It sometimes comes as a bit of a shock to realise that there are some 90 different spelling and phonic rules in the English language.

They range from troublesome similarities (such as words like “coin” and “toy” with the same sound but different spelling choices), to the six different ways of pronouncing “ough”, not to mention the bizarre collection of words which utilise silent letters.

There is only one way in which dyslexic students can learn the spelling choices for the many different phonics and homophones, and that is through a structured reading and spelling programme.

Which is exactly what MSL has devised: the complete reading and spelling rescue programme.

This programme covers all the 90 different spelling and sound rules and adds in ten 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 version of each module costs £29.99, or you can order five modules together on a CD for £80 plus VAT. All 20 modules are available for £450.

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

• On our website (where you can also see full details of the programme)
• By phone on 01604 505000
• By fax to 01604 505001
• By email to info@msl-online.net
• By post to Multi-Sensory Learning, Highgate House, Creaton, Northants, NN6 8NN

In the perfect parents’ evening everything runs without any hitches.

In the perfect parents’ evening every parent gets allocated a time slot which is just right for him/her.  And nearly everyone allocated a time turns up in the right place at the right time.

In the perfect parents’ evening no one over runs, and everything moves smoothly from the opening appointment to the final discussion.

And that leaves but one question: how do we create the perfect parents evening?

Here’s the answer:

A parent logs into Parent Teacher Online and then

1. Enters the time he/she wishes to arrive at the school,
2. Indicates the teachers he/she wants to see (our software will automatically create the shortest possible schedule),
3. Receives the interview schedule either digitally or as a printed file.

Which leaves the parent with just one remaining problem: to arrive at the school.  (Sadly, we don’t yet operate a nationwide transport system to help with this point, but we’re working on it.)

Our system takes an average parent 3 minutes to use, at the end of which each parent will have scheduled all of their appointments.

And here’s the bonus:

We are now offering a discount of 20% off the usage fee for the next 2 years if you sign up before the end of July 2013.

If you would like to know more just click here

If you would like us to contact you click here.

It is a sad fact that some methods of purchasing are deemed more newsworthy than others.

For example, if you type “school minibus” into Google and then click on the News option at the foot of the page, you will be taken to a range of stories about schools that are raising money to buy a school minibus.

There are tales of teachers doing a sponsored run to raise money for the bus, PTAs working for years raising money and so forth.

And although the stories are all about great deeds and hard work, what lies behind these headlines are years and years of students not having a resource that could really improve the quality of education (especially learning outside the classroom) that they receive.

What you will struggle to find, should you ever be inclined to do this sort of search, is any story that talks of a school that discusses the idea of having a school minibus, sets up the details, and then a couple of weeks later, takes delivery.

Of course you could argue that this is because no schools achieve this. No school can decide to have a minibus and then go and get it.

And yet this does happen, and its occurrence is increasingly common. For a growing percentage of schools choose to lease their minibus rather than buy it.

The prime benefit of course is that you get your new minibus now, rather than after years of fundraising.

What’s more, if you are doing fundraising in order to pay for part or all of the leasing cost, parents become much more willing to give for the simple reason that they know the money they give will be for a minibus that their children will be using – rather than one that will only be purchased in years to come.

Of course the newspapers won’t like it. “Ely school has just £1000 to go” as the Cambridge News put it or “Braithwaite minibus appeal gets yet another big boost from fundraise” as the Keighley Times wrote, are the sort of headlines papers insist on running.

“School signs form to lease minibus; delivery next week” is not going to make it past any editor.

However the truth of the matter is that leasing is by far the best option for most schools. If you would like to see the details, and talk about how you can arrange to have a minibus up and running within weeks, please do call us on 01753 859944, visit our website or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Benchmark Leasing Ltd
11 High Street
Eton
Berkshire
SL4 6AS

www.minibusleasing.co.uk/school-minibus.php

minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

Hamilton House runs four websites for teachers and parents:

The School Procurement Site [link to www.top5.org.uk  ] which contains details thousands of products and services for schools

UK Education News [link to www.ukeducationnews.co.uk] is a rolling news service which carries advertisements as well as stories. 

