Because children tend to understand acting and storytelling intuitively, it is easy to assume that they actually understand what pantomime is and why it is there. But, in fact, what generally happens is that they just accept it.

Now that is ok as far as it goes, but there is a benefit from working with children not only for the sake of performing in a panto, but also to understand the context of what they are doing.

Which is why sometimes it is rather good to put on a panto in which the panto becomes not just a performance, but also a learning experience in relation to a significant element in our cultural history.

If we are going down this route, one of the most obvious places to start is with Dick Whittington which as a story has the benefit of being based on a real person, although not necessarily a real cat.

Thus we have a historical plot and the possibility of examining everything that is inherent within the panto. The tradition, the staging, the scenery, the props, the lighting, the use of the provided music against new songs, or new lyrics, dance, movement, acting… all can then become topics for study.

Of course, each topic is an option – it is possible to present Dick Whittington as a pantomime with the normal rehearsals and production to the parents and no further explanation. Or you can take one or more of the issues inherent within the panto and look more deeply at that.

This then is the way that we have approached the publication of Dick Ottington and his famous cat Tommy, by David Stoll and Michael Hinton.

The package includes:

• a Director’s Script, with detailed page-by-page production notes
• a Pupils’ Script
• a Vocal Score containing thirteen new songs with piano accompaniment, as well as an overture and incidental music
• a complete set of high-quality fully orchestrated backing tracks and sound effects.

The Director’s Script also has an extensive introduction to pantomime itself as a topic for study, including the traditions and conventions of this type of theatre.

There are also helpful notes on all aspects of putting on a school production from casting, organising rehearsals, writing new lyrics, making props and sound effects through to involving the audience. The material, therefore, can be used for a term’s study as well as forming the basis of the end of term production.

David Stoll is a well-known composer and songwriter who has also worked extensively with primary school teachers and pupils on creative projects. His SEALSONGS are favourite assembly material, and his book on how to teach composing at KS2 is acknowledged for its helpful notes and suggestions. To go to his website please click here.

Michael Hinton is a teacher, writer and musician with many years’ experience of writing educational materials for schools abroad and in the UK. He works as Music Director with amateur dramatic societies and children’s theatre groups, helping them to stage musicals and pantomimes, and is the composer of hundreds of educational songs.

There are sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/Dick Ottington samples.rar

Dick Ottington and his famous cat Tommy is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can share with colleagues as often as you want. You can also put it on your school learning platform so all staff can access it.

You can obtain Dick Ottington and his famous cat Tommy by going to http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=804

The price for the full package is £24.95 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

Dick Ottington and his famous cat Tommy is published by Novello & Co Ltd and distributed by First and Best, 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

Teaching good handwriting is about much more than just helping students to write

Of course, it is a fact that most test and exam papers require handwritten answers, and so good handwriting continues to make an impact and helps to deliver extra marks.

But there is more. For learning to write by hand improves literacy, understanding and comprehension. Indeed those who have been taught and encouraged to write by hand have been shown to find deciphering hard-to-read messages easier than those who have not.

Other studies show a positive link between hand-eye coordination and whether a child has been taught to write with a form of cursive handwriting.

Most surprisingly, it is now being suggested in academic studies that whether the individual uses the pen or the keyboard to write even affects the way the individual thinks.

One research paper suggests that university students who use pen and paper to make notes during lectures do better than those who make notes on a laptop.

In some ways we should not be too surprised by some of these findings, for handwriting requires a greater level of hand-eye coordination than typing on a keyboard, and thus, as well as helping with exam scores, good handwriting gives students the chance to develop their essential fine motor skills.

But many young people today are brought up in homes where handwriting is limited to little more than the production of shopping lists – and indeed many people now type these into their mobile phones.

It is for all of these reasons that Multi-Sensory Learning produced the Handwriting Rescue Scheme for fully cursive handwriting.

The scheme, which is available as a photocopiable program supplied on CD or as printed sheets, contains over 300 structured exercises designed to establish complete cursive letter formation.

And there is a particular bonus here, for tests have shown that the use of such material encourages the development of an automatic response to frequently used spelling choices. In other words, by practising their handwriting pupils also learn their spellings.

You can order The Handwriting Rescue Scheme in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone on 01536 399017
• By fax to 01536 399012
• By email to msl@schools.co.uk
• By post to Multi-Sensory Learning, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, NN17 4HH

If you wish to cover several millennia in one day alone, interspersed by stunning scenery and beaches – Sardinia is the place!

We seemingly time travelled through early Bronze Age Nuraghic corbelled towers, villages and Necropoli; Punic and Phoenician towns, temples and Tophet; Mycenean and Classical Greek influences instigated by obsidian fever and Roman colonisation fuelled by Imperialism, greed and the necessity of controlling trading routes.

Nuraghic architecture is fascinating and awe inspiring. In particular, Su Nuraxi at Barumini certainly gives the Mycenaeans a run for their money.

Monte D’Accoddi, in a beautiful setting, remains an enigma. Altar, temple or step pyramid? Certainly a sacrificial area with separate male and female designated zones.

Nuragic burial practice varied across the centuries. The Coddu Ecchiu Tomb is a Megalithic Dolmen; but with a twist. The Anghelu Ruju Necropolis offers rock cut chamber tombs with dromoi as at Dendra and Midea. We could have spent a whole day at the stunning Montessu Necropolis at Villaperuccio. Striding through fields of asphodel, exploring rock cut chamber tombs – I almost expected Ajax to emerge from one of the many houses of the dead!

The Laconi Menhir Museum is unique in Europe. The adjacent Parco Aymerich is home to ilex groves, cave dwellings and waterfalls; the local ranger organises junior orienteering courses.

Monte Sirai and Sant Antioco satisfy the gruesome with Punic Tofet and possible child sacrifice. The Village Ipogeo, originally Punic chamber tombs were in use as housing until the 1960’s.

Ipogeo San Salvatore has evidence of multiple faith and multi century worship – with some quite specatular Roman wall paintings of Herakles, Gladiators, ships, chariots and wild animals. The Ipgoeo at Santa Cristina is a masterpiece of precision engineering and stone cutting; its Nuraghe set in a beautiful glade, perfect for a picnic lunch.

The large sites of Tharros and Nora are both spectacularly set on the coast. Originally Punic but later Romanised, they offer a wealth of housing from both civilisations. Villas, domus, insulae, theatres, temples, thermae, mosaics, roads, cisterns and cloaca maxima.

Caracallan Tempio di Antas is a marvellous amalgamation of Roman and Punic construction reminiscent of Bassae. The nearby Roman quarries and Su Mannau Grotto are of both archaeological and speleological interest.

Caracallan Tempio di Antas is a marvellous amalgamation of Roman and Punic construction reminiscent of Bassae. The nearby Roman quarries and Su Mannau Grotto are of both archaeological and speleological interest.

Probably one of the most atmospheric Roman Thermae lie at Fordongianus. With its river setting, bubbling waters, rising steam, mosaics and plunge pools, we couldn’t understand why we were alone.

Further evidence of Roman colonisation is to be found in Cagliari at Villa Tigellio, the Atilia Pomptilla Tomb, huge Amphitheatre and underground excavations at Sant Eulalia.

The Cagliari Archaeological Museum on Buoncammino Hill is the perfect place to end a Sardinian Tour as its exhibits perfectly bring together all that has gone before. Most Museums offer didactic activities for school pupils but we were particularly impressed by the Tactile Museum in the Antiquarium Arborense, Oristano.

Cagliari is a city of huge contrasts. The Castello is a warren of tiny streets, Bastione S. Remy a wonderful belvedere, Via Roma a Neo Classical /1930’s miscellany, Poetto Beach an 8klm expanse of white sand, a plethora of green park spaces such as the Botanical Gardens, Devil’s Saddle, Park Bonaria with stratified Phoenician, Punic and Roman Necropolis and the iconic pink flamingos of Lake Molentargius.

Not suitable for school parties (but excellent for adults!) was our excursion around the narrow back streets of the old town with Claudio Dessi (Cagliari Touring Servizi Turistici) and his trusty calessino. One of the few permitted to drive in the area we were greeted everywhere by cries of “Claudio Numero Uno!”

On expressing our dismay at the evidence of scarred public buildings damaged by Allied bombardment, he surprised us by exclaiming “No! We owe our freedom to the sacrifices of the British. Thank you Mr. Churchill!”

Hellene Travel is widely respected among UK schools and colleges as an honest and flexible company, willing to go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that your students have an unforgettable experience.

For more information about our tours please visit our website www.hellene-travel.com or call us on 0845 200 1531 to discuss your ideas.

Is it really possible to take a student up a grade
or two in just ten hours?

Given that most students work on their GCSE subjects for two years and so might well attend 120 hours of classes in each subject and engage in a further 40 hours of homework over that time, is it viable to think that another 10 hours of independent study will take them up a grade?

Or even two grades? Or three?

Interestingly, the answer is yes. And that’s not just a wild assertion – it has been proven through research with 400,000 students over a 15 year period.

Indeed, ten hours of supported independent study results in a rise of (on average) 3.5 grades.

The research comes from FFT, the leading independent educational research organisation, and shows that by using one specific approach and a particular set of techniques the extra marks that are required to enhance the grade can be gained.

What’s more, the research trust found that if the student undertakes 20 hours of work with SAM Learning over the course of a year that can result in a grade rise in each of four subjects.

These are quite astonishing improvements in results, improvements that can not only transform the future of the student in question but will also make a sizeable difference to the position of the school in comparative exam tables.

If you would like to see how SAM Learning could increase the exam results of your students this summer, I’d be delighted to arrange a free demonstration of the service in your school.

You can find more information on this on our website.

