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SEN PROVISION
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ICT
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FINANCE The successes and failures of Learning Platforms
www.dysonairblade.co.uk
Costs £1,460.00 per year to run.
Costs £39.76 per year to run.
Based on 100 people visiting a washroom twice a day, a paper towel dispenser will get through 146,000 towels a year.
For the same use, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer costs just £39.76 to run. It works in only 10 seconds and its HEPA filter cleans the air before it reaches hands.
That’s a cost of £1,460.00.
It’s fast, hygienic and a fraction of the cost of paper towels.
Usage based on 2 towels per dry (data from Dyson internal research – Sept 2008). 1600W machine shown. Calculations include standby power. Cost based on 1 pence per paper towel (data from Dyson internal research – Jan 2010) and £0.1194 per kWh (data from Eurostat 2009 Semester 2 – published March 2010). Paper towel dispenser and Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer purchase costs are excluded from comparison. 10 second dry time based on NSF protocol P335.
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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.educationbusinessuk.net
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Volume 16.6
SEN PROVISION
EB AWARDS
ICT
Sponsored by
FINANCE The successes and failures of Learning Platforms
Comment
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Sponsored by
DEAR READER As pupils make the transition between primary to secondary school, having to tackle a more challenging curriculum can be daunting. This process can also be challenging for teachers who should aim to make the process as smooth as possible. The government has acknowledged this and introduced a £50 million pupil premium summer school programme to help disadvantaged pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school. The scheme is designed to provide two weeks of additional teaching to avoid performance dips during the transition. All pupils eligible for free school meals will qualify for the additional teaching. This transitional period can also be especially challenging for pupils with special educational needs. In this issue, nasen, the UK’s professional association embracing all special and additional educational needs and disabilities, gives advice on how to make the process stress-free as possible for SEN pupils. Read the full feature on page 51. There’s only a few weeks to go until this year’s Education Business Awards on 10 November at Emirates Stadium London. If you believe your school has achieved great things in education then upload an entry statement to www.ebawards.co.uk by 14 October.
Angela Pisanu editorial@psigroupltd.co.uk
P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Education Business magazine for £45 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Education Business website at:
www.educationbusinessuk.net PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED
226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danny Wright ASSISTANT EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Karl O’Sullivan PRODUCTION DESIGN Jacqueline Grist PRODUCTION CONTROL Julie White ADVERTISEMENT SALES Jake Deadman, Jasmina Zaveri, Kati Ackerman, Toni Lee, Jade Fisher, Carl Skinner SALES ADMINISTRATION Jackie Carnochan, Martine Carnochan ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Alicia Oates SALES SUPERVISOR Marina Grant BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Carol Symons PUBLISHER Karen Hopps GROUP PUBLISHER Barry Doyle REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media
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Volume 16.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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CONTENTS 07 NEWS 11 SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
The National Association of School Business Management looks at future funding and the structure of staffing
17 EB AWARDS
The 2011 Education Business Awards will recognise primary and secondary schools that have achieved great things in education
19 DESIGN & BUILD
Design and architecture are capable of addressing a much broader notion of sustainability than just energy and carbon reduction, writes the Design Council
23 MUSIC EDUCATION
Virginia Haworth-Galt from the Federation of Music Services explores the options for the future of music education
27 ENERGY
Alan Aldridge of the Energy Services and Technology Association, looks at how schools can keep their bills and carbon emissions down Jill Partington from Eco Schools gives ideas on how schools can embed energy reduction and sustainability into the heart of school life
35 FINANCE
Ian Buss, head of education at Lloyds TSB Commercial, gives financial advice to schools converting to academy status
40 CURRICULUM
By focusing on real world learning, you can make a school’s curriculum innovative and enrich learning
43 ICT
51 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
77 LANDSCAPING & GROUNDSCARE
Sean Stockdale of nasen explores the benefits of sensory play in mainstream schools
80 CATERING
Lorraine Petersen, nasen CEO advises on how to make the transition between primary and secondary school smooth for SEN children
Contents
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The British Association of Landscape Industries looks at how a particular school has invested in a ‘green roof’ to increase biodiversity and benefit the environment
The School Food Trust takes a look at meal prices and how you can encourage and increase take up of nutritious lunches
59 SECURITY
How can universities ensure effective security without restricting freedom of movement?
61 HEALTH & SAFETY
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents discusses key issues when it comes to managing health and safety in schools
65 EDUCATIONAL TRIPS
Brendan Jones from the School Travel Forum discusses the government’s recent reduced guidance on health & safety surrounding school trips
68 TRANSPORT Sponsored by
Vending can bring a number of benefits to schools, including keeping pupils on site and providing a source of income, argues the Automatic Vending Association
84 OUTSOURCING
Schools that are considering outsourcing should have clearly defined business objectives first, urges the National Outsourcing Association
86 TRAINING
Narinder Uppal from the Chartered Management Institute explains how training can help deliver effective managers and leaders
89 CLEANING Sponsored by
Regular inspections of your school minibus for roadworthiness is not only good practice, it’s a legal requirement, advises the Community Transport Association
71 SPORT & LEISURE
93 BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT
The Sports and Play Construction Association gives advice on how to extend the life of sports surfaces
73 OUTDOOR EDUCATION
The Association of Play Industries suggests educationally-focused play to tackle the developing childhood obesity crisis
BESA director Ray Barker considers the requirements necessary to successfully implement a learning platform
Peter Carrol from the British Cleaning Council discusses budget cuts and the cleaning agenda
A report from the Centre For Social Justice reveals a failure on the part of some schools to respond to disruptive behaviour
95 BETT PREVIEW
BETT 2012 will showcase the latest educational technology products, resources and best practice
The Education Business Awards, now in its sixth year, recognises successful schools and projects that demonstrate how the dedication of teaching and management staff, coupled with sound investment, have delivered better learning environments.
ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER - ENTER ONLINE FREE OF CHARGE
Education Business Awards
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News
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NEWS IN BRIEF Free healthy school meals in Southwark to tackle childhood obesity
PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING
£50m pre-secondary summer school scheme to benefit the disadvantaged The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced a £50 million pupil premium summer school programme to help disadvantaged pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school. The scheme will benefit up to 100,000 pupils per year, many of whom struggle with the transition to secondary education and a more challenging curriculum. The scheme is designed to provide two weeks of additional teaching to avoid performance dips that might otherwise persist throughout the students’ time at school. All pupils eligible for free school meals who are making the transition between primary
LEADERSHIP Teaching schools to develop ‘best teachers and leaders’ The first 100 teaching schools have begun new roles designed to put talented professionals in charge of promoting great teaching and leadership across schools. The schools have already designated 1,000 specialist leaders of education (SLEs) – a cadre of outstanding professionals in leadership positions below the head teacher – to support their counterparts in other schools who are struggling to improve. Teaching schools will lead groups of schools – working with other partners including at least one university – to deliver high quality support for teachers and leaders at all stages in their career. Over time they will also have a lead role in maintaining the supply of high quality head teachers by talent-spotting and inspiring future heads. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...
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and secondary school in September 2012 will attract the extra funding. Schools will make a judgement on which pupils need extra support in making the transition. “What matters is how hard you work and the skills and talents you possess, not the school you went to or the jobs your parents did,” said Clegg. “Our new summer school scheme will allow schools to provide support to those pupils most at risk of falling behind. It simply isn’t fair to ignore them, and that is why this government is intervening to ensure that pupils from the poorest background have the opportunity to succeed.”
Seven year olds behind in reading, writing and maths Teacher assessment scores published at the end of September show that thousands of seven-year-olds have fallen behind in the key subjects of reading, writing and maths after just three years of school. The provisional statistics show that more than 83,000 seven-year-olds have a reading age no better than a five-year-old; almost 106,000 cannot write to the level expected of a sevenyear-old, and over 58,000 fail to make the grade in maths. They also revealed a marked difference between the poorest children and the rest. Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “Success in later life is founded on an understanding of the ‘3Rs’ in the first few years of school. Problems must be identified at a young age and rectified. For instance, in reading, it is the method of systematic synthetic phonics which is proven to help all pupils improve, especially the weakest. That is why from next summer teachers will check how six-year-olds are reading, and will then be able to give extra help to those who need it so they become strong readers.
Every primary school pupil in Southwark will receive free school meals as part of a radical drive to help combat spiralling levels of childhood obesity. From this school term, Southwark Council will offer one nutritious meal a day to 21,000 pupils across 70 primary schools, regardless of family income. The scheme is expected to save a typical family with two children at primary school £700 a year. It comes as new NHS figures show that Southwark has one of the highest levels of child obesity in the country. More than 40 per cent of the borough’s children are classed as ‘overweight and obese’ when they leave primary school – compared to 33 per cent nationally. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...
www.educationbusinessuk.net/n/014
Consultation to ease teacher restrictions issued The Department for Education is to consult on proposals that would reduce bureaucracy and allow schools to appoint the talented and experienced teachers they need.Teachers from the European Economic Area can currently teach in England’s schools, but those from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are required to undertake further training and assessment. The changes would see qualified teachers in this latter group and further education teachers more easily permitted to teach without additional training, assessment or induction. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...
www.educationbusinessuk.net/n/013
Government to trial parenting classes The government has announced a trial to offer vouchers for parenting classes to mothers and fathers of children under five. This is part of plans to increase support for parents to help them communicate better with their children, encourage good behaviour, and prevent problems developing later on. The government hopes to encourage demand for parenting classes and reduce the stigma of asking for information, advice and help with parenting.
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News
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NEWS IN BRIEF Phonics check to identify pupils with reading difficulties A pilot phonics check from the Department for Education has proved successful at identifying pupils with reading problems, an independent study has revealed. In the trial, 43 per cent of teachers said they had been able to pinpoint six-year-old pupils with reading problems of which they were not previously aware. The check involves teachers taking pupils through a booklet of 40 words on a one-to-one basis. It was piloted in 300 schools this summer and will TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... be rolled out across www.educationbusinessuk.net/n/015 England next year.
Ofsted reveals school inspection changes from 2012 Details of how the inspection of maintained schools will change from January 2012 have been revealed by Ofsted. Inspectors will concentrate on four key areas: the achievement of pupils; the quality of teaching and learning; the effectiveness of leadership and management; and standards of behaviour and safety in schools. This sharper focus will enable inspectors to look more closely at what matters most in schools, spending even more time observing lessons, including listening to children reading in primary schools, assessing the progress of the pupils and taking a closer look at behaviour. The new arrangements, which reflect provisions in the Education Bill, follow an extensive consultation and detailed piloting of the proposals in schools. Building on the strengths of the current system they are designed to ensure that inspection will have an even stronger impact on driving improvements in education and raising achievement for all pupils.
Federated schools ‘see improved outcomes’, survey reveals In a survey of school federations, where schools have united to raise standards, improvements have been seen in the three key areas of teaching and learning, behaviour and pupil achievement. The Ofsted report ‘Leadership of more than one school. An evaluation of the impact of federated schools’ looked at a sample of schools federated under one governing body and, in most cases, sharing an executive head teacher. Improved outcomes characterised all the federations visited during the survey and, in each case, federation contributed to this. The report recommends that schools entering a federation should make sure there is a sharp focus on the benefits to pupils’ education.
Funding for deprived pupils to double Children’s Minister Sarah Teather has confirmed the total funding available for the Pupil Premium is set to double in 2012-13 to £1.25bn. The Pupil Premium began to be allocated to schools this year and is targeting at pupils from low-income families who, the government says, generally achieve less compared to pupils from more advantaged backgrounds. The funding aims to support them in reaching their potential and help schools reduce educational inequalities. The 2012-13 funding is a rise from £625m in 2011-12. It is scheduled to increase yearly thereafter until TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... 2014-15 when it will www.educationbusinessuk.net/n/016 be worth £2.5bn.
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RECRUITMENT
Career-break teachers unable to return to work A new survey, commissioned by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), estimates that at least 16,000 teachers who left the classroom in the past five years have tried to return, without success. Over one third of these are under the age of 40 and of those who are secondary teachers, one-third are qualified to teach core shortage subjects – maths, sciences and modern languages. Teachers returning to the classroom have always made an important contribution to filling teacher vacancies. However, the TDA has seen a declining trend of career-break teachers returning to the classroom in the last ten years. Numbers of returners reached a peak of 14,260 in 2001/02, but only 8,870 returned in 2008/09, while the number of
newly qualified teachers (NQTs) entering the workforce rose over the same period by 25 per cent. The survey highlights the key barriers for those who have been out of the profession for more than a year as being family commitments, a lack of part-time opportunities and not enough suitable vacancies. The TDA is working for schools to make the transition back to the classroom as smooth as possible for those teachers who have opted to take a career break. School experience is currently available to anyone who wants to return to teach maths, physics, chemistry and languages. The TDA has also launched a new programme to give teachers who want to return to teach maths and the sciences up-to-date specialist knowledge.
CATERING
Too many packed lunches lack fruit and vegetables The large number of parents not including fruits and vegetables in their children’s school packed lunches is a “missed opportunity” for children’s health, a cancer charity has warned. World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) believes the fact that 40 per cent of primary school children’s lunch boxes do not contain any fruits or vegetables – compared to ten per cent for school canteen meals – means they are not sufficiently healthy. It is calling for changes similar to those Jamie Oliver championed for school dinners and is urging
parents to make sure their children’s packed lunches always contain at least two portions of fruits and vegetables. As part of this, WCRF has launched an online game, My Packed Lunch, at www. greatgrubclub.com/my-packedlunch. The aim of the game is to make packed lunches fun for children and the interactive meal planner gives parents and children ideas for foods that are both healthy and tasty. TO READ MORE... www.educationbusinessuk.net/n/017
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STEM
BUILDING FOR GROWTH WITH LEGO® EDUCATION
Simon Davenport, STEM product manager at LEGO® Education, looks at how a unique partnership between FIRST® and LEGO® Education is helping to boost young people’s enthusiasm for STEM Recent reports indicate a major concern amongst employers that current education practices are not developing students with sufficient skills for the workplace. STEM is one of the real areas for concern and if not addressed there could be a significant impact on economic growth in the UK. The 2011 CBI/EDI annual Education and Skills Survey revealed that 43 per cent of employers asked are having difficulty recruiting in STEM areas. Coupled with the fact that 35 per cent of the 566 employers asked were not satisfied with the numeracy skills in college leavers and that 44 per cent of the employers had to invest in further training to address the weakness in basic skills it doesn’t paint a positive picture for the future. WORLDWIDE COMPETITION FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) is a partnership between the not for profit organisation FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO Education. This worldwide competition strives to help make students aged 9 to 16 see that STEM can be cool, and is supported by superstars like will.i.am, the front man of the Black Eyed Peas. Teams of students complete a research project to solve a real world issue affecting their local community – the theme this year focuses on food safety and how science and technology can help to combat contamination. Using the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education kit teams also develop a robot to tackle a variety of missions. The teams attend a tournament, present their research, describe their solution and compete with their robots against the clock to carry out the tasks in the sports like FLL arena. The aim is qualification for the World Festival in the US in April. Team coaches report that students participating in FLL have shown positive development in all key STEM areas: • Over 94 per cent agreed that the FLL helped students to understand the role that Science and Engineering play in solving real world issues and increased their understanding of these subjects. • Over 85 per cent also agreed it developed students analytical and report writing skills. • 87 per cent agreed that it had developed students’ numeric and communication skills. • 96 per cent agreed that it developed students problem solving, time management and team working skills.
This worldwide competition strives to help make students aged 9 to 16 see that STEM can be cool, and is supported by superstars like will.i.am, the front man of the Black Eyed Peas. FLL is just one way that LEGO Education positively improves STEM education. Our main focus is for schools to use our resources and receive our training to inspire both teachers and students to approach education in a more hands on, learner led environment. We have been developing educational resources for over 30 years now with a particular focus on STEM. Education has a special place in the heart of the family-owned LEGO Group, which is why the company invests so highly in developing leading edge concepts for education as well as supporting developing countries with a comprehensive Care for Education programme. MINDSTORMS At Kingsbury High School, Chris Carver is just one of the teachers who use MINDSTORMS for teaching STEM. “Through teaching with LEGO MINDSTORMS, I have
found that the kit instantly engages students in their learning,” said Chris. “Through the building and programming challenges, they become active participators, developing both teamwork and collaborative skills. They immediately find elements of the kit familiar and soon grow confident enough to explore their own ideas. Learning with LEGO provides opportunities for the students to apply their scientific, mathematic and engineering knowledge to solve real life problems, thus making very strong cross curricular links.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about what LEGO Education resources could do for your school or getting involved with the FIRST LEGO League please contact enquiries@LEGOEducation.eu or visit our website at www.LEGOEducation.co.uk
Volume 16.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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We know you enjoy bright and colourful We know education washrooms.
Case study
‘‘To meet the rigorous demands of this type Tudor Grange in Solihull is a of environment, all Solihull Council, having specified mixed, 11-16 age academy, facilities in our Venesta in the past, chose our formed in 1974 from the academy have to be Centurion range for the six male combination of well established and female toilet facilities situated robust, efficient and boys’ and girls’ grammar schools throughout the campus. on the same site. fit for purpose. Centurion has fulfilled The academy has a reputation for Centurion combines strength and these requirements, rigidity with wall channels and excellence and academic pilasters that extend to the floor, and has given an achievement and is popular with parents and students alike. In fact, obviating the need for pedestals. excellent finished it’s always over subscribed. When This gave the academy the appearance in all long-lasting quality that they were it came to refurbishment, washroom areas.’’ Facilities Manager, Graham Turner, looking for. Tudor Grange Academy
many rigors of this large and busy academy.
was looking for a highly robust, high specification cubicle that would be able to withstand the
Graham Turner, Facilities Manager, Tudor Grange Academy.
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STAFF MANAGEMENT
MANAGING THE WORKFORCE In times of financial constant, the National Association of School Business Management considers the impact on staff structures and where reductions and cutting costs could be made The start of this academic year has brought more questions about future funding and the structure of staffing. Many of you will be considering the impact on staff structures and potentially where reductions and cutting costs could be made. This can be a minefield for schools as you need to ensure that you are following the correct procedures and consultation process. Before these decisions are contemplated or commenced your school should be carrying out regular appraisals and performance reviews as often these can play a significant part in any potential redundancy process. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT With this in mind it is imperative that a performance review system is in place to allow the school to assess that the right people are in the right jobs and identify any areas of weakness. So what is performance management? It’s a continuous process involving agreeing standards and objectives, giving and receiving constructive feedback on performance and identifying appropriate training and development opportunities, in order to
support required – and to discuss the future – objectives, priorities, development. As a manager what do you want to get out of the appraisal process? Consider the organisation’s objectives and how the individual can contribute. This is a chance to discuss any constraints, identify opportunities, mutually agree objectives, and discuss the individual’s future. Carrying out performance reviews (appraisals) provides a written and agreed documentation on how an individual is performing and what the expectations are for the future. If the individual or school has concerns they can raise them at this meeting and have them recorded. These records can be essential during reorganisations as they provide a comparable benchmark of performance. CUTTING COSTS AND RESTRUCTURING At a time when the annual cost of maintaining a school can often exceed its budget, schools have to consider ways in which to manage the workforce in order to reduce overheads. As a school’s biggest regular outgoing, reducing staffing costs
As a school’s biggest regular outgoing, reducing staffing costs has to be an option, however unpalatable or difficult this may at first seem. Whilst redundancy will be a last resort, when faced with such a situation, schools must ensure the correct procedure is followed and applied fairly to avoid potential claims from affected employees. contribute to the success of the organisation. An appraisal is a planned discussion between a manager and an employee to review how the employee has carried out the job since the last appraisal discussion. It is not the manager’s opinion of the employee, a secret report, a disciplinary interview, an attack on the appraisee’s personality, nor a salary discussion. PURPOSE OF AN APPRAISAL The purpose of a preformance review is to review the past – what went well and what did not go so well and why? This is also a chance to consider the present – current issues, review of practices, priorities,
has to be an option, however unpalatable or difficult this may at first seem. Whilst redundancy will be a last resort, when faced with such a situation, schools must ensure the correct procedure is followed and applied fairly to avoid potential claims from affected employees. Budgets aside, a school may decide to make redundancies for a variety of reasons, including: • recession or other economic pressures making a reduction in staff numbers necessary • changes in the services provided • internal reorganisation to make more efficient use of roles and duties.
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REDUNDANCY Although alternatives (e.g. not replacing departing staff; deferring new joiners; where applicable, using probation periods appropriately and effecting dismissals of staff with under a year’s service) may sometimes be preferable when pupil numbers fall, or budgets are cut, redundancies may be the only practical way to rebalance pupil to staff ratios and cut costs. Redundancy situations fall into three categories: business closure (closure of the business altogether); workplace closure (closure of one of several sites, or relocation to a new site); and diminished requirements of the business for employees to do work of a particular kind. The legal test for redundancy: • Closure: ceasing or intending to cease to carry on the business (or close the workplace) in which the employee is employed • Reduced requirement: reduced requirement for employees to carry out work of a particular kind. Either of these two tests must be met, in order for a redundancy situation to arise. If they are not however, there may still be a business reorganisation. This could arise for example, where the needs of a particular position change without a head count reduction. Furthermore, the merger of three posts into two, with a redistribution of the duties amongst those positions, will also constitute a reorganisation. However, as there is a consequential reduction in the number of employees there is also a redundancy. Typically, we refer to such a case as a ‘restructure’. REORGANISATION Restructuring, or reorganisation, can be a fair reason for terminating employment. However, the line between what is a ‘reorganisation’ and what is a ‘redundancy’ can often be a fine one. In either case similar procedures relating to dismissals need to be followed. The Employment Appeal Tribunal has formulated a three-stage test for determining whether a dismissal is by reason of redundancy: 1. Was the employee dismissed? If yes, 2. Had the requirements of the business for employees to carry out work of a particular kind ceased or diminished? If yes, 3. Was the dismissal of the employee caused wholly or mainly by the state E
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STAFF MANAGEMENT E of affairs identified at stage 2 above? If the answer to all three stages is ‘yes’, there will be a redundancy dismissal. DISMISSING FAIRLY FOR REDUNDANCY In order to ensure that a dismissal for redundancy is fair, schools must establish that redundancy is the real reason for the dismissal (using the three-stage test above). Schools must also ensure they acted reasonably, in all the circumstances of the case, in treating redundancy as the reason for dismissing the employee. Reasonable actions in such circumstances include warning and consulting employees, or their representative(s), about the proposed redundancy. Also, adopting a fair basis on which to select for redundancy. The employer must identify the correct pool from which to select potentially redundant employees and select against proper criteria. Lastly, considering suitable alternative employment. The employer must, where available, offer suitable alternative employment within its organisation. PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION The key to scoping a redundancy exercise is planning and communication. When announcing redundancies, a clear and consistent message needs to be relayed to staff. Communication should be formal and regular, whether delivered face to face or in writing. Even where there is little to say, it is best said. For instance, if you are hoping to generate enough voluntary redundancies to avoid compulsory redundancies, far better to say a decision has yet to be taken, rather than nothing at all. Silence is likely to be interpreted as the worst-case scenario. If you show staff that you have treated those being made redundant as well as possible, they will have greater confidence in your ongoing treatment of them. POLICY DECISIONS When planning, it is recommended that the following policy decisions are made at the outset: Where change management procedures exist, ensure these are reviewed and a step by step approach taken to compliance. Identify the staffing structure you want within your budget parameters. Prepare objective selection criteria that will achieve the outcome that you want. Remember that any relevant documents, even drafts between management, will be disclosable in the event of an employment tribunal claim. Documents that are genuinely prepared for the purposes of legal advice, will be privileged and therefore not disclosable. Where advisers are not regulated by professional bodies (e.g. Solicitors Regulatory Authority, Bar Council) however, it is worth noting legal privilege cannot be claimed. Correspondence with HR consultants and
employment advisers without practising certificates will therefore be disclosable to a tribunal; caution should therefore be exercised. Consider whether a redundancy policy is necessary. Whilst we generally advise against having such a policy, on the whole, maintained schools will be used to having these. Regardless of whether a policy is in place or not, schools should act reasonably by following these key principles: • Warn staff of the possibility of redundancy as soon as possible. • Consult the recognised unions at the earliest possible opportunity. • Establish objective criteria for any selection of staff for redundancy. • Apply these criteria objectively so that fair selections are made. • Take reasonable steps to find alternative employment for displaced staff. Identify whether to accept voluntary redundancies. Whilst unions may be more receptive to, and supportive of, this approach, staff who are most likely to get jobs elsewhere are the ones prone to volunteer. Consider what terms will be offered for redundancy. Whilst there is a statutory cap on a week’s pay (currently £400) schools can enhance this should they wish to. Both independent and maintained schools must be aware of the authority needed to make enhanced redundancy payments. Independent schools must be aware of their charitable objects and act in the best commercial interests of the charity. Maintained schools will need to account to their relevant authoritative body. Practically, schools are unlikely to want to increase the costs of the redundancy process. There may however be significant benefit if volunteers are invited on the basis of enhanced payments and a redundancy procedure is then avoided. A cost benefit analysis should be undertaken in any case. Remember to include those employees on long-term sick leave or maternity leave in the redundancy consultation process. They should be kept informed of the position, receiving the same information in writing as other employees, as well as being actively involved in the consultation process. Failure to consult with absent employees may result in claims of sex discrimination, disability discrimination and/or unfair dismissal. It is also important to remember that any employees on maternity leave have an automatic right to be offered suitable alternative work (where available). CONSULTATION OBLIGATIONS Depending on the number of affected individuals, there may also be a legal obligation to collectively consult with trade unions or employee representatives. Under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA), this obligation arises where 20 or more individuals are to be affected by dismissal.
Summary • Identify the needs of the school • Early planning is essential • Engage in consultation with staff and, where necessary, trade union • Keep channels of communication open with staff. Remember, staff will be anxious; prolonged periods of silence will only add to that anxiety • Maintain the trust and confidence of those staff who remain with the school
School Business Management
Sponsored by
In accordance with section 188 of TULRCA, an employer is under a duty to inform and consult with the appropriate representatives of staff where it is proposed to dismiss as redundant 20 or more staff in a 90-day period. This section provides that consultation must be with the ‘appropriate representatives’ of affected staff; last for at least 30 days before the first notice of dismissal takes effect; and be with a view to avoiding dismissals, reducing the number of dismissals and mitigating the consequences of dismissal. A failure to comply with s.188 TULRCA can ultimately result in an Employment Tribunal making a protective award in respect of every employee for whom a school has failed in its collective consultation obligations. This is up to 13 weeks gross pay per employee. It is therefore vital to comply with s.188 TULRCA if the obligation to do so arises. L
This article includes extracts from the NASBM ‘Managing the Workforce’ guide. This article is for general purposes only. Specific legal advice should be taken on any particular issues. FOR MORE INFORMATION NASBM supports the training, qualification and professional regulation of school business managers. For more information on performance management training, including on-site INSET training please contact Diane Gregory on 01788 573300 or e-mail training@nasbm.co.uk Information is also available on the website www.nasbm.co.uk
Veale Wasbrough Vizards – Veale Wasbrough Vizards is a specialist, national law firm with one of the largest education teams in the UK, working with more than 800 education institutions including independent and maintained schools. Contact Veale Wasbrough Vizards on 0117 9252020 or visit www.vwv.co.uk/site/sectors/ maintainedschools
Volume 16.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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Useful workshops for managing the workforce
Effective maintenance and health & safety
This is a half-day programme to look at staff re-organisation, including the legal aspects and changing terms and conditions. The workshop will also cover capability management, disciplinary and cost cutting through restructuring. Practical outputs will include the how to deliver effective performance appraisals. The workshop will focus on the process of capability management; effective use of disciplinary; the practical aspects and process of restructuring; effective performance appraisals; and the legal aspects of changing terms and conditions. If you have recently
Effective Maintenance & Repair of School Premises takes place 9 November in Harrogate. This is a one-day workshop designed for those managing and responsible for the school site. The programme aims to raise awareness of best practice in effectively maintaining school buildings; taking account of cost efficiencies and demanding regulations. The workshop is suitable for SBMs, premises managers, and caretakers. Course material including sample reports, forms, checklists, websites and case studies will serve as a continuing source of reference for attendees. The course costs £199 for NASBM members and £235 for non-members. IOSH Accredited Health & Safety Training for Schools will take place 1-2 December in Bristol, 22-23 March 2012 in Stoke-on-Trent. This introductory programme for managing health and safety in schools, awards the IOSH
converted to an academy or are contemplating the change then this will be a useful workshop to ensure that you manage any changes in terms and conditions appropriately and carry out proper consultation. The event will take place 3 November in London, 1 December in Birmingham, and 8 December in Bristol. Attendance fees are £99 for NASBM members and £125 for non-members. FOR MORE INFORMATION To book your place, please visit the NASBM website www.nasbm.co.uk e-mail training@nasbm.co.uk or call 01788 573300.
