Education Magazine No 67 April 2016

Edition 2, 2016 Joel Worrall the Headmaster at Stroud School, see p8

Education Estates, see p6

Ofsted and food, see p22

Gaps in sex and relationships education leave too many children at risk, see p14

Once more with Mark Lehain Principal of Bedford Free School, see p24

Meningitis - a devastating disease, see p16 Walk this May, see p18

Safety in education: a RoSPA view, see p28

New runaway prevention pack stresses vital frontline role of schools, see p30 New research reveals looming cash crisis for academies, see p32 Helping students overcome a fear of maths, see p34

www.education-magazine.co.uk - for ar ticles news and pr oducts

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Education Magazine Edition 67

Publisher Steve Mitchell

Annual Subscription £10 Free to Heads and School Financial Directors

Production Editor Richard Shrubb

Advertising Sales Team:

Circulation research Mary Reale

Tracy Johnson, Martin Petty, Paul Barrett

Design/Production Amanda Wesley

Published by Review Magazines Ltd, 53 Asgard Drive,Bedford MK41 0UR Tel: 01234 348878 Fax: 01223 790191 E-mail: info@education-magazine.co.uk Website: www.education-magazine.co.uk Copyright Education Magazine 2015

Contents 2 News 6 Education Estates 8 Joel Worrall,

the Headmaster at Stroud School

10 Why everyone needs a role model

12

The first school in the UK trained in dementia awareness

14 Gaps in sex

and relationships education leave too many children at risk

If you are building, developing new ideas or have some excellent examples of ‘good practice’, spread the word about them and contact PIR Education Magazine on

01234 348878 or

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30 New runaway

18 Walk this May

32 New research

Meningitis a devastating disease

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Children need places to play, families urge government

22 Ofsted and food By the Children’s Food Trust

24

Once more with Mark Lehain Principal of Bedford Free School

prevention pack stresses vital frontline role of schools reveals looming cash crisis for academies

32 7 ways to make your ICT spend go further

33 Good practice in performance management

34 Helping

students overcome a fear of maths

28

Safety in education: a RoSPA view

The magazine for Heads and Financial Directors of Academies, Independent and Free Schools

email info@education-magazine.co.uk We are always looking for good news on Education issues.

We approve all articles prior to press.

Look forward to hearing from you!

The Publisher holds all copyright and any items within may not be reproduced in any way, for any purpose, without the written permission of the Publisher. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the information contained within this publication is based on submissions to the Publishers who cannot be held responsible for errors and omissions. The publisher does not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors and cannot except responsibility for claims made by manufacturers and authors, nor do they accept any responsibility for any errors in the subject matter of this publication.

NEWS News News News NEWS News NEWS News recommendations for the More support to make profession - because tackling workload requires much more reduce teacher than change from government, workload but culture change on the Major work to reduce unnecessary teacher workloads will be taken forward following the publication of 3 landmark reports published on 26/3/2016 The reports mark a radical response to concerns that workload is one of the major challenges affecting teachers.

Announcing the findings of the reviews at the NASUWT conference, the Education Secretary pledged further support to free up teachers’ time by stamping out the unnecessary tasks and red tape impacting on the profession, stifling its creativity and passion.

These new reports - written by the profession for the profession - focus on addressing the top 3 concerns raised through the government’s workload challenge survey:

• marking • planning and resources • data management The workload survey received 44,000 responses.

Education secretary Nicky Morgan said: ‘Today, I am going further to support the profession to tackle unnecessary workload because nothing is more damaging to the profession than wasting the passion and expertise of teachers and school leaders on unnecessary tasks.

That’s why I’m publishing the results of the three workload review groups on marking, planning and data collection - the three biggest concerns raised by teachers through the workload challenge.

These reports are a great example of the profession taking charge of their own development and I want them to make a difference to the lives of teachers. I am pleased to say I am accepting all the recommendations for government in full. But more importantly the groups also

that have led to 1.4 million more children in ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools compared with 2010 - but she also underlined that there would be no pulling back from the vision outlined in the recent Education White paper.

ground as well.”

The reports make recommendations for schools, school leaders and Ofsted, as well as to the government. They include:

New Chief Schools Adjudicator appointed

• calls for schools to challenge emerging fads that can cause excessive marking practices and not to reward ‘gold-plating’ - which involves excessive data collection

The Secretary of State for Education has approved the appointment of Shan Scott as Chief Schools Adjudicator.

• school leaders to evaluate

the impact of school marking practices on teachers’ time, to prevent unreasonable demands on staff and to make sure they help drive pupil progress

Ms Scott has served as an adjudicator for 3 years and brings with her a wide range of educational knowledge and experience.

She has been appointed for a 3-year period, with effect from 4 April 2016, and takes over from Dr Elizabeth Passmore, who has retired.

• actions for Ofsted include

continuing to ensure that no particular marking methods are being singled out for praise, with clear training for inspectors and monitoring of the reports

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) helps to clarify the legal position on admissions policies in schools.

Its other responsibilities include settling disputes about school organisation proposals.

• better sharing of effective

teaching to inform planning - underpinned by continuous professional development

• the Department for

The schools adjudicators work independently from the Department for Education but are appointed by the Secretary of State for Education.

• regular reviews of planning

Just one day off can hamper children’s life chances

Education and other agencies to work with the sector to allow sufficient planning time when making changes demands placed on teachers led by school leaders

The announcement was made as the Education Secretary delivered a landmark speech at the annual NASUWT conference in Birmingham, in which she called for the teaching profession to help shape the education system of the future.

This also marked the first time a Conservative Education Secretary has spoken at the conference since 1997.

New report reveals every extra day missed from school can affect grades.

Missing school for just a few days a year can damage pupils’ chances of gaining good GCSEs, according to a new report published by the Department for Education on 24 March 2016.

Addressing the conference, attended by thousands of classroom teachers, Nicky Morgan paid tribute to the profession and thanked them for their “phenomenal efforts” helping drive up standards,

The new research shows that overall absence had a negative link to attainment, with every extra day missed associated with a lower chance of achieving 5 or more good GCSEs or equivalent

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at grades A* to C including in English and mathematics, or gaining the gold standard English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

The research backs the government’s clampdown on absence and truancy to ensure more pupils regularly attend school and leave with the qualifications they need to succeed in modern Britain.

The latest annual pupil absence statistics for 2014 to 2015 were also published and confirm that school absence has remained at near historic low levels. In particular, they show that:

• the overall rate of absence

was 4.6% compared to 6% in the same period in 2009 to 2010 - demonstrating that the government’s and schools’ approach to tackling absence is working

• the slight 0.1% rise in overall

absence since last year was driven by increases in absence due to illness - the most prevalent reason for taking time off from school, accounting for over 60% of all absence. This is in line with the rise in influenza between 2013 to 2015 and 2014 to 2015 seen in Public Health England statistics

• the tightening of the rules

around term-time holidays is also working - in 2014 to 2015, 13.8% of pupil enrolments had missed at least half a day for family holidays (both authorised and unauthorised), a decrease from 15.0% in 2013 to 2014

• term-time holidays

(authorised and unauthorised) accounted for 7.5% of all absences in 2014 to 2015 compared to 8.5% in 2013 to 2014 - equating to 4.1 million school days lost due to term-time holidays, down from 4.4 million in the previous year

• nearly 200,000 fewer pupils

were persistently absent from school than in the same period in 2009 to 2010, with the persistent absence rate remaining at historic lows at 3.7% compared to 6.8% in 2009 to 2010.

Education Magazine

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “This new research is further evidence that missing school for even a day can mean a child is less likely to achieve good grades, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances.

Today’s absence figures are good news - showing that schools are making real progress with almost 200,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school compared to 2010.

We introduced a tougher approach in 2010 to clamp down on children regularly missing lessons by increasing fines.

Together with our reforms to improve behaviour, we have put teachers firmly back in charge of their classrooms.”

The government introduced a number of reforms to help school leaders and teachers to improve attendance and tackle poor behaviour, including:

Screeduct specialist floor trunking systems

• changing the regulations in

2013 so that headteachers only grant leave from school in exceptional circumstances

Screeduct specialist floor trunking systems are manufactured in all types of steel, including galvanized steel, stainless steel, hotdipped and aluminium.

Providing service access via removable flush-fitting modular covers allowing the laying and protection of pipework, or power supply cabling, safely within the

• tackling persistent absence

by reducing the threshold by which absence is defined as persistent from 20% to 15% from October 2011.

This threshold was further reduced to 10% in September 2015. This means schools are held to a higher standard in performance tables than before

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• empowering teachers to crack

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down on bad behaviour by making clear teachers can use reasonable force to maintain behaviour, extending their searching powers and allowing teachers to impose same-day detentions

floor screeds. Having invested in the latest technology and machinery, Screeduct is one of the few companies able to plan, design and manufacture to a customer’s particular requirements. Our bespoke systems are tough, long-lasting and incredibly easy to install.

The photographs are of a recent project for Cardiff University where trunking with a recessed lid to receive a vinyl finish was required.

• appointing behaviour expert

Tom Bennett to lead reviews to ensure teachers are fully trained in dealing with disruptive children, and to look deeper into tackling poor behaviour more generally.

Contact Us Today: +44 (0) 1789 459211 Email: sales@screeduct.com

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Education Magazine

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NEWS News News News NEWS News NEWS News

18-19 October, Manchester Central

How can you provide great careers advice to your pupils, for free?

Design – Build – Manage – Maintain Whether you are looking at adding new buildings, considering refurbishing existing buildings or ongoing maintenance work Education Estates Conference & Exhibition is here to help you.

Education Estates is the only event of its kind in the UK, covering the primary, secondary, further and higher education sectors.

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. New for 2016 will be a dedicated conference stream for maintenance and facilities management supported by the Education Funding Agency.

The Exhibition is FREE to ALL visitors and delegates. The Conference is free for those directly employed in schools, colleges, universities and local authorities (includes governors & independent schools).

Those responsible for designing, building, maintaining and funding our schools, academies, colleges and universities face huge challenges. But wherever they are in the project lifecycle, they’ll find the solutions at Education Estates 2016.

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 Hilton Hotel.

Testimonial: “The Education Estates Conference was a very well run event with very interesting, informative and forward thinking speakers. The speakers were of good quality, very experienced and committed with an approach which was refreshing and energising. I would recommend it to those in buildings and education, you can learn here”. Project Delivery Officer, South Gloucestershire Council Property Services The Exhibition is split 50/50 between products and services, maximising opportunities for exhibitors, and value for visitors. It’s your chance to showcase your latest products and

services, innovations and advice to senior decision-makers and specifiers delivering new-build, refurbishment and maintenance projects throughout the UK. For information about stand availability and prices, please contact Jay Stacy or James Lee 01892 518877.

For further information about the event and to register your interest in attending go to www.educationestates.com.

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Careers advice for your pupils can be a costly process – however you can now offer experienced, proven guidance, without cost to you whilst producing an income for your school.

Career Analysts, a provider of careers advice to teenagers for over 50 years, is a firm of Occupational Psychologists. It is one of the few careers advice services to use a broad range of psychometric assessment techniques to help students make the right A level and degree choices with a view to determining the best career for them in the future.

When pupils have not considered what career they want to pursue, lack the self-confidence to make the right career choice or feel pressure to make a certain career decision, the use of a third party to independently assess their strengths and provide unbiased careers advice can be life-changing.

The service from Career Analysts starts with your school inserting a leaflet, printed or electronic, into one of your mail-outs – perhaps with the pupil’s exam results. Then for each child booked on to the course there will be a £50 discount for the parent and a further £50 going directly to your school. It’s a great opportunity to see how using a careers advice service can benefit your school and also help pupils make those essential, but challenging, decisions.

It’s a win – win situation for your school and the pupil.

