Education News

This book will enable pupils to become familiar and competent at using ‘SolidWorks’ CAD software.

This book contains a number of projects suitable for Key Stage 3 and as a revision guide for pupils in Key stage 4. They will use CAD (Solidworks) to develop their designs solution and be aware of the many advantages and dis-advantages that such software has in the real world. It enables them to quickly get up to speed with using such a complex piece of software and, most importantly, allows them to become competent in designing better products.

Pupils will become familiar with the range of sketch tools and features available. They will be shown step by step how to build a Frisbee, Lego Block, Memory pen, IPOD Nano and a Digital camera. They will also be shown how to assemble parts step-by-step.

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can print out for colleagues as often as you want. You can also put it on your school learning platform so all members of your department can access the document. YOu can view sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/T1781samples.pdf

You can obtain Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 by going to http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=76_114&products_id=754

The price is £10 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 is published by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk

First and Best in Education
Earlstrees Road
Corby
NN17 4HH

Website: www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

For as long as any of us can remember, universities have demanded certain A level grades as the entry ticket to a course.

But in recent years a second requirement has been added, a requirement that has had less attention but which can in many cases have as much impact on the success or failure of an application as the student’s grades.

In fact each year we are seeing an increasing number of highly able and talented students failing to get to the university of their choice because their application does not make the most of their potential, their personality, their drive, and their ability to give something back to the university as well as be a good student.

Students now need to be well informed and focused in order to make the right choices and to give themselves the best possible chance of getting a place on the course and at the university that best suits their future aspirations.

They also need to know why they want to go to this university, to study this course, and they need to be aware that being at university is a two way process. The university gives the student opportunities – the student needs to show that he/she will seize those opportunities and give something back in return.

”How to Successfully Apply to University” seeks to clarify the process of applying for university and contains information and insights that will be useful for all students as they face the university application process. It outlines each step from the first thought to the completion of the application, and looks at all aspects of the process of selecting and applying for a university place.

The approach within the book includes carrying out research to find the best suited course/university, understanding the UCAS system, delivering the best possible personal statement, the actual application and the post-application process, funding, and student accommodation, etc.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/careers/T1779.pdf

ISBN: 978 1 86083 810 1; Order code: T1799emn

The volume is available as…

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book or CD…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=753

Of all the items in the Community Playthings catalogue, the trolley is the best selling.

This might be simply due to the fact that every classroom needs a trolley. But I think there is another reason.

Because the classroom trolley has another function. It helps give children choices, and it helps stimulate their creativity.

In other words the trolley is not just for moving around – it is a display and working area in its own right. The contents can be changed from time to time and new activities introduced as required.

It is, in effect, its own unique learning environment.

But there is more. Your classroom probably has numerous roles from maths room to creative arts centre, which is why the trolley should be considered as a second classroom within a classroom. In fact, a classroom on wheels.

There is just one issue.

To make the fullest use of your trolley, you need a trolley that is attractive and robust. Not just one, not the other, but both.

Our trolleys are exactly that. Robust and attractive. And this is why they come with a 10 year warranty. You need them to last, so we build them to last.

There is more information on our trolleys at: http://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/products/artequipment/trolley/index.html

Sizes range from 25cm classroom clocks up to huge 600cm Exam and Hall clocks.

Safety glass lenses are a superb feature for schools making them vandal resistant and safe.

Radio controlled clocks set themselves to correct time and automatically adjust for summer and winter time, saving you time and making sure all clocks are always correct.

For more information or to place an order go to www.ravencourt.com

Or phone: 01780 489100, fax: 01780 489099

Automatic 30 day account for all UK schools and colleges.

In the current economic climate it can sometimes be difficult to promote a positive view of business to your students.

To help encourage your students to study Business Studies at GCSE level, we’ve produced an eye-catching poster reminding them that Business Studies can help them:

Develop transferable skills that are valued by employers.
Acquire the skills they will need if they want to run their own business.
Find their hidden potential – they could be the next famous entrepreneur!
To download the poster, go to: www.boardworks.co.uk/business-studies_728

Regards,

The Boardworks Business team

P.S. ‘I like the interactive activities in general – they’re excellent for quick-fire sessions and are very good at keeping the students alert.’ (Gurpreet Garewal, Head of Business at Gunnersbury Catholic School) To find out more about incorporating Boardworks Business resources into your lessons, order your free sample disc today!

www.boardworks.co.uk/order-sample-disc/505

Looking for School Efficiencies? – Your School’s Free Trial
Boardworks – free resources, lesson plans & teaching tips
Microsoft – and just one of those FREE Software Assurance Benefits
Free IT equipment recycle service

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Looking for School Efficiencies? – Your School’s Free Trial

www.peachworx.com
PeachWorx LLP, West One, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 1BA

Email: Sales@peachworx.com
Phone: 0845 6809102
Fax: 01943 877772

TaskForceCO2 lets you force PCs to shut down outside of school hours seriously cutting costs. Some of our School Customers are saving £20,000 plus, per year. Get your Schools free trial.

