Monthly Archives: December 2016

School News

Could your pupils support the world’s biggest minority?

The power of school fundraising

80% of disabled people worldwide live in developing countries. Faced with exclusion in many countries, the world’s one billion people with disabilities have been described as the ‘world’s biggest minority’. School fundraising enables our teams to provide life-changing support for some of the most vulnerable people on earth.

From fundraising sports days and summer fetes to tutor group challenges; we have been humbled by support from pupils and teachers in 2016. We would be honoured to have your school’s support next year.

Please order your fundraising pack

As well as a fundraising pack, we can provide a speaker to talk about our work with communities affected by conflict.

Whether it’s giving an amputee the chance to walk again or helping to make a community safe from the threat of landmines, the money you raise could really change lives.

Please order our fundraising pack or contact schools@hi-uk.org for more information.

Thank you for your support,

John

P.S. Our YouTube Playlist for schools contains 13 short videos about our work with communities affected by war.

John McGeachy
Handicap International

Handicap International UK
9 Rushworth Street,
London SE1 0RB
Email: john.mcgeachy@hi-uk.org
Tel: 0870 774 3737
Text Relay: 18001 0870 774 3737
www.handicap-international.org.uk/schools#

Primary

Coping with the sheer variety of pupils’ emotional and behaviour problems.

It’s long been recognised that every child is different.  We’ve analysed just over 5000 cases showing the variety of referral conditions for Play Therapy.

The top 10 conditions account for 43% of all referrals out of 327 different ones presented – so Pareto’s law does not apply!

Family relationship difficulties 6.77%
Attachment Issues 6.57%
Anger management 6.21%
Domestic violence – experience of
 5.05%
Anxiety disorder
 3.75%
Bereavement Close Relatives
 3.36%
Social relationships difficulties 3.28%
Lack of self-esteem 3.12%
Autistic spectrum disorder 2.98%
Adjustment Issue – with anxiety 2.40%

Does this match your school’s experience?

Play Therapy UK registrants are trained to cope with this complexity of issues, achieving a positive change of between 77% and 84%.  Not perfect but pretty good.

Find your nearest PTUK therapist:  www.playtherapyregister.org.uk

More information:  www.playtherapy.org.uk

Email me personally at jefferyht@yahoo.co.uk for details of our trainee placement service which provides play therapy for a year at a negligible cost.

Kind regards

Jeff Thomas – Registrar Play Therapy UK

Primary

Inspirational Classrooms by Enchanted

A classroom should be an inspiration, a place that stimulates a child’s desire to learn and develop. Enchanted Creations’ themed inspirational classrooms offer a completely bespoke theme, inside and out.

The concept designs, unique to your school, are completely free. Why not ask Enchanted to take a look at your classroom needs and let us design something special for you.

If you need a new classroom(s) drop us a line at brad@enchantedcreations.co.uk or call 01844 343106.

Enchanted classroom Enchanted classroom
Enchanted classroom

Enchanted Creations. Designers and manufacturers of incredible classrooms and play equipment.

Head Teacher comment: “you don’t find companies like Enchanted anymore, amazing, all schools should know about you…”

If you would like to know more, please call 01844 343106 or email brad@enchantedcreations.co.uk

Primary

Tackle key issues in a week

What can you really achieve in a week?

Teachers want to keep developing and updating their professional knowledge, but it is often hard to fit this in alongside teaching, planning, marking and, ideally, enjoying some well-deserved down-time.
As busy professionals, when faced with a difficult problem, most teachers also prefer useful advice in the form of workable strategies they can try, rather than lengthy theoretical analyses of the issues.
A solution that fits with the way teachers work and helps them to keep up to date in a manageable way is needed. And if the teacher feels they are making progress in seven short days, so much the better!
We are delighted to announce a brand new series, Getting it Right in a Week, aimed at teachers in the classroom, and designed to help you and your colleagues master key topics in 7 days.
These books are concise and accessible but still take a critical approach. They provide a straightforward, practical collection of suggestions and strategies that can be quickly studied, tried out and evaluated for their usefulness. Each book is grounded in evidence but understands how teaching works in reality. The first titles in the series cover behaviour management, lesson planning and mentoring.
You can learn more about this series on our website – just go to http://www.criticalpublishing.com/getting-it-right-in-a-week. If you click on the Behaviour Management title you will be able to download a free sample chapter.
If you have any questions or queries about Getting it Right in a Week please do call 01727 851 462 or email di@criticalpublishing.com
Di Page
Critical Publishing
 
Careers

Newman University Update to to Contact Database

Newman University’s Education Liaison Team would like to keep you informed of the opportunities available to your students and staff and developments at the University. To ensure that your details on our database are correct, and in line with the Data Protection Act, we would be very grateful if you could take just a couple of minutes to complete the on-line consent form on the following link.

https://goo.gl/forms/E2mVjKC5fV3ikgOQ2

Newman’s philosophy focuses on producing graduates who are well prepared for developing successful careers. Newman has one of the best graduate employment rates of UK universities with over 95% of graduates in employment or further study within the first six months of graduating. This national recognition demonstrates Newman’s commitment to providing students with key skills and a deeper understanding of their discipline, so they can adjust to the challenges of the future and stand out from the crowd.

As part of our bespoke services, Newman University offers a range of talks, workshops and taster days that allow students to gain a full understanding of their options after Further Education. All of these provide quality advice and guidance regarding routes and pathways to Higher Education, coupled with opportunities to build upon life skills such as interview techniques and personal statement writing.