Working with teenagers for 3 generations of families now, Career Analysts has a wealth of experience in helping students decide on the right career path and gain insightful advice for A Level or Degree choices. You can contact Career Analysts directly on 020 7935 5452 or by email on info@careeranalysts.co.uk to find out more or request the free leaflets. www.careeranalysts.co.uk

Education Magazine

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Joel Worrall, the Headmaster at Stroud School structure which is fundamentally moral, but also allows them to be self-reflective. They are honest with themselves, and have selfrespect as a starting point for everything that we install on top. I talk to them about this being a three legged stool; we can put anything we like on top of a three legged stool because as a triangle it is the strongest shape in the world, but if you take one of those legs away that stool falls over. On top of the three legs we put an academic curriculum that successfully puts children into the top academic schools in the South of England, our link with King Edwards VI has improved that process however we also send our children to other academically selective boarding schools, with excellent rates of

Joel Worrall was born in New Zealand of English parents and so enjoys dual nationality. He was a professional coach in NZ and came to work in the UK in 2002 as a staff coach with Lancashire County Cricket Club. He had already trained as a teacher in New Zealand and settled on a teaching career in 2002. His sporting background naturally lent his choice of subject and he was offered the role of Housemaster and Director of Sport at Forres Sandle Manor, a prep school in the New Forest. He taught there for eight years, and then moved to Taverham Hall School near Norwich as Deputy Head. He was there for five years when the opportunity came up to become Head at Stroud, a prep school in Hampshire which he joined in September 2015. In May 2012 Stroud became the Preparatory School to King Edward VI, Southampton and I wished to discuss the effect and benefits the tie up has had, as this is also becoming more common in the state sector.

Education Magazine (EM) You make a very plain case for your schools approach when you say in your Heads introduction ‘Expect to see pupils who are happy, respectful and honest. These three fundamental attributes ensure that our leavers are fully prepared to move on to the next stage of their education and the start of their young adult lives’. How do you impart this ethos into your charges?

Joel Worrall (JW) Our core values are honesty, respect and happiness and they underpin everything that happens here at Stroud School. Children develop a values

success for both entry and scholarship. This all comes from the core values we instil from the outset.

EM The cooperation you have secured with King Edwards School. What is it, why did it happen and what’s the rationale behind it from the pupils’ point of view?

JW This was started in 2012 when our school was acquired and merged within the King Edwards VI charity. Now our school provision is from 3-18 and all of our structures, procedural workings, and much of the operational elements of both schools work with and for pupils across the full age range.

That means from the Upper 6th right down to the Nursery our educational standards are being replicated. Stroud School is also getting access to a senior school level of academic ability, resource of staffing, facilities and investment.

EM Geographically the King Edwards School is separate from you so how can the ethos be consistent if you are at least 15 minutes apart when there cannot be much intermingling of pupils?

JW There is a shared ethos across the schools but there is also an advantage to being an independent identity. Stroud School is a preparatory school and our purpose is to prepare children for the next stage of their education. A large number of our children will go to King Edwards but not all of them. We are not academically 8

selective so we do not test children at five years old to determine whether or not they can come here. King Edwards is a selective school and therefore we have a conversation with every parent as they come to senior school decision time to discuss what is ‘right’ for their child. Often King Edwards is the aspiration and so we will prepare and direct the child for that but sometimes it is not the best fit and therefore we will prepare for and direct that child elsewhere, for example to an independent boarding school at 13+.

EM From a parent’s perspective, what are the benefits of the association with King Edwards?

JW It brings a level of facilities that is unheard of until you get to the really huge prep schools, but without the need for us to be a huge prep school. As a model we have increased the numbers of classes in the school, rather than the numbers in each class, so our capacity is about 370 and we do not look to put more than 16-18 children in each class. Along with all the teachers, I get to know every child in this school well; this approach has a massive benefit to pupils, so we will not go above a headcount where that does not happen. The tie up gives us ‘big school’ benefits and facilities whilst we retain the small school feel, care and attention. For instance we now have a sailing club on Southampton Water, an outward bound centre in the middle of Dartmoor that has a 24 bed bunkhouse that was purpose built for outdoor education.

We also have a 33 acre playing field with international standard all weather hockey surface. For our size of Prep School, such a level of facility is incredible and it is the tie up that enables it to happen.

EM How many staff do you have here and what does this level of cooperation mean to them? Are they able to work at King Edwards?

JW All told we have 103 staff of which teachers number 54 and there is a lot of sharing that goes on between the two schools. For example, our Head of Science and the King Edward Head of Science meet every couple of weeks to make sure that the curriculums dovetail together. This ensures the transition for children between the two schools is very smooth. There is wider cooperation in Design Technology, Modern Foreign Languages and ICT. The cooperation is very close in PE and the games coaching.

We have an opportunity to share staff and this is both important and beneficial to the staff and the pupils. Our Classics programme is run by the King Edwards Classics department, which is offered to the senior children in Years 6, 7 and 8.

Education Magazine

There is a wider benefit for the students because we have begun to use the King Edwards pupils throughout the school as role models, and they also come here in a mentoring capacity. We’re just starting a programme with one of their Lower 6th girls who comes in to offer her time, just to sit with and offer short counselling sessions with our Middle School girls. It can be tricky in their transition for Year 5 and 6 girls, and someone from the Lower 6th offers a person who is not a teacher or who is not necessarily an adult, but a friendly ear and a compassionate listener, as well as someone to look up to.

We do the same sort of thing in ICT with our Digital Leaders. They work together between the two schools to deliver programmes, to build apps and so on. We have ‘ICT in Action’ days where we suspend the whole curriculum for the day for a whole year group. The last one was Robotics in Action and the Digital Leaders assist in providing the computer time for this.

EM What does the King Edward Senior School get from this?

JW Much the same as we do. I have worked in other schools with mentoring programmes and I have always found that the mentor receives just as much as the mentee, and often more so because they have to think very carefully what they are doing, which leads to skill mastery. Children that are able to teach and are able to think about their own knowledge and skills, then pass that on to somebody else, are able to develop mastery quicker than those who are working in isolation.

EM What are the practicalities behind this?

JW It takes a lot of work from the beginning. It starts with two committed members of staff from the schools, or two departments that are very proactive and have a desire to make it work. We are fortunate enough across the two schools to have that desire in abundance. We have science staff working for Year 7 and 8 across the two schools, we also have the PE departments working in the same way.

For example last December we had the Year 7 and 8 groups from both schools at Wellington in a combined coaching venture to benefit the children. It doesn’t happen without a lot of effort from the staff.

EM What is the financial cost of doing this and are there real financial economies of scale?

JW There’s always a financial cost, but because we are both working for the same entity and we see the substantial benefit of it we find the money. It also has big financial benefits, on things like transport; the way we operate our coach hire which is part of a central agreement. Our school uniform is working with the same supplier on a 3-18 model. This also applies throughout the administrative functions that exist away from the children’s eye, the key and often Education Magazine

unrecognised elements that make everything happen smoothly on the surface.

EM Had this cooperation not come in how would things have developed differently?

JW I think that the school’s progression would have developed more slowly because we would have had to stay within our own finances and physical limits. I think the development of our own programmes, and the development of those resources within the facilities would have happened, however over a much longer period of time.

EM How to you instil aspiration here? We’ve talked about the three legged stool but how do you manage it so children leave here with a ‘can do’ attitude?

JW I think it happens at lots of different levels. It starts off at a very base level with the pastoral structure which has a class teacher, a form tutor, a Deputy Head that’s responsible for pastoral care, and it has a Special Educational Needs department that has enough teaching staff within it so that the children can all be seen as individuals. Targets can be set and monitored throughout their time at the school.

Each child knows they’re an individual and they have got individual needs. Some of those needs are exceptionally high level. By this I mean those children who are exceptionally gifted in arts, science or on the playing field; these pupils have special educational needs just like those children who have dyslexia or global processing issues or working memory issues and we have got a department that is big enough and experienced enough to look at each child separately.

That means the top of the classes are looked at very carefully, the bottom of the classes are looked at very carefully, and it means that the middle group is not overlooked either.

EM What curriculum activities do you do here that develops your charges character?

JW Classics is a good example of that development. This is an after school provision that has come about as part of the link with King Edwards. We also have debating, as well as a number of classroom based clubs which go alongside the full range of outdoor clubs; the Forest School, the low ropes assault course that we have that builds leadership and confidence in them. All these happen in after school hours. From 4.45pm to 5.45pm our club provision is included as part of our school fee. Children here do not sign up to clubs and then pay for it as school care. The only time we levy a charge in that regard is for external providers, so if we have a dance or gymnastics coach who comes in to teach the only charge that goes to the parents is meeting the fee of that coach. All of our clubs offer a late night session every 9

week. It is a big part of what we do because it means that every child has the opportunity to do something every day of the week.

EM What about the kids who sit at the back of the class, and generally avoid doing too much. How do you tackle those characters?

JW We do that by making sure that all of our staff are on the same page with each child. We meet weekly with each body of the school, the Senior School, the Middle School and the Early Years. We also meet weekly as a whole staff to update across the age groups. We then all know if a child is maybe sitting back a little bit. His or her Form Teacher is able to sit him down in a minitutorial and say, “We have noticed that you are not quite where you need to be in your lesson, how do we address that?” That way, that child comes in the next day or for the week, from then on knowing he is getting the same message from every single teacher. That shared message between the staff makes sure that each child is delivering their best.

EM How do you organise your after school clubs to achieve the same aims?

JW The after school clubs are generated on demand. If we have a situation where the children, through the school council perhaps, or one of the pupil voice committees, say to us that “We would really like to have a club that does……”, then we look to do it, so it is all driven by demand from the children. If there is a demand for it, and we think that it is of benefit to the children, then we find a way of putting it on.

EM What’s the role of alumni in this school?

How do you stay in touch with them?

JW This is now a developing issue. It hasn’t been something that the school has done a lot with historically. The model where the alumni have been developed has largely been on the Senior school level at King Edwards VI. It is something that we are starting now, particularly with my involvement; I am quite passionate about re-connecting and staying in contact with the children who loved Stroud.

So I will be writing to the children just before they start their GCSE’s at Senior School just to say, “Good luck with your GCSEs, we are thinking of you,” and I will do the same thing with the children that are about to go to university. There will also be a reminder and an invitation to our forthcoming events.

We have a very strong parent body which is the Stroud School Association (SSA) who do a huge amount of work voluntarily. They decorated the front hall at Christmas, they put on the school Christmas Fayre, they put on parent events and make the social element of the school a very special place for new parents, many of whom do not know what the school environment is about. Many of our smaller development projects have largely been funded by the Association. We are going to start to branch that out slowly, and start to bring our alumni back into the fold. continues overleaf u

Joel Worrall continued prep school to see that a person was sitting exactly where they are now in an assembly all those years ago and to look at the amazing journey they have taken since leaving.

This coming term we have an old boy returning to Stroud who has invented a device that goes on ships, and in particular refugee ships that is a self-inflating rescue device with multiple handles on it. It can go into the water in the event of a capsize or emergency. It self inflates, and has got enough handles so people can grab hold and keep themselves afloat. For me that is a real success story and the school is privileged to be able to talk to former pupils about their lives post-Stroud.

The danger for the alumni is that they see the contact as a fundraising venture and that is not what we want to do. The way we will develop the link is to pass on our best wishes, offering invitations to things like the Carol Service in The Abbey, our end of year production or the many school concerts that we put on. The things that our children will have left the school with really fond memories about, I would like to reconnect with them at those events.

EM What advantage can you see to the school of doing that?

JW One of the most important things is the possibility of a role model situation. Our children go on to do wonderful things. All children go on, we hope, to do wonderful things but it is not until we reconnect with them later in life that we see how their journey has developed. That is a really powerful story; for a child who is still here at

We are all breathing the same air as those people who do great things and there is no reason why our children, many of whom go onto King Edwards, then on to be the medics, the lawyers and the professionals of the next generation, cannot go on their own journey that ends with similar success. It is a different picture for every child, and they have to be made aware what the possibilities are. Bringing those alumni back in, bringing in members of our community, really shows the possibilities there are.

EM Thanks for talking to Education Magazine

Why everyone needs a role model There can’t be many people whose lives have not been touched by role models. Most of us could name several people who have had an influence on what we have done or the way Christine Gilbert, Future First. we do things.

These people have, by their example, inspired or motivated us to do things differently.

My first head of department, who would certainly have not been described as a great teacher by today’s standards, instinctively worked on the strengths of his students so they thrived in his classes. He did the same with his young team of new history teachers so we grew in confidence to overcome the difficulties we had in learning to be good teachers. He took a keen personal interest in each of us and knew very quickly how to help us survive and develop. It was years before I understood what a good leader he was and

the huge impact he had on everyone who worked with him. Peter would have found it hilarious to be described as a role model but he certainly was and proved a major influence on how I later did my job as head of department.

Anyone involved in education knows the value of role models. The best schools use role models as an essential part of learning both inside and outside the classroom. In particular, they see the value of role models near to the students’ own age. They know that much learning can be done through observation and even imitation.

My experience as a teacher, a headteacher and Chief Inspector at Ofsted tells me that access to relevant and relatable role models is crucial for a young person’s development.

