Monthly Archives: January 2016

School News

A comprehensive free guide to the requirements of the new national curriculum tests

Testbase has produced an informative guide to help teachers navigate the requirements of the new national curriculum tests.

The guide contains key information about the curriculum and how it will be assessed with all the information based on the statutory test frameworks.

Details of how to obtain a free copy are given below.

We’ve also produced a set of mid-year tests that provide progress checks within the new framework. These tests will be available to download free of charge for all schools with a current complete Testbase subscription in February. Again there are details through the links below.

What’s more, Testbase has been updated so that it is ready to help you deliver good assessment across the primary years.

You can use it to prepare targeted and differentiated resources, whether formalised topic tests, progress checking homework, or classroom assignments.

There are 12,000 questions aligned to the yearly objectives from the national curriculum and 2016 test frameworks. We have also included plenty of new items specially commissioned to fill the gaps so you know you have full coverage of the program of study.

To obtain your free copy of The Testbase Guide to the new national curriculum tests please click here

To find out more about how Testbase supports good assessment in relation to the new NC tests please click here

If you have any queries or would like to know more about our work please do call 0845 145 1500.

To order Testbase please:

School News

Understanding what dyscalculia is can allow schools to help sufferers improve their maths and obtain reasonable results in their examinations

It is a strange but true fact that while most of us working in schools have come across dyslexic children and adults, many teachers have not had direct contact with anyone who is dyscalculic.

And yet dyscalculia is not only a genetic issue, as is dyslexia, it is also as common within society at large as dyslexia.

So why is it that we don’t come across dyscalculic children as often as dyslexic children?

The reason is probably that many schools recognise that they have a small number of children who are poor at maths because they have missed some schooling or failed to grasp specific lessons.

The nature of the subject, which is of course utterly cumulative, means that some children fail to grasp certain concepts simply because they failed to grasp what went before.

This is, of course, utterly different from English, where the fact that I might not be able to spell “was” does not mean I won’t be able to learn “because”.  In maths, however, if I can’t do division I will struggle to understand fractions.

Furthermore there can be social reasons why children do poorly at maths.  Missed time at school can be more detrimental in maths than in most subjects, and there seems to be a greater tendency for parents to suggest to their children that they never understood maths at school, so it just “runs in the family”.

In short there are many reasons why dyscalculia might not be seen as a special need but rather as a consequence of parenting, poor attendance, etc.  As a result specialist tuition and support may not be given as early as it might be with dyslexia.

Understanding Dyscalculia: An Introduction for Schools examines the five main causes of dyscalculia and sets out the methods of working available which can help pupils overcome their dyscalculic problems. The book contains short sections which can be photocopied to give out to other members of staff in school, to worried parents, and to governors, so that everyone can share in the awareness of what dyscalculia is, and how it can be tackled.

Above all the book shows that once we understand and accept the causes of dyscalculia we can adopt appropriate methods of teaching to overcome the problem. Research suggests that most children who gain appropriate help in school can overcome their dyscalculic difficulties and achieve an acceptable grade in secondary school examinations, thus allowing entry into further and higher education.

The book, which is available in copiable form so that it can be shared with colleagues throughout the school, is published by the Dyscalculia Centre, a leading provider of teaching materials for dyscalculic individuals. The Centre also publishes a range of books for special needs teachers working with dyscalculics, and provides on-line testing facilities for pupils and students who are thought to be dyscalculic.

There is a sample chapter available on-line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/dyscalculia/T1628.pdf

Cat No: 978 1 86083 614 5;  Publisher reference no: T1628emn

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 book…

Twitter
Facebook
School News

What is the most effective way of changing and improving the workings of the school’s administration? A free report.

I am sure that there are some school administrations where everything works well, smoothly, and without undue stress, where the working conditions are excellent, and everyone co-operates with each other to ensure things run smoothly.

And if you work in such a school administration, then I must congratulate you on your good fortune.

But if you work in an administration in which you feel some things could be improved, but in which you have found it hard to get the improvements and changes made, then the School of Educational Administration and Management has just released a free report that you may wish to take a look at.

The focus in the report is not on the sort of things that can make life difficult in school administrations, but rather on one particular method of getting changes made.

We’ve been researching the issue of how change does come about – and why quite often requests for change are not successful. Indeed it was the fact that each year a number of administrators on SEAM courses have reported that they have requested changes, only to have their requests ignored or blocked, that we have looked specifically at schools where change has come about.

Perhaps it is the endless stream of “urgent jobs”, which are not really urgent at all, but which have become urgent because the person asking us has simply left the matter too late.

Or maybe it is the equipment that is old and desperately needs updating. Or maybe a colleague who simply won’t co-operate and refuses to take on certain jobs.

It could even be the room which is too hot in summer or too cold in winter, or too small, or which has large numbers of filing cabinets which take up space that is needed for everyone to have enough room.

Whatever it is, it turns out that there is one method of getting things changed which for most people works particularly well – even in schools where the administrator feels requests for change have been turned down in the past.

So, to end the year, we’ve produced a free report which asks, and answers, the question: How can I get things changed?

If you would like a copy just click here, and you’ll be able to download it directly into your computer.

I hope you find the report useful.

Tony Attwood

Building, furniture, maintenance, energy etc, Health, Safety and Security

86% of school buildings contain asbestos, yet 44% of teachers are unaware that their school is one.

Naturally, as time goes on, buildings age. And whilst this might increase their value, it also increases the likelihood of the building containing substances which have been found to harm the health of those inhabiting it on a regular basis.

Kevin Courtney, NUT general Secretary, reported that between 200 and 300 former school children and a rising number of teachers die of mesothelioma each year, thought to be caused by the asbestos found in 86% of school building across the UK.

NUT lead on asbestos, Sarah Lyons, commented, “The asbestos that’s in our schools now is getting older and older, so it’s deteriorating and if it’s in a poor condition then it’s in a more dangerous state”

So where does the responsibility lie?

The responsibility for managing asbestos in schools lies with the duty holder, this is normally the employer which in state schools is often the local authority. For academies, free schools, voluntary-aided and foundation schools, it will be the school governors, proprietor or trustees.

It is important that all staff, particularly those responsible for the running of the buildings, are made aware of the potential hazards.  All staff should be instructed not to disturb or damage asbestos containing materials, Damage to school fixtures or fittings that could lead to the release of asbestos fibres need to be reported.

How does the school know if there is asbestos present and how does it manage it?

The Asbestos Man is able to work with you to devise and implement a comprehensive Asbestos policy that starts with a consultation, followed by a full site survey including the analysis of any suspect materials. We will compile a user friendly report containing photographs, annotated plans and the appropriate recommendations from the survey findings. Where asbestos has been identified we will then work with you to put in place a management plan so that the occupants of the premises are protected.

We can’t afford a full survey

For schools where budget does not allow a full site survey we can in many cases update an existing survey.

Did you know?
It is a legal requirement to undertake a refurbishment or demolition survey for asbestos containing materials prior to any works taking place.

If you have any enquiries regarding asbestos please do not hesitate to call:-

  Alan the Asbestos Man on 07510104323

 info@theasbestosman.co.uk

 www.theasbestosman.co.uk

Geography

The Energy Debate

Key issues in energy for Geography – Key Stages 4-5

DVD Pack: 6 Units + Activity Sheets

Energy Crisis
Nuclear or Not
Clean Coal
Renewables
Zero Carbon
Energy Efficiency

This is the energy debate in its geographical context. It features UK nuclear power stations, wind farms, coal and oil fired power station, hydro, CHP, the BedZED zero carbon project and the Centre for Alternative Energy. The people that work in energy and industry experts spell out the facts and the options clearly and succinctly. How will the UK meet its energy needs?