In addition to this, we also offer Open Days and CPD opportunities for staff such as Higher Education Advisors’ conferences.

If you would like to speak to me about how we can support your students, or would like more information about Newman University please do not hesitate to contact me on 0121 476 1181 ext 2207.

We look forward to working with you in the near future.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Amy Prentice
Senior Student Recruitment Officer

Primary

What is the most effective way of helping children improve their concentration, become more creative, and grow in confidence?

By and large it is the people who excel at creativity, who can concentrate, and who exude confidence, who develop the most effective social skills.  And ultimately it is people with such abilities and skills who succeed in our society today.

But, of course, creativity, confidence, and concentration cannot be taught in isolation – they have to be taught through something else.  And with years of work in the field, we strongly believe we know exactly how to enhance the concentration, creativity, and confidence of virtually all children in a school, within a week.

The route we use is storytelling.

Of course we know that there are many children who will proclaim that they can’t tell or write stories.  However the reality is that the more stories we can encourage the children to create, the better the stories become, the more literacy is enhanced, the more confidence grows, and the more creativity is stimulated.

In short, learning how to create and weave stories delivers the very skills that permeate through all aspects of both school life and life in the adult world.

To aid the development of these three vital skills we have created a series of three one-hour workshops for KS1 pupils and five such workshops for KS2 pupils which enable the children to learn what makes a great story and how they can create one themselves. ​

This dynamic programme from Snail Tales involves having a storyteller working in your school for one week. During this time he/she will not only undertake the storytelling project, but also take one or two assemblies, work with EYFS children, and undertake a one hour CPD session with your colleagues after school.

There are more details of the project, along with comments from teachers who have already been involved in the project on our website, as well as an online booking form and other information. ​

Or, if you have an immediate question, please do either:​

 

Procurement

How useful would more secure on-site storage be?

Need more space?

Are you worried that your sheds and outbuildings are not as secure as you would like them to be? Perhaps you’ve already suffered from an attack by thieves or vandals. Would you like one central place to keep all the things you need rather than having them scattered throughout the school?

A secure, weatherproof container is the answer to all these problems and more but don’t just take our word for it. Debbie Stephens, Business Manager at Perry Court School, told us:

“Having been broken into 3 times and had all the equipment taken and our sheds broken, not only did we have to keep replacing everything but our insurance company refused to insure us.  Since we have had our container in place we have had no attempts by people to break in, no arson and no vandalism.  The container is green so it blends into the environment perfectly and we use it every day.” Debbie also told us that she believes wooden sheds are false economy because the locks are flimsy and can easily be kicked in and shipping containers last a lot longer. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves!

Prior Park College in Bath bought two containers to replace their tatty sheds which were deteriorating. They have helped tidy the area up and Mike Crudge told us “We tried everybody but Container Team delivered what we wanted and came in on price.”

Mark Malone from Salesian School, Surrey is using his container to keep tools and furniture in. Previously these things were all over the place, so the container has helped centralise things and has given them much more storage space within the school. He said “Container Team turned up when they said they would, they are competitively priced and it is what it says on the tin – a container for storage purposes”

Site Managers all over the country have already discovered the benefits of using our containers. Our high security locking system ensures that your equipment will be stored securely.

Containers are affordable whether you hire or buy, starting at only £12 per week. The lease can be as short as a month and in some schools the cost is met by PTA.

A wide range of sizes is available starting at garden shed size right up to a whopping 40ft long unit. If you have an awkward space, we can manufacture a unit to fit it.

For more information and case studies please check out our website storage-for-schools.co.uk.

We deal with schools on a daily basis so we’ll be able to answer all your questions and offer plenty of help and advice. Just call Sarah on her direct number 01934 245026 or email mailto:sarah@containerteam.co.uk and we’ll see what we can do to help you.

Primary

How Stewie Scraps inspires reluctant readers to read

What is the single most effective way to inspire a love for reading among reluctant readers?

Inspiring a love for reading among your pupils can be as simple as finding the right book.

Which is why Brilliant Publications has published Stewie Scraps – a series of six adventure stories that will appeal to all readers of both sexes, with gripping storylines and simple language to make them particularly suitable for use with reluctant readers.

Stewie Scraps is a likeable character and an unlikely hero who is great at making things. Children will love Stewie’s amazing technological creations – all made from bits and bobs from his dad’s junk shop.

Books in the Stewie Scraps series include: Stewie Scraps and the Easy Rider, Stewie Scraps and the Giant Joggers, Stewie Scraps and the Space Racer, Stewie Scraps and the Star Rocket, Stewie Scraps and the Trolley Cart and Stewie Scraps and the Super Sleigh.

For more information and a sample chapter from each book, visit: http://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/stewie-scraps-series-pack-333

You can order the Stewie Scrap series for £19.95 in a variety of ways, including:

  • by visiting the website
  • by phone on 01449 766629
  • by fax on 01449 768047
  • by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.

Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 768047

School News

Achieve Your School’s Target Attendance

>Regular attendance and participation in schooling is an important factor in educational success. Students who are regular non-attenders are at risk of alienation from education that can lead to decreased options for future learning.

With the statutory requirement to report attendance figures comes the additional need to look at why pupils aren’t attending. It’s important to get to the centre of why a child refuses to attend, and to put support in place through educational strategies.

EDLounge is an innovative online learning resource that can help your academy achieve its target attendance.