Teacher  News [link to www.teachernews.org.uk] a topic based service to teachers in schools

Parent News [link to www.parentnews.org.uk]  a topic based service for parents.

Advertising can be accepted on each site individually at the following prices:

• A standard advertisement in one site: £45 per year

Additional entries (School Procurement Site only)

• Each additional section: £10 per year
• Additional description (per section): £30 per year up to 100 words
• Logo per section per year: £20

Advertising on all four sites

• Advertising on all four sites: £120 per year

Changes to the text following confirmation: £10 per section/site/advertisement.

To book into this service please call 01536 399 000 or email sales@hamilton-house.com

A recent article in the TES (Is it time to scrap homework?) revealed that many people continue to hold strong views about whether homework is an imposition on home life or if it really does add value to a child’s education.

There’s no question that any politician in the UK will follow François Hollande’s initiative in banning homework as part of a reform of the education system.

But the action in France does raise the question: why is homework there?

Is it about reading a book, learning spellings and working through maths tables? Or should it go further? After all, what are its main characteristics and what effect is it having on children and families?

Are there indeed some alternatives that we could think of, which could be introduced and which could have even more benefit than homework, as we know it today?

We can contemplate this further by asking, “what does homework have to do with our efforts to create Thinking Children?”

These children have an ability to go beyond the learning of facts, and to be proficient in exam techniques – although such skills will still be required for the foreseeable future.

In short, the Thinking Child has the ability to be creative, generate ideas, problem solve, interrogate and not be afraid to ask questions.

Which is why we have produced, “Let’s Think Homework”. It is a volume that has been written to provide ideas that are engaging and meaningful, offering regular opportunities for children to practise a range of thinking and learning skills.

The ability to question, problem solve, be curious, be observant, predict, make connections, prioritise and think logically are just some of the many skills that can be enhanced through the activities in this book.

There are over 100 different possibilities for ‘Thinking Homework’. It is suitable for use throughout key stage 2.

It’s £29.99 with free delivery.

You can order …

• On our website
• By calling us on 0844 332 0123
• Email us at info@thinkingchild.org.uk

Every school is different, of course. But when a school finds that a change made to its procedure has a significant effect on its work, then it is worth taking note.

A testimonial from a school that has made a significant change in the way that it works, falls into this category for it does give a real insight into how a product or service can actually affect a school in real life.

In the example below we look at a school’s desire to re-build a website in order to meet the needs of everyone in the school – and to attract those contemplating choosing that school for their child.

The website in question is that of Hornsey School for Girls, London www.hsg.haringey.sch.uk here is what they said:

‘INCO have been able to provide us with a website that is both dynamic and unique to our school. When we approached them with our long list of requirements along with our design brief we were pleased with how quickly they were able to produce our new site.

As well as this, INCO have been exemplary at making lots of changes to our late requests, as well as developing the site to meet our needs further.

We have been extremely happy with our new site and have received lots of compliments from parents and outside agencies who have been able to easily navigate and find the information that they need.

I would happily recommend INCO to any other school or business that is looking for a new website and I look forward to working with them and building a long term partnership with them.’

All of which is good news – but there is more, because we also worked on the school’s prospectus. Here’s what they said in relation to this:

‘INCO designed our new school prospectus based on our ideas and in line with our school ethos and new logo. From the design stage to the photography and then onto to publication. INCO helped us step by step and kept us up to date with progress, delivering our fantastic new prospectus in time for our Open Events for prospective parents.’

You can find out more about INCO on our website: www.inco-education.co.uk

Alternatively email us at info@inco-education.co.uk or call us on 01902 784 800.

According to the government document “Improving Efficiency in Schools,” the average secondary school ought to be able to save around £100,000 a year in efficiency savings, while the average primary school should be able to save around £25,000 a year.

And to be clear, those are not one-off savings. The report stressed that these savings ought to be achievable this year, next year and every year.

To achieve these terrific savings, the report said, all the schools have to do is take a look at how other, more efficient, schools are handling matters, and copy their practices.

Yet if it were as easy as that, surely by now, most schools should be feeling extremely well off, as inefficiencies are removed and the savings mount up in school bank accounts, simply waiting to be used on other educational ventures.

