Education Business Magazine Issue 17.03 by Public Sector Publishing

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VOLUME 17.3

CATERING

BUDGET CHALLENGE

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Priority g Schools Buildin Programme t 261 schools ge the go ahead for funding

FINANCE How can Academies avoid the procurement bullies?

PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING INCREASE ÂŁ1.25bn earmarked for underprivilided children

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VOLUME 17.3

CATERING

BUDGET CHALLENGE

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Priority Schools Building Programme 261 schools get the go ahead for funding

FINANCE How can Academies avoid the procurement bullies?

PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING INCREASE £1.25bn earmarked for underprivilided children

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At last, building will begin Details of the schools to receive funds from the Priority School Building Programme have finally been announced. Of the 587 schools that applied, 261 will receive cash for either new buildings or the refurbishment of their existing premises. Michael Gove has acknowledged that hundreds of schools have been left disappointed. See the details in Education Briefer (page 5) and in the Design & Build section (page 41). In Information Technology, it looks like Google chairman Eric Schmidt has got the bits and bytes between his teeth. As well as funding 100 specialist computer teachers through charity Teach First, Google will provide them with Raspberry Pis as teaching aids. He said:“Scrapping the existing curriculum was a good first step, the equivalent of pulling the plug from the wall. The question is now how to power up.” As we go to press, news comes in that leading atheist Richard Dawkins supports the plan to put a Bible in every English school. The privately funded distribution of King James Bibles began this month to mark its 400th anniversary. Prof Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, said: “A native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian.” We are just a few weeks away from the 2012 Olympics. Testing some of the new facilities, the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games drew to a close in spectacular fashion. North England topped the medal table on the day with gold medals coming from Linda Shaw in the 50m freestyle, and two golds for Chloe Buck in the 100m breaststroke and 200m individual Medley (see page 93). Finally, staying with swimming. According to a new report from the Amateur Swimming Association and Kellogs, one in three children are unable to swim when they leave primary school. Researchers had to use Freedom of Information requests to prise data from local authorities. Only a quarter of those asked gave a response (page 5). They could be in deep water.

Danny Wright

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Contents

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

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CONTENTS 07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

57 EDUCATION SHOW REVIEW

13 SCHOOL FINANCE

Ray Barker provides EB with some insight into what changes to Pupil Premium funding and a revised Early Years Foundation Stage framework changes mean. Diane Gregory of the National Association of School Business Managers details the diverse range courses it offers and Lesley Lodge, finance and policy manager at CIPFA explains how Academies can avoid the procurement bullies

of the Football Foundation outlines the case for football to reduce anti social behaviour details the application process for funding

61 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

101 SCHOOL MUSIC

Adopting a greener approach to ICT can make a substantial contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of any school, writes Margaret Ross MBE, Emerita Professor of Software Quality at Southampton Solent University. Plus how schools face a tough challenge to provide pupils with increased access to ICT and learning materials, writes Valerie Thompson, chief executive of the E-Learning Foundation

25 PAYROLL

All employers will by law have to submit Real Time Information (RTI) to HM Revenue & Customs by October 2013. Diana Bruce, senior policy liaison officer for the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, explains

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81 OUTDOOR LEARNING

29 SECURITY

Elaine Skates, deputy chief executive of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom explains the relevance of LOtC in raising attainment and achieving an outstanding Ofsted

Security systems can play a major part in achieving cost savings and demonstrating return on investment, says James Kelly, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association Schools can save energy costs equal to a newly-qualified teacher’s annual pay, argues the Carbon Trust. Plus a look at schools which are taking the lead in their communities by showcasing renewable energy solutions

115 - EDUCATION BUSINESS AWARDS

Gavin Esler has been confirmed as the 2012 Education Business Awards presenter, which takes place on December 6 at the Emirates Stadium and is now open for entry.

93 SPORT & FITNESS

The Priority Schools Building Programme a step towards standardised designs? plus Tim Brennan of English Heritage on how historic school buildings can be given a new lease of life

www.educationbusinessuk.net

In what is said to be the biggest reform of SEN for 30 years, the government has released the public response to last year’s green paper on special educational needs

41 DESIGN & BUILD

107 CATERING

111 MARKET RESEARCH

89 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

33 ENERGY

With music education being at yet another crossroads, it is a good time to think about accessibility to music making for all young people at secondary level, writes Carole Lindsay-Douglas of the Schools Music Association

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Education Business

www.educationbusinessuk.net CATERING – Make simp

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EDU TRIPSCATIONA L BUSINESS MAGAZINE Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION Open in to ne g young w po ssibili minds ties

EDUC ATIO N SH OW 20 11 - pr eview of the UK’s

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SCHOOL BUILDING

Priority School Building Programme: Government reveals list of 261 schools to get share of £2bn fund The government has revealed 261 schools in England will receive money from the Priority School Building Programme, aimed at rebuilding the schools in the most serious state of disrepair. The scheme replaces Labour’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which was cancelled by Education Secretary Michael Gove. Hundreds of schools with building plans were disappointed by that move. The BSF programme had been expected to cost £55bn. The Priority School Building Programme has a £2bn budget for work to be done over five years. Gove had described the BSF programme as wasteful and over-bureaucratic. After scrapping it, he set up a review of all school building plans which produced a report in April 2011. The announcement had been delayed - schools had expected to hear last December whether their applications for rebuilding work under the new scheme had been successful. More than half of those which applied were unsuccessful, but the government says some will get work done through other maintenance funds. In a written statement to the House of Commons, Gove said 42 schools were being prioritised because they were in greatest need. These were those in the worst condition

or special schools, he said. “In tackling the challenges we face on school building, I have been determined to use the capital funding at my disposal to best effect, seeking value for money and efficiency from every pound spent.” The areas getting the highest numbers of applications approved include Nottinghamshire with 15 projects and Kent with 14. Birmingham had made 16 applications; six were approved. Sandwell had made 17 applications; three were approved. Some areas have had just one project

approved, while none of Bolton’s five applications were successful. The Department for Education says work on the 42 schools being prioritised will be paid for out of its capital spending budget, including efficiency savings from ongoing BSF projects. The other projects are to be funded through Private Finance Initiatives under the £2bn Priority School Building Programme. See page 41 for further information on the Priority School Building Programme

EDUCATION CENTRES Education Foundation launches high tech Learning Lab in London Education think tank The Education Foundation has launched Learning Lab, a new edtech and innovation space in the heart of London. “The Learning Lab is an exciting project that connects up educators from across the UK as well as giving companies and partners a great chance to showcase their products, services and innovative work,” said Graham Stuart MP, chair, Education Select Committee. Learning Lab, which was inspired by New York City’s I-Zone and The Eden Project’s education center, is a combination Interactive classrooms and labs. It will provide a space to test new ideas, learn new teaching models and evaluate future policies. www.ednfoundation.org

MATHS

Ofsted warns over early maths GCSE entry in new ‘made to measure’ report According to Ofsted, too many schools are entering pupils for maths GCSE early which is preventing able pupils from fulfilling their potential. In a new report ‘Mathematics Made to Measure’, chief inspector Sir Michael Willshaw warns that “the extensive use of early GCSE entry puts too much emphasis on attaining a grade C” (the benchmark grade used for schools’ headline league table measures). The report claims there has been a vast increase in the number of pupils sitting GCSE early. With early entries rising from 5 per cent in 2007 to 25 per cent of all GCSEs in 2010. And it warns the full extent of early entry to GCSE examinations is under-represented by these figures. Ofsted pledged to challenge such practices where it uncovered them. Sir Michael adds: “Our failure to stretch

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some of our most able pupils threatens the future supply of well-qualified mathematicians, scientists and engineers.” Inspectors visited 160 primary and 160 secondary schools and observed more than 470 primary and 1,200 secondary mathematics lessons between January 2008 and July 2011. Schools minister Nick Gibb said given the importance of maths for the economy and for the individual student, he would be asking schools to be even more ambitious when it comes to maths attainment. Neil Carberry, CBI director of employment and skills, said: “Basic maths is essential as a key skill required in the workplace. That’s why it’s so troubling over a third of pupils did not gain grade C in GCSE maths in 2011. tinyurl.com/cogfngc

SWIMMING

One in three leave primary unable to swim says report Around 200,000 children will leave primary school this summer unable to swim, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Kellogg’s. This will amount to 2 million non-swimmers over the next ten years. Of those children unable to swim, nearly 40 per cent have never been offered school swimming lessons despite it being a statutory element of the National Curriculum. Researchers set out to find out what proportion of 11-year-olds achieved the national curriculum target of being able to swim 25m (27 yards) by the time they left primary school. Only a quarter of those contacted gave full responses to requests relating to their records for 2011. The report, Save School Swimming, Save Lives,

quotes figures from the National Water Safety Forum which show that more than 400 people drown each year in the UK and that drowning is the third most common cause of accidental death in children. tinyurl.com/ce8l5xq

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TEACHERS PAY REFORM

Performance related pay could be introduced as early as next year Teachers pay could reward good performance under new government proposals. Suggestions submitted to the independent pay review board include rewarding good performance, giving schools as much freedom as possible to spend their money as they see fit, and ensuring the best teachers are incentivised to work in the most challenging schools. The current teachers’ pay system is too rigid, complex and difficult to navigate and does not support schools in recruiting and retaining the best into the profession, Education Secretary Michael Gove said. “Reform of the current pay system for teachers is fundamental to driving up teacher quality,” said Gove. “The current pay system is rigid, complex and difficult to navigate. It does not support schools to recruit and retain the high quality teachers or leaders they need to address specific shortages and benefit their pupils.” But Association of Teachers and Lecturers has warned on challenges that may arise: “We believe the range and complexity of factors influencing how well pupils do at school make

it far too difficult to devise a fair system to link an individual teachers’ performance to a pupil’s achievements, not least because so much teaching is based on teamwork,” said Dr Mary Bousted, Association’s general secretary. “And, as the OECD research shows, performance related pay for teachers does not benefit pupils by raising their test results,” she added. “ATL members, both teachers and heads, have told us they fear a regional pay system would discriminate against younger and older staff, those teaching younger children, and those not teaching English, maths or a science subject,” Bousted warned. The Department for Education in Westminster submitted its proposals to the School wrecommendations on teachers’ pay for both England and Wales. The timetable for the proposed changes would see the STRB responding in the autumn - with the secretary of state announcing a decision next year, which could apply from September 2013. tinyurl.com/c74vb4h

Google provides funds for specialist computer teachers and Raspberry Pis Google is to provide more than a hundred trainee computer science teachers in the UK with Arduino or Raspberry Pi kits as teaching aids, chairman Eric Schmidt has announced. Speaking at London’s Science Museum, Schmidt noted how computer science education was essential to the development of engineering skills. Google has already given

“To ensure they aren’t held back by a lack of equipment, we’ll also provide each computer science recruit with a small bursary to purchase teaching aids, such as Raspberry Pis or Arduino starter kits,” Schmidt said. Schmidt said there was no reason why Raspberry Pi, a very low-cost educational computer that has seen high demand since its launch earlier this year, could not have the same

NEWS IN BRIEF Academy leaders annual conference on 28 June

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This year’s Academies Conference, run by the The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, will be structured around six strands: Achievement; Outstanding Teaching; Sponsors and Governors; Funding and Finance; Student Services; and Primary Practice. It takes place at St Paul’s, London. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.ssatrust.org.uk

Twigg plans Japan visit Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg has said that England’s schools should take lessons from Japan on how to improve performance. Along with other Far Eastern countries, such as South Korea and Singapore, Japan outperforms England in international studies on maths and science. Twigg plans to visit Japan to help form part of Labour’s review of its education policy.

£32m Pupil Deprivation Grant for Wales Schools are to receive a share of £32.4m in funding to help the least well-off pupils in Wales. The Pupil Deprivation Grant promises to pass the money directly to schools, based on the number of children eligible for free school meals. Details of the scheme are to be unveiled by First Minister Carwyn Jones. The cash is equal to £450 for every pupil in a school eligible for free meals.

Award-winning inventor at the Achievement Show 2012

funding to charity called Teach First, which recruits exceptional graduates to train as teachers, and it will now give them kit to help them inspire. “After undergoing an intensive training course this summer, the first batch of Teach First recruits will be placed into schools where they can make a difference right away, whilst receiving onthe-job mentoring and teacher training for a further two years,” said Schmidt.

impact as the BBC Micro did in the 1980s, as long as the project enjoys the right support. “Computer science brings a practical rigour and creativity to problem-solving that differs from that of other disciplines,” Schmidt said. “It’s vital to expose kids to this early if they’re to have the chance of a career in computing. Only two percent of Google engineers say they weren’t exposed to computer science at high school.” “Scrapping the existing curriculum was a good first step, the equivalent of pulling the plug out of the wall. The question is now how to power up,” Schmidt said.

Young inventor Emily Cummins, will be talking at this year’s Achievement Show. Run by the The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, thes how will take place on 19 June at London’s Emirates Stadium. Professor Barry Carpenter, OBE also be speaking and will share his expertise of dealing with students with complex needs. TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.ssatrust.org.uk

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BESA NEWS Caroline Wright replaces Ray Barker at BESA Former director of communications at the Department for Education Caroline Wright has been appointed as director of the British Educational Suppliers Association. Wright, who took up her position on the 14th May, replaces Ray Barker who is retiring from BESA after twelve years. Ray will continue to act as an adviser and commentator on industry, technology and literacy issues. He will concentrate on writing and publishing and furthering his work in education as chair of Governors in a primary school and as chair of the National Literacy Association. Wright has spent much of the last 15 years working in senior positions within Government and the public sector. An interest in education resulted in her spending more than 10 years leading education communications at Ofsted, Partnerships for Schools and, as director of communications at the Department for Education. She stated: “I look forward to continuing BESA’s excellent work championing its members and showcasing the top quality products and services they deliver to schools up and down Britain and internationally.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Ray Barker Respected by all who know him, Ray Barker was the inaugural recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award for his career in education at the annual Education Resource Awards back in March. The Award was established to honour an individual who has made significant fundamental contributions to education. Addressing an audience who gave Ray a long standing ovation, Dominic Savage, BESA director general, said“Supporting everyone’s aspirations within education is in Ray’s blood. No-one believes this is a retirement and Ray will undoubtedly still be heavily involved in the education sector but with a little more time to mix leisure with some specific projects close to his heart”. The British Educational Suppliers Association represents over 300 suppliers in the UK.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT... www.besa.org

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ACADEMY SCHOOLS

Survey suggests academy freedom adds pressure to spend ‘wisely’ A survey conducted by Capita SIMS has revealed that 85 per cent of academies questioned think that the increased financial freedoms of academy status will add pressure on them to spend money more wisely. The figure provides an insight in to how academies are responding to greater financial freedoms after the Public Accounts Committee raised concerns over spending accountability in this sector. The survey also revealed that the role of business managers and bursars in 76 per cent of academies questioned had changed since conversion and over twothirds said that there had been an increase in the level of financial management after separating from the local authority. Paul Metcalfe, academy sector manager, at Capita SIMS, comments: “Converting to an academy necessitates a number of adjustments, with one of the biggest changes being the increased level of financial management. The legal requirements of becoming an academy make the financial accounting for an academy much more complex than that of a maintained school and it seems that this is translating into the school business manager, in particular, feeling greater responsibility for the school’s financial performance.” The survey, completed at a series of conferences hosted by Capita SIMS, had 132 responses from academies. The purpose of the poll was to gain an insight into how academies

BIOMETRICS Parental consent needed for school biometric use Schools must get permission from parents if they want to use pupil biometric data, such as fingerprints and face-recognition technology, according to new government advice. The guidance states that pupils under 18 must obtain the written consent of a parent before they take and process their child’s biometric data. Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “I have heard from many angry parents after they have learned that their children’s personal data was being used by schools without their knowledge. The new legislation gives the power back to parents, as it requires parental consent before the information can be collected.” The advice, which is under consultation, has been updated to take into account new measures in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which has now gained Royal Assent. It comes into effect from September 2013. tinyurl.com/cezlgdo

are adjusting to the changes in financial management which occur after conversion. The responses from academies also revealed that nearly 40 per cent have brought in or plan to bring in more staff to help manage new financial responsibilities, and 20 per cent have secured a qualified accountant to help manage finances. 50 per cent say that in the next 1-2 years, it is most likely that their finance office’s existing staff will be up-skilled to deal with the new responsibilities, or they will buy-in the services of a qualified accountancy service from an external agency when required. The report also finds that 73 per cent feel that the freedoms awarded to academies will improve school standards overall compared to only 46 per cent of 256 nonacademy schools that were questioned. Metcalfe continued: “While the survey shows that dealing with greater financial responsibilities has been a challenge, the majority of academies believe that the freedoms awarded will improve school standards. It is clear that academies are having to adapt and need reliable policies and processes in place to manage their finances. Financial management software is crucial in helping academies budget and produce the financial reports that meet the requirements of the directors and external agencies.” tinyurl.com/c2n8jmw

DfE should rethink ethnic categories, says report Ethnic categories used by schools to monitor attainment may not be fit for purpose, according to a new report. Researchers from London Metropolitan University set out to identify which linguistic minorities struggle and where they are located. The report said that simply recording pupils’ ethnicity is too imprecise, given the growing linguistic diversity within English schools. Data on attainment gaps does not give the full picture as it is only published by ethnicity and not by language spoken, the report says. The research found that the ethnic categories of White, Mixed, Asian, Black, and Chinese – used in published DfE statistics – mask a great deal of ethnic, national, linguistic, religious and social diversity. As an example, the report identified that the profile of ethnic communities from Eastern Europe was often hidden in the ‘white’ and ‘white other’ category. The report also calls for black African ethnic groups to be grouped according to language to give a fuller picture of their educational achievements and needs. tinyurl.com/wcs4rosr

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Deadline for entries is Friday 20th July 2012. The winning design will be chosen by a representative from the Support Your School scheme. For full competition terms and conditions go to www.vikingschools.co.uk For stories, news, oﬀers, competitions and more, follow us on Twitter @Viking_chat or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vikingworld

“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.

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FINANCE

Ray Barker, recently retired director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), provides EB with some insight into what changes to Pupil Premium funding and a revised Early Years Foundation Stage framework mean to the sector. On the 21 March HM Treasury made its 2012 budget announcement, giving no mention to the education sector. At a time when the sector is starting to realise that it does have good budgets, and that the initial perception of concern was unfounded, this lack of change was welcomed. Although not linked to the budget announcement as such, in this past month the sector has seen two noteworthy changes, namely a significant increase in

the Pupil Premium funding and a revised Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Pupil Premium was a welcomed funding route for schools at the time of suggested budget changes in other areas. It signified the Government’s investment in the country’s more underprivileged children. The measure of who was entitled to the subsidy was based on their eligibility for free school meals (FSM). In a recent speech made by Rt. Hon Michael Gove, he outlined his commitment to support

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Written by Ray Barker

MORE FUNDING, LESS BUREAUCRACY

these children when he stressed the tragic fact that out of the 120,000 children that enter compulsory education each year and are eligible for free school meals, only 40 graduate from university. However it is a sad fact that children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the past generally have poorer academic results than those who have never been eligible for FSM. What Gove recognises is that many of these children have ‘hidden’ skills and areas of excellence that, if recognised, developed, respected and nurtured, can transform a child from a life of poverty to one of fulfilment and lucrative independence from state support. Substantiating his commitment to make a change to this statistic, from the 1 April the funding available through the Premium will now amount to £1.25bn, or £600 per deprived pupil in the years from Reception to Year 11 in maintained schools and academies across England. Schools will also receive £250 per annum for children of parents in the armed services. The funding also now encompasses any child who has been eligible for FSM at E

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If your school is aspiring to be an academy or has already achieved that status our specialist team at Ensors can really help you to make the grade. As one of the region’s leading firms of independent chartered accountants we’re expertly placed to help get your financial systems and governance in place and advise you on all the things you’ll need to know. Take advantage of our 1st Year Package If we are appointed as auditors we will give you extra services free of charge for your first year to really get the most out of your academy status. To find out more email helen.rumsey@ensors.co.uk or visit www.ensors.co.uk/academies

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E any time in the last six years whether or not they currently claim this benefit. In fact the Pupil Premium has a wide reach. Schools with pupils classed as ‘deprived’ in publically funded non-mainstream settings including Special Schools, General Hospital Schools, Pupil Referral Units and 14-15 year olds in Further Education (FE) Colleges will also attract a Premium of £600 per annum. CHOICE OF SPENDING So what does this mean for schools? In line with Gove’s trend of giving more freedom to schools to manage their own budgets in the best way for their pupil’s specific requirements, schools will have the choice of spending the Premium, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for these most vulnerable pupils. However, this freedom comes with terms. Schools must now be accountable for their use of the funding. They will have to publish details of their Pupil Premium allocation, their plans of how to spend it and the impact this had on educational attainment. The first thing that schools should do is to ensure that the parents or guardians register their children for FSM if they feel they qualify – schools don’t want to miss out on this additional funding. The broader range of eligibility could cause concern for schools in terms of the amount of administration needed to manage this. For example, how will schools know whether pupils, who could be new to the school, have been eligible for FSM in the past six years? In theory schools need not worry as the Department will pass this information to them. Schools will then be in a position to know exactly how much additional funding their will receive and can start to plan how they best invest this. The increased Pupil Premium funding certainly appears to be a win-win situation for schools and a welcomed additional budget to invest in specific learning resources for children with their own special needs. And there is more good news for the education sector. This time in the form of less red tape rather than more funding. On 27 March 2012, Sarah Teather MP (Minister of State for Children and Families) published the reformed Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which will take effect from 1 September 2012. In summary, the changes have the objective of simplifying the framework, with less bureaucracy to enable early years settings to focus in on key areas including safeguarding children and the early identification of special and additional learning needs.Taking the central aspects of the revision in turn we’ll look at what this means for early years settings. Sarah Teather has promised that the recently published changes to the EYFS are the first of many, all with the objective of achieving a ‘lighter touch regulatory regime’.

From the 1 April the funding available through the Premium will now amount to £1.25bn, or £600 per deprived pupil in the years from Reception to Year 11 in maintained schools and academies across England. CRUCIAL TIME The changes made will start earlier; free childcare for three and four year olds and now, for two year olds, backs the Government’s belief in the importance of supporting children’s development at this crucial time. The previous 69 mandatory goals and assessment, which were a bureaucratic nightmare for preschool settings, have been refined down to just 17 and the areas of learning and development now consist of three prime and four specific areas. The prime areas focus on the core knowledge and skills which are the foundations for children’s school readiness and future progress. These are: communication and language; physical; and personal, social and emotional development. A child will now be assessed at the age of two and three, to either meet the outlined expectations, exceed them or fall below them. It is the achievement of these base line skills that will indicate whether children need additional support before they start compulsory education. Parents will also have greater involvement in their child’s development, receiving a development progress check for their child at the age of two so they will hopefully be committed to support any additional learning requirements. Over all, it appears that the goal is for early years settings is to have less paperwork,

enabling them to focus more strongly on the areas of learning most essential for children’s healthy development. Safeguarding is a key word at the current time and is positioned centrally in the framework. Early years education providers will be given advice on signs of abuse, mobile devices with photographic functionality will not be permitted in pre-school settings, and it will now be the responsibility of the early years setting to gain any criminal record disclosures on managers where previously this has been the responsibility of Ofsted. March appears to have been a good month for the education sector with these two changes in policy and funding – let’s hope it continues. L ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ray Barker is a former director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) which has over 300 members including manufacturers and distributors of equipment, materials, books, consumables, furniture, technology, ICT hardware and digital content - all to the education market. BESA members supply across the curriculum and at all levels from early years to FE and vocational training. Their combined total turnover is in excess of £1.8 billion. FURTHER INFORMATION www.besa.org.uk

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SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGERS

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More responsibility for school business managers

With the autonomy afforded by Academy status comes additional responsibility. Diane Gregory of the National Association of School Business Managers details the diverse range courses it offers to help school business managers add more strings to their bows The level of responsibilities placed upon School business managers today is increasing. The role of the SBM has and continues to evolve and expand at a rapid rate and includes most operational support in the running of the school. Long gone are the days when the SBM was solely responsible for the financial management of the school. The majority of school business managers are members of the senior leadership team and are expected to deliver information

and recommendations on matters of funding, budget management and control, efficiencies saving, human resources, premises management, health and safety, ICT and fundraising. To do this requires in depth knowledge of the systems and processes attached to these responsibilities. These core competencies that are required by the SBM and the increased value that schools are now recognising from this position, has seen many business managers from commerce move into the education sector. In order for a school to achieve ‘Outstanding’ at Ofsted they have to demonstrate effective leadership and management. Those schools that excel in this area recognise the importance of a school business manager and the instrumental role they play and the need for them to be part of the SLT team. The efficient and effective management of the school is directly proportionate to the delivery of good teaching and learning. Most schools appreciate the necessity for the role of an SBM. The profession is still

complicated, still without a clearly defined job title, no specific job description and with many schools opting to convert to Academies there is still a lack of consistency regarding levels of responsibility for SBM’s. The main reason given by schools converting to Academy status is the autonomy that comes with conversion, allowing schools to make decisions previously made at Local Authority level. However, with autonomy come additional responsibilities which frequently require new and higher levels of competencies. Here is a summary of the some of the most relevant courses:FINANCIAL TRAINING Accredited training to support new academies and free schools will be pertinent and essential for school business managers working within these new settings. Understanding the impact of running trusts and charitable companies will have a specific accountancy skills training requirement alongside the need to maintain accounting records and publish annual E

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

INSURANCE MADE TO MEASURE

PROTECTING YOUR BUDGET THERE IS LITTLE FOR HEAD TEACHERS TO SMILE ABOUT AT THE MOMENT. WITH THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE HAVING, WHAT SEEMS LIKE, A NEVER ENDING IMPACT ON SCHOOLS BUDGETS, IT IS GETTING HARDER TO MAKE THE BOOKS BALANCE. A fact that Patrick Jolley, supply teacher insurance specialist from Lark Group, has noticed. “The cost of teacher absences has continued to rise considerably over the last decade. From £38 million in 2001 to nearly £300 million in 2010.” And, with secondary schools in deprived areas spending an average of £140,000 on supply teachers, concerns have been raised that pupils most in need of a stable education just aren’t getting it. It’s not just the cost to the pupils’ education, as head teachers are having to find money in their already overstretched budgets to cover the costs of supply teachers. “Of course, absences are inevitable, and it can be fairly easy to predict the figures for the year. But, if just one member of staff is signed off on long term sickness, funding can be exhausted pretty quickly. Then, it’s not just a case of finding money

from elsewhere, it’s ensuring the pupils’ education is unaffected and colleagues aren’t having to shoulder the burden,” Patrick explains.

you pay is based purely on your own circumstances. So, you do not end up paying more to compensate for a school experiencing high levels of absence.

“If you have one teacher off for a full academic year, it could cost you upwards of £40,000. And, that’s not taking into consideration any other sick leave or jury service,” he continues.

An insurance scheme charges a premium based on your school’s absence history and circumstances, to cover any absences over the set number of ‘waiting days’. For example, you may choose to have a 3 day waiting period, therefore any absences which are more than 3 days can be claimed for.

