QA Education - Issue 131 by Euromedia Associates Limited

ISSUE 131

RAAC CRISIS: INNOVATIVE MODULAR BUILDINGS ARE THE SOLUTION

KITCHENEERS - BRINGING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TOGETHER THROUGH FOOD

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FEATURES 5

Mobile phone use should be banned in schools to improve behaviour

Supporting service children: A trust-wide approach

Creating a safe space for teacher development

SchoolScreener for Schools - removing vision and hearing barriers to learning

Lead union dubs PM’s conference announcements as ‘pie-in-the-sky education policies’

Managing behaviour - the power of positive parental engagement

3 out of 4 UK teachers believe their classroom conditions are affecting mental health

Three lessons we learned along our centralisation journey

How to strengthen oracy in your school

Fire safety group urges more schools to consider sprinklers

How to simplify interactive touchscreen lifecycles with mobile device management

Legionella & school holidays - what should I do?

Leading businesses collaborate to rejuvenate Design & Technology

QA EDUCATION REGULARS ISSUE 131 PUBLISHED EVERY TWO MONTHS BY EUROMEDIA ASSOCIATES LTD 10 Ashfield Road, Chorley, PR7 1LJ Tel: 01257 267677 Fax: 01257 267711 MANAGING DIRECTOR Emma Hatherall EDITOR Nick Lavigueur SALES Gemma Winstanley

EDITOR’S LETTER

FEATURES & NEWS

REQUESTED PRODUCT SHOWCASE

BEHAVIOUR

MODULAR BUILDINGS

CONCRETE CRISIS

PRODUCTION MANAGER Sheila Helm

Hire options for classrooms available www.wernick.co.uk/raac | 0800 51 55 55

GRAPHIC DESIGN Elle Creamer PRINTED BY Buxton Press Ltd. QA Education magazine would like to thank the advertisers that appear in this publication for their support and wish them continued success. QA Education is an independent publication and has no affiliation with any other organisation. The views expressed in QA Education do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, Euromedia Associates Ltd and its employees. Similarly the efficacy of any products and services featured are the sole responsibility of the supplier / manufacturer.

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SCHOOL BUILDINGS

AIR & WATER HYGIENE

QA EDUCATION BOOKSHELF

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| EDITOR’S LETTER |

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WELCOME to the latest edition of QA Education

Nick Lavigueur - Editor

The school year is in full flow now and if you feel like your head is spinning I really can’t blame you! There’s changes all over the place, huge ones planned for the future and some coming in now - it’s all a bit unsettling. The biggest of those, Rishi Sunak’s controversial plans to bring in ABS Levels, may never happen if Labour win the next General Election, but nevertheless his raft of policy announcements at the Conservative Party Conference have created a distraction and anxiety about what the future holds. While many agree we need to reform post-16 education, others believe it is KS3 where schools are weakest (as you can read on p.13 inside). Where I agree with the Prime Minister is the need for a more general education to continue post GCSE. You just need to look at the quality of spelling and grammar all over social media to prove that one. When I was at college in the USA in the 1990s it was interesting to see the Americans still studying maths and English alongside their ‘majors’. Over there children have a more rounded education until they arrive at university and then even during their first year or two of higher-education many will continue to take classes in core school subjects - as the American system allows - as they continue to build the foundations of a specialism. With Sunak’s links with America, having studied an MBA at Stanford and later living in Southern California early in his career, it is likely he has been inspired to mimic their systems and options as there’s no doubt they do better than us in many areas. When I think back to my own A-Levels, I was allowed to do physics and chemistry without studying maths alongside. This is despite only getting a B at GCSE. It won’t be a surprise to you that I struggled. Let’s not forget that maths and English help not just the academic pupils but the ones that go into trades. I would suggest it is actually the plumbers, electricians and builders that are more likely to need to use numbers on a daily basis for measuring up jobs, estimating materials and planning their finances. So while Labour may be waiting in the wings to reverse all of Sunak’s plans, boosting our youngsters’ maths and English skills is one policy I hope they keep. What’s your opinion? Tell me via nick@euromediaal.com

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NFER warns that Teaching Assistants taking second jobs or leaving to work in better paid roles Teaching assistants (TAs) in England are taking second jobs to supplement their income during the cost-of-living crisis, according to new research.

indings within NFER’s report, ‘Cost-of-living crisis: Impact on schools - School staff’, show that the vast majority of senior leaders – at 82 per cent in special schools, 75 per cent in primaries and 72 per cent in secondaries – are reporting some of their TAs taking up additional employment. Some schools also highlighted how the crisis is leading TAs to quit in favour of better paid jobs in other sectors that offer either increased pay or more working hours. 45 per cent of secondary and special schools and 34 per cent of primary schools report that low salaries are the single biggest barrier to recruiting TAs. NFER Research Director and report co-author, Jenna Julius, said: “The cost-of-living pressures are intensifying existing recruitment and retention challenges. Staff and potential applicants are more likely to look for higher paying and less pressurised jobs outside the sector while budget pressures are limiting the salaries which schools can afford. “We welcome the Government’s plans to refresh the current teacher recruitment strategy and our previous NFER research has

outlined the urgent need for this. Our report further highlights the importance of revisiting this strategy and indeed extending its scope. “A new long-term workforce strategy, including teaching assistants, school support staff and tutors, alongside teachers and leaders, is needed. For wider support staff, this should include looking at whether pay is competitive enough to attract and retain sufficient high-quality staff.” Nuffield Foundation Programme Head, Ruth Maisey said: “Teaching assistants play a critical role within schools, running intervention groups to improve children’s outcomes and supporting teachers with a heavy workload. It’s vital for pupils and teaching staff alike that a schools’ workforce strategy incorporates teaching assistants and support staff, as well as teachers and leaders.”

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DfE says it will consider statutory ban if schools resist new guidance

he Department for Education has said schools will be encouraged to ban pupils using mobile phones throughout the school day, including at break times. It has said the move would tackle disruptive behaviour and online bullying while boosting attention during lessons. It would also bring England in line with other countries that have already implemented a ban, including France, Italy and Portugal. It follows warnings from the United Nations on the risks of smartphones in schools and government data that found around a third (29%) of secondary school pupils reported mobile phones being used when they were not supposed to in most, or all, lessons. If schools fail to implement the new guidance, the government has said it will consider legislating in the future to make the guidance statutory. Tom Bennett, the DfE’s school behaviour advisor said: “This is a fantastic move forward for ensuring that students are able to work, learn and grow in a place free from the distracting influence of mobile phones. “Schools that have already banned them report that

students are safer, happier and able to focus far more than they were before- and it’s popular with them too.” The guidance will set out limited exemptions where necessary - for example, where children require their phones for medical reasons. The ban builds on a £10 million investment in behaviour hubs which support up to 700 schools to improve behaviour alongside the appointment of a new behavioural taskforce led by DfE’s behaviour tsar Tom

Bennett. Dr Peter Macauley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby, commented: “Given the relatively high prevalence rates of cyberbullying, the ban of mobile phone use during the school day will have varying ramifications for young people, teachers, and parents/ guardians. “Experiencing cyberbullying is associated with lower school adjustment, poorer academic performance, and a reduced sense of belonging in the classroom. On the one hand, the ban of mobile phone use during the school day will limit opportunity for young people to bully others online. It will also reduce distraction in and between lessons throughout the school day, promoting a more positive classroom climate. “While cyberbullying is more likely to occur outside the school environment, it is often the negative impact associated with involvement that spills into

the school. With the ban of mobile phones, even if cyberbullying is still happening outside the school environment, the outcome of a more positive classroom environment due to a no phone policy means that adolescents who experience cyberbullying will display lower levels of cognitive-behavioural disengagement. “On the other hand, the ban of mobile phones in school may indirectly promote other forms of bullying and disruptive behaviour throughout the school day. For example, cases of traditional bullying (i.e., physical, verbal, or relational forms of bullying) may increase as a way for bullies to continue targeting their victims. “The new policy may further increase use of mobile phones the moment children and adolescents return home, potentially creating further challenges for parents/ guardians monitoring use of digital technology.”

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| NEWS |

Mobile phone use should be banned in schools to improve behaviour

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Care experienced children and young people often come into education with labels attached to them, traumatised, behavioural issues, troubled, to name a few.

Teachers will have seen these students pass through our classrooms, sometimes too quickly to feel like we have made an impact on their learning, let alone helped to shape them into the person they have the potential to become. With no chance to peel back those labels and discover the child within.

These children often stay in our minds long after they have left our classrooms. What became of them? One of our foster carers who was once a teacher said, “My frustration was the limited amount of time I had with a pupil, I had a year, sometimes less and then they moved on. I wanted to do more.” Why do looked after children’s education often suffer? Structure and stability are vital, school coupled with their fostering family should work hand in hand. This is why Capstone Foster Care are urging teachers who want to do more, to step forward and become foster carers. Teaching-experienced foster carers can really bridge the gap and break down barriers and perceptions that children may have of the education system. Former and current teachers shared their experiences with us… “Some children will never have done homework before, having a teacher in their household helping them with this helps them to understand their lessons better.” A teacher who fosters alongside their role, told us. “They said they found it strange living with a teacher. I don’t think they saw teachers as people before.” This humanised the learning experience, and made the children see teachers as not just another authority figure in their lives. The fostering experience works both ways, teachers have found their teaching style improved for having fostered. They approached situations with more empathy and through a trauma informed approach. When you foster, it is the long-term stability which can help mould the future for a child in care. Help a young person realise their potential, foster with Capstone Foster Care and see the difference your hard work can make. www.qaeducation.co.uk | 7

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Creating a safe space for teacher development David Chapman, Head of school, Aston University Engineering Academy shares a new approach to lesson observations A low stakes approach to lesson observations Even the most experienced of teachers can feel nervous about a lesson observation. Stress levels soar, hearts pound and over preparedness can take all the fun out of the lesson for both the teacher and their pupils. Unhappy, nervous teachers are not what any school wants and a typical lesson observation format can be

counterproductive to creating a culture where staff feel trusted and valued. But understanding what is working well and what isn’t in lessons and the impact this has on students learning is pivotal to school improvement. Lesson observations are an important part of the teacher professional development kit and we wanted to explore new ways to improve teaching practice that wouldn’t pile on the pressure.

