What is the simplest way to stop classroom chairs being damaged or vandalised ?

Quite simply, the answer is to purchase chairs that come with a TEN year guarantee.

 The “Postura Plus” classroom chair has a ten year

“fair wear and tear” guarantee, so you can look forward to years of hassle free use.  Many of our customers have been replacing their traditional classroom chairs with the “Postura Plus”. They do so because they appreciate its durability, while their students like its comfort and ergonomic design.  It’s available in all UK sizes and a wide range of colours….and what’s more, it’s manufactured here in the UK.

For more details, please visit our website (www.centraleducational.co.uk) or call us on

020 7515 1797 for a chat.

 Central Educational Supplies Ltd.,

PO Box 999, 

London

E14 6SH

Tel:  020 7515 1797

Fax: 020 7515 4420

E mail:  signpost@talk21.com

www.centraleducational.co.uk

PS.  It’s not only classroom chairs we supply, but also tables, exam desks, storage units, cupboards, lockers etc as well as staffroom furniture. 

Raising standards in creative writing

Encouraging children to be creative and original in their story writing can produce some weird and wonderful ideas. However, this doesn’t mean that their stories take them forward in terms of their creative writing.

A number of skills are required to help children to bring their writing to life and it is with this in mind that we have produced a set of books that explore these skills and offer activities and exercises that children can use to improve their creative writing.

The result is a series of three books: ‘Developing Skills for Writing’ covering levels 2, 3 and 4.

Each book contains sentence and text level activities which explore exactly how ‘powerful verbs’ can be used effectively, how ‘connectives’ can be used to signal time, how to compose ‘complex sentences’, how to use adjectives to create detail etc. In fact there’s a whole range of skills to move children’s writing on from National Curriculum Level 2 to Level 4.

Developing Skills for Writing uses, throughout the series, a multisensory approach to teaching, including word games, role play and oral activities covering all frequently used punctuation and grammar skills. Clear lesson plans explain every activity.

A ‘helping hand’ is also included to help pupils remember key facts and, where possible, optional worksheets focus on boys’ interests.

Free sample pages are available from our website at the web links below

Developing Skills for Writing – level 2

Developing Skills for Writing – level 3

Developing Skills for Writing – level 4

If you would like to know more please call 01772 863158 or email us at enquiries@topical-resources.co.uk

As always, you can order in any of these ways:

  • Online at the web links above
  • By phone on 01772 863158
  • By fax at 01772 866153
  • By email to Sales@topical-resources.co.uk
  • By post to Topical Resources, P.O. Box329, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire PR3 5LT

Topical Resources
P.O. Box329
Broughton
Preston
Lancashire
PR3 5LT

www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk

Tel: 01772 863158

Change, support, reform, change… what next?

As everything changes, so a question arises. In this new world of careers education, what support would you welcome?

The problem is, because everything is changing at the moment, no one quite knows what support would be welcomed. So we are trying to find out.

And in this regard, we need your help.

If you could spare a couple of minutes, please complete a simple online questionnaire to let me know the kind of information you are looking for.

Should you be interested in knowing how this project develops, please register your details within the survey and I’ll keep you informed of progress.

Everyone who completes the questionnaire before Friday 20 July will be entered into a draw to win one of four £25 gift tokens.

Let us know how we can help you.

Complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/W2GMPKQ

Regards

Kim Neighbour

enquiries@magentaonline.co.uk

Philosophical Arguments

A problem faced by students lies in the fact that core philosophical arguments are very often buried in discursive text and can be difficult to discern. This resource book of philosophical arguments presents and discusses such arguments, and where relevant looks at individual philosophers, in a way that is accessible and comprehensible to students. After each argument there is an explanation – where necessary – of each part of the argument, followed by discussion of any problems or issues arising. Finally there are questions and points for discussion.

Philosophical Arguments by Paul Hill is written primariy for students who are taking the AQA AS level course in philosophy. It covers the modules concerning Theory of Knowledge, Moral Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion.

Some of the material on God and Moral Philosophy will also be useful to students of A level Religious Studies whose course includes some Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. Of particular relevance are sections on: arguments for the existence of God; faith, reason and belief; religious experience; God and morality; miracles.

