Education Business 20.8 by PSI Media

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VOLUME 20.8

Business Information for Education Decision Makers DESIGN & BUILD

FURNITURE

IT & COMPUTING

ERGONOMIC THINKING Supporting health and concentration

SCHOOL SPORT

CATERING

FREE SCHOOL MEALS Evaluating the effectiveness of the School Food Plan PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPING THE RIGHT SKILLS How leaders can encourage teacher development

PLUS: ACADEMIES | SEN | ASSET MANAGEMENT | BETT 2015 | SALTEX 2015

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VOLUME 20.8

Business Information for Education Decision Makers DESIGN & BUILD

IT & COMPUTING

FURNITURE

ERGONOMIC THINKING Supporting health and concentration

SCHOOL SPORT

CATERING

FREE SCHOOL MEALS Evaluating the effectiveness of the School Food Plan

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Comment

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Are free school meals past their sell-by date? Much of the news recently has centred around speculation regarding the future of free school meals amid the upcoming Spending Review.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPING THE RIGHT SKILLS How leaders can encourage teacher development

PLUS: ACADEMIES | SEN | ASSET MANAGEMENT | BETT 2015 | SALTEX 2015

Despite the Liberal Democrat’s success in passing through free infant school meals last September, it has never been clear whether it has Conservative support. It is clear however, that support for the programme is as strong as ever, with Jamie Oliver, new Labour Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell and new Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron providing timely backing. Barron said: “We are really proud of the efforts schools have made to ensure children get the healthy meals they need. In many cases this has seen investment in new facilities and new staff. The Tories are now going to completely undermine all this progress and, as a result, demoralise school children, their parents and their teachers.” George Osborne’s November Spending Review will reveal whether free school meals will remain on the menu or not. Read more about the future of free school meals on page 41. Elsewhere, Robert Clack School in Barking and Dagenham could be asked by its local council to expand to a 16-form entry system, increasing its roll to 2,500 pupils. It is clear that pupil place planning will be very much in the education spotlight over the next few years. With the potential for 2,500 students, that would be a lot of mouths to feed... Michael Lyons, acting editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Education Business magazine for £250 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Education Business website at:

www.educationbusinessuk.net PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITOR Angela Pisanu ACTING EDITOR Michael Lyons PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Gooding ASSISTANT EDITOR Tommy Newell PRODUCTION CONTROL Jacqueline Lawford, Jo Golding WEBSITE PRODUCTION Reiss Malone ADVERTISEMENT SALES Patrick Dunne, Jackie Preece, Raj Chohan, Jake Deadman, Joanne Burns PUBLISHER Karen Hopps ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Vickie Hopkins REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

© 2015 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1474 0133

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Your pupils have no limits...

...why should your Internet connection?

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CONTENTS EDUCATION BUSINESS 20.8 25

07 EDUCATION BRIEFER

61 E-SAFETY

17 PROCUREMENT

64 ASSET MANAGEMENT

Free school meals for infants under threat; examiner shortage means papers could be marked overseas, TES reports

Education Business analyses the Department for Education’s Effective buying for your school guidance

21 ACADEMIES

The Educational Funding Agency’s Financial Handbook for Academies focuses on the financial requirements for academies for the upcoming academic year

25 DESIGN & BUILD

When the 2015/2016 academic year started this September, thousands of school children across the country stepped foot inside new school buildings for the first time

31 FURNITURE 51

What schools should consider when purchasing classroom furniture

35 NASBM CONFERENCE

Join other business management professionals for the launch of the national professional standards at the NASBM National Conference, taking place on the 18-19 November 2015

41 CATERING

Education Business revisits how effective the School Food Plan has been in improving the quality of food in English schools

47 BETT 2016

The world’s leading learning technology event returns to London’s Excel Centre on 20-23 January 2016

51 IT & COMPUTING: IT EQUIPMENT 86

Caroline Wright, director general designate of BESA, shares advice to help schools extend the life of computers

57 IT & COMPUTING: REFURBISHED PRODUCTS

Opting for refurbished products doesn’t necessarily mean compromising performance. Bill Champness looks to dispel the myths surrounding refurbished IT equipment

Education Business

Contents

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Drew Buddie, chair of Naace discusses the importance of protecting and managing students’ data effectively Effective asset management is becoming a vital tool to sustain high quality education. Navil Shetty, Andy Green and Terry Stocks of the Institute of Asset Management, offer recommendations for asset management in schools

66 EDUTEK 2015

Taking place over three days, Education and Training Exhibition Kuwait is the event aiming to bridge the gap between the increasing demand for quality education and the present options available

69 EDUCATION ESTATES 2015

Covering the primary, secondary and higher education sectors, Education Estates takes place on the 10-11 November at Manchester Central

72 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Recent reports have called on schools to engage in a national commitment to develop holistic approaches to mental health and wellbeing. nasen’s Jane Friswell examines the guidance and offers advice to schools

75 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Encouraging teacher development can be a key factor in running an effective leadership system within schools

79 SALTEX 2015

The UK’s national event for grounds care, sports, amenities, estates and green space management moves to the halls of the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 November

86 SPORT: UK ACTIVE

Primary schools took part in National Fitness Day by running a wide range of activities designed to get pupils more active

89 SPORT: SPORT ENGLAND Opening up school sports facilities to the community can deliver health benefits locally while also creating a valuable source of income

www.educationbusinessuk.net Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

in yw El g’s 15 in 20 , K ds ET ar N w va A Ri ility ith c w Fa g T in IC er e rtn th Pa

education technology specialists

s King’s Ely gaining a repu is quickly trailblazer whe tation as a n the use of ICT it comes to , de medieval build spite its ings. Education Busin ess Awards, 20 15

In just 18 months, RivaNET delivered award winning technology to enable staff and students to work

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Students are now actively encouraged to bring in their own personal devices to use on the school network, enabling access to resources quickly and easily over a safe and secure connection. By commissioning a Strategic RivaNET Site Audit Roadmap early on, the historic bottlenecks were identified and upgrades implemented in a fully budgeted and phased approach.

It’s great to receive an award that confirms our place as an organisation that may be 1000 years old but uses C21st tech to enable fast, reliable IT. The added bonus of trouble-free connectivity is that it frees up our technical team to be more available to support academic development. Of course, the big danger, with all this celebration, is that people will think we’ve reached the end of the road. Neither in tech nor in education, does such a place exist! Sue Freestone, Principal, King’s Ely

To arrange for RivaNET to carry out a Strategic Site Audit please contact us on 0330 555 5550 or email enquiries@rivanet.co.uk.

First 100 enquiries receive a FREE copy of

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EXAMS

CATERING

Higher maths exam was too hard, SQA chief admits

Free school meals for infants under threat Free school meals are reportedly at risk of being scrapped as a result of George Osborne’s November spending review. The ‘Universal Infant Free School Meals’ programme (UIFSM) is a scheme that launched in 2014 and is aimed at children in reception, year 1 and year 2. The UIFSM is estimated to save parents of four to seven year olds around £400 per year. However, the project’s initial proposal was criticised by various education centres who denounced the financial costs involved in installing the necessary kitchen facilities to support the strategy. Nonetheless, after all the money and time invested in implementing the programme, it is understandable that teachers would prefer to keep the system in place. Many campaigners are refuting the threat to scrap free school dinners, including healthy

school-meal-pioneer Jamie Oliver and Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron. Farron maintains that removing the initiative is not only ‘damaging to children’ but ‘an insult to our schools’. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver agrees it would be a ‘disaster’ if the cuts were executed. While the initiative has for the most part, been a success, the strategy is roughly calculated to rack up around £800m per year. As voiced by Jonathan Simons, Head of Education at Policy Exchange, maintaining the UIFSM programme is not merely questioning the necessity of issuing free lunches to all pupils (regardless of wealth) but also realistically considering the question of value for money. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/onccge4

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The Scottish Qualifications Authority chief executive as admitted that the Higher maths exam was ‘too hard’. Janet Brown made the admission to MSPs during an evidence session to members of the education committee. After the exam in May, thousands of students complained about the difficulty of the test, taking to social media to air their frustrations. Schools in Scotland were given the option of introducing the new Higher or keeping with the old qualification, with the nationwide roll out of the new Higher introduced this September. The new Highers were designed to fit in with broader changes in education in recent years, but the difficulty of the exam led to huge reductions in grade boundaries, with students needing just 34 per cent to pass and 60 per cent for an A grade. Brown explained to the committee that while it was too hard, the adjusted grade boundaries meant that pupils were still awarded the grade they deserved. She said: “We identified that it was harder than we anticipated it being, but we were also able to understand that it had actually done its job in terms of differentiating between candidates who were able to perform very well and candidates who were able to achieve a pass. “That allowed us therefore to change the grade boundaries... to make the qualification a robust qualification and to allow us to give the candidates the grades that they required.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/pass257

EXAMS

Examiner shortage means papers TEACHING could be marked overseas, TES reports Inquiry into TES reports that a shortage of available examiners means that British pupils may have their GCSE papers marked abroad. The option is being considered by the exam board OCR, who could enlist markers from countries such as Spain and South Africa. The use of overseas markers could raise concerns, as they may not be familiar with the syllabus. However, OCR maintains that, if this option did become reality, any overseas marker would be ’adaptable and qualified teachers with good subject knowledge’. The use of overseas markers is not unheard of, with OCR’s sister board, Cambridge International Examination (CIE), already using overseas markers from New Zealand, South Africa and Spain to mark the IGCSE qualification. Exam boards are struggling with the rise in demand for markers. This has been aggravated by a shift towards linear,

end-of-year exams which has caused a significant increase in the number of scripts submitted for marking each year. CIE’s chief executive Michael O’Sullivan, also chairing the Cambridge Assessment ‘examiner task force’, said that overseas examiners would have to go through the same rigorous checks as domestic markers.

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In new official guidance, school regulatory body Ofsted has warned schools to be cautious of employing school improvement consultants who claim to be ‘Ofsted Inspectors’ (OIs). It is becoming more common practise for schools to employ consultants to carry out mock inspections ahead of official Ofsted inspections, and the regulatory body has taken steps to clamp down on this practice. While the guidance admits it cannot tell head teachers how to spend their money, it urges caution in recruiting anyone claiming to be an OI, as legitimate inspectors are now prohibited from using the title of inspector outside of official Ofsted business and are prohibited from carrying out mock inspections. The guidance reads: “Ofsted cannot prevent self-employed individuals (as some of our OIs will be) from legitimately obtaining other work. However, our contracts with OIs restricts them from calling themselves Ofsted Inspectors when doing anything other than inspection activity for us. As such, we advise schools to exercise caution in recruiting any consultants who describe themselves as Ofsted Inspectors. OIs are strictly prohibited from carrying out so-called ‘mocksteds’.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/obwt7ke

East London school could become biggest in country to deal with pupil place crisis An East London school could become the biggest in the country as proposals are drawn up to help ease the current pupil place crisis. Robert Clack School in Barking and Dagenham could be asked by the local council to expand to a 16-form entry system, increasing its roll to 2,500. The mixed comprehensive currently has 1,900 pupils and specialises in science. Barking and Dagenham is one of 11 London councils that face high increases in secondary school demand and has experienced the biggest growth in London in the number of children aged up to four. If the proposal is agreed, Robert Clack school would overtake the current biggest post 11 school in England, which is Ashfield Comprehensive in Nottinghamshire, with 2,492 pupils. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/puwmkd3

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ACADEMIES

Academy conversion is costing councils up to £30m, BBC suggests A BBC investigation has revealed that the conversion of schools to academies has resulted in councils owing a potential £30 million in debt. Local authorities are being forced to clear the debts by using up their government education grants. The Department for Education said that since debts were accumulated while the schools were under council control, the debts should be paid by the council. However, the Local Government Association has exposed that this inheritance of debt means that vital funding has been revoked for schools not involved in the scheme. The BBC recovered the data by submitting a freedom of information request to all local authorities in England. The inquiry revealed that £32.5 million has been spent to clear the debts accumulated as a result of the Academies Act, 2010. The initiative instructs that, when council‑maintained schools choose to convert, their respective local authorities are responsible for any funds that are incurred, including legal fees. David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government

Association’s children and young people board, said: “It is not fair that some schools are burdened with a deficit while other schools can walk away and leave that debt behind at the detriment of other schools in the community. “It is not right that the taxpayer foots the bill. This money could instead be spent in ways which directly benefits pupils.” In 2012, education chiefs in Birmingham declined to writing off the £1.3 million owed by schools converting to academies. Following this, in 2013 there were fears that Birmingham’s school budget could run out if the scheme continued. A spokesman for the Birmingham City Council said: “All of Birmingham’s children must benefit from any changes to the education system, so we need the government to make changes to enable this to happen so school and council budgets, that are already stretched, are not strained even further.” Councillor John Jones, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for school improvement, said that the expectation for councils to simply write of conversion debts was “extremely frustrating”.

Local authorities paid off debts by using the Dedicated Schools Grant, the main source of income supplied by the government to support the school budget. A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Councils are only required to cover a school’s deficit when it has become a sponsored academy after a prolonged period of under-performance, and the deficit was accumulated under council control. “Academies are a vital part of our plan for education and are transforming the education for millions of pupils across the country.” Christine Blower, from the National Union of Teachers (NUT), commented on the inconsistencies caused by the scheme. She said: “This is another example of the financial pressures that the academies policy has brought to bear on local authorities’ education budgets. “As a direct consequence of the academies programme, local authorities have less money to fund and support other schools.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ncefsdw

EXAMS

SCHOOL CRIME

Wilshaw calls for reforms to exam board system

Incidence of crimes within schools rising

Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has called for reforms to the current exam board system, warning that multiple exam boards competing for business from schools has a danger of watering down standards. Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Wilshaw said: “It’s really important that the nation has confidence in the examination system, that it is robust and that our examinations are demanding. “The big issue now is should we have competing boards? My personal view is that there is a real danger of examination boards watering down standards.” Wilshaw suggested that the system needed close monitoring, because when boards compete for business they could be tempted to make tests easier to help pupils get better grades. He put forward the idea of having one exam board for each subject, which he argued would eliminate this competition between boards and provide more consistency of grades.

Reports of school crimes last year has been calculated to have hit 30,000 incidents. Incidents involved a whole host of crimes, with the most common offences being violence and theft. Figures show that across primary, secondary and further education, 13,003 thefts have been recorded, 9,319 reports of violence and 4,106 investigations into criminal damage or arson. In addition, according to data provided by police forces there have been at least 1,502 sex crimes. In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC, police forces found that the Metropolitan, Greater Manchester and the West Midland forces recorded the highest number of crimes. Overall, 30,294 school offences were reported, a significant increase from the figure in 2013, which recorded 28,444 crimes. Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association

He added: “You can bring the best examiners and best markers into one board and that will give you what you what we want more than anything, which is a higher level of consistency in marking and consistency of grade awarding.” Michael Turner, director general of the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, responded to Wilshaw’s comments saying that multiple exam boards offer diversity and encourage innovation. He said: “The diversity of providers gives schools and colleges important choices - choice about what subjects they can offer; choice about content and delivery; and choice about ongoing support and customer service. “It also encourages innovation, investment and improvement. And all this within a regulated framework that means exam boards do not and cannot compete on standards.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/q4bdwtm

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of School and College Leaders advised that while the increase does indeed seem ‘very high’, it equated roughly to one report per school. Trobe said: “Obviously, we would want to be in a situation where there is no crime in school and heads don’t need to call the police,” Mr Trobe said. “School leaders will always use their discretion and try to deal with matters internally, but where someone has clearly broken the law then they will have to call the police.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/p74uxep

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FUTURE YOU LOOK AFTER THEIR

AND WE’LL FOCUS ON YOURS

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POLITICS

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

David Cameron’s bid to teach “The World’s Largest Lesson”

Inquiry launched into impact of mobile phones in classrooms The Department for Education’s Tom Bennett will launch a wide ranging inquiry aimed at improving teacher’s classroom management, which will evaluate the impact of mobile phone in the classroom. The inquiry is part of a major government crackdown on disruptive behaviour and will investigate growing concerns that students are being distracted by mobile devices. There is currently no government policy regarding mobile phone usage in schools, with schools setting restrictions themselves. The inquiry will likely lead to updated advice for teachers to help them cope with 21st century challenges in the classroom. Mr Bennett said: “Technology is transforming society and even classrooms – but all too often we hear of lessons being disrupted by the temptation of the smartphone. Learning is hard work and children are all too aware of this. So when they have a smartphone in their pocket that offers instant entertainment and reward, they can be easily distracted from their work. “This is a 21st century problem and the majority of schools are dealing with it

effectively. But I will now probe deeper into this issue, and behaviour challenges more broadly, to uncover the real extent of the problem and see what we can do to ensure all children focus on their learning.” Announcing the investigation, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “Since 2010 we have given teachers more power to ensure good behaviour in the classroom. But we need to make sure the advice we give to schools and the approaches being used across the country are fit for the 21st century when even primary school pupils may be bringing in phones or tablets. “That is why we have taken the decision to expand Tom Bennett’s review to look at how teachers can tackle bad behaviour. “Whether it is the use of mobile phones in schools or the attitudes of parents to their child’s behaviour in class, we will now probe deeper into behaviour more generally to ensure that no child has to put up with having their education disrupted by misbehaviour.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/pxvpzzs

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is the biggest challenge facing England’s schools, says Wilshaw Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has warned that the biggest challenge facing schools in England is a lack of quality teachers and leaders. Speaking to MPs on 16 September, Wilshaw claimed that too much time is spent debating structures rather than the bigger issue of capacity within the English school system, calling for a debate on how to ensure more good people are brought in. Wilshaw said: “All of our concentration should be not so much about structures, we talk too much about that. The debate should move on to capacity issues.”

He added: “The big debate is needed on how we can ensure we have more good people into the system. That is the big challenge for the country at the moment.” The Ofsted chief also called for inspections at schools that have been judged ‘Outstanding’, as there are still risks when it comes to safeguarding children, making reference to the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ne36gjo

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David Cameron released a message on Vimeo encouraging students and pupils to support the “Worlds Largest Lesson” initiative. The film was jointly organised by screenwriter, Richard Curtis and children’s charity, Unicef. The World’s Largest Lesson is a project that aims to communicate the new Global Development Goals to as many school children as possible, within a single week. The aim is for the initiative to facilitate the eradication of extreme poverty within the next 15 years. David Cameron spoke about the scheme’s objective in his introduction to the project. He said: “I want my own children to come home from school and talk about the fight to end poverty. “Why? Because their generation is going to be the one to achieve it, and that starts with the World’s Largest Lesson.” The project’s campaigners are imploring teachers in schools around the world to dedicate one hour to introducing the Global Goals to pupils over the next week. A range of online teaching resources and lesson plans have been drawn up by teachers across the world. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/qbgczmx

PARENT COMPLAINTS

Give parents power to remove head teachers, says free school group A campaign charity is calling for parents to have more power to voice concerns about a school and demand the removal of head teachers. The New Schools Network, a charity that helps set up free schools, put the proposals forward to the Education Select Committee, claiming that parents should have a legal right to force intervention in underperforming schools. The proposed changes are similar to the ‘parent trigger law’ in the United States, and would require their regional school commissioner (RSC) to give a formal response to parents regarding complaints against a school. The charity also called for the introduction of more free schools in areas of low standards to give parents more control over their children’s education. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/qzbvq8p

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SCHOOL BOOKS

Nicky Morgan urges publishers to reduce prices of school books Education secretary Nicky Morgan has urged publishers to decrease the cost at which classic English syllabus novels are priced, as believes that reducing the prices will enable more students to have access to the books. Teaming up with children’s author and comedian David Walliams, Morgan revealed her plans during a visit to Charles Dickens Primary School in London, calling on publishers, schools and early years providers to work together to make English pupils the most literate in Europe within five years. Morgan said she believes that all children should have access to “our nation’s vast literary heritage”, with classic texts such as ‘Jane Austen’ and ‘Charles Dickens’ easily obtainable for all schools. Speaking at the school, Morgan said: “If a child fails to learn how to read, the consequences can be nothing short of devastating, holding them back for the rest of their lives. “I am absolutely determined to make sure that every child, no matter where they live or what their background, learns to read, to read widely and to read well – giving them the best opportunity to get on in life. In fact, we’re going further than that – in the next five years, I want children in this country to become the best readers in Europe.” She added: “There is no silver bullet, no magic wand we can wave to magically transform literacy for every child in this country. “But we owe it to our young people to explore every possible path when it comes to getting them reading well, to break down any barriers, support any who are left behind - to introduce every child, from every

background to our incredibly rich heritage of world-famous children’s literature. Then we can trust those books to do the rest.” David Walliams said: “At the heart of this campaign is a very simple shared ambition – to get more children reading. “Few things can compete with the joy of getting stuck into a good book and I believe that is something no child should miss out on.” Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the news, but claimed reduced book prices would do little to ease the current funding pressures schools are facing. He said: “Looking at the scale of the funding pressures on schools, this is a drop in the ocean. “But anything that helps with costs is welcome, particularly when curriculum changes mean schools may find that, say Hard Times is a set text but they have 180 copies of To Kill a Mockingbird that are no longer of use.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/qek9krl

TEACHER TRAINING

New experts appointed to improve initial teacher training

Four new experts have been appointed to an independent expert group to help improve the quality of initial teacher training (ITT) in the UK. The group was started in March to develop new core content framework for ITT, with Stephen Munday, Chief Executive of Comberton Academy Trust, appointed as the chair. The new experts appointed to the group are: Rachael Hare, Head of Initial Teacher Education at Harris Federation; Patrick Derham, Headmaster of Westminster School; John McIntosh CBE, former Headmaster of the London Oratory School; and Professor Anthony

O’Hear, Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, University of Buckinghamshire. Commenting on the new appointments, Nick Gibb said: “We want to continue to ensure we have excellent teachers in our classrooms so that every child can reach their full potential. Making sure trainees learn essential skills such as classroom management and have a good grounding in subject knowledge are vital to this, and will help drive up improvements in the ITT system further.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/qbk3lqu

NEWS IN BRIEF £10m extra investment announced for Mandarin lessons

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The teaching of Mandarin is set to expand across UK schools, with £10 million extra investment announced by Chancellor George Osborne. Osborne made the announcement on a visit to China while addressing an audience of Chinese financiers. The extra investment will be used to recruit and train teaching staff to teach the language up to GCSE level, and aims to see 5,000 pupils learning China’s main language by 2020. Osborne said: “In Britain, there is a hunger to learn more and understand more about this great civilisation. I’m here in China to help forge closer economic and cultural relationships between our nations, and this announcement is another great example of things we are doing to help grow both of our economies.” Speaking to the BBC, Osborne added: “At the moment about 1,000 children in our schools do GCSE Mandarin. “Why don’t we make that 5,000 children in our schools over the next five years... learning a language that is becoming a great international language, rather than, frankly, languages that are not spoken by very large numbers of people? “That’s an ambition that says Britain wants to be engaged in the future.” READ MORE: tinyurl.com/q7ngtfl

Schools offered £1,900 to bring ex-teachers back for EBacc subjects A new pilot scheme has been launched that offers schools up to £1,900 for bringing ex-teachers back to tech English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects. The scheme has been launched by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) and is part of a government drive to recruit ‘returner teachers’. According to NCTL data, there are currently 337,600 qualified teachers in England who are not currently working in state funded schools. The scheme looks to encourage these teachers into state schools, which can offer a ‘package of support’ for teachers in English, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, modern languages, history and geography. Computing science is not included. Schools can enrol up to 40 ex-teachers, with the programme beginning in spring 2016. READ MORE: tinyurl.com/o3vyvkr

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BEST PROCUREMENT PRACTICE

Procurement

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How to get the best procurement for schools Education Business outlines the key points from the Department for Education’s Effective buying for your school paper, which offers advice on best procurement practice

All schools are subject to public standards of accountability. Although schools spend most of their money on education staff, they collectively spend approximately £9.2billion on other areas including energy, catering and back office. The benefits of effective procurement practices includes: Financial savings that can then be re-invested in your priorities for driving up standards; goods or services purchased are fit for purpose; suppliers deliver (and continue to deliver) as agreed; legal and financial obligations are complied with. If you’ve used a price comparison website to buy insurance, you’ll know that prices can vary dramatically. Shopping around can help you to save a lot of money. So, are you shopping around for your school as well? After all, with budgets being tight, what you buy, and how much you pay for it, matters more now than ever. Comparing or benchmarking prices will help you to make the most of every penny of your school’s budget. Benchmarking can be used to identify significant differences in the way schools manage their resources. Through comparison with other schools’ spending and patterns

of service, schools can determine whether there is scope for doing things better: improving efficiency, reducing costs or identifying the potential scope for savings. UNDERSTANDING YOUR SPEND Schools have autonomy over the use of their budgets and so it is for heads and governors to determine at school level how to secure better value for money. All schools should be working to make savings, spending their funds prudently and looking to make the most of their money in order to invest in teaching and learning. The ‘Review of efficiency in the schools system’ identifies a number of characteristics which are common to many of the more efficient schools and proposes a number of actions that schools, government and our partners can take to support greater efficiency in schools. Your school is responsible for its own financial management and the details of your deals and contracts. Understanding your finances and deals can help you identify where savings can be made and makes it easier to compare your current deals with those offered by public sector organisations such as the Crown Commercial Service.

