Educate Magazine May 2020 by Educate Magazine

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Educate Contents Welcome...

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Welcome to the May edition of Educate. It has been a desperately sad and testing time around the world. We have all watched the global spread of COVID-19 which has caused an incomprehensible amount of grief and upset. However, since the very beginning of this crisis, and in the face of the coronavirus onslaught, schools have been doing extraordinary things. Borrowing the words from the headteacher of Meols Cop High School, Ian Parry, when communities require help and support, whatever that is and whenever that is, schools are turned to for the answer. Leadership teams, teachers, teaching assistants and nonteaching staff have been the invisible heroes of the hour, supporting health services and reinventing the way they provide education. An awe-inspiring reaction to a tidal wave of uncertainty and delivered with total assuredness.

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58 Features

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A week in the life of… Paul Edwards, Cowley International College

A big thank you A special thank you to all teachers and staff

26-27 Interview with Mrs Ania Hildrey, headteacher of Abbot’s Lea School

29-31 Digital learning apps Study apps examined

33-39 Times like these Lockdown through a child’s eyes

41-43 Fighting spirit Martial arts to tackle modern issues

69-71 Careers Exploring teaching as a career

75 Book review Must have reads

80-81 Home entertainment Our pick of what to play and watch

82 My school days Amanda Oates - executive director of workforce, Mersey Care NHS FT

46-47 Appointments Appointments and recruitment news

Published by CPMM Media Group, Suite 4 Pacific Chambers, 11-13 Victoria Street, Liverpool L2 5QQ. Tel: 0151 709 7567 Twitter: @CPMM_MediaGroup Website: http://cpmmmedia.com Email: enquiries@cpmmmedia.com Executive Editor: Kim O’Brien kim.obrien@cpmmmedia.com @EducateMag @ExecEdEducate Editorial: Alan Birkett alan.birkett@cpmmmedia.com Elle Foster and Hannah Fowler 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.

As we continue to battle through the pandemic, and with many discussions taking place on how to safely phase re-opening of school buildings to a wider set of pupils, we know that schools will be centre stage over the next few months, and there remains many challenges ahead and continued uncertainty. We therefore want to dedicate this issue of Educate to thanking headteachers, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff for working tirelessly and for all their dedication and selflessness during these unprecedented times. At the same time as thanking all those working in education, we wanted to find out how children have been feeling during the lockdown. We wanted to hear firsthand about their feelings and concerns. We have gathered a wide variety of experiences from children across the region and they have kindly shared their thoughts in their own words with us. Nearly 10 years ago we launched the Educate Awards, to celebrate and recognise the excellence of schools in Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. This year we have cause to celebrate schools, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff even more, and shine the brightest light we can on the profession! We have extended the deadline for entries to Sunday 5 July, so please get involved and check out how to enter along with all 21 categories at www.educateawards.co.uk

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Primary News

A leading voice Kyas wins nationwide competition for new animated series A nationwide competition to find the voice of the lead character for a new animated series has announced that local school-boy, Kyas Ako-parker, Sudley Junior School in Aigburth, has won the main prize to narrate ‘Clean Our Planet: Energy Of Change’. Kyas, aged 11, along with five other children from around the country were selected after a six-month process that searched across 40,000 families.

Run by Clean Planet Energy and partnered by the UK’s leading child talent agency Scallywags, participants were asked to create a short video about how they are helping protect the planet. Bertie Stephens, CEO of Clean Planet Energy, said: “Kyas showed us when he entered the competition that he was already making a number of changes to his life to help clean our planet. “From taking the local electric bus to

school rather than be driven, using paper bags instead of plastic ones, and stopping his family from using plastic straws, he was a perfect example of the Energy of Change we need to look up to. Kyas said: “I first found out about pollution in the news. It was very upsetting to see lots of animals getting hurt because of our own selfish human deeds. The world definitely needs to change, humans are not the only ones living on this beautiful planet. Kyas, who himself is an aspiring cartoon artist, believes the animation can make all the difference to those around him. Kyas said: “I have always loved drawing and making cartoons, so when I found out I got the part, my excitement rocketed up to space! I like to think that since most young people like cartoons, when they see this one, they could be encouraged to make a change!” The animated series will go into voiceover production this summer with an initial release date scheduled for later this year. The primary target audience will be school-children but like all good animations the purpose is to bringtogether the entire family. All finalists will receive a certificate, and the winners, in addition to winning the voice-over prize, have also been awarded a cash prize of £125.

Career inspiration for Evelyn Primary School Children at Evelyn Primary School in Prescot found out about potential careers at an aspirations day. They had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Police and Fire services, the construction industry, alongside a solicitor, radiographer, photographer, paediatrician, golfer and school nurse. The children were also able to quiz Councillor Graham Morgan, the Leader of Knowsley Council and Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Steve Rotheram about their political careers. The school has its own unique curriculum called ARCS curriculum (A Real-life, Creative, Skills-based curriculum) which aims to provide children with varied life skills, for example, being a global citizen and how to become an entrepreneur. As part of this, the school has regular Aspirations Days where children have the opportunity to find out about different areas of work, potential future careers and ask questions of the volunteers who attend. Carole Arnold, headteacher at Evelyn Primary said: “Widening children’s horizons is something we always aspire to do. We are very grateful to the members of the community who gave up their valuable time to make the event successful. We are sure that the children were inspired by what the visitors had to say.” 6

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Primary News

Footprints of kindness Surprise visit for Malvern Primary School Children at Malvern Primary School, Huyton were surprised by a visit by national and local hero ‘Speedo Mick’. The visit was a celebratory event to mark the children’s remarkable efforts in raising money for this year’s Sports Relief! It was also to mark Speedo Mick’s

fantastic fundraising achievements, as part of Sports Relief. The children at Malvern spent two days walking and stomping around the playground to collectively raise money for good and worthy causes, and to replicate the miles Speedo Mick undertook from walking from John O’Groats to Lands End.

A total of 1000 miles was set as a target for the children, that equalled those Speedo Mick did. The parents and community were invited to join the two day event and many parents/grandparents participated by walking/running and stomping to the beat of ‘The Proclaimers 500 miles’. After an exhausting two days, the children, parents and community had collectively achieved beyond their target, walking over 1000 miles. Through their commitment to Sports Relief, Malvern Primary School raised an amazing £540.11. Having heard the fundraising achievements, Mick was in no doubt that he wanted to celebrate such an amazing success and surprised the school during morning assembly! Headteacher, Tony James said: “The effort, desire and resilience demonstrated by the children and parents was truly remarkable. Speedo Mick is an inspiration to us all!” “During the assembly, Mick spoke to the children about the importance of leaving footprints of kindness wherever we stomp. At the end of the assembly, Speedo Mick was presented with an Everton shirt, displaying ‘Malvern Mike’ and 1000 miles”. Before Mick left, he escorted the whole school around the playground on a celebratory stomp.

WORLD BOOK DAY AT MELLING PRIMARY The children, staff and parents of Melling Primary School made the most of the glorious Spring sunshine on World Book Day as they paraded through the streets of Melling on their sponsored book character walk. Passers-by, drivers and neighbours were delighted to see a whole host of book characters strolling by: Harry Potter, Cat in the Hat, Anne Frank, Elmer, Fantastic Mr Fox, Where’s Wally, Funny-bones, Alice in Wonderland to name but a few of the magnificent costumes - with every child and every member of staff joining in. Viv Ainsworth-Brown, headteacher, said: “This is one of the many ways in which the school promotes a love of reading. Reading is not only an essential life skill for learning, but it is also a means by which children can enjoy and imagine other worlds, places and characters; getting lost in a book should be a joy for all children, and grown-ups too”. The school has recently renovated its library and used the theme of World Book Day to raise funds for quality books for all children to enjoy. 8

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COVID-19: They didn’t cover THAT in teacher training, right? There’s no manual for what we’re all experiencing right now, but one thing is certain: you’re doing a great job! We’re hoping we can make life just that little bit easier for schools by offering simple ways to keep pupils active that will support their physical and mental wellbeing. We’ll be here to signpost you to FREE resources both through the crisis and beyond.

Just bookmark: www.merseysidesport.com/ COVID-19-school-support

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School Cedar Road, Aintree, Liverpool L9 9AF T: 0151 525 9600 F: 0151 525 2998 W: www.bsprimary.com

WE STILL HAVE PLACES IN ALL YEAR GROUPS FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 Even though we are closed you can still contact via email: admin@bsprimary.com 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

Best foot forward Metro Mayor opens new 4G pitch for Walton school Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham joined The Sovini Group’s chief executive, Roy Williams, to open a new state of the art 4G pitch at St Francis de Sales School, Walton. Mr Rotherham who served as MP for Walton from 2010 to 2017 along with The Sovini Group have been supporting St Francis de Sales since 2016, when they co-launched the Investors Group to develop pupils’ resilience, build employability skills and explore career opportunities. Headteacher Andrew Reidel said: “It was fantastic to have the Metro Mayor and Sovini cut the ribbon – and the children enjoyed a good kickabout with them! “We talked about how linking our extra-curricular programmes with the activities on the new pitch has led to significant improvements in timekeeping and increased positive behaviours.” The Investors Group laid the foundations for the school and The Sovini Group to become lead partners in the award winning ‘Positive Footprints’ Network, which is about changing the lives of children and young people and has so far supported around 400 primary school children across Merseyside. Steve Rotherham, said: “I’d like to thank the staff and pupils for inviting me to open their new pitch and learn more about their fantastic school. It is terrific to hear how the positive footprints initiative is making a real impact across Merseyside.”

Metro Mayer Steve Rotherham opens the new 4G pitch

Liverpool teacher goes extra mile to help pupils stay active Jay Clarke, a year 1 teacher at Rudston Primary School, Childwall, is helping children at home keep active by filming daily workouts on YouTube. Since day one of lockdown, Jay has filmed a workout using the school camera or iPad on a tripod. He then uploads it to his YouTube account and shares it via the school’s Twitter account and the dedicated Rudston Primary School – Sport, Health & Wellbeing account. Health and fitness conscious Jay came up with #ActiveRudstonAtHome campaign after taking part in a national programme called Active Kids Do Better, which is run by Discovery Education and Nike. The programme encourages pupils to be active throughout the school day, and Jay was one of the first teachers to win a national award, presented by Olympic athletes, for his work on it. Jay said: “As the health and wellbeing co-ordinator at the school, I’m very passionate about getting kids active and with the help of Active Kids Do Better I have been able to introduce a number of initiatives that have had really positive effects. For example, during lessons we have ‘brain breaker’ activities which encourages them to do an activity for a minute or so. This not only re-energizes them but also helps pupil improve their concentration levels. “A lot of the workouts I am filming the pupils will have already done them in school and so they will be familiar with how to execute each one properly. The feedback from families has been really positive. We’ve had over 3,500 views already and other schools are now sharing it within their community too, which is great!” The school has also been recording teachers reading a chapter of a bedtime story each night. 10

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Primary News

Knowsley school achieves top accreditation!

New prayer garden at St Bartholomew’s

Report states the Children’s needs are prioritised

Knowsley Lane Primary School, Huyton are celebrating after receiving an Area of Excellence accreditation. The accreditation looks at the procedures, processes and systems that schools and academies have in place to manage and implement assessment. Institutions that receive accreditation will have met stringent criteria for excellence. As an accreditation process rather than an inspection, the assessor will act as an enabler, helping to audit what exists already in the school and evolving what is needed to reach the required standard. The report stated that: The Children’s needs are prioritised and planned for in the highly adaptable indoor and outdoor environments, with staff who put learning at the heart of every decision. One cannot fail to be impressed by the organisation, diversity, excitement and adaptability of the indoor and outdoor learning environments. One complements the other and both provide excellent stimuli to ignite every child’s curiosity and accelerate progress. Knowsley Lane prides itself on their indoor and outdoor learning facilities, their garden includes an early years outdoor classroom which is named The POG – Pot of Gold, named after one of their much loved teaching assistants who loved rainbows, who sadly passed away five years ago. The school also runs family learning courses throughout the year, which are fully booked with 12 – 15 adults in attendance every week. The focus of the sessions is tailored to the needs of the community, such as maintaining a budget, healthy eating, importance of school attendance, productive play inside and outside, phonics, and reading. Principal, Linda Lord said: “Knowsley Lane puts our children and their learning at the heart of every decision. I am incredibly proud of the whole school family, but especially proud of the Early Years team who consistently challenge themselves to ensure that our learning environment excites and engages our children to become independent and inquisitive learners! “I look forward to the time when we can open our school doors again and welcome our community back, to continue to develop our children as citizens of tomorrow.” 12

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Staffs and pupils at St Bartholomew’s Catholic Primary in Rainhill have been keeping themselves busy during the Covid19 lockdown. Teaching assistant Mrs O’Neill and pupils of key workers at the school along with the schools gardener have been doing a tremendous job of creating a new prayer garden for the pupils when the school returns to normal. Acting deputy headteacher, Helen Forrest, said: “We have been working hard to create a prayer garden and are very excited to see it progressing. It is going to be a peaceful reflection area for our pupils and staff! “It has been a lovely activity for our pupils of key workers to undertake at this time and has enabled them to work as a team to create a peaceful haven for the rest of the school. “We are also placing two new prayer benches in the garden for pupils to relax and reflect. “As soon as the garden is completed and we welcome the pupils back Fr Philip Swanson has agreed to come and visit us and bless the garden.

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Primary News

Happy birthday Margie! Schools special surprise for key worker Staff and pupils from English Martyrs Catholic Primary School in Litherland didn’t let the lockdown stop them from wishing a happy birthday to one of their favourite key workers. Margaret Collins who has worked at the school since 2008 was celebrating her 80th birthday and the staff and pupils wanted to celebrate her birthday with her, but due to the coronavirus lockdown it meant that Margaret could not visit the school. The school decided that if Margaret could not come to the school and with permission from the pupils' parents, the pupils would visit Margaret as she only lived around the corner. The children visited Margaret and from a safe social distance staff and pupils gave her a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, they made her a special birthday card and also sent her a lovely bouquet of flowers to wish her well. Headteacher Mr Dinsdale, said: “We went to surprise Margaret at her home as we wanted to give her a special birthday wish, as we would have done so had we been in school together. “We all sang happy birthday to Margaret who is 80 years young, she is also the eldest member of our welfare staff here at

English Martyrs and has been working at our school for over 12 years. Margaret said that she was overwhelmed with joy and that she had had a better birthday than the Queen!”

Leading from the front Staff at Our Lady and St Swithin’s CP School, Croxteth have been busy supporting their pupils and community throughout the coronavirus. The school continues to operate as a hub with an average of 10 children attending each day; they even remained open Good Friday and Easter Monday. Staff have been very willing and eager to support the hub with staff from three schools incorporated into a week on - week off based rota, with a member of the school leadership team (SLT) as the centre manager each week. Headteacher Emma Hartley, said: “Safeguarding and keeping in touch with vulnerable families is a daily task with Joanne Morgan and Sandra Hamilton keeping vulnerable children checks up to date as well as contacting social workers/ counsellors etc. “All children have received a phone call from their teacher and children who are not active on our online virtual learning platform, seesaw, have weekly phone calls to support learning at home as well as wellbeing. “The school also delivered Easter eggs and additional work resources to pupils. “Parents are very complimentary about the workbooks we provided children with for home learning, as well as the virtual learning the children have access to each day set by their class teachers. “Volunteers from our school used our minibus to deliver hampers to vulnerable families in our community via the L6 food bank services.” Hand written letters have been sent to all children from Emma to reassure them that they are missed and that they are here if they need any support at all. Regular contact has been very beneficial via Facebook, the school app and Twitter. This has been greatly received by parents and the community with words of gratitude flooding in! 14

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“We have even had some fun with videos being made by teachers, fun challenges set and books shared have been very popular at this time of uncertainty. We also attempted to entertain our community with a live bingo session! Prizes were won and delivered to families. 50 families joined in and we all had lots of fun. One family actually emailed us to say we had really lifted spirits in their house. “I would like to offer a huge well done and thanks to our amazing teachers and staff who are making virtual learning enjoyable and rewarding for the children. Whilst also trying to home school their own children! A special thanks to voluntary teams that have come together to help deliver Easter eggs, work packs and food hampers to those in need. And finally, thanks to governors for your ongoing words of support during this time”.

Headteacher Emma Hartley makes a video to upload on the schools Facebook site

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THE EDUCATE AWARDS 2020 The biggest celebration of education in the North West Recognising outstanding work in schools and teaching across 21 different categories. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES SUNDAY 5 JULY 2020

VISIT WWW.EDUCATEAWARDS.CO.UK FOR MORE DETAILS

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Primary News

Hear us roar! School adopt a new approach to school life Since completing the ROAR training, learning mentors and colleagues at Blessed Sacrament Primary School in Aintree have been adopting the Reflective, Objective, Assessment, Reassurance (ROAR) approach in many aspects of day-to-day school life. The ROAR approach uses a range of tools that enable staff to talk to children, while also helping children themselves to identify how they’re feeling, expressing and communicating their needs. One of these tools is the ROAR rainbow. To achieve a whole school approach to ROAR a twilight training session was attended by over 100 members of staff at all levels: the safeguarding team; assistant headteacher; learning mentors; admin staff and lunchtime supervisors. This was followed by a workshop for parents and carers. Speaking about the staff benefits of the training, Jane Griffin, mental health lead, said: “We have seen increased knowledge and vocabulary used with the children. Staff also have an awareness of children’s needs and the bigger picture outside of school life, monitoring vulnerable groups with regards to attendance, appearance and emotional wellbeing.

Jane said: “There is now one system in place that we all adhere to. At any point in the day, children can share where they are on the rainbow, knowing staff are there to listen, offer support and identify next steps if needed. “This has helped the children to build resilience, developing a skill set that they can use as they move through life.” The rainbow has become an intrinsic part of school life; staff and children can have a conversation about where they are at any time of the day, even staff lanyards now feature the ROAR rainbow.