A new perspective We decided to flip lesson observations on their head and shift the focus to a more pupil centred observation. Teaching is only one part of the equation of learning. How a pupil learns and how fast they can learn is unique to them. It makes sense then to observe the impact ‘education in action’ has on them as a more accurate measure of learning in the

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Creating a safe space for teachers to develop In the words of education reformer John Dewey, “we do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” In practical terms though, having the time and space to reflect on how every lesson went can be quite an ask for teachers already grappling with heavy workloads. However, we could see the value in encouraging teachers to take a more active role in regularly reviewing how their own lessons went and decided to explore

if using video technology could make it easier and more practical for them to do this. We use ONVU Learning camera technology and staff can choose to review footage by themselves or alongside a colleague. Having the chance to press pause and rewind makes it easier to spot things you might have missed during a live lesson. For example, one of our teachers thought she had explained a complex maths problem well in class only to find when the work was handed in that not every pupil had got it. She was puzzled by this until she reviewed the footage of the lesson and could pinpoint where she had lost some pupils along the way. Understanding at what stage the problem needed greater explanation allowed her to fine-tune her lesson so no pupil would be left behind. Teachers are finding studying their own classroom footage a far more comfortable and ‘safer’ way to review and develop their teaching practice. They can also see the immediate positive impact their changes can make for both pupils and them. Support not scrutiny Teaching is already a challenging profession and observations can up the

ante even further. Termly lesson observations can leave teachers feeling unsupported and over scrutinised, the quality of their teaching under the microscope during one isolated performance. But they don’t need to be stressful, once a term formal events. These will only ever reveal a snapshot in time and won’t be an accurate gauge of the quality of daily teaching. Teachers learn best from other teachers. Encouraging regular informal sessions where teachers can get together to discuss the challenges and needs of different year groups and share different ideas can be very beneficial. If you use camera technology in class, you can also share best practice by saving video clips of strategies that have worked well in the classroom with a particular set of pupils in a shared folder for everyone to access. Adopting a more effective collaborative teaching environment has made it easier for our teachers to unpick what has gone right, as well as what hasn’t worked. This has helped them take greater ownership over their own professional development and been key to our staff viewing lesson observations through a new lens.

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| FEATURES |

classroom. But it’s not always easy to spot pupils’ different learning styles and reactions to a lesson when multiplied by 30 and trying to get through the curriculum. So, we’ve encouraged our teachers to break things down. To identify ‘small tells,’ like a student’s body language that can reflect how engaged they are in a lesson, or why it might be on a Monday afternoon it takes longer for some pupils to settle down. Observing the impact the lesson has on pupils in real-time, rather than what we assume it has, means teachers can refine what they are doing and maximise learning during lessons.

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| NEWS |

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Lead union dubs PM’s conference announcements as ‘pie-in-the-sky education policies’ NEU says there is ‘no magic wand’ to create sufficient teacher levels

rade union chiefs have blasted the Prime Minister’s education announcements as unachievable. Rishi Sunak unveiled a host of ambitious reforms to education at the Conservative Party Conference on October 4. They included the scrapping of A and T Levels amid a plan to make all 16-18 year olds study at least 5 subjects, including English and Maths, and moves to attract thousands more teachers through an enhanced bonus scheme. The plans will go to consultation, with possible implementation around 2033-34. Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Rishi Sunak is doubling down on pie-in-the-sky education policies. He is completely out of touch with reality. “The Government’s long-standing failure to hit its own training targets, compounded

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by the haemorrhaging of teachers due to high workload and below inflation pay, made the Prime Minister’s call in January for more maths teaching an impossible dream. His Government’s reduced training targets were again missed this summer. The Advanced British Standard is even more misconceived and extends his detachment from reality. “There is no magic wand to create English and maths teachers in sufficient numbers to educate 11-16 year olds, let alone at A-Level too. “We already have a shortage of secondary teachers. One in six English teachers and one in five mathematics teachers do not have a post A-Level qualification in the subject. We need an additional 4,300 mathematics teachers and 2,600 English teachers to cover current needs. “Post-16 curriculum reform is worthy of

debate, but simply increasing the number of hours taught would require an additional 5,300 teachers. This year the Government missed their recruitment target for secondary teachers by 48%. “School leaders are telling us they are struggling to recruit and retain across all subjects. The recruitment and retention crisis is caused in the main by excessive workload and below inflation pay. This is a root and branch problem not solved by bursaries, ‘golden hellos’ and other Whitehall gimmicks. They cannot have a lasting impact on subject shortages, which have been badly behind year on year, when the fundamental causes of teachers leaving remain in place. “Any education reform needs to deal with and confront the crises facing our schools and colleges, and this must be done in consultation with the profession to avoid

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yet more unworkable ideas.” Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described the plans as a ‘pipedream’ without a broader strategy to boost education funding. He commented: “There is a great deal of merit in the idea of bringing technical and academic qualifications into a single qualification of an Advanced British Standard. We have long called for parity of esteem between technical and academic pathways and we are pleased that this is reflected in this announcement. “We also support the principle of greater curriculum breadth in post-16 education as the current system is too narrow – at least partly because of previous government reforms which downgraded

the status of AS-levels. “However, while the principles of these proposals are good, the practicalities are daunting because of the severity of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis. “There aren’t enough teachers to teach existing subjects, never mind extend teaching on this scale. “We’re not convinced that the Prime Minister’s plan for an early career bonus payment for teachers in key shortage subjects in schools and colleges will be anywhere near enough. Teacher shortages are widespread and very problematic in many subjects. This problem requires a much broader strategy to improve pay, conditions and education funding. “Without this commitment the Prime Minister’s plans for an Advanced British Standard are likely to prove a pipedream.” National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said there had been “no meaningful engagement” with the profession ahead of the announcement. “Once again, there is a sense that ministers in Whitehall think they know better than the teachers and leaders working with pupils on a daily basis,” he said. Jack Worth, School Workforce Lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) questioned the move to scrap T-Levels so soon. “Further intervention to increase teacher

supply in shortage subjects is desperately needed as recruitment and retention is a huge challenge for schools. Evidence suggests that early career payments are a cost-effective way to improve supply in shortage subjects. “NFER has previously recommended that the Government should redesign levelling up early career payments by widening eligibility to all schools nationally and increasing payment generosity. The current scheme has a maximum value of £15,000 for teachers during their first five years, so a proposed £30,000 could have a real impact on teacher recruitment and retention. Although the Government needs to clarify which teachers would be eligible to receive this increased payment. “This plan to end the denigration of technical education, while welcome in principle, is concerning, as T Levels were only launched as the new ‘flagship’ alternative to A Levels three years ago. Time is needed to allow these new qualifications to bed in and be evaluated in terms of their fitness for purpose. This announcement, during T Levels Week, must be demoralising not only for providers but on the young people who have already completed or are completing their T Levels. With the looming defunding of BTECs and other applied generals from 2024 onwards, this hardly presents a period of stability for post-16 education over the next 10 years.”

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Three lessons we learned along our centralisation journey By Steve Brownlow, Chief Operating Officer at Central Region Schools Trust

Centralisation may at first appear to be an overwhelmingly complex project to undertake, with so many factors to consider, but there are a few key considerations which can make this process much smoother. 1) Know your ‘why’ Keeping a clear sight of the reasons behind making this transformation will be pivotal in responding to the challenges that will inevitably arise. For us at Central Region Schools Trust (CRST), initial conversations around centralisation centred around two primary aims: driving efficiency and alleviating pressure on our senior leaders. We knew that in terms of streamlining processes and delivering economies of scale, centralisation could provide much needed extra capacity. At a time when principals are struggling to manage what can feel like an ever-growing workload, with many considering leaving the profession entirely as a result, centralisation provides much needed support from Trust colleagues. Principals have strong leadership and teaching skills, what often comes less naturally is the ancillary work that comes alongside the role. Dealing with staffing, managing school estates and planning digital strategies are increasingly complex, and are not necessarily tasks principals are prepared to deal with.

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Creating extra capacity in the form of dedicated Trust-wide processes and staff has been hugely beneficial to our colleagues at all levels, allowing our principals to focus on what matters most to them – teaching and learning. 2) Communication is key Consistent, open dialogue is absolutely critical for success. Within CRST, the voices of our school leaders were indispensable in ensuring the path to centralisation was smooth. Not only do you need an initial period of consultation, which will give your colleagues the chance to voice their priorities at the outset, I cannot overstate the importance of ongoing conversations to ensure things are proceeding in a positive direction. How this is undertaken will differ depending on what works for each learning community; at CRST, we took multiple avenues to give our principals and senior colleagues the chance to voice their opinions and concerns. This feedback was gathered at our regularly scheduled Trust-wide meetings,

as well as via take-home surveys, and during the many informal conversations that take place on a daily basis. 3) Pace yourself Our biggest pain points arose as a result of the undue pressure we had placed on ourselves from choosing to overhaul several major workstreams at the same time; estates, governance and IT budgets, which we aimed to completely or mostly centralise within the academic year. Whilst significant progress was made, it would have been a smoother and easier process had we chosen to just focus on one of these two elements over the same time period. It can be easy to get swept up in the results centralisation will deliver, but trying to do too much too quickly can lead to unnecessary stress and can jeopardise the success of the process. Tempering your ambition with realism is vital in making sure the transformations you are initiating will succeed long-term.

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By Judith Wills, Maths teacher and content creator for Access Education GCSEPod.

The drop in this years’ GCSE results dominated headlines in August, with top grades and pass rates alike falling to pre-pandemic levels. students develop the foundation of their knowledge, learn tips for sitting exams and decide which subjects they’d like to take forward - shaping their futures.

he proportion of 2023 entries getting at least a 4 - considered a ‘standard pass’ - fell five percentage points in comparison to last year, from 2022’s 73.2 per cent to 68.2 per cent this year. While educators have acknowledged the drop in results correlates with plans to eradicate pandemic grade inflation, the situation has naturally led many to question how GCSE results can be improved next time around, and for years to come. The answer? A transformation in how schools approach and teach Key Stage 3 (KS3). The state of play This year’s GCSE cohort were in the midst of KS3 when the pandemic hit. While many schools quickly adapted to virtual learning, others missed hours of valuable teaching time - significantly disrupting students’ progression. This year’s GCSE cohort also faced the same challenging circumstances, but rather than leaving schools to approach this as an isolated problem, there is an opportunity for wider, systemic change. Historically, the impact of KS3 has always been at risk of being overlooked - in part due to the stage’s lack of external exams to measure attainment - despite its proven importance to GCSE success. But, there are many reasons why KS3 should be a priority. It’s the time where

The way forward Finding an easy-to-implement solution when teachers are increasingly tied for time, and school resources are stretched thin, can appear difficult; however, there are a number of key steps teachers can take to make the most of KS3 learning. The first involves creating direct, cohesive cross curricular links with GCSE courses. Here, teachers can draw out common themes and concepts in the syllabi, while also building upon essential skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. Often, the main way to truly gauge the level of students’ understanding and ability is through tests, where difficult-tounderstand topics and repeated challenges are flagged. Implementing regular formative assessments early on, accompanied by meaningful and actionable feedback, will

help teachers to track students’ progress and work on areas for improvement avoiding spending valuable GCSE lesson time simply recapping. There has been a rise in targeted resources for KS3 this year accordingly, such as GCSEPod’s new KS3 content bundle, with many teachers opting for formative assessments which sit alongside classroom learning. These types of assessments have the added benefit of instilling regular independent learning early on - a vital skill some students can risk being ill-prepared for by the time GCSE revision rolls around. Teachers can supplement these assessments with classroom discussions - drawing on real-world examples to build students’ enthusiasm - and ultimately work with like-minded peers to help kick-start their own school’s KS3 learning revolution. To find out more about GCSEPod’s KS3 content, visit https://www.theaccessgroup. com