With school ing s be budget t you buy, ha tight, whow much and for it, y a p u o y ow more n s r e t t a m er than ev

The Schools Financial Benchmarking website enables all English maintained schools to prepare charts so that they can compare their income and expenditure profiles with those of similar schools. The buying process is broken down in to three stages – planning, purchasing and managing. Different rules apply depending on the value of the purchase you are making. You could save money by using existing contracts or teaming up with other schools so that you have more purchasing power. WHY IS PROCUREMENT IMPORTANT? You must follow basic procurement regulations because your school spends public money. This will ensure that the money is spent in a way that is fair, open and good value for money. Your procurement decisions must be fair and open. Poor procurement decisions and a failure to comply with procurement legislation could result in legal challenges from suppliers, contracts being cancelled and financial penalties which can be costly, time-consuming and impact on your school’s reputation. As a general guide, the higher the value of the purchase and the more public money you’re spending, the more stringently you should follow procurement rules. Planning Budgets are tight, so make sure you plan before you make your purchase. Make sure that you know precisely what you need to buy (ask those who will be using it) and that it’ll meet your school’s needs over a period of time. E

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PURCHASING PROCESSES  Think also about whether you could loan equipment, or share resources with other schools (which would mean not having to make a purchase at all). Maybe you could collaborate with other schools to increase your buying power? Check if there are any existing deals already in place for what you are buying through your local authority or a public sector framework. These will all be compliant and the hard work will be done for you. You will need to estimate the total contract value (the life of the contract including any disposal activity, excluding VAT) of what you are buying. Remember that you may need to do a business case for higher value purchases. And don’t forget, value for money is not always about the lowest price. It’s about getting the right balance between quality and cost. Think about how you will measure these when you specify and evaluate your purchase.

Your school is responsible for its own financial management and the details of your deals and contracts. Understanding your finances and deals can help you identify where savings can be made

WHAT IS A FRAMEWORK? Frameworks are essentially contracts that other organisations, such as local authorities, central government departments or public buying organisations negotiate with suppliers to get the best, compliant deals. These organisations then make these deals available to schools and other public sector bodies. To buy from a framework, the main thing you will need to do at a school level is to carry out a ‘mini-competition’ among the relevant suppliers on the framework. This is usually a much quicker and simpler process than setting up a new contract yourself. Check with the following organisations to see if there is an existing contract/framework agreement for the goods or service you want to buy: Crown Commercial Service (CCS), The Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC), Pro5, your local authority (you may need to register with some of these organisations, but this is a simple process – don’t let it put you off). Frameworks have already gone through a competitive tendering process, comply with public sector procurement regulations – on certain frameworks you won’t need to look for competing bids, favourable terms and conditions have already been negotiated, and if anything does go wrong during the life of the contract, you’ll have the support and assistance from the organisation that negotiated it.

EU PUBLIC SECTOR PROCUREMENT The European Union (EU) has introduced rules to open up public purchasing by making states remove restrictive practices. These rules are incorporated in a ‘Directive’ which, converted into legal obligations in the UK through Regulations, place particular duties and responsibilities on all public spending contracting authorities which the UK courts can enforce. The Public Contracts Regulations sets cash limits (excluding VAT) for the goods and services they cover. These limits are referred to as thresholds. The thresholds are revised every two years. The last review was on 1 January 2014. For all schools this is: £172,514 (€207,000) for all goods and most services and £4,322,012 (€5,186,000) for the procurement of works. Services used solely for the purpose of delivering education and some other specific services including but not limited to health, social and culture are subject to the higher Light Touch Regime threshold of £625,000 (€750,000). When the value of a contract, over its expected duration, exceeds or is likely to exceed the relevant threshold, you must tender these contracts in OJEU. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 apply to procurements from 26 February 2015. The Regulations offer a number of ways in which to estimate the value of a contract. It is expressly prohibited to split requirements into smaller units or orders to avoid the rules and regulations.

BUY BUY BUY So, you’ve planned your purchase meticulously, and now’s the time to buy. How you do this depends on how much the contract is worth and your local authority’s procurement thresholds. Typical values are as follows: Less than £10K is a low value purchase; £10k to £40K is a medium value purchase; £40K + (but below the EU threshold) is a high value purchase. Don’t have a buying decision tree in school? Use the purchases checklists providing School Business Managers with information relating to the basic questions and choices you need to consider when you need to purchase

any goods, works or services for your school. Note that aggregation rules do apply. If the totality of the contract for the services is below the threshold as calculated following public contract regulation rules then just public sector procurement policy, EU Treaty principles and UK competition law would apply. Open competition should be considered to comply with transparency requirements and ensure value for money has been tested. Purchases with a value above the EU threshold must follow EU procurement process.

KEY PRINCIPLES FOR EDUCATION The key principles for education include a requirement to advertise non-specific education commodity or services contracts in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) which exceed £172,514; setting time limits for the tender procedure; the use of the universally acceptable standards in specifications to promote wider competition; making early decisions on the criteria for the award of the contract; not discriminating against foreign suppliers; offering debriefing to unsuccessful tenderers; and the need

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to keep statistics of procurements made under the terms of the directive. In certain circumstances, a contract let by a public body including schools will not be deemed to be a contract for the purposes of the public procurement regulations. The relevant circumstances are that the participating public bodies co-operate to perform public services they must provide, meeting common objectives and that the public body exercises the same kind of control over the service provider as it does over its own schools. There is no private sector ownership of the service provider or any intention that there should be any. LIGHT TOUCH REGIME Services listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 are subject to the light touch regime. These include those services used specifically in education provision including the provision of school meals. Services that could also be used elsewhere than in a school i.e. building maintenance and ICT, do not come under the light touch regime and attract the lower threshold. The threshold for advertising under the light touch regime is £625,000 (€750,000). Treaty principles of transparency and fairness still apply to lower value contracts. Under the light tough regime all schools shall award contracts by publishing in the OJEU a call for competition. This can be either a contract notice or prior information notice (PIN) which can be published a year in advance and cover multiple contracts provided that it appears continuously, contains the information required on the form, refers specifically to the types of services that will be the subject of the contracts to be awarded, indicates that the contracts will be awarded without further publication and invites interested suppliers to express their interest in writing. PRIOR INFORMATION NOTICE (PIN) Other than for publishing a requirement under the Light Touch Regime, you may publish a prior information notice (PIN) to make known your intentions of planned procurements. You can submit your PIN online at the European Commission website. Advantages of publishing a PIN are that you can alert the market early of your requirements and in some circumstances take advantage of reduced timescales. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ 426875/Effective_buying_for_ your_school_May_15.pdf

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FINANCIAL HANDBOOK

The Educational Funding Agency’s Financial Handbook for Academies, which came into play this September, focuses on the financial requirements for academies for the upcoming academic year. Mark Filsell reviews the key changes The Financial Handbook for Academies is issued by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and applies to all academy trusts and free schools. It sets out the responsibilities and requirements relating to academy trusts’ financial governance and management. The latest release by the EFA of the new Financial Handbook for Academies has left many school governors – both current and prospective – with a conundrum.

Already trusts must capture relevant business and pecuniary interests of members, trustees and local governors – including directorships, partnerships and employments with businesses that provide goods or services to the trust.

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Opening the handbook on academy trusts

Now, contentiously the handbook includes a requirement for academies to publish details of relevant and pecuniary interests of members, trustees and local governors on the trust’s website irrespective of whether or not there has been a transaction. It is part of a growing focus on transparency for the way academies spend their budget. However, the question is whether local governors, who of course are not paid for their role, will feel comfortable divulging such detailed information on such a public platform. Certainly governors and trustees are already under considerable scrutiny when businesses they are linked to have any relationship with an academy. Services provided by businesses linked to trustees and the academy have to be provided at cost and the EFA has made transparency a priority with this latest directive.

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FINANCIAL HANDBOOK  should also be taken into consideration. In the interests of transparency, an academy trust must publish on its website up-to-date details of its governance arrangements in a readily accessible form. This must include the structure and remit of the members, board of trustees, its committees and local governing bodies, and, where applicable, the full names of the chair of each. Additionally, for each member who has served at any point over the past 12 months, the academy trust must also include their full names, date of appointment, date they stepped down, and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions. For each trustee and local governor who has served at any point over the past 12 months, their full names, date of appointment, term of office, date they stepped down (where applicable), who appointed them (in accordance with the trust’s articles), and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions must be recorded. Attendance records at board and committee meetings over the last academic year, as well as governor’s attendance records at local governing body meetings over the last academic year must also be published. REGISTERING INTERESTS An academy trust’s register of interests must also identify close family relationships between members or trustees, and between members or trustee’s and the trust’s employees. The EFA defines a relative as a close member of the family, or member of the same household, who may be expected to influence, or be influenced by, the person. This includes, but is not limited to, a child, parent, spouse or civil partner. Academy trusts must publish relevant business and pecuniary interests of members, trustees and local governors on their website. Trusts uphold and have discretion over the publication of interests of other individuals including child, parent, spouse and civil partner. As part of the new regulations, academy trusts must notify EFA of the appointment of members or trustees and the vacating or filing of the positions of chair of trustee, accounting officer and chief financial officer within 14 days of the change. Notification must be made through the EFA’s information exchange. It is interesting to see so many uses of the word ‘must’ in this year’s handbook. It follows a trend which has seen language used in the publication change from ‘may’ or ‘should’ in recent years to a more didactic tone. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Academies are publicly funded and there is an increasing focus – and an increasing public interest too – on how their money is spent. Accountants are already, for instance, asked to file an assurance report for each trust, looking at whether money was spent

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Academies are publicly funded and there is an increasing focus – and an increasing public interest too – on how their money is spent wisely and appropriately – so these latest additions to the handbook mirror that agenda. Last year’s handbook focused on conflict of interest issues and the 2015 version simply continues the same theme. BUDGET MONITORING Other entries in the 2015 edition include how academy trusts must not have de facto trustees or shadow directors, and how academy principals (accounting officers) must adhere to the ‘seven principles of public life’ – first set out by Lord Nolan and included in the Ministerial code. The seven principles are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. As part of the new handbook, medium sized and larger trusts, and any undergoing a period of change, should consider more frequent board meetings than are required under their articles. The delegated limits for academy trusts, to write-off debts or enter into liabilities, are subject to a ceiling of £250,000. There are also some inclusions in the handbook which are likely to be warmly welcomed by trusts, not least the relaxation of the requirements relating to budget monitoring. The Academies Financial Handbook of 2014 required a trust’s internal control framework to include preparation of timely monthly management accounts (including income and expenditure reports on an accruals basis, cash flow forecasts and balance sheets as appropriate).

The 2015 handbook requires only ‘preparation of monthly budget monitoring reports’. This lack of prescription gives academy trusts much more autonomy in what information they maintain and, particularly for smaller trusts, is potentially more appropriate to their needs. HELPFUL GUIDANCE Other relaxations revealed in the handbook include how the requirement on accounting officers to complete a separate value-for-money statement has been removed. This is now incorporated as an additional element in governance statements within the accounts direction. The delegated authorities to take up a leasehold or tenancy agreement on land and buildings have been extended. Trusts can now enter into a leasehold or tenancy agreement for a term of less than seven years without EFA approval. This was previously held at four. Additionally, only academy trusts with an annual income in excess of £50m must have a dedicated audit committee. Overall, there is a lot to take in at the start of a new academic year. Increasingly the Financial Handbook for Academies is becoming not just a source of helpful guidance but a rule book for the industry – and of course for accountants working with academy trusts. Complying with, and understanding, the new requirements is absolutely vital. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.knilljames.co.uk

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Case Study

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A water-efficient toilet solution to help forwardthinking organisations save water, energy and money Designed and manufactured in the UK with patented POWA displaced air technology, Propelair produces a powerful, highperformance flush using just 1.5 litres of water compared to an average nine. This uses 84 per cent less water and cuts water bills by up to 60 per cent. Requiring a fraction of the energy usually needed for water and waste processing, the toilet reduces carbon footprint by an average 80 per cent. This proven, unprecedented water saving means massive benefits for UK private and public sector estates and facilities managers, including those working within the education sector, who are beginning to see water saving as a major route to reducing overheads. Propelair generally pays for itself in between one and three years, and customers that are already recognising the benefits of this disruptive washroom technology include the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bournemouth University, Thames Water, McDonalds and a number of local councils. Propelair is also one of the most hygienic systems available. Flushing a conventional toilet creates a ‘sneeze effect’, spraying bacteria, viruses and moisture into the air. Airborne aerosols can travel up

to eight feet from a toilet, contaminating washroom surfaces and entering ventilation systems to travel through a building. Propelair reduces aerosolised germs by 95 per cent. The germs are trapped inside Propelair’s unique closable lid, and then efficiently removed with its powerful airflush, creating a more hygienic and healthier washroom environment for users. Propelair can easily be installed onto existing drainage systems, so is perfect

for refurbishments and retrofits as well as new developments. Its quick refill time of 20-30 seconds helps to reduce queuing time, which is particularly helpful during periods of high usage. Since November 2014 the technology has won commendation in awards by the British Toilet Association, Green Apple, The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Innovation Gateway and the Water Awards. Propelair is arguably the most ‘approved’ toilet on the market today, conforming to a number of globally recognised standards including the prestigious BSI Kitemark, WRAS and ISO 9001 manufacturing standards. It also reaches the highest performance rating under BREEAM’s water efficiency guidelines, and exceeds environmental planning legislation such as Part G of the Building Regulations and Code for Sustainable Homes. For more information on the Propelair high-performance toilet please contact the company via the details below. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01268 548322 enquiries@propelair.com www.propelair.com

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SCHOOL RENOVATION

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New schools for a new school year When the 2015/2016 academic year started this September, thousands of school children across the country stepped foot inside new school buildings for the first time. Education Business asks whether this marks a new dawn for school refurbishment With a focus on rebuilding and refurbishing the schools in most urgent need of repair, the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) was introduced in August 2011 to replace Labour’s Building Schools for the Future Programme. In May 2012, the first batch of 261 schools from across the country were confirmed as eligible for the funding and in May 2014, the government announced plans for phase two of the programme worth £2 billion. As of January 2015, 16 schools from the first phase were open and operating, while 55 remained under construction, and the remaining schools fully involved in planning and development stages. In February 2015, the government confirmed the 277 schools which would receive a share of the second-round of funding from the Priority School Building Programme. This September, more than 11,500 pupils returned to school for their first term in new buildings, with 22 buildings re-opening as a result of £160 million of construction work from the programme. This brings the total number to have been re-opened through the first phase of PSBP to 49.

RUN DOWN TO BUILT UP One such school of the programme that opened its new doors in September was Richard Lee Primary School in Coventry. The school was once publicised as the school most in need of repair in England, due to previously being plagued by frequent leaks and flooding. However, the school is able to begin the new term in a state‑of‑the‑art building thanks to its £7 million rebuild. As a result of the rebuild, the school now boasts a large, multi-use hall, bright new classrooms and a state-of-the-art music and drama studio. Richard Lee Primary School head teacher Carol Brammer said: “Our long awaited new school building gives us a great place for our children to learn and for teachers to teach. Our facilities are fit for purpose, with fantastic learning spaces giving access to new technologies, a music and drama studio, bright and airy classrooms with shared learning zones and a large multi-use hall. “This hard-fought-for new school building lifts the spirits and aspirations of our whole community, helping our children to be the best they can be.”

As of 5, 201 January ls from o 16 schost phase the fir en and were op, while 55 ng operatiined under rema ruction const

Richard Lee is one of six Coventry based schools being rebuilt under the programme. There are three other primary schools, one secondary school and one special needs secondary school. Richard Lee is the final school to be successfully handed over. NEW CLASSROOMS Elsewhere, Moorgate Primary Academy became the first of eight schools to reopen in the West Midlands, following its £3.6 million construction works. The school’s old buildings have been replaced with a two-storey building with bright new classrooms and modern features, including an energy-efficient automatic ventilation system. A dance studio is also included, which will be made available to the public. Jonathan Williams, head teacher of Moorgate Primary Academy, said: “We are delighted with our new building, which is a modern 21st century facility, and different in every way from our old Victorian building. “We now have all sorts of mod cons, from an automatic mechanical ventilation system to a school bell beeper system, and the children were able to see the construction work from the playground of the old school, which was very exciting and involving for them. Since we moved into the new building, everyone – the pupils, the staff and the parents – have just been walking a bit taller. We are all extremely proud.” 

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SCHOOL RENOVATION  Schools Minister Lord Nash said: “Through the priority school building programme we are investing in school buildings across the country to transform the learning environment for tens of thousands of pupils and their teachers while delivering value for money for the taxpayer. “The reopening of Moorgate Primary Academy marks a key milestone for the programme in the West Midlands, and these new school buildings will provide modern, fit-for-purpose facilities for pupils and staff for many years to come.”

£3.8 million investment from the PSBP, pupils at the Mackworth school are enjoying a new canteen and will be able to eat hot meals cooked on site for the first time in years. Peter Hallsworth, head teacher of Reigate Park Primary School, said: “The governors, pupils, parents and staff are extremely grateful for the fantastic new learning environment that we are now fortunate to have. We are sure that this new environment will support our children in their learning and our teachers in their teaching.”

Richard Lee Primary School in Coventry was once publicised as the school most in need of repair in England, due to previously being plagued by frequent leaks and flooding In Derby, Reigate Park Primary has seen its old buildings replaced with a two-storey building of insulated timber with modern heating, lighting and ventilation systems to ensure excellent energy efficiency. Infants and juniors at Reigate Park Primary will all be taught under one roof, rather than in the two separate buildings used previously. The new building also includes a dedicated, modern unit for deaf children. Thanks to the

NOT ALL GOOD NEWS Thanks to the programme, £15.3 million has been spent completely renovating the Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school site in Stockton-on-Tees, ensuring generations of pupils will have access to the best possible facilities for learning. The 1,200‑place academy is also the first secondary school opened under the programme. Executive head teacher Gill Booth said: “This

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new building offers our young people a chance to flourish and learn within the best facilities that the 21st century can offer.” However, according to the local newspaper, The Gazette, Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school is still suffering from problems since its refurbishment, including ‘lack of space’ in science labs and ‘inadequate’ locker numbers. A report seen by The Gazette from Stockton Council’s Education Admissions Appeal Panel, outlines concerns over ‘lack of space’ within the school – including dining facilities that can only accommodate 250 pupils when there are more than 1,000 per day requiring them. There have also been warnings that additional pupils could take a further toll on resources. The new Fairfield Road school base has come under criticism from parents who launched an appeal through Stockton Council after their children were denied places. Peter Snowden, the school’s deputy head teacher, who had previously given evidence to the appeals panel, explained why the admission of additional children could “prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at the school”.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.gov.uk

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Whether within the education, healthcare or commercial sector, a roof refurbishment should be about choosing the right products for that specific project. Langley recommends that, as with any project, a thorough roof survey and report is essential A survey can assess the condition of the roof construction and look for the defects and risks that affect the quality of the current roofing system. The survey Langley conducts takes into consideration available system solutions most suitable to the project and whether there is a need for repair or full refurbishment. A bespoke technical system solution will be specified as a result of the survey. All applications, including felt membrane systems or cold applied liquid roofing systems, will be considered, while budgets and whole life costs are worked towards. Project timings can also be an important factor to consider and the advantage of a roof survey is that it is designed to not only recommend the right roofing system for every individual project and roof but also to provide timescales and planning stages as well. Langley advises recommendations on the findings of the survey and tailors suggestions based on what is best for the building and considerations for the client’s requirements. The main aim is to provide a quality roofing system that will provide a long-lasting solution. CEDARS UPPER SCHOOL Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd delivered a state-of-the-art roofing solution for Cedars Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, following a comprehensive and detailed survey of the school’s existing roofing system. Working with the school’s chosen consultant Wilby and Burnett, Langley was able to help the school attain a high quality, bespoke solution complete with a system lifespan guarantee of at least 30 years to help reduce whole life costs and work within allocated budgets. A detailed report prepared by Langley identified 20 separate areas of the school’s existing roof as requiring attention, with individual roof areas ranging from 10m2 to over 1,000m2. The report enabled Langley to select the most appropriate solutions, along with budget costs for each area, in order to ensure that the school and sixth form’s roof was compliant with current Building Regulations. Warren Harper of Wilby and Burnett commented: “We worked closely with Langley on this detailed report, which was extremely useful in identifying which

Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd is a UK leader in high quality, long lasting roofing and waterproofing systems areas of the roof needed attention and what solutions were most suitable. It also helped both us and the school apply quickly and accurately for adequate funding.” Langley approved contractor, Acclaim Contracts Ltd, worked to deliver the specified flat roofing solution – providing a high quality finish and level of service without unnecessary disruption to school life and the students’ learning. The wide range of solutions offered by Langley also helped the project run smoothly, with additional products needed in order to replace rooflights and upgrade the roof’s thermal quality in certain areas. Tom Kerr, regional manager at Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd, said: “This was a challenging project, made even more complex by working during one of the wettest winters on record. However, the thirty-year product lifespan guarantee, along with our commitment to providing high quality aftersales support to all of our clients, means that Cedars Upper School can have total confidence in their new roofing solution. “In terms of solutions, I think the main driver is a simple one; the ability to have choice. Education boards want the very best quality and value for money, especially when projects are government funded, therefore a variety of systems must be considered. Within the industry, one size definitely does not fit all and this means that the greater

the range of products, the more tailored a solution can be. Langley offer exactly this and we don’t target sales of specific systems - we simply go by the survey results, meaning each project starts with a fair assessment and a bespoke offering can be made accordingly.” LEADER IN QUALITY Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd is a UK leader in high quality, long lasting roofing and waterproofing systems. It works with public and private sector clients nationally across a broad range of sectors including residential, education, health, commercial, retail and leisure. Specifiers, contractors and building stakeholders benefit from Langley’s ‘endto-end approach’ to projects, handling everything from initial consultations and design, through to final installation and even post-installation care and management. Langley’s regional and technical managers are among the most experienced in the industry, providing exceptional, design, technical support and advice to both new build and refurbishment projects. The company is passionate about sustainability and works hard to conduct its business using the most environmentally friendly methods possible. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.langley.co.uk

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            

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Furniture

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Is school furniture in danger of being downgraded further?

