E-Newsletter January/February 2016

College Staff Briefing Hartlepool College Jan/Feb 2016 of Further Education

Welcome Welcome to another issue of Staff Briefing, continuing to share and celebrate the many achievements of staff and students around all areas of the College.

This is a shorter than usual Briefing, as is usual for the first issue back after the festive break - January is often a bit on the quiet side, at least on the surface and for organised events.

However, there are a huge amount of events and activities coming along in the next couple of months so the next issue will be jam-packed.

If you have a story, or anything planned, please contact Briefing directly by getting in touch with Gary Kester (Ed Honcho) in Room 2.42 or gkester@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk or via Darren Hankey (Head Honcho), dhankey@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk

Grounded, controlled... it’s Major Tim Complaining about the weather. Queuing. Tikka Masala. Read the tabloid press or watch really bad (usually ITV) sitcoms and you get a somewhat skewed interpretation of what it means to be British.

However, the reality is that British values are now a major part of education policy, and we all have a responsibility to both implement them and ensure that students are aware of just what they mean. To this end the first Big Picture of 2016 addresses the somewhat complex issue of “British values” from a variety of angles, including the examples of British astronaut Tim Peake and humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton.

You can find out more on pages 5 and 6 of this issue.

HCFE Snapshot | Our Aerospace students from Qatar are now a familiar sight, and dress to impress during practical sessions, as this photo taken for their Embassy shows.

Some discussion-worthy weather near the College recently and, inset, British astronaut Major Tim Peake (who’s above that kind of thing - boom, boom!)

HCFE Snapshot is a part of the Monthly Staff Briefing that captures day-to-day life around the College on camera.

If you take an image you think we should feature, email it to the above with some details (but please make sure you have the permission of those in it), or if you want to arrange photography contact Gary Kester on extension 4020 or email gkester@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk. Please give as much notice as possible though, as schedules are often busy.

To save resources we create and distribute this document electronically. Please don’t print it out unless absolutely necessary.

For up-to-date information, you can also log into Blackboard and follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Fight for the Living on April 28th While the end of April might seem a bit away, could you please place the date in your diary as once again the College will be marking Workers’ Memorial Day. The event will be in Conference 1 and will be a mix of commemorative service and a reminder of why health and safety legislation and good practice is vital in all areas of work. We’d like to see as many students there as possible, so please bring along your classes if practical to do so. More details will be announced closer to the date.

Was the season to be jolly...

While it all seems sooooo long ago now, and at the risk of accidentally depressing you with a reminder of that pre-hols festive feel-good factor, pretty much all the College staff gathered once again on the last day of the 2015 term for the third annual staff quiz and awards ceremony. Still, Easter soon. Creme Eggs and all that, eh? Ah well, had to try...

CENSORED Above and above centre: Darren Hankey once again set the end of year quiz, with staff clearly enjoying his unique interpretation of the phrase “general knowledge”.

Academic Staff Member of the Year went to Christine Deane.

Lindsay Tait shared Apprentice of the Year with Jack Galloway (not pictured).

Kevin Fincken took the Bob Baxter award, given in honour of our fondly-remembered colleague.

Above: Staff were encouraged to dress in a relaxed and casual manner. Some excelled themselves.

Engineering Head of School Mick Casey was also the recipient of a split award, Manager of the Year...

...the other half going to Facilities IT Manager Ged Nicholson.

Also honoured and receiving certificates from Chairman of Governors Aidan Mullan were Support Staff Member of the Year - Bill Bradley; Best Newcomer - Richard Davison; Lesson of the Year - shared by David Appleton and Simone Flender-Bradley. Some of you were too quick for the camera, sorry! Team of the Year went to the Cleaners, which because of their hours weren’t present but were awarded separately.

Educate against Hate - a new web resource Appropriately for an issue of Briefing that has a focus on true British values (see page 5) and remembers the Holocaust (page 6), we bring you news of a website devoted to highlighting and helping prevent all forms of discrimination and hate. The website, which is a HM Government resource, is another tool in the real front-line defence against intolerance - education. The site is designed for both parents and educators, and its resources are categorised accordingly. Use is free, but does require registration.

www.educateagainsthate.com

Right: Spot the difference... from ISIS to the EDL, hate is hate.

HCFE Snapshot | Rowe’s King?

HCFE Snapshot | Hospice thanks College for its card work

HCFE Snapshot | There’s always room for more...

Mike Rowe has sent us the above photo to show us how well he’s settling in to his new life in the Channel Islands. If this somewhat regal pose with his hounds (or as we in the North East still call them, dogs) is anything to go by, not too bad. Incidentally, if anybody can paint in the style of Gainsborough, Mike says he might have a commission for you...