School chef wins LACA School Chef of the Year 2020 Holly Charnock from Liverpool has won this year’s national SCOTY title, for her two-course meal, which was presented at Stratfordupon-Avon College, in Warwickshire. The LACA organised competition sponsored by McDougalls is a chance for school chefs to showcase their professional skills, in front of a panel of judges. Ten regional champions and two additional ‘wild cards’,

battled against one another for the title. Each chef had a maximum of £1.30 to spend and 90 minutes to prepare an imaginative, ‘school compliant’ two-course meal. Holly, employed by Sefton Catering Services and chef in charge at Woodlands Primary School, said: “I am so proud to have won the national title. With the standard and skill level amongst this year’s finalists being so high, I felt it was an achievement in itself

just getting through to the national final, let alone being able to compete with such a talented group of people. “All of this just goes to prove what a good job school chef’s do, day in, day out, up and down the country in providing tasty, nutritious meals for millions of children. “I hope that this amazing achievement will also serve to reassure parents everywhere about the high quality of school food and how well balanced and tasty the meals

we provide are, not only at Woodlands Primary School in Formby but across the length and breadth of the country.”

School welcomes gymnast Dan Purvis Stockton Wood Primary welcomed Southport gymnast Dan Purvis to their school where he discussed his career and talked about the importance of dedication and resilience. Dan also took part in a presentation where the children had been sponsored by family and friends to complete a circuit training session with Dan which raised £994. The money raised will be split between a sport-based organization and school. One of Stockton Woods pupils - Jessica Bennett in Year 4 - is an inter county champion gymnast who brought some of her most recent medals into school and the school shared some video clips of her in action during Dan’s presentation. Jessica and Dan then had a handstand competition, which the children loved! 16

Deputy head, Justine Clovis said: “I am going to meet with our sports crew to discuss how they think we should spend that money in school. One idea I have is to buy basketball nets for our multi use games area which would be useful for our ‘football free Fridays’. “Pupil Voice is very important to us at Stockton Wood so we will see how many other ideas the children have. “We also have ‘LifeSavers’ in our school and this event really supports the core value of ‘generosity’ and also supports one of the five big questions that we focus on, ‘How does our money help other people?’ Dan said: “I had an amazing morning at Stockton Wood School, it was a pleasure to deliver the session to hard working and determined students. “The teachers were lovely and it was a

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great atmosphere. I also met an exceptional talented gymnast in Jessica and got to see her gymnastics. It was a pleasure to be at such a wonderful school”.

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Handy Tips to Help

Handy tips to help manage at home Supporting parents and carers

Gill Rowlands manages the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) within School Improvement Liverpool. Gill is an experienced primary teacher, teaching both in Liverpool and London, as well as overseas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. EMTAS supports the inclusion and attainment of black and minority ethnic pupils through in class support, comprehensive training as well as inclusion initiatives. In this article, Gill provides us with some useful advice and practical tips for parents and carers in the current climate. 18

EMTAS is really fortunate in that we have strong partnerships with a number of community and voluntary services. Straight away, we realised that we needed to get information to our parents and carers about how best they could support their children during this extraordinary time and help to alleviate any worries or concerns. With this in mind, we began to write a daily blog offering guidance and tips as well as reassurance. This has been well received by many parents across Liverpool.

be kind to themselves. Some days will be more productive than others! Parents and carers may feel they are doing ‘a bit of a juggling act’. Some may have children at home of different ages, at very different educational levels, some may be the only adult at home, some may be homeworking too and I think all of us will be worried about other family members, relatives and friends and may have taken on extra responsibilities within our community or extended family from shopping to collecting prescriptions.

The most important advice for parents and carers is to

Most of us beneﬁt from routine as do our children! I would

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Sponsored Content

“The EMTAS team have produced enough educational materials to keep our children learning through these difﬁcult times.” Razak Mossa, Chair, Liverpool Arabic Centre

deﬁnitely encourage parents and carers to establish a daily routine and if possible involve their children in creating this. Charts and stickers can go a long way in keeping everyone on track and can also be quite fun. At school, children have a wide range of lessons to develop a whole range of skills and talents from Maths and Literacy to Art and Music. It is really important that we build all of these experiences in, from planting seeds to making models from household items. Parents and carers can be apprehensive that they may not be familiar with the curriculum or the methods used. But our homes provide so much memorable learning! Baking a cake is a fabulous way to explore measure and language… mixing, beating, icing, decorating… the list is endless as well as the chemical reactions involved. Water play is a fun way to explore ﬂoating and sinking… sand play… building castles, weaving stories as well as a great way to explore capacity! Tidying the grocery cupboard! All those shapes to investigate … cubes, cuboids, cylinders and if you have a toblerone, a fabulous triangular prism. Board games can be a

lovely family activity… turn taking, counting, strategic thinking can all come into play! Who doesn’t love a good game of Monopoly, Connect 4 or Guess Who? Reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. The love of books, the different worlds we can be transported to and the characters who become our best friends! Now is the perfect time to read to your child, listen to them read and model reading too. Many of our parents are bilingual, and may feel apprehensive that they cannot support their child’s reading in English. Please don’t worry! We want you to read books and tell stories in your mother tongue, your home language, the one you feel most conﬁdent using. We want children to enjoy their reading experience. What a perfect way to end the day listening to a story in their Mother Tongue! If your child is reading their reading book in English, please talk about the stories and pictures in your strong language. Reading skills in one language transfer to any others.

be seeing their school friends, their favourite teachers or other members of the school community who support them on a daily basis. They may be missing grandparents or other family members who are actively involved in their day to day routine. They will not be able to spend the same time outdoors as in the past, and when they are outdoors it will be very different because of social distancing measures. They will have no extracurricular clubs or activities to attend. With all this in mind, I go back to my original advice … be kind to yourself! Remember, children are resilient and at EMTAS, we are already planning interventions to support our children on their return to school, from family holiday support programmes to targeted accelerated learning interventions.

Finally, we cannot underestimate the impact on our children’s mental wellbeing. Our children will not

To ﬁnd out more about the EMTAS team, or the wider School Improvement Liverpool service, visit www.schoolimprovementliverpool.co.uk/teams-emtas or email marketing@si.liverpool.gov.uk Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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A Big Thank You

AB BIG IG Thank Thank You You It has been a desperately sad and testing time around the world. We have all watched the global spread of COVID-19 which has caused an incomprehensible amount of grief and upset.

As we continue to battle through the pandemic, we have lots of people to thank for their dedication and selﬂessness during these unprecedented times – many of which are those in the education sector. As uncertainty grew in March, schools, colleges and universities had to prepare for the inevitable closures. osures. With just

a few days’ notice, entire school communities responded to the government’s new guidelines and put together a plan of action which would see the majority close their doors, with a select few remaining open to the children of key workers. These extraordinary circumstances meant that no one could fully comprehend

the changes society would have to embrace. A nationwide lockdown saw non-essential shops, cafes, gyms, pubs, bars and restaurants close and people were only permitted to leave their home for either: shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day, medical need or to provide care and travel to work but only if absolutely necessary cessary y.

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A Big Thank You The way in which the media reported that all schools were closed, and insinuated teaching and non-teaching staff weren’t working, upset the #edutwitter community and quite rightly so. Schools that were open became a hub for pupils and students from other schools which had closed, meaning that there were new faces and names to get to know. The immediate response by schools and colleges should be widely applauded. The reaction from leadership teams, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff was awe inspiring. From the get-go, staff ensured their pupils and students left with the relevant at home learning materials, whilst others prepared the school environment for the children that were required to come in.

Delivering an online and ofﬂine curriculum at such short notice will no doubt have brought some issues, but teams pulled together to ensure no student, given their ability or requirements, was overlooked.

“Staff were supported by the school leadership by taking the perspective that we need to play our role in the crisis but, unless we have an underlying condition, everyone would share the risk and responsibility by operating a two-week rota for stafﬁng that could support students, our community and the staff. I believe that although this broad approach has led to challenges, the vast majority of staff feel it has been fair and supportive.”

“It is clear that when communities require help and support, whatever that is and whenever that is, schools are turned to for the answer”

Ian Young, principal of Rainford High, said: “When we realised the present crisis was going to require remote learning, staff responded as a team and with support and guidance shared, they put solid foundations in place for students to be able to study at home quickly, efﬁciently and realistically.”

Ian added: “We very quickly reassured people that jobs and salaries were something we, fortunately, did not have to worry about but with that came a different challenge and responsibility to our community. We tried to be supportive and clear about the expectations and challenges remote learning will bring for the staff and the students.”

It has been a delight to see schools and colleges continuing to share their hardworking days on Twitter. Showcasing and praising the efforts of pupils and students in their care, from their daily workouts, creative art sessions to maths challenges and reading their favourite books. It has shown just how adaptable and inspirational the education community really is. The lockdown may have meant the teaching baton was handed to parents and guardians but headteachers, teachers and support staff remained by their sides and provided continuous support via email and regular phone calls to home. Parents even confidently took to social media to share their own valiant teaching efforts. Marie Beale, assistant headteacher at Whitefield Primary School, said: “Our approach has been for the teachers to interact and provide connection, learning and engagement through our learning platform Seesaw which we have had for five or six years. Almost all families have accessed this daily and we have focussed on fun achievable learning, reassuring the children and families and supporting mental health

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A Big Thank You through yoga and mindfulness. “The leadership team have been in regular contact making welfare calls by phone with over 100 families, some daily, some weekly.” The sunny weather has no doubt lifted many spirits during these hard times, together with the beautiful chalk rainbows that have been created in playgrounds, on pavements and patios. Outdoor learning, both in and out of school, has been embraced, albeit within the conﬁnements of our homes or during the one form of exercise. Teaching staff came up with innovative ways to transport their classroom to online platforms. Rudston Primary School’s Jay Clarke ﬁlmed daily workouts on YouTube whilst other staff members recorded a bedtime story each night. Staff were also busy ensuring pupils eligible for free school meals still received the support, even when at home. Many were personally delivering breakfasts and lunches so that no one missed a meal. Ian Parry, headteacher at Meols Cop High School, said: “Schools have needed to truly reinvent the notion of virtual schooling, while ensuring we still have a provision for children of key workers and our most vulnerable. “We needed to work out how we continue to feed our free school meal students, a model that has evolved into some accessing a voucher scheme but with many still producing and delivering pre-cooked meals to our young people. We also were challenged with ensuring that our most in need students were supported and their welfare checked on in a whole new way. Ian added: “It is clear that when communities require help and support, whatever

that is and whenever that is, schools are turned to for the answer. We have visited and supported over 40 families, delivered pre-cooked meals for 50 students, delivered 22 food hampers to further support families and staff have kept school open right through Easter including the bank holidays.” Many schools have also donated generously during this time, to both the NHS, local foodbanks and numerous charities. Personal protection equipment, handmade visors and scrubs bags have been delivered to those working tirelessly on the frontline. Catherine Twist, headteacher at St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School in St Helens, said: “After the school closures were announced 900 of our students started learning from home, but St Cuthbert’s remained open for the children of some of our region’s incredible key workers. This brought the individuals, working in hospitals and out in our communities to keep our country safe to the forefront of our minds. “We had approximately 300 eye protectors in our science and technology departments and decided to donate them to healthcare workers at Manchester Royal Inﬁrmary and Whiston Hospital to protect

them as they protected us. “We sent the freshly sanitised eye protectors to the hospitals along with some thank you letters from our students and staff. In recent weeks we have also been involved with a local group, led by the doctor in charge of St Helens’ response to COVID-19, to produce PPE equipment for NHS, pharmacists, care home staff and other frontline workers in our school’s local community. “Led by Brigid Wood, our design and technology technician, we are helping with the production of PPE using our 3D printers and laser cutters. Much of the material is being provided by the groups via a Go Fund Me account but we are also using materials that the school has left over from incomplete projects. We were pleased to be able to help in a small way and extend the enormous gratitude we feel for the hard work and sacriﬁce of all of our key workers at this time.” The deﬁant ‘business as usual’ attitude from schools and colleges has been brilliant to see. Educate magazine would like to extend the biggest THANK YOU to everyone in the education sector for your dedication and amazing efforts through these unprecedented times. They have not gone unnoticed.

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Education News

All About STEM leads the way Boost to schools STEM programme All About STEM in Liverpool has been chosen as the STEM Club Champion for Merseyside, West Lancashire, Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester to boost the STEM programme across the region. The STEM business and education consultancy forms part of a new, 22strong network responsible for helping teaching professionals inspire more pupils in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects through out-of-timetable clubs. As STEM Club Champion, All About STEM will provide face-to-face support for teachers across Merseyside, through regular workshops, that will help them start, or develop existing, STEM subject clubs. Representatives from All About STEM will work with secondary schools, as well as Sixth Form and FE Colleges, throughout the area, to deliver a programme of STEM club Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops and networking events. Michelle Dow, managing director of All About STEM said: “All About STEM has worked to promote STEM clubs in schools across the region since the company’s conception in 2011. Clubs help raise attainment and provide our young people with the opportunity to explore all aspects of STEM in a relaxed, informal setting, helping develop their curiosity and understanding of the practical applications of STEM knowledge and skills. “We are excited to be STEM Club Champions and extend our outreach further, offer our schools even more and boost awareness! The significant expansion of the STEM Clubs programme comes as evidence from STEM Learning’s regular consultations with teachers identified widespread demand for local face-to-face support. Over the next four years, STEM Learning intends to expand the STEM Club Champion network to offer support to both primary and secondary schools, across the UK. Dr Alex Brown, STEM support programme manager at STEM Learning said: “STEM clubs are individual to each school, and there is of course, no set formula. However, evidence from our teacher surveys and consultations, including those with no STEM Club experience, highlights a strong desire for face-to-face support at a local level to help them start, sustain and grow their clubs. 24

“Our STEM Club Champions will act as a hub in their patch and over the next four years deliver hundreds of workshops to drive growth and develop the STEM Club ‘ecosystem’ in their local area.

“Our ambition is for every young person in the UK to get the chance to engage with a thriving STEM club and we thank Gatsby Foundation for its continued support.”

Copyrite Systems shows support to schools and colleges Educate Awards title sponsor, Copyrite Systems has commended the work of schools and colleges around the North West during the pandemic. The managed print specialist, which works closely with a number of schools, colleges and educational organisations, has been overwhelmed by the hard work and commitment from senior leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff throughout this difficult and challenging period. Whilst many schools have remained open for vulnerable children and those of key workers, Copyrite Systems also continued to provide on-going support with expert staff on-hand wherever and whenever required. In addition, the business supplied a range of printers for teachers to use at home for the purpose of home schooling. Tom Doyle, managing director of Copyrite Systems, said: “It has a been a difficult time not just for the UK, but the entire world. What was set to be an exciting start to the year has taken an unprecedented turn, yet the strength and togetherness in the education sector has been heart-warming to witness. “From everyone here at Copyrite Systems, I would like to extend our gratitude to all the senior teams, teaching and support staff, as well as office staff, for all their incredible work and support. You’re all heroes too!” Copyrite Systems also ensured that healthcare, medical centres, emergency services and other essential service customers, received the right support and efficient service during lockdown.

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News from The Blue Coat School

LAIRD OF THE DANCE One of the most creative and imaginative projects to emerge from our BCFA project was undoubtedly Science Ceilidh, an award winning concept created by Old Blue and neuroscientist Lewis Hou, from the Class of 2008. Over the course of four days 172 pupils from local primary and specialist schools, 40 neighbours from charity Liverpool Cares as well as 50 parents, Old Blues and friends of the School and 50 Year 7 Blue Coat students, participated in the workshops. Working alongside former Physics teacher Mr Caulkin, Lewis provided a great insight into the science and physics of sound, demonstrating how sound is created through an organ pipe. The ‘slinky orchestra’ proved to be one of the most popular elements of the workshop, with laser sound eﬀects created whilst singing along to the Star Wars theme tune being played on the Chapel organ. Lewis has taken Science Ceilidh around the world and has consulted on countless STEM and public engagement projects, particular career highlights including being involved in the Alan Turing Institute’s STEM Gamechangers programme, winning the NCCPE Engage STEM 2014 Award for his involvement with the sciencetheatre show Deadinburgh and meeting Michelle Obama at the World Innovation Summit Education 2015 in Qatar.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Our Blue Coat For All (BCFA) project, which was launched to restore our historic and rare Father Willis organ, has succeeded far beyond this goal, which in itself was an ambitious aim. If ever a project was blessed, it is this one, for not only has a large musical instrument of national importance been restored for public enjoyment, but it has also created a dynamic new community outreach programme. After 145 years of use, our Father Willis had fallen into a perilous state, having survived so long with so little attention due to its superb construction. Thankfully, before it became totally unplayable, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) agreed to award £180,600 for its full restoration and a number of other generous supporters agreed to provide match funding to support the project. The grant also enabled us to deliver an array of public engagement activities including a Community Choir, Science Ceilidh workshops, an Oral History project, organ workshop tours and the creation of a new website ﬁlled with archive material, which will soon be made available to the public.

TELLING TALES IN SCHOOL Our Oral History project was a fresh initiative to record the memories of Old Blues, former staﬀ and individuals with a connection to the School. Guided by professional oral historian Christine Gibbons and supported by Old Blue and former Deputy Editor of the Liverpool Echo Tony Storey, from the Class of 1979, Blue Coat students conducted 50 interviews, including our oldest Old Blue 104 year old Kendrick Rannard. In June we held a series of afternoon teas for those wanting to share their memories of Blue Coat days gone by. Nothing like this has been attempted by the School before and we were delighted that memories from the 1920s through to the 2000s were captured. Getting current students involved was an important aspect of the project, not only because of the new skills they learnt, but also to inform them of how much the School has changed over the years.