There are sample pages from the photocopiable book at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/re/T1706.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1706EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 771 5

Prices

  • Photocopiable book: £25.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • CD with school-wide rights: £25.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Both the book and the CD: £32.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1706EMN

 

Fantastic new online teaching resource for Media Studies

‘What is an advertising campaign?’ is an exciting new online resource from The History of Advertising Trust, designed to save you time and effort in developing lesson plans.

It contains a wide range of promotional campaigns and advertisements for different products, selected to clearly demonstrate how meanings and responses are created.

The resource illustrates why companies run campaigns and explains ‘in a nutshell’ the key elements of a campaign.

It is packed full of materials to provide you with both variety and focus for deconstruction and analysis of media concepts and themes covered by AQA, OCR, WJEC and Edexcel exam board specifications, for Key Stage 4 and 5 media related courses, including: objectives; messages; audience; communication techniques; media language; genre; representation; and more.

Intended for you to adapt easily for your own use in the classroom, it is quick and simple to download and is licenced for 365 days to give you the flexibility to decide how and when you want to use the materials.

This is an essential resource for all Media Studies departments and is great value at £50. However, if you are planning now for teaching in 2012/2013, take advantage of our fantastic introductory offer of just £30 if you purchase before 20th July 2012.

Click here to find out more.

 www.hatads.org.uk


Promoting a healthy school approach

The benefits of drinking water are well-known so it is a bit surprising that a recent study at Sheffield University found that six out of ten youngsters in the UK are at risk of daily dehydration because they do not drink enough.

The study recommends that students drink between three and four glasses a day. In addition to maintaining physical health, it is proven that this aids students’ concentration levels and thereby serves to enhance their academic performance.

So clearly it is beneficial to promote the regular drinking of water throughout the day, but it’s not ideal to suggest that students leave their desks during class times in order to get a drink.

What many schools have found is that by allowing each student to have a water bottle on their desk, disruption is kept to a minimum and the students get the drink they need.

It is with this in mind that we have developed our range of water bottles for schools.

We offer a wide range of tough, durable and non-spill water bottles with different designs and prices to suit any budget.

What’s more, we can also incorporate your school’s name and logo into that design.

You can find more information on our website – www.ospreyuk.com/index.php/bottles-for-schools

Alternatively, if you would like to see a free sample of the bottles we produce simply call us on 0845 450 5600.

Social Media Policy Document For Schools To Promote Safe Use of Social Media by Staff

A total of 43 teachers were referred to the General Teaching Council for England in 2011 for unprofessional conduct related to the use of social media sites, with 14 teachers suspended and 18 placed on probation. In addition, the NUT have recently advised all schools that they should have policies in place making it clear what teachers should and should not do in the virtual space.

Schools are becoming increasingly aware of the need to regulate social media use by teaching staff but often struggle to create a single, detailed policy document which is updated and organic, capable of responding to new trends and sites as they happen. In response to this need, we have liaised with internet and teaching experts to create a trusted, cohesive, accessible and robust school-wide policy that can be practically applied and will, provide clear distinctions between public and private use and most importantly, cover the safe and appropriate use of social media by members of staff.”

The policy document is available to download online from iTeachingResources.com. It can be purchased as a stand alone document and then distributed in electronic or hard copy format within a matter of minutes to all members of staff. It promises to help educational establishments to ensure that the use of social media by staff;

  • Does not bring the school into disrepute
  • Does not bring the teacher into disrepute
  • Does not expose the school to legal liability
  • Reflects ‘safer internet’ practices
  • Minimises risks associated with the personal use of social media by professionals and
  • Reflects the school’s standard of behaviour and staff code of conduct

The safe use code has been developed in line with good teaching in PSCHE, ICT and other subjects with regard to “safer use of the internet”. It was written by teacher Tom Tolkien, a Senior Manager with extensive experience of whole school assessment, internet and e-safety as well as initiative and policy development.

The document provides practical step-by-step guides to applying recommended privacy settings on popular social networking sites, with explanations on how to determine if posts, comments, images, links and videos shared on a profile by a teacher are appropriate and transparent.

