Wellens, Abbie took the glory with a double 10 to win the game. Headteacher, Mrs Catherine Twist said: “A huge well done to all students and staff on their fantastic award wins. Once again we have a lot to celebrate and there has been an incredible amount of activities going on in PE both in and out of lessons this past year.”

Students and staff rise to the challenge Students and staff at St Margaret’s Academy in Aigburth have risen to the challenge of collecting for the annual charity appeal, for the local Whitechapel Centre. With all form classes and staff teams on board an impressive quantity of 77 bags have now been donated. Goods have included warm clothing, bedding and even supplies for animals of the homeless, all for the good cause of supporting vulnerable people in the local area. Staff who organised the appeal were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness and feel the initiative is now an important annual fixture on the school calendar, as well as vital for raising awareness amongst the school population of the needs of people within the locality who may not have as much as they have. 54

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#StCuthBEST BES

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EDUCATE16+ Education, training and employment

Rising star of hockey Kirsten selected for England squad Well done to Carmel College student Kirsten Bottom who has been selected for the England National Colleges hockey team! 17-year-old Kirsten has been playing hockey since she was eight years old and has played for Prescot Hockey Club for five years. Kirsten said: “I have always loved sport for as long as I can remember; as soon as I picked up a hockey stick I knew this was something I wanted to continue to do for as long as possible. “I train six times a week with my “day off” being a game day on a Saturday. “I also take part in training camps down in Cardiff once a month for the Welsh National Squad. I have training coming up in Switzerland and the Netherlands with them too. “I’m currently studying Alevel maths, physics and biology at Carmel.

“After college I hope to achieve a sports scholarship and study biomechanical engineering over in the US. To keep my options open, I’m also applying to universities in the UK and looking to study the same thing here. “I’m part of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) at Carmel. The staff in the sports department have helped me massively over the last 18 months. If it wasn’t for Dan Chapman, Carmel’s Get Active co-ordinator, I wouldn’t have even known about the opportunity to represent the college without being part of a team. “He also organised for me to compete at the nationals at the beginning of this year as a part of the North West team. “My TASS mentor, Dominic O’Neill, has really helped me with applications to US universities and he also put me in contact with a number

of different coaches over there. “Dom has worked on a training programme with me to help improve my endurance which has definitely given me an advantage over some of the

girls I am playing against. “It’s a genuine dream come true to be selected for the England squad. I honestly could never have even imagined getting this far but I’m so glad that the work I’m putting in is paying off”.

More than just a sixth form King David High School's outstanding sixth form has continued to go from strength to strength. The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum and a highly skilled and experienced teaching staff to deliver it. A dedicated sixth form pastoral team not only ensure that there are always high academic expectations, but that "care and support for students’ well-being is of the highest order. It results in students who are interested in the world around them, have high personal aspirations and have high levels of selfconfidence". (Ofsted) Dr Dale (head of Sixth Form), said: “We strike a strong and appropriate balance here between high academic standards, personalised pastoral support and a diverse enrichment programme”. Indeed the strength of the enrichment offer at King David was evident in the Year 12s” recent trip to the Liverpool Mathematical Society Lecture on Enigma and The Secret World of Codes and Codebreaking.

The speaker, Dr James Grime, provided a brief history of codes and code breaking, introducing the audience to the Caesar Shift and General Substitution Ciphers. He then explained how a combination of logic and mathematical methods can be used to break codes. Olivia has been a pupil at King David since year 7. Olivia chose the sixth form at King David as she ‘always loved the community feel of King David and felt thoroughly supported throughout school life’. Oliva says that there is an amazing range of subjects that have enabled her to choose a great pathway. She is planning to continue her studies at a prestigious university. Olivia states that King David sixth form is really special, her relationships with teacher’s and other students are memories that she will cherish, there are amazing facilities for sixth form students and exclusive areas to enable them to study in a peaceful environment.

Olivia said: “I feel part of the Jewish community and King David welcomed me as a practising Catholic wholeheartedly”.

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16+

Kick start your career St Helens Chamber is launching a brand new Accountancy Study Programme for 2020, aimed at creating talented candidates for local businesses and helping young people take the first step into the world of finance. Delivered over seven months, starting in September 2020 the study programme combines a range of highly sought after qualifications with relevant work experience, and aims to encourage a new generation of finance professionals to enter the local workforce.