Certificate which is subject to renewal every three years. This tailor made programme has been developed in conjunction with Owen David Risk Management Ltd and school business managers to ensure it specifically meets the needs for managing health, safety and risks in schools. The programme will particularly focus on school trips, fire, asbestos, design & technology, slips and trips, stress, lone working, control of contractors, workplace and school transport. Course cost is £725 for NASBM members and £785 for nonmembers. This includes 1x24-hour delegate rate and 1xday delegate rate at the venue including all refreshments, lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast; IOSH accredited trainer fees, registration, project assessment and certification from IOSH; and comprehensive IOSH training materials and notes.
School Business Management
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FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01788 573300 info@nasbm.co.uk
Direct procurement – is your school ready? Gain practical tools and experiences to execute a school procurement policy with NASBM procurement event The withdrawal of some local authority services presents the need for schools to find good value like-for-like alternatives. Do your SLT understand their responsibilities? Do your team have the right skills to deliver value for money procurement? Have you got a procedure and buying framework set up? This is a one-day Procurement Event designed for people involved in, responsible for and accountable for a school’s procurement. These can be defined as the school leadership team, heads, deputy heads, school business managers and governors. This programme will help you answer these questions and many more. The programme will give an introduction to school based procurement; define the roles and responsibilities in school; clarify the steps that should be undertaken and provide delegates with a checklist; provide an overview of the procurement cycle and highlight the potential pitfalls; highlight the necessary EU legislation and other legal parameters that must be adhered to identify ways to help your school save money when procuring products and services; and enable the school to create good quality specification briefs and evaluation criteria.
Outcomes and benefits gained by attending include: • Opportunity to share best practice and gain insights • Gain practical tools and experiences to execute a school procurement policy • Enable the school to create accurate specification briefs and evaluation criteria • Undertake buying exercises to assist in role and responsibility definition • Understand the necessary steps to ensure your school is delivering value for money. The event starts 09.00 for 09.15 and finishes 16.00. Attending costs £115 for NASBM members and £145 for non-members. The event fee includes
lunch, refreshments, and an extensive toolkit for delegates to take home. Location and dates: Liverpool, 7 February 2012, Derby, 8 March 2012, Exeter, 3 May 2012, and Durham, 24 May 2012. This event has been developed to allow more than one member of a school to attend and all receive benefits on their individual role in the school procurement process. FOR MORE INFORMATION For further information or to book please visit our website – www.nasbm.co.uk – and click on Conferences/Procurement Events. Alternatively contact Julia Warmington on 01788 573300.
Volume 16.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net
Customised sports structures from Collinson
High quality, cost effective furniture
At Collinson we understand that when it comes to sport, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. Our Mugacova™, Challenger™ and Evolution™ sports structures are customised to each client’s specifications, so whether you wish to build a brand new hall or simply cover an existing outdoor games area we offer a full design and build service to tailor the facility to your unique needs. Clients can choose from a range of pre-engineered designs or we can work with you to develop a completely bespoke facility. From the preparation and submission of the planning application and site investigations through every step of the build, our aim as a family company is to deliver a first class product on time and within budget with superior customer service. An extensive range of specialist indoor and outdoor sports
Lab Systems Furniture Limited of Kingston upon Hull is a company with deep roots in the industrial and educational scene with long traditional values married to new technological ideas. In this technological era in which the word quality dominates the vocabulary of scientists and industrialists and value for money dominates in construction circles, Lab Systems Furniture Limited has created furniture designs and achieved highly efficient working systems to meet the laboratory needs of any industrial or educational organisations. We find that visitors to our company are very often surprised at the amount of effort committed by Lab Systems Furniture. The design team creates individual touches of flair
surfaces are available, which can be marked out for multiple sports such as badminton, netball and basketball to name but a few, or can be sport-specific for dedicated facilities such as tennis or football. With options on lighting, rebound walls and fixtures and fittings, we can help you transform your sports space. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01995 606451 Fax: 01995 605503 nic.smith@collinson.co.uk www.collinson.co.uk
to create properly fitted furniture systems to a high technical and visual standard, giving the client an individual laboratory design of high capability and quality build. Lab Systems Furniture is one of the fastest growing companies in its sector with numerous laboratory projects completed and many highly satisfied clients. The company’s success is due to its quality personnel, single point responsibility on projects, and the ability to adapt to varying types of client requirements, from refurbishments to new build. FOR MORE INFORMATION Lab Systems Furniture Ltd Rotary House, Bontoft Avenue Kingston upon Hull, HU5 4HF Tel: 01482444650 Fax: 01482444730 www.labsystemsfurniture.co.uk
Video-based digital curriculum services from Espresso Education Espresso Education is the UK market leader in the provision of video-based digital curriculum services to primary and secondary schools, featuring Espresso Primary, Clipbank and Channel 4 Learning. Espresso Primary – now in its 14th year, is a cross-curricular learning service combining video clips, multimedia activities, planning tools, printable resources and a ‘News Bites’ service. Covering all subjects across Foundation, KS1 and KS2, Espresso Primary is aligned to curriculum objectives and updated weekly with news items and fresh resources; used in 10,000 schools. Channel 4 Learning’s Clipbank
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– launched in October 2007, is a unique resource for secondary schools offering a ‘learning service’ approach. Thousands of video clips, weekly topical ‘News Bites’ and a daily ‘News Blast’ bulletin, exam board links, student activities, teacher resources and in-school training are packaged together in an updating, cross-curricular service; used in over 700 schools. FOR MORE INFORMATION To sample Espresso Primary resources visit www.espresso.co.uk/testdrive To preview Clipbank visit www.channel4learning. com/clipbank
EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 16.6
Parking solutions from RTA Associates Ltd Parking provision at educational sites is limited due to pressures on land use and cost of provision of maintenance and security and the demand for parking usually exceeds supply. Each site has unique problems that need to be identified and prioritised. Over many years of centralisation and specialisation of types of education provision, parking has been low down in the site’s development priorities and in some cases added as an afterthought. Legislative changes to enforcement on private land has revealed an urgent need for a review of parking stock. Effective remedies are possible to maximise usage of spaces and to prevent unwanted long term parking. As a specialist independent parking consultant, RTA Associates Ltd can help to design and implement cost effective and efficient solutions in accordance with best practice.
Firm but fair management and enforcement is a key factor in producing a blueprint for each site balancing the needs of staff, students and visitors. With over 20 years advising the parking industry, RTA Associates can draw on their experience to promote options and solutions. FOR MORE INFORMATION Please visit our website at www.rtaassociates.co.uk or e-mail Peter Lowe, managing director, plowe@rtaassociates.co.uk Alternatively, please call 01492 585055 or 07900 264137.
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EVENT PREVIEW
HAS YOUR SCHOOL BEEN REWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE? The 2011 Education Business Awards will recognise primary and secondary schools that have achieved great things in education
EB Awards
Sponsored by
Education Business Awards Categories Outstanding Teacher Award - Secondary sponsored by Eteach Outstanding Teacher Award - Primary sponsored by Eteach School Recruitment Award sponsored by Eteach Outstanding Progress Independent School sponsored by Espresso Education and Channel 4 Learning Outstanding Progress Award - Secondary sponsored by NEC Display Solutions Outstanding Progress Award Primary SEN Inclusion Award sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs SEN Provision Award sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs
Sponsored by Eteach and supported by the British Educational Suppliers Association, the Awards, now in its 6th year, will be presented by former BBC newscaster Moira Stewart. Schools from across the country can enter their projects in over 20 award categories. Entry is free of charge, and requires a 500 word entry statement to be submitted online before the deadline of Friday 14th October. Schools shortlisted in each category will receive two free tickets to attend the champagne drinks reception and four course awards dinner, which is being presented by former BBC newsreader Moira Stewart and takes place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Thursday 10th November. The media partner is the Independent, who will be featuring the Awards regularly in the run up to the event and will be showcasing some of the winners in future issues of the i Newspaper, The Independent and the Independent on Sunday. OUTSTANDING PROGRESS The effort and dedication required to turn around an under achieving school cannot be underestimated. In the 2010 Awards, the Outstanding Progress Category went to Perry Beeches School in Birmingham. Part of Perry Beechs’ success is attributed to its Academic Mentoring Programme. This involves a group of non-teachers that have come from industry, such as IT and banking, to focus on pupils that are seriously falling
behind. Also last year, the Educational Visits Award went to Presdales and Richard Hale Schools in Hertfordshire. Pupils from both schools took part in a geography field trip to study geothermal activity in Iceland. Their six day tour of the country was described by BBC as the ‘trip to end all field trips’. Not only did the pupils stand on the glacier covering the volcano, they actually saw it erupting. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS Last years’ SEN Provision Award, sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs, went to Cuckmere House School in East Sussex, which has specialist status for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and is also responsible for running two other pupil referral units. In 2009, the school was recognised as a High Performing Specialist School, and has become one of the first SEN colleges to be awarded a second specialism in Applied Learning. The School Catering Award went to Folkestone Academy in Kent. Takeup of school lunches rose considerbaly since the canteen was turned into a bistro-style establishment. The catering team form student taste panels to examine new dishes before they are allowed onto the menu. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Entering the Awards is free of charge for all schools. Entry can be submitted until 14th October at www.ebawards.co.uk
Educational Visits Award sponsored bny WST Travel Sports Award sponsored by Collinson Environmental Building Award sponsored by Big Green Book Science Award sponsored by Lab Systems Furniture ICT Innovation Award sponsored by Hue Animation Art & Craft Award sponsored by Brian Clegg Outstanding Academy Award sponsored by Kumon Academy Partnership Award sponsored by Kumon Other awards presented on the 10th November include: Academy Development Award School Security Award School Catering Award School Building Award ICT Facility Award
Volume 16.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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Design & Build
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
REDEFINING THE ROLE OF DESIGN Design and architecture are capable of addressing a much broader notion of sustainability than just energy and carbon reduction, writes the Design Council’s Alan Thompson and Bel Reed Albert Einstein famously remarked: “Not everything that can be counted counts. And not everything that counts can be counted.” To paraphrase: our ability to measure something is no guarantee that this will tell us anything of value. And some of the things that we can’t measure may actually be of very great importance to us. The 1987 Brundtland Report that originally defined the concept of sustainable development aimed at promoting two key outcomes: first, a more considered use of limited resources and secondly, improved intergenerational responsibility. In the past twenty five years we have mainly focused on the conservation of resources, which is comparatively easy to measure. But, intergenerational responsibility; how would we go about measuring that? It is clearly of value to us; not least when we are considering young people, education and schools. The disciplines of architecture and design have tended to concentrate their efforts on reduction of energy use and CO2 emissions. However, design and architecture are capable of addressing a much broader notion of sustainability. Here we will discuss how the Design Council seeks to promote intergenerational responsibility through education and school design and why it is such an important moment to be doing this. BUILDING COMMUNITIES At a time when some local communities are experiencing a profound disconnect between generations, how can mutual respect be encouraged between all members of a community, whether young or old? And how can design even begin to address this? Although both design and architecture have a broad impact on people’s lives and the way they interact with each other, we intend to focus on young people, their education and their experience of being at school. First, there are two main ways that design can impact on a student’s school career. Some may elect to study design technology, which could lead them to a future in the creative industries. Secondly, students are necessarily affected by the school building itself, which is a seminal and unavoidable lesson in architecture. So we are actually dealing with two discrete questions. Firstly, is it possible that
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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 16.6
a design curriculum could equip a student with an inherently socially responsible attitude? And secondly, how might a school building foster a sense of community? DESIGN AS A PROBLEM SOLVER Since the Brundtland Report 25 years ago, there have been a lot of changes at the Design Council. In April 2011 CABE (Commission for Architecture and Built Environment) and the Design Council joined forces. This means we are now well placed to give a strong voice to architecture and design, and to promote design and architecture for the public good. Through our business support services and challenge programmes the Design Council demonstrates how design can help solve some of society’s challenges and promote growth in the economy. Alongside this, the Design Council CABE team deliver a range of services, such as design reviews, which provide expert advice on the design quality of schemes in England that will have a significant impact on their environment. Within education, our aim is to enhance design in schools by making it better connected to the design industry whilst more engaged with pressing social questions, and we run the Design Challenges for Schools programme to do this. This programme embraces projects that deal explicitly with the conservation of resources, but they also address community issues such as social isolation and community cohesion. The programme partners schools with a design mentor (a Design Ambassador) to tackle a range of issues including: environmental sustainability (Eco Design Challenge); water conservation (Water Design Challenge); and social and emotional isolation amongst older adults (Keeping Connected Design Challenge). We believe design can play a role in engendering a sense of responsibility in young people, at a time when the policy landscape poses both a threat and an opportunity to this. Citizenship has been removed from the curriculum as has support for Sustainable Schools and Extended Schools. The National Curriculum is under review, and though not due to report back till next year, it is likely Design and Technology (DT) will no longer be compulsory at Key Stage 3, and that the English Baccalaureate will push DT further into the wilderness at Key Stage 4.
Stoke Newington School & Sixth Form, winners of the Keeping Connected Design Challenge
As the Design Council attempts to redefine the role of design to government, communities and business, could this potential crisis for DT as a subject provide the opportunity to redefine design in schools for the better? So what is currently wrong with design education in schools? There is undoubtedly some great practice. But the subject is too often based on a linear approach to design, responding to a fairly mundane brief. This is not the fault of the teacher but, as Ofsted acknowledge, the structure of the curriculum itself – which places emphasis on making rather than thinking. Designing for the 21st century requires both making (doing) and thinking – they are not mutually exclusive. The Royal Society for the Arts recently reported that for DT teachers: ‘The acquisition of specialist technical knowledge takes on a greater urgency than learning about design.’ Too often DT is taught by teachers with little or no design education. Rather than ‘teach first’, perhaps we should look at ‘design first, teach second’? DT not only fails to align with government priorities, but fails to align to the design industry, and fails to demonstrate how design can help solve big issues and foster a sense of social responsibility. We are not saying that design is the panacea to all the world’s problems. What design can do however, is give the next generation the skills to create affirmative action – through the thinking and doing skills that it engenders. Could approaches such as Design Challenges for Schools succeed where DT hasn’t? The Keeping Connected Design Challenge aimed E
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E to demonstrate how design-led solutions could enhance independent living and quality of life for older adults. The challenge asked students to co-design services (e.g. meals on wheels) with older adults that will keep them better connected to younger people, their community and the wider world. IMPROVING RELATIONS With support from their Design Ambassador schools worked with older adult research participants from their local community to develop ideas, and many new positive relationships emerged. Judge Meadow Community College in Leicester greatly improved relations with the wardenassisted housing on its doorstep through design approaches which encouraged collaborative working such as user mapping and prototyping of services – and that relationship continues to flourish. Essa Academy in Bolton trialled their Brainy Tech service which involved students teaching older adults computing skills in the classroom, and plan to continue to do so (for a small fee). As part of the challenge, schools were provided with a range of service design tools. The tools enabled younger and older adults to work collaboratively and develop a greater understanding of the wishes, needs and aspirations of one another. As one student commented at the end of the project: “Old people are similar to us and we treat them as if they are aliens.” And of the older adults who took part, 95 per cent surveyed said their view of young people had improved as a result of the challenge.
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When asked what the most valuable achievement for the school was, one teacher reported: “Making contact with local groups working with older adults, the concept is sound and we will try to develop it within the school. Linking with the local community for a school like ours is difficult, the majority of our students are first generation British, refugees or otherwise with no links to the fixed population. They are cross cultural within the school but hardly ever make links with others outside that group. Keeping Connected enabled us to create not just intergenerational links with our local community but intercultural links too.” The winning school, Stoke Newington School & Sixth Form in Hackney, have won £5,000 to implement their design idea, Enrich. Enrich is a service that keeps younger and older adults connected by meeting on the school premises to take part in activities including cookery, dance, and gardening. The service, led and managed by the students, will enable them to meet new people, make best use of the school’s resources, whilst placing the school at the hub of the community. The design process used in the Design Challenge puts emphasis on user-centred and co-design approaches. The student/designer is encouraged to not just design for but to design with the user group. By doing so, and engaging with members of the community they may have no reason to come into contact with otherwise, the design process helps to embed a sense of intergenerational responsibility (Stoke Newington was near the centre of the recent riots in London, therefore now more than ever is a key moment to bring the community together). Two of the schools that didn’t make it through to the final are going to start their Keeping Connected service anyway. Both the RSA Academy in Tipton and Penrice Community College will start services that will involve using the schools premises for volunteer pupils and older adults to engage in skills swap classes. This highlights that the application of a user centred design methodology led to identifying a real need and a practical solution. It is doubtful these services would’ve happened without the Challenge taking place. CONSIDERED USE OF LIMITED RESOURCES A challenge programme that has dealt explicitly with the conservation of resources is the Water Design Challenge with Southern Water. While some water and energy companies focus on retrofits and hitting arbitrary targets set by regulators (how many spare energy light bulbs are you currently in possession of?), Southern Water recognised they needed to work with their customers and sought the help of Design Council to enable them to do this. Currently embarking on one of the largest meter installation programmes in
Design & Build
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UK, Southern Water wanted to facilitate behaviour change in order to see the sustained reduction in water consumption that is required. The Water Design Challenge was developed to both help schools reduce their water consumption and to develop a sense of social responsibility. Southern Water saw the Design Challenge approach as entirely complimentary to their infrastructure programme. They could have taken a purely engineering based approach of for example desalinating sea water, as other water companies have done. However, solutions like this are often expensive and damaging to the environment. Instead, through the application of the design process, they sought the prevention is better than cure approach. Winning ideas from the Water Design Challenge include a girls urinal (Full flush, Mini flush which could save 50 per cent of water per flush) and a museum in a portaloo (Worlds’ Smallest Water Museum which gives tips on behaviour change through an interactive quiz). The best design solutions were both innovative and inspiring. The World’s Smallest Water Museum (by Sholing Technology College) has been touring London and the South East for the past ten months, with hundreds of people queuing up to go to the loo. The Full-flush, Mini-flush team (from Fort Pitt Grammar) have just been awarded £9,000 to develop their idea into a professional prototype. Local businesses and the local authority are showing interest in trialling the system and the students are looking to patent the concept. In recognition of the creativity in science and technology that the challenge stimulates, all students have now gained CREST Silver awards for taking part. HOW MIGHT A SCHOOL BUILDING FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY? Over the past few years, the Schools Panel at CABE reviewed the design of more than 300 new educational schemes which demonstrated that there were many ways to address the sustainability agenda. Some of the more interesting approaches considered the impact of the building in use; two quite different schools in Hertfordshire offer a good illustration of this. At Nobel School in Stevenage, the head teacher, Alastair Craig, embedded his learning programme into the local neighbourhood, with an on-site community centre and strong connections to the parish church and adjacent primary school. Unfortunately government changes have scaled back Craig’s capacity to offer outreach work through extended community hubs, but he is pursuing the same agenda through the third sector with the Stevenage Educational Trust. The design for the new school proposed to take this a step further by incorporating the Stevenage Music and Arts Centre. Craig aimed to open 24/7 throughout the year and welcome the whole community into the building for lifelong learning. In the new school he will E
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT E at least be opening till 10pm. The proposal is so expansive he even hesitated about calling it a school. Naturally, this approach requires careful thought to ensure that the children are secure at all times, but surely such thinking is bound to foster a strong sense of intergenerational responsibility? Just down the road at Marriotts School, head teacher Patrick Marshall has a different concern. He is convinced that many of his disadvantaged students have significant unrealised potential that is held back simply by their own low aspirations. He describes their attitude as “So Stevenage!” There is little around them to suggest that they could go on to greater things. A new inspirational building is a catalyst to trigger such a sense of self-worth; to quote Winston Churchill: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Frustrated at waiting for funding to enable them to implement sustainable changes, the students and head at Ashley School in Surrey decided to take matters into their own hands, imagining ways to reduce their carbon footprint through means that were already at hand. They began to examine their own behaviour, carefully measuring their use of energy. Through a thoughtful and disciplined approach and by implementing a few simple alterations to the school fabric they
managed to reduce their energy use by a massive and measurable 51 per cent. The energy saving was a great success, but the greater success was instilling a sensitivity, discipline and responsibility in a whole generation of students; we can’t begin to measure the impact of this. CONTROLLING ENVIRONMENTS There are many other new schools that employ passive design principles or computer controlled environments to maintain an optimum learning environment, automatically opening and closing windows and louvers. Unfortunately, in these passive environments the students are also passive; they will never have the opportunity to learn how their behaviour can affect their environment. The fact that this loss is unquantifiable does not diminish its seriousness. Popular and successful programmes such as CABE’s Green Day (now managed by the Landscape Institute) support schools wanting to work more sustainably, providing resources and activities that teachers could use from KS1-3. It also supports school staff to better understand their buildings and spaces and how they contribute to climate change by making changes in their school estate. Similarly, Engaging Places, focused on learning outside the classroom and helping young people to appreciate the built environment in their local communities.
Design & Build
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But with funding reduced for these programmes, what now for educational outcomes that cannot always be counted? CONCLUSION Design alone can’t change the world, but design approaches which provide a way to tackle problems and connect people to the spaces and places around them, can help pave the way. Our discussion here provokes two final questions. Is it not unacceptably wasteful to fail to make maximum use of our learning environments? And through more intensive community use, could the divisions between generations that are implicit in traditionally organised institutions be broken down? With an economy that demands that we do more with less, we can no longer meet our demands by more building or greater use of resources. What is required is a behavioural change and the Design Council encourages and promotes such change. It’s hard to measure the impact of greater awareness and responsibility; but to return to Einstein: sometimes the things that are hard to measure may turn out to be the most valuable. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.designcouncil.org.uk www.engagingplaces.org.uk/home
Teachers ‘see red’ at school entrance When it comes to entrance matting systems, so very often the colour choice is black and of course the obligatory shades of grey. Not any more, thanks to the introduction of PathMaster Duo, a newcomer to COBA Europe’s extensive range of entrance matting and floor safety products. PathMaster Duo is available in a range of inspiring colours, including red (pictured) – the feng shui colour of warmth, strength, success and happiness. This contemporary styled matting is proving to be quite a revelation for specifiers and contractors looking for something a little more eye-catching than your average ‘sombre’ entrance mat. The attractive design is created through strips of alternating soft and coarse carpet fibres that, as the name suggests, has a dual action in scraping and
wiping footwear. There are no concerns about durability too as this matting comes with a five year guarantee against wear and tear. The solid surface effectively captures the dirt and moisture between the strips for ease of cleaning. Supplied in rolls or by per linear metre, PathMaster can be installed in recessed matwells or laid to surface with optional edging. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0116 240 1055 sales@cobaeurope.com www.cobaeurope.com
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Music
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MUSIC FUNDING
IS MUSIC GOING OUT OF TUNE? Virginia Haworth-Galt, chief executive of the Federation of Music Services, explores the options for the future of music education in our schools and communities ahead of the government’s announcement of its National Plan for Music Education The National Plan for Music Education is due for publication in October when Music Services, the providers of quality music and vocal tuition in our primary and secondary schools, will learn how much central government funding will be available post September 2012. One thing is almost guaranteed: there will be less cash to go around. Government funding is through the music grant and this rose under the Labour administration to reach £82.5m annually. This figure remained untouched during 2011/12 while the Coalition undertook a review of music education conducted by Darren Henley, the Classic FM boss. The music grant is largest single amount of money that goes into music education but more of that later. NEW WAYS OF WORKING The Coalition has trailed the way in which they see music education being funded
and delivered in the future. Darren Henley’s review paper recommendations have been endorsed in whole or part by the government. Centrally, Henley recognised the importance of music in the overall education of children, sighting the cognitive, social and overall attainment characteristics that a music education brings to whole child development. He also suggested that music education should be delivered locally through ‘Music Education Hubs’ that would bring together various funding streams to provide music education
both in and outside schools. In addition these Music Hubs should offer to schools a wider cultural offering that could embrace dance, drama and other musical opportunities. Henley also recognised that there was both an uneven playing field in the way in which funds had been distributed and that the quality of teaching whilst overall was good, did have some areas in need of better musical training, particularly for primary classroom teachers. In the future, Music Services and other providers will have to bid for funds from central government and be more accountable for the educational outcomes. The formation of Music Hubs will mean Music Services forging closer links with other arts providers including orchestras, dance organisations, community musicians and other groups to pool funds and ideas and not duplicate offerings. In many cases Music Services do this already but in the future it will be more formalised. The aim is to offer more to schools for less. HOW WILL THIS NEW FUNDING WORK? Currently the overall money available for music education in the state education E
Henley recognised the importance of music in the overall education of children, sighting the cognitive, social and overall attainment characteristics that a music education brings to whole child development.
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Music
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MUSIC FUNDING E sector is broken down as follows: • Government music grant: 37.5 per cent • Local authorities: 10.5 per cent • Parental fees and school contributions: 52 per cent During the last year local authorities have made quite large cuts to their contributions to music education at a local level. In extreme cases they plan to withdraw all funding over a period of years. This has already added financial pressures on the management and ability of Music Services to maintain their level of resources in both staff and what they can offer in schools; out of school music like ensembles and county orchestras and low income families are likely to bear the brunt of any cuts. The formation of Music Hubs will create opportunities to top-up funds through a number of ways. In addition, the government’s Music Education Grant, to which they are committed to keep, albeit at probably a lower level, it is suggested that additional funds will be derived through a mixed range of sources including the Arts Council England; local authorities; lottery funds; schools; parents; charities; businesses and individual philanthropy. A NEW WAY FORWARD This will require new thinking by Music Services and new skills will have to be learned on fund raising, approaching businesses and individuals as well as working closely with new partners to deliver the government’s vision of ‘enabling all children in England from all backgrounds to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and sing and progress to their level of excellence.’ The government is stressing that they want all children to access music education including gifted and talented, those with special educational needs and looked after children. Whilst the Coalition’s aspirations and commitment to music is heartening it is, as with all funding models which have philanthropy and sponsorship in the mix, difficult to see how a level playing field can
The government recognises the value and impact of music on children’s lives and have said that they see access to good music education a key component of a rounded school life. Equally however they are clear that they feel that head teachers and school leaders should not be dictated to and they are keen to avoid a prescriptive relationship with them. be created. Successful fund raising could swell local budgets in one area, while those located in less well-off districts may struggle to raise sufficient funds for an all encompassing music provision. The Federation will continue to work hard to ensure that all Music Services (no matter the slings and arrows of geography) are at the top of their game in terms of attracting mixed income-stream funding. The formal role of music in schools is being affected by the recent introduction of the English Baccalaureate and the current National Curriculum Review. The government recognises the value and impact of music on children’s lives and have said that they see access to good music education a key component of a rounded school life. Equally however they are clear that they feel that head teachers and school leaders should not be dictated to and they are keen to avoid a prescriptive relationship with them. It is therefore vital that the Federation of Music Services, and other expert bodies, ensure that schools understand how vital music in schools is. KEY BENEFITS Schools are at the heart of music education and without their recognition and buy-in music will almost certainly decline. The music education industry as a whole is mounting a campaign to inform school leaders of the benefits that music brings to
pupils, parents and schools. Centred around ‘10 Things Schools Should Know about Learning Music’ the key messages include: • Improved cognitive skills • Teaches team working • Enhances social skills • Boosts overall school attainment levels • Better behaviour • Music is fun • Parental approval • Music is for life • Quality tuition all the way • Music as a lifeline It is vitally important that we engage with school heads and leaders to make them aware of the many benefits that music brings to a children’s overall education and their well being as future citizens. We are backing up our campaign with transformational case histories of how music has made a real difference to pupils’ lives from stopping absenteeism to changing the life of a dyslexic child. We know from our own research that music makes a real difference affecting the culture and ethos of the whole school; music is greatly appreciated by parents – seeing their children in performance is a positive cultural beacon that enhances the school’s reputation and adds parental appeal. A school without music education is a diminished place of learning. L
Sound system hire from Westway Sound Westway Sound is a London based company specialising in the hire of sound systems, PAs, lighting, DJ equipment, band and event packages. Westway has a series of pre priced packages that may be all you need for your event, large or small. Alternatively, upon contact our friendly staff can discuss your requirements and provide a system that best suits your needs. Westway is a well established reliable company serving the London area. We cover all event types from corporate and weddings, to school, college, gallery, fashion and live music events.