Faced with funding Supply Teacher costs, just what are the options? Of course, self funding is an option. Allocating your own pot of money to cover the costs. On the plus side, you may find yourself with some funds at the end of the year that you can then put to use in some way. But, you could also find yourself having to dip into another pot to make ends meet. Some Local Authorities offer a pool for all the local schools to contribute to, and dip into when needed. Others, have an insurance scheme for their schools to participate in. Finally, you could choose to purchase your own insurance policy. This option can be cheaper than the Local Authority scheme simply because the amount

t seems like a simple solution, but it still needs some close scrutinising. “Essentially, you need to have a flexible policy. One that provides support to the schools as things can get complicated.” “And, that’s where we can help. Working with you to assess the needs of your school and providing a solution that suits. QUITE SIMPLY, INSURANCE MADE TO MEASURE. For more information, or to receive a personalised quotation, please contact: Patrick Jolley 01206 771415 patrick.jolley@larkinsurance.co.uk

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SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGERS E reports and accounts. It was for these reasons that NASBM consulted with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). After consultation it was agreed that CIPFA should design and deliver a new programme ‘Accredited Finance Training for School business managers’ in association with NASBM. The programme ensures that participants will have the required level of knowledge and skill on completion to fulfil these additional responsibilities. The accreditation is a Certificate in Management Practice (Financial Skills); it is endorsed by CIPFA and certified by IAM. The accreditation is equal to NQF level 4 or 120 credits. The programme is blended learning with on line support which is acceptable to all learning styles. SCHOOLS FINANCIAL VALUE STANDARD Assistance may still be required for those maintained schools using the SFVS standard and for schools coming up to assessment during 2013. Understanding the level of detail required and where the ultimate responsibility sits on the financial management of the school is an integral part.

are available via RRC training details of which can be found at www.rrc.co.uk. IOSH offers a far more pertinent and relevant introduction to the key health and safety requirements. A rolling 3 year accreditation certificate can be awarded following two day programmes. Distance learning options are also available via RRC Training www.rrc.co.uk. NASBM, with the support of numerous school business managers, developed a specific IOSH Certificate for managing the key health & safety requirements in schools. This two day residential programme awards the Institute of Occupational

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changes. As a school’s largest expenditure, reducing staffing costs may be an unpalatable concept but understanding and supporting redundancy processes may be a requirement facing colleagues in the future. Consultancy is available via local training providers and once again NASBM can support in these areas. THE FUTURE FOR SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGERS There is much discussion taking place that the all-encompassing role of the SBM and the increasing demand for schools to operate as independent commercial entities will see a drive for change and

The desire for School business managers to up skill continues to grow and many wish to pursue higher level qualifications such as Masters to demonstrate the professional nature of the role.

Safety & Health (IOSH) certificate which is subject to renewal every 3 years. The tailored programme specifically caters for managing health, safety and risks within FUNDRAISING schools covering: Introduction & overview Many colleagues are interested in mechanisms of health & safety management, to enable access to fund raising initiatives Principles of effective health & within schools. There is a Certificate safety management, Health & in School Fundraising and safety law, Risk assessment, Income Generation, which is a s a “NASBM h the risks in six-week online course with c Managing ifi c e schools, Assessment & assessment awarding the sp a d e p lo deve project. The programme Level 3 certificate – details particularly focuses can be found at www. IOSH Certificate e th g on school trips, fire, fundraisingskills.co.uk in g a n for ma asbestos, design ty fe sa & technology, slips HEALTH & SAFETY key health & and trips, stress, lone TRAINING requirements in working, control of Health and Safety accredited schools” contractors, workplace training is imperative for and school transport. school staff and many schools will be accessing this locally EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE via the Local Authority or through AND REPAIR OF SCHOOL PREMISES training providers and colleges. There are two NASBM also offers a one day workshop national bodies for health and safety in the designed for those managing and responsible UK; NEBOSH (National Examination Board for the school site. The programme aims to of Occupational Safety & Health) and IOSH raise awareness of best practice in effectively (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health). maintaining school buildings; taking account NEBOSH is the more thorough and of cost efficiencies and demanding regulations. detailed suite of programmes, offering Setting high standards for maintenance is certificate and diploma qualification routes particularly relevant where premises are and is often the preferred qualification for being rebuilt and refurbished and this course those working within specialist health and is suitable for School business managers, safety officer roles. Many local providers Premises Managers, Caretakers and site staff. supply NEBOSH accredited courses and the Certificate is the most pertinent course for PEOPLE AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT appropriate staff working within schools. Many School business managers need skills The syllabus and examinations however are and support in managing staff including very broad and students should understand recruiting effectively and managing annual that they will be required to study and performance reviews. Change management learn areas not so relevant to schools can be reactive or proactive and School settings, including operating heavy plant, business managers need to be equipped to machinery in factories and detailed electrical support and initiate workplace and structural requirements. Distance learning courses

the increasing opportunity for a SBM to become a headteacher of the future. The idea that headteachers do not necessarily need to have been teachers has been around for years, and a few such appointments have been made, some with considerable success. The opportunities are arising as there are insufficient deputy heads that are willing to take on the top job when existing incumbents retire. There are a number of non-teachers that have just qualified from the National College NPQH designed for aspiring Headteachers and they are determined to become headteachers of the future. This article highlights some of the most current and pertinent development areas for school business managers. As the impact of the Coalition Government’s education reform continues, it is clear that new and additional skills will be required. Continuing professional development and qualification is essential for all School business managers and colleagues should be steering and leading these changes as the role continues to evolve. The desire and request for School business managers to up skill continues to grow and many wish to pursue higher level qualifications such as Masters to demonstrate the professional nature of the role and an all-encompassing business management role that is now required in education. NASBM are in consultation with a number of institutions to bring a new Masters Level qualification on board. If you are interested in pursuing this qualification then please contact us and we will advise you when the course is available. L FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the courses and support that NASBM can offer please contact Diane Gregory. diane.gregory@nasbm.co.uk Tel: 01788 573300

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52701_HK_Academy Conversation PRINT_Layout 1 01/05/2012 09:37 Page 1

Converting to Academy status is an education in itself. Getting the right advice before you start the process can save you time and money. Converting to an Academy can involve some complex issues. The DfE provides a lot of helpful guidance. However when you commit to the process there are several matters which will need to be resolved; seeking legal advice from specialists with experience in the education sector, and specifically the Academy conversion process, is vital. Humphries Kirk Solicitors have that experience and expertise. We have successfully guided a number of schools through the process already and know the short cuts and the pitfalls - so if you need help to convert, or if you have already converted and need assistance implementing new infrastructures to operate more effectively, we can help. We offer an initial consultation on a free-of-charge basis to explain the process in outline. Commercial Partner, Caroline Carretta heads the team helping schools convert to Academy status - providing best advice at provincial rates. If you would like to speak to her, please call: 01305 251 007

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Academy appeal; what you need to know. Have you recently converted to, or are you considering Academy status under the Coalition Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academies Act 2010? Perhaps the freedom from the control of Local Authority seems appealing? As Steve Collings, Technical Director at Leavitt Walmsley Associates Limited (LWA) writes below, there are many issues to consider before the process to obtaining Academy status can begin, and even more so if the steps have been taken towards conversion. There is a huge amount of responsibility in terms of financial, auditing and reporting issues which many Academies find overwhelming, and not all accountancy practices, even the larger firms, will have the qualifications and experience to do this.You need an accountant that can confidently deal with conversion issues such as creditor payment processes, staff training and payroll services, valuation of transferred assets, returns to the Education Funding Agency, as well as company secretarial issues including annual returns and the appointment/resignation of the Academyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s officials, cash flows, budget planning and grant applications Leavitt Walmsley Associates are one of just a few firms in the North West to be awarded the Quality Checked mark by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and Steve Collings himself was recognised as Accounting Technician of the Year at the British Accountancy Awards 2011. He has just written his fourth book IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) For Dummies as part of the world famous For Dummies series, which has already reached number one in two Amazon categories.

Steve is on hand to share his expertise with you, so if you would like to discuss any queries regarding conversion to Academy status, please contact Steve Collings on 0161 905 1801, or email steve@lwaltd.com.

Are you contemplating Academy Status? Do you feel you fully understand all the financial implications? If not speak to us! We are financial management specialists who have been working exclusively with the education sector for eleven years. We will visit your school and using our financial management checklist will take you through the key issues that need to be addressed. Our service includes a formal report to your governing body detailing your strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas requiring attention. You may also be interested in attending one of our seminars aimed at school leadership teams which can also be arranged in-house. In a recent customer satisfaction survey 100% of those polled would recommend us. Call: 07950 931389 to discuss your needs with our Managing Director Malcolm Cooper or contact us on: E-mail: malcolmc@mcacoopers.com Tel: 01226 767628 Web: www.mcacoopers.com

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The huge rise in the number of academies will change how schools do business. How can these new kids on the (procurement) block avoid the bullies? asks Lesley Lodge, finance and policy manager, local government, CIPFA As of 1 March 2012 there were 1635 academies open in England. The huge increase in the number of schools that have become academies or are about to become academies will not just change things teachers and pupils. It will also change how schools do business – and how organisations, including local authorities, need to approach doing business with them. Whereas local authorities were previously the sole suppliers of many goods and services to local authority schools, academies are now able to “shop around” for many of these goods and services. To use the language of an old friend, the SWOT analysis, these changes will present some opportunities and some threats for all parties concerned: for local authorities, for businesses and organisations hoping to move into this emerging, widened market and importantly for the academies themselves. Local authorities may need to address a sudden worsening in their customary

economies of scale if the new academies in their area choose not to continue using them as their main supplier for various goods and services. They will need to undertake thorough a businesslike review of provision and what they can offer those schools which remain dependent on the local authority – and potentially any academies that might be “wooed” back in the future. For businesses and organisations moving into the emerging markets of supply to academies a consideration will be the need to understand how academies’ decision-making processes work. To this end, a basic understanding of academies’ governance arrangements will be important. But they will also need to be aware of the underlying considerations that follow from the fact that academies’ main source of funding is from the public purse. The burgeoning growth in the number of schools converting to academy status will mean that a large number of new individuals – from business and from the community at large – will be drawn into these schools’ governing bodies. Many of these may find that although they may be experts in their field, this could be the first time they have worked in the provision of public sector education, a with an ethos that is about the public good over and above profit. Many schools converting to academy status have been excited by their new freedom to

choose suppliers. Some schools have made it clear that they think they can secure better deals than they had previously from their local authority. Not all will have fully appreciated, however, the economies of scale and bigger “clout” that comes with being a part of a local authority purchaser compared with those of only one school on its own. There is also the issue of the expertise and market knowledge which the local authority will have had and the new academy might not. Some academies, for example, have already fallen into the trap of misunderstanding the terms and conditions – and the different kinds – of leases for equipment such as IT and photocopying and are said to have become locked into E

Written by Lesley Lodge, CIPFA

ACADEMIES: CHANGING THE SCHOOL PROCUREMENT LANDSCAPE

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FINANCE E expensive and inappropriate contracts for years to come. These points seem clear enough and have had some mentions in discussions in the education press. But there are less obvious pitfalls too. Academies do have greater policy and financial independence – but they are still funded primarily from public, ie, taxpayers’, money. Academies are required to take steps to maximise value for money through ensuring that the objects of the academy are delivered “in the most economical, efficient and effective way, within available resources, and with independent validation of performance”. If the spending of public funds is seriously mishandled, there can be some considerable reputational risks. Those following the education news back in the 1990s may still remember the head-teacher who used school funds for personal holidays, luxury cars, trips on the Orient Express and most famously “90 pairs of shoes; enough to make Imelda Marcos proud,” while the pupils were left without books or heat. Her spending spree went unnoticed for five years - but it ended with her arrest as front page news. The governors will need to remember that they have a duty to take appropriate action if or when there are any concerns about the running of the academy that cannot be resolved. These concerns should be recorded in minutes of the meeting at which they

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Local authorities may need to address a sudden worsening in their customary economies of scale if the new academies in their area choose not to continue using them as their main supplier for various goods and services. are raised. If an academy has a sponsor or sponsors, those individuals or organisations are also responsible for ensuring the good use of public funds, in addition to levering in other finance and resources when needed Julius Caesar’s famous comment on rumours about his wife – that “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion” has been applied to many situations over the years and has some resonance here. Clear and transparent accountability is the key for academies’ use of public funds to be – and to be seen to be – above suspicion. CIPFA’s Guide to Effective Governance and financial management in academies has lots guidance on this. Academies are charitable companies limited by guarantee. So as directors of the company limited by guarantee and trustees of the academy trust, the obligations to protect the assets, property and good name of the charity rest with the school’s governing body. One way that academies of

bolstering the governors’ ability to carry out these obligations is to consider co-opting to academy committees individuals who are not members of the governing but who have particular skills and interests and can provide a wider range of expertise than may be available from within the governing body itself. Then the academy’s governors – and those organisations with whom they deal – can have a greater confidence that agreements entered into are unlikely to experience unwelcome consequences. L ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lesley Lodge is finance and policy manager. local government, at CIPFA - the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01582 882193 Email: lesley.lodge@cipfa.org.uk

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Regardless of whether you work in the private or public sector, are a large employer or a small one, all employers will by law have to submit Real Time Information (RTI) to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by October 2013. Diana Bruce, senior policy liaison officer for the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, explains RTI is the most fundamental change to PAYE reporting since its inception in 1944. Employers will need to report information to HMRC every time they pay their employees instead of once at the end of the tax year. Payroll software will collect the necessary information and send it to HMRC online. The first official rumblings of the PAYE improvement proposals came from the Conservative party early in 2010 where HMRC then published a discussion document to gather input from employers, payroll bureaux, agents and other stakeholders with a vested interest. This document explored the option to move to a system that collects information on PAYE deductions at the time employers pay individuals, namely RTI. The second stage of consultation was then published in December 2010. Throughout, the government’s objectives have remained static - to reduce costs both for employers and for HMRC by making the system easier to administer; to improve service levels for individual customers and to ensure accurate and timely tax deductions. HMRC do admit that PAYE works well for the majority of people, particularly those with stable circumstances, but because processes have basically remained unchanged since they were introduced, there are some limitations. For example it is common now for people to have more than one concurrent job or pension, or have unpredictable employment patterns. So with information only going to HMRC once a year they are always playing catch up with these individuals’ tax affairs. UNIVERSAL CREDIT SYSTEM One of the areas that has caused concern for employers is the tight implementation timeline for such a big change to the PAYE reporting system. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is overhauling the UK benefits system and is introducing a Universal Credit system which will combine many of the current benefits, tying in with the government’s ‘make work pay’ policy and helping to break the cycle of benefit dependency. In order for the new system to work, the DWP requires the information that RTI will supply about individuals’ income to ensure the correct entitlement to tax credit is given. The DWP is driving the timeline of ‘all on board’ by October 2013 so RTI must

be used by all employers by this date to support the introduction of Universal Credits. MAIN CHANGES FOR PAYE UNDER RTI All employers and pension providers will send details of all payments made (or to be made) through the payroll irrespective of the amount of pay (or pension). There are three main changes that will happen under RTI: Employers will be required to send information to HMRC about their employees’ pay and deductions, before or at the same time as they are paid; The year end process of submitting P14s for all employees and a P35 summary and employer declaration will no longer be necessary and neither will the requirement for submission of the P38(A) annual return, and; The starter and leaver process is to be overhauled and under RTI, employers will not have to complete and send

a form P46 for new employees to HMRC. The P46(Expat) form also ceases and the future of the P46(Pen) is currently under consideration. Employers will still have to issue P60s to employees and pension recipients following the end of each tax year. Benefits in kind are not included under RTI so employers will still be required to submit forms P9D, P11D and P11D(b) following the end of each tax year. DATA QUALITY In 2009, HMRC introduced their National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS) which combined 12 regional data bases into one system. You will no doubt have seen the media furore when the system identified multiple tax code errors and started letting individuals know that they had either underpaid or overpaid tax over the last few years. This was proof that the system E

Subject to the initial pilot being successful, up to around 1,300 volunteer employers will be reporting RTI by September 2012. Is this the first you have heard about RTI? Despite a variety of communications from HMRC and other representative bodies to businesses, not everyone is aware of the RTI regulations. So if this is a totally new subject to you and you deal with paying employees and/or reporting PAYE to HMRC then it is important that you consider the following: If you use payroll software, it will need updating so that it can process and submit RTI data - you may need to discuss this with your software provider If you do not currently use payroll software, you will need to plan ahead now so that your business will be able to submit data RTI to HMRC electronically when required to do so. If you have nine or fewer employees you can use HMRC’s free Basic PAYE

Tools. There will be a new version available to download once you are invited to operate PAYE in real time. If you pay your employees by direct Bacs you will need to include the hash cross references in your RTI submissions (see HMRC guidance on generating the RTI cross reference at www.hmrc.gov.uk/rti/index. htm). You should speak to your Bacs Approved Solution Supplier or Bacs Approved Bureau about this. If you use the services of a payroll bureau, bookkeeper and/or agent you should discuss how RTI will affect your business and the changes you need to make to your PAYE processes as soon as possible. Once you begin to operate RTI, if you do not submit your PAYE data to HMRC on time you may incur penalties.

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PAYROLL E was holding a high number of incorrect records but it has resulted in HMRC’s data being more accurate than ever before. Analysis shows that the key issue is matching data sent by employers with HMRC’s records. Around 80 per cent of errors in employee data are due to an incorrect name, date of birth or national insurance number – straightforward information that can be collected and checked quite easily. So, whether you are employing ‘Mr or Mrs J Smith’ you must use the full and official name on your PAYE reporting. First names are very important, especially for common surnames. This may seem like common sense but HMRC are really stressing the importance of putting good procedures in place to ensure that employee data is correct. Don’t assume the information you are provided with is correct; best practice would be to ensure official documents have been provided to validate the information. EMPLOYER ALIGNMENT SUBMISSION (EAS) Now to introduce you to the key new processes and some of the jargon that goes with RTI. The very first requirement under RTI is an alignment of employee details with the data held on HMRC’s NPS system. For larger employers this will be done by completing an EAS and for smaller employers a First FPS

(Full Payment Submission) which will include certain key details about employees. In most cases HMRC will update their database with the details from these submissions and will then instruct you to start submitting RTI every time employees are paid, using a FPS. Employers will be contacted directly with an instruction as to when they must do their alignment submission and in what format. The fundamental difference between this first alignment submission (EAS or First FPS) and your regular submissions (FPS) is that you must include all details of not only active employments but also the details of any starters and leavers in the current tax year. So if you are instructed to submit an EAS in the August of 2013, you must include details of any individuals who you have employed since 6 April 2013, regardless of whether they have since left your employ. Once the EAS has been successfully submitted, the employer is considered to have joined RTI and can start sending FPS submissions immediately. As with any new system there are bound to be teething problems and there are areas that are still ‘work in progress’ so it is reassuring to know that in advance of the mandatory RTI requirements next year, in April HMRC began a pilot with volunteer payroll software providers and employers. In the first month of the pilot HMRC will progressively bring on 10 employers,

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representing a range of size, type and payroll software provider with the aim of testing the system and support to optimise performance and iron out any issues. Subject to the initial pilot being successful, up to around 1,300 volunteer employers will be reporting RTI by September 2012. By March 2013 it is hoped that around 250,000 employers will have been invited to join. RTI will then become mandatory and all other employers will be directed to join from April 2013 through to October 2013. L

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RTI help and support Guidance is still being drafted. It is hoped that final versions will be available by October 2012. In the interim HMRC and the CIPP publish news and updates on their websites. CIPP NEWS PAGES www.cipp.org.uk/en/ippnews HMRC www.hmrc.gov.uk/rti Business Link e-mail alerts www.businesslink.gov.uk/ hmrcemployeremailalerts

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SCHOOL SECURITY

School Security

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Lessons in education security As funding remains tight within the public sector, education establishments nationwide are heavily focused on achieving cost savings and demonstrating return on investment. Surprisingly, security systems can play a major part in both, explains James Kelly, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association Education establishments face a range of security threats, both external and internal, and with the protection of students, staff and visitors of paramount importance, security is a vital aspect of day-to-day operations. The very nature of school, college and university premises often leaves them vulnerable to crime, with open access often facilitating vandalism and the theft of expensive equipment. Balancing a welcoming atmosphere with comprehensive security can be a challenge, but the range of products and services currently on the market can often successfully be integrated and used together to meet this challenge and achieve a suitable balance, resulting in a security programme that’s non-intrusive, yet quietly effective. Physical security is clearly the backbone of any security plan, with fences, gates, barriers and doors the first barrier to prevent unwanted intruders. Creating such barriers demands attention to a variety of design considerations such as sufficient height and strength, the

use of climbing impediments, secure ground fixing as well as the provision of clear areas to facilitate surveillance and maintenance. FENCING Security fencing comes in a variety of forms and should comply with the British Standard 1722-17: 2006 in order to ensure quality. To enhance the effectiveness of perimeter fencing, physical barriers must be underpinned by measures to detect, identify and react to intrusions. Combining physical security with other measures such as intruder alarms and CCTV will provide even tougher protection, for if a trespasser attempts to breach the barrier an alarm could be triggered to alert a monitoring centre of the intrusion. Clever landscaping can also be utilised to soften the look of fences and barriers, avoiding the risk of making school premises look more like prisons than places of learning. Of course, restricting access to particular areas of a site is often more complex than physical security.

ACCESS CONTROL Sites that require varying levels of access permission for certain zones or areas may wish to consider introducing an access control system. Safety, restricting and zoning of areas, audit security trail and time efficiency can all be covered by access control systems, which range in nature from token-based systems and digital keypads, through to biometric identification systems and the associated hardware. For cost-conscious education establishments, access control has another money-saving benefit, in that it can be integrated with a building’s energy management system to reduce energy costs, address environmental concerns and improve energy efficiency. A building energy management system (BEMS) can typically control up to 80 per cent of a building’s energy usage, so it’s clear to see how using access control to optimise the system to suit the variable usage and occupation of a building can streamline energy usage. In such systems, data gathered by access control and visitor monitoring systems is used to inform the BEMS of the nature and function of the people occupying a heating zone. Knowing what roles are being fulfilled by individuals operating within a heating zone also allows the BEMS to make adjustments and lower the amount of fuel consumed. E

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Solar-powering school perimeters with Green Gate Access Systems benefits the purse and the planet School security represents a real challenge due to the sheer volume of visitors at peak times and the need to carefully control access throughout the teaching day. Often these factors seem at odds with one another, but schools have to assess and mitigate the risks to pupils of unauthorised entry to the school’s premises as this has now become a high priority. Since the UK’s first solar secured school in 2006, Green Gate Access Systems has been working within the education environment to assess perimeter security risks and take sensible, safe and well considered steps to help schools’ meet these new requirements. From a simple code controlled side gate to automating the main entrance gates, to installing a complete revenue-generating barrier system, there is a solution to every security need for every school. Sometimes, simply automating the existing entrance gates is totally feasible and would dramatically enhance pupil safety. Often the main cost of an automated gate is bringing power to the school boundary. Using solar energy is an increasingly common and highly viable alternative implemented by many schools across the UK. This eliminates the expensive digging for a new mains supply and often makes a solar powered security gate or barrier the only way the project can

become affordable within a tight budget. The busiest UK solar barrier operates over 1,000 times per day in the winter, but each entrance is individually calculated for the location and usage to ensure all year round operation. The most important benefit of any solar gate is that there are no running costs. A perfect solution to the security needs of your pupils. Managing the access control to a site is the most important element to get right for the specific needs of the individual school. Using the latest communication and safety equipment, each installation is customised to the specific requirements of the site. That may

be intercom control at certain times of the day, free exit to known users, swipe card entry, dial to open from staff mobiles, pedestrian access over-ride, automatic opening times, or a combination of many access controls. To find out more about how an automated gate or solar security system could benefit your school, or to arrange a free site survey for an existing project, contact one of our experienced technical consultants. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 08456 800269 schools@greengateaccess.co.uk www.greengateaccess.co.uk

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SCHOOL SECURITY E This information is applied by the BEMS to heat-loss algorithms to determine the minimum amount of heat to be applied to a particular area, reducing the amount of energy consumed and avoiding unnecessary wastage. For example, a small group of pupils gathered in a spacious library for a lesson where they will be largely sedentary will require more heating than a large group of pupils conducting a physical education class in a relatively small area. Identifying patterns in visitor behaviour can stop the unnecessary heating of unoccupied heating zones, saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions. This works intelligently, using past data to assess when a certain area of the building is likely to be occupied, activating heating in time for visitors’ arrival and reducing temperature or turning off the heating entirely during periods of inactivity. This can be particularly useful for independent education establishments, where lessons and activities adhere to a regular schedule which is easily ‘learned’ by the BEMS to assess the timing and level of heating required and adjust the systems accordingly. For many educational establishments, protecting staff is also a key security consideration. In the 2008/9 academic year, children were suspended from school on over 80,000 occasions for attacking teachers and classmates, a chilling statistic that clearly demonstrates the requirement for some degree of security in classrooms. While this is somewhat controversial, many teachers claim that CCTV cameras in the classroom can help stamp out students’ false allegations against them, providing

Lone worker systems

called for a crackdown on primary school absence in April this year. Working alongside their clients in the education sector, many BSIA members have developed highly effective ‘lone worker’ solutions to protect truancy officers and professional career advisors while they’re out and about in their

Aside from the rather gloomy issue of classroom violence, CCTV in schools can also be a valuable tool in assisting with teacher training, enabling specific lessons to be reviewed for valuable feedback. an added level of protection for both their careers and personal integrity, while giving parents full confidence about how their children are being treated whilst at school. Aside from the rather gloomy issue of classroom violence, CCTV in schools can also be a valuable tool in assisting with teacher training, enabling specific lessons to be reviewed for valuable feedback. In addition to this, of course, come the clear benefits of preventing crime both in an out of school hours. LONE WORKER SOLUTIONS Protecting support staff whose roles take them off school premises is also a growing concern for the education sector, especially since Charlie Taylor, the Government’s expert advisor on behaviour,

School Security

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local community, or caretakers working alone in empty buildings after hours. Tom Morton, whose company belongs to the BSIA’s Lone Worker Steering Group, believes that it is important for lone workers across the education sector to have substantial security solutions in place as they can often find themselves in an environment where conflict is anticipated. He said: “A lot of the time, truancy officers will have to visit the house of a child who is skipping school to speak to the parents. There are elements of social work in this as well. You don’t always know what sort of environment you’re entering and so it’s very important for them to have a solution in place that they can use to send an alert of any risk or threat to their personal wellbeing to an alarm receiving centre.”