Short video units
Easy to use click and go menus

Sample: click here

Linked activity sheets

More info: click here

DVD Pack £29.99 ex Vat, £35.99 inc Vat

ORDER

On line: click here

By phone 020 8968 3732

By email admin@team-video.co.uk

By post Team Video PO Box 38194 London W10 5WZ

School News

What do you need from the BBC? Answer our survey!

Dear teacher,

We are conducting some research on behalf of BBC Learning. They’d like to hear what teachers across the UK have to say about the way they communicate with you and make sure you’re getting the most out of their resources.

We know you all have unique needs, and the BBC Learning team would like to understand more about you about how you plan, the pressures you face, and how they can best support you with resources and information.

Whether you currently use BBC content or not, your help is vital to make sure that campaigns and resources are relevant and useful to you and your classes.

The survey will only take a few minutes and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win £130 of Amazon vouchers.

Kind regards,

Hopscotch on behalf of the BBC Learning team

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M7LWQM2

Clothing/Uniform

Some things we DON’T do at LeaversGear.com

As one of the leading suppliers of School Leavers’ hoodies and shirts in the UK, Europe, and beyond, we would like to point out that there are a number of things we DON’T do.

We DON’T have a complicated pricing structure. All our prices are based on a PER HOODIE basis so the price we quote is the price each student pays. Set-up, VAT, our design services, delivery are all included. No hidden extras.

We DON’T keep you guessing as to what your hoodies will look like. We send you samples and you will see a final detailed image of your hoodies before we print and embroider (so you can check the layout and even each individual name within the design, etc.).

We DON’T charge for samples. We know you want to see the quality of the hoodies before you buy. You also need some sort of guide on sizing. We send out samples of your choice.

We DON’T need deposits for samples which, once requested, will arrive at your school or college within 48 hours. All we ask is that they are posted back to us free of charge using our FREEPOST address.

We DON’T charge for re-designs or redrafts to your specifications. Other companies charge each time you want the design changed. With LeaversGear it’s all part of the service. We will change the design as many times as you require until you are completely satisfied.

We DON’T work from set templates or restricted designs. We can draw up any design of your choice and advise as to what can look best. Just send us an image or a sketch and we will do the rest.

At LeaversGear, if you enquire by clicking here you will receive full information on pricing, an order form, and a draft of what your hoodies could look like.

We make it all hassle-free and we keep you right on track throughout the process which we have simplified to one simple order form.

Remember, all you have to do is click this link and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

We look forward to hearing from you. Email us at enquiries@LeaversGear.com or call us FREE on 0800 9545662. All you have to do is ask.

Kind Regards

The LeaversGear Team

www.leaversgear.com
E-mail: enquiries@leaversgear.com
Freephone: 0800 9545662
Phone: +44 (0) 28 91853974

Drama, English, Geography, History

Stone Age assembly and writing workshops

Stone Age assembly and writing workshops

Tie in story writing with your history topic and bring the past to life with a Stone Age assembly. It’s fun and interactive. Pupils will get hands on with a mammoth hunt and find out about Neolithic life.

The Stone Age assembly is a perfect primer for story writing workshops where pupils will write their own stories. We’ll use the innovative Accelerated writing method (as used by Creative Writing Club). I’m a children’s author who teaches creative writing in schools, so I can also answer their questions on writing and perform short extracts from my book.

As well as the stone age, other topics include: The Bronze Age, the Iron Age Celts, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans, the Celts, the Anglo Saxons, the Aztecs, Mayans, the Great Fire of London, Flooded world (natural disasters), the Vikings, the Normans, the Tudors, the Victorians, Shakespeare, Traditional tales, the Rainforest and many more.  I’m an ex-BBC editor and I can also offer workshops on factual writing (using a historical frame).

About me
I’ve written 14 books for children, over a wide age range (Y1-Y9) including: Spartapuss (Romans), Beowuff (Anglo Saxons vs Vikings) Olympuss Games (Greeks), Boudicat (Celts), Cleocatra’s Kushion (Egyptians).  My graphic novel ‘London Deep’ was chosen as a Recommended Read for World Book Day. I co-wrote the musical version of Julia Donaldson’s books The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. I’ve led writing workshops for Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust and The Young Archaeologists Club. Check out my profile on Love Reading For Kids:

  • No school is too large or too small
  • I am DBS checked and I have insurance cover.

For dates and prices please call 0845 838 5526 or email robin@mogzilla.co.uk

Please reply to this email with ‘Stone’ in the subject line and I will send you my free PDF
‘7 Tips for story writing and a Stone Age writing frame.

 
English, PSHE, PSHE and Citizenship, School News

Transform your pupils into exceptional storytellers during National Storytelling Week (30th Jan – 6th Feb 2016)

Teaching your pupils to tell stories with emotion and passion comes with a multitude of benefits in terms of both their academic and personal development.

First, storytelling enables your pupils to connect with a story on an emotional level, going beyond the action of simply reading words from a page. This in turn can be a powerful encouragement for pupils to read for fun whilst also improving their literacy skills.

Storytelling also does wonders for children’s confidence as it gives them the opportunity to practise public speaking. Their self-esteem is heightened when they realise that they have the ability to hold an audience and to provide entertainment through storytelling.

National Storytelling Week is an ideal time to plan for professional storytellers to come into your school to show your pupils just how they themselves can tell a story in a powerful and interesting way and how they too can reap the benefits that storytelling brings.

It is for this reason that we travel from school to school during this week (and throughout the year), telling stories – stories from different parts of the world, stories from history, stories from science, stories about overcoming bullying…

What’s more, if you would like to see the power of stories in terms of children’s learning and read about the research into why stories work as teaching aids, or indeed if you would like to know more about our work in schools, please click here.

You’ll be able to see just why hundreds of schools across the country invite us in to tell stories to different classes. Alternatively, you can call us on 020 328 SNAIL (020 328 76245), or email stories@snailtales.org

More information about National Storytelling Week www.sfs.org.uk/national-storytelling-week

Policies, Primary, PSHE, PSHE and Citizenship, School News

School Policy Update: Government launches “educate against hate” website as part of a renewed drive against extremism

Last week the BBC reported that the DfE has launched a new website entitled, “educate against hate” containing information and advice for schools about how they can help with the renewed drive against extremism.

The website provides “practical advice to protect children from the dangers of extremism”, including the warning signs of danger, how to talk to children about extremism, and steps concerned teachers and parents can take.

NSPCC head, Peter Wanless, commented: “We are contacted daily by worried parents and children themselves on all sorts of issues including radicalisation and dangers associated with extremism.”

“Spotting the signs of such abuse has never been more important if we are to help protect children from sexual exploitation, gang-related activity or other hate crimes.”

The only problem with this renewed drive against extremism is that any changes need to be incorporated into your school’s existing policy on the matter, which can take up a considerable amount of time that you and your colleagues don’t have to spare.

It is for this reason that we create, adjust, amend, and update school policies on your behalf, including the ‘Prevent Duty – Dealing with Extremism and Radicalisation’ policy.

Policies for Schools have created over 290 school policies covering 20 different statutory areas which are easy to customise and thus will save you a considerable amount of time when one or more of your school policies require attention.

What’s more, if you have a specific need of a policy which isn’t listed on the website, we will create it for you. You can find our full list of school policies by clicking here.