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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 16.6
Westway Sound’s outstanding clientele rapport guarantees our staff will work with you to make your event successful and memorable. We offer: • free delivery on pre-priced packages • qualified technicians to set up, pack down and be on site
• any system that best suits your requirements • professional, friendly and reliable staff • top quality equipment – Shure, Pioneer, Mackie, Rcf • competitive and affordable prices Previous clients include Nokia, Converse, Estee Lauder, TUC, Talkback Thames and the BBC. Contact us for more information and a quote. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 020 89641728 Mob: 07940 079855 westwaysound@gmail.com www.westwaysound.com
These are the art supplies that were ordered from Viking that inspired the pupils to create their own masterpiece! All for only ‌
Simply quote 3BA-5693940 with your order today on 0844 412 0000 or shop online www.vikingschools.co.uk Bundle includes: 1 x pack (7 Rolls) assorted coloured cellophane, 20 x bottles assorted coloured ready mix paint 600ml, 30 x Nylon brushes, 180 x assorted coloured pencils, 250 x A4 160gsm sheets of assorted card. Offer ends 3rd December 2011, while stocks last. All prices exclude VAT and delivery charges. Full Viking terms and conditions apply see online at www.vikingschools.co.uk
All the inspiration your school needs
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Energy
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COST REDUCTION
GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT
The autumn term means that the heating season will soon be upon us, as well as increased electricity usage. Alan Aldridge, of the Energy Services and Technology Association, looks at how schools can keep their bills and carbon emissions down Schools, like everyone else, face increased bills as global demand for energy continues to grow. The money has to come from somewhere which can put the squeeze on maintenance or capital budgets. Yet there are ways of examining usage and identifying ways of reducing expenditure. Energy sometimes seems to be an uncontrollable overhead: we need heating, lighting, power for equipment, etc. It can be difficult to know where to begin. Well, the first stop should be the bill. The bill should give you monthly breakdowns of expenditure and, in the absence of anything else, year-on-year consumption can be compared, i.e. the number of kWh of electricity or gas. Clearly, the figures need to be compared with the same time last year in order to see whether there are any significant unexplained increases (or decreases) in consumption. The reason is that comparing this September’s figure with last June’s will not give a meaningful comparison – consumption patterns are quite different between early autumn and early summer (even given the summer we have just had). Another immediate source of information is the Display Energy Certificate (DEC) that all publicly-funded schools are required to
produce each year. DECs are a snapshot of energy performance and should be at least broadly similar from year to year. By comparing this with previous years’ ratings it will become obvious whether energy performance is improving or not. In addition, DECs give an indication (although only a general one) of how well the school is doing compared to the ‘average’. Now school buildings do not tend to be ‘system built’, they tend to vary in age, layout, fabric, etc, but the DECs can at least give a general idea of energy efficiency levels. MONITORING & TARGETING The meters can be used to track consumption. That will give you information about how much energy is being used and also the pattern. Regular data-collecting and analysis will enable the patterns of consumption to be identified. This can then serve as a basis for action. This process is generally known as ‘Monitoring & Targeting’: find out the pattern of consumption, identify where it is excessive or anomalous and then take action to rectify the situation. M&T systems range from small spreadsheetbased options with manual data collection and input, right through to automatic M&T where the data collection is handled remotely
and sophisticated analysis is carried out in order to identify a range of options and reports. Automatic M&T (aM&T) is having an effect on energy management similar to the automation of office administration systems back in the 1990s. They eliminate the tedious, repetitive tasks and free users to take action. Their effectiveness has been recognised by the government who are incorporating them into the Building Regulations and the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – in which all publicly-funded schools have been included. Many of the newer aM&T systems are also approved to produce the annual DECs required by European (and UK) legislation. The consumption patterns can give an indication where immediate savings can be made. For instance, if consumption does not dip significantly once the school closes, then that might indicate equipment being left on unnecessarily. If the water meter indicates consumption during the night, that may indicate a leak somewhere or that, perhaps, the toilets are still on a standard flushing cycle 24 hours a day. Excessive heating may be caused by a stuck switch or thermostat on the boiler. PEAKS IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION Around March and October, there are often spikes in energy consumption caused by timeclocks not resetting themselves properly at the change between GMT and BST. In addition, most equipment will eventually drift from its original control E
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COST REDUCTION
Reducing energy use can cut emissions and improve resource efficiency. Many meters and energy management systems today can be accessed through PCs and this enables the subject to be brought into the classroom. E settings even and this can lead to loss of performance. Meter data can help identify this drift and check that corrective measures have indeed been effective. This highlights the importance of controls. Energy efficient equipment will still waste energy if used unnecessarily. Lighting that is on overnight or constantly illuminating storerooms still costs the school money which could be put to better use. In fact, lighting is one area where significant savings can be achieved. Most schools are aware of the value of replacing conventional lighting with low energy versions. However, there are also a range of control systems available – from simple timeswitches that ensure all the lighting goes off (apart from security lighting) after a certain time, through zoning controls, to occupancy sensing and daylight sensors. Different levels of lighting may also be appropriate for different areas – a lower level for corridors and storage areas
but higher levels for classrooms and other places where pupils are reading or writing. RENEWABLE ENERGY Many schools are looking at the feasibility of on-site renewable energy systems as a way to cut their emissions. There are grants available for some of these options as well. However, it is important to work out the relative merits of different projects. The government’s programme to promote micro-generation technologies via Feed In Tariffs (FITs) is based on a eight per cent return on investment (ROI). The new Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), based on 12 per cent ROI, has prompted wide interest and some investment. However, most energy efficiency technologies have a payback time just a fraction of those for on-site renewables, in some cases only a few months, giving an ROI often well over 30 per cent. This is not to suggest that energy efficiency
Sustainable building design solutions from Couch Perry & Wilkes In order to deliver an ultra-low energy education building, an exemplar design approach is required utilising the principles of PassivHaus design standards. Couch Perry Wilkes, a leading environmental building services consultancy is one of the first engineering consultancies in the UK to achieve PassivHaus designer accreditation and fully embrace these principles. Utilising PassivHaus design principles, CPW initially focuses on energy demand minimisation, achieved through a super air-tight building envelope design to prevent heat loss. This innovation reduces the requirement for active heating and cooling systems by more than 70 per cent in comparison to existing building stock, ultimately reducing running costs. A highly efficient building will also support education
establishments in securing the desired BREEAM ‘Very Good/Excellent’ rating whilst optimising the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This innovative passive design approach is demonstrable on current developments CPW is involved with, including the new £26m Sidney Stringer Academy in Coventry, and the University of Leicester’s Maurice Shock Building, designed using PassivHaus principles, amongst others. FOR MORE INFORMATION For further education case study examples and information, please visit www.cpwp.com
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and renewables are mutually exclusive. They can both play an important part in cutting emissions. Indeed, by reducing the overall consumption, energy efficiency measures can make investment in renewable technologies more viable and lead to shorter payback times. THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS Environmental protection, climate change and sustainability all feature in school syllabuses today. Energy management can be a practical way of exploring these subjects. Reducing energy use can cut emissions and improve resource efficiency. Many meters and energy management systems today can be accessed through PCs and this enables the subject to be brought into the classroom. Educating students to be mindful of energy and alert for opportunities to save energy can have multiple benefits. It helps the school to reduce its bills while engaging the whole student body in actively seeking ways to aid that process. It promotes environmental awareness amongst the students and teaches them strategies to avoid waste. And it may even improve energy efficiency in the home as students take their learning home. Attention to energy efficiency can benefit both the school and the wider community. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.esta.org.uk
Low carbon, energy saving LED lighting solutions LED 4 LIGHT specialises in low-carbon energy-saving LED lighting solutions for schools, offices, hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, factories, car parks – in fact any commercial building. With energy prices constantly on the rise, every business need to look at reducing their lighting costs. LED lighting offers the opportunity to reduce lighting bills and carbon usage by 70 per cent or more and is fast becoming the preferred choice for low energy lighting. It is also the most environmentallyfriendly lighting source available. LED lighting uses only a fraction (typically 1/3) of the electricity used by conventional lighting sources like halogen and fluorescent. In addition, LED lighting contains none of the toxic materials such as Mercury, which is found in all fluorescent lighting. LED 4 LIGHT is helping
businesses to significantly reduce the cost of running and maintaining their lighting and the same time demonstrate their commitment to the environment. With potential savings of between 65-80 per cent of your current costs, it is well worth looking into the advantages of LED lighting. FOR MORE INFORMATION If you would like to find out how your business could benefit from the switch to LED lighting e-mail us at enquiries@LED4light.co.uk and we can arrange a free, no obligation assessment of your current expenditure on lighting and calculate how much you could save by switching to LED.
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Energy efficiency – power in your hands
and system design, through to project management, planning, installation and commissioning, we are able to offer a truly unique proposition to our customers. Perpetum Sun can offer a variety of packages to suit your individual needs, offering full ownership of your system with substantial payback benefits through the Feed In Tariff scheme or help in obtaining finance to secure your greener future. If you prefer not to make such a capital investment you can simply opt for the free solar electricity package. FOR MORE INFORMATION If you would like further information or a free viability study please don’t hesitate to contact Perpetum Sun on 01482 227314 or by e-mail at info@perpetum.co.uk www.perpetum.co.uk
Prism Performance consultancy empowers your Academy to develop healthy Sustainable Business Margins. Our models provide essential data to reduce costs, energy consumption and carbon emissions whilst increasing revenues.
For more information please visit our web site or contact us via email: info@prismperformance.co.uk Sustainable Margin Development - the new business paradigm
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Perpetum Sun is a professional, well established company, specialising in the planning, design, provision and support of solar PV (photovoltaic) systems. Our mission is to provide solar systems to schools, colleges, universities, as well as commercial buildings and domestic homes. We provide a clean, stable and reliable energy source which can generate substantial financial benefits and reduce your carbon footprint. In our effort to guarantee efficiency and cost savings that are paramount, our highly experienced engineers evaluate all parameters of a project before the designing process begins. Elements such as orientation, structural stability and shadowing are taken into consideration to ensure that individual projects are tailored systems functioning at optimum efficiency. We believe that by offering a truly complete ‘turn-key’ solution from feasibility studies
now’s the time to get r FREE solar energy fo your school Generate your own solar energy The solar electricity market is rapidly growing in the UK, with excellent financial incentives guaranteed for 25 years and a high rate of return on investment. Solar PV systems are an economically sound choice for those seeking to reduce their electricity costs and help protect the environment for future generations.
Perpetum Sun are MCS accredited and a member of the REAL assurance scheme. We also guarantee the output of our systems to give you complete peace of mind.
At Perpetum Sun we understand the needs of schools and how best to design a system that will respond to their needs and expectations. Our expert team will work with you every step of the way from planning, design to installation and ongoing monitoring.
For more information and a free viability study call us today on 01482 227 314 or email us at info@perpetum.co.uk
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At the beginning of August, funding was released for us to install 180 solar panel arrays on schools just like yours completely free-of-charge. Contact us today and your school will benefit from: • FREE solar array worth up to £200,000 (50kWp) • FREE maintenance and insurance for 25 years • FREE electricity generated by the panels on your school roof • FREE display unit worth £1,000 • FREE educational materials to use in classes • Positive PR for your school
solar energy! Register now for FREE t: 01622 742735 education.co.uk e: hello@greenenergyfor Visit us at:
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Energy
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Club has given the children an insight into what improvements can be made to help the environment. They have been fully involved with litter campaigns, growing of produce, creating habitats for the wildlife, and relaying the latest news to the rest of the school by the school radio station.
CARBON REDUCTION
ENERGY ON THE SCHOOL AGENDA How can schools embed energy reduction and sustainability into the heart of school life, asks Jill Partington from Eco Schools In 2007, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) predicted that commercial CO2 emissions were projected to rise by 17 per cent between 2007 and 2025. DECC’s latest Carbon Reduction Commitment impact assessment also estimates that targeted bodies emit 53.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) launched in April 2010 covers both public and private sectors of the economy. It aims to help these sectors to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent relative to their 1990 level by 2050.
Carlton VC Lower School registered to become an Eco School with the aim to reduce waste, car emissions and energy usage, as well as utilise its grounds to benefit wildlife and the school community. As part of the measures, the school put together a travel plan to reduce the amount of school traffic and encourage pupils to walk or bike to school. The school records and tracks ts energy usage on a monthly basis and monitors light usage and litter. The school also recently organised a Big Tidy Up event to collect litter and tidy up the grounds and grows its own fruit and vegetables in its class gardens.
HOW CAN SCHOOLS REDUCE ENERGY USE? As a first step, schools could join Eco-Schools to reduce school emissions and to save money through reduced energy bills. Eco-Schools is an international award programme that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life. You are required to carry out an energy audit as part of your Environmental Review and then set targets for reducing unnecessary energy use through your action plan. Tips on doing a whole school action plan or an audit are available through a number of organisations, such as the Carbon Trust and the Energy Saving Trust.
INCREASING BIODIVERSITY An example of a school that’s improved its environmental credentials through Eco Schools is Brookside Primary School. The school gained a Green Flag Award for its environment garden. An unused part of the school field has been turned into a wildlife haven with habitats for birds, bats, bees, butterflies, ladybirds, hedgehogs, frogs, insects, wildlife shrubs, fruit trees, fruit bushes and raised vegetable beds. The aim was to produce a natural learning environment as the school is located in a council estate. The creation of raised vegetable beds has given the children the opportunity to learn about growing vegetables, cooking and using the produce in school meals. Setting up Eco Warriors and the Gardening
JOIN THE POD The Eco-schools energy topic is supported by EDF Energy through its schools programme the pod. It aims to make real and measureable improvements to the energy use of schools across the country. The Pod offers high-quality, cross-curricular teaching resources, including information packs, lesson plans, assemblies and templates, as well as a range of practical activities designed to be run either by a class or by an Eco-School committee. The Pod has many whole school projects and offers a place for teachers and pupils to share ideas, inspire each other and for parents and the local community to be greener. All Pod activities are accredited by Eco-Schools and will count towards the attainment of Bronze, Silver or Green Flag awards. Visit the website to see examples of how Eco-The Pod will be rerunning their national energy awareness campaign Switch-Off Fortnight this year from 21 November to 4 December. Taking part in Switch-Off Fortnight could not only help your school save money on its energy bills, but it is a fantastic way to get the whole school, as well as parents and the local community, involved in saving energy both in school and at home. What’s more, taking part in Switch-Off Fortnight can support your application for EcoSchools awards as it can be used as evidence towards Eco Schools compulsory energy topic. DISPLAY ENERGY CERTIFICATES As part of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, all state schools with a floor area of over 1000m2 are required to display a certificate which rates their energy use on a scale of A-G. The Display Energy Certificate (DEC) looks like the A-G rating you would expect to see when purchasing a new fridge or freezer. Schools have been required to provide details of their Display Energy Certificate (DEC) when applying for the Bronze, Silver or Green Flag awards since September 2010. This is so Eco-Schools can collect data to establish any trends. Currently, if your school floor area is under 1000m2, you’re not required to submit your DEC. As part of our work with the DECC, Eco-Schools has launched a brand new Energy Award to reward schools that can demonstrate energy savings of ten per cent or more. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.eco-schools.org.uk
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WASTE NOT WANT NOT. WaterSPY solution is here to help you conserve water and lower the cost of water bills.
S Smart meter reading 24/7 at low cost S Instant alarms for leaks S Ability to facilitate ‘Green Flag’ accreditation and much more...
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WATER MANAGEMENT
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WATERSPY TARGETS BETTER WATER MANAGEMENT Innovative technology that helps schools monitor and manage water consumption – while educating students in conservation strategies – is receiving top marks among governors and head teachers The WaterSPY solution, developed by MTS, takes lessons learned in industry to automate the collection of data about water usage and then analyses the output to report on flow trends and to identify unusual occurrences such as leakages. As a result, WaterSPY has already proven invaluable to schools on the road to achieving green flag accreditation for water conservation and efficiency. It’s also becoming a vital tool in reducing costly leaks. INSTANT INFORMATION The MTS WaterSPY solution is based on a low-power radio network that collects consumption data from each meter in the school using a non-inductive coupling device (TRAK) and a compact, remote automatic meter reading radio module (HomeRider) that sends information to a server. The network provides schools with the
The system server is accessible via a unique access code and password, allowing users instant access to water usage data and detailed management reports. WaterSPY has been well received by many schools, not only because of its direct day to day benefits but also for the contribution it can make to curriculum activities. For example it enlists the support of students in taking direct control of their school environment, empowering them to effect meaningful change in behaviour. LESSONS LEARNT Experience shows that quite often the lessons learnt within the school environment not only deliver significant benefits in very short timeframes, but that these beneficial habits also transfer to the homes of students. Colin Simpson (AInstAM (Dip), CSBM),
“Knowing how much water a school is using is the starting point for making informed decisions on water consumption and conservation. Being able to see how much water is used – and when it is used – provides a clear pathway to adapting behaviour, reducing consumption and saving money” – Graham Whittaker, MTS. ability to access instant and up to date information on water consumption in a browser environment via an internet portal. Graham Whittaker of MTS said: “Knowing how much water a school is using is the starting point for making informed decisions on water consumption and conservation. Being able to see how much water is used -– and when it is used – provides a clear pathway to adapting behaviour, reducing consumption and saving money.” Perhaps even more important in a school environment is the system’s leak detection capabilities. In the case of a leak, TRAK will receive pulses indicating the constant use of water, quickly highlighting situations when water consumption is out of the norm. Furthermore, the WaterSPY system provides instant alarms of any suspect leak, alerting schools to the potential for water damage and wastage.
business manager at The Churchill School in Kent described WaterSPY as “a brilliant solution which meets our needs to monitor water usage.” “We are now able to use the management information to reduce and understand consumption. Two large water leaks were identified by the system within a day of them occurring, which saved potentially thousands of pounds if we had waited for a water bill to arrive before acting. The online system and portal is secure, clear and easy to use. We cannot recommend MTS and WaterSPY highly enough.” MTS and Sensus are among the UK’s leading water measurement and management companies, designing sophisticated systems such as WaterSPY to monitor water consumption and usage. The technology is perfectly in tune with the age of the smart meter. Whereas
energy meters are often found inside the school building, the water meter is more often than not found at the boundary in a pit and sometimes near a busy road. Reading a water meter can, therefore, be dangerous or difficult to read, but once a WaterSPY is installed it becomes straightforward, automatic and value-adding in terms of data analysis and reporting. LEAKS From a leaks perspective, this remote system offers pay-back that quickly outweighs the installation cost. Far too often, leaks go undetected unless they become significant – in more than 30 per cent of WaterSPY installations in schools, the savings associated with the identification and resolution of leaks over a 12 month period have been greater than the cost of the solution – and in some cases by a wide margin. Return on investment in these cases can be measured in a few weeks, delivering significant savings and releasing budget to spend on books rather than wasted water. The MTS/Sensus partnership is borne out of a long and mutually beneficial business relationship and is founded on technological expertise that successful delivers a one stop shop. Proud of its ‘can do’ attitude, the partnership is ready to respond to any queries or questions. ADDING VALUE TO THE CURRICULUM Not only is WaterSPY an invaluable tool in helping to save money and improve the environment, it has also proven to be a great educational resource. In one local school, MTS has not only installed the WaterSPY system, it has also provided interactive lessons to KS2 pupils, teaching the importance of water and conservation strategies. This provides a real insight into water bills and calculating the cost of water, in line with recent government focus (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/8903). For secondary school pupils, the MTS school pack provides a mature and engaging approach, with the ‘cost of water’ focus offering an important insight into future independent living and all that goes with it. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01491 681688 Fax: 01491 681076 mts@meter.co.uk www.meter.co.uk
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“One thing is certain – nothing stays the same. So it’s good to have solid specialist support.” Bruce Doy, Business Manager at The Boswells School.
For Bruce, like anyone else managing a school, change is always on the horizon. So his local Relationship Manager’s in-depth knowledge of the education sector is very important to him. All our school clients benefit from this locally-based expertise, as well as: • Direct access to a local specialist support team • A best value package of services, support and products • Discounts on ParentPay – an innovative service which provides a cashless online payment system for schools and parents.
To see if our service impresses you as much as it has Bruce, visit www.lloydstsb.com/schoolbanking or call us on 0800 681 6078.
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school business managers and finance directors who have a strong background in accountancy, banking or procurement. It is a challenge of the modern era that head teachers have to be part academic, part CEO. Those with the appetite to partner with other schools and become trusts are already finding that they can share resources to create important new roles such as learning mentors and welfare support. Using current funding intelligently to set the school up as an ‘improved’ offering is definitely one way forward but, like most small businesses, most schools will need to up their game in other areas, such as how they market what they have achieved and have to offer. There has been a lot of renewed criticism of the accelerated academy process and plenty of groups of parents and teachers opposing applications and even threatening legal action. From our experience of working with converting schools, it is those undertaking an open and honest consultation process, answering concerns and laying out a clear plan of the school’s proposals and post conversion goals which have met with least opposition. The concerns and criticism do need to be heard and addressed – they can even help shape the school’s eventual direction and stimulate fresh interest in the running of the academy – certainly energising the governors or parent body at a time when many schools battle with apathy in terms of attracting fresh faces to the board of governors.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
BECOMING MORE BUSINESS-SAVVY With the financial freedom that comes with being academy, converting schools will need to become more business-savvy, urges Ian Buss, head of education at Lloyds TSB Commercial While the number of schools converting to academies continues to gather pace, a new business sector is being created. While schools are definitely still schools, the greater numbers that convert in each region are creating a critical mass of what also amount to new businesses; buying services, taking on people with new skills, developing premises and educating our children. Of course, these services used to be procured by the local authority and in some instances there will not be a huge amount of change, but the financial freedom that comes with being academy – not to mention the additional cash from the Local Authority Central Spend Equivalent Grant (LACSEG), means that these new organisations are currently looking further afield for best value. While many are finding their feet with
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this new responsibility and independence, others are joining forces to share facilities, staff, improve their buying power and secure their futures. It is the decisions taken now, as hundreds of schools continue to seek academy status, which will ultimately define how well this new era of school financing is perceived by politicians, teachers and parents. COPING WITH THE EXTRA BURDEN Many critics of the academy system point to the fact the LACSEG is based on pupil numbers and not the actual costs incurred and ask how schools will cope with this significant financial and administrative burden. The answer for academies lies in becoming more business-savvy. We have already seen a marked increase in the appointment of
BANKING REVIEW Once the loftier aspirations have been discussed, schools need to take a look at the nitty gritty, the costs. Continuing without a full review of costs and suppliers is pointless when you have just taken on fresh financial maneuverability. Many schools are also taking this as an opportunity to review existing banking arrangements or explore their own banking partners for the first time. Whatever your reasons for reviewing banking, it is an excellent time to examine your financial processes and seek a partner that has experience in a changing sector and can offer additional support to your management team – not least by bringing real life examples of the triumphs and issues of schools which have already converted. For those that don’t already embrace it, electronic banking is one simple change which can make a huge difference. The security and flexibility offered by on-line banking is a huge benefit over the old chequeing system. The ability to have dual authorisation on payments without the approvers needing to be in the building ensures that payments can be made at times convenient to you. When switching to electronic banking your next aim is to encourage – or even insist on – parents moving away from the use of cash and cheques. E
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT E OVERCOMING BARRIERS The biggest objection in moving to a system allowing parents to pay on-line or by PayPoint cards is the appearance of the fees attached to these systems. These costs are often more psychological than real barriers. Transaction costs should be balanced up against the ‘hidden’ staff time costs of collecting funds, chasing funds, counting and banking the cheques and cash and ensuring the records are constantly up to date. How much time is spent in your school on cash and cheques and the associated accounting? Multiply those hours by the hourly rate of the staff member carrying out the tasks and the benefits of the electronic systems may become apparent. The ‘social’ benefits of removing cash from the playground can also be high – less or no cash in the playground can help reduce bullying. A study by ParentPay showed that
reduction in intake numbers can have a significant detrimental impact on income over the years as this compounds. Creating or joining a group or federation can help address some of these concerns. For instance, a secondary school which teams up with primary schools nearby can not only scale up and reduce costs through group purchasing and shared resources but also strengthen the feeder relationship by having common focus and values. The sharing of resources locally can open up the opportunity for a wider choice of sports and music by enabling the employment of specialist staff that can focus purely on their topic over a number of schools. COMMUNICATION One area that schools can look to increase funds for particular projects is through parent and local fund raising. Often
Remember that whatever needs your school has, your relationship with your professional advisors will become more crucial for schools acting independently. It’s important to choose partners that understand the education system and understand your local area. in secondary schools up to 50 per cent of the dinner money handed over the breakfast table never makes it to the schools’ bank account. The Department for Education has indicated that there is still little appetite to allow schools to borrow, even following the conversion to academy, as debt held by schools counts towards the national debt. This means the need to break even or attempt to make surpluses each year will continue to be challenging, especially in this era of austerity. As mentioned, schools need to consider how they market themselves to their catchment areas as a relatively small
schools are still using the same methods of fund raising and communication of events as they have always done. How many schools use social media to communicate with parents and the local community? Whether we like it or not, these are becoming the communications platforms of choice for most pupils and an increasing proportion of parents. It has to be handled carefully but a Facebook page or Twitter feed can be great, lowcost channels to market the school, its successes and its fund raising activities. An area that is overlooked by many
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is the ability to register the school fund account as a charity paving the way to claiming back gift aid. Gift aid can be a great boost to fund raising efforts. Further afield, the school’s relationship with local newspapers can impact significantly on its relationship with the wider community. A good relationship with your local daily and weekly paper is a great way to promote the school – you need to accept the need to communicate with them during bad times as well in order to have any chance of seeing a positive news story appear when you have them. SOURCING ADVICE Many of these topics, and two great examples of federations, feature in our publication, the Lloyds TSB Commercial Academy Guide. Researched, written and produced in collaboration with experts from leading law firm Veale Wasbrough Vizards, accountants Baker Tilly and the National Association of School Business Managers (NASBM), the guide explores the processes, benefits and potential pitfalls of becoming an academy or federation with relevant case studies of a number of schools. An on-line copy is available from www. lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking or a hard copy from your local Lloyds specialist education relationship manager. Remember that whatever needs your school has, your relationship with your professional advisors will become more crucial for schools acting independently. It’s important to choose partners that understand the education system and understand your local area. Lloyds TSB have helped and work with more than 60 per cent of all converter academies and are committed to a network of local and specialist eduction relationship managers. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Ian.Buss@lloydstsb.co.uk Twitter @ianbuss
Alliotts – providers of specialist advice and support to schools Alliotts is a 14 partner practice with offices in central London and Guildford, servicing clients throughout the UK. Our experienced and knowledgeable team of specialists provide advice and services to a wide range of clients in the education sector, including academies, state schools and independent schools. We focus on the unique needs of the sector and the highly regulated environment in which it operates. Through our understanding of the challenges that the sector faces we are able to deliver workable solutions to our clients. We ensure that our clients are aware of the changes affecting them and enable
importance we utilise our specialist skills and expertise to deliver cost effective services that make a positive impact. Regardless of size, our clients benefit from the advice and experience of a dedicated partner, and it is this factor that means that they receive real value for money.
them to adjust their internal processes to accommodate these. We have also advised and assisted a number of schools on the process of converting to academy status. In a sector where finance is of critical
FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 020 7240 9971 (London) Tel: 01483 533119 (Guildford) Fax: 020 7240 9692 (London) Fax: 01483 537339 (Guildford) stephen.meredith@alliotts.com www.alliotts.com
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Looking for an accountant that understands Academies?