The policy includes information for teaching staff about maintaining privacy and keeping personal information such as phone numbers and addresses private while using their own or school equipment. Detailed guidelines regarding communication with parents and pupils cover sites like Facebook and Twitter, acceptable content for social network profiles and how to respond to initiated contact from pupils. The policy concludes with guidance on recognising exceptions and reporting abuse or cyber bullying.

The policy document for acceptable use of social media by staff in educational establishments is priced at £49.99, but you can save 5% by quoting HH12SMP when you order from iTeachingResources.com

or

Phone: 0113 2660880,

Fax: 0113 2697889

Email: orders@iteachingresources.com

Post to: iTeachingResources, Allerton House, 75 Allerton Hill, Leeds, LS7 3QB.

The Nature of Matter

An elephant and a racing car don’t have much in common – except for the remarkable fact that they’re made of similar fundamental building blocks.

The Nature of Matter” programme from the “Physics In Action Series” of DVD resources takes a simulated subatomic look at a glass of water to better understand the nature of matter, a minuscule world of molecules, atoms, and elementary particles. The behaviour of matter under the effects of gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces; the process of scientific experimentation; specifics of atomic structure; the organisation of matter via the periodic table; ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonding; the process of radioactive decay; and the death of fusion-fuelled stars are scrutinised as well.

The main topics are covered in 8 distinct video chapters:

Chapter 1: Inner Space The programme begins with an outline of the basic building blocks of nature — molecules, atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, and quarks — and the fundamental forces of gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force.

Chapter 2: The Rise of the Atom After a brief review of elements, compounds, chemical reactions, and the scientific method, viewers get a history of the concept of the atom, beginning with ancient Indian and Greek ideas, continuing through the Bohr model, and ending with today’s quantum model.

Chapter 3: Organising Atoms Elements, the atomic number, the neutron number, the atomic mass number, isotopes, and ions are reviewed in this section.

Chapter 4: The Periodic Table of Elements This section explains why the periodic table is set up as it is, and how it helps scientists both orga nise elements, and predict how elements will react when combined with each other. Viewers learn about quantum numbers, energy shells and subshells, and the exclusion principle.

Chapter 5: Chemical Bonds Ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds are the focus here. The role of valence shells, polarization, and electronegativity is highlighted.

Chapter 6: Reactivity This section details the dynamics of alpha, beta, and gamma radioactivity. Also included is a discussion of half-life and carbon-14 dating.

Chapter 7: Nuclear Energy Along with an explanation of the difference between fission and fusion, viewers learn how the sun, bombs, and nuclear power plants generate so much energy.

Chapter 8: Elementary Particle Physics The final section introduces elementary particles such as quarks, leptons, and bosons, and the role that strong and weak nuclear forces play in their study. The programme ends by challenging students to contemplate ‘theories in progress,’ such as anti-matter, and researchers’ hopes for the Large Hadron Collider.

Learning Objectives – after viewing the program, students will be able to:

  • Understand the difference between atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, elements, molecules, and compounds
  • Define the fundamental forces of gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force
  • Understand that scientists form a hypothesis and then conduct experiments to come up with a theory or model
  • Define the following terms: atomic number, neutron number, atomic mass number, isotope, ion, fission, and fusion
  • Understand the arrangement of the periodic table of elements
  • Understand the four quantum numbers and the exclusion principle
  • Understand ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds
  • Understand alpha, beta, and gamma radioactivity
  • Understand the basics of elementary particles

32-minute chaptered DVD with viewable/printable instructor’s guide available online.

A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production ©2010

Available on approval from Viewtech Educational Media http://www.viewtech.co.uk/detail.html?pgcode=22253 – quote promotional discount code: HHM110 at the checkout for a 10% discount!

If you’d like any further information or assistance please contact:

Viewtech Educational Media
7-8 Falcons Gate
Dean Road
Yate
Bristol
BS37 5NH
————————————–

tel: 01454 858055
fax: 01454 858056
email: info@viewtech.co.uk
http://www.viewtech.co.uk

————————————–
Viewtech Educational Media is the trading name of Viewtech Audio Visual Media Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under number 4205240. A member of the British Educational Suppliers Association. E.&O.E.