Good ergonomics can play an important role in children’s health and concentration. Levent Çaglar, Senior Ergonomist & Head of the Ergonomics Unit at the Furniture Industry Research Association, discusses what schools should consider when purchasing classroom furniture Over five years ago the Building Schools for Future (BSF) programme was abruptly brought to an end. With continued restrictions on government spending, there is a limited amount of funds for school rebuilding or refurbishing and it is difficult to justify how they should be spent. The temptation is either to try to extend the life of the current furniture or to purchase new lower cost, unergonomic tables and chairs for the children. This will perpetuate, if not make worse, the existing situation that compromises children’s wellbeing, concentration and behaviour. Decisions on purchasing furniture should not be based solely on price – low cost furniture is likely to be costly in the long term. ERGONOMICS The lack of application of ergonomics in analysing activities in schools and using this to inform the design of buildings and the choice and use of furniture has detrimental effects on children’s wellbeing and learning. About

12 per cent of 12-year-olds and 22 per cent of 16-year-olds experience recurrent back pain, and 15 per cent of 12-16 year-olds seek medical care for this. Causes of this back pain include using ill-fitting furniture during the 15,000 hours children spend sitting at school during the important stage of their life when their body is growing. Clearly we need to address this problem, because, as children become less and less mobile through increased time sitting at computers and extensive use of handheld devices, they will be more prone to back problems. Research shows that children and teenagers who experience back pain are more likely to have back problems as adults. Back pain is the largest cause of absence from

Written by Levent Çaglar, Furniture Industry Research Association

ERGONOMICS

work, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stating that it accounts for one in every six days lost for sickness and affects four out of every five people. It has a major effect on the economy through time off work and the cost to the National Health Service. Back pain is also a chronic pain that lowers efficiency at work, learning at school and enjoyment of life. In addition to encouraging children to do some physical activity, such as walking or cycling, we should give them furniture which allows them to adopt good dynamic ergonomic postures. Being able to make slight movements unconsciously, so you do not need to fidget to overcome discomfort, increases your circulation and helps you to stay more healthy and alert. Fidgeting, such as rocking on chairs, can make children distracted and unmotivated, and sometimes it can extend to disruptive behaviour.

As chil becomedren and les less through s mobile i time sit ncreased comput ting at e be mor rs they will e back pr prone to oblems

PROCUREMENT Currently the most commonly purchased combinations of table and chair cost 

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ERGONOMICS  about £30 to £40. We expect to use them for about ten years, which is almost as long as a child spends at school. In other words, we are prepared to spend £3 to £4 per year per child on furniture. It is worth noting that our Northern European cousins spend three to four times as much on school furniture as we do in the UK. Not surprisingly, European children have much better furniture which is exciting, durable, safe, ergonomic and back-friendly. This is a key factor in better academic achievement. We are prepared to provide fantastic new school buildings and facilities, but we must be careful not to furnish them with inappropriate furniture. The danger with selecting furniture on price alone is that its lack of comfort and incorrect match of size to that of the child start the decline in back health that can lead to chronic back pain and permanent damage. In addition, bad sitting postures, such as slouching, are caused by ill-fitting furniture, and often stay with children and adults as habits for life, creating back problems for them. Ill-fitting and uncomfortable furniture also inhibits children’s learning. It forces them to adopt postures where their abdomens and chests are compressed, reducing their oxygen intake and consequently restricting the supply of oxygen to their muscles and brain. This makes their limbs feel tired and their brain less alert. It inhibits their learning by reducing their concentration levels and attention span. An important drawback in a lot of unergonomic furniture that is often overlooked is its uninspiring impact on children. If children do not like furniture or feel that care has not been taken in providing it, they do not feel as comfortable or positive about what they are doing or look after the furniture in their schools. Head teachers, local authorities and buying consortia should be aware of the possible effect of unergonomic furniture on children’s wellbeing and academic achievements, as well as their behaviour. They should choose tables and chairs which are safe, durable and will match the sizes of today’s children. Price, although it is important, should not be the first criterion. Instead, compliance of furniture with the European school furniture standard (BS EN 1729) should be the most important criterion. Only then can they be sure of the furniture’s safety, durability and match to children’s sizes. STANDARDS BS EN 1729 is the European standard for furniture in schools. It replaced the old British standard, BS 5873, which should no longer be used. It comes in two parts: Part 1 on dimensional requirements and Part 2 on safety and durability requirements. The dimensional requirements were based on data from European countries, including FIRA’s 2001 survey of school children in England. The majority of current furniture in use in UK schools was designed to comply with the

old standard, BS 5873, which was based on dimensional data from the 1970s. Since then, children have grown more rapidly. FIRA’s research showed that, by the 1990s, the furniture did not adequately fit the children. Similar studies in Europe also arrived at the same conclusion. Across Europe, there was also recognition that ill-fitting, unergonomic furniture was adversely affecting children’s well-being and growth. In order to address and resolve these issues, the new standard was developed and adopted in Europe. BS EN 1729 ensures that the furniture purchased will fit the sizes of the children, be safe for children to use for a long while, and be good for children’s posture and for the long-term health of children’s backs. It includes a wider range of furniture than the previous standard, such as height adjustable tables and chairs, and standing‑height work surfaces. Standing-height surfaces are suitable for group work, discussion and short periods of computer work, such as looking up references. Having standing‑height tables should allow children to alternate between sitting and standing postures, which helps their concentration. Part 1 of the standard specifies dimensions

Furniture

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new revised standard will also give guidance on the relationship between the height of counters and matching stool/chair heights. The new classification called ‘tall chairs’, which are common in Scandinavia, allows use of tables higher than the traditional ones. Having tall tables and chairs in classrooms will prevent teachers bending down excessively and reduce the strain on their backs. OBLIGATIONS FOR SCHOOLS Every school has a statutory responsibility for the health and safety of children, part of this obligation can be delivered by buying furniture that complies with the standard, BS EN 1729, both Parts 1 and 2, ensuring that the furniture is safe and will not adversely affect children’s wellbeing. If you are not refurbishing the entire school but you are replacing only a handful of tables and chairs scattered across the school, you should consider buying good new ergonomic furniture for one classroom at a time. In other words, do not try to purchase furniture matching the old furniture or mix old and new furniture. It is recommended that only a sufficient number is purchased to equip one classroom at a time, so that the

If you are not refurbishing the entire school but you are replacing only a handful of tables and chairs scattered across the school, you should consider buying good new ergonomic furniture for one classroom at a time for seven sizes of tables and chairs to suit children aged two to 18 years old. When purchasing tables and chairs, attention must be paid to which size marks to specify. The guidance for this is provided in the National Annex of the British version of the standard. Further guidance is provided by the website ‘School Furniture’ (www.schoolfurniture. uk.com) which was jointly developed by the Consortium of FIRA, CFG (Counties Furniture Group), Department of Education and BESA. This website helps you choose the correct size of school furniture and fittings for children of different ages. It also provides a wide range of useful information such as the height of shelves, computer screens, basins and work surfaces, the depth of dining tables and the field of view at work surfaces, based on the 2001 survey. CLASSIFICATION Over the last few years, the European standards committee, chaired by FIRA’s Ergonomist, Levent Çaglar, has been revising EN 1729 Part 1. The revised version will come in force before the end of 2015. It now includes dimensional requirements for stools, tall chairs and tables and opens the way for designing dynamic seating similar to those in office environments. The

sizes of tables and chairs are well‑matched to each other and to the children. Complying with the standard is only the starting point. If you want truly ergonomic furniture which genuinely promotes the wellbeing of children and raises academic achievement, you should look for furniture which: promotes dynamic postures and allows movement; allows flexibility in teaching and learning styles; is easily and quickly adjustable; is comfortable to use; is easy to maintain and has a suitable warranty; and is aesthetically pleasing. It is time that we applied ergonomics principles in schools in the same way we do in offices. Ergonomists should work with educators and children in the design of buildings, and the selection and layout of furniture and equipment, always considering the needs and aims of the schools, children and teachers. This will increase children’s achievements and improve their behaviour and well-being. Children with healthy backs will reduce the likelihood and severity of back pain they might suffer in their adult lives.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.fira.co.uk/ergonomics

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NASBM Conference

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Taking the lead at the NASBM Conference 2015 Do you want to be at the forefront of school business management? Join other business management professionals for the iconic launch of the national professional standards at the NASBM National Conference, taking place on the 18-19 November 2015 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole The education sector is changing rapidly and on Wednesday 18 November 2015. the life blood of every school is reliant on Even if you have never attended the the quality and contribution of its National Conference before, as a school business management professional it is key that you h t i W professional. Never before attend this year and share e n g li has the blueprint for school in the launch of the set of a stron eakers, business management standards that will p s up of conference been defined in its underpin, develop and 5 1 0 totality – until now. catapult the recognition 2 k s e th s to a ess e s Following a national of the profession i m o r p in s u b consultation across across the sector. l o o all sector stakeholders Following the feedback how sch agement and considerable man pared for from delegates that input from school attended last year, pre can be t’s coming business management the event will be once professionals; the National again held at the Hilton wha xt ne Association of School Business Birmingham Metropole, on Management (NASBM) will Wednesday 18 and Thursday launch the national professional standards 19 November 2015. This venue allows all framework at its national conference delegates to stay on site at the hotel and get

the most out of the two-day event. Owing to the over-subscription of the event last year, NASBM has expanded the conference to cater for 300 delegates. That said, 80 per cent of these places have already been sold so book your place now if you wish to attend. WHY ATTEND? The two-day conference, is the only two day event solely focused on the needs of the school business management professional; providing a wealth of keynotes from educational experts and practical workshops from practitioners, plus a 90 strong exhibition running alongside it. With one of the strongest line ups of speakers, this conference promises to not only be the launch of the professions’ blueprint, but to also ask what is coming next and how school business management professionals can be prepared. E

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT  The conference will be opened with a keynote from Stephen Morales and Lord Lindsay, chairman of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service who will explain how the professional standards will be adopted by the sector, post launch. The other speakers scheduled to support the conference and provide key insights include Peter Lauener, Howard Jackson, Steve Cunningham, Frank Green and Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools. Peter Lauener was appointed chief executive and accounting officer when the Education Funding Agency (EFA) was formed in April 2012. His previous roles include: chief executive of the Young People’s Learning Agency; director of the Local Transformation at the Department for Children, Schools and Families; and director at Skills, Department for Education and Skills (DFES). Although Steve Cunningham lost his sight at the age of 12, he has not allowed this disability to hold him back. Steve speaks with humour and wit recounting his experiences in achieving whatever he has set his mind to. He inspires and entertains while making you re-evaluate your own goals, ambitions and limits. Steve is the holder of the Blind Land Speed and Powerboat

records and was the first blind person to fly a light aircraft around the UK. Frank Green took up the post of national Schools Commissioner on 1 February 2014. Previously Frank was chief executive of Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) for five years. He has a proven record of innovation and transformation as part of the school improvement process, leading three schools through to academy status. In June 2013 he was awarded a CBE for services to Education. Integral to the conference is a dedicated exhibition hall, catering for 90 exhibitors who all have a good understanding of the needs of the sector and offer a broad range of products and services. This provides delegates with an opportunity to undertake their procurement activities whilst at the conference, thus making the conference more than just a CPD hotspot. You can make new supplier contacts, get three suppliers for benchmarking, get advice from colleagues on the services and set up appointments for when you are back at school. WORKSHOPS Each workshop will be provided by a sector specialist who has been vetted by NASBM and is an Approved Partner. Each of these partners will be supported by one of the NASBM Associate

The nce confere nly is the oevent y two‑da ocused solely feds of the ne on the l business schoo gement mana ional p ro f e s s

Practitioners who will provide the school context and ensure that the workshops provide delegates with practical tools. This years workshop themes include: Financial Management; Procurement & Estate Management; Legal and HR; Policy and Leadership; Governance and Assurance; and Data Management, ICT and Marketing. Recommended workshops on Wednesday 18 include: ‘How to make cost savings and make your budget go further’ by the TES Foundation; ‘Exploiting the opportunity for change within the Finance Function, when creating or growing a Multi Academy Trust’ by Will Jordan of PD Financials; and ’Simplifying procurement – a master class in procuring and practical everyday top tips’ by ESPO. On the second day, Thursday 19th, workshops include: ‘Managing honest conversations with employees’, delivered by Schools’ Choice; ‘Making school meals count’ by the Children’s Food Trust; and ‘Operational Effectiveness’, by Chris Hallmark of OEE Consulting.

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MAIN SPONSOR NASBM would like to take this opportunity to formally thank our main conference sponsor Schoolcomms. Kirsty Cumming, marketing manager at Schoolcomms, said: “Communication, organisation and process driven efficiency is at the heart of good management and that’s why we are so keen to support NASBM and E

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Case Study

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

Professional, practical and cost effective advice and support to complement your HR and Payroll functions Every school needs HR Solutions and that was the motivation David and Sarah Subden needed to establish their unique human resource business offering specialist HR to educational establishments across the country. Having a wealth of HR experience between them, Sarah is a legal executive and David a former county council HR advisor and current school governor. Together they have built an impressive bank of professional, accurate and informative HR solutions covering a wide range of HR services. With son Tom currently working in the business, this is a family affair with plenty of potential for the future. Recognising that staff are a school’s most valuable asset, in terms of professional skills and costs, and that they need to be looked after effectively and efficiently. HR Solutions (GB) Limited has an extensive portfolio of HR services which can be used as the bedrock to a school’s HR offering, or can be cherry picked to enhance the existing systems already in place. This portfolio of practical, cost effective advice and support includes professional HR consultancy, HR administration,

unlimited helpline, DBS online service, full payroll services, and extensive health and safety consultancy together with on-site and E-Learning training. HR Solutions (GB) Limited has grown steadily over the past 10 years, increasing the team to include dedicated HR professionals with specialist knowledge and many years’ experience of delivering high quality HR services to a wide variety of educational organisations. Understanding the challenges schools face, these experts are able to combine bespoke, professional services with practical and cost effective solutions to assure schools of a committed, consistent and supportive service. Constantly looking to improve services on offer and maintain good client

communications, each school has the benefit of a dedicated and professionally qualified HR adviser to give advice via visit, telephone or e-mail for all HR employment law matters and good practice. Dedicated administration officers work closely with the HR Advisers who are also on hand to give advice on all daily administration and payroll related queries. Specialist educational payroll officers provide a monthly comprehensive payroll service, fully integrated with HR if required; to ensure that all employees are paid correctly and in a timely manner, providing reporting for budgeting and management processes. Although the business assists some commercial clients, David and Sarah concentrate on providing professional support to schools and this remains key to their success to date. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01522 751999 sarah@hrsolutionsgb.com www.hrsolutionsgb.com

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HR Solutions (GB) Limited Solving YOUR HR & Payroll needs Human Resource Specialists in Education • • • •

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

The Age of the School Business Manager

Integral to the conference is a dedicated exhibition hall, catering for 90 exhibitors who all have a good understanding of the needs of the sector  School Business Management professionals in what looks to be another first class conference and professional networking event. “Our goals are common. We’re constantly looking to drive improvement, deliver cost savings and identify efficiencies to free-up time and funding. We want to maximise the resources available to support learning and attainment. Providing simple technology driven communication between schools and parents is our business. We currently supply over 2,500 schools. Schoolcomms brings together texting, emailing, online payment collection, parents evening bookings, absence chasing, breakfast and after-school club management and reporting into one simple system. Everything we do has to pass the ‘simple and effective test’. If you haven’t seen Schoolcomms recently we hope you’ll get to know us during the conference.” CHARITY The nominated Charity for the NASBM National Conference is Mind, the mental health charity. Mind believes no one should have to face a mental health problem alone. Whether you are stressed, depressed or in crisis, Mind will listen, give support and advice, and fight your corner. Every year one in four people will experience a mental health problem but hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling to get the support they need. Still unable to access the services that could change their life. Still facing prejudice and misunderstanding. Mind provides direct support to over a quarter of a million people each year and their ambition is that by 2016 millions more people with mental health problems will have the support and respect they need and deserve. For further information on the work of Mind please visit their website. Emily Rayfield, Community Fundraising Coordinator at Mind, said: “We’re here to make sure anyone with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn for advice and support. We provide information to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. But hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling. We won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. “On behalf of everyone at Mind I’d like to say a huge thank you to the National Association of School Business Management for choosing to support Mind. Money raised will fund our vital work including the Mind Infoline, our advice services and the

campaigning Mind does to secure a better deal for the one in four people who experience a mental health problem every year.” FREE HEALTH CHECKS At this year’s National Conference, The Education Broker will be providing free health checks for all delegates. There are no needles, no invasive procedures, the most you may wish to do is remove your socks! The health check is conducted using specialised equipment to record your vital measurements (such as blood pressure, fat, BMI and weight). After the checks have been performed a qualified health technician will explain what your individual results mean and could mean for your long term health. The check-up takes only a few minutes, and will be an enjoyable respite during the conference. So why not come along, you may be surprised at how well you are. The health checks will be available from 8am on Wednesday 18 November and are expected to be in great demand, so come along early to guarantee your place. The Education Broker are providing the health checks in conjunction with their Working Well Together service which is designed to support school improvement by enabling your staff to maintain or improve their health. This unique service is fully funded by The Education Broker for new clients in 2015. We urge you to experience this first-hand. THE METROPOLE HOTEL The Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel is one of the UK’s largest residential conference hotels. With space for up to 2000 delegates, our 33 meeting and event rooms are perfect for all manner of corporate meetings and events in the West Midlands. The Hilton Birmingham Metropole offers a selection of 790 guest rooms and suites, providing a home‑away‑from‑home for you and your delegates. The Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel is the number one choice for over 1700 Birmingham conferences and meetings each year. Our Conference & Events team aims to achieve the highest quality and standards, and the hotel boasts three restaurants, outstanding leisure facilities, and all the convenient amenities you would expect from a pre-eminent business hotel. At the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel, our staff pride themselves on their dedication to exceptional service. From the moment you arrive until the minute you leave, the comfort and well-being of you and your delegates will be our absolute priority. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nasbm.co.uk/Conferences

A new report published by online school management system experts Every claims that there is an increase in the number of schools turning to School Business Managers (SBMs) to meet budget challenges as they attempt to achieve more with less.

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The report suggests that the role of the SBM is still in its infancy in state supported schools. It predicts that SBMs will become more critical to schools as pressure is put on their budgets. Over 90 per cent of respondents identified a reduction in school budget as their biggest challenge. Furthermore, more SBMs will be recruited, particularly in primary, as schools continue to remove themselves from local authority control. The report highlights how the role has become more pressured in the past five years. Nine out of ten (95 per cent) respondents report they had taken on more responsibility. Over three quarters also report that the role had become more complicated and they need to deal with more paperwork, contracts and incidents. Coping with this pressure was a key reason for SBMs to use technology and almost nine out of ten (89 per cent) reported that management software programmes were very important in making their role possible. The report also found that SBMs are becoming more widely integrated into school senior leadership teams. This is significant because in many instances the SBM is the first non-teaching position to be appointed. The role is increasingly becoming front facing, in the sense of communicating with parents and stakeholders, which reflects the maturing understanding of the role as much as the evolution of school funding. Discussing the findings, NASBM chief executive Stephen Morales said: “The findings chime with the issues and experiences shared by our members, the need to engage in technological advancements to drive efficiency, the new levels of autonomy and complexity now associated with the role and in particular the growing respect amongst senior leadership colleagues.” Read the Every report: tinyurl.com/o7rgz2b

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Advertisement Feature

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CATERING

Developing skills for a healthier future

School caterers, ISS Facility Services Education, has teamed up with charities Focus on Food and School Food Matters to bring the joys of cooking to school pupils, cooks and teachers across the London Borough of Redbridge Focus on Food is a charity that supports people to develop skills for healthier futures. Their impressive Cooking Buses – state-ofthe-art travelling kitchen classrooms - visit schools and come with a specialist team of people to train teachers and teach children essential cooking skills. THE COOKING BUS Recently the Cooking Bus arrived at Cranbrook Primary School, marking the start of a week-long series of cooking events for schools across the Borough. Eighteen schools took part in sessions which were carefully structured to engage with everyone involved in promoting school food culture; from our own talented school cooks (ISS Education employees) to teaching staff and pupils. The visit, funded by ISS Education and administered by London-based charity, School Food Matters, is an initiative designed to help local people, particularly children, learn more about food preparation and cooking. As well as getting kids cooking first hand, the Cooking Bus visits are also designed to provide adults with the skills and knowledge required to teach pupils about food. Across two days, eleven ISS Education school cooks took part in sessions which gave them [the cooks] the skills required to set up and run afterschool cooking clubs in their schools. INCREASING COOKING IN THE CURRICULUM Teaching staff were also invited aboard; several teachers, who run cooking or afterschool clubs joined the fun, eager to pick up useful tips to take back to their classrooms to enable them to deliver on the Government’s direction for schools to increase cooking in the curriculum. As well as technical, skill‑based support – such as preparing ingredients – the Cooking Bus team also shared tips on engagement and suggestions on how to better manage groups of children when providing learning in a kitchen environment. Lynda Townend, ISS Education’s Operation’s Manager in Redbridge, said: “We were delighted to have the Cooking Bus in Redbridge for a whole week. It has been a fantastic experience for us and our cooks and we really hope that the pupils and teachers who joined us during the Bus’ visit thought so too. The sessions were incredibly insightful and were delivered

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

in a very engaging and inspiring way. The excitement evident throughout the visits is extremely encouraging and wonderful to see. I’m eager to see how our cooks and the pupils take forward what they’ve learned and hope that it will play some part in continuing to improve food culture in schools.” ISS Education and School Food Matters already work together in Redbridge to deliver gardening grants. ISS Education has offered each school a sum of £250 per year over the next two years to spend on gardening equipment to teach children the joys of gardening. In April 2015, TV gardener Chris Collins visited Grove Primary School and Redbridge Primary School to deliver specialist gardening training for teachers across the Borough. FOOD EDUCATION EVENT DAY The school caterers continued the momentum around food education established by the Cooking Bus visit with a follow-up FEED event – Food Education Event Day. Mayespark Primary School hosted a day of fun around food, organised by ISS Education. Pupils and teachers, along with ISS food suppliers, Garden Organic and members of the Borough’s Public Health, Children’s Centres and Culture and Leisure Departments were on hand to provide pupils and parents with information to improve their health and wellbeing. The event was the first of its kind for ISS Education who plan to conduct further FEED days in the future.