Nowhere is that more important than their learning about the world of work. Too many young people, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds, do not have access to good role models. For example, nearly 40 per cent of 16 to 19-year-olds do not know anyone in a job they would like to do. Far too many teenagers don’t have access to networks that would help them learn more about life after school. Using relatable role models has huge

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potential for helping to unlock social mobility and opportunity in this country.

At Future First, we work with schools to help them harness the talent, expertise and experience of their alumni to inspire and motivate their students. They feel connected to former students and the alumni themselves feel a strong affinity with them. Teachers tell us that alumni can have a transformative effect on students not just in their expectations and aspirations but in their work rate too.

Polls suggest us that many adults would be willing to return to their former schools to tell their stories and offer realistic and very practical advice. They are also happy to support in a number of ways such as mock interviews or providing work shadowing opportunities.

During the 1st to 5th February, Future First ran a Back to School Week. This was to highlight the many benefits alumni offer schools and encourage former students to return to their old school.

More information can be found at http:// futurefirst.org.uk

Education Magazine

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The first school in the UK trained in dementia awareness David Hampson is Headteacher at Alder Grange School in Rawtenstall, Rossendale.

David first joined the school as Head of Mathematics 21 years ago and has progressed to becoming Headteacher, as of September 2012. Ofsted has rated Alder Grange senior management outstanding since he became Headteacher and was privileged to be one of the 100 successful headteachers in the North West.

With the prospect of 1 million people being diagnosed with dementia in the UK by 2025, we beg the questions how can we prepare the next generation for such an emotional condition?

When Kevin came to Alder Grange to tell us about his experience with dementia, we weren’t sure what the reaction of the students would be.

He looked a bit self conscious when he walked into the school hall. In front of him were a group of bewildered students, all wondering… “Who is that guy?” As he began to talk I could see the penny dropping around the room.

Kevin Swain, a retired florist, had come to our school on a very special day, to talk about his wife who has suffered from dementia for many years now. We invited him with hopes that he would inspire our students here at Alder Grange and show them the importance of awareness and caring for others.

Why did we bother? Well, it may surprise you to learn that one in three children in the UK is affected by dementia. It certainly hit me when I discovered this uneasy truth.

For me this means, a third of the students at my school, Alder Grange in Rawtenstall, will be touched by dementia.

I decided I needed to do something to help my students so I contacted Dementia Friendly Rossendale to find out more. And that’s when we started to arrange dementia awareness training for every single member of the school, staff and students.

about the process of getting dressed. The children stood in a line, each representing an item of clothing. Their task was to put themselves in the right order of getting dressed. They were then mixed up again and asked to reorder themselves.

Soon enough, everyone at Alder Grange was ready to undergo dementia awareness training with the help of BUPA and become Dementia Friends in just one day. That’s 900 students and 60 staff members.

The task demonstrated the confusion of such seemingly simple tasks for those with dementia. A lot of the students and even staff were shocked that it didn’t occur to them how difficult everyday tasks are for dementia sufferers.

The training sessions taught the students and staff how to be Dementia Friends. A Dementia Friend is simply someone able to go into their local area and help people affected by the condition. Essentially supporting them to live with dementia, something that is entirely possible though we may not realise it.

My intention in organising the training was not just to help students deal with relatives diagnosed with dementia, but to provide them with the skills to be able to actively help sufferers locally.

The training day involved so much. All of it inspiring and helpful, especially the talk from Kevin. He spoke of his wife with such love and you could see in his eyes how passionate he was about teaching the students about dementia. Kevin’s granddaughter attends Alder Grange so his story was close to our hearts. He talked about grieving for his wife though she is still around, the ups and downs and the knock on effect her condition has had on the whole family including granddaughter, Niamh.

The story moved the students and I think it encouraged them to want to take as much as they could from the rest of the training session.

There were also interactive activities included in the sessions. One that captured the struggle of everyday tasks for dementia sufferers involved the students thinking 12

The part of the training that struck me the most was the analogy they used to explain the loss of memory. They explained dementia using the idea of a bookcase, full of books representing memories. As dementia hits, the bookcase begins to rock and books fall away – memories are lost, the short term memories being the first to go. When we were shown how this applies to the emotions and feelings that sufferers go through the analogy became truly moving. It really hit home.

What difference will it make?

Well for starters, our students come to us ready to learn life skills, this particular lesson has taught them how to be caring and considerate to those around them.

Giving them an understanding of dementia will benefit them in how they treat others, not only those with dementia but everyone around them.

Going back to the statement that started all of this – one third of children in the UK will be affected by dementia - I feel the students here are far better prepared, thanks to this training. That is exactly what I wanted.

For those with dementia, I feel this training will provide care and comfort. My hope is it will lead to an improved quality of life for those in our community affected by dementia, either directly or as carers, through the support of our staff and students. Now it’s time for the word to spread.

Education Magazine

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Education Magazine

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Gaps in sex and relationships education leave too many children at risk

By Lucy Emmerson • • • • • •

Survey of over 2,000 young people finds their safety may be at risk due to inconsistent sex and relationships education Half (50%) of young people did not learn how to get help if they were abused Over half (53%) did not learn how to recognise grooming for sexual exploitation More than 4 in ten had not learned about healthy or abusive relationships A third (34%) of young people said they learnt nothing about sexual consent at school Campaigners call for statutory sex and relationships education to help keep young people safe.

Campaigners at the Sex Education Forum are calling for mandatory status for sex and relationships education (SRE) in all schools, after a survey of young people found that their safety is being undermined by dramatic variations in what is taught.

names for genitalia and even more (17%) had not leant that the genitals are private to you, all key to recognising and reporting abuse.

Young people were more likely to have learnt about the difference between safe and unwanted touch from discussions at home than at school, but even so, less than half of young people (45%) said they had learnt about this with a parent or carer.

When asked about their school SRE as a whole:

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Over half of young people (53%) had not been taught to spot the signs of when someone is being groomed for sexual exploitation.

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More than 4 in ten had not learnt about how to tell when a relationship is healthy (46%) or abusive (44%).

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Worryingly, given that sexual assault is something that a significant minority of young people experience[1], lessons about sexual consent are not routinely covered in schools.

bad’, indicating that young people themselves are dissatisfied.

Lucy Emmerson, Coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said: “The odds of a young person learning vital information about equal, safe and enjoyable relationships are no different than the toss of a coin. The ultimate consequence of this is that many children don’t know how to recognise abusive behaviour or how to seek help.

With evidence about the benefits for children and young people of teaching SRE stacked up high and a growing list of politicians calling for the subject to be mandatory, there is no excuse for Government to continue leaving SRE to chance.”

Dr Mary Bousted, General Secretary, Association of Teachers and Lecturers said: “As members of the Sex Education Forum, ATL fully supports its call for mandatory and inclusive Sex and Relationships Education.

We know that education staff want high quality training so that they can deliver the SRE that will enable young people to keep themselves safe. We call upon the Government to take this important step, which parents, education staff and young people all want, so that we can all help to tackle child abuse, sexual health issues and young people’s poor mental health.”

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The survey of over 2,000 11-25 year-olds, showed that across a range of topics that could protect children and young adults from harm, such as knowing where to turn to for help if they experience sexual abuse, or information about female genital mutilation (FGM) or sexual consent, many young people are left in the dark by gaps in their SRE.

Half (50%) of young people had not discussed real-life scenarios about sexual consent.

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A third (34%) had been taught nothing at all about sexual consent.

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Only a quarter (24%) of young people said they learnt about FGM, but the figure increased to 4 in ten (40%) amongst 11-13 year olds, suggesting things are starting to change.

Half (50%) of those surveyed had not learnt from their primary school about how to get help if you experience unwanted touching or sexual abuse, 16% had not learnt the correct

Overall, despite signs that SRE is slowly improving, just 10% of those surveyed said the SRE they received was ‘very good’, and nearly a third (22%) said it was ‘bad’ or ‘very

Full details about the survey can be found in: ‘Heads or Tails: What young people tell us about sex and relationships education’ at www.sexeducationforum.org.uk

put themselves out there and spread good practice beyond their own schools. They are reformers who have turned their ambitions for success into reality, and raised standards for children not only at their own schools, but at other schools nearby.

‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating in November 2015.

Ofsted celebrates exceptional school leaders Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written letters to 3 exceptional school leaders to congratulate them on their success in supporting significant improvement in other schools, as well as their own.

During the last few months, Sir Michael has asked inspectors to nominate leaders who have been instrumental in raising standards and improving the prospects of youngsters in previously under-performing schools. The letters are the first to be issued as part of this new initiative to recognise exceptional system leadership.

Sir Michael said: “I’m very pleased to celebrate the achievements of these 3 exceptional leaders. They have all taken risks,

We need more great leaders in our education system. By recognising these three people, I hope others will be inspired to follow their example and take every step necessary to improve the prospects and life chances of children in their own schools and in others.”

The 3 exceptional leaders are: Dr Tom Canning OBE, Executive Head at Tollgate Primary School in east London, who also took on the role of Executive Head at the nearby Cleves Primary School.

Under Tom’s leadership, Cleves moved from ‘requires improvement’ in 2013 to achieve an

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Bradley Taylor, Headteacher at Chiltern Gate School in Buckinghamshire, who also took on the role of interim Head at nearby Maplewood School. Under Bradley’s leadership, Maplewood moved from ‘inadequate’ in 2014 to be judged ‘good’ in November 2015.

Kerrie Lewis, Headteacher at Condover Church of England Primary School in Shropshire, who also took on the role of acting Headteacher at nearby Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic School.

Under Kerrie’s leadership, Shrewsbury moved from ‘inadequate’ in July 2014 to be judged ‘good in November 2015.

Sir Michael will continue to write to exceptional leaders throughout the year, and the names of every recipient will be published in Ofsted’s 2016 Annual report on education and skills.

Education Magazine

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Meningitis a devastating disease Killing more under-fives in the UK than any other infectious disease, meningitis is feared by parents up and down the UK. However, many people are unaware that in fact meningitis can affect anyone, at any age, and teenagers fall into the second most at risk group.

Did you know that each year there are an estimated 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK, and approximately double that of viral meningitis? One in 10 cases of bacterial meningitis result in death and a third of those who survive will be left with debilitating after-effects. These include loss of hearing and vision, epilepsy, acquired brain injuries, and when septicaemia is present, loss of limbs.

Protecting pupils As of January 2016, year 9 and 10 schoolchildren (aged 13 – 15) are being offered the meningococcal (Men) ACWY vaccine as part of the adolescent school immunisation programme for the first time. The vaccination will replace the current Men C booster offered to this age group and a catch up vaccine will be offered to current year 11 pupils.

The signs and symptoms Symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all. They may include a fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash which doesn’t fade under pressure.

Advice from Meningitis Now is not to wait for a rash, which can be a late sign and may not appear at all. Meningitis strikes fast and can kill within hours. Someone with the disease can get a lot worse very quickly – keep checking on them and seek urgent medical help if meningitis is suspected.

To help schools, parents and children recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease; Meningitis Now is offering free, wallet sized symptoms cards. These can be ordered through the charity’s website www. meningitisnow.org/orderform or downloaded as a mobile app for your phone or tablet.

A series of student resources - including information leaflets, posters and branded wristbands, can be easily downloaded or ordered from www.meningitisnow.org/ resources

Why are teenagers being offered this vaccine?

The vaccine was introduced in August 2015 to combat a rise in cases of Men W. Teenagers and young adolescents are particularly susceptible to the disease, ranking as the second most at risk group of contracting meningitis, and are more likely to carry meningococcal bacteria in the back of their throats.

Getting the vaccine Every school has a named school nurse and it is important that headteachers work alongside their local nursing teams to get this age group vaccinated.

By giving the vaccine to 13 – 15 year olds this will directly protect this age group and also reduce the chance of the meningococcal bacteria spreading to others. The vaccine is also available free for 17 – 18 year olds and first year university students.

Meningitis Now founded the UK meningitis movement and is the only charity dedicated to fighting meningitis in the UK through research, awareness and support.

As the charity enters its 30th anniversary year, Meningitis Now remains committed to the fight against meningitis and to achieve its vision of a future where no one in the UK loses their life to the disease and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Currently there is no vaccine to protect against all strains of meningitis so parents, pupils and teachers must remain vigilant to its signs and symptoms.

Parents will be sent a consent letter before the vaccination is given and we urge them to take it up - they can call the Meningitis Now free helpline on 0808 80 10 388 if they have any questions or concerns.

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Thanks to the hard work of its supporters, Meningitis Now leads the fight against this debilitating disease. The charity has helped fund great advancements in research, and has played a lead role in raising awareness of meningitis, providing support for those affected and influencing policy makers to introduce lifesaving vaccines.