The financial sector is thriving in the Liverpool City Region, which has the second largest wealth management industry in the UK, so there are plenty of opportunities for ambitious young people to hit the ground running in roles across the region. Laura Brogden, young people’s development manager, at St Helens Chamber, said: “Many young people have come to the chamber showing an interest in starting a career in accounting, so we’ve created this study programme to help these young people pursue their

Creating solutions If you have a passion for problem solving, analytical thinking and solution creation, then the Maths School is the place for you. The Maths School for sixth formers is a new, exciting learning community offering a curriculum focused around maths, further maths, physics and computer science. Founded by, and drawing upon the expertise of the University of Liverpool, their curriculum is designed to deepen each student’s mathematical abilities, academic maturity and career potential. Surrounded by like-minded students, pupils will thrive in the inclusive and challenging environment of the newly refurbished building on the University of Liverpool campus. Their Aspiring Mathematicians Programme (AMP) will raise the capabilities of each student beyond that of academic excellence. The ambitious curriculum includes masterclass sessions with university lecturers, entry to prestigious maths challenges, group research projects, UCAS assistance and careers guidance. If you’re interested in studying at the Maths School then get in touch! The team will be able to provide you more information and talk you through the application process, email: livmaths@liverpool.ac.uk Opening in September 2020, recruitment for teachers will open in March. If you are interested in working at the first specialist mathematics school in the North of England then please get in touch using the email address above.

career aspiration. “It’s important to us to invest in developing the next generation, and this study programme will give local young people the opportunity to take that important first step onto the career ladder in this exciting industry.” The Accountancy Study Programme will be delivered both at St Helens Chamber and from their base at Merseyside Youth Association in Liverpool City Centre, training students aged 16-18 in the basics of accountancy; with modules including calculating sales invoices and credit notes, dealing with VAT and checking transactions for accuracy. Alongside building their accountancy skills, students will complete an extended work experience placement and also will benefit from an all-expenses-paid study trip to Germany, a range of field trips, free driving lessons and more to broaden their industry knowledge. Laura said: “This new study programme will create brand new candidates with the right training to be able to fill the vacancies of local businesses, boosting employment in our area. “Plenty of local businesses are in need of candidates and are more than happy to offer apprenticeships after seeing how valuable they can be to a business. The study programme will help us to meet this demand and continue our work to support both young people and the local economy.”

College goes from strength to strength The doors of one of the region’s most improving and fastest growing Sixth Forms are being opened in January for students and families to come and find out more. All Saints Sixth Form College, at The Academy of St Nicholas in Garston, had a year that the headteacher, Dave Lancaster, described as being “meteoric” in 2019. In May, the Sixth Form was judged as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. The Inspectors emphasised the strong teaching and leadership within sixth form as well as the good quality impartial careers information, education, advice and guidance on offer. Ofsted commented that ‘students had only good things to say about their sixth form. They are very proud of it and appreciative of the help and guidance which they receive”. In August, the college celebrated its best ever exam results – the most improved in Liverpool. This meant that every student who applied to university 60

was able to secure their place, an impressive 27% of A level grades achieved were at A*, A and B grades and 52% of the grades were at A* - C. Vocational results also showed a 100% pass rate with many grades at distinction. In September, the team celebrated a 40% increase in applications to join the Sixth Form, with over 200 applicants (of which 146 students were admitted), taking the total number of students to over 280. This record-breaking intake followed a very successful academic year. Dave Lancaster, headteacher, said: “Over the last couple of years, we have set new standards for what our students can expect here at All Saints Sixth Form College. “For a college that only opened its doors in 2017, the rise has been meteoric – and this is down to the amazing staff and students who are working so hard to show the talent we have here. “Alongside a focus on academic achievements, our team has spent time

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developing a pastoral support and work experience programme to ensure that every student can achieve. “We have a real emphasis on developing a ‘vision’ to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge to successfully move onto the next stage of their journey, whether this be university, an apprenticeship or employment.” Offering 11 A-levels and 11 vocational subjects which can be taken in a variety of combinations, All Saints Sixth Form College provides excellent teaching and extensive support and enrichment. Mr Lancaster said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming students and their parents to the college on our next open evening, so that they can see the amazing facilities we have to offer and talk to students and staff about the opportunities and support provided by the college.” All Saints Sixth Form College will hold its annual open evening from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday 23 January 2020.

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Liverpoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest specialist sixth form Sign up now to study Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science in September 2020. Plus reach your potential with our free workshops and classes for GCSE students:

liverpool.ac.uk/mathematics-school E: livmaths@liverpool.ac.uk

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16+

A leader in the making Grace highlights the importance of mental health A sixth form pupil of St Hilda's Church of England High School has been tipped as a political leader in the making. Grace Pepper was an active member of the school parliament in her lower years and is now a much valued member of the college leadership team. Head of college, Roy Bellmon said: “She has been a member of the education select committee since 2017

where she represents Liverpool Schools Parliament, working with our local councillors in the town hall.” Liverpool City Council has recently set up a Air Scrutiny Panel in which Grace is an active member, the panel was set up to actively responded to the recent climate marches by establishing this committee. At the end of 2019 Liverpool placed a bid to become a UNICEF child friendly city. As part of the process, Grace

attended a discovery day where she delivered a speech upon the importance of the mental health of our young people, which was voted as the most pressing issue and will become one of the three main aims of the project. Grace helped to co-ordinate ‘Make Your Mark’ within the North West where young people decide on the biggest issues they face. Grace also represented the UK at the week-long