Our system is designed to motivate students who are persistently absent, off-site and in alternative provision, allowing these pupils to raise their A-C attainment and gain vital qualifications.

We currently work in partnership with academies all across the UK, helping them to:

  • Reduce exclusions and persistent absences
  • Use EDVirtual’s mentor support system engage school phobic students to work from home
  • Track and monitor pupils’ attendance and progress to produce printable reports – perfect for Ofsted inspections!
  • Motivate disengaged pupils by promoting learning

‘The implementation of EDLounge to support students who are excluded from school has had a significant impact on an identified cohort of students. It provides them with a programme of study and behaviour repair work that is monitored daily by school staff and parents, ensuring that students are engaged in meaningful work throughout their exclusion.

This has meant that exclusions have become more of a deterrent and are now seen as more meaningful and robust by parents/carers. This has meant a reduction in the number of repeat exclusions which is, in turn, seeing a marked improvement in attendance…’

Read the full Case Study from The Rodillian Academy: www.edlounge.info/EDLounge-Case-Study.pdf

EDLounge and EDClass become your alternative provision, allowing your pupils to learn, progress and attain in an environment that is suited to their specific needs.

We work in partnership with academies to ensure comprehensive levels of safeguarding, well-being, supervision for your pupils on or off-site.

Our unique approach makes EDLounge the perfect resource for students who are in inclusion or exclusion, alongside vocational and foundation learners, target groups, and students who are vulnerable, at risk, not attending classes, persistently absent, not doing homework, disengaged or demotivated.

For more information about EDLounge, a two week free trial or a live online demo of the functionality of the online learning platform, contact us on 01909 568 338 or by email with the subject ’Attend16’ at mail@edlounge.com.

Special Needs

Supporting your SEN students to form healthy relationships

How can you support your Special Educational Needs
students to form healthy relationships in all aspects
of their life?

The ability to form a healthy relationship is something that we typically learn from trial and error and observation, but it may be that your SEN students require a bit more support if they are able to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout adolescence and adulthood.

Which is why we have devised The Relationships series. A comprehensive resource offering guidance to teenagers aged 14 to 19 with a reading age of around seven by being sympathetic to the way that autistic teenagers (for example) typically view the world.

The Relationships series consists of:

  • Six story books, which support the ASDAN Transition Challenge and Towards Independence Life Skills courses, exploring a different situation where it is important that young people identify their emotions, as well as the emotions of others.

Titles include, “The Date: Rachel’s Story” and “The Date: Mike’s Story” (differing opinions and sides to the same story), “Mum’s New Boyfriend” (accepting a parent’s new partner), “My Teacher” (understanding teacher/pupil relationships), “Sisters at War” (managing sibling tension) and “Staying Out Late” (the issues it raises with parents).

  • A CD-ROM providing electronic versions of the above titles, making it ideal for interactive whiteboard presentations and for students who would also benefit from listening to the text. It is also possible to edit and save the text to make your own story, create differentiated texts and personalise the text with your students’ names to enhance engagement.
  • An extensive range of activity worksheets and interactive activities that encourage reading comprehension. Activities include, Missing Words, Quizzes, Drag and Drop, Words and Pictures, Picture Search, Keyword Flashcards, Wordsearch, Spot the Difference and How Well Did You Read?.
  • Supporting resources for teachers including page-by-page notes for all the stories and assessment resources (feedback sheets and student record sheets).

The complete set of resources containing two copies of each of the six readers, the complete teacher book, and the CD Rom is available as the Relationships Value Pack for £139 plus VAT (save 10%).

Individual elements from the pack are also available separately.

For further information, please click here.  Alternatively, please email info@senpress.co.uk or call 01582 833205.

Janie Nicholas

School News

2017 nearly there! Leavers hoodies time already.

This time why not contact us now and this year be one step ahead?

We will do so much to to take the hassle out of organising your Leavers Hoodies

  • SEE! We have the very best testimonials, from real people that started as customers and are now our very loyal customers
  • It can be a tiresome task organising your Leavers hoodies. But not anymore we are experts in taking the pressure off your shoulders.
  • No unpleasant surprises from leaversgear, our prices have no hidden extras.
  • Please take advantage of our totally FREE sample service.
  • We have no complaints on quality, simply because we only supply you with the very best
  • Easy to use website with interactive design pages and easy contact Form.

At Leaversgear our number one priority is customer satisfaction, we’ll send you as many drafts as needed until you are totally happy with your design. All part of the service which is second to none.

We look forward to hearing from you.  Click here.  Email or phone.  It’s FREE to ask for a quote or even just have a chat about what you want..

Kind Regards
The LeaversGear Design Team

Primary

What is the best way of being aware of the personal and social issues being faced by those we teach?

With many children their behaviour tells us much of what we need to know about their lives. Indeed it is their behaviour that makes us aware of any problems that they might be suffering.

But there is no doubt that observation alone won’t always alert us to the fact that some of the children we teach may be lacking in their understanding of certain key issues of their emotional, personal, and social experiences.

Do they really understand the dangers of mimicking the behaviour they might see in their older brothers and sisters? Is anyone engaging in self-abuse who has slipped beneath the radar? Are there neighbourhood issues that the school is not fully aware of?

A knowledge of these and related issues can make the work of the school much more effective, as you and your colleagues can learn more about the children’s lives and about the dynamics existing in each class.

We can, for example, begin to see if those attending the school are getting suitable breakfasts. We can see if the children who are not met by parents feel safe on their way to and from school.