CHORUS OF APPROVAL The Celebratory Concert to oﬃcially unveil the restored Father Willis organ, was held in the School’s Shirley Hall, in January 2020, almost a year after our launch concert. It starred acclaimed organist Professor Ian Tracey, who was tutored on the organ. The programme was once again hosted by Roger Phillips and opened by Sixth Form student Daniel Greenway, Simon Cheung and Old Blue Lee Ward. The 53 members of the Blue Coat School Community Choir also joined forces with the School Senior Choir, totaling 175 voices, bookending the concert with Jerusalem and the Hallelujah Chorus. It paves the way for the NLHF’s wish that our Father Willis organ be enjoyed by future generations to come. Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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Interview with: Ania Hildrey, headteacher of Abbot’s Lea School

Educate recently had the opportunity to sit down with headteacher, Mrs Ania Hildrey, to discuss her vision to create an international centre of excellence in autism education, research and professional development. .

Creating an international centre of excellence Abbot’s Lea is a specialist school in leafy Woolton, South Liverpool, that delivers high quality education for students, aged 3-19 years old, living with autism and a range of associated communication, interaction, social imagination, sensory and learning differences. Mrs Hildrey has been leading the school for four years. Talking about her first visit, she says: “I found everyone to be very welcoming and friendly but the school itself appeared a touch physically neglected, and it proved to be in significant financial deficit. It was quite inward-looking and had very few local, national or international partnerships in place at the time, and despite a strong team spirit, I had discovered rather limited professional development opportunities for the staff, unfortunately some did not see that they could progress within the school and many did not have access to high quality professional inquiry.” However, it was the lack of therapeutic provision for the students and limited family engagement in the life of the school that took Mrs Hildrey aback most. “All of these observations and factfinding moments contributed to my wanting to develop things for all the school’s stakeholders. I worked with the students, listened to the parents, consulted with the staff and then, with the Governing Body and the support of 26

the Local Authority, we launched our vision for the creation of an international centre of excellence in autism education, research and professional development. We are now working hard to make this vision a reality!” Reflecting on the start of the headship, Mrs Hildrey says: “No matter how experienced one is as the headteacher, every new school one leads is unique. It is therefore imperative to be able to master the fine balancing act of relying on one’s previous knowledge, skills and expertise arising from leading other organisations before and yet, at the same time creating the time to truly learn about the current school.” She believes it is critical to get to know the context within which the school operates to truly begin to grasp the task of leading its people well, considerately and in a way that brings out the best in people. She says: “That can only be done if we invest time into getting to know the personal and social stories.” “As the headteacher, you are an administrator of a large, multimillion pound, publicly funded organisation, where the bureaucracy takes over a lot of the time and one becomes very taskdriven. I have to create time in my busy diary to walk the school and talk to students and staff. Otherwise, the days can very easily be swallowed by being

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“

What we know today will expire tomorrow and it is critical that we do not passively wait for the new truths. We must co-create them.

”

sat in front of the computer and churning reports.” Originally from Poland, Mrs Hildrey interest in special education took her to the UK in 1999, where she has settled both personally and professionally, teaching, lecturing and conducting educational research in a range of schools, FE Colleges and at the University of Glasgow. She says: “Although I have been coming to Liverpool since 2004 as my husband is from Crosby, I had not noticed the true level of inequality in the city until I moved here. Having grown up in 1970s/80s Poland and having experienced rations and hunger, I have been truly shocked to see just how many of my students and families suffer as a result of that inequality.”

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“It is heart-breaking to see and so very wrong. Rather than break me, it spurs me on to do good and to ensure that we as a school raise aspirations and create opportunities for all of our students, regardless of their background. This bar-raising has also been a challenge, as deeply rooted limiting beliefs can, at times, be the biggest barrier to personal and school progress. We are definitely getting there, though!” Many changes have been put into place at the school. Mrs Hildrey and her senior team have created the unique holistic ‘Philosophy of Education: The ASD Model©’ with equal focus on academic studies, specialist therapeutic support and development of life skills. As well as clearing the £500k deficit within a couple of years, there has been year-on-year investment into the school environment, teaching resources, technology and provision. In 2018, Abbot’s Lea launched a supported internship programme which gives senior students the chance to gain valuable work experience at companies from within the city. To date, this includes Amey plc, Cadent Gas, Speke Hall, Aloft hotel and The Regenda Group. This saw the school win the Career Aspiration Award at last year’s Educate Awards. A research and development function has also been launched, allowing the school to drive new knowledge-creating projects. “This is life-changing for our practice within the school and our school-toschool support which we offer often. We also work with other external organisations on creating new knowledge in the field of education, special education, autism and neurodiversity in workplaces. “Our aspiration has always been to be the voice for change: positive change. What we know today will expire tomorrow and it is critical that we do not passively wait for the new truths. We must co-create them. We listen to the students with autism, their families, we work with the staff in our school and other schools, we liaise with FE and HE sectors and we learn with, and from, the best around the world. Practical action research is as important as the

theoretical academic inquiry and we do both! But what sets Abbot’s Lea apart from other special schools? Mrs Hildrey isn’t in the business of comparing or competing. She says: “Every school is unique. The 12 special schools in Liverpool work very closely together and I consider my fellow headteachers in those to be not only colleagues but friends. “Objectively, Abbot’s Lea School is one of the largest single registration special schools in the country and the largest, to my knowledge, that caters exclusively for students with autism.” She explains that she wants every student to feel ‘mighty’. “I know, I know, this sounds very grand, but I mean it. There is something about people who

know who they are, what they want and who just go for it, without too many inhibitions, anxieties and fears for making a fool of themselves. Such selfassurance and drive make people mighty!” Talking about her greatest achievement since joining the school, Mrs Hildrey says: “It’s work in progress! Despite my natural and learnt optimism, I think perhaps surviving moments when I had felt pretty lonely, hopeless and helpless and overcoming the everpresent imposter syndrome…” And what does she love most about her job? “I love literally everything! I would not be doing the job if it was not worth doing, I feel I have the best job in the world: a civil service with a moral duty to always do the right thing by the students I serve! What’s not to love!”

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Digital Learning Apps Rainford High in St Helens is championing 21st Century learning through the use of study apps. “The most signiﬁcant app we use is Tassomai which is an app for supporting the learning of science,” says Principal Ian Young. Tassomai launched in 2012 as an online learning program which teaches students while simultaneously feeding back data to their teachers to help them target intervention more effectively. The app helps students in years 9, 10 and 11 prepare for their GCSE science exams and is also available for students in years 7 and 8.

Students using the app have a daily goal which encourages them to spread their learning over as long a period as possible to break topics down into manageable chunks. Tassomai’s unique algorithms select topics which need the most attention with quizzes shown at optimum times for each student which are then repeated occasionally to check that knowledge is being retained. For Ian, the cost of implementing apps such as Tassomai school-wide is worth the investment. “I think a good app is one that is supported and driven by the school,” says Ian. “We have

It followed new data which revealed three quarters of children aged ﬁve and under have used smartphone or tablet apps at least once in the last six months to learn. “Apps that are the most educational value to children contain a number of features,” says Chair of the expert panel Professor Jackie March, Professor of Education at University of Shefﬁeld. “A design which makes the app easy to use and also offers guidance and support for parents, enabling the content to be adjusted for individual children. Apps should also be fun and engaging to use, with clear learning goals and the use of feedback that can be reassuring and motivating.” Educational apps are big business. Over 180 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple’s App Store and the educational sector is the third most popular category of app downloads with an 8.5% share (App Store downloads, 2018). From learning how to code on Code Studio, recording your own music on GarageBand to creating engaging quizzes on Kahoot; the number of apps available for students, teachers and parents is vast.

Rainford High uses the app across all year groups to supplement classroom teaching, such as setting homework on the app for students to complete at home. “Our experience of Tassomai has been that we have had to drive the use of the app to ensure student engagement with it,” Ian explains. “This saw us ranked 3rd in the country for usage last year and it had a signiﬁcant impact on student’s conﬁdence and performance in their science GCSEs in 2019.” 30

invested in Tassomai across KS3 and KS4. Although there is a cost on a per student basis, in a school of our size it is a reasonable per student spend of less than £5.” Outside of the classroom, parents are also being encouraged to use educational apps to kick start learning at home. Earlier this year, the Department of Education, alongside an expert panel, accredited six new apps aimed at improving reading, writing and speaking with children as young as two years old.

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One subject which has undergone a digital reboot is learning the times tables. Times Tables Rock Stars is an online platform created by Bruno Reddy that supercharges pupils’ recall of the times tables. Students can play in rock themed game modes, which are sequenced to ask the questions they ﬁnd more difﬁcult, more often, to ensure they master all the tables and improve their accuracy and speed. Many children thrive on the competitive element and play in multiplayer games against their classmates or students around the world,

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Digital Learning Apps whilst others focus on improving their rock speed with the goal of achieving ‘Rock Hero’ status. Bruno says he encourages teachers to implement “a little and often approach” to playing TT Rock Stars, to help their students retain the information they are learning. “Studies show that blocking (a cramming approach to learning something) is less effective than the alternative, spaced learning (spending the same amount of time distributed over shorter, more frequent episodes),” explains Bruno. “If you want longterm memory, then spaced learning beats blocking.” “Whether it’s a language, times tables, a fact in history, geography or science, a memory will decay unless it’s being used, regardless of whether it wa as learned on an app or n want long-term knowledge, ke knowledge Us knowledge. So how do you (and teachers) an app again a without its app Bruno, the “Re is key. “If [stud designed well user interface, pitch, gamiﬁca content suits b then you incre the ‘Return Fa explains. “The that a student to the app time time again. If p are spending t personal time online or ofﬂin should h ld be b a po in general.” For Devonshire Park Primary School in Wirra the use of app is changing th

classroom environment. “This year we have started to use the Notability app to deliver lessons,” explains Stephen Dutton, year 2 teacher and computing co-ordinator. “Not only is it a great app but it also has a positive impact on classroom control. Teachers no longer have to have their back turned on the class when writing on the whiteboard, instead they can be anywhere in the classroom using their iPad which links directly to the board. This helps with classroom behaviour, lesson pace, modelling children’s work on the board using the camera and providing feedback.” He says all the apps they use (such as Learning by Questions (LbQ) and TT Rock Stars) highly engage

children both in lessons and at home, and are therefore worth the investment. “I do feel technology increases children’s motivation to learn,” says Stephen. “Completing activities on an iPad engages children a lot more than completing a similar activity on a worksheet. Children are also increasingly becoming tech savvy to help them prepare for the wider world.” For many educators and parents, the beneﬁts of digital apps outweigh the negatives, such as excessive screen-time and online safety. In these unprecedented times when education has been disrupted worldwide, perhaps we should be grateful that thanks to digital apps, students’ learning can somewhat continue, in the comfort of their homes.

Top app picks for remote learning • Tassomai • Kahoot • Sir Linkalot • Code Studio • iMotion • Sketch Nation • GarageBand • TT Rockstars • LBQ (Learning by Questions)

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A child’s perspective

Times like these Lockdown through a child’s eyes Missing friends, school and teachers, but enjoying spending more time with family; lockdown for children across the region has had both upsides and downsides. Educate ﬁnds out how children have been feeling.

Remote learning has been eye-opening to say the least. It has made me appreciate communication skills and how, in lockdown, it has challenged me to work and learn in new ways. I suspect I won’t be alone in thinking that, away from my class-mates and teachers, I now suddenly appreciate what I previously had in school. I will never take communication between staff and friends for granted again. When I ﬁrst heard that exams would be cancelled, I will confess to being devastated. I thought all my work and efforts

had been wasted. I hope to study English Literature at the University of St. Andrews in September, and have come to realise that the effort I had put towards my exams has simply been transferred to the next chapter of my education. This experience has forced me to be more organised, but what better way to prepare for the independence and responsibility expected at university than a programme of remote learning? It has made me appreciate technology’s ability to help us continue our what-would-be classroom

lessons. You would think that classroom rapport is lost in translation over a video call, but it has in fact survived which has really helped me to stay motivated throughout these uncertain times. A negative I cannot avoid however is WiFi… need I say any more? Being in a house with four other ‘Teams’ users can bring its difﬁculties! On refection, as unprecedented as these times are, it will certainly be a fascinating story to tell in the future. Georgina Duncan St. Mary’s College, Crosby

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A child’s perspective

My quarantine so far hasn’t been very eventful. Although I have done some fun things like make a cheesecake with my dad. Wow that was so yummy! Even though it’s always good hanging out with family as we are all in the same house, sometimes you just want to be alone! Which is obviously normal for a twelve-year-old girl like me. One thing which really upset me the most about going into lockdown is not ﬁnishing my ﬁrst year of high school. I felt as if someone had just taken my freedom away from me even though I had just got it. Another thing on that point is that I had taken for granted just simply going to the corner shop and out with friends, basically just going out in general! As all of the stuff I have mentioned so far is the bad

When it was announced that school was closing and we would have to work from home for the “foreseeable future” I thought it was the end of the world but honestly it’s been so much better than I thought it would be. The teachers have all been great and are always there if any of us need anything and they continue to push us to be the best we can be. Before we left school we were encouraged to help our class mates and keep in touch with each other. It took me a while to get my head round it all but I’ve settled in nicely to my new normal and got a routine going again. Although I really miss my friends and family, there are many beneﬁts to the lockdown: I’ve proven to 34

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side of this lockdown, there are some good things that will come from this global pandemic too. After this is all over, I feel that the world will no longer take for granted the simple things in life. I would also like to say that parents are doing a great job keeping their kids learning which is most deﬁnitely the right thing to do. Something which is helping me learn in a fun way is something my mum came up with, projects! Each day my brother and I pick a subject, for example, space! We google lots of facts and create a fun poster all about the subject we choose. Furthermore, quarantine may seem like the end of the world but all you need to do is stay positive! Emily - Deyes High School, Maghull

myself that I can do the work on my own, I’ve learnt to trust my own opinion more as I can’t ask my teachers about everything, I’ve got more self-discipline as there are more distractions at home than in school that I have learnt to ignore and I’m loving the fact my school day doesn’t start as early and some days I get to do it in my pyjamas! Working from home has pushed me to ﬁnd new, creative and more interesting ways to learn and made me realise that just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad or anything to be afraid of. While I’m really looking forward to things going back to normal, I’m doing just ﬁne for now. Year 10 student - Archbishop Blanch School

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A child’s perspective

Hi, I am Samantha and I am Bickerstaffe CE School’s Head Girl. I’ll be telling you about my life in lockdown. During lockdown my mum has been doing home school every week day with me and my two sisters. In a way, it has been less stressful because I don’t have to get dressed each day a certain way or remember lots of different things to bring into school. My favourite subject is maths because my mum taught me new strategies and she makes it really fun. I have been able to help my sisters when they get stuck sometimes.

My mum said she’s been learning lots of things too. We have been staying very active: we do our own morning exercise; one walk a day and a workout. Everyone enjoys doing the Tik-Tok dance challenges too. I also do BBC Bitesize, Purple Mash and Times Table Rock Stars. There’s something new to learn every day! We start school at 9am and ﬁnish at 1pm. In the afternoons we are free to play in the garden or be creative. I have been keeping in touch with my family by messaging

Both my parents are key workers, so they have been going to work. My sister is a student at university, but because it’s closed, she has moved back home.

My lockdown experience has been fun, happy and sad! It was sad because my nan died in April and I couldn’t see her when she was ill. We also never got to have a proper funeral, only 10 people could go and because of social distancing, I couldn’t hug any other people in my family.

My dining room is now my classroom. I use Google Classroom, Seneca and the online classes on Instagram, and my sister Leah helps me if I struggle. At lunchtime I have been making my own lunch, so my cooking skills have improved. On April 25th it was my birthday. My mum arranged afternoon tea to be delivered and my other sister, who doesn’t live at home, came and we celebrated in my back garden, following

and FaceTime, we miss them a lot. We are missing our friends as well and can’t wait to see them all again. I am not really worried about what will happen next. I am just going along with what I’ve been told to do. I think in a few weeks everything will start to get back to normal. We are staying safe and having fun while doing it. I hope you are too! Thank you for reading my lockdown story. Samantha - Bickerstaffe CE Primary School, Bickerstaffe

the social distancing rules, which was strange as I couldn’t go near her. Normally I do gymnastics, so my club have been doing classes through Zoom. I participate three times a week and this helps me stay active. Overall, I have felt a lot of different emotions. But I am happy that I can still see my friends using FaceTime and I know that they are all healthy and safe. But I am looking forward to restrictions being lifted so I can see my family and friends properly. Grace - St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, St Helens

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A child’s perspective

Life in quarantine is hard to compare to anything I have experienced. It has changed the way I live my everyday life from doing school work to socialising with friends. Although the weight of exams and pressure that school brings about has gone, I can’t help but miss the school environment. I am ﬁnding myself less focused than in school, as well as not having a teacher at hand to ask for help and advise on work. On the other hand, the loss of a timetable has allowed me more time to explore subjects I am most interested in, which I have enjoyed.