Sports team success in AoC regionals

The women’s volleyball team with Ben Rutherford, sports enrichment officer

It’s been a busy yet successful end of term for Winstanley College’s sports teams competing in the AOC Sport Regionals. Women’s Volleyball won their regional competition with a strongly fought, high quality contest, defeating a talented Xaverian College side 2 sets to 1. They are now through to the national championships. Other highlights included two men’s badminton students (Sam Wells and Josh Mo) and cross country runner, Lewis Royle, qualifying for the national championships. College sport enrichment officer, Ben Rutherford, who has travelled to regionals with the sports teams said: “Each and every student has done superbly well. The girls (in volleyball) did fantastically, especially considering they lost to Xaverian in the group stage. “They showed great character and played some outstanding volleyball in the final. It was a pleasure to watch and I can't wait to see how they get on in Nottingham for the Nationals. “Sam and Josh did great making it two years in a row qualifying for badminton, and Lewis got a very strong time in the cross country”. 62

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International Model European Parliament in Madrid, where the committee passed the resolution of constitutional affairs to the European Union. In February, Grace will be attending the next meeting in Luxembourg along with six peers from St Hilda’s. Roy said: “I would like to thank her for all the hard work and effort she puts in to making things better for others. Well done Grace, we are all very proud of you!”

Support for mature students at LJMU

Recognising that returning to education as a mature student can be a challenging prospect, LJMU offers a range of support and advice. For those considering coming to the university, LJMU hosts a number of campus drop-in coffee mornings and events throughout the year for students aged 21 and over. During these family-friendly events, students can speak to staff and other students, discuss accommodation, receive expert funding advice and pick up tips for their UCAS application. There are also plenty of available opportunities for current students to speak to helpful advisers including online chats, advice and guidance sessions, access to higher education talks and student finance information sessions. Josh Gilroy is a mature mental health nursing student, he said: “The biggest challenge I’ve faced since coming to university has been raising a family, doing part-time work whilst being on placement or in university and writing assignments but the support network here is amazing and the challenges have been great. The level of support I have received from both academics and my peers has been amazing and having a guaranteed study day each week really helped me.” Mature student, Jade Price, who is completing a degree in Adult Nursing, agrees that the support at LJMU has been outstanding. She said: “I was a health care assistant for 10 years but had always wanted to take the next step and become a registered nurse. I enrolled on an access course and from there started looking at universities. When I visited LJMU at the open day, I loved the atmosphere thought completing a degree course and caring for a child and my mum would be impossible but the support from my personal tutor has been amazing. If I can do it there’s no stopping anyone else from doing it.”

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News

Bett 2020: Creating a better future by transforming education On 22-25 January 2020, the 36th edition of Bett will bring together people from more than 146 countries in the global education community under one roof at the ExCeL London. With 800 leading companies, 103 exciting new EdTech startups and over 34,000 attendees, the latest edition of Bett UK is an unmissable show in the event calendar for the global EdTech market. With quality content at the heart of what they offer at Bett UK, they have eleven theatres dedicated to providing

presentations, panel discussions and more over the course of this four-day event. The Bett Seminar Programme for 2020 is full of CPD-certified sessions designed to inspire, educate and inform audiences from across the education community. Some of the sessions you will find this year are: • Barefoot computing – 22 Jan, 16:00 16:30 • Learning to Teach Code – 22 Jan, 13:30 – 14:00 • Captivating your class with World

SupplyWell signs up for the Educate Awards 2020 The Educate Awards is delighted to announce that SupplyWell has come on board as an associate sponsor for next year’s ceremony. The Liverpool-based recruitment tech company, which matches supply teachers with schools that are in need of cover, attended the awards for the first time in November and was taken aback by the scale of the event and the meaning it has for schools. SupplyWell believes that all teachers should be treated and paid fairly, with access to perks and benefits they don’t usually get. Its digital platform helps schools reduce staff absence, improve their retention and save money on their recruitment spend, whilst ensuring teachers are paid fairly by cutting out high agency fees. Co-founder of Supply Well, Michael Heverin, said: “As a former teacher and senior leader, I saw first-hand how many fantastic teachers were leaving the profession and how much money is needlessly lost from our schools to replace them. “We created SupplyWell to keep more teachers teaching happy in order to reduce absence, improve attainment and help students thrive. We do it by keeping more money in education, so that schools can invest more in their teachers, both in pay and wellbeing, to maintain consistency in the classroom.” Michael added: “We are really excited to partner with Kim and the Educate Awards team to celebrate the great work of teachers and schools.” Founder of Educate Awards, Kim O’Brien, said: “It is a great pleasure to have SupplyWell confirmed as an associate sponsor. “The company has a fantastic ethos and it is great to be working with a team that supports teachers and is intent on keeping them #TeachingHappy. For more information about SupplyWell, visit www.supplywell.co.uk 64