Activating such a device automatically triggers a voice call to the alarm receiving centre (ARC). No further action is required by the user, as the device effectively functions as an open microphone, enabling the ARC to capture an audio recording of the incident for future action such as police investigation of legal proceedings. Operators at the ARC also monitor the audio channel in real time, enabling them to assess the situation and alert the police if the user needs help or protection. This procedure allows the police to optimise their response to genuine emergencies by providing a ‘moving picture’ of the incident, including an increase or decrease in risk as it happens. The very knowledge that this is taking place is, of course, a major boost to the user’s confidence. FACING THE THREAT With the education sector facing an everincreasing number of security threats, there has never been a better time for learning centres to reconsider their security strategy, to take into account both traditional methods, such as physical security and CCTV, as well as developing technology including lone worker devices and integrated systems. BSIA members meet strict quality criteria and as such, the Association’s website is a great place to start when considering your next security investment. L FOR MORE INFORMATION To locate a reputable supplier in your area visit www.bsia.co.uk/companyfinder

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THE EXPERTS IN PROVIDING QUALITY AFFORDABLE SOLAR SOLUTIONS

FRUSTRATED WITH THE EVER INCREASING ENERGY COSTS TO YOUR EDUCATION FACILITY? Did you know Ashley primary school in Surrey won the Ashden Awards in 2009 for their energy reduction achievements. They successfully reduced their electricity consumption by 51% and gas by 18%, all in just one year. You too could achieve these fantastic savings whilst also earning up to £6000.00 per annum with the F.I.T (Feed In Tariff)

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Energy

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About the Carbon Trust

CARBON REDUCTION

COST EFFECTIVE CARBON CUTTING Schools can save energy costs equal to a newly-qualified teacher’s annual pay, argues the Carbon Trust, which is helping over 400 pilot schools implement cost-effective energy savings Hundreds of schools across England are taking part in a bold new national scheme to slash rising public sector energy bills and reduce UK carbon emissions. Fifty-two local authorities will pilot new school schemes by the Carbon Trust in a move to reduce energy bills now costing the sector £543 million annually. The Carbon Trust’s Collaborative Low Carbon Schools Service will help over 400 pilot schools implement cost-effective energy savings as the basis for helping local authorities save up to £40m in energy bills and 270,000 tonnes of carbon across all their regions’ schools. SIMPLE MEASURES Simple measures such as switching off lights and installing more efficient heating could help the average secondary school save £21,500 in energy bills – almost equal to the annual salary of a newly qualified teacher. This figure is based on 25 per cent energy savings for the average UK secondary school (£86,000 per year) and the minimum starting salary of a newly qualified teacher of £21,588 (Source: Teacher Development Agency). The Carbon Trust’s experience of driving public sector energy efficiency reveals that UK schools account for over half of local authorities’ carbon emissions, with a total £543 million annual energy bill, of which as much as £135m could be saved through simple cost-effective measures typically paying back in less than three years. Forty-three local authorities have signed up to take part in the pilot, including Camden,

Cumbria, Bedford, Buckinghamshire, Walsall, and Wiltshire. The 10-month programme will help schools save up to 25 per cent on their energy bills through free expert advice, new pupil switch-off initiatives, and cost-effective measures such as installing energy-efficient lighting and heating. RESOURCE EFFICIENCY A further nine East Midland authorities are also taking part in the Carbon Trust’s School Collaboration on Resource Efficiency (SCoRE), a tailored scheme funded by Climate East Midlands which began in March and will eventually be rolled out to all 2,260 publicly funded schools across the region. Richard Rugg, director of Carbon Trust programmes, said: “The Carbon Trust’s work with local authorities shows that schools can play a pivotal role in helping the public sector to save millions of pounds while slashing carbon emissions. With a squeeze on budgets, our focus is on helping local authorities in collaboration with their schools estate to identify low cost opportunities that deliver high financial savings. Whether a pupil, a teacher or a school site manager, every member of the school community must play its part in saving energy.” Any organisations that would like to be considered for the future phases of the programme should contact the Carbon Trust by emailing publicsector@carbontrust.co.uk L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.carbontrust.co.uk

The Carbon Trust is a not-forprofit company with the mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, providing specialist support to business and the public sector to help cut carbon emissions, save energy and commercialise low carbon technologies. By stimulating low carbon action it contributes to key UK goals of lower carbon emissions, the development of low carbon businesses, increased energy security and associated jobs. The Carbon Trust has already supported a wide range of public sector organisations to implement projects that will save 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and £426 million (net) over their lifetime, with many more projects in the pipeline. The Carbon Trust helps to cut carbon emissions by: • Providing specialist advice and finance to help organisations cut carbon • Setting standards for carbon reduction We reduce potential future carbon emissions by • Opening markets for low carbon technologies • Leading industry collaborations to commercialise technologies • Investing in early stage low carbon companies

About Climate East Midlands Climate East Midlands is one of a national network of Climate Change Partnerships that work together through a Community Interest Company called Climate UK. Climate East Midlands works with a network of local public, private and voluntary sector partners to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change by supporting local action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to support communities in positioning themselves to maximise the benefits of, and become more resilient to, a changing climate. Its programme of activity is funded by central government through grants from CLG and Defra.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Energy

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LEADING BY EXAMPLE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY There are two social benefits to installing renewable energy on-site at educational establishments: real world cuts in carbon emissions, and the cultivation of an environmentally-aware future generation. But renewables bring more immediate benefits too: waste-free energy, energy security and, often, cost reductions and new revenue streams. Seaton Primary won a prestigious Ashden Award in 2007 thanks to its 2.5kW wind turbine, its 4.7kW solar PV array, and its solar thermal-heated swimming pool. The wind and PV generate electricity for use on-site and have saved an estimated two tonnes of carbon per year. Headteacher Alan Simpson regularly uses assembly to update the children on their energy production, and renewable energy problems are now incorporated into maths and science lessons. Seaton pupils proudly boast of their

awareness of environmental issues and their own environmentally friendly behaviours – from switching off lights and computers, to tending to the school’s compost wormery and grass snake conservation area. As the school states: ‘caring for the environment is not just a subject to be studied – it’s an ethos’. MULTI-SCHOOL PROJECTS Not too far away, the Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative launched the largest community share offer in the country last September and attracted £670,000, enabling it to install 50kW PV units at four Dorset schools so far. Perhaps surprisingly, grandparents comprised one of the main investor profiles. This could partly be due to the legacy issue of climate change (not wanting future generation to inherit a worse world than ours). But, as this demographic is generally less accepting of

climate change than others, perhaps these investors simply see the financial sense in a guaranteed 25-year income to leave to their families and their grandchildren’s schools. The programme also offers an educational package to bring the energy into the classroom. ‘Web boxes’ record the installations’ output data and enable teachers to incorporate local, real world examples of maths and physics problems into their teaching, as well as correlating weather conditions to unit performance in geography classes. The project also serves as a real world case study in business studies lessons, teaching pupils first-hand about infrastructure investment. Rachael Hunter, the programme coordinator, explains that Wey Valley operates a ‘free solar’ model, which means the Cooperative retains ownership of the panels, but the schools get all the energy E

Written by James Beard – Renewable Energy Association

Schools are taking the lead in their communities by showcasing renewable energy solutions such as wind turbines, solar panels and biomass boilers.

Leading UK climate campaign group 10:10 launched the Solar Schools initiative last September, which helps schools raise funds to buy their own solar panels.

The University of Surrey’s 300kW biomass boiler, expected to generate £33,000 per year under the RHI – Credit: Dale Meadows/University of Surrey

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Energy

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Proud pupils show off their model solar powered eco home at Prince of Wales Primary in Enfield - Credit: Kathy Hill/Sunny Schools

E the panels produce for free, while the Feed-in Tariff pays the return to investors. The early risk-takers have benefited most from solar, as their tariff is guaranteed for 25 years while recent cuts (which only apply to new installations) have pulled the rug from under the feet of those schools which might have wished to follow suit. Government has work to do to restore investor confidence, and can start by building stable degression mechanisms into its subsidies. NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS 10:10, a leading UK climate campaign group, launched a new initiative in September called Solar Schools, which helps schools raise funds to buy their own solar panels. A £5 donation buys one solar tile, and a colourful online graphic keeps track of which donor or event has paid for which tile. E.P. Collier Primary in Reading became the first school to reach its £10,000 target just before Christmas. Project coordinator Amy Cameron highlights the importance of social media in raising awareness of the campaign, but traditional fundraising strategies made a big contribution too, including a comedy evening, a disco, and a good old-fashioned teacher gunging. Caermon explains why the Solar Schools model benefits both school and students: “The school starts making money straight away (no payback period) and acquires a new asset, while the children are directly engaged in the fundraising, and so their own feeling of pride and achievement expands into a positive feeling towards renewables

and an interest in environmental issues”. Pupils have been very receptive to the educational package provided by Solar Schools’ partner Sunny Schools. The package comprises lesson plans, presentation slides, practical exercises, and miniature demonstration solar panels. Cathy Hill, education coordinator at Sunny Schools, says that the integration of data from on-site systems into the packages is also “in the pipeline”. GREEN UNIVERSITIES The Green University League Table has been published annually since 2007 by Oxford-based NGO People and Planet. You won’t find Oxford at the top of this league table though, as it ranked 103 out Technology

Tariff value (p/kWh)

Tariff duration (years)

Anaerobic digestion

9.4 – 14

Hydro

4.7 – 20.9

Micro-CHP (fossil)

10.5

Solar PV [1]

8.5 – 43.3

Wind

4.7 – 36.2

Export tariff [2]

3.1

–

Biomass

1 – 7.9

Ground source heat pumps

3.2 – 4.5

Solar thermal

8.5

Biogas

6.8

Feed-in tariffs

Renewable heat incentive

of the 142 universities in the 2011 table. People & Planet’s Louise Hazan explains that energy is among the key factors in the Green League score, its mathematical significance having increased to make it now worth almost 10 per cent of the total: “Points are available both for the purchase of renewable power from the grid, and for the generation of low carbon energy on-site, including combined heat and power (CHP)”. CHP captures the waste heat from fuel-based power generators for local use. If that fuel is biomass, then the environmental benefit is even greater. Aberdeen generates the greatest share of electricity from on-site renewables with eight per cent. Thirty-eight universities buy green electricity from the grid (of which E

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Energy

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Keeping track of solar power output at the University of Surrey – Credit: Dale Meadows/ University of Surrey

E eight buy 100 per cent green energy), while 37 generate some of their electricity on-site, and the number with CHP installed is also 37. SNAPSHOTS OF UNIVERSITY RENEWABLES The first large scale wind turbine at a UK university was built at the University of Ulster’s Coleraine campus in 2008. The 800kW turbine makes the university £230,000 per year in energy sales and avoided electricity costs, and saves the planet 1,074 tonnes of CO2. The University of Westminster has installed not just solar and wind, but a 100kW biomass boiler, too The University of Wales in Newport has been involved in renewable transport for four years, producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil to fuel its campus maintenance vehicles. This project has generated interest from visiting schools eager to learn about biofuels. Energy efficiency measures offer great cash and carbon saving opportunities too. Replacing old boilers and insulating roofs, while less attractive in PR terms than renewables, can also offer big savings. Salix Finance administers government loans to public sector organisations to support energy efficiency and recycling projects.

for systems installed after 3rd March [2] The amount paid for excess electricity exported to the grid, such as during school holidays (see chart on previous page). STUDENT ENGAGEMENT The UK’s first BSc in renewable energy was launched by Exeter University in 2003, while the Centre for Alternative Technology (a 2011 Ashden Award Winner) has long been pioneering advanced education in renewable energy systems and principles. The Poole Tidal Energy Partnership (PTEP) showcases several ways in which students can engage with renewable energy. Andy Hadley, PTEP co-ordinator, explains that three Bournemouth University departments are involved in the PTEP project, which is looking to raise funds and support for a community tidal energy system in Poole Harbour. The environmental Law School is examining ‘legal and environmental impacts’; the Sustainable Design Research Centre is looking into the ‘technical aspects of potential solutions’; and three student teams from the Business School are involved, too. ‘Visionality’ is working on the business case (economic and social feasibility); ‘Future Adapt’ is focusing on PR and awareness campaigns, while ‘Versatile Consulting’ is ‘project managing across the three schools’. Change Agents, a graduate-level environmental engagement and employment network, works with NUS and the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) to promote sustainability within universities. Change Agents’ Education coordinator Hanna Plant, who helped spur the sustainability drive at St Andrews (which is currently seeking planning permission for a 12MW turbine), sums it up: “Schools,

“The Poole Tidal Energy Partnership l era showcases sev hools sc ways in which with can engage renewable energy”

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Most on-site renewable power systems are eligible for Feed-in Tariffs (FITs). For renewable heat, many of the technologies and capacities that schools and universities could implement are covered in the first phase of the Renewable Heat Incentive. Check the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) website for more details, particularly as the FITs are currently under review. [1] DECC will reduce the upper end to 21p

colleges and universities are under increasing financial pressure, and increasing pressure to deliver on environmental objectives. This is a business challenge, requiring innovative new thinking and the consideration of new investment opportunities. Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects tick all the boxes in this regard”. L

Further information Change Agents: www.changeagents.org.uk DECC: www.decc.goc.uk EAUC CUSP: www.eauc.org.uk/cusp NUS Green Impact Programme: www.green-impact.org.uk People & Planet Green League: www.peopleandplanet.org/greenleague Poole Tidal Energy Partnership: www.energyshare.com/ poole-tidal-energy-partnership Renewable Energy Association: www.r-e-a.net Salix Finance: www.salixfinance.co.uk Solar Schools: www.solarschools.org Sunny Schools: www.solar-aid.org/sunnyschools Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative: www.weyvalleysolar.co.uk

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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DESIGN & BUILD

Priority Schools Building Programme - more for less? A total of 261 schools, from 587 applicants, will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met under the Priority School Building Programme. Schools that are in a state of disrepair and have been waiting for Government funds received the go ahead for funding on May 24th. In his ministerial announcement, Educatiopn Secretary Michael Gove stated :“I know that many schools will be disappointed not to be included in the programme. We have had to take difficult decisions in order to target spending on those schools that are in the worst condition. In order to ensure that the process was robust and fair, a qualified surveyor has visited every school for which an eligible application was received to verify the condition of the buildings. This was necessary to make sure the schools being taken forward are those with the greatest overall condition need.” URGENT ACTION “The condition need of some schools is so severe that urgent action is necessary. I have decided to make a limited amount of capital grant available to address the needs of the highest priority schools in the programme. 42 schools – those in the very worst condition and all special schools included within the programme – will be taken forward straight away using capital grant.” “Savings have been made by driving down the cost of new schools, shortening procurement times and challenging contractors to look for savings in all areas. These savings mean that more schools will benefit from the programme.” “We are determined to reduce the wasteful processes of the past. That is why we have developed new baseline designs which will speed up the process and increase efficiencies and we are reducing the regulations and guidance governing school premises. This will encourage lower-cost build processes to be designed-in from the start.” “I have previously expressed my strong support for the Government’s agenda on reforming the PFI model and we are working closely with the Treasury to ensure the PSBP is aligned with this model in providing cost effective and more transparent delivery of services. Schools will have greater flexibility with soft facilities management services, such as cleaning, catering, security and some grounds maintenance being managed and controlled by schools themselves.” “In addition to targeting spending on those schools which are in the worst condition, my priority in spending capital has been increasing the number of new school places in order to correct previous failures to meet that need.”

Reacting to the announcement, Cllr David Simmonds, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “We are still in a situation where more than 300 run-down schools have been left in limbo after lengthy delays in government decision making. In the current tough economic climate we know it’s not going to be possible to rebuild every school from scratch and councils aren’t asking for gold plated taps and state-ofthe-art luxury staffrooms. But heads and parents are telling us that the condition of some schools is so bad it’s getting in the way of providing a good education..” Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said: “The Government must ensure that the procurement process gets underway quickly, is well planned and robust, and that Whitehall departments work together to deliver the programme effectively.” DETAILED PLANS Earlier in the month, the Government released the first details of what it wants from architects when they start to design schools under the programme. Mairi Johnson, deputy director for design at the Education Funding Agency (EFA) - the arms length body which is overseeing the building programme - said the first design briefs for the £2 billion initiative will be unveiled at the end of the summer. These will include suggested room layouts, sections and 1:200 floor plans that are intended as a framework - a baseline design, rather than the detailed design templates it had previously asked architects to come up with. An architect by training, Johnson told the Builng Future Education conference that schools and local authorities will be able to request adaptations within limited constraints. But Greg Penoyre, partner at Penoyre & Prasad, warned that attempting to build for less than £1,400/sq m could result in schools that would barely outlive their PFI

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contracts. He also urged the EFA to give architects enough time to scrutinise the briefs. “If we’re handed them late on we would have little alternative but to use the plans as they are which would be a waste.” Stephen Long, design director of Graham Construction, who is working with the Department for Education on school building performance, said he had seen the baseline idea work successfully elsewhere and urged the EFA to stick with a loose-fit framework. “A cynic would say this is standardisation and certainly it will take a brave person to deviate from what the EFA say is good,” he said. “But I have seen enough decent architecture in places where they build for less money and to strict guidelines to be confident that architects will still manage to be creative.” The programme could see the proliferation of stndardised designs, such as the Sunesis Keynes standardised school (pictured below), which is one of the first to have been launched to the UK market. Recently endorsed by the Design Council CABE, Sunesis is a joint initiative between public sector construction procurement company Scape and leading contractor Willmott Dixon. There are plans to submit a further four models to undergo the same Design Council review process. The Government body has said the Sunesis approach opens up the debate into the benefits and possibilities of delivering standardised designs.”L

Further information List of schools to receive funding tinyurl.com/d5jotyr Architects Journal info.architectsjournal.co.uk Construction News www.cnplus.co.uk

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DESIGN & BUILD

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Tower Hamlets school completes BSF redevelopment Construction has been completed on the redevelopment of Sir John Cass and Red Coat Church of England Secondary School, Stepney Way, in East London. Commissioned by Tower Hamlets Council, designed by architects Astudio and built by Bouygues UK, the project combines new build and refurbishment to create a transformational scheme aimed to positively impact effectiveness in teaching and learning. Built under the Building Schools for the Future programme, the new school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets will accommodate 1495 pupils aged 1419. Sir John Cass and Red Coat Church of England School is the fifth in the borough to be handed over by Bouygues UK, with a further 10 schools currently under construction or yet to commence works. Three new buildings, carefully arranged to stitch together the refurbished main building, have been built on the school’s tight 3.5 acre site. The new school features a strong and welcoming entrance, a mixture of new and across the borough. Building Schools for the refurbished classrooms, a new performing arts Future is not just about bricks and mortar, Centre, and a state-of-the-art it is about the young people who will Virtual Learning Centre to experience life-changing benefits act as a hub for learning. from this investment. ” g To maximise the “Hard-surfacin s George Brennan, director school site, where at Astudio Architecture, area of all external eded said: “Remodelling school previously buildings e and extensions were rovides much n side sites and combining p poorly configured refurbishment with new ng play space alo nd in relation to build to maximise their role each other with a as centres of education both tree-planting a h ic h number of “leftover for pupils and the wider w , g in p a landsc spaces” and no community is now the basis long term planning of most school projects. By help to ‘green’ strategy, Astudio first considering all the options the site” worked with the school and then creating a masterplan, to create a masterplan to rather than approaching school improve and enhance the experience regeneration piecemeal, the best possible of all those using the site. Carefully outcome for the budget can be achieved. considered external spaces bring the school “Having worked very closely with the together, hard-surfacing of all available school to achieve its vision, we have external areas provides much needed developed a creative and considered play space alongside tree-planting and design that has transformed Sir John Cass landscaping, which help to ‘green’ the site. and Red Coat Church School, not only in The design celebrates and emphasises terms of the facilities it now offers, but in the striking difference between new its ability to engender pride, inspire and and legacy buildings, with ceramic tiles become integrated into the community.” used for the new buildings in contrast The school forms a key part of Wave 5 with the brick and concrete of the of the Tower Hamlets Building Schools for existing 1960s and 1970s structures. the Future programme and has achieved Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, a BREEAM rating of Very Good.L said: “The works carried out under the BSF programme are creating top class Main Contractor: Bouygues UK educational facilities at secondary schools Architect: Astudio Ltd

New elements of the school include: A new double height entrance space for the Virtual Learning Centre on Stepney Way The block to the west has been extended with a two-storey building for the Performing Arts Centre including performance space and music rooms A five-storey extension has been sensitively attached to the existing five-storey stairwell of the main existing building, matching height and width of this primary block

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Cooper’s Edge governors find space for the right canopy It’s not every day that a school is designed by the teachers and faculty. However, in the case of Coopers Edge Primary in Gloucestershire, England, the entire development and design process was handled by the school’s board of Governors. Working with local architect Roberts Limbrick, the Governors decided the most important feature of the school was creating a covered courtyard to be known as the ‘Village Square’. They wanted a space that would inspire and enable people, while energising the community and enhancing their quality of life. The courtyard’s roof was to look like it was ‘floating’ and not block the flow of walking traffic below. They did not want any masts touching the ground, eliminating the students’ temptation to climb the structure, and removing obstructions to wheel chair users. CHOOSING THE RIGHT FABRIC Having met with neighbouring Fabric and to meet a tight budget, Fabric Architecture Architecture for the initial design, the introduced them to a fabric called Silicone Governors felt fabric would allow Glass Weave (SGW) - a very low maintenance them to achieve a very bright internal fabric alternative to ETFE. It offers up to 40 space compared to a solid roof. per cent light transmission in white - allowing The covered space was to serve two plants to photosynthesize underneath it. functions – a place for students to play It does not require monitoring or inflation under and hold school assemblies, and for systems using power, and remains cool the greater community of Coopers Edge underneath it. SGW is 100 per cent recyclable, to have somewhere for offering the school green credentials’, while fundraisers, activities lasting and estimated 30 plus years. and neighbourhood The design solution realised is a 500m² meetings. bespoke canopy that is almost flat in The canopy They wanted a design. This structure has no steel was originally ld u o w space that masts touching the ground and specified , able n e d n a is built using SGW. The structural by Robert e ir sp in g framework and canopy over-sail Limbrick as an in is rg e n e while the buildings and connect back ETFE system nd into the frame of the building (inflatable ‘air’ e community a th through a series of trusses. pockets – as ir enhancing the For maximum light exposure, 15 seen at the conical head-rings were manufactured Eden Project in quality of life using polycarbonate. Each of the Cornwall, England). conics acts as a light well for the area The Governors decided below, flooding it with an abundance of they needed to do some natural sunlight, even on overcast days. investigative research and site visits to fully understand the options. They learned that ETFE LIGHTING is noisy in the rain because of high frequency The framework was fitted with down lights, reverberation, is high maintenance requiring up lights, and coloured blue LEDs, and glows air pressure monitoring. On hot days, it creates brilliantly during the evening. In addition a ‘greenhouse effect’ and heats up the space to lights, it was also fitted with integrated below, and the installation is expensive speakers for announcements and music. in comparison to other fabric solutions. The governors were pleased to learn that Realising the Governors’ main concerns were to ensure an abundance of natural sunlight building with SGW as opposed to ETFE

“

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offered significant savings to the school. Coopers Edge Primary opened in April and everyone has been thrilled with the result of the newly covered courtyard. The head teacher Keely Folker stated: “We love the new canopy over our “Village Square” – surprisingly it is very light, bright and airy – much better than had it been a solid roof. Having such a large covered space has allowed us to use the Village Square all year round for a multitude of events – both for the school and for the surrounding community. Everyone that walks through the front door gets a sense of how incredible the space is – it’s something we are very proud of.” L Architect: Roberts Limbrick

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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We now use Sealwise WCB (Waterproof Construction Board) as our standard cabinetry material Sealwise WCB is 100% waterproof, exceptionally strong & durable and comes with the added bonus that it is made from recycled material (and is fully recyclable), hitting all your sustainability targets, because there is zero landfill. It can also be produced in an anti-bacterial option, so it is ideal for hospitals, laboratories or where added cleanliness is required See what one of our satisfied clients has to say about us and Sealwise WCB: “Woodwise has been extremely proactive in developing furniture that meets our requirements. From initial planning and design through to after sales care, we have been really impressed with its products and service. We’ve found that the use of Sealwise materials has enhanced the look and durability of our furniture. The surfaces are easy to maintain and, with the impregnated colour treatment, extremely resistant to damage.” Wells Cathedral

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HISTORIC BUILDINGS

BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO HISTORIC BUILDINGS

How can historic school buildings be given a new lease of life, asks Tim Brennan, senior regeneration Adviser, English Heritage After a decade during which resources and investment reached levels never seen before, the schools capital programme now appears to face an uncertain future. The state of the public finances, together with the recent review of capital investment in schools led by Sebastian James, has prompted a rethink of how precious resources are spent on school buildings. Against this background, it is probably safe to assume that remodelling and refurbishing of existing buildings will form a large part of the short to medium programme. From a heritage point of view, the James review contained some welcome recommendations – including those on the importance of a much more systematic approach to the collection and upkeep of robust condition data (and the way that this

should inform future funding allocations) and maintenance of existing buildings. All school buildings, not just those that have heritage significance, need investment and systematic maintenance to ensure they remain fit for purpose and provide the best possible learning environment. The benefits of an up to date and functional school estate are now well understood – both in terms of student attainment and staff motivation. SUSTAINABILITY Other than the importance of the upkeep of existing buildings or their architectural or historic significance, there are other factors at play that reinforce the arguments behind reusing existing school buildings. The increasing awareness of sustainability

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issues and the embodied energy within existing buildings (and the drawbacks involved in demolition and replacement) together with the ongoing surge in the birth rate in England also mean that the days of discarding school buildings and replacing them have probably come to an end. Indeed, it’s worth noting that a significant proportion of the proposed free schools that have moved to the business stage case are planning to use listed buildings originally constructed as schools as part of their estate. Where school buildings are listed, either nationally or on a local list, their significance will play a factor in how they are reused. Listing does not mean that buildings cannot be altered or remodelled, but simply that proposals for change and redevelopment need to be justified in proportion to the significance of the building in question. There have been many successful examples of historic buildings being refurbished and remodelled in recent years to ensure that they remain fit for educational purposes for many years to come. Some of these have been radical interventions to the fabric of historic buildings, while others have simply been sympathetic refurbishments that have refreshed the external appearance. LESSONS LEARNT So what do recent projects involving historic buildings have to offer in the way E

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

In an ever more demanding world, Variable Message Signs Limited combines innovation, experience and technology in strategic, rail and urban driver information systems. Our road traffic product range covers applications in the strategic , urban, and traffic management equipment sectors. We offer a full range of services to suit individual client requirements’ from design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of LED driver information systems. These include fully UTMC compliant car park guidance systems, vehicle activated speed and warning signs and full matrix dual colour advance warning and information signs. Our range of car park guidance and information signs advise drivers where the car parks are within a town or city centre, local hospital or school site, within a shopping centre or multi storey car park. The signs will advise on the number of spaces left within each car park or area, providing information and choice for drivers entering the town or site, and via our TRAMS car park management software package, the operator has control over all the listed car parks, the number of displayed / available spaces as well as providing various management reports and helps reduce emissions by keeping traffic moving and avoiding queuing. By adding a two line of fifteen character display within the car park guidance sign, clients can enhance their system and have the capability of adding ‘free text’ information to visitors entering the site. Our Safewatch range of vehicle activated speed and warning signs help provide road & pedestrian safety, by advising and reinforcing the speed limits and other hazards, such as pedestrian crossings, side roads, tight bends etc and other hazards such as, car park entrances and exits, The unique environment of roads adjacent to and within schools, universities and hospitals specifically, our Safewatch range can be programmed to suit varying local and site conditions, by advising permitted speed or alternatively they can display a pictogram i.e.: children crossing etc. Our Safewatch range of signs can also be fitted with four corner

conspicuity lanterns for added presence. The Safewatch range is always evolving to suit client’s demands. Our latest evolution of ultra slim signs are lightweight and will fit unobtrusively into the most sensitive of areas. The light sensor adjusts to ambient light levels, reducing LED output at night to maintain contrast. This stops the sign dazzling oncoming vehicles. Dimming the sign also cuts unwanted light pollution. With many of our Safety and Warning signs we can supply them with alternatives to conventional mains power where the level of usage is comparatively low or due to location the cost of installing mains power is prohibitive. Typically these alternatives are Wind and/or Solar power either singly or in combination. Applying Technology in Transportation has always been at the forefront of everything Variable Message Signs Limited manufacture, from standard to bespoke LED signage products. Pegasus our new range of urban dual colour full matrix signs are the latest product to be designed and built with this philosophy. The sign’s attractive and slim design is especially suited to today’s urban streetscape, where it will deliver driver and pedestrian information. The sign is offered in three sizes, with high resolution matrix areas suitable for the display of four lines of text with character heights of 160mm, 100mm, and 50mm. All variants are capable of displaying combined text and pictogram information and employ a dual-coloured, amber and red, matrix. A special feature of the new sign system is the ability to mount it in a landscape or portrait format, with five mounting options for landscape fixing and three for portrait fixing, making it a very flexible range of signs for use around schools, universities and hospitals as well as in town and city centres etc. Variable Message Signs Limited is an ISO9001 2000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Quality Company and are members of the British Parking Association (BPA). For a no-obligation quotation, site survey or a general discussion regarding your requirements, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Glynn J Hutton, Sales Manager on 07717 783134 / 0191 423 7070, ghutton@vmslimited.co.uk or visit our website www.vmslimited.co.uk for our range of products and services.