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WHY NOW IS THE TIME FOR A KS3 LEARNING REVOLUTION

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How to strengthen oracy in your school By Angela Schofield, Oracy Lead, Excelsior Multi-Academy Trust

Since Sir Keir Starmer’s education speech in July 2023 you may have found yourself being asked questions about oracy by interested parents.

s you know there is a lot involved. That’s why the way that Voice 21 has broken down oracy into four skills strands makes it much more straightforward to explain what skills we are actually talking about, and also to help plan our teaching. Let’s look at this framework, then how we are approaching oracy at Excelsior MAT, which I hope will be a useful case study. Voice 21 - the four strands Physical Voice, including pace, tone, pronunciation and projection Body language, including gestures, posture, facial expression and eye contact Linguistic Vocabulary Language, including register and grammar Rhetorical Techniques, including metaphor, irony, humour, and mimicry Cognitive Content, including choice of content to convey meaning and intention Structure, including organisation of talk Clarifying and summarising, including seeking information through questioning Self-regulation, including maintaining

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focus on the task, and time management Reasoning, including giving reasons to support one’s views, and critically examining ideas and views expressed by others Social and Emotional Working with others, including guiding or managing interactions, and turn taking Listening and responding, including active and appropriate responses Confidence in speaking, including self-assurance, liveliness, and flair Audience awareness, including taking account of the level of understanding of the audience We have developed a progression map for these skills at Excelsior schools. This shows which skills are taught each half-term and is freely available to schools and parents. It’s important to note that there is no mention of English in the framework, these skills can be practised in any language. Oracy is part of every lesson and is included in unstructured times such as break and lunch. It isn’t an add-on or an extra lesson, it’s the way we teach. We have a mantra of, ‘every voice heard every day’. We teach presentation talk, such as

presenting your work to the class, reciting a poem or delivering a speech, as well as exploratory talk. This is where children are learning through talk, they haven’t refined their thinking yet or come to a conclusion, they are exploring the ideas under discussion through speaking to a partner, small group discussion or a whole-class discussion or debate. We also focus on oracy outside lessons with chatterbox corners set up in the playground with talk prompts and sentence stems. Also, at lunchtime staff who are trained in oracy support children’s talk. Oracy is for every child, so we scaffold talk carefully. We provide sentence stems for each year group, so they know how to begin their contribution. We use the Tower Hamlets Progression in Language Structures which is freely available online. We also give lots of time for thinking and rehearsal for children who need a little extra support. In addition, we involve our families in our oracy provision, delivering oracy workshops to teach them about the oracy framework and how we use this in school and provide ideas for games to try at home. We have regular parent showcases hosted by the children rather than the staff. Most of us know that often, when you ask your child, ‘What did you do today?’, they

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Activities for oracy development at home If parents ask you could suggest, for example: • Read aloud to your child. Hearing you read a story, with all the different voices, is not only fun and a time to bond with them, but it also supports them to understand how tone of voice can change the meaning of words and make it more interesting to the listener. • Encourage the expression of opinions, agreeing and disagreeing with reasons. This develops reasoning skills and vocabulary and shows them that it’s OK to disagree. A great thing to encourage is changing your mind when someone has given a good reason. You can also frame questions as talking points to encourage extended responses. There are lots of ways to do this and you can choose serious or silly talk activities. • Explore vocabulary, start with one word and find as many synonyms as you can, or find opposites, or find out where words come from. There are lots of examples online but for older children, the Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins is a useful resource as is the children’s book The Dictionary of Difficult Words. • Listening games Play lots of games 1-20, I Spy, or describing an image while your child draws it and vice versa, are all quick

games, which develop listening skills too. To practise listening specifically, read a short text and then give a list of words, can they remember which words were from the text? Simple riddle games are good for this too. Oracy is important because research has shown that it supports children in academic learning but also in social and emotional wellbeing. It develops their confidence and gives them a sense of belonging, that their voice is welcomed and valued. It is also key to closing the disadvantage gap. Early language and communication skills are closely linked to attainment throughout schooling, and to earnings later in life. The earlier we start to develop oracy skills, the better. About The Author Angela Schofield is the Oracy Lead at Excelsior Multi-Academy Trust, which supports six schools in Birmingham. Excelsior MAT was shortlisted for the MAT Excellence awards 2023 in three categories: Employer of the year; Inclusivity; and Wellbeing. Web: https://excelsiormat.org/ Twitter: @excelsiorMAT https://twitter. com/ExcelsiorMAT LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ company/excelsior-multi-academy-trust

The Oracy Framework

voice 21

Use the oracy framework to understand the physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social and emotional skills that enable successful discussion, inspiring speech and effective communication.

Cognitive Content -

Linguistic

Physical

Vocabulary -

Voice

Appropriate vocabulary choice

- Pace of speaking - Tonal variation - Clarity of pronunciation - Voice projection

Language

Body language

Rhetorical techniques

Gesture & posture Facial expression & eye contact

Rhetorical techniques such as metaphor, humour, irony & mimicry

Choice of content to convey meaning & intention Building on the views of others

Structure -

Structure & organisation of talk

Clarifying & summarising -

Seeking information & clarification through questions/ing Summarising

Self-regulation -

Maintaining focus on task Time management

Reasoning -

Giving reasons to support views Critically examining ideas & views expressed

Social & Emotional Working with others -

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have no recollection of doing anything! We provide a ‘Let’s get talking’ section in our newsletter where each year group writes a question to ask at home, such as ‘What is the difference between evaporation and condensation?’ or ‘Why did the wolf want to blow the house down?’. These are linked to what they’ve done in school that week and are a useful prompt to get families talking. Simple ideas which elevate the quality of talk. At Excelsior, we have a public speaking curriculum to assess progress in presentation talk. It begins in Reception and gives opportunities for children to present to a range of audiences for different purposes with increasing challenge, and milestones as they move through the school. In Reception, they speak to their small class; in Year1, they deliver an assembly to another class; in Year 2, they deliver an assembly to their year group; in Year 3, they present their ideas to the Pupil Parliament; in Year 4, they present to the Senior Leadership Team; in Year 5, they present their learning to parents and carers in a flipped parents’ evening; and in Year 6, they take part in our speech competition Speak Up Speak Out!, which is open to Year 6 pupils across the country. We do this to ensure every Excelsior child is fully prepared for all the contexts for talk they will encounter in secondary school.

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How to Simplify Interactive Touchscreen Lifecycles with Mobile Device Management By Nadav Avni, CMO of Radix Technologies

Learn how to streamline interactive touchscreen lifecycles with MDM, covering everything from procurement to retirement.

or today’s school kids who grew up playing with their parents’ smartphones, classrooms equipped with blackboards or whiteboards no longer make sense. Instead of using archaic whiteboards, projectors, and video players, these kids are a lot more comfortable learning via an interactive touchscreen. This is a technology shift that fits the current needs of formal learning. It’s also where mobile device management (MDM) can make all the difference in implementing and overseeing the necessary software—and taking care of its upkeep. Why Schools Need Mobile Device Management (MDM) The benefits of interactive touchscreens aren’t only for learners—schools can also be winners. When you deploy touchscreen devices in every classroom, teachers no longer need to wheel in or set up equipment. They simply boot up the touchscreen and start teaching. Then, at the end of the session, they log off or leave

image courtesy of iStock

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it on standby mode for the next class. Managing these devices is much more straightforward with MDM software technology. Here, school IT administrators can remotely administer all school devices as well as execute updates and fixes. Moreover, with MDM, you can streamline a range of tasks—monitoring and regulating access and applying security measures whenever needed. Streamlining Procurement Processes Implementing a touchscreen device system throughout an entire school district helps simplify device procurement. A centralised MDM solution loosens restrictions on what types of devices can be used. Furthermore, the device-agnostic nature of the platform means schools won’t have to limit themselves to one brand or model. Rather, they can accommodate various devices aligned to diverse brands and operating systems. With the proper MDM setup, IT admins are able to make all these

devices work together. In addition, for districts operating on a tight budget, a device-agnostic system can stretch resources much more effectively. Once the system is in place, it becomes easier for administrators to track and monitor each individual school device. By using a reliable MDM platform, admins can immediately pinpoint the whereabouts of any device and even geolocate those that are lost, missing, or stolen. This helps school officials account for their hardware expenditures and ensure a better ROI. Seamless Deployment and Configuration A key part of a great MDM system is having cloud capabilities. Instead of depending on older protocols, cloud computing allows IT admins to manage devices remotely, without worrying about bad or unsecured connections. Moreover, admins can remotely configure devices so that they conform to the school system’s security protocols. This includes assigning user levels that fit each user’s profile. Instructors are able to access learning materials and student information through the learning management system (LMS). Students can only retrieve their own data, including the assigned courses and materials for the day. Meanwhile, school administrators and analysts can collate user data in order to generate valuable insights on device usage. Finally, IT admins and staff have access to system settings in order to manage, maintain, and secure each device. Upgrading and Refreshing Device Inventories When in use, every touchscreen device requires periodic software or system updates. If there are problems, they’ll also need software fixes or application patches

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to continue working normally. Using remote access, IT administrators can easily download updates and diagnostic tools from the cloud to perform maintenance tasks for each touchscreen. Furthermore, with a reliable MDM platform, it’s possible to schedule automatic repairs or updates during downtimes so as not to disrupt class schedules. Better yet, IT staff can perform these fixes selectively. Depending on the need, they’re able to choose to update devices one at a time, in batches, or for the entire fleet. MDM software’s remote monitoring capabilities mean better management for school touchscreens. Admins can check each device’s health, allowing decisionmakers to determine when to pull out units for repair or replacement. Moreover, admins can make remote backups to ensure continuity—even when using replacement units. Securely Retiring Devices The proper MDM platform will also help you implement security measures for all school devices, taking care of data integrity and theft prevention. IT admins remotely monitors user access for every device to make sure that all connected users employ proper credentials. This monitoring team can freeze, disable—or even shut down—touchscreens that report attempts at unauthorized access. For lost, missing, or stolen devices, geolocation services enable IT administrators to zero in on each device’s whereabouts. Then, they’ll report the

location to authorities for possible retrieval. If recovery is impossible, admins can choose to remotely wipe all data and applications from the unit to safeguard private information. The same protocols apply when retiring old or obsolete touchscreen devices. Admins can perform data backup, reformatting, or memory wipes on selected devices prior to decommissioning. This includes remotely scanning each device to check for any leftover user data or LMS documents that might raise data privacy issues. Finally, when turning the devices over to departments in charge of waste management, IT teams are able to confidently certify that all private files and documents have been either returned to the school system or deleted completely. MDM is Key to Streamlining School Device Lifecycles When investing in modern educational technology devices like interactive touchscreens, it pays to add those extra dollars for MDM software. Instead of relying on throw-in solutions that rely on legacy protocols and older technology, rather secure top mobile device management software. When you opt for MDM, your school system will also make full use of your hardware investments—from rollout to retirement. Ensuring that each touchscreen device receives the necessary management, maintenance, and security services, it’s a win-win for both

students and teachers. The right MDM software guarantees that each touchscreen device gets access to timely software and firmware updates. An added benefit is continuous monitoring for possible issues, so that fixes can be deployed as soon as possible. After all, a school district’s edtech devices are only as good as the MDM software managing them. That additional investment you make for mobile device management will make all the difference in ensuring a better ROI for your touchscreen devices. Authors Bio: Nadav Avni: Chief Marketing Officer, Radix Technologies Nadav has been at Radix Technologies for the past four years, originally joining as a marketing director. He has extensive experience in marketing from technology and advertising companies, having previously held roles at VBox Communications, Leverate and Nokia.