Hi my name is Bianca, I am currently in New Park Primary School and in Year 6. Life in isolation is very different because when you’re at school you are used to sitting at a table with a few classmates, however at home you’re doing schoolwork with family. 36

I have had extra time to practice my hobbies of art and piano. It is not only school life that has changed but I have had to change the way I socialise with friends and family. I feel I have actually talked to friends and family more since the lockdown, calling and messaging them everyday. This has helped me to keep up-to-date with them and their lives and feel connected. In particular, playing countdown with my family over FaceTime has been entertaining. I feel it is important to stay connected with family and friends as it could be so easy to lose touch when you do

Because we are at home , I get to play with my brother, Aiden more, but at the same time I miss my other family and friends. Before lockdown I was doing lots of sport activities after school like dancing, football and swimming. But now I am missing all these activities. Instead I try to go for a walk or play in the garden every day. One thing I am enjoying is more family time, like game nights or movie nights. We also have a chance to have dinner together every night which before was challenging because of our busy

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not see them face to face. I am walking my dog locally and it has made me appreciate where I live even more. I am feeling lucky to have a supportive family, who I get on with. I am also enjoying that my mum is baking more. As it has only been a few weeks since the lockdown began, I have been able to enjoy my time at home. There is no clear answer as to when things will get back to normal, so it still feels a little bit unsettled as to what the future holds. Sophie – Year 8 Rainford High, Rainford

life. I also enjoy craft activities and baking weekly, I recently made some homemade churros. At home I don’t study as much as I would in school but I try to do about an hour of schoolwork and ten minutes of reading every day. My school and my teachers have been great sending me tasks and challenges. I have been trying to get lots of credits for Children’s University. I hope we can go back to school so I can say goodbye to everyone. Bianca - Year 6 New Park Primary, Kensington

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A child’s perspective

My last day of school was 11th March as I was symptomatic and wasn’t allowed into school, Mum was told I had to self-isolate for 14 days! I was really sick then Mum told me school was closing on Friday 20th March. A friend cleared my desk and brought around all my things, plus a large piece of paper which everyone had signed, because I’m Year 6 and I wasn’t in school to have my shirt signed. I cried as I missed this happening and can never get it back. I realised I might not have my end of school party or my SATs which we have studied hard for, and this made me upset. The ﬁrst week of home schooling was fun and I loved being with my mum; I was even on BBC News. But the second week wasn’t very good, I hated it and missed my structure. I just did not want to work. The news was hammering on about illness and death, it was too sad for me to take in. I cried for no reason on a few occasions. I really miss my family so much , my paternal nan and

At ﬁrst, I was quite anxious about going into lockdown, because I would miss seeing my friends. Furthermore, I was scared that I would be behind on my studies and therefore ﬁnd my GCSEs harder next year. However, over the last

few weeks, I have started getting a routine again and have become more used to studying from home. I have enjoyed the live lessons that the Spanish department have been doing on Instagram and I have been working through the work on Google Classroom. In addition to this, I’ve stayed in contact with my friends through video calls. To relax during lockdown, I have played video games, which gave me another opportunity to communicate with my friends. I have started reading more, especially at night. Most days, I go for a daily walk, which I really enjoy. I think that going for walks and exercising is very important at the minute,

grandad are stuck in Spain and my others are vulnerable. We can’t go out as my dad is also vulnerable, and this makes me scared for him. I have been singing to keep me occupied when I worry about things: my family, my friends, when I will be able to go back to school and all of the key workers. I’ve made rainbows for our windows, cookies, brownies, painted pictures and dyed chair covers in rainbow colours. I’m excited yet nervous that I may have to go back to school as a Year 7 pupil (where do we buy a uniform, what colour is my tie etc). This week has been great as Mr Moore has set up Microsoft Teams. We’ve had a maths class and a few meetings which was brilliant as I got to see my class mates and we all chatted about what we’ve been doing over the lockdown period, it was nice. All I want right now is to see my cousin Anna, I have missed her more than anyone. I just want to give her a hug! Jessica - Brook Lodge Primary School, Rainford

because it will keep you both physically and mentally healthy. I also have missed seeing my grandparents and other family members, so hopefully I will be able to see them again soon. A new hobby that I have taken up during lockdown is baking; it helps me to relax and I ﬁnd it interesting. I have been using an app over the lockdown, which tracks my mood and I can see what activities make me feel happy. Overall, I am feeling quite good at the moment, however I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. Daniel - St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, St Helens

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A child’s perspective

This has been a crazy past two months hasn’t it! All the kerfufﬂe over toilet paper! My quarantine has not been all bad actually, it’s been quite good – I don’t have to get dressed, I have been in my pjs the whole time (except for walks). My dad and mum make the best food! Like churros and roast dinners - sooo good! I have also had lots of time to play with my bearded dragon Ernie (he is more fun than my sister). But on the serious side of things, for just a nine-year-old boy like me it can be quite overwhelming. You need to stay active; I have tried to do some exercise every day like a walk, playing in the garden or training with my WLM

Taekwondo club online. I miss my teachers and friends; Zoom will never be like playing tag in the playground. I think everyone needs to say a great big thank you to our parents for all the stuff they have done for us! Whether it is making us food, entertaining us or just keeping us safe. In the future I think people will remember the time we all had to stay inside and appreciate simple things like seeing your grandparents in real life, but for now we all need to remember to wash our hands. It’s the best thing you can do at the moment! James - St Thomas CE Primary School, Lydiate

on holiday but can’t, so I’m spending more time in our back garden. The sunny weather has helped a lot, but when rain comes, even getting out for exercise is something that cannot always be achieved. I’ve had to learn to become more aware of my surroundings and stay away from people. My mum and dad have had to think about when the safest time is to go to the shops.

In quarantine, I’m not allowed to go out for more than one hour a day, so for 23 hours I’m stuck at home. I like that I am learning new things; I have been able to bake more and I am learning to cook. I have also been more independent with school work as I am 38

doing more online subjects. I don’t like that I cannot see my friends, so we are FaceTiming each other a lot more. I miss school the most, especially my teachers, friends and the structure. We were supposed to go

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One thing that has been hard is avoiding people who are not as careful. They think they will never get it, so carry on with their lives, and don’t think about all the people dying from Covid-19, which can make me feel annoyed. After all of this, I hope not to take things for granted, such as seeing people at parties, going back to school and having toilet paper and ﬂour! Erin - St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Ormskirk

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A child’s perspective

When I work from my yellow reading chair in my sitting room, I see many things, and my mind drifts to many more. I see the natural world outside, attaining a beautiful sort of peace not seen for years. Indeed, the dandelions grow, bloom and turn into clocks with little disturbance, and it’s always mystifying seeing the white downy ﬂuff in the air. Truly marvellous.

I see the house I live in, as I always see it every day. It’s become part of the woodwork (no pun intended) and, quite honestly, I long for my usual weekly grind to restart, so I can ﬁnally get off my lazy rump and do something with my life. Swear on my life, I shall never take routine for granted again. I see and hear my family working around me, and I am proud for them. They’ve

It has been a very unusual time for me these past weeks. My daily routine has changed drastically. My whole life has been adjusted from my days mostly being centred around school hours (with the occasional half term) but now my day consists of basically the same timetable without fail - wake up, breakfast, walk/exercise, shopping, schoolwork, relax for the rest of the day. It’s like I’m going through my life without purpose. Hello, my name is Paul Connor and I’m a student of Abbot’s Lea School. Due to the corona virus pandemic I have been absent from school for approximately six weeks.

I’ve missed seeing my family. Seeing family is important for me, especially for my mental side of things. Fortunately, I’m still able to see my dad who lives elsewhere, which

adapted to this so well, and they’ve helped me do the same. Sufﬁce to say, our spirit hasn’t truly died either. I was recently granted the position of apprentice at Regenda following my supported internship, something I have worked hard to attain, and elation enraptured the household. Indeed, ‘twas just like the pre-quarantine days. I think of my friends, both interns and students, and honestly, I’m worried. Part of my own brand of autism means that I am highly empathetic, and as such I’m concerned about the state of other people. Not everyone is good with change (not even myself to a degree), and I hope this state of emergency ends soon, just to help them start to rebuild their lives. My thoughts are mostly quelled with a mug of tea and occasional Zoom meetings with my class, but they are but the most recurring and relevant. thoughts I have on a day to day. George - Abbot’s Lea School, Woolton

I’m very thankful for. My mental health? It’s...better than I thought it might have been. Of course, it’s been hard at times for me, but I feel as if I’m going through a good patch of my mental well-being at the moment (nothing to do with lockdown). It’s still up in air when we are able to return to school. I’m going through every day oblivious to what changes to daily life will be made tomorrow, the day after, the day after that. Absolutely anything could happen. Life could change for all of us tomorrow. Who knows? Paul - Abbot’s Lea School, Woolton

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SELL-OUT PERFORMANCE Sensational performance for Peace Proms 2020 The M&S Bank Arena was packed to capacity and literally bouncing for Liverpool Peace Proms 2020. The concert was a celebration of youth, music, energy and sheer talent on a massive scale as the 3,000 member Liverpool Children’s Peace Choir joined forces with the internationally acclaimed Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland for this sell out performance. Conductor Greg Beardsell literally danced his way through a programme packed with powerful anthems, emotional ballads, current charttoppers and Disney classics. The Orchestra, made up of over 100 amazing young musicians from all over Ireland, was technically and musically brilliant. Dressed in plain white T-shirts, the children in the choirs symbolized peace and harmony. They were buzzing with excitement from the moment they arrived at the arena, and lifted the roof with every note they sang. You could tell that they loved singing the songs from Disney and current pop songs especially George Ezra’s ‘Pretty Shining People’, Kodaline’s ‘Head Held High’ and Panic at the Disco’s ‘High Hopes’. There were many high points in the concert, but perhaps the most spine-tinglingly beautiful moment was when the Orchestra joined forces with 3,000 strong Liverpool Children’s Peace Choir to perform the inspirational and uplifting peace anthem ‘The Power of One’ where the core message of universal peace was most powerfully and beautifully conveyed. Along with the Orchestra and Choirs, several soloists gave one sparkling performance after another. All Ireland Champion Uilleann Piper Conal Duffy performed a stunning version of ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ while bagpiper Grahame Harris and the World Champion Colmcille Pipe and Drum Corps from Derry treated the audience to some majestic bagpipe anthems including a very powerful special arrangement of U2’s ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’. World champion dancers from the King Academy of Irish Dance, Liverpool and Ulster champion dancers from the Michelle Johnston school of Highland Dance in Belfast, topped off this spectacular array of talent. Photos by Anamaria Meiu @AMPhotoStar

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Martial arts to tackle modern issues

getting back to the safety of the green zone. “There is no offence involved, it’s purely defence and getting yourself safe, keeping yourself safe and preventing violence and conflict,” adds Dean. While learning the physical techniques of combat sports, the project’s focus is very much on developing skills such as confidence, communication and mutual respect to avoid conflict. “We talk to students about the values involved with building good relationships with people, and we emphasise how these transferrable skills will improve the quality of their relationships at home and school,” explains Dean. “We also talk about empathy as a way to prevent conflict, in understanding how people feel but also if you do find yourself in conflict, can you use empathy to reverse that person’s anger with you.”

these skills transfer in to education. The science proves that your physical motor skills directly affect quality of life and academic results. The better they are at all these things we’ve talked about, such as the principles of C.A.R.E and being physically active, the better they are going to do in school and have better relationships.”

and Stockton Wood Primary. Nevertheless, Jimmy and Dean have been overwhelmed with the feedback to date. “So far the sessions we’ve delivered have been better than I expected, in terms of feedback and interaction from pupils and the feedback we’ve had from teachers has been brilliant, we’re hoping this is a real success,” says Dean. “Feedback from the schools engaged so far has been excellent. One of the secondary school teachers was amazed at just how engaged the pupils were,” adds Jimmy.

n o h c u m y ver s i s u c o F the as h c u s s l l i k s g n i p o l e v e d on i t a c i n u m m co , e c n e d i f n co ct e p s e r l a u t and mu . t c i l f n o c to avoid

While the project’s focus is all about changing attitudes, the physical aspect is still important, says Dean. “We talk to the pupils about the importance of physical activity and how

Unfortunately, with school buildings closed to most students due to the coronavirus, the project is currently on hold but will continue when the schools reopen. So far, 148 primary school pupils and 28 secondary school pupils have taken part in the programme, from schools such as the Academy of St Nicholas, Fazakerley High, Pinehurst Primary, St Cecilia’s Juniors

The full impact of the programme won’t be felt until it concludes, but early evidence shows that the participants are engaging well with the key messages of communication, awareness, respect and empathy. The programme builds on the power of sport as a tool for crime prevention and highlights the contributions that sport can make to communities as a whole, and the individuals who are ﬁghting for their own futures. Can combat sports really be used to ﬁght crime and antisocial behaviour? In the words of Bruce Lee, ‘Optimism is a faith that leads to success’.

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Case Study:

City of Liverpool College DCE Engineering were recently tasked to carry out annual servicing of the commercial catering equipment across all five of The City of Liverpool College campuses which includes, Duke Street, Vauxhall Road, Clarence Street, The Arts Centre and The Learning Exchange. Our Director, Brendon Doyle, states: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The City of Liverpool College are a fantastic customer to have, whilst being very enjoyable to deal with, they insist on efficiency and a high level of support at all times. DCE are happy and proud that such an organisation would choose them to make sure their equipment is efficiently maintained at all times.â&#x20AC;? The college servicing is usually due in February, during half term, to make it less troublesome for the college. Our system notifies us six weeks before the due date so we can liaise with the always accommodating Rob Grugel and get the required servicing booked in at a time that suits the client. All of the relevant information is uploaded to our EMS (electronic management system) in preparation of the Engineers attendance. The college has state of the art catering facilities at their Duke Street site, which kept the team busy due to the fact that there are well over 200 appliances located within the bakery and training kitchens. Once the servicing is completed, we begin to compile the reports and remedial quotes immediately. Our aim is always for customers to receive their reports, certificates and quotes no later than three days after the service is completed.

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Electronic copies of these reports were sent to Rob and we made him aware of any remedial works that are required. We do stock a large quantity of parts at our premises and in any occasion when we don’t have a particular part, we have a very efficient chain of suppliers. Rob Grugel of Liverpool City College says: “The servicing is arranged through me with minimal fuss, with certain dates and tight deadlines being adhered to. The engineers are knowledgeable, friendly and always happy to help or answer queries. The reporting of breakdowns and the subsequent response times are equally impressive. I’m very happy with the agreement currently in place and would have no hesitation in recommending DCE to any potential clients.” If you run a commercial kitchen that needs maintenance or servicing DCE can help. We have a team of expert accredited engineers who have years of experience in installing, servicing, repairing and maintaining commercial catering equipment. We insure all your appliances are working to their optimum performance and kept in line with safety regulations. Contact DCE today to discuss your business requirements and arrange for servicing at a time that suits you.

“

The engineers are knowledgeable, friendly and always happy to help or answer queries

”

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Appointments News

Appointments News SPONSORED BY

Abbot’s Lea appoints a new deputy headteacher schemes of work to organising the Year 7 transition programmes. Additionally, Mrs Tobin worked with many other schools in Cheshire providing advice, guidance and training related to effective support for the students with a wide range of special educational needs.

Mrs Emily Tobin has joined Abbot’s Lea School, Woolton, as the new deputy headteacher. Mrs Tobin started the position at the end of March – the most unusual time in the modern history of education! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national schools’ closure, she has been working remotely from home and is yet to meet her team of staff in person and all the students and families. Mrs Tobin joins Abbot’s Lea having taught for a number of years and having held leadership positions at Helsby High School in Cheshire. She has taught French and German before taking on a Head of Year role and then being promoted to the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCO) and Y6-7 transition leader post. Her varied background meant that she was responsible for leading on different school priorities, from developing Modern Foreign Languages 46

Mrs Tobin said: “Having worked in a large and highly successful school and having been exposed to such varied priorities in my own and other local schools, gave me the insight into where my heart truly lies; special education. I began to see my other roles as taking me away from my SEND responsibilities. It became very clear that specialist education is my interest, my passion and where I want to have maximum impact. I therefore made the decision to progress my career in the special education sector.” “When looking at deputy headship roles, I knew that I was looking for a school where I could work seamlessly with its headteacher. Having met Mrs Hildrey I knew straight away that her vision for education is totally compatible with my own and that our passion for excellence in special education points in the same direction. We just seem to get each other! We are open and honest with each other and I have no doubt that I will be able to support her fully in making her vision for centre of excellence a reality. Together, we are going to be able to do amazing things at Abbot’s Lea, surrounded by a fantastic and dedicated team of staff.”

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Mrs Tobin is looking forward to getting to know the students and the families of Abbot’s Lea. She said: “Experience has taught me that when you support a child correctly, you support the whole family. Many parents share their inner feelings and thoughts with you and give you the biggest insight into their family life - such information is a privilege and it is crucial to acknowledge the complexities each family experiences in their daily life in order to truly offer a personalised educational package of holistic support.” “As the deputy headteacher, I am value-led but also highly systemic. I have already started looking at the school’s teaching and learning systems and will implement positive changes to ensure that we continue to support as many children and families in the most effective way. Now, more than ever before, cohesive, systemic and yet flexible way of working is key. Some lessons learnt from the pandemic-related closure already inspired my thinking for reaching out to students who struggle to access the school building at a given time due to their mental health or other personal circumstances. Online learning, virtual classrooms and building relationships – even if virtual – might just be key for those not at school to continue to learn in the future.” Mrs Tobin is excited to be working in Liverpool. She considers it her nearest city and has fond memories of visiting as a child.

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Appointments News

Rainford High appoints new learning leader school, Mr Penfold started the position this summer term. The role will see Mr Penfold support and aid student learning of the youngest members of the Rainford High community, including their progress, behaviour and pastoral needs, whilst also regularly liaising with parents and keeping them informed of their child’s development. Mr Jordan Penfold has been appointed the new year 7 learning leader at Rainford High. Taking on the additional responsibility alongside his job as RE teacher at the

He will also continue to embed the school ethos that Everyone Matters, Everyone Helps and Everyone Succeeds, alongside his work in the successful RE department. Mr Penfold said: “I am delighted to accept this fantastic new

challenge and continue my development as a practitioner, while focusing on this pastoral role. “The transition from primary to secondary school is an exciting, yet important time, so the support for year 7 students’ needs to focus on both personal and academic growth.” Mr Ian Young, principal of Rainford High, said: “We are thrilled to have Mr Penfold overseeing and leading the current, and future, year 7 cohort. “As the learning leader, it is crucial that the new in-take settle into life at Rainford High and we believe Mr Penfold is the right person for this job.”