Greg Hildreth of Hartlepool & District Hospice popped in in January to collect a cheque for £110 raised by the collective Christmas Card Darren placed in his office in the run up to the holidays.

The College is collecting donations for the Hartlepool Food Bank until 12th February. The rise in the use of food banks is a shocking fact given Britain’s position as the fifth richest nation on the planet, while recent surveys link hunger to diminished educational performance for pupils and students living in poverty. Please, pop down to the Atrium and donate something from the list.

Kind-hearted students send a little Christmas cheer to Cumbria flood victims

Training clicks for Hartlepool History Group

Hospitality and Catering students from Hartlepool College sent food hampers to victims of the Cumbria floods to remind them that others are thinking about their plight.

With a story that goes back to 640AD, when monks from Lindisfarne headed south and settled on a rocky spit of land jutting into the North Sea, the Hartlepool Headland Local History Group have never been short of material. Despite being merged with its bigger sibling West Hartlepool, which grew up south of the bay during the industrial revolution, the “Old Town” to this day maintains a distinct identity.

From an ancient monastery destroyed by the Vikings to the magnificence of St. Hilda’s abbey church, built as the Normans invested in Hartlepool’s strategic position as a port; from invasion by marauding Scots to an international hub of trade and industry, and in more recent times a target of war, the Headland has an enormous heritage to record.

The HHLHG is devoted to telling its stories, and produces a bi-annual history magazine, holds an annual Heritage Festival, stages a crafts fair and organises bus trips and guest speakers.

Above, L-R: Hospitality students Alisha Copeland, Jack Fraser, Jordan Thompson, Jamie Charlton, Phoebe Gallen, Amy Pattison and Abigail Carbro

The group of kind-hearted students were touched after hearing many of the families affected by the floods would be unable to return to their homes before the festive period.

They then rallied around to give their time and resources collecting food donations before creating hampers to deliver to the various support groups working in the most badly affected areas like Carlisle (as illustrated below in these stunning exclusive photos* taken by automotive lecturer Mark Barker, who worked in the flood zones as a volunteer RNLI rescuer almost all of the Christmas break).

Kevin Dove, Lecturer in Hospitality and Catering, was delighted with the gesture shown by his students, saying “After seeing the devastation that has hit the lives of those in Cumbria as a result of the flooding, we decided to have a discussion with the students to see if there was anything we could do to help. We thought the best thing we could do to help would be to create hampers of food and we delivered them to the affected areas in time for Christmas”. (*Please note that Mark has allowed us to publish his pictures in the Briefing but requests that they do not get distributed beyond College staff).

They also contribute to a photo-archiving website which has amassed a huge collection of images which are categorised for easy browsing. Last year members of the Group received lottery funding for training in IT and as Honorary Secretary of the Group Eileen Manners is a former College employee she knew that we had the resources and expertise the Group required.

The training related to photo-editing and the archiving of digital images. Steve Sowerby designed and created a database for the storage and retrieval of images and documents, while Dave Goodwin facilitated Photoshop training, which allows images to be restored digitally.

Steve followed this up with MS Access database training, focusing on inputting, sorting, retrieval and the maintenance of the archive database.

The photo archive can be viewed and searched at http://hhtandn.org

Above: Carlisle Castle finally gets a moat, in a photo that shows just how high the water rose (look at the traffic lights in the middle distance).

Above: It’s worth remembering that all RNLI crew are volunteers, completely unpaid, who cheerfully work in highly dangerous and uncomfortable conditions.

Above: The rescuers were true British heroes, though they would never see themselves that way (but it doesn’t stop it being true).

Above: The end of the day doesn’t mean the end of the RNLI’s activities. The government gives it no extra funding for flood relief - they work exclusively on public donations - visit rnli.org for info and to give.

Above: Darren Hankey presents Eileen Manners with her certificate. Ever the historian, Eileen is wearing her old College lanyard!

Partnerships in top gear

Make light work of savings

As anyone who visits the Automotive Engineering garage can’t help but notice, Nissan Qashqais form a major part of the training resources. Three were donated by the manufacturer seven years ago, and these have been superb and well-used assets.

However, constant use has led to some parts are starting to wear. With this in mind Automotive lecturer Paul Tunnicliffe contacted Nissan again and spoke to Ken Moore at their Sunderland plant.

Within days Ken had managed to secure another Qashqai for the College, which has since been delivered, and there is also the possibility of further vehicles being donated. In addition Ken is also helping to arrange student visits to the factory - a golden opportunity to see one of the largest and most modern car manufacturing plants in Europe.