Of course, if your colleagues try to ask such questions in class, it can be hard to get answers from the very people whose answers might be the ones they most need to hear. Which is why many schools are turning to an alternative way to get this information.

This alternative approach involves using questionnaires covering the well-being and health of pupils. Such a questionnaire can identify the reasons for behaviours and provide a rich source of information that can be used to explore underlying influences.

In short, the professionally structured questionnaire allows us to learn far more about the behaviour and emotions of those we teach than is possible in any other way.

Youcansay has worked with hundreds of schools across the UK in providing and analysing questionnaires which help classroom teachers and senior management in schools learn far more about those they teach, than can otherwise be achieved.

To see more information on our Well-being and Health Questionnaire which could be run in your school please click here

If you would like to talk about the questionnaires, their benefits and how they work please do call us on 0118 978 1078, you can also contact us by email service@youcansay.co.uk

 

Music

Help students appreciate the beauty of live music

Music concerts of the highest calibre
in Birmingham available to students for a fraction
of the normal price

In the new year Birmingham is hosting two special high calibre classical music events with tickets available for your students at just £5 each.

The first is a concert in which Edward Gardner conducts Peer Gynt, Walton’s first symphony, and Elgar’s Cello Concerto on 17 January.

The second concert on 26 January sees the St Petersburg Philharmonic play Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov: the most celebrated of Russian orchestras playing two of Russia’s most spectacular orchestral showpieces: Romeo and Juliet and Scheherazade.

In addition to the tickets being available at £5 tickets per student, the discount also applies to the seats occupied by yourself and your colleagues.  It doesn’t matter how many or how few students you are bringing along to an event, the tickets cost just £5 each.

Also, if it is more convenient for you, you can encourage parents to organise a home-school group so that parents can organise and arrange the trip themselves.

And if you are bringing a group of 20 or more pupils or students you can in addition get two free tickets for the organisers.

Details of the Peer Gynt, Walton, and Elgar concert are to be found here while details of the St Petersburg Philharmonic concert are here.

To see the details of all the classical music concerts that are scheduled for the coming months please do take a look at our website page which outlines the events for which these discounts apply.

Then to book just call Group Bookings on 0800 358 7070 (10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email groupbookings@thsh.co.uk.  

If you have any questions about these new discounts, please do call the group bookings number and we’ll be pleased to help you.

Finally, in case it is helpful to you I set out below a letter that could be emailed to parents informing them of the event.

Antony Pickthall

 

Dear Parents

I am pleased to say that the concert venue THSH in Birmingham has offered the school tickets for two classical music concerts in January, with the tickets for students available at the very discounted price of just £5 per student.

This is a rare opportunity for students in the school to witness live performances of the very best musicians performing popular works from the classical repertoire, and I am hoping that a number of our students will attend with me.

The first is a concert in which Edward Gardner conducts Peer Gynt, Walton’s first symphony, and Elgar’s Cello Concerto on 17 January.  Details are to be found here.

The second concert on 26 January sees the St Petersburg Philharmonic play Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov.  This concert involves the most celebrated of Russian orchestras playing two of Russia’s most spectacular orchestral showpieces: Romeo and Juliet and Scheherazade.  Details of this concert are here.

I would be most grateful if you could email me back at xxxx@xxxxx by xxxdate to let me know if your son or daughter will be attending this concert.

Yours sincerely,

English

What is the most effective way of introducing Shakespeare at Key Stage 3?

This is what teachers said…

A recent survey of both classroom teachers and heads of English in secondary schools revealed a huge diversity of opinion as to what is the best way to introduce Shakespeare to pupils and students for the first time.

Indeed many of the teachers who responded had evolved their own unique approach, so while some went straight to the Shakespeare text others started with viewing the play on film, some used a dramatic exploration of certain scenes, and others used a comic style presentation by way of introduction.

What was particularly interesting in the responses was that as we explored the matter further many teachers said that they had not tried certain approaches or had assumed that it was not an approach that was developed enough for their pupils.

Further, when we asked if it was felt that introducing a Shakespeare play for the first time was problematic, the most common answer was that it was difficult because of resistance to the whole concept of Shakespeare.  In short, barriers had to be broken down.

Now, in response to a range of questions asked of teachers in the last couple of years we’ve produced a Shakespeare resource which meets many of the needs expressed by both classroom teachers and heads of departments.

For example, we noted that many teachers like to have a dual text edition with the original and a modern translation available at the same time. Others welcome a highly illustrated comic book approach to make the play more rapidly accessible, particularly at Key Stage 3.

Likewise we noted that around two thirds of teachers involved in teaching Shakespeare to students seeing it for the first time said they liked to start with key scenes only.

So this is what we have produced: a resource that incorporates all these requirements. You can get a feel for the results on our website

Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are price details and details of how to order also on the website  And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

Primary

Circus Workshops, Entertainment, and more for 2017

We’ve been having a very festive circus time here at Fantastiko but don’t just take our word for it…

“My favourite thing was….EVERYTHING, because it was absolutely amazing!” Emily, Emsworth Primary School.

“Thank you Drew! It was the best fun I’ve ever had” Luke Cambridge University Primary

We wanted to wish you a very happy new year and let you know about what’s available in 2017.

Fantastiko circus workshops are brilliant fun, educational, and all inclusive (for all ages and abilities).  They give pupils the opportunity to experience something unique and gain confidence from learning new skills and taking part in challenging and engaging activities, delivered in an exciting and nurturing formula.