I need a minibus, but we don’t have the cash

The school minibus: gateway to education beyond the classroom, but seemingly too expensive to buy, full of red tape and the need to have someone in the school who sees to the maintenance.

Except that there are solutions, solutions which can be used to provide a minibus, whether for the exclusive use of the sports department or to be shared with other departments in the school.

For a start, a minibus does not necessarily require a large payment of money up front. If the school leases a minibus rather than buying it outright the school then pays for it on a monthly basis, thereby overcoming completely the problem of squeezing already limited cash reserves. And that is only the start of the saving.

Where some school visits and trips are paid for through contributions from parents and the PTA, this can often generate enough funds to cover the monthly cost of the minbus.

Alternatively, the minibus can be funded through small monthly deductions from various departments’ income. Or, if you can persuade both the PTA and perhaps half a dozen departments in the school to agree to fund the bus jointly, the funding problem is completely resolved.

The issue of keeping the vehicle fully maintained and operational at all times can be overcome by an arrangement whereby the company from whom the school leases the minibus is also in charge of maintenance.

What’s more, if you order a minibus in the near future, the chances are it will be delivered to you in September.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you are interested in the benefits of a minibus do call us on 01753 859944 or click here to see what we can offer.

Grant funding for teacher visits to Croatia Geography, History, Adventure Education

Croatia is the newest member of the EU, and grants are available to support planning visits for teachers considering school travel to Croatia in 2013.

Schools Own Adventure is a school travel specialist dedicated to developing Eastern Europe for the study of history, geography and adventure education.

We would like to send you a free teachers’ guide to support GCSE and A Level study in Croatia and to explain how to apply for grant funding. All you have to do is let us know that you would like to receive this.

Please e-mail info@schoolsown.com and say ‘I would like to receive a free Teachers’ Guide for the study of: (History, Geography, Adventure Education)’. Add your name, job title and the name of your school. We will be happy to send you a teachers’ guide for the subject of your choice, by return e-mail.

Remember – there is no charge for this service and there is no obligation upon you whatsoever.

UK tel: 0208 533 7734

www.schoolsown.com

Registered in the UK as UK Educational Travel Ltd, no: 07332238 at Holman Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton IG10 1LA

Free kitchen extraction survey


Cleaning Maintenance Service

This summer you can arrange to have a free survey of the kitchen extraction facilities in your school.

We are currently offering a hard to beat 3 year parts and labour warranty on all school kitchen extraction systems which includes systems from any supplier.

The warranty includes: all fans, speed controllers, interlock panels & canopy and duct cleaning.

We specialise in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of commercial kitchen extraction systems.

Based in Cambridgeshire, all of our products are built at our custom-made facilities and our services are available nationwide. Full terms and conditions can be found on our website at www.ckdirect.co.uk

Call 0808 178 0001 for your FREE school site survey.

 

 

Fifty Health & Lifestyle-based Group Activities for PSHE Key Stages 3 & 4

Trying to convince teenagers of the need to engage in a healthy lifestyle can on occasion seem a difficult task.

Which is why one PSHE teacher thought about turning the issue into a series of “Life Games” – all based around the curriculum requirements for the health and lifestyle topics in PSHE Key Stages 3 and 4.

These games enable you to inform and engage your students on topics which are notoriously sensitive including relationships, reproduction, substance misuse, sunshine and travel, mental health and depression.

Each game is a stand-alone activity which can be delivered to a range of groups. Most of the games are accompanied by separate student notes. Clear learning objectives, based on the national curriculum, together with session plans, are provided.

The games can be used in any order and are suited to the classroom, although they could be used in other contexts. They are intended for groups of about eight to forty participants and are generally appropriate for teenagers and young adults. Each activity should last about thirty minutes, although they can be adapted for longer sessions. There are also suggestions for extending the activity and “talking points”, useful as fillers.

Life Games is available as a photocopiable book or on CD Rom, and individual activities 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.