To subscribe to Policies for Schools, visit www.policiesforschools.co.uk.

Or, if you’d like to view a few sample policies beforehand, we have provided the following policies which are available to download free of charge by clicking here:

  • Calming Room Policy
  • Professional Learning Communities Policy
  • School Website Policy

Alternatively, if you would like to know more about our service, you can email us at sales@policiesforschools.co.uk,  call us on 01600 891 506, or write to us at Teachers Resource Centre Ltd, Wyastone Business Park, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR.

Link to BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35343679

English, Library

Learn about your library

Do your children understand basic terms about books and libraries?

This set of 20 ‘print your own’ pdf posters is guaranteed to make library introductions easy and memorable.

These bright, colourful posters cover: Alphabetical order, Author, Blurb, Book Title, Borrow, Contents page, Dewey numbers, Fiction, Finding books, Front Cover, Glossary, Illustrator, Index, Information Books, Picture Book, Renew a Book, Return a book, Spine.

They are incredible value for money! You can see all the posters here http://www.carelpress.co.uk/HHLearnAboutYourLibrary/

Regards

Ann Batey
Office Manager
Carel Press

(01228 538928)

www.carelpress.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/carelpress

Behaviour / Motivation, English, Special Needs

A cumulative approach to developing handwriting skills

The cause of underdeveloped handwriting in some pupils is not always immediately apparent. It could be that these pupils have poor fine motor skills, language processing, or visual perceptual skills, or perhaps it is attributable to the way that they grip their pen/pencil or to their handwriting posture.

In many instances, however, the reason for underdeveloped handwriting is because the approach that they are using isn’t cumulative, which is key to ensuring progress in the development of handwriting skills.

It is for this reason that we have produced The Handwriting Rescue Scheme – a complete programme for fully cursive handwriting containing over 300 structured exercises. It has been designed to establish the correct cursive letter formation and encourage an automatic response to frequently used spelling choices.

The programme is ideal for introducing cursive handwriting and also for correcting poor handwriting habits among pupils whose handwriting isn’t up to the expected standard for their age.

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

Science

Book your more able students onto our workshops during British Science Week (11 – 20 March 2016)

It was revealed in Ofsted’s ‘2015 Report’ that “schools that had been recently inspected rarely offered a bespoke curriculum for more able pupils in KS3” and “only 50% had a curriculum tailored in KS4”.

In response to this, the School Inspection Handbook states that inspectors will “pay particular attention to whether the most able pupils are achieving as well as they should. They will also consider whether they are receiving the support they need to reach their full potential”.

Indeed, to help you prove to Ofsted that you are providing a bespoke curriculum to your more able students, Thinkers in Education are delivering an array of workshops during Science Week, designed specifically for Gifted and Talented students.

Workshops that we think your students will benefit most from during Science Week are Space Pioneers, CSI – Blood Pool, Towering Ambition, and Body in the Box. They require your students to develop their critical and creative thinking skills in a problem-solving context.

More information about our Double Session workshops can be found here.

We run these workshops not only during Science Week but throughout the year, and if you book a workshop for April or May, you will receive a 30% discount.

Or, if you think your more able students will benefit more from one of our Full-Day Sessions, there is a choice of three workshops, each of which focusses on developing a particular skill:

Target Mars – creative thinking

Dead on Time – critical thinking

Bunkered – strategic thinking

More information about our Full-Day Session workshops can be found here.

If you book more than one Full-day Session (so that your more able students from each year group can attend), there is the option for the workshops to either be delivered on consecutive days to save money or throughout the year as suits the school.

Furthermore, if you would like to know more about how we make provisions for Gifted & Talented children, and how we can help you make provisions for your more able students through our workshops, visit www.thinkersineducation.co.uk/gt_provision/.

For further information on all aspects of our work, or to make a booking, please call us on 01603 520866 or email events@thinkersineducation.co.uk

Behaviour / Motivation

How to make teachers twice as effective in the classroom and double the attainment of lower ability students

How to make teachers twice as effective in the classroom and double the attainment of lower ability students

This statement is bold but true, latest research shows that when carefully crafted seating charts are in place, teachers are twice as effective in the classroom and the attainment of lower ability students can be doubled.

This will come as no surprise to those more experienced teaching staff. By telling pupils where they should sit in the classroom you are immediately asserting your authority and can also take advantage of strategies such as peer to peer learning.

So does your school have a policy on seating charts? Are you able to ascertain which combinations work best for the classroom and lead to improved performance and behaviour, are you ready to impress Ofsted?

Class Charts links up with SIMS, Integris & SMIS. It instantly creates seating charts for your teachers and displays key data such as SEN, Pupil Premium & subject targets. This means that your staff will be aware of pupils’ abilities and needs at a glance.

But there is more!

Coupled with the seating charts is an optional real time behaviour management system (SIMS writeback supported) that is simple for your staff to use and provides the leadership team with detailed behaviour analytics – allowing them to pinpoint behaviour issues and trends and get support strategies in place.

Sound good?

Take a look at what is on offer at Class Charts and get in touch quoting ref HH for a chat or a quick online demo.

support@classcharts.com

0845 094 6427

Edukey Education Ltd, 1 High Street, St Davids, SA62 6SA
Numeracy

30 weeks of carefully graded written arithmetic questions for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

Although it might initially seem as though your pupils have understood a mathematical concept, it is not always easy to know which pupils have understood it to the depth that is required for the written arithmetic tests.

And so it is for this reason that we have produced the Weekly Written Arithmetic Questions series, offering 30 weeks of written arithmetic questions for your Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils to work through.

By ordering the resources in the series together, you can benefit from the Special Bundle Price which is naturally much less costly than buying the resources separately.

Therefore, even if you aren’t responsible for teaching written arithmetic to all year groups, you may want to see if your colleagues are interested in using the resources too – perhaps you could suggest creating a whole-school written arithmetic strategy.

This way, progress can be readily tracked as your pupils progress through the levels.

However, if you’d prefer you can order the resources in the series individually by clicking on the website link below. Here you will also find more information and sample pages.

As always, you can order any of our resources in the following ways:

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

School News

Commemorating the achievements of your pupils is an ongoing process, which comes with enormous benefits

Displaying honours boards in the assembly hall or school’s entrance instills a sense of togetherness within the school and a sense of community cohesion without. It also presents an opportunity to communicate the school’s values to parents and visitor, instantaneously.

However, these enormous benefits are only applicable if the honours boards are kept up-to-date, for both parents and students will wonder about an honours board that does not go beyond a date some way in the past.

If the honours board itself is looking a little jaded it can be a good idea to bring in a new honours board, either starting it afresh from 2016 or copying across data from the last few years from an earlier board.

Indeed, bringing in a new board can be a particularly positive activity which helps re-establish the history of the school.

Greenbarnes Ltd has a long history of creating and supplying honours boards for schools across the UK. You can find examples of what we have created on our website.

You may also be interested in our extensive range of notice boards, trophy cabinets, display cases, and house score boards. More information on all of these can be found at www.greenbarnes.co.uk.

Alternatively, please do call us on 01280 701 093 or email sales@greenbarnes.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Michael Barnes

Play, Primary

Plan ahead for playtimes by checking the weather forecast (Met Office)

According to the weather forecast (Met Office) it appears that pupils across the UK will be spending some of their playtimes indoors for the next few weeks as cold, windy, snowy and rainy weather is predicted.

To see if your pupils’ playtimes could be affected by the weather, you can find a summary of the weather forecast in your region at the links below.