Obviously on a roll, Paul also got in touch with another of his automotive industry connections, TMD Friction, whose Hartlepool factory makes braking components and tools. Through the firm’s Carl Jackson and Sadie Parker, TMD Friction has very kindly given the College a long term loan of their Brake Training Vehicle. It comes with two sets of new brakes so students can practice exchanging braking system components.

Carl and Sadie are very pro-active in supporting the College and promoting the learning and success of its students. For example when the company visited a couple of months ago they gave students useful gifts such as note pads, pens and posters, while staff were given a training rig to use during the teaching of brake technology.

The College offers it deepest thanks to both Nissan and TMD Friction for so generously supporting the next generation of automotive engineers.

Above: The College’s projectors use a high-visibility screen to alert when they are left on with no signal input. it is a warning some choose to ignore. Incidentally, this photo was not staged - when we needed this shot the above projector was found only nine rooms and thirty seconds along the corridor from the Design office.

The use of projection is an essential part of many classes, and represents good value during taught time. However, it is becoming increasingly common for some staff to simply disconnect the input (usually by turning off the PC) but not turning off the projector before they leave.

The average projector bulb uses the equivalent electricity of roughly five domestic 60W bulbs, which equates to roughly 4-5p an hour. The average projector bulb also lasts between 2,000 and 3,000 hours.

Put like that projectors seem quite cost-effective and durable - but when that hour, or even several of them at a time (not all are set for standby mode), is simply projecting a “test card” to nobody, suddenly a major resource is being squandered. Electricity is wasted and bulb-life reduced (and bulbs are expensive to replace). In one walkabout we found five projectors doing the above in empty rooms make this a daily occurrence and suddenly the costs begin to mount up. This is money that could be better spent elsewhere for all our futures. It takes just a second to switch one off.

In addition, please turn lights off when you leave a room. We all know that they are set to go off after a few minutes anyway due to motion sensors in each room, but during those few minutes money is being spent and bulb-life reduced. It may seem trivial, but we’re a big building and it does add up.

Charity work is all wrapped up

Above: Nissan’s Ken Moore (left) with Paul Tunnicliffe.

Centre: The Qashqai now in its permanent home in the College’s Automotive garage and, bottom, the TMD Friction Brake Training Vehicle offered to the College on a long-term loan.

Above L-R: Lynne Craddock (Lecturer), Lucy Bean, Lauren Brown, Katie Wallace, Hannah Stead, Courtney Rayner, Gail Arnold (Course Tutor), Joanne Horner (Harbour Refuge), Michelle Jewson (Lecturer), Lynne Ferry (Lecturer), Amy Rowbotham Dagg, Kelly Richardson, Chloe Bromby, Hannah Schofield and Marie Dollin (Head of School)

Christmas is a time for helping those less fortunate and for the giving of gifts, and in the run up to the 2015 break the College’s Level 3 Year 2 Early Years students decided to combine both traditions with a huge collection of Christmas presents to donate to women and children in Harbour Hartlepool Refuge.

The collection came about after the students received a talk from Refuge staff. Now operating for three decades, Harbour Hartlepool Refuge has six self contained units, as well as a room to accommodate emergency overnight stays, for the protection of women who are experiencing or threatened by domestic violence and/or abuse. The 24 hour service is completely free to those who use it.

Despite many needing to meet assignment deadlines, applying for university and holding down parttime jobs, all of the students participated in this wonderful activity. Early Years Lecturer Gail Arnold said “I am very proud of how kind and caring my students are. The College is a strategic part of the local community and has encouraged and supported the students in this endeavour. This is just another small part of the charity work completed by staff and students from the College throughout the year.”

Have a Peake at British Values As of November 2014, education establishments have been required to promote British values, as exemplified by high achiever (literally) Major Tim Peake. Advice from the DfE is to do so through SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural) to ensure young people display good character, understanding, ethics and morals in their work and personal lives.

According to Ofsted’s School Inspection Handbook, the teaching of British values is “how the school* prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain and promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.” [*and by extension something continued by colleges - author’s addition.]

British values can largely be considered a mix of good morality and common-sense practise, supported and contextualised by a knowledge of different cultures and historical events.

To help ensure that British values are clearly demonstrated to all of our students - and consequently enacted by them - the current Big Picture on the third floor examines the topic, using the examples of the aforementioned astronaut Tim Peake and humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton (to whom the College now has a direct connection see next page). As always it balances alternative perspectives to ensure that debate is encouraged, and by the time this newsletter is published the materials will be available through Blackboard (along with all previous Big Pictures).