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HISTORIC BUILDINGS E of insights and strategies for successful refurbishment projects? There are three main areas where issues arise. Get expert advice at the right stage. It is obviously important that decisions on the future of historic school buildings are not taken in isolation from appropriate advice and guidance on heritage issues. Local authority staff dealing with capital investment should seek the appropriate advice at the earliest possible stage – levels of risk rise where redevelopment proposals have been drawn up without this kind of advice, and it can result in delays and cost overruns. Windows should also be considered. Many historic school buildings retain their original windows. Given budget constraints, there can be a tendency to replace original sash window to with the intention of achieving lower maintenance costs over the long term. However, this kind of intervention clearly has an effect on the significance of the building. Alternatives to replacement are often possible – recent research undertaken

reoccur 30 or 40 years from now, where buildings and extensions from the early 21st century are regarded as obstacles to modern education and end up being demolished and replaced yet again. Refurbishment, remodelling and extension projects on historic schools need to take proper account of their context and ensure that new development is sympathetic to what already exists in design, size and materials. SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES Achieving successful outcomes in redeveloping historic school buildings depend in large part on two key principles – Planning Policy 5 (PPS 5): Planning for the Historic Environment and the Constructive Conservation philosophy. PPS 5 sets out guiding principles for the management of heritage assets within the planning system and essentially means that proposals for change should be proportionate to their degree of significance. It also makes clear that assessments and understanding of the significance are crucial

Investment in historic buildings is clearly a positive move on many levels – it allows updating and modernisation of the schools, as well as enabling the replacement of these types of buildings with accommodation more in keeping with its surroundings and context, and which will hopefully prove to be of better longevity. on behalf of English Heritage has demonstrated straightforward and practical ways of significantly improving the energy performance of traditional sash windows. Secondary glazing, draught proofing or the fitting of blinds can all dramatically improve the level of heat loss, in some cases by over 60 per cent. Where listed buildings form the ‘core’ of a school, there has been a recurring theme in refurbishment projects over recent years where poor quality and out of context later additions and extensions have been removed as part of the redevelopment. Investment in historic buildings is clearly a positive move on many levels – it allows updating and modernisation of the schools, as well as enabling the replacement of these types of buildings with accommodation more in keeping with its surroundings and context, and which will hopefully prove to be of better longevity. It also serves as a reminder that when it comes to updating and modernising such schools, we need to take a long term view – we shouldn’t simply be creating the conditions for the same problems to

ahead of development of proposals – thereby removing unexpected surprises and risk from later in the process. As part of this assessment, it is important to understand what or where the significance is – for example explaining where it appears, such as in the building fabric or plan form. Constructive conservation is the philosophy behind the English Heritage approach to the modernisation and updating of sensitive and important historic buildings. It means taking what is special or distinctive about a particular building and actively managing the change or redevelopment to reinforce this particular character. It is important to stress that English Heritage understands the need for school buildings to adapt and evolve to reflect the changing needs of staff and students and to be able to accommodate new methods of teaching and different ways of using space. Constructive conservation seeks to use what is special and significant about particular buildings in the pursuit of these aims – what this can mean is that radical interventions to the building fabric are entirely possible where proposals demonstrate understanding

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of significance and justification exists. Projects such as those at King Edward VII School in Sheffield have demonstrated the advantages that flow from this approach. WALTHAMSTOW SCHOOL FOR GIRLS The refurbished and partially remodelled Walthamstow School for Girls in the London Borough of Waltham Forest (built in 1912 and listed at Grade II) recently won the BCSE award for best large scale refurbishment. The project used the distinctive character and the landscape of the school site to guide the redevelopment – the classrooms within the main school building were refurbished to take advantage of their high levels of natural light and are now used by the languages and English departments, while specialist teaching in subjects such as science and technology subjects are accommodated in a new extension. This takes advantage of a fall away in the ground level and inspiration from the existing layout of the grounds – so the extension contains a large amount of new space by having a lower ground floor and at the same time reducing the scale of the new against the old. There is also a new drama space creating a very striking junction with the original listed assembly hall. The redevelopment has successfully created a modern and well equipped school while retaining and enhancing its historic character. EVELINE LOWE PRIMARY SCHOOL Eveline Lowe School in the London Borough of Southwark was completed in 1967 and listed Grade II in 2006. Its design and layout was groundbreaking at the time of its opening, and proved hugely influential both across the rest of the country and elsewhere in Europe. By 2007 changing education patterns together with pressure for school places locally led Southwark Council to consider the redevelopment of the site. The project refurbished the existing listed building, which is now used as resource, specialist and communal space and which acts as the hub of the school. A series of new (and deliberately modern) buildings have been constructed around the edge of the site to form an integrated enclosure to complement the central listed building. Given the importance of ensuring that every school offers its pupils the best possible learning environment, Constructive Conservation is particularly appropriate for school buildings. It means being positive about adaptation of the historic fabric where it is sensible to do so, in turn meaning that the building can continue to accommodate new equipment and uses. Such an approach ensures that the inspirational surroundings offered by historic buildings are not denied to future generations of students, while also reusing finite resources in the interests of sustainability. L

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With our ofﬁce accommodation for example, productivity depends on good space planning and a well designed ofﬁce signals the values and objectives of a company. Within the education sector, buildings can be designed to exacting building regulations and guidelines to ensure that the space is comfortable and conducive to learning. We can also design in room for expansion with additional building modules easily added when required to create more space with minimum disruption.

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INTERIOR DESIGN

FURNITURE - A CRUCIAL COMPONENT Selecting the right furniture for educational establishments involves much more than a simplistic one size fits all approach, argues Jonathan Hindle, group managing director at KI, a member of the British Contract Furnishing Association (BCFA) Furniture is a crucial component in the creation of a quality learning environment. In recent years we have seen evidence of furniture solutions maximising flexibility for teachers and students. It is clear that investment in quality furniture is at the heart of a successful modern educational environment. Seating should be comfortable and durable, while work surfaces need to accommodate specific tasks such as notetaking, using laptop computers and conducting experiments. Beyond these obvious aspects a highly functional and efficient environment portrays the message that excellence is what is expected of everyone. There are various factors and challenges that one is faced with when producing furniture for schools. Budget challenges, varying class sizes, teacher shortages, student performance assessments and technology-driven instruction methods represent some of the many issues facing educational facility managers. The right type of furniture, however, can have a positive impact on each of these issues. KEEPING FUNCTION IN MIND When designing a classroom with more functional flexibility, a teacher can easily vary instructional methods to accommodate different learning styles and course topics simply by utilising reconfigurable

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furniture. Teachers can arrange seating into rows for test taking, circles for group discussions, semicircles for lectures and presentations or several smaller groupings for collaborative team projects. By breaking this down into parts and approaching this subject from different angles one can begin to understand the importance of educational furniture and the impact that it has. It is essential to acknowledge that the gap between teachers and architects/designers needs to be bridged, as often these two parties fail to communicate well enough. Furniture fundamentally supports an activity and one tends to think that school furniture is a one size fits all solution. However, this is not the case. When you try and make one setting or space do everything, compromises will be made. Instead, schools need to look at specialist settings which help support particular activities. Consider these four factors as a basis for furniture solutions: design around activity; comfort leads to concentration; technology extends activity; zone around behaviour and atmosphere. Furniture can be critical in the support of different types of atmosphere. For example, softer settings are more suitable for relaxation and calming. Comfort is also vital for concentration. This does not necessarily imply that one would need soft seating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; instead it is about properly supporting the body. SPECIALISED SETTINGS KI finds that schools also are starting to move beyond the table and chair. The alternative approach is to create a diverse range of more specialised settings that support a range of activities. However, it is not necessary or affordable to create a distinct setting for every activity you want to support. Instead designers often need to create multimodal settings that support two or three activities at a time. KI recently carried out a project for Chelsea Academy, which had approached the issue of furniture selection through the use of debating. The furniture for the new building similarly needed to be appropriate for the aspirational setting, but robust and fit for purpose. The academy employed both the help of the students and teachers in the selection of the classroom furniture. Groups of students and teachers were asked to evaluate a selection of classroom furniture such as chairs, desks and stools from different companies and manufacturers from which a selection from KI was chosen. It is a useful tool to discuss and understand what an ideal E continued on page 55

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FURNITURE FIT FOR THE RIGOURS OF SCHOOL LIFE

Schools and colleges up and down the country have brightened up their learning environment with furniture from Mount Industries Based at Eastleigh in Hampshire, Mount Industries designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of standard and specialist educational and office furniture. With more than 30 years’ experience, the company has built up a loyal customer base with teachers who’ve found the perfect solution to getting their classroom equipment organised and accessible. Its furniture has smooth edges, rounded corners and long lasting trims – robust enough to withstand the rigours of classroom life. Best of all, children learn in a bright, practical, modern and inspirational environment. What’s more, staff rooms or school offices in need of a makeover can benefit from a stylish, robust and ergonomic solution from Mount Industries. ENHANCING THE PUBLIC SECTOR Customers include local education authorities, schools and colleges, and public sector organisations. A spokesperson from Grateley School in Hampshire said: “We’ve spent thousands of pounds with Mount over the years and couldn’t be happier with the results. Some of our office furniture is still going strong after 10 years. Mount has been back to give it a few tweaks and given it even more life.” The company’s school range includes colourful tray units, height adjustable desks and art equipment storage. The desks, tables and pedestals are available in five colour finishes. The company also supply office furniture from basic storage units to smart reception desks, computer workstations and cupboards. One of the company’s most popular products is a circular tray unit which children can access easily from all sides, providing a fun and practical solution. Reputation and competitive pricing won Mount Industries a contract with Forest Edge Special School near Southampton. They worked with Hampshire County

Council, manufacturing and installing units as each new building became ready. Mount Industries has the expertise to see new building projects or refurbishments through from start to finish. COLLABORATIVE BUYING SCHEME With ever tightening budgets, Mount Industries understands that pricing must be competitive without compromising on quality. The company has therefore launched a school-friendly Collaborative Buying Scheme where orders are tracked, and savings from larger-scale production can be passed on. This gives schools combined purchasing power, maximising value. To take advantage of the scheme, the company is encouraging schools to sign up for free to their online wish list at www.mountindustries.co.uk. But for the many customers who can’t wait, pricing is always keen. A SOCIALLY AWARE COMPANY The company’s ethos goes deeper than just designing quality furniture to meet today’s busy working environments; it is also a social enterprise within the charity Enham Trust, offering work opportunities to disabled people. Enham Trust has helped tens of thousands of disabled people achieve their ambitions and life aims since it was founded in 1919. Today the charity is a vibrant, growing and diverse organisation, delivering a wide range of services across eight counties in the south of England. Based in the north Hampshire village of Enham Alamein, the charity aims to empower disabled people to make decisions about their lives – including employment opportunities and vocational training and learning programmes, as well as personal development services, housing, care and supported living options. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.mountindustries.co.uk

“We’ve spent thousands of pounds with Mount over the years and couldn’t be happier with the results. Some of our office furniture is still going strong after 10 years” – Spokesperson from Grateley School in Hampshire.

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Specialist flooring contractors to Local Authorities, schools, hospital and commercial companies. Supply and installation of heavy duty vinyl flooring, carpeting and entrance mat systems fitted by qualified personnel. Owned by third generation management.

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INTERIOR DESIGN

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It is essential to acknowledge that the gap between teachers and architects/designers needs to be bridged, as often these two parties fail to communicate well enough.

continued from page 51 E learning experience could look like – and mapping out scenarios for a variety of learning journeys, episodes or sessions that would be involved in that learning experience. Of interest is how the size of a learner group, and the duration, frequency, atmosphere and quantity of its lessons influence how a space is designed – and how best to utilise and maximise that space using the correct furniture. It is important to enter this phase with a clear understanding of what you are looking for – not the item itself, but the criteria by which you will judge whether this is the right item. The Chelsea Academy’s own study created many surprises and changes from initial impressions and preconceptions. FURNITURE STRATEGY Another solution for schools would be to create a furniture strategy. Pilot schemes are great ways of testing new spaces and ideas. They enable the education establishment to see if the settings, space and furniture work and create the correct atmosphere. The next stage of the strategy would be the rollout phase and the opportunity to gain feedback from staff. The selection criteria is an important phase and should be entered into with a clear understanding of what one is looking for, in order to judge whether one has selected the right item. Cost can be intrinsically linked to durability. Functionality is about supporting activities, however, it is also about some of the behaviours the educationalists want to take place. Safety and durability are essential and furniture must be tested to be hardwearing and functional. The aesthetics of furniture such as colour, shapes, sizes and fabrics all change the feel of a space. They can make it feel muted, vibrant, calm, hard, soft, formal or informal. Ergonomics also plays a part, with poorly-designed furniture being just one of the factors associated with back problems experienced by young people. With schools increasingly having more control and authority over their own budgets the ability to ringfence funds is increasing. The protection of furniture funding for the roll out of future phases will be an important part of delivering any change management plan. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.thebcfa.com

About BCFA The British Contract Furnishing Association (BCFA) was established in July 1970 at the Décor International exhibition in London.Collaborative marketing among members in the UK was quickly followed by representation at overseas exhibitions with the BCFA appointed by the government to provide guidance and access to funding. In time networking events grew to become an important part of the association’s activities with the annual luncheon, now held at the Dorchester, the favourite place for the industry to entertain clients. The services of the BCFA expanded to meet a variety of needs with members looking to the association for representation on government and regulatory bodies to help set the standards for the industry. The core objective which remains today, is to enhance the commercial success of the membership. BCFA members supply contract quality products that meet appropriate durability and fire requirements for the educational market. Regarded at home and abroad as the commercial focal point and authority in a multi-million pound marketplace, the BCFA has a key role to encourage and maintain levels of excellence in design, innovation, product quality and in particular customer service. Membership is a distinction that is not automatically awarded. Achieving accreditation and becoming a member shows commitment to serving the industry at the highest level. It allows access to the BCFA brand and network of services.

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Setting up a Temple in School - Story Telling - Dress Ups and Role Play - Dance - Drama - Meditation - Yoga - Music - Competitions - Discussion - Holy Days - Festivals - Question Time “Our skilled presenters undertake motivational and stimulating workshops consisting of all of the above themes and much more. All our workshops are tailored for children from primary to secondary and we also cover special needs schools. Many Heads, Principal Teachers and RE Coordinators have invited us into their schools to educate in this most unique of ways.”

The Original Sensory Swing stimulates children’s all-round sensory and physical development. ‘This is a fantastic swing, one of the only items used by every child in the school and a fantastic resource for our children with Special Educational Needs. At the price it is our best value for money resource.’ Sarah Hawes, Isleworth Town School.

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 17.3

For a presentation tailored to fit your requirements, please contact us or visit our website for further information and to download our brochure. 01555 728379 / 07810854896 hinduworkshops@gmail.com www.personalhinduism.com

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EDUCATION SHOW REVIEW

EDUCATION SHOW REFLECTS BUSY TIMES AHEAD This year’s education show at the NEC was busier than ever, and featured a packed seminar programme divided into four sections - Early Years, Primary, Secondary and SEN. The event, now in its 21st year, focused heavily of training. The Education Show 2012 offered more free CPD training than ever before with over 120 seminars and workshops from five different conferences. The sessions were well received, with attendees leaving inspired and with plenty of ideas to take back to the classroom. Over 11,000 education professionals from Early Years through to Secondary and FE, attend the show, all looking for the resources and ideas they need to help pupils develop and to raise standards within their schools. The event celebrated its 21st anniversary in March this year, and continued to deliver a vast array of resources, seminars and workshops, product training and demonstrations. For 2012, the event was co-located with the award-winning science and engineering event, The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair. The association between the two events aims helped to give teachers the tools,

knowledge and inspiration to encourage the next generation of young innovators. The seminar programme was divided into Early Years, Primary, Secondary and SEN streams. nasen, the UK’s leading professional association embracing all special educational needs, hostED free SENCO training sessions in partnership with the Schools Network and leading SENCOs. The training, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), ran show’s CPD accredited SEN seminar programme for all practitioners, Learn Live SEN.

The 2011 Green Paper, changes to the Ofsted framework and the recent Ofsted report into the wellbeing of vulnerable children all highlight the importance of training for improving outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Miriam Rosen, chief schools inspector for Ofsted warned that “satisfactory teaching does not deliver good enough progress for pupils in the most challenging circumstances” and the nasen training aims to address this. Developed for secondary school SENCOs, the training is part of a nationwide programme to support schools across the country in meeting the needs of all learners. The three, one-day sessions at the Education Show provided a quality SEND training package for SENCOs in order to equip them with the tools to disseminate training to their school workforce as whole school professional development. Lorraine Petersen (OBE), CEO of nasen, believes that training has a fundamental role to play in meeting the needs of vulnerable young people: “Robust training is needed for all teaching staff in order to ensure that vulnerable young people are given the best possible start in life. The UK has some of the most passionate and committed SEN practitioners and nasen works hard to support them, developing E

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Schools across England can now register for a new three-tier autism training programme, from the Autism Education Trust (AET). The programme is open to primary and secondary schools.

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EDUCATION SHOW REVIEW E guidance and a framework to ensure that this expertise can be shared collaboratively with schools across the country.” THREE TIER AUTISM TRAINING Schools across England can now register for a new three-tier autism training programme, from the Autism Education Trust (AET). The programme, which was launched at the Education Show, is open to primary and secondary schools. Schools can sign up now for the Level 1 training, which is free of charge. The training is funded by the Department for Education. It aims to raise the level of autism knowledge and improve practice among all education professionals and school staff working with pupils aged 5-16 years. The programme is to be rolled out via seven organisations across the country appointed as training hubs. Autism affects around 1 per cent of the population, so all professionals working in education settings should have some knowledge of autism and how to support pupils on the autism spectrum. Level 1 is basic autism awareness training and is aimed at teaching and non-teaching staff who need an understanding of autism in their role, including lunchtime assistants, caretakers, office staff and school governors. The face-to-face truing sessions have been piloted and will be available in full and free of charge, with a certificate for attendance, from April 1, 2012. Level 2 is aimed at staff working directly with children with autism, while level 3 is for staff who need more in-depth knowledge of autism or those in a leadership role. Both levels will be available from September. The programme forms an essential part of Continuing Professional Development. The training uses a range of teaching tools including video, case studies, problem-solving scenarios, presentations and practical resources and activities. Through this programme, the AET is developing and delivering the first ever

learning professionals, providing peace of national standard competency framework, mind to the UK’s teachers that the judging qualification and training in autism education. process is robust. The chosen winners reflect It comes as part of the government’s the needs of the education sector right now, ‘Improving outcomes for children, young detailing innovative and cost- effective people and families - a national resources, exemplary companies and prospectus initiative’ through proven approaches. They should which the AET has been g be seen as representing the awarded £1.2 over in in a tr st u Rob very best in education.” two years from the ll Barker continued: “As the Department for is needed for a to sector’s trade association, Education’s Voluntary ff a st teaching we are always working to and Community le b ra lne encourage the creation of Sector grant. ensure that vu are high quality, appropriate Steve Huggett, le p o e p g youn products and resources director of the AET, to support today’s sector says: “Currently given the best requirements. In the current there are no rt a st possible economic climate schools nationally-recognised in life are looking for high quality and standards for teachers best value products; we certainly in autism education, yet feel the winners meet these criteria.” all teachers, including NQTs The Education Resources Awards are and teaching assistants can expect to sponsored by Berol, Findel Education, Hope teach a child or young person on the Education and supported by the National autism spectrum. Autism affects each child Association of Head Teachers, The Schools individual differently so it is essential that Network, nasen and UK Trade & Investment. L all teachers - from those newly-qualified, to experienced head teachers - receive training in appropriate teaching strategies and techniques”. For more information visit www. Education Show 2013 autismeducationtrust.org.uk/traininghubs

“

”

EDUCATION RESOURCES AWARDS The winners of the 14th annual prestigious Education Resources Awards (ERAs) were announced at a gala event held at The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, on the second evening of The Education Show. The Awards are organised by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) and Brilliant Marketing Solutions Ltd, and celebrate the innovative approach to learning and teaching by teachers, institutions and organisations from all levels of education. Ray Barker, director of BESA comments: “The ERAs are judged by an independent panel of education experts, all teaching and

SEN Assist’s The Fairy Tales software scoops 2012 ERA Award The highly esteemed ERA judges praised SEN Assist’s ‘The Fairy Tales’ software for being “an inclusive, interactive product that allows a wide range of students to improve their knowledge of high-frequency words.” With logical lay-out, clear instructions and motivating images, the product will help to engage the learner. Additional printable activities also help to ensure that the teacher can offer further support.” The software was created by specialist teachers and is based on practical classroom experience. Phil Leach, assistant head teacher at Freemantle’s school for young people with autism, said: “The effectiveness

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of SEN Assist as an educational tool for children with ASD or learning difficulties is that it can motivate and draw out interest in children who have withdrawn into

Supported by The British Educational Suppliers Association, the 2013 event takes place at the Birmingham NEC between 14-16th March. Seminar presentations from the 2012 event can be seen on the event website, where you can register your interest in attending the 2013 event. Visit www.education-show.com. If there are any topics or motivational speakers you would like to hear in the Learn Live seminars, email gillian.jemetta@i2ieventsgroup.com

their own interests and obsessions. One of our prime aims is to teach the young people in our care to be independent and lead as full a life as is possible. The young people at our school using SEN Assist have been exposed to tasks that motivate them to work independently and give them multiple choices to keep them interested.” The Fairy Tales won ‘Best Special Education Resource with ICT’. Try the software and resources free from the SEN Assist website and see how it cleverly caters for all levels of ability. FOR MORE INFORMATION 01276 502422 adele@senassist.com www.senassist.com

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0800 035 0799 EMAIL: education@misco.co.uk VISIT: misco.co.uk/educationdeals FREEFONE:

ICT SOLUTIONS FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

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RICOH GELJET SG3110DN COLOUR PRINTER • Up to 29ppm A4 colour and mono print speed • Print colour at virtually the same cost as mono prints with ECOnomy colour mode • 128MB memory • Network connectivity and PCL drivers as standard • Fast drying, waterproof and sun resistant prints.

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LINDY USB2.0 4-PORT SHARING HUB

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• Laser light source for 20000hr optimal life, no replacement lamps • Advance SmartEco for upto 70% energy saving out of the box • 2000 ANSI lumens and 80000:1 contrast ratio for bright and ultra sharp graphics and text • 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution • Short throw ideal for smaller classrooms • Vast connectivity including HDMI, LAN, and optional iPad Wi-Fi.

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Prices and offers are correct at time of publication but are subject to change without notice and whilst current stocks last. Please visit Misco.co.uk website or call to get the most up to date price. All prices exclude VAT & delivery. E&OE. Full details of our Terms and Conditions are available on request and can be viewed on our website www.misco.co.uk/terms. Misco is a registered trademark of Systemax Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Copyright©2012 Misco. All rights reserved. 23844 - 0512

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GREEN ICT

or have introduced a code system so that the printing will only be undertaken when the relevant person keys in their code to the printer, but these involve costs to establish. TELECONFERENCING AND TRANSPORT Many face-to-face meetings could be conducted more economically if the participants did not have to travel for the meeting, by using Skype or setting up dedicated dial-in facilities, where the cost is charged to the organisation for the duration of the call and not to those that dial-in.

Written by Margaret Ross MBE

With all the current pressures to reduce cost, taking the Green IT approach can show immediate savings - not only by automatically switching off lights and equipment, but by removing screen savers which utilise the same power as an active monitor, and setting the default printing to double-sided. In addition, by moving the printers away from the desk this encourages fitness and discourages potential RSI problems in later life. Some organisations have moved printing to centralised points, which are suitable for non-secure and non-confidential outputs,

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GOING GREEN: ISSUES FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

This is very efficient, particularly for a small number of meeting attendees. During the celebrations of the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics, many that have no teaching commitments might appreciate arrangements being made to work from home, allowing a degree of flexibility to watch television to see key activities. This allows all work to be completed, while having the added advantage of reducing the pressure on transport for commuting, and particularly in major city areas. An example of this is the guidance that 50per cent of Government employees should not travel into London during the Olympic Games to ease possible transport problems. The concept of home working or teleworking, even on a casual basis, could be investigated, which might, depending on the individual’s personal situation, result in reduction of carbon footprint, and lighting and heating costs particularly in winter. Consider arranging the start times of meetings to encourage car sharing or allowing alternative travel arrangements, such as off-peak travel. This could prove valuable as part of a Business Continuity Plan, allowing teachers to utilise the Internet for planning meetings, while the students enjoyed the unexpected holidays. Considering travel on a more individual basis, there is a trend to downsize cars not only to improve greenness, but to reduce the fuel and insurance costs as well as making parking easier. A simple action that we can all undertake is to measure the mileage between two petrol fillings, using the same garage and ideally the same pump to the cutoff point, then to compare the mileage with that indicated by the manufacturer’s figures. If yours is as good or better then definitely congratulate yourselves. But if not, possibly think about issues such as are you carrying heavy unnecessary items in the boot of your car that can affect a car’s performance. Consider how you are driving, particularly when accelerating. A simple exercise is the “drawing pin in the shoe” syndrome! When accelerating consider a virtual drawing pin sticking up through the sole of your shoe which rests on the accelerator pedal. If this was happening you would want to treat the pedal with great care, but naturally do not consider this in an emergency situation. You can easily keep a record of your improved mileage, whether in your own car or that belonging to your organisation. For those who are old enough to remember, when the UK shortage of petrol occurred, there was a 50 mph maximum speed limit on all roads. This could be another reason to reconsider high speeds.

