Education News

Ministers are said to be frustrated by the leaking of claw-back plans over money not spent by schools by the end of this financial year (April 5).

Civil servants and/or council officials are being blamed for leaking the plan through which the government in England plans to take back all the money unspent by schools by the end of this financial year (April 2010) beyond the 5% or 8% allowance each school has.

The government seems to be determined to make the claw back even tighter, and there has been talk of upping the level of proof of future purchases beyond deposit or 3 quotes, to both.

What is clear is that if this scheme is used with a vengeance the schools that do try to hold money back will suffer two difficulties:

First, it is likely that the money from 2009/10 which is unspent (beyond the allowable limit) will be taken back by the government.

Second there will be an immediate move to cut the 2010/11 budget by the same amount, on the grounds that the money was not needed in the previous year, so clearly won’t be needed this year.

Attempting to beat the claw-back rules is going to be a tricky task.  Of course some brave souls will attempt to do it, and it is going to be very interesting to see what happens.

Any information you want to share?  Write to ii@schoolsare.us

Taking a robot by the horns?

Do you find, from time to time, there are topics that you struggle to engage your class with? How do you hold their attention when you cover tricky topics like map reading, compound sentences, integers or the Stock Market?

Or, do you sometimes find it tough to get a complex concept like Black Holes, photosynthesis, adolescence or cyber safety across in a simple way?

How did you explain swine flu to your pupils?BrainPOP UK (www.brainpop.co.uk) could be the most flexible and enjoyable resource you’ll ever use.

It’s a fresh, highly engaging educational website which contains hundreds of animated movies and interactive quizzes. Already a tremendous success in the USA, BrainPOP UK is all online so it’s easy to integrate. 

Aimed at the 7-14 age range it’s simple to use, engaging, and (best of all!) extremely popular with pupils. Each 2-5 minute animation features the adventures of Tim and his robot best friend, Moby, as they explain complex topics from across the curriculum.

The movies are incredibly effective when inserted into lessons to grab pupils’ attention and help them with challenging concepts. Each movie has been tagged to the English and Scottish curricular standards, allowing you to find what you need, quickly and easily with our newly launched curriculum matching tool, Deep Beep.

And, if over 28,000 viewers of the Swine Flu movie alone doesn’t convince you BrainPOP UK can add that extra special something to your teaching, here’s what will…

The best way to experience BrainPOP UK is to sign up for our no obligation 30 day free trial at www.brainpop.co.uk.  

Helping young people make healthy choices in the 21^st century: a free report

It seems to me that in the modern world we face two battles in helping teenagers make healthy choices.  One is the natural disinclination of youngsters to do anything that those older than themselves say.  And the other is the overwhelming pressure from the mass media and commercialisation of childhood that pushes the students and their families towards unhealthy options.

So how do we help young people make healthy choices in these circumstances?

One clear answer is to focus on the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning because of the positive links these skills have to learning and achievement.In short, a student who doesn’t manage his/her emotions well and struggles to face challenges is likely to be a distraction to everyone’s learning and achievement.

Thousands of hours are spent every month managing the emotions of teenagers and helping them to lock into learning. The big question is, how can we help them to manage their emotions better and so reduce the amount of time we have to spend dealing with the consequences of their emotions?

This was one of the many questions which led to the development of a PSHE programme that I have mentioned before called SUMO4Schools. It gives students the tools to stop and reflect on their current ways of managing and gives them tools to manage their emotions and learning in a more effective way.But there is more – and this is what I had not picked up on before. 

Although it is intended to help the students manage their own lives better, a vital side-effect comes with the fact that the course makes the lives of their teachers much better as well.

I was prompted to revisit Sumo particularly because of a new report they have issued on the impact on society and low aspirations called ‘How society and family impact aspirations and achievement’ which is available free of charge and without obligation from secondary@sumo4schools.co.uk (which is also the address for general enquiries about SUMO).If you have any questions you can call SUMO on 07590055336, and if you would like to find out more about SUMO and how you could use it in your PSHE or SEAL lessons please click here http://www.sumo4schools.co.uk/s4s_sec_benprog.php

Or for information on the project in general there is more on www.sumo4schools.co.uk

Tony Attwood

From School trip advisor.com

http://www.schooltripadvisor.com/news

You never know what a School Trip might lead to!