Following the Food for Life Silver Catering Mark achieved by ISS Education for all of the schools it serves in Redbridge, the Cooking Bus, gardening and FEED events all represent further steps in ISS Education’s desire to create a great food culture in the schools it caters for. Such enthusiasm is infectious within ISS Education teams, who believes in involving as many of its employees as possible in helping to enthuse and encourage all students to explore and develop a love of food. This can be a bit of challenge when they have schools as far apart as York and Torquay but this doesn’t put off the team. Just before the start of the new school year the company invited everyone to Cheltenham Racecourse for ICON 2015, the ISS Education’s Cooks’ Conference, entitled ‘Race to Great’. This was a conference designed to share the company’s vision for the future whilst helping showcase some of the great things happening around the country, such as the Cooking Bus. External speaker and Founder of the charity School Food Matters, Stephanie Wood shared her views on what it is like to be on the receiving end of the meals, representing the pupils and their parents, whilst Lindsay Graham, the school food and health advisor, reiterated just what an important role the school cook plays in the wellbeing of the whole school. Everyone went home totally committed to yet another great academic year.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.uk.issworld.com

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FREE SCHOOL MEALS

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Saving the free school meal scheme One year on from the launch of the Free Infant School Meals, Education Business revisits how effective the School Food Plan has been in improving the quality of food in English schools. However, with the free school meals now under apparent threat, has it been effective enough? The School Food Plan was published in July 2013 as the result of an independent review of school food commissioned by the Department for Education. Written by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, founders of the Leon restaurant chain, the Plan is made up of actions and recommendations that aim to help head teachers increase revenue and school meal take up whilst improving school food culture and access to good food. The broad aim of the Plan is to return to a golden age of school food; helping create a generation of children who enjoy food that makes them healthier, more successful and, most importantly, happier. Universal free school meals for infant pupils is one of the most widely-known and talked about initiatives to come from the Plan, but there is growing concern regarding its continued use.

“There sk l ri is a rea pping a that scr ol meals o free sched with tax combin ts could see u credit c s of children million hungry as going sult” a re

FREE SCHOOL MEALS UNDER THREAT The Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme is estimated to save parents of four to seven year olds around £400 per year, a saving that, on the surface, would be sorely missed if scrapped. However, there is growing speculation that the free school meal policy is set to be axed in George Osborne’s November Spending Review, with the Conservatives never completely keen on the concept last year. The project’s initial proposal was criticised by various education centres who denounced the financial costs involved in installing the necessary kitchen facilities to support the strategy. Nonetheless, after all the money and time invested in implementing the programme, it is understandable that teachers would prefer to keep the system in place. Many campaigners are refuting the threat to scrap free school dinners, including healthy school-meal-pioneer Jamie Oliver and Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron. Farron maintains that removing the initiative is not only ‘damaging to children’ but ‘an insult to our schools’. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver agrees it would be a ‘disaster’ if the cuts were executed. As part of the Jeremy Corbyn’s new Labour Shadow Cabinet, Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell has warned that scrapping universal school meals for infants will leave millions of children hungry. Powell has made it clear that her party is adamantly opposed to scrapping free school meals, E

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FREE SCHOOL MEALS  which only came into place as a Liberal Democrat Policy in September last year. She said: “Schools have, at their own cost, installed new kitchens to deliver this scheme. Yet before it can be properly evaluated for its impact on pupils performance at school, they are shutting the door. The Tories never liked this scheme – we all know that – but schools have gone to a huge amount of trouble and effort to deliver it. This will be a slap in the face for them and for the hard-pressed families it supports. “This decision also underlines how little the government is protecting the education budget which is vital for the future success of our children and our country. This comes at a time when the government is cutting tax credits for working families. This decision will see over three million families lose an average of £1,000 a year and directly increase levels of poverty in Britain. “There is a very real risk that scrapping free school meals combined with tax credit cuts could see millions of children going hungry as a result of this decision.” While the initiative has, for the most part, been a success, the strategy is roughly calculated to rack up around £800m per year. As voiced by Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange, maintaining the UIFSM programme is not merely questioning the necessity of

issuing free lunches to all pupils (regardless of wealth) but also realistically considering the question of value for money. He said: “The principle of have a hot school lunch is a good one, but the question really is one of value for money. Is it the best use of £800m a year to pay for free school meals for all children, regardless of their parental wealth?” PARENT SATISFACTION On the one year birthday of the free school meal introduction in UK schools, the School Food Plan released survey results on the value of free school meals. Carried out by Opinium Research, the survey showed that 95 per cent of parents of children taking up the offer are recognising the benefits for their child. According to the research, 23 per cent of parents with children eating a free infant meal say the main benefit to their child is the greater variety of food they will now eat. The same proportion claimed that they most value their child eating a proper meal at lunchtime, whilst almost 19 per cent commented that their child has enjoyed trying new foods. The opportunity to eat together and socialise with friends was identified as the most important aspect by 15 per cent of parents. Professor Greta Defeyter, Director of Healthy Living at Northumbria University, said:

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“Introducing children to a wide variety of nutritious food is key to establishing positive eating habits and lays the foundation for their future health and wellbeing. Good nutrition is essential for growth and development and we know there’s a clear link between food and academic attainment – particularly in areas of poverty and among primary-age children.” MEMORIES OF THE MILK SNATCHER The controversy surrounding the suggested cutting of free school meals is reminiscent of Conservative party action in 1971. In order to meet election pledges on tax, Margaret Thatcher, as Education Secretary under Edward Heath’s government, was branded as the Milk Snatcher following the removal of free school milk for over seven year olds – which was earmarked as saving £9 million a year. Then Labour education spokesman Edward Short was quoted as saying that scrapping milk was ‘the meanest and most unworthy thing’ he had seen in 20 years. The decision was widely criticised and many attempts to sidestep the policy were made. Authorities in South Wales famously served milk with a tiny amount of cocoa and claimed it was hot chocolate. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.schoolfoodplan.com

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EVENT PREVIEW

Bett 2016

Sponsored by

Developing learning through technology and innovation

The world’s leading learning technology event returns to London’s Excel Centre on 20-23 January 2016, providing visitors the chance to preview the latest technological innovations for education

Bett has been bringing innovation and inspiration to the education sector for over 30 years and returns to London’s Excel for its 32nd instalment. The 2016 event will run from 20-23 January and invites visitors from the world of education to connect with one another and discover the latest technology to support learning excellence. The show will run from 10am to 6pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Over 500 exhibitors are already confirmed and visitors can expect an extensive programme of seminars, workshops and demonstrations led by industry experts. Bett continues to go from strength to strength, with the 2015 show welcoming

35,000 educators through its doors, representing a six per cent increase in total attendance, as well as an 87 per cent increase in school leader attendance.

Bett n has beevation inno brining piration to and ins ation sector c the edur 30 years and teachers, entrepreneurs for ove s to London’s and industry experts. The panelists are return or its 32nd searching for the most f Excel lment innovative and relevant insta ideas that meet the challenges

BETT FUTURES Bett Futures made its debut at the 2015 show as a purpose built home for inspiring new ed-tech start-ups. The area aims to provide a platform and help to nurture brave thinking, new products and possible ‘game changers’ in education technology. The inaugural Bett Futures cohort consisted of 30 start-ups specially selected by a panel of

facing today’s educational institutions. Companies are judged against a set criteria, including: Relevance of idea in today’s classroom; Variety of ideas represented; Years in existence; Market status; Turnover; and Number of staff. The companies showcased a wide variety of innovative developments, from teacher-parent communication tools, to 3D printing, to language learning and adaptive maths apps. E

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Bett 2016

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Helping to unlock the full potential of the internet

Document management solutions for schools

RM Education delivers awardwinning educational products and services that help teachers to teach and learners to learn. For 40 years, RM Education has created an extensive range of innovative and services carefully designed or selected to meet the specific needs of UK education. This includes super-fast access to the Internet to enhance education and support collaborative learning, access to online tools, and interactive lessons. Additionally, the freedom to explore the Internet safely is promoted. Exclusively built filtering for education provides your school cloud-

KYOCERA Document Solutions will be showing its range of education-friendly document solutions at BETT 2016. KYOCERA’s education experts will be demonstrating the company‘s CubePro family of 3D printers – offering safe Plastic Jet Printing (PJP), which is ideal for schools. Other hardware on display includes ECOSYS printers, reliable TASKalfa and SmartMFP multifunctional devices, complemented by software and services. Products are built on a foundation of long-life components, offering low total cost of ownership and high efficiency. Software solutions for the education sector include: Equitrac, PaperCut,

hosted, customisable content filtering as standard. this ensures your Internet meets your individual needs by enabling user, group and time based filtering policies to be applied in real time. An Internet connection that staff and students can rely on is essential. RM Education is confident that your RM Broadband service will inspire your school community to make better use of online learning resources. Get more from your broadband with RM Broadband. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 08000 469 802 schoolsales@rm.com www.rm.com/broadband

KYOCERA Mobile Print App, SafeCom and Autostore. Additionally the team will be showcasing SIMS Connector, BioStore and KYOCERA’s HyPAS apps for the education sector including Teaching Assistant which automatically marks student papers on the KYOCERA MFP, ensureing accurate test reporting and allowing teachers more time to focus on their students. KYOCERA will have a stand that covers all the bases for schools to help manage their documents and develop the curriculum while saving them time and money. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 710 3104 www.kyoceraineducation.co.uk

Online management information systems

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

RM Education has been at the forefront of developing, delivering and supporting management information systems (MIS) in schools for over 22 years so it has a deep understanding of how data, combined with a powerful MIS, can make a positive impact in schools. RM Integris is the company’s online based school management information system (MIS) designed to provide valuable insights from school data through a powerful suite of recording, analysis and reporting tools. Over 400 hundred schools have already switched to RM Integris this year alone because it provides an efficient way to capture all pupil assessment, attendance, behaviour and performance data in one central system from foundation through to secondary. Additionally, it allows for extensive cost savings with no need for additional systems, modules or hardware, and provides valuable

insight into the trends that are having a positive or negative impact on pupil progress. RM Integris also provides a holistic view around the performance of your pupils in order to understand any barriers to learning and supplies the evidence required to confidently inform school improvement strategies and interventions that really work. Comprehensive proof around the success and impact of those strategies is assured and secure online access ia available anytime, anywhere on any device. RM Integris provides the ability to provide accurate and robust data for Census submissions and Ofsted in a fraction of the time FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0808 172 9531 www.rm.com/rmintegris

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EVENT PREVIEW  Due to the success of the area at last year’s show, Bett is returning in 2016 with a bigger and better Futures initiative. This year will see a combination of returning companies as well as a number of new start ups joining the Bett show floor for the first time. Richard Canning, CEO of GroupU, was one of the start ups selected for Futures in 2015. He said: “Our experience at Bett Futures this year was both invaluable and highly enjoyable. As a fledgling ed-tech company with only a core team of three people, we do not have the resources or the reach to meet a high volume of teachers and educators and discuss our ideas. “Bett Futures gave us this opportunity and we came away from four days of exhibiting with a confirmed list of 52 teachers, across five different countries, who wanted to be among the first to test our product.” BETT AWARDS Considered by many as the most esteemed accolade in the ed-tech industry, the Bett Awards showcases companies and resources that seek to provide educators with the information, ideas and inspiration to enhance the learning process. The awards form an integral part of the show each year and celebrate the inspiring creativity and innovation that can be found in technology for education. This year the awards will take place following the opening day of the show at The Brewery, located in Chiswell Street, London. RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE Award categories range from Early years Digital Content, to ICT Special Educational Needs Solutions and ICT Exporter of the Year. A notable winner from 2015 was Frog Education, who picked up the award for ICT Company of the Year – between £1m and £10m turnover, for its Frog Progress tool, which enables teachers to assess the progress of every pupil. Commenting on the win, Gareth Davies, managing director, said: “We’re delighted to receive this prestigious award as a recognition of Frog’s continued commitment to providing world-class technology to improve both teaching and learning in the classroom.” Other winners included: Toshiba, for ICT

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Bett Futures made its debut at the 2015 show as a purpose built home for inspiring new ed-tech start-ups. The area aims to provide a platform and help to nurture brave thinking, new products and possible ‘game changers’ Services and Support; J2Code, for Free Digital Content/Open Educational Resources; Airhead Education, for Innovation in ICT; and Charles Clarke, for Outstanding Achievement in ICT Education. Accepting his award, Charles Clarke said: “We all know the world is changing in difficult and problematic ways. The only way to challenge that is through education so that our younger generation and our institutions can work out what’s happening. “Technology is an immensely powerful way of doing that, both in helping learning, but also in bringing parents, teachers and local communities together in powerful ways. He continued: “It’s an immense honour to get this award. I’ve tried through my political life to promote education, and the recognition of this award is a tremendous endorsement of that. “Bett is an assembly of all the people who are working in this industry trying to improve the quality of education for our young people. That is such a powerful, motive force when you see children who feel they can understand things, command things and get on top of things because education, and particularly technology in education, has helped them do that, so its a massive social achievement.” WHO CAN YOU MEET AT THE SHOW? One of the featured exhibitors for 2016 is 2Simple Software, which will be located on stands D230, B48 and SN42. 2Simple has been making powerful and creative educational software for primary schools for 15 years and has won over 40 industry awards. Visit them at Bett to find out more about their range of products, including the 2Build a Profile app, which provides an effortless way to gather observations and supports formative assessment, and Serial Mash, a new collection of e-literacy resources.

CBiS Education will be displaying its ‘Open and get on with it’ robotics kits on stand C391, which are designed to be easy to assemble and use, building teacher skills and confidence as well as provide maximum student engagement. Stand C163 will be home to Constellations furniture, which helps to create unique, inspirational classroom environments. The UK based company specialises in cost-effective space-planning that maximises existing facilities, and helps to create schools for the 21st century. Global educational publisher Encyclopaedia Britannica will be showcasing its timely, relevant, and trustworthy information and instructional products. Visit stand B230 to find out more about how its range of products are used in schools, universities, homes, libraries and workplaces throughout the world. Fiction Express will also be exhibiting, and can be found on stand A406. Fiction Express for Schools publishes e-books in weekly episodes online, designed to engage and excite both keen readers and reluctant readers alike. At the end of each episode, pupils vote to decide where the plot goes next. The author then writes the next episode in real time according to the reader’s choice. The National STEM Centre, which works with organisations to improve and support STEM education, will be in attendance on stand C454. At the heart of the Centre is a purpose‑built library, housing extensive teaching and learning resources for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Freely available physical and eLibrary collections feature contemporary materials, including print, multimedia and practical activities, and archive resources from recent decades. The eLibrary currently contains over 8,000 teaching resources for the STEM subjects. Additionally, visitors can find Firefly Learning on stand C130 for information on its learning platform, that makes it simple for teachers, students and parents to connect, share and learn. A host of other exhibitors are already signed up, with many more to be confirmed before the show in January, along with a full conference programme. Online registration is now open, so visit Bett’s website to confirm your place. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bettshow.com

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COMMUNICATIONS

Engaging parents in their childrens learning ParentHub makes school communication accessible to all and is designed to improve parental engagement, increase teacher efficiency and reduce admin costs

It’s official – parents matter! In fact, according to research by Professor Charles Desforges, for a child of 7, the influence on learning of parents matters six times more than that of the school. And this effect is still 30 per cent greater by the age of 12, after which time the child itself starts to become the most significant influence. Perhaps surprisingly, rarely does the school have the greatest impact on a child’s learning. INFLUENCE To many heads and teachers, who witness on a daily basis the influence pupils’ home lives have on their engagement, behaviour and academic performance, the results of this research may come as no surprise. Yet few schools devote real attention to harnessing the power that parents hold in ensuring their children achieve. My view is that, broadly speaking, parents are the untapped yet critical partners in the network of support that schools and teachers create to help young people succeed. Armed with this insight, how should we approach engaging parents to support their children so that learning and aspiration are supported outside of school? Too often attention is given to merely involving parents in the life of the school – identifying projects and events and telling parents how they can contribute. Whilst these

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

conversations. This is where technology can help shift the paradigm. SMARTPHONES Smartphones have transformed the way society communicates. Convenient, instant, on-the-go and personalised communication is what we have come to expect of the content pinged straight to our pockets. And yet this revolution hasn’t hit schools…until now. An app approach is different. It allows parents to receive tailored information from individual teachers in real time but digest and respond at a time convenient for them. It’s account-based which means it isn’t reliant on up-to-date contact details and allows parents to manage everything from a single place. Crucially, it’s a format of communication with which we are increasingly familiar and at ease. With 75 per cent (and increasing) of the population aged 16-64 owning a smartphone, people are more likely to access the Internet through their phone than a wired broadband connection at home. Why shouldn’t keeping up to date with your child’s teacher be as easy as replying to a message on Whatsapp?

Duri my timeng as a maths limited teacher I felt b to engay the options ge p that we arents availab re BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS le Perhaps most critically, it to me enables communication to

are a great part of school life, the real focus, however, should be on engaging parents as partners in the learning process of their children. LIMITED OPTIONS During my time as a maths teacher I felt limited by the options to engage parents that were available to me. My school operated a text messaging service to notify parents of upcoming events or send an attendance alert. The admin team managed this and if I wanted to send anything out I had to submit a request. For me to communicate with parents on a regular basis the only option was to pick up the phone - a worthwhile practice but one which is often time consuming and inefficient. I would usually catch parents at work, in the supermarket, making dinner and generally not in a position to be discussing their child’s progress in my lesson. Once or twice a year we’d organise a parents evenings for each year group, but I always felt the impact of these was limited by their infrequency. The key issue is what happens to inform and engage parents in between these

continue in between phone calls and face-to-face meetings, so that meaningful relationships between teacher and parent can be developed and sustained over time – imagine a school where parents’ evenings are a formal continuation of a partnership that is happening every day. With closer OFTSED scrutiny on parental engagement, it’s time to embrace technology to help teachers to build partnerships with parents in a way that is convenient, meaningful, and most importantly, beneficial for young people. I hope you agree. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.parenthub.co.uk For introductory offers get in touch quoting EB2015

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IT EQUIPMENT

Written by Caroline Wright, director general designate, BESA

Top tips to extend the life of IT equipment Better maintenance of equipment can optimise its value and save money in the long run. Caroline Wright, director general designate of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), shares advice from its member organisations to help schools extend the life of computers and accessories In BESA’s annual resources in UK maintained schools survey for the academic year 2014‑15, we spoke to 900 head teachers in order to gauge their budgets and expenditure. Their responses showed that when looking specifically at expenditure on computing and ICT (excluding learning content), primary schools in 2014/15 appear to have spent 5.8 per cent more, while secondary schools stated an even more significant increase of 8.2 per cent. This rise appears to be continuing, with primary schools forecasting a further increase in expenditure in 2015/16 of 4.9 per cent. Bearing in mind the high proportion of expenditure on computer hardware and peripherals, we asked our members to share their advice and experience on extending

the life of these products and optimising their value. We have summarised these in ten top tips for getting the greatest return on investment from your computers.

at Clarity in Sound Light and Vision explains: “Most people service their cars at regular intervals to avoid a more expensive fault occurring, yet schools often fail to take our maintenance contracts out on their computers. For a small charge, based on a three-year contract, schools are visited at least once a year to clean, service and, where required, carry out portable appliance testing (PAT) of the equipment.” E

Keepingter u a comp of dust ree clean, f ‑ventilated is ll and we important an nging o l o r p f part o s life it

MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT The temptation in many schools is to cut costs by not investing in maintenance and support. However, in the long run this can result in a higher total cost of ownership. As Stuart Graham, managing director

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IT EQUIPMENT  Another BESA member Arik Fletcher, senior engineer at Joskos Solutions, adds to Stuart’s advice: “Keeping a PC clean and well-ventilated is an important part of prolonging its life. Dust builds-up on a PC’s inside and excessive heat will significantly reduce its performance and eventually reduce its lifespan.” He also suggests: “Because desktop PCs are relatively easy to open up and clean, a can of compressed air is all that is needed to remove the dust inside. This should be done every six months between services.” Stefanie Tyler, contracts manager at KCS Professional Services, reminds us that maintenance should also include keyboards and mice: “Banging your mouse or keyboard when it isn’t working does not help and will just lead to broken or ineffective equipment. Also, don’t forget surge protection. What can seem just an inconvenient power cut can become a major incident if a power surge renders your equipment useless.” REAL AND VIRTUAL CLEANING It is not only real cleaning that needs to be carried out. Virtual cleaning, in terms of data and security, is also a vital consideration for getting the most from your computer. Rebecca Hamer of Exa Education explains:

“In the same way that over time grime builds up on surfaces, a computer can become filled with programs and applications that may have been inadvertently installed, or are simply no longer needed. It is therefore advisable that you check your computer’s task manager to view which processes are in use and compare this with the programs installed on the machine to ensure that the only ones present are those you require and have authorised. “Once this has been done, it is possible to use your school’s Active Directory to implement rules that allow you to control the usage rights of each computer. This allows schools to specify and install the programs that are to be present on every machine, and remove an individual’s ability to download any additional software.”

school’s machines must be the most effective and up-to-date version available. “There are several Unified Threat Management (UTM) systems available. A UTM appliance consolidates a number of security services into one, so that you are simultaneously protected from a number of threats.”

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READINESS ASSESSMENT AND DIGITAL RESOURCES AUDIT Our fourth piece of cost saving advice is offered by Neil Watkins, of WCL Ltd and provider of E2BN’s Think IT service to schools and colleges. He says: “It is important that schools understand what is the right ICT solution for their specific requirements. This should not be about price, nor about the set products that a managed service ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION provider supplies, but about what is right Rebecca also reminds us: “Internet security for the school. It is so important to start by is something that requires continuous focusing on the outcomes that the school attention. In 2014, more than 317 wants for its pupils, staff, parents million new pieces of malware, and governors, and then provide A computer viruses or other advice and guidance on what r e t malicious software were ICT will achieve these u p m co created. As a result of these objectives. This is done e m o ever-evolving threats, through what we call can bec ith w the solution you have a Readiness Assessment d e l l fi at in place to protect your Audit (RAA). E tions th

applicaa v e b e e n m a y h ertently inadv or are no d, installe r needed e long

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TRUSTnet is a designed-for-schools managed internet service provided by LGfL, a successful & established educational trust which already connects over 2,500 UK schools. The service is much more than just broadband and includes an extensive portfolio of services and teaching & learning resources aimed specifically at UK schools.