image courtesy of Radix Technologies

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Children’s Swimming Franchises Rally to Bridge the Gap in UK Primary School Swimming Education According to a report by the BBC, pop up swimming pools are being brought into UK primary schools to teach children to swim, because of a lack of funding to transport children to local swimming pools.

image courtesy of iStock

side from the obvious personal survival and lifesaving skills, swimming has been shown to increase confidence, improve physical and mental health and open the door to other sports and activities. The BFA (British Franchise Association), the voluntary, self-regulating governing body for franchising in the UK represents numerous children’s swimming class franchises, including Swimtime and Puddle Ducks who are doing everything they can to plug the gap left by the lack of school-organised swimming lessons. Commenting on the BBC report Rachel Brooks, MD of Swimtime said: “Despite Swimtime teaching over 20,000 children to swim each week, in addition to the numerous other providers in the sector, a third of UK children still cannot swim. “Put another way, 3.4 million children fail to meet competency standards, with 1 in 3 children leaving primary school unable to swim. “Factors that impact this worsening situation include local authority or trust run pools being closed at a disturbing rate, fewer schools providing swimming lessons and the squeeze on household

18 |www.qaeducation.co.uk

incomes.” Describing how they work with local schools across the country Rachel said: “Where possible, we work with local schools to deliver lessons in their pools, ensuring this much needed life skill is available, however our ability to support this varies greatly across the country, as many schools have significantly reduced access to pools in their local areas.” Ruth Nelson, strategic brand and marketing manager for Puddle Ducks Franchising Limited, who teach 25,000 children a week to swim, said: “The swimming industry is undergoing huge change, and the landscape is likely to look quite different in a few years’ time. “The prospect of 1.2 million children leaving primary school being unable to swim by 2026 is something that as an industry, we must attempt to turn around.” Highlighting contributing factors, she added: “Covid was only the start; soaring energy prices since the beginning of 2022 have left many pool owners unable to stay open and those who have managed to keep going, have had to raise prices, either directly to the public or to increase hiring costs to swim schools.”

Ruth warned that children’s swimming lessons were in for a turbulent time: “We are approaching a perfect storm of rising prices, pool shortages and increased demand. As an industry, we have to embrace new ways of doing things, whether this be private providers such as ourselves building new pools, or concepts such as pop-up pools going directly into schools, or local authorities and not-forprofit CICs working more closely with private providers to ensure pools stay open and fit for purpose. “We are still working our way through waiting lists of primary school aged children who missed out on learning to swim due to covid and we aren’t alone.” She concluded: We very much hope that the relevant stakeholders see the crisis facing the industry and prioritises funding and facilitating new ways of working between the private and public sector to enable us to get on top of this – after all, it is a requirement in the national curriculum that isn’t currently being fulfilled, and we can help.” Pip Wilkins, CE of the BFA acknowledged the urgent need for swimming lessons for primary-aged school children and commended Swimtime, Puddle Ducks and the BFA’s other swimming lesson franchises for teaching these lifesaving skills.

Rachel Brooks, MD of Swimtime

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One in five members of school staff experienced violence from a pupil in the past 3 months New research based on feedback from 175,000 stakeholders

new research report from school survey specialists, Edurio, has revealed some concerning statistics. It highlights the experience in English schools, with feedback from 175,000 stakeholders. The first-of-its-kind “Improving School Trusts” report, offers a unique bird’s eye view of stakeholder perspectives on trust performance. Assessing national feedback gathered across the course of the last academic year, Edurio highlights new data through the lens of the Department for Education’s guidance on how it will decide which multi-academy trusts will be given the green light to expand. Classroom disruption and violence on the rise Three in four (73%) pupils said their learning has been disrupted because of someone’s behaviour and 20% of school staff report having experienced emotional or physical violence from a pupil. Not only that, but it seems that incidents of pupil violence are increasing back to levels seen before the pandemic. In the heavily pandemic-disrupted academic year

2020/21, 13% of staff reported that they had experienced violence from a pupil in the past three months. This figure increased to 17% in 2021/22, increasing again to 20% in the last academic year, in line with data from 2018 and 2019. Sufian Sadiq, Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust, commented: “The data on pupil behaviour particularly stood out, in light of ongoing debates about worsening behaviour after the pandemic. “The report illustrates how pupil and staff perceptions align on the level of disruption caused by poor behaviour. “About four out of five pupils, and a similar proportion of staff, report that pupil behaviour is sometimes or often disruptive, and the fact that 20% of staff in our sector have experienced emotional or physical violence from pupils is deeply concerning.” Other Key Findings High-Quality and Inclusive Education: Curriculum and Learning Pupil feedback indicates a need for a more cohesive curriculum that builds on students’ prior knowledge and delivers

better student outcomes. Only 45% of pupils think their lessons build on prior knowledge and just 51% feel confident about studying independently. Tamsin Frances, Executive Director of People, Strategy & IT at Ted Wragg Trust, said: “More than ever, there appears to be tension between high-quality education and inclusion, which means different things to pupils, parents and educators depending on their definition of inclusion. Nationally, we know that an increasing number of pupils require something additional to, or different from, others within the classroom.” School Improvement: Trust-led Knowledge Sharing Staff members are not fully satisfied with existing knowledge-sharing cultures in trusts. Only 56% of staff report that knowledge and good practice are shared well. Compared to staff (37%), parents are more positive regarding the benefits of being part of a trust. About 46% of parents think it is a beneficial arrangement for pupils. Workforce Dynamics Staff generally report having positive line management interactions. However, there is a perceived gap between staff and leadership, as only two in five (39%) staff feel that their leaders address their professional needs. A similar proportion, just 38%, believe that leaders understand the challenges they encounter in their work. Governance and Leadership: Stakeholder Feedback Integration Trust leaders diligently collect input from stakeholders with 99% of those surveyed collecting feedback from staff, parents, and pupils. While 37% of parents observe their feedback to the school having an impact, 34% of staff observe the impact of their feedback to the leadership. Almost two out of five (37%) pupils feel that pupil opinion is valued in their school.

image courtesy of iStock

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‘Inspired by Industry’ provides innovative learning opportunities for students

lvie, Scalextric and Mindful Chef are among the brands providing resources to schools and encouraging pupils to respond to real creative briefs. In a bid to boost the field of design and technology education and provide creative learning opportunities for students, the Design & Technology Association (D&TA), a leading professional body dedicated to high-quality design and technology learning in schools, is collaborating with a wide range of firms to launch its new initiative: ‘Inspired by Industry’. Launched on National Manufacturing Day (Sep 28), the new project offers a comprehensive set of free learning materials specifically designed for KS3 (Aged 11-14) D&T educators and students, aiming to breathe new life into the subject. The materials show how businesses use ‘design thinking’ to ideate new products, which, in turn, can give students the opportunity to respond to a real brief within industries and real workplaces. The move comes after the success of the D&TA’s recently launched ‘Vision Paper’, which highlights the urgent need for revitalising design and technology in the education system. It calls for decisive action to address the decline of this key curriculum subject amid concerns it is just a few years away from curriculum extinction. The D&TA said it was vital that businesses took significant action to showcase the relevance of the subject. In collaboration with leading companies and businesses spanning the creative, engineering and manufacturing sectors, including Mamas & Papas, Thrive Wearables, Yoto, PTC, Elvie, Scalextric, Mindful Chef, Salsus and Dinosuit, the association has been working to develop contexts and materials inspired by real-world industry practices, all designed for D&T classroom use. The objectives of the ‘Inspired by Industry’ resources are to get pupils to work together and respond to real-life design

briefs. These new resources support school teachers and leaders by: • Supporting the KS3 Curriculum: By encouraging students to tackle real-world issues during KS3, the initiative seeks to inspire and engage them whilst laying the groundwork for future success in nonexamined assessments at KS4 and beyond, using methodologies employed by industry professionals. • Free, High-Quality Resources: ‘Inspired by Industry’ offers free access to all schools, providing enriching contexts and videos. Association members gain exclusive access to additional materials, further enhancing the learning experience. • Fostering Interest in D&T Sectors: Each context is presented by industry professionals who explain their problemsolving approaches, offering students a comprehensive glimpse into their work. This firsthand insight is designed to inspire students and spark their interest in design, manufacturing, engineering, and related fields. • Bringing Industry and Education: The initiative emphasises teaching relevant and practical content. Learning from industry practices can help shape the

future of D&T education by equipping students with the skills and knowledge required to thrive in industry Tony Ryan, CEO of the Design & Technology Association, was a former school principal and teacher in IT and design & technology. Ryan was once an academic underperformer, perceived school as pointless, often got into trouble and was finally excluded. An apprenticeship as a car mechanic helped him understand the relevance of education and catalysed his aspirations of becoming a teacher by going back to further education and obtaining both B.Ed and Masters degrees. Ryan commented: “The ‘Inspired by Industry’ initiative is just the beginning of our goal to introduce new resources across a range of relevant business sectors and get pupils working together to not only respond to real-life design briefs but to form new skills and apply them to the real world. “The subject is highly interdisciplinary, something we’re aiming to demonstrate with this programme by collaborating with such a diverse range of brands and designers.”

image courtesy of Shutterstock

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Leading businesses collaborate to rejuvinate Design & Technology

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Supporting service children: A trust-wide approach There are thousands of children in UK schools who have a parent serving in the British Armed Forces and face unique pressures as they grow up, such as having a parent deployed overseas or having to move home or school multiple times.