Alternatively, to arrange a free demonstration please call us on 0845 130 4160.

According to figures from the Dept for Education, the average secondary school teacher has about four working days off a year due to illness. Of course this incorporates teachers who have a long time out with a serious illness as well as the 44% of teachers who are fortunate enough to go a whole year not getting ill at all.

These numbers show why the need for ready-made materials for supply teachers who cover Religious Education classes is as vital as ever. For even when something has been left from the previous lesson, there are always going to be those who finish the work rapidly, and need something else to do.

Which is why the Absent Religious Education Teacher volume of worksheets was developed.

The worksheets within the volume cover a wide range of topics and range of ability – and are all designed so that they can be used as a one-off in an emergency, or as a series of highly varied tasks over a number of days, should the absence be unexpectedly protracted.

Activities range from a discussion on the need for religion in society, to comprehension questions on the common features of religions.

Each topic area is followed by a wide range of questions, an extension task through which (for example) the students are required to complete a wordsearch on war and peace, and a homework task in which the students have to compare the ways in which the Bible and science describe the creation of humans.

The volume covers such topics as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, faith and fact, fasting and feasting, etc. etc.

Each lesson in the volume is printed on a single page and is simple to photocopy instantly for any class that suddenly requires the lesson.

The Absent Religious Education Teacher Worksheets collection is available from Hamilton House priced at £30 plus £2.95 delivery.

You can order the Absent Religious Education Teacher worksheets collection by filling in the order form and sending it by fax, email, or post (see contact details below). Alternatively, if you have a school order number, you can order by phone.

First and Best in Education, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 4HH
Telephone: 01536 399 011 Fax: 01536 399 01 Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

In the English language almost everything
depends on everything else

Of course, the answer to the question in the subject line is the statement in the headline. How you pronounce “u” depends on what’s around it. The “u” in “umbrella” is different from the “u” in “uniform”, which again is different from the “u” in push.

Not to mention the “u” in “pronounce”.

Even the old classic rules like “i before e” stop working with reindeer and receiver and a plethora of words that actually start “ei”.

In fact, there are some 90 different spelling and phonic rules in the English language ranging from similarities (as with words like “coin” and “toy” with the same sound but different spelling choices), to such outrageous oddities as “knife” and “gnome”.

So what is the poor dyslexic child to do?

Sadly there is no shortcut, for the only way in which dyslexic students can learn the spelling choices for the many different phonics and homophones is through a structured reading and spelling programme.

And this is exactly what MSL has devised: the Complete Reading and Spelling Rescue Programme.

This programme covers all the 90 different spelling and sound rules; it then adds in ten further sections on issues such as word patterns, suffixes, prefixes, homophones and irregular final syllables, making 100 topics in all.

The 90 rules and associated topics can be seen on our website where you can see the structured order of teaching that we have introduced.

What we have then done is broken these 100 topics down into 20 modules, presented in an order which allows students to use the spelling rules as soon as they have learned them.

As a result of this structured approach, which includes placement & progress tests, you can introduce a dyslexic pupil or student to the sequence from the very start. You can also begin work at a point where the individual will be revising key points before moving on to areas of weakness where his/her knowledge becomes erratic.

A copiable printed version of each module costs £29.99, or you can order five modules together on a CD for £80 plus VAT. All 20 modules (including the 4 CD’s) are available for £450.

You can order the Reading and Spelling Rescue Programme in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone on 01536 399017
• By fax to 01536 399012
• By email to msl@schools.co.uk
• By post to Multi-Sensory Learning, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, NN17 4HH

What exactly are ethics, and how to do they change?

From Utilitarianism to Deontological Ethics, from Virtue Ethics to Free will and Determinism there are a lot of ethical systems around.

And that is before we get to environmental ethics, medical ethics (including abortion, euthanasia and embryo research) and business ethics.

So what are they all, and how exactly they relate to religious ethics?

That is the question that “Religious Ethics” by Francis Beswick examines, considering ethical thinking in relation to various religious traditions, while considering how religious and secular ethics differ from each other.

The book commences with the phrase “I ought to …” and notes that from this kind of statement ethics, whether it be secular or religious ethics, begins.

Throughout the book the student is aided by a large number of questions presented for consideration which take the student back to the various topics that have been covered in order to ensure that each different ethical system and viewpoint is understood.

Religious Ethics is available as a copiable spiral bound book or on CD Rom. The book comes with an unlimited photocopiable licence for the school, and costs £21.99 plus £3.95 delivery for either the book or CD. If you wish to buy both together the price is £28.98 plus £3.95 delivery.

You can order in four different ways. In each case please quote our reference T1697emn. Sample pages and a contents list can be viewed prior to ordering on http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/re/T1697.pdf

• 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=41&products_id=522

Levels have gone and the both government and Ofsted are saying clearly that internal assessment is a matter for the school.

In one sense, this offers freedom and opportunity to schools, but time is short and energies are focused on teaching the new curriculum.

Strangely, it is the secondary sector that has reacted most strongly to the withdrawal of levels. They now expect to receive assessments on several different scales from their feeder schools, so the loss of a system with agreed ‘going rates’ has been a blow. Parents too, may soon notice that a Chelmsford Grade 3 is not the same thing as a Chichester Level 3 or a Chelsea Primary 3 score.

One of the strengths of the old system was that ongoing assessments were anchored to the national test assessment in a single system so that progress towards expectations could be monitored.

How, then, do we keep an eye on pupil progress?

Sue Hackman, the DfE’s Chief Adviser on School Standards until 2013, has created Climbing Frames – an assessment tool specifically developed for the new national curriculum. The tool helps your school to track pupil progress across both core and foundation subjects.

It also includes five pre-levels to help you monitor progress for SEN pupils.

One of the standout benefits of the system is that, as well as being able to track pupils across Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, across the new national curriculum, your school can also monitor each child’s cognitive development.

Sue has included eight thinking and learning frames. These are arranged to cover all nine years of the National Curriculum plus the five pre-levels described above, and they are tied to the priorities of the new curriculum.

Other benefits of using Climbing include:

• Fair, manageable and reliable progress tracking
• Ample sensitivity to monitor half-termly or termly progress
• Easy to share progress with colour coded overviews – a hit with parents
• Can report at individual, class, cohort and school level
• Links to knowledgeable resources for CPD expertise
• Uses print and digital for fuller, more sophisticated monitoring and reporting
• Cost-effective with hard-copy kits from only £100
• Free access to the app for the first year

Schools that purchase the hard-copy Climbing Frames before January 2015 will receive the App free for the first year.

To find out more about using the Climbing Frames assessment tool, and to place an order, please visit: http://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/climbingframeshh, email us at enquiries@imaginativeminds.co.ukm, or call us on 0121 224 7599.

Join 40 schools that have said yes to having cheap renewable solar power without any costs!

Seize the opportunity to make up to £5,000* in savings on your energy bills in year one without any capital spend. Buy low-cost renewable power and watch your savings grow over the next 20 years.

No capital needed and a great opportunity . .

When we first saw the offer we thought it was too good to be true; install free, panels free, upkeep free. But it’s true . . .” Oasis Shirley Park

• save on your current energy costs
• hedge against spiralling energy prices
• re-direct savings for other resources

Join us. Register to find out more:
https://www.engynious.com/en/ukschools/schoolssolarprogramme/howtojoin/

The Engynious (pronounced ingenious) SEEd schools solar programme offers schools a great way to get solar power and make savings without having capital.

“The most professional and technically knowledgeable of everyone we have met. That is reassuring when you are about to get solar panels.” Kingshott School

Don’t miss out. Secure . .

• Free solar panels
• Free maintenance
• Free education opportunities with the leading charity SEEd
• Savings on your mains electricity power prices
• Low-cost renewable power at 6.5p/kWh (rises by inflation only)

We don’t all have capital to invest but we can all seize the opportunity to make savings while the opportunity exists. And there are substantial savings for some schools. . . .

This offer is subject to changes in government support and equipment costs so make sure you register to find out how your school can benefit. *Savings depend on roof space, grid capacity and energy use in schools, as well as offer price. Offer ends May 31, 2015

Best wishes
The Engynious and SEEd teams
07946 245 556

This week, Boardworks are giving away a free KS3 Computing presentation on E-Safety.

Staying safe online is extremely important for your KS3 students. This presentation, which includes two interactive activities on online and social-networking dangers, asks students to consider what they are posting online and the best ways to deal with the problems and risks they may face.

Visit our ICT and Computing free stuff page to download the presentation:

Regards,

The Boardworks Team

P.S. We still have resources on Sampling, IF Statements and Python available in our archive – access them via our free stuff page!

www.essa-schoolswimming.com

Patron:
HRH The Duke of Cambridge

National Swimming Championship for Primary Schools 2015

January 2015

This National Swimming Championships will be organised by English Schools’ Swimming Association under A.S.A. Laws and Technical Rules.

All schools in England with primary aged children (aged 9 years and Under 11 years as at August 31^st / September 1^st 2014, the commencement of the academic year) are invited to enter relay teams.

NEW AGE GROUPS FOR THIS YEAR

For the purpose of these Championships there will be three school size categories:

(a) Large Schools are defined as being those which have a combined total of 101 or more in curriculum years 5 and 6.

(b) Medium Schools are defined as being those which have a combined total of between 51 and 100 in curriculum years 5 and 6.

(c) Small schools are defined as being those which have no more than a combined total of 50 in curriculum years 5 and 6.

Conditions of entry can be found on the ESSA website: www.essa-schoolswimming.com.

There will be a series of Divisional rounds, and in some Divisions these will be preceded by County rounds. These will take place before the end of May and the first three in each event from each Division will go forward to the Finals. The Finals will be held on Saturday 20^th June 2015 at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield.