An extract from Life Games, ISBN 978 1 86083 718 0, order code T1730EMN
is available at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1730.pdf

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…

  • By post from First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, NN17 4HH
  • By fax to 01536 399 012
  • On-line with a credit card at http://tinyurl.com/nvmxng
  • By phone with a school order number or a credit card to 01536 399 011

When ordering the book please quote the reference T1730EMN.

Does this pupil have dyscalculia – and if so what should we do about it?

Assessing a pupil or student who appears to be poor at maths to see if the child is suffering from dyscalculia is useful as means of helping assign limited resources.

This assessment can be done through an educational psychologist, of course, although this can be rather expensive – and of itself it doesn’t actually provide any resources that can be used to help the pupil or student after the assessment.

The Dyscalculia Centre has been looking into this problem for some time, and we have now come up with an on-line test which is much lower cost than a visit to an educational psychologist.

What is more, having marked the test we then provide a comprehensive set of copiable materials relevant to that student. These resources can then be used in school by an assistant teacher or SENCO working with the student.

The on-line Dyscalculia Test covers the individual’s attitude towards mathematical concepts and issues, plus specific questions on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, shapes, percentages and time. It is intended for anyone aged over seven years, but obviously does imply that the individual would be expected to be able to answer some basic questions in each of these subject areas.

Testing costs £49.95 per pupil. This price includes taking the test, receiving a specific report in relation to the individual taking the test, and being provided with resources relevant to that individual which can be used to help them progress in maths.

To read more about the test please visit http://www.dyscalculia.me.uk/testing.html

The test itself is set up for payment by credit card on-line, but if you wish to use a school order number you can do this by phoning 01536 399 011, or by fax to 01536 399 012. In each case we will need your email address so that we can email you a link to the on-line test. There are more details about payment for schools on http://www.dyscalculia.me.uk/teacher.html

What’s the benefit of learning a second language at primary school?

Of course, one answer is that it speeds up the process of learning that language in secondary school.

But surprisingly, this is just a minor benefit. Indeed, in a major study of the subject Michał B. Paradowski, of the University of Warsaw, discovered that children gain a vast array of benefits from learning a second language.

They gain, for example, a sharper perception of language. They learn more rapidly in their native language, become more efficient communicators in English, are better able to deal with distractions, develop a greater vocabulary size in English, develop sharper memories, become better at problem solving…

In fact the list that Paradowski has found goes on and on. It can improve a child’s critical thinking ability, they have a better understanding and appreciation of people of other countries, and are less likely to have racist tendencies…

So overwhelming are the benefits that it is perhaps surprising that more children are not exposed to a foreign language earlier on.

In order to help with the teaching of foreign languages in primary schools we have developed two volumes containing activities that can be used in every classroom.

Suitable for most languages, the books contain activities which help children to develop oracy and literacy skills in relation to the Key Stage 2 Framework for Language.

100+ Fun Ideas for Practising Modern Foreign Languages in the Primary Classroom contains 137 fun activities for developing oracy and literacy skills using simple props such as flashcards, puppets and bean bags. The tried and tested activities in this book are interactive and allow for as many children as possible at one time to communicate.

More Fun Ideas for Advancing Modern Foreign Languages in the Primary Classroom contains 77 activities for use with pupils who have been studying a new language for a while and are ready to progress beyond learning simple vocabulary and phrases.

This resource will help pupils learn to manipulate the language, improve their decoding skills and discover how the new language functions at sentence level.

Free sample pages are available at the web links below:

100+ Fun Ideas for Practising Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in the Primary Classroom

More Fun ideas for Advancing Modern Foreign Languages in the Primary Classroom

You can order these resources in any of these ways:

  • On our website at the above web links
  • By phone on 01449 766629
  • By fax on 01449 767122
  • By email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • By post to Brilliant Publications, c/o Trade Counter Distribution, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.

 

Geography Starters

Starter activities can be invaluable to you as a teacher. They help you to achieve one or more of the following:

  • Engage the pupils as soon as they enter the room, preventing instances of boredom that can lead to poor behaviour.
  • Set the tone for the rest of the lesson. The pupils have engaged in work right from the start.
  • Demonstrate your expectations of the pupils and set a routine. As soon as the pupils enter your classroom they will start work.
  • Recap the main ideas or key words from the previous lesson.
  • Pass on any general geography ideas or skills that you otherwise don’t get time to teach.
  • Get the pupils brains going and instil some motivation.
  • Challenge the pupils in a fun way that makes them look forward to the next one.
  • Challenge the pupils against one another in an enjoyable way.
  • Give yourself the chance to get ready anything you might need for the lesson, or take the register.