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IT EQUIPMENT  Mark Orchison, group managing director of 9ine Consulting, also contributes: “By performing a digital resource audit you can identify the exact type of curriculum applications that are used. In completing this exercise, you can then assess whether there are any web based applications that provide the same functionality as a locally PC installed application. In turn, the log-on times and general speed of your PC will improve.” OPERATING SYSTEMS Mark also steps into the world of Windows operating systems and summarises the benefits that Windows 7 and Windows 10 offer schools. He says: “Windows 7 is a lot better than any previous versions of Windows. Consequently, there is little need to replace your older PCs to run these new operating systems. In a number of cases our school clients are using PCs that are seven years old and still perfectly running Windows 7. However, when using older machines you will need to check your active directory and group policies to ensure they are efficiently configured. “Windows 10 has just been launched and provides the ability to authenticate users to servers in the cloud. By taking a holistic approach to your systems and adopting Windows 10, you will be able to reduce you capital investment in local servers, potentially saving tens of thousands of pounds.” Additionally, you can get the best from your Internet experience by upgrading your web browser to the latest version, advises Leigh Foley, marketing manager at EducationCity. Leigh continues: “We encourage all our customers to update their browsers, not only for increased security against viruses, but also so that they can get the most reliable performance out of our product. This advice applies to all online resource that might be used in the school.” CUSTOMISATION AND UPDATES Seb Francis, of Titus Learning, advises that Schools should consider how flexible their current system is. He says: “Are there free plug-ins, add‑ons and apps? Can you customise your system to ensure your changing requirements are met? These are important points to be considered before deciding if the system is right for your needs. “It is surprising the amount of schools we speak to who are using a particular software, only to find they’re not on the latest version. Sometimes it’s years old! To ensure you’re getting the most out of your system, and before you consider switching, make sure you’re on the very latest version available.” INVEST IN CPD AND TRAINING BESA regularly reminds schools of the power of good training and continuing professional development. Much of the functionality

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In 2014, more than 317 million new pieces of malware, computer viruses or other malicious software were created. As a result of these threats, the solution you have in place to protect school machines must be the most effective and up-to-date version available and potential of hardware and software can be lost if schools are not aware of its potential. So our seventh tip is to always negotiate training with your supplier. WARRANTIES John Graham of ICT Direct offers his advice, by reminding schools to take out good warranties. He says: “These are very important to ensure any problems you may encounter are dealt with quickly and efficiently, and to make sure your equipment remains in the best condition for an extended period of time. Good suppliers, including ourselves, offer two years free warranty with all computers which can be extended to five years at a nominal cost.” INVEST IN THE BEST One consistent and very effective way to extend the life of your computer products is, of course, to invest in high quality reliable equipment. However, as John Graham of ICT Direct recognises, many schools assume this just isn’t affordable. “Actually, if you’re very clever about your purchasing decision it doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive,” he explains. “ICT Direct purchases high quality business

computer equipment from manufacturers such as HP, Dell and Lenovo, refurbish it to a very high standard and sell it onto schools at a fraction of its original price. The PCs, servers, workstations, monitors and tablets are a far higher specification than you would find in your standard computer shop and will last substantially longer.” SOLID STATE DRIVES Finally, Arik Fletcher, senior engineer from Joskos Solutions, offers our final piece of advice: “Apart from the well-known route of upgrading a PC’s RAM, replacing its hard-drive with a new-generation solid-state drive is a cost-effective way of significantly improving its performance and extending its useful lifespan.” This summary of advice from some of the industry’s suppliers, who understand the specific needs to schools and colleges, should be useful to all schools. We hope these simple measures save you time and money and improve the efficiency of your ICT infrastructure. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.besa.org.uk

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TECHNOLOGY

Freedom to teach Tris Simmons, Product Marketing at NETGEAR, looks at how technology is moving teaching out of the classroom Recent research from YouGov shows that some 81 per cent of tech savvy UK 13-18 year olds own their own smartphone, with 34 per cent also owning a tablet. The learning curve is steep too, with the research uncovering that almost three quarters (70 per cent) of children are confident in using mobile devices by the time they begin primary school. The proliferation of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in schools has led to a debate about how much BYOD use should be encouraged. In my view, as the old adage says, if you can’t beat them, join them. Trying to control smartphone and tablet use in the classroom is tantamount to swimming against the tide. The days of the teacher standing up at the front of the class and dictating notes for students to take without a modicum of interaction has long gone. The recent experiment at Bohunt School in Hampshire that was turned into a hit BBC TV series bore that out. Now, teachers have far more flexibility of how they present the national curriculum to students. In fact, why even stay within the confines of the classroom? THE ARGUMENT FOR A FLEXIBLE BYOD POLICY One such forward thinking school that we work with is Ballard School on the edge of the New Forest national park. It implemented a relatively flexible BYOD policy as felt it was important that staff and pupils could work with the tools they need and prefer. It firmly believes that pupils are more likely to be creative with their own familiar, caredfor tablet or laptop. In an environment where innovation and creativity are actively encouraged this is vital. As David Horton, ICT manager at the school so eloquently puts it: “You wouldn’t expect to prescribe which brush an artist uses to paint or which instrument a musician uses to compose, so why wouldn’t it be better to allow students to learn on a device of their choice?” With an open BYOD policy in place, Horton and his team at Ballard School understood that to facilitate this new breed of learning it needed an infrastructure that could fully support BYOD, as any sudden rise in people logging on to the WiFi with multiple devices would have a knock-on effect across the IT network. It spent time to research the number of devices likely to be used and in what part of the school, and then designed its infrastructure around it. The watchword for modern learning is accessibility. This translates as ensuring staff and pupils alike are able to access the content that will assist in their learning whether they are

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

The prevalence of BYOD has enabled teachers to engage with students on a level that inspires them the most, how the classroom of the future will truly look may remain open to conjecture but what can’t be argued is that technology will remain at the core in the classroom or even the playing fields. At Ballard School it is not uncommon for PE teachers to film the student’s tennis strokes or dance routines in one part of the school then instantly review the footage during the continuation of the lesson in the comfort of the classroom. BEING AN INSPIRATION The prevalence of BYOD and the increasing robustness of WiFi technologies have enabled teachers to engage with students on a level that inspires them the most, how the classroom of the future will truly look may remain open to conjecture but what can’t be argued is that technology will remain at the core. Delivering a reliable, simple and affordable IT infrastructure to support evolving learning practices necessitates asking the right questions when scoping out your IT requirements. Supporting more devices, students and staff can have a knock-on effect across the IT network. In simple terms, more devices and users drives more data, voice and video traffic across the network. Performance bottlenecks can arise as congestion hits services. In turn, with more data being consumed and produced, data storage and backup demands rise. As your IT highway lanes get busier, more monitoring may be needed to ensure only

authorised access is granted and rogue users and risks blocked swiftly and effectively. How do you make sure your IT network compliments your school’s learning needs? IT NETWORKING FOR EDUCATION NETGEAR is a global networking company offering an advanced range of wireless, switching and storage products that are easy to install and maintain and come with industry-leading warranty coverage and technical support. NETGEAR is the only networking vendor to offer lifetime 24/7 technical support for education products. Also benefit from lifetime warranty for ProSAFE® wireless and switching products and five year warranty for ReadyNAS® and ReadyDATA® storage products. NETGEAR is offering Education Business readers a free, no obligation onsite networking survey, assessing wireless and storage needs, aiming to solve network issues or improve your infrastructure.  FURTHER INFORMATION If you are interested in having a free networking survey at your site, please contact us at sitesurveys-uk@netgear.com, visit www.netgear.co.uk/networksurvey or give us a call on 01344 458200.

REFURBISHED

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EQUIPMENT

Opting for refurbished products doesn’t necessarily mean compromising performance. Bill Champness looks to dispel the myths surrounding refurbished IT equipment It’s that time of year when many bursars, head teachers and heads of departments start to look at resourcing and spend. With schools facing increased costs amounting to 4.5 per cent due to pay rises, National Insurance contributions and pension deficits, it’s no wonder that more than 90 per cent of 1,000 head teachers surveyed by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) say that their finances are going to be critically under pressure for 2015/2016. As a business owner for the last 17 years, I get it. How can I improve our service while keeping our staff happy and give them the right tools for the job? And, as a father of two, I also get the need to provide children with the very best to assist with their learning. But what I don’t understand is the reaction I get from many head teachers when I mention refurbished hardware. The look of distaste at the sheer mention of refurbished is as if some joker has put salt in your coffee – not just offered you four refurbished PCs for the price of one brand new one. A saving which, let’s put it frankly, would mean you no longer have to keep juggling your resources.

So why is ‘refurbished’ such a dirty word? Let me explain what we in the hardware industry mean by refurbished and dispel some of the myths. REFURBED – NOT SUCH A DIRTY WORD Sadly it seems that educational budget cuts are inevitable. The Institute of Fiscal Studies estimates that schools in the UK will face up to 12 per cent real term cuts over the next Parliament while forecasts suggest pupil numbers will increase by seven per cent, a result of rising immigration and higher birth rates over the next five years. With a lot of rapidly diminishing funds being ring-fenced for more important things such as paying for teaching staff and replacing those leaving at the end of the academic year, priorities such as new desktop PCs move further down the list. However, keeping your ICT

Written by Bill Champness, managing director, Hardware Associates

Stretching resources with refurbished IT

running is vital for learning opportunities. And for tech savvy students, having access to these resources is an absolute must. It doesn’t take a mathematician to see the obvious savings in purchasing refurbished PCs rather than brand new ones. For example, the cost of one brand new Dell Optiplex is £300 – you can get four of those same machines for £300 by simply switching your purchasing preferences to refurbished instead. Sometimes refurbished laptops and PCs haven’t even been taken out of the box, or they might have been taken out, looked at and put back, barely handled at all. As Gizmodo. com recently highlighted: “An analysis of outlet stores and other refurb dealers reveals that “refurbished” laptops that have been used are most likely returns that have been in circulation 30 days or less.” The reason it is then referred to as ‘refurbished’ is that with any hardware return, regardless of fault, has to be legally sold as a ‘return’ or a second. So you could actually be getting a brand new bit of kit but for 50% or more of the original price. Refurbished hardware also means that if you have your mind set on a particular brand but the spec you want is out of your price range you can think again. Often you’ll find reconditioned products at fraction of the original price. I’ve helped many schools save as much as 80% on laptop and desktop spend. When you think the average laptop costs within the region of £500-£1,000 and most refurb models sell for £100 upwards, you’ll be making a significant saving.

IT & Computing

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Don’t to in be lured nse of se a false by ‘new’ securityst: cheaper e being b rcial laptops comme t developed are no ducation as e orses NEW ISN’T NECESSARILY BEST workh

Also, don’t be lured into a false sense of security by ‘new’ always being best - cheaper commercial laptops might enable you to save money, but they are developed with gaming or light surfing in mind, not as education workhorses. Business desktops and laptops are more durable, have multiple port connections, include more security features and contain fewer unwanted preinstalls, such as games. This leads on to my next point – how new is new? So maybe you do really want the newest model and you don’t want to compromise by getting an earlier refurb. Well, if you hang around a little bit, you could get exactly what you want at a much better price. HP and Dell both report very quick turnaround times for their refurbished goods, meaning you may only wait 3-6 months before your desired hardware crops up on a refurbished seller site. Now how annoying would it be if you bought brand new machines and three months later they’re ridiculously cheap. Sometimes it simply pays to wait. E

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MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS It might be smarter and more financially rewarding to keep the old workhorses going by extending their lifecycle, until such time as they’re no longer useful. I’ve also worked with many IT departments that replace individual computers as needed rather than working to the ‘replace all’ concept that many subscribe to. So as you can see, refurbed doesn’t mean antiquated, tatty, abused and battered bits of hardware. It means reconditioned laptops, desktops, tablets and spares that are re-engineered for longevity. It also means that whatever your budget you can be sure to deliver more for your school, your team of hardworking staff and most importantly, for your students, without having to make any unnecessary cuts. L FURTHER INFORMATION tinyurl.com/ovavxw9

A 21st Century IT Leasing Company How to deliver “more ICT, IT and technology for less” InnoVent provides a “fresh” approach to funding ICT and technology assets. InnoVent is a specialist ICT and IT asset and leasing company that focuses on reducing the cost of technology asset ownership by providing subsidised rental solutions.

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InnoVent’s proposition is unique because when their clients have finished using their IT/ICT, InnoVent recycles and upcycles the equipment to provide affordable computing in the developing nations in Africa. A genuine “Win-Win” for all parties involved. InnoVent’s funding solutions also helps their clients to take care of the environment and give something back to the developing world through the safe and ethical rental and re-rental of technology.

www.innovent.co.uk InnoVent Leasing 32 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7DR

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News: Text in Behaviour Register

Behaviour

Assessment

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Incidents Over Time 1,000

Kingstone Primary St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Primary

500

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100

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ONLINE PROTECTION

E-Safety

Sponsored by

Protecting your school from exploitation The Impero Education Pro programme has many functions, including classroom management software, usage monitoring, and e-safety features that provide support and security across the entire school network. But the company recently came under fire after a security researcher discovered a serious flaw in the system’s design that could expose schools’ sensitive data to anyone who would think to exploit it. The nature of the data stored in the network about pupils or staff will vary from school to school, but there are key pieces of information that are at risk in any institution. For example,

all schools will hold the addresses and contact numbers of their pupils’ families, and this information could be sold on to insurance companies or unwanted sales channels. Data about particular circumstances such as low income or any learning disabilities may also leave vulnerable families susceptible to being targeted by cold-callers and scam companies. Payroll is also a significant concern, as any flaw in the security system could lead to the leaking of bank account details from all staff, and even the school’s accounts. For independent and fee‑paying schools, this poses an even greater risk, as the financial details of parents are then exposed.

The red data stopils or u about p vary from ll staff wio school, but t school re key pieces there a mation that of infor risk in any are at tution insti

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SUPPLIER Selecting the best network and internet security provider is essential, but schools have very different and specific needs than those of a business. For example, one of the main differences is that schools are closed for long periods of time over the summer, and very little is done to maintain network security during those breaks. Most schools, especially primary schools, are unlikely to have an on-site IT technician to fix issues as they arise, with clusters of around 10 schools often having to share a professional between them. When choosing a supplier, it’s important to seek out several sources of advice, not just from the company selling the software, but also from someone impartial. It used to be that there were specialist LA advisers who could support schools in their decision-making process, but many of these roles, simply don’t exist anymore. E

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Written by Drew Buddie, Naace

The recent security flaw in Impero’s school internet security software had the potential to expose an entire network of school data to theft and exploitation. In this article, Drew Buddie, chair of Naace discusses the importance of protecting and managing students’ data effectively

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E-Safety

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ONLINE PROTECTION  Getting the perspective of other schools can also be invaluable. Ask them which security provider they use and why they decided upon their software. You could also ask about customer service and response times when incidents occur, as well as any other issues they may have with the system. The thing to remember is that these security breaches are more often than not isolated incidents, and when a flaw is exposed, there still needs to be someone who stands to gain from its exploitation. WHO CAN HELP? With an increasingly connected population in and outside of schools, we need to educate our learners, staff and parents on what effective e-safety is and what can be done to implement it properly. There is now a dedicated organisation working to promote the safe and responsible use of technology. The UK Safer Internet Centre is coordinated by a partnership of three leading organisations; Childnet International, South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) and the Internet Watch Foundation, and acts as a hub for useful information and advice. E-safety doesn’t mean restricting people or stopping them from accessing information; it’s about striking the right balance between giving our learners enough freedom to explore, while maintaining control. When we spoke to Ken Corish, online safety manager for SWGfL and senior manager of the UK Safer Internet Centre, he expressed his concerns around schools relying solely on internet filters to protect their data. He said: “In my opinion, filtering is such a small move towards protecting children; the key is to proactively teach children digital resilience. Digital resilience is a young person’s ability to maximise the opportunities technology offers, whilst having the skills, knowledge and strategies to keep themselves safe when technical intervention or adult supervision is not always there to do so.” In addition to promoting digital resilience, it is also important to manage online risks, in order to create safe learning environments for students. Ken explains how these risks can be managed in three simple steps, referred to as the three Cs: Firstly, schools spend a huge amount of time looking at content, trying to prevent children from coming across harmful or upsetting content, and while this is important, even more emphasis should be placed on the other two C’s (contact and conduct). In terms of contact, we should be teaching children about who they are communicating with online; who is influencing them and how they manage those online relationships. Meanwhile, conduct is concerned with exploring online behaviour; the impact of unethical and harmful behaviours on self and peers and the wider implications in terms of the judgements others make, based on what a person’s online presence says about them.

E-safety doesn’t mean restricting people or stopping them from accessing information; it’s about striking the right balance between giving our learners enough freedom to explore, while maintaining control TOP SAFETY TIPS Here are some top tips to help schools protect their pupils online. Firstly, filtering is currently mapped against age, whereas it is more effective if it is based on the usage or behavioural development of a child. Teachers should manage this in order to allow access to the content they and their class need. Change the culture of your school – if you’re going to educate pupils about how to use the internet safely, you should get their buy-in and help them understand why and how they should use the school’s systems rather than their own. Encourage conversation amongst staff, pupils and their parents so that all parties feel confident to openly communicate about any incidents that arise. Getting parents onside with this is critical to its success. There will always be incidents; how you deal with them effectively builds resilience and safer independent strategies, something which translates into the home environment too. Make it very clear what the policy is when an incident occurs and how an issue can be escalated to the relevant management teams. Pupils should also have multiple reporting routes on which they can rely, particularly in secondary school when reluctance to report issues is more common.

Ask for feedback from your pupils throughout the decision making process; that development ensures a wider ownership that drives a better understanding of everyone’s expectations around the use of technology. SO, WHERE TO START? Using internet filters is a good place to start, but these should be developed to fit with the school’s culture and the behavioural development of its pupils. Dialogue between staff, parents and, most importantly, the children should be maintained so that everyone is confident in openly discussing any incidents that occur. The policy of online safety issues should be made clear when problems arise, and the escalating channels of communication and reporting should be laid out for everyone to rely upon when necessary. We live in an increasingly digital society, and teachers have an obligation to safeguard children within these spaces. However, children today will already have a great deal of experience with technology, so an approach that capitalises upon this knowledge and promotes the development of a positive attitude and digital resilience will be the most effective method of tackling online safety. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.naace.co.uk

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Asset Management Written by Navil Shetty, Atkins, Andy Green and Terry Stocks, Faithful+Gould

Sponsored by

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Sustaining the schools’ estate in the wake of funding cuts In a time of tightening budgets, effective asset management is becoming a vital tool to sustain high quality education. Navil Shetty, Andy Green and Terry Stocks, writing on behalf of the Institute of Asset Management, offer a number of recommendations for asset management in schools Good quality school buildings that are safe and fit for purpose are fundamental to sustaining a high quality education for our children. Studies show a clear relationship between the condition of schools and pupil achievement rates. The government has announced that investment in the schools estate is a top priority and its aim is that every child will have a place in a good quality school, with buildings that are safe and fit for purpose. In 2014, the government announced the second phase of the Priority School Buildings Programme 2015-2021 to address schools in the worst condition. In addition, it also provides grants through the Condition Improvement Fund to academies and sixth‑form colleges, and formula-based grants for councils and larger academies, through the Education Funding Agency (EFA). CONCERNS Head teachers are concerned at the poor state of the schools estate as a result of years of under-investment in the maintenance and refurbishment of school

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

buildings and infrastructure assets. The situation is now reaching a level that could seriously impact on frontline education services and our children’s learning, as the rising cost of running these facilities is taking money away from teaching budgets. To make matters worse, schools are looking at real-term cuts of up to 12 per cent over the next five years, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Funding from the EFA will help to offset this a little. However, schools applying on an individual basis are all too often failing to secure an appropriate level of funding to address the backlog and undertake maintenance and renewal in a timely and cost‑effective manner to minimise whole life costs. Unsurprisingly, as teachers are not experts in maintenance and asset management, most struggle to decide what the appropriate maintenance plan is for their buildings and they often do not get ‘value for money’ when they tender out works due to lack of adequate buying power.

RECOMMENDATIONS The application of holistic asset management approaches could help alleviate the current problems. Asset management is defined as ‘the coordinated activity of an organisation to realise value from assets’. This requires a systematic and coordinated approach to planning and decision‑making in relation to assets in order to achieve organisational objectives. The ISO 55000 suite of standards provide the specifications for an asset management system, which brings together people, process, information and technology to derive greater value from the investment in assets. Further information on asset management is available from the Institute of Asset Management. The application of asset management across a number of infrastructure and utility sectors has shown that substantial benefits can be obtained in terms of around 15-25 per cent reduction in costs concurrently with improvement in condition and performance and reduction in operational risks. The education sector could learn from other sectors

The quality of school buildings and other assets has a direct impact on the quality of education of our children. Asset management has emerged as a rational approach for managing assets, and has been successfully applied across several sectors ADOPT A WHOLE LIFE VALUE APPROACH The EFA should consult with all stakeholders, including central government, local authorities and head teachers. This will allow them to publish consistent, transparent and evidence‑based criteria for the prioritisation of all capital and revenue funding allocations under the different national programmes aligned with their policy objectives. The decision criteria should adopt a whole life value for money approach considering costs, benefits and risks over the life cycle of buildings assets. The value benefits should consider educational, social and environmental outcomes to ensure a balanced and sustainable approach to managing school assets. DEVELOP ASSET MANAGEMENT PLANS The EFA, the local councils and large academies should work together to determine long-term investment needs (say over 25 years) for the schools estate and develop whole-life-value optimised five-year asset management plans at an individual school, council and national- levels. This approach would highlight long term funding needs, help inform Government’s policies and programmes and secure the necessary funding to sustain and improve the condition of the national schools estate, avoiding short‑termism and funding cuts which in the end significantly increase the lifecycle costs. to help address the challenges of managing the schools estate in the wake of funding cuts. We believe the following recommendations will help to provide the best long term value for schools from the limited available funding. PROPERTY DATA AND INFORMATION Availability of quality and reliable asset data and information about the national schools estate is vital for effective policy development, planning and decision-making. The Property Data Survey undertaken in 2013 covering 85 per cent of UK schools has provided some good data on the condition of buildings and their components. This data should be maintained and supplemented by data captured through full building compliance surveys and reflect ongoing maintenance, repair and refurbishment works carried out locally. Where appropriate asset tracking through sensors and remote monitoring should be introduced to provide real-time information on the location, condition and performance of critical and sensitive assets.