n fact, just over half of state schools in England have service children on roll and most military children attend a school with fewer than ten others from a service background. Yet whilst schools in England receive Service Pupil Premium, a payment of £335 per service child to provide pastoral support, there are no national guidelines in place as to how schools should best support service children in education. That’s why Kernow Learning Trust in Cornwall has partnered with the military children’s charity, Little Troopers, to ensure that all 150 service children across its 21 schools receive a consistent level of support no matter which school they go to and how many service children are on roll. The idea started when one of the schools in the trust, King Charles CE Primary School, near HMS Culdrose, signed up to the charity’s Little Troopers at School programme and set-up a weekly Little Troopers lunchtime club. They school only had 13 military children at the time, all from different year groups and the weekly club brought them together to chat about military life, make crafts to give to their serving parents and

images courtesy of Little Troopers

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take part in activities from the Little Troopers at School programme, as well as simply spending time having fun together. The children also created a Little Troopers display board in the main corridor to show their civilian peers what life is like in the Armed Forces, including a map to show where their Mums and Dads are in the world. The school found the club helped foster sense of community by offering military children a space to talk about their connection to the forces and make new friendships based on their shared experiences. Headteacher, Lee Moscato, was keen to replicate the idea across all 21 schools in the Trust and so worked with Little Troopers to create a pack of resources that could be sent to each school. The toolbox of resources included information for teachers, storybooks for the library, early years outfits, lesson plans, activity ideas, digital workshops and a military child wellbeing course to help teachers delve deeper into some of the unique challenges that military

children face growing up in the Armed Forces community. Lee Moscato, Headteacher of King Charles C of E School, shared that, “This has enabled a really powerful joined up approach which ensures an equity of provision which is really important to us here in Kernow Learning. By training, learning and collaborating across all our schools we have secured a strong offer for our services families within our Trust. For those schools without any pupils with serving parents currently on roll, it means that they are ready to welcome them should they join and for those with service family pupils, we have been able to share best practice and further strengthen our provision in all our schools. We’re really thankful to the support that Little Troopers has given us.” Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, adds: “Parents often tell us that one of their

biggest frustrations is that support for military children is not consistent between schools, so it is brilliant to see Kernow Learning Trust recognising the importance of providing consistent support for service children across the board. “By having these resources in place, schools are sending a messaging to military families that we recognise your children, we understand that they might be facing unique challenges, and we have things in place to support you and your children whenever you need it. “

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Primary school pupils can now learn how the promise of a school meal is transforming the lives of some of the world’s poorest children, thanks to new educational resources from school feeding charity, Mary’s Meals.

ary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to hungry children in 18 of the world’s poorest countries, including Ethiopia, Haiti and Zambia. The promise of a good meal attracts these children into the classroom where they can gain an education and hope for the future. Now, the charity has launched two new learning resources for primary schools, downloadable for free from its website, which highlight the charity’s work. The resources include easy-to-follow lessons, discussion questions, cross-curricular links and photo packs, which are centred around themes of global citizenship and a right to education. ‘Meals Make a Difference’, designed for lower primary pupils, and ‘Hunger to Hope’, designed for younger primary pupils and older primary pupils, support curriculum objectives and are designed to engage pupils in a range of crosscurricular activities that demonstrate the challenges faced by young people living in the world’s poorest countries. The resources also suggest ways to engage pupils in taking action to change the lives of hungry children living thousands of miles away. Both ‘Meals Make a Difference’ and ‘Hunger to Hope’ centre on life in Zambia, one of the countries where Mary’s Meals serves its school meals to more than 420,000 hungry children. Pupils will learn about 11-year-old Failo, who eats Mary’s Meals at his school in Zambia. Failo looks forward to his daily serving of vitamin-enriched porridge, which is often his first meal of the day. He says: “Mary’s Meals is helping because when I eat at school, I am able to concentrate. I don’t have anything to eat in

the morning before coming to school. We depend on the porridge.” Deputy headteacher and Religious Education lead, Rhianon Riddick, has been using the resources with her pupils at St Albert’s Catholic Primary School in Liverpool. Rhianon says: “We’ve enjoyed great class discussions about what life is like in Zambia and the pupils have been very engaged in suggesting ideas of how they can help to make a difference. “The resources have introduced the pupils to an area of the world they may never have known about before, while also educating them on poverty experienced by children and what Mary’s Meals is doing to support them. “As well as teaching our pupils valuable lessons, the resources have helped them develop a charitable spirit, which is very heartening to see in children so young.” It costs just £19.15 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year. Morven Macgillivray, supporter

engagement manager at Mary’s Meals, says: “Our new, free resources have been developed in partnership with teachers to support curriculum objectives. “They are aimed at helping primary-age pupils understand the challenges faced by children living in poverty across the world – and showing them how the promise of a good meal at school is giving these children hope for a better future.” She continues: “A great way to introduce our new resources to your pupils is to have a Mary’s Meals representative speak to your school assembly or your class. We’d love to hear from teachers who would like us to arrange this for them.” Mary’s Meals school resources, including content for secondary pupils, are available to download from marysmeals.org.uk/ get-involved/childrens-resources. The charity can also arrange for a volunteer to visit schools and share its story. To arrange a talk for your pupils, please call 0800 698 1212 or email info@ marymeals.org.

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Free resources educate primary pupils on the power of a school meal for some of the world’s poorest children

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in resilience and have a strong sense of self and their purpose in the world.” The Growth Well is now receiving interest and bookings from around the country. To celebrate their launch, those booking early will be entitled to a discount. Telephone Rachel Tarr on 07875 227190 Email thegrowthwell@gmail.com Or visit the website thegrowthwell.co.uk and fill in a booking form

11/08/2022 14:00:34

Leaders in School Sports Ground Equipment

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SchoolScreener for Schools – removing vision and hearing barriers to learning Spellzone_QA-Education_10x90mm_sponsor-banner.indd 1

20/09/2023 15:03:57

New product developed by Thomson Screening, world leaders in easy-to-use, accurate screening systems with in-built reporting

choolScreener for Schools is specifically designed to allow any member of staff, without any clinical knowledge, to quickly check children’s eyesight and hearing. Originally developed for use by the NHS, SchoolScreener has long been used by nurses to screen children for a variety of health markers including vision and hearing, but until now it has not been available directly to schools. Although schools are very keen to ensure the wellbeing of students, regular checking can involve a lot of extra work that staff simply don’t have the time for. Yet, studies are identifying an epidemic of short sightedness due to increased screen-time, and the impact of extensive headphone use on children’s hearing (both increases due, in part, to COVID19). This is why SchoolScreener for Schools was developed very specifically to allow any staff member (no clinical knowledge is necessary) to use the system, with just 30 minutes of online training. Schools do not need to worry about extra work. Administration, including reporting for parents and schools, is automated. Although primary schools often benefit from NHS vision and hearing screening (many using SchoolScreener), this is not

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universal and is only available at Reception. However, children’s vision and hearing can continue to change well into their teens. So, it is essential to check children as they develop, to ensure undiagnosed vision or hearing problems do not affect learning, behaviour or social development. It has been shown again and again that children with undetected vision or hearing challenges do less well at school, and their learning outcomes and future can be severely affected. By checking children over the age of seven, hearing and vision challenges can be detected and addressed, and learning outcomes can be improved. Disruptive behaviour in schools has also been linked to undetected vision and hearing issues, so checking helps everyone; the child, the school, and fellow students. How does it work? SchoolScreener for Schools is a variant, for use by schools, of Thomson’s Screening’s SchoolScreener software used by NHS staff at Reception age. Schools can purchase direct from Thomson Screening. Prices start from £250.00 per annum. Thomson Screening will provide training. The school can then arrange to check

children, as required, with the system automating everything including reporting results to carers and teachers. Multi-Academy Trusts can also receive automated Trust wide anonymised reporting. Anonymised data is also available for SLT and OFSTED Welfare reporting. Thomson Screening provides support and is always on hand to answer questions. It is also highly recommended that all students are tested when they arrive at secondary school, so that schools can identify children that require further assessment by a local Optometrist or their GP. SchoolScreener for Schools also screens for colour impairment, which is not currently part of the NHS screening programme. Colour impairment affects nearly 5% of the UK population (nearer 8% in boys) and although colour impairment cannot be corrected or cured, knowing that a child has an impairment enables teachers and parents to mitigate the impact on learning. SchoolScreener for Schools is now available direct from Thomson Screening. For more information see: https:// schoolscreenerforschools.com/

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Alliance in Partnership (AiP) has launched Kitcheneers, its new approach to school meals, created in collaboration with secondary school pupils.

itcheneers reimagines school food and dining rooms, creating a focal point for school communities. AiP commissioned leading strategic design agency Without to reinvigorate its school meals brand. Collaborating with the children themselves to workshop and develop not only dishes that appeal to their tastes but a whole new look and feel to the dining experience. Kitcheneers includes a brand new menu, engineered to include the usual crowdpleasers with healthy twists, easy customisation and lots of variety. It offers a blend of on-the-go and traditional plated meal options from a variety of food stations. A new Kitcheneers app enables students to pre-order their food similar to how they would with high street outlets, helping to alleviate long queues at lunchtimes. The main event, the lunch menu, includes the traditional favourites of pizza, burgers, katsu curry, peri peri chicken as well as fish and chips, and instead of offering the one complete dish will enable personal tastes, allergies or beliefs to be accommodated with a choice of sides and garnishes available to be selected, not compulsory. By offering a core main dish with optional accompaniments and sides will encourage experimentation and help reduce food waste. The new food offer also includes a new approach to breakfast and mid-morning

snacks. Hot and cold breakfast items include powerballs, savoury muffins (egg, bacon, vegan sausage), porridge bar, bagels, yoghurt and granola. For those wanting a snack, or early lunch at breaktime will be offered wedges, pizza, soup, loaded nachos, dirty jackets, hummus bar, sandwiches. Most of the dishes on the new menu represent two of the recommended five a day with all dishes approved by AiP’s team of expert nutritionists. James Mundy, Marketing Director for Schools, Sodexo UK & Ireland says: “Kitcheneers is here to raise the bar and provide students with the level of care they deserve. A combination of fresh ingredients and regular menu rotations ensures the highest standard of food quality is delivered consistently. “All our food is prepared fresh daily and in accordance with government school food standards, providing healthy, nutritious, quality food at an affordable price. Each dish is bursting with fresh ingredients, vitamins, goodness and most importantly, flavour. Through Kitcheneers, we combine great value with promotions, wellbalanced portions, quality ingredients, excellent service and choice.” The new visual identity of Kitcheneers was influenced by research showing that today’s students are motivated by high street brands that make life simple; who take their mission seriously, but not

themselves. Once-empty walls now feature posters with new messaging and inspirational food menus influenced by the students’ favourite high street brands and their interests such as the environment and ethical ingredients, in a contemporary and relatable way. Likewise, the typography was chosen to be hard-to-ignore and easy-to-digest, helping students make decisions ahead of time and reducing queues and congestion. Roly Grant, founder, Without: “This was a chance to help solve a really important problem. Most school food is commissioned by the grown-ups. By starting with students – inviting them into the kitchen and asking what and how they wanted to eat – we began to understand barriers and opportunities. Combining this with our experience of highstreet brands, we were able to create a simple, modular offer that allows students to balance exploration with personal preference, communicated with opinion and positivity.” AiP will be introducing Kitcheneers into 50 secondary schools across the UK by the end of 2024. Established in 1998, the AiP group of companies, including The Contract Dining Company and Class Catering Services joined Sodexo in December 2018.