A list of Divisional/County Rounds is listed below. Divsional Representatives may be contacted via our website: www.essa-schoolswimming.com

John StivenHon.
General Secretary
j.stiven@essa-schoolswimming.com
01932 345011

Championship Secretary
Mrs C.M. Young
5 Eskdale Close
Oadby
Leicester
LE2 4TJ
0116 271616

PRIMARY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

DIVISIONAL EVENTS: Look on ESSA website for details. essa-schoolswimming.com

NORTH EAST

South Area Gala:
22^nd March 2015 1.30 p.m.
The John Smiths’ Stadium, Huddersfield

North East final
30^th April 12.30
Freeman’s Quays Durham

NORTH WEST
Friday 24^th April, Warm up 6.0pm
Everton Park Sports Centre, L5 5PH

EAST MIDLANDS
Friday 24^th April, Warm up 6.00pm
Meridian Leisure Centre Louth Lincs

WEST MIDLANDS
Friday 20^th March 2015 Warm up 1.00pm
The Queen’s Jubilee Centre, Rugby CV22 5LJ

EAST
Herts/Bucks: Friday 27^th February Warm up 6.30pm
Woodside Pool, Watford. WD25 7HH
Suffolk / Norfolk Round Sunday 19^th April
Warm up 3.30 Saint Felix School, Southwold. IP18 6SD

LONDON
Wednesday 29^th April 2015
Jags Sports Club, London. SE24 9JN

SOUTH EAST

County Rounds:

Surrey: Saturday 31^st January at 6.00pm Guildford Spectrum
Hampshire: Fri 6th March at Waterlooville, 9.30am
Hertfordshire: Friday 27^th February Watford at 6.30pm
Oxfordshire: Friday 13th March Dragon School -12.30pm
Kent: 22nd March Venue: TBC
Sussex: TBC

South East Finals: Saturday 25^th April at Spectrum Pool, Guildford

SOUTH WEST

Monday 23rd March. Warm up 6.00pm
Millfield School Pool, Street, Somerset. BA16 0YD

ENGLISH SCHOOLS’ SWIMMING ASSOCIATION

www.essa-schoolswimming.com

Patron:
HRH The Duke of Cambridge

ESSA Dolphin Award

The Dolphin Award is an ESSA initiative to reward the teaching of School Swimming programmes. The 2015 competition will be available from February 1^st 2015.

How to enter the ESSA Dolphin Trophy Award.

• Go to the ESSA website for regulations and entry form or contact Richard Thorp to email excel version. Print off form from website, fill in and scan and return to Organiser. All entries will be acknowledged by email.

• Schools record their highest level of distance achieved from 5m to 100m swims as directed by the ASA National Teaching Plan. All results must conform to ASA stroke descriptors.

• This competition will be free to enter and entries must be submitted before the end of the current academic year.

• The event is designed to allow schools an additional value added event on top of their goals of achievement of progression towards all pupils swimming 25m by the end of Key Stage 2

• The Competition will be split into four year groups: Yr 3, Yr 4, Yr 5, Yr 6. There is a Small schools and Big schools sections. Points are awarded based on distances swum.

• There will be an overall Dolphin Trophy winner but there will also be separate State Primary and Independent Prep School sections for 2015.

• Entries close on July 18th 2015. Certificates and shields to be won.

GO TO http://www.essa-schoolswimming.com/ for more details and follow the Dolphin Award link

Help the ASA with future strategy for Primary school swimming. Use the results to help with your Primary Sports Premium funding from Government.

Teacher submitting data must sign entry form and acknowledge the Head Teacher is aware of the entry.

Richard Thorp – ESSA Dolphin Award Email: r.thorp@essa-schoolswimming.com

How can we use the time we spend cleaning up more effectively?

As we all know, the most effective way for children to learn is to experience the object or concept first hand, and in as many ways as there are senses.

And it is the sense of touch which often results in there being a significant amount of temporary collateral damage – also known as mess.

Yet the valuable learning experiences they get from using their sense of touch is significant, rendering the resultant mess somewhat insignificant.

However, the process of cleaning up this mess takes time, time that could be better spent with the children.

So what can be done to reduce that amount of time?

Quite simply, as in all workplaces, where staff are provided with plentiful and readily available means to carry out the cleaning tasks safely, without spoiling their clothing, the cleaning up process is faster.

What’s more, when the relevant materials are available in the room, or near the workstation where the activity is taking place, then the time taken to clear up can be dramatically reduced.

Whether the staff decide to wear protection when cleaning up is up to them, but making sure that there is a plentiful supply of protection is a must.

S & S Services offer a range of clothing and skin protection for both staff and children. Among these are Adult Aprons, Vinyl Gloves and Paper Towels along with Paper Towel Dispensers – the necessities of any nursery school room.

You can order in any of the following ways:

• On our website at the web links above
• By email to info@ss-services.co.uk
• By phone on 01789 765323
• By fax to 01789 765469
• By post to S & S Services, Units 4-8 Tything Road, Arden Forest Industrial Estate, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 6EP.

Delivery

We offer free delivery on orders over £35 and charge only £2.99 delivery for orders which come to less than this across the majority of the UK.

For those requesting delivery from Northern Ireland, the Isles of Scilly, the Scottish Highlands, Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man, delivery is £7; and for those lucky enough to be living in the Channel Islands the delivery charge is £12.45 irrespective of the size of the order.

Make Sushi in School –
A new skill for the New Year

Kick start your New Year with a fun healthy eating project that is guaranteed to put a smile on your pupils’ faces even on those cold wet January days.

Order your sushi making kit now and start teaching your class how to make sushi this term. What better way to kick start the new term than by teaching a fun and exciting new skill that will engage and motivate the children as well as boosting their confidence in the kitchen. Sushi is one of the few fast foods that is also extremely healthy and that children aspire to eat. Whilst the process of making sushi is simple, the results are very impressive and children can use their new found knowledge to impress friends and family.

As long as you have the facilities to cook the rice before the lesson, the sushi making can take place in any classroom. The children can also learn to use the chopsticks provided in the kit to eat their creations.

The equipment in the kit is re-usable and the food is low cost and has a shelf life until the end of term. It is easy to replenish making this a great value ongoing project for your school.

Order now at www.makesushiinschool.com quoting HOUSE1 for our reference.

The Davenant Press provides support material in a user friendly form for teachers for whatever period taught.

This is the time for Thomas Cromwell. Take a look at my website and look especially at the Paperback and the Notes pages.

I offer materials ranging from the medieval period through King John and Magna Carta, the French Revolution and to Appeasement. BUT if you teach the Tudors then this is the dream time as Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is now being shown on the BBC on Wednesday evenings.

How could you have missed the trailers showing the performances of the wonderful Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and the glorious Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell?

So what can the Davenant Press do for you in such amazing Tudor times?

First, please go to the Davenant Press website and visit the Tudor and Stuart page. There you will find paperbacks on Cromwell, on Wolsey, the sinister background figure of Francis Walsingham….and so much more. I offer a collection of Tudor Essays, and another specialist collection on The Reign of Edward VI.

In many cases you can download sample pages. Click on! If samples are not available but you need more information then email me at judithdavenant@gmail.com and I will provide hard copy. The Notes series has so many key titles. What about The Church 1529-1541?

What a great thought from David Starkey on the BBC recently.. What if Anne Boleyn had given birth to a son?…..

I look forward to hearing from you.

Please visit the Early Modern Page. We will be adding many other titles.

www.davenantpress.co.uk

What is the best way to engage your GCSE students with Shakespeare and to demonstrate the timelessness of his work?

It is a sad fact that the language used in these masterpieces of literature is often a barrier when it comes to getting your pupils to engage with them.

Working with Will seeks to overcome this problem by focussing on practical engagement with the story line via active group work and discussion of thematic issues. It offers the perfect teaching resource through which your students can explore issues that that have been faced across time and can consider the choices made by the characters and the consequences of these choices. It enables the students to engage with the relevant issues without having to interpret the language that Shakespeare used in writing the plays.

Working with Will is a 179 page volume for English teachers structured via three schemes of work based on Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for example, the scheme of work covers ‘Relationships and Respect’, ‘Children’s Rights’, ‘Rumour Spreading’ and ‘Bullying’, demonstrating the relevance and contemporariness of the play.

The three schemes of work – each of which can stand alone – come with a series of lesson plans that can be used sequentially or can be dipped in and out of in any order. There is also a free CD containing the text of the book plus PowerPoints to use with the lessons.

The author offers workshops on Working with Will – please click here for more information.

You can see some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1796.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1796EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 890 3

Prices

• Photocopiable ring bound book plus CD, £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book… please quote the order ref: T1796EMN

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a credit card to 01536 399011
  
• Email sales@firstandbest.co.uk
  
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=769

Tone, texture, pattern, shape, colour… undertaking Key Stage 3 Art and preparing the students to move on to Key Stage 4 is a significant step for students.

Which is why “Art Aid For Key Stage 3” was developed. It is a Key Stage 3 volume which encourages the transition to independence and confidence during the KS3 course.

The volume contains numerous project sheets which can be used as starting blocks to write a scheme of work, used as starter activites, or used to run alongside the current scheme of work so that your students learn to work independently before getting to the KS4 syllabus.

The projects can also be used as homework sheets and to provide work for cover lessons.

As a result of this approach students will learn throughout the KS3 course how they can reveal ever greater independence in their work and have a greater level of confidence in what they do is also expected.

Projects include topics such as “About Me – and Picasso), “The human figure”, “My environment – and LS Lowry”, “Still Life”, “Printing” and so on. In fact there are over 40 separate projects within the volume.