Above: Major Tim Peake worked, trained and studied for many years to achieve his goals, a perfect example of how potent a combination education and internal drive can be.

The current government and Ofsted emphasis on British values came about following the leaking of documents that uncovered “Operation Trojan Horse” in 2014, an organised attempt by a number of associated individuals to introduce Salafism (a very conservative form of Islamic extremism) into several schools in Birmingham.

The government and Ofsted investigated, uncovering evidence of religion-based hatred, the promotion of division, historical revisionism, and intolerance towards people on the grounds of gender, sexual identity and skin colour. The report also found that there had been changes made to the curriculum and education plans that worked against restrictions in line with the Department for Education’s Prevent strategy, such as an endorsement of banned practises such as forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Creationism was also taught as fact in school assemblies and science lessons.

The response, enacted by then Education Secretary Michael Gove, stated that teachers have an obligation to “uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school. This includes not undermining fundamental British values.”

Above: Nicholas Winton saved 669 children not because he had to, or because of any material gains (he actually used a lot of his own money) - he did it because it was right.

In addition, learners should be expected to have “an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process” and “an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens”.

There has been some criticism of the term “British values”, especially from faith schools, due to its potentially ambiguous nature. For example the government states in various online sources a need for young people to be “accepting”, “respecting” and “tolerating” - all common sense notions few would try to disagree with, though specific definitions of these terms seem to vary across official information sites on the web.

Some government sources now include a large panel that reads “This article was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government”, which could indicate the current Conservative majority government may be planning to either firm up or change these definitions.

For the moment though all educators have a legal responsibility to promote the stated British values, and the examples of Tim Peake and Sir Nicholas Winton seem to us to be excellent places to start.

Above: Extremism is a term some often associate exclusively (and unfairly) with Islam. Exposure to far right racism is a major issue too, especially in the north east.

raiders of the lost Archives Our semi-regular dip back into HCFE’s history. For occasional online pics from the archive follow Gary Kester on Twitter @ CreativeDirctr. This issue we have a “What the heck is that!?” special, with some pictures we can’t quite explain...

Above: To start off, we’re somewhat perplexed as to why secretary Kathy Bray would be dressed as a French Maid while exchanging a £10 note with former Principal Dr. Morris. What some staff do recall, however, is that Kathy would occasionally, accidentally, contract Dr. Morris into “Doris” when addressing him. Her pronunciation of “Buck’s Fizz” on one occasion is also pretty memorable...

Above: We think this picture was taken on Victoria Road and are guessing that it has something to do with the railings, though so far nobody can identify who is in it or why the students are pretending to be in jail.

Above: As Michelle Roberts (then still Saunders) and Gary Kester are still at the College this one we do know - to a degree. This is the HBDC team on “Wrong Trousers Day” in 2006, a national event for the Wallace & Gromit Foundation Children’s Charity. What can’t be explained, however, is why Gary has brought along a riding crop (and as I’m writing this caption myself, that’s equally alarming...)

Remembering the Holocaust - a night of tears and hope A group of dedicated young Hartlepool historians, supported by Hartlepool Borough Council Youth Services and Hartlepool College, played host to a large-scale event in Conference 1 on Monday February 25th to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. HMD is an international day of reflection that falls on the 27th January each year – the date the most infamous Nazi camp, Auschwitz, was liberated by the Red Army in 1945, and it’s theme for 2016 was “don’t stand by”.

The Hartlepool Holocaust Memorial Group (HHMG) currently comprises twelve young people aged between 13 and 18 (including HCFE Health & Care student Shannon Holliday and lecturer Mick Casey’s son Brandon) who work all year round to educate others about the horrors of the Holocaust. In the past twelve months the group has visited Berlin, Sachsenhausen camp, made a presentation at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s Youth Champions Day in Manchester and travelled to the National Holocaust Centre in Nottingham.

In November 2015 five of the group also visited Preston in Lancashire to interview 86-year old Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, who, aged nine and then Milena Fleischmann, was one of 669 Czech children saved from the Holocaust by British stockbroker Nicholas Winton (see below right).

Having made a film about Bergen-Belsen for the Group the previous year, Creative Director and Respect team member Gary Kester accompanied them to Milena’s home and expanded the interview to produce a 16 minute short documentary called “Don’t Stand By: Sir Nicholas Winton Remembered”.

Gary said “Hartlepool College places a strong emphasis on British values such as acceptance, understanding and a proactive approach to helping others in need - exactly the same qualities Sir Nicholas Winton exhibited when he saved those hundreds of children back in 1939. The College was proud to work with the group and with Milena to play a part in spreading his story.” The film was debuted at the event of the 25th, reducing many members of the audience to tears, and was released online the next day, where it received 1,100 views in its first 24 hours.