For more information on how Dains LLP can guide you through the conversion process and beyond contact: academies@dains.com or call Andy Morris on 0845 555 8844.
much more than chartered accountants... •charity audit•training & support for governors •establishing financial function•managing surpluses •payroll
0845 555 8844 www.dains.com Registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
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HELP IS AT HAND FOR ACADEMY SCHOOLS Andy Morris, head of the Charity and Education team at accountants & business advisers Dains LLP, looks at the challenge that converting schools now face and the support available “Every school is different because the experience of people working within each school varies dramatically. Some schools require support in establishing a financial function and the staff working within it, others are past this point but require assistance in choosing the right software options and considering payroll solutions,” says Andy. “Choosing advisers to work alongside is not a straightforward decision – it’s very easy to fall into the trap of picking a firm that can deal with the audit requirements of the academy but very little else. We believe that by being involved on a more frequent basis, we can help academies to make high quality business decisions in the same way that our corporate clients do. “Many of our clients seek guidance before making investment decisions so that they can ensure they have considered all options. It’s as important to consider long term cashflow as it is to consider the background behind a major purchase. “With some careful planning, we can help our clients build a sensible financial plan that works in the long term and protects the interests of all stakeholders.
governance, which very often results in inefficiency and delays in making decisions. At Dains we believe that helping clients is at the heart of what we do as opposed to being a remote adviser who completes an independent audit once a year.” Fellow partner at Dains LLP, Lisa Richards, chair of Derbyshire ProHelp, a network of professional firms providing advice and support to charities and not for profit entities, believes that academies require more support: “There is a lack of real help available when it comes to financial advice and support. The academies handbook and the DfE website will only get you so far – sometimes there is just no substitute to picking up the phone or having a meeting with your trusted adviser. “We are enjoying the challenge of supporting academies – the learning curve can be steep but with the right level of interest and help, it’s surprising how quickly things come together. Once the accounting function is established we can really start to get stuck into day to day commercial issues and ensure the smooth running of the academy. “There’s no substitute for hard work
Lisa Richards
With some careful planning, we can help our clients build a sensible financial plan that works in the long term and protects the interests of all stakeholders. This is a particularly useful exercise to consider upon conversion – especially if the academy needs to access surplus funds.” Having worked within the charity sector for almost 20 years, Andy recognises that there are cultural differences between academies and businesses. “It’s vital that advisers recognise and adapt to the culture of the client. We work hard to support our clients so that they understand the roles and responsibilities for trustees and also to establish good governance. Decisions need to be made every day and it is core to the success of the academy that heads, teachers, bursars and business managers understand what they can and can’t do without reference to the trustees. “Unfortunately, not all advisers are proactive in this area – this can lead to poor
and rigour at the outset and we like to be alongside clients throughout this process. This is in keeping with our cultural values of being empathetic to our clients and working together to achieve our clients’ objectives. Last week our team spent an afternoon on site at a school converting to academy status to decide on the most appropriate accounting software package to adopt, later on in the week our team was advising another school on payroll and HR support. It’s great to be involved and really see the benefit of spending time with our client – long before we start the audit work.” Lisa believes that choosing the right adviser is something to consider early on in the conversion process: “By being involved early on in the process we can deliver our support when it is most needed. Although
Andy Morris
auditors will not be required on site for some time – it is worth thinking about the support your financial function will need as a whole. Time spent now can help academies avoid some of the problems that others have had in managing cashflow, producing budgets, running payroll, and so on. Our advice is to seek advice from a team that understands academies and has the technical competence to deal with charity audit work but more than anything else, recognises the need to work closely with the academy and trustees.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information please contact Andy Morris or Lisa Richards on 0845 5558844 or e-mail: academies@dains.com
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Curriculum Written by Jonathan Clitheroe, lead consultant, RIO Schools Service
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
HOW SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CAN ENRICH LEARNING The pressure to make a school’s curriculum innovative is ever present, but one approach is rising to the challenge, focusing on real world learning to get results, writes Jonathan Clitheroe In today’s ever changing education landscape, one word remains firmly on educationalists’ lips – curriculum. At a time when funding cuts and policy shifts have put the squeeze on our schools, we seem to be simultaneously expecting more from our curriculums than ever before. Schools need to engage pupils more effectively, be increasingly innovative, introduce leadership skills and get better results; it’s a tall order. However this unique situation affords a unique opportunity: the chance to create a purposeful curriculum that is inspiring and rewarding for pupils, while delivering additional benefits to schools, and it’s done by embedding challenges at the curriculum’s heart. THE REAL WORLD By taking more traditional, cyclical topics and tightening them on a real world challenge, schools can add focus and motivation to the creative learning process. What’s more, if this challenge is grounded in social enterprise principles – using business thinking to make a difference to people and the environment – the process becomes authentic. Pupils not only think, they do; applying their skills, knowledge and artistic exploration in a way that takes their learning beyond the classroom and grounds it – making it tangible, real and consequently more effective. Introducing this mentality of social enterprise thinking, from which to build focused real world challenges, is not as difficult as it might seem. Many schools already undertaking socially entrepreneurial activity– charity fundraisers, Christmas fairs, summer fetes and more. By taking that activity and the principles behind it, then drawing it into the learning process rather than seeing it as a bolt on, it’s possible to build a purposeful curriculum that feels inherent. SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Year 5 and 6 pupils are perfectly placed to start engaging with social enterprise; they are capable, excited and passionate about helping people, with a strong sense of ethics underpinning their thought processes. In a recent overhaul of their curriculum,
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Crocketts Primary School in Birmingham has done just that. Although already running an outstanding, skills-based Curriculum, the school wanted to redevelop their approach to learning with a focus on pupil voice, community cohesion and innovation. Developing and using social enterprise learning challenges as a focus, their curriculum was reshaped with the School’s goals in mind. For example, an author study topic was turned into a youth-led literacy event, with young people organising and running the activity, working with Waterstones as sponsors, producing writing for a clear purpose and raising funds to buy new library books. This one example also highlights another benefit of introducing real world learning challenges. By embedding a social enterprise momentum at the core of the learning process, schools can open up new connections with businesses, charities and community groups, building opportunities which create mutual benefit and ensuring that children’s learning has an actual impact on the outside world. What’s more, it can lead to selffinancing aspects too, the creation of new income streams driven by young people as they begin to shape and contribute to the growth and resources of their school. NURTURING LEADERSHIP SKILLS By engaging in socially entrepreneurial activity and playing a role in the development of their school, young people’s leadership skills are also nurtured. They become active citizens, more aware of how business actions and decisions affect the world around them, from their friends family and community, to wider social and environmental issues. This was certainly the case in Plymouth, where Widewell Primary School’s implementation of real world learning challenges led to its pupils’ developing Fair and Wide, a community market which showcased local producers and advocated for locally sourced, ethical produce. The pupils were responsible for everything from the initial research, to approaching potential vendors, booking pitches and promoting the event. They even made products of their own, building the school’s
relationship with local businesses and learning more about the process small producers go through to get a product to market. The Fare and Wide markets were a huge success, providing a platform for local businesses to sell their produce and interact with the community directly. Through the markets, Widewell’s pupils gathered feedback on their own products too, before developing them further. Widewell’s sausages are now regularly on sale at Moostone Meats and the pupils have secured a contract with the National Marine Aquarium Plymouth to supply them with their ice cream. Pupils prepared their pitch, met with the buyers at the Aquarium, won the business and negotiated the profit share. Their strategy is to build the distribution network still further and feed more products in as the business grows. Throughout the project, Widewell School has not only built sustainable links with local businesses and the community, the school has set up its own pupil-led social enterprise venture which has the potential to grow. On top of that, the pupils involved all have increased levels of confidence and higher aspirations and a sense of real achievement as a result. TAKING LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASS The beauty of introducing social enterprise learning challenges into the curriculum is E
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By taking more traditional, cyclical topics and tightening them on a real world challenge, schools can add focus and motivation to the creative learning process. E that it not only takes learning beyond the classroom, it takes the impact of that learning outside of the school arena too. This becomes increasingly apparent at secondary school level, where this sort of challenge-based learning can become a vehicle for real change. Over the last year Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) has been piloting a brand new standalone qualification in social enterprise, designed to enable learners to make positive social change while learning business basics. The idea is that through the Social Enterprise Qualification, (SEQ), a new raft of socially-minded entrepreneurs will take shape, set to change the way we do business locally, nationally and globally. Trialled in 50 schools, youth groups and learning organisations across the UK, China and Uganda, SEQ is all about learning through doing, enabling learners to hone in on the social issues important to them and empowering them to address those issues through sound business practice. Working at SEQ bronze level, sisters Fahima and Masuma of Truro College, Cornwall,
set up their own henna-painting social enterprise, Red Henna. The venture, which developed their creative thinking, planning skills and confidence offered henna tattoos to customers, raising awareness of Indian traditions to improve local community cohesion, while benefitting young people further afield. Red Henna decided to donate 25 per cent of their profits to Muslim Hands, a charity which helps children in need through education, disaster relief, community schemes and environmental projects. GAINING QUALIFICATIONS Fahima and Masuma are a great example of how social enterprise thinking can enliven the curriculum. By being able to explore a subject they were passionate about, the sisters’ learning experience was enhanced, their interest peaked, their skills deepened and their confidence boosted. SEQ is able to do this because of the way it is run. Focused on self-delivery, the idea is to train up SEQ mentors in each setting so that they have the knowledge, resources and connections to be
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able to support young people in their ventures. The professional development of teachers is certainly one of the additional benefits of the qualification. Through SEQ teachers are given the opportunity to train in social enterprise learning, connect with other teachers also interested in making the curriculum real and purposeful and build up their own professional network of established social enterprises and businesses through which they can enhance the learning of their pupils. “Delivering SEQ was a positive experience,” explains Greg Webb, teacher at Eggbuckland Community College, and trained SEQ mentor. “It is a practical qualification which made it more engaging for students and mentors.” At Greg’s school, this all round engagement yielded significant results. Choosing bullying as their social cause to tackle, a group of year 12 vocational students created a bullying awareness campaign and designed and sold silicon wristbands to promote the school’s anti-bullying policy. Funds raised through the sales were donated to Bullies Out, a national charity which provides support to individuals, schools and communities affected by bullying. Through product design, market research, sales strategies and project management, the students raised the profile of bullying as an issue with fellow pupils, increased their employability by learning valuable business skills, and supported an important charity working on a cause close to their hearts into the bargain. On top of that, through supporting the students to work through SEQ and turn their campaign idea into a reality, Greg enhanced his own social enterprise knowledge and practice. ENHANCING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE It’s clear that at both primary and secondary level, embedding social enterprise challenges into the curriculum works. From focused, switched-on learners to upskilled teachers, from strengthened community relationships to genuine positive social change, the impact of real purposeful learning ripples out far beyond the classroom it starts in. Whether it’s year 5 ethical markets or year 12 social campaigns, young people are hungry to explore and develop ways that they can make a difference and that enthusiasm and energy should be seized upon, so they can not only learn through doing, but they can go on to be the social enterpreneurs of the future. So that with their new skills and understanding developed through a challenge-based, purpose-driven curriculum they can go on to forge a new way of doing business, with people, planet and profit at its core. It’s a big shift, but if we start embedding social enterprise now we could create a generation primed to change the world for the better. Isn’t that a challenge worth taking on? L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.realideas.org/seq
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LEARNING PLATFORMS
COLLABORATING VIA THE PLATFORM Learning Platforms have received a mixed reception by schools over recent years. BESA director Ray Barker reviews their arrival into the education sector and considers the requirements necessary to achieve a successful implementation It was just before Christmas in 2006, when the government announced funding for its learning platform (LP) framework agreement. Defined by Becta as combining ‘several functions, such as organising, mapping and delivering curriculum activities and the facility for learners and teachers to have a dialogue about the activity, all via ICT’ the term ‘learning platform’ became the umbrella term for managed learning environments
(MLE) and virtual learning environments (VLE). Ultimately the learning platform framework was set up to help schools and colleges meet the government’s target of providing all learners with an online personalised learning space by 2008. However, five years on and there are as many schools not using their learning platform effectively, as there are success stories. So where did it all go wrong?
“The most fundamental part of a successful learning platform implementation is based on the school understanding how to achieve a system that is most appropriate for their establishment” – Dylan Jones, managing director, itslearning.
BARRIERS TO SUCCESS The Becta document, entitled ‘An Introduction to Learning Platforms’ was aimed at ensuring schools invested wisely. It outlined best practice procurement advice including: ‘Know why you want a learning platform, be confident and clear in your vision, procure carefully, formulate clear questions to ask suppliers, know that the learning platform will relate to the other systems you want it to, make the learning platform belong to your organisation and plan your implementation.’ All good advice. However it was the section on training and change management that turned out to be the most fundamental. Becta stated that ‘The extent of the training needs that a learning platform will impose on an organisation and all users of the system should not be underestimated.’ Never a truer word had been spoken. While the Becta framework provided schools with a list of ten approved suppliers who were deemed to deliver high-quality, value-for-money learning platform services, it appears that the level of training, advice, guidance and change management provided was not standardised. Dylan Jones, managing director of LP provider itslearning and BESA member comments: “Our ethos has always been about change management and training, which is possibly why we are one of the few remaining successful learning platform providers. The most fundamental part of a E
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“In today’s multi-media environment it is vital to enrich each student’s visual experience to stimulate their learning. The visual aspect of all learning has to be engaging to students, and the power of rich media should never be underestimated” – Chris Silverton, VLE co-ordinator at Ninesiles School. E successful learning platform implementation is based on the school understanding how to achieve a system that is most appropriate for their establishment. We have seen many schools using alternative systems ineffectively. This is always down to a lack of sufficient guidance, training and change management offered by the LP provider. The implementation of a learning platform can deliver a positive transformation for schools, and suppliers need to recognise this.” LEARNING PLATFORM TAKE-UP Certainly some schools do get this support and many do run effective platforms across their learning environment. However, research carried out by BESA in May 2009 showed
that only 42 per cent of primary school teachers were using learning platforms and 22 per cent of primary schools had no plans to implement one. The initiative fared better with secondary schools, with 67 per cent using a learning platform and a further 29 per cent stating that they would be implementing one later that year. Only four per cent of secondary respondents to the BESA survey stated that they did not plan to make use of a learning platform in the future. For many schools there is a perfectly good reason that they haven’t yet rolled out their learning platform. All Saints Catholic School and Technology College in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham invested in Moodle at the height of the learning platform framework agreement. Headteacher, Kevin
Wilson explains why they have yet to fully implement their system. “Moodle requires development to each school’s requirements but ours was never properly developed. This was largely due to the imminence of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. We put all the investment in development on hold because I did not want to spend our budget on something that might be short term, only to be changed by a managed service partner. BSF held us back seriously and then disappeared!” Kevin continues: “We are undertaking a major review of the purpose and nature of homework. At the heart of this is using a LP as the vehicle for delivery. A member of ICT staff has completed training in July. She will train subject staff next term. Parents will be a key element to the success of the project so they will be included in the launch.” SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATIONS Looking at a school which is already using their learning platform, Chris Silverton, VLE co-ordinator at Ninestiles School, Birmingham summarises his view on how to achieve a successful implementation: “In today’s multimedia environment it is vital to enrich each student’s visual experience to stimulate their learning. The visual aspect of all learning has to be engaging to students, and the power of rich media should never be underestimated.” E
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Ubiquitous Cuts through the Cloud to Offer Education Sector a Viable IT Solution Financially constrained school IT departments across the country can take advantage of a new Cloud Computing hardware and software solution from Technical Services called Ubiquitous. The organisation, part of Commercial Services, is offering education establishments the opportunity to benefit from this latest development in computing services solutions. Ubiquitous provides full IT solutions that address many of the challenges faced by the cash strapped public sector. Technical Services offers benefits to the education sector at a number of levels and is working within the sector to upgrade complete systems and take the onerous and time-consuming aspects of IT care to a new level of managed service. Technical Services is able to provide new hardware and software solutions including cloud based and dedicated on-site servers. The advantage of a cloud based system for servers is increased data security, off-site
back-up, and regaining the physical space traditionally used by servers. One of the primary benefits for the education sector will be enabling schools to increase the number of computer monitors and laptop computers available to pupils while maintaining budgets. Ubiquitous also has the ability to help this sector reach its environmental goals through reduced carbon footprint. The necessity for constant power to the servers and dedicated air-conditioning systems is removed as the servers go off-site. Chris Geary, Head of Business Solutions for Technical Services said, “Being part of Kent County Council provides us with a strong knowledge base of the education sector. We understand many of the challenges faced by the sector.” Mr Geary continued, “This knowledge allows us to provide a completely hosted or partially hosted service designed around the specific needs of education establishments.
In some cases we have been able to double the amount of desk based workstations without increasing the actual IT spend.” Key benefits for education include longer lifecycle of hardware, reduced software licence costs, secure automated off-site back up of information and the flexibility of allowing students to work remotely from other locations. Environmental benefits include increased energy efficiency, a typical Ubiquitous Sun Ray unit consumes about 20w per hour (including server power consumed), compared with the average PC which is around 150w, providing an 86% power saving.
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LEARNING PLATFORMS About BESA BESA, the British Educational Suppliers Association, is the trade association representing over 300 educational suppliers in the UK, including manufacturers and distributors of equipment, materials, books, consumables, furniture, technology, ICT hardware and digital-content related services to the education market. With 75 years of experience, BESA offers unparalleled support, research, events and advice on both UK and International markets, and the future of the education supplies industry. BESA is focused on promoting and providing support and advice to their members, the industry and to schools. BESA has a Code of Practice to which all members must adhere, along with a stringent membership process, both of which assure buyers of a high standard of quality in both product and customer service.
E Students at Ninestiles, who use a Frog learning platform, refer to their learning by the images or characters that illustrate the activity. Chris continues: “Organising the learning into a more logical structure contributes to student engagement but it is also important to incorporate a less formal aspect to the LP. Integrating the learning with student information such as their timetable, club announcements, lunch menus and of course a social media aspect to ensure students can communicate with their peers is attractive to students.” Using other schools’ ideas and experiences is something that Phil Spoors, head of ICT at Cramlington Learning Village, Northumberland wisely did: “We learned a lot and saved ourselves a lot of time by taking other schools’ ideas,” explains Phil. They then set up a team of staff from different areas of school such as administration, senior management, technicians, governors and of course teachers to decide what was needed in the LP. Phil continues: “Another decision that has been fundamental in the success of our platform was that all other ICT systems used in the school are now accessed through the platform. This ensures that students and staff have to engage with the system every day and are therefore more likely to use all the features available.” LEARNING FROM MISTAKES Understanding the number of mistakes that had been made by many schools, Eastfield Primary school in Northamptonshire is another example of a school who wanted to ensure they got it right. Headteacher, Chris Hill explains their path to implementing a successful learning platform: “Eastfield is a part of Northampton’s Area Improvement Partnership (AIP), which
was established to promote effective collaboration between schools in the area to raise educational standards. “Twenty schools in the AIP worked together to visit each other and review the learning platforms currently used in each school. We all fed back our thoughts, not just on the platform itself but how it was used in each school. “As a result of the review, it was decided that we’d implement the platform itslearning. The most important aspect of a successful implementation is, in my view, having the time to drive the project. As headteacher I ensured that I could put aside several hours a week to steer the implementation forward. I was also fortunate enough to have motivated staff in the school who, once they had been trained, were very enthusiastic to use it. GAINING FEEDBACK Chris Hill continues: “At first we didn’t know what content we’d have on the platform. So we have regular training days and once a month the staff meeting is focused on everyone giving feedback on the learning platform. It is all about finding the time for the staff to share ideas, provide feedback and suggest new ways of using the system; this has to be done on an on-going basis. Like any technology it is about keeping it refreshed to ensure the content evolves in line with the school. “Starting at the basic level, we have each item of coursework on the learning platform which is linked to the topic work, any relevant websites and related homework activities. “We also now have our worry boxes on the learning platform, where children can add in a note on anything they are particularly worried about. Historically this was done with actual boxes in the corridors but the children
found it easier to log their concerns online. “Other things that we have on the learning platform, of which are all ideas that came from the teaching staff, include discussion boards where the children can comment on things such as films they may have watched at film club, song lists for the school choir so they can practice their music at home and Eastfield TV which was set up to involve the parents in the school. Eastfield TV is a feature which enables the parents to see video clips of school activities such as assemblies, or festivals so they can become more involved in their child’s learning. Recently we have invited the children to vote on our school values. From a possible list of 22 values, the children can vote for their favourite two and from this, ten school values will be agreed. “As soon as we rolled it out across the school, the children’s reaction was enough to make all the work worthwhile. “To a certain extent success is more about the content than the platform itself. However our children do love the look and feel of the itslearning platform and possibly the most important fact is that it is easy to use. Teachers do update the information on the platform on a daily basis including, for example, setting homework but because they are so busy and the system is so easy to use we let the children get involved by posting comments such as club information.” So the future for learning platforms appears to be bright. BESA’s 2011 research revealed that there has been a notable increase in the number of school indicating they are well resourced with learning platforms. Most notable has been the increase between 2008 and 2010, where those indicating being well-resourced with learning platforms doubled on average E
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LEARNING PLATFORMS E to 42 per cent (primary 44 per cent, secondary 52 per cent). However for primary schools the view was relatively polarised with 49 per cent feeling that by 2013 they would continue to be under-resourced. This leaves almost half of primary schools being underresourced in learning platform technology. The position of secondary schools is also stabilising, with 52 per cent currently feeling well-resourced. A further 30 per cent had expected to be in this position by 2012, leaving fewer than a quarter under-resourced by 2012. This suggests that schools have re-assessed their view on learning platforms over the last year. Ray Barker concludes: “BESA discovered that the key reasons for schools’ failure to effectively implement learning platforms were lack of guidance from local authorities, not enough training for teaching and support staff, and concerns over access for pupils without a computer and internet connection at home. The results did indicate that the majority of schools recognise the importance of the policy, but also that the challenges they face with regard to implementation will be difficult for them to overcome. These are not to do with the technology itself, but rather to do with organisational, communication and financial issues.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.besa.org.uk
University of Manchester benefits from web-based IUMIS EPoS solution M EB 98 12
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The University of Manchester is benefiting from having greater real-time management information available after installing Uniware’s web-based IUMIS EPoS solution across 40 terminals in the university’s FoodOnCampus outlets. One of the major benefits of using IUMIS is the amount of information that the university now has at its fingertips enabling swifter action to be taken. For instance, through the data provided, the catering department can build up a more detailed pattern of the sales at each outlet. This has resulted in wastage levels being monitored more closely, its product range being refined and opening and closing times changed in-line with demand levels. Saqab Rasul, the university’s project manager, explains: “We have been impressed with the flexibility within the system. It’s helping us work smarter and more
efficiently, particularly as we have been able to cut down on the paper-based reporting which has also saved us time in the process.” Mike Brand, managing director of Uniware, adds: “The university is the largest in the UK with a vast range of catering outlets. In this situation a web-based solution really makes sense because the data becomes more accessible and it eradicates much of the on-site IT support associated with a traditional software system.” FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 07704 591318 Fax: 01634 292840 andrew.markwell@ uniware.co.uk www.uniware.co.uk www.upay.co.uk
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E-LEARNING
MRI SCANS FOR SCHOOLS
If used correctly, learning platforms can have many benefits: engaging students, empowering teachers, improving efficiencies – the list goes on. However, simply spending money on technology is not a guaranteed recipe for success The barrier that many schools face is having an idea of what they want to achieve, and the technology that allows them to achieve it, but no idea of how the two link together to enable true success. Speak to any school, and you will find they are asking the same questions when it comes to driving school improvement: • How do we save time? • How do we save/make money? • How do we improve behaviour? • How do we increase the use of technology in school? • How do we improve learning? FROG’S SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME Partially driven by the demise of government quango Becta, and partially because it was about time they did something about it, Frog has spent the last 12 months developing answers to these questions, and has launched Frog’s School Improvement Programme. The core of the programme is Frog’s School Improvement Framework; a free online tool, available in Frog, that lets leaders measure and evaluate how the school is performing. It is a guide to help identify areas of improvement. The school can use the tool to get an overview of what they need to focus on; creating a living action plan that aligns to the school’s own improvement plans. There is also a social network available where schools can create groups, collaborate and discuss ideas with other schools. The framework also brings a wealth of real implementation experience from hundreds of schools, in to a powerful resource bank that is made available to every Frog customer. SELF ASSESSMENT Designed to facilitate ongoing improvement for all schools at all levels, Frog’s School Improvement Framework offers an online self-assessment tool, helping the school to assess its strengths and weaknesses in its use of the learning platform. From here, the school can develop a realistic development plan to drive their online learning forward. This is assisted by Frog Trumps – real-life ideas and solutions that schools have developed and shared amongst the Frog community. REAL SCHOOLS, REAL IDEAS Already, schools have submitted over 200 Frog Trumps, covering everything from improving behaviour, through to saving money, through to boosting Ofsted scores.
“It really helped us refocus and assess where we are on our learning platform journey. We are really pleased with the impact it is having on our students’ attainment and our overall standards at the school” – Anne Louise Payne, deputy head teacher at Howard of Effingham School. Lucy Evans, head of school improvement at Frog, explains how Frog is different to other learning platform providers: “We are committed to ensuring that schools have the right support to drive improvement across the entire school, the technology is secondary. “The framework is underpinned by our dedicated school improvement team. From the very start, the team will work with the school to drive school excellence, offering tailored advice around what the school wants to achieve and how they can achieve it.” CUSTOMER FEEDBACK Anne-Louise Payne, deputy head teacher at the Howard of Effingham School in Surrey, took part in the initial pilot of the programme: “It really helped us refocus and assess where we are on our learning platform journey. We are really pleased with the impact it is having on our students’ attainment and our overall standards at the school.”
Greg Hughes, assistant principal at The De Ferrers Academy in Staffordshire, added: “Frog’s School Improvement Programme is like having an MRI scan for your learning platform. It shows you what you’ve got, but also identifies the problems you might not realise you had.” Phil Spoors, head of ICT at Cramlington Learning Village in Northumberland, agrees: “It has genuinely helped us identify areas that we can improve and expand on. As a consequence of using this Framework we have already implemented a number of schemes to help us improve what we offer to our school community via our learning platform.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01422 250800 Fax: 01422 354232 hello@frogtrade.com www.frogtrade.com
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Mike Ayres Design For a complete range of sensory resources and soft play Multi level softplay
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TRANSITION BETWEEN SCHOOLS
The transition between primary and secondary school for children with special educational needs can be a complex process. Lorraine Petersen advises on how to make it as smooth as possible Moving from one school to another is a major event in a child’s life and the transition from primary to secondary school is especially challenging for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In research conducted in 2005, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) found that there can be a decline in motivation and engagement with learning following transition. The research found that the reasons for this included anxiety around settling in, difficulty to adjusting to new routines and learning how to cope with a range of teachers and different expectations. For SEN pupils these issues are often intensified and when transition is managed inadequately the effects can be damaging and long-lasting, leading to an isolating and troubling time for the child in question. When managed effectively, however, it can be a positive learning experience.
So what can schools do to ensure that transition is a more positive experience for the more vulnerable pupils in its care? COMMON CHALLENGES For SEN children, taking the step from primary school, where they are mainly taught by one teacher in one classroom, to a much larger school with numerous teachers, classrooms and subjects can be incredibly disconcerting. Their additional needs, whether learning disorders or physical disabilities, can leave SEN children feeling ostracised from their fellow pupils and disconnected from their education. This can, in turn, result in behavioural difficulties which impede learning and can have a negative effect on those around. Schools must work hard to address this challenge as it is the first stumbling block in the
secondary education setting and could set a pattern of behaviour in motion that further inhibits effective learning. To address these issues schools must place the emphasis on communication during transition and the process should start as early as possible; ideally in year five when the child has been allocated a place at secondary school. Regular communication between the SENCOs of the primary and secondary school is essential for the effective transition for SEN pupils and, by beginning the process early, secondary schools that need to co-ordinate pupils from several feeder primary schools in their local authority will inevitably find it easier to manage the resulting workload.