Central, Tayside & Fife Northern Ireland
East England Orkney & Shetland Islands
East Midlands South West England
Grampian Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders
Highlands & Eilean Siar Strathclyde
London & South East England Wales
North East England West Midlands
North West England Yorkshire & Humber

If in fact it does look likely that your pupils will be spending some of their playtimes indoors over the next few weeks, it might also be worth checking your school’s stock of wet play games, activities and equipment.

As wet play resources may only be used a handful of times each year, we have produced a number of wet playtime packs which carry significant savings compared to when the play resources are bought separately.

You can choose from our extensive range of wet playtime packs, which include:

Primary Wet Playtime Pack – saving of £14.95 (18%)
Junior Wet Playtime Pack – saving of £14.50 (17%)
Infant Wet Playtime Pack – saving of £14.35 (17%)
Classroom Favourite Pack – saving of £7.00 (20%)
Popular Games Pack – saving of £4.00 (17%)

What’s more, if you’re reviewing your current wet playtime policy, Edventure has written a policy document to support schools with this process. For a copy of the document, please click here.

As always, you can place an order with Edventure in a variety of ways, including:

  • on the website www.edventure.co.uk
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk    
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

If you quote HH0515 on your order delivery will be free. Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95.

English, Primary

Viking assembly and writing workshops

Bring the Vikings to your hall with an interactive assembly followed by writing workshops. Pupils will go on a Viking raid, meet the skald (storyteller) – and hear tales of heroes, myths and monsters. Finally two bands of Vikings do battle with a fun quiz.  I’m a children’s author who teaches creative writing in schools, so I can also answer their questions on writing and perform short extracts from my books Beowuff and the Dragon Raiders.

The assembly is a perfect primer for story writing workshops where pupils will write their own stories. We’ll use the innovative Accelerated writing method (as used by Creative Writing Club).

As well as the Vikings, other topics include: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age Celts, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans, the Celts, the Anglo Saxons, the Aztecs, Mayans, the Great Fire of London, Flooded world (natural disasters), the Normans, the Tudors, the Victorians, Shakespeare, Traditional tales, the Rainforest and many more.  I’m an ex-BBC editor and I can also offer workshops on factual writing (using a historical frame).

About me
I’ve written 14 books for children, over a wide age range (Y1-Y9) including: Spartapuss (Romans), Beowuff (Anglo Saxons vs Vikings) Olympuss Games (Greeks), Boudicat (Celts), Cleocatra’s Kushion (Egyptians).  My graphic novel ‘London Deep’ was chosen as a Recommended Read for World Book Day. I co-wrote the musical version of Julia Donaldson’s books The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. I’ve led writing workshops for Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust and The Young Archaeologists Club. Check out my profile on Love Reading For Kids:

  • No school is too large or too small
  • I am DBS checked and I have insurance cover.

For dates and prices please call 0845 838 5526 or email robin@mogzilla.co.uk

Please reply to this email with ‘Vikings’ in the subject line and I will send you my free PDF
‘7 Tips for story writing and a Viking writing frame.

 

Music

Every week we answer the key questions that music teachers are asking. And we do it all without charge.

Each week we look at a key issue in the work of music teachers in primary and secondary schools across the UK, dealing with questions such as how to help a non-musical parent encourage a child to practise an instrument at home.

Or how exactly to measure whether KS3 students are improvising and composing at a suitable level to satisfy an Ofsted inspector.

Or returning to the sort of questions parents can ask, how to answer the question, “How do I know if my child is really talented?” Or indeed, “what can I do for a student who is very talented musically but simply can’t sight read?”

All these questions and many more will be tackled each week in the free Music Education Newsletter which is published with the kind support of Caswell’s Strings.

To read the letter all you have to do is click here – there’s no form to fill in, although if you find anything that we are doing helpful, it would be great if you could log in and tick the “like” button.

What we really want to do is discover topics of concern and answer any questions you may have by simply putting your question on the newsletter (we won’t publish your name or email address – just your question) and then publishing the replies from fellow music teachers.

So if you want thoughts on tackling a particular set work, the best value to be found in primary school percussion instruments, suitable insurance policies for instruments that are carried to and from school by pupils and students, or anything else to do with music education, we’re hoping we will be able to help you find the answer.

And again, let me assure you that the newsletter is free and will remain free. There’s no sign up, and no catch about a “one month free trial…” – this is a free service.

To read the letter all you have to do is click here

If you would like to talk to us about the newsletter please email Jenny@hamilton-house.com and if you would like to know more about our sponsor (without whom we couldn’t be running this service) you can read about them here.

Jenny Burrows

School News

Understanding what dyscalculia is can allow schools to help sufferers improve their maths and obtain reasonable results in their examinations

It is a strange but true fact that while most of us working in schools have come across dyslexic children and adults, many teachers have not had direct contact with anyone who is dyscalculic.

And yet dyscalculia is not only a genetic issue, as is dyslexia, it is also as common within society at large as dyslexia.

So why is it that we don’t come across dyscalculic children as often as dyslexic children?

The reason is probably that many schools recognise that they have a small number of children who are poor at maths because they have missed some schooling or failed to grasp specific lessons.

The nature of the subject, which is of course utterly cumulative, means that some children fail to grasp certain concepts simply because they failed to grasp what went before.

This is, of course, utterly different from English, where the fact that I might not be able to spell “was” does not mean I won’t be able to learn “because”.  In maths, however, if I can’t do division I will struggle to understand fractions.

Furthermore there can be social reasons why children do poorly at maths.  Missed time at school can be more detrimental in maths than in most subjects, and there seems to be a greater tendency for parents to suggest to their children that they never understood maths at school, so it just “runs in the family”.

In short there are many reasons why dyscalculia might not be seen as a special need but rather as a consequence of parenting, poor attendance, etc.  As a result specialist tuition and support may not be given as early as it might be with dyslexia.

Understanding Dyscalculia: An Introduction for Schools examines the five main causes of dyscalculia and sets out the methods of working available which can help pupils overcome their dyscalculic problems. The book contains short sections which can be photocopied to give out to other members of staff in school, to worried parents, and to governors, so that everyone can share in the awareness of what dyscalculia is, and how it can be tackled.

Above all the book shows that once we understand and accept the causes of dyscalculia we can adopt appropriate methods of teaching to overcome the problem. Research suggests that most children who gain appropriate help in school can overcome their dyscalculic difficulties and achieve an acceptable grade in secondary school examinations, thus allowing entry into further and higher education.

The book, which is available in copiable form so that it can be shared with colleagues throughout the school, is published by the Dyscalculia Centre, a leading provider of teaching materials for dyscalculic individuals. The Centre also publishes a range of books for special needs teachers working with dyscalculics, and provides on-line testing facilities for pupils and students who are thought to be dyscalculic.

There is a sample chapter available on-line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/dyscalculia/T1628.pdf

Cat No: 978 1 86083 614 5;  Publisher reference no: T1628emn

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 book…

Exams, Politics

Auditory Learners and Government and Politics in the Digital Age.

As all good teachers know, a lot of people learn best by listening.  That’s fine in the classroom, but send them home with some reading to do for homework and it just doesn’t sink in.  These auditory learners don’t get on as well with the written word.  Fortunately, there is a wealth of programmes, videos and podcasts available for immediate download across the Internet.

But, as ever, the key to exam success is to make sure what they listen to is relevant to the specification and in student-friendly language.  That’s where Debates in Politics comes in.  Not only does each debate cover a key issue in relation to the AS and A Level Edexcel or AQA exam board specification, it also includes exam-style questions, that help you prepare them for the exam. The accompanying printed materials including detailed transcripts mean both your visual and auditory learners will keep pace.