In this way pupils find that by year 9 their knowledge, experience and security while using a range of materials is at the right level to allow a peaceful transition into the independence of enquiry and research that is required for a successful year 10.

Better still, time that might otherwise be taken up during the Key Stage 4 years with enhancing independence and confidence is no longer required, leaving more time for the exploration of the curriculum.

Art Aid is available as a black and white copiable book with an accompanying CD. The CD contains the text of the book plus some of the projects in colour.

The copyright licence allows the copying from either the book or the CD, so that all students can have pages relevant to their study at any time. It is also possible to place the CD on the school’s learning platform, so that students may access it at any time.

ISBN: 978 1 86083 789 0

Price: £24.95 for the book and CD, plus £3.95 postage.

You can order in four different ways. In each case please quote our reference T1764emn. Sample pages and a contents list can be viewed prior to ordering on http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/art/T1764.pdf

• 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?products_id=740

BENEFITS of Magical Maths

• All children will have the opportunity to practice and develop maths skills in a fun way

• Develop children’s confidence and enjoyment of maths

• Practice and perform magic taught during the workshop

• Magical Maths = Fun Maths. This means an exciting day – and children will remember and learn better when having fun.

• Work according to the National Curriculum.

• Performed by one of the few women to pass the exacting Magic Circle Membership Exam

• I am dynamic, fun and love maths, magic and enthusing children.

• 15 years of performing to children.

SUITABILITY of Magical Maths For Your School

• For KS1, KS2 and KS3 (Workshop tailored to audience)

• Depending on your class timetable 5 or 6 classes can be taught. Each class will be able to enjoy the mini-show and interactive activities regardless of age, experience, background or ability.

Please contact Jasmine on 07870 215675 or Jasmine@Jasminesmagicparties.co.uk quoting MagicMaths with any queries
or take a look at our website  www.jasminesmagicparties.co.uk

Online Student Options Selection – FOR FREE

1. Set-up the subject option choices – Takes less than half hour per year level.

2. If required can apply study streams, restrictions, pre-requisites, subject handbooks etc – Great
for IB programs.

3. Invite students to select their option choices – Mass emails can be sent directly from the
software.

4. Students enter their subject options online – From home, school or anywhere with internet
access.

5. Selection data feeds into our Student Options Module to calculate and build option blocks in
seconds – Or export to Microsoft Excel to use with other programs.
And that’s it. Your subject selections sorted – No printing or postage costs, no admin time and fool proof data entry.

New Version includes Voting Manager – Online voting for Head Boy/Girl, House Captains and school play or trip attendance.

Fully hosted, FREE and unlimited use for 12 months with no obligation to purchase – No software to install and no catch.

Visit our website and create your Free Web Preferences Account – No commitment and no card details required.

Timetabling Solutions

T: 01524 220066

E: dale@timetablingsolutions.co.uk

W: www.timetablingsolutions.co.uk

What is the simplest way of showing Ofsted that you are actively promoting British values?

The fact is that auditing or mapping what’s happening in terms of actively promoting British values across the school can be a complex and time-consuming task. Not least because it runs across so many departments.

Indeed, so complex is the situation that trying to change the teaching in any way while simultaneously introducing methods of recording what is being done is nigh on impossible.

As Russell Hobby, of the NAHT, recently said, “our advice for most members is: don’t do anything new, make sure you capture and describe the good work you are already doing.”

Which is why we’ve produced a simple and effective tool to audit and track what the school is doing actively to promote British values. It doesn’t suggest what should be taught – it just records what is being done in order to satisfy Ofsted.

In short, the aim of the tool is to make the recording and tracking quick and easy to use by everyone in the school so that each colleague’s contribution to the promotion of British values can be added to the record within moments.

But there is more, for we also wanted to make sure that with our approach the promotion of British values is better co-ordinated across the curriculum. And again that is what we have achieved.

What we found – and indeed what Ofsted found – is that through using it to co-ordinate the school’s actions, SMSC Gridmaker not only audited and tracked work in this field, but the teaching itself became better co-ordinated across the curriculum as a result.

You can see SMSC Gridmaker in action on our website. Alternatively you can try it yourself for free by clicking here.

If you would like to know any more please call 0115 942 8912 or email us at dan@opeus.com

Finally the video shows the whole process in about 60 seconds on our website – http://smsc.opeus.org/capturing-evidence-of-british-values

Often, the reason for any student not thinking bigger, better and braver is because the student does not know that bigger, better and braver exists.

And so it is our responsibility to unveil to such students the extent to what they can achieve more, to see just what their knowledge, skills and aspirations could one day equate to.

In an industry as competitive, diverse, and fast moving as the arts, it is true that the possibilities are endless, but this makes it difficult for us to fulfil this responsibility to show our students all that they might become.

Without revealing the limits (or perhaps lack of limits) of and within the industry to our students, it makes decisions as to how big they should dream and how far they should strive much harder to make.

Indeed, it is near impossible for our students to aspire to something they don’t know is in existence.

So to answer the question, “How can we encourage our drama students to think bigger, better and braver?” we must first give them the opportunity to see and experience bigger, better and braver for themselves.

New York is still one of the most influential cities in the development of Performing Arts where drama, dance and music grow hand in hand.

At StudyTrips our tours are tailored to meet your specific learning objectives and budget. We’ll look after you every step of the way, helping to bring your ideas to life, and encourage your students to think, bigger, better and braver.

Our New York Arts tour is fast becoming the No 1 choice for arts groups to inspire students to follow their dreams – no matter how big or small.

Activities range from a bespoke Broadway workshop, a visit to a Broadway show, a tour of Broadway’s theatre land, and a visit to Radio City Music Hall, plus of course the essential sightseeing activities ranging from visiting the Empire State Building to Times Square by night.

You can see the full itinerary for the trip by clicking here.

Alternatively for more information call us on 0845 026 4661 or email us at info@studytrips.co.uk

Chrysalis Research, an independent research agency, is carrying out research among teachers and tutors who deliver careers guidance and help develop employability skills. If you are not the appropriate person to complete the survey, please forward it to those who are responsible for careers guidance and developing employability skills. This research is being conducted on behalf of LifeSkills created by Barclays.

The aim of the research is to gauge how careers education, information, advice and guidance provision is approached and seen at your school/college. The survey is open until the Friday 6th February.

All completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw: two participants will win £200 and two others will win £100. Terms and conditions apply, please see the survey for more details. A summary of results will also be shared with survey participants.

The survey should take around 15 minutes to complete and is completely confidential. Please click here https://surveyc.orcinternational.com/orc/start/j3000307/LiveN.htm?pwd=bdswbkxhhr to complete the survey. If this link doesn’t work, please copy and paste it into your browser.

You will only need to leave your personal details if you want to be included in the prize draw so we can contact you.

Your personal details will be held securely and will not be kept any longer than 12 months. We will not pass on your contact details to anyone else and we will not re-contact you about anything unrelated to our research into the LifeSkills created with Barclays programme.

If you have any questions about the survey please contact Rana Baroud at Chrysalis Research, 0117 230 9933, rana.baroud@chrysalisresearch.co.uk

Alternatively you can contact the LifeSkills team by emailing barclayslifeskills@barclays.com

Kind regards,

Kirstie Mackey

Director – LifeSkills

Barclays Bank PLC. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 122702).

Registered in England. Registered No. 1026167. Registered office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.

How can we teach students to grasp the gist and detail in order to identify and extract information?

It is invariably the gist and detail of any conversation that represent the keys to understanding.

But while much of the gist and detail can be grasped through the words, it is the context that generates the confidence in a student that he/she really can grasp what is going on when a conversation is held in French.

Thus, if one person asks another what time the next train to Paris is, the implication is that the person being asked not only knows the answer but also will take the time to give out the information in a helpful and polite manner.

From one simple question we know who’s who, and what their relationship is to each other and to the situation.

Therefore. if the scene is played out in French the students will quickly grasp what is going on, not just through the language, but through the clothes worn, the gestures and the context.

The benefit of such an approach is that where this happens students quickly gain the confidence that they can understand what is going on – as long as the scene is happening immediately in front of them.

Indeed it is this immediacy that turns out to be the key. If the action is there before them, it is real, it is engaging, and really is the next best thing to being in France.

This is why we have created BON VOYAGE – a theatrical performance that includes key vocabulary from Key Stage 2 and 3 including: holidays, travel, directions, the weather, family, food, numbers, hobbies and interests.

At one level, it entertains. But simultaneously it gives students confidence in their ability to understand and to speak French.

Bon Voyage includes comedy, music and slick physical theatre to ensure the students are focused and interested throughout. The play makes French accessible while reinforcing student learning at KS3.

As for the storyline, we find that Pierre flies into the sunny south of France for a surfing holiday with his cousin, Lola. All Pierre wants to do is surf but getting there seems to be a struggle. Lola tries to keep Pierre on track as they try out local transport and follow directions to the beach. But …

To read more about the production and to make a booking please click here.

If you scroll down the page you can also see what French teachers say about this performance.

For more information please call 01287 669156 or for any other enquiries please email info@flyingtheatre.com

PPA. Why the A takes precedence.

It is not possible to plan and prepare lessons without assessing the students’ abilities first.

And regular assessments of the students’ abilities in Science at KS3 are particularly important given that is perhaps the broadest subject featured in the compulsory national curriculum in terms of the diverse and extensive range of modules it comprises.

By planning and preparing regular assessments we can identify the level at which each student is working and the subject areas that need revisiting before we progress the students further.

The most popular method of assessment among science teachers is that of testing – whether it is weekly multiple choice questions, termly tests, lengthy exam style testing using past exam papers or test questions we compose ourselves to assess students’ depth of understanding in a particular topic area.