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STORAGE AND SAVINGS The storage of data, both by organisations and in the home, is increasing by approximately 50 per cent year on year. This could be reduced by allocating a half day every three months or alternatively the last day before Christmas break could be considered an E

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GREEN ICT

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E ideal opportunity to remove unwanted draft copies of reports. This could also reduce power usage, carbon footprint and cost of storage. Cloud computing has been identified as a possible major saving in money and as being advantageous for the environment, but this has to be a matter of personal choice as there are still strong arguments for and against. With Cloud computing, the data can be sent, to an independent Data Centre to be held with data from many other organisations at a purpose built location with specialist staff. This could provide financial savings, due to the scale of the specialist Data Centres, and provide the same or better facilities and possibly improved security, due to the specialist staff. Against this, it could be argued that there is a reduced level of security due to transporting the data, possibly to the opposite sides of the world, the dependence on communication, power and the Internet, and no longer having direct control over your own data. Issues such as the location of back-up facilities, have to be considered. The small print of contracts should be carefully examined. Many individuals keep their current files and personal photographs remotely using the Cloud computing approach. These can be used as a back-up or as their main source of holding the information. The cost is now low so this is potentially a sensible choice for many individuals. Another major issue concerning Cloud computing with the global exchange of data, is the current lack of governance and globally agreed legislation relating to personal data as well as other computing issues such as Intellectual Property Rights and green issues. These uncertainties make the decision on the use of the Cloud and, both for organisations and for those individuals that use the Cloud for their personal use, a difficult decision.

There have been restrictions for several years, in gaining permission for new data centres to be situated, due to the need for adequate power for these large centres which could have the same power usage as an airport. FADS AND FASHIONS There is increasing pressure on resources as well as the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The hosepipe ban issued to London and many parts of the South of England in April 2012, brings home the need for conservation. There have been restrictions for several years, in gaining permission for new data centres to be situated, due to the need for adequate power for these large centres which could have the same power usage as an airport. In the USA, the location of large data centres has been affected by the access to adequate power suppliers. The shortage of certain minerals needed for new technology is also an issue, with the increased demand for the latest ICT products, driven in part by the latest software. These trends for new or replaced mobilephones and laptops has promoted a potential non-green culture. There needs to be a new status symbol of vintage technology which has already been achieved for vintage clothes, jewelry, furniture. Some organisations have developed a link with local charities, so staff can bring in items to work, for collection by the charity, saving many separate journeys to the local charity shops. There is now a trend for new fashion clothes to be produced from recycled items so that recycling is now becoming high-fashion. This also is beginning to apply to green weddings

and other “Big Dos”, where the invitations arrive by e-mail, with much more information, such as maps and pictures, than are possible on a conventional invitation card. There is also a trend for the digital pictures for such events to be put up immediately afterwards, on a special web site and the link and password sent to all the attendees, to download as they wish. It is so much greener, faster and more interesting to be able to look at all the photographs, not just the few that are possibly sent to you several weeks later. The growth of personalised e-cards, some produced by well-known charities, with short “shelf lives” compared with others of a more permanent nature, can save paper. Some organisations, like Southampton Solent University, have developed links with local producers, arranging mini “farmers’ markets” across an extended lunch time period for staff and students, promoting fresh, healthy, local food and also reducing car journeys. Some organisations have set up computer systems (separate from the organisation’s network) that can be used by the staff in their own time, for home-shopping etc and have made arrangements with local supermarkets to deliver the orders from the staff on certain days reducing unnecessary deliveries. Similar arrangements have been set up to deliver pre-ordered regular “vegetable boxes” of local suppliers’ fruit and vegetables, ordered via the Internet, E

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Version 11 Highlights • NEW - Question and Answer module for continual assessment in the classroom. • NEW - Tutor Assistant app for iPad, iPhone, iPod and Android tablets.

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Delivering visual and audible monitoring of PCs, the ability to instantly assess student understanding, encourage group collaboration and help maintain student focus when presenting vital lesson content, NetSupport School is used by educators worldwide to maximise the effectiveness of computer-led teaching. Designed for wired or wireless networks, crystal clear thumbnails of each desktop in the room allow teachers to monitor and control computer activity from their own machine. With a single click, you can interact and engage with any student that needs help - and to focus attention, you can deliver presentations in realtime direct to each student screen. With a dedicated Technician’s Console, language lab tools, digital revision aids and a custom test designer also included as standard, there’s so much to explore in NetSupport School. Download a free classroom trial at www.netsupportschool.com.

w: www.netsupportschool.com | e: education@netsupportsoftware.co.uk | t: +44 (0)1778 382270

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E-LEARNING

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Schools face a tough challenge to provide pupils with increased access to ICT and learning materials, says Valerie Thompson, chief executive of the E-Learning Foundation

Written by Valerie Thompson, E-Learning Foundation

Cuts in school capital budgets have been savage but in truth the education sector has experienced much smaller reductions in revenue budgets compared to other parts of the public sector. And there remain a few pots of reserves that have been saved for a rainy day. Nevertheless, schools face a big challenge in finding ways to maintain and improve on the technology they need to run the school, and provide access to pupils. The latter is important for a number of reasons. The first being that the days that technology resources were largely confined to an ICT suite and, in the case of secondary schools, the ICT curriculum, are consigned to history. Technology is expected to be used right across the curriculum so new approaches to providing pupils with access are vital and, in some schools, long overdue.

compared to their better off classmates. This attainment gap is a political hot potato, the difference in performance at KS2 and GCSEs results between children on free school meals and the others. This year, schools have seen their attainment gap figures published for the first time alongside the school league tables on academic achievement. Schools are under pressure to improve ICT provision at a time when money has never been tighter. Yet many schools continue to reject leasing as a practical way to spread the costs of expensive equipment over its working life. And even fewer have taken up the opportunity to shed even more overheads and opt for a cloud solution through devices like the Google Chromebook. One answer to reducing expenditure is to encourage pupils to bring their own devices into school. While this is financially

attractive, schools do need to think through the consequences of this, particularly for pupils who are not able to bring in anything suitable. And the current network may struggle to handle different types of smartphones, tablets and laptops, so a major network upgrade may also need to be costed in.

HARMING PROSPECTS The second reason is that poor access to technology particularly harms the prospects of children from low income families. Where access at school is confined to a few hours a week in a computer room, and home access is more about a games console than a laptop connected to the Internet, then it is hardly surprising that children from the lowest income families spectacularly under-perform

Taking advantage of lower cost solutions now available gives schools the opportunity to reinvest the savings made in personal provision which makes technology available to pupils anytime, anywhere and anyplace.

COST SHARING The other answer is to share the costs with parents via a voluntary donation and allow pupils to take the school devices home in the evenings, weekends and holidays. The critical element of this approach is that no child is excluded because of their parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inability to make the donation. This can prove very attractive for schools concerned not to stigmatise children from low income families Where schools serve disadvantaged communities then the major opportunity E

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

I’d like to take a look at LapCabby… …and I’d love to win an iPad!

If you’d like a new way to store, charge and move laptops, netbooks and tablets in the classroom, then you’re going to love what LapCabby has to say. And simply by visiting our website to find out more about the LapCabby range you’ll go into a prize draw for the chance to win an iPad! While you’re there you’ll discover what makes LapCabby such a great choice – from the innovative, energy-saving charging programmes to the many safety features designed to protect children, equipment and the classroom.

Discover why there’s so much to love about LapCabby Visit www.LapCabby.com/edbus to enter the prize draw and see why LapCabby is the ICT storage solution you’ve been searching for. You can also call us to find out more on 0115 982 1771.

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GREEN ICT E and delivered to the organisation, again promoting a better lifestyle and the health of the staff.

“

”

IT Foundation qualification, consisting of multi-choice questions, aimed at end-user departments, local Green IT experts, teachers, and those that use computers at work or at home. BCS has also produced an ISEB Diploma for Data Centres which is based on multi-choice questions on understanding how to implement and gain benefits from the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres. The BCS GreenIT Specialist Group and has being set up to encourage good, economic practices for businesses, end-users and home users. It produces e-leaflets and regularly organises events, mainly free, at various parts of the UK. Details are available from the BCS website at www.bcs.org. L

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and computer technology. Currently, the total power consumed in the UK for computer technology is 10per cent of the country’s energy usage, which is equivalent to the TODAY AND TOMORROW output of four nuclear power stations. Organisations and governments are having In schools and colleges, students can be to consider ways to counteract worth encouraged to consider the usage and savings these trends and future shortages, within different subjects. One way by either encouragement is to illustrate the amount of to change practices cartridges and paper used in f or by legislation. a month, and the resources The growth o s, needed to produce these. rd a The carbon footprint -c e d se li a person associated with ICT As part of art or design lf is between 10 and classes, students could be with short she h it w 15 per cent of that encouraged to represent d re a lives comp of an organisation. this volume as pictures, re Nearly 50 per cent of possibly using digital others of a mo , the UK population use technology or even statues ture permanent na PCs at work and this is or reactive statues, subject r expected to increase to of course to issues of Health can save pape 70 per cent by 2020. Of all and Safety. These activities could the power used by businesses be combined with mathematics currently in the UK, 15 per cent of classes, to illustrate say the amount this is associated with computer technology of water and trees needed to produce that and is predicted to increase to 30 per cent of quantity of paper. The science and technology the overall usage for businesses by 2020. needed for the manufacture and re-cycling With the increased cost of power, savings of computer technology could be discussed. leading to reduction of power, carbon footprint The carbon footprint and the carbon storage and money should be seriously examined, associated with different plants and trees, both at work and at home. It is expected particularly bamboo, could also be considered. that by 2020, 45 per cent of domestic power BCS is actively encouraging the green usage in the UK will be for home computing approach to computing. BCS has a Green

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Margaret Ross MBE is Emerita Professor of Software Quality at Southampton Solent University. She is vice-chair and secretary of the BCS GreenIT Specialist Group, and also sits on the BCS committees for the Quality SG, e-Learning SG, BCSWomen and is chair of the BCS Hampshire Branch. Margaret was previously an Engineering Council Senator, and currently on the ETB Careers Advisory Panel, Margaret is a Freeman of the City of London and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Engineers. E-mail: margaret ross@solent.ac.uk

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Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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– Hacker protection – eLearning connectivity – Bandwidth to run several applications – Liability issues reduction – Scalable Solutions – Firmware upgrades – Warranty

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E-LEARNING be better set, personalised and monitored; E to fund devices for individual pupils lies pupils can get better feedback on their in the Pupil Premium. Research evidence is work and progress; and parents can be considered strong enough for the Sutton Trust involved and informed about their children’s to include ICT in their Pupil Premium toolkit educational progress and expectations as one of the 11 measures that schools can much more regularly and conveniently. be confident to spend their Pupil Premium Schools who have been hoping they can funds on to help close the attainment use the Pupil Premium to make up gap in their school. In fact, this lost budgets, or avoid taking is exactly the sort of thing tough decisions on savings it is intended for, and t n e m in a that need to be made, will spreading the costs of tt a e Th be held accountable in a device and help with t o h l a c ti li September 2012 when getting online at home gap is a po ference they will be required to if d over 2-3 years with a e th , to ta o p publish a breakdown of lease or subscription, een in results betw e what they spent their Pupil means that only e fr n o Premium money on. a small fraction of n re d il ch Finally, technology moves on each years Premium is d n a ls a e school m but many schools continue to needed. The Premium invest in traditional approaches, is worth £600 for every others often at a premium. The ICT Suite pupil eligible for free school is the obvious candidate, but also is meals this year, and this is the need to manage multiple servers when going up next year, so the scope to cloud technologies can take this all offsite. provide pupils with powerful resources for Taking advantage of lower cost their homework, revision and independent solutions now available gives schools study is there waiting to be acted upon. the opportunity to re-invest the savings And it is worth considering how many of the made in personal provision which makes other elements of the Pupil Premium toolkit technology available to pupils anytime, can be provided far more cost-effectively anywhere and anyplace. Learning does once every pupil has good access. One to not stop at the classroom door, so why one tutoring can be bought much cheaper should access to learning technology?L when it is provided online; homework can

Information Technology

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”

sponsored by

“

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Valerie Thompson is chief executive of the e-Learning Foundation, a national education charity set up in 2001 that is keen to help schools adopt best practice and ensure that no child is excluded from fulfilling their potential through poor access to learning technologies. CONTACT www.e-learningfoundation.com Valerie@e-learningfoundation.com Tel: 01932 796036

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Take part in the RM Budget Challenge and receive your very own personalised savings statement* Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve saved schools money on: Energy Bills

Printing Costs

Broadband Connectivity Costs

Management Information Systems

How much could you save? Email budget@rm.com to receive your personalised statement.

Find out more

www.rmeducation.com/budget

budget@rm.com

08450 700300

*Disclaimer RM Education plc (â&#x20AC;&#x153;RMâ&#x20AC;?) shall take every care to ensure that all savings statements are as accurate as possible based on the information provided. Nevertheless, the information provided is illustrative only and accordingly RM does not give any express or implied representation or warranty as to its accuracy or completeness. All values are based on publicly available information. RM has not used any confidential information in its calculations. RM does not accept any liability for any error or omission. The statements do not constitute professional advice and RM does not guarantee the savings shown on any statement. The customer must undertake their own due diligence to verify any savings shown in the statements.

BUDGET CHALLENGE

THE BUDGET CHALLENGE

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RM Education is issuing a Budget Challenge, a new way of helping schools trim their spending on four key areas: internet connectivity, energy bills, management information systems, and printing This year has seen a further squeeze on school budgets, with school running costs increasing and funding being reduced. It’s a difficult time for schools, leading many to look for new ways of saving money. RM Education is issuing a Budget Challenge, an innovative new way of helping schools trim their spending on four key areas – internet connectivity, energy bills, management information systems (MIS) and printing costs. By switching some of their services to RM Education – which designs cost-effective, money-saving solutions for the education environment – schools are saving thousands of pounds a year. SAVE MONEY ON CONNECTIVITY A typical primary school spends £5,000 per year on broadband (based on a 10Mb synchronous service, with a three-year term including set-up). For a typical secondary school, this figure is £10,000 per year (based on a 30Mb synchronous service, with a three-year term including set-up). RM Education provides Internet connectivity to over 8,000 schools – a volume that puts us in a position to drive down the cost of individual connections and pass on the savings to schools. The company’s pricing, for its multiple connection types and speeds, is fair and transparent, and our connections come with essential filtering and security services as standard. RM Education has already quoted every school in the UK for connectivity against a set of standard values, so the savings you see in the Budget Challenge are both accurate and truly individual. SAVE MONEY ON ENERGY BILLS RM Utileyes is an ingenious monitoring system that saves schools up to 15 per cent on their energy bills. Utileyes monitors your use of electricity, gas, water and fuel oil online in real time. This means you can see where wastage is occurring and take steps to stop it – saving money and reducing your impact on the environment. Once you’ve identified where

waste is occurring, Utileyes provides templates which let you send reports to selected recipients, informing them of how much energy/water/oil/gas is being used, and the cost – in financial and environmental terms. Utileyes lets you spot instantly where reduction efforts are needed. Then you can easily set targets and measure how well you’re achieving them. Utileyes also lets you automate your Carbon Reduction Commitment reporting to your local authority. By helping you set budgets and see actual progress in real

time, it does away with estimated bills. RM Education has used published data on water and energy spend from every school in England, so you can be assured that the savings in the Budget Challenge are realistic. INFORMATION SYSTEM RM IntegrisG2 is a secure, web-delivered school management system that allows staff to access pupil data and information from school or at home. There’s no need for a dedicated server to house your MIS data with RM IntegrisG2, and this provides a significant cost saving. Secure access anytime, anywhere, means teachers can work on the system from home. Parents, meanwhile, can

access their child’s records to view attendance data, school reports or end of term results. IntegrisG2 includes a powerful reporting tool. Data can be transferred to Excel or interrogated using a simple filter. Because IntegrisG2 is centrally hosted, the school does not need to backup or maintain the system or data. Any software upgrade is applied once, centrally. All schools can use a new release immediately. Robust security protocols – as used by Internet banks – ensure that only users with the appropriate privileges can access pupil data. For the Budget Challenge we have applied an average saving using IntegrisG2 based on your school size. Take the challenge to see how much you can save. SAVE MONEY ON PRINTING A typical secondary school of 1,200 pupils spends £45,377 per year (including the costs of toner, paper and refreshing printers) on printing. The corresponding annual cost for a typical 400pupil primary is £13,314. Printing is one area where schools can dramatically cut their annual costs. An RM managed print service comes with networked multi-function devices such as printers, scanners and copier devices. These allow you to track exactly who is printing what in school and how much it’s costing, allowing you to monitor, manage and report on your school’s printing outputs. In the Budget Challenge you will find the amount you could save, based on other schools of a similar size which subscribe to our managed print service. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RM Education has made it as easy as possible for every school in the UK to get their own personalised budget statement; all you need to know is your school’s postcode. Take your very own budget challenge Visit www.rmeducation.com/budget to see how much you could save. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.rmeducation.com/budget

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Even better for schools… and even better for parents ParentMail’s award winning, parental engagement service takes school-to-home communications to a whole new level.

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AN ICT SYSTEM WITH THE LEARNER AT ITS HEART European Electronique puts a personal device into the hands of every student at the Learning Schools Trust’s Academies

European Electronique (EE), a leading technology company with over twenty years’ experience in the education sector was chosen to provide the overall ICT design for the Learning Schools Trust (LST). EE is a market leader in delivering innovative, customised solutions across all sectors of education; the company’s approach has won it projects in more than 60 academies, 20 FE colleges and a countless number of schools. The LST, headed by its CEO, John Baumber, is a non-profit, charitable organisation that operates the Kunskapsskolan sponsored academies in England. The first three academies are Twickenham, Hampton and Ipswich; each of which is due to have new buildings in either 2012 or 2013. These academies, with in excess of 3,000 pupils, are the first to adopt the learning model and Kunskapsskolan is aiming to sponsor up to five schools in England. KUNSKAPSSKOLAN Originally established in 1999, Kunskapsskolan is Sweden’s largest secondary education provider and today operates 34 secondary schools in the country, educating over 9,000 students from the age of 12 to 18 years. Kunskapsskolan schools are privately managed, non-selective and

non-fee paying schools, with funding provided by the Swedish government. Kunskapsskolan is the owner and developer of the KED (Kunskapsskolan Education) programme – a coherent and proven programme for personalised education operating in schools in Sweden, in the LST’s schools in England, and in Innovate Manhattan School in New York. UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS Kunskapsskolan’s goal is to establish schools where every student is recognised as a unique individual and is given the support to learn and grow beyond what he or she thought possible. A long-term learning and attainment plan is followed, agreed between the student, their personal tutor and parents. Whilst still meeting all standards set by the government, the LST has five key elements that provide a personalised learning experience for each and every student. These are: personalised learning; goal setting; one-to-one tutorial; personal timetable and logbook; and ICT. Rapidly evolving technologies are determining the requirements of education as a whole. EE took LST’s vision that the learner will be placed at the centre of

their learning environment, and designed a flexible infrastructure for all academies. Taking advantage of the rapid pace of ICT development for all academies, EE suggested a flexible server infrastructure, dynamic network architecture, seamless storage systems, unified communication, and integrated resource management. To achieve both the LST and Kunskapsskolan’s combined vision and to ensure the best possible benefits are available to teachers and students, EE’s created an all-encompassing solution. EE will design and implement a central data centre for the LST which will enable them to reduce the overall cost to schools through the provision of the centralised services. This will ensure the LST to focus on control with the flexibility to adopt more cloud services at a central level. Each academy will then have a VMware virtualised server pool with attached storage, ensuring provision for current local services with a capacity for failover and redundancy. This solution will make it easier to adopt new technologies and share resources with other countries. Every student will be provided with a personal learning device such as a tablet computer. EE has designed a flexible ICT architecture which provides support for systems including windows, Apple iOS and android, giving the academies choice over the device type. EE will also be designing and implementing a trust wide learning platform, which will provide students and teachers access to a wide range of resources. A number of trust systems will be integrated through the LP with single sign on and user provisioning. EE believe the infrastructure will meet the LST’s four values - All people are different; Success depends on challenging goals and clear requirements; We educate for life, and; Life is what I make it.

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ICT FOR THE SMARTPHONE GENERATION Steve Bolingbroke for Learning Schools Trust said: “Learning Schools Trust’s Academies provide an innovative, personalised education which relies on a robust ICT system accessible at any time by students and staff. European Electronique will provide us a single, integrated system across all of our Academies and put a personal device into the hands of every student. This is the sort of ICT system that the “smartphone generation” expects in business, in homes and in public places. LST’s Academies are preparing young people for that world and we are delighted to be working with European Electronique to make it a reality.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 345 8340 www.euroele.co.uk marketing@euroele.com

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Maximising the returns on your ICT investments The Microsoft Education Services Portfolio The Education Services Portfolio (ESP) reinforces the level of support Microsoft provides to optimise the deployment of new or existing technologies in education. We have brought together some of Microsoft’s leading services under one programme to help you make the right choices when seeking solutions and services in education. The four solution areas include: eLearning

Microsoft eLearning describes the framework for vibrant learning communities where students and academic staff have creative tools and collaboration technologies that enable them to create, distribute, research and manage learning across their institution, state or the entire world. The solution area focuses on both the education desktop products of Office and Windows and the collaboration and communication capabilities from the desktop through unified communication application to portals and communication devices. Key technologies delivering eLearning solutions include: • Live@edu • Office 365 for education • Office • SharePoint • Windows • Windows MultiPoint Server • Cloud • Devices

Institutional Effectiveness Solution

Microsoft Institutional Effectiveness helps customers manage and plan for the future with instant access to information and insights, easy reporting, smart productivity tools and simple collaboration. As a result, business intelligence and learning analytics are showcased in this solution area. Key technologies needed to deliver in the Institutional Effectiveness solution area:

Operational Effectiveness

Microsoft Operational Efficiency provides a suite of servers and tools that enable customers to manage and secure IT more efficiently, while reducing IT overheads. Key technologies needed to deliver in the Operational Efficiency solution area: • Forefront • Office • SQL Server • Virtualization • Windows • Windows Intune • Windows Multi-point Server

Connected Education - Research Management

Microsoft Research Management solutions help customers rapidly establish a platform for secure, collaborative research with robust SharePoint tools for analysis, development and professional authoring and the high performance computing capacity, servers and storage needed on demand. Key technologies delivering research management solutions include: • Windows Azure • SharePoint Server 2010 • Windows Server 2008 R2 • SQL Azure • SQL Server 2012

g eLearntangienof Up

va er Take ad (UTD) off ving te a D to o m rs e ustom ar where c three ye to a new will receive tion t year subscrip their firs 50% off e 2010 and of Offic ws 7. Windo

• Dynamics CRM & ERP • Virtualization • Windows Multi-point Server For further information please visit: www.microsoft.com/uk/education

TELECOMS

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF TECHNOLOGY It is a familiar scenario. Technology not working the way you want it to when you need it the most. Having to find a workaround instead of getting on with it, costing you valuable time and money, and interrupting vital learning time for students. Often technology lets us down because we have implemented a solution that doesn’t meet our specific needs. You don’t always need the latest technology; you just need the right technology. Sadly, this often gets overlooked and we are left with services that only do what we need half the time. WHEN TECHNOLOGY GOES WRONG One of the major key reasons for technology disrupting both teachers and pupils is the lack of a backup service, especially when it comes to broadband. So what happens when something goes wrong? There is no Plan B and you’re completely offline. Gradwell recently conducted research that showed that, across the UK, an astonishing 71 per cent of businesses don’t have backup broadband services, despite 34 per cent saying their connection fails at least twelve times a year. If you have a backup service you can continue without any disruption to lessons. The sad fact is that since Becta was dropped by the coalition government in 2010, to save more than £60m, schools and local authorities have been left to their own devices in terms of choosing ICT, leading to confusion and wasted money. A study by Adobe quoted the shocking statistic that 35 per cent of teachers do not use the technology provided in the classroom because they are not trained or supported enough to use it Technologies may bring a great number of efficiency and budget-based promises, but you still need the end-users to be able to use it. Without knowing how to use it, how can you reap all the benefits? If a teacher decides to do without technology because they cannot use it, education quality dips, and the time and budget put into implementing the solution is wasted. The same goes for the students. If they cannot use it and are expected to complete their learning with it, how can they succeed? The key point here is that technology is an enabler. Technology is a tool. It is not the sole answer to a creating a better education system, but the tool that enables teachers and students to be more efficient in their teaching

Written by Peter Gradwell, managing director, Gradwell

Why is it that some schools have managed to use new technology to their advantage while others have found it to be a thorn in their side? Peter Gradwell investigates

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Often technology lets us down because we have implemented a solution that doesn’t meet our specific needs. You don’t always need the latest technology; you just need the right technology. and learning – if designed to meet their needs. ICT is a lot more flexible than its reputation in education suggests. It isn’t all or nothing. Schools need to implement ICT that meets their needs, not just ticks the box for the budget. THE RIGHT CONNECTION Gradwell has found that many businesses in the private sector are trying to grow, running an office of 10 or more people, while still using one residential broadband connection. If you need an internet connection, there are many options to suit your exact needs: • ADSL, the most common type of broadband, delivered by a copper wire, providing a good standard service and high download speeds • EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile) is similar to ADSL, but is uses up to four times the copper wiring as ADSL, meaning if one wire had a problem you still have a connection • Fibre broadband is the next generation giving superfast speeds by using fibre optic wires to transfer the data at the speed of light.