We bring everything you need from excellent facilitators, masses of equipment and we even have tents and entertainers if you want the complete circus package.

We respect that schools and children are different so as well as our standard packages we also create bespoke days and events dependent on your requirements, pupils and budget, therefore, please don’t hesitate to contact us with your enquiries.

Whether enhancing a key stage topic or as a full day event for the whole school our circus workshops are an unforgettable experience for your pupils. From ‘Taster’ experiences, Circus Science sessions, to developing performances and longer schemes of work with 20 years experience we pride ourselves on giving a professional yet personal service.

As a special Christmas gift we are offering a 10% discount and 100 FREE CERTIFICATES for all bookings in 2017 – We like to recognise achievement and the certificates can be personalised for each pupil to take home.

We also have a range of discounts and deals on our circus packages (workshops/tent/entertainment) brilliant for school fetes and events especially during the summer term.

Take a look at our website for further and more detailed information.

www.circusworkshops.biz

Prices from £190 for half days

Lisa or Drew will talk you through all the options and our simple booking process. Call or email us now on:

Contact: info@circusworkshops.biz Tel: 
Mobile: 07539 229256

School News

FREE Meares-Irlen Syndrome screening software for schools

Read123 are providing our groundbreaking iPad based app for screening, diagnosing and managing Meares-Irlen Syndrome / Visual Stress (worth an annual £500 subscription) completely free of charge for a FULL year.

1 in 3 pupils suffer from this condition and therefore screening of all pupils is absolutely vital. Now you can screen ALL your pupils in a fraction of the time. No training needed!

Limited time offer.

Unique features include:

Reading speed improvement calculator

Speech recognition feature to detect reading mistakes

Customised tint calculator for glasses (customised tint glasses prices from just £54.99)

Data charts for the school

Unlimited access

Sort results by class and academic year

Sync feature to share results amongst tablets in the school.

Read123

The Read123 Meares-Irlen Syndrome app has been designed and developed by specialist Opticians who have been working with pupils for over 10 years. We are members of The Association of Optometrists and are keen participants of their Schools Vision initiative.

You can take the free trial here. Simply contact us on 0800 6890292 or support@read123.co.uk after you have used up the 2 free attempts and we will provide you with a login code for your school. This will let you use the app free for a whole year.

More information on our website at www.read123.co.uk

Primary

Achieving one to one tuition

The most effective way of helping children with poor literacy is one-to-one tuition. But how do we do that?

For most of us, we can’t offer one-to-one tuition to the children we teach – at least we can’t for more than a small amount of time each week. The resources just aren’t available. Or, at least they have not been in the past.

But some schools are offering exactly this: one-to-one tuition for the children who are slipping behind in literacy, and all within the school’s budget. They achieve this by using a program which rapidly locates the child’s literacy issues, and then directs the child to an engaging set of activities which will remedy the misunderstandings that have been identified. Once rectified, they advance to the next skills set.

Thus the child gets the individual attention he/she needs; attention which is directed one hundred percent to the child’s level of literacy in a way that they find utterly rewarding and engaging.

Because the level of literacy is so accurately reflective of each pupil’s unique ability, each individual gets the feeling of success and progress, rather than any feeling of failing or falling short of the level achieved by others.

At the same time, you are now free to work with other children in your group. Indeed you can rotate the children: some receiving directed help online, others engaged in class activities with you.

The program in question is Core5 from Lexia, a program already in use in over three thousand schools.

I would like to offer you the chance to try it for yourself. Then, if you feel the program is of interest to you, your classes can have access to it for 30 days without any payment or commitment, starting on a date suitable to you.

To read more, and to take up the opportunity of seeing the program in action, click here. There is no registration, no form filling – you can just try the program. (Do remember to have the sound turned on before you start!)

You can also apply for a 30 day free trial of the program by clicking here. Or if you want more information please do call 0191 482 1939, or email info@lexiauk.co.uk

I hope you will find this approach interesting and consider joining the many other schools now using Core5 as their prime method of raising literacy standards across the school.

Kind regards,

Rob Kay
Software Consultant

Primary

Step-by-step instructions on how to make Christmas stockings, Christmas wrapping paper, greetings cards, and gift boxes

Ensuring that your pupils are meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum in their lessons in the lead up to Christmas can become somewhat of a challenge, not least because it can be near impossible to adapt many of the NC requirements to the theme of Christmas.

Fortunately, 100+ Fun Ideas for Art Activities introduces a wide range of art skills which link well with the 2014 National Curriculum and offer step-by-step instructions for making Christmas stockings, Christmas wrapping paper, greetings cards, and gift boxes.

Furthermore, there are several other art activity ideas in the resource which can easily be adapted to the theme of Christmas, such as decorating glass jars and painting to music, to name a couple. To see the full contents page of 100+ Fun Ideas for Art Activities, click here.

For more information about 100+ Fun Ideas for Art Activities (including sample pages) visit http://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/100-fun-ideas-for-art-activities-9

You can order 100+ Fun Ideas for Art Activities for just £13.99 in a variety of ways, including:

  • by visiting the website
  • by phone on 01449 766629
  • by fax on 01449 768047
  • by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.

Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 768047

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School News

The School Improvement Conference

“We run our schools differently. Students want to attend them, teachers want to work in them and other schools want to learn from them.”