Alfiesoft is a tool which supports science teachers through the assessment stages of each student, offering an extensive range of testing templates, including those mentioned above. And all of these are linked to the new KS3 science curriculum and written by well-known publishers and awarding bodies such as AQA.

Tests can be completed online by each student, where marking and feedback is automatic and immediate, saving on valuable marking time and paper clutter.

However we are also adding a new feature into Alfiesoft which will enable the test templates and self-composed tests to be printed out – we will be launching this feature at Bett this week (hall/stand: E210).

The addition of this feature will enable science teachers not only to assess the students’ knowledge but alsoto see how well they can comprehend and answer the questions when they are presented in a similar format to a “real” exam.

Additionally Alfiesoft generates a progress report for each student based on the information that you submit to Alfiesoft combined with the information it gathers from the students’ test scores/feedback.

This report is helpful for presenting evidence to parents and Ofsted inspectors to show where each student is now and their unique path for progression.

What’s more, Ofsted will then count this approach as part of the students’ independent learning.

You don’t have to take our word for the brilliance of Alfiesoft as you can have a free assessment pass which allows you to use and experiment with it. The free assessment pass is available on our website.

If you have any enquiries or questions please do call 08456 171 500 or email us at info@alfiesoft.com

‘Calm Kids’

Schools all over the UK have been using our range of posters for the past year and we have received some great feedback, the exercises help to maintain a calm environment in the classroom which in turn encourages work and allows children of all abilities to thrive.

The four posters introduce children to abdominal breathing, guided meditation and muscle relaxation; they are simple, fun and informative.

‘Calm Kids’ Classroom Pack

Have a classroom of ‘Calm Kids’ in minutes!

• Bright, Fun and Totally Unique Range of Posters
• Meet Bendy Ben and Stretchy Sam in This Set of Four A2 Posters
• Includes 4 Smiley Balls, 4 Bendy Bens and 4 Stretchy Sams
• Four Simple to Follow Steps for Each Exercise
• Comprehensive Teachers Guidance Notes
• USB Stick With PowerPoint Version for Use on Whiteboards etc

Fantastic Offer for Schools – Over 30% Discount on our ‘Calm Kids Classroom Pack’

We are also offering a fantastic 30% discount (for a limited period) from our ‘Calm Kids Classroom Package’ which includes all four posters, comprehensive teachers guidance notes and a USB stick with electronic version of the exercises and a range of fiddle toys.

RRP £98.40
Special Offer Price £66.00

Follow this link Calm Kids to take advantage of this great limited period offer.
NEW: We have just introduced a new ‘purchase order’ process which allows you to buy products online with a purchase order (no need for a credit card). Simply follow the normal steps to buy online and add your purchase order number at ‘Step 5 Payment Information’.

Dan Carter
Stress Check Ltd
Tel: +44 (1904) 413560
Email: dan@stresscheck.co.uk
Web: www.stresscheck.co.uk

Energy is important to each and every one of us on a daily basis. What do we use energy for? What positive and negative impact does ‘energy’ have on our lives? What does the future hold?

The resource supports study for the 14 -16 age group for any GCSE specification exam purposes.

It encourages the learner to undertake research, to reflect on their findings and reach a conclusion using enquiry based learning. A step by step approach has been applied to support students gaining an insight into this topic.

The first section of the resource looks at the general background to this issue. Examples of enquiry questions include: what are the causes of this issue, what are the global changes over time in the availability of major energy sources, how is this issue managed, how may this issue develop in the future? Wind farms are controversial. Solar power is unreliable.

What is an alternative? Could the answer to our energy needs lie in the ocean and tidal power!

61 slides – £ 39.99 (£49.99 inc. VAT) – Order code H6038

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H6038.

You can order the Issues in Our Fast Changing World – Energy CD-ROM in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

Classroom Resources
PO Box 1489
Bristol
BS99 3QJwww.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

A magical password formula: teaching
and using logical reasoning skills
in real life

When was the last time you struggled to remember your password? Frustrated as each attempt is met with red lettering and failed counts, let alone the dreaded ‘You’ve entered the wrong password too many times’. We all do from time to time. So, as students enter KS2 and use technology more and more, they will too.

What if there was an easy way for them to learn how to create memorable, unique and safe passwords at the same time as covering the new computing curriculum topic ‘use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work’?

Arguably, being able to create (and recall!) efficient passwords is a skill for life, but it’s also an ideal way to cover algorithms at the same time in an engaging way.

Here, we introduce Bob, Barbara, Ben and Bella – the family who keep forgetting their passwords, or using the same one for all websites/apps/games, jeopardising their digital safety.

Bob has an idea to solve everyone’s problems – he can create a simple, easy-to-follow algorithm (a set of instructions which don’t need a computer) for the whole family to use.

The story comes in the form of a digital mystery – students work in small groups reading, grouping and ordering little slips of illustrated information. While they go through them together, not only are they becoming more efficient digital citizens, they’re developing an understanding of what algorithms are.

It is all part of a Windows tool called Digital Mysteries – you only need it on 10 computers to have a class of 30 engaged working in groups of three, as each student can have their own mouse and cursor on the screen. Along with the Bob’s Password mystery, there are lots more included such as more tasks on the computing curriculum plus Maths, History and English.

It costs £400 for a one year subscription for 10 computers, but quote ‘HH20off’ for 20% off. Just click here for more details on how to sign up. You can also email info@reflectivethinking.com or call 0191 603 1960.

According to figures from the Dept for Education, the average secondary school teacher has about four working days off a year due to illness. Of course this incorporates teachers who have a long time out with a serious illness as well as the 44% of teachers who are fortunate enough to go a whole year not getting ill at all.

These numbers show why the need for ready-made materials for supply teachers who cover Maths classes is as vital as ever. For even when something has been left from the previous lesson, there are always going to be those who finish the work rapidly, and need something else to do.

Which is why the Absent Maths Teacher volume of worksheets was developed.

The worksheets within the volume cover a wide range of topics and range of ability – and are all designed so that they can be used as a one-off in an emergency, or as a series of highly varied tasks over a number of days, should the absence be unexpectedly protracted.

Activities range from drawing Venn diagrams showing the intersection of two sets, to working out profit and loss percentages.

Each topic area is followed by a wide range of questions, an extension task through which (for example) the students are required to balance equations, and a homework task in which the students have to copy a series of diagrams and find the value of angle x.

The volume covers such topics as the rules for algebra, decimals, equations, geometry, powers, statistics, etc. etc.

Each lesson in the volume is printed on a single page and is simple to photocopy instantly for any class that suddenly requires the lesson.

The Absent Maths Teacher Worksheets collection is available from Hamilton House priced at £30 plus £2.95 delivery.

You can order the Absent Maths Teacher worksheets collection by filling in the order form and sending it by fax, email, or post (see contact details below). Alternatively, if you have a school order number, you can order by phone.

First and Best in Education, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 4HH
Telephone: 01536 399 011 Fax: 01536 399 01 Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

Playtime is that time of the day that most children look forward to (and also those staff not on duty)

It gives the children an opportunity to release pent up energy, catch up with friends and embark on adventures that only young people can create.

During this intense period of activity there are on occasions issues of over enthusiasm which can lead to danger.

Upsons Downs have created a simple and efficient solution to help in preventing this over exuberance in the form of ‘Our Safer School’ set of playground rules.

In addition these signs are a real help for playground supervisors in enforcing sensible behaviour in the playground.These signs come in a selection of colours, 5mm thick, 100% waterproof and UV resistant, each sign can be personalised to reflect the playground rules you apply in your school.

To see more in the ‘Our Safer School’ range of safety signs see http://www.upsondowns.co.uk/safer-school-c-239.html

Orders placed before the end of January 2015 will get a 10% discount if you Quote code OSCHH1.

To order call 01423 521654 or fax us 0844 443 2455
Email info@upsondowns.co.uk

Upson Downs Ltd
13 Claro Court Business Centre
Claro Road, Harrogate
North Yorkshire, HG1 4BA

In recent years Food in Focus2 has proved itself to be an invaluable asset to numerous secondary school Food Tech Departments throughout the UK.

Although its main audience was originally Key Stage 4, it has become clear from talking to teachers that they also find it incredibly useful with younger students, particularly in relation to the new Key Stage 3 requirements in relation to ‘Principles of nutrition and health’ and their need to understand what constitutes a ‘Healthy and varied diet’.

Indeed one of the most useful analyses available in FiF2 is that the diets which students create, (their own or for someone else) can be matched up to the recommendations of the Eatwell plate.

So why not give the full Food in Focus2 package a try – free of charge?
http://www.foodinfocus2.co.uk/order/trial.php
The download lasts for three days from installation.

In fact, why not ask your Network Manager to download the free trial and install it on your school’s network – and then try it out with a group of students? It’s so intuitive to use that you’ll find that they won’t need instructions to use the software … Just set them a task and watch them fly!
www.foodinfocus2.co.uk

This 130 page volume presents rhythm, harmony and melody as separate sets of activities which can be incorporated into lessons of any length. Each lesson plan sets out the purpose of that lesson, the materials needed, the method employed and the tasks to be done.

Activities are supported by specially composed short practice segments covering a range of styles, for example rock, reggae, jazz and funk.

Each activity and its accompanying music includes easier and more advanced elements for classes with a range of abilities.

The CD illustrates the text and provides accompanying music for student tasks with at least one CD track for each lesson. Students are guided through scores and lines of music, encouraged to get a feel for the flow of the piece and to sing or play at every opportunity.

An early example from the volume contains explanations and musical examples to show how the 8^th note of a major scale becomes the first note of the next octave. Examples are generated and then joined together as a song.