There are three quick options that meet different needs; reliability, speed or standard service. It sounds simple but schools need to look at what they need from their broadband connection. An analogy Gradwell often uses about people using the wrong types of service for their needs is that you may see your school as a Rolls Royce, which will have a lovely smooth ride on a motorway, because it suits its purpose. Now try and run that Rolls Royce down a cheap-to-build dirt track. Schools and local authorities need to talk frankly to suppliers to make sure they get the “road” they need to run on – no extra bells and whistles that might hinder the actual use of the service. Don’t be scared to pick an ICT supplier’s brain and get a helping hand. They are there to help you out and a company like Gradwell will happily break things down, into a language you can understand, to help you identify the service that you need. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.gradwell.com

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LiveCode’s plain english programming language helps keep students engaged with app development The Education Secretary’s decision to scrap the way ICT is taught in schools places the onus firmly on teachers to create tailored computing science courses for their students. The question that arises is what should teaching professionals focus on and how should they approach the task? If using computer apps is the equivalent of teaching reading, we believe that learning how to write software is the equivalent of teaching writing. It is vital that today’s students gain a deeper understanding of the devices that they use every day. Mobile development is a key industry growth area. It has broad appeal in the classroom as most students have access to this technology from a young age. What better way to make a course relevant than to teach students how to create a mobile App that will run on the device they have in their pocket? Unfortunately, developing mobile apps is a complex and involved process. Smartphones use languages that are inappropriate for use in the classroom. Indeed language suitability is a long-standing challenge for any education professional teaching

programming at secondary school level. The difficulty arises in ensuring students are not put off by the complex coding associated with traditional programming languages. A typical experience of a computing studies teacher is to hear comments like “I don’t understand this bit of code” and “Programming is just like Maths, I don’t like Maths”. The advent of alternative programming languages, such as LiveCode, offers an

approach that allows teachers to keep students engaged whilst drawing out individual creativity. LiveCode uses an English-like language, one that is capable of covering the entire curriculum and deploying to both the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. For example, this line of a traditional language theText.substring(0, “Hello”.length).match(“Hello”) != null; is replaced with put theText begins with “Hello”. Students understand the code they are writing and spend less time fixing mistakes. And because LiveCode is used to produce games, simulations and even flight booking systems in industry, students never hit any limit. The core content of any computer studies course must reflect the needs and demands of the business world yet actively engage and encourage students in a way that inspires them to want to learn more. Schools that have deployed LiveCode have reported a dramatic uptake in students choosing computer studies courses. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.runrev.com

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INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS

ALL EYES ON THE BOARD

Information Technology

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A Sharp LCD interactive whiteboard opens up a whole new world of education possibilities In the classroom, traditional interactive boards with projectors are making way for new AV solutions that are more versatile and can show images in bright and clear full HD resolution. Installing a Sharp LCD interactive whiteboard in the classroom opens up a whole new world of education possibilities. Connectivity with a PC or DVD/Bluray player allows the teacher to incorporate video and online content into the lesson. Displaying it on a big, powerful screen ensures that all student eyes are front and centre. PROJECTOR PROBLEMS Using a projector system has inherent problems. These include unsatisfactory image resolution, ambient noise levels from the cooling fan, incorrect reproduction of colours, shadows, and dull images which make the screen difficult to see in bright classrooms, as well as the need for frequent bulb replacements and cleaning, which dramatically add to the total cost of ownership. Using a Sharp interactive display addresses all of these problems. Timesaving and versatile, Sharp interactive whiteboards enable students to stay focused and teachers to perform more effectively. The teacher can emphasise points by enlarging details on the dual touch screen, and by supporting them with crystal-clear photos and other images. As they’re designed to be interactive from the ground up, these displays are slim and stylish. They are built around a proprietary Sharp infrared touch-screen system ensuring use in a wide range of applications, with no image distortions and no physical wear on the touch system, as the user only touches a sheet of toughened glass. VERSATILITY The units are available in 60, 70 and 80 inch screen sizes, can be wall or trolley mounted and when combined with a rear mounted PC, the solution can be fully portable between classrooms. This versatility allows resources to be shared, if required, thus cutting costs. There are also no noisy cooling fans inside and the energy efficient LED backlit screen gives off very little heat, making the classroom environment a more pleasant place to be. Images on-screen are produced in full high definition clarity, colours are reproduced perfectly and thanks to pure white LED backlighting, the reproduced image has excellent brightness uniformity across the whole screen. Built-in speakers offer the benefit of adding sound to your presentations without the need for additional components. What’s more, the

pen-mouse provided with the units enables users to write freely on to the screen using the interactive whiteboard function, or annotate existing presentations and documents using the pen-soft annotation software supplied. SMOOTH RUNNING LESSONS Developed specifically for Sharp touchscreen LCD monitors, Sharp Pen Software allows for the smooth running of lessons. Once documents or images created on any application software have been captured as JPEG images and displayed on the touchscreen, users can quickly write and draw directly on the screen surface using the touch pen or a finger. Screen images can be enlarged or rotated, and handwritten notations such as text and drawings can be selected and moved around. What’s more, everything on the screen can be saved or exported for printout, making it easy to keep. SIMPLE TO USE The software has powerful features such as a full suite of pen colours and sizes to choose from as well as a highlighter function. You can easily erase images using the software’s shape recognition feature with the supplied soft eraser, and undo/redo buttons are provided to rectify mistakes. Insertion of text, lines and shapes is possible, as well as images grabbed from other applications and complete image files. Using the shape recognition feature ensures that rough shapes drawn on screen are changed to a clean shape for presentation. There is also a split screen feature for dual display of whiteboard and

on-screen applications, as well as an overlay feature allowing annotation over anything shown on the desktop. If you use powerpoint or other Microsoft applications for presentation (version 2007 or above) the software provides an additional toolbar that enables full interaction for advancement of slides and ink tool operation. Connecting the unit to a printer with colourscanning function makes for faster, smoother communication. Documents and images scanned from the device can be imported directly to the pen software for display on the screen. For added convenience, image data shown on the screen, including annotations can be saved to a PC or sent directly to a printer. Of course whiteboard software is perfect if you just want to annotate or use the screen as a whiteboard for notes, but a dedicated education software package, RM Easiteach (5 user licence version) is also included to help prepare complete lessons. Every unit in the Sharp educational range is for professional usage. This means they can be used 24/7 if required, have a wide range of input connections to work with most source devices, have equipment spaces with mounting points on the rear of the screen for source devices such as PCs and media players, and come with a three-year, on-site swap-out of the product as standard. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 07808470170 helen.sheldrake@sharp.eu http://www.sharp-world.com/products/ professional-monitors/

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Epson brings affordable and engaging learning to every classroom

HUGE SAVINGS

Leading projector manufacturer Epson has launched four new ultra-short-throw models. They include new features, such as more responsive interactive pens and PC-free connectivity, to help bring engaging learning to more classrooms. The interactive EB485Wi and EB-475Wi projectors allow teachers and students to write on the screen at the same time, making collaborative work easier. These lightweight pens are very responsive and easy to use, thanks to the new ‘hover’ function that accurately detects when they are not in contact with the projection surface. In addition to working with popular computer software, these projectors have a PCfree functionality and ‘instant annotation’ tool. Teachers can make any flat surface interactive without being connected to a PC and can even annotate moving images and photos when linked up to a DVD player. The projectors

can be mounted in four positions, including under glass-top tables, to offer greater interactive options for engaging group work. The non-interactive versions – the EB-485W, EB475W, EB-480 and EB-470 – can project large images from a very short distance, ensuring shadows are minimised. Horizontal keystone correction enables straightforward picture alignment, while the plug and play USB functionality, plus a built-in 16W speaker, means one cable is all that’s needed for image, sound and page up-down control. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.epson.co.uk

Simplified retail and identity management

As a school or college leader, you need information and advice that is clearly relevant to your role. Because ASCL only represents leaders in secondary schools and colleges, all of our work is focused on the sector – from financial management to understanding the latest Ofsted framework. With ASCL you have access to the very best professional advice, through our publications and telephone hotline, and excellent trade union support should you ever need it in your working life. Can you afford not to join?

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membership. The offer starts on 1 March 2012 and ends on 31 August 2012 and applies to monthly membership subscription payments until December 2012. Normal subscription rates apply from January 2013.

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HUGE2012_86x255mm.indd 1 | Volume 17.3 BUSINESS MAGAZINE 78ASCLEDUCATION

Infinity + from EasyTrace is a full service suite of smart-card and biometric retail and identity management solutions specifically for schools and colleges. Students and staff use a single SmartPass (either a card or a biometric image) to access a wide range of systems throughout the day. Working directly with hundreds of schools and colleges, and as the largest supplier of cashless solutions through Building Schools for the Future, EasyTrace has built a strong reputation within the Government’s new-build projects, through partnerships with top educational ICT providers, local authorities and trusts. There is an ever expanding list of systems that the EasyTrace software can fully integrate with, such as e-registration,

10/04/2012 10:44

access control, vending, library management, locker control, online payments, follow me print management and MIS systems. EasyTrace solutions will improve cash-flow management between parents, pupils and school retail applications, increasing revenue and efficiency. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 08456 717 101 sales@easytrace.co.uk www.easytrace.co.uk

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Olivetti whiteboards offer robustness and speed The Olivetti OliBoard range of digital interactive whiteboards is being described as among the most durable and reliable boards currently available. The OliBoard 78 and OliBoard 95 are robust interactive boards, which can be wall-mounted or mounted on a stand for added flexibility. They offer a high level of writing accuracy, with 300 dpi resolution and offer the choice of 2 sizes; 78” and 95”, respectively. These boards are available with full dual pen usage for two people to write simultaneously and are designed to be hard-wearing and scratch-resistant. They offer a fast tracking rate for improved activity and have a stable, locked projector. The boards are designed to prevent errors being made if the board is accidently brushed against by the hand while writing, as the pressure made by an unintentional brush of the hand is not hard enough to be registered. All the range of whiteboards can also be linked to the Olivetti OliPad Touch Tablet and Laptop range. OliBoard software

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is also available to create teaching materials in Windows, Linux and Mac formats and offers a range of expandable educational libraries which are simple and easy to access. Access to the internet is also possible to enable information to be researched on demand. Various accessories including three different sets of integrated mounting kits, a shelf and compartment for a laptop and a mobile stand which is height adjustable.

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Freshen up your communications with a free trial from Dynamax Colleges throughout the country are using Dynamax’s digitalsignage.NET to disseminate time-sensitive information and share impactful visual communications with staff and students. Using Dynamax’s cloud-based application, Preston College is now able to promote plays and display local traffic information on the video wall installed in its newest building. The solution allows staff to update news remotely, giving the school full control over its communications. Chris Dawson, head of corporate marketing at Preston College said: ‘‘We are delighted with the installation of our new high impact LCD screens, increasing our reputation as a college that is leading the way in the use of visual technology. The software allows us to be extremely responsive in uploading new content to the screens.” digitalsignage.NET allows West Midlands Sports College

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to maximise the use of its LCD tiling video wall by enabling it to display complementary information simultaneously. John Long, IT manager at Streetly Academy said: “The opportunity to display several different articles at once ensures we keep the whole school community informed. The simplicity of updating the screen allows us to upload specific information for parents’ evenings, for example, or for other ongoing events.’’ Contact Dynamax today for a free 30 day trial. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01254 503 666 info@digitalsignage.net www.digitalsignage.net

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“Kingswood was an experience that challenged, motivated and inspired our students”

Inspiring learning Imagine an activity centre that immerses young people in learning experiences and adventures that support their formal education. One that helps them develop as individuals to become the very best they can be. At Kingswood, that’s what we do... We’re more than just activity centres. Our curriculum-linked programmes are tailored to your schools specific educational needs, and our experienced and enthusiastic team will support you every step of the way. • Programmes developed in partnership with major educational organisations, like the University of the First Age and ASDAN.

• 9 UK centres situated across the country • Chateau de Chantereine centre in Northern France • Outstanding outdoor activity facilities • Superb learning resources, including ICT labs, indoor and outdoor classrooms

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OUTDOOR LEARNING

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM - THE OFSTED PERSPECTIVE Elaine Skates, deputy chief executive of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom explains the relevance of LOtC in raising attainment and achieving an outstanding Ofsted. Most education professionals recognise the value of learning outside the classroom (LOtC) in broadening the horizons of young people, raising self esteem and making learning more memorable. More and more schools are making regular use of their school grounds, local community and opportunities further afield to enrich

the curriculum and provide pupils with more hands on learning experiences. However, there is a common misconception that the current focus on results means that schools will have less time to devote to LOtC. In fact the opposite is true. There is a strong correlation between a planned and integrated curriculum based approach to LOtC and raised attainment. The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) is the national voice for learning outside the classroom, providing support on the ground to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the world beyond the classroom walls as an essential part of their education. CLOtCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message is clear: LOtC is proven to raise attainment, improve behaviour

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and motivate and engage all children in their learning. LOtC could hardly be more relevant to raising standards and demonstrating outstanding practice against the new Ofsted inspection framework. It is time to leave behind the old fashioned view of LOtC being most relevant in supporting community cohesion or in supporting the moral, spiritual, social and cultural development of children and young people. Of course it has immense value in these areas, but it is just as relevant to improving attainment and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, improving SATs and GCSE results and helping children of all abilities and learning styles to achieve to their full potential. Far from being seen as an add on, Ofsted E

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OUTDOOR LEARNING How does LOtC support the quality of teaching at your school? “Activities outside the classroom contributed much to the quality and depth of learning.” Ofsted, “Learning Outside the Classroom, how far should you go?” 2008. Effective use of LOtC can be used to improve and demonstrate the quality of teaching within your school. LOtC can impact positively on the quality of teaching across all subject areas, including core skills such as reading, writing, communication and mathematics. LOtC is also extremely effective in engaging pupils with different needs and learning styles, especially young people who learn best through doing. Does LOtC that is well planned and integrated into the curriculum demonstrate teachers’ effectiveness

in extending the knowledge, skills and understanding of pupils over time? Is LOtC effectively used as a tool to improve the teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics? How is LOtC used to ensure all pupils are engaged in their learning, particularly kinaesthetic learners, boys, SEN or others who do not learn well in the classroom setting? How do teachers use LOtC to enthuse, engage and motivate pupils to learn and foster their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning? How do teachers plan and implement LOtC activities across the whole of the school’s curriculum?

LOtC is proven to raise attainment, improve behaviour and motivate and engage all children in their learning. LOtC could hardly be more relevant to raising standards and demonstrating outstanding practice against the new Ofsted inspection framework. E views learning outside the classroom as an essential element of a broad and balanced curriculum and are urging schools to make explicit reference to it in their self evaluation and other evidence presented during the inspection visit. Demonstrating a planned and integrated approach to LOtC has never been more relevant. ACHIEVING OUTSTANDING LOTC PROVISION - WHAT IS OFSTED LOOKING FOR? In 2008, Ofsted published a report “Learning Outside the Classroom - how far should you go?” which found overwhelming evidence that LOtC contributes significantly to raising standards and the quality and depth of learning. Speaking at the CLOtC Annual Conference in November 2011, HMI Robin Hammerton said that the 2008 report into LOtC was the most compelling piece of evidence he has ever seen because in all cases the learning was improved and in all cases the young people benefited from the experience. During his address, Robin urged schools to make explicit reference to their

LOtC provision both within their SEF (or other evidence made available to the inspector) and during their on-site inspection. He also challenged heads to introduce inspectors to LOtC taking place during the visit – inspection outside the classroom! A well known extract from the 2008 Ofsted report “Learning outside the classroom - how far should you go?” is that even when done badly, LOtC resulted in major learning gains for the young people taking part. However, this does not mean that Ofsted inspectors wish to see badly planned and evaluated LOtC during their inspection visits! Ofsted is clear that the more planned and integrated LOtC is, the more effective it is. LOtC should not be about a once a year school trip, but about frequent, continuous and progressive opportunities to learn outside the classroom that build on knowledge and skills gained during previous experiences both inside and outside the classroom. LOtC should occur across all subject areas and areas of learning and be built into curriculum planning. But it should never be undertaken for its own sake - as Ofsted said E

How does LOtC raise the achievement of pupils at your school?

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“Learning outside the classroom had positive benefits for all groups of young people, including those underachieving or not sufficiently motivated by mainstream provision.” HMI Robin Hammerton speaking at the CLOtC Annual Conference, November 2011. The benefits of LOtC in raising attainment and achievement are well recognised, although many schools find it hard to make the link between their LOtC provision and the achievement of pupils. The key to success in demonstrating how your LOtC provision has raised achievement lies in 2 things: Being clear about the learning objectives related to LOtC activities and programmes, e.g. improving boys’ engagement in writing and raising the quality of writing, and; ensuring effective evaluation of LOtC activities, assessing both qualitative and quantitative outputs around whether attainment has been improved for individual students and groups of students, as well as the class as a whole. Do you have any examples where LOtC can be directly linked to raised attainment, for example pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of key stage 1 being improved as a result of the use of LOtC to improve reading? Has the progress of a pupil or group of students been measurably improved as a result of targeted use of LOtC? Has the use of LOtC to engage pupils with different learning styles resulted in a narrowing of the gaps between the performance of different groups of students within the school, for example between girls and boys? Has LOtC been used effectively to raise the achievement of pupils with Special Educational Needs, for example the use of real life experiences to support the learning of autistic children or the use of adventurous activities to raise the self esteem of disabled pupils?

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OUTDOOR LEARNING How does LOtC improve behaviour and promote the safety of children at your school?

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“LOtC contributed significantly to staying safe.” - HMI Robin Hammerton speaking at the CLOtC Annual Conference, November 2011.

How does a planned and integrated LOtC programme demonstrate the effectiveness of leadership and management at your school? “Learning outside the classroom was most successful when it was an integral element of long-term curriculum planning and closely linked to classroom activities.” Ofsted, “Learning Outside the Classroom, how far should you go?” 2008 High-quality leadership is critical to school improvement, and high quality leadership is vital if a fully planned and integrated LOtC programme is to be embedded at the school. The process of embedding LOtC can be used as powerful evidence for the effectiveness of leadership and management at a school. In order to fully integrate LOtC and embed it into the everyday life of the school, effective leadership and management is essential in order to clarify strategic direction, ensure a commitment to LOtC is underpinned by school policy and the learning development plan, m obilise support from governors, staff, parents and the wider community, support the CPD of the team in order to improve the quality of teaching through more effective use of LOtC, and; maximise the potential of LOtC in promoting

pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Has an ambitious vision for embedding LOtC at the school/ setting been realised with a view to improving quality and performance?

A young person who is not motivated is unlikely to concentrate and learn effectively. LOtC has a positive impact on motivation and behaviour because it offers a different kind of stimulus from the formality of the classroom, providing them with opportunities to learn that suit them as individuals, and placing learning in a real life context. LOtC can also promote the safety of pupils at your school or setting. Teaching young people to manage risks for themselves makes them safer. LOtC activities give young people the opportunity to manage risk and be actively involved in risk management planning. How has a commitment to LOtC impacted on improving behaviour in the classroom and in and around the school/setting? How has LOtC challenged young peoples’ environmental behaviours, values and attitudes?

How has successfully embedding LOtC into school policy and the development plan improved the quality of teaching and learning at the school/setting?

How has LOtC had a positive impact on pupils’ relationships with their peers and teachers? Has their behaviour towards and respect for others improved as a result of LOtC experiences?

How does the LOtC programme at the school support the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils and enables all pupils to achieve their full educational potential?

How has involvement in LOtC activities, particularly involvement in the planning of activities, impacted on pupils’ ability to assess and manage risk and keep themselves safe?esteem of disabled pupils?

How does the LOtC provision at the school/setting promote pupils’ good behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development? How is the effectiveness of LOtC provision evaluated and used to promote improvement?

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OUTDOOR LEARNING E in the 2008 report “Learning outside the classroom - how far should you go?”, the LOtC objectives must be well defined and evaluated for effectiveness. This means that you must set clear learning objectives that consider not just what the young people will learn, but how it is best learned (learning styles) and where the best place is for the learning to take place (the location). Ofsted recommends that schools evaluate the quality of learning outside the classroom to ensure that it has maximum impact on learners’ achievement, personal development and well-being. Finally, in order to successfully embed LOtC into the everyday life of the school it is vital to clarify strategic direction and provide vision and leadership for your team. This includes ensuring LOtC is included in school policy, underpinned in the school development plan, and supported by effective administration and CPD for the whole team. It is also vital to mobilise support from governors, staff, parents and the local community. L ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elaine Skates is deputy chief executive of the Council for Learning Oustide the Classroom, which formally assumed responsibility and leadership for learning outside the classroom on the 1st April 2009. The premise of LOtC has long been supported by many individuals and organisations over the years. The launch of the LOtC Manifesto by the Secretary of State in November 2006 marked a significant step forward in recognising and promoting the benefits of LOtC in young people’s educational attainment and social, emotional and personal development.

Support for schools aiming for outstanding LOtC provison

Keep up to date with the latest news and information about LOtC and gain access to ideas and guidance by joining CLOtC as a member. Visit www.lotc.org.uk for information on joining and free online guidance Look for the LOtC Quality Badge when planning educational visits to identify good quality educational experiences where risk is effectively managed. Visit www.lotcqualitybadge. org.uk to identity LOtC Quality Badge Holders in your area.

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Educational establishments wishing for a framework to help them successfully embed LOtC at their school or setting will benefit from the LOtC Mark, the first national accreditation for schools which recognises a commitment to good quality LOtC. Email awards@ lotc.org.uk for information Access CPD opportunities including “Planning an LOtC Curriculum” training. Visit www.lotc.org.uk for information. Substantial discounts apply for CLOtC members.

Natural, beautiful, and ethical settings from Outdoor Classrooms Outdoor Classrooms knows its timber is ethically harvested, because it has its own team of woodland management and wildlife experts who work hard to create wildlife habitat and improve and increase national tree-cover. The company’s work opens up the woodland canopy to sunlight to encourage natural forest-regeneration. The woodland thinning work that the company carries out provides it with the raw materials needed to enhance outdoor settings. Outdoor Classrooms always uses naturally durable timber species so that it does not have to use nasty chemical preservatives, or worse, tanalise its timber, risking arsenic contamination.

Finally, the company is here to make a big difference not to make a big profit. It wants to see beautiful, natural outdoor classrooms everywhere, that will help children to understand the principals of environmental responsibility and sustainable landmanagement and forestry. To find out more about Outdoor Classrooms, or to discover how the company can help you enhance your outdoor setting, please visit the website. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0113 2569941/2556342 Mobile: 07808 304198/ 07974 174801 www.outdoorclassrooms.co.uk

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Accredited Level 3

SEN Training Distance Learning

At last there is an accredited SEN distance learning diploma course with full tutor support. This time tested method of training means that you can fit your course work around your current obligations and lifestyle. Have confidence in the usefulness of this enlightening training and the NCFE accredited level 3 award earned by successful students. Well over a thousand students a year already benefit from our courses enrolling both privately and through their schools

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Are you prepared for the every day occurrences?

Pass Training Consultancy delivers a range at parking enforcement IT specialist, Imperial of courses including civil enforcement Civil Enforcement Solutions (ICES), has used the officer, health & safety and notice processing company’s trainers. training. The company also provides conflict “The quality of the training that ICES notice management courses for clients in the private processing staff receive is very important to Accidents andincluding illnesses happen every us,” day.says Some people need a and public sector local government, Ellis. “We entered into aonly contract the parking industry and security sectors. 2009 withpermanent South Thames College whowithout put helping hand while others may sufferinserious injuries us onto one of their training provider, Pass Mark Cox, managing director of Pass, says help. By mastering Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR) and the company’s Chartered Institute of Personnel Training Consultancy. We discussed our training Secondary Care(CIPD) (first aid) consultants course skillsneeds you with canPass, render important care and Development training who agreed to provide an to engagein with its clients to ascertain their offered industry those need. Current courses are: leading qualification in the form training and development needs. “Within of the NVQ Business Administraion, which • these Conflict Management • Welcome Hostprocessing. Training The course specialises in notice training programmes we offer the use a variety All of tools including psychometric was delivered inCare a timely and professional • of Welcome Disability Awareness • Customer Training Cox Training says. “These assist in producing manner and has improved beyond doubt the • testing,” Fire Safety • Manual Handling Training self-managed learning resources and facilitate professionalism of all the who have so far • Supervisory Training • CCTV Enforcementstaff Officers 1950-02 undertaken the NVQ. group learning, with training courses designed • Basic Deaf Awareness • Basic British Sign Language to meet your staff and organisations needs.” “Being an accredited City & Guilds NVQ, the • First atas Work 3 Days (FAW) • 1 Day Emergency First Aid at individual Work (EFAW) qualification further enhances each Pass Aid works a training provider for South • Thames Care ofCollege, Children First Aid • Inmember’s Case ofqualifications Emergency and (‘ICES’) which has strong links with staff is of value to • the 1/2 security Day AED andDefribrillator parking sectors.& Emergency Oxygen them of the equivalent academic standard as Louis Ellis, business pocessing unit manager five GCSE’s.”

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04/04/2012 15:50

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SEN GREEN PAPER

SEN GREEN PAPER RESPONSE

Special Educational Needs

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In what is said to be the biggest reform of SEN for 30 years, the government has released the public response to last year’s green paper on special educational needs. But nasen, Dyslexia Action and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have all voiced concerns, particularly regarding misdiagnosis and ‘labelling’.

The changes, planned for 2014, will tighten up what constitutes as ‘SEN’ after Ofsted claimed that children and young people were being wrongly identified as having special needs. The school inspector reported in September 2010 that many children, particularly those in the school action category, were wrongly identified as having SEN when their needs were capable of being met from good teaching and pastoral support. SINGLE CATEGORY The Green Paper reveals plans to introduce a new single category of SEN to make sure the right support is given to the right children. This will replace the existing ‘School Action’ and ‘School Action Plus’ systems, and will include tighter guidance on which children should be identified as having SEN. SEN statements (for under 16s) and learning difficulty assessments (for over 16s) will be replaced with a single, integrated Education, Health and Care Plan from birth to 25 years. This means that children will have a single assessment process, covering education, health and care. This will stop parents having to have undergo repeated assessments with different agencies. It will also end the problems young people face when they leave

school at 16 or 18, when SEN statements stop and a completely new reassessment – which carries far less protection – is needed. Special needs charity Nasen said: “Nasen does have a concern about the replacement of school action and school action plus with a single assessment process and believe that schools will need advice and support on how to implement this new process. We recognise that the there may be some over identification of SEN and we must ensure that we use this opportunity to offer all children and young people who are experiencing difficulties the best educational opportunity that we can. This will mean empowering our teachers through high quality training and professional development to meet the individual needs of all of their pupils.” ATL RESPONSE Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “We are worried that the Government’s plans for tighter rules to identify children with special educational needs and its assumption that children are being wrongly identified will deprive some children of the vital support they need and is being driven by its desire to cut costs.”

Meanwhile education lawyer Anita Chopra reported in Education Today: “There has always been widespread concern amongst parents about the misdiagnosis of their child’s needs or indeed ‘labelling’ of the child following disruptive behaviour. Schools have in the past been accused of ‘labelling’ children too early with special educational needs when the child is simply ‘playing up’. The changes will seek to avoid this from happening.” Dr John Rack, Dyslexia Action’s head of research, development and policy, comments: “There are concerns over the move away from the School Action and School Action Plus assessment process, which currently enables teachers to diagnose SEN internally. This needs considerably more thought. We need to know what categories are proposed and how expertise will be secured. I fear much time and energy will be used addressing the severe cases, to the detriment of the higher incidence but lower severity kids who are in danger of being left to flounder in ill-defined categories of SEN.” E

Try before you buy – ring Janet and request a trial pouch for your classroom The OTT Classroom Chair Pouch provides personal storage for each pupil, designed to reduce classroom and desk disorder. Simply pop the pouch on the chair back to provide an easily accessible space for classroom items, such as books, stationery and drinks, which can be reached from a seated position. Now the company is allowing schools to trial the Pouch in their classrooms to see if it will make a difference to their learning environment. OTT Pouch has been supplying schools since 2007. More and more schools are choosing the product to make a difference in the way they teach and organise their classrooms, especially where SEN children

need extra support and assistance. The following is a small example from many purchasing schools throughout the U.K: Janet Duke Primary in Laindon Essex ordered 630 pouches in October last year, and Haddenham Junior-Bucks. purchased 260 and further top ups this year. The Pouches come in two sizes and three colours and the company offers discounts when a full class load is purchased. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0843 289 5943 info@ott-pouch.com www.ott-pouch.com

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HOW WILL YOU EVACUATE SAFELY?