The film has since been promoted by the Imperial War Museum (who went as far as to showing it in London), Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles, and a variety of Holocaust organisations in the UK, Paris and Israel, as well as by Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas and now a major figure in the world of Holocaust education.

Possibly the most welcome feedback, however, came from Milena herself, who intends to use the film at the numerous lectures she delivers around the world, as does her sister Eva Fleischmann, now Eva Paddock, 82, who escaped on the same train. A retired high school teacher and principal living in New England, Eva said “Like Milena, I have done lots of talks about Nicky and the Kindertransport. I honestly thought I was immune to tears. Don’t Stand By had me crying all over again. It is wonderful!”

The Group also performed a moving candle-lighting ceremony, presented a short play and performed an original song (see pictures). The evening ended with a powerful, moving address by another Kindertransport survivor, Gabriele Keenaghan, originally from Austria and now living in North Shields and whose father was murdered in Auschwitz.

Eva summed up the work of the Group, saying “At a time where there is increasing pressure to rewrite history and where holocaust denial is alive in Europe, we are greatly indebted to these young people for working to ensure that the term ‘never again’ means just that. Milena and I are greatly reassured about the future of the world by the presence and work of these young people, and we are grateful to them.”

Above: Members of the Group with Beth Major (second left) and Sarah McCluskey (centre, red top) of Hartlepool Youth Services, plus Holocaust survivor Gabriele Keenaghan (also inset) and the College’s Web & Social Media Coordinator Brian Barnes (right), who is also a volunteer youth worker and has been involved with the group since 2014.

Above: Hartlepool College L3 Health & Care student Shannon Holliday lights one of nine coloured candles, each representing a group persecuted by the Nazis.

Above: Louis Nixon, Jake Hornsey and Annabelle Thomas in a scene from “It’s Nothing”, a short play written be Annabelle Napper.

Above: The Group also linked HMD to current issues and forms of intolerance and hatred.

Above: An original song,“Through the Wire”, inspired by the soldiers of the Durham Light Infantry discovering Belsen, was written and performed with musicians Gary Millar, Joe Solo, Sara Dennis and Brian Barnes. The song will be recorded and available for download shortly.

You can view the film at bit.ly/HMDNicky Full photo gallery: bit.ly/HMGPics2016 Song demo: bit.ly/HMGSong

Sir Nicholas Winton MBE In 1939 29 year-old Nicholas Winton, a stockbroker from Hampstead, was due to go on a skiing holiday in Switzerland, but after receiving a call from a friend about thousands of children displaced by the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia he instead felt compelled to go and help. Mr Winton arranged seven trains to carry the endangered children, mostly Jewish, from Prague, across Germany and on to Britain.

Despite intimidation from the Gestapo Mr Winton used his organisational skills to find homes and arrange transport for 669 children, even resorting to forged documents to cut through the frustrating red tape of the British government. Sadly, his eighth and final train was stopped by the Nazis due to the outbreak of war, and only four of the nearly 250 children on board survived. As is shown in the HHMG film, his actions would not come to light for another 50 years, when in 1988 his story was revealed on an emotional episode of Esther Rantzen’s TV show That’s Life, which included a surprise first meeting with some of those he saved, including Milena (pictured with him below).

Much honoured for his humanitarian work, Sir Nicholas Winton MBE then spent the last three decades of his life in contact with many of the nearly 6,000 people alive today because of his actions, and passed away peacefully in July 2015, aged 106.

Online safety is far from being a game February 9th was Safer Internet Day, with the theme “Play your part for a better internet”. The title of this theme makes a subtle allusion to a part of online culture few people (notably parents) worry about or even pay heed to - online gaming.

While we mostly think of the web and social media as the territory of groomers, stalkers, scammers, identity thieves and the like, a sizeable number of young people also play online games through services such as Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Sony’s Playstation Network, as well as on PC using private servers, which can be equally vulnerable and open to misuse from online predators.

Communication is generally done through realtime chat on microphone-equipped headsets as opposed to typed messages, and some even use webcams with “PiP” - Picture in Picture, where gamers can view each other’s reactions in small windows on the gaming screen. Hackers watching players secretly through unsecured webcams have been extensively documented, as have instances of sexual coercion and blackmail. However, the main issue with online gaming is one of trust - do players know exactly who is on the other end of the link?

To highlight the danger of this “hidden” culture (in reality, an activity enjoyed by tens of millions daily) a BBC3 documentary was shown, “Murder Games: The Life and Death of Breck Bednar”.