Specification-specific editions are so far available for Edexcel and AQA. Click on the links below for prices and previews.

  • Debates in Politics: Audio Dialogues for A Level US Politics AQA (12 debates)
    Debates include: AQA exam topics ‘The electoral college is in dire need of reform’, ‘Third/minor parties and independents are never successful in US elections’ and ‘The Supreme Court has more power than was envisaged by the Founding Fathers’

Listen to sample right now!

Listen to the lively debate on UK politics ‘The House of Commons is not effective at performing its functions in Parliament’ for FREE now at http://www.zzed.uk/UKdebates-WS99 and for US politics ‘The Supreme Court has more power than was envisaged by the Founding Fathers’ at http://www.zzed.uk/USdebates-WS99 (Bookmark it and you can play it to your class. It’s a great way to kick-start debates!)

ZigZag resources are available as ‘copy masters’ or in editable format and come with a site licence, allowing you to pay once and copy as often as you need, or put on your server for multiple use – and students can download the podcasts to their MP3 players.  All resources come with a quality-guarantee, 10-day sale or return period.

The Debates in Politics are available as photocopy masters with a site licence (£39–£64). Also available in:

  1. Easy-printing PDF files (add 30%+VAT), or
  2. PDF with editable Word files (add 50%+VAT).

ZigZag Education, Unit 3, Greenway Business Centre, Doncaster Road, Bristol BS10 5PY
t: 0117 950 3199 | f: 0117 959 1695 | WS99@zigzageducation.co.uk

Give your promotional code WS99 to get free postage!

 

English

To Kill a Mockingbird – An Abridged Text

To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee and is a famous American novel about a girl called Scout Finch. The novel is set in the 1930s in the U.S.A. One of the most important themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism.

In the novel an Afro-American is accused of raping a white lady. It is clear that he is innocent but because he is black he is found guilty. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a town called Maycomb in the southern states of the U.S.A.

During the 1930s racial discrimination was a big problem in the U.S.A. Black people were poor and they were not treated fairly by most white people. Scout and her family are different. They treat black people with respect. In the 1930s the law did not help Afro-Americans. Many had to go to prison for crimes they did not commit. In to Kill a Mockingbird an innocent black man has to go to prison.

Quite often the content of the National Curriculum can be intractable for pupils who speak English as a second language.  The teaching of English can now be made wholly accessible using these resources.  Set texts have been effectively differentiated so that they can be understood by pupils who may find the original versions difficult.

The texts chosen have been widely used in English and Special Needs classrooms and promote the development of reading, writing and listening skills.

They have proven to be very popular because of the accessibility. At the end of each section there is a series of stimulating exercises, which are designed to enhance language acquisition.  The texts available are studied for the Certificate of Achievement, in years 9-11.  As teachers, we know that understanding the text not only activates interest but, ultimately, that all pupils can obtain encouraging grades in their Certificates of Achievement.

44 Photocopiable masters £29.99 + VAT

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

To see sample pages please email info@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H5257.

You can order the To Kill a Mockingbird – An Abridged Text CD-ROM in any of these ways:

  • On our website
  • By phone on 0117 940 6409
  • By fax on 0117 940 6408
  • By email (quoting a school order number) to info@classroom-resources.co.uk
  • By post to: Classroom Resources, 9 Logan Road, Bristol, BS7 8DU

Classroom Resources Ltd
9 Logan Road,
Bristol,
BS7 8DU

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

English, Exams, Maths, School News

A troublesome problem for students and teachers alike…. but now there’s a simple, low cost and effective solution

Have you ever wondered how many lessons each day might be disrupted simply because  a few  students forget to bring the basic kit to their lessons.

No pens, no ruler, no pencils. This usually means wasted time while some students beg, steal or borrow what they need before any teaching can take place.

It can lead to frustration among those students who DO have what they need. They want to get on with the lesson but get fed up with the delay……and quite often there’s a bit of disturbance until everyone’s ready for the lesson to begin.

It can also add to the stress experienced by teaching staff if their lessons are cut short because of  delays.

But now there’s a simple and effective solution…  The “Student Essentials” set.

The “Student Essentials” set contains all that students need for most of their lessons… it contains three quality black ink pens, two full length HB pencils, a 15 cm ruler, a metal sharpener and an eraser, all packed in a clear, “exam friendly” A5 size wallet with a zip-slider.

If “Student Essentials” sets can be made available at the start of a school day,  perhaps from the school office or library, then at least students will have an opportunity to obtain what they need for most lessons. Disruptions and delays can become a thing of the past.

Details of “Student Essentials” sets can be found on the Signpost Educational website:
www.signposteducational.co.uk

“Student Essentials” sets (from just 75p ex vat) can be obtained from Signpost Educational Ltd, PO Box 999, London, E14 6SH

Contact them by email: signpost@talk21.com or phone: 020 7515 1797 or fax: 020 7515 4420

 

Geography, History, ICT, Learning Outside the Classroom, Travel

Benchmark’s LOtC newsletter: Turning your classroom inside out

We recently set up a Facebook and Twitter page to accumulate a vast amount of Learning Outside the Classroom research, news, free resources, locations, ideas and transport solutions to make implementing LOtC easier for everyone.

Below is just an example of some of the LOtC items that we have shared with our Facebook and Twitter followers thus far.

Research and News

School field trips ‘help students engage with subjects’ (BBC)

What are Ofsted rather keen on? (Benchmark)

Learning-outside-the-classroom benefits report (Benchmark)

The joys of learning outside the classroom (SEN Magazine)

Children need more geography field trips says Michael Palin (The Telegraph)

How a school turned around its GCSE results by taking learning outdoors (TES)

We need fewer exams and more wilderness in education (The Guardian)

Free LOtC Resources

Educational talks for your class – www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com/groups

Educational resources and services – www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/

Teacher packs and worksheets – www.haynesmotormuseum.com/home/discover-learn.php

Workshops – www.abingdon.gov.uk/museum/schools

Free LOtC resources from Woodland Trust and The Pod

School trip locations and ideas

BECKs Training – outdoor activities and leadership and team building programs.

Woodland Ways – offers in depth instruction in Bushcraft & Survival Skills

The Muckleburgh Military Collection – the largest privately owned military Museum in the UK

Field Trip to the Apple Store – Inspiring collaboration and creativity

For more Learning Outside the Classroom locations, ideas, free resources, research, news, and school transport solutions, follow us on Twitter @MinibusLeasing or like our Facebook page – Benchmark Minibus.

For more information about Benchmark Leasing you can go to our website, call us on 01753 859944, or email 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

English

English Basics posters – New posters added

It’s essential that all pupils and students have a sound grasp of the basics of English.

Give your teaching of the basics a real impact by using these pdf posters.

These colourful, snappy posters will have an immediate impact but can also be a continued point of reference.

At less than £30 for the set this is brilliant value. You can print as many copies of these as you like – have them in every classroom!

The posters cover: Adjectives; Adverbs; Alliteration; Antonyms; Connectives; Direct speech; First person; Hyperbole; Infinitive; It’s; Metaphor; Nouns; Onomatopoeia; Paragraphs; Personification; Pronouns; Reported speech; Rhetorical question; Sentences; Similes; Superlatives; Synonyms; Their; They’re; There; Third person; Vary your verbs; Verbs; Your; You’re.

There are 30 A4 pdf posters in all. The set is an ideal classroom resource. A PowerPoint version is also available for whiteboards and large display screens.