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Class Video content – 23 Jan, 13:10 – 13:30 To help you build the rich connections that will see you transform your educational institution in the years to come, the Connect@Bett app is back, and available to download now. The app enables visitors to set up meetings with relevant exhibitors and fellow educators over the course of this four-day event. Bett 2020 registration is now open. Join us for the latest instalment on 22-25 January 2020 at the ExCeL London.

Abbot’s Lea School students build partnerships in Germany The head boy and head girl of Abbot’s Lea School recently represented the specialist school in Germany as part of a seminar with the British Council. Students Joe and Megan have accepted their roles as International Ambassadors for the school, with the view of sharing their own experiences and learning from others. The visit was inspired by the school’s vision to be the international centre of excellence in autism education, research and professional development and the students took on the task of building international links with a partner school near Dusseldorf in order to facilitate future exchange trips in the future. The excursion marks the first ever international school trip for the students at Abbot’s Lea School, which specialises in delivering the highest quality education for students living

with autism and a range of associated learning needs. The four-day seminar included meeting and building relationships with overseas teachers and students, a visit to local school Fasia-JansenGesamtschule, gaining a better understanding of the overseas education approaches as well as taking part in workshops jointly with students from other European schools. Speaking about the trip, Micah Grimshaw, head of autism research and development said: “This was a great experience for Joe and Megan who haven’t been away before on an international school trip. For someone who is autistic, travelling can be a daunting situation but we carefully ensured they were both comfortable and confident with that what the trip entailed every step of the way, in a bid to reduce any stress or anxiety they might have felt.

Abbot’s Lea School with German school, Fasia-Jansen-Gesamtschule

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Apprenticeships are a great way ffor or people at the start of their careers tto o gain fformal ormal qualiﬁcations, whilst in paid employment. We are one of the leading Apprenticeship providers in the area We and career progression ffor or our Apprentices is eexcellent. xcellent.

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Express yourself Sefton Performing Arts and Creative Education (SPACE) goes from strength to strength

Unlike many youth centres, SPACE use performing arts and creative education as tools to work with young people; by learning skills in drama, dance, music, visual arts and new media they develop personal, social and emotional wellbeing. Established in 1997, SPACE is based in a purpose-built venue. Describing the project, Kerry Gardzielewska, youth arts development manager said: “Young people in our local community are at the heart of everything we do. “Throughout the year we deliver creative and performance opportunities for young people to get involved with in many ways whether that be on stage or behind the scenes.” The youth venture was named the best arts project in the UK and awarded £2,000 at the National Lottery 2009 awards, beating hundreds of projects from across the country. Since then the project has grown significantly. The centre’s facilities now include a recording studio, performance area, extensive wardrobe and props selection. Kerry said: “We know young people are facing increasing pressures both in and

outside school; positive mental health and emotional wellbeing is something we are passionate about and we encourage our young people to talk about their problems to each other.” Speaking about the support SPACE deliver to Savio Salesian College, Mike McCarthy, head of performing arts said: “The work SPACE does to support the arts in the local community and schools is imperative to the arts culture in this city, as well as in building and instilling a passion and creativity for the arts in our young people. Space gives our pupils the chance to experience theatre and the arts in a way they may never have got to do before.” The team are now busy preparing for the Sefton NOW Festival, which takes place 11 and 12 February at The Atkinson, Southport. Over two nights, performances written and produced by the young people will challenge the stigma associated with mental health, exploring the subject of ‘mental health and belonging’. Tickets can be purchased from the Atkinson website: https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/no w-festival-2020/

Successful bids for future projects Liverpool School Sports Partnership (LSSP) are celebrating after securing successful bids for future projects. The courses, Fighting for a future (combat sports) and CrossFit are aimed by helping young people through school and leisure based activities to develop their capabilities so that they may grow to become mature, responsible individuals and members of society who recognise the importance of physical activity. The aim of the Fighting for a Future course is to use young people (peer mentors) trained in the disciplined ethos of combat sports to work with younger pupils to develop positive life characteristics and values such as courtesy; integrity; self-reliance; resilience; positive mindset to support the target audience to manage anger; frustration; anxiety and peer pressure and to develop coping strategies to avoid youth violence. It is aimed at KS3 boys at risk of engagement with youth violence. The Crossfit project will target those with low self confidence, body image issues or mental health challenges. Jimmy McGinn from LSSP said: “I am delighted to have received this funding. It will enable us to support young people to realise and strive for their ambition. “I believe the passion and expertise we, and our partners have, will really make a difference to the lives of the young people engaged on these projects”.