DEVELOP CODES OF PRACTICE FOR ASSET MANAGEMENT The EFA should commission the development and publication of Codes of Practice for Maintenance and Asset Management to provide authoritative and consistent guidance for all those responsible for the schools estate. The highways sector has produced a number of codes of practice, which have been funded by the Department for Transport, and these are applied nationally. These help to promote benchmarking, sharing of best practices and lessons learned. BLOCK-BID FOR CONDITION IMPROVEMENT FUNDING The current approach, whereby funding is allocated to individual schools does not secure adequate funding to cost-effectively address repair and refurbishment works. Schools within a council or across few neighbouring councils and boroughs should get together and make a block-bid for condition improvement funding. The funding secured should be allocated to individual schools that are most in

Asset Management

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need according to agreed prioritisation criteria to address the necessary works. This approach has been successfully applied by the 33 London Boroughs for over 15 years for bridge and road maintenance and improvement works. ENHANCE BUYING POWER As an extension to the block-bidding approach, schools across several councils can get together and procure long term framework contracts for buildings inspection, maintenance and refurbishment works. This approach reduces legal and procurements costs while significantly reducing tendered unit costs because of the economies of scale and enhanced buying power that this offers. This approach has been recommended by the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (sponsored by Department of Transport) and adopted by several local highway authorities in England. INTRODUCE ENERGY MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT Energy costs are a major item of expenditure for schools. By implementing energy efficiency measures, e.g. cavity walls, double-glazing, energy efficient boilers and chillers, LED lighting, etc. combined with remote monitoring and control, schools can substantially reduce energy bills and the savings can then be directed to essential building maintenance. IMPLEMENT BIM AND SOFT LANDING New-build or major enhancement projects should incorporate Government requirements for BIM (Building Information Modelling, see BS PAS 1192 suite of standards) and Soft Landing (see BS 8536). These approaches will provide high quality information and help to reduce whole life cost of buildings assets. The quality of school buildings and other assets has a direct impact on the quality of education of our children. Asset management has emerged as a rational approach for managing assets, and has been successfully applied across several sectors around the world with substantial benefits. Asset management of the schools estate should be given a top priority by the Government. Implementation of the recommendations given above in a phased manner will help to sustain the schools estate in the wake of funding cuts. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.theIAM.org

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

EDUTEK 2015

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

EVENT PREVIEW

EDUTEK – Education and Training Exhibition Kuwait 2015

Taking place over three days, Education and Training Exhibition Kuwait is the event aiming to bridge the gap between the increasing demand for quality education and the present options available

Education and Training Exhibition Kuwait (EDUTEK) is an annual and strategically important event, aligned with the government’s vision, providing an indispensable platform which will comprehensively showcase higher education, vocational and occupational training and human resources development to a myriad of focused, prospective students and affluent visitors spanning over 20 nationalities. Taking place between the 7-9 October 2015 at the Kuwait International Fair, Kuwait, the exhibition is one not be missed. EDUTEK is held under the auspices of and in collabouration with the Ministry of

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

Higher Education, Kuwait, in collabouration with government authorities, associations and media partners, will endeavour to bridge the gap between the increasing demand of quality education and training requirements, and the present options available.

’s rnment e v o g e Th higher current strategy on educati increasing r calls fo umber of the n hips for s scholar s study oversea

STUDENT INTERACTION Students are placing more value on pursuing and investing in education and

training, to secure better jobs and a growth in their career. Complementing this trend is the backing of the public and private sectors through scholarships, which makes Kuwait a pivotal hub for student enrollment. The three‑day exhibition will attract more than 120 prominent accredited universities, colleges and institutes from over 25 countries. These countries range from Australia, Canada, Egypt, Germany,

Ireland, Jordan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America. EDUTEK offers extensive courses to over 5,000 focused visitors comprising of potential national and expatriate students, HR managers, government officials, corporates and many more, making it a significant convergence point. EDUTEK was formerly known as EduCareer, the first education exhibition in Kuwait, launched 12 years ago. It has now been rebranded, to further strengthen its image and retain position as the biggest education exhibition in Kuwait. WHY KUWAIT? The government’s current higher education strategy calls for increasing the number of scholarships for overseas study, an arena that has traditionally received generous government support from the Ministry of Higher Education, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, the Civil Service Commission and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The Kuwaiti government had awarded 4,500 scholarships for Kuwaiti students to study abroad in 2013-14, under an initiative designed to upgrade domestic labour skills in line with the needs of the labour market. There are a significant number of Kuwaiti students abroad, pegged as high as 50,000, according to ‘official figures’ cited by a 2012 University World News article. The main push factor for Kuwaitis studying abroad, according to this article, is the shortage of domestic universities and the perceived prestige of overseas credentials. According to the 2014 Open Doors Report, there were 7,288 students from Kuwait studying in the United States during the 2013/14 academic year. This number shows a 340% increase from the 2006/7 academic year and puts Kuwait in the 21st spot of the top 25 countries of origin sending international students to study in US universities. KUWAIT VISION 2035 Enhancing Kuwait’s education system constitutes a key component of the country’s long-term development strategy, known as Kuwait Vision 2035. This plan envisages a range of capital and human investments with a view to diversifying the economy and transforming Kuwait into a regional commercial center by 2035. To this end, reforming education has become a priority. Authorities are looking to reform the standard curriculum and system to produce a highly educated and innovative workforce, with a view to assisting Kuwait’s transition to becoming a knowledge-based economy. Kuwait authorities, in view of a long term ambitious plan, are on the course to implement educational upgradation, implying huge investments and big spending budgets.

One of the first steps in implementing the new strategy is setting up two new higher education institutions: Sabah Al-Salem University City, and Jaber University for Applied Sciences (JUAS). The US$5.8 billion Sabah Al-Salem University City is one of the top 10 education projects in the Arab Gulf States. In an effort to develop the country as a knowledge economy, Kuwait plans to establish a US$48.5 million nanotechnology center. WHY EXHIBIT? EDUTEK will serve as a gateway for enthusiastic students, in pursuit of global exposure beyond borders, prepared to invest in quality education. Showcase your organisation in one of the most lucrative and diverse student recruitment markets in the region, and increase your conversion turnover. Discuss your student admission criteria, provide course information and highlight your unique campus features, study programs and scholarship opportunities to your target audience. An opportunity to make new connections and network with public and private sector education stakeholders, Government Authorities, regulatory bodies and industry colleagues, which will create ideal business opportunities to explore strategic alliances, form new partnerships and discuss partnership programs. VISITOR PROFILE EDUTEK 2015 opens its doors to a variety of different people. This includes those from the world of academia, administration and procurement, welcoming alumni, aspiring students from high school, colleges and universities. This is extended further to bursars, deans, principals, vice chancellors, diploma

EDUTEK 2015

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Educational Supplies and Human Resources. Universities and companies from the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, UAE, Kuwait, among others have registered for this exhibition. SPONSORS The Diamond Sponsor for EDUTEK is the American University of Kuwait. The Platinum Sponsors are Education Zone – Bahrain and Educational Testing Service Global – USA. The Gold Sponsors are Linkedin, We-Bridge Academy – United Kingdom, IE Business School – Spain, Benha University – Egypt, and Algonquin College – Kuwait. The educational associations supporting the event are Education Consortium – Kuwait, Education USA, AIESEC, AMIDEAST, Campus France, Institute Francais, DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service and the Training Gateway – United Kingdom. The exhibition media partners include Education Business, Edarabia, Edubeanz, Education Insider, Eye of Riyadh, StudentTalk, Tag Educa News Agency, School2College.info, UAEBusiness.com. MARKETING CAMPAIGNING Visitors will benefit from the diverse range of multi-channel marketing promotion, which is tailor-made to target the specific and relevant visitors of EDUTEK, attracting potential students, parents, teachers, academia, working professionals, government officials and HR managers. A comprehensive visitor promotion to key decision makers from government authorities, major private and public companies across all sectors such as oil & gas, finance & banking, travel, media, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, aviation offering scholarships. Work in close liaison with schools, colleges,

The Kuwait government had awarded 4,500 scholarships for Kuwaiti students to study abroad in 2013-14, under an initiative designed to upgrade domestic labour skills in line with the needs of the labour market holders, educational content providers, publishers, agents and distributors. Moreover this years show will be ideal for educational consultants, embassies and consulates, the general public, government officials, mid- career executives, parents and guardians, professional associations, publishing firms, teachers and professors, trade organisations, professionals in the field of education, representatives of foreign universities, top executives and officials, trustees and board members. EDUTEK 2015 will feature Higher Education, Training, Digital Education &

educational providers to ensure students’ awareness of the exhibition. Coordinated visits of public and private schools. Muscat Expo LLC, a leading Exhibitions, Conferences, Seminars and Training Workshops Organizer in the Middle East, has collabourated with Kuwait International Fairs, to organize a spectacular event with exclusive benefits to exhibitors and visitors. L FURTHER INFORMATION 00968 91729519 edutek@muscat-expo.com www.edutek-kw.com

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Hill View Junior School, Sunderland

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Tor Coatings Ltd., Shadon Way, Birtley, County Durham, DH3 2RE. T: +44 (0)191 410 6611 F: +44 (0)191 492 0125 E: enquiries@tor-coatings.com www.tor-coatings.com

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EVENT PREVIEW

Education Estates – from design to delivery

Education Estates 2015

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Sponsored by

Those responsible for designing, building, maintaining and funding our schools, academies, colleges and universities face huge challenges. Covering the primary, secondary and higher education sectors, Education Estates takes place on the 10-11 November at Manchester Central and aims to provide the solutions to the challenging issues Now in its third year, Education Estates brings together everyone involved in delivering education facilities now, and for the future. Its success is built on three key elements: the Exhibition, the Conference and the annual Awards and Dinner. The Exhibition features the entire supply chain serving the education sector. It’s a unique marketplace where manufacturers and providers can meet decision-makers and specifiers, make new contacts, generate leads and new product ideas, and identify current and emerging opportunities in the education sector. The Conference features over 90 speakers, with specialist content streams for ‘Schools’ and ‘Colleges & Universities’. Lively and authoritative, it’s the professional gathering for everyone concerned with education’s built environment. The annual Education Estates Awards & Dinner is a fantastic networking opportunity for exhibitors, speakers, visitors and delegates – and a great night out, too! This year, it will be held in Manchester’s prestigious Midland Hotel. The Education Estates Exhibition is free to all visitors and delegates. The Conference is free for those directly employed in schools, colleges, universities and local authorities. Delegates also benefit from free on-site catering and VIP parking.

It’s e a uniqu ace l p market essionals rof where pntify current can ide emerging and unities opport ucation d in the ector se

CONFERENCE SESSIONS The Schools Conference session includes Tony Dolan of Curtins discussing ‘Transport and access issues for school construction projects’ and Gareth Woodfin, HLM, discussing inclusion in a session entitled ‘Challenges faced in designing facilities to accommodate both mainstream and special education needs under one roof and how they were overcome to provide an inclusive learning environment for the local community’. Following this, Will Wareing from Girls’ Day School Trust approaches learning environments in a session titled ‘Irresistible Learning: How spaces can support

pedagogy’ and AG Real Estates’ Philippe Monserez tackling ‘PPP: Schools of Tomorrow’. Concluding the schools part of the conference, Jon James, Scott Brownrigg, discusses the importance of understanding people when designing schools. As part of the Colleges & Universities Conference session, Aaron Taylor discusses changing space requirements in a talk called ‘Building communities for student living’. Additionally, Lyndsay Smith of Morgan Sindall covers ‘An innovative approach to low carbon construction’ and Mark Sidding explores ‘Enhancing student experience through estate development’. Richard Jobson addresses sustainability in a session titled ‘The challenges facing the 21st century university estates, before Chris Pattison delves into campus design, with Jason Challender of Leeds City College completing the conferences with a session on masterplanning and strategy. AWARDS & DINNER The second Education Estates Awards & Dinner will take place the evening of the first day of the Education Estates Conference & Exhibition. The awards will be held at the Midland Hotel just across the road from Manchester Central where the conference and exhibition is taking place. The awards are an excellent opportunity to network with other delegates and exhibitors, and to continue discussing the day’s topics. Awards are now open for entries until 31 July 2016. The qualifying period for each category is 1 January 2013-26 June 2015. The

Broadcaster Garry Richardson will be the after-dinner speaker at the 2015 Education Estates Awards & Dinner

categories include: Estates & Facilities Team, Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Student Experience, Innovation in Delivering Value, BIM Initiative, Project of the Year, Client of the Year, Sustainable Achievement and Product Innovation. The entry deadline is 31 July 2016. AFTER-DINNER SPEAKER This year’s after-dinner speaker will be broadcaster Garry Richardson. Garry has been a broadcaster for the BBC for over 30 years. He is an after-dinner speaker of the highest calibre. Best known as the sports presenter on Radio Four’s prestigious Today programme. He also presents Sportsweek on Five Live every Sunday morning and is a regular contributor on BBC Television. He has reported on Five Olympic Games for the BBC. Garry’s big love is performing on the after‑dinner circuit. 2015 will mark his 25th year as one of the country’s funniest speakers. Garry’s speech is a rich mixture of stories and anecdotes about his life in broadcasting including his incredible interview with President Bill Clinton in Wimbledon’s Royal Box, in front of 18,000 tennis fans sitting under umbrellas and 10 million viewers on BBC 1. Over the years he has interviewed a galaxy of stars and his stories about his broadcasting life has made him a hugely popular speaker. E

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION – www.educationbusinessuk.net

EVENT PREVIEW  MAINTAINING BUILDINGS IN EDUCATION A new feature for 2015, Maintaining Buildings in Education is designed to help visitors and delegates make their maintenance budgets go further. Running alongside Education Estates, and free to attend, it consists of a dedicated area within the Education Estates Exhibition, bringing together suppliers specialising in products and services for internal and external maintenance. It also consists of a free‑to‑attend theatre, where exhibitors can share their experience, expertise and advise through case studies, demonstrations and presentations, and branded sessions within the main Schools and Colleges & Universities Conference streams. Maintaining Buildings for Education is aimed at decision-makers and maintenance teams from local authorities, state and independent schools, academies, colleges and universities.

The awards are an excellent opportunity to network with other delegates and exhibitors, and to continue discussing the day’s topics build, finance and operate infrastructure assets around the world for public and privatesector clients. With nearly 100,000 employees — including architects, engineers, scientists and management and construction services professionals — serving clients in over 150 countries around the world, AECOM is ranked as the number one engineering design firm by revenue in Engineering News‑Record magazine’s annual industry rankings. The company is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, oil and gas, water, high-rise buildings and government. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering customized and creative solutions that meet the needs of clients’ projects. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM

New 5, for 201 ing n Maintaigs in Buildin designed on is Educati lp delegates to he aintenance make m gets go bud er furth

EVENT SPONSORS AECOM is a fully integrated professional and technical services firm positioned to design,

Education Estates 2015

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

Sponsored by

companies, including URS Corporation and Hunt Construction Group, have annual revenue of approximately $19 billion. EC Harris is a leading Global Built Asset Consultancy. As part of the ARCADIS Group, it has access to 22,000 people worldwide, operating in over 300 offices in 70 countries and generating €2.4 billion in revenue. Working across a wide range of market sectors, EC Harris helps its clients make the most from the money they spend on built assets. Its ethos is simple; focus on getting the right results for its clients and the communities in which it works. EC Harris helps education sector clients deliver better learning outcomes more efficiently and provide certainty through the successful delivery of well procured and managed projects. It operate across all areas of the education sector and has an enviable track record in higher education, school buildings, academy and free school programmes. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.educationestates.com

Building coatings and flat roof repairs for schools Tor Coatings is the leading UK supplier of Elastaseal liquid roofing systems to the education sector. The company provides high quality, costeffective long-term roofing solutions for schools, academies, colleges and universities. Tor Coatings works with school management teams to deliver bespoke solutions for new-build and refurbishment, offering a complete service from initial survey and specification through to manufacture and installation. One of the major benefits of the Elastaseal system is it can be applied over failing existing flat roofs, extending their life by up to 25 years before first full maintenance. It is compatible with all commonly-used roofing materials, including felt, asphalt, single-ply and concrete. The flagship Elastaseal warm roof system includes thermal insulation, which helps with building regulations compliance - keeping the weather out and the heat in.

Tor liquid roofing systems have been installed at many of the UK’s leading educational facilities including Durham University, Northumbria University (Newcastle), Unity Academy (Blackpool), St. John Rigby College (Wigan), Towerbank Primary School (Edinburgh) and London South Bank University. Tor Coatings provides a nationwide service, with area business managers throughout the UK and Ireland and offers a free roof survey and specification service. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0191 411 3134 susan.greenwood@ tor-coatings.com www.tor-coatings.com

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Special Educational Needs Written by Jane Friswell, chief executive, nasen

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

Adopting a healthy attitude to emotional wellbeing Mental health and wellbeing remain high on the public agenda, with recent reports calling on schools to engage in a national commitment to develop holistic approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Here, nasen’s Jane Friswell examines the guidance and offers advice to schools Statistics in a recent report from Public Health England and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, drives home the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing, indicating that emotional health can have far reaching influence on pupils’ attainment. According to Public Health England’s report, in an average class of 30 pupils aged 15, three could have a mental disorder, seven are likely to have been bullied and six may be self-harming. Suicide is one of the three most common causes of death for young people and half of lifetime mental illnesses start by the age of 14. The halcyon days of childhood? Not for many, so what

are the priority areas and best approaches for schools to help pupils navigate the challenges and difficulties that they may encounter? A WHOLE COMMUNITY ETHOS If we want to tackle these issues then wellbeing and mental health should be everyone’s business. Schools need to have a clear awareness of the extent and nature of mental health problems in children and young people and of their responsibility to be part of the response, not least because these problems do not go away. All too often there is a culture of silence when it comes to mental health and emotional wellbeing. This is why ensuring that

n Attentioto is paid t and en assessmut schools b results, l that efforts may feede support for i to provonal wellbeing i emot s to take a need seat back

not only is the whole school aware of the importance of mental health and wellbeing, but the community as a whole. This is the bedrock of an effective approach because it needs to be acceptable to ask for help. Those more serious problems can then be identified and help can be provided in a non-stigmatising way, with the whole school population supporting those with greater needs. Many problems are multiple and many remain undetected and untreated unless agencies such as schools take an active role. There are some key principles identified in the report, one of which is leadership. In this context, leadership that develops innovative practice will be critical to the

Well Educated Banking www.lloydstsb.com/ schoolbanking

success of any approach. The influence that leadership has on the ethos and environment cannot be underestimated either. Schools need to examine how pupils’ environments impact their performance and how they affect their mental and emotional wellbeing and attainment. We often measure this impact through the quality of relationships between staff and pupils, the ones that enhance learning and support. For those pupils who do not enjoy school we should strive to build effective and supportive relationships with them and reinforce the messages of support that say ‘we want you here, you belong, you are important to us’. TEACHING AND LEARNING Teaching about emotional health is another core facet of any school’s approach, and there is advice for teachers on teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing; unsurprisingly, pupils are more likely to engage in lessons that focus on emotional wellbeing if they are practical and relevant to them. In addition, using validated assessment tools such as the Stirling Children’s Wellbeing Scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale can help offer insight

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to a complex and tricky area that needs demystifying in a sensitive manner. Teaching about ownership of challenges is also important, and how we do this is especially significant in changing and influencing the hearts and mind-sets of pupils who lack the self-belief to overcome their struggles. Involving pupils in decisions that impact on them can benefit their emotional health and wellbeing by helping them to feel part of the school and wider community and to have some control over their lives. The SEND Gateway offers free resources for exploring strategies to support learners’ emotional wellbeing and help build resilience, all from a range of different voluntary sector organisations. These resources can contribute towards staff development, another fundamental part of an effective approach. Emotional wellbeing in staff is key to engender the open, honest approach to young people’s wellbeing. Providing opportunities for assessing the emotional health and wellbeing needs of staff, enabling staff to take actions to enhance their own wellbeing, and promoting a good work‑life balance for staff are all ways of driving necessary change. To ensure everyone has the balance right, take a look at the Workplace Wellbeing Charter National Standards.

A BOOST IN ACHIEVEMENT While we pay so much attention to assessment and exam results, some schools may feel that efforts to provide support for emotional wellbeing needs to take a backseat. But a report from Public Health in 2014 found that Ofsted had identified a strong link between schools that paid close attention to wellbeing and those that were graded outstanding for overall effectiveness. An 11 per cent boost in results in standardised achievement tests has been linked to programmes that improve pupils’ social and emotional learning. The report also found that whole-school approaches to this, universally implemented for all pupils, strongly correlates with attainment. That’s a clear message for any school. Support the emotional health and wellbeing of pupils and you ultimately support their attainment. That staff should benefit from this increased awareness too makes it startlingly clear that this is a critical issue for any school and all pupils. L

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Mental health disorders: the facts One in ten children and young people has a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder and/or emotional and behaviour problems (often the same children) and around one in seven has less severe problems that interfere with their development and learning. Anti-social behaviour and conduct disorder affect over five per cent of children, particularly boys, while anxiety and depression affect four per cent. Suicide is one of the three most common causes of death in youth and is now rising: in 2014 there was a 43 per cent rise in the number of young people who admitted attempting suicide, while self‑harm and eating disorders are a growing problem. Social media and cyber bullying are increasingly suggested as part of the cause for the rise in these emotional disorders. Attachment disorder, which gives rise to problems with connection, trust and relationships, may be on the rise as families increasingly fracture and fail and more children join the care system.