Despite its successes, there is still much to be done as meningitis remains a real threat and people continue to live with its devastating after-effects.

Our support The impact of meningitis is devastating leaving people bereaved or facing a future with lifelong disability. Even if the outcome of meningitis is a positive one, the trauma of going through the disease or watching a loved one fight for their life can remain.

Meningitis Now services include: counselling and emotional support, financial support, creative and complementary services, peer support, helpline and social media support.

Find out more information by contacting the FREE helpline on 0808 80 10 388 or online at www.meningitisnow.org/how-we-help/ Supporting us There are many ways of supporting Meningitis Now, through volunteering, fundraising, campaigning, making donations or raising awareness on the charity’s behalf.

Every year we arrange a range of events. Get involved in our newest fun, sponsored event – Mile of Fun. It’s open to everyone from pre-schools to universities, friends and family to work colleagues.

The only rule is that you cover a mile... how you choose to do it is up to you (so long as it’s safe of course). Set yourself a challenge or take it easy with the little ones. Hop on a space-hopper, dress up as a superhero, get pushed along on an office chair, do it threelegged, cycle, swim or simply walk your dog.

The choice is yours.

To donate, or for more information please visit www.meningitisnow.org Education Magazine

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Education Magazine

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Walk this May Join a million children and their families in national Walk to School Week 16-20 May

Teachers tell us that schools become healthier and happier places when children walk to school. Physically active children are more alert, ready to learn and achieve better grades than those who are driven, plus a huge 23 per cent of peak-time traffic is made up of cars on the school run. So the more children walking, the less congestion and pollution there is on local roads, making school gates a safer place.

Despite these many benefits the number of pupils walking to school is dropping.

According to the latest National Travel Survey only 46 per cent of primary school aged children walk to school compared to 70 per cent of their parents’ generation.

among the new generation. The Government agrees and has proposed a target to increase the number of primary-age children walking to school to 55 per cent by 2025.

Help us create happier and healthier pupils by joining in Walk to School Week.

Walk to School Week Living Streets’ Walk to School campaign has been going for over 20 years. It supports over one million children, parents and teachers in 4,000 schools to walk more, making it one of the UK’s leading behaviour change campaigns for young people. The campaign is proven to significantly increase walking; creating safer streets and happier, healthier pupils.

Living Streets has an answer to the problem.

16-20 May is national Walk to School Week.

With the drop in physical activity, it’s no surprise we’re witnessing one in three children leaving primary school obese or overweight. This growing obesity problem is a sad reflection of our unhealthy lifestyles as a whole – both poor diet and lack of physical activity. In a recent report, the Commons Health Select Committee recommended promoting walking and other forms of active travel, as part of a series of measures to combat obesity.

Health experts say children should be active for 60 minutes a day but only one in five of 5–15 year olds are achieving this. Inactivity is making people unhappy and unhealthy; costing the health service up to £10billion a year. By encouraging families to swap four wheels for two feet we can start to make a change.

We need to start encouraging children (and the parents and other adults who accompany them) to introduce walking into their everyday lives so that they can start enjoying the many health and social benefits walking brings and develop healthy habits for life. By taking action now we can start to prevent the long-term problems caused by inactivity

Walk to School Week forms part of our Walk to School campaign and takes place during National Walking Month each May. Last year, over 14,000 classes took part; that’s approximately 400,000 children walking to school.

This year’s Walk to School Week takes place from 16-20 May and looks to be bigger – and wilder – than ever.

Living Streets has Walk to School Week resource packs for KS1/P1-4 and KS2/P5-7 to help you get your school walking. The theme for 2016 is ‘Strider’s Walk in the Wild’ with resources focusing on the walking habits and natural environments of different animal species each day of the week. Each challenge pack contains everything you need to run the five-day walking challenge for a class of up to 30 pupils, including a classroom wallchart, teacher and pupil wallchart stickers, 30 pupil activity diaries, 30 pupil rewards magnets and teacher instructions.

Secondary schools can also take part in Walk to School Week by signing up to our Free Your Feet Challenge. This is a week-long activity encouraging students to walk to school every day of that week, with a chance to win a £50 shopping voucher for all those who participate.

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Happy Shoesday takes place nationwide during Walk to School Week on Tuesday 17 May. Pupils across the country don the shoes that make them the happiest: slippers, wellies or glitter sandals, whatever generates the biggest smile on the walk to school – and donate a £1 to Living Streets.

It’s free for schools to take part and the simple ‘donate £1’ format makes it very easy for pupils to join in and raise money.

Signed-up schools receive downloadable resources with shoe capes, classroom ideas and materials, plus a pack of stickers and posters. The money raised from Happy Shoesday goes to Living Streets to support the charity’s work with schools, disability groups and local communities, and campaigning work to make UK streets safer for everyone.

Living Streets’ Walk to School Week is a great place for schools to start thinking about walking and can lead on to Walk Once a Week - WoW – Living Streets’ year-round Walk to School initiative. WoW rewards children who walk to school at least once a week with collectable badges which are designed by pupils in an annual competition.

The campaign is proven to significantly increase walking rates; creating safer streets and happier, healthier pupils. In the primary schools we work with, we typically see a 23 per cent increase in the number of children walking to school. This is met with a corresponding drop in car use.

If you like the sound of fewer cars around your school gates and happier, healthier, more alert pupils in class, then challenge your school to walk every day during Walk to School Week.

Make a real difference to your children’s happiness and wellbeing.

Find out more about Walk to School Week and Happy Shoesday at www.livingstreets. org.uk/walktoschool Author: Joe Irvin, Chief Executive, Living Streets

Education Magazine

Are Your Staff and Students Ready for Lockdown?

One hundred and thirty schools went into lockdown in one month alone because of a perceived threat to the students according to a BBC report1. Admittedly this was in the USA, where 50 school shootings are reported annually, but UK schools have also experienced a growing trend for violent attacks on staff and students.

and quickly throughout the school. By law schools must have a working fire alarm fitted, which traditionally is a bell system. In many schools the same fire bells are also used to announce class changes, which can cause further confusion and lose precious time before staff and pupils realise it’s not just the end of class but a real emergency.

In 2015, there were reports of such incidents not only in Southfields2, and Dulwich3 in London, but as widespread as Leeds4 and Bradford5 in the North and Dorset6 and Somerset7 in the South. As well as direct attacks on school property there are growing concerns over other incidents that potentially put staff and students at risk. A shooting outside a Liverpool school8, a man wielding a gun outside a Cambridge school9, a secure unit abscondee on the loose in Conwy10 and armed raiders running into a school after a robbery11, all resulted in schools going into lockdown.

Schools have long been prepared for evacuation procedures such as fire, or gas leaks. Fire alarms are standard and fire drills practiced to minimise the risk to staff and students. Students know to evacuate immediately for their own safety and assemble at an agreed point so numbers can be accounted and the right action taken by the emergency services.

Website: lockdown.bodet.co.uk Tel: 01442 418800

However, an intruder entering the premises, or a major local disturbance occurring in the community which potentially puts the school at risk, is a totally different situation and the school should immediately go into lockdown to minimise the risk to staff and children. But is it a major threat such as an armed intruder requiring a full lockdown or a reduced threat like a local off-site disturbance which only requires a partial lockdown? Many LEAs have formal lockdown procedures12 which explain the actions required in different threat situations.

Whether an emergency requires evacuation or lockdown, it is essential that accurate information is communicated clearly

Schools have a duty of care to both staff and students, so there should not only be effective systems and procedures

From Bricks to Clicks: new inquiry report explores what student data will mean for higher education

The Higher Education Commission found that student ‘digital footprints’ could tell us what they download, where they access records, the lecture recordings they watch and about their learning experience on e-learning platforms like Blackboard. This can build digital profiles that will help universities to profile learning needs and experiences, pick up students where they need extra support and predict final exam performances.

From Bricks to Clicks, co-chaired by Professor Lord Norton and Sarah Porter of Jisc and Oxford University renown, was launched in Parliament at the end of January 2016. It explores what the data revolution could mean for students primarily, and thus what HEIs and tech sector experts can do to make the most of the opportunity.

Education Magazine

The recent school shootings in Canada13 and Sweden14, and the bomb threats to schools in Australia15 underlines the growth and nature of potential attacks on schools on a global scale. There is little schools can do to prevent such random attacks or threats, but having clear and effective communication systems installed, robust lockdown and evacuation procedures and regular practices conducted, we can ensure we are doing all we can to ensure the safety of staff and students.

Richard Manby is managing director of Bodet Class Change Systems

While a bell can give a resounding announcement that an emergency situation has arisen, it doesn’t differentiate between evacuation or lockdown, let alone a partial or full lockdown situation.The last thing any school wants is pupils streaming out onto a playground to assembly points when there is a possible violent intruder on the premises. Some schools have installed integrated class change and PA systems such as Bodet’s Harmonys which store a range of different tones, melodies or pre-recorded voice messages.These can be programmed for routine class change, lunch or end of school announcements but in an emergency, specific alarms can be broadcast across the site so staff and pupils know immediately what’s happening and what action they need to take.

Big data is probably one of the most talked about topics in the modern age.

Trailblazers like Amazon and IBM have been analysing data for years now –giving them and their clients a commercial edge and making their customers happy at the same time by bringing them products they’d like to buy. Naturally, data use has been on the tip of nearly every tongue in the tech sector from production to sales to customer service for some time now.

in place, but regular practices should be conducted so that all staff and pupils know what to do in any situation. This not only avoids confusion, but the time saved could mean the difference between successful outcome or tragedy.

The Commission argues this approach can benefit students immeasurably (so long as it ethically used of course). Data like this holds valuable information for universities who are looking to improve student experience and learning and thus the institution’s overall performance – with many positive knock-on effects.

But making the most of this information also means HEIs must ensure they don’t end up becoming like Big Brother. In fact, the report authors have specifically devoted a whole chapter to understanding critical issues around student consent, codes of practices, privacy, staff data literacy, and students ‘gaming the system’.

Regarding data safety, Commission Cochair Barry Sheerman MP said: “I think the technologies discussed in the report absolutely have the potential to transform the sector, but to be most effective they need to be used appropriately and ethically.

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References 1.

2.

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4.

5.

6.

7.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25339845 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34784854 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34868503 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27194984 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-33857626 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-30534259 http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/education/school_in_security_lockdown_1_4238794 8. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/anfield-road-shooting-school-lockdown-6889474 9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2911904/Primary-school-forcedlockdown-mystery-gunman-spotted-outside-lunch-break-turns-police-anti-terrorexercise.html 10. http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/neuadd-manhunt-schoolslockdown-llanfairfechan-10107863 11. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/scotland/748968/scottish-schoolslockdown-following-attempted-armed-robbery/ 12. http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/Images/CBC%20lockdown%20guidance%20Nov%202013%20FINAL_tcm6-49512.pdf 13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35394065 14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34612000 15. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3422013/Multiple-schools-forcedlockdown-bomb-threats-New-South-Wales.html

We recognised valid concerns held in the sector around privacy, consent and security of student data during the course of the inquiry, something I was keen for the Higher Education Commission to highlight in the final findings. We have therefore made ethical data use, protection and storage key to a number of recommendations in From Bricks to Clicks and we recommended that any analytics should be underpinned by a code of practice that addresses these issues.”

From Bricks to Clicks argues that data analytics should be a cornerstone to university business models, student learning, support and overall institutional development. The HE sector can lead the way in data collection, use and optimisation, so long as this is done with student consent and robust safeguards. Data will help institutions to improve student retention, better target student support, and develop teaching and learning across the sector.

The reality is that understanding data and the use of data analytics institutions can ensure that students are better taught and supported throughout their courses.

To find out more about From Bricks to Clicks’ 12 recommendations, visit www.policyconnect.org.uk/hec/research, or get in contact with the Higher Education Commission on info@policyconnect.org.uk.

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Children need places to play, families urge government Public playgrounds – vibrant hubs for fun physical activity or neglected, litterstrewn wastelands abandoned long ago? The Association of Play Industries (API) campaigns at the highest levels for policy recognition of the value of play and we have long been concerned about the decline in public play provision.

Public playgrounds – vibrant hubs for fun physical activity or neglected, litterstrewn wastelands abandoned long ago?

The Association of Play Industries (API) campaigns at the highest levels for policy recognition of the value of play and we have long been concerned about the decline in public play provision.

that many simply have nowhere safe to play. We were particularly concerned that so many families – one in seven (14.5%) - said their nearest playground is derelict, unusable or unsafe. The strength of feeling amongst parents that government should be making children’s play a priority was clear and their concerns are a real wake-up call.