Sadly, as we know, this is not true. And it is not true for one very simple reason: efficiencies arise not just by copying other schools (although this can help somewhat) but mostly through the introduction and maintenance of what might be a called “an efficiency mindset” throughout the school.

The process of achieving an “efficiency mindset” has been explored and examined in detail by school managers and administrators over the past five years in a number of schools – schools which as part of this exploration really have made incredible efficiency savings.

Now for the first time the way in which schools are making savings is described in one volume: “The Efficient School.”

This volume reveals not only many of the projects that schools have introduced in recent years in order to achieve efficiencies, but also the vital processes which these schools introduce to ensure that objections to change are overcome and that changes, once implemented, are maintained and developed.

As such report explores not only areas in which savings can be made, but also the way in which the whole issue of changing well-established processes and habits can be handled in a school.

The Efficient School is available in copiable form (as a printed volume or on CD) so that it can be distributed to all interested members of staff.

ISBN: 978 1 86083 811 8 Order code: T1803emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/education/T1803.pdf

• 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?products_id=784

Here’s a fairly straightforward and uncontentious point. The most effective way of getting young people to understand the facts relating to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is to get them to talk openly about these substances.

Unfortunately that is not always as easy as it might seem at first sight, which is why we have developed the resource, Alcohol, Drugs & Tobacco — The Decision Is Yours.

This resource presents the facts about drugs, alcohol and tobacco and raises a wide range of issues which are presented through a set of worksheets. After this the students consider a short entry in each of the diaries of Johnny and Carla.

This in turn leads to further discussion topics, and more facts – including the comparative calorie levels of various alcoholic drinks when compared with pizza, cake and a burger.

In short everything in the pack leads to further discussion as we present the facts on the effects that alcohol, smoking and drugs can have on individuals, families, communities and your health.

All of the materials within the pack are photocopiable and thus further aid class discussion.

This resource is available as a hard copy or an ebook and free sample pages are available on our website.

You can order Alcohol, Drugs & Tobacco — The Decision Is Yours in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By fax on 0872 115 3933
• By email to sales@allresources.co.uk
• By post to All Resources, PO Box 4526, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 0TJ.

It never received huge levels of publicity, and in fact the event seems to have been removed from Ofsted’s own website, but back in July 2004 Ofsted actually did inspect Ofsted.

Undoubtedly this was a rigorous and demanding inspection. And in the end Ofsted concluded that Ofsted had improved schools, reinforced the national curriculum and provided effective advice to government.

In short, top marks all round.

Of course it all sounds a bit silly when put like that. But there is an important lesson to be learned here. For the fact is that people who are able to evaluate their own work and their own performance invariably become more highly motivated and more engaged in their own development.

The only problem is: how does one learn self-evaluation?

Indeed it is widely recognised that it is possible to evaluate and mislead oneself at the same time! Instead of development and improvement being a result of self-evaluation, self-deception creeps in and leads to a lack of motivation and development.

But, despite these difficulties, self-evaluation remains an incredibly powerful tool and Ofsted puts great store by the way the leadership of a school uses self-evaluation and review to improve teaching, because such self-evaluation, when used properly, really can work.

In the simplest of terms it provides a benchmark as to how much a school is improving.

One way of developing self-evaluation in your school while showing Ofsted that you are on top of this issue is to use the specially prepared video from Classwatch.

Such is the power of this video that is has led some commentators to suggest that they have learned more about their teaching in 30 minutes than in the previous decade.

With the Classwatch video system colleagues can observe a lesson remotely, and all teachers have an opportunity for self-evaluation. The lesson can then be reviewed and discussed with the teacher so that great lessons can be shared with other teachers in your school

In order to show just how effective this process can be we are currently offering the recording of a free lesson to the first 50 schools that contact us.

There is more information on our website at http://helloclasswatch.co.uk/FreeLesson

Alternatively you can call us on 0800 043 9510 or email us at info@classwatch.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you.

Andrew Jenkins

TES Foundation now offer free tools, available to all schools, as well as our subscription-based online school management modules.