Written by Lorraine Petersen, CEO of nasen
A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR VULNERABLE PUPILS
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BEST PRACTICE Best practice guidelines laid out by the DCSF recommend that the final annual review of E
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Multi-sensory training with Richard Hirstwood Enthusiastic and inspirational! Hirstwood Training are a small but dedicated team, who love to share their expertise in all things multi sensory. We are passionate about our subject and it shows. Richard Hirstwood’s extensive experience of using and developing a multi sensory room is based upon practical knowledge – giving him the insight into what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t, in multi-sensory practice. Regular hands-on sessions with adults and children enables him to maintain this level of excellent practice. Motivational! Bringing in a trainer who is dedicated and knowledgeable drives your staff. Training is not just about the sharing of knowledge – it’s about successful and memorable presentation and performance. Our training is empowering and confidence boosting, enabling staff to provide effective sensory learning and communication opportunities anywhere. What can we do for you?
• Create a bespoke agenda for in-house training • Provide hands-on training sessions – working with your staff and students • Plan a flexible, longer term package of training and coaching input • Consultancy in the development of multi sensory rooms • Attend our UK wide programme of external training courses FOR MORE INFORMATION Continued support is available at www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk where you’ll find free ideas, videos, on-line booking and a Sensory Sack shop. Tel: 01524 426395 Fax: 01524 452054 richardhirstwood@gmail.com
Logan Technologies – easy communication solutions for the classroom The Logan ProxTalker communication aid and the Logan BrailleCoach teaching device are reliable, easy to use products from ProxTalker. com, LLC. In the UK we trade via our subsidiary Logan Technologies, ensuring excellent service and support. The Logan ProxTalker communication aid brings a voice to communicating with pictures at the touch of a button. The device has sound tags which can be identified by symbols, photos, or tactile symbols – whatever the users needs. When a tag is pressed onto the device the appropriate recorded message is played. That can be a single word, phrase, or sentence up to eight seconds long. Its versatility has seen it used either in one-toone or classroom situations where the ProxTalker is helping include non verbal children in a wide range of activities. The brand new Logan
BrailleCoach teaching device was developed from user experience to support the early stages of learning Braille. Place a Braille embossed tag onto the button and hear what you are reading. There are three modes of delivery: letters and dots, letter, and letter and single word contraction. FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit the website www.logan-technologies.co.uk to see the devices in action or contact sandra@logantechnolgies.com to arrange a free trial of the ProxTalker.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS TRAINING At last there is a supervised SEN distance learning diploma course with an NCFE level 3 accredited award for successful students. This means that teaching staff can fit professional training around their busy schedule to become more effective in helping those with special educational needs. We already supply many schools with other courses including; n Teaching Assistant – NCFE Level 3 n Supporting Learning and Teaching in Schools - CACHE level 3.
For full details call Elsa on 0844 351 0098 or visit the website:
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TRANSITION BETWEEN SCHOOLS E a pupil’s statement of SEN should also be considered the ‘transition review’. Annual reviews for a child with a statement of SEN, look at the needs of the child and highlight any changes in behaviour or requirements. The benefit of formalising the transition plan during the annual review is the involvement of school staff, parents and outside agencies; this makes them an ideal forum for discussing the particular needs of the child and finding ways to overcome certain challenges. Also important at this stage is the involvement of the pupil; giving children input into the transition plan can be a constructive way of encouraging ownership and awareness. Ultimately, with the participation of the pupil and all interested parties, schools will be better positioned to undertake transition with successful and positive results. FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS There are many steps that should be taken during the complex process of transition to ensure the change is as effective as possible. When a school has SEN children with particular disabilities they will often have a bank of knowledge that cannot be passed on by paper alone; raw data will not mean as much unless it can be quantified and meeting the child in question is essential for secondary school SENCOs. Arranging induction visits for an SEN child is perhaps the most effective way of ensuring the SENCO is aware of particular needs that may be difficult to convey in written form. It also builds a relationship between the pupil and the SENCO and helps children to familiarise themselves with the new environment and encourages a sense of belonging. Learning projects during term time can also be valuable in improving familiarity for SEN pupils; researching the secondary school in ICT lessons or writing about the history of the school could be effective ways of building knowledge about the school that can help SEN children feel prepared for the change to come. In addition, summer term access to ICT and PE facilities can also help develop awareness and go some way to overcoming the threat of the unfamiliar.
TASTER LESSONS Some secondary schools undertake transition days with taster lessons for the pupils, induction days and orientation weeks, all of which are incredibly helpful ways of easing SEN children through transition and avoiding the sharp shock of change. To address the sense of isolation that SEN pupils can feel when thrust into a new environment, many schools have found success with mentoring systems. Arranging for the mentors to visit the SEN pupils while still at primary school and maintaining regular contact via email can go a long way to making pupils with special educational needs feel more comfortable with the move to secondary school before it begins. Continuing the project after the move, with meetings arranged so that mentors can provide support and advice, can help make the process less daunting and also help reduce the threat of bullying. A POSITIVE WAY FORWARD With welcome emphasis being placed on transition by the National Strategies and the DCSF, there are many examples of best practice to assist schools in creating and implementing a suitable framework for the process; guidance and advice can be found on the National Strategies website, which provides a general overview of the process and details of legislation. On a more regional scale, local authorities can assist secondary schools in establishing a successful framework for transition and can help create a network between the various feeder primary schools that they must co-ordinate with. In addition, organisations for special educational needs can often provide invaluable support and advice to teachers and SENCOs; conferences and seminars can provide essential information concerning research and teaching techniques that can help schools maintain a policy of continuous development regarding special educational needs pupils. L FOR MORE INFORMATION To find out more visit www.nasen.org.uk
About Nasen Nasen is the leading UK professional association embracing all special and additional educational needs and disabilities. The organisation promotes the education, training, development and support of all those working within the special and additional educational needs and disabilities sector. Membership of nasen is an invaluable source of advice, offering an exclusive and vital range of benefits to support teachers, governors, teaching assistants and the entire education support network in the delivery of high quality inclusive practice. Benefits include fresh and creative education resources, dynamic conferences and seminars with world-class speakers. An inspirational professional development programme, plus print and on-line journals and magazines, exhibitions and access to recently completed research are also available. Furthermore, nasen contributes greatly and has a strong influence on policy and practice in the area of special educational needs through consultation and joint projects with other professional bodies.
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Top tips For children with poor communication skills, a visual or pictorial timetable can often be very useful; a picture of a globe for geography or of a sum on a page for maths can help the child visualise what the subject is. A visual guide to each of their new teachers is also very effective; full names and pictures can help a SEN child become familiar with their new environment A colour coded map of the school which lists physical landmarks that stand out can make it much easier for children with special educational needs to navigate a different environment.
Five Minute Box – instant success for slower learners On average, 20 per cent of children struggle with literacy and maths. So why are so many schools using Five Minute Boxes? Because they work! The Five Minute Box for literacy, which employs 1:1 phonics teaching methods, and the Number Box for numeracy are easily managed, multi-sensory systems that can be put in place rapidly and effectively to teach and support literacy and numeracy in the classroom. The Boxes are run by TAs, making them far more effective, and follow a progression of skills. Progress is easily assessed and monitored by the SENCO. The systems are recommended
by most education authorities with several introducing them across all of their schools. The Boxes are ideally suited for EAL and second language children as well as any child that does not cope with the pace of class teaching. Research proves that children maintain good progress, and enjoy much higher self-esteem, after using the programmes, which is essential for being a good learner. Both children and TAs love working with the Boxes, which work alongside any existing systems and are ideally suited to comply with
the government’s recent Green Paper on special needs teaching. Thousands of children in thousands of schools are currently benefiting from using Five Minute Boxes so there really is no reason why we cannot help our nation’s ‘failing’ children to succeed. FOR MORE INFORMATION To find out more and for a free CD Rom call: 01442 878629, fax: 01442 873444 email: fiveminutebox@aol.com or visit www.fiveminutebox.co.uk
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Creating exciting and stimulating Multi Sensory learning environments
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SENSORY PLAY
STIMULATE THE MIND AND SENSES Sean Stockdale of nasen, the UK’s leading professional association embracing all special educational needs and disabilities, explores sensory play in mainstream schools Since dedicated sensory rooms began to take off in the early 1990s the range and scope of resources available to those looking to incorporate sensory play into their setting has grown beyond all recognition. With computer controlled devices sensory play can now be tailored to individual’s needs using a range of media to create sound, light, smell and vibration at a much reduced cost. Inclusion has lead to more children with special needs being educated in mainstream schools and practitioners who might not have considered sensory play as suitable for their setting have started to explore sensory activities to meet their pupils’ needs. Whether it is a dedicated room, a space allocated to sensory activities, or sensory activities incorporated into lessons,
more mainstream schools are looking to develop their sensory curriculum and not exclusively for special needs children. THEATRE Those of you unsure of the usefulness of sensory play in a more mainstream setting might want to pay a visit to your local theatre. Theatres have a long tradition of using a range of sensory tools to stimulate and engage their audience (lighting, smoke, sound effects) and there are several theatre companies who specialise in offering inclusive productions for special needs children and young adults. One such company is Oiley Cart who take care to ensure that their performances are tailored for their audience. Their production Something in the Air enabled wheel chair users
to experience the sensation of birds flying, while Pool Piece involved lighting scent and bubbles being used in a hydrotherapy pool. The way in which Oily Cart adapt a space to include children with complex needs offers valuable lessons for those seeking to explore sensory activities for mainstream children. Theatre can also influence the type of resources selected. For example, Sunfield School, Stourbridge commissioned a sensory room using advanced stage lighting to cater for their students with complex needs many of which are on the autistic spectrum. Of course many schools have undertaken the DIY approach, using their existing resources supplemented with some key items such as a moveable touch wall, lighting, tactile objects and projectors. Indeed this is an ideal way to see if your school is ready to take the leap into a bespoke room or area. It is also worth considering if your school is making the most of sensory play across the curriculum.
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MULTI SENSORY ENVIRONMENTS Christopher Davies from the theatre company Bamboozle offers training on creating multi sensory environments (MSE) within the classroom as part of a whole school approach to developing sensory play activities. Christopher suggests a list of basic items idea for creating MSE in ten minutes: E
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SENSORY PLAY Thinking of investing?
E • Something to create height – a pole and base. • Roll of corrugated card about two metres high – this is a little bulky to store but the advantages are considerable. It can be erected quickly and is self-supporting so provides an easy way of eliminating all the distractions in the room at a stroke and make a clean and clear space in which to tell a story, meet a puppet or pass round a precious object. • Bag of fabric. Bed sheet size is useful as is having different fabric, such as blue satin for the sea, and a rough blanket for a cave. • Camouflage net. • Roll of newsprint. • Collection of small natural objects – shells, pebbles, sticks • An interesting wooden box. • Small bags of wood chip and sand. Small amounts of these natural materials can add authenticity to MSEs such as the forest or sea cave very quickly and effectively. • Carpet squares. Useful way of defining the space where you want students to sit. Christopher’s list illustrates what can be done on a minimal budget but schools are often tempted to invest in sensory equipment but don’t invest the appropriate time and resources to train staff.
If you are looking to invest in a sensory room or space you can often negotiate training as part of the overall package, but it is also worth seeing what is available from independent providers. The good resource providers take a real interest in meeting children’s needs and will want to ensure you have the correct resources and training to make the most of sensory play. GETTING ADVICE For those interested in developing their sensory play provision visiting a dedicated special needs event such as nasen Live 2012 is ideal whatever stage you are at. Speaking to the providers face to face and being able to see the resources is a useful way to ensure that you understand the resources available to best meet your needs. You will also be able to see resources from several providers in one place and access the professional development programme that runs alongside the exhibition. Finally don’t forget that there are a host of mainstream ICT devices that can be incorporated into your sensory play activities. The Wii is almost ubiquitous in how it has been adopted by children and adults alike, but there is also the Xbox Kinnect, and the PS3 Move. Of course we have the ipod and the range of apps that can be downloaded and if you are feeling particularly flush the
• Have a clear plan of how your school will implement and develop sensory. How will you quantify the impact on your pupils? How will sensory play fit into your school curriculum/vision? • Talk to other settings which have incorporated sensory play into their curriculum. • Speak to providers directly at education events such as nasen Live 2012. • Work out the total cost of ownership if investing in large items not just the installation cost (training, maintenance, insurance, wear and tear). • Can you use your facilities with the wider community? (Elderly care, feeder schools, local clusters) • Have a clear training plan with short medium and long term goals.
Special Educational Needs
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ipad2, other tablets are available! Using mainstream products means that pupils can develop their skills using technology that is readily available to pupils at home or school. To conclude whether you are spending a few hundred or a several thousand pounds on equipment or training the keys to success are the same. Ensure that you start with the needs of your pupils and not what the technology or products can do. Sensory rooms and resources are here to say and can have a dramatic effect on the quality of provision but to impact on learning it isn’t enough to provide the resources, they need to be part of the school’s overall vision to raise standards. So what are you waiting for? Your inclusive multisensory environment is only ten minutes away from being created and wowing your pupils. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk www.bamboozletheatre.co.uk www.oilycart.org.uk www.nasen.org.uk
Innovative classroom resources from Dunedin Dunedin Multimedia was founded in 1995. Over the years we have produced software and print resources under our own imprint, and for companies, government, not-forprofit organisations, schools and families. We focus on providing innovative classroom resources for people of all abilities. We work closely with teachers and other practitioners to create affordable, high quality, flexible materials that work. Our latest publication is the Emotions poster. Designed for mainstream and inclusive classrooms, the Emotions poster is the
and adults alike will be able to begin reading facial expressions and express their emotions more clearly. This is a great tool to jump-start discussions about what situations cause different feelings, and how to deal with them appropriately. The poster is especially useful for working with children with autism and other support needs. quickest and easiest way to link faces and feelings. Use it to increase vocabulary and learn about different emotions. Children
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.dunedinmultimedia.com www.face-cards.com www.copingwithchaos.co.uk
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K College chooses DED and Integrated Payment Solutions K College is one of the largest further education colleges offering higher education programmes in the UK. With over 20,000 students, K College has five campuses across Kent in Ashford, Dover, Folkestone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Identifying the need to upgrade its ID cards and security system, K College contacted Integrated Payment Solutions (IPS) for guidance on how to achieve this. IPS suggested CardExchange Small Business Server Edition to design, print and manage the database of students and staff across all the campuses. Offering the flexibility to manage cards from a database stored in a central location on one PC, CardExchange Small Business Server Edition works like a shared server that can be reached by any computer containing the CardExchange software. This ‘network’ feature ensures that
several people can access the necessary information when they need to, solving K College’s problem instantly. All card designs and database definitions are held centrally to simplify administration of the system. This means that if a card layout changes, the administrator need only make that change on one PC and then all others are automatically updated.
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Vaults Fire and Security Ltd is an established provider of leading security solutions. Based in the Midlands, a family run company, we specialise in protecting businesses nationwide by providing peace of mind to our customers. We are able provide systems to meet all of your security needs, designing, installing and servicing. We are also approved installers, at the highest level of Paxton Access and Dedicated Micro’s systems. Trading for over ten years, we are an NSI NACOSS Gold Approved company working with both public and private
sector companies including local authorities, police and insurance companies. We employ a team of well trained and highly motivated security professionals dedicated to building close partnerships with our clients. The safety of staff, the public and property is vital. We are always happy to arrange a site visit to one of our recent installations or provide a no obligation security survey. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0121 3545525 sales@vaultssecurity.co.uk www.vaultssecurity.co.uk
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ded.co.uk
Using Oracle Business Intelligence to enhance the student experience We all know the increasing importance of the student experience. Do you know what most affects your students and how they react? Do you know how it affects your results and your bottom line? The data you already hold can tell you this and more. How quickly did students receive their results? How often are lectures cancelled? Does it always affect the same cohort? Which students seem to be disengaging and how much money will you lose if they drop out? Which courses benefit students most and which make them most employable? Inefficient processes affect the student experience and drive up costs. Are you able to identify the bottlenecks? Has a process improvement been effective? Which courses are profitable? How can you target and attract the right students? Oracle BI helps you to enhance the student experience
Vaults – always working to keep you safe
while improving operational efficiency. SolStonePlus, Oracle’s BI Partner of Choice in Higher Education, has a long track record and unrivalled expertise in delivering Oracle BI Solutions to the HE sector. Contact us now to find out how we can help your institution. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01273 206555 info@solstoneplus.com www.solstoneplus.com
EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE Volume | 16.6
Audio-visual solutions for the public sector Simply AV has been providing audio-visual (AV) solutions for a number of years throughout the private and public sectors in the UK. In this time our team has accrued a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to providing an excellent service from the first contact. We have a reputation for delivering unique and tailored equipment and service coupled with the latest in audio-visual techniques to ensure the solution is costefficient, whilst not compromising the highest of industry standards. At Simply AV we understand what the public sector expects, and strives to meet the demands of budget, quality and time restraints, our staff
pride themselves on being polite, diligent and professional workers who care about their job unconditionally. We specialise in professional commercial technology installations, and have pretty much covered every AV job you could imagine, from projector mounts, interactive whiteboards, PA systems, video conferencing and a host of other specifications matched to your individual requirements. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 3881185 Mob: 07823 330759 sales@simply-av.com www.simply-av.com
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ACCESS CONTROL
GETTING SECURE ON CAMPUS David Massumi from Kaba discusses how universities ensure effective security without restricting freedom of movement Educational institutions strive to create an open, pleasant and stimulating learning environment in addition to offering suitable educational programmes. To create this atmosphere, security and organisational efficiency are paramount. Take the numerous valuable items such as servers, laptops, books, medical equipment, research papers, even works of art. Or consider thousands of students forgetting their mobile phones, laptops and designer jackets throughout the campus. Shortage of lockers and frequent key loss by students also reduce security and increase costs. Then there are the many gathering events for which there is a need to maintain an accurate account of people’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, governments increasingly demand that the university reports on the whereabouts of potential terrorist suspects.
to accumulate credits, whereby they are awarded certificates or grant payments.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGE Successful universities aim to enhance security, ensure safety and improve organisational efficiency without restricting movement on the campus. Their philosophy is ‘who needs access to which facilities when?’ rather than ‘which premises should be blocked?’ This requires a combined access management and time-recording system integrated into the university mainframe. The concept identifies high-security zones and public or semi-public facilities. For example, labs and server rooms are designated high-security zones. The next level is secure zones including admin offices and the teachers’ centre. The auditorium, the clinic and the locker areas are considered as semi-public, with the sports grounds, car parks and the library defined as public zones. A similar principle applies to user groups as they are identified, for example, as fulltime and part-time students, teaching staff, admin employees, sub-contractors and visitors. Chemistry students and teachers can both enter the laboratory building, but students only during daytime. Gaining access is done by presenting the ID/student card to a reader at the entry point. The same card can be used for many things, including authorisation at printers, the library, cafeteria etc. An interesting use is for registration. Students present their card at a terminal while attending lectures
THE SERVER ROOM Server rooms are the heart of operations at universities, where manipulation or failure can amount to administrative disaster. Server rooms are installed with online access control systems, where only a limited number of people are given monitored, time-controlled access. All access is registered real-time in a central system and can be traced back at any time. The solution is based on RFID technology, which can be supported with PIN verification and biometrics if necessary. In addition, rack-level security is achieved using a specially developed locking mechanism, also monitored with the same access control system. This not only defends against unauthorised access, it also reduces the number of accidents and mistakes caused by workers.
LECTURE ROOM SECURITY Intelligent access management systems can help reduce the incidence of loss. Lecture-room doors are opened at a predefined time in the morning and stay open until lunchtime; then they lock either automatically, say at 12:30h or using the lecturer’s ID card, whichever is earlier. This way, students can leave their belongings in the room, assured of their security. After lunch, the lecturer opens the doors, which stay open throughout the afternoon. The door auto-locks again at 18:00h. However, it can be opened any time by a security guard and between 19:00h and 21:00h by cleaning personnel, and a record of all door activity is recorded in the system.
EMERGENCY EXIT MANAGEMENT Educational establishments hold many events on a regular basis. Sports halls are converted into concert halls, classrooms into dressing rooms and offices into security control rooms. While doing so, they need to ensure the security of dignitaries, safety of participants, smooth entry and exit of the crowd, and people’s presence overview in case of emergencies. To help achieve this goal, there are hightech systems that regulate the flow of people, access control solutions to barricade
Security
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certain areas within the campus and mobile presence management systems to help keep an overview of who is where. All these solutions can be acquired with hardware that is compatible to official norms and standards. Library facilities are often complex. They contain valuable study material, internet stations, photocopiers and often unattended student belongings. There are emergency exits, separate staff entrances and group study rooms. All this makes efficiency as important as security. To face up to the challenge, integrated access management systems control student and staff entrances electronically, separately if required. The system also brings higher efficiency by regulating the usage of group study rooms, photocopiers, internet stations and lockers. The whole system works with existing student cards and can be integrated into the student registration software. CONCLUSION With the rapid advancement of technology, most of the security and safety challenges to higher educational institutions can be addressed using intelligent locking systems, access control and time-and-attendance solutions – combined together. However, most educational institutions require the integration of these solutions into their existing IT system. This increases efficiency by using the same data as in the student registration system. The matching of the identified security zones with access profiles (see ‘A conceptual approach’ above) helps define the hardware such as online and standalone locking devices, revolving doors, turnstiles, barriers and time-recording terminals. Normally, a comprehensive software package is used to integrate the components, to programme the student cards and to facilitate communication with the library software, the vending machines, the surveillance cameras and the intrusion alarm system. In addition to a competent integration service, innovative access control providers also offer consulting and engineering services, delivering bespoke solutions where needed. The result is convenient management of access rights, efficient dispensing of cards and keys, and real-time status reports. Where necessary, these companies team up with specialist university software suppliers, vending machine manufacturers, card producers and CCTV as well as intruder alarm suppliers to ensure a seamless integrated system. Last but not least, close customer proximity and full availability is in the centre of providers’ service philosophy. Customers can draw on online support, telephone support as well as field service. With the availability of so many innovative solutions and services, higher education institutions have nothing to lose and everything to gain by embracing new technology and investing in the future of their students and that of their own advancement. L
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Why good hand hygiene can help reduce the spread of infection In schools, nurseries, universities and other social environments inadequate hand hygiene procedures and facilities impact upon cross-infection leading to the rapid spread of disease. Hand washing with soap reduces the rates of diarrheal disease by nearly half and respiratory infection by about onequarter. The Hygiene Council has found that good handwashing practices in schools can reduce absenteeism due to sickness by almost 50 per cent. Alcohol based hand gel will not remove the dirt and so visibly dirty hands must be washed with hot water and soap. The solution is a portable, hot water, handwash unit where hands are washed, with soap, under running water without the need for mains
water supply and drainage. “We want to reduce the spread of infection due to poor hand hygiene by helping people wash their hands properly whenever and wherever they need to,” said Manty Stanley, director of TEAL Patents Ltd. The easier we make it for people to have clean hands, the less cross-infection there should be.
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Step On Safety Ltd. specialises in the supply of anti-slip flooring, with a range of products designed to prevent slips, trips and falls on both internal and external walkways and staircases. All products are quick and easy to install, allowing minimal disruption and ensuring that improved areas are swiftly returned to public usage. The Quartzgrip™ range of anti-slip stair tread covers and stair nosing are manufactured from corrosion resistant fibreglass (GRP) and finished with a unique angular cut quartz grit to provide an excellent level of slip resistance in accordance with BS 7976-2. Quartgrip™ Stair Nosings are available in either a 70x55mm or 55x55mm profile, with a chamfered back edge to reduce trip hazards. Quartzgrip™ stair tread nosings are available in signal yellow,
luminous yellow, black, white, beige and grey variants. A range of Stair Tread Covers are also available in maximum single lengths of up-to 3660mm, and a going of 345mm. The Tread Covers feature a 55mm DDA Compliant Nosing, and are available in black with either a yellow or white contrast nosing, plain yellow, grey or beige. A free of charge cutting service is available for bespoke sizes, and we offer next day delivery as standard. A full nationwide installation service is also available, please contact us for further information. FOR MORE INFORMATION Units 3-4, 122 Station Road Lawford, Manningtree Essex CO11 2LH Tel: 01206 396446 Fax: 0870 8032456 sales@steponsafety.co.uk www.steponsafety.co.uk
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.kiddiwash.com
Maclin Group unmasked as secret supplier Since 2003, Maclin Group has been an industry secret confidential producer to many of the UK’s largest chemical cleaning companies, major retailers, Ministry of Defence, UNICEF and others. Now these same high specification products are available to purchase direct online at great savings at www.hygiene4less.co.uk With Instant Credit Accounts to all schools, colleges and universities on receipt of official purchase order reference by e-mail or fax. The online shop site offers a wide range of easyto-use cleaning and hygiene products that help you with due diligence compliance and safety, whilst saving you money. We have the solution for: Body fluid spillages (blood, urine, vomit) – download our protocol paper free of charge. Hand disinfection – 70 per
Prevent slips, trips and falls this winter
cent alcohol hand gel with refill packs for added economy. Gym equipment sanitizing – our wipes range kills germs, viruses and reduces the risk of infection. Sanitize play equipment, door pushes, tables, telephones – in fact any hard surface to reduce the risk of transmitting germs and viruses. Playground and hall line-marking paint aerosols – quick and easy to use, no specific skill set required. Technical advice online with more available over the phone during normal office hours. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01284 810887 Fax: 01284 811908 info@hygiene4less.co.uk www.hygiene4less.co.uk
EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE Volume | 16.6
A water treatment company with an individual approach Building Water Solutions believes that each of its clients have individual needs and should be treated as such. From working in care homes, commercial premises, hospitals, industrial manufacturing, prisons and schools we have gained a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise. Our aim is to work with our clients to improve premises knowledge and understanding. Compiling an appropriate water treatment/hygiene programme we can then move towards conforming to current legislation together. We understand the need for being flexible and sympathetic. Sales to clients are always fully explained and substantiated, with
details of the current situation, recommendations, improvements and overall benefits. Schools present a number of challenges, from out of hours working to the problems associated with children and their attitude to school facilities. Water company surveys present headaches with enhanced protection of water services especially with regard to science labs. Here we look at the needs of the school/services required against the costs in conforming to legislation. FOR MORE INFORMATION 15 Frensham Walk, Farnham Common, Bucks SL23QF Tel: 07904 117618 jiofbws@tiscali.co.uk
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RISK MANAGEMENT and must take reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety, cooperate with employers, carry out activities according to training and inform the employer of serious risk. Even when health and safety is the Local Education Authority’s responsibility, it is good practice for schools to draw up their own policies. See Health and Safety: Responsibilities and Powers (available at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ healthandsafety/responsibilities/) for advice.
TEACHING SAFELY, TEACHING SAFETY
The management of health and safety in schools is often seen as quite a juggling act, with the added challenge of pupils thrown into the mix, says Jenny McWhirter, RoSPA risk education adviser Although schools have many unique issues, the principles underpinning health and safety duties are the same across the board and need not create excess red tape and a headache for those with responsibility for safety. Among the challenges that set education apart from most sectors is the presence of a relatively small number of employees compared with a large number of non-employees, most of whom are children. Some laws are general in their nature, for example, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. Others relate more specifically to aspects of school life, including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and laws regarding child car seats and seatbelts on coaches. As school life is characterised by a huge
variety of activities taking place in a wide range of settings, keeping abreast of legislation and guidance can seem tricky. Management of contractors, fire safety, asbestos, school trips and minibus safety are just some of the issues requiring attention – and are subjects about which the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) often receives questions. REASONABLY PRACTICABLE The overall responsibility for health and safety lies with the ‘employer’, which will depend on the type of school in question. Employers are required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their employees and anyone else affected by their actions. Employees have responsibilities too,
Setting a policy is a great opportunity to make health and safety a whole school issue that is owned by everyone – teachers, other staff members including lunchtime supervisors, office workers and facilities staff, and importantly, pupils.