You can see all the posters here
http://www.carelpress.co.uk/hh_englishbasics/

Ann Batey
Office Manager
Carel Press
(01228 538928)
www.carelpress.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter:

Languages

How to get Top Marks in Edexcel French IGCSE Writing Questions

The essay writing questions might seem daunting at first but this is one section of the paper where you, as the candidate, are in control. As long as you answer the questions and cover all the bullet points, you can decide what to write.

This is an easy way to score marks, and the writing sections of the paper count for 30 marks (10 for the shorter writing task and 20 for the longer writing task) which is 25% of the total marks. If you do well in this part of the paper it can make all the difference in being able to move up the grade boundaries.

This pack will explain what is required for the two writing questions for the Edexcel French IGCSE specification. Sample questions will be looked at, with tips for essay techniques, followed by sample essays, with examiners’ comments. Writing tasks from each of the topic areas will be looked at, for both the shorter and longer writing tasks.

The five topic areas are:

1. Home and Abroad
2. Education and Employment
3. House, home and daily routine
4. The modern world and the environment
5. Social activities, fitness and health

56 pages – Price £39.99 (excluding VAT)

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

To see sample pages please email info@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H9231

You can order the Edexcel French IGCSE – Essay Writing Skills CD-ROM in any of these ways: 

  • On our website
  • By phone on 0117 940 6409
  • By fax on 0117 940 6408
  • By email (quoting a school order number) to info@classroom-resources.co.uk
  • By post to: Classroom Resources, 9 Logan Road, Bristol, BS7 8DU

Classroom Resources Ltd
9 Logan Road,
Bristol,
BS7 8DU

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

Science

Free A-Level presentation on resistance and resistivity

Ensure your students have a firm understanding of resistance and resistivity with our free presentation!

Using a combination of explanatory slides, animations and interactive activities, this presentation has everything you need to comprehensively cover:

  • Ohm’s law
  • Resistivity
  • Superconductors
  • E.m.f and internal resistance.

Try out the free presentation on our Doddle A-Level Science page!

Want to see more of what Doddle can do for your department? Book an in-school visit!

One of our Educational Consultants will give you a free tour of Doddle’s features and show you how the hundreds of resources can support your teaching through the year ahead.

Alice
Doddle

 

Health

Snacking is commonplace in Britain, and so children think it is natural. Does it matter? What should we do?

Children snack because that is what they see their parents and their peers do. It has become a normal part of life in Britain.

Having a snack, therefore, is often not a response to hunger (although many children will claim to be “starving” at any time of the day). Rather it is a cultural activity. It is common in some countries, virtually unknown in others.

In essence there is nothing much wrong with snacking in itself, but there is everything wrong with snacking too much and with snacking on the wrong foods.

And this is where the problem arises, because many children (along with many of their parents) simply don’t know what foods are healthy and which ones are not.

Which is why it is important that we help children to discover healthier food during childhood, rather than the foods that may lead them into overeating and ultimately being overweight (an issue for 64% of the UK population, according to Health England’s report in 2014).

And this is why we have set up Tasty Tuck Shop – a simple-to-run school tuck shop based entirely on healthy food and drink.

You pick and choose the snacks you sell, meaning your Tuck Shop stays varied and appealing – and your teaching colleagues can help the children understand more about the healthier options that the shop offers.

We make a Tuck Shop simple to set up, there are no set up forms, etc, and we supply posters, nutritional information, stands to display products, and an example letter to give to parents.

The snacks sell for as little as 35p, and our ‘Healthy Range’ fully complies with the new ‘National School Food Standards’ that were introduced January 2015.

You can find more information by clicking here.

Alternatively please do call James on 01206 391179 or email me at james@tastytubs.co.uk

Play, Primary

What children do in wet playtimes has become an issue of debate among some parents. Fortunately a solution is easy to find.

Wet playtimes existed long before we became aware of climate change.  But climate change has made the chance of a prolonged series of indoor playtimes and lunchtimes much more likely.

Indeed, wet playtimes have now become something of an issue, with campaigning websites such as MumsNet and NetMums launching campaigns for schools to engage in what they call “more positive” educational activities on these days.

Interestingly, many of the ideas that the campaigning parent sites put forward are ones that we will all have seen before and which are well established in most schools.

However, because of the change in weather patterns Edventure has been at the forefront of researching and finding low cost resources that can be used on such occasions, giving children a break from formal education while offering stimulating and interesting activities.

As a result, we have a whole variety of wet playtime packs suitable for different types of school – and if you want an overview please do click here.

There are details of specific packs both in our catalogue and online – for example, the Primary Wet Playtime Pack, which has significant discounts against buying the games individually, includes chess, doodle scenes, draughts, frog hoppers, ludo, make a pair, pick up sticks, cards, secret code, shut the box, etc, etc.  More details here.

The Junior Wet Playtime Pack is aimed for use with older children, and once again is available at a discount on the cost of purchasing individual games.  You can see the list of games and an illustration of what’s in the box here.

Of course, there are always some games that children choose as their favourites, and we’ve selected the most popular of all the wet playtime games and put them in one collection – again with a significant discount against the individual purchase price.

Finally there is our unique Playtime Value Pack which contains the four most popular board games of all: chess, ludo, snakes & ladders, and draughts.  As before there is a significant discount for buying the pack rather than individual games.  Here are the details.

What’s more, if you’re reviewing your current wet playtime policy, Edventure has written a policy document to support schools with this process. For a copy of the document, please click here.

As always, you can place an order with Edventure in a variety of ways, including:

  • on the website www.edventure.co.uk   
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk    
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

What’s more, if you quote HH0515 on your order delivery will be free. Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95.

Music

Imagine a musical instrument that anyone can play immediately, but which can also be used to create every type of music imaginable.

Give most children a chance to paint or draw and they’ll take it.   Give them a chance to dance, and they will throw themselves into it.

Of course the same technique can be used with music in terms of percussion, but a percussion instrument in the hands of a child has a far smaller range of possibilities than the child will find in dance, painting etc.

So how can we introduce special needs children to the infinite variety of options and possibilities that music has to offer?

This was the question we faced, and which led to the development of the Skoog, a musical instrument that can bring forth an infinite array of sounds without any preparation or practise, but which can be developed and refined over time to produce the most magnificent results.

As a result everyone can be involved in music, creativity comes to the fore, there is a focus on self-directed learning to see how the instrument works, and concentration is enhanced.

If you would like to see more about how and what this instrument is and what it can do just take a look at this

You will see how the Skoog promotes inclusive music practice and musical expression, boosts learning, creativity and language development, improve concentration, and co-ordination.

It is mountable, robust and can be played with any part of the body, including using the student’s own voice to explore sequencing and vocal interaction and it can be customised to the individual for a wide range of interaction possibilities

It is also a valuable tool for non-verbal communication and self-expression, which is easily personalised to maximise emotional engagement and participation and helps to encourage self-awareness, empathy and social skills

If you would like to know more please

Call us on 01334 461244

Email hq@softplanetgroup.com

Write to us at
SOFTPLANET LTD
Greenbank House
St Andrews
KY16 8LP

 

Languages

SPEND AN ACADEMIC YEAR IN SPAIN

Do you study Spanish and want an experience which will set you above the rest? Are you resilient and motivated? Do you want to become fluent in Spanish? Do you want to learn about Spain from first-hand experience?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above then you need to navigate to www.academicyearabroad.co.uk to find out more about how you could secure yourself a place on an academic year in Spain. The course is available for all students of Spanish, whether you are still in secondary school or leaving school and wish to take a year to perfect your Spanish before embarking on your college education.