This year we are running our School Improvement Conferences on February 1 2017 and April 26 2017.  We have already had an extremely successful event on November 30 2016, feedback from delegates who attended includes:

“Absolutely outstanding – most useful experience of my career to date”

“Excellent day with lots of discussion, good honesty”

“A thoroughly engaging, thought provoking day.  All presenters and presentations were excellent and at times inspiring”

We would like to share with you the strategies we have developed that have helped our students across the Trust deliver Progress 8 scores up to 0.56. These strategies also formed the bedrock that transformed failing schools into good schools in a short period of time.

For more information, please take a look at our brochure and booking form by following the links below. We look forward to working with you.

School Improvement Conference Brochure

School Improvement Conference Booking Form

Primary

Vandal Proof Lockers at no cost to the school

 

Staylock Ltd manufacture, supply and install vandal resistant school lockers.

 www.staylock.co.uk

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GENERATE INCOME FOR YOUR SCHOOL WITHOUT ANY CAPITAL OUTLAY?

WHILST PROVIDING SAFE STORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR CHILDREN’S BELONGINGS

 

Install our vandal resistant lockers with 10 year guarantee maintenance provided.

All sizes manufactured and bespoke options.

Choice of locking options – keys, padlocks, code locks

With our all-inclusive low cost rental plan, ensuring no hidden or unforeseen cost to the school during the rental period, and with contributions from parents from as little as 50 pence per week generating a four figure income for the school!

FOR FREE NO OBLIGATION SURVEY AND DISCUSS ADDITIONAL SCHOOL INCOME

Call 01253 733049 or 07899911302

Email  sales@staylock.co.uk

www.staylock.co.uk

School News

For the attention of Leavers Hoodies organiser for 2017.

It doesn’t need to be a huge HASSLE let our team guide you to a hassle free experience in ordering leavers hoodies.

We can tell you why to choose LeaversGear?

Better still let our regular customers tell you Click here  to see.

Our aim is to offer complete customer satisfaction, we do everything we can to make ordering as simple as possible, why not give us a try.

We look forward to hearing from you.  Click here.  Email or phone – It’s FREE to ask for a quote or even just have a chat about what you want..

Kind Regards
The LeaversGear Design Team

www.leaversgear.com
E-mail: enquiries@leaversgear.com
Freephone: 0800 9545662
Phone: +44 (0) 28 9185 3974

School News

Successful Gangsta Granny tour extended thru 2017

UK theatre tour of GANGSTA GRANNY by DAVID WALLIAMS continues until July 2017

Great for KS2 Curriculum

GANGSTA GRANNY by the UK’s bestselling children’s author, David Walliams, is now an acclaimed new play suitable for pupils at infant, junior and middle school level (ages 4 to 12) and it will help you cover part of the National Curriculum. The show is currently on tour around the UK until July 2017 before transferring to the West End.

See venue details, photos, reviews and a trailer of the show at www.birminghamstage.com

Special school ticket prices apply at all tour venues and many give free tickets to teachers on duty. Schools can also claim back the VAT on their pupils’ tickets to reduce costs further.

“How do you entertain a thousand deafening under ten-year-olds for two hours? The answer is this cracker of a show, brilliantly adapted and directed, which comes with a smashing cast. It’s totally grantastic!” * * * *  The Mail on Sunday

It’s Friday night and Ben knows that means only one thing – staying with Granny! There will be cabbage soup, cabbage pie and cabbage cake to eat and Ben knows one thing for sure – it’s going to be so boring! But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret – and Friday nights are about to get more exciting than he could possibly imagine, as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny!

“Kids adore David Walliams’ books and they loved this show. It has an infectious exuberance that answers the writing’s zest and theatricality. Every comic opportunity is grasped!”  * * * * The Daily Telegraph

Gangsta Granny follows Birmingham Stage Company’s hugely popular shows including Horrible Histories, Tom’s Midnight Garden and James and the Giant Peach.

We look forward to seeing you at this amazing children’s adventure!

WHAT THE TEACHERS SAY ABOUT GANGSTA GRANNY!

“Absolutely brilliant – it kept very close to the book and was even better in parts. The show exceeded our expectations – we loved the dancing and the comedy and the scenery was exceptional – so clever how it unfolded. Everyone was truly amazing, with brilliant characterisations. A truly excellent show. You brought the West End to Nottingham!” Highfields School, Newark

“It was an excellent show and very entertaining! It was much funnier than the book and we thought it was very clever. The children loved it! Thank you!” Viscount Beaumont’s C of E, Coalville

” Amazing! Very well portrayed and an accurate representation of the book which more than fulfilled our expectations – it really brought the story to life. The set was so clever and we also loved the costumes. Ben was perfect for the role and everyone did such a great job. No stone was left unturned – we hope David Walliams is proud” Cape Cornwall School

 

School News

A Virtual Classroom and Learning Environment

Dear Colleague,

EDLounge Ltd launched EDVirtual (Our Virtual Classroom) in 2016 so that your teachers, mentors and qualified support staff can work remotely with your students in a safe and controlled environment.

Our virtual classroom helps excluded students and those students who require a short term alternative provision. Your staff have the capability to educate your students on specific timetabled pathways via live video stream. Your students will benefit from being taught through a unique pathway tailored to their personal needs and capabilities.

By using our virtual classroom your school can save time and money, benefit from seamless teacher and student lesson transition, and easily interact and support a group or individual while they are unable to attend school.

Our unique safeguarding tools have been designed to give educators the best opportunity to deliver lessons to off-site students whilst monitoring their attendance, behaviour and safety. All virtual lessons are recorded and automatically backed up and saved to ensure safeguarding all round.