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MODULAR BUILDINGS

MODULAR SPACE AND SECURE STORAGE SOLUTIONS

It has been reported this summer that the baby boom is about to catch up on pupil places in the next few years. Elliott discuss how modular build solutions can help alleviate the issue The need to react quickly to changing student numbers and the need for increased accommodation facilities affects many schools throughout the UK. So how do you plan for this when you’re unsure of how long you might need extra facilities or even whether your school has a capital budget available to spend on accommodation? One solution is to use modular buildings as temporary classrooms that can provide an instant solution to your problem and avoids the lengthy process of traditional construction which can last many months even after the design stage has been overcome. Elliott, part of Algeco Scotsman, the world leader in modular space and secure storage solutions, has a wide range of temporary classrooms that are available to buy or rent which are available ex –stock and can be installed ready for use within weeks. From having an open space of land foundations can be quickly laid and in what appears to be no time at all a new learning facility is fully operational within such a short timescale. That’s the magic of modular buildings. THE RENTING OPTION The most popular option now is for schools to rent temporary classrooms rather than buy and many may not have considered the option of renting temporary classrooms and the considerable benefits that renting can bring. One of the main benefits is you preserve your capital knowing exactly where you stand with your monthly payments for a fixed term. Renting modular buildings gives you absolute flexibility to change your plans and add more facilities in the future as the number of students grows or you can reduce your temporary classrooms as student numbers contract. Renting of temporary classrooms offers the reduction in risk should changes occur and once the agreed rental period has expired you’re free to arrange for the building to be dismantled and collected at any time. Of course, rented buildings are simply removed at the end of the rental period which overcomes the need for building disposal if you had decided to buy at the outset. One of the major benefits of modular buildings against traditional construction is that they are less affected by site conditions particularly during cold and wet months when traditional construction can be forced to stop. Because modular buildings are assembled

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

and prepared for delivery in a controlled off-site environment they are less prone to extreme weather conditions on site which not only can delay the construction process but also increase the damage to materials on site resulting in unseen additional costs. The cuts in funding for new build programmes were announced a few years ago that left schools having the prospect of having to put up with poor classroom facilities. Following this The National Audit Office warned that an extra 256,000 school places would be required in England and Wales.

prefer traditional looking permanent buildings with a brick exterior and Elliott has an excellent reputation gained over 50 years in providing permanent offsite buildings in both the education and health sector. Using an innovative modular construction system Elliott is able to design and build top quality accommodation. One recent off-site project completed by Elliott was a four storey design and build project at Peterborough Hospital to house medical students and other staff in 111 single en-suite rooms. The

Elliott, part of Algeco Scotsman, the world leader in modular space and secure storage solutions, has a wide range of temporary classrooms that are available to buy or rent which are available ex-stock and can be ready for use within weeks VALUE FOR MONEY Many people will remember the traditional timber modular buildings that are still very popular in education today along with plastic coated steel buildings. These modular buildings continue to provide schools and colleges with excellent value for money and have done so for a number of years. As the major supplier in the modular buildings industry Elliott is continually working at improving their products for students and also help create a more pleasant teaching experience. One of most recent trends is to create a learning experience with more natural light that can be provided by temporary classrooms with full floor to ceiling windows. Many users of recently installed modular buildings have commented on the overall improved standard compared to those supplied in previous years. Of course, many education establishments

project was completed in 22 weeks and incorporated a number of bespoke features, such as floor to ceiling glass walls, which added to the modern aesthetic envisaged for the project. The specification included a wide range of eco features, such as increased levels of insulation, low energy lighting, energy efficient heating systems, water technology and high levels of natural daylight. So, no matter whether you need a temporary classroom to meet increasing school numbers or a modern multi-storey permanent solution with a traditional appearance Elliott can provide a solution to meet your timescale and budget. L FURTHER INFORMATION 0800 0858 202 education@as.elliottuk.com www.elliottuk.com

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LEADERSHIP

Great leaders growing great teams Great leaders grow great teams. It’s a have an impact back in the classroom then self‑evident fact of effective leadership and also our review shows that trainers, facilitators one that is supported by research. Professor and participants must all be explicitly focused Viviane Robinson’s seminal review identified on making a difference for students. five key leadership activities that are most The big question for every participant is: “If I likely to improve outcomes in schools; leading improve my skill and understanding in this teacher learning and development was, by area, which pupils will benefit and how will some way, the highest impact leadership focus. I check to see how well this is happening?” Ensuring staff have opportunities to develop Many school leaders will already be using in their practice and career also has an aggregated student data to inform decisions important impact on levels of staff confidence, around the foci for professional development motivation and job satisfaction. It makes – but is this always done in the most useful sense: if 70-80 per cent of your budget will way? Whole-school, headline, quantitative be spent on staff salaries, ensuring those data only tells part of the story for students’ same staff are supported to do their best learning needs and can only give a high-level and develop, is a simple way of ensuring a overview of the areas that would benefit most good return on that overall investment. from additional resource or support. If a cohort But what are the best strategies to take of pupils appears to be underperforming when arranging both external and against chosen targets, on average, then we internal professional development realise that action must be taken. opportunities for your staff? However, this analysis reveals y Man Earlier this year the Teacher vanishingly little information Development Trust, with about the specific issues school ill support from TES Global, and needs for individual w leaders using commissioned a review pupils that teachers e b y of the international need to address. d a t e alr tuden s research into Similarly, it seems d e t a effective professional tempting to use aggreg to inform e development for observations of teachers h t data d n u o r a teachers. We wanted as a key data-gathering s n decisio professional technique to inform to know: what is the focus and content professional development foci for elopment of the professional plans. Not only is this, on the dev development that has the face of it, a logical approach but biggest impact on pupils? it is also very common across the The review’s findings explore not only what sector. However, research is increasingly schools can do internally to best support calling this into question. It seems that staff, but also the types of external support observation is very helpful as a developmental that schools should be commissioning. tool, for dialogue and discussion, but much Taking time to understand these principles less so at gathering reliable information about and embed them into your decision making how successful the teaching is at improving processes and management of CPD, will learning. Indeed, our review findings would ensure that you avoid wasting valuable suggest that if professional development time and financial resource on opportunities is explicitly focused on improving an that are unlikely to improve student observed teacher practice instead of being outcomes, and focus instead on providing focused explicitly on addressing a pupil effective, sustainable support to all staff. need, then it is less likely to be effective at improving outcomes for students. STUDENT FOCUS Instead, why not consider how you can The key finding from the report was that use richer, more granular data from closer carefully-designed professional development to the ground. Support teaching staff and activities with a strong focus on student teaching assistants to strengthen their outcomes have a significant positive impact understanding of the needs of certain students on pupils’ learning. This is an important and groups of students in their classrooms principle: if we want teacher development to using both quantitative and qualitative data,

and to map this onto areas for development in their own practice. As a result each member of staff and their line manager will have an in-depth, contextualised understanding of their professional development needs, which can then be fed upwards to identify trends and ensure a balance between whole school and individual development needs – all the while maintaining a focus on the specific and varied needs of students across the school. EXTERNAL SUPPORT Part of effective learning is being exposed to expertise that is greater than yours. Our review showed that some form of external expertise played a key role in the most effective professional development programmes. Key knowledge and understanding: helping teachers to understand the professional knowledge base in the chosen area, giving information both about theoretical underpinnings and practical application, linking theory and practice together to help participants develop their understanding of why and how various practices work, and linking the chosen practices to an understanding of how students learn. Modelling and coaching: demonstrating practices and underlying thinking, helping teachers to plan and implement these in their own practice, observing this and providing feedback, and using a coaching approach to ensure that teachers are always encouraged to be autonomous, confident users of techniques and ideas. Building relationships: developing a trusted relationship with teachers which allows openness and risk-taking with sufficient constructive challenge, acknowledging that professional learning and changing practices may be hard and even emotional at times, and creating safe and constructive collaborative discussion between peers. Challenging orthodoxies within the school: demonstrating what has been achieved elsewhere in similar contexts with similar pupils, suggesting new ways of tackling problems, inspiring and challenging staff to raise expectations and confidence levels. Strategic decisions must be made around the types of external support that you commission. Just as with internal processes, engaging with external support requires an investment of time, materials and financial resource. Some schools perceive this as a E

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Written by Sarah Coskeran, Teacher Development Trust

Encouraging teacher development can be a key factor in running an effective leadership system within schools. The Teacher Development Trust’s Sarah Coskeran examines the evidence

Professional Development

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Case Study Flexible approach delivers robust solution The install was hassle-free, the requirement for maintenance is reduced and we are assured of prompt and reliable service. Absolutely superb!

Gareth Valentine-Saunders IT Manager

Situated in Harrogate, Ashville College is an HMC independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 4-18. Gareth Valentine-Saunders, Ashville’s IT Manager, explains what made Ashville choose to work with Arena. Arena showed great attention to detail and were very responsive. Whenever we asked a question there was always an answer straight away - even out of work hours. Our account manager, Nick Payne, made himself available whenever it was convenient for us.

Gareth Valentine-Saunders IT Manager

Arena’s initial proposal particularly impressed Gareth; “When they came for a site survey, Arena didn’t just look at our own ideas, they saw the bigger picture of how we work. They had absolutely fantastic ideas to help us achieve our current aims whilst making sure that the Managed Print Service will be flexible to future changes.” With a small IT team, Ashville could not afford to dedicate staff resource to the install. Gareth recalls; “the install was exactly what I wanted, not just a box drop. Arena’s Professional Services team had a plan and followed it perfectly.” This allowed his team to continue with their day-to-day roles; “There was a lot less work for my guys than expected, it all went smoothly and much more quickly than expected.” The service has had a positive impact on the end users too. “Previously, if two or three machines were broken at the same time it could take a couple of weeks to fix them. The response from Arena’s engineers assures against significant down time.” The professionalism of the engineers has also been noted by college staff; “Overall he is excellent; well-presented and highly regarded by our staff because he explains things in a straight-forward way.” Gareth notes that the staff have been impressed by the system; “They are very happy with the quality and improved reliability.” User behaviour is also changing in-line with the new machine set-up; “we are seeing reduced colour printing - only when it’s needed and they are generally using the most economical device for the print job – even the head teacher no longer has a printer in his office.” Looking ahead, Ashville plan to install a full ‘Follow Me’ print solution to further reduce wasteful and unnecessary printing and improve document security. The increased reporting and control is also a major benefit; “We’ve never monitored printing before and it’s been a surprise who the biggest users are. The full reports we’ll get with the full Follow Me solution will be brilliant.”

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LEADERSHIP

The commissioning process should begin with a clear idea of the benefit that is sought  barrier to engaging with external expertise and therefore limit such opportunities for staff. The commissioning process should begin with a clear idea of the benefit that is sought. Our research review suggests that if you are looking for sustained impact on teaching and learning, you should be looking at a more sustained and long-term engagement with expertise. This could perhaps be through engaging an external consultant or booking on a multi-part course which extends over a number of months. Once the focus, scale and scope of the provision has been determined, schools should conduct a search of the available provision, comparing providers by: how effectively they can tailor any provision to participants’ needs and provide follow-up support; how they can support the school to evaluate the impact of their support and how they support participants to improve their formative assessment skills in order to evaluate their own impact; how their content and expertise aligns with the research evidence base; The evidence they have of impact at other schools, reviews of customer satisfaction. Schools can make this search easier by using

a CPD database such as http://GoodCPDGuide. com. This can also help to compare provision, cost and impact of different providers in order to maximise value for money. INTERNAL PROCESSES Successful professional development is a marriage of the right expert input with the right internal processes. External support (e.g. a course) without the right investment in appropriate internal time and process is a waste of time, as is a great internal process without good external support and challenge. Our review showed the following aspects are crucial to effective CPD: Time, collaboration, leadership, ownership and formative assessment. Time: for any expert input, teachers need time to diagnose and identify a clear area of focus before-hand, and time to plan, teach, observe and reflect upon lessons that implement the ideas afterwards. Collaboration: the most effective professional development involved teachers working together to solve pedagogical/ learning problems. Do not underestimate the challenge of successful collaborative

How does your ICT support compare?

professional working. In the same way that students require scaffolding and training in order to conduct effective group work, teachers need clear support and guidance in order to avoid wasting their time in a well-meaning talking shop. Leadership: effective teacher development requires leaders who actively champion and prioritise it. Leaders should be constantly seeking ways to remove other burdens and barriers which may get in the way of successful professional learning, examining any new and existing initiatives critically for its impact on CPD. Successful leaders talk about their own learning and create a trusting, professional culture where learning is celebrated, expected, and championed. Ownership and formative assessment: the most effective professional development gives responsibility to participants for improving themselves. In particular, teachers need to be supported to improve their formative assessment skills, through asking ‘what tools/questions/ activities can I use to explore whether this approach is having the required, sustained impact on learning?’ This is a markedly different approach to training teachers to use an approach and then using high-stakes observation to check whether they are doing it right. L

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Real School problems = Real grass solutions

“Barenbrug grass has given us the best pitch in the league” Keith Hodgson, Estate Manager, The High School Glasgow.

Give your school’s natural grass the Barenbrug treatment! With over 2,000 users at Scotland’s oldest school and community club, Barenbrug delivered a 21st century pitch. “As we were to find out soon, being 100% rye grass it provided us with strong, fast natural growth. Around day eight to ten the whole area was lush and green...the pitch back into play in early September looking better than ever. I genuinely believe it’s a winning combination which has given us the best pitch in the league.” Keith Hodgson, Estate Manager, The High School Glasgow.

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EVENT PREVIEW

SALTEX 2015

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Pitching new ideas at SALTEX 2015

The UK’s national event for grounds care, sports, amenities, estates and green space management moves from an outdoor venue to the halls of the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 November The new look Sports, Amenities, Landscaping Trade Exhibition (SALTEX) will fill the NEC Birmingham on 4 and 5 November to mark the 70th anniversary of the show. The exhibition will feature a comprehensive programme of free educational seminars and will, for the first time, combine with the Institute of Groundsmanship’s (IOG) annual Industry Awards dinner. This year’s Learning Live education programme will offer grounds and open space practitioners across all disciplines, volunteer as well as professional, a large selection of knowledge-gathering sessions. Visitors can attend any of the 47 educational seminars on the show floor, hosted by partner associations and industry experts, within the two-day Learning Live programme – many of which have CPD points connected to them. SPORTS SURFACES The seminar theatre next to the IOG Hub will feature sports turf management panel debates with high-profile industry

professionals taking centre stage. Mark Saggers, journalist and radio presenter on talkSPORT will host the ‘Gaining Ground’ turf management debates. The former Sky News and BBC Sports correspondent is a regular IOG conference and Awards host and visitors to SALTEX 2015 will be pleased to see him reprising his role. The Gaining Ground theatre will be of particular interest to those with interests in fine turf and a variety of sports surfaces. Visitors to this theatre will be able to choose from a range of informative seminar sessions presented by some of the industry’s national and international experts.

Lee Metcalfe and Roy Rigby, of Manchester City FC, will host a case study of the Manchester City Academy, discussing the challenges in moving from old to new and producing the best quality surfaces. Adam King, of Radley College, will also host a case study entitled ‘Multiple Sports = Multiple Demands’, which will highlight a year in the life of a team managing the diverse needs of summer and winter sports at an independent school, including rugby, football, hockey, cricket and golf, on natural and artificial surfaces. Additionally, there will also be a discussion entitled ‘Turf Management in Professional 

Visitors can attend any of the 47 educational seminars on the show floor, hosted by partner associations and industry experts, within the two-day Learning Live programme – many of which have CPD points connected to them Young Board of Directors at Saltex 2014

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GET READY TO w NEW SALTEX The national event for managing and maintaining sports pitches, parks, estates, grounds and landscapes has got even better NEW SALTEX brings you: New exhibition format • new exhibitors, products and innovation • new enhanced educational seminar programme • free expert advice - all under one roof - plus, for the first time, the IOG Awards Register today for your FREE place

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EVENT PREVIEW

Mark Saggers, journalist and radio presenter on talkSPORT

Mark , Saggersand ist journal senter on re radio p RT will host talkSPOning Ground’ i the ‘Ga anagement turf m bates de

 Sport – the next 5 years’, which will focus on how to get the best from pitches at all levels of the professional sport pyramid. Other industry experts to feature include: Mark Pover, national facilities manager at the FA; Chris Wood, pitch consultant for the ECB; and Simon Winman, head of club development at Rugby Football Union. Other professional bodies supporting the show and contributing to the Learning Live programme include: The Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), The British and International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association (BIGGA), The Amenity Forum, The Institute for Occupational Health, and Safety (IOSH), the British Agricultural & Garden Machinery Association (BAGMA) and the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA). The Chartered Institute of Horticulture (IOH) will also host its annual conference at SALTEX.

PARKS AND OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS Two further theatres will feature dedicated seminars relevant to those working in the school, play, amenity, parks, arboriculture and forestry environments. The ‘Standards for Outdoor Sports Equipment’ presentation will give an expert view of how standards will affect the purchasing of sports equipment and

advice to ensure the equipment is maintained and used correctly, with Mark Harrod, SAPCA/BSI Technical Committee for sports equipment. A case study entitled ‘A Walk in the Park’ will look at how Birmingham City Council has concentrated on providing opportunities to increase activity levels in its communities, working with partners to deliver a wide range of activities, as well as what the programme has delivered, what worked vs what didn’t, and how the council intends to develop initiatives for the future. There will also be a discussion on ‘The Control of Pests, Weeds & Diseases – challenges, threats & opportunities’ that will see an invited panel answer questions on all matters relating to weed, pest and disease control. The panel will consist of Professor John Moverley, Amenity Forum (chair); Will Kay, Languard; Dr Ruth Mann, STRI Research Department at the Amenity Forum; David Layland, JKC; and Chris Gray of IOG Education. They will have no pre-warning of the questions and the audience will be invited to contribute to debates on any subject. Building on this, a presentation will ask the question ‘Is There a Future for Pesticides?’, examining why an integrated approach to weed, pest and disease control should be considered best practice and why the

SALTEX 2015

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choice of control pesticides remains a vital and effective component of the mix. Additionally, a presentation entitled ‘Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer – practical advice for outdoor workers’ will highlight the scale of the problem, look at people’s attitudes and behaviours to the sun, examine the causes of skin cancer and offer advice for working outdoors safely. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE From an international perspective, the Learning Live programme will feature an in-depth look at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in New Zealand – the world’s only natural turf playing surface under a permanently fixed roof – by the STRI’s Dr Richard Gibbs. Phil Sharples, currently the director of pitches for Gabala FC in Azerbaijan, will focus on some of the challenges he has faced while working overseas. Bertrand Picard from Natural Grass will offer a French perspective on turfcare, while Ian Craig, regional agronomist for STRI, will relay the bizarre turf management experiences he encountered while working at the Africa Cup of Nations 2015. GROUNDSMANSHIP For young people looking to advance their career in the groundscare industry, a half-day Young Groundsmen’s Conference, sponsored by Rigby Taylor/Top Green and organised by the IOG’s Young Board of Directors, will focus on the key issues for developing young people and helping them to advance their careers. Two discussions will take place, with the first 

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EVENT PREVIEW  entitled ‘What Makes You Employable’. This will feature the country’s top groundsman giving advice on what is expected from someone who wants to develop in the turf industry. The second, entitled ’How to Get Young People Involved in your Work Place’, will see top industry experts, including Tony Stones from Wembley Stadium and Lee Fortis from The Kia Oval, discuss how they engage, motivate and develop those entering the industry. There will also be a number of presentations, including ‘The Art of Good Leadership and Management’, which will see development consultant Steve Woolland discuss the secret to achieving the best results for you and your staff. Hosted on the evening of the first day

(4 November), the IOG Industry Awards at the Hilton Metropole is set to be the UK’s biggest celebration in groundsmanship; with 19 awards up for grabs, Alistair McGowan providing the after dinner entertainment and talkSPORT’s Mark Saggers hosting the event. NEW LOCATION SALTEX’s move from an outdoor environment into the halls of the NEC Birmingham has been met with tremendous support from both exhibitors and visitors alike. A packed exhibitor list containing some of the industry’s biggest names along with confirmation of new exciting features, has ensured that this year’s exhibition is set to be the biggest SALTEX to date.

For young people looking to advance their career in the groundscare industry, a half-day Young Groundsmen’s Conference, organised by the IOG’s Young Board of Directors, will focus on the key issues for developing young people and helping them to advance their careers

SALTEX 2015

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The new, centrally located, national exhibition venue and the more convenient time of year has attracted more than 200 exhibitors representing forestry, play, groundscare machinery, artificial surfaces, natural turf, landscaping products, pest control, line marking, waste management, sports equipment, litter and landfill and engine fuels. This resulted in show organisers extending the show footprint by adding an extra hall to accommodate the increased interest. The NEC has well connected transport links to the rest of the country – with more than 75 per cent of the UK’s population situated within just three hours from the venue. Additionally visitors who decide to travel by Virgin Rail can receive 25 per cent discount on their ticket fare. SALTEX HEART CAMPAIGN Over 250 exhibitors have now signed up to the exhibition and visitor registration is at an all-time high with two months still remaining until the show. The SALTEX 2015 image – a heart formed of grass, has prompted industry professionals and volunteers to publicly show their support to the industry and SALTEX by forming a heart shape with their hands. 

TheSALTEX 2015 image is a heart formed of grass

The Birmingham NEC hosts the biggest SALTEX to date

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SALTEX 2015

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Imaginative play equipment for children of all abilities The Children’s Playground Co. Ltd (CPCL), founded in 2001, is a market leader in the design, manufacturing and supply of bespoke play equipment of Robinia wood. In January, the company will celebrate 15 years as a thriving business with many special surprises and offers to come. CPCL’s aspiration is to create distinctive, stimulating, imaginative and challenging playgrounds integrating their natural surroundings and to design equipment for children of all abilities. The company works together with its customers to ensure that each playground is individually challenging, bespoke and unique and its design service is free of charge. In the 14 years since CPCL was established, several of its playgrounds have been awarded the ROSPA 5 star award. The

company’s dedication to high quality and imagination does not stop there, with CPCL currently in the process of launching a new range of “Multi use games”, along with a new range of outdoor fitness equipment taking “Challenging The Child” to a whole new level. Visit CPCL at Stand no D037! FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01902 422 515 www.thechildrens playground.com

The innovative leaders in UK street furniture The Metalco collections have been available in the UK since 2003, giving a unique range of award-winning, design led Italian products to landscape architects, urban designers and local authorities. Designs imagined by some of Europe’s leading designers and design houses – Antonio Citterio, Marc Aurel, Pininfarina and Staubach+Kuckertz to name a few – in materials as varied as corten steel, granite and wood, help to create wonderful and exciting cities and landscapes. Metalco are able to offer you a comprehensive range of exclusive street furniture manufactured in stone, high performance concrete, corten steel, stainless steel, galvanised and powder coated steel, and FSC timber. Innovative products are thoughtfully created with applications from seating, bins, cycle shelters, bus shelters, planters, bollards, barrier rails, tree grilles and signage. These products have been specified and

installed throughout the world in over 50 countries, in a broad spectrum of urban environments. The result has been products which have redefined the concept of street furniture and outdoor furniture, awarded by major associations for design and appreciated by users. From the beginning, the search for shapes and original solutions aimed at enhancing the functionality of the objects has been the adopted guideline. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01423 705 054 sales@metalcouk.co.uk www.metalcouk.co.uk

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CUTTING -EDGE TECHNOLOGY C O S T- E F F E C T I V E S O LU T I O N S 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE N AT I O N W I D E S E R V I C E H U N D R E DS O F S AT I S F I E D C L I E N T S TURFDRY - COMMITTED TO I M PROV I NG TH E N ATION’S SPORTS PITCHES G E T I N T O U C H T O D A Y & V I S I T S T A N D A 1 2 5 A T S A LT E X 2 0 1 5 TURFDRY - EDUCATION BUSINESS - AUGUST 2015.indd 1

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EVENT PREVIEW  Professionals who have already embraced the campaign include Nathan Chapman – Charlton Athletic FC, John Ledwidge – Leicester City FC, Jim Dawson – Scottish Rugby, Joe Wallace – Falkirk FC, Greg Bolton – Fulham FC, Neil Stubley – AELTC, Ryan Golding – Leeds Rhinos, Matt Rainey – Forest Green Rovers FC and Chelsea FC’s grounds staff. Commenting on his support for the show, John Ledwidge, head groundsman at Leicester City FC, said: “For me, SALTEX is a show that I’ve always attended because it’s a great chance to meet other groundsmen and likeminded people. It’s especially good for those who are involved at grassroots level or are at clubs in lower leagues because they get the opportunity to ask questions to those who are working at the top. “The Young Groundsmen’s Conference this year will also be great because it’s important to get the next generation in and find out about what the IOG are doing to ensure a good future for the industry. “SALTEX is such a versatile show. It is a one-stop shop for all different sectors and shows ideas from people all over the country and across the world that can really help you in your career. It really offers something for everyone and it’s a fantastic representation of the industry we love.” The SALTEX Heart Campaign is now well underway and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) is encouraging everyone to show their support by sharing photos of themselves forming the heart shape. Two free tickets to the IOG Industry Awards, which will be hosted on the evening of the first day of SALTEX (4 November), at the Hilton Metropole, Birmingham will be up for grabs for the best photo. This event is the UK’s biggest celebration in groundsmanship; with 19 awards, Alistair McGowan providing the after dinner entertainment and talkSPORT’s Mark Saggers hosting the event. The prize also includes a three course dinner, complimentary drinks and accommodation for the night.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.iogsaltex.com

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Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

NATIONAL FITNESS DAY

Written by UK Active

School Sport

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

Celebrating National Fitness Day in schools Primary schools from up and down the country took part in National Fitness Day by running a wide range of activities designed to get pupils more active. Education Business reviews a selection of some of the great activities that were on offer 9 September 2015 marked ukactive’s National Fitness Day, billed as the ‘most active day of the year’. “National Fitness Day is a chance for everyone, no matter how fit they are, to try something new and get the activity bug,” said Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, chair of ukactive. For the first time, National Fitness Day this year sought to engage with schools, in order to promote the fun of fitness to primary school children. Primary schools across the UK took part by running activities designed to get their children more active. Each participating school received a tailored toolkit of information to help them put on a whole day of activities across the curriculum, including supportive materials such as downloadable planning packs with suggested activities for various key stages, as well as certificates to celebrate their participation in the most active day of the year!