By the middle of the volume, in Lesson 27, students progress from block harmonies into the harmonies that can occur in a free flowing song – in this case a round. The CD contains a recording of the round, which consists of eight two bar segments, each of which can be introduced at two bar intervals.

You can see the presentation of this lesson by clicking here.

Towards the end students combine everything learned about rhythm, harmony and melody into a series of pieces for which the music is provided.

Details of how to order are given below. The format of the book is a Ringbinder plus CD. The price is £34.95 plus £3.95 delivery.

• Publisher’s catalogue number T1614emn
• ISBN: 978 1 86083 603 9

Methods of ordering – please quote catalogue number T1614emn

• 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
• By email to sales@firstandbest.co.uk
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=448

What is the most effective way of ensuring that the students’ work rate and behaviour is maintained when a cover teacher steps in?

When a subject teacher is absent there can sometimes be some concern as to whether the established standards of the students’ work rate and behaviour will remain under the cover teacher’s supervision.

In a small number of cases, students’ behaviour and work rate may slip as they test the boundaries, but for most, their lesson performance is decreased due to the often disruptive change to their work and lesson structure and routine.

Absent Teacher has created a worksheets series that cover teachers can use to maintain lesson structure. Thus maintaining the students’ work rate and behaviour.

The Absent Teacher worksheets series includes subjects as PSHE, Science, Maths, English, Resistant Materials, RE, ICT, Food Technology, History, Geography, German, Spanish, and French.

Worksheet activities have close links to the National Curriculum, making it possible to identify the worksheets that relate to the topic area the students are currently studying- further limiting disruption to their learning.

The activities in the worksheets series range from reading comprehension questions and ‘fill in the gaps’, to word searches and poster design.

The worksheets in the Absent Teacher books series are photocopiable, making it quick and easy to organise work for the students, which is particularly important when the subject teacher is absent at short notice.

What’s more is the worksheet activities have been designed so that it is not necessary for the cover teacher to have any knowledge of the subject they are covering.

Sample pages are available on request by emailing jane@hamilton-house.com – just let her know which subject book you would like to see sample pages from.

The Absent Teacher Worksheets series are available from Hamilton House and are priced at £30 each plus £2.95 delivery.

You can order the Absent Teacher worksheets series by filling in the order form and sending it by fax, email, or post (see contact details below). Alternatively, if you have a school order number, you can order by phone.

First and Best in Education, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 4HH

Telephone: 01536 399 011 Fax: 01536 399 012 Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

From pronouns to syntactical parallelism: the complete grammar for AS Language and Literature students

From the student who enters year 12 with very little formal grammatical knowledge to the student at the end of AS or A2 in English Language or English Language and Literature who needs a top up, everyone has a need for support with grammar at one time or another.

Of course, there are many such volumes around – but the complex detailed tomes can be daunting and difficult for many students.

What they often need is a volume that covers the basics and is there so that they can look up (or be directed to) any specific point that is seen to be causing a problem.

And so this is what we have aimed to provide here.

When the issue of the “noun phrase” comes up, and the student needs to understand how they are different from nouns and what they look like, there’s a page answering that exact point.

The same goes for the apostrophe. There’s the possession apostrophe, not to be confused with the elliptical apostrophe and the inevitable question, “Where’s the apostrophe?”

Or to focus on another area we next have the issue of modal verbs.

But that is nothing compared with adverbs which can (fairly obviously) modify verbs. However they can also modify adjectives – which can seem slightly odd to some students who recognise that the adjective has been used to modify the noun in the first place.

In fact, when we come to think of adverbs, we can see what an extraordinarily complicated grammar we are talking about.

Which is why we’ve published this book to cover the fundamentals of grammar for AS students.

“An AS Language and Literature Grammar Booklet” is published as a photocopiable volume or on CD Rom, and individual sections can thus be readily copied and distributed to students as required. The copies can also be shared with colleagues or given to supply teachers, without any fear of the original book being misplaced.

You can see a full list of the topics and some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1831.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1831EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 896 5

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1831EMN

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a credit card or school order number to 01536 399011
• By email to sales@firstandbest.co.uk
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=806

It is a fact that students who are interested in pursuing a career as a doctor, nurse, midwife or dentist need to ensure that they have something in their university application that makes them stand out from the rest.

Of course they can talk about their interest in medicine, their desire to help humanity, and the rest. But most applicants do this. There needs to be something more.

And the best “something more”, the ideal way to make an application stand out, is to include as much work experience as possible and to show a commitment to learning as much as possible about their desired future career as a doctor, nurse, midwife or dentist.

Furthermore, this then naturally generates extra talking points for the interview.

It is with this in mind that we have built our work experience placements for students aged between 16-25 and interested in a medical career. The destinations for the placements include Tanzania, Croatia, Poland and Thailand.

Students are assigned their own mentor and will attend three global health tutorials a week run by local doctors and healthcare professionals. These tutorials will help them to have a deeper understanding of healthcare, including socio-economic factors that affect treatment within the country.

If you have students this year who are interested in a career in medicine, please ask them to take a look at our website at www.gapmedics.com.

Alternatively they can call us on 0044 191 603 1111 or email us at info@gapmedics.com and we’ll send them a brochure in the post.

Regards

Mark Hinksman

Playtime is that time of the day that most children look forward to (and also those staff not on duty)

It gives the children an opportunity to release pent up energy, catch up with friends and embark on adventures that only young people can create.

During this intense period of activity there are on occasions issues of over enthusiasm which can lead to danger.

Upsons Downs have created a simple and efficient solution to help in preventing this over exuberance in the form of ‘Our Safer School’ set of playground rules.

These signs come in a selection of colours, 5mm thick, 100% waterproof and UV resistant, each sign can be personalised to reflect the playground rules you apply in your school.

In addition these signs are a real help for playground supervisors in enforcing sensible behaviour in the playground.

To see more in the ‘Our Safer School’ range of safety signs see http://www.upsondowns.co.uk/safer-school-c-239.html

Orders placed before the end of January 2015 will get a 10% discount if you Quote code OSCHH1.

To order call 01423 521654 or fax us 0844 443 2455
Email info@upsondowns.co.uk

Upson Downs Ltd
13 Claro Court Business Centre
Claro Road, Harrogate
North Yorkshire, HG1 4BA

How the demand for school expansion is leading to a new generation of school building designs

We’re all influenced by the buildings in which we work. We know the benefits and the disadvantages, and by and large we work within the confines of what we have.

However, this familiarity can lead us to a situation in which we find it harder to imagine exactly what is possible for the one spot of playground or playing field we have available on which to build an add-on to the existing school.

Which is why we’ve put together an on-line portfolio of some of the school buildings we’ve constructed during the last couple of years.

These new school buildings have been prepared by The Learning Escape all the way from planning permission to handover. And because of the way we work, they have invariably been built at a much lower price than a traditional building would cost.

And, as if that were not enough, there is one more bonus. Our eco-friendly buildings are full of natural light and encourage free flow play and outdoor learning with floor to ceiling doors and covered walkways.

Heating can be specified with a choice of electric, geothermal or air source heat pump/air conditioning. Each building is a bespoke design – a response to the local conditions, local needs and local specification.

Whether you need a classroom, staffroom, school hall or library, we take your needs and wishes and create a stunning and sustainable building that fits into your space and budget.

We also offer a leasing option which means that a permanent, architect-designed Learning Escape can actually cost less per month than hiring a temporary solution!

To see just what we have built recently just click here.

To discuss any aspect of your project, or to book a free survey, just call us on 0800 917 7726.

You can find more information on the website at www.thelearningescape.co.uk

Medical work experience during half term

One of the most invaluable experiences for an aspiring medic is to gain genuine insight into the day-to-day life of a medical professional in a busy hospital environment.

This is where Gap Medics can help.

We organise placements where students will be given the opportunity to shadow experienced doctors who will explain cases in detail and provide the opportunity for students to ask questions about diagnoses, treatments and medical practices.

As a result they come away with a deep understanding of the disparities in global healthcare.

To coincide with the February half term we are offering placements to our partner hospitals in Poland (for students under the age of 18), Croatia (for students over the age of 18) and Tanzania (for all students over the age of 16).

Here are the dates we have available:

Poland & Croatia

• 8th – 14th February 2015
• 15th – 21st February 2015
• 22nd – 28th February 2015

Click here for more information on our Poland and Croatia placements.

Tanzania

• 8th – 14th February 2015
• 15th – 21st February 2015
• 22nd – 29th February 2015

Click here for more information on our Tanzania placement.

If you know of any students who are interested in a career in medicine and who would like the change to gain valuable work experience, travel to a new country, and ultimately have the time of their lives, then we would very much appreciate if you could forward this email to them.

For more information please call us on 0191 603 1111.

Alternatively you can send any email enquiries to info@gapmedics.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Mark Hinksman

This second edition of this core text covers the practical options common to all the current examination boards at GCSE level. Guided by the teacher, pupils can work their way through improvised and scripted work that will allow clear opportunities for assessment and monitoring progress throughout the course. Activities are all clearly described and are supported by guidelines for successful performance.

There is a section which helps students find the right approach to the different written elements included in the current GCSE courses. The book provides guidance on the use of terminology in written work and a glossary of theatrical words and phrases. There are extracts from scripts with comments on language, character and technical considerations. Each section is self-contained and students are given guidance on how to achieve their true potential.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 835 4 Order code: T1785emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/drama/T1785.pdf

• Photocopiable book, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the book and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

• 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=28&products_id=392

What is the most effective way of developing creativity within the KS2 music curriculum?

Creativity is a problem.

It is a problem when we seek to define creativity, and it is a problem when we seek to encourage and develop it in children.

Is making a sequence of sounds that has not been made before a creative event? In one sense perhaps it is, but from a musical perspective it doesn’t seem to be particularly interesting unless there is some musical understanding of what is going on.