You would be placed with a friendly family in Spain and attend a local school, taking part in normal lessons with other pupils of your age. Your family and AYA will support you to develop your linguistic skills throughout the year and the experience of being immersed in the language and culture will mean that when you return home you will have a life-long skill. This experience will make you stand out from other students when it comes to applying for college and university and you will develop independence and resilience.

So what are you waiting for? We can’t wait to hear from you!

The AYA Team

Special Needs

A cumulative approach to developing handwriting skills

The cause of underdeveloped handwriting in some pupils is not always immediately apparent. It could be that these pupils have poor fine motor skills, language processing, or visual perceptual skills, or perhaps it is attributable to the way that they grip their pen/pencil or to their handwriting posture.

In many instances, however, the reason for underdeveloped handwriting is because the approach that they are using isn’t cumulative, which is key to ensuring progress in the development of handwriting skills.

It is for this reason that we have produced The Handwriting Rescue Scheme – a complete programme for fully cursive handwriting containing over 300 structured exercises. It has been designed to establish the correct cursive letter formation and encourage an automatic response to frequently used spelling choices.

The programme is ideal for introducing cursive handwriting and also for correcting poor handwriting habits among pupils whose handwriting isn’t up to the expected standard for their age.

The Handwriting Rescue Scheme is usually £39.99 but if you quote the code MSL-BLOG when you place the order, you’ll receive a 20% discount.

To order the Handwriting Rescue Scheme, simply fill out the details below and send your order to us either by fax to 01536 399012, or by email to msl@schools.co.uk

Contact name:

Email address:

School name:

School Address:

Telephone:

Purchase order number:

Quantity:

Remember to quote MSL-BLOG to qualify for the 20% discount.

Maths

Written arithmetic activities for Years one to six

 

Year one written arithmetic activities

6 – 1 =

__ – 1 = 9

6 + 4 =

0 + 17 =

11 – 2 =

20 – 10 =

__ + 7 = 8

3 + 4 =

4 + 10 =

__ – 2 = 5

10 + 10 =

__ + 6 = 9

5 + 5 =

2 + 0 =

5 – 0 =

6 + 2 =

4 + 10 =

10 – 0 =

19 + 1 =

5 – __ = 5

__ + 2 = 8

12 + 6 =

__ – 1 = 1

3 + 14 =

Click here for answer pages or visit our website to order the full publication.

Year two written arithmetic activities

10 + 60 =

8 + 8 =

21 + 7 =

__ + 7 = 10

4 + 1 + 5 =

__ + 10 = 36

27 – 4 =

60 – 12 =

72 + 1 =

64 – 10 =

53 + 10 =

4 + __ = 8

½ of 20 =

100 – 100 =
79 + 19 = 54 + __ = 82
__ – 38 = 26 96 – 31 =

Click here for further activities or visit our website to order the full publication.

Year three written arithmetic activities

3 + 9 =

2 x 7 =

8 – 4 =

34 + 5 =

30 + 4 + 10 =

4 x __ = 8

100 + 30 + 6 =

76 + 10 =

50 – 1 =

236 – 100 =

364 – 3 =

28 + 11 =

263 – 10 =

313 + 5 =

5 + __ = 10

941 + 30 =

725 + 200 =

__ – 100 = 23

30 + 30 =

76 x 10 =

54 x 2 =

100 – 54 =

48 – 26 =

49 + 24 =

Click here for further activities and answer pages or visit our website to order the full publication.

Year four written arithmetic activities

4 x 5 =

½ x 84 =

10 x 46 =

9 x 3 =

60 ÷ 10 =

777 – 60 =

2/8 + 3/8 =

__ – 53 = 10

40 x 20 =

6 x 11 =

7 x 1 =

8/10 = __/100

4/5 – 1/5 =

3/4 = 0.__

__ x 9 = 81

77 x 1 =

100 ÷ 100 =

2 x 9 =

3 x 2 x 8 =

1,274 + 7,261 =

400 – 169 =

673 – 185 =

48 x 2 =

282 x 5 =

Click here for further activities and answer pages or visit our website to order the full publication.

Year five written arithmetic activities

52 – 1 =

1 x 42 =

__ ÷ 3 = 7

1/2 x 40 =

3/15 + 1/15 =

18 – __ = 8

2 x 48 =

23 + __ = 29

40 x 5 =

1/4 x 80 =

470 ÷ 10 =

50% x 140 =

12 x 7 =

100 – 7 =

__ x 12 = 120

1/9 + 3/9 =

258 + 729 =

86 ÷2 =

7.2 + 1.9 =

300 – 173 =

1,279 + 1,486 =

7.4 – 3.2 =

7.31 – 0.01 =

1 2/6 + 3/6 =

Click here for further activities and answer pages or visit our website to order the full publication.

Year six written arithmetic activities

3 + __ = 7

1/2 x 64 =

17 – 3 x 2 =

__ + 46 = 86

729 x 2 =

32 + 5 =

__ ÷ 4 = 8

1 x 215 =

10% of 100 =

3/4 ÷ 3 =

50% x 92 =

__ x 20 = 180

3/6 = 0.__

3/7 – 1/7 =

1,000,000 – 1 =

50 x 20 =

724 + 386 =

9.7 + 3.7 =

814 – 679 =

416 ÷ 4 =

4.8 – 1.7 =

7 7/8 + 2/8 =

3.2 + 73.62 =

9.7 – 3.45 =

Click here for further activities and answer pages or visit our website to order the full publication.

As always, you can order any of our resources in the following ways:

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

English

What is the most effective way of helping 16 to 18 year olds who are struggling with comprehension?

A very particular problem faces students who by the age of 16 experience difficulty in answering comprehension questions.

Their problem is not just that they cannot answer such questions very well.  It is also the fact that they have got into the habit of reading comprehension pieces in a particular way which makes it hard for them to gain the information that will allow them to answer the questions posed.

As a result of this, a lot of the quality teaching which would normally help the students to improve their comprehension work fails to have the desired result.  Their habitual style of responses dominate, and little improvement may be seen.

The key issue here is to get these students to focus not just on the text and its meaning, but also the techniques that the writer uses and the effectiveness of the writing.

“Higher Close Reading Examples and Activities” is a copiable volume that solves this problem by looking at the key topics in this field such as word choice, imagery, tone and structure.

The volume also incorporates sections which explore, in relation to the example texts within the book, language types such as figurative language, formal language and informal language.

After this the volume looks at the effectiveness of the ideas given within the sample texts, the effectiveness of the conclusions, and the comparisons which can be made between different sample passages.

“Higher Close Reading Examples and Activities” 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 841 5 Order code: T1818emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1818.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…

History

20th Century European History

 

This pack is specifically aimed at EAL/SEN students who are studying history at Key Stage 3 as it allows the teacher to provide differentiated work in a self-contained worksheet containing clear and concise step by step instructions.

The worksheets are both accessible and challenging, but also designed to provide a secure basis of knowledge of the subject matter with definitions of subject specific key words.

The time period begins in 1914 with the origins of World War One, and goes on to cover all aspects of WWI and its aftermath.

It continues with the inter-war years including the Russian Revolution and the rise of the dictators and concludes with all aspects of WWII including technology, the home front and the holocaust.

The drawings, photos, diagrams and cartoons illustrate a variety of key points in a visually exciting and imaginative way providing a wealth of information on the period for students with a limited knowledge of the English language.