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What to look for when choosing parental engagement software Building parental engagement can be a formidable task, yet it’s crucial for improving student outcomes. By Rob Pointen, CEO, Weduc

tudies draw a clear parallel between a school’s ability to communicate with parents and the educational performance of the children - and that’s because, when parents are engaged, their kids are more confident, motivated and have better classroom behaviour. But a recent survey conducted by Weduc found that just a fifth of schools can safely say that 90-100% of parents had received and read a message. For most schools, it typically ranges from between 50% and 75%. So how can schools move the needle on engagement? When communication fails There are some significant consequences for not engaging hard-to-reach parents first time. To begin with, there is an additional burden on the school admin team, and often the teaching staff too, as a seemingly endless series of time-consuming letters or phone calls have to be set in motion. As a last resort, teachers might even have to chase parents down on the playground or at collection time.

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One solution is to change the engagement approach by switching to new communications software, although there are some important considerations to bear in mind when choosing the right fit. Can you communicate across all channels? Technology has changed how we interact with each other. Whether it be through email, WhatsApp, SMS or social media, the list goes on. To echo this, a fifth (20%) of schools now say that increasing the number of channels they use would help them to reach more parents. However, to reduce manual admin time and staff fatigue of posting individual messages on each channel, any new solution must publish updates through every channel simultaneously, including social media and the school website. How many features does the solution have? Allied to this, another useful feature is smart messaging, which automatically directs messages to where parents are

most likely to read them. Other features, such as an online noticeboard, language translations and functionality to brand the app with the school’s colours, for example, are all clever ways to genuinely help schools to manage the often-complex relationship with parents. Schools and parents need technical assistance Whenever new software is deployed, the users are going to need some help navigating its new features and making the best use of the technology. This applies to the school staff and to the parents, who are too busy to spend time waiting for an answer. Software providers should ensure wait times for support are kept extremely low. Is there a clear ROI? With budgets under increasing pressure across the public sector, all expenditure is under scrutiny. By devoting time to the school, a responsible partner will share best practice for using the software effectively and maximising the investment. At the same time, new communications software has to reduce expenses elsewhere, such as doing away with paper forms. The process of switching a software solution can seem daunting initially, but by considering the factors that really drive engagement levels for parents, such as being able to communicate across multiple channels, schools have to make sure that they are making the right choice. As a result, schools are in a better position to improve the outcomes of their students in their journey through education.

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Will Digby, Connectivity Product Manager, RM Technology It’s official. Openreach has stopped selling phone and broadband services that use the old copper network - ushering in a new, fully digital, era of technology.

ver the next two years, all UK landline services will need to be transferred to a digital voice service, or they will stop working. That is a massive transition in the country’s telecoms infrastructure. However, many schools are still unaware that the ‘Big Copper Switch-Off’ is taking place at all. Telephone providers will notify customers weeks in advance of the transfer, regionby-region, to warn them of the roll out. Yet, for schools, the transfer will introduce a variety of new threats and opportunities that must be considered as soon as possible. While for most domestic households the switch-off will entail simply plugging a phone into their home router, schools will need to account for a lot more.

calls, so it’s important that they function optimally.

Robust and secure internet connections The new digital technology will use a technology called Voice over IP (VoIP) over your internet connection. This technology will work in a fundamentally different way. Simply put, instead of analogue signals through copper wires, systems will transfer digital information over the internet. Landline phones will connect through your broadband router, instead of sockets in walls. While some have raised concerns about power (without power – during power cuts – an internet-based system cannot work), there are other practical considerations for schools. Because the new system will operate over the internet, schools must ensure that they have a robust internet connection established before they make the switch. VoIP systems, like RM Voice, demand resilient, low-latency connectivity to deliver clear and reliable voice calls. As I’ll explain, schools will be able to use their new platform for much more than simple phone

Prepare school staff for the transition School staff who might use the system will also require training. This is to ensure that

Check devices operating on old phone lines Even though the old analogue lines were basic compared to the functions VoIP offers, they often still functioned as more than simple phone lines. In schools, many devices may operate using the old lines, including alarms, entry systems, lifts, fax machines, and all sorts of other special services around the school grounds. Once all of these systems have been identified, schools must switch these devices onto an IP mode if possible. If not, they’ll need to upgrade their devices or purchase adapters.

your school gets the most benefit from the new technology. VoIP systems are much more than simple landline replacements; they enable a much wider range of services, including mobile app integrations, video calling, and ‘soft phone’ applications, enabling you to remove physical handsets from the classroom. However, they’re also vulnerable to cyber-attacks. As such, using them requires a new approach, and new ways of thinking, with educational materials and cyber-security workshops becoming key in the long run. The ‘Big Copper Switch-Off’ is going to significantly change the way that schools communicate – internally and externally. This exciting opportunity enables schools to modernise and upgrade their communication platform, but it’s crucial that schools start preparing now to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

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Yoga could be the key to unlocking pupils’ anxieties and boosting mental health Agnieszka Migew, founder of kidsyogawithaga, explains how her classes helped young children overcome stress and other post-pandemic issues.

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have been successfully running yoga and mindfulness classes across primary schools for the past 5 years I’m also the award-winning author of two yoga stories and have created a host of other yoga resources over the years. I’m passionate about what I do and I believe educating schools on yoga is an important part of my job. Many schools don’t see the real value of yoga for pupils. I’ve been to a few schools to give speeches on the importance of yoga, however I’ve noticed that yoga is still very much undervalued, when compared to other activities for children. As a mum of a teenage daughter who suffered from anxiety and was unable to go to school for many months, yoga was what helped her to get back on her feet. After the pandemic many children suffered mental health issues, due to not having contact with their peers and having their normal routine disturbed. Children suffered from stress anxiety, and those children are still not receiving the help they need due, to the shortage of staff

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and cost cutting. However in many schools parents are willing to pay for the clubs so budget isn’t the problem. The problem is that schools are not making healthy choices when it comes to choosing the clubs, and often everything else is more important than a yoga club. Children will choose what clubs they will go to, however giving them the option to do yoga, is the first step to make the difference. If the schools don’t understand the real power of yoga for their pupils’ mental and physical wellbeing it’s a vicious circle. More than one in 10 primary children aged 5-10 has an identifiable mental health condition, that’s 3 children in every class. Children can be referred to therapy but in most areas the waiting list is at least a couple of years and the support is often not suitable for the youngsters. I’ve been there with my daughter and the system is broken I have been practising yoga for 10 years and I was able to heal myself from back pain, anxiety and stress.

Yoga helps children to become stronger in their mind and body. They become more confident and their self esteem rises. I use a lot of praise and positive affirmations in my classes to help them recognise the potential they have, I teach children how to breathe mindfully which helps regulate their emotions and at the end of the classes children lie down and relax with eye pillows on and relaxing music, some of them fall asleep, this is the most favourite part of the class for some of them. Children practise yoga in pairs, and are able to support each other practising a variety of poses. Children often don’t know each other when arriving at the club, but make friendships and build connections with others and their teacher. Yoga helps children to develop focus and mindfulness, such important tools to thrive at school We also learn important values of gratitude, self acceptance, self care, kindness, friendship, and compassion - all important lessons to learn before they go into teen years. Contact: Kidsyogawithaga@gmail.com

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Altro continues to innovate with the launch of Altro Illustra™ – a classleading safety floor with stunning natural aesthetic designs and the option to go adhesive-free to save carbon, money and time.

he latest development from Altro draws inspiration from the natural world with a range that delivers visual texture and softness yet provides all the performance characteristics you’d expect from the long-established surfaces innovator and authority on safety flooring. With sustainability ever-higher on the agenda, Altro Illustra is available in both adhesive-free and traditional adhered options, providing versatility and flexibility for various installation requirements. Whichever option you choose, Altro Illustra is engineered to offer superior slipresistance, minimising the risk of accidents. It comes with Altro’s ‘One in a Million’ slip risk for life guarantee – proven sustained slip-resistance for the life of the floor. It provides excellent underfoot protection, even in wet and high-traffic areas, enhancing safety for everyone who walks on it, so with Altro Illustra, you can ensure the safety, visual appeal and sustainability of your large spaces. Whether you’re creating an inviting learning environment, a comfortable care facility, an attractive retail space or a welcoming hospitality venue, Altro Illustra is the perfect flooring solution to bring your vision to life. The floor is available in three distinct pattern groups with visual textures to bring depth to your designs: natural stones, modern textiles and muted minerals. These designs offer a harmonious blend of style and functionality with nature-inspired textures and softness to help create and enhance feeling of wellbeing within spaces. If you are looking for excellent sustainability credentials, opt for Altro Illustra adhesive-free for a diverse selection of modern and flexible designs, coupled with many more benefits. With Altro Illustra adhesive-free you can save up to 50% embodied carbon and up to 35% in cost, making it the perfect choice where sustainability and price matter most.

Where downtime is a concern, Altro Illustra adhesive-free saves up to 50% installation time compared to adhered safety floors. It is ideal for busy public spaces where disruption needs to be minimal, plus there are no associated adhesive odours. Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, it can be welded and walked on the same day, and at the end of its life can be removed easily, allowing it to be reused or recycled. In addition to its sustainability, style and safety features, Altro Illustra offers easy maintenance and durability, incorporating Altro EasycleanTM technology. The floor is designed to withstand heavy foot traffic and resist stains, making it suitable for busy environments. Its hygienic properties make it an excellent choice for care homes and healthcare facilities, where cleanliness is of utmost importance. Altro Illustra is available in 13 colours, across 3 designs: natural stones, modern textiles and muted minerals. It provides superior slip resistance (PTV > 36, R10) for

the life of the flooring and comes with a 10-year guarantee. Altro Illustra adhesive-free is available in 18 colours across the 3 designs and provides sound reduction of 14dB as well as superior slip resistance (PTV > 36, R10) for the life of the flooring and comes with a 10-year guarantee. To learn more about what Altro Illustra can offer or to order a sample, visit www.altro. com

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Managing behaviour – the power of positive parental engagement

Paul Featherstone

ow often are teachers diverted away from teaching to encourage a group of pupils to stop chatting and focus on their learning or take quick action to prevent a playground altercation from spilling over into a lesson? According to the DfE’s 2023 National Behaviour Survey, 62% of school leaders and teachers reported that misbehaviour

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Engaged parents can help schools deliver positive behaviour strategies, says Paul Featherstone, former primary school teacher and product manager at SIMS from ParentPay Group. interrupted teaching in at least some lessons and two thirds of pupils had experienced lessons disrupted by poor behaviour. However, families can be powerful allies for tackling issues – parents were described as supportive of their school’s behaviour rules by almost 80% of school leaders.