Want to get quotes quickly, anonymously and without the hassle?

Our Request for Quote Tool lets you compare prices from our thousands of registered suppliers, fast. There’s no commission to pay. Save money on the deal you would have done, or don’t buy. You can’t lose.

Want to see the suppliers other schools recommend?

As well as giving you a handy place to log your own suppliers, our supplier management module lets you connect to other schools and read reviews and recommendations from our thousands of school users. Beware of imitations…we’ve more suppliers and more schools than any other site, and it’s completely free to access, use and contact suppliers.

Want to ask questions in confidence?

Our forums are free and only for schools: no suppliers, no LAs, just school leaders exchanging ideas, tips and opinions. You can even set up your own forum for your cluster group or as a place to explore a topic in depth.

You can also choose to access our subscription-based tools for free, for a two-week period. Of course we hope you’ll go on to join the thousands of schools using our technology to save time and effort on the jobs you do everyday, but whatever you decide:

Our Request For Quote tool, our Supplier Management module and our Forums are free.

Register for our free tools now.

The chances are that for many young people today newspapers are either something that exist in other households but not their own or they are gossip columns with very little international news.

Which is why Newsademic exists – for it is an international newspaper written and edited for KS 3 and KS 4 students.

To date we have over 30,000 readers – which is why we know there is a demand for such a publication.

It is also why we are happy to offer a free two month subscription to the paper. We know that schools that see it, like it.

The publication supports the PSHE, History, Geography, Science, English and RE curricula though its focus is on international news events that shape and affect the world that we all live in today.

Newsademic carries no advertising. Neither does it feature articles about television, sport, computer games, pop music or celebrity culture.

The newspaper is distributed fortnightly as a PDF file by email or as a download. Although it can be read on screen it is designed to be printed out and read as a paper copy. An intranet licence allows all students to access an HTML searchable version of Newsademic via their school network. Two levels of activities, based on some of the featured articles, accompany each issue.

Annual subscription rates start at £24.00 and schools can photocopy any part of the newspaper as many times as they wish for use within their school.

To subscribe free of charge for two months please go to: www.newsademic.com/promo/h0112 

For more information visit www.newsademic.com

ARKHAM1982

There are all sorts of “difficult” topics that beset teenage lives: depression, alcohol abuse, personal hygiene, sex, bereavement, STDs, being overweight…

Talking to students about these issues can result in an increased awareness of the subject, but experience suggests that for many students the progress made after such encounters can be modest at best.

Where the greatest breakthroughs occur is in situations in which the students themselves will open up and engage in serious conversations themselves.

But the issue is, how does one motivate the silent student to speak? How does one ensure that the mocking or joking student who covers his/her inability to talk seriously about the subject will join in the discussion. How can we help these students put these vital topics into the context of their lives, and the world around them?

In short: how do we control the discussions?

The answer comes with setting the terms of the discussion in advance – and this is exactly what the Egar Choice Discussion Cards achieve.

The students are given the topic to discuss such as “What does smoking do to you and your health?” They then can choose an answer card which they then have to use as the basis for their answer.

There are both positive and negative cards in the pack – in the case of smoking ranging from, “De-stresses you” to “Makes you want more all the time”, and the students then have to put forward arguments to support the card they have selected.

As a result the debate continues in a controlled way, with all possible answers being aired, as they students come to see the logic, or otherwise, of the answers that can be given.

The Choice Discussion Cards cover a wide range of topics incorporating not just the topics above, but also such issues as gun culture, anger, crime, vandalism, love, bullying etc etc.

There are details of all the topics available on the following link http://www.egar.co.uk/choice-discussion-cards-HH1

If you wish to place an order please you can use the check out on the above link (schools can be invoiced on account) or by contacting us via the following methods. Please quote HH1 on all correspondence.

Contact: Sue Scott-Horne
Email: egar@egar.co.uk
Tel: 0844 800 3056
Canonbury Business Centre, Unit 10B, Shepperton House, 89 Shepperton Road
Islington, London, N1 3DF

How to get a 1 for Teaching and Learning is a one day course for Headteachers, senior leaders, ASTs, and teachers responsible for teaching and learning.