New judge joins the panel The Educate Awards has confirmed a new judge will be joining the esteemed panel for 2020. Tim Lane, senior lecturer in geography and programme leader for climate change at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), will bring with him a wealth of knowledge and in particular, be able to judge entries that relate to the environment and climate change based on his own experiences and expertise. During his career, Tim has conducted research that focuses on reconstructing the behaviour of glaciers and ice sheets across the Arctic. This allows us to see how climate has changed through time, and how responsive these ice masses were. In turn, this will help us to understand what may happen to glaciers in the future. 70

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Tim said: “Climate change is the most pressing issue facing us, and it is both positive and exciting to see the number of young people who are engaged with the issues surrounding climate change.” Kim O’Brien, founder of Educate Awards, said: “It is with great delight to welcome Tim to the judging panel this year. His expertise will be ideal for many of the categories, including the new Outstanding Commitment to the Environment Award, as schools and colleges are really highlighting climate change awareness in classrooms.” LJMU has recently set up a new, multidisciplinary climate change course. This is designed to help educate students on the huge variety of topics which relate to climate change, both from the sciences and humanities.

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Planet-friendly promoting planet-friendly power in primary schools! All About STEM have partnered with ScottishPower to introduce a fun, interactive primary programme to promote renewable energy. During the workshops learners have the opportunity to discover more about sustainable energy sources and make their own planet-friendly power stations. ScottishPower is the first company to produce power through 100% renewable sources and they are always keen to engage the community and schools to introduce who they are and what they do. All About STEM is known across the region for connecting businesses and organisations with schools to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

ScottishPower in Prenton partnered directly with All About STEM to develop an hour long workshop that looks at what renewable power is and how it is made. Aimed at Year 5 and 6, learners look at processes and energy sources and are inspired by building and making renewable power themselves using All About STEM’s specially-designed kits. Workshops include problems with fossil fuels, discovering ‘renewables’, hydroelectricity demonstrations, solar and wind power self-build activities and more. By the end of the workshops students have a practical understanding of what electricity is, how renewable sources can help produce electricity and how electricity is managed and controlled.

Closing date approaches for Fusion Prize Launched in the summer of 2019 by Culture Mile, in partnership with Foundation for FutureLondon with East Bank, the Fusion Prize was created to foster and invest in solutions that address the growing skills gap faced by cross sector employers. The Prize is open to anyone with an original and creative concept - be it an idea for an app, programme, workshop or new piece of technology - and invites passionate individuals and teams to work together to pitch ideas for innovative programmes or products. The prize aims to develop the fusion skills that are essential for the modern workplace: a mix of communication, thinking, organisational and creative skills to ensure that nobody is left behind on the journey towards a fulfilling career. With a judging panel of innovators and cutting-edge thinkers, access to Culture Mile and East Bank experts, and a £50,000 prize for the winner, the Fusion Prize will invest in solutions that address the growing skills gap faced by many young Londoners. The competition responds to evidence that participation in cultural activities can help develop fusion skills and invites passionate individuals and teams to work together to pitch ideas for innovative programmes or products that are designed to develop the skills of London’s young people and children through cultural experiences. The deadline for entries is Friday 17 January 2020. The finalists will be announced in February 2020 and the winner in May 2020. The winner of the prize will receive £50,000 to implement their idea. 72

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Michelle Dow, managing director, All About STEM, said: “It is a pleasure to work with ScottishPower again, they are a major sponsor at our Big Bang North West event and are a company dedicated to promoting STEM in schools. “We know that we are all responsible for our planet including the next generation, so we are overjoyed to work together in partnership with ScottishPower and play our part by providing fun, interactive energy education for young leaners to encourage a better, sustainable future.” The programme is currently based in Wirral. There will be further opportunities for schools with more fully-funded events and workshops later in the year.