This provision is a robust and comprehensive tool that not only allows your organisation to offer teaching and support, but also offers tutoring, assessment, pre-assessment, verification, and expertise in any subject for any age group for those doing core or academic courses.

The Virtual Classroom will allow you to:

  • view students’ learning live via a secure server stream
  • mentor students through a written chat, verbal chat or face to face video link
  • set structured and personalised pathways for individual students using school content or by using 7,000+ ready-made lessons provided
  • communicate face to face with students who are learning off-site
  • dramatically improve your students’ attendance and achievement.

For more information about EDVirtual, a two week free trial or a live online demo of the functionality of the online learning platform, contact us on 01909 568 338 or by email with the subject ‘VirtualClassroom16’ at mail@edlounge.com

Science

Science Field trips overseas

Gapforce Introduction
Science Fieldtrips Overseas

I understand you are the best person to contact with regards to Science-based overseas trips for school groups.

By way of introduction, we run subject specific trips such as Biology as well as general education, adventurous activities and volunteering, all tailor-made to meet your school’s requirements.

We work with a number of UK and International Schools each year and I would be happy to provide sample itineraries and references.

Popular destinations for Science trips include:

  • Costa Rica
  • The Galapagos Islands
  • Tanzania

To receive a free brochure about our school trips, please click here

Best wishes,

James

Procurement

Beat the price rises on Postura Plus chairs and stools…………

 Postura Plus classroom chairs have a TWENTY year warranty and an outstanding  record of reliability and durability  in thousands of schools.  Available in sizes for nurseries through to schools and colleges  they provide comfortable, ergonomic seating  in a choice of 15 attractive colours.

The prices of Postura  chairs, stools and IT chairs are due to increase on January 1 2017  ………so if you need new chairs why not order now to avoid paying higher prices next year…  Contact us now  to order and benefit from our current highly competitive prices.

The Postura Plus range can be found on the website of Central Educational Supplies Ltd  together with more information and pricing.

www.centraleducational.co.uk

Central Educational Supplies Ltd., can be contacted by phone on 020 7515 1797 (please ask to speak to Martin Evans)   by email info@centraleducational.co.uk    or fax on  020 7515 4420

Central Educational Supplies Ltd.,  PO Box 999  London  E14 6SH

P.S. Should you need new tables, desks, storage units etc then these can also be found on the above website.

English

Why tell tales?

What is the one cultural activity that all children love, and which is also fundamental to our survival?

Storytelling is as old as homo sapiens, and is our most profound way of learning about ourselves and those around us. About what is, what was, and what might be.

As such it is the heart and soul of our imaginations, our creativity and our civilisation, and it is our principle survival tool.  It is in fact the mechanism that has allowed us to survive, flourish, and create civilisations.

Because of this we still need stories as a way of uniting ourselves in families and societies, which is why novels and dramas continue to be at the very heart of our existence.

Indeed even a single sentence can get us going.  Try this for example….

Sam went to the end of her garden, and ran her hand through the flowers that grew there.

We are at once transported, and so the story begins.

There are many ways of bringing more and more stories to the children you teach.  But there is one in particular I would like to bring to your attention: The Free Snail Tales Storytelling Bonanza.

This involves you working with your local primary feeder schools, so that an event can be put on in your school hall, where all the children can enjoy the show and some accompanying workshops.

The price of the session is fixed irrespective of the number of pupils involved.  So if you invite some or all of your feeder primary schools, each need only make a very modest financial contribution – while you, as the host, pay nothing.

You can even host a public performance in your hall after school for parents and families to attend too, making it even more likely that your school won’t have to pay a penny.

Of course, it is entirely up to you how you arrange it – but certainly using storytelling as the heart of the introduction to your school can not only stimulate imagination and break down boundaries, but also reduce the worry that some children have on attending secondary school for the first time.

To begin organising your Storytelling Bonanza you can call us on 020 328 76245 to discuss the details, or visit our online booking form.You can select from one of our existing themes by clicking here.

Or, if you have an immediate question, please do either call 020 328 SNAIL (020 328 76245) or visit our Contact Us page

ICT, School News

Computational Thinking, Algorithms, Programming

Computational Thinking, Algorithms, Programming and more
Our flexible computing resources offer a wealth of challenging but achievable tasks.  Individual quality activities can be edited, collated and shared digitally allowing you to tailor projects to the exact needs of your students. The engaging nature of the materials will give them wings.

View and print our Mail-Order Leaflet (2 pages)

Algorithms and Comp Thinking
Preview Pages

Algorithms and Programming
Preview Pages

VB.NET Projects
Free Sample Project

Dreamweaver
Free Sample

Vocab-Busters
Free Sample

The Interactive Kiosk Project
Preview Pages

Spreadsheets/Databases and Tasks
Free Sample

MS Access Tutorial Set
Free Samples

MS Excel Tutorial Set
Free Samples

Photoshop Scrapbook
Free Sample

 ORB Education ICT/Computing Resources
ORDER NOW – and pay by school invoice

View and print our Mail-Order Leaflet

Please email enq@orbeducation.co.uk for more information.

Warm regards
Dan Collingbourne

PS. Save up to 15% on your order. Details in our Mail-Order Leaflet.

Visit our Website
ORB Education
EMAIL:  enq@orbeducation.co.uk
FAX: (0161) 667 0540
POST: 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS

 

Drama

What is the most effective way of teaching stage lighting within theatre studies courses?