In recent years, our members – the UK’s leading play companies – have been reporting a decline in playground orders from cash-strapped local authorities. At the same time, a Freedom of Information investigation by Children and Young People Now magazine revealed that nearly a third (31%) of local authorities closed playgrounds between 2010 and 2013. It also discovered that spending on play fell by 38.8% during the same period, from £67.9m in 2010/11 to £41.5m in 2013/14 .

We are in the middle of an obesity crisis which threatens to shorten the life expectancy of our children and overwhelm the NHS. But the government is yet to recognise the vital importance of play in creating positive early experiences of physical activity for children. Being physically active is a habit and starting that habit in children’s earliest years is likely to entrench healthy, active behaviours in adulthood.

We wanted to hear first-hand the views of families using these much-needed local play facilities. That’s why we decided to put public play provision under scrutiny.

Launching a campaign called #nowhere2play, we asked parents and families to share their views and concerns about where their children will play in future, and the role of government in protecting children’s right to play. They didn’t hold back.

It was clear that they were as worried about the state of local play facilities as we are.

Over half (56%) of families responding said they were unhappy about the about the lack of high quality play facilities in their local area. Nearly a quarter (23.4%) said their nearest playground is in a poor state and almost as many (22.9%) said their children rarely or never play there. More than half (52.4%) said they are seeing no improvement in local play facilities and 15.1% say provision is getting worse. Almost four in ten (38.1%) were worried that playgrounds in their local community may close down altogether.

As a result, they - like us - want the government to take action. Eight in ten families said there should be funding for more high quality public play facilities (82.4%) and investment in parks and green spaces for public recreation (81.1%). Nearly four in ten (39.8%) said that disadvantaged communities should be the focus of funding for playground improvements.

98.5% of the families we surveyed said they think it’s important that their children are physically active, but this research shows

At a time when physical inactivity poses as big a threat to public health as smoking, it’s hugely important that children have time, space and opportunity to play and be active.

Many families have no access to a garden, park or safe outdoor space to play which is why public play facilities are so vitally important, particularly in disadvantaged communities. If we are serious about tackling the root causes of these growing health crises, then every community should have access to well-designed, highquality, free-to-access public play facilities.

The relatively low capital cost required delivers wide-ranging value from physical and developmental benefits for children to addressing wider social problems like social exclusion, anti-social behaviour and community cohesion.

It’s a worrying trend that local authority funding cuts are denying children up and down the country the opportunity – and their fundamental human right – to play.

That right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. England is the only UK nation without a national play strategy and lacks a political champion for play.

That state of affairs is wrong. We believe the API’s #nowhere2play campaign provides a rallying cry to policy makers and we are not alone in our belief in the power of play to support child development, health and wellbeing. The British Heart Foundation National Centre’s Best Start in Life manifesto, launched at the start of this year, urged policymakers not to ignore pre schoolaged children when developing policy on

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physical activity. The All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood, cochaired by play campaigner Baroness Floella Benjamin, has also published two reports recommending a pivotal role for play in helping address the national child obesity crisis.

As an active member of that cross-party group, the Children’s Play Policy Forum and Federation of Sports and Play Associations, we believe it is time for the government to move play up the political agenda and to appoint a policy lead on play to develop and adopt a national play strategy. Don’t you?

We want the government to sit up and take notice of the poor state of many play facilities for children. So if your local playground is disused, abandoned or neglected, take a picture for our online campaign gallery and share it on social media, using the campaign hashtag #nowhere2play.

For further information about the API, contact: Deborah Holt, tel: 024 7648 47218, email api@api-play.org http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/ news/1141407/cyp-investigation-play-servicesdecimated-funding-slashed, January 2014 1

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Ofsted and food Linda Cregan is a time served caterer and has worked for the Children’s Food Trust for the last 8 years. Prior to that she was a school caterer, working for both private and in-house providers. Her previous job was Head of Catering at the Enfield local authority, covering the LEA schools and corporate hospitality. An in-house service that covered almost every school in the borough. She spoke with us in the previous edition on ‘What better school food is.’

Education Magazine (EM) Do schools need Ofsted inspections involved in the school food programme? Is the Turkey Twizzler scandal an argument for Ofsted getting involved as well?

Linda Cregan (LC) Ofsted’s new common inspection framework ensures that inspectors will now observe pupils over lunchtime.

They will be looking to see that children can explain accurately and confidently how to keep themselves healthy. For us that is a really important way of demonstrating just how important school food and the dining environment is to the rest of the school, so it is not just about what the children are learning in lessons. It is about what they’re learning about eating well in the dining room and other times of the day. We’ve come such a long way since the days of Turkey Twizzlers - I’d be horrified if I walked into a school and found them again, as would anyone! There is legislation in place to make sure school meals are giving children healthy variety, and schools have an obligation to meet that legislation. Caterers are the ones that really welcome Ofsted inspections.

That’s not about inspecting whether they are adhering to the standards - that’s not the role of Ofsted here. It’s about the emphasis on the role of lunchtime in children’s learning about food and as part of the school day. Every single caterer, cook and other member of staff working in the dining room at lunchtime has welcomed that aspect.

EM Does Ofsted dovetail in with the advice you provide and what is the benefit?

LC There’s been a lot of work done on Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework, and support from the School Food Plan. They have produced a document to help inspectors when they are going in and looking at food. Bringing it down to its very basic level, we know that when kids eat better, they do better in the classroom. Our own research into primary school children shows that when they are eating better in a better environment, they are three times more focused in class in the afternoon. In secondary schools that on-task behaviour improves by 18%. Positive messages from Ofsted about the food that’s being served in school and schools being committed to the health and wellbeing of children at school is a very good thing to have.

EM Where do you want this policy to lead in 5-10 years’ time?

LC The legislation around school food has been around for quite some time. What’s new is that Ofsted’s new Common Inspection Framework will now include observing pupils over lunchtime. They will go into the dining room and they will be looking to see that children will be able to accurately and confidently explain how to keep themselves healthy. Ofsted will note if the school observes the Whole School Approach. And this is where schools can do their bit to help tackle the childhood obesity problem. One in five children are overweight or obese when they start school. That rises to one in three by the time they are at Year 6!

Schools have so much potential to inform and educate children about food. Let’s face it, it is where they spend so much of their time! This isn’t just about giving pupils something good to eat. It is about the food that’s served, the environment it is served in, the opportunities given to teach children about food, and teaching children how to eat well. It is all of those tools throughout the school day that are really going to have an impact on those figures I have just told you about.

EM How can heads ensure they’re meeting those standards? What sort of problems will they face?

LC The School Food Standards themselves are already legislation so there’s no choice in the matter there. The caterers and other experts will be doing their part in ensuring that those standards are being met. Ofsted are not inspecting the standards themselves, they are inspecting all of the other things that schools should do, for instance making sure that the food served to the children is good. The environment in which the food is served to them is likewise. That schools are giving children the opportunities to learn about food, and providing the complete educational part of it.

There’s a couple of things that you can do to show Ofsted what you’re doing. One of the great ways is to show that you are listening to your pupils. Set up a group of pupils who you talk to about school food; what they like, what they don’t like, what they would like to see being done differently, and listen to what they say and act upon it. You should be clear about the changes they can and can’t make. The school council is a great place to do this. I love going in and talking to them about food as they are very candid and they all have an opinion about school food. It’s also a very good way of chatting about things. I haven’t run into many situations where children haven’t come to me and said that “My favourite is fish and chips,” or something similar, “can we have that every day please?” Being able to discuss with them why that can’t happen is a really useful thing to do. They also have some really good ideas about what you can change on your menu. If you listen to them, they are the ones that are eating it and can help you out as to the best way to do the job.

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There is lots of information as to how to meet the School Food Standards on our website and tips on how to check how you’re doing. If there’s a nursery attached to your school, make sure you are using the guidelines for feeding children under five as children under five have slightly different nutritional requirements.

There’s lots of information, recipes, menus and tools to make your life easier. Keep talking to your caterer. It’s in their interest that their service is the best it can be.

EM Are there any national awards that you run for school caterers?

LC We have two sets of awards. One for caterers that is a menu checking service.

Caterers can send their menus to us to make sure that they are meeting the School Food Standards.

We then have our awards for schools. We have the Good School Food Award and the Outstanding School Food Award. Schools can apply for the Good School Food Award by showing that they have a good menu, but also that they have a food policy and a commitment to providing good school food. After that they can apply for our Outstanding School Food Award if they can show us that they can meet quite a comprehensive set of criteria of food provision and practise. It’s not just about what’s on the plate; it’s about what they can do to demonstrate how they are supporting children’s health in their school.

We have a self-assessment form that shows schools what they could and should be doing.

EM How do you recognise their success in this?

LC You get the award itself. You get to use the logo on your school documentation. We will sing and shout about it in the press too. We name the schools that have won the awards on our website.

EM This should help a school in its competition to attract pupils?

LC Absolutely! It’s a very good way of showing to the parents your commitment to other aspects of their health and wellbeing.

That’s what these awards are all about. The Good School Food Award shows that the schools are absolutely committed to what they are doing, and are on their journey. The Outstanding School Food Award is for schools that are already doing a fantastic job – we come out and inspect them so we know they’re ticking every box.

EM Do you think that the recent government announcement that all schools are to become academies will have an impact on their provision of food at school?

LC I’m pleased at the government has recently said that all new academies have to adhere to the new school food legislation. In that way, no I don’t think it will have an impact on food. I trust that academies will want to do their very best by their children and that they will want to give them the very best food and ensure that they will provide exactly the same food or better than they already have.

EM Thanks for talking to Education Magazine.

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Once more with Mark Lehain Principal of Bedford Free School I last spoke to Mark when Bedford Free School was very new and an Ofsted report was in the post. Two years later the school is nearly full, the policies and style regarding education have been set and I wanted to know if the school had met its selfimposed targets.

Education magazine (EM) When we last spoke you said that you wished to be judged by the school’s results. So are you getting good outcomes for your pupils?

Mark Lehain (ML) We wanted our pupils to both get good GCSE results and have a plan A, B, and C for post 16 options. We were the first of the brand new Free Schools to get our results last summer, and were the top performing of these with 55% of our pupils getting 5 good GCSEs including maths & English. This represented great progress for our students but we in terms of attainment, they were solid, not stellar - we wanted better than that so it took me a few days to smile about it and then admit we’d done a good job! We had the best overall results in the town as well as those for English and Maths.

One of the challenges was that many of the children had produced poor results before coming to our school and so in terms of improvement our results were pretty phenomenal. We were quite happy overall but are hoping to do a whole lot better this summer.

Overall I think that the kids who came here did a lot better than if they’d gone elsewhere. On average we think they’d done about a third of a grade better than similar kids elsewhere.

Nearly all the kids we expected to go to 6th form got really good places, and where they

didn’t do so well we’re still in touch with them as I don’t think our responsibility stops just because they’ve left the school. For instance before xmas we were made aware of a student who was NEET. I invited them in for a cup of coffee and told them they were volunteering here to gain experience and stay in a routine – we’ve now offered them an apprenticeship.

EM Last time we spoke you mentioned the non-tangible benefits for pupils of coming to this school. Such as learning how to throw a dinner party for £10 and going to the opera. Are the pupils getting those nontangible benefits?

ML Other than getting their GCSEs we think there are a number of other ‘non tangible’ things kids should learn at school.

I’m not saying we’ve managed everything we planned but by and large we have achieved most of them. Because we have done such a good job of getting what I describe as ‘our target market of pupils’ we’ve needed to change what we’re offering. I never wanted this school just to be full of middle class aspirational students, we’re in one of the 10% most deprived wards in England, and I wanted us to pick up kids from all sorts of backgrounds. I wanted this to be a proper comprehensive school, and we are. 5% of our

Artists impression of the school with the gym extension added.

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kids came from private schools, just under 40% of our kids are on the Pupil Premium (which is above the Borough average), and I think we’re about second in the Borough in terms of taking in kids from lower income households. We’re also taking in loads of kids with lower levels of Maths and English.

I’m really pleased with that because we do a really, really good job with those kids. So I’ve adjusted our curriculum so there is slightly less ‘fluffy stuff’ in our day to day curriculum and there is more Maths and English. This isn’t because I see no value in the arts, but because they need more time on Maths and English. As a result the proportion of our Pupil Premium kids who got Maths and English was the highest in the Borough.

Though not amazing, 53% is far above the national average.