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SEN GREEN PAPER E PERSONAL BUDGETS For the first time ever, parents will be given the power to control personal budgets for their children with learning disorders. This means that parents would have the right to buy in services, rather than relying on the options decided by local authorities and support agencies. Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said: “These reforms will put parents in charge. We trust parents to do the right thing for their own child because they know what is best. The right to a personal budget will give them real choice and control of care, instead of councils and health services dictating how they get support.” JOINT COMMISSIONING The Green Paper will require education, health and social care services to plan services together by law – so when their children are assessed, parents will be assured they will get full provision to address their children’s needs. This would help ensure that agencies work together to agree the best package of support as well as avoiding lengthy disputes over who should pay for services. Sarah Teather said that would stop the ‘agonising’ battle many parents fight to get the support for their families, as they are forced to go from ‘pillar to post’ between

“We are worried that the Government’s plans for tighter rules to identify children with SEN and its assumption that children are being wrongly identified will deprive some children of the vital support they need - Mary Bousted, ATL different authorities and agencies. Parents whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan would have the legal right to seek a place at any statefunded school of their choice – whether maintained, academy, Free School or special. Local authorities would have to name the parent’s preferred school as long as it was suitable for the child, did not prejudice the education of other children or did not mean an inefficient use of funds. All local authorities would have to publish a ‘local offer’ of support, so parents would know exactly what is available instead of having to fight for basic information. This would include details of education, transport, social care services, and speech and language therapy. The Green Paper will also introduce mediation before Tribunal for disputes and trialling giving children the right to appeal if they are unhappy with their support. L

Special Educational Needs

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Further information SEN and disability Green Paper progress and next steps tinyurl.com/3q47kgm Green Paper, Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs tinyurl.com/d4hpxm5 Dyslexia Action tinyurl.com/d8uwhlt nasen www.nasen.org.uk Association of Teachers and Lecturers tinyurl.com/cdg2ymk

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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2012 SCHOOL GAMES

School Games gets Olympic year off to a flying start

Sport & Fitness

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

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Taking place from 6-9 May in the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome and Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in London, the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games drew to a close in spectacular fashion Athletics, track cycling and swimming Wales’ Awen Rosser won the girls’ discus. competitors descended on the Park and After competing at Redbridge earlier in the put on a fantastic show across three week in the road cycling, the sport moved venues for the excited crowds. to the Velodrome for track cycling action. The spotlight shone on the Olympic Stadium East Midlands duo Hannah Blount and Grace as the curtain came down on the 2012 Garner adjusted to their new surroundings event, with Ronnie Wells from Somerset the best as they broke their own national making the most of his time on the big stage under-16 record in the heats to win the as he stormed to the boys’ 100m title. team sprint. West Midlands’ rider Lucy Shaw The 16-year-old took to the track also had a day to remember at the Olympic having won his three previous races this venue securing the girls’ scratch title to season and he made it four from four grab her second gold medal in two days, as he crossed the line first with a new while para-cycling pair Ryan Whatmough personal best time of 10.84 seconds. and Joe Widdowson took a clean sweep Despite getting used to visiting the top step of gold medals taking six home in total. of the podium this year, the Exeter Harrier Over at the London Aquatics Centre, Wales’ sprinter admitted that doing it in the Olympic Siwan Thomas-Howells clinched two gold Stadium was the best yet, he commented: medals in both her races. The 15-year-old “It feels absolutely amazing to have won Swansea swimmer came up trumps in the the gold medal here, I can’t believe it. 200m freestyle which was the opening race “I came here just hoping to get a medal of the meet, followed by victory in the 100m but to end up with a gold is out of this freestyle. She commented: “I am so grateful world. The personal best is really pleasing to have had this opportunity to compete here too because it is wet weather and not the and get the chance to do my best and get the best conditions although I was hoping for gold medals. This is a fantastic arena and the rain because I like running in the wet. noise of the crowd really spurred me on.” “I think the atmosphere inside the stadium Meanwhile, Jordan Lamb also came away definitely helped me because as I was with two gold medals in the 100m warming up I could hear the crowd and 200m backstroke, while cheering which got me really 14-year-old Charlie Attwood e w s pumped up. Competing in produced a fantastic time p a rh e P the Olympic Stadium is of 1:06.86 minutes to win e m so have seen something I will remember the 100m breaststroke. orts sp t for a long time, and North England topped a re g e th f o winning the gold made the medal table on re tu it all the more exciting.” the day with gold heroes of the fu ek e w is In the girls’ 100m race, medals coming from th te e comp England South East’s Linda Shaw in the 50m n Daryll Neita followed freestyle, and two golds David Camero r suit as she collected gold, for Chloe Buck in the te is Prime Min keeping her nerve in a race MC 100m breaststroke that saw two false starts. and 200m individual And there was plenty more for Medley. Kahoru Harazawa England South East to cheer about also came away with a haul of as they won three of the four relay medals golds, with victory in the boys’ MC 200m on offer; only a dropped baton in the rain individual medley and 100m breaststroke. in the girls’ 4x100m spoiling a clean sweep All 1,600 athletes who competed in with England North East making the most the 2012 School Games headed over to of the opportunity to take the crown. the Basketball Arena to enjoy a closing London 2012 Paralympic hopeful, Jade Jones ceremony with performances from the Cover will be hoping for a repeat performance if Drive and gymnastic troupe Spellbound. she returns to the capital this summer as she Prime Minister, David Cameron won both the 100m and 200m wheelchair commented on the athletes’ successes: races. In the field events England South “Perhaps we have seen some of the great West’s Taylor Campbell blew away the sports heroes of the future compete this competition to win boys’ hammer, while week, but more importantly, I hope they

“

”

Amy Griffiths won the 3000m at the Sainsbury’s UK School Games at the Olympic Park

will inspire many more young people to get involved in sport. It’s a great way to mark the lead-up to the 2012 Games.” All 1,600 athletes who competed in the 2012 School Games headed over to the Basketball Arena to enjoy a closing ceremony with performances from the Cover Drive and gymnastic troupe Spellbound. Backed by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games is a multi-sport event for 1,600 elite young athletes. It forms one part of the wider year round School Games initiative, which uses the inspiration of London’s Olympics and Paralympics to transform competitive sport in schools and get more people playing sport. Thousands of schools across the country have signed up to take part in local class versus class and school versus school competitions along with county wide sports festivals. The Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games is supported by a range of partners including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England, Youth Sport Trust, Department of Health, ParalympicsGB, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland and Sport Northern Ireland. Over £128m of Lottery and Government funding is being invested to support the School Games over the next tree years. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.2012schoolgames.com

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ACTIVE LEARNING

New £2m high tech fitness centre at Sandwell Academy Active learning is top of the agenda at Sandwell Academy, part of The Thomas Telford Group, further to the opening of a brand new £2m gym now being used on a daily basis by the school’s 1200 students and 100 teachers. The Academy’s gym resources have been entirely self-funded thanks to effective budget planning and project management. Rated outstanding by Ofsted, Sandwell Academy located in West Bromwich is a mixed ability school, specialising in sport and business enterprise. The new build Fitness Centre, valued at £2 million, comprises four changing rooms and space to cater for up to seventy students, equipped with two interactive whiteboards and a full range of specialised equipment which can analyse heart rate, breathing, exertion level and overall progress. Featuring the full portfolio of machineries from Technogym, sole supplier of gym equipment to the Athlete’s Village for the Olympics 2012, the new gym includes treadmills, cross trainers, bikes and a selection of free weight and functional cable resistance machines. Daljeet Kangh IT Director at Sandwell Academy said: “These additional facilities have significantly enhanced the curriculum and have ensured that our students and staff continue to have premium working conditions in PE. The Fitness Suite offers an outstanding fitness experience due to its range of machines to maximise cardiovascular and resistance workouts. The academy also chose Technogym’s Wellness system, an integrated wireless technology software application that allows users to view personal goals, exercise programmes and progress through the use of a Wellness key. When the key is inserted into

the equipment, the equipment automatically starts and the users are presented with a personalised routine to follow. Both teachers and students can set programmes onto the Wellness key. As a result both the teacher and the student can track and review progress though a central program at the end of the day or week. Thanks to the Wellness system, designed to encourage users to take ownership of their own fitness regimes, students can build their own training programmes and continuously track progress and development. The Academy actively encourages using the medium of sport for learning and development, fully embracing the Olympic ideal as the London Games approach. In particular, there is a focus

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on developing healthy lifestyles and providing opportunities for leadership. Daljeet Kangh continued: “Built to offer the best facilities available to date, the new Fitness Suite allows the coaching and development of sports people, encouraging students to take up and participate in sport whatever their skills, age, background may be. Technogym’s specialism in education made it very easy for us to work with them; they fully understood our needs and provided us with some great resources to facilitate learning, exercise, constant progress and student engagement.”L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.technogym.com

Medical staff tailored to the needs of your school MRI has been providing schools in the South of England with specialised medical staff for over two years. Rather than providing schools with a high number of poorly qualified and inexperienced number of medics, the company assesses a school’s needs for each specific requirement. MRI prefers to send a highly experienced and qualified paramedics to each site, equipped to NHS standards. Not only does this have a positive financial benefit for the school, where fewer numbers of medics are used to keep the cost down, but by using appropriately trained staff, MRI’s medics

can triage and treat each medical situation in the best manner possible. This includes using the most appropriate pain relief and splinting or immobilisation procedures. MRI can provide ambulances and

4x4s when necessary, but this may or may not be recommended following a comprehensive assessment of the best medical provision for individual school needs. The company is also able to provide medical staff and full risk assessments for any overseas trips or events; be it rugby tours, skiing trips or expeditions. Medical cover is fully insured and doctors and paramedics conform to clinical governance. References available on request. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)1962 735955 rowland.raikes@medrescint.com

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FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

The unique power of football Following last summers riots, a survey commissioned by the Football Foundation found that 60 per cent of people surveyed believed that improving sporting facilities for young people would reduce anti-social behaviour. Richard Faulkner of the Football Foundation outlines the case for football, and details the application process for funding. Earlier this year Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Football has a unique power to connect with young people in such a positive way. It can help change lives for the better. The health benefits of the sport are obvious but it also reaches deep into communities, helping to deliver strong social cohesion as well as boosting people’s self-esteem.” Contrary to the fears of some parents, research undertaken suggests that devoting substantially increased school time to physical education and sport does not have a detrimental effect on pupils’ academic performance – while also conferring physical and mental health benefits. The latest Health Survey for England (HSE) data shows that in 2009 28.3 per cent of children (aged 2-10) in England were overweight or obese. Children who are

active have a dramatically reduced risk of contracting many diseases including heart disease and osteoporosis. Regular exercise is also known to reduce the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. A recent study by the International Journal of Obesity further demonstrated a link between obesity and poor academic performance. LIFE SKILLS Sport has the ability to teach valuable life skills such as building character, teaching strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking. A survey commissioned by the Football Foundation following last summers riots also found that 60 per cent of people surveyed believed that improving sporting facilities for young people would reduce anti-social behaviour.

Sport & Fitness

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It is therefore all the more vital that a school should have high quality sporting facilities and high quality delivery of sporting activity for their pupils. The Football Foundation – which receives funding from The FA, the Premier League and the Government (via Sport England) – has supported 447 projects at educational establishments since forming in 2000, worth a total of £200m. The introduction of a new sporting facility can offer more to a school than first meets the eye. Take a floodlit third generation artificial grass (3G) pitch as an example – one of the Foundations most commonly funded builds. Out of the 217 educational projects who returned Monitoring and Evaluation forms in 2010-2011, over 234,000 played on the sites with an average hours of usage at 73.2 per week. FLOODLIT PITCHES With a floodlit 3G pitch you can get more than 80 hours a week usage compared to the five or six hours a week you get from a grass pitch. This also offers the chance for the pitch to be opened up to the local community, which can be an additional revenue stream for the school. E

Peter Beardsley joins pupils for a game on their new 3G pitch at Walker Technology College.

Volume 17.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net SudsSport Adverts 86x125mm 04.12:Layout 1

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 17.3

Flexible Event Spaces KUCEL offers flexible, functional, contemporary event spaces in and around Kingston. Our affordable hire rates include room, external space and day delegate rates. Regular clients include film companies, exhibitions, health classes, faith groups and adult education. Quite simply whatever your event KUCEL has the space for you! Visit www.KUCEL.co.uk or call 020 8417 5519

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FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

Sport & Fitness

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“Football has a unique power to connect with young people in such a positive way. It can help change lives for the better. The health benefits of the sport are obvious but it also reaches deep into communities, helping to deliver strong social cohesion as well as boosting people’s self-esteem.” - David Cameron

The E Such a facility will increase tournament at the G usage opportunities during opening ceremony, 3 w e n s l’ o scho periods of poor weather Beardsley said: t both with its all weather “It is excellent itch will benefi ider p w surface, allowing physical to see this d n a the students education sessions new football s st a c re fo h it w y, and extra curriculum facility become it n u m com sed available to u e activities to take place b l il w it g suggestin throughout the year. The people studying people floodlights also provide the at Walker by over 1,750 opportunity for after-school Technology on a weekly sport during winter months College and basis” after the light has diminished. also those outside Recently, former Newcastle the college. United and England forward “The flood-lit and Peter Beardsley cut the ribbon on a all-weather elements of the new 3G pitch at Walker Technology pitch are particularly important because, College in Newcastle upon Tyne. no matter what the weather is like, it gives the students somewhere to go after GRANT classes finish and do something positive. The College – which boasts Cheryl Cole The school’s new 3G pitch will benefit as a former pupil - worked in partnership both the students and wider community, with the Northumberland FA to secure a with forecasts suggesting it will be used £102,000 grant from the Football Foundation by over 1,750 people on a weekly basis. towards the new football facility. The core business of the Football After taking part in a seven-a-side Foundation is sorting out the bricks and

“

mortar of community sports facilities in this country. The Foundation predominantly funds 3G pitches, changing accommodation, Multi-Use Games Areas and pitch drainage. They cannot fund projects that have already been started so bear that in mind. The decision on how much funding to allocate a project is very much based on value for money. The maximum grant that can be awarded is £500,000 however to get a grant of this size your application will have to demonstrate that it will deliver a massive benefit to an area that really needs it. For facility grant requests under £50,000 – for example changing room refurbishment – the Foundation offers a quicker, simpler application process as part of our Build the Game (BtG) initiative. L FOR MORE INFORMATION Schools can apply online or find out more details on all Football Foundation funding schemes at www.footballfoundation.org.uk. You can also contact your County FA for pre-application advice – contact details can be found on www.thefa.com

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demonstrates that, despite an interesting global economy, excellence and innovation in education remain in demand. Dorothy Burt, eLearning Team Leader at Pt England School, said: “Teachers are enjoying being able to see the student results displayed graphically so they can see at a glance what are the ‘next steps’ for each individual. It is wonderful to see the kids so excited about Maths that they are spending their weekends on Maths-Whizz.” FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0203 328 6564 customerservice@ whizzeducation.com www.whizz.com

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 17.3

Singing boosts music education, says charity The Voices Foundation National charity The Voices Foundation is all about singing. But not singing in the music-making, or performing, sense - more as a wholeschool, high-quality, effective medium for curriculum music education, which involves every teacher and every child. By training non-specialist primary teachers to teach music through singing with skill and confidence, the charity supports schools in helping their pupils develop strong musicianship skills. And through regular exposure to the many additional benefits which singing can bring, children have a wonderful opportunity to flourish – academically, developmentally and socially. The Voices Foundation’s work is highly regarded. It was named in the National Plan for Music Education as one of only two national organisations with whom potential music education hubs could work

to develop an effective singing strategy in schools. Little wonder, with positive feedback given time and again by headteachers and staff experiencing the programme first-hand: “The fantastic in-service training we have had from the Voices Foundation has changed us from being a school which relied on one or two people who ‘did singing’, into a true ‘singing school’, where we all enjoy our sessions with the children.” FOR MORE INFORMATION www.voices.org.uk

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SCHOOL MUSIC

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BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT, BUT IS IT BEING OVERLOOKED? With music education being at yet another crossroads, it is a good time to think about accessibility to music making for all young people at secondary level, writes Carole Lindsay-Douglas of the Schools Music Association I have just greatly enjoyed two extremes – the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and the final of Britain’s Got Talent. Both shows demonstrated enormous talent at opposite ends of the spectrum, musically speaking. Britain’s Got Talent is clearly the more accessible of the two as it enables anyone to participate, of any age and, restricting ourselves purely to music, in any musical genre. The Young Musician of the Year would appear to be restricted to the classical. Interestingly, only one of the finalists (and incidentally, the winner) in Young Musician of the Year is actually a student at a regular comprehensive school. The others are products of independent specialist music schools. This leads me to wonder whether students of classical music, who show particular promise, are encouraged to apply for scholarships at specialist schools, as the state system is simply not tuned up to provide the high-level teaching required for the most talented? Could it be that such youngsters, being gifted in this manner, find themselves isolated in the average comprehensive, and are compelled to find more nurturing and challenging musical environments elsewhere? ACCESSIBILITY There will probably never be a definitive answer to these questions, but now, with music education being at yet another crossroads, it is a good time to think about accessibility to music making for all young people at secondary level. As this article is being written, Arts Council England has just announced who has been awarded ‘hub’ status and the funding to support it. Though supportive of music in schools, the government has made less money available (and it will decrease yearon-year over the next two years). Those now granted hub status will have to work harder than ever to make sure that funds generate the best possible value and provide the greatest possible inclusion, especially in areas of deprivation. This is no small ask, as the government has left the sector free E

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SCHOOL MUSIC

Secondary schools do have the expertise of subject-specialist teachers, but most music departments are understaffed, and the majority of music teachers find themselves fitting in rehearsals at lunchtimes as well as before and after school.

their musical talent, may be overlooked in the secondary school. This has been recognised in part by the Henley Review which acknowledged that the quality of music provision in England is, to date, patchy. CHOIR CONCERNS Many secondary schools no longer have a choir, despite the raising of awareness and credibility of choral singing through an array of TV programmes in recent years. Children at primary school, for the most part, do a lot of singing, though quality varies enormously. I know of at least one instance of children moving up to their secondary school where no school choir exists. They so missed their singing that they approached the teacher from their former school, and asked if they could form an out-of-school choir under her leadership. So, without funding and through the goodwill of that teacher, a new teenage choir is now in existence. On a larger scale in South Wales, the phenomenal success of Only Men Aloud, in the Last Choir Standing competition, has brought about the formation of an independent training choir called, Only Boys Aloud. 140-strong, this organisation gathers together young men from all over the region. These are just two examples of independent community projects which now help to fill a musical gap in the education system, with repertoire which is eclectic yet age- appropriate and not wedded to a particular style of music.

E to implement their schemes as they deem appropriate within their own geographical areas. Partnership is a word frequently used these days, and will become a necessity, especially under reduced financial input from the State. We are assured that provision and outcomes will be closely monitored, not least by Ofsted. Thus head teachers will be encouraged to buy into the local hub’s programmes – though this is not obligatory. Heads and Governors could well make alternative arrangements to fulfil the Ofsted SATURDAY SCHOOLS requirement that all schools will need to Saturday music schools, hitherto run under be able to demonstrate a vibrant cultural the auspices of local music services are life, including music, at an inspection. This another avenue for aspiring young musicians still leaves Academies and Free Schools across a wide age-range and outside the fold if they so desire. not just involving orchestral Music, as a subject, is incredibly instruments. Only time broad. Secondary schools ry will tell if these are do have the expertise a d n o “Many sec able to continue of subject-specialist r ge n lo o n once the hubs are teachers, but most ls o o h sc e th up and running. music departments e it sp e d , ir One sincerely are understaffed, have a cho ss and the majority of ing of awarene ral hopes that they is ra will. Similarly, music teachers find of cho themselves fitting and credibility an array county youth h orchestras have in rehearsals at singing throug mes in been available to lunchtimes as well as m all young people before and after school. of TV progra if they are of the Furthermore, these unfair cent years” re appropriate standard demands are exacerbated, on their instrument. by the requirement of the music It would be comforting teacher to have expertise in pop if all youngsters, even from to classical, jazz to ethnic, or choral deprived backgrounds could participate, to instrumental music, in addition to being but there are so many non-musical social able to encourage and develop creative factors which work against this – such as music-making, whether this be through getting to and from out-of-school hours improvisation or written compositions. rehearsals, the timing of these rehearsals This is all challenge enough without the (do they conflict with Saturday jobs?) etc. expectation of producing a school musical, termly concert or showpiece for a school prize FUNDING giving – all outside the normal timetable. Youth Music, the government funded For these reasons, it is almost inevitable that organisation, is a grant-making body for some children, even those keen to develop

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projects which will have the widest possible impact upon young people, especially from challenging and disadvantaged backgrounds. Access to funding largely depends upon other bodies being successful in applying to Youth Music for grants, rather than young people themselves putting together a bid. In areas where this has happened, great successes have been recorded in terms of benefit to those communities and the young recipients themselves. When we zoom in on the individual teenager, we cannot ignore the ‘online’ culture of social networking and the plethora of material at their disposal on the internet. Many young people receive their preliminary lessons through online tuition, much of which is free-of-charge, particularly in the guitar world, and embark upon self-teaching. The more aware and analytical student will undoubtedly be able to make good progress to a certain level by this method. Ultimate musical satisfaction, motivation and development however is only truly achievable when making music in collaboration with others, be it fellow players/singers or with a mentor. Having said all that, music can be just a ‘consumable’. We don’t all have to be players and singers. We can be great ‘audience’ and get enormous satisfaction and fulfilment in the appreciation of others’ talents. In that respect, technology has made it possible for anyone of any age to access for free, just about anything musical that exists through the likes of You Tube for example. GCSE DECLINE One very concerning trend however, is the declining number of GCSE Music courses now being offered to our young people. Here at the Schools Music Association’s office, we have received a worrying number of letters from distraught parents of musician-children, who, having chosen a secondary school because of its emphasis on music, now find that their school is no-longer offering GCSE Music. We can only assume that this is because some schools now believe that they can afford to ignore any subject not currently included in the English Baccalaureate (E-Bac). While professing to espouse the desire of ensuring that all children receive a broad education, by not including a single Arts subject in the E-Bac, the Government has sent out a highly confusing message – one which is denying opportunities for study in music, in particular. So, in summing up, I think we can be cautiously proud of the range of musical opportunities available to our teenagers, where they exist. The hope is that the new hubs will extend the availability to all young people, especially to the disadvantaged, where I am confident there lays a vast pool of hitherto untapped talent. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.schoolsmusic.org.uk secretary@schoolsmusic.org.uk

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Sound-isolating music practice rooms from MusicPracticeRooms.com receives praise from schools Many school and university music departments suffer from poor acoustics. What’s more, music practice and rehearsal can consequently be a source of disturbance to other areas with noise readily reverberating through classrooms, halls and corridors. Although these problems are well recognised, until recently solutions have been more difficult. Now MusicPracticeRooms. com offers a practical solution that is equally applicable to both new-build and existing facilities. The company offers an affordable and flexible solution to noise problems in schools, allowing music teachers and students to rehearse within a controlled environment that minimises the acoustic impact upon other classes. The flexibility of the modular design allows the music practice rooms to be configured to fit available spaces. The sound-isolating music pods from MusicPracticeRooms.com can be erected on site by a two-man installation team in a matter of hours as panels simply slot in and clip together. Wall and ceiling panels are acoustically sealed, minimising noise escape. The door features a three quarter length window for visibility and safety and is fitted with an internal lock override for personal security. Tough steel construction

and door seals ensure the room’s sound isolating properties are maintained. For comfort and to create a pleasant environment, the room is supplied fitted with integral lighting and fan-assisted ventilation. The balanced interior acoustics also ensure high sound quality so the room’s sound insulation performance and ‘dry’ internal response provide an environment that offers the best ‘control’ conditions for sound recording. Customers of MusicPracticeRooms.com have been delighted with their new soundisolating practice rooms. Head of Music at Lancaster and Morecambe College, Pete

French, commented: “The music practice rooms have changed the whole nature of the course, because they are so sound-proofed. Before we had a big echoing lecture theatre; now we have three contained spaces. The students love them and yes, they work very effectively.” Hollington Youth Centre in East Sussex was equally delighted with the performance of the rooms. Youth Development Worker, James Brill reported: “The sound-proofing is second to none – fantastic”. He went on to say: “The customer support is absolutely exceptional. Without a doubt I would recommend MusicPracticeRooms. com to other people.” The team at Music Practice Rooms.com can provide free consultation to meet particular requirements and come up with the best solution for the environment, whether for a school, college, recording studio, or even for a sound-isolating practice room in the home. FOR MORE INFORMATION Freephone: 0844 846 9740 Tel: 01732 371555 info@musicpracticerooms.com www.musicpracticerooms.com

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High-quality music tuition from Norfolk Music Hub

Get ten per cent discount on power protection

Norfolk Music Service leads the Norfolk Music Hub – key partners throughout Norfolk who deliver music education to all its children and young people and their communities. Why is music important? Making music develops team work, and playing a musical instrument improves thinking power. When the alchemy of music permeates the school curriculum it has a positive effect on all aspects of the school’s learning. Playing an instrument and singing require the discipline to practise regularly. Music making is not only good for the brain but also the heart.

Zigor (UK) has announced it is offering the public sector a special discount on its range of uninterruptible power supplies this summer. With industry under pressure to show an even greater return on their IT investments due to tough economic times, the UPS manufacturer has made the move in an attempt help organisations feeling the squeeze. Zigor is offering 10 per cent off all their UPS products from May 1 until September 30 with the aim of helping schools, universities and colleges, as well as public sector businesses, protect their power. The UPS supplier, who recently launched a new 2U rack/tower online UPS range called the Zigor Tiber, ran a similar campaign in 2011 and the West Sussexbased company has decided to run it again this year.

Music plays a special role with children and adults with learning difficulties or suffer from severe physical and mental challenges. It may be the only channel that reaches and helps find a communication pathway. Norfolk Music Hub offers high quality music tuition, professional training, ensembles, choirs and pathways for children and families in a range of musical styles and genres. It delivers company training days on team work and management training and connects with the vulnerable and excluded. FOR MORE INFORMATION music.service@norfolk.gov.uk

Gavin Banks, sales manager at Zigor (UK) said: “We ran a discount scheme last year and it was very successful. We believe it helped several organsations in the public sector continue to invest in power protection when they may have otherwise not. Times are still hard in 2012 so we’re delighted to announce we will be running the same 10 per discount offer again.” FOR MORE INFORMATION www.zigor.com/uk Tel: 0844 854 6264

Collaboration is key to the future success of music education Musical instrument rental from ABC Music ABC Music has been offering a musical instrument rental service for over 20 years, specialising in online rental to individuals and bulk rental to teachers and educational establishments. With a large stock of fully serviced instruments always available, the company can meet musical requirements quickly and efficiently. Instruments available on the rental scheme include violin, cello, guitar, saxophone, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and keyboard. In addition, other instruments are available on special order. As a high street retailer, ABC Music also offers a huge range of instruments and accessories for sale at very competitive prices, and can supply anything from recorders to grand pianos. The company stocks a vast

selection of printed music, all available via mail order. Discounts are available to educational establishments. ABC Music’s shops are staffed by musicians who understand the requirements of customers, and are always on hand to offer advice. A professional repair service is offered on brass, woodwind and stringed instruments from experienced and highly skilled technicians. The company also offers a guarantee on all work carried out. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01372 466195 www.abcmusic.co.uk

Birmingham Conservatoire and Junior Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University, welcome the National Plan for Music Education and the commitment it shows from the government to maintain high quality music education within the school curriculum. The conservatoires also welcome the continued commitment to the Music and Dance Scheme, National Youth Music Organisations and In Harmony, and importantly the commitment to fund training in music for primary school teachers. The plan presents an ambitious vision for the future of musical education in England. The creation (or recreation) of music hubs provides opportunities for all stakeholders to be directly involved in music education provision. The opportunities to change radically the way in which music is delivered are there, but so are the challenges. The way in which organisations within the hub interact with each

other, with schools and with the Arts Council England will be central to their success and, crucially, to how they achieve their objectives in the face of planned funding cuts from £82.5 million to £60 million in 2015. The publication of Darren Henley’s reviews into both musical and cultural education represent a real commitment to the arts from the government and those involved must now ensure that they engage with each other as never before in order to navigate the difficult times ahead. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire

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CATERING

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FOUR SCHOOLS GET TO COOK FOR THE QUEEN

Will’s Spot of Windsor, Harry’s Hungry Hunt and Diamond Slippers are three of the mouth watering and imaginative dishes devised by schools across the country for the Diamond Jubilee. Royal Chef Mark Flanagan will be preparing and serving them to the Queen as part of British Food Fortnight a national celebration of food taking place in June, supported by the Duchess of Cornwall. Four schools have been selected as winners of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall’s competition inviting schools to create a special Diamond Jubilee menu for The Queen. Mark Flanagan, Royal Chef at Buckingham Palace, has selected the winning schools from over 200 entries. The four schools are being invited to Buckingham Palace in June to see their recipes prepared by the Royal Chef and will help serve them at a special reception attended by The Queen and The Duchess of Cornwall. ‘Cook for The Queen’ is the idea of The Duchess of Cornwall and is her special tribute to The Queen for the Diamond Jubilee. As part of British Food Fortnight, the national celebration of food that The Duchess supports, schools across the country have been invited to create a special menu for The Queen that celebrates the food produced in their part of the country. THE WINNERS In choosing the winners, the Royal Chef looked at the amount of class work and extra-curricula research that schools had done, how they had used local produce, and how the schools planned on incorporating ‘Cook for The Queen’ into their Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The winning schools are: Cape Cornwall School near Penzance, Latimer Arts College near Kettering, St Columba’s Primary School from Oban in Scotland and Eastington Primary School from Gloucestershire. Their menus for The Queen include a wonderful array of dishes drawing upon local produce from their part of the country with a Royal theme: Royal Anchovy Biscuits with Asparagus Spears, King Charles II Syllabub, Beefeater’s Delight (Duchess potatoes with horseradish and Gloucester beef), Will’s Spot of Windsor (Gloucester Old Spot pork on a courgette and potato rosti with Windsor apple sauce), Harry’s Hungry Hunt (Wood pigeon skewers served with spiced beetroot and pomegranate molasses chutney), Luv’lee Jub’lee Bub’lee (elderflower, strawberry and champagne soup), Lavender Shortbread (because The Queen looks lovely in lavender), Figs with Argyll Ham and Isle of Mull Blue Cheese, Dainty Elizabeth (sage and onion scone nesting on a bird with a fanned turkey meat tail, a quail’s

Cape Cornwall School, Cornwall

As part of their Cook for The Queen entry the school researched seasonal food and examples of dishes that had royal links. They contacted Head Chef at The Gurnards for advice on suitability of designs. The pupils then created 18 canapés, reasoning why each dish was chosen - for instance King Charles II Syllabub with Polgoon Wine was picked as King Charles II was so fond of Syllabub he ordered his servants to keep cows in nearby St. James’s Park. The menus were created using ingredients donated from local suppliers. The pupils spent four weeks developing and trialling their menu which concluded in a tasting session, which parents and teachers were invited to. The school’s Cape’s Jubilee Jamboree menu includes Leek, saffron and crab pasty, Grilled Cornish scallops with tomato, garlic and basil, Royal anchovy biscuits with poached asparagus spears and hollandaise sauce, King Charles II Syllabub with Polgoon wine, Commonwealth chocolate mousse and Ginger basket with tri-colour ice cream. See the next page for the other winning schools menus.