Engagement with parents can help nip behavioural issues in the bud, whether a school wants to address bullying, low-level classroom disruption or persistent absence. So, how can schools build stronger home-school connections and supercharge their behaviour management strategies? Spotting the signs If a child is frequently involved in playground frictions or suddenly starts regularly shouting at their peers or teachers, interrupting lesson time, chances are there is a lot more behind their behaviour than first meets the eye. Small changes in a pupil’s behaviour can be hard for a teacher to spot in a busy classroom. There could be issues beyond the school gates that might shine a light on why they are behaving in a certain way too, that the school may not be aware of. Nurturing strong partnerships with parents is critical to uncover issues that can impact on pupils’ behaviour and learning progress. They could be upset about a tragic event in the community or anxious about a sick relative and not sleeping at night. Open and honest communication with parents allows the school and family to work together to put additional support in place where it’s needed. A referral to the school councillor might be all that’s needed to help the child process what

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they’re dealing with and find healthy coping strategies to manage their behaviour and get back on track with their learning. The way schools communicate with parents is key to creating this home-school partnership. Positive communication Constant letters about their child’s disruptive conduct in class can switch parents off too. Schools that take a more positive approach to communications about behaviour can get parents on side and this is a much more effective way to tackle problems. Imagine a parent’s delight at receiving a text message from school to inform them that their child has just got star of the week or received a top story-teller award. This can brighten their day and allows them to mark their child’s achievement with a treat or reward.

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Injecting some positivity into parental communications is more likely to encourage families to reinforce the school’s expectations of pupil behaviour. It will also make it easier to have difficult conversations if needed as the parents are already more engaged. The method of communication matters too. Research has shown that parents are more likely to read a short text message rather than an email or a letter. And a generic email about the school’s behaviour policy won’t hit the mark as effectively as a communication that is personalised and addresses a situation that needs to be addressed. Recognise and reward the positive There is often great emphasis placed on recording details of the negative behaviour that goes on in school to help flag where investment is needed to prevent it. This approach has its place, but there can be

many advantages to recording positive behaviour and achievement too. If pupils only receive attention from the headteacher for poor behaviour, it can result in anger, disengagement and may even have a negative impact on a child’s self-esteem. But what if the senior leadership team is automatically alerted when a quiet child has made a positive contribution to a class debate, or a pupil has got a great score in the latest history quiz? They could then spot the child in the corridor and congratulate them for their achievement. The vast majority of schools already have schemes in place to acknowledge pupils’ achievements and encourage positive conduct on a termly or weekly basis. Being able to recognise and reward positive behaviour and achievement in real time in this way will reduce behavioural issues and help to reinforce the school’s values and ethos. Let tech take the strain Technology can make it easier for schools to engage parents and take a positive approach to behaviour management. Automated messaging tools enable a personalised text message to be sent out to notify a child’s family that they have just received 10 positive achievement points. Automatic alerts can be set up so that notifications arrive directly to staff members’ mobile devices when certain criteria are reached too. Teachers cannot tackle poor behaviour in isolation. With firm foundations for parental engagement and a positive approach to behaviour management, schools can form the bedrock for happier and more productive learning.

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| MODULAR BUILDINGS |

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The modular industry: A powerful solution to prevent school closures Concerns have recently emerged regarding the safety of certain school buildings in the UK that were constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)

his has created an urgent situation that demands immediate action to ensure the health and safety of both students and staff. The Department for Education (DfE) has issued guidance stating that any area or space containing confirmed RAAC should not be accessible without appropriate safety measures in place. Consequently, some schools will need to be closed, and urgent plans must be established to address these circumstances. As schools and other education sectors begin to reopen following the summer holiday, it is imperative that swift action is taken to

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assist those affected by this issue. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, the ability to adapt and respond quickly to demanding needs is paramount. Traditional construction methods often fail to meet the high demands and turnaround time due to their inherent limitations and slower construction speed. Nevertheless, modular buildings offer a transformative solution that unlocks countless opportunities across numerous industry sectors. Time is crucial when it comes to urgent matters such as school closures and modular construction offers a significant advantage by greatly reducing

construction timelines. By building modules off-site at the same time as preparing the site, projects can be completed much faster than traditional construction methods. So, for schools that are forced to make the decision to close their gates due to poor and dangerous

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| MODULAR BUILDINGS |

conditions, a modular building could be the ideal solution to accommodate students and staff in a contemporary and secure setting, enabling their efficient return. Furthermore, constructing modular buildings tends to be less disruptive compared to on-site construction. Noise and other disturbances are kept to a minimum, which supports an uninterrupted learning environment during the construction process. Not only does modular construction save time, but it also provides cost-effective solutions. The controlled environment of modular factories reduces material wastage and the need for rework. With fewer delays and expenses caused by bad weather, modular construction projects are more likely to stay within budget. Moreover, modular buildings are designed to be easily expanded or reconfigured, allowing educational institutions to adapt to changing needs and fluctuations in enrolment. This adaptability leads to long-term cost savings by avoiding major renovations or additional construction in response to changing circumstances. Modular construction: a safer alternative Wernick’s modular construction stands out in various aspects when it comes to guaranteeing safety, especially when it comes to the safety of students. In contrast to conventional construction methods, modular buildings are manufactured in controlled factory settings, following stringent quality control procedures. Consequently, safety precautions, including structural integrity and fire resistance, are thoroughly evaluated and incorporated during the manufacturing phase. Additionally, since modular structures are intended for transportation and on-site installation, they necessitate

stronger and more resilient building components to endure the stresses of transportation. This heightened emphasis on durability provides extra confidence in the structural reliability of modular buildings. A modern, modular design from Wernick Buildings Whether you are a nursery or a university, your modular building will be designed and equipped with all the essentials your educational space requires. From well-lit classrooms to heating and air-conditioning you can rest assured that our classroom packages can be customised to meet your specific requirements. We have expertise in delivering both permanent and specialised facilities, such as classrooms designed for students with special educational needs. This can be provided either as a standalone school or as an addition to your existing building. In addition, we provide a variety of contemporary teaching resources and amenities, enabling you to optimise the potential of your space. As part of our comprehensive service, we also offer groundwork and landscaping solutions, including the construction of car parks, multi-purpose sports areas, and playgrounds. With a growing need and urgent demand for flexible and affordable learning spaces, educational institutions can leverage a modular building to expand their capacity quickly. Modular classrooms, libraries, and other learning spaces can be seamlessly integrated into existing campuses, accommodating an ever-increasing student population without disruption. These structures can be easily reconfigured or relocated as educational needs evolve, ensuring a sustainable investment for the future of your school.

Ben Wernick CEng FICE – Managing Director of Wernick Buildings Bio - Ben is the great-grandson of the founder of the Wernick Group and he joined the company in 2016 as Managing Director of Wernick Construction. In 2021 Ben became the Managing Director for Wernick Buildings and Wernick Construction. Before joining the family company, Ben worked in the military and can often be found competing in Ultra Marathons with the hopes of completing the Barkley Marathons - the hardest races in the ultrarunning world.

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| CONCRETE CRISIS |

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RAAC crisis: innovative modular buildings are the solution Last month the Government said a total of 174 schools had confirmed cases of concern with RAAC concrete, and there could be more.

he decision to close or partially close the schools came after new cases emerged over the summer that reduced the Department for Education’s confidence that school and college buildings with confirmed RAAC should remain open without mitigations in place. Affected schools were offered temporary units through three DfE approved suppliers. Traditional educational infrastructure has often struggled to keep pace with the evolving needs of students and educators alike.

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However, modular buildings present a dynamic solution that not only addresses the challenges of space constraints but also offers versatility, sustainability, and efficiency in educational environments. Sustainability Offsite construction promotes eco-friendly practices by reducing waste and energy consumption. With global warming and climate change gaining more attention by the minute, your establishment must lead by example, rather than just teaching our children about sustainable practices. The manufacturing, transportation and use

of large, heavy machinery contributes to the release of carbon emissions. With modular construction, the need for these elements is no longer required. Consider reducing your carbon footprint by looking into temporary modular building hire. Rapid deployment Modular construction offers quicker build times, ideal for adapting to changing enrolment or educational trends. Most modular construction practices are carried out in factories, significantly reducing the duration time of traditional construction projects.

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Flexibility Modular spaces often use multi-functional floor plans to easily adapt to evolving curriculum needs and teaching methods. The flexibility of modular construction means that immediate educational requirements can be met, while also delivering significant long-term value. As modular classrooms are a temporary solution, they can be easily moved around should your school need to relocate due to overall growth or to meet the needs of the students. Cost-efficiency Temporary modular classrooms are a cost-effective alternative to permanent building structures, ensuring your school can meet short-term capacity conditions without the need for large costs. Controlled environments minimise cost overruns, making budgets more predictable. And,they’re more efficient too, as modular buildings can be delivered and operational all within one week. Technology integration Offsite construction allows seamless integration of advanced technologies for interactive learning, creating an enhanced student experience. Plus, with minimal disruption to learning, your students can embrace creativity, collaboration, and engagement because it’s business as usual.

Adaptable and customisable learning environments With tailor-made solutions for specific educational needs, modular classrooms can be anything from labs to collaborative spaces. They’re designed for all types of learning, with temporary classrooms adhering to the unique needs of specific subjects, including ICT, music, and science. These modern modular classrooms can meet the evolving demands of 21st-century learners. Conclusion The future of education relies on innovative architectural possibilities, and offsite construction is at the forefront of this transformation. These high-quality and inspiring classroom spaces are both comfortable and versatile, ensuring all students can thrive in these environments. This will present the opportunity for environmental sustainability concerns to be addressed in tandem during the rebuild process, spurring Government progress on its environmental commitments. Net Zero ambitions The education estate – including schools, colleges and universities – is currently the public sector’s largest emitter of carbon from buildings. Last year, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) asked the National Audit Office (NAO) to undertake a study on the sustainability of the Department for Education (DfE). The NAO’s report was published on June 28. Within its report, the NAO identified that while the DfE had made commitments to improve environmental sustainability, the

funding allocated to date failed to match the ambition of these commitments. It also found that there was a lack of awareness within the Department as to which of its current schemes are having an impact on reducing carbon emissions. Alongside this report, the NAO published a further report on ‘Condition of school buildings’. On publication of the two reports, the NAO recommended that the DfE considered how its sustainability ambitions can be achieved when addressing the condition of the school estate. On October 18, the EAC held a one-off evidence session with a DfE Minister and officials to explore in greater detail the NAO’s findings on the environmental sustainability of the Department. Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “The absolute priority is making schools safe in a timely manner to avoid any further unnecessary disruption for students. Over 100 schools have recently been told that either they must partially close, or close entirely, amid safety concerns with RAAC concrete. The number of schools with RAAC concrete, as set out in the NAO’s report on the condition of school buildings, is significantly higher. “The rebuilding programme should incorporate energy efficiency as standard to enable new buildings to be decarbonised. Currently the education estate emits the largest volume of carbon emissions in the public estate, and there is a key opportunity to make these new, safe buildings net zero compliant to stem damaging emissions.”