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PUPIL RESPONSIBILITY We must not forget, too, that the pupils themselves have a responsibility to ensure their own and others’ health and safety, so it makes good moral and business sense to build health and safety education into the curriculum. This not only helps pupils to stay safe while in school but helps them to develop an understanding of risk and how to manage it as a general life skill. Setting a policy is a great opportunity to make health and safety a whole school issue that is owned by everyone – teachers, other staff members including lunchtime supervisors, office workers and facilities staff, and importantly, pupils. RoSPA advises schools to think about setting some key policy objectives to: • provide a healthy and safe environment • help children develop increasing responsibility for their own and others’ safety on and off-site • minimise the potential for injuries • develop safety rules • deal with injuries should they occur • address children’s specific needs. PROMOTING H&S When developing a policy, try to focus on encouraging a school ethos that positively promotes safety and health. Find out what the children know and understand about safety. For example, you could involve them in safety audits, surveys and research projects as well as in planning aspects of the curriculum, e.g. to coincide with Child Safety Week (June 2012) and Walk to School Week (May 2012). Consult the school council, and remember to seek the ideas and views of non-teaching members of staff. Look for opportunities to link your policy to other initiatives, such as local healthy schools initiatives and the development of a school travel plan. The overall aim of your policy should ensure that you are teaching safely, but also teaching safety. In this way the school can fuse safety management and risk education and help to create a risk management ethos within the school’s overall culture. THE HIDDEN KILLER One of the “hidden” health and safety issues – and one that is still a big problem – is the presence of asbestos in schools. Any building erected or refurbished before 2000 E
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We know washrooms.
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From nurseries to universities and children’s play areas, we’re committed to raising the standard of our children’s washrooms. Contact us to order our new brochure. Call 01474 353333. www.venesta.co.uk 10-year guarantee.
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RISK MANAGEMENT • listen to employees and take action on findings • set expectations with staff so they understand what can and cannot be done for them • make time to tackle stress properly – try using the HSE’s stress management tool (available from www.hse.gov.uk/stress standards/) • ensure staff are aware of available support should they experience work related stress (e.g. teacher support network: www.teachersupport.info). It is much easier to prevent work-related stress in the first place, than to tackle an existing problem, particularly if further ill health follows on its heels.
E is likely to contain asbestos, so there are few schools in the UK that are unaffected. The dangers of asbestos are well known, but RoSPA makes no apologies for repeating them: the consequences are serious and long lasting and the diseases caused by exposure are particularly unpleasant. Asbestos is made of very fine fibres, which when inhaled can cause serious diseases. Around 4,000 deaths each year are attributed to four main diseases caused by asbestos: mesothelioma (which is always fatal); lung cancer (almost always fatal); asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be very debilitating); and diffuse pleural thickening (not fatal). Management and knowledge of asbestos is crucial, as it only presents a danger if it is damaged or disturbed. Provided it is sealed and is not releasing fibres into the environment it is not likely to be a danger to staff and pupils. But it is vital to ensure that any contractors, such as plumbers, electricians, joiners or builders, are aware of the dangers and equipped to deal with the problem. When people work on asbestos, for example during maintenance or refurbishment, it is vital that the proper controls are in place. SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS Slips, trips and falls is another key issue, within schools as well as in the wider working environment. Across the UK as a whole in 2008/09 more than 10,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a slip or trip at work, while more than 4,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height. Most slips occur in wet or contaminated conditions and most trips are due to poor housekeeping. The solutions are often simple and cost effective. A suitable assessment of the risks should identify the controls needed to remove the hazards. RoSPA’s advice for schools is to: • prevent contamination • manage spills and cleaning regimes
• install effective matting systems • ensure suitable footwear is worn • look at the design of the school and the activities taking place in each area • ensure the school environment is maintained regularly • lay appropriate flooring • ensure adequate lighting • provide effective training and supervision for teachers and pupils. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Shattered Lives campaign highlights the fact that slips, trips and falls are easily preventable and could save a lot of pain, time and money. MANAGING STRESS Work-related stress is a major issue in schools, and is not an illness – it is a mental state. However, if stress becomes too excessive and prolonged, mental and physical illness may develop. A person experiences stress when they perceive that the demands of their work are greater than their ability to cope. A total of 13.5 million working days are lost in Britain each year to work-related stress, with each case of stress-related illness leading to an average of 30 days off work. In schools, this isn’t a simple case of lost productivity, this absence impacts on children’s education. The problem cannot be overstated, with 237,000 new cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety reported in the year 2007/08, and 442,000 people in the UK reporting work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill. Good management is a key ingredient in preventing and managing workplace stress, and there are good training courses available to help managers tackle the problem. A good place to start preventing and managing stress in schools is to: • accept that work-related stress might be a problem for employees • understand what work-related stress is as well as the relationship between work and home stress
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GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT Incorporating safety education in the curriculum would be a valuable aspect of your policy, with the aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable them to recognise hazards, assess and manage risks according to their ability and deal with risky situations safely – lessons they will build upon throughout their lives. When staff properly understand and are trained in health and safety management, they will see that it is not characterised by the mass of red tape that is so often suggested to be a barrier to carrying out important and fun activities within lessons and on school trips. Remember, good health and safety management is not about eliminating risks completely and banning activities, it is about striking the right balance – keeping risks within tolerable bounds, spending enough to make things safe enough, including judging the risk of doing something against the cost of not doing it. If the benefits of doing the activity are considered first, it puts into perspective the safety issues you might need to overcome. ADVICE AND INFORMATION Schools are not alone in managing health and safety; there is a wealth of advice and information available from organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the HSE. There is new guidance on learning outside the classroom (‘Departmental advice for health and safety in schools’ on the Department for Education’s website), subject-specific support for teachers through their subject associations e.g. Association for Physical Education, and new Ofsted guidance highlighting safeguarding in lessons – ensuring that not only is the standard of teaching good, but that the standard of health and safety within each lesson is also good. Membership of a safety organisation such as RoSPA can provide a network of support for schools, helping them to negotiate what can be seen as a minefield. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.rospa.com
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HEALTH & SAFETY
DISPELLING THE MYTHS AROUND HEALTH & SAFETY Brendan Jones, co-founder and former Chairman of the School Travel Forum UK shares his views on the new government guidelines on health and safety for educational trips Attainment and behaviour are very much at the forefront of education today and as our independent survey about school trips and red tape revealed in 2010, teachers feel that school trips have a lasting impact on both. Canvassing the opinions of over 500 teachers nationwide, our survey carried out by Opinion Matters also confirmed that teachers believe school trips add value to education, bringing subject teaching to life and provides vital social and cultural benefits. HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDISATION To make it easier for teachers to take students on school trips and manage all the associated health and safety requirements, we set up the STF in 2003. Back then, school trip providers were largely left to their own devices. Each adopting their own health and safety procedures, this made it very difficult for teachers to compare and choose a provider. As part of our mission, we created industry standardisation and made ourselves the single point of contact for teachers needing unbiased advice on school trips and health and safety. Since then, a membership
system has been developed whereby teachers who book a trip through an STF member gain complete peace of mind from knowing that its members – the companies they book their school trips with – adhere to a rigorous Code of Practice and Safety Management Standards. Today, the STF continues to do a fantastic job as a not for profit promoter of good practice and safety in school travel and in my current role as UK School businesses MD at TUI Education, I continue to be a strong supporter of this. Dovetailing this, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom’s (LOtC) Quality Badge scheme also gives schools the
confidence to incorporate more learning outside the classroom into the curriculum.
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NEW GUIDANCE TUI Education has been closely monitoring the health and safety legislation for many months, and when the Common Sense, Common Safety government review came to the fore during the latter part of 2010, our survey found that 89 per cent of teachers believe that government legislation hinders the planning of school trips, therefore confirming our beliefs that a step change was needed to reduce red tape in line with the coalition’s overall ethos, allowing teachers to choose more freely the methods they adopt to enhance students’ education. As a replacement for the guidance advice called Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits (HASPEV 1998) and Health and Safety: Responsibilities and Powers (2001), in July the Department for Education released the significantly slimmed down eight page health and safety guidance document called Departmental advice on health & safety, together with a school trip consent form which schools can ask parents to sign when a child enrols at school, covering a student’s participation in activities where consent is required during their time at school. CLEARING THE CONFUSION The Department for Education claims the revised guidance makes clear that a written E
As learning outside the classroom provides a powerful means to improving attainment and reducing levels of poor behaviour, moving forwards, I would like to see Ofsted incorporate school trips in its inspection framework.
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Very experienced, qualified, friendly staff team Contact Russell Dolton 01342 822625 russell@hindleap.com
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HEALTH & SAFETY E risk assessment ‘does not need to be carried out every time a school takes pupils on a regular, routine local visit, for example to a swimming pool or museum’ and that it also tackles ‘myths and teachers’ fears about being prosecuted’ by making the law clearer and clarifies that parental consent ‘is not necessary for pupils to take part in the majority of offsite activities organised by a school, as most of these activities take place during school hours and are a normal part of a child’s education.’ We welcome any measure that makes it easier for teachers to book school trips. The new guidance makes reference to the importance of assessing and managing risk and although the laws that underpin it remain the same, it does offer some clarity by reminding teachers to take a ‘common sense’ and ‘proportionate’ approach when organising activities. The Health & Safety Executive’s Tackling the health and safety myths statement supports this view, advocating: ‘Those running school trips need to focus on the risks and benefits to people – not the paperwork’ and choosing a provider with an LOtC Quality Badge is one way of benchmarking effective risk management. Masterclass Sports Tours, SkiBound and World Challenge have all met the strict criteria needed to be awarded a LOtC Quality Badge. TUI Education believes that this simplified guidance will at least in part help us and other education businesses by encouraging
teachers to organise school trips. So where do we go from here? Working to enhance the life chances of children, young people and adult learners and improve their lives, Ofsted’s inspection framework has changed to reflect our expectations of schools and education since it was founded almost 20 years ago. As learning outside the classroom provides a powerful means to improving attainment and reducing levels of poor behaviour, moving forwards, I would like to see Ofsted
Educational Trips
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incorporate school trips in its inspection framework. I also hope that school trip providers will continue to drive high standards in health and safety and feel sure that local authorities and the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom will work closely together to make the process of choosing a provider as simple as possible. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.schooltravelforum.com www.tuieducation.com
SkiBound and Travelbound are part of TUI Travel PLC and are market leaders in student travel. Both brands operate in line with the vision of the “Learning Outside the Classroom” Manifesto - that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development. SKIBOUND Having operated school ski tours for 27 years, SkiBound has quite rightly become the most recognised and trusted name in school ski travel. With the largest youth Clubhotel programme, along with an extensive range of world-class resorts, you can be confident that SkiBound never compromise on quality and always deliver exceptional value and an unbeatable skiing experience.
TRAVELBOUND Travelbound provide tailor-made study trips and educational programmes that support specific curricula needs and outdoor learning. Educational visits are amongst the most memorable and valuable experiences in a student’s school life, bringing classroom learning to life in a real way. From weekend trips to Normandy to month long trips to South East Asia – Travelbound can provide a memorable trip to suit your educational needs.
- Exclusive French Clubhotels
- Subject related school trips
- The world’s best ski resorts
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- Educational Modules included
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For more information: Tel: 01273 244500 Email: info@skibound.co.uk Web: www.skibound.co.uk
For more information: Tel: 01273 265265 Email: info@travelbound.co.uk Web: www.travelbound.co.uk
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Transport
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net
SCHOOL MINIBUSES
MAINTAINING YOUR MINIBUS Sponsored by
Bill Hyde from the Community Transport Association explains how careful planning can help you keep on top of your responsibilities For safety and legal reasons you must maintain your minibus properly. Whether you own the vehicle outright or have one on a contract hire/lease arrangement, as the operator of the vehicle your organisation will be deemed legally responsible for its roadworthiness. This requires planning. The Vehicle Operating Services Agency (VOSA) in its publication ‘Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness’ sets outs certain criteria which have to be met by minibus and bus operators. The Community Transport Association (CTA) recommends that a planned maintenance system should be in place to ensure that everyone concerned knows what their responsibilities are, and to allow remedial action to be taken when problems inevitably occur. In this article we put forward a strategy, incorporating VOSA principles, to help you adopt a position of best practice. In so doing we hope you will be exceeding legal requirements (which, at any rate, should only be viewed as an absolute minimum for acceptable practice). The key elements that you need to consider in your minibus maintenance programme are as follows: A RESPONSIBLE PERSON The first step in ensuring vehicles are maintained properly is deciding who is responsible for this function. All too often schools/colleges take on minibus operation without appointing someone to ensure that the vehicle is correctly maintained and run. This tends to lead to situations where things are not done; services are missed, MOT checks are carried out late, and so on. You will see from the remainder of this article there are many items that require attention, and systems need to be put in place to achieve and monitor appropriate vehicle maintenance. Maintaining the vehicle properly does not necessarily mean employing a new member of staff, but somebody (be they paid or voluntary, new or existing) has to take responsibility. The saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is not only true, it will save you time and money in the long run. A well thought out maintenance system which plans each element, should avoid unexpected delays and vehicle ‘down-time’. This, alone, has to be a good reason for getting it right. A maintenance plan will consist of a number of key elements that can be planned in advance. It may well be a cliché
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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE Volume | 16.6
to say that ‘prevention is better than cure’, but not only is it true in this case – it will save you time and money in the long run. This will have to be linked to your vehicle booking systems to ensure that your operation runs smoothly as a whole. Some people use a diary; others use a wall chart or year planner. The important point at this stage is that all the planned maintenance functions must be booked in advance and the further in advance you can book them, the better. A key decision we strongly advise is to organise your maintenance and servicing on a time-based as opposed to a mileage
responsible for maintenance. As well as the actual defect, the defect reporting system should record several decisions: who found the fault, who decided whether the vehicle was still roadworthy or not, what was done to rectify the fault and who undertook the work. VEHICLE CHECKS In addition to the daily checks mentioned above, more detailed weekly checks should be carried out. This is particularly important if you have many different drivers as it allows you to repeat the daily walk round check and thereby make a judgement as to whether or not daily checks are being carried out correctly. Additional checks should be carried out on any specialist equipment at this time. For example is the first aid kit fully stocked? Are the fire extinguishers still fully charged? Are the windows, light covers and number plates clean? It may sound obvious, but it is amazing how often vehicles miss scheduled services. Of course you risk damage and/or increased repair costs if a competent mechanic does not regularly service your vehicle, but you can also void the vehicle warranty on newer
The saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is not only true, it will save you time and money in the long run. A well thought out maintenance system which plans each element, should avoid unexpected delays and vehicle ‘down-time’. based system, as it makes maintenance planning much simpler. You should speak to your local maintenance and service agent, they will advise on appropriate time intervals. The advantage of this system is that you can easily diary a whole year’s (or more) service appointments. Many elements of the maintenance schedule can be planned on a time-based system. And this makes organising your use of the minibus for carrying pupils and students much easier. DAILY VEHICLE CHECKS Basic preventative vehicle maintenance should be carried out every day. Apart from any other considerations, individual drivers are legally responsible for the condition of certain items and equipment on the vehicle when it is on the road, so they should check them before driving off. Drivers should be trained in undertaking a daily ‘walk-around’ check and you should have a method of recording that it has been done. You should have a clear, simple to operate, defect reporting system. Vehicle defects may be picked up during daily and weekly vehicle checks and in such cases, defect report forms should be available so that the exact nature of the fault can be recorded and communicated to the person who is
vehicles if they are not serviced in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Unlike cars which need an MOT from when they are three years old, minibuses must have a valid MOT certificate after one year old. Most minibuses fall into one of two ‘MOT classes’. A minibus with up to 12 passenger seats is designated as a Class IV vehicle; a minibus with more than 12 passenger seats is designated as a Class V. The tests are different, so make sure you get the right one. Most local MOT inspection centres can carry out Class IV tests. However, only certain government designated testing stations can carry out Class V tests. A class VI test applies to minibuses operated under a PSV Operator’s licence. REGULAR SAFETY INSPECTIONS These are different to your normal daily and weekly checks and are in addition to your MOT inspection. They are a detailed inspection of the vehicle, following which the competent mechanic/engineer certifies that the vehicle will maintain its roadworthiness until the next scheduled safety inspection. Most schools and colleges are operating their minibuses under the Section 19 permit regime and have obtained their permit from either the Community Transport Association E
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MAINTENANCE RECORDS All S19 permit minibus operators should keep maintenance records for a period of at least 15 months. Copies of all defect reports, repairs undertaken, safety inspection reports, MOT reports and certificates, service history and any other records of work carried out on the vehicle should be retained and filed in a logical manner. VOSA enforcement officers have the powers to visit a minibus operator’s premises to ensure adequate maintenance arrangements are in place and if they are dissatisfied can refer you to the Traffic Commissioner. At a public inquiry the Traffic Commissioner has the power to revoke your S19 permit(s), without which you would no longer be able to operate your minibuses. If your school or college operate accessible
minibuses adapted to transport disabled pupils and students you might not realise that maintenance and repairs have to be carried out to the wide range of items of specialist equipment on board, as well as to the vehicle itself. With ‘accessible’ minibuses, the following equipment should be subject to regular checks: • Passenger lifts • Additional low-level steps (some of which can be powered) • Passenger restraint systems • Wheelchair clamps and webbing restraints • Seats and seat fixing mechanisms • Fire extinguishers • First aid kits • Supplementary heating and ventilation systems Many of these can be checked by drivers/ operators on a daily basis and, provided no defects are found, this will be sufficient. Others, however, require more work/planning. Passenger lifts will require both regular servicing in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and weight testing (to ensure that they are capable of safely lifting the weight for which they are designed). The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) states that lifts must be inspected at least every six months and weight tested annually by a competent person.
Following an inspection, a report must be issued to an appropriate person in your organisation to ensure that the relevant action can be taken to repair any faults or defects found. These inspection reports must be kept for a minimum of two years. STAFF AND DRIVER TRAINING All the equipment and planning in the world will be of no benefit if it is not used properly. Staff and drivers need to be correctly trained in order to implement your minibus maintenance systems effectively. Training staff to use these systems is not a complicated task. The appropriate people need to have a basic technical ability (in order to carry out daily/weekly checks) and knowledge of how the reporting and recording systems should be operated The consequences of failing to maintain a vehicle can range from inconvenient to very serious. Apart from unexpected delays and vehicle downtime, it may result in a serious injury or a fatal accident. The CTA leaflet on Maintenance Schedules contains sample check lists/forms and can be downloaded from the CTA website. The ‘Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness’ can be downloaded from www.businesslink.gov.uk. L
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E or the office of the Traffic Commissioner and will have signed a S19 permit application form stating that regular safety inspections will be carried out. The required frequency of these inspections will vary depending on factors including the annual mileage covered. The ‘Guide To Maintaining Roadworthiness’ sets out how often the checks should be done for different types of road transport operation, under differing conditions. However, most school/college minibuses should consider having these checks done at intervals no greater than every ten weeks.
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Transport
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FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ctauk.org
Who else wants a 17-Seat School Minibus that doesn’t need a further test pass for every teacher driver? Now you can with our EasyDrive 17-Seat School Minibus. With a gross weight below 3.5 tonnes, the EasyDrive can be driven by any teacher over 21, holding a standard Category B licence for 2 or more years and who receives no payment or consideration for driving the minibus. The EasyDrive saves schools time and money: n School trips now simple to organise n No category D1 training, tests or supply cover costs n Lighter minibus = Better fuel economy
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Money wisely spent on restoration of sports turf With budgets for turf maintenance at schools, colleges and local authorities being severely cut in this time of austerity, it is essential that available funds are used where they will do the most good. Lost revenue due to lost matches and games caused by unplayable or waterlogged turf surfaces makes a bad situation even worse. Terrain Aeration offers a range of very cost effective deep aeration services that are an immediate remedy to waterlogging without requiring the surface to be left to heal for weeks after treatment. Treat today, play tomorrow. The harsh winter and spring drought this year stressed many grass areas and that stress, plus the compaction due to heavy use has left some pitches with a poor and weak covering of grass that will turn to mud when used in wet conditions. Unfortunately, the Met Office has put an early warning out saying that snow is expected October/November until January with cooler temperatures than the last two years’ deep freeze.
SURFACES Remedial techniques include the Deep Drill machine, which is ideal where drainage is good but an improved root growth profile is required. This decompaction equipment drills to a depth of 10” and can be used even where undersoil heating pipes exist. The legendary Terralift machine will penetrate to a depth of onemetre and is ideal for goalmouths, central areas and touchlines. It is the ideal machine to treat compaction and so prevent future waterlogging because of its deep long lasting action with the injection of dried seaweed to keep the fissures open.
. . . FOR WINNERS As the UK market-leader in sports surfaces, our expertise covers the design, installation and maintenance of synthetic athletics tracks, football pitches, hockey pitches, rugby pitches and tennis courts as well as indoor sports halls and individual tailored multi-sports areas.
CHARLES LAWRENCE SURFACES LTD. A MALCOLM GROUP COMPANY Brunel House, Jessop Way, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2ER, England Tel. +44 (0)1636 615866 Fax. +44 (0)1636 615867
FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk terrainaeration@aol.com
Principal Contractor
Email. sales@charleslawrencesurfaces.co.uk www.charleslawrencesurfaces.co.uk
Manufacturers and Distributers of the Finest Sports Equipment that money can buy!
Control the game With so many manufacturers in the industry, why have 16 out of 20 of the premiership clubs chosen Desso Sports Systems?
Manufacturers and installers of all types of indoor and outdoor equipment, with over 30 years experience in the industry you can trust Universal Services with all of your sports equipment needs. Universal Services Beckingham Business Park, Tolleshunt Major, Maldon, Essex. CM9 8LZ Tel: 01621 868700 Fax: 01621 860697 info@universalservicesuk.co.uk www.universalservicesuk.co.uk
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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE Volume | 16.6
Call Desso and join the likes of Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Chelsea FC and many others in getting the benefit of over three decades experience in the sports surface industry.
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SPORTS GROUNDS MAINTENANCE
EXTEND THE LIFE OF SYNTHETIC SPORTS SURFACES With many schools using synthetic sports surfaces, maintenance is key to keeping them attractive, performing well and lasting a long time, writes the Sports and Play Construction Association The use of synthetic sports surfaces has grown significantly in the UK since the 1970s, but the misconception remains within certain sections of the marketplace that they require little or no maintenance. Not only is this detrimental to their playing quality, but through premature aging and replacement of sports surfaces it inevitably also reduces the effective benefit of investment in sports facilities. Maintenance is of vital importance if a sports surface is to remain good to look at, to perform consistently at the required standard, to retain its permeability and last
staff but more advanced procedures are often undertaken by specialist companies with bespoke equipment which can add new life to an ageing facility. Below is a brief overview of some of the main types of maintenance. KEEPING THE SURFACE CLEAN Sweeping the surface with a wide, soft broom or rubber tined rake is ideal for removing dirt and debris, which, if left, would rot down and form a drainage-inhibiting ‘skin’ within the surface and provide a growingmedium for algae and moss. If available, a
Maintenance is of vital importance if a sports surface is to remain good to look at, to perform consistently at the required standard, to retain its permeability and last a long period of time. a long period of time. Indeed, the surface’s guarantee will usually be conditional on the maintenance requirements being carried out with reasonable diligence. MAINTENANCE OBJECTIVES Maintenance processes will differ between surface types but the basic principles and objectives are the same: • Remove dirt and dust from the surface • Apply treatments to reduce/prevent the growth of moss and weeds • Clean and power wash the surface to remove moss, weeds, dirt and other contamination • Re-distribute the loose elements of the surface (sand and/or rubber is used as an infill on some surfaces) • Repair any damage to the surface • Ensure the equipment (goals, netting, etc.) is safe and in good working order There are different types of maintenance that can be carried out on the surface, ranging from routine cleaning and brushing to more advanced treatments requiring specialist equipment and chemicals. Simple routine maintenance can be conducted by the grounds
mechanical leaf-sweeper or vacuum cleaner will greatly speed up this operation. Brushing the surface, using a purpose-built machine, is a crucial operation if premature deterioration of the playing characteristics, appearance and drainage properties are to be prevented. Apart from freshening up the look of the surface, the purpose of regular and fairly vigorous brushing is to prevent the formation of a compacted and impervious skin on the top of the surface. Power brushing and decompaction is a common procedure for synthetic turf surfaces. The principle involves the use of a powered brushing machine, often with contra-rotating brushes, which ensures that the synthetic turf fibres remain upright and the infill remains mobile within the surface. DEEP AND POWER CLEANING If, in spite of the regular maintenance, or as a result of a lack of it, a surface becomes dirty or, in the case of synthetic turf, over-compacted and impervious, these conditions can often be corrected by appropriate treatment involving the use of specialist machinery. The type of
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cleaning will depend on the surface type. Polymeric surfaces (and some macadam surfaces) will require cleaning with a high-pressure jet cleaning apparatus, which might include detergent and fungal inhibitors to remove dirt and prevent moss and algae growth. Synthetic turf surfaces require different machinery depending on their design. Generally machines vary from simple scarifiers to more elaborate proprietary machines that remove a proportion of the infill (containing almost all the filtered dirt) from the upper part of the synthetic turf. This is then replaced with new (or cleaned) infill. The best of these processes will improve the play characteristics, ball roll and surface/foot interaction and will prolong the useful life of the pitch by a number of years. It is essential that any very deep penetration of the surface is only carried out by experienced operatives. The long-term benefits of maintenance are well understood but all too often little provision is devoted to it. Maintenance should be budgeted from the outset of a new project and included in the business plan and sinking fund provision. It should start from the first day after handover of any new facility. A comprehensive programme of maintenance has been shown to significantly extend the useable life of a synthetic sports surface by anything from five to 15 years – with considerable cost savings being made over the life of the surface. MAINTENANCE COMPETENCY AND TRAINING The Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA) was set up to establish higher standards in the construction and maintenance of sports and play facilities. It has a membership database on its website that includes contact details of reputable maintenance companies within the UK. SAPCA has also developed a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Sports and Play Installation, which has a maintenance route. This qualification for the first time allows companies and individuals to demonstrate their knowledge and competency within a nationally recognised framework as part of the National Occupational Standards and independently examined by the awarding body EdExcel. SAPCA’s Code of Practice for the Maintenance of Synthetic Surfaces provides more detailed information on each type of surface and maintenance process. It is available to download freeof-charge from the Technical Guidance section of the SAPCA website. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 024 7641 6316 info@sapca.org.uk www.sapca.org.uk
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OBESITY PREVENTION
PLAYING TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE
One possible solution to the developing childhood obesity crisis is to use the educational power of play to give children a lighter, brighter future, writes the Association of Play Industries
Schools are seen traditionally as places to educate and improve the mind but they can have an equal role in teaching children to develop a positive relationship with food, good health for the body and encouraging them to be active in play. This change of thinking can start at school, through lesson plans and the constructive and trusted relationship between pupils, teachers and parents. The health and wellbeing advantages of outdoor play spaces provide the ideal learning link to make this happen, by creating an environment where children are given free rein to expend their spare energy away from the classroom. FORWARDS, NOT BACKWARDS There is a clear arrow of time that reaches from past interventions to tackle childhood
obesity, through to current actions still trying to redress the balance, all set against future predictions of increasing levels of obesity. The significance of this should not be underestimated. Statistics produced by the National Children’s Measurement Programme found there was almost no change in the 18 per cent prevalence of year-six children in England classified as obese from 2007-2010, which suggests that health interventions of the last few years are proving ineffective and that parents, and perhaps their children, are not being engaged with effectively. Action against obesity needs to be taken sooner rather than later, but investing time and resources in active play to improve children’s health needs to be preventative in order to safeguard the health of future generations. Raising active children, well-
educated in the long term benefits of healthy lifestyles, will empower them as healthy adults to inspire and encourage their own children to eat well and exercise. Many previous government health initiatives have focused more upon adults and not current generations of children. The health responsibility deal has gone some way to help with the traffic-lighting of dangerous foodstuffs (such as junk food) and positive action through the Change4Life programme, but the desired results are simply not there to act as evidence. It is the ‘red-light’ food and drink companies who should be reached out to put money back into schools and help to organise future educational initiatives on childhood obesity.