Training opportunities for primary schools Primary school staff in Merseyside are invited to take part in ROAR training opportunities that will run from January to March 2020 in Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens and Knowsley. Designed to enable primary school staff to support a whole-school approach to developing children’s mental health, the ROAR Response is an evidence-based mental health model that focuses on building resilience. Funded by Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), and facilitated by Merseyside Youth Association, staff will be taught how to identify the main signs and symptoms of a child experiencing mental distress, while knowing what can be done in school to support that child. Speaking about the course, Damian Hart, principal development manager at Merseyside Youth Association said: “One in eight children and young people are affected by mental health problems, which include depression, anxiety and conduct disorder. “Staff trained in the ROAR response will be able to identify the main signs and symptoms of a child experiencing mental distress and will understand things that they can do in school to support that child.” On completion of the course, staff will also have access to a range of useful tools to monitor children’s mental health and offer self-care strategies. Delegate places can be booked on the ROAR Response website: https://www.roarresponse.com/overview/book/

Funded courses available for parents and carers Professionals working with families in Merseyside can benefit from funded Youth Connect 5 (YC5) courses that will run from December to March 2020. Developed in response to ‘Future in Mind’ (FiM), a report that contains recommendations from a group of agencies and organisations jointly chaired by NHS England and the Department of Health, whilst supporting Local Transformation Plans and emotional health and wellbeing strategies, YC5 adopts a prevention approach by up-skilling families and carers. Speaking about the course, Tony Niemen, mental health promotion worker at Merseyside Youth Association said: “Parents and carers play a pivotal role in promoting the knowledge, skills and environment that can help children cope with adversity. “We recognise parents as experts on their children; this course is designed to be supportive and build on the knowledge, skills and expertise that some parents and carers already possess.” The course will also ensure parents and carers are familiar with how to access information, support and services available to them. More information on Youth Connect 5 can be found at www.youthconnect5.org.uk

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Book Review

In association with

5-8 Years The International Yeti Collective - Paul Mason £6.99 An epic adventure with big feet and an even bigger heart! Ella is in the Himalayas with her uncle searching for yeti. But what seems like the adventure of a lifetime is cut short when she realizes that these secretive creatures might not want to be found. Tick knows it's against yeti law to approach humans. So why does he find himself peering through the trees to get a closer look? Just Kidding - Andy Griffiths £4.99 Just Kidding! is the first book in a hilarious series of short stories about the world's smartest, craziest and most annoying practical joker from the creators of the bestselling Treehouse series, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. Is this the right book for you? Take the JUST KIDDING TEST and find out! Ottoline and the Yellow Cat - Chris Riddell £6.99 Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . . Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high-society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City.

9-12 Years Fiction The Star Outside my Window - Onjali Q Rauf £5.49 Following the disappearance of her mum, 10-year-old Aniyah suddenly finds herself living in foster care. With her life in disarray, she knows just one thing for sure: her mum isn't gone for ever. Because people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars. Kat Wolfe Takes the Case - Lauren St John £5.49 Join brave Kat Wolfe and her animal sidekicks in this second mysterious adventure filled with friendship, freedom and a fierce wild cat! When a landslide on the Jurassic Coast reveals a rare `dragon' dinosaur, best friends Kat Wolfe and Harper Lamb are thrilled, especially when stars and scientists come flocking to sleepy Bluebell Bay. The Boy Who Made the World Disappear - Ben Miller £9.99 Harrison tries his best to be good. He doesn't steal, he always shares with his sister and he never cheats at board games, but Harrison also has a BIG flaw ... He can't control his temper! So when he's given a black hole instead of a balloon at a party, Harrison jumps at the chance to get rid of everything that makes him cross.

Teenage Fiction Northern Lights - His Dark Materials 1 - Philip Pullman £7.99 It begins with a girl and her daemon. The girl is Lyra Belacqua, an orphan who lives in a place like, and yet unlike, Oxford in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Yet for Lyra, her world is about climbing the rooftops of the Oxford colleges with her friend Roger, enthralling the neighbourhood children with her tales and keeping out of the way of the scholars of Jordan College. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson £5.99 The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. Call Down the Hawk - Maggie Stiefvater £5.99 Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality. Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it. Carmen FarooqLane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer ... and a killer. Are you a librarian, teacher or purchasing manager? Do you buy books for your school? Waterstones Liverpool offers a comprehensive account sales service. Contact Sarah Hughes, Children's Department, Liverpool ONE, 12 College Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside L1 3DL. Tel: 0151 709 9820

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ww www.stjohnboscoartscollege.com w.stjohnboscoartscollege.com St Storrington orringt on A Avenue, venue, LLiverpool iverpool L11 9D 9DQ Q

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Councillor Barbara Murray

Elaine Rees Chair of Whole School Approach to Mental Health

LEADING THE WAY City’s first education-focused mental health conference

Help is always on hand

A striking performance from The King’s Leadership Academy students

Over three hundred teachers, headteachers and school governors from across Liverpool attended the city’s first education-focused mental health conference at ACC Liverpool. Funded by the Liverpool Learning Partnership, Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group, supported by Liverpool City Council’s Families Programme and sponsored by Educate Magazine, Education in Mind explored various key issues surrounding mental health and emotional wellbeing within a local education context. Speakers included Sara Saunders, implementation lead (Green Paper), Children and Young People’s Mental Health Team, NHS England and Pete Latham, head of national team, Mental Health Delivery Division, Department for Education. Speaking about the event, Sara said: “The scale of Education in Mind demonstrated how important children and young people’s emotional and mental wellbeing is to professionals working in education and health in Liverpool, the increasing level of join up between the systems is really exciting.”