Jamie gets a higher calling as a good role model Dad-of-five Jamie Alderson struggled with his education after his GCSEs coincided with starting a family. Despite this Jamie, 26, was determined to become a role model for his children and so jumped at the chance to enrol on a higher education course at Hartlepool College. He said: “I wanted to lead by example and my main stumbling block was my education. My sister had heard about a course delivered by Hartlepool College, so I went in and enquired.”

Jamie enrolled on the Access to Higher Education Diploma course in Humanities and Social Sciences, an eight-month intensive course that awards the equivalent of five A-levels. Thanks to the course, Jamie’s hard work was rewarded when he was offered a place at Durham University in Stockton to study psychology after finding an interest in the subject during his Access to Higher Education Course.

He continued: “It was really hard at first. I had to push myself to get up to speed with my English and maths, but the functional skills course really catered for me and the lecturers were always on hand to help. Not only does the course help you get your A Levels, but it also prepares you for university, helping you apply and also create your personal statement.”

The college offers five different Access to Higher Education courses - Health Diploma, Humanities and Social Sciences, Educational Studies, Computing and Applied Law, as well as functional skills courses for those without any qualification in English and maths.

Access to Higher Education Co-ordinator Karin Herbener, pictured above with Jamie, said: “I’m so proud of Jamie and what he’s achieved in just one year. The courses are great for people who maybe didn’t do so well the first time around at school but now want to go into higher education.

Instead of two years studying for A Levels, students can do an eight-month intensive course and come out with the equivalent of 5 A Levels and a place at university.”

Google offers Great career expert advice foundations Above: A dramatised scene from the BBC3 documentary depicting the ill-fated Breck Bednar online gaming. ©BBC

The film highlighted the case of Breck Bednar, a 14year old from Redhill, Surrey. A keen online player of games like Battlefield 3 and Minecraft, Bednar had been introduced to an “exclusive” online gaming club at a church youth group. Running the server was Lewis Daynes, at the time 18, who impressed the younger boys with lies about his wealth, location, being the CEO of a technology company and donating $2.5 million in Bitcoins to Syrian rebels.

Breck’s parents became worried about Daynes and withdrew Breck’s computer privileges, but the stalker instead sent his victim a mobile phone via courier to maintain secret contact. Breck’s online gaming was reallowed when his parents believed the danger had passed, not realising that Daynes was controlling their son covertly. Over a full year Daynes slowly built up trust in Breck, before eventually luring him to a flat (with the promise of signing over a huge online business) and stabbing him to death. Daynes then posted details and photos of Breck’s murder onto social media, which were subsequently seen by his three siblings. Daynes is currently serving life.

You can view the film until February 25th at www. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03cgtx5/murdergames-the-life-and-death-of-breck-bednar and find out more about internet safety at www. saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2016

Google came to Hartlepool College on February 5th to give the town’s entrepreneurs a free masterclass in using the Internet for business.

The College hosted the Digital Garage On Tour event (deliverer Abbey Oladapo pictured above), which is part of Google’s commitment to providing digital skills training to 200,000 small businesses across the UK by the end of 2016.

Government research has shown that SMEs with a strong web presence grow twice as quickly, but often find it hard to get started. Google are committed to resolving such taxing issues.

Two students have proved they can stand the heat after setting their sights on new careers in Construction. Rebecca Hodge, 17 (above left), and Klaudia Robinson, 16, are both in the first year of diplomas in Construction and the Built Environment at Hartlepool College, and hope to work as quantity surveyors when they complete their studies. They recently spent time working on the construction of the new Cleveland Fire Brigade headquarters at Queens Meadow Business Park to gain some vital experience.

The event was co-hosted by Hartlepool MP and Chair of the Business Innovation and Skills Select Committee, Iain Wright, who said “The internet offers a wealth of exciting opportunities for Hartlepool’s businesses. The digital economy is incredibly important in the 21st century and firms’ abilities to be on-line successfully will help those enterprises grow and create more prosperity and employment opportunities in the town.”

The site, which is being constructed by international building firm ISG, was started in March this year and is due for completion July 2016. Steve Laughton, Projects Manager for ISG (above centre), said “We have built up a strong relationship with Hartlepool College over the years, and as a company we are committed and passionate about supporting and benefitting the communities that we are working in.”

Help the College Talk Business

Let’s get ready to run-ble* Sport Relief 2016

The College has produced another issue of its Talking Business E-Newsletter, created for Employers to keep them up to date with events, activities and success stories that highlight the many ways Hartlepool College is helping businesses of all sizes and sectors.