From years of teaching stage lighting to students, a practical, “hands on” stage lighting workshop works best for the students. It is engaging and fun and they learn by doing it!  Suitable for GCSE, A level, Btech students.

The students will learn: how to turn their stage lighting ideas into reality.They will start by building up a 2.5 metre tall fully working theatre, then they will find out about the different types of lights, which lights to use where, then rig and focus them.

They will learn how a lighting plan is created, and a cue list is drawn up. Then they can start “painting with light” and take turns to operate the lighting desk as if running the lights for a real show.

Students will: explore focusing techniques, the use of shutters, barn doors, and irises, then by using a front forest gauze, they will make Macbeth witches appear with their steaming cauldron, while the forest disappears!

Gobos are used in Profile spots to create large scale projected cityscapes, trees, church windows etc, which really can transform your performing space, from the “Forest of Arden” to a grand castle, or New York all in a twinkling of an eye.

Towards the end of the workshop, the visual interest increases yet more with the introduction of simple yet effective star cloths, fire and water projections as well as some famous remote controlled West End sets magically appearing out of a smoke screen.

This workshop will inspire the teachers and the students alike and give lots of ideas to try for themselves, and they will clearly experience how the backstage theatre crafts come together to make a performance work, and be able to write about in their course work.

To find out more go to http://creativelightingdesign.co.uk/worshops

Reviews:  “In my 23 years of teaching drama I’ve yet to find a more interesting and creative way of introducing GCSE students to stage lighting.”    Head of Drama, St Michael’s School, Lancashire

Thanks it was a great big help for the students! They had a fantastic time, were very engaged and have learnt a great deal so thank you! Kind regards,

Maria King Nov Archbishop Lanfranc Academy, Croydon.

To book Call John Watson on: 01773 712130      Mobile 07966 491 543

email; johnwatsoncreativelight@outlook.com

John Watson is a member of the Association of Lighting Designers

Primary

How do you make the most of your interactive whiteboard technology to aid teaching and learning?

How do you support the busy teacher when delivering the curriculum?

Ready to use interactive whiteboard lessons and activities… designed, aligned and written by Primary School teachers.

  • Phonics 1, Phonics 2 and Phonics 3 – for the Promethean board and the SMART board. Fully editable. A versatile resource which supports any phonics programme. The resources support Initial Sounds, Digraphs and Phonics to Spelling.
    http://www.edpax.com/phonics/uk/
What are the benefits? The lessons and activities …

  • Promote quality teaching and learning
  • Are easy to use
  • Colourful and fun
  • Incorporate all educational targets
  • Provide depth, breadth, continuity and progression
  • Encourage all learning styles
  • Increase pupil/teacher participation and motivation
  • Maths, Phonics and Grammar fully editable.

Try before you buy?

Download FREE samples at http://www.edpax.com/free-resources/

 

 

History

History Summer Schools 2017 – Booking Now Open

 The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offer students age 11-18 the opportunity to find out more about some fascinating subjects, prepare for university applications, meet like-minded peers and get to grips with some tough intellectual challenges.

The material will be challenging (about the level of difficulty one might expect in the first year at university), but the atmosphere will be relaxed, with plenty of discussion, debate, and opportunities for students to shape the direction of classes. It is an environment conducive to getting to grips with new ideas.

Working in small groups (usually around 14 students per group) over several days offers participants a real chance to get to know tutors and fellow students and to explore the topics or questions that particularly interest them.

Highlights of Summer 2017 for students (aged 15-18) interested in History:

The History Summer School is an intensive five-day course which looks at historiographical questions and historical methods, using seminars, lectures, activities and informal discussions. Topics are selected to challenge and broaden the historical outlook of participants, and give a taste of what the subject is like at undergraduate level.

The Classical Civilisations Summer School looks at the ancient worlds of Greek and Rome from a range of perspectives, including politics, international relations, literature and philosophy. On this course we try to convey both the radical strangeness of the classical world, and to look at the legacy in modern times of ancient thinkers, ideas and institutions.

The Art History Summer School offers a five-day world whirlwind tour through some of the key moments in Western artistic practice. As well as looking at particular artists and periods, it also offers the chance to get stuck into some big philosophical questions – like how we judge art, or whether it makes sense to talk of art in terms of ‘progress’.

In addition to the three highlighted above, we also have Summer Schools in International Relations, Politics, Economics, Philosophy, English Literature, Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Maths and Physics.

Practical Details:

All the Summer School events will be held at University of London venues in Bloomsbury, Central London, and will take place in July and August 2017. Please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required.

You can find full details of schedules, dates, costs, student reviews and tutors at http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/.

There is a limited amount of bursary funding available for students who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.

To book a place please visit www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/, call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Nursery

The noticeboard might just be the hub of your school

A school noticeboard is usually bought for one reason. But that is not all a noticeboard is good for.

A school noticeboard is usually bought to communicate messages to parents where previous methods of communication have been problematic, or failed. But that is not all a noticeboard is good for. Indeed, the noticeboard might just be the hub of your school.

It provides parents with a topic of conversation and school staff with what can loosely be described as a teamwork activity – something which became apparent to Greenbarnes following the analysis of the results of a questionnaire distributed to schools.

To summarise, a school notice board is not just the responsibility of one, but the responsibility of many, and it not only creates a sense of cohesion among staff, but also among parents.

We have a range of styles of outdoor noticeboards which you can see on our website. Alternatively, please do call us on 01280 701093 and we’ll be pleased to discuss our boards, send you a brochure, and give any advice and guidance that you may require.