There were discussions about mental health from prominent speakers

The King’s Leadership Academy performance

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For that perfect travel experience Working with teachers from schools around the UK, Travelbound have tailor-made school trips to provide the stimulus and inspiration for students to develop into lifelong learners. You can choose from a wide-array of city destinations within Europe; stay at Travelbound’s Château du Molay to experience the landing beaches and French markets of Normandy; or take your school group further afield as students learn about new cultures. Ignite the passion for future learning through discovery on a Travelbound educational tour. As one customer said: ‘Thank you so much to all at Travelbound for making the trip such a great success. The itinerary was incredible and the organisation was the best I have ever known on a school trip.’ Warwick School trip to China. Visit travelbound.co.uk/educate or call Travelbound on 01273 767 675 and see how you can create the perfect educational experience for your school.

Showcasing their talent

Liverpool Life Sciences UTC opened its doors to industry partners, employers and universities, to showcase some of the incredible work created by the students. Opening the showcase were Year 12 students from the Baltic Research Institute (BRI) – the first student-led research institute in the UK. They met with UTC partners and potential employers, to talk about their role within the BRI in an elevator pitch format. “Being part of the BRI is a great way of gaining real-world work experience in a professional environment,” said Marcus Boqash, head of molecular biology at the BRI. Marcus’s EPQ work

at the UTC has seen him undertake an analysis into how cleaning products affect human health. “Showcases like these are really important – the people in the room today could potentially be our future employers.” Year 11 students had the opportunity to present their CREST Award project posters – the students’ independent research projects that look to solve one of the 17 sustainable development goals. Joe and Sophia’s water turbine generates electricity whilst reducing microplastics in our seas; it’s currently in prototyping phase and is one of the finalists at this year’s Big Bang Science Fair.

01273 767 675 info@travelbound.co.uk travelbound.co.uk

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travelbound.co.uk/educate for all your school trip needs, advice and news.

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WHERE CAN WE GO? Our pick of what’s happening out & about in the region

The Spine

20 - 22 February

5 Paul McCartney Auditorium, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Mount Street, Liverpool, L1 9HF

Set in the 23rd century it follows the journey of taxi driver Korben Dallas and Leeloo, the Fifth Element, as she searches for the other four elements to save the Earth from The Great Evil. Inspired by Luc Besson’s film The Fifth Element, 5 is at heart a love story. Directed by Andrew Hall, 5 will encompass a range of dance styles as well as original music. Visiting professional choreographers who specialise in different genres will contribute to the performance. Forging all aspects of dancers’ training as artists, these choreographers will truly reveal LIPA’s final year students’ versatility. Performed by third-year LIPA Dance students. Tickets can be obtained by calling 0151 709 4988

20 - 21 February Prescot Library on Thursday 20 February at 6pm, and at Huyton Library on Friday 21 February at 2pm and 7pm

The Spine explores what it’s like to be a man in the 21st century and shines a spotlight on a system that promises the world but leaves most young men on the side-lines – the football academy system. Kyle, Liam and Hakeem dream of football, fame, and fortune. After spending most of their teenager years being the spine of their team, the premier league is now at the fingertips. But could the issues surrounding football that are often kicked under the rug be what’s keeping the boys from reaching for that golden contract? Years of institutional racism and hyper-masculinity is playing a big part in the game. Will the boys be strong enough to stick together or will they elbow their way to the top? Please note this play is aimed at an audience 13+

Sunday 8th March

Mark Beaumont: Around the World in 80 days Wednesday 4 March Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, L1 3DZ

ial Specn t e ev

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Macclesfield, Cheshire, Sk11 9DL The ever-popular Girls Night Out returns for International Women’s Day with a special celebration of the women of Jodrell Bank! The speaker for this event will be Laura Wolz, a researcher at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, who will tell all about the evolution of Galaxies and the universe. You’ll also be able to take part in a new hands-on activity and there’ll be opportunities to try some experiments as well as talking to other female researchers from Jodrell Bank. This event is aimed at adults and children aged 12+ 80

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FUTURE EVENTS

Girls Night Out Mark Beaumont set out to make this Victorian fiction a two wheeled reality. Having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career, he now holds this 18,000 mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day. Over the past decade, Mark's epic documentaries have taken viewers to over 100 countries, into the Arctic, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the midAtlantic. Showing films and photography, these events area fascinating insight into Mark's career of adventure.