Much-loved headteacher retires from Florence Melly Ken Heaton has retired as headteacher of Florence Melly Community Primary School, Walton. Ken was due to retire at the beginning of the Easter break, however, due to the pandemic and the school being designated as a hub school for the city, he worked up until 30 April to ensure a smooth transition. With over 40 years’ experience in the education sector, Ken has worked across the country and internationally, however, for the last four years of his career he returned to his roots and took on the headship at the school where he was once a pupil. Ken ensured that the school became a sanctuary for people of any faith or none at all. Explaining and

embracing all faiths, backgrounds, beliefs and cultures was central in his view that all pupils are treated with respect and fairness with the right to feel valued and safe. Together with his vision to create a modern, pupil led approach to learning, Ken worked tirelessly to instil into governors, teachers and pupils that the life chances of everybody associated with the school should only be dictated by their ambition, motivation and tenacity.

Florence Melly school community. Deputy headteacher Aaron Leach will take on the position of acting headteacher until it is safe to continue the recruitment process for the headship.

The school was previously judged as ‘requiring improvement’ on two consecutive occasions but thanks to Ken and his dedicated team, in 2018, following an Ofsted inspection, it was declared ‘outstanding’, much to the delight of the entire

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A week in the life of…

Paul Edwards Cowley International College Paul Edwards is a teacher at Cowley International College in St Helens. Last year, Paul was crowned the Teacher of the Year at the Educate Awards following a number of glowing nominations from colleagues and students. Educate caught up with Paul in March to find out more about his busy role as a teacher and how he balances his work and personal life. Daily Routine I drive to work. I leave home at 7:20am to arrive at school just before 8:00am. Making a strong cup of tea is the first thing I do on arrival each day. I then check my emails before attending a whole staff briefing at 8:25am (three days per week) or attending the Year 9 Mandarin form time (twice per week). Lessons then begin at 8:55am and end at 3:05pm. I am required to teach Mandarin after school classes from 3:15pm – 4:45pm each day.

Timetable I have a very varied and interesting timetable. I teach Mandarin to Years 7, 8, 9 and 12. I also teach A-level history and A-level psychology to Year 13. Each fortnight I teach 30 hours of Mandarin, four hours of history and four hours of psychology. My job is most difficult during the months of May and June. There are four national hurdle tests for the Mandarin students in year groups 79, the HSK 1 exam for the Year 12 students and three A-level papers for the history and psychology students. Monday 9 March – Friday 13 March Last week was a particularly busy one. On Monday I needed to plan a 50 minute lesson for the Mandarin Excellene Programme (MEP). I was delighted to learn that I have been chosen to demonstrate a model

Mandarin lesson at the annual Chinese Conference in June 2020. My audience will be mostly Chinese native speakers so this is quite a challenge for me. On Tuesday I conducted a joint lesson observation of our Mandarin trainee teacher with the PGCE coordinator from MMU. This was followed by a meeting to discuss her general progress. I had to leave school during the day to visit my dad in hospital. The doctor called a family meeting and we were given some bad news. On Wednesday after school I had corporate hospitality at the Liverpool v Athletico Madrid match courtesy of an old friend of mine, Dr Peter Rankin. We first met at The Hillsborough Centre in Liverpool as fellow survivors of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989. We have both gone on to have successful careers since then. On Thursday after school I travelled to London to stay with my friends, Val and Dave. We lived and worked in China together from 1991 to 1993. They are both teachers too, Val is now headteacher at Hornchurch High School. On Friday I attended the Mandarin Excellence Programme teachers meeting at UCL in London. This meeting provided information about the MEP Year 9 national hurdle tests in May 2020 and the Year 10 HSK 3 tests in May 2021. We were also given the disappointing news that the Year 8 China Trip has been cancelled due the COVID-19 virus. It certainly was Friday 13th! Monday 16 March – Friday 20 March This week was simply unlike any other. On Monday I had to balance my work and home life like never before. My stepdaughter and her three children have temporarily moved in with us and my dad’s condition has worsened. I am forced to spend the day going to and from my school to the hospital. When I eventually

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“

I was surprised to be nominated as a finalist and quite shocked to actually win it

”

arrive home at 8:30pm I am informed that Lucas aged 5 had been sent home from school earlier with a sudden and persistent cough. On Tuesday I go to work as normal but am told that I should be in selfisolation from tomorrow. When I start to feel tired and out of breath, I am sent home for fourteen days. I realise that my self-isolation will mean that I cannot visit my dad in hospital, who doesn’t have long to live. COVID-19 has obviously arrived in St Helens.

Friday 27 March My symptoms were mild and both Lucas and I quickly recovered. Following a seven-day isolation, I was able to see my dad in hospital before he was transferred to a residential care home which now has a no visitors policy. Like so many others, I have no idea if I had the virus or not. Speaking about winning the Teacher of the Year Award, Paul said: “I was surprised to be nominated as a finalist and quite shocked to actually win it. However I was absolutely delighted to win the award. Whilst my family and friends were very proud of me, I felt that it was my students at Cowley International College that deserved the praise. The ease at which they have mastered the Chinese characters has been a real eye opener. I have spent many Mandarin lessons open mouthed as they read out long paragraphs of characters in fluent Chinese. “In my long teaching career, teaching Mandarin has been a real highlight. When our school joined the MEP in summer 2017 it was a daunting task for me to deliver the Mandarin programme. Thanks to my excellent students, it has led to me winning this major award and indeed gaining new employment at Hangzhou International School, China.” Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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Education News

Balance curriculum tool free to all primary schools Educate Awards sponsor, Angel Solutions’ Balance curriculum tool is currently being made available to primary schools free of charge. Many will have concerns about the future, and anticipate how curriculums

must and will have to change to accommodate the impact of this current break in education. The free curriculum tool is ideal during this time as it can be used it to get ahead of the changes that will undoubtedly

come, while there is the time to do so. Created alongside subject specialists, schools and teachers across the country – Balance allows schools to focus on what matters most, allowing staff to completely edit the curriculum in a way that works. Balance also helps teachers clearly identify what was and wasn’t taught each year which is especially important after an incomplete academic year. Angel Solutions say by signing up to Balance, schools can gain access to: • Totally free, step-by-step support, help and demonstrations on how to use Balance • Weekly webinars covering everything you need to get started (including creating an intervention curriculum) • Regular blogs, tips and guidance on curriculum, from their team of experts You can sign up now on their website for free access to the curriculum tool until August 2020 – with no strings attached at: http://www.angelsolutions.co.uk/products /balance

Satis Education launches new website Satis Education has launched a new recruitment website in order to effectively support its clients during these unprecedented timed. Due to COVID-19, the social enterprise - which offers executive leadership recruitment and consultancy services to the education sector – has developed a new website in a bid to meet the needs of schools, academies and colleges which may find themselves with unexpected vacancies following this period. The site allows people nationally to register their details if they’re looking for a new role and then each candidate will go through an initial screening interview with the Satis Education team to find out more about their skill set and suitability. This process will ensure there is a pool of applicants ready for recruitment once schools can determine their staffing needs for September and beyond. During these uncertain times, it has been business as usual for Satis Education and the team has rearranged for all interviews to take place online, 50

via video conferencing platforms. Since lockdown has been in place, they have successfully appointed nine new roles with two more scheduled over the next few months. Helen Stevenson, co-founder of Satis Education, said: “As soon as the severity of the current situation became apparent we immediately put systems and processes in place to ensure we could continue to effectively support our clients with not only leadership vacancies but vacancies at all levels. “We are finding that now, more than ever, schools and trusts are contacting us for advice and guidance on all types of recruitment. “We are delighted at how successful our online selection processes have been for leadership roles and we are excited to be rolling this out more broadly for teaching roles.” For anyone looking for a new role or for educational establishments with vacancies to fill, contact www.satiseducation.co.uk or call the team on 01744 742351. Satis Education has also confirmed it will continue to support the Educate

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Awards. With its strong and successful track record in delivering a quality service in leadership resourcing, it will sponsor the Leadership Team of the Year Award for a second year. This award recognises the most outstanding leadership team in the North West who can demonstrate key successes for the academic year 2019/20 and explain how the team is on track to achieve its core objectives. Founder of the Educate Awards, Kim O’Brien, said: “Satis Education is going from strength to strength, even during these unprecedented times. It is great to see the team are reacting accordingly and continuing to meet the needs of their clients. “Now more than ever we need to celebrate the teaching profession and what better way than to shine the spotlight on senior teams who have had to lead their school through these uncertainties.” The entry deadline has now moved to Sunday 5 July in order to allow enough time for schools and colleges to write and submit their entries and nominations.

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Education News

The Kirkby Child Schools celebrate launch of new collaboration Knowsley has seen the launch of the Kirkby Child across the Kirkby Collaborative of Schools. The Kirkby Child started life at Kirkby High School which wanted to develop a set of core values and skills with the school community that were important for students to work towards both in and out of school. Following the success of the concept with the school community at Kirkby High School the headteachers of all the schools in Kirkby agreed this would be something to be adopted across the family of schools. The Kirkby Schools Council has met on numerous occasions to discuss and debate the concept and potential values and skills for all children in Kirkby, including pictorial representations of the Kirkby Child. Over fifty different values were identified. Those values were then shared with the wider school community and local businesses to invite thoughts on the most important of the concepts. From those responses final decisions were made about an agreed set of values for all schools in Kirkby which included: • Respectful • Honest and truthful • Positive attitude • Resilient • Good communicator • Confident • Committed and hardworking • Aspirational and ambitious • Polite All schools in Kirkby marked the launch with a range of events including special assemblies and Kirkby Child days.

Every child received a bookmark to take home outlining the nine values. The schools also have a range of posters and a cut out figure. In January they held a Kirkby school community launch event at Kirkby Gallery. Steve Dixon, development manager for Kirkby Collaborative of Schools said: “Representatives from each collaborative school met at the gallery to celebrate the launch. They then went

around the town centre distributing posters, bookmarks and cut out figures to local businesses and shoppers. “In this way we hope to share the concept with the whole Kirkby community so we can all work together to support the Kirkby Child. “We would like every child in Kirkby to reflect the set of values in the way they conduct themselves both within and outside of the school”.

Liverpool Peace Proms 2021 announced Following the huge success of Liverpool Peace Proms over the past four years, they are delighted to announce that Peace Proms will once again take place in Liverpool in 2021. Registrations are now open and the final concert will take place at the M & S Bank Arena at 3pm on Saturday 30 January 2021. Peace Proms is a FREE music education resource for primary schools which culminates in a series large-scale performances for choirs and orchestra at iconic venues throughout the UK and Ireland. The programme promotes ‘peace through music’ and already engages almost 35,000 children from 600 schools giving them the opportunity to sing in a large-scale production with a choir of up to 4,000 and a full symphony youth orchestra. Peace Proms is for all primary school choirs whether

established or starting out. The musical programme is tailor made to ensure it is fun and engaging for children aged between 8 and 12 years, and is very rewarding to teach. The end performance is an inspirational and thrilling experience for choirs, teachers, parents and audiences alike! The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) is the featured orchestra for the concerts. Now in its 25th year, CBOI is Ireland’s most celebrated and award-winning youth orchestra. The Proms 2021 will be conducted by internationally acclaimed UK music educator Greg Beardsell and will feature a host of stellar soloists, dancers and pipers and will bring a shared love for music and passion for peace to ever-greater numbers of children, schools, communities and live audiences throughout the UK and Ireland. You can register your school at www.peaceproms.com

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Secondary News

It’s good to talk Bishop Tom Williams visits ASFA The Academy of St Francis of Assisi (ASFA) welcomed Bishop Tom Williams to the school. Bishop Tom was invited by the school to meet students and staff, and to find out more about its vibrant community. As the special guest arrived he was greeted by the academy’s choir who sang a wonderful rendition of ‘Christ Be Our Light’. Students from years seven and nine supported Chaplain Phil Johnson during the collective worship, which was titled ‘It’s Good to Talk’, and explored the value of face to face conversations, listening and prayer. Bishop Tom spoke to his captive audience about the impact of a smile and how kind words can help in difficult times. He then met with ASFA’s student language ambassadors who have been supporting their peers through transition to English, speaking to student teachers and supporting parents evenings. After a tour of the creative arts and religious studies lessons, Bishop Tom met

with the student leadership team and the award-winning Debate Mate team. The topic of careers was discussed and students shared their aspirations and ambitions for the future. Finally the visit concluded in ASFA’s chapel with the chaplaincy team, who chatted about the community activities

‘OUTSTANDING’ Archbishop Blanch CE High School welcomed Ofsted to their school for a full Section 5 inspection in February 2020. The school were both proud and delighted with the report from the inspection where the school was graded as “Outstanding”. Mrs Claire Madeloso, headteacher at Archbishop Blanch, said: “The report is a pleasure to read and there are many highlights including the “impeccable” behaviour of the students and their “thirst for learning” as well as the acknowledgement that staff “go the extra mile to ensure that all pupils and students can flourish,” which, of course, doesn’t cease simply because schooling has temporarily moved to the home environment. “Education was in a time of challenge prior to the pandemic, and is even more so now. It is therefore particularly pleasing to note that our exceptional personal development programme was acknowledged by inspectors who could see that our pupils and 52

students thrive in all that they do and develop into responsible, compassionate and confident individuals, all skills which will aid students during these unique times. “Under the new, more rigorous inspection framework only a small percentage of secondary schools in the UK are judged to be outstanding. This accolade, therefore, is humbling in its recognition of the unique community that is Archbishop Blanch and the extraordinary education and opportunities it provides the young people of Liverpool. “Thanks must go to all members of our school community for the work they do to make our school so special. “Governors who are so giving of their time and expertise, teaching and support staff who always put the needs of the pupils first, parents and carers for their support and, most importantly, the students themselves. They are superb advocates of Archbishop Blanch and our values”.

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that they enjoy supporting and how they feel that music and drama helps to express themselves as young people. Chaplain Phil said: “We are very grateful to Bishop Tom William’s for his time and input with our students and we hope to see him again in the near future.”

Rainford High donates PPE supplies to the NHS

Rainford High has come to the need of many NHS staff in the North West and donated all of its PPE (personal protective equipment) supplies. The school’s science department gathered the available aprons, goggles and gloves, and has given them to the North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where one student’s parent works. The donation will help support the NHS staff in Greater Manchester, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Warrington and Wigan. Ian Young, principal of Rainford High said: “We are so grateful for all the hard work of NHS staff during the pandemic. Currently our PPE supplies are not required and so we are delighted to help those on the frontline who are saving lives.”

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Secondary News

Dan Carden MP meets with Alsop students Mr Dan Carden, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton, visited Alsop High School as part of their RESPECT 2020 initiative. He also met students informally, for a cup of tea to establish the issues and concerns of young people. The visit arranged as part of the Alsop RESPECT 2020 initiative, provided a fantastic opportunity for Alsop students to learn about the work of a constituency MP. Dan spoke passionately about serving the people of Walton, and his role as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. Mr Carden addressed a packed hall and was keen to take questions from the floor. Students were eager to ask him about his career and life in Westminster. One student asked if he could sum up both himself and his political beliefs. Without hesitation, he responded “Solidarity.” Mr Carden also spoke about communities working together for social justice.

Mr Carden referred to the values and ethos of Alsop. Using the words of “The Alsop Way”, he spoke about how knowledge, respect and opportunity are

the key components of a successful pathway to personal and academic achievement.

Gateacre at the heart of the community When staff found out that Gateacre School was due to close as part of the UK Lockdown, they jumped into action to make sure that their school and local community were as supported as possible. Staff and pupils created 150 ‘Hello Bundles’, which included a book, teabags, biscuits and a card from one of their students to older members of the community. Lisa Mitchell, community co-ordinator at Gateacre School, said: “Our students loved taking part, many of them writing about their experience in school, what they like to read and their thoughts about the current climate. “Some students also took the opportunity to tell the older person about their thoughts having just found out that their GCSE and A-level exams had been cancelled. They found this therapeutic and we do know that the recipients of those cards had such sympathy and understanding, which was lovely to hear. “We also bagged up our school stock of sanitary products and distributed to our students, having found out that this was one of the items that people were panic buying, and the local shops had ran out. We even had parents coming to school to collect them! We have since passed our remaining stock to our local food bank to help ease the burden on our local families. “On the final day, as the school was closing, we emptied our school kitchen of any produce that we had and offered it to 54

any of our students that needed it, knowing that some families were already self-isolating. We also had family members come to school to collect items for elderly neighbours, which was really lovely to see. Staff even used their free time to deliver work and food to students already stuck at home. “Since closure we have now redirected our food deliveries to the local hub schools which are currently serving the key worker children.” The school’s BIG Little Library was

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also contacted by councillors from across the city to help provide books to residents via over 20 Food Banks and children centres they support. Lisa said: “We were also honoured to be able to donate our stock of 160 pairs of safety goggles and 700 pairs of gloves from our science department to Broadgreen Hospital to help with the pandemic. It was lovely to find out that some of our students’ parents and exstudents actually work there, and great to know they would be gratefully received”.

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Secondary News

Staying connected Technology helps navigate the challenges Staff and students at St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School have turned to technology to navigate challenges faced as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Following the UK Government announcement in March that closed many school buildings and cancelled exams to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the secondary school in St Helens turned to innovative solutions to help students continue to learn from home and keep its community connected and supported. Teaching staff packed the school’s online portal with resources and immediately came together to share ways to keep students engaged and their studies on track. The department had previously used the platform to create private year groups, accessible by a unique code, where students could access resources and work assignments with set deadlines. The platform allows these to be submitted, marked and returned to students with feedback and stored securely online. Social media also took centre stage, both in the delivery of lessons and response to assignments. The school’s Spanish department began using its dedicated Instagram channel to livestream interactive lessons for each year group on a daily basis. Adept at the use of smartphone technology and social media, students have also been submitting footage of work being done in their ‘classroom spaces’ at home, including one Year 7 student who filmed herself undertaking a science experiment. Headteacher, Catherine Twist, said: “Having an innovative team and a resilient, well-rounded student body makes an enormous difference in times of crisis. We were already doing things differently, so we were much more prepared for the challenges we have faced in recent weeks.” Although technology has been pivotal to St Cuthbert’s practical response to the coronavirus crisis, community has remained at its heart; from a rallying call to staff to congratulate students and parents with ‘Clap For Our Community’ on the last day of term - in a YouTube video that received more than 1,000 views shortly after being uploaded - to donating crates of freshly washed and sanitised eye protectors from the school’s science department to NHS hospitals. “Technology has not only facilitated the practicalities of engaging our students at home. It has also supported the very human need to remain connected and be part of a community during what is a very unsettling and sometimes frightening time,” Catherine added. “It’s important that we don’t lose sight of the important role schools, their staff and students play in bringing people together.” Catherine Twist said: “Our Year 7 students have already written to all Year 6 children who will be joining us to tell them what the

Miss Smith and Mrs Barrett with their Spanish lessons

school is like and how it is different to primary. We’re also exploring virtual lessons in place of Summer school and interactive videos and animations to replace in person meetings with their new form teacher. We want to find ways to welcome people into our school community despite physical distance”.