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Boardworks – free resources, lesson plans & teaching tips

http://www.boardworks.co.uk/ict_637
Boardworks, Units 5–7 The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford, OX4 1LF

Email: enquiries@boardworks.co.uk
Phone: 0845 0 300 400
Fax: 0845 0 300 200

Boardworks ICT blog contains free resources, lesson plans and teaching tips for KS3, KS4 and vocational ICT teachers. Follow the weblink to download the resources free of charge or follow us on Twitter @BoardworksLtd.

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Microsoft – and just one of those FREE Software Assurance Benefits

http://www.computerbox.net/?p=913
Computer Box Ltd, Eaton Place, 114 Washway Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7RF

Phone: 0845 658 2552
Email: peter@computerbox.net

Data Encryption – on Drives & USB sticks with Windows 7 Enterprise BitLocker secure encryption.

It seems everyone is looking for a data encryption solution.

But did you know that potentially there is one already built in to your operating system! Check this out here …..

For more information on data encryption can be used in your school please contact Peter on 0845 658 2552, or email him at peter@computerbox.net.

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Free IT equipment recycle service

www.prmgreentech.com
PRM Green Technologies Ltd, 19 Kimberley Business Park, Kimberley Way, Brereton, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 1RE

Email via form at http://www.prmgreentech.com/contact.htm
Phone: 0800 840 9195

We collect redundant IT equipment (PC base units, CRT monitors, TFT monitors, servers, laptops, server racks, switches, telecom switches and printers) for recycling, ensuring all data is removed and adherence to the WEEE directive by offering industry leading environmental practices.

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With the increasing amount of portable IT equipment and other teaching aids in school it is obviously extremely important to keep track of all such assets – not just so that when each person wants to use something it can be found, but also so that if there is a theft or fire there is a definitive list that will satisfy the insurance company.

This is quite a challenge in some schools as there can be a divide between the staff who use and move the equipment (normally the teaching staff) and those who are charged with the responsibilities of keeping track of location, quantity, condition and maintenance status (often members of the administrative team).

The most popular approach is to number each item with its own unique number, maybe incorporating a bar code which will also save time when making an inventory. This is usually combined with an asset register, a copy of which may be kept off-site or in a fire-proof safe that is locked each night, to prove ownership.

Label materials suitable for asset marking range from inexpensive vinyl through to durable materials such as aluminium foil and polyesters. The materials used are important because some really aren’t too hard to remove, and it is worth making sure that you are using quality materials backed by a reputable supplier.

One special security material is now described as “ultra destructible” which means that the material will break into small pieces if removal is attempted – a good deterrent if anybody tries to remove the label.

For ultimate strength you could use aluminium or stainless steel plates with industrial adhesive – you would need a tool to remove these plates!

See our website for ways of protecting the school’s assets: http://www.dantech.co.uk

Dantech Ltd
Manea, Cambs PE15 0LT

Email: Sales@dantech.co.uk
Phone: 01354 688488
Fax: 01354 688444

According to the report “Dance in and Beyond Schools,” after football dance is the most popular physical activity among young people.

The awareness of just how interested young people are in dance was enhanced by the publication of the “Dance Review” by Tony Hall, Executive Director of the Royal Opera House.

And it was in response to this that the government of the day said, “We want every young person to have access to the highest quality dance teaching at every stage of their development.”

Of course, since then we have had a change of government, but the desire of children to dance has not changed – indeed if anything it seems to get greater, year by year.

Dance is unique. The most physical of art forms, it offers children and young people not just a creative and artistic experience but also an opportunity to express themselves using their body as the medium. And of course, it is a way of staying fit.

Not surprisingly, therefore, in the last few years there has been an incredible upsurge of interest in teaching dance in primary schools. Pupils are enthused not just by what they see on television, but also by the return of dance clubs to many neighbourhoods (meaning that for the first time in 30 or more years increasing numbers of children and adults consider going dancing to be part of their regular weekly routine).