Eddie the Eagle picked up his passion for skiing on a school trip. He originally wanted to be a downhill racer but realised that jumping offered what was then an easier route to the national team.

Eddie the Eagle Edwards was Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper and remains the only one.

Read the full story: http://sport.independentminds.livejournal.com/1613103.html

We have been waiting and waiting and now we know.

There are no school funding cuts coming up.

First there was the worry that desepite having awarded funding for 2010/11 back in November 2007 in the three year plan, this government funding pledge would be broken.  But no.  The school funding for 2010/11 is what it was expected to be. 

Put another way, all the way up to April 2011 schools will be getting exactly what they would have got had there been no recession.

Given that we might have thought that what was to follow would be a disaster area.  But not a bit of it. 

Here’s what the Guardian says about the funding after the next financial year in a story which appeared on www.UKEducationNews.co.uk

“Schools will get modest real-terms increases in their budgets.”  

Schools will get 0.7% real-terms increase between 2011 and 2013, while funding for 16- to 19-year-olds in sixth forms and colleges will get a 0.9% increase in the same period.

The organisations most likely to see a cut are in the FE and HE sectors.

On pay the Guardian says, “Teachers face a 1% cap on their pay rises for two years from 2011. It means the 2.4% pay rise promised for 2011 will go ahead, but teachers, heads, classroom assistants as well as everyone working across the public sector will have their pay restrained beyond that.”

The Department for Children, Schools and Families will have to make savings of £350m from their central budgets and quangos before 2013. 

This all puts the issue of efficiencies in context.  Schools are being encouraged to make efficiency savings but that is not being balanced against cuts.  If the schools make savings through efficiency then that is to their benefit.  If they don’t then that’s their problem.

All in all this is much better news than many feared, and indeed should herald a resumption of regular spending from schools both in the rest of this financial year, and through the next financial year.  Schools now know exactly how much they have, and can plan how to spend it.

Tony Attwood

Classroom Resources are written by teachers for teachers.

Until the end of term you can order any two resources from their curriculum covering range and only pay for one.  Plus you will receive five free motivational A2 posters.

Please visit www.classroom-resources.co.uk or call 0117 9406409 or email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk 

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From: School Trip Advisor News: http://www.schooltripadvisor.com/news

A popular school trip residential centre is facing an uncertain future.

The Hornsea Outdoor Residential Centre has been owned by Wakefield Council since

1938 and has been used by local schools for residential trips for many years.

But the council’s Lifelong Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee have been asked to look at what should be done with the seaside centre amid fears that it is no longer providing value for money.

 A report to the committee says: “The centre has to be viable and provide value for money for schools, families and the local authority, and increasingly has to be fit for purpose in a modern setting.

“Although the centre is well utilised by local schools, it is also suggested that there are a significant number of schools in the district that do not use it.

“This along with a difficult economic climate and current financial pressures adds weight to the speculation around the centre’s future viability.”

Youngsters visiting the centre have taken part in activities including hiking and star-gazing.

Members of the committee have been to the centre to see what it has to offer.

Coun Monica Graham, committe chairman, said: “During our visit to Hornsea we were told that many schools value the centre and the facilities it provides. However, the centre has to be viable and provide value for money.”

She added that educational visits are “among the most memorable experiences in a child’s school life” and said the committee is keen that schools take advantage of the opportunities that learning outside the classroom provides.

At next week’s meeting, the committee will be considering options for the future use of the Hornsea Centre and making recommendations to the council’s cabinet.

Published Date: December 2009

By Stuart Robinson – The Yorkshire Evening Post

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Wakefield-Future-of-school-trip.5885905.jp

Book review

Ultimately the answer has to be the taking of past papers – initially working with students on individual questions and then later asking the students to take an entire paper on their own.

But the big problem that arises here is that there are very few past papers available which follow the new specifications.  If you use one paper working through the questions with the students, and then a second in which they undertake the questions themselves for homework one by one, that leaves little left for them to work through as a complete trial paper.

To help overcome this problem APT has produced a pack of five question papers, mark schemes and answers for the Unit 3: Strategies for Success.   We believe this is particularly helpful to have in this first year of Unit 3 being offered so that everyone can become familiar with the questions and approaches that are adopted in the examinations.