Ben’s off to the USA Studio School student Ben Houghton is one of the grand winners in Google’s Code-in contest, and off to North Carolina to celebrate. The annual contest is Google’s way of introducing 13-17 year olds to open-source development. Global open-source organisations set tasks for students, offering mentorship support for seven weeks. Students choose their own tasks from categories such as quality assurance, research, development, coding and design. This year’s competition saw 3,566 students in 76 nations accomplish over 20,000 tasks. As one of 58 grand winners, Ben will be whisked away to North Carolina for four days to meet the engineers at Google’s campus. Ben credits his success to his mentors from Wikimedia. “Winning Google Code-in 2019 is a massive opportunity for me personally, and I still can’t quite believe it happened,” he said. “Massive thanks to both the Google Open-Source Programmes Office and Wikimedia for letting this happen. Also to my school, which has been constantly supporting me since I joined, and without it I probably wouldn’t have been motivated in the first place to take part”.

Life Sciences UTC good, says Ofsted Life Sciences UTC is incredibly proud of the results of its second Ofsted assessment, where it was again rated Good – with outstanding features – by the school inspector. Ofsted reported that the Life Sciences UTC was “a haven for pupils”, where “learners flourish with high-quality experiences.” The school’s best-marked area was personal development and behaviour, in which it was classified as outstanding. Pupils were “highly motivated and well supported with real world experience”, with Ofsted noting that “the 56

UTC is conspicuously successful in turning around the lives of young people.” Jill Davies, the UTC’s principal said: “Liverpool Life Sciences is a good school, and we are really happy that this continues to be recognised by Ofsted,” “It was a pleasure to be able to show the inspection team the things that make us exceptional, our incredible team, our fantastic kids, our innovative lab spaces, our work with employer partners. We are delighted that they recognised again the professionalism, ambition and success of our young people through not only their

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academic achievements but their journey on to life changing destinations.” The UTC – Universal Technical College – is one of 48 in the country that combines academic education and vocational qualifications to give pupils aged 14-19 not just a solid education, but real-life skills for the job market. Life Sciences UTC was the first school in the UK to specialise in engineering, science and health care through partnerships with local businesses and universities, and by teaching relevant skills in its Innovation Labs. It is rated the best UTC in the country.

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Secondary News

Key worker alumni School highlights the work of past students Science teacher, Dan Boyle, had a great idea to highlight the wonderful work that was going on by past students of St John Bosco Arts College who are now employed as key workers. This was the school’s way of recognising their fabulous contribution to society especially at this time of crisis. The college used its social media platforms to reach out to their past students who are key workers. The response was wonderful and there is an increasing number of past students being added to the dedicated webpage. The reaction from staff and students at the college has been a huge sense of pride. Many staff have remembered with fondness the students they taught and are so proud of what their wonderful students have gone on to achieve and how they are going the extra mile during this unprecedented time. They are a living example of the ethos of the college and how loving kindness can impact the community in so many ways. Headteacher, Darren Gidman, said: “We are so proud of all our students’ past and present in the way they are coping at this difficult time. We are delighted to be able to share with the whole community the outstanding work of our students who have gone on to become key workers as a small way to thank them for their dedication and hard work”.

Top-performance from St Mary’s St Mary’s College in Crosby has been named as the topperforming GCSE school in Sefton for the third year running according to new Government figures highlighting the importance of a broad-based curriculum. The college achieved a score of 56.8 in the Department of Education’s (DfE) recently published Attainment 8 performance table, higher than all other independent and state schools in the borough. Attainment 8, launched in 2016, measure students’ average grades across a range of eight GCSE-level qualifications. These are English and maths, three English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) qualifications (including sciences, languages, history, geography and ICT) and three additional qualifications approved by the Department of Education. The aim of the key Government measure is to encourage schools to offer their pupils a broad and wellbalanced curriculum. St Mary’s College principal, Mike Kennedy, said: “Our school’s policy has traditionally 58

been to offer students as much scope as possible at GCSE level, in terms of both the number and variety of the subjects that they take. “We are yet again delighted to have achieved the top Attainment 8 score in Sefton for the past three consecutive years. “This official top ranking reflects the breadth and quality of our curriculum and, of course, the hard work, commitment and excellent academic performances of our pupils. “I would like to congratulate all our students and staff on this outstanding achievement”. In last summer’s exams almost two thirds of St Mary’s students (62 per cent) recorded ten or more GCSE passes, with many achieving 12 GCSEs, reflecting the school’s broad and balanced curriculum. Atsayan Sachchin from Waterloo was top of the class achieving A*-A/9-7 passes in all 12 of his GCSE subjects. Among the girls Laura Kearns from Maghull was the top performer with 13 GCSE passes, including five at the top 9 grade and four at 8.

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Name: Cassidy Dolan Job Role: Neonatal Nurse Current Setting: Liverpool Women’s Hospital Year left school: 2016

Name: Emily Neild Job Role: Nurse Current Setting: Aintree University Hospital (Working with Covid Patients) Year left school: 2014

St Cuthbert’s say ‘Thank you’ to carers

St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School in St Helens have proudly played their part in thanking carers for the work they do in these very trying times. Headteacher, Catherine Twist, said: “It’s been a week of change at St Cuthbert’s. Almost 900 of our students are adjusting to learning at home and we have welcomed the children of some of our region’s incredible key workers. “These individuals, working in hospitals, out in our communities and in our supermarkets to keep our country safe, fed and healthy, have been at the forefront of our minds. “Ahead of the nationwide #ClapForOurCarers, St Cuthbert’s English teacher, Mrs Sharples took a crate of freshly sanitised eye protectors from our science department to healthcare workers at Manchester Royal Infirmary, along with some thank you letters from our students. “We were pleased to be able to help in a small way and extend the enormous gratitude we feel for their hard work and sacrifice at this time.”

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New approach from Maths School 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 an 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, our curriculum is designed to deepen each student’s mathematical abilities, academic maturity and career potential. Surrounded by likeminded students, our pupils will thrive in the inclusive and challenging environment of our newly refurbished building on the University of Liverpool campus. If you are in Year 11, expecting grade 8 or above in Maths and Science and would like to join the University of Liverpool Maths School this September please get in touch, we’re still open to applications and the selection process is now fully online. Find out more here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/mathematicsschool/apply/ Or email: livmaths@liverpool.ac.uk

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A WORLD OF FANTASY

The cast of Narnia

Narnia comes to Rudston Primary School Visitors to Rudston Primary School in Wavertree were invited to step inside the wardrobe and share the magical world of Narnia while celebrating the amazing work by pupils from Bright Stars and Rudston Primary School. Rudston Primary School opened their wonderful immersive exhibition celebrating the classic book of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis where visitors saw first-hand the snow-covered forest, Mr Tumnus’ house and the battle scene along with other key events in the story as well as meeting the White Witch and Mr Tumnus. Pupils from Bright Stars Nursery to Year 6, have been developing a passion for reading through the study of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which encouraged them to produce amazing writing and artwork which was displayed in their immersive exhibition of celebration. Headteacher Wendy Walters, said: “The immersive exhibition used the stimulus of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to immerse children in high quality text over a three week period. “The study produced a range of high quality cross curricular work in writing, art, design and technology and drama. Every child from our two year olds in Bright Stars Nursery to our Year 6 had their work displayed, making a true whole school exhibition. “The exhibition provided a unique opportunity for our children to showcase their work to parents, visitors, and the wider community”.

Mr Tumnus greets the visitors

Aslan the lion

The famous wardrobe that leads to the land of Narnia

The Ice Queen

The amazing stories by Rudston pupils

The story of Aslan

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Education News

End of year celebrations Lakeside Tea Party for Wargrave House Wargrave House School and College students held the ‘Lakeside Tea Party’ in the college to help raise funds for their end of year celebration event and what a fantastic morning it was! The college students set up the event and served refreshments to all the guests and also held a raffle with some fantastic prizes including afternoon tea at the Mercure Hotel, Haydock, a voucher from Wilkinson’s and a voucher for the Odeon cinema. Amongst the guests were the Councillor Janet Johnson, the Mayor of St Helens, community partners as well as parents’, carers and friends of Wargrave House. Tara Thomas, teaching support assistant at Wargrave, said: “The tea party raised a magnificent total of £375.24 and we would like to thank everyone who joined us. “The college end of year celebration event is planned to take place at the Mercure Hotel in Haydock on Wednesday 22 July 2020 and is part of the students learning as they work towards open award level one in event planning and hospitality.

“The Post 16 provision is keen to develop links with the local and wider community and the support from work experience placements has been priceless. In particular for this event, the outstanding commitment from Mercure Hotel has been invaluable as they are offering their hospitality so the students

can enjoy their end of year celebration. “We are looking for more employers to work with us and engage with our students to further support inclusion and neuro diversity within the workforce, so please contact Karen Tarbuck on 01925 224899 if you can help”.

SupplyWell to sponsor the School Support Star of the Year category Educate Awards is delighted to announce associate sponsor, SupplyWell will sponsor the highly-coveted School Support Star of the Year Award. This category recognises an individual within the school setting for their outstanding contribution in supporting pupils, students, teachers and the life of the school. Examples of support roles include; teaching assistants, receptionists, technicians, community coordinators, general assistants, administrators and business managers etc. The Liverpool-based teacher wellbeing and retention specialists match supply teachers that are in need of cover by using its advanced tech solution to showcase a teacher’s skills beyond a CV to match intelligently to a school’s needs. As advocates for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and school staff, SupplyWell helps schools save money and in turn, invest in other areas such as support staff in classrooms who are, for example, trained counsellors, cover managers, multilingual or specialise in working with children with SEND. For schools this level of support for teachers is crucial in terms of getting the very best outcomes for all children, narrowing gaps in areas of high deprivation and ensuring that teachers work in the most optimal way for pupils and students, whilst also ensuring good mental health and wellbeing support for teachers. 62

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Co-founder of SupplyWell, Michael Heverin, said: “We cofounded SupplyWell to keep teachers, support staff and money in education. During my 12 years as a teacher and leader it became clear that support staff are the lifeblood of schools. Unfortunately, they are most at risk when difficult budget decisions have to be made. “SupplyWell works with our partner schools to keep money in classrooms enabling schools to ensure that the vital roles support staff play don’t have to be compromised. “We have chosen to support this particular category due to a close alignment with our values and we look forward to hearing who has been shortlisted later this year.” Kim O’Brien, founder of the Educate Awards, said: “The School Support Star of the Year Award is a particularly special category as it recognises an individual who goes above and beyond their role and is a treasured asset in the team. “Often it is headteachers, colleagues and parents who make the nominations and the entries are always beautifully written from the heart. SupplyWell is the perfect sponsor for this category as they understand the importance of the wider team within schools.” For more information about SupplyWell, visit www.supplywell.co.uk

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LOVE MY COMMUNITY Southport schools join together for charity Southport Learning Partnership schools have held a ‘Love My Community’ event every February for several years, with the children of the schools deciding which charity they would support. In the past they have supported the local foodbank, Queenscourt Hospice and Muscular Dystrophy to name just a few. This year the schools supported the Marfan Foundation following a suggestion by Linaker Primary School at the joint school council meeting in the autumn. Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder of the body’s connective tissue, which can lead to medical problems affecting the heart, eyes and skeleton, requiring treatment to prevent serious complications. Adrian Antell, headteacher of Farnborough Road Junior School, Birkdale, said: “Over 18,000 people are affected by Marfan syndrome in the UK, with many more anticipated to be living with the condition undiagnosed. “One in 3,000 population worldwide is believed to have Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder. This means people are born with Marfan syndrome, however they may not notice any of the signs until much later in life. Marfan syndrome affects the eyes, skeleton, lungs and heart. Linaker Primary School has a family who have to deal with Marfan Syndrome every day and we all wanted to show our support. “Children in Southport schools wore nonuniform for the day and added funky sunglasses as Marfan can have an impact on the eyes, with every child giving £1 to take part. The schools raised £6452.16 for the charity, which is an incredible amount”.

Merefield Special School

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Farnborough Road Junior School

Linaker Primary School

Bishop David Sheppard Primary School

Ainsdale St John’s Church of England Primary School

St John’s Church of England Primary School

Churchtown Primary School

Holy Trinity C of E Primary School

St Philip’s C of E Primary School

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Education News

A vital impact Programme delivers on student experience A sport, art and education-based mental health awareness programme developed by Edge Hill University and Everton in the Community has been awarded half a million pounds in recognition of the vital impact it has on the student experience. The £527k funding boost from the Office for Students and Research England will ensure the University can expand its successful collaborations with Everton in the Community and further grow arts and wellbeing activities with Tate Liverpool. Dr Helen O’Keeffe, associate dean for Edge Hill’s Faculty of Education, said: “It’s fantastic news that the Office for Students and Research England sees our work as an example of best practice across the higher education sector. “The Tackling the Blues project not only makes an important contribution to the student experience, employability, knowledge exchange and research, but it also makes a vital difference to the children and families we work with in the Liverpool City Region that suffer from some of the poorest health and wellbeing in the country.” The award-winning Tackling the Blues targets young people aged 6-16 who are experiencing, or are at risk of developing, mental illness, and has already made a significant difference to people’s lives with participants feeling more confident and less

anxious, and showing improved literacy and emotional intelligence skills. Since its launch in 2013, Tackling the Blues has engaged more than 1,000 young people weekly in primary schools, secondary schools and community groups.

How are alternative provision providers supporting students through the pandemic? During lockdown Educate spoke with James Madine, chief executive officer of Progress Schools to explore how the alternative provision sector is supporting students through these unprecedented times. The approach at Progress Schools has been to be as flexible and ‘fleet of foot’ as possible in ensuring that they provide learners with a consistent, stable place and/or opportunity in which to learn. Progress Schools have provided home learning packs to each student with bespoke and customised targets for each learner. Further to this, they have provided a number of additional online resources to support students during this difficult period, both from an academic and wellbeing perspective. Parents and students have access to individual Google Classroom virtual learning environments where resources can be shared and uploaded. This approach limits paper–based packs to avoid the possibility of cross-contamination. The group of schools also have a range of online resources that they utilise in order to support disengaged students at the start of their referral to us as a method to improve participation and progress before attendance at the school building itself (normally for socially anxious students). For year 11 students, they can access virtual careers advice and guidance through designated staff at CareersInc, to support them in making their next steps into further education or employment. So far, the main issues faced as an organisation have been ensuring that communication between both students and parents/carers remains timely, transparent and efficient, especially within such a fluctuating and ever-changing educational and political landscape. Like many schools, safeguarding during this period can be

problematic, however, the school’s main focus has been ensuring constant communication has been maintained with its students on a daily basis to ensure they feel safe and supported. This is being achieved through through media platforms including SMS, email and phone. Progress Schools have also ensured that they have a consistent approach across its schools to ensure that students are evidencing their accomplishments whilst learning from home and that assessment is taking place and monitored. The wonderful team at Progress Schools have showed incredible compassion and diligence in pulling together to ensure that students and their families are consistently supported throughout. The students have been provided with toolkits, resources and online advice and guidance for them and their families through the Young Minds charity. Staff even have photos on their email signatures with straplines such as #heretohelp to provide familiarity and encouragement to both parents/carers and students at this unsettling time. Furthermore, they are supporting families in financial hardship by providing them with supermarket gift cards/vouchers. Unfortunately, as an independent school, Progress Schools are not eligible for free school meal funding and therefore the current national voucher scheme. Anxiety and uncertainty are two key emotions the students will be most likely feeling. Remote learning has been a global approach to adapting to this situation for educational providers. However, many of its students have unreliable internet connections, unstable home residences, and other disruptions, and this will be extremely challenging for learners. Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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EDUCATE16+ Education, training and employment

Boost for employability Remote training from apprenticeships helps young people Apprenticeships for Liverpool, provided by St Helens Chamber, have been delivering remote training to local young people to help boost their employability and chances of finding an apprenticeship once lockdown ends. John Westhead, director of training services at St Helens Chamber, explained: “We wanted to ensure that aspiring apprentices didn’t have to wait for things to get back to ‘normal’ to start training, so our team created a remote preapprenticeship course. “Delivered through a combination of online and telephone support, prospective apprentices can work on their CV and softer skills that are attractive to employers whilst working closely with career coaches to apply for our exclusive local vacancies.” The remote pre-apprenticeship training has already seen great success, with young people responding well and working hard to continue their learning under difficult circumstances. Apprenticeships for Liverpool are taking applications from any young person who would like to use this time to boost their employability skills, giving them a chance to get ahead of the competition when employers start to recruit again after COVID19 subsides. John Westhead said: “The fresh ideas and energy of apprentices are going to be key for employers as they get back on their feet. We still have some apprenticeship vacancies available now, but we’re expecting to see a rise in demand for talented young people in the next couple of months, so want to make sure we have a pool of great candidates ready to fill that demand.” Apprenticeships for Liverpool is also currently recruiting for

three exciting study programmes, starting in September 2020. Lasting seven months, these unique programmes give students the opportunity to gain work experience, nationally recognised qualifications, a guaranteed interview for a Level 3 apprenticeship and many perks including paid study trips. Laura Brogden, young people’s development manager at St Helens Chamber, said: “We hope to be back delivering training in Merseyside Youth Association as soon as it is safe and we’re now also recruiting for our study programmes starting in September. “Students on the previous study programmes have seen great success and the programme has accelerated their careers; so we’re looking forward to welcoming a new cohort in September.” Study programmes will be offered in accounting, digital marketing and international trade and logistics and will be delivered in both Liverpool and St Helens.