This upsurge in interest and the benefits of encouraging children to dance are why we have recently introduced three dance workshops for primary schools.

In each case a dancer and choreographer from one of London’s West End theatres who has significant experience in working with children will come to your school and work with pupils on one of our workshops.

The session starts with a 30 minute assembly – an introduction to dance in which our dancer demonstrates how movement can be used to tell stories.

This is followed by as many individual workshops as you wish (around 40 minutes in length; to up to 30 children at a time) based on the chosen theme for the day.

Currently on tour are three dance workshops – so you can choose which workshop will most closely relate to your curriculum at the time of the visit.

The current workshops are Bringing Books to Life, Friendship & Teamwork and Mini Musicals.

There is more information on our website at http://www.westendinschools.org.uk/dance.

To book a dance workshop or to ask any questions about our work, please either:

Complete our quick enquiry form
Call Nigel Godfrey on 020 7395 7520
Email office@westendinschools.org.uk

Composing seems to be one of the most difficult parts of the music syllabus in the National Curriculum and yet it is a basic element of the course. Many primary school teachers are not trained and experienced in music itself, let alone in teaching pupils how to create it.

And yet classroom composing is an activity which helps develop listening skills, attention, memory and analysis. It is a useful focus for group work. And all this is quite apart from being fun and creative in itself.

So the issue can be quite fundamental. How to begin to teach composition? How to work with such a mixed ability class? How to evaluate what has been composed?

David Stoll is a well-known composer of concert, theatre and television music who has spent considerable time looking into this subject and has written Key Stage 2 Composing – the complete scheme of work. Though full of strategies and tips for teachers with a music background, the book is specifically written for teachers who have no knowledge of music theory at all and little confidence in teaching music.

In simple, non-technical language the book explains how to use two basic models for making up a piece of music: patterns and stories. A simple and immediately recognisable method of graphic notation is introduced and classes will be making up, writing down, reading and playing new pieces of music within a couple of weeks.

Key Stage 2 Composing covers every aspect of primary school creative music making. Each lesson in the book is broken down into five and ten minute blocks, with each step fully detailed and accompanied by explanatory notes for the teacher. As well as a complete set of lessons there are several short- and long-term composing projects for the pupils to work. The book is copiable throughout which means it can be shared by KS2 teachers throughout the school.

David Stoll was commissioned by the DfES to run a project investigating how composers may work with teachers in primary schools, and to write a handbook for schools and composers: Building music (DfES 2005). David regularly runs composing workshops and delivers INSETs in schools and for LEAs around the country.

Sample pages of the book may be downloaded from http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/T1752.pdf

Publisher’s catalogue number T1752emn; ISBN: 978 1 86083 714 2

Prices

Book or CD: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Book plus CD: £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Download from the on-line shop: £16.95

Methods of ordering – please quote catalogue number T1752emn

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House Mailings plc, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH
By fax on 01536 399 012
By phone with a credit card or with an official school order number on 01536 399 011
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=48_98&products_id=666

We are well aware that organising the leavers’ hoodies can be an absolute nightmare, from the initial decision-making on what your students would like, to collecting the order details of size, colour and personalisation. And that is without thinking about the chasing of the students for the money to pay for these items of clothing.

And even then it is not all over for there is still the issue of distribution of the hoodies to the rightful owners once they are received from the manufacturer.

It was with such time-consuming issues in mind that we decided to bag and label our leavers’ hoodies individually so once they arrive they can be handed out straightaway, saving time and stress.

Furthermore, to help with the process all our customers are allocated a customer service contact who will assist you from start to finish.

We have four straight-forward packages to choose from including standard, contrast, value and premium options, offering a range to suit all budgets. We also offer a free online ordering facility which allows students to specify their individual requirements and make payment via our website.

As for the issue of promoting the hoodies to students, we can also help by providing free promotional posters and cards to give out and put up across the school. Email us at info@waveprint.co.uk to request your free copy of our ‘Top Tips for Hoodie Promotion’ guide.

To see the different styles of hoodies we have available and also the various colours, take a look at our website www.leavers-clothing.co.uk. Alternatively for more information call us on 0121 454 9441.

Nigel Clarke

P.S. To see just how simple our online ordering facility can make the process, visit www.leavers-clothing.co.uk and click on the ‘example shop’ link.