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WARNINGS FROM HISTORY It should come as no surprise that TV chef turned activist, Jamie Oliver has stepped up his campaign on healthy eating for kids with his attendance at this year’s One Young World conference in Switzerland to try and force the obesity issue with the UN, alongside calls from medical journal, the Lancet for international governments to wake up and take action before it is too late. However, these passionate warnings are nothing new. Earlier in the year, the British Medical Journal warned that a ‘tsunami of obesity’ threatened all nations equally if nothing is done. Highlighting the almost viral nature of obesity, Jamie Oliver has cited the harmful fallout of Western obesity-led behaviours with their emphasis on materialism and sedentary lifestyles (both developed nations, the UK and US have the worst rates of obesity) such as consuming poor quality, unhealthy prepackaged foods upon developing nations who in turn pick-up these bad habits as they aim to grow similarly in prosperity, making obesity a genuine one-world problem. The current role of educating children about healthy eating and physical activity has been placed almost entirely upon parents and the potential for schools to help drive these learning outcomes has been largely ignored or is seen as an invasive threat from the nanny state. International research published in the Lancet also argues that the UK government is simply not doing enough to tackle obesity, with high-risk food companies only encouraged to act via recommendations, not legislation. It has failed to react to the growing concern that the rising costs of current obesity strategies, which often seek to treat obesity but rarely to prevent it, threatens to make UK healthcare financially unsustainable for future generations. Therefore, surely a societal problem as serious and viral as obesity requires a multiple-faceted strategy with communities, government, the NHS and schools all pulling together? Not only are schools places of learning, many of them are already E
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OBESITY PREVENTION About the API The Association of Play Industries (API) is the lead trade body within the play sector, representing the interests of the manufacturers, installers, designers and distributors of both outdoor and indoor play equipment and safer surfacing. Founded in 1984 it represents approximately 85 per cent of the market with more than 80 members. The API operates under the umbrella of the Federation of Sports and Play Associations (FSPA) the national trade body responsible for representing 18 Associations in the UK’s sport and play industries.
bars and throwing a javelin or stretching out on a swing much like long-jumpers. Bringing play lessons learnt on outdoor equipment into the classroom can double both the fun and educational value of the school day, as well as giving children the chance to let off steam which improves overall concentration.
E equipped with educational play facilities and hardworking, experienced teachers who know their pupil’s individual needs. MIXING IT UP In schools, making the time for play is often a balancing act of both funding and other more tangible resources such as staff and play facilities. But in order to encourage active play and new learning outcomes, a mixture of subjects and play facilities can be embraced. A recent report by the Welsh Schools Inspectorate (ESTYN) has tried to highlight the many benefits of moving more education outdoors and combining it with active play to let pupils be more active in school,
as well as improving their attention span and opening up new learning outcomes of the great outdoors. For example, children can play a game that requires them to gather and identify natural materials such as leaves, this exercise (both physical and educational) can then be continued in the classroom; or making music using play equipment and natural items outside and using ‘real’ instruments once back inside. A more sporting variation on playing outdoors would be to use play items such as monkey bars or slides to help children understand the health benefits of exercise through physical literacy; the ways in which different play actions relate directly to those in sports, in this case, swinging on monkey
LESS CHILDHOOD OBESITY Even as an important part of the school day, play has currently received little or no encouragement from government while communities remain keen for change and immediate action to help curb the rising tides of childhood obesity. Schools are a great opportunity to do this and to help drive home the obesity action message, as well as creating new support networks to help children who have issues about their weight or experiencing bullying. Like the communal unity of a church, a school is often more than the sum of its buildings, and it is crucial to ensure that all pupils are given access to play at school and to recognise both the learning and health value of this and act now on childhood obesity, both in and out of the classroom. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.api-play.org www.sportsandplay.com
Playgrounds that stimulate and challenge the child The Children’s Playground Company Ltd (CPCL) was founded in 2000 to provide high quality Robinia Wood playgrounds throughout the UK and Ireland. Our aspiration is that our playgrounds stimulate and challenge the child. We work with Sik-Holz Robinia equipment to create distinctive, stimulating playgrounds both large and small. We believe playgrounds should reflect the needs of their users and work with our customers to ensure that we create playgrounds that are exciting and unique.
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We provide a design service, equipment, surfacing, artworks, installation and other ancillary items as required. Our high standard of work and design gained us a RoSPA 5 star award for Kingsgate Park in Yate. Wherever appropriate we advocate the use of natural materials for all aspects of our play areas. Robinia removes the need for wood treatment and is available with a FSC certificate, making it environmentally friendly. Design is a main consideration for our projects at Sik-Holz/CPCL. The Sik-Holz
design team is lead by Klaus Peter Gust and his wife Claudia, the author of the acclaimed Playground Worlds book, supported by technicians, landscape architects and graphic designers. The CPCL design team is led by Rinske Wassenaar. FOR MORE INFORMATION 1 George Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4DG 01902 422 515 www.thechildrensplayground.com
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GREEN ROOFS
A LANDSCAPE AT GREAT HEIGHTS The British Association of Landscape Industries looks at the role ‘green roofs’ play in the future of school landscaping St Bartholomew School in Newbury has future proofed newly built school buildings by investing in a ‘green roof’. The project began with the building contractor Willmott Dixon challenging a selection of Year 9 students at the school to investigate the possibility of having a green roof system on new buildings the group were in the process of planning to build at the school. The Willmott Dixon Challenge involved the students researching design, installation, cost, maintenance and life span of a green roof. They were also asked to investigate if a green roof would improve the bio diversity of the school grounds and whether installing a green roof would have a positive effect on the environment. The students’ findings
were then presented to the Willmott Dixon senior managers and the design and construction team, and concluded with the team deciding on installing a green roof. TYPES OF MATERIALS St Bartholomew School’s interest in installing a green roof and its dedication to involving the pupils in this process also involved a group of Year 8 pupils learning about the different types of materials that can be used on a green roof. Green Roof expert Dr Alun Tarr, who recently spoke at BALI’s Green Roof & Living Walls seminar in Sheffield, led a science experiment with the pupils testing green roof sedum varieties. The group created miniature scaled green roofs that were then planted in specially
constructed wooden boxes in the school grounds, then over a series of months the pupils monitored growth rate of the sedum and incorporated this research into both their science lessons and the overall research put forward to the Willmott Dixon Challenge. West Berkshire council, in which the school is situated, worked closely with Willmott Dixon in the planning stages of the installation of the roof and is using the scheme as a flagship project for other schools in the area. RoofGreen UK subcontracting for Roofline were brought in to construct the green roof. It was decided by the pupils to select six different varieties of sedum for planting, trying to get as much variation as possible with regard to leaf colour, flower colour and plant height as to get maximum aesthetic, as well as making the roof as bio diverse as possible. The total roof area covered by sedum was approximately 4,000m2. BALI affiliate members Boughton Loam worked with Roofline to supply 400 tonnes of specialist lightweight soil to go onto the roof, in which 68,000 plants were planted. 55 tonnes of gravel was also used on the roof to finish the edging detail. Simon Hedley, Boughton Loam Ltd’s business director explains the development E
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GREEN ROOFS E of the soil: “We were very pleased to have been selected to supply our specialist lightweight green roof soil for Roof Line Ltd’s prestigious contract at St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury. The growing substrate was developed with Bernard Courtney, to be free draining although still retaining enough moisture and nutrients to encourage a healthy growing environment. Bernard Courtney also stipulated that the substrate must be made predominately of recycled materials to adhere to the ethos of sustainability which Bernard and Roof Green Ltd promote.
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MASSIVE UNDERTAKING “Boughton Loam Ltd supplied approximately 500 cubic metres of substrate in bulk bags. The Boughton substrate was made up of a blend of a sandy loam, green compost and lightweight aggregate. The material was supplied to the school site with very strict delivery controls to allow for as little disruption to the smooth running of the present school as possible.” Bernard Courtney, horticulture manager from RoofGreen UK, commented on the logistics of installing the Green Roof at St Bartholomew School: “It was a massive undertaking to get 400 tonnes of soil and 55 tonnes of gravel to roof level of a six storey building, moreover none of the roofs are flat and have a very intricate design with slopes of different angles ranging from 6 degrees to a maximum slope of 18 degrees. Special soil retention brackets had to be installed on the slopes to ensure maximum stabilisation of the soil. “Planting was also a massive undertaking on this project, 68,000 plants in an area the size of a small football pitch which were spread over seven different roof areas. We were very satisfied with the outcome on what was a very prestigious project, our team felt proud to be a part of it.” GREEN POINTS Councils in the United Kingdom must now attain a certain amount of “Green Points” in all their building and construction projects, as such Green Roofs have become a significant factor in this environmental drive by public bodies and schools have therefore become a major focus for Green Roof Installations. St Bartholomew School’s approach to installing Green Roof technology demonstrates a unique project in which pupils can learn about the benefits of a Green Roof as well as the technology involved and incorporate this into the curriculum at a number of age levels. The last few sedum plants which completed the Green Roof were put in place by a selection of Year 9 & 10 pupils. The students then took great delight in (safely) viewing part of the roof along with Chairman of the Council Councillor Geoff Findlay, the schools headteacher and representatives from Willmott Dixon and RoofGreen UK. With thanks to Bernhard Courtney Roofline, Simon Hedley of Boughton Loam and St Bartholomew. L
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SCHOOL MEAL TAKE-UP
MAKING THE MOST OF LUNCHTIME
Jon Rayment, a former teacher and children’s food advisor for the School Food Trust, takes a look at meal prices and how you can encourage and increase take up of nutritious lunches Every September brings a wave of headlines about the costs of the return to school – new uniforms, changing bus fares and the going rate for pocket money – but this year, the price of school meals was under particular scrutiny ahead of the autumn term. Which? research of local authorities around the country highlighted an average rise of 3 per cent in meal prices for the back to school period (the same as that reported in our annual survey of school lunch take up, published in July). Whilst far below wider food inflation rates, it was a timely reminder of the importance of increasing take up of healthy school meals if we’re going to keep them affordable for everyone. VALUE FOR MONEY We’ve always been clear about the role of affordability in growing the school meals market. School meal take up is particularly sensitive to changes in price, while a poll of
do better in the afternoons. Our research has found that primary school children are around three times more likely to concentrate and be on-task with their teachers after lunch if they’ve had a healthy meal in a decent environment, and in secondary schools pupils are around 18 per cent more focused. Teachers often talk to us about the impact on pupils’ behaviour when they’ve had a proper lunch rather than filling up on foods full of empty calories, and smaller studies comparing exam results at schools with breakfast clubs to those at schools without found pupils got better results where healthy breakfasts were on offer. Healthy school lunches are also making a difference for children’s health and wellbeing. In the short time since the introduction of national standards for school food, primary school pupils are already eating more of their 5-a-day at school and are being offered a lunch which is lower in fat, sugar and salt than the average lunch of 2005. And for many
creativity, innovation and the energy to tackle a whole range of contributing factors. Solutions don’t have to be largescale or costly, but creativity can be in short supply when you’re busy enough with just keeping your service going. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT This is why training can pay back such a big return – and this gave us the starting point for a new series of low-cost training sessions. We’ve designed these specifically for the school food sector, combining the questions we’re asked most often and expertise gained from working with schools and caterers over the last six years. How can you develop a flexible menu, but still make sure that it meets the national standards for school food? Flexibility within menu cycles can help you take advantage of seasonal ingredients and special offers from suppliers, to have a creative kitchen and to reflect school activities and events on your menu to as part of your marketing to pupils to increase your lunch numbers. Schools that give children a great lunchtime experience can only do so with the support E
Since the introduction of national standards for school food, primary school pupils are already eating more of their 5-a-day at school and are being offered a lunch which is lower in fat, sugar and salt than the average lunch of 2005. parents carried out for us this summer suggests that families would be prepared to try healthy school meals if they were on special offer. Our director of programmes and partnerships, David Edwards, puts it like this: “At an average of around £1.93, school meals are still good value for money – there aren’t many places on the high street where you can get a nutritious, two-course meal for that price. “But ultimately, increasing the number of children eating school meals will mean that schools can spread their costs, reducing the need for subsidy in the longer-term. “That’s why we’re urging schools to continue investing in good food; helping them to make the lunch experience better so that pupils want to choose school meals, and supporting caterers to operate more efficiently.” BETTER PERFORMANCE Let’s just remember why this is important: when children eat better at lunchtime, they
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pupils having free school meals, their school lunch may be the only proper meal they eat in a day. With almost a third of children either overweight or obese by the time they reach year 6, school meals play a key role in their education about making better food choices. BOOSTING NUMBERS Take up is on the rise – climbing in both primary and secondary schools for the third year running – but school meal eaters are still in the minority. Regardless of the reality of tasty food, cooking from scratch and creative menus, for many pupils and parents school meals still have an image problem. The legacy of decades of decline and parents’ own memories of disappointing dinners in the school hall isn’t easily shaken off. It makes the school meals market one of the toughest nuts to crack. Boosting take up numbers – and keeping them there so that prices can remain affordable – takes
John Rayment
Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/schoolbanking
E of parents and pupils. They use a whole school approach to healthy eating – building it into their curriculum and the school environment – to get over the barriers which can prevent families from choosing a healthy school meal instead of a packed lunch. But how can you apply this at your school? How can you get parents, pupils, staff and your community on board?
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FREE MEALS For many children, a free school lunch can be the only full meal they eat in a day. Yet too many pupils who would qualify are either not registered to receive their free meal, or choose not to eat it. Why is this? The reasons for this are many and complex, but there are simple solutions to many of the barriers. With a direct link between Pupil Premium funding and registration for free school meals, learning more is invaluable if you want to secure additional funding for your pupils who most need it, but more fundamentally, to make sure they also get the benefits of good school food.
learn. We know from our work with thousands of school-based cooking clubs across the country that cooking activities make an impact with children of all ages and abilities. But how can you use cooking to support different aspects of the primary curriculum? How does cooking engage pupils who do not do well in a traditional classroom? Our work on these dilemmas and solutions gave birth to our new ‘How To’ programme. This set of one-day sessions covers a range of topics that each play a part in growing your school meals market, bringing additional funding to your school or building your offer to parents. From increasing your free school meal take up, to engaging your parents and pupils with healthy food; creative marketing for your school meals even if your budget is limited; using cooking in the curriculum and developing flexible menus whilst still meeting the national standards for school food, you’ll walk away with practical actions and ideas that have been tried and tested in schools across the country. L
TOOLS Marketing is an essential weapon in your take up toolkit. How do you focus your resources for best impact? What are the most effective tactics? Cooking is a fantastic way to help children
FOR MORE INFORMATION Courses begin in October, with sessions in London and Birmingham and prices starting at £150 for one day. For more information, visit www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/howto
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Pricing it up The average price of a school meal in England, for schools with catering provided by the local authority, is around £1.88 in primary schools and £1.98 in secondary schools. That’s a rise of 5p or 3 per cent in primaries and 4p or 2 per cent in secondaries – which is around the same size rise as the previous year (School Food Trust/LACA Annual Survey of School Lunch Take Up 2010-11) Which? research over the summer found some price rises of as much as 17 per cent for the new autumn term Research for the School Food Trust suggests that for a for a 10 per cent increase in price, you could expect a fall in take up of between 7 per cent and 10 per cent Two thirds of local authorities taking part in the School Food Trust/LACA Annual Survey of School Lunches indicated that they will continue to receive unringfenced School Lunch Grant funding from their schools in the coming year; less than one in five said otherwise
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HEALTHY VENDING for the Education sector.
Eagle vending again was a pioneer in introducing healthy vending into secondary schools (prior to Jamie Oliver!). Working with the Health Education Trust and product manufacturers, we introduced a wide range of healthy snacks & drinks that complied with the government’s nutritional standards, and followed the School Food Trusts changing guidelines.
For further information on any of our products and services please contact Mike Steel on 01634 722999 Mobile 07949 135999 Email: mike@eaglevending.co.uk
www.fairtradevending.co.uk
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VENDING
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SELECTING THE BEST OPTION
Vending can bring a number of benefits to schools, including keeping pupils on site and providing a source of income, says Jonathan Hilder, chief executive officer of the Automatic Vending Association For vending within education – with the exception of primary schools where no vending is allowed to take place – it is a service that offers great control, and to fall in line with government advice and guidelines, vending within secondary schools allows only school compliant products to be presented and made available to pupils. This means that not only can you control where students are spending their money, but on the right sort of items – items such as fruit juices low fat snacks and fresh sealed fruit. Whilst vending allows operators the flexibility to vary their vended offerings in accordance with what their customers want, where education vending is concerned, vending services can be stocked to provide students with the products that they should be consuming – the healthy options that meet school meal guidelines as per the government’s recommendations. SCHOOL BENEFITS The new academy based schools are again opening up the market for vending as they are not constricted by the government regulations and a large number are opting to place full line vending and its associated income back into the schools. This has a number of benefits such as keeping pupils on site, allowing staff to see what pupils eat, and it provides a good income to the school. These benefits are recognised within 6th form colleges, colleges and universities that are able to look at fair trade products and healthy options to provides a complete range to their students that also provides a good income stream. It also allows out of hours refreshment so also relieves the need for staffing in these areas.
RECYCLING INITIATIVES As well as stocking the right sorts of products within education vending, it has become more and more important for premises to consider recycling initiatives – especially now that issues relating to climate change, carbon footprints and energy management at the forefront of protecting the environment. Schools are taking this matter more seriously than most, after all, they’re in the best position to shape the responsible citizens of tomorrow. School catering and vending operator Options Management Ltd – another AVA member company – recognise that vending, as a service, brings to the market a range of drinks and snacks which are packaged – and packaging has long been the focus of the green lobby because much of it still goes to landfill when it could be recycled. For schools and colleges, the growth in the use of plastic drinks bottles, cans or cups and their associated litter problems pose a major challenge. After-use disposal of bottles is difficult because of their high volume and low weight, which makes them act as air capsules, meaning they spread around a site easily. This litter is unsightly and can negatively affect school ethos. Options Management has created a unique recycling package to help schools address this particular problem with PET bottles and other drinks containers, with a system which guarantees that the materials are recovered and recycled. Implemented by high schools in Cheshire West and Chester, the system recovers the containers by offering a drinks vending machine with a recycling machine. It also supports over the counter sales, allows either caterers and schools to justifiably claim that
the containers they sell can be recovered for recycling after-use, and also carries numerous other benefits; such as improved janitor utilisation, reduction in skip use, and reduction of carbon emissions within the recovery chain. Co-locating these machines and utilising the incentive programmes and promotional opportunities has led to increased sales and the whole system becoming self-financing and cost-neutral. It’s also changed bad habits, reduced litter and increased recycling. PUPIL REWARDS Seven high schools in the Cheshire West and Cheshire area have boosted their recycling efforts with Options Management’s stateof-the-art plastic bottle recycling machines and are now on course to recover between 96,000 and 200,000 bottles, thanks to the new machine, which diverts bottles from landfill instead seeing them become recycled into other bottles and products. Pupils are rewarded for their efforts to recycle when the machines issue random tokens that can be exchanged for a free drink. The scheme introduced in Cheshire is the beginning of a new recovery infrastructure that could see up to 32,000 tonnes of used plastic bottles recovered annually from maintained secondary schools alone, over half the total capacity of any major bottle recycling plant in the country. As more and more schools recognise the benefits of working with responsible suppliers, the overall contribution to the environment could be significant. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ava-vending.co.uk
British-made mobile food service counters from Victor Manufacturing Victor Manufacturer is supplying Buckinghamshire schools with its Britishmade mobile foodservice counters. The county is instigating a new hot meals service and replacing school kitchens and dining facilities. The project aims to provide 60 schools with new facilities so that hot meals can be served, for the first time in over 20 years. Food is cooked at central locations and then transported to schools in insulated boxes. On arrival the food is transferred into Victor’s hot/ cold/ambient mobile serveries. So far Victor has supplied over 30 sites with more to follow, Hugh Maclennan, project manager for school meals improvement, explains why
hall as the dining room, so mobile units are crucial, so they can be pushed out of the way after service. Also important is durability, as they often have to be stored in the hall where PE classes are held. “The Victor counters are good price, reliable and they work for the schools. The Victor countering – bains marie, salad wells and ambient sections – all push together and look like one streamlined unit.” Victor units were ordered: “The schools needed a mix of fixed and mobile counters because of the different needs at the sites. Many schools are using the main
FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01274 72212 email@victormanufacturing.co.uk www.victoronline.co.uk
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Outsourcing
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STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
ON THE PATH TO SUCCESSFUL OUTSOURCING
Schools and colleges that are considering outsourcing should have clearly defined business objectives first and an idea about how outsourcing fits into their existing strategy, urges Martyn Hart, Chairman of the National Outsourcing Association In times of austerity, the benefits of outsourcing become even more glaring. Cutting costs, improving services, using top experts with the best technology for the job – that’s how you reduce a budget deficit. David Cameron said, as he unveiled the Open Public Services White Paper, that the government strategy was about: “Ending the old big-government, top-down way of running public services, releasing the grip of state control and putting power in people’s hands.” So, now you have the power, how do you wield it wisely? How do you get the best service for the least expenditure? How do you tick all the boxes, and keep everybody happy? It is important, right from the outset, to know exactly what you hope to achieve. Where do you want to be? What is your
network? How many faults? It will help you understand your current weaknesses, and might give you an opportunity to fix them without outsourcing. Even if you feel sure your issues cannot be fixed without outsourcing, preparing a business case for both routes – in or out – will forearm you for the request for proposal stage. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Before you set about preparing to solicit tenders, you need to assemble your deal team. Ensure all key stakeholders are represented here – their motivations may well be at odds. Only by communicating business objectives and involving all groups from the outset will you achieve the universal buy-in required to make your outsourcing deal work. Your
You cannot outsource until you have clearly defined business objectives and an idea about how outsourcing fits into your existing strategy. vision? What is stopping you achieving it? Do you want your teachers to spend more time teaching, but find them burdened with non-educational aspects of the job? DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES You cannot outsource until you have clearly defined business objectives and an idea about how outsourcing fits into your existing strategy. For sometimes outsourcing is not the answer at all. Many organisations decide to outsource first, then decide who to talk to, without deciding what they actually want. This is a recipe for disaster. Before you speak to suppliers, you must be clear about what you want to do. For example, maybe you want a faster network? More machines available during lessons? Student progress reporting? Facilities for paying dinner money online? Once you know where you want to be, you need to assess where you are already. A comprehensive as-is assessment allows you to establish the clear baseline of performance data. How fast is your
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deal team will require at least one wellrespected member of each stakeholder group, and must be multi-disciplinary. At this stage, it is well worth considering seeking out other schools and local authorities who want the same things as you do. There is a current trend for shared services in the public sector. But, despite high profile deals such as Wiltshire Fire & Rescue and Wiltshire Police sharing a communications system, only 29 per cent of public sector organisations currently share back office processes and just 27 per cent share data centre operations. If there is a school down the road, or the whole local authority – or even, following the example of Wigan and Bolton City Councils, a collection of local authorities – to join forces with, there are many benefits to be had. Not only can you leverage your buying power and get the deal cheaper, the supplier will be more inclined to invest more into a bigger contract. So, if you can, find likeminded organisations to follow the same steps you have so far, and approach the market
together. It is crucial to realise that a shared services model is not just about merging ICT departments, it’s about business process transformation. The key to success will be to work with managed service providers who have the expertise and resources to ensure that shared services become of genuine benefit. FINDING THE RIGHT VENDOR The next step is to find the right vendor. Engage the market with an attitude that gives the supplier the freedom to succeed. It is the results you should focus on, the innovations and processes that the vendor will use is up to them. Do not be too rigid in your brief, focus on getting the best out of suppliers’ experience and technical advantages. Their management expertise has the capacity to find ways to improve service standards. Avoid over-specification on operational processes – empower the service provider to innovate. When selecting a vendor, closely examine their credentials. Do they have a track record of successful delivery of similar projects? All backed up by references? Thorough checks need to be made on financial stability, technical competence, infrastructure and working practices. Meet a selection of companies face to face; invest time assessing the various proposals. Rigorously explore the range of operating and commercial models on offer. Find the E
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have less than ten. Less is definitely more; there is a tendency, under a deluge of information, not to use it wisely. Concentrate on the big issues at the centre of the original business case. Also, beware of ‘real time reporting,’ which can lead to rash decision making.
E one best-equipped to deliver your needs. Another thing to consider at the tender stage is cultural fit. Management teams will be working together on a daily basis. Employees may be transferred to the partner organisation as part of the contract. It is absolutely vital that the values and culture of the organisations are aligned. The only way to truly assess this is to spend time with the team and monitor the chemistry. Speaking directly to managers already dealing with the vendor is another great way of
getting a feel for their working culture. Focus on getting to the right contract. By that, I don’t so much mean the legal document as ‘the deal.’ But, as the actual legal written agreement will form the basis of the on-going relationship, it’s crucial to get it right at its inception. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) sets out the expectations of both parties in detail. It should clearly define success and failure, but should not be overburdened with excessive metrics. Some outsourcing contracts have about 80 metrics. Truly optimised contracts
WHAT’S YOUR EXIT STRATEGY? Before you sign the contract, consider your exit strategy. All too often, exit doesn’t get the attention it deserves until it is on the horizon – when it’s too late, and you are painted into a corner, surrounded by exit charges. That’s when costs can skyrocket. Although it is not possible to design a detailed exit strategy at the signing stage, a good contract includes covenants to test and update exit clauses throughout the outsourcing life cycle. The full plan will include provisions for replacing supplier-owned technology, secure transfer of intellectual property and avoiding supplier lock-in, keeping your options open on a re-tender. Beware of contracts stating ‘no additional costs on exit’ – these regularly lead to suppliers under-servicing at the contract’s end, incurring additional, unplanned costs. Although the SLA is not something to wave in your vendors face, you will require strong governance through the life of the contract. Build in incentives to reward positive behaviour. This is the best way to ensure supplier compliance, and get the best out of the deal through the outsourcing life cycle. Remember – outsourcing is a relationship. There will be good days and bad days. There will be teething troubles. There may well be arguments. Resolving issues, quickly and amicably, is all about communication. Regular meetings – both formal and informal – should be a feature of the relationship, and, therefore, should be built into the contract. Signing the contract is just the beginning – think of the SLA as a living document, to be amended as circumstances change throughout the outsourcing life cycle. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.noa.co.uk
Making personal financial education fun Bamzonia is an easy to use, independent, online resource teaching students from 7-18 all about the crucial subject of personal financial education. Bamzonia is fun and engaging, teaching invaluable skills for work and life. Bamzonia teaches lessons from coin recognition to wages, budgeting and saving. As an online resource, Bamzonia is ideal for traditional or virtual lesson environments; for solo or group learning. Bamzonia can be accessed on or
off school timetable. It is easy to introduce as teachers need no pre-lesson content preparation or post lesson marking. With full evidence based measurement, integrated within our solution, tracking progress throughout the learning syllabus is available at the touch of a button. “Bamzonia is an excellent way to engage children with financial capability. The activities require the children to think about the task in hand and prove that they have learnt specific areas of financial
capability, before taking part in the game. The excellent support from Bamzonia allowed me to concentrate on how the resource can impact on learning, linking it to other areas of the curriculum,” said John Dooris, deputy head, Hurworth Primary, Darlington. FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information please call us on 0845 505 1750. Demo Bamzonia at www.bamzonia.com free of charge and see how easily you can introduce personal financial education to your school, today.