Friday 18th March sees the return of Sport Relief, and after the huge success of Children in Need last year (see last issue of Briefing), we’re looking to take this event back to an older format too.

In the current issue are pieces on the government’s mandatory changes to Apprenticeships, information about our #SkillsUnited Open Event, a piece on Savannah Marshall and lots more.

If you know of any business or contact who would be interested in working with the College please pass on the links below: For Direct PDF Download:

bit.ly/TB-Apr2016d

It’s now been over three years since we last held a fun walk/skip/run event along the seafront from the marina to Seaton and back, and we’re hoping to do the same thing again. Previous events have been brilliants (see photos below from the last one in 2012) and Ian Clark is happy for his students, along with volunteers from Public Services, to marshall the event on the day and complete a risk assessment.

It will be fancy dress and staff/students of all ages and abilities can join in the fun. All we are asking is for participants to pay £1 for the privilege, which will go to the charity. The event will take place on Friday 18th March at 1pm, most likely from Navigation Point (final details will be sorted and distributed if we go ahead), which is dependent on the level of interest and commitment. We’re hoping to offer a £20 Amazon voucher for the winner, and another for best fancy dress. Julie Callaghan has kindly agreed to contact local businesses to sponsor the event by providing bottled water on the day. Tina Preston will email further information shortly, but in the meantime please register your interest with Tina via email. *yes, this is possibly Briefing’s worst pun ever, but go on - you do better...

For viewing online through Issuu:

bit.ly/TB-Apr2016v

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Apprenticeships NATIONAL APPREN TICESHIP

WEEK 14 -

18 March Hartlepool College is the biggest provider of Apprenticeships in local area and the seven the th we’re going to be markin best in the entire country, and as always g National Apprentices hip Week with a huge Open Event. However, the Government have recently made some major changes to how they work - find out more on page 2.

STOP PRESS

bruary Tues 23rd Fe 8-9am bruary Fe th Wed 24 5:30-6:30pm er See back cov

Contact our Business Team for more information or to arrang e a visit: Hartlepool College Business Services Stockton Street, Hartlep ool TS24 7NT 01429 292888 business@hartlepoolfe.a c.uk

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Also in this issue

PRINCIPAL’S BLOG - HOW FE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS page PARTNERSHIPS IN 3 ACTION page 4 WORLD CHAMPION BOXER JOINS TEAM HCFE page 5 HCFE HELPS FLOO D VICTIMS page 5 COMMERCIAL TRAIN ING & CONFERENCE FACILITIES page 7

Did you know...?

...Hartlepool College in the entire coun is the seventh best Apprenticeship prov ider ...is in the top 10% try, and the biggest in the area of all colleges for adul ...has a 90% satisfacti on rate for Higher t education Education courses

Above: The legendary “Clarkies”, who, in tribute to their idol, didn’t bring home any trophies...

Starters & Leavers

Forthcoming Events

As usual, here’s another round up of people coming and going from team HCFE. A big welcome to our new colleagues, and for those who have left, naturally we offer our best wishes for future plans.

Tuesday 23rd February, 8-9am Wednesday 24th February, 5.30-6.30pm

Leavers Steven Atkinson, Lecturer - Aerospace Engineering Matthew Collin, Store person Shaun Kenney - Modern Apprentice, Fitness Instructor Elizabeth Irvine, Apprentice - Data Services Starters Nicola Bird, Lecturer - Travel and Tourism Tristan Thomas, Lecturer - Engineering Luke Forster, Apprentice - Facilities Management Administration

Apprenticeship Changes Awareness Events for Employers If you know of any businesses or employers who would benefit from these events, please forward them the Talking Business newsletter which has more details (see links above left).

Thursday 17th March, 5-8pm

Apprenticeship Open Evening Again, see newsletter above for more details.

Above: Possibly characters from Avatar, possibly Smurfs who’ve gone off the rails - you choose.

Thursday April 28th, 11am (exact time pending confirmation)

Workers’ Memorial Day A service of remembrance and reminder of the need for worker safety, with special invited expert speakers and the debut of a new film commissioned by Hartlepool TUC. All students are encouraged to attend - if your group is available, please bring them. Contact Tina Preston for details.

This regular section of the staff Briefing aims to provide a platform for staff to share resources, tips and good practice which will complement the face-to-face CPD offer. The ideas forwarded won’t necessarily suit all lessons, but, as mentioned above, the aim is provide a platform for professional development and an enhanced learning, social and progression experience for our students. Feel free to send your good practice tips, suggestions and ideas to the Briefing team.