Have they had opera? Yes, they’ve had AN opera session. We no longer timetable “arts” lessons because I had to fit in more Maths and English. But they can they access those things in the elective lessons (two slots a week of timetable clubs & societies) We now run a school musical every year: last year we did “Honk!”, a musical of The Ugly Duckling, and this year we’re doing Annie. (They wouldn’t let me be Daddy Warbucks as it had to be one of the kids!) We have also rolled out ‘Music for All’ and are teaching every kid in the school a musical instrument. Every kid in year 7,8 or 9 is now learning the guitar or violin. We’re even teaching the kids brass with the help of the Salvation Army. My wife was at a toddler group and got talking to someone over a coffee and to cut a long story short we now have 10 kids learning, for free, a musical instrument through the SA! In my opinion that’s ‘Big Society’ for you and it’s also about being adaptable. Another example of flexibility came from my Head of Music who grew up in the area and played in the local orchestras. She was chatting to someone in the local Music Service and they told her that they had a load of violins lying around unused, because of the cost of instrumental lessons not so many kids have Education Magazine

them these days and so two conversations later we’d bought and paid for them.

EM So you’re doing the cultural enrichment activities but not at the cost of what they need in terms of the core subjects?

ML Yes, we’re now unashamedly focusing on what is called the Knowledge Based Curriculum. We’re defining what every kid needs to know in our culture, what we want them to know as a British child. We have to expose them to Shakespeare so in Drama they are doing LESS of the ‘sleeping lions’ thing and more Shakespeare.

We’re giving them more time for History and Geography as I want them to know what is going on around them.

We had phenomenal GCSE exam results in History, Geography and RE! History is the most popular option subject in GCSE here too. We also want to introduce them to key things in their cultural entitlement and so we run a classics scheme so that in years 7,8 and 9 in form time as well as in the prep sessions we’ve introduced in the afternoon (we do 45 minutes after school at 3.30 every day like the private schools do) we give some of that time over to read. So they will be exposed to 100 of the classic books. So for instance Year 7 are doing Frankenstein, 1984… Dracula etc.

EM What about that longer school day?

You finish at 4.15 and is it working? What is the reaction of pupils, teachers and parents to it now?

ML We did the longer school day for two main reasons. One is that we needed more time for the fundamentals, i.e. Maths and English. We also needed it to ensure every kid accessed the enrichment programme.

They accept that by having a longer day they are cramming in more stuff. From the staff’s perspective they can see the benefits of having longer to work with the kids. More lessons in the day; more Maths and English on the curriculum, and the chance to do the fun stuff with them in a structured way during the enrichment time. This means that the kids get to see the teacher not just as a Maths teacher for example, but a teacher that also runs cross-country; not as a Science teacher but as one who teaches the swimming.

By and large everyone sees the benefits of it.

EM Last time we met you had 347 children across four year groups. You said the target was about 500. What is the headcount now and is it evenly split?

In our experience if you put clubs on after school, 90% of the kids go home. If you put them on in the school day, you timetable them, then every child does it.

We are the only state school in the area where every kid does at least two clubs every single week. It’s popular with parents because the kids are at school for longer.

Our students now think that it is a good thing, though if I said that we finish at 3 like most teenagers they’d be happy to go home!

ML We have five year groups with 100 places in each year group.

We opened this year with 441 pupils on the roll. We’ve had loads of kids join us since September and we are now just under 480. I think the results we had helped a lot, so though we are not quite full (we are oversubscribed in two of the year groups, have just a few places in two of the year groups) and the only year group where we continues overleaf u

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Once more with Mark Lehain continued have more than 10 spaces is Year 7 and even that’s filling up. We will make offers soon for secondary places this September, and we’re massively oversubscribed for this year which is something we have never been before.

We had a dodgy Ofsted report in 2014 but we’re expecting them back any time now, and we know that will go really well as we now have a track record. Not having GCSE results for Ofsted was a problem but they can now see we’re top of the town. Because of all the changes going on locally in education where they are going from an upper, middle and lower system to a secondary system. So we’re the one small Secondary School that isn’t changing so the funny thing is we’ve flipped in less than a year from being a risky option for parents to send their kids to being the least risky option.

EM Now you’re oversubscribed, what is going to be your selection criteria?

ML We are using the standard selection criteria used by most of the local schools because we want it to be done in a fair way. Children in care of the local authority will go top, children with statements will automatically get places, and then we’ll do it according to siblings of children already in the school, then children of staff then it is just proximity. Because of where we are positioned, and because we are in a really deprived ward, we should continue to have a really nice mix of kids from all backgrounds.

EM Last time we met you told me that when you reach your target numbers of pupils you will be able to have the ‘resources for a broader curriculum plus the whistles and bells that make it special’.

What are those whistles and bells you have and what are you planning?

ML Because we have been really successful in attracting kids, it means that from day one we have been able to staff up fully, and with two exceptions have had subject specialists teaching their specialist subject, and I have had the ability to teach the curriculum that I would want my own kids to experience.

We’ve been able to build up reserves, which are something like £600,000 over three years that has been purely money that we’ve had as income but haven’t spent. That’s not because I’ve gone out of my way to be stingy, but as a new organisation you have got to get the money for a rainy day behind you. Not only that we’ve been successful in getting money from the government to finish off the building. For example we needed to get the building on the roof sorted, and secured £1.5 million to do the gym extension on the roof.

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EM How can you continue to run the enrichment programme and have a longer school day, on the same per pupil funding as the other schools locally?

ML That’s a whistle and bell however it costs us nothing extra to do. The fact that I’ve been able to go out and get a second music teacher, so at the time other schools are squeezing the arts subjects due to financial pressures or because they are worried it doesn’t fit in with league tables, we’ve gone contrary to that and have doubled the time that kids have for music in key Stage 3. Where lot of other schools might only give one lesson a week, or one lesson a week on a cycle; every single kid here gets two lessons a week at the school, as well as instrumental lessons on top of that. By being clever with staffing and with our money, we have been able to deliver that. No other state school around here does it.

Education Magazine

EM How did you manage to convince ‘the powers’ to build a gym on your roof?

ML The case itself was compelling. It also makes the school more viable going forward because we need to hire fewer off site facilities, and there’s a small potential for it to become an income stream. However we have not been shown any favours over any other school. The government has specific pots of money available so any school can bid to it to build facilities on their site, and we just went through that process and we were successful. That will make a real difference to us; we will have the facilities on site that every school with 500 students between the age of 11 and 16 needs.

On a practical level we have a T shaped building. The bar of the T which is by the road goes from ground to second floor, and the back part of the building goes up to the fourth floor. We are going to build a third and a fourth floor on the top of the building, and that will get us a set of changing rooms for the boys and for girls. It will give us an activity studio for the fourth floor, and then your standard double height school hall. It will be able to seat 220 people, and we will be able to do school assemblies in there.

Orchestra performances can be held there too, and school plays, as well as somewhere for the kids to do PE. EM Last time we met I asked what it was like hiring staff without the school having a

track record. What is it like now?

ML I always say about recruiting staff that there are plenty of people prepared to work in schools but there is a massive shortage is of good quality people to work in schools.

There have been times where we have found it really hard to pass the “Sophie Test”. (My eldest daughter is Sophie, and when I am interviewing teaching staff basically I ask myself, would I like them teach my own kids?) If I couldn’t see that or I had any doubt about that then I couldn’t give them a job.

I have never compromised on that. Does that mean I have got every appointment right? No it doesn’t. Every person I have appointed has passed the Sophie Test. We are fully staffed, and have a much lower staff turnover than most new schools, and it’s a lot lower than most schools generally.

Something I’m really proud of is every teacher that’s been here that has moved on has moved on for positive reasons. They may have moved to be closer to their families or they have got a promotion. They’ve left as better teachers than when they have joined us. It’s hard work, particularly in certain subjects but I’m absolutely fanatical about not appointing just put someone in front of classes. Sometimes I’ve made part time appointments because people weren’t available to work full time. But I’d rather have a good person part time part time than a dodgy person full time.

EM You have 500 pupils now. Could you get any bigger?

ML Not on this site but we’ve never said never. We’ve always said we’d like to expand. When we’ve got ourselves settled and used to the day job, I think there is scope to do a primary school at some point, and potentially a specialist Sixth Form, but what that would look like I don’t know. Sixth Form education is going to be a bloodbath over the next five years, with Per Pupil funding coming down and over provision in many areas. But the outcomes in Sixth Forms in Bedford are not where we’d like them to be so I will keep it under review. However I would not do anything that takes my eye off the ball here.

The big move in state schools is now that within 3-4 years every single school in the country will be an academy, whether they want to be or not as that is government policy. Every single academy will be part of a multi-academy trust. That’s something I am really keen to talk to other schools about, or do we grow our own multi-academy trust? I want to remain a small school but as part of something bigger. You get the benefits of being small, knowing the parents and kids really well, but the security and strategic advantages of being part of something bigger. Watch this space!

EM Thanks for talking to Education Magazine again.

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Safety in Education: a RoSPA view How’s that for gaining experience, skills and confidence safely? This is closely planned and supervised learning, through which pupils learn how to deal with risks. And thereby: “Sir, Sir, this is my poster about sparklers. I don’t want those sparks burning me!”

Jim Bennetts was an HMI and the Ofsted representative on RoSPA’s National Safety in Education Committee. He is now Vice Chair of the committee.

What’s RoSPA for?

The mission of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is to save lives and reduce injuries. With evangelical vigour, RoSPA has addressed its mission for years.

Through its National Safety in Education Committee, its publication Safety in Education, and numerous projects and programmes, it maintains a strong stance on teaching safely and teaching safety.

Kill-joy ‘health and safety’ naysayers? Perish the thought! RoSPA’s line is ‘as safe as necessary’ not ‘as safe as possible’. Were schools to go for ‘as safe as possible’, they would probably put a stop to sports, most school journey trips, and shut the chemy-lab straight away! RoSPA encourages children to learn skills, have fun, find out about your own limits – but do it in a safe and planned way, meanwhile learning how to weigh-up risks. Hence, the mantra about teaching safely and teaching safety. Schools are for helping children become mature, careful and enterprising adults. RoSPA is for helping with that.

What does RoSPA like?

If we know about it, and we like it, we do our best to tell everyone about it. (Ofsted calls that ‘Disseminating Good Practice’.) Well, we liked what they did at a First School in the North East (age range 4-9).

Teaching might have gone like this: “Yes, you can cool off with your head in the water.

Don’t drink it and swallow a tadpole!

Don’t lean over too much and fall in!”

“With those climbing holds, grip what seems best – if you slip, there’s a rope!”

And then there was a councillor in a village on Morecambe Bay, who had some council funding which enabled Year 6 pupils to do a pamphlet (published and issued to visitors to the area) about the risks of tides and quicksands on the bay. So we visited the school to see, and ran an article about it.

And lots, lots more... we are always looking for good practice to promote to others, sharing the lessons learnt by staff and students and ultimately making safe education easier and more fun.

Besides telling about what is going well, what else does RoSPA do?

Teachers’ professional associations, subject associations and other key stakeholders such as fire and rescue services, the Health and Safety Executive, Ofsted, academy groups, the National Governors Association, and outdoor activities regulators are represented on RoSPA’s education committee. RoSPA is able to draw on the expertise in such stakeholder organisations. There is also liaison with other bodies nationally and internationally which share the concern for safety in education and associated matters, such as the effectiveness of PSHE. RoSPA is therefore well placed to provide documentary guidance and training on educational safety issues, often in collaboration with other players such as local authorities, the PSHE Association, Gas Safe and the Department for Transport. The focus of RoSPA initiatives is guided by statistics on the incidence of accidents, and by current national concerns – such as pupil injury in contact sports where players are ill matched in skill, size and weight.

Action on education is informed by RoSPA’s long established work on safety at work, in the home, and in leisure and water-based activities. RoSPA has given vigorous attention to road safety for road users of all ages; We introduced Kerb Drill, which preceded and morphed into the Green Cross Code with the aid and input of other agencies and mounted a long standing campaign featuring sensible squirrel Tufty (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1BrivBSv20Y), which will be well remembered by the generation that went through primary schools in the 1970s. RoSPA hosts a fraternity of organisations which provide well planned but challenging activities for young people; some are associated with fire and rescue services, most offer outdoor adventurous activities. This LASER (Learning 28

About Safety by Experiencing Risk) network encapsulates the essence of RoSPA’s philosophy with regard to learning how to recognise and manage risks though well structured and well supervised opportunities.

What does RoSPA make of schools’ positions on safety?

This is what our research suggests:

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Schools have strong commitment, in principle, to the aims of keeping pupils safe and helping them to learn how to adopt safe practices.