In choosing the winners, the Royal Chef looked at the amount of class work and extra-curricula research that schools had done, how they had used local produce, and how the schools planned on incorporating ‘Cook for The Queen’ into their Diamond Jubilee celebrations. egg body and a carved tomato head and beak), Diamond Slippers (petite Genoese cake and sugar paste slippers, studded with E & R in edible diamonds) and Golden Carriages (filo pastry carriages, filled with diced apricots, pistachios and honey). Commenting on the quality of the entries, Alexia Robinson, organiser of the competition, said: “We are hugely impressed by the very high standard of the menus that schools have created for Her Majesty.

Professional chefs across the country wanting to offer Diamond Jubilee menus in their pubs, hotels and restaurants could draw inspiration from what the children have come up with. Everyone involved is looking forward to seeing the children’s menus prepared for The Queen and it is great that the children are coming to Buckingham Palace to help.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.lovebritishfood.co.uk

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YOU EnHAnCE THEIR LIVES. SOPRAnO WILL EnHAnCE YOUR FInAnCES.

Great education, inspiration and leadership aren’t cheap. Academies and schools like yours need to be able to spend their money effectively, without waste. That’s where Soprano can help. It’s a complete ‘purchase to pay’ procurement solution that gives full financial control and visibility over all aspects of expenditure. Importantly, Soprano integrates directly with your existing finance systems, delivering real savings through informed purchasing and simpler, more efficient administration. Soprano is already changing academies for the better. Learn more at www.sopranosolutions.com/academies or call 020 7345 5140. Soprano Solutions, Docklands Business Centre, London E14 8PX. sales@sopranosolutions.com

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CATERING

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Eastington Primary School, Gloucestershire The school researched local regional produce, incorporating their findings within their menu and giving it a creative spin with a Royal theme. The pupils included diamond shaped dishes to reflect the Diamond Jubilee. They also planted 60 donated jubilee strawberry plants from the local garden centre. They then held a judging event at school which was attended by 60 people including local producers and suppliers to try out the 12 canapés. The school’s Diamond Standard menu includes Camilla’s Cucumber Crowns filled with Wye salmon smoked over tea, Beefeater’s Delight - Duchess potatoes with seasonal horseradish and Gloucester beef, Will’s Spot of Windsor - Gloucester Old Spot shredded belly pork served on a courgette and potato rosti with Windsor apple sauce, and Harry’s Hungry Hunt - wood pigeon skewers served with spiced beetroot and pomegranate molasses chutney.

Latimer Arts College, Northamptonshire The school started their Cook for The Queen menu by working and talking to local farmers and butchers. The pupils then designed and sketched their dishes on paper before cooking them. Once the first cooking session was complete the students then tasted and adapted recipes to make their menu ‘Fit for The Queen’. They created new dishes, named after The Queen. The school’s Queen Elizabeth’s Northamptonshire Delights menu includes Elizabeth Fans - Crisp, fan-shaped filo shell with cheese quiche filling, baby asparagus and cherry tomato bow, Bejewelled Northamptonshire Venison Chipolatas - A Northamptonshire Venison Chipolata garnished and roasted with fresh redcurrants, Jubilee Jelly Bonnets - Raspberry coulis jelly on a meringue base with edible flower and golden ribbon around the brim, and Diamond Slippers - Petite Genoese cake and sugar paste slippers, studded with edible diamonds in the letterforms of E&R.

St Columba’s Primary School, Scotland Year 7 researched the history of royal food and banquets as far back as 1066. The pupils then visited the Scottish Seafood exhibition and liaised with local businesses such as the Inverawe Smokehouse, Oban Chocolate Shop and Manor House Hotel. The children thought that shortbread, though a well-loved Scottish recipe, is ‘too plain’ for the Queen. One of the pupils thought the Queen always looked pretty in lavender so they contacted The Kitchen Garden and sourced edible lavender which the pupils used to produce a shortbread fit for The Queen. The school’s Dazzling Diamond Jubilee Celebration menu includes Haggis, Beetroot and Red Onion Parcels, Mackerel Pate with Scottish Porridge Oatcakes, MacCaigs Tower Tablet Cheesecake (which is decorated to look like McCaig’s Tower), Lavender Shortbread with Cream and Blae’berries and, as an after dinner treat, Gaelic Coffee with Oban Chocolate Shop Chocolates.

Gladstone – so much more than cashless catering Gladstone Education is a young and innovative software company specialising in developing powerful yet easy to use software that reduces the administrative burden on both teachers and school managers. This saves them valuable time and cuts down on the cost associated with the duplication of effort and resources and complex financial transactions. Based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Gladstone

Education software is used by primary and secondary schools, academies, independent schools, special schools and further and higher education establishments. Gladstone Education is also a key supplier to the UK government’s Academy Build Programme. More than 55 per cent of all UK local authorities currently use software supplied by Gladstone.

An expansion of the catering system allows the use of multiple cost centres and varied account types. It offers the modern facility the ability to retail and market goods and services outside of the normal scope. The system has already been adopted in academies - for breakfast, uniform, stationery, print, library & school clubs. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01491 20 10 10 info@gladstone-education.com www.gladstone-education.com

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STAKEHOLDER INSIGHT

RESEARCH FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING

Using reliable market research can provide insights that you can’t get any other way. The Market Research Society looks at choice and competition in education, and explains how schools can benefit from the services offered by its members The schools system in the UK has undergone rapid change with the advent of the coalition government; the creation of free schools and the growing support for academies are just some of the big initiatives. Funding is an issue across the board, and academies are seen by many as an increasingly attractive alternative to the traditional model, whether they are sponsored academies, or converted local authority schools. The futures and expectations of the country’s school leavers are also changing. With a university education now seen to be financially out of reach for some students, particularly if they live away from home,

schools are adapting the advice that pupils receive on what next steps they should take. “The focus, both in schools and universities, is on two things – value for money and employability,” says David Smith, director at DVL Smith, a full-service research agency and MRS Company Partner. “We are experts at education research and we know that our clients have massive pressures on their budgets and very little flexibility. However, using reliable research provides insights that you just wouldn’t get any other way. It gives you an expert professional team that knows the sector inside out, delivering accurate findings and offering an independent view. With research you can find out whether you are spending the right money in the right area, and understand your stakeholders.” PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Good research is only available from professionals. Vanella Jackson, chairman of the Market Research Society (MRS), explains: “Accredited suppliers offer you a guaranteed deliverable; timely, efficient and accurate research which has been conducted fairly and

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ethically, and gives you valuable insights.” Market and social research is often thought of as online or face-to-face clipboard surveys, but as David Smith, an MRS Fellow and former chairman describes, there are many more options available: “Qualitative research can give you great results; not everything is high cost. This might include an audit of existing sources and some telephone interviews, for example. Doing this with a research supplier, rather than handling it internally, means you get efficient results, from a team with an objective view of the situation.” There are broadly two kinds of research methodologies used, qualitative and quantitative, and each serves its purpose. A good researcher will know which methodology to use, in what way and to what scale in order to best address a client’s business issue. QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE? Both have different sample sizes – qualitative is typically small sample research, while quantitative uses large amounts of data. Qualitative research could involve evaluation of teaching tools using a small sample to create improved products, or sensitive research with small hard-to-reach groups who would not normally respond to traditional research methods such as surveys or telephone interviews. On the other hand, quantitative research involves big sample sizes, such as the National Student Survey, and covers larger-scale issues where an understanding of the views of a large number of people is important. To take the example of new school models, such as academies, a mixture of research E

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E types can give the clearest picture when looking at everything from motivations for becoming an academy, to the impact of changing the curriculum, budgets and the length of a school day. All are common issues and concerns among education authorities, governors, staff and parents when the decision to move to academy status is being made. RULES AND GUIDELINES MRS upholds a number of rules and guidelines to ensure good practice across sectors. Professionals that are MRS members and organisations that are MRS Company Partners have to abide by the MRS Code of Conduct, which provides a step by step guide to effective, fair and ethical research. The MRS Code of Conduct, together with relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act of 1998, provides a strict professional set of legal and ethical parameters that ensure research is conducted properly. When these legal and ethical rules and guidelines are met, research can provide an unparalleled insight into the thoughts and opinions of customers and audiences that can redefine the way decisions are made. The MRS website should be your first port of call for finding a good research organisation. The site includes A Newcomer’s Guide to Market Research, as well as the annually updated Research Buyer’s Guide, which lists MRS Company Partners and organisations along with MRS members, their contact details, geographic area and industry specialisms. All organisations and individuals listed in the Research Buyer’s Guide are committed to adhering to the MRS Code of Conduct. Reform in education seems set to continue and with so many stakeholders affected it will be important for education providers – whether local authorities or academy companies – to understand the impact it may have. In a time of change, research can provide robust evidence to aid decision-making and provide insights into future impacts. CASE STUDY Qualitative research by EdComs helped the Co-operative Group to understand the impact of their work with academies and trust schools across the UK and shape their future education strategy. The Co-operative movement has been involved in education for many years with the aim of promoting co-operative values and improving the life chances of children and young people. Over the past ten years the Co-operative Group, alongside the Cooperative College and the Co-operative Education Trust Scotland, has supported over 100 schools in becoming Co-operative Trust schools and Co-operative Academies. In light of the recent and wide ranging changes within the education sector, the Co-operative Group sought to understand the practices, values and impacts of

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The futures and expectations of school leavers are changing. With University now seen as out of reach for some pupils, schools are adapting the advice on what next steps they should take.

different models of school governance and engagement to inform the development of a sustainable, impactful model of future activity within education. Taking stock following a period in which the Co-operative school network had expanded rapidly was felt to be critical in understanding what was working and for whom. The educational research consultancy EdComs, an MRS Company Partner, was commissioned in 2010 to provide research and consultancy support to assist strategy development. Qualitative research was undertaken with senior stakeholders across the Co-operative movement in order to understand their vision for both the Cooperative Group and the wider co-operative movement’s engagement in education. The findings of this research were looked at alongside a review of existing strategies and monitoring data, in order to outline delivery models and identified impacts. UNDERSTANDING ENGAGEMENT Having developed a stronger understanding of the background context, telephone interviews were undertaken with school and local authority representatives from across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to gain insights around schools’ motivations for engaging with the Cooperative, as well as views on the support received, perceived impacts, challenges experienced and future support needed. In order to provide the Co-operative Group with more holistic and illustrative examples of cooperative values in action

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within the different school governance models, case studies were conducted in which researchers visited schools to talk to students, teachers, school governors, parents and partners. This enabled EdComs to develop engaging, school-specific case studies which highlighted the wide-range of impacts on students, schools and local communities. EdComs worked closely with both the Co-operative Group and the wider Cooperative stakeholders in developing the research approach and in the dissemination of the research findings. This relationship enabled EdComs to deliver actionable findings, alongside consultancy support, directly informing the Co-operative Group Education Strategy. “Understanding the impact the Co-operative Group and its education partners has made in our schools has been key to developing our future strategy. We needed an organisation that could work with our complex networks, had a strong empathy with our values and understood the education sector, Edcoms were therefore a perfect fit. The research has helped us identify the key areas where we need to change direction, areas of success and areas where we could add value with our schools. It has been a highly valuable process and I believe our new strategy is stronger and has greater clarity of purpose thanks to the research,” said Mags Bradbury, national projects manager, The Co-operative. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.mrs.org.uk www.theresearchbuyersguide.com

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EDUCATION BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

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ENTRY OPEN FOR 2012 EB AWARDS Now in its eighth year, the Education Business Awards will again take place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on the 6th December, and will continue to recognise examples of excellence in the education sector. BBC newsreader Gavin Esler will present the 2012 event The 2012 Education Business Awards, to be held on the 6th December at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, will present awards in 20 different categories, focusing on facilities, specialisms and innovation. Entry is open to primary and secondary Schools from all sectors. This year’s event will be presented by award winning television and radio broadcaster Gavin Esler. He is currently one of the three main presenters on BBC2’s Newsnight, the main presenter on Dateline London on BBC World and the BBC News Channel. Despite cutbacks, investment in education over the last decade has delivered real change, with thousands of pupils now being taught in new or improved facilities. Although some parts of the country were affected by the cancellation of Building Schools for the Future projects, more refurbishments and new builds are planned in to be completed in 2012.

Since the Coalition government came to power in 2010 and offered greater financial incentive, there has been an explosion in the academy sector, where schools enjoy more autonomy and greater flexibility with regards to budgeting and procurement. Over 80 schools from across the UK were rewarded for their achievements at the 2011 Education Business Awards, held last November in London. Presented by Moira Stuart, the Awards recognised successful schools and projects that demonstrate how the dedication of teaching and management staff, coupled with sound investment, have delivered better learning environments. Entry is open to Primary and Secondary Schools from all sectors. Now in its eighth year, the Education Business Awards is supported by the British Educational Suppliers Association, nasen and NAACE. As well as coverage in The Independent Newspaper, the event is promoted through leading magazine Education Business, published six times a year. The event is attended by representatives from the educational organisations which have been shortlisted for each award, who are treated to a champgne drinks reception, foloo9wed by a fiur course lunch before their award category winners are revealed. E

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EDUCATION BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

E Those attending are be able to network with fellow professionals and discuss projects, best practice and other ideas that have come to fruition to make their school stand out. The Education Business Awards is free to enter, and free to attend for shortlisted schools. The Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, has been home to the event since the year after it launched in 2006, and provides a superb venue that is easily reached by public transport and, as several of last years shortlisted schools remarked: “The food was excellent!” THE AWARDS The Outstanding Progress Award for Independent Schools is sponsored by Espresso Education and Channel 4 Learning, and presented for outstanding progress in the management of facilities, finances and human resources. The 2011 Award went to St Joseph’s School in Cornwall, which also recently received the Independent Schools Association (ISA) Award for Excellence. From top exam results and sporting prowess to national music and ballet success, alongside community fundraising, which pupils have organised over the past two years, the school is increasingly sought after. With a substantial increase in pupil numbers, the school’s continued commitment to maintaining small classes remains a bedrock priority. St Joseph’s combines broad, challenging, quality education with excellent pastoral care and extra-curricular opportunities. High in self-esteem, pupils respect others and their school environment, underlining the school’s aim to provide ‘a firm foundation for life’. The Outstanding Progress Award for Secondary schools, sponsored by NEC Display Solutions, went to Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC), which made another leap in GCSE results, achieving 80 percent fiveplus A*-C grades, including English and Mathematics. That took them from 27 percent in 2007 and on to 57 percent in 2010. Each

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Since the Coalition government came to power in 2010 and offered greater financial incentive, there has been an explosion in the academy sector, where schools enjoy more autonomy and greater flexibility with regards to budgeting and procurement. has been a tremendous jump. Much of that has been guided through strong, long-term management, carefully targeted resources and high retention of committed teachers. Creating a tightly structured environment and staff development programme, assisted by Teach First, BGTC transformed other schools’ excluded students and created a new culture of expectation. They have received approval for Academy status. SEN AWARDS The SEN Inclusion Award, sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs, is presented to the UK Mainstream School that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs. Last years winner, Baxter College in Worcestershire has relentlessly reshaped itself and directed its educational principles to eradicating the ‘crisis school’ image that arose in a ward considered the seventh most deprived in England. Baxter College’s equal opportunities, attitudes and values, cohesive school life, curriculum flexibility and proactive community perspectives, have a critical impact: from personalised ‘hot lesson’ learning, mentoring and hardship funding to external, assisting partnership groups recognised as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Such is the resolve and creative teaching expertise the school also runs nurturing sessions for five local primaries. That is testimony enough to both their emerging

worldly learning vision and their desire to catch every pupil ‘doing something good’. Also sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs, the SEN Provision Award is for a UK SEN establishment that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to its students. James Brindley School in Birmingham picked up the 2011 Award. As a result of the outstanding care, guidance and support, the school provides its students, pupils’ medical barriers to learning are successfully overcome. Parents readily explain their view of the exceptional assistance they gain in helping them understand and manage their children’s needs, especially when children are returning to mainstream schools or are moving to the next stage of their education. Where pupils spend extensive periods of time at the school, targetsetting is used effectively in promoting their personal, social and academic development. Thorough monitoring systems track the work of the school, and assessment data accurately targets where further improvements are due. EDUCATIONAL VISITS The Educational Visits Award, sponsored by WST Travel, recognises an educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to providing students with a range of subject specific educational visits in order to further their learning experience. South Bromsgrove High School, Worcester, won it last year, and has operated the E

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EDUCATION BUSINESS AWARDS 2012 E Duke of Edinburgh Award for over 25 years. The scheme’s success led to them becoming the largest school-based centre for the Award in the country, with over 500 students taking part annually. Volunteering, physical activity, skills, and an expedition form the core programme leading through to the Gold Award. Planning is considerable, typically involving around 240 students, and completion rates are high. The Gold Award is available to Sixth Form students and is seen as a pinnacle of achievement. From practice camp they walk for four days carrying packs and provisions, and camping at sites they nominated in their planning. Students gain increased confidence, self-esteem; develop group skills including leadership, practical knowledge, camp craft and navigational skills. The Sports Award, sponsored by Collinson is presented to the educational establishment that can demonstrate an outstanding committment to developing the sporting skills of its students through the provision of first class facilities and coaching programmes. In 2011 it went to The Oratory School in South Oxfordshire, which promotes a ‘sport for all’ ethos. The school is recognised for students’ exceptional abilities and their dedication to sport with the expertise and commitment of staff and parental support winning through. Sporting excellence acknowledged the school’s inclusive approach. Pupils at Oratory School reach out to pupils from around the Thames Valley and beyond, bringing together young people from different countries enriching their experiences. That degree of achievement owes much to the coaching capabilities of expert sports professionals who provide training focus. Intensively used and refurbished used sports facilities reveal their strength: an indoor heated pool, indoor soccer and basketball, squash courts, indoor cricket and gymnasium. SCIENCE Awarded to the educational establishment that has excelled in the provision of a first class environment for teaching science subjects including biology, chemistry and physics, The Science Award, sponsored by Lab Systems Furniture, was picked up by Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham. For the second successive year, Pate’s students led and won the UK Space Settlement Design Competition national final, which means they will represent the UK in the international final to be held at NASA in Houston, Texas. So it is just as well two of the 10 science labs have been extensively refurbished. Pate’s Science Department run Science Festival events for both visiting students and the school’s younger students, showcasing achievement. In Science and Engineering week – from bridge building to rat dissection – science thereby becomes more popular and engaging. That limitless attainment ethos is taking the Physics Department to Cern in Switzerland, to discover the excitement of fundamental research and to take a look behind the scenes of the

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Now in its eighth year, the Education Business Awards is supported by the British Educational Suppliers Association, nasen and NAACE. As well as coverage in The Independent Newspaper, the event is promoted through Education Business.

Vic Goddard (centre), principal, Passmores Academy, picks up the Outstanding Teacher Award (Secondary) from Moira Stewart and Eteach CEO Paul Howells

world’s largest particle physics laboratory. The School Recruitment Award, sponsored by Eteach, recognises an educational establishment which has invested in its recruitment methods and processes to ensure a timely intake of appropriate teaching and support staff. This went to the James Brindley School in Birmingham. When the new management team were recruited to James Brindley School in 2007/8 the school was already considered outstanding. The challenge was to retain that outstanding badge by improving on its previous best to become, in effect, ‘outstanding plus’. Implementing a new recruitment strategy, they were awarded Outstanding Special Schools in 2010. Every applicant is seen teaching, they are shortlisted, observed in the candidates’ home school environment and, most importantly, in their relationship with pupils and colleagues. Once satisfied, their skills and ideas for adapting current knowledge are examined. A pupil panel, with support, astutely formulates questions and is encouraged to explore answers further if they do not understand when deciding on a preferred candidate. L

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FURTHER INFORMATION The 2012 Education Business Awards takes place on 6th December at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. It is free to enter and free to attend for shortlisted schools. For details, visit www.ebawards.co.uk

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Your Move

CeM: • Holds contracts with state-funded schools, academies and independent schools in over 40 countries across the world • Assesses over one million students each year • H as provided objective, independent data to teaching professionals and authorities for 28 years CEM offers computer-adaptive assessments developed through scientific and evidence-based research for students from primary through to post-16 education.

Benefits of computer-adaptive assessments: • Caters equally well for high or low abilities • Each pupil’s assessment is unique with questions at an appropriate level • P rompt feedback is available via our secure websites from our baseline computeradaptive assessments, typically within two hours of receiving your students’ results files • S tudents can be tested in small groups (even individually), with absentees and late joiners added after the main testing window

“The online process for doing the test is fantastic. It was easy to administer and the results are available really fast. To cap it all a large number of the students told us that they really enjoyed the test.” Andrew Stevens, Hampshire For more information about our systems please visit: www.cemcentre.org or email: marc.brackenbury@cem.dur.ac.uk

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Professor Robert Coe, director of the Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring, part of Durham University, investigates the value of assessment and monitoring solutions in education The Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring (CEM), part of Durham University, is one of the largest independent providers of educational monitoring systems in the world. CEM, a not-for-profit organisation, provides nurseries, schools, academies and colleges with objective, independent data to help all students achieve their potential. CEM is the largest provider of computeradaptive assessments outside the United States with over 70 per cent of users opting for secure, efficient computer-adaptive assessments. The organisation offers a suite of information systems which are designed using its evidence based research to meet the needs of everyone involved in education, and currently assess the progress of over a million students in the UK and internationally each year. IMPROVING EDUCATION At the heart of all our activity is the fundamental aim to improve teaching and learning across society today and tomorrow. This approach has driven the organisation for over 25 years to ensure that it adapts its systems, assessment methodology and reporting systems to provide evidence based results to teaching professionals which can be shared with pupils, parents and management teams in addition to supporting inspections and accreditation procedures. CEM’s systems provide objective, independent, nationally (and internationally) standardised data to support as well as challenge professional judgement. While this often substantiate what teaching professionals already know about their students’ capabilities, it will frequently add detail on their potential and their progress in core subjects – information that is not easily obtained through daily class interactions alone. HOW CAN ASSESSMENTS HELP? CEM’s assessments provide raw and standardised scores in core areas of the curriculum through the use of computer based assessments, covering everything from early maths, reading and phonological awareness for primary pupils to maths, vocabulary, non-verbal and additional skills for secondary pupils. CEM systems provide schools with feedback

that shows value-added measures at the student and subject level, along with facilities to enable on-course tracking, allowing the school to monitor student progress or measure the effectiveness of various interventions. MOVING FORWARD CEM is committed to the continual development of its systems in which computer adaptive tests form a key element. Advantages of using CEM’s computer-adaptive assessments are numerous. For example, baseline assessments adapt to the ability of each student, providing a tailored and more enjoyable assessment experience. Prompt feedback is available from the majority of its baseline assessments typically within two hours of your students’ results being received. Feedback is accessed via secure websites,

OTHER SERVICES CEM P scales is a proven system for monitoring the attainments and progress of pupils with special educational needs in special schools, mainstream schools or specialist units. With a database of over a quarter of a million pupils collected from more than 1,000 schools, the system offers a robust means for pupil and wholeschool evaluation. The feedback allows comparison of pupils’ attainment and progress, providing invaluable information for setting improvement targets and preparing for Ofsted inspections. This year P scales has been further developed to include the introduction of sublevel descriptors for English, Mathematics, Science and ICT to enable the system to detect the very small progress made by

CEM has a history of developing relationships and working with schools and authorities, helping to ensure the changing requirements of education establishments are met. enabling the easy management of a school’s data wherever you are, whenever you want. CEM’s systems offer flexibility – students can be tested in small groups (even individually), with absentees and late joiners added after the main testing window, and early testing is available. WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC SECTOR CEM has a history of developing relationships and working with schools and authorities, helping to ensure the changing requirements of education establishments are met. Fife Council has been using CEM assessments for the last ten years. The success of the relationship was summed up by Ken Greer, executive director of education for Fife Council, who stated: “We don’t want assessments that don’t support learning. We want to promote improvements in learning, teaching and schools’ performance. The assessments provided by CEM enable our schools to achieve this aim.”

pupils with special educational needs. CEM also creates specialist diagnostic and entrance assessments which are bespoke to the organisations it works with. What’s more, CEM is the largest UK University based educational research unit and publishes a range of papers and reports. It houses one of the largest educational data banks in the UK containing over two decades of information. It provides specialist research and evaluation services to the public, education and private sectors and government bodies. Finally, CEM delivers a programme of specialist school/college monitoring and assessment training linked to its systems and research in local venues for teachers and authority representatives, and hosts a range of training courses domestically and internationally. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.cem.org

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