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Training
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PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING
A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING Schools need strong managers and leaders if they are to deliver effective education to young people. Narinder Uppal from the Chartered Management Institute explains how training can help As the new school term begins, education remains a topic at the forefront of the political agenda. The recent riots raised questions about the role that schools play in ensuring that students not only get a good academic education, but are also taught about civic responsibility and their role in society as a whole. Schools’ positions on league tables are also becoming increasingly important, and teachers are struggling to achieve high standards in challenging circumstances. In order to achieve such aims during these turbulent times, it is imperative that the education sector contains strong leaders and managers who are able to raise their game to unprecedented levels. Leaders in the education sector are being asked to take on a wider variety of tasks and to achieve more stretching targets with less and less support and resources. Ensuring they are supported with professional leadership training delivered at a consistently high level will be vital if they are to play the role that is demanded of them. Perhaps most importantly,
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by demonstrating these high standards of leadership, students will ultimately benefit. The UK is already in the midst of a skills crisis in the area of leadership, with only one in five managers professionally qualified. As a country we spend far less on management skills development than many of our European competitors. IMAGE The image of managers in the education sector can be especially negative, with the stereotype being that they make decisions that are too business-focused and fail to prioritise the growth and development of their students. However, they are much more than bureaucrats there to tick boxes; they are essential to drive change, identify opportunities and set a vision of where their school is going. What’s more, if it is done well, strong and effective school leaders will ultimately benefit the students in their care. But leadership isn’t something that just head teachers must master. Every teacher
has a responsibility and the capability to lead well and to build their skill base so they can do so. There will be a real benefit to the pupils they teach if they do this. An example of how this is working in practice is the Teach First scheme. The charity recruits graduates who want to make an impact in the classrooms of schools facing challenging circumstances. Once they have secured a place on the scheme, they become participants of a two-year Leadership Development Programme, which places them in a challenging school to raise levels of achievement, improve access and raise aspirations of the students they teach. The Leadership Development Programme allows them to become outstanding classroom leaders in schools in challenging circumstances, committed to leading in their classrooms and tackling educational disadvantage. Teach First believes that doing this will help students to achieve high academic standards and also broaden their perception of what they are capable of achieving. The scheme is a great example of how teachers can not only personally benefit from developing management and leadership skills, but how this can also make a real difference in the classroom. SETTING A POSITIVE EXAMPLE The other reason why it is important that teachers demonstrate strong leadership skills is that young people are sponges that soak up the atmosphere and skills around them. By seeing good examples of how leadership can be done well, they are more likely to develop skills in this area themselves. E
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E There are increasing calls for young people to develop these abilities, not least because it will help to set them apart in an increasingly competitive job market. Earlier this year, CMI released the ‘Tomorrow’s Leaders’ report which revealed that nine out of ten managers feel that young people often need training in basic skills when entering the world of work. What’s more, the research found that 77 per cent of managers felt school leavers’ management skills were either poor or very poor. If new recruits are already starting on the back foot, UK plc is destined to lag behind in this fundamental area. It’s therefore imperative that businesses and the education system work together if they are to break this cycle, an aim that is in both of their interests. QUALIFICATIONS To help address this issue, the Chartered Management Institute has recently launched a programme called Campus CMI, which has delivered 1,500 qualifications to date in team leading and line management in schools and FE colleges across the UK to young people aged 14-21. Campus CMI is led by a board of employers including Centrica, Waitrose and The National Grid, which builds an essential dialogue between schools, colleges and employers to ensure that relevant and useful skills are developed that will benefit students in their future careers. The qualifications also sit alongside the academic curriculum, aiding, rather than replacing, core studies. An example of how teachers can help to encourage their students to recognise the benefits of this management and leadership training can be found at Abbeyfield School in Chippenham. The school saw four students undertake Campus CMI qualifications last year. One of these four plucky students was Abbeyfield’s own deputy head, Mark Fuller, who came across the course whilst researching possible enrichment options for the school’s Sixth Form offering. Mark was so impressed by the scope of the programme, he decided to get involved himself. The impact which the Campus CMI programme has made on Mark and his students is also something he hopes to extend to his fellow teaching staff in the near future. Mark believes that good management and leadership skills are essential to the strong running of all organisations, and would like to see what he has learnt extended to the wider teaching staff in the form of a training course mentored by students who have already taken the Campus CMI programme. It’s really encouraging to see the way he hopes to turn the teacher/student relationship on its head as they set about developing leadership skills. BECOMING A CHARTERED MANAGER There are a number of ways that teachers can improve their management skills. For example, reading relevant books and seeking guidance from a trusted mentor can both be beneficial. However, if teachers are particularly interested in professional development that is more structured, a recognised professional qualification is a good option. Teachers can also focus on their leadership development and have the great work they are doing acknowledged by becoming a Chartered Manager. Chartered Manager is the hallmark of a professional manager and proves that you are using theory on the job to achieve results. To become a Chartered Manager, hopefuls undergo vigorous assessment in areas of practice such as managing change. Achieving Chartered Manager status is a sign that candidates are at the leading edge of today’s management community. It demonstrates a high level of leadership capability and the fact that individuals are clearly committed to delivering impact for their employers. INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS Two managers who school teachers can look to for inspiration have achieved Chartered Manager status and have gone on to be named as finalists in the Chartered Management Institute’s Charted Manager of the Year competition. This year, Graeme Pyle CMgr FCMI, principal at Beaumont College in Lancaster, and Robert Halton CMgr FCMI, board member at the College of Law, who is based in Birmingham, have already been crowned the best managers in the
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Training
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North West and West Midlands regions respectively and are now in the running to win the national Chartered Manager of the Year title. This title is given to the manager who can best show how they have made a significant positive impact on their organisation. The award highlights how the individuals on the shortlist have demonstrated that their excellent management and leadership skills are among the best in their sector, region and nation. When short-listing the candidates, the judging panel singled Graeme out for his outstanding leadership abilities and Robert for successfully instigating cultural change within The College of Law. Graeme turned Beaumont College, which specialises in delivering courses to young adults with physical and learning disabilities, from a rating of poor for leadership and management to outstanding in just four years. As principal, he made major changes to the way the college operates, including building better relationships with key stakeholders, which have proved hugely successful. Robert has led The College of Law across its eight centres nationally into new ground, enabling it to fight against competitors who had introduced price-cutting strategies. Despite the prevailing negative conditions, Robert showed impressive management skills by implementing significant cultural change, with tangible bottom-line results. Not only are Graeme and Robert fantastic examples of how strong leadership can be of real benefit to schools, they also show that their achievements can be acknowledged in a way that sets them apart from the crowd. In summary, effective leadership in schools is imperative if the education sector is to thrive and every member of staff, whether teacher or head teacher, has a role to play. Taking a professional qualification can provide staff with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in this area. Not only will this help them in their own career, but it will assist the young people that they teach by setting an example to follow that will be of benefit to them as they prepare to embark on their own career. L
Dave Foord is a former teacher, that now specialises in educational staff development. He offers high quality, interactive and engaging training sessions on a variety of topics, for example;
Putting the ‘fun’ back into fundamental learning
Ideas of how simple uses of technology can make learning more active.
Designing challenging behaviour out of the classroom Stopping challenging behaviour before it happens, rather than dealing when it does happen.
Improving learner grades through computerised mind mapping*
Effective use of computerised mind mapping* is one of the most likely interventions to significantly increase learners grades. Dave has used these techniques in and beyond his teaching. *Mind Map® and Mind Maps® are registered trademarks of The Buzan Organisation
Small steps – Big difference
Looking at simple things that a teacher can do, to make their teaching and learning more accessible to disabled students.
Making PowerPoint active not passive
Ideas and techniques to help staff move away from ‘death by powerpoint’.
Bespoke training
Above is a small sample of the sessions that Dave can run, most of his training is bespoke sessions tailored to an organisations requirements.
For more information or an informal chat:
Mob: 07922115678 Tel: 01509 556950 Web: www.a6training.co.uk Email: dave@a6training.co.uk
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Partners on the way to improving productivity. resource is a company that delivers and advises on key outsourced services such as cleaning, security services, front of house staff, car park management and window cleaning in specialist areas across the private and public sectors. The company has a unique footprint across the UK and Ireland, with offices in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Cardiff, the Isle of Man, Belfast, Dublin and Limerick. Every day our people help our clients to deliver better customer services and release value to their businesses. We work in partnership with educational establishments to create bespoke, managed solutions that give greater efficiency, improved productivity, reduced administrative burden and most importantly, financial transparency and cost-savings. This total, integrated approach allows our clients to focus on providing state-of-the-art academic services and maximising income while we deliver vital support services ranging from cleaning of educational, research and residency facilities, to portering, guarding, control room and CCTV services, waste recycling, H&S management and car park controls.
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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
While schools have been feeling the burden of budget cuts, the fair pay movement has been pounding away, posing an additional challenge to facilities managers charged with cutting costs, writes Peter Carrol from the British Cleaning Council In October 2010, the newly formed coalition government announced a comprehensive spending review for the public sector, reducing departmental budgets by an average of 19 per cent over the next four-years with the aim of eliminating the structural deficit. School and education budgets managed to avoid the worst of the cuts, with the schools budget, which covers teachers and classroom equipment, rising from £35billion to £39bn over the next four years – a marginal 0.1 per cent hike in real terms. But, as ever, the devil is in the detail. A commitment to pupil premium (an extra £2,000 for each pupil derived from a
deprived background) led to the amount of money spent on school buildings being cut by 60 per cent to £15.8bn by 2015. CRITICISM Critics of the coalition were quick to condemn the projections. Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The cuts are a retrograde step and will have a devastating impact on vital public services, including education. The government may talk about protecting schools, but schools are not protected and nor are local authorities. Attacks are already being made on additional education funding outside of
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MAKING AN OPPORTUNITY OUT OF BUDGET CUTS
the core schools budget, with vital frontline services to schools already under threat.” Meanwhile, Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said that the coalition was “masquerading behind the pretence of fairness and protection of funding, the truth is that school budgets have been plundered to pay for the pupil premium. It is not addition when in real terms money has been wiped off school budgets to fund the pupil premium.” Despite the claims of ring fencing, many schools have been left scrambling to make operational savings to their facilities management budgets before the cuts really start to bite.
Cleaning
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IMPROVING EFFICIENCY As the funding constraints began to take shape, right of centre think tank Policy Exchange argued that education establishments have brought many of the problems on themselves, and they were simply not doing enough to cut their costs in the pre-austerity era. In the research paper Higher Education in the Age of Austerity, Policy Exchange claimed that Universities could collectively save as much as £3bn a year if they privatised many of their services, looked at synergies with other establishments and improved efficiency levels amongst their staff. I put these claims to Billy Hussein, policy officer and education specialist at the Cleaning and Support Services Association. Hussein E
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KEEPING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SAFE SaniGuard® Surface Spray SAFE & EFFECTIVE No Waiting. No Wiping. No Germs. SaniGuard® Surface Spray is the world’s first, and only, Dry on Contact Spray Sanitizer & Deodorizer. SaniGuard® is Safe on any surface including paper & electronics! Our formula is even safe on food prep and eating surfaces–and requires no potable rinse. Great for Sanitizing: n Classroom Surfaces (desks, chairs, & tables) n Toys & Games n Shared Learning Materials (books, markers, calculators, rulers, etc.) n Computer Keyboards & Mouse n Office Phones, Faxes & Copiers n Teacher’s Lounge/Lunch Room n Cafeteria/Eating Area Surfaces
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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
E stated that the report has overlooked the fact that most schools have been looking at making savings across the board for a long time, and does not appear to take into account the social pressure for fairer pay to all staff. After reviewing working practices at the many schools, he says that there is often very little extra capacity amongst staff to increase their output: “Benchmarking and efforts to increase productivity did not feature in some schools plans, due to the fact that the staff productivity was already well above the industry norm. “What many have been forced to focus on instead is a department-wide audit, which looks objectively at every expenditure. What you will often see is substantial double accounting; for example if you have a contract to clean two sets of buildings, the education premises and the sports facilities, then ask for two sets of invoices. You may well find that you are were paying for the same job twice, two sets of uniforms and other
related equipment, this is an unsustainable expense in the age of austerity.” Hussein also advocates greater levels of collaboration and shared management practices amongst educational outfits: “The relationship with other schools working in proximity must be scrutinised, and schools should look at ways that they can work with them, in procurement practices or sharing management staff, for example.” FAIR PAY While the financial upheaval in schools has been taking place, the slow drumbeat of the fair pay movement has been pounding away, posing an additional challenge to facilities managers charged with cutting budgets. In recent years, this movement has crystallised in the form of the Living Wage Campaign, a carefully calculated figure which amounts to the minimum wage that people need to keep a family in health and properly housed, fed, and able to contribute to society. Led by pressure
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group London Citizens, the living wage is not a case of just topping up the minimum wage, rather a way of calculating the amount needed to live in certain areas of the country. While the higher education sector has been one of the earliest adopters, the picture amongst many schools has been mixed. The wage, which currently stands at £8.30 an hour in London, is desirable but clearly deemed unnecessary. Reacting to the criticisms that the wage should have been implemented in more schools, Hussein explains that “the process takes time; schools are undergoing as much pressure as many other businesses. The campaign is gathering speed, and we have seen boroughs like Ealing support the policy in its infancy and prove that it can be made to work.”
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OUTSOURCING The Conservative arm of the coalition seems to believe that outsourcing is a convenient way of reducing costs in the public sector, but Hussein believes that if schools commit to increasing the cleaners’ wages it will erode the benefits normally associated with outsourcing. Rather than reducing the responsibilities of the employer, he believes that “the London Living Wage campaign will increase the pressure on schools to find a way that ensures staff are paid fairly. This has meant that outsourcing cannot be used as an excuse, and labour costs will remain the same regardless of who is administering the work.” Hussein offers his support to all employers paying the living wage, and sees it as a responsibility many cleaning companies will find it harder to avoid in the future. The Greater London Authority recently produced a report which set out the economic arguments for the living wage in an independent study, which listed the key benefits as reduced absenteeism, greater productivity and lower staff turnover. More than 80 per cent of employers surveyed in the study believed that the LLW had enhanced the quality of the work of their staff, and nearly 70 per cent of both buyers and suppliers felt that the Living Wage had increased consumer awareness of their organisation’s commitment to be an ethical employer. When I put this list to Hussein, he says that it chimes with many of the conversations he has had with schools, adding that the staff reaction to the policy often surprises employers, with a noticeable improvement in motivation levels and operational efficiency from those affected by the change. Hussein closes by stating that the education sector is facing great social and political pressure to implement changes, but it is possible for schools to respond to the challenge imaginatively. By looking at the funding crisis as an opportunity to modernise and reform processes, both workers and pupils can reap the rewards of these changes. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
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Help troubled pupils turn their lives around with the teacher training programme from Dialogics One of the biggest challenges for educators is how to work with pupils with problems. Pupils’ problems stem from a host of causes but show up as disruptive or aggressive behaviour, poor attendance or lack of interest, commitment or engagement with learning. Perhaps all of these. They can include mental health issues, substance abuse and anti-social or criminal behaviour or just What we’ve done is boil down the skills of complete apathy and a failure to engage. counselling to their very essence and adapted So what behaviour management approaches them to the everyday needs of the teacher or can help these hard to reach pupils? In a teaching assistant. Progress is based on the recent report from the Office of the Children’s work of Professor Gerard Egan whose book, Commissioner, ‘I Think I Must Have Been ‘The Skilled Helper’, is the most widely used Born Bad’, it is said that children who offend: text in counsellor training in the world. With “Most critically, they need opportunities to Professor Egan, we’ve designed a course that develop trusting relationships with significant combines practical workshops with a range of adults so they can engage meaningfully online activities to equip teachers with the skills with others, and manage their emotions to help young people to turn their lives around. and behaviour....Little attention is paid Skilled helping, or common sense to the crucial importance of relationships counselling, isn’t about giving advice like an in both supporting emotional wellbeing agony aunt with all the answers. It’s about and managing challenging behaviour.” being a catalyst, helping young people to Dialogics has developed a training identify their own problems, reach their own programme for teachers so they can intervene decisions, set their own goals, make and early to help vulnerable young people to implement their own plans – all with their develop direction and purpose in their teacher’s support and guidance. And it’s lives. It’s based on establishing strong and not just helping them deal with the current productive relationships between teachers situation. It’s helping them learn how they and pupils. We call it the Progress course. can help themselves in the future; skills they 1-4 page advert Elements.pdf 1 20/09/2011 13:08:19
need to live a productive and fulfilled life. Teachers tell us how our training has given them confidence and skills to help even their most troubled pupils and that behaviour, attendance and attainment have all improved dramatically as a result of the course. The training takes place through workshops ranging from a one day introduction to three days for a more advanced course. It’s suitable for primary and secondary, mainstream or alternative education, teachers, teaching assistants and others. Call us now to book your session or visit our website to watch some of our videos and learn more about the skills and how we teach them. FOR MORE INFORMATION 249-251 Kensal Road, London W10 5DB Tel: 020 89606069 progress@dialogics.com www.theprogresscourse.com www.dialogics.com
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DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR
DEALING WITH DISRUPTION The report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), called ‘No Excuses: A review of educational exclusion’, exposes the extent to which some children feel unsafe in schools, and the impact of gang culture on their behaviour and education. At one primary school cited in the report children aged 9-11 regularly turned up to class wearing the colours of their local street gang. The CSJ urges ministers to use its report as a blueprint for radical reform on exclusion, in line with its commitment to transform education in failing schools. RISING CONCERNS The review highlights the climate of fear gripping many pupils who feel unsafe in school, and on their journey to and from it. ‘The extent to which pupils in some
some schools failing to provide any suitable education or support to these children.” “This report reinforces the need for early intervention. It is tragic that 320 young children were excluded below the age of 8 between 2009-2010” Another of its key findings is that many schools are ill-equipped and ineffective in dealing with disruptive behaviour. Measures currently used include permanent exclusions (expulsions), fixed-term exclusions (suspensions) typically lasting a few days, transfer to off-site pupil referral units (PRUs) or other ‘alternative provision’ by means of processes such as ‘managed moves’, ‘referrals’ dual registrations (where a pupil is on the roll of two schools), and the use of part-time timetables. The report calls for a ‘standardised,
The CSJ’s report calls for a ‘standardised, simplified and cohesive approach’ to helping vulnerable young people in place of the current patchwork of arrangements. of our schools are feeling unsafe and the impact that weapon-carrying street gang activity and conflict is having on their behaviour is staggering. ‘During evidence to the CSJ, the head of a primary referral unit cited a number of examples of 7-11-year-olds being sent to the pupil referral unit (PRU) for having brought knives into their primary school. ‘Often the children said that they had brought the knives in because they were being bullied in school, to scare someone, or because they were being bullied by older children or, in one example, by someone’s father, on their way home from school.’ Some schools try to hide their gang problems because of fear of damage to their reputation, the report says. The CSJ’s report has been informed by a group of expert education advisers, including two Academy Principals, the leading UK schools lawyer and a charity chief executive specialising in young people at risk of exclusion from school. CSJ Executive Director Gavin Poole said: “It is vital that unscrupulous and sometimes illegal practices indulged in are confronted head on. The money for these ‘ghost pupils’ is retained by the school, but they don’t attend, with
simplified and cohesive approach’ to helping vulnerable young people in place of the current patchwork of arrangements. SUGGESTIONS Mainstream schools, PRUs and alternative providers from the charitable and private sectors should develop better and more detailed knowledge about the circumstances and needs of individual pupils. This could be achieved by an ‘education passport’, the CSJ believes. Primary and secondary schools should be able focus on building relationships with pupils, explaining their rules and laying the foundations for behaviour. Heads and teachers should receive special training in conflict resolution and police officers should be trained to work in schools with problem pupils. According to the latest official figures, in 2009/10 there were around 5,700 permanent exclusions and 330,000 suspensions out of a pupil population of 8 million. After action by the previous Labour government, permanent exclusions have fallen. Yet the official figures do not provide an accurate picture in some schools. For example, fewer pupils are being excluded but it seems
more are being educated outside mainstream schools and sent to PRUs (twice as many in 2007 as a decade earlier) and other alternative provision. Some will have been illegally excluded from their mainstream schools. There is currently no way of knowing how many pupils are being illegally excluded. The report warns that some schools are acting illegally or unscrupulously, and that their practices are allowed to remain hidden within systems that are either completely unregulated, or that are subject to very little transparency and monitoring: ‘Some schools are failing to comply with their legal obligations in respect of official exclusions, are carrying out unofficial illegal exclusions, or are otherwise failing to provide an acceptable level of pastoral care and education. ‘In doing so they are failing to comply with their child protection and safeguarding obligations in many cases...The weaknesses in the current system are being manipulated by some schools in relation to some of society’s most vulnerable children and young people.’
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Children as young as seven are carrying weapons such as knives in some of Britain’s poorest schools, according to a report from the Centre For Social Justice, which also reveals a failure on the part of some schools to respond to disruptive behaviour
Behaviour Management
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REASONS FOR DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR The CSJ report identifies a number of deepseated factors that cause disruptive behaviour often leading to exclusions in response. Family breakdown and domestic abuse are among the causes. The report cites previous CSJ research showing that a child not growing up in a two-parent family is 75 per cent more likely to fail at school. It also cites NSPCC research showing that almost one million secondary school children had been physically attacked by an adult, raped or sexually assaulted, or severely neglected at home. Lack of nurture and communication in the first three years of life when the human brain is developing rapidly is cited as another underlying cause of later severe behavioural problems. It found some children were starting school who communicated with grunts, couldn’t use a knife and fork because they didn’t use them at home, and who were routinely aggressive. The report suggests that government and Ofsted must address the issue of unofficial exclusions and promote transparency. It also suggests an electronic education passport model where mainstream schools, special schools, PRUs and other alternative providers need to develop an informed understanding about each pupil’s circumstances and educational requirements. The CSJ believes this could be achieved through the development and introduction of an electronic education passport model. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk
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11-14 JANUARY 2012 / OLYMPIA, LONDON www.bettshow.com
TOUCH, TEST AND COMPARE BETT is the place to see technology in education. Discover the latest resources for all areas of the curriculum and hear from fellow educators who are using technology to improve teaching and learning. Make sure you are investing in the best solutions.
Register for free now at
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EVENT PREVIEW
A LAUNCH PAD FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
BETT 2012 will showcase the latest educational technology products, resources and best practice on 11-14 January
For educationalists, 2011 has seen great change. Many of the changes forecast for education by the new government have taken place or are currently underway. Diminishing budgets were a concern for schools at the start of the year, however research from the BETT commissioned whitepaper, ‘Futuresource research into technology procurement plans of UK schools’ found that on average, schools expect a three per cent increase in ICT budgets in 2012. Many schools, when making budgetary decisions or discussing change management, continue to trust in events like BETT for guidance, advice and support. BETT 2012, the world’s largest technology in education event takes place from 11-14 January 2012 at London’s Olympia. Featuring an extensive educational programme which includes seminars, interactive workshops and high-level conference content, visitors to BETT 2012 will be able to learn first hand from the industry’s most eminent experts on how to enrich learning with technology. BETT 2012 is also used by leading suppliers as the launch platform for the very latest technological
innovations in the market, ensuring it’s a must-attend event for the industry. FIRST CLASS CPD – LEARN LIVE A comprehensive seminar programme under the brand new banner, Learn Live will provide four tracks of interactive and inspirational sessions. Learn Live is an exciting programme of interactive, informative and enjoyable workshops, seminars and other kinds of learning session at BETT 2012. At BETT, education professionals love the opportunity to share their expertise with peers from across the UK and from around the world, and Learn Live at BETT 2012 offers the opportunity to do just that. The Education Leaders @ BETT conference will once again provide a high-level strategic programme which explores the most pressing issues facing leaders today. Subjects discussed will include curriculum and assessment change; maximising the benefits of greater autonomy and teacher recruitment and retention. New Worlds of Learning will be explored
within the central feature of BETT 2012, Learn Live Teach Live. Hosted by Professor Stephen Heppell, children will be showing how easy it is for schools to use technology to interact with schools from around the world to share ideas in order to enhance learning. To explore how technology is currently used within the many different educational institutions in the UK, Learn Live Teach Live will feature speakers from a variety of establishments including academies, independent schools, international schools and free schools. These representatives will share their experience of how technology can best be incorporated into these different environments. Both the speakers and the children will be featured in the continuous broadcast stream from BETT Radio which will be running live throughout the event. Anderton Tiger Radio are the official BETT 2012 radio media partner, and broadcaster Russell Prue is no stranger to BETT – he’s spoken at every BETT there has ever been! Russell is running BETT Show broadcasts in the months prior to the show – podcasts are available at www.andertongtiger.com/ BETTradio, together with notes, photos and Twitter recommendations from the show. EXHIBITORS With a comprehensive cross-section of exhibitors, visitors to BETT 2012 will also be able to explore the most cutting-edge products and technologies available in the market. Here’s a preview of just some of the exciting product launches you can expect to see at BETT 2012. Looking to simplify ongoing administration processes? ParentMail, the school-to-home communications service, is on stand A16 demonstrating the new portable ParentMail iPad package. Running the next-generation ParentMail 2, as well as being able to use ParentMail’s communications and payment collection system from a PC, an iPad supplied by ParentMail can be used in and around the school to help with other administrative functions, taken off site on school trips, or to take payments from parents on site. A new portable Dinner Register is designed to simplify the catering and payment process. Schools can select in the canteen a photo of each pupil who has taken a dinner to quickly log a purchase, which is then deducted from their ParentMail account dinner money balance. LEARNING CLIPBANK Recognising the ongoing need to engage and educate young people in current affairs, Channel 4 Learning Clipbank is on stand C30 demonstrating the latest addition to the cross-curricular learning service. ‘News Hub’ is the new home to Clipbank’s extensive news resources for Key Stages 3 and 4, providing topical, teenage relevant, subject focused resources. These include a Daily News Blast arriving each day by 8am; weekly news bites to summarise events that include modern E
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EVENT PREVIEW
Featuring an extensive educational programme which includes seminars, interactive workshops and high-level conference content, visitors to BETT 2012 will be able to learn first-hand from the industry’s most eminent experts. E foreign language versions; and specialist English GCSE Spoken Language resources featuring ITN reporters to offer a complete, accessible and engaging news service. School purse strings are still closely guarded, and to help this Hewlett Packard are on hand at BETT 2012 offering the chance to register to join its new ‘HP for Schools’ club. Similar to many store loyalty cards, schools purchasing Hewlett Packard PCs can earn points (one point for every £1 spent) to be redeemed for free sports, classroom and technology equipment. Additionally, if a school is registered, student’s parents who buy a Hewlett Packard PC can also register their purchase and enter their school into a competition to win free technology from Hewlett Packard. Visit them on stand E70 to find out more. The effective implementation of a VLE continues to be an area of concern; some schools continue to rarely use them for
teaching and learning. Smart Learning is on hand to showcase its new ICT Skills Packs to help ease the workload for teachers who do not have time to create and implement effective resources for their VLE. The Skill Packs offer ready to use ICT lessons in a SCORMcompliant format. These cover the entire ICT curriculum for Key Stage 3, but teachers have the flexibility to pick and choose the packs covering ICT skills that are a priority for them. This helps to make the implementation of a VLE an easier, less time-consuming task. Visit stand K68 to be in with the chance of winning a free Unit of VLE content, containing at least 5 complete ICT lessons for Key Stage 3. LEASING In recent years, schools and colleges have come to rely increasingly on leasing as a means of funding new equipment, unable to afford total upfront costs for new equipment out of tighter budget. With
budgets still under close examination, new exhibitor Investec Education Leasing is at BETT to discuss its operating lease facilities to schools, assisting them in purchasing equipment. Investec can provide a service to directly purchase the equipment, for schools to repay the costs over an agreed period of hire. Regulations on leasing for education can appear daunting, but attendees can visit Investec on stand K70 to discuss options they have in mind. Visitors looking to streamline, simplify and make savings on computer systems can visit NComputing on stand J50 who is showcasing its ‘Classroom in a Box’ virtual desktop solution. Supporting both Windows and Linux platforms, the package including virtual desktops and software can transform the typical virtual desktop structure from one user per virtual machine to 30 users. This can offer potential finance and energy savings; saving on up front computer acquisition costs, reducing power use, maintenance costs and the threat of theft. L FOR MORE INFORMATION To register for free entry, visit www.bettshow.com/register. You can also keep up to date with the event’s news by following the event on Twitter @BETT_show or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/BETT_Show.
Frog set to showcase its new school improvement tool at Bett 2012 Award-winning learning platform provider Frog, will be showing schools how they can achieve whole school improvement at BETT 2012, on stand M50. With teaching and learning at the heart of its product, Frog will showcase a practical tool to help school leaders achieve their strategic vision. Frog’s School Improvement Programme was launched in June 2011 and is already being widely used amongst the Frog community. The core of the programme is the Frog’s School Improvement Framework; a free online tool accessed in Frog, that lets leaders evaluate how far technology is embedded within their school. Once they have scored themselves, they can review this and benchmark themselves on how they are performing. This then gives schools an overview of what
they need to focus on. There is also a social network available where they can create groups, collaborate and discuss ideas with other schools. They can also access a bank of ideas that have already made an impact in other schools. The Framework is the result of a 12-month research and development exercise that Frog believes will revolutionise how schools will measure what was previously unmeasurable – the impact of using technology to deliver whole school improvement. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.frogtrade.com
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