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

HARMONDSWORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL The ukactive team, alongside Chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Planet Education sports coaches, visited Harmondsworth Primary school on the morning of National Fitness Day. The schools’ regular active breakfast club saw almost the whole school turn out especially to celebrate the most active day of the year and get the day off to a great start. The event was also attended by a Sky Sports News team who had the chance to see first-hand what just one of the over 780 primary schools across the UK taking part in National Fitness Day were doing.

After the breakfast club the whole of Harmondsworth Primary school took part in an assembly with Tanni Grey‑Thompson, who talked to the children about the importance of being active at a young age, why she believes keeping active is an important part of her life and the benefits it can have throughout everyone’s lives. Tanni also answered questions from the children who very patiently raised their hands hoping to speak to the 11‑time Paralympic gold medallist. National Fitness Day is about getting children of all ages to engage with physical activity in a positive way,

l Nationaay D Fitness other n marks akactive’s u step in to get more mission ren, more child , more active n ofte

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helping build a strong relationship with exercise and habits that will set them up to be a healthy adult. Previous ukactive research has emphasised the scale of inactivity among Britons, with 29 per cent of the UK population classed as physically inactive – a higher proportion than most other EU countries, and even the USA. MOVE FOR THEIR SEAT The campaign within schools marked part of ukactive’s broader National Fitness Day campaign, which saw over 2,000 health clubs across the country – including major operators such as Fitness First, Parkwood Leisure and Places for People Leisure – put on a total of over 10,000 classes to celebrate the day. Meanwhile, a number of high-profile MPs such as Diane Abbott and Caroline Nokes pledged to ‘move for their seat’ as part of the campaign. In the lead up to National Fitness Day, participating MPs tracked their own activity levels using either a Myzone MZ-3 heart-rate tracking belt, or a Fitlinxx Pebble+ accelerometer device provided by ukactive, to record their activity throughout the campaign and see how representatives of each political party measure up against each other. National Fitness Day (#FitnessDay) also enjoyed significant attention on social media, and was among the top trending topics on Twitter throughout the day.

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National Fitness Day is about getting children of all ages to engage with physical activity in a positive way, helping build a strong relationship with exercise and habits that will set them up to be a healthy adult... For the first time, National Fitness Day this year sought to engage with schools, in order to promote the fun of fitness to primary school children Brands as diverse as Adidas and Netflix, to the BBC as well as government bodies and charities such as Macmillan, all tweeted about National Fitness Day. The campaign also received support from a broad range of high-profile figures including Boris Johnson and Sally Gunnell to name a few. National Fitness Day marks another step in ukactive’s mission to get more children, more active, more often. Since Compass was formally integrated into ukactive to form ukactive Kids in March 2015, the organisation has already made a significant impact, most notably through the launch of our Generation Inactive report in June this year.

ukactive’s Chair, Baroness Tanni Grey‑Thompson said: “Getting children involved in physical activity is absolutely crucial if we’re going create a lasting impact on the health of our nation and having a more active Britain. “That is why we wanted to work with schools across the country to help them deliver a programme of activities that will not only make 9 September the most active day in the year, but also lead more children to having a positive relationship with physical activity.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.ukactive.com

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LEASING FACILITIES

Opening school sports facilities to the community can deliver health benefits locally – while creating a valuable source of income. Sport England discusses how its new ‘Use Our School’ digital tool can help schools lease their facilities Nearly 40 per cent of sporting facilities in England are on school sites, and currently 62 per cent of schools open these facilities to their local community. Sport England recognised that many more wanted to explore this type of provision and launched a comprehensive new online resource ‘Use Our School’ in June 2015. The digital tool, developed in partnership with 40 schools and industry experts, aims to support schools in providing sports access as well as improve and sustain their current community programmes. Schools across England are now reaping the rewards of leasing their sports facilities out of hours. They are playing a vital role in the provision of sport in their local communities, providing volunteering and vocational opportunities to their students, enjoying increased local status, and many are generating additional income.

WHAT IS THE RESOURCE? Use Our School is an online provision of advice and guidance on how to make the case for community use, operating safely, legal issues, managing finances and enterprising ideas. There is a bank of free tools and templates to download and adapt for purpose, as well as videos and case studies available from schools sharing their practice. The website is a valuable source of information for head teachers, governors, business managers, sports centre managers and anyone responsible for managing community activity on school sites. Case studies, including those shown in this article, show that regardless of the type of school, there is important information available whether you are looking to make improvements to your current community offer or you are after advice to start up.

Written by Sport England

Helping schools become the heart of community sports provision

School Sport

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WHY HAS SPORT ENGLAND DEVELOPED IT? Sport England is a public body, working to increase the number of people who play sport regularly with the aim of making their lives better through sport and keeping active. The organisation is focused on helping people and communities across the country create a sporting habit for life. Jayne Molyneux, Sport England’s Strategic Lead for Youth, said: “We know what an important role schools play in their local community and we want to actively support those schools who already open up their facilities for community use, and those who are considering doing so.” Detailed organisation and management goes into opening school facilities out of hours, so Sport England felt it would be useful to put together an online toolkit to allow schools E

Schools e s who lea ports ir s out the lities faci a vital g n i y a l are p e provision th role in ort in their of sp cal lo nities commu

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EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

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LEASING FACILITIES  to access all the information and advice they may need in one place. Alongside schools, industry experts were commissioned to write advice, for example, Price Waterhouse Cooper wrote the VAT Guidance and the Child Protection in Sport Unit of the NSPCC designed the safeguarding check and challenge tool. With nearly two thirds of schools across England already offering their facilities for community use, it is obvious that the access is a win-win for both the community club or sport and the individual school. Sport England’s aim is to facilitate and support the development of this provision. Three quarters of sports halls and artificial sports pitches and a third of swimming pools in England are located in schools, enjoyed by children during term time but left dormant during the holidays or in the evening. Facilities are being underused and schools undervalued.

Many schoolsng pi are rea rds of a community links. the rew eir sports Over the last five h t g s leasin s out of hour years, the school has increased the facilitieng generating number of community includi ditional programmes offered and ad developed relationships with a range of clubs and income

IN-HOUSE MANAGEMENT Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School has a strong identity in the local community, successfully built up over many years. When the Sports Hall and Fitness Suite were built, the school engaged the Local Authority Leisure Services to manage the facilities during community hours. The school subsequently became a Specialist Sports College and a Community Sport Development Manager was appointed to promote use, specifically targeting sports clubs. A successful Lottery bid enabled Cardinal Heenan to build four new artificial turf pitches, and the school was also allocated capital funding which was used to improve their tennis offer by investing in a full size 3G pitch. In 2013, in a mutual arrangement with Leisure Services, the school took over the community use management. This process was driven by the head teacher and community manager, supported by the governors. Two years on and the school is already seeing financial rewards and additional benefits. SPORT AND MORE Cowplain Community School (CCS) has historically hosted a strong adult learning programme which was delivered on site by South Downs College. Due to government funding cuts, the service was gradually reduced and the school began to look for an alternative delivery mechanism. In 2005, CCS became a Business and Community Specialist College and transformed an old Caretaker’s house into a Business & Conference Centre. The Business and Community team have developed the family and adult learning courses and

organisations, seeing their community income grow from £24,800 in 2006/7 to £82,200 in 2011/12. The school converted to an Academy in 2012, and community use continues to be an important part of the school’s vision. They are also striving to be recognised as a key sport and leisure provider in the area and to become integral to Havant Borough Council’s Leisure Strategy.

School Sport

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heart of Birmingham’s education and sporting community, with a particular focus on breaking down barriers. The school has extensive facilities including the Eastern Road playing fields, which are situated across a busy main road. The school only use these facilities during afternoons, so it has been developing programmes to encourage local groups (particularly local primary schools) to make use of the pitches when they are not required by the school. This includes a programme they have recently piloted, offering local primary schools (juniors) a free, five-week skills programme. The sports on offer include rugby, hockey and netball, and are delivered by skilled coaches and talented sports people who are

Three and a half years ago, King Edward’s created a new Director of Outreach role to enhance the community lettings with a targeted programme SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY King Edward’s School is situated close to Birmingham University on a large site of 50 acres, which it shares with King Edward’s High School for Girls. It serves an extensive catchment of over 300 different schools across Birmingham and the West Midlands. The school has a strong tradition of community use and has provided community lettings for over 20 years. Three and a half years ago, King Edward’s created a new Director of Outreach role to enhance the community lettings with a targeted programme aimed at local primary schools. King Edward’s chief master John Claughton is a former pupil of King Edward’s School, who played professional cricket for Warwickshire and has a keen understanding of the importance of community sport. His vision is for King Edward’s School to be at the

already working with the school (several PE staff have played at international or professional level at hockey and rugby). Last year, the coaches included Emily Scarratt, who was a key player in the England team that won the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup final against Canada. The primary school children participating in the programme not only develop confidence in the sport, but also meet a local community club and are encouraged to engage in that sport on a regular basis at a recreational level. If you are interested in finding out more, Sport England is promoting Use Our School at national conferences and also offering some regional workshops where there is demand. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.sportengland.org/useourschool

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Products & Services

www.educationbusinessuk.net – THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR EDUCATION

DESIGN & BUILD

‘Considerations & Specification of Hygiene Rooms in Educational Establishments’ is an innovative white paper, produced by leading disabled toileting solutions provider Clos-o-Mat. The paper covers all new legislative and ‘good practice’ guidelines for design and specification of the ‘bigger and better’ accessible toilets in schools, colleges and universities, simplifying the compliance process. “One child in 20 under the age of 16 is disabled. Some 60% of statemented children are now in mainstream schooling. Over 20,000 students have a disability - almost 6% of the student population. Provision of appropriate, accessible toilet facilities is therefore increasingly important in educational building projects, and that extends to hygiene rooms, which contain more complex equipment,” explains Claire Haymes, Clos-o-Mat’s dedicated hygiene rooms manager. Clos-o-Mat is unique in being able to deliver in house design advice,

ESE Direct is able to provide a huge range of products for the education market, from cloakroom benches to hazardous storage cabinets. Whatever your school or college needs, ESE Direct’s knowledgeable and friendly staff can help you find the right products at the right price. With free delivery over £45 to UK mainland and instant credit accounts for educational establishments, ESE Direct really is the trusted place to supply all your industrial equipment. Established in 1975 and trading online since 1997, ESE Direct has been a trusted supplier for the education industry as well as councils, manufacturers, retail groups and small businesses all across the UK. ESE Direct is also proud to supply and stock Benchura benches. With four distinct ranges, there are changing room benches to suit

Achieving compliance in school hygiene

as well as supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of all the equipment for a hygiene room or accessible washroom, toilet or changing room. It has over 50 years’ experience in the sector, whilst its Palma Vita is the only unit of its kind developed specifically for disabled people. Clos-o-Mat is now the UK’s leading supplier of hygiene rooms and their public equivalent, Changing Places toilets. The white paper can be downloaded free of charge from Clos-o-Mat’s website, along with the company’s other sector-specific white papers. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0161 969 1199 www.clos-o-mat.com

DESIGN & BUILD

LANDSCAPING

Leading synthetic surfacing supplier Notts Sport has launched a new product which is set to revolutionise the construction of artificial sports pitches. Innovative ShockWave tiles slot together like jigsaw pieces and form the key component of the ShockWave EcoBase system. These lightweight, easy-to-handle tiles are much simpler and quicker to install than tarmac or stone bases, while the system is guaranteed, with the correct maintenance and usage, to last a minimum of 20 years. The structured stability provided by the ShockWave tile means that half the depth of quarried aggregate is required underneath, therefore reducing the cost of materials, the installation time, and the number of heavy lorries required to deliver and remove materials. The system has gone through full laboratory testing at Loughborough University, with further performance and drainage testing at Labosport. ShockWave

There are many ways that establishing a small wildflower area in school grounds can support teaching staff and students wanting to meet the requirements of the KS2 curriculum. Meadowmat has created a free downloadable pdf to help and inspire you. The leaflet looks at educational opportunities and suggests ways in which you can establish and make full use of your wildflower area to enhance teaching or science, maths, geography, ecology and art. It also highlights the therapeutic and calming effects of a quiet, gentle space. A wildflower meadow can provide: A hands-on experience of nature and wildlife; Rich and imaginative learning opportunities; A peaceful zone for calming and focussing

An innovative revolution for sports pitches

The experts in products for the education market

is patented and comes with a comprehensive 20-year warranty. Thanks to Notts Sport’s unique, no-obligation design and advisory service, all customers benefit from expert advice and assistance from the design stage to installation and aftercare – all at no additional charge to the supply of the surfacing solution. To find out more about the full range of synthetic surfacing solutions available from Notts Sport, please contact the company via the details printed below. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01455 883 730 info@nottssport.com shockwave.nottssport.com

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

any application or environment. From colleges to swimming pools, the company can supply or fit, plus it has the ability to create truly bespoke solutions. If you are planning a large installation, ESE Direct’s Projects division can design and fit office partitioning, mezzanine flooring and industrial storage. Just call the company’s technical sales team for more details. Visit ESE Direct via the website below to view the company’s range of over 20,000 products and to see the latest offers. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0808 278 5884 sales@esedirect.co.uk www.esedirect.co.uk

Information for using wildflowers in schools

children and adults; and reduced grounds maintenance costs. For more information, visit the Meadow Mat website and browse the site for plant profiles, educational opportunities and hints and tips on meadow management For your free download, please visit the website below. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01842 828266 angelal@qlawns.co.uk www.meadowmat.com

ACADEMIES

Accounting, purchasing and budgeting software

PS Financials (PSF) is a leader in accounting, purchasing, budgeting and reporting software within the education sector. The PSF system integrates with all leading MIS, payroll, HR and payment systems to form a central hub for finance management and intelligence. PS Financials has served the education sector for over 15 years, implementing into education establishments including: academies (sponsored, converter, special and all-through); schools (maintained schools, free schools, secondary and primary schools); multi academy trusts; Roman Catholic and Church of England diocese schools; independent and boarding schools; pupil referral units (PRUs); and university

technical colleges (UTCs). To date PS Financials has been chosen by 40 per cent of all open academies and 60 per cent of all MAT Schools. Users of PS Financials are provided with a fully maintained, unrivalled reporting pack that produces the EFA, statutory, charity, governor and management reports. Gain control of your finance function and power business decisions with PS Financials. For more information on the company’s system, please use the contact details below. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01733 367 330 education@psfinancials.com www.psfinancials.com

OFFICE STATIONERY

Your first call for missing or replacement keys

Are you frustrated by lost keys for your lockers, desk pedestals, filing cabinets, cupboards, drawers or other office furniture? Do you shudder at the cost of calling someone out or the time wasted trying other means to open the lock? There is a better alternative that is quick and cost-effective. Keysplease is a supplier of replacement keys and locks. The company has been in this specialised business for 40 years and it has developed a mail-order service that is quick and easy to use. Most keys and locks can be dispatched to any location within a day.

ACADEMIES

TRANSLATION

Another new Academies Financial Handbook came into force on 1 September 2015 and the regulatory regime for academies continues to get tougher. Some Trusts are still struggling with serious concepts around governance and the information that must go on the academy web site has grown. Who are connected parties and why an academy should not transact with them remains absolute. Williams Giles now acts for over 100 academies. It offers services across the spectrum: statutory audit, accounts, internal audit, and payroll and areas such as conversion support and financial due diligence on prospective trust joiners. Now with an experienced ACCA qualified multi-academy Trust finance manager, Williams Giles has just launched its own schools financial services arm. This offers support for the various EFA returns, accounts processing and special project work. The company finds the academy

Often, there is a general misconception that studying languages at higher education is only achievable for the privileged few and leads to limited career opportunities. In conjunction with educational institutions, Language Service Providers (LSPs) can reach out to young people in local schools, before they choose their course and examination options, with the intention of promoting languages as a valuable, realistic and achievable route for all. Students seem to be greatly unaware of the language services industry, and assume that learning languages only opens up narrow doors into teaching or translating. Over the past 12 months, Capita Translation and Interpreting (Capita TI) has been visiting local schools and colleges to educate students on the value of studying languages. Young people today suffer from a chicken-and-egg scenario, whereby even to start their career path at the bottom of the ladder,

Products & Services

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Here’s how to order: if a key goes missing, simply note the code number stamped on the lock face and send it with your order by post, fax or email. You could also order direct online. It’s as simple as that. Also, check the website (printed below) for the company’s extensive range of lockers, key cabinets and other office furniture, direct to you from the manufacturer. So, next time you or someone you know loses any keys, give Keysplease a call. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 8343 2943 sales@keysplease.co.uk www.keysplease.co.uk

Audit, taxation and Hands-on experience in business advisory services language services

sector so dynamic; every time academies get used to one set of compliance, more rules arrive. In a funding environment where grants are coming down in absolute and real terms, alongside statutory increases in costs like teachers pensions and NICs, the pressure on academies is unceasing. William Giles’ role is to help you run a cost effective operation whilst ensuring that you are on top of all regulation. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01795 478044 alyson.howard@ williamsgiles.co.uk www.williamsgiles.co.uk

employers are asking for real-life working experience. Capita TI has been offering work-experience and internship placements to help students get that much needed hands-on experience and exposure to the language services industry. Internship programmes are mutually beneficial, as LSPs can build relationships with schools and their students – enhancing recruitment opportunities for the future. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 367 7000 www.capitatranslation interpreting.com

Volume 20.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Advertisers Index

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HEALTH & SAFETY

E-SAFETY

In 2013-14, there were 322 firerelated fatalities in Great Britain, a reduction of 20 deaths from the previous year and 645 fewer deaths than recorded in 1985-86. The trend in fire fatalities has been downward since the mid1980s. This downward trend didn’t happen by accident - it is the result of improved legislation, improved levels of fire safety awareness leading to higher levels of fire safety precautions and staff training. Scorpion Safety is there help you comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005, by carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment, producing a Personal Emergency Escape Plan, Fire Safety Policy and Fire Safety Training.

The Professionals Online Safety Helpline is an innovative free service provided by the UK Safer Internet Centre, which offers advice and support for anyone working with children and young people in the UK. The helpline provides advice on all online safety issues affecting professionals or the children in their care, such as professional reputation, online bullying, sexting, gaming and other internet related child protection issues. The Professionals Online Safety Helpline’s unique service can, in addition to providing resources and practical guidance on resolving most issues, assist with removing most harmful online content. The company has excellent partnerships with the biggest internet companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Snapchat, Tumblr, Yahoo and more, which enables it to mediate directly with social media on your behalf to resolve issues

Scorpion Safety – Good news about fire safety

Accidents and ill health caused by work can be devastating, therefore prevention should be a key priority for everyone. Scorpion Safety is there to provide you with health and safety support, whether you are looking to check compliance, enhance your current safety culture or carryout a fire risk assessment. The company also offers health and safety training regulated by Ofqual under the Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF), suitable for both the public and private sectors. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01394 617171 mick@scorpionsafety.co.uk www.scorpionsafety.co.uk

Helping young people stay safe on the internet

involving inappropriate or harmful content quickly and effectively. Schools often cite the company a lifeline but The Professionals Online Safety Helpline also supports early years, pupil referral units, and further education establishments. Why not see if The Professionals Online Safety Helpline can help you, too? The company is open Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pm. The Helpline can also be emailed at any time, and these will be responded to during its normal working hours. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0844 3814772 helpline@saferinternet.org.uk www.saferinternet.org.uk

ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service AFPR 92 Arena Group 76 Aspect Safety Mirrors 90 Association of Teachers and Lecturers 18 Atomwide 54 Barenbrug UK 78 Capita Translation & Interpreting 93 Colchester Winter Wonderland 71 DC Thomson & Co IBC Decorative Panels Lamination 26 Edge Electricaland 62 Education Catering Support 43 Elliott UK 74 ESE Direct 92

Evac Chair International 70 EXA - Networks 4 Fusion Media Europe 80 Garran Lockers 32 Groupcall 54 Hoodies 4 Schools 87 HP 44, 45 HR Solutions (GB) 38 Husson UK 85 Innovent Leasing 59 ISS Mediclean 40 Kestrel Contractors 85 Keys Please 93 Kyocera Document Solutions 46 Langley Waterproofing 28, 29 Lloyds Bank 12 Logitech Europe S.A 52

EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 20.8

Metalco 84 Muscat Expo 66, 67 NASBM 35, 37, 39 Netgear 56 New Market Group 42 Norfolk China 90 Notts Sport 92 ParentHub 50 Play Direct UK.com 82 Propelair 24 PS Financials 93 Q Lawns 92 Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey 20 Rivanet 6 RM Education 8, 10, 16, 48 Sandgate Systems 34 Santander 22 Schoolcomms 36

Scorpion Safety 94 SITA UK 58 Space Zero 30 Styles and Wood BC SWGFL 94 Teachers2Parents IFC The Childrens Playground 84 The Lake District Calvert Trust 58 The Stable Company 27 Thornton Sports 90 Tor-Coatings 68, 71 Trade Inflatables 88 Turfdry 84 Ultimaker 14 Wildwood (Cumbria) 27 William Giles 93

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CLASSROOM TO Concert hall In-built flexibility is key, so where space and budgets are both squeezed, get more out of your existing space. Working with educationalists, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got access to a wealth of knowledge that allows us to deliver inspirational yet practical learning spaces. With a fully integrated range of property support and project delivery services including design, building intelligence and renewable energy solutions in-house, our specialist teams have vast experience in delivering projects in live educational environments. We understand the importance of maintaining timetable and curriculum and work closely with members of staff, pupils and other stakeholder groups to make them part of the process.

RNCM, Manchester Refurbishment completed January 2014

For more info go to www.stylesandwood-group.co.uk or contact the team on 0161 926 6000