Geography Starters is a set of starter activities – crosswords, puzzles, wordsearches, etc – designed for pupils at KS3. It is provided in a photocopiable format so that sheets can be copied and given out to pupils as required – and obviously re-used as much as you wish. Answer sheets are provided.

You can see a full list of the topics and some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/geography/T1717.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1717EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 722 7

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: T1717EMN

 

Who wants to be a doctor?

For some families, the decision of a son or daughter to study medicine is hardly a surprise, for there is a family tradition of working in medicine. For other families it can come as a big surprise – and a worry about whether the student really will find this field of work to be as they imagine it.

In both cases it is important for students to understand exactly what working as a doctor is all about.

Of course the student who comes from a family of doctors may feel that he/she knows what’s what in medicine, but it is often the case that one family’s perception of being a doctor does not incorporate every aspect of medicine as a way of life.

And for those who have no family connection with medicine the whole issue can be simultaneously bemusing, confusing and worrying.

Which is why we offer students the opportunity to see what the world of medicine is really like. Through our facilities would-be medical students travel to Africa, India, The Caribbean or Thailand to shadow experienced doctors and healthcare professionals.

Not only does this experience help students to make the right decision about their future career, it is also a useful addition for their UCAS forms.

Recognised by the majority of British medical schools, our hospital work experience is ideal for those students who are interested in medicine, nursing, dentistry or midwifery.

In terms of the practicalities students are met at the airport by one of our specialist staff team members and are looked after by an extensive staff team throughout their stay.

If you have any students who are interested in a career in medicine, there are several ways of giving them the relevant information.

First, you can of course pass on this email.

Alternatively you might direct the student to our website at www.gapmedics.co.uk to find out a lot of detailed information regarding the placements.

Third you can click here to print out some information to pass to your prospective healthcare students.

Finally they can call us on 0191 269 6818 or email us at info@gapmedics.com and we’ll send a brochure in the post.

Regards

Mark Hinksman
Business Development Director

Gap Medics – Launching medical careers
Collingwood Buildings

38 Collingwood Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1JF

T. +44 (0)191 269 6818
F. +44 (0)191 229 9501
E. mark@gapmedics.com
W. www.gapmedics.com

How good are you at negotiation?

There is one way in which virtually every school in the UK could save itself a considerable sum of money each year.

Negotiation is something most of us think we are good at because we do it every day. We negotiate with colleagues, we negotiate with students. If we have a family at home we also spend time negotiating with them. (After all which parent has not at some time resorted to, “You can watch TV after you have done your homework”?)

But there is no doubt that most of us working in schools don’t have much background in negotiation with suppliers. We tend to accept the contract that suppliers offer us, sign it, and expect everything to be fine.

If we do negotiate it is usually to try to get a discount without necessarily noticing that in so doing we might actually be negatively affecting other aspects of the purchase.

And yet the contract between the school and the retailer offers an opportunity for each side to be specific about what is possible, to clarify assumptions and to enter into a relationship which is satisfactory and beneficial for both parties.

It is because many schools pay little attention to the contracts that they sign that the book Contract Matters:

Connecting the Education and Contract World has been written. It exists because many schools find it nigh on impossible to recover from having entered into a bad contract. Invariably all they can do is see the contract through and rue day it was signed.

Contract Matters contains numerous tips in everyday language for anyone in a school who is in charge of managing contracts. It lists the do’s and don’ts and prompts everyone to investigate assumptions before making decisions.

One minor change to a contract made as a result of reading this volume will pay for the book many times over.

Contract Matters book costs £35.00 plus £3.95 postage and packing. Further information is on-line
at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=760

Order code: CMAAA £35.00 ISBN: 978 0 9876527 3 7

Sample pages can be found at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/bursar/ContractMatters.pdf

You can purchase the book