Which is perhaps why creativity is something that all of us can sometimes approach with extra caution. And it is why David Stoll’s KEY STAGE 2 COMPOSING was produced.

This volume is designed to reference, use and fulfil the requirements of the curriculum in a way which allows everyone teaching in a primary school (not just music specialists) to encourage and develop creativity in their pupils.

The lessons and projects are fully described with practical notes and explanations, thus aiming to offer a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone taking part.

Based on listening and analysing sounds and then making patterns and stories out of them, they are, in fact, an excellent back-up for lessons in all subjects, as the book 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 on.

Though full of strategies and tips for teachers with a music background, KEY STAGE 2 COMPOSING is specifically written for teachers who have no knowledge of music theory at all and little confidence in teaching music.

The book is copiable throughout which means it can be shared by KS2 teachers throughout the school.

David Stoll is the well-known composer of SEALSONGS as well as concert, theatre and television music. He 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

David Stoll’s KEY STAGE 2 COMPOSING is designed to reference, use and fulfil the requirements of the curriculum in a new way which allows all primary school teachers – not just music specialists – to encourage and develop creativity in their pupils. The lessons and projects, carefully described and with full practical notes and explanations, are fun and rewarding. Based on listening and analysing sounds, and then making patterns and stories out of them, they are, in fact, an excellent back-up for lessons in all subjects.

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.

Though full of strategies and tips for teachers with a music background, KEY STAGE 2 COMPOSING is specifically written for teachers who have no knowledge of music theory at all and little confidence in teaching music. The book is copiable throughout which means it can be shared by KS2 teachers throughout the school.

David Stoll is the well-known composer of SEALSONGS as well as concert, theatre and television music. He 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

Over a million young men voluntarily enlisted
in the first six months of the First World War.
What made them do it?

Of course we all know of Lord Kitchener’s “Your Country Needs You” poster. But did that poster, on its own, really make one million young men sign up, even as the stories of the casualties and the horrors started to filter back home?

Certainly the first 18 months of the war was fought by volunteers, with conscription not introduced until 1916. By then well over two million men had signed up of their own free will.

Amazingly, one of the largest single recruiting devices that took all these young men to France was Football League matches.

Before each game, at half time, and as the crowd drifted away, recruiting officers did their work, persuading any man who looked over 18 (and many who didn’t) to sign up.

This process was in the hands of the local town councillors, some of whom (as a reward for their efforts) were knighted and indeed a few of whom were even given the rank of Lt Colonel later in the war. These men never fought – they just recruited.

This is just one of the many realities of the First World War that is sometimes forgotten, and it shows just how our concept of history can be adjusted by tales told on TV and in the cinema.

Indeed, to get to the very heart of what the First World War was truly about for young men who, having left their home to watch the local club play on a Saturday afternoon, found themselves in France just a few weeks later, one has to see where they went. One has to visit the battlefields, trenches, museums and cemeteries.

Our services are run by history graduates utterly committed to the study of the period by schools, and, as Outside the Classroom quality badge holders, we offer a robust safety management system.

We vet transport, accommodation and excursion suppliers before each tour and carry out random spot checks to ensure standards are maintained.

You will also find that, among other benefits, we don’t charge for late changes to bookings, while all tours are, of course, designed in line with the current curriculum requirements.

You can find out more about our unique World War 1 Centenary Tours for school groups on our website at www.key-stage.co.uk.

Alternatively please do call us on 0845 130 6070 or email us at enquiries@key-stage.co.uk

The best solution for your SRE?

Teaching SRE can be at times challenging even for the most experienced PSHE practitioner, students in year 8 will have different issues than those faced in year 10, and those in year 12 different still.

With this mind the charity Health Behaviour Group have developed Apause , a straightforward and engaging way for schools to implement an effective SRE curriculum.

The programme is enjoyable, welcomed by pupils, teachers, school managers, governors and parents.

It offers a wide range of materials to enable straightforward training and delivery by tutors or specialist teachers, safe in the classroom from hijacking by ‘testing’ pupils.

Priced at just £120 the ‘School Set’ bundle (co-ordinator file and laminated resources) provides materials for one class. Additional class packs can be supplied at just £75 each.

Endorsed by the PSHE Association, the DfE Teenage Pregnancy Unit and the Sex Education Forum.

Evaluated positively by the National Foundation for Educational Research, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, Public Health in Ireland and a US based International Review of programmes that work.

This resource Increases satisfaction with SRE, knowledge, healthy attitudes and beliefs and has the added benefit of decreasing early and unprotected intercourse.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? NO! All True and evidence based, please see http://www.sreproject.org/apause-resources-available for details of the full content of the pack and resources.

‘Please be aware that due to the content of SRE resources we find that some school filters to not allow access to our website, please do add us to your safe site list’

Ordering is simple – order on-line or email enquiries@sreprojects.org or call 01392 829450.

Furthermore, If you quote code HH1 on your order we will give you a 5% discount.

Health Behaviour Group, 2b Manaton Court, Manaton Close, Exeter, EX2 8PF.

The School Protective Aprons protect student clothing against spilled items. They are tough but comfortable with an elasticated waistband. Over 100,000 have been supplied to schools since we launched the range.The aprons are available in heavy-duty cotton drill, in navy or white, and can be supplied with or without pockets.

Sample apron: If you have not previously seen one of the School Protective Aprons you can order a sample for £5.99 including delivery and VAT. Payment must accompany the order for a single sample. You can place the order by phone, fax or post.

Bulk order prices: Bulk orders can be invoiced – please see details below.

Cream Aprons: price per apron (prices inc VAT)

No pocket With pocket
1 – 9 aprons: £5.86 £6.22
10 – 24 aprons: £5.28 £5.63
25 – 99 aprons: £4.69 £5.04
100+ aprons: £4.10 £4.45

Navy Aprons: price per apron

No pocket With pocket
1 – 9 aprons: £7.28 £7.60
10 – 24 aprons: £6.70 £7.05
25 – 99 aprons: £6.25 £6.58
100+ aprons: £5.99 £6.35

A standard delivery charge of £3.95 will be added to all orders, except for the single sample apron for £5.99 where the despatch price is included in the order.

You can place bulk orders in any of these ways

• Phone 01536 399 011 with a credit card or school official order number
• By fax on 01536 399 012
• By post to Hamilton House Mailings plc, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH

An order form: can be printed out and posted. www.aprons.org.uk/order form.pdf

What is the single most effective way of developing an early understanding and grasp of French?

The answer for most KS3 students to the question above is simple: immersion. Seeing and hearing people speaking French right in front of them, in realistic but highly engaging and often amusing situations.

Interestingly, the “right in front of them” part of the above sentence, is a key element. For it reflects the way in which actors in a play can draw in students far more rapidly and more deeply than a film or TV production.

It is there, it is real, it is in front of them, it is engaging, and really is the next best thing to being in France.

This is why we have created BON VOYAGE – a theatrical performance that includes key vocabulary from Key Stage 2 and 3 including : holidays, travel, directions, the weather, family, food, numbers, hobbies and interests.

At one level, it entertains. But simultaneously it gives students confidence in their ability to understand and to speak French

Bon Voyage includes comedy, music and slick physical theatre to ensure the students are focused and interested throughout. The play makes French friendly and accessible and has been designed to engage today’s young people.

It reinforces student learning at KS3 and gives a truly memorable and positive experience of the French language.

As for the storyline, we find that Pierre flies into the sunny south of France for a surfing holiday with his cousin, Lola. All Pierre wants to do is surf but getting there seems to be a struggle for our simple soul!

Lola tries to keep Pierre on track as they try out local transport and follow directions to the beach. Finally they arrive at Surfers’ Cove – but…

To read more about the production and to make a booking please click here.

If you scroll down the page you can also see what French teachers say about this performance.

For more information please call 01287 669156 or for any other enquiries please email info@flyingtheatre.com

Just Listen – Race and Religion

DVD2004 12 Minutes

A tragic story of a refugee, and attitudes to Islam.

Interviews with people who come from groups which are prejudiced against. They talk frankly about their experiences and the problems they encounter.

Race and Religion: Ibrahim and Clair: Tragic story of a refugee; a British Muslim describes her religion. Ibrahim’s story of personal tragedy dispels many of the myths that exist about refugees and asylum seekers. Clair is a Muslim and tells how lack of understanding leads to prejudice towards other religions, particularly Islam.
Made in co-operation with West Suffolk College and The Learning Skills Council for Suffolk

This programme is now available to rent or buy via our new Video on Demand service which uses the website (Vimeo).
The 48-hour rental price on Vimeo is 10% of our DVD price, making viewing more accessible to people or organisations with limited budgets. The buying price on Vimeo is the same as the DVD price on our website but includes VAT which is an ‘add on’ for DVD
To learn more about this new facility go to our ‘Home’ page and click in the Video on Demand box. To buy or rent this film on Video on Demand just click the ‘Video on Demand’ button below.
Prices on Vimeo are quoted in US Dollars but it comes to approximately the same as in Pounds.

GBP23.00 plus postage, http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/products/just-listen-race-and-religion-3081/

Young, British and Muslim

DVD1989 25 Minutes

Western values versus tradition for Muslim children in Britain

Muslims make up the largest religious and cultural minority in Britain. Workers started coming to Britain in the ‘60s, and soon communities were established. We meet the children of the first generation of Asian Muslim immigrants, including the pupils of the Leicester Muslim Girls’ High School, and find out how far they have accepted western values, and examine the deep-rooted strength of their faith and their acceptance of the moral and cultural values embodied in it. Even as far back as 1989 resentment is clearly beginning to build up as the children see what they perceive as slights to their religion and blasphemy against its founder Mohammed such as the book by Salman Rushdie and other attacks. Slights such as these may have helped in the development of today’s terrorists.