(Details of our other AS/A2 Level Business Studies materials for AQA and other boards can be found via the link at the end of this page).

AQA A2 Business Studies Unit 3 Strategies for Success – Qualified Questions: Five Practice Examination Papers, Mark Schemes and Answers.

Prices

Download: £60.00 plus VAT
CD: £61.50 plus VAT
Prices include delivery
You can purchase these Qualified Questions for Strategies for Success…

By post to APT Initiatives Ltd, Millstone Lodge, Eaton Upon Tern, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 2BX
By phone with a school order number to 01952 540877
By fax to 01952 540877
On line with a debit/credit card or by paypal at http://tiny.cc/mnCVK
For details of other products please visit http://tinyurl.com/yg7pdx6

YOUTALK, an interactive website aimed at encouraging sixth form students to learn more about international affairs, has been launched by educational foundation The European Atlantic Organisation   (TEAM).

Through www.YOUTALK.ORG.UK sixth formers and their teachers can engage in active discussion and evaluation of world and national events.  This will help prepare them for informed and active citizenship.

The website features live news feeds and blog posts on the global issues of the day and includes a weekly quiz, polls, video clips and competitions.

Chairman of TEAM, former head teacher, Laurence Smy says school leavers often have little understanding of current issues, which get little attention in the curriculum. “This lack of understanding and inability to make a proper contribution to debates on national and international themes can lead to frustration, alienation from the political process, and a belief that only violence can change policies and attitudes.”

ABOUT TEAM:

TEAM is an independent, non partisan charity committed to making a difference. It helps school students (Years 12 and 13) and their teachers increase their knowledge of world affairs and the institutions of international co-operation. Founded 50 years ago to promote understanding of European and Atlantic matter, it has no political affiliations, is non sectarian and non partisan.

TEAM organises conferences for sixth form students on national and international themes at universities and schools. The charity offers its services free to universities and schools and speakers at its conferences who include prominent academics, diplomats, representatives of the Media, NGOs and international organisations give their time and expertise without charge.

TEAM also organises international study tours for university and school teachers to Brussels, New York and Washington DC and awards participating teachers generous bursaries to defray the cost.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laurence Smy, TEAM Chairman,

email. info@youtalk.org.uk or call 07884351752.

I have seen a lot of higher maths books in my time, but this one really does stand out.

What makes this book so special?

First the title sets out its objective.  You don’t write a book called The Ultimate Revision for GCSE Higher Mathematics unless you think you are onto something serious!

And the reason the author can do this is that this is the only book (also avaialble on CD) that supplies the FULL SOLUTIONS of all the exercises set.

Of course, all Mathematics teachers can supply these solutions themselves, but think of the time required to do this task in a proper typesetting format.

There are 45 topics covering the GCSE syllabus of the main Examining boards such as Edexcel, AQA, OCR, there are mixed questions, 10 one hour test papers and two full length calculator and non calculator papers.

The book and CD each do exactly the same thing, and teachers can purchase the book for their personal use, if they purchase the book and the CD, they can print as many copies as they wish, and the book costs £19.95 and £25 for the CD or they can purchase at least 25 CDs at £3/CD, for more copies £2/CD and they can give them to pupils/students for more practice.

An inspection copy is offered by the publisher – who then offers to give it to the teacher if 12 copies are purchased.  They also get a 35% discount.  Postage and packing are free.

Here’s the technical data…

Author: Anthony Nicolaides
Price: £19.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-872684-79-6

The book covers more than 1200 Exercises with the Full Solutions.  There are 45 topics, the Exercises start on a new page and so do the Full Solutions, so you can print as many copies as you wish.   The book covers number, algebra, shape and space and data handling.  There is a chapter of mixed questions and a two hour specimen papers (Non calculator and calculator), plus 10 test papers of one hour duration.
The book gives the FULL SOLUTIONS of all the exercises.

Private Academic & Scientific Studies Ltd
11, Baring Road London SE 12 0JP
Website: www.passpublications.co.uk

email: sales@passpublications.co.uk

Telephone: 020 8857 4752 Facsimile: 020 8857 4752