This practical, inspiring day covers:

• What Ofsted is looking for
• The leadership role
• What ‘outstanding’ looks like, sounds like and feels like
• Teacher knowledge and passion for their subject
• Teacher ambition for their students
• Progress – and how to assess it in a lesson
• Student motivation and engagement
• Teaching students to talk about their learning
• ‘Narrowing the gaps’
• The crucial role of literacy
• Planning for ‘typicality’
• Independent and collaborative learning
• Assessment for Learning and differentiation strategies

The day allows plenty of time for reflection, discussion and challenge. It is upbeat and optimistic, reinforcing the reason we came into teaching in the first place: not to satisfy Ofsted, but our enduring commitment to improving the life chances of our students.

Spaces are available on the following courses:

Oxford………………………… 26^th April 2013

Stratford-upon-Avon…….. 21st June 2013

Leeds………………………….. 1st July 2013

Find out more here
To make a booking please follow this link
or email bookings@smartees-learning.com

Kind regards

The Conference Team
Smartees Ltd

0118 9797551

Following a recent review of school leases, the current estimate is that well over 50% of leases signed by schools contain errors that result in the school paying more than it should.

Where this is as a result of mis-selling then the school may well be entitled to a refund.

So big is the problem that we are now able to offer a free investigation into any leases that your school holds. If any error is found in any lease, we will negotiate a suitable refund for the school. Our fee is paid out of that refund – there is never anything to pay up front – and of course if we find no errors there is nothing to pay at all.

The sort of leases that may well have overcharging within their contracts are those for photocopiers, printers, laptops, franking machines etc.

Typical problems that arise in leases include the over-charging for equipment, hidden commissions, incorrect calculations, unwanted insurance policies and incorrect documentation. Of course this list is far from all-inclusive – there are many other examples.

To stress the key point, it costs you nothing to submit a lease for checking and we only take a commission from what you claim.

To request an audit simply email me at Stephen@schools.co.uk and attach to the email a copy of your scanned-in leasing agreement/s and we will let you know if you may be entitled to a refund.

You will have no obligation to proceed – and if you do you will not be required to pay anything. Instead you will be told what percentage reimbursement the company will require in the event of their making a successful claim on your behalf.

Stephen Mister

I expect the answer is no! So why are so many children expected to use another type of keyboard – the computer keyboard – without any proper typing training?

Recent research by the BCS – the Chartered Institute for IT – suggests that, on an average day, a secondary school pupil spends around 3 hours on a computer. Many schools now expect their pupils to conduct research on a computer, to type assignments and to even to complete some assessments. According to some commentators, it will not be long before many exams take place on a computer.

Whatever may or may not happen to exams, it is clear that computers are already – excuse the pun – a ‘key’ tool in today’s classrooms. Yet the fact remains that whilst around 80% of schools think that teaching typing would be a good idea, only around 15% do so.

So why is that? When schools are asked why they don’t teach typing, most will say one or more of the following points:-

• They don’t have the space to fit it into the timetable.
• They don’t have the expertise to teach it.
• They don’t have the budget for it.
• It’s not on the Curriculum.

Type-Net for Schools is a recent scheme, taken up so far by 130 schools across the country, that solves at least three of the four objections made above.

Firstly, by using online courseware that students can use at home as well as in school, on a ‘little and often’ basis, the need to squeeze it into the timetable is not necessary.

Secondly, no supervision is needed as the Type-Net courseware is self-paced, interactive and intuitive, allowing pupils from the age of 10 upwards to use it unaided. Progress tracking exists so that the teacher can get involved if they want to.

Thirdly, at cost of as little as around 50p per pupil, it shouldn’t break the bank. Parental charging could be an option if a budget is simply non-existent.

We can’t do much about including typing on the Curriculum (although we have tried!) but if exams do become computer-based then the ability to touch-type quickly and with accuracy will become essential!

For more information about Type-Net for Schools, all you need to do is send an email to enquiries@type-net.org putting ‘HH/0413’ in the subject line. We will email you an Information Pack within seven days.

Type & Test
PO Box 479
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 0YB