This programme is now available to rent or buy via our new Video on Demand service which uses the website (Vimeo).
The 48-hour rental price on Vimeo is 10% of our DVD price, making viewing more accessible to people or organisations with limited budgets. The buying price on Vimeo is the same as the DVD price on our website but includes VAT which is an ‘add on’ for DVD
To learn more about this new facility go to our ‘Home’ page and click in the Video on Demand box. To buy or rent this film on Video on Demand just click the ‘Video on Demand’ button below.
Prices on Vimeo are quoted in US Dollars but it comes to approximately the same as in Pounds.

GBP19.50 plus postage, http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/products/young-british-and-muslim-3075/

A Class Divided

DVD1985 60 Minutes

Jane Elliott’s unique experiment in discrimination through eye colour.

Jane Elliott, the teacher who conducted the unique experiment in “The Eye of the Storm” (q.v.), where a class of children take turns at being underdogs because of their eye colour, repeats the experiment with adults 15 years later, with a very similar effect.

Also included is a reunion of the original class, who let us know that they gained valuable insights into race discrimination through the exercise, and how it altered their outlook permanently.

Jane also repeats the experiment in a prison with staff and prisoners reversing their normal roles.

This film is of historical interest but the issues raised are still current. The film quality may not be to modern standards but the content is unique.

GBP69.00 plus postage, http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/products/a-class-divided-41/

Made in Britain

1982 90 Minutes

Disturbing play about unemployment and racism.

David Leland’s disturbing play about unemployment and racism. The central character, Trevor, is a teenage skinhead, who is determined to reject other people before they reject him. The play traces his increasing confrontation with the authorities through racist attacks, glue sniffing, and stealing. He eventually presents himself to his exasperated social worker after an orgy of violence and vandalism and inevitably ends up in a police cell. Convincingly acted by Tim Roth.
Made in 1982 this film reflects the cultural attitudes and language of the time it was made. The issues raised are timeless.

GBP 34.50 plus postage, http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/products/made-in-britain-172/

Looking for bright, green teaching space?

Conport was chosen as one of eight companies to exhibit on the UK stand at the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building.

Our Northlights were developed in the UK in collaboration with the University of the Arts. In addition to being green by design, large studies prove that daylighting improves learning dramatically.

Northlights can be as quick and economical as portable cabin systems, although they are far superior in every way. Depending on budget they can also be clad with innovative architectural finishes to make a contemporary visual statement.

If you need more teaching space next year, this is a great time to talk to us.

Please visit our website www.conport.com or call us on 020 7730 9105.

Francis Cotterill

PS We can erect Northlights during the summer holidays to minimize disruption.

Higher grades are linked to Mindset.
Develop a Mindset of success in your students as they prepare for exams.

It is easy to feel that people are born good at certain things. Lots of students still believe this because they see others around them learn things quickly and succeed effortlessly. What they don’t know is what that person is thinking that makes them so effective.

Mindset is crucial to success. There is so much research today on the importance of a Growth Mindset, but so many people have not developed it yet. Do some of your students have a Fixed Mindset? Do they believe they can’t do things? Are they set in their beliefs, that things are simply too hard for them to do?

Every school has students with Fixed Mindsets. The question is how do you develop a Growth Mindset – one that believes that with hard work and effort, anything is possible?

Raising awareness of this idea can be the first step to sow the seed for change. Next you need a structured programme to use in the weeks leading up to the exams to get them to think differently.

Our solution comes in the form of eight worksheets in a ready-made booklet – ‘Greatest Strength Workbook for Students’. It comes with a free teacher’s guide and is available as an instant download. The teacher’s guide and a sample can be downloaded for free to get you started. The full license to print for use with your whole school is only £49.99.

Helping students learn to overcome stress, teaching them to motivate themselves, encouraging them to plan for the future and develop confidence to try new things are essential skills. They help to build mental resilience and enhance overall mental well-being; together they develop a Growth Mindset.

To develop these skills, students must explore them. Finding time in the school day to focus on these areas can be challenging and you may not have the resources or ideas to hand to achieve the desired result. But could you find ten minutes to introduce an activity that was already prepared?

The full details are available at: http://newset-training.com/students.html

Thanks and I wish your students the best for their up-coming exams.

Clare Martin

Newset Training

What is the single most effective way of raising student exam grades?

There is little more frustrating than a student who you know has plenty of ability within a subject, but who simply does not seem to be able to study and reveal his/her aptitude in exams.

Fortunately, however, there is a fairly simple way of helping such students overcome this situation so that they make far more of their study time, learn more rapidly, and develop an ability to use the knowledge that they have gained within examinations.

This approach breaks learning into two simple parts: learning how to study, and then applying this knowledge to the subject matter being studied.

Self-evidently, once the student can study in a more effective and efficient manner the student also becomes more adept at reproducing this knowledge in a meaningful way when required. Then, inevitably, the student’s grades will go up.

This is where Raising Grades through Study Skills comes in. The volume, which is available either as a photocopiable master or on CD (so that it can be placed on the school’s learning platform), focuses on the ways in which students can both be helped and can help themselves by learning more quickly and more effectively.

Since the first edition of this work was published it has been adopted in several thousand schools, in some cases being used within an individual department, sometimes across the whole school.

22 separate methods of learning are detailed in the volume, plus details of 10 teaching methods which can be used to help develop the learning approaches.

There is also a series of active learning assignments and a further 15 sections on memory and how students may enhance their own memory abilities and increase their ability to utilise the knowledge that they have gained.

Results from the use of this approach have shown that once students have been shown how to study and how to ensure that they can remember and use the material they have studied, the motivation gained from the rapid success that results becomes a factor in motivating them to ever further achievements.

The activities developed in this volume can either be set up as separate lessons or can be integrated into the existing timetable.

Raising Grades through Study Skills is available as a photocopiable book or on CD Rom which can itself be copied or loaded onto the school’s learning platform or intranet.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 845 3. Order code: T1787emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/education/T1787.pdf

Formats, prices and delivery cost…

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

• 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=54&products_id=267

Whatever the job, there has to be organisation. Organisation not just of the task in hand, but also of the workload as a whole.

There needs to be a balance of input and output, a control of the level of interruptions, and a certainty that the level of work is manageable by the staff available.

Unfortunately, within school administrations these issues are not always considered, largely because some negative factors in relation to the work (interruptions are a perfect example) become thought of as an inevitable part of the job.

However, just as there are a hundred ways of teaching a lesson in the classroom, so there are a hundred ways of organising a school office.

But if one believes that overload is inevitable, then it will be inevitable. Only if one believes that there are alternative ways of doing things does one look for these alternatives. And even then the habit of the past means that the alternatives are not always easy to find.

Yet the fact is that different schools do organise their administrations in different ways and that some approaches can make a significant difference to the effectiveness and efficiency of the school’s work.

At the heart of this volume is the notion that there are many ways of administering a school and that some of these ways of organising school administration are much more effective and efficient than other approaches.

The report “Increasing Efficiency in School Administration” gives examples of efficiencies that can be made within school administration and how one can change long-established approaches to leadership, change management, time management, facilities management, budgeting and the organisations’ behaviour.

The approaches outlined here do not require higher budgets; they simply put in place processes that inevitably lead to a smoother throughput of information and activity, which means there are fewer disruptions, fewer errors, and ultimately more time for everything to be done.

One of the fundamental issues within the report is that changes only work to the benefit of the organisation when everyone understands what is going on and why the changes are being implemented.

For this reason Increasing the Efficiency of School Administration is available as a photocopiable report, which allows you to give sections of the report to your colleagues. There is no restriction on the number of copies that can be made for use within your school. An edition of the book is also available on CD Rom for printing out via Word.

Additionally, all orders that quote the publisher’s reference below will also receive a free copy of two reports by the School of Educational Administration and Management: Reducing Overload in the School Office, and Eliminating Interruptions in the School Office.

There are sample pages from the photocopiable book at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/bursar/T1744.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1744EMX ISBN: 978 1 86083 798 2

Prices

• Photocopiable book: £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the book and the CD: £36.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1744EMX

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012

On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=568

Business Studies Multimedia Workpacks Issues 1-5

Business Studies Multimedia Workpacks, from Holdsworth Associates, are effective, easy-to-use resources for teachers of GCSE and A level. They use films and case-studies to explain the meaning and advantages/ disadvantages of each type of business organisation, together with worksheets and PowerPoint templates to consolidate and test understanding. These flexible and lively resources are easy to adapt to suit your teaching style.

Each Workpack has been developed to provide a self-contained unit of work. They contain short explanations of the key points, questions to test understanding, notes for guidance and suggestions for extension work.

The materials can be used in the classroom but are also appropriate for homework, cover lessons, revision, and to help students who have missed lessons. Worksheets can be given to students electronically (and completed on-screen), printed or photocopied as needed.

Titles

Issue 1: Sole Traders – Garden Designer and Kitchen Fitter

Issue 2: Partnerships – Antonio Couture – wedding dresses

Issue 3: Private Limited Company – Paperfeel – manufacturers of plastic products

Issue 4: A Public Limited Company – Anglian Water plc.

Issue 5: Franchises – River Nene Vegetables

Great value at £35.50 each (plus VAT). P&P is included in the price. If you wish to put the resources on a school-wide network, you will need a site licence for each product priced at £30.50 (plus VAT).

Visit http://www.istudypacks.co.uk/for-teachers, telephone 01954 202789 or email info@istudypacks.co.uk for further information and to order.

www.istudypacks

Holdsworth Associates
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Market Street
Swavesey
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