There is considerable good practice and most pupils, across the age range, acquire good knowledge, habits and intuition.

There is some concern amongst school staff about repercussions should things go wrong during practical activities, and this can limit pupils’ opportunities. The issue is sometimes overstated and more could be done to alleviate concerns.

Schools’ objectives with regard to facilitating practical learning opportunities, whilst keeping pupils as safe as necessary, are not clarified sufficiently. The benefit of activities is not necessarily weighed in balance against the chance of mishap.

What pupils learn, when they learn it, how well they learn it, and whether their experience has coherence and progression are left largely to chance.

There is an absence of clear leadership and robust management.

Parents want the best for their children.

Most have a balanced view on the need for practical learning that occasionally involves bumps and bruises. They expect schools to give extensive input on safety education, but are unclear about what is actually covered. Schools have insufficient dialogue with parents on this.

How did it all begin – and where is it going?

Well, the First Word War blackout didn’t half cause a lot of accidents. In that context, the London Safety First Council was founded in 1916, morphing into RoSPA in 1941. Since then accident rates have continued to fall. Let’s be thankful! Much has been achieved through vigilant guidance and training. Yet even one accidental death or injury – particularly among the young – is one too many. Much remains to be done.

RoSPA can conduct SchoolSafe Evaluations (Link) http://www.rospa.com/school-collegesafety/schoolsafe/and provide training and advice to members. Please think about joining RoSPA, thus supporting our work and benefiting directly from our experience.

Help us to help you make things better. If you have good practice to tell us about, or worries that you would like to share or seek advice upon, contact RoSPA’s education safety team directly at educationhelp@rospa.com Education Magazine

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Launch of new runaway prevention pack stresses vital frontline role of schools in keeping young people safe Every year 100,000 children under 16 run away from home or care in the UK, and at least 18,000 sleep rough or with someone they have just met . The most common age for running away is between 13 and 15 years old and a lot of the time this happens because young people are unable to find somewhere safe to go or someone to speak to when they need it most.

Many of these children run away on the spur of the moment, without any forward planning, meaning that they can stumble into a very risky situation almost immediately.

They are often running because they need space from a problem at home, such as family breakdown, abuse, neglect, or a problem at school, such as bullying or unmet special educational needs. Research shows that children who run away are three times more likely to be absent from school.

Unhappiness is often displayed through challenging behaviour in school. Absence from education may also be a sign that a pupil is running away to things that put them in danger. The ability of a school and its teachers to recognise such behaviour, including absences and exclusions, and running away as a cry for help is therefore crucial. These ‘pull’ factors may be substance misuse, criminal activity or sexual exploitation where children are pressured by peers or predatory adults who exploit their vulnerability.

Schools are ideally placed to help pupils learn how to make positive choices and informed decisions so that they can protect themselves. Positive relationships with school staff will also encourage children to disclose any worries about their own safety or the safety of another pupil. For this reason, Railway Children believes one of the most sustainable ways of highlighting the risks of running away, as well as safer alternatives and people who can help, is to make it a key component of a school’s PSHE education curriculum.

It is with this in mind that the charity teamed up with a group of senior teachers with extensive experience of working with pupils facing social, emotional, behavioural and mental health issues, and produced the Runaway Prevention Education Pack.

With an emphasis on the teacher as facilitator, the PSHE Association Quality Assured resource pack is designed to encourage children and young people at school to understand and explore the risks of running away – but in a safe and positive environment, without sensationalism - and how to identify safer alternatives and people who may be able to help them. The potential benefits of this approach are illustrated by Chloe’s story.

Chloe, aged 14, attended a Runaway Prevention session which explored why some young people run away from home.

She identified strongly with the examples of family conflict used in the session and felt that her relationship with her mum was at breaking point. At the end of the lesson, she approached the staff for advice. It emerged that she was having relationships with young men in their 20s and that this was impacting on her home life as well as her attendance and attainment at school. She was later assessed as being a Child in Need and at risk of sexual exploitation. Both Chloe and her mum were allocated workers who helped them to rebuild their relationship, communicate more positively with each other and reduce the risks to which Chloe was exposed.

All the resources in the Runaway Prevention Education Pack have been developed in line with PSHE Association guidance, taking into account its Ten Principles of good PSHE Education. Each resource pack is tailored to either key stage 2, 3 or 4 and is mapped to the National Curriculum. The packs contain detailed lesson plans and case studies showing why children might run away from home or be absent from school, and the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors affecting their decisions.

PSHE Association Subject Specialist Karen Summers has said the Runaway Prevention Education Pack will make a powerful contribution to high quality PSHE provision in school. In her review, she commended the materials for being extremely well-planned and engaging for pupils, whilst exploring issues relating to emotional wellbeing and mental health, such as friendships and bullying, family life, homelessness, child sexual exploitation and domestic violence.

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Reaching Safe Places , a report by Railway Children, found four of the top five places children run to are behind closed doors. This could be a house of a friend, family member, acquaintance or even a complete stranger. It also found that who you are with is far more critical than how long you’ve been away.

Behind closed doors, invisible to police and social workers, children often don’t realise the risks until it’s too late.

Whilst some young people may need overnight accommodation in a crisis, creating a safe space in the day is also vital, as a timely conversation with a trusted adult could prevent a situation worsening. A key recommendation from the report is for the Department for Education to recognise the importance of pastoral care and safe places in schools, and the role that good PSHE lessons can play in developing life skills and helping young people stay safe.

Examples of safe people may include friends, family, neighbours and key workers. In the PSHE sessions, pupils are also encouraged to think of wider sources of help, for example phone lines like ChildLine, the police, a trusted adult or their school.

Reaching Safe Places found that positive relationships, resilience and life skills were crucial to helping young people get through a difficult time in their lives. The report also highlighted the value of enabling young people to be empowered to help themselves where possible by being given good information about services. The Runaway Prevention Education Pack has been developed as a practical tool to help realise this wider objective which – if seen as a whole school responsibility – is well within our grasp.

By Sarah Lanchin, UK Programme Manager, Railway Children Railway Children is an international children’s charity working with children alone and at risk on the streets, where they suffer abuse and exploitation. The resources are available as free downloads from www.railwaychildren.org.uk/education.

Rees, G. (2011) Still Running 3: Early Findings from Our Third National Survey of Young Runaways, London: The Children’s Society.

2 Thompson, J (2014) Reaching Safe Places: Exploring the journeys of young people who run away from home or care (Sandbach: Railway Children) 1

Education Magazine

In 2015 ASCL officially opened its doors to senior leaders in primary schools.

If you are working across a multi-academy trust or other hard federation, and especially across phases, you will find that ASCL membership gives you the breadth of information, support and networking that you need to operate effectively as a system leader, beyond the leadership of an individual primary school.

Find out what ASCL stands for and more details on the latest membership offer at www.ascl.org.uk/offers

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New research reveals looming cash crisis for acedemies

By Joe Scaife,

Head of Academies at accountants, Bishop Fleming, and Chair of the Academies Group at Kreston UK Rising costs and pupil numbers threaten a looming cash crisis for Academies, with most predicting that they will be running at a deficit within two years.

This is among the top line findings of the latest independent benchmarking survey of more than 500 Academy schools, conducted by the UK Academies Group of Kreston International – the global network of independent accountancy firms.

Increases in staff pension and National Insurance costs, plus predictions of almost half a million more pupils by 2020, have contributed to six out of 10 Academies now expecting to run into deficit within two years. At the same time, as expected, the Government has reduced funding available to existing Academies for capital projects and maintenance work.

That reduction is nearly £30m, and equates to a 25% cut on a school by school basis. On the other hand, the Government plans to invest £23bn over the rest of this Parliament to build new schools and to increase capacity to meet the needs of growing pupil numbers. However there is currently no further funding available for the additional children, resulting in an expected fall in funding per pupil.

Consequently, this latest benchmarking survey – Kreston’s fifth annual report – reveals blunt warnings of cash shortages, buildings not being properly maintained, and pressure on teacher numbers. Those factors will have a direct impact on pupil-teacher ratios, the scope of subjects being taught, the experience of teachers being recruited, the upkeep of school buildings, and even the ability of some schools to continue in their present guise.

Most Academies have limited options on how to resolve the imminent dangers, so the next 24 months could be a crucial period for many schools. Many schools are now looking at focusing on ways in which they can increase their income, as many have already cut costs as far as they can without impacting on the education provision.

One option is to join with other schools to form Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), and the latest benchmarking survey demonstrates a rapid growth in MATs. This is a route that has a lot of government support. While there have been highprofile news stories about problems encountered by some of the large, national MATs, it is clear that clusters of local schools make good sense. Indeed, almost 25% of my firm’s 350 Academy clients are

now members of a MAT, while many others are actively exploring the option of joining with neighbouring schools in a MAT. While some of those MATs span both primary and secondary schools, making comparisons difficult, our latest survey has been able to isolate the benefits to primary schools combining in a MAT, which has reduced their cost per pupil by almost £150.

As the move towards MATs accelerates, it is worth noting that policy makers have changed their view on MATs. They now view an ideal MAT size as being at least 15-20 schools. This is a larger grouping than many schools would currently feel comfortable to join and may be difficult for many rural schools to achieve.

Meanwhile, many Academies are already trying to address the looming cash challenge by looking at techniques for increasing their income, at a time when the Government seems to have devolved responsibility to fill the funding gap to the schools.

One option is for schools to ask parents and alumni to dig deep into their pockets to help out. We already know of several of schools that have now asked for parental contributions to help them fill the funding gap.

Other options will include seeking corporate sponsorship and creating new sources of income from hiring out buildings and sports facilities. There is no doubt, though, that every Academy must find ways to be even more business-like, which might include recruiting entrepreneurial managers who can generate new revenue streams while leveraging the most out of existing resources.

Not all schools are struggling though, in part due to the large regional variations in how our schools are funded. A school in the West and South West can expect to receive £1200 less per pupil than a London school. For a large secondary school this extra funding could pay for an extra 30 teachers. The government has announced plans to make this funding fairer, but this will result in winners and losers.

For the moment, most of the 500 schools surveyed still have relatively strong cash balances, with the average for primary schools having risen from £271,000 to £363,000, although the average for secondary schools has dipped from £1,187,000 to £1,093,000.

MATs are averaging a cash balance of £1,859,000 (up from £1,717,000), while a small number of MATs have cash balances of more than £5m.

There seems to have been little change in the average salary for secondary school Head Teachers, at £91,880, while the average salary for primary school heads has risen by 5% to £63,809.

One significant cut in costs for many schools has been the uptake of the government backed RPA insurance scheme. 37% of Academies have swapped their cover to the RPA scheme in the first year alone.

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On the other hand, Academies are under threat of local authorities seeking to pass over a much bigger share of their pension deficits, after the Deputy Pension Ombudsman approved a changed methodology which nearly doubled the cost for one new academy. The overall LGPS pension deficit has risen for the fourth year in a row, and now stands at £1,272 per pupil.

We are not expecting to see this fall any time soon.

All in all, the latest benchmarking study should provide the Heads, Governors, and Managers of Academies with a clear pointer to the financial challenges ahead, and how some of their peers are already making changes to meet those challenges.

7 ways to make your ICT spend go further

Technology is changing the world and will inevitably have a huge impact on the world our children grow up into. But as it becomes an increasingly integral part of education, so does the challenge for schools to save money, spend it wisely and use ICT more effectively.

Major cost-effective technological trends in education - such as the introduction and embedding of cloud-based applications and services - place ICT back under the control of your senior leadership team. Martin Pipe looks at how can you ensure the technology in your school is working for you – and your budget. #1: Getting the basics right Developing an ICT strategy which empowers teachers and learners, creates tangible improvements and fuels innovation both in and out of the classroom needn’t cost the earth, but it does need to start with a clear plan of what you actually want to achieve.

So think about the particular challenges in your school or group of schools - what have school inspectors recommended you work on? And what kind of apps, devices and tools do your teachers like to use? Your ICT strategy should fully support your teachers’ pedagogy and become an intrinsic part of your Strategic Development Plan or School Improvement Plan, rather than standing alone as a separate objective. #2: Navigating around budget restrictions One of the most effective ways to reduce ICT costs is to change the way your budgets are used. Rather than having a large capital outlay on hardware and replacing costly servers like-for-like when they reach the end of their functional service, you could become a ‘serverless school’ where services and systems are delivered to staff and students through the internet. This allows the costs to be spread through a friendlier revenue model, and means you can opt for more costeffective internet-optimised devices for your teachers and students. This model not only makes financial planning easier but reduces the need for schools to build up a capital fund for future ICT purchases.