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Saturday 8 February

Sunday 9 February

Film and Video REVIEW

1917

Must see

OUT NOW Verdict: HHHH

Angel Field Festival: Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra The Great Hall, Liverpool Hope University Campus

Exciting Science St Helens Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St Helens WA10 1LQ

The Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra (PCYO) is the first and largest Chinese Youth Orchestra in Europe and has adopted an experimental and somewhat audacious approach in its innovative music fusions with folk songs, reggae, and hip pop.

This brand new, exciting and educational show will amaze and astound all ages from 4 years upwards, as they put the “Exciting” back into science. So stand clear and prepare for action, as this show is full of wiz, bang, pop …. and splurt. Prepare to be amazed!

11 - 12 February

27 April - 11 July

NOW Festival 2020 The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport PR8 1DB

Making an Impression The Kirkby Centre, Norwich Way, Kirkby L32 8XY

The NOW festival aims to engage young people in a creative discussion around mental health, through whatever ‘NOW’ issue is chosen by the team and young people’s steering group. This year’s theme is mental health and belonging.

A stunning exhibition including Pissarro, Cézanne, Renoir, Morisot and Cassatt, best known for their colourful paintings of modern life and the landscape comes to Kirkby. The collection features over 30 etchings, lithographs aquatints and dry points grouped in three sections.

29 - 30 April

Friday 1 May

Last Train to Auschwitz The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DB Roseann Productions, in association with Jo Mac presents Last Train to Auschwitz. It will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, a journey of love, hope and friendship, a journey you won’t forget or want to forget. Starring Bernie Foley (formerly Brookside)

Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout 2020 St James Mount, Liverpool L1 7AZ The Liverpool Cathedral Sleepout is a fun and friendly event open to people of all ages. With storytelling, arts and crafts, as well as prizes for the best ‘den’ and best pyjamas. While there is lots of fun for those involved, an important message is behind the event.

A story of the lives of soldiers in the World War I trenches. At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will put a stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers – Blake’s own brother among them. 1917 is directed by Oscar-winning English filmmaker Sam Mendes. The film is based in part on an account told to Mendes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes.It chronicles the story of two young British soldiers during World War I. It warns of an ambush during a skirmish soon after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich.

National Geographic Challenge Video game Out now Verdict: HHHHH

Not only is this a great game but it is also very educational, even if you don’t realise it. The National Geographic Challenge is a quiz game that lives up to the “challenge” part of its name. There's no shortage of easy and difficult questions divided up in regions - North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. Start a game for up to four players and choose an avatar. You can try to answer 40, 60 or 80 of the game's timed questions. The games are complemented by impressive photography and video from the National Geographic archive. The National Geographic Challenge will test kids' knowledge with questions like: In what year did Madagascar gain independence from France? In which country does the River Niger reach the sea? The game is available on Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.

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My School Days Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross – Radio presenter My schools: I grew up in Northern Ireland and attended St Patricks Primary School, St Patricks Grammar School, Armagh Technical College and The College of Business Studies Belfast.

Simon ‘Rossie’ Ross presents the breakfast show 6 ’til 10am weekdays on Greatest Hits Radio, heard across England on DAB digital radio and on FM in Liverpool and the West Midlands.

My favourite teacher: In primary school it was Miss Martin and Mr Fitzsimmons in grammar school. My favourite subject at school: That was definitely talking ha ha ha! Although I enjoyed English language and literature whilst at school.

He’s been a professional broadcaster for over twenty five years, having worked at stations such as Rock FM in Preston, Capital FM London and Radio Aire in Leeds. He also presented the breakfast and mid-morning shows on Radio City 96.7 for over ten years.

Were you streetwise or a bit of a geek? I was pretty easy-going growing up as a kid, but being from Northern Ireland you had to have your wits about you, definitely not a geek!

In addition to his radio work he’s a sought after voiceover and event host.

My favourite childhood singer/band: In the 70’s it was the Boomtown Rats and in the 80’s Duran Duran for my sins! My favourite extra-curricular activity: I was really into swimming, I represented my country five times before I turned 13 so yes it was always swimming for me. Do you remember your first school crush? Yes I do, Miss Pickering my teacher in P2 or Year 1 as you call it here. My favourite kook: I love reading any books to do with the old black and white horror films. School dinners: There were good days and bad days, good days would contain chips or roasties, I really LOVED apple crumble and custard too. 82

Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

My ambitions at school: My ambitions changed weekly, however I was constantly getting put on a desk by myself because I talked so much and look where that got me!

Simon is also the host of the Educate Awards 2020 and has been for the past few years. Speaking about the event, he says: “From the moment I arrive at the Liverpool Cathedral, the sound of the performers at the entrance reminds me of what a great event it is year after year”.

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Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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