Wargrave get creative Support for young adults to develop new skills Staff at Wargrave House School and College Post 16 department, an autism specialist provision in Newton-le-Willows have been demonstrating their creativity and never before seen ‘outstanding presenting’ skills to support their young adults to develop new skills and generalise those they have already worked on before this current lockdown. Using their own homes and equipment, the staff have worked to establish a sequence of tutorial videos alongside TEACCH schedules and visuals to engage with students in their own home environment. This helps to reduce the pressure on parents/carers and enable the students to

maintain contact with known and trusted staff. These simple, yet effective, video’s cover a range of subject specialisms from Independent Living Skills, maths, English, employability and other Preparation for Adulthood themes. Wargrave have around 20 students working from home currently and as a Post 16 team they are always looking at ways to spend quality ‘virtual’ time with them as safely as possible whilst engaging them with the curriculum and supporting families to enjoy spending time together. The school looked at ways in which they can help as a college and creating specialist tutorial videos was identified as one such way. Another is to use Microsoft Teams to

run virtual teaching sessions and let students interact together whilst working on education led project. Julliet Doherty, head of post 16 learning at Wargrave House School and College said: “I’m so proud of the Post 16 staff team their commitment is exceptional and their creativity in supporting our young adults is phenomenal. This current climate is difficult for everyone, those attending college and those working from home, it is inspiring to see the staff, students, parents and carers come together to support each other and embrace all opportunities. The beautiful photographs and testimonials of the activities our students engage with and are shared by the families lift our spirits every day”.

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Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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Aristotle is famously quoted for saying:

“T Teachers e eachers, who educate children, deserve more honour than parents, who merely gave them birth; for the latter provided mere life, while the former ensured a good life.” Teaching, e as a career ca , can be incredibly rewarding. rding. You o become a superhero of the classroom - inspiring and shaping the young minds of the next generation. Even outside of these four walls, your support is often called upon by pupils and students you are nurturing and in turn, you may soon become their nearest role model. teaching you will To get into teach need GCSE grade C / 4 in English and maths and a degree or an equivalent qualification. The degree doesn’t necessarily have to be teaching focused, but you need to have one, or an equivalent qualification, to train on a postgraduate initial teacher training course. If you don’t have a degree/ equivalent qualification, you

can train on a universityled undergraduate course and achieve a qualiﬁed teacher status (QTS).

qualiﬁcation that can be achieved during the training.

• By embarking on a teacher training course, you should expect to achieve: • QTS (which is required in order to teach as a qualiﬁed teacher in England) • Classroom experience in at least two schools that meets the •T Trraining rain Teachers’ e eac Standards • Expert academic and practical guidance from mentors and tutors Most courses offer a postgraduate certiﬁcate of education (also known as a PGCE). This is a is a one to two-year academic

PGCEs are internationally recognised and offer additional confidence alongside the academic training provided. Educate spoke with third year student, Hannah Baskeyfield, who is studying BA (Hons) Primary Science Education with QT at Edge Hill University, to find out why she wanted to go into teaching. She said: “I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was at school myself. I was inspired by my own primary school teachers and wanted to make a similar difference to other children’s lives. That moment when a child understands unders a concept p for the first time time, t , it it’s the most rewarding thing.”

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Choosing a career Her course included placements which allowed her to gain experience in a classroom.

academic needs of students on our programmes of initial teacher training and beyond.

Hannah went on to say: “I really enjoyed my teaching practice placements. The ﬁrst was at my old primary school – it was lovely to go back but it felt a bit strange sitting next to my old Year e 5 teacher teache in the staff room! I’ve also had placements in schools in disadvantaged areas as well as in more afﬂuent areas. It’s been so interesting to see the different attitudes to learning and teaching and the way you have to change and adapt your teaching to different settings. I’ve learned so much from placements and found something to use in the future from all of them.”

Tim continues: Ti co “Students have access to support from a personal tutor for the duration of their programme and access to a number of additional specialist services led by teams at our ‘one-stop-shop’ based in our £27m Catalyst building. This includes resources and support for issues relating to academic work, accommodation, money and ﬁnances, well-being, counselling, and inclusion issues to name but a few.

Speaking about the support offered to its students, Doctor Tiim Lucas, Associate T Asso Dean, Education, Edge Te eacher Educatio Hill University y, sa said: “From the initial stages s of enquiry y, application and interview, through to the ﬁrst few years of teaching, Edge Hill University is proud to offer a complete package of unrivalled support. “The university provides advice and guidance at all levels and stages; meeting the personal, professional and

“W Working ork o closely with a rich and d va aried i partnership of settings settin ngs s and schools,, students can expect a rewarding and enjoyable able student experience at Edge Hill University which leads on to further success in their teaching careers.” Gaining teaching experience through placements is crucial whilst studying. They not only help you decide whether teaching is in fact the right path for you, but also what kind of teaching you want to get in to, for example, whether you want to teach in a primary, secondary or specialist school.

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C Choosing hoosing a ccareer areer

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) student, Karran Panesar was inspired to go into special needs teaching following a volunteering programme in the USA. He came to Liverpool to study for a degree in Education Studies with Special and Inclusive Needs. After completing his undergraduate degree, Karran decided to continue his studies with a PGCE. He said: “Although the course focusses on primary teaching, my ﬁrst placement was in a secondary school and I came to realise that I really wanted to work in a specialist secondary school rather than a mainstream primary.” Karran likes the holistic side of special needs teaching. He said: “I am more interested in skills-based learning than academic learning. The work I am doing is all about passing on life skills and social skills and that develops s the children academically too.. Being in a c sroom for the classroom e ﬁrst time can be a little ove erwhellming erwhelming but it is so reward ding. g “It is amazing to know that you are making a real difference. I certainly made the right

decision when I decided to train as a teacher.” LJMU offers a range of teaching programmes, from secondary postgraduate training in a huge choice of subjects to primary undergraduate and postgraduate raduate courses. With students spending a significant amount of time within schools, through its School Direct training programme. Head of Initial Te eacher Education at Liverpool John Moores University, Jan Rowe, said: “LJMU works with 12 School Direct Partnerships across the North West. Although most School Direct students attend on campus sessions, some School Direct programmes are taught more extensively on school premises. “School Direct Partnerships and their host schools are normally clustered in specific areas, or encompass specific school types for instance Special Schools, so School Direct is a good option if applicants have a particular set of schools in mind, or if they are interested in exploring a salaried employment based route into teaching. “Applications for School Direct routes take place via UCAS, but

selection events are organised by the lead school. Whichever route into teaching applicants choose, the relationship with a school-based mentor is a crucial part of a successful experience whichever route student teachers choose.” Throughout y your care eer there w be many oppor will pp tunities unities ffor progression and by embarking p g o Continued Professional on Profess sional Development opment (CPD), it i will wi improve your quality of teaching an and help you on o the path to p promotion n. As teaching methods are always developing, CPD gives teachers the opportunity to learn new, and reinforce existing, techniques and strategies whilst also increasing motivation, conﬁdence and commitment to the job. Schools invest heavily in technology and so CPD will ensure you’re up-to-date with the latest developments which can be utilised to enhance everyday teaching. By learning new skills and applying them in the classroom, it can lead to a more stimulating and effective teaching environment which will be of great beneﬁt to your students.

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16+

Are you due a digital ID health check? As everyone strives to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing – during a time when disorientation and distraction have become the new norm – it is also just as important to look after one’s digital and data self. By ignoring it, it could lead to problems further down the line. Recently, the boundaries of work, study and play and all social engagements have been reconfigured and further pushed into the virtual realm. For those who weren’t users of social media or video calls before the COVID-19 pandemic, they probably are now. Technology is fascinating. During isolation, it has enabled millions of households to connect with other family members, friends and loved ones. From virtual pub quizzes to catching up

over that morning cup of tea, it’s been so important to help create a sense of connection, which is vital for the nation’s wellbeing. However, whether it’s Zoom, HouseParty, FaceTime or any other number of social meeting apps, it pays to take a closer look at what data is being asked for in return for the service – what digital footprint or data ID is being left? At the extreme end, there are criminals trying to take advantage of the situation by scamming people through emails, using COVID19related content to pray on their generosity and sense of community spirit. It is a good time to exercise vigilance and to unload some digital baggage. The good news is you can take simple actions to help protect your privacy and user rights:

Declutter your mobile phone, tablet, computer or laptop. Delete unwanted files, unused apps or software programmes, unwatched videos or those animated GIFs you have accumulated over the years. Consider installing and using duckduckgo as your default search engine for all your devices. It does not store your personal information or browsing history. Explore reputable browser add-on and extension such as PrivacyBadger (automatically learns to block invisible trackers) and HTTPS Everywhere (encrypts your communications with many major websites). For Zoom users, remember to edit your privacy settings and prevent trolling including turning off ‘Autosaving chats’ (under In Meeting (Basic)) and ‘Attention tracking’ (under In

Dr Judith Enriquez

Meeting (Advanced)). Dr Judith Enriquez is the programme leader for PgDip digital literacies and learning at Liverpool John Moores University. She also leads on the delivery of the programme’s modules as single continuing professional development courses for education professionals and interested individuals. For more information, visit ljmu.ac.uk/study/courses/post graduates/digital-literacies

Reflecting back on an unbeaten season

Before Coronavirus lockdown took hold, Winstanley College’s ‘first’ football team had a magnificent unbeaten season, which saw them crowned league winners. Winstanley won 11 consecutive league games without dropping a single point. They also scored 48 goals and only conceded six goals in an invincible season. The team had also reached the semi final of the Association of Colleges Sport National Cup and the quarter final of the County Cup before coronavirus stopped the season. 72

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Ben Rutherford, sports officer at Winstanley College said: “The team, led by centre back and captain Jack Davies have had an outstanding season showing quality, class, determination and spirit each and every week. “They are truly a pleasure to work with and, in the words of their coach Stephen Brockley, they are ‘the best college team I have coached in my years working at Winstanley’. “High praise indeed. Well done lads, we are all extremely proud of your achievements this year!”

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16+

College continue success Success for Cheshire College – South & West Learners Cheshire College South & West learners continue to be successful despite the difficult times schools and colleges face, with five learners, from the College’s Crewe Campus, celebrating after being offered places at two of the most prestigious universities in the UK: University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The college has an enviable track record of success for its A-level learners who regularly gain places on competitive courses at universities around the country. The learners took part in a series of challenging selection processes, which included being interviewed by panels of university academics and sitting admissions tests. The learners have been offered conditional places on undergraduate degrees including mathematics, economics and medicine, often competing against hundreds of applicants for limited places. A-level learner, Dylan Savage, who has

received a conditional offer to study a degree in philosophy and theology at the University of Oxford, said: “The college has helped me to progress and achieve my aspirations through the excellent teaching and the Futures Programme which has prepared me for higher education. Studying A-levels here has been a rewarding, enriching and enjoyable experience and I’m delighted that I have been offered a place at the University of Oxford”. Two A-level learners, from the college’s Crewe campus, Matilda Miller and Wiktor Mazurenko, submitted essays in OxNet’s annual Easter Essay Competition. Their essays were of such a high standard that they were selected to be published on the OxNet website. The college is continuing to support all of its learners throughout the crisis with tutors finding new and innovative ways to continue teaching to ensure that learners complete their courses and are therefore able to progress into employment or further study.

Many tutors are teaching using video conferencing applications that enable learners to take part in interactive sessions where they can actively participate in the lesson.

A-level learner, Dylan Savage

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Education News

Committed to all Abbot’s Lea School achieves International School Award The Foundation International School Award was bestowed to Abbot’s Lea School for showing a commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding within the specialist school. Abbot’s Lea School is one of the largest and most successful special schools in the country, which caters for over 250 students from the Liverpool City Region, age 3-19 with autism and associated learning support needs. The foundation level recognises schools that are embarking on an international journey and are introducing the concept of internationalism, embarking on an international partnership and have conducted at least one international classroom activity. This recognition supports the school’s vision of becoming an International Centre of Excellence for Autism education, research and professional development. Abbot’s Lea is already well on its way to the intermediate level of the International School Award, after its international student ambassadors and two members staff took a successful trip to Germany at the end of 2019. The trip enabled them to meet staff and students from Fasia-JansenGesamtschule, a school near Dusseldorf, where they hope to facilitate exchange trips in the future. Micah Grimshaw, head of autism research and development at Abbot’s Lea, has worked tirelessly to build these international connections for the school. She said: “I am thrilled that Abbot’s Lea has received this award. It really means a lot considering we are in the early stages of creating an international

presence for the school. “By working with our international student ambassadors, who also happen to be our head boy and head girl, it helps us build connections that they, and the rest of the student community, want to see and be involved with.” Headteacher, Mrs Ania Hildrey, said: “This award is really putting Abbot’s Lea School on the world’s map. Whilst we may be located in a leafy suburb of South Liverpool, we have really big plans for the

school and we are determined to have our unique education model recognised on a global level. This could not be more crucial, in fact, at this precarious political time. “We soon hope to build partnerships in the USA, Scandinavia and China which is really exciting as we work towards being an International Centre of Excellence for Autism Education, Research and Professional Development.”

Left to right: Micah Grimshaw, head girl Megan, head boy Joe with headteacher Mrs Ania Hildrey

LDST commends the region’s community spirit The Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST) has commended the community spirit shown by the education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multi-academy trust, which has 16 schools within its group, has been left inspired by the show of solidarity from school teams, pupils and students, along with families and the wider community. LDST is particularly keen to applaud everyone that is donating to local causes, supporting small businesses and helping those working on the frontline. Laurie Kwissa, CEO of LDST, said: “LDST puts collaboration at the heart of the community and this has never been as important as now. Families, schools, trusts, local authorities, charities – all pulling together to ensure our wonderful NHS are 74

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able to do the vital job that is needed. It really is wonderful to see communities united and collaborating with one shared purpose.” LDST has also confirmed that it will continue to sponsor the Community Partnership Award at this year’s Educate Awards. Kim O’Brien, founder of the Educate Awards, said: “Once again we are thrilled to have the support of the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust. As a MAT, they have such a great focus on community spirit and understand the need for schools and colleges to be fully integrated within the wider community. “Due to current circumstances, we have extended this year’s entry deadline to Sunday 5 July to ensure schools and colleges have plenty of time to write their entries. We will no doubt see a real community focus in submissions.”

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Book Review

In association with

5-8 Years The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Bunny - Bella Swift £4.99 Peggy the pug's family have adopted an adorable little bunny, just in time for Easter. Peggy used to be top dog, but now she has to share their attention with this long-eared newcomer. Jealous of the new pet, Peggy decides that she must become a rabbit to compete. Can every bunny learn to get along and realise that there's more than enough love to go around? Wigglesbottom Primary: Break-Time Bunnies - Pamela Butchart £4.99 All is chaos in Year 2! An unexpected visitor, a bewitched violin and an invasion of bunnies! What can it all mean? Look out for other Wigglesbottom titles! The Shark in the Pool The Toilet Ghost The Magic Hamster Super Dog! The Classroom Cat The 13-Storey Treehouse - Andy Griffiths £5.99 Andy and Terry live in the WORLD'S BEST treehouse! It's got a giant catapult, a secret underground laboratory, a tank of man-eating sharks and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you're hungry! Just watch out for the sea monkeys, and the monkeys pretending to be sea monkeys, and the giant mutant mermaid sea monster... Oh, and, whatever you do, don't get trapped in a burp-gas-filled bubble . . . !

9-12 Years Fiction The Butterfly Lion - Michael Morpurgo £5.99 Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten. Top 50 Kings and Queens - Horrible Histories - Terry Deary £6.99 Top 50 Kings and Queens is packed full of foul facts and loathsome lists all about our ruthless rulers. Filled with brand new material, this pocket-sized guide to rotten royalty has all the trademark Horrible Histories humour in bite-sized chunks. The Boys' Guide to Growing Up - Phil Wilkinson £6.99 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 Wranglestone - Darren Charlton £5.99 In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice. Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he's forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. The Red Scrolls of Magic - Cassandra Clare £5.99 All Magnus Bane wanted was a vacation-a lavish trip across Europe with Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter who against all odds is finally his boyfriend. But as soon as the pair settles in Paris, an old friend arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent on causing chaos around the world. A cult that was apparently founded by Magnus himself. Years ago. As a joke. The Bombs That Brought Us Together - Brian Conaghan £7.99 Fourteen-year-old Charlie Law has lived in Little Town, on the border with Old Country, all his life. He knows the rules: no going out after dark; no drinking; no litter; no fighting. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the people who run Little Town. When he meets Pavel Duda, a refugee from Old Country, the rules start to get broken.

