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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kind regards,

Kirstie Mackey

Director – LifeSkills

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PPA. Why the A takes precedence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Calm Kids’

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

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

‘Calm Kids’ Classroom Pack

Have a classroom of ‘Calm Kids’ in minutes!

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

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

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

RRP £98.40
Special Offer Price £66.00

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

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