images courtesy of iStock

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|CONCRETE CRISIS |

Time is of the essence if your school is expanding rapidly. You’ll likely need to accommodate more students at a faster rate, and modular classrooms can help you do just that.

| SCHOOL BUILDINGS |

Hire options for classrooms available www.wernick.co.uk/raac | 0800 51 55 55

3 Out Of 4 UK Teachers Believe Their Classroom Conditions Are Affecting Mental Health In a recent poll, three out of four UK teachers confessed that classroom conditions are affecting their mental health, citing rising class sizes, deteriorating infrastructure and poor behaviour from pupils as the leading contributors to these concerns.

chools are meant to be places where children and teachers feel at their safest. However, a recent poll conducted by The TEFL Academy on UK teachers at primary and secondary level found that a large number of them are uncomfortable with the conditions they are working in, and an alarming percentage no longer feel safe at work. Amid the ‘crumbling concrete crisis’ that has already forced over 100 institutions to partially or fully shut down due to safety concerns, a poll conducted on 349 teachers found that nearly one in five no longer felt safe in their schools. Rising classroom sizes, a lack of investment in infrastructure and resources and the workload of managing so many pupils with fewer colleagues on the ground were all listed as the main reasons for this response. In the same survey, 80% of teachers claimed that classroom sizes were too big, and 75% claimed that classroom conditions were now impacting their - and equally importantly, their students’ - mental health. Perhaps it’s not surprising that 45% of the teachers surveyed are unlikely or very unlikely to continue teaching in the UK in the long-term. One teacher who claimed they were ‘unlikely’ to continue teaching in the UK in the long term cited: “Not being respected, poor pay and working conditions, violent pupils, and too much workload” as their chief reasons for leaving the profession. Whereas another commenting on the conditions of their classroom claimed: “Conditions and respect in school are deteriorating rapidly.” The TEFL Academy commissioned an online survey with polling organisation Centiment on 349 primary and secondary teachers living in the United Kingdom on

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the safety and conditions of their classrooms. Polling was completed in September 2023. About The TEFL Academy: The TEFL Academy is a leading TEFL (teach English

as a foreign language) course provider specialising in training programs for individuals aspiring to teach English abroad.

Hire options for classrooms available www.wernick.co.uk/raac | 0800 51 55 55

Two schools in the North hit by blazes over the summer

he Business Sprinklers Alliance (BSA) is reminding school leaders of the urgent need to prioritise fire safety measures following two incidents in August. A suspected arson attack at a school in Hartlepool resulted in fire and smoke damage to the school’s nursery area. The rest of the school experienced lighter smoke damage. The nursery, responsible for nurturing and educating 30 children aged between two and four, will now require extensive reconstruction. In Bolton, a larger fire ripped through the heart of the SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School. Around 80 firefighters and 17 fire engines across Greater Manchester fought to contain the fire. which has damaged a large area of the main teaching spaces, central hall and kitchens. The school has over 600 pupils. A study conducted in 2020 by Zurich Municipal revealed alarming statistics. Over the past five years, schools in England encountered a staggering 2,300 fires. The study estimated that as many as 390,000 teaching hours could be lost within a year due to significant fires, affecting 28,000 students. The monetary ramifications are equally dire, with the average repair bill for substantial fire incidents hovering around

£2.9 million, while certain catastrophic fires can rack up costs of up to £20 million. The BSA says there has been insufficient adoption of sprinkler systems in new school constructions. Contrary to common assumptions, schools are not always adequately equipped to withstand the range of risks they might face over their lifetimes, be it fire, flood, theft, or other unforeseen events. There are systems that can minimise the impact of fire with proactive measures

such as automatic sprinklers. While these systems are hailed for their effectiveness in containing fires, promoting safety, and minimising damage, their implementation remains inconsistent across the UK’s educational landscape. Surprisingly, although mandatory in new Scottish school buildings and financially encouraged in Wales, these systems have yet to attain universal implementation in the rest of the UK. The installation of sprinklers could potentially curtail fire outbreaks and significantly reduce the resultant damage, leading to minimal disruption to education. The recent fires in Hartlepool and Bolton cast a glaring spotlight on the imperative need for heightened fire safety protocols within school premises. The question that emerges is a pressing one – how many more incidents of this nature, each exacerbating disruption to children’s education, need to occur before the installation of sprinklers becomes an essential prerequisite in school design? The repercussions of missed school days extend beyond academics, affecting children’s overall life prospects. It is high time that collective action is taken to safeguard our educational institutions against the devastating impact of fires, ensuring that the pursuit of knowledge remains unhampered by preventable incidents.

images courtesy of iStock

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|SCHOOL BUILDINGS |

Fire safety group urges more schools to consider sprinklers

| AIR & WATER HYGIENE |

Hire options for classrooms available www.wernick.co.uk/raac | 0800 51 55 55

Legionella & School Holidays – What Should I Do? If you are a Duty Holder or formally appointed Responsible Person (Water), e.g. Head Teacher, Business Manager Maintenance Manager or similar, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that the occupants within your premises are suitably protected from water safety risks including Legionella bacteria.

image courtesy of iStock

Written by the Water Hygiene Centre

hen dealing with water safety issues in schools, frequent reviews and updates to your Legionella risk assessment are key to keeping water systems safe for use. Legionella Risk in Schools Whether assessing the risk from Legionella bacteria or devising control measures for your school, it’s of vital importance you have a clear understanding of both inherent and operational aspects of the water system’s management. The design and installation of your water system may well have incorporated best practice approaches ensuring inherent risks are relatively low, however at an operational level, a majority of areas within any school may not be used during holiday periods. To mitigate these risks, your planned preventative maintenance and monitoring schedule needs to include all foreseeable circumstances – particularly as little-used water outlets are those often most at risk from the development of Legionella contamination. Good water management can reasonably focus on, but not be limited by, two main considerations: • Ensuring that there is sufficient water turnover to prevent stagnation; • Ensuring that cold water remains cold and hot water remains hot. The guidance indicates stored and cold water at the

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outlet must always be less than 20°C and hot water must be stored above 60°C nor less than 50°C at the outlet. HSG274 When deciding upon a suitable risk mitigation strategy for buildings subject to ‘scheduled’ intermittent or low use, such as schools, it may be prudent to review HSG274 Part 2, Paragraph 2.50; which offers practical guidance on how to manage buildings that have been temporarily taken out of use (known as mothballing). Whilst school and university estates increasingly have ‘dual use’ facilities that help to maintain the turnover of water by keeping buildings open to service users during holiday periods, this is not always the case, as such staff must be tasked with safely managing water during this time via a suitable flushing regime. Legionella Flushing Regime A suitable Legionella risk assessment will assist in determining the required control measures. It’s advised that any mothballing strategy or procedure should be a compromise between the prevention of stagnation by having a regular Legionella flushing regime, the avoidance of water wastage, and the protection of the water system from degradation caused by any disinfectant added. During shorter periods of infrequent or

intermittent use, microbial growth may be adequately controlled by identifying areas of infrequent use, i.e. those used less than once per week, and flushing them at least weekly (more frequently than weekly is expected in higher-risk premises). Each outlet should be flushed for long enough to ensure that the entire contents of the outlet and its associated supply pipework have been replenished with freshwater. For longer periods of disuse, it can be acceptable to leave a system filled with water without weekly flushing – if measures are in place to prevent unauthorised use. Draining down a system unnecessarily may leave residual moisture or pockets of water within the system, potentially created, or exacerbated by high humidity, and this may subsequently provide the potential for worsening conditions. Leaving the system filled with water and suitably maintained also helps to avoid issues associated with systems drying out, such as joint failure in sectional tanks and/or metal pipework corrosion. That said, these systems should be thoroughly flushed, cleaned, and disinfected before their return to use. In such situations, it’s indicated to recommission these systems as though they were new following British Standards; BS EN 806, BS 8558, and BS PD 855468.

QA EDUCATION BOOKSHELF We take a look at some of the latest children’s titles as well as CPD books. See our website to be in with a chance of winning books throughout the year… Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom By Adrian Bethune Bloomsbury Publishing - £20

Monsters Never Get Haircuts By Marie-Hélène Versini and Vincent Boudgourd Union Square & Co.- £12.99 exist! This is the perfect read for parents and children to laugh out loud at this hilarious story together, as well as teaching children how to practice good routines.

This funny and quirky picture book celebrates children’s imagination. The narrator of this book knows exactly what monsters are like: they never brush their hair or go to the dentist; they don’t wear glasses or play the piano or put on their shoes... Monsters don’t know they are monsters. They don’t do this, and they don’t do that, and do you know why? Because monsters don’t

What is History Teaching, Now? A practical handbook for all history teachers and educators This award-winning guide for teaching wellbeing and positive mental health in primary schools is packed with practical ideas for every classroom. This updated edition recognises the need for more guidance in schools following pupils’ rising levels of stress. anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. In this must-read book, experienced teacher and advisor on children’s wellbeing, Adrian Bethune, takes the latest evidence and research from the science of happiness and positive psychology and brings them to life. Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom is packed full of tried-and-tested activities and techniques, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness. The book includes new chapters on: • the importance of nature for health, behaviour and concentration • digital wellbeing and helping children to navigate life online in a healthy way • updated statistics and research on mental health and wellbeing of children and teachers.

Edited by Alex Fairlamb and Rachel Ball John Catt Educational - £18 What is History Teaching, Now? is a thoughtful, comprehensive guide full of practical ideas, approaches and strategies that will bring history to life, enthral students and cultivate the next generation of historians. Due to the very nature of history and the rapidly changing times, knowing what to teach and how to teach it can be confusing; the history teaching community has grappled with the subject’s complexity for decades. This carefully compiled collection of extensive and wide-ranging essays provide a helpful summary of

where the conversation is right now. Designed to provide practical guidance for both novice and experienced history teachers and educators, each author shares their classroom practice, experience and expertise, focusing upon key areas such as curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, communicating history and resources essential to supporting effective teaching and learning.

Creating Spaces to Play Outdoors By Oliver Wotherspoon and Alistair Bryce-Clegg Bloomsbury Publishing - Paperback £14.99 | eBook £13.49 This one-of-a-kind book contains everything you need to build exciting, sustainable outdoor play spaces that can be adapted for any setting, big or small. There are 36 fun projects ranging from smaller designs such as the Bird Box Bookshelf and the Table-Top Ramp to larger structures such as the Hobbit Hole Door and the Wonky Stage that children can help build, using recycled pallet wood. Authors Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Oliver Wotherspoon are experts in Early Years

play and have been instrumental in designing some of the very best outdoor play settings. With their helpful illustrations, full-colour photographs, step-by-step instructions and advice on how the play spaces link to the EYFS Framework and support early learning, you don’t need to be a DIY expert to build these simple and effective natural play areas.

Keeping you on top of new developments in the education sector

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