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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Education News

Online voting launched to find the region’s top young artists A public vote to find Liverpool City Region’s best young artists opened in March and continued into April 2020. This year 1257 pupils from 76 schools entered the dot-art Schools competition and the shortlisted students from each school are now hoping for your votes to win a place in the eighth annual exhibition. The online inter-school art contest gives both Year 5 and Year 9 pupils across the Liverpool City Region and its near neighbours the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents and have their work shown in a public exhibition. At this stage school staff, friends, family and the general public can vote online for their favourite piece with the top art work from each school will be included in the final exhibition, details of which, due to the current coronavirus situation, will be announced as soon as possible.

dot-art schools project manager Carolyn Murray said: “We aim to celebrate the creativity of young people in the Liverpool City Region to nurture the next generation of rising stars. It’s also a fantastic chance for pupils to showcase their skills and artwork to their parents, family and the wider community. “At this uniquely challenging time for everyone, it is uplifting to be able to share and enjoy children and young people’s creative efforts. “Browsing through the hundreds of entries online to choose and vote for your favourite artwork is an ideal activity to do at home with your family.” The judges have narrowed it down to their top three entries from each school ready for the public to vote for their favourite. The shortlisting panel is made up of representatives from some of the region’s most respected arts and cultural

LSSP keeps schools motivated! The team at LSSP has been keeping children motivated during lockdown with a range of challenges and competitions to try at home. Over the past month, LSSP has come up with new ways to keep children active by encouraging them to take part in exercises which support both their physical and mental health. The team has set bi-weekly competitions for both infants, juniors and senior pupils in which they film themselves completing the activity in the garden or in their home. Once the child has done the challenge, their parent or guardian must upload the video to Twitter or Instagram and tag in the school they attend for a chance to win an LSSP medal. The school that totals the most pupils participating up until 24 July will be awarded an LSSP virtual participation trophy. James McGinn, partnership manager at LSSP, said: “Lockdown has been challenging for us all and whilst we have only been allowed to leave the house once a day for exercise, we thought it would be a great time to encourage children to continue staying active at home. “We have had lots of children taking part in the challenges so far and we look forward to seeing which school will be awarded the LSSP virtual participation trophy.” 76

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institutions. Judges this year include Tony Heaton OBE, chair of Shape Arts and Dr Deborah Riding, who leads the children and young people team at Tate Liverpool as new judges for this year’s panel. They join Sandra Penketh, responsible for National Museums Liverpool's fine and decorative art collections and Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of LJMU School of Art & Design. The artwork with the most votes from each participating school will win a place in the dot-art Schools 2020 exhibition. The competition’s overall winners will then be chosen by a special guest judge and announced at a prize-giving ceremony and exhibition launch later in the year. You can view the shortlist and vote online for your favourite artwork at http://schools.dot-art.com/schools

SupplyWell reaffirms its commitment to supply teachers SupplyWell has announced that it will be launching a new wellbeing resource for teachers called ‘Teachers Matter’. Teachersmatter.co.uk will be a hub for advice, thought leadership and services which can be accessed by teachers to focus on their wellbeing, during COVID-19 and beyond. The impending launch is in response to statistics which highlight that around 52% of teachers suffer from poor mental health, with little resources available to those who need it. Michael Heverin, co-founder of SupplyWell, is a former teacher who struggled with his own mental health. Michael said: “TeachersMatter is needed, I know because I’ve been there. When I was teaching in schools I became a statistic. I was one of the 52% of teachers who had suffered poor mental health. I saw countless friends over the years fall out of teaching. All of this contributed to over 325,000 teaching days being lost to stress and mental health-related illness each academic year. Now through SupplyWell, we can influence a positive change. “We train mental health first aiders for all of our schools but also realised that we need to do more. TeachersMatter is a collaboration between teachers, doctors (Liverpool

company LYFE), and mental health trainers and counsellors (Liverpool CIC The Mind Map) all geared towards keeping teachers teaching happy! “The uncertain landscape ahead will no doubt breed anxiety and teachers are being asked to change the way they work. We wanted to be able to give them a dedicated space to check-in, get practical advice, and signposting through COVID and beyond, but also to share their experiences and contribute. For all of the people in schools, they can often be lonely places and if TeachersMatter helps support just one teacher then it will have all been worthwhile.” In addition, SupplyWell has confirmed that when schools fully reopen, the business will no longer be using umbrella companies but will employ all teachers directly, in order to remove any charges for using the service and ensure teachers get to keep more of their take-home pay. Michael added: “We founded SupplyWell with four simple aims; to treat teachers fairly, save schools money, help prevent others from suffering work-related stress and impact positively on social mobility. These latest changes we are introducing will ensure that we continue to meet and fulfil these aims.”

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RECOGNISING PARTNERSHIPS

Trinity pupils at their graduation ceremony

Teaching conflict resolution in the classroom The Trinity Catholic Primary School, located in the heart of North Liverpool, one of the city’s most deprived areas, marked its completion of an effective programme for teaching conflict resolution in the classroom. Similar to many other schools across the country that find themselves in a similar position, headteacher, Rebecca Flynn, recognised that effective partnerships was essential to building a thriving school and vibrant society. She reached out to The Peace Foundation in 2019 with a priority of developing an effective initiative for teaching conflict resolution and emotional intelligence within the whole school community. The Trinity Primary School and The Peace Foundation forged a strong relationship to educate staff, parents/carers and most importantly the young people in conflict resolution via the pioneering ‘Peace Initiatives’. This unique project creates a culture for optimised learning by embedding a whole school approach to improving behaviour in the classroom, across the whole school and in the community by using a blend of storytelling, activity and reflection. Rebecca Flynn, headteacher of The Trinity Catholic Primary School: ‘This has been a great project, which fits with the long term strategic vision that we have for school. We are impressed with the way the project has engaged our pupils and got our parents on board- so much so, that 45 parents have asked to attend the graduation. “As a result, we have financed a bus to support our families with this, which is an illustration of the commitment and value we place on the whole project, as is the three year funding of the project”.

Colin and Wendy Parry from The Peace Foundation hold a Q&A session

Pupils enjoyed their graduation day

Certificates were awarded by Colin Parry

Pupils engaged with the foundation

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LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Staff and pupils celebrate the news of their ‘Good’ Ofsted report

St Clare’s celebrate ‘Good’ Ofsted report The light shone on staff and pupils from St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Liverpool after the school was judged to be a ‘Good’ school in their latest Ofsted inspection report. Since the appointment of headteacher, Kate Peaston, the school has moved from a special measures judgement to a good outcome over a period of four years. Headteacher, Kate Peaston said that the ethos of the school came across very strongly during the inspection. “In 2018, we reviewed our mission statement and, as a result, all members of the school community very much hold in our heart, our motto, ‘Let our light shine…’ This motto is central to everything that we do.” A high number of pupils in the school speak English as an additional language, and many are new to the UK. The inspection report asserted that, “Pupils are happy. They find that the school is a calm, restful and protected place in which they can learn, make friends and succeed.” “Inspectors recognised that the teaching of computing is a strength of the school, preparing pupils for their future lives. The report also praised the after school activities that were on offer, including music, cooking and sport. During the past two years, the school has achieved several Quality Marks on its journey to achieving a good outcome, the Liverpool Counts Quality Mark, the Basic Skills Award, the Healthy Schools Award, the School of Sanctuary Award, the EYFS Quality Mark, the Reading Quality Mark and the Laudato Si Award. Kate Peaston, headteacher said: “We would like to thank all of our children who are an absolute credit to the school, our staff and governors who work so hard and of course our parents and carers. We are all so proud of this achievement.”

A special day of entertainment was organised for pupils

Pupils joined in the fun

Magician Paul entertained the pupils

The pupils enjoyed Pupils celebrate the news of their ‘Good’ Ofsted report

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Education News

GCSE and A-level grading plans Teacher assessment, class rank and school performance will determine grades As from Friday 20 March, all educational settings were closed to everyone except the children of key workers and vulnerable children. The coronavirus outbreak is expected to continue having a significant impact on the education system, and the country, for months to come. Therefore, exams have been cancelled to give pupils, parents, and teacher’s certainty, and enable schools and colleges to focus on supporting vulnerable children and the children of key workers. The Department of Education have stated that students who were due to sit A-level, AS level or GCSE exams this summer will receive a calculated grade. The calculated grade process will take into account a range of evidence including, for example, non-exam assessment and mock results. Schools and colleges are being asked to provide a centreassessment grade for each learner. This will be the grade that each pupil is most likely to have achieved if they had sat their exams, and will be based on evidence held by schools and colleges and reviewed by subject teachers and heads of department. Schools and colleges will also have to provide a rank order of students within each grade. This is because the statistical standardisation process will “require a more granular scale” than grades alone, Ofqual said. If a school or college had 15 pupils for GCSE maths with a

centre assessment grade of 5, they should be ranked from 1 to 15, where 1 is the “most secure/highest attaining”, 2 is the next most secure, and so on. Ofqual has said schools and colleges won’t need to send this data to exam boards any earlier than May 29, giving them time to collect it. A-level results will be published on 13 August and GCSEs on 20 August. Ofqual says judgments must be objective and based only on evidence of pupil performance, including: • Records such as progress review data, classwork, bookwork and participation in performances in subjects like music, drama and PE • Performance in non-exam assessment, even if not fully completed • Previous grades (for re-sitting pupils) • AS-levels (for A-level pupils who took an AS) • Performance in class or homework assessments, and mock exams • Tier of entry (in tiered subjects) • Previous results of the school in the subject • Performance of this year’s pupils compared to those in previous years • Any other relevant information

New entry deadline date for the Educate Awards 2020 The Educate Awards has confirmed that it has extended the entry deadline to Sunday 5 July. Due to the current circumstances, the team understands that schools, academies, colleges and universities are going above and beyond right now to support their pupils, students, families and communities. From continuing to open and run schools for children of key workers, to providing a range of work for those being home schooled – everyone is grateful for the dedication of teaching and non-teaching staff throughout this situation. The Awards has factored in this uncertainty and extended the entry deadline from Sunday 21 June to Sunday 5 July to allow enough time for schools and colleges to write and submit their entries and nominations. Co-founder of the Educate Awards, Kim O’Brien, said: “It has been a tough few months for everyone in education but the positivity and dedication is utterly inspiring and heart-warming to see. The most important thing for us to do at this time is say a massive THANK YOU! “The Educate Awards has recognised

and celebrated education and the teaching profession here in the North West for almost 10 years and we want to make sure we can do the same again this year. Kim added: “The Awards do not take place until the Friday 20 November and we very much hope to see as many of you

as we can walking the red carpet at Liverpool Cathedral later in the year. It will be one enormous celebration!” Details regarding all 21 categories can be found at http://educateawards.co.uk/educateawards-categories/

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Home entertainment Our pick of what to play and watch

eSports Video games and eSports have grown massively in recent times and possibly no more than now during the current situation, with many people stuck at home, and live competitive sport off the menu. By now parents will know just how much teens love gaming! eSports is a form of sport competition using video games. It often takes the form of organised, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. As well as becoming a possible career path and a great form of entertainment, competitive gaming can be a really good way for children to improve skills such as concentration, reaction time, communication skills, teamwork, as well as developing an increased ability to perform under pressure. eSports can also be enjoyable to watch, and with no live sporting events taking place currently, it can provide a great alternative, especially as organisations like the Premier League are holding competitive gaming events. Here is our pick of the top 3 games to play competitively: FIFA 20 – Price around £40 to £50. A hugely popular football game. Each player picks a team and goes head-to-head with an opponent, either online or locally, or against the computer. Age 3+ https://www.easports.com/uk/fifa Fortnite – Price free-to-play. Each match sees 100 emptyhanded players dropped from a plane onto a virtual island. They must look for weapons and gather resources to build their own fortresses to survive. They fight to be the last person standing. Simple to learn, difficult to master. Age 12+ http://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home Rocket League – Price around £15. This game is basically football with cars with each player having a car which can be driven into a giant football in order to knock it into a goal. Competitive Rocket League usually focuses on two teams of three, with the winning team the one which has scored the most goals within the time limit. Age 3+ https://www.rocketleaguegame.com/

Capture it

With a boundless ability to store photos on mobile phones or back them up to the cloud, we rarely bother to create printed photo albums anymore. Life during lockdown has created more time at home for everyone, and if you are looking for ideas on how to keep teens, or even yourself entertained, a photo book project could be just the thing. A photo book is the perfect project to channel your child’s creativity into. It is also a marvellous way to mix memories together in one place that you can keep forever. To add to this many of us are currently separated from our extended family and friends. How great a gift would a photo book make for grandparents and, if it arrived by post, what a wonderful surprise too! A picture paints a thousand words as the saying goes and looking back at photos from happier times can prompt a myriad of memories, making this the perfect project to lift spirits. Creating the perfect photo book needs planning and you need to decide what you would like your final collection of photos to say. A few ideas to inspire you or your teen: Live Life Happy Create a book of photos of all the things in life that make you happy. This could be a personal or family collection. A Year in the Life Of Celebrate your past year as a family by filling the book with holiday snaps, favourite activities, fun times, Christmas, birthday celebrations, and any other memorable moments from the past year. A Gift for Grandparents Create a collection of photographs to celebrate a grandma, grandad or both grandparents by bringing together a book filled with photographs to let them know how special they are. Find Joy in the Ordinary Get super creative and curate a collection of photos of ordinary things that you make extraordinary by cropping or adding colour contrasts, filters, frames etc. For a teenager with Instagram skills this is sure to get their creative juices flowing. Look on the Bright Side At a time when there is so much to feel negative about why not encourage your teenager to pick out all the best photos from everyone’s mobile phones in the family and create a collection of the most positive moments. This may take some time to scroll through photos on phones, and maybe photos organised or stored elsewhere, but it would make an incredibly inspirational book to keep as a family.

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Documentary and Video REVIEW

Dolphin Reef

Must see

Documentary Verdict: HHH

Top 5 films about siblings With quarantine causing families to be stuck in the house for most of the time and making siblings spend more time with each other, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some of the best films based on siblings. Here are Educate’s top five sibling films: Rain Man 15: When car dealer Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has an autistic older brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and that his father’s $3 million fortune is being left to the mental institution in which Raymond lives. Motivated by his father’s money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the facility in order to return with him to Los Angeles. The brothers’ cross-country trip ends up changing both their lives. Little Women U: In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together. Parent Trap PG: In this update of a 1961 film, twins Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan) are strangers until happenstance unites them. The preteen girls’ divorced parents, Nick (Dennis Quaid) and Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), are living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, each with one child. After meeting at camp, American Hallie and British-raised Annie engineer an identity swap, giving both the chance to spend time with the parent they’ve missed. If the scheme works, it might just make the family whole again. Two Brothers U: Twin tiger cubs Kumal and Sangha are torn apart when their father is killed by hunter Aidan McRory (Guy Pearce). Kumal finds himself in a circus, where his spirits are broken by an abusive trainer (Vincent Scarito), while Sangha is adopted by a politician’s son (Freddie Highmore) and cast aside when he attacks the family dog. The brothers struggle to survive in a world where tigers are enslaved or killed for sport, and when they inevitably meet again, it is under the worst of circumstances. Step Brothers 15: Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) have one thing in common: they are both lazy, unemployed leeches who still live with their parents. When Brennan’s mother and Dale’s father marry and move in together, it turns the overgrown boys’ world upside down. Their insane rivalry and narcissism pull the new family apart, forcing them to work together to reunite their parents.

Although most of us are stuck indoors there are still a few new releases appearing, so this is a perfect time to sit back and relax as Disneynature dives under the sea to frolic with some of the planet’s most engaging animals: dolphins. Echo is a young bottlenose dolphin who can’t quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to his silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But with humpback whales, orcas, sea turtles and cuttlefish seemingly begging for his attention, Echo has a tough time resisting all that the ocean has to offer.

Sonic at the Olympic Games Video game Out now Verdict: HHHHH Dr. Eggman has taken over Tokyo and it's up to Sonic and his friends to save the city and the Olympic Games! Compete in Olympic events, win medals and challenge bosses while exploring the city of Tokyo with Sonic and friends. In this game, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose compete for Olympic medals. There are five events: 1500m hurdles, 400m hurdles, triple jump, discus, and javelin. The game has one-button controls for the events, saves progress automatically, and features varying difficulty levels (qualifying round, heats, semi finals, and the finals). There is a high-scores board that the player can upload their scores to and compare nationally. Points are gathered by finishing an event first and gaining Rings.

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My School Days Amanda Oates – executive director of workforce, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Amanda was appointed to Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in August 2013, initially as a non voting member of the board, prior to her appointment in January 2015 as executive director of workforce.

My schools: Christ Church Primary School in Aughton and Maghull High School, Merseyside. My favourite teacher: I’ve never really had a one favourite teacher, although I did like and admire a few. As you get older, you respect the profession more - and schools are doing a really amazing job right now! My favourite subject at school: English Literature. Were you streetwise or a bit of a geek? I was neither! Definitely not a geek, neither was I streetwise, I was always very obedient at school, although in all my school reports they always said “I talked too much”, some things never change! My favourite childhood singer/band: Too many to mention, growing up I was influenced by music my parents listed to and I still love. If I had to pick some it would be Whitney Houston, Prince and Lionel Richie. My favourite extracurricular activity: Dance and drama which I attended a couple of times a week.

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Do you remember your first school crush? Yes I do, but he didn’t attend my school! My favourite book: Pride and Prejudice, which I have read a few times throughout my life and has influenced my Iove of period dramas. Professionally my favourite book is “Just Culture” by Professor Sidney Dekker which has had the biggest impact on my professional career. I’d urge all leaders and managers to seek out his work. School dinners: I was never a fussy eater so enjoyed my school dinners! My favourite at primary school was always the desserts, chocolate pudding with mint custard I recall was simply amazing! My ambitions at school: When I was younger my aspirations were to have a career in the entertainment industry in some description, as I got older I wanted to do something to help people and when I was placed in Human Resources during my Graduate Training Scheme, I never left!

She has previous experience as HR director at two other NHS trusts and as board director since 2008. She delivered significant improvements in HR and L&D and led the team to win the national HR team of the year at the 2013 HPMA Awards at the Walton Centre NHS FT. Amanda spearheaded a regional Health and Wellbeing initiative through the development of the NHS Games, and gained recognition both regionally, winning the Health and Wellbeing Leader Award at the NHS Leadership Academy Awards in 2012, and nationally, as the HR Director of the Year 2018 at the HPMA awards in 2018. She joined the NHS in 1998 from the private sector as a graduate trainee. Amanda is also a member of the Quality Committee and the People Committee.

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VISIT WWW.EDUCATEAWARDS.CO.UK FOR MORE DETAILS

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