Turbo Teach - a proven approach to good practice Sharing good practice is the best way we can all improve as teachers. It’s also an opportunity for all staff to acknowledge and applaud what you are doing well. As an alternative to long CPD sessions the College uses short, sharp CPD sessions to help spread good ideas. This is known as a Turbo Teach.

Using an approach of “little and often” to CPD helps staff in managing their time in attending the sessions. It also means that any preparation is reduced or even eliminated. The main reason for a Turbo Teach is to share areas of good practice that have been highlighted in a PPO or evidence based research for improving teaching, learning and assessment. Sharing this College-wide will enable us to all get better together.

There are four types of Turbo Teach, which are colour-coded for ease of dissemination. These are:

Turbo Teach

The aim of a Turbo Teach is share good practice College wide. It is a short 10 - 20 minutes delivery and is open to all staff, but is aimed primarily at academic staff to improve teaching, learning and assessment. These sessions are very informal and the focus is to share good practice which has been highlighted in PPO feedback, any recognised good practice or evidence-based research regarding teaching learning and assessment. Generally the sessions are lighthearted and fun. A register is taken but otherwise there is no set format.

The date and time can be set by you.

Turbo Limited

The aim of Turbo Limited is share good practice to an exclusive group (i.e. School meetings). These sessions are very informal and the focus is to share good practice which has been highlighted in PPO feedback or any recognised good practice. It is aimed primarily at academic staff to improve teaching, learning and assessment. A register is taken and passed to Lyndsay Jordan. Any resources that are shown are to be sent to an Advanced Practitioner so they can be added to the Hub Blackboard page which will allow all staff to access them.

Turbo Professional

The aim of Turbo Professional is to deliver CPD sessions primarily to support staff. Turbo Professional can also be delivered to the CLC and Executives. They are designed to share good practice for support staff or as a proposal to the College’s management team. Mostly the sessions will be light-hearted and fun. A register is taken but otherwise there is no set format. The date and time can be set by you.

Turbo Marketplace

The aim of a Turbo Market Place is share good practice College-wide without feeling the pressures of delivering to your peers. It is open to all staff but is aimed primarily at academic staff to improve teaching, learning and assessment. These sessions are very informal and the focus is to share good practice which has been highlighted in PPO feedback or any recognised good practice.

New Turbo Teaches are promoted via email, using the colour system above.

Keep an eye on your inbox for future sessions.

News from the Hub Advanced Practitioners on Twitter

The Advanced Practitioners have set up a Twitter account to allow them to highlight resources and evidence-based research that can help improve teaching, learning and assessment throughout the College.

You can follow them on @HCFEAdvPrac. They have also followed and retweet from number of educators and resources, such as Geoffrey Petty, Alex Quigley and Mindshift. This will make finding relevant Twitter users to follow much easier for lecturers.

ResearchEd York 2016

The Advanced Practitioners will also be attending the above event on Saturday 9th of July. It will feature an exciting line up including keynote speaker Baroness Estelle Morris, who will be giving the keynote speech on the day. The Practitioners will doubtless be coming back with lots of things to share, so watch this space.

CPD Day, Monday 15th February

The first of this year’s two CPD days will be held on Monday of admin week (15th February). The day will include many Turbo Teaches, as well as the usual market place for you to pick up ideas to use with your students. Contributing Schools include Maths and English, with resources to help the embedding of numeracy and literacy. Other areas represented in the market place will be Taught Tutorial, Effective use of video and ICT, Differentiation & Inclusion and Tips for Supporting Pastoral Care.

Some ideas to try Lesson starters to help you embed literacy

Make a pair: Give one half of your class a mini whiteboard with the name of a particular word class on it - for example, noun. Give the other half of the group a mini whiteboard/card/sheet with the definition of that word class written on it. The students have to make the matching pair.

Extension task: Can they come up with examples of words that fall into that word class?

Homophones: Words which students frequently confuse. This is a similar task to the one above. This time, one half of the room has a whiteboard/card/sheet with a word which students often confuse and use in the wrong context such as where/were; the other half of the class will have the correct explanations of the words and once again, students have to make a pair.

Extension task: use the word correctly in a sentence.

Making technology go further and have impact

Application of video clips to students’ own work. You can transfer the discussion and ideas from watching a video clip to something students then have to do for themselves.

An example of this would be openings to stories: students have to write their own stories for GCSE English. The clips from the openings of familiar dramas can be used to create ideas for stories and discussion of the skills and techniques involved in creating interesting openings which will (hopefully) feed into students’ own work.

You could try programmes such as Silent Witness, the opening of the first episode of a drama series such as River or the opening clip of a popular film. This could also work in other vocational contexts, for example video clips of workouts/sports coaching or online tutorials demonstrating how to apply makeup.