Education Magazine

#3: Reducing ICT support costs

#6: Keeping up with fast-moving changes

Another financial benefit of this approach is a reduction in maintenance and support service costs, since cloud-based solutions have no local servers to manage, maintain, repair and in due course, replace. Usability is improved too, as staff and students can access systems from anywhere, on any internet-enabled device, rather than just within the school network. This allows Senior Leadership Teams to access the MIS from home or students to collaborate on and complete projects in the evening. Our research has indicated that having remote support in place can be infinitely more costeffective for schools, with on average 60% of issues resolved remotely, reducing the need for a large on-site technical team and allowing schools to concentrate on physical tasks. Using outsourced support services will minimise unforeseen costs, mitigate future risks and support long-term cost savings of at least 15%.

It is well documented that there is an increasing pressure on schools to keep up to date with fast-moving changes in technology. These demands however aren’t necessarily coming from the government or any curriculum-based changes though, although there is a need to deliver at curriculum level on subjects such as coding.

Rather, these drivers ultimately come from children and parents since they are regularly using the latest technology in their everyday lives. There will always be challenges implementing any new technology, but your ICT provider should know your school well enough to be able to make tailored recommendations about what technology could work best for you and solve issues which are unique to your individual learning environment.

#4: Making savings across a group If you’re in a group of schools, you could also scale up and share IT support across the trust and when coupled with preferred ICT agreements and volume purchasing, ICT costs can be scrutinised at a central level, ensuring all schools in the trust are receiving the financial benefits delivered through economies of scale. As the preferred ICT provider to The Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), RM Education have, over the last two years, been part of a project which has helped AET to migrate their academies over to Google Apps for Education, complemented by a more cloudbased and server-less approach across all of their educational and operational functions. As part of the project, AET has explored potential cost savings derived from embracing these cloud tools. Over five years, the Trust are predicted to save £900,077 in costs as well as a substantial £7,701,044 in benefit savings**. #5: Learning leading technology Many schools’ ICT investment plans are driven by the latest technology trends, where ICT investment hasn’t been steered as to how the technology could and would support their pedagogy. Conversely there are other schools that have always had an ICT suite of 30 computers and as they get older they begin to slow down, the school simply goes out and buys the same again because that’s what they’ve always done.

But what if you don’t even need these computers? What if your pupils are only really using them to write a few documents or do some brief research on the internet? In that case, you would probably be better with something like a Chromebook, which gives you access to tools like Google Classroom for free. And, since the devices are half the cost of a PC, you’re immediately reducing your spend as well as using a more collaborative tool which will help give your students future career skills.

Education Magazine

#7: Mitigating lost teaching time Ever-decreasing budgets aren’t the only issue schools face when it comes to technology; time is a huge factor too. There are only a set number of teaching hours in the school year, so if your network goes down and you lose days of teaching time – particularly during a GCSE year – you will reach a point where that lost time can never be regained. Through focusing on the pedagogical outcomes to which your school aspires and using them to shape your ICT strategy, precious budgets can be spent in a manner that provides the maximum return. * Based on RM Education’s independent survey, 2015 http://bit.ly/1RhUUvU ** AET, Google Apps Cost Savings and Benefits http://bit. ly/1Rs8jzK

Martin Pipe is Head of Service Scope & Design at RM Education. He specialises in managed services, IT strategy, cloud computing and SaaS. His team supports schools across the country in providing a range of fully scalable education IT support and reliable ICT services for primary and secondary schools. www.rm.com

Good practice in performance management

Johnnie Pavey, Assistant Head at Lampton School and also Teaching School Specialist Leader of Education, discusses the performance management and Continuing Professional Learning (CPL) programme he and his team have implemented. By developing a progress- based measure and through effective use of their online CPL solution, the school’s 120 staff have, year on year, been responsible for significant student progress or ‘value added measure’.

About the school: Lampton secondary school in West London is an outstanding academy and was one of

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the first teaching schools to be established by the DfE. Described as a ‘complex urban’ comprehensive, the school is non-selective and students come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, falling below the national average both in terms of ability and socio-economic circumstances. 1,200 of its 1,600 students speak English as an additional language. Student achievement however is above average and the school has been deemed outstanding in challenging circumstances by Ofsted in each of its last three inspections.

Professional Learning and Performance Management At Lampton we take CPL and performance management very seriously. It forms an important part of our annual cycle and starts and finishes on the same day every year – in early September - when we kick off the new term with our first inset day for all teaching staff.

During this inset day we teach staff how to set SMART targets – targets that are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. We then ask them to perform a self audit using our online CPL and self-evaluation tool, so they can see for themselves how far they have progressed in their journey to meet Lampton Teacher Standards and the national teachers’ standards. This in turn informs the objectives set by their line manager.

Each member of staff is set three key objectives, focusing on:

• • •

Teaching and learning Pupil progress Professional development

Each September we look at the ‘value added’ scores from the summer – i.e. pupil progress targets rather than attainment. Those teachers who have demonstrated good ‘value added’ measure over a defined period typically progress well up the pay scale.

Using pupil progress, rather than merely attainment, to measure our teacher CPL also stands us in good stead for the introduction of Progress 8 this year. Having used a value added measure to monitor teacher CPL for some time, we are looking forward to seeing Lampton’s success in this area reflected in the official league tables.

So how do we do it?

At Lampton, we have developed our own secure, cloud-based CPL platform, linked to our CPL and self-evaluation tool. Our staff search our site to locate courses that will help them meet their objectives for the coming year, such as teaching and learning, key skills, pastoral etc. Each course features a portrait shot of our resident expert and links to teacher standards. It then takes them through to the CPL platform which presents them with a route map so they can clearly see their progress and where they are in their career. A separate route map is continues overleaf u

provided for teaching assistants who have different learning needs.

Staff document all CPL in their personal e-portfolio, which enables line managers and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to gauge the effectiveness of the courses and helps inform strategy planning for the coming year. Staff are required to complete six CPL courses per year. However, our CPL system is so popular that many complete up to 16 per year. CPL is only signed off by the SLT after they see it has been completed. Having the courses available online is a great benefit here as it makes it easy for the SLT to see when a course has been completed.

The benefits of our system and performance-related pay What is good about the system is that it is evidence based and transparent - making discussions about performance-related pay much easier.

At Lampton we take a holistic approach to pay reviews. We look at:

• • • •

‘Value added’ measure achieved Lesson observations External and internal lesson observations Line managers’ thoughts on how individuals have performed in relation to their CPL overviews.

Transparency is key to holding people to account and staff have warmed to using an online CPL system as it enables them to highlight their successes. They view it as progressive and particularly like it when it supports their progress up the pay scale!

The significance Most importantly, using an online system for CPL enables staff to take ownership of their training and provides a route map for their careers. It is a really useful tool because it helps ensure that evidence of staff successes are documented and celebrated, rather than ignored. It also eliminates the need for a box under the desk with all those “well done letters” from their line managers and ‘valued added’ progression spreadsheets.

It acts as a diagnostic tool for senior leaders, warning of issues and challenges that need to be addressed before external reviews. It also clearly illustrates teaching and learning achievements in an easy to digest manner.

Most importantly, it helps the leadership team know explicitly how well their staff are doing and for them to say emphatically “we are here”.

BlueSky Education is the leading online staff development, professional learning and self-evaluation software for schools.

Used in over 1,300 schools, it aims not only save time and money but to ensure that performance management processes really drive improvement. The key driver behind the tool is encouraging engagement and professional accountability at an individual level. This ensures everyone understands their role in supporting the school to achieve its key outcomes of pupil performance and achievement. (http://blueskyeducation.co.uk/)

Helping students overcome a fear of maths

Fleur Sexton, a former teacher who believes that the reason many students struggle with maths is that basic fear prevents them from fulfilling their potential. Here she shares her experience of helping young people to overcome the obstacles in their way and go on to enjoy success in this vital subject.

Ask any pupil about their ‘worst’ subject at school and you will often get the answer, ‘maths’. This has got to change and I’m convinced that removing the ‘fear’ around the subject will go a long way towards developing more positive attitudes towards this vital skill.

I believe that a sharp focus on confidence and building a positive mental attitude to tackling difficult maths problems is the way to go. By changing a child’s attitude towards maths you can improve the way that they learn.

Essentially you build resilience – inspiring self belief and getting them to feel confident that they are capable of tackling even the most difficult-looking maths problems, provided they use the right mindset.

Researchers who examined cognitive style in mathematics (Chinn and Ashcroft 1998) found that, “Within the school curriculum learning mathematics is uniquely challenging in that it is highly organised, sequential and progressive.”

On top of that, there are other factors that make maths ‘difficult’. Firstly pupils have to remember and recall lots of different things at a rapid rate and are called upon to memorise formulas. They may lack the vocabulary to describe the difficulties that they experience and can also be short of opportunities to practice and embed what they have learned in a range of different contexts. Finally, at the end of the course, they need to take a highstakes individual test. It’s no wonder some pupils find it stressful.

So instead of just throwing more content at a child clearly struggling, it’s important to step back, look at the basics and break down any barriers to learning. Anxiety is often chief among them, with a fear of failure often leading to a defeatist or hostile attitude to maths – which is not helpful to teaching or learning. Such attitudes usually mean that a pupil doesn’t even attempt a question that they don’t like the look of – yet a border-line student could make a vital difference to their final grade by attempting a ‘horrible-looking’ exam question, even though they may not have had any initial positive reaction to it.

And of course there are marks to be had in an exam simply by showing some workings.

It’s also useful to review key mathematical concepts, making sure they understand the vocabulary around the subject. Providing team work opportunities helps to demonstrate that they are not alone in struggling with maths.

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I like to use the analogy of ‘the pit’. This is where we develop resilience by consistently plunging our students into a place of adversity and showing them that they can overcome it.

This uncertainty is best visualised as a ‘pit’ of darkness and isolation.

At first our learners will struggle by themselves with a task that they are not expected to be able to complete.

Throughout the lesson, we then provide them with the skills and tools to ask the right questions in order to get the right information they need to accomplish the task at hand – whether that’s through group work or solo activity.

Studies have shown that by taking a student out of their comfort zone like this - plunging them into this ‘pit’, but then helping them out by the end of the lesson - will impact their learning and also help them develop the ‘thick skin’ necessary to battle on at a question, despite the challenge ahead.

The key point they take away is that with practice and resilience you will escape the fear of any task.

Aside from trying ‘the pit’ technique, there are four other fairly basic steps to build resilient learners. They are:

• • • •

to instill the belief that maths in a valuable subject, identifying its value in the wider world and beyond exams, to recognise that struggling with maths is common and that the learner is not alone, to grow confidence that everyone can develop skills in maths, by breaking down the problem- solving process, and to react positively towards negative situations in maths and tackle the problem head on.

Working through these steps will help to develop confident learners who are able to work independently and willing to take risks, resulting in resilient, resourceful and enthusiastic learners.

Resilient learners will be more successful at sticking at revision as they come to realise that small failures are not a problem and success comes from turning up and not giving up!

The benefits will be felt in other subjects too, not just maths, but also to wider skills in confidence and problem-solving.

Overall the important point to stress is that finding something difficult is fine – everyone finds things difficult sometimes. It’s just a fact of life that everyone has to deal with, rather than avoid. Resilience comes from addressing the fear, wrestling with it and overcoming it!

There is a free homework club to support children and their parents. Available between 4-5pm Monday to Friday, via email at petxiclub@pet-xi.co.uk, staff are on hand to help with any topic and any subject.

Fleur Sexton is joint managing director of PET-Xi, a national training provider working with hundreds of schools across the UK. For further information please visit http://www.pet-xi.co.uk

Education Magazine

TWO EVENTS | ONE DATE | ONE VENUE

21st and 22nd November 2016 | Whittlebury Hall Hotel, Northamptonshire Forum Events are proud to announce the launch of the Education IT Forum!

Running alongside our well-established Education Forum, celebrating its 14th event this year, Bursars, Facilities Managers, IT Managers or Heads of ICT, will meet for two days of meetings and networking, all under one roof.

Complimentary invitations are limited and offer you: PERSONALISED ITINERARY

ENGAGING SEMINARS

INTIMATE BUSINESS MEETINGS

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To confirm your place or for more information, please contact:

Haydn Boxall

Clare Element

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01992 374084

01992 374068

h.boxall@forumevents.co.uk

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@EducationITForum

@EducationFForum

Keep updated online MEDIA & INDUSTRY PARTNERS:

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