The activities range from tried and tested techniques which include closed exercises, heads & tails matching, sentence starters, newspaper templates, flow diagrams, drawing and labelling. There are also novel ways for lower ability students to search and synthesise information such as highlighted reading for meaning exercises.

Decades of mixed ability teaching in inner city schools and a keen understanding of pedagogy have shaped the design of this flexible resource which is devised to make the day to day teaching easier by being simple to photocopy, modify and deploy.

51 Photocopiable Masters on CD – Price: £34.99 (£41.99 incl VAT)

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

To see sample pages please email info@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H7161.

You can order the 20th Century European History EAL CD-ROM in any of these ways:

  • On our website
  • By phone on 0117 940 6409
  • By fax on 0117 940 6408
  • By email (quoting a school order number) to info@classroom-resources.co.uk
  • By post to: Classroom Resources, 9 Logan Road, Bristol, BS7 8DU

Classroom Resources Ltd
9 Logan Road,
Bristol,
BS7 8DU

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

Policies

School policy update: new measures to keep children safe online

Last month the DfE announced in a press release that “All schools will be required to put in place strengthened measures to protect children from harm online – including cyber bullying, pornography and the risk of radicalisation.”

As part of the new policy, your school will need to install filters and monitoring systems so that pupils aren’t subjected to harmful online content, and also to teach your pupils about safeguarding online.

To support schools in making these changes, the DfE recommends that schools use a number of resources including: two practical guides on social media, online training, and Google’s ‘Internet Legends’ tour.

The problem with this policy update (and indeed, all policy updates) is that it needs to be incorporated into your school’s existing policy which can take up a considerable amount of time that you and your colleagues don’t have to spare.

It is for this reason that we create, adjust, amend, and update school policies on your behalf, which includes an Acceptable Internet Use and Agreement Policy and an E-Safety Policy.

Policies for Schools have created over 290 school policies covering 20 different statutory areas which are easy to customise and thus will save you a considerable amount of time when one or more of your school policies require attention.

What’s more, if you have a specific need of a policy which isn’t listed on the website we will create it for you. You can find our full list of school policies by clicking here.

To subscribe to Policies for Schools, visit www.policiesforschools.co.uk.

Or, if you’d like to view a few sample policies beforehand, we have provided the following policies which are available to download free of charge by clicking here:

  • Calming Room Policy
  • Professional Learning Communities Policy and
  • School Website Policy.

Alternatively, if you would like to know more about our service, you can email us at sales@policiesforschools.co.uk, call us on 01600 891 506, or write to us at Teachers Resource Centre Ltd, Wyastone Business Park, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR.

Financial management

Managing your Private Funds

www.istekuk.com
Istek UK Ltd, 3 St Ursula’s Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3FY

Email: info@istekuk.com
Phone: 01722 413255
Fax number: 01722 568262

The Private Funds Manager software helps manage your trips, clubs, performances, lockers, fund raising and all aspects of the school fund. It’s quick and easy to setup, and straightforward to enter information and generate reports.

  • Synchronises automatically with Sims for pupil information (PFM is a partner product of Sims.net)
  • Processes money in and out and prints receipts if required
  • Includes a free of charge, zero fee method for internet payments
  • But also links with all online payment systems like Parentpay so you don’t have to re enter details
  • Pay by cash, cheque, cards or BACS
  • Balances bank accounts easily with a simple ticking system
  • Creates trips reports and all financial reports, with a simple year end
  • Send emails and letters automatically for trips and other accounts

Please see our website for details or phone 01722 413255 and mention mailer X2.

PFM is priced at just £195 for primary and £395 for secondary schools.

Building, furniture, maintenance, energy etc, Financial management

Funding Opportunities for Playground Projects 2016

If you have any forthcoming playground projects on your “wish list” for 2016 – be they play equipment, outdoor classrooms & shelters, nature and forest school areas etc – then it would be perhaps worth your while contacting us.

The reason being is that we have invested a lot of our time and effort in trying to help schools raise the necessary funds in these financially difficult times but the good news is that what we are doing is working. We have secured full funding for all of our school clients last year who asked for our help and even better news for you, it doesn’t have to cost you anything apart from a bit of your time to initially brief us on your school and project. The rest of the hard work is then down to us. We know you are busy so we will work alongside you at your convenience.

Please therefore have a look at our website for the products we currently offer but if you have something else in mind, please do let us know. And then give us a call about the above and we will tell you how it all works.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Simon Fearnehough
Director

Email: simon@hideouthouse.com   Telephone: 01865 858982
Websites: www.hideouthouse.com

Primary, School News

The huge benefit of not rebooking the same photographer year after year.

When your school photographer comes to take pictures of the children in your school each year, it is quite likely that he or she will invite you to sign up for pictures to be taken the following year.

And if you were happy with the work, there will seem to be no reason not to.

Except that if you were to change photographers you could have the work done for the same price as you are now paying and get a full school photograph as well, at absolutely no extra cost.

Full school photographs make a superb memento of this year in the school – showing as they do all your colleagues plus all the children and their teachers.  And you can have just such a picture at absolutely no charge whatsoever.

All you have to do is not rebook your current school photographer (or indeed cancel the booking if you wish) and invite Fraser Portraits to undertake the work.

You’ll have your existing price guaranteed, we’ll undertake all the work your current supplier offers, and you’ll get the full school photo at absolutely no charge.

What’s more, we’ll produce the full school photo without disrupting the entire school, without taking everyone outside, without stopping lessons, without waiting for the right weather, etc, etc.

The full school photo can be placed in the school hall, in the waiting area so parents can see it, or indeed in your own room.

Apart from being a reminder of the school as it now is, it makes a clear statement about the school as a community – something that, of course, many parents value and like to see.  Have the picture taken each year and you can trace the developing history of the school.

Additional copies are also available for a small charge.  And here’s another bonus – you’ll find us particularly flexible over dates and willing to work across two days if that makes life easier for you.

If you would like to see an example of the result just click here.

To take a look at our new e-brochure please click here.

For more information or to make a booking you can:

  • Take a look at our website
  • Phone 01202 692433
  • Email roy@fraserportraits.com
  • Or write to Roy Fraser, Fraser Portraits Ltd, 206 The Broadway, Lower Blandford Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8DP

Maths

Making Maths Magical

What is the one classroom activity that will enhance your pupils’ confidence in, and enjoyment of maths more than any other?

There are only a limited number of activities around that are designed specifically to increase children’s enjoyment of maths.  And yet the more children do see maths as an enjoyable subject the more confidence they will have in the subject – and the more rapidly their studies will progress.

Which is why we created Magical Maths.

Magical Maths is a school based workshop aimed at either KS1 or KS2 students.  It is taught on a class-by-class basis with up to five classes being taught during the course of the day, with each class session lasting 45 minutes to an hour.

The sessions are based around the notion of magic, and indeed the practitioner who leads the sessions is a member of the Magic Circle.  Children practice and perform the magic tricks that are taught during the workshop – magic which is all based on National Curriculum maths.

As a result the children gain new mathematical insights and revel in their new-found positive relationship with mathematics.

To enquire about a possible booking please call me on 07870 215675 or email Jasmine@Jasminesmagicparties.co.uk with the words MAGIC MATHS in the subject line.

 

Procurement, Travel

Are these not the most convenient arrangements for leasing a minibus?

The team here at Benchmark Leasing have for some time been working hard to create the most convenient minibus leasing packages especially for schools – evolving the arrangement through feedback, primarily from administrators and school managers.

Here are the arrangements that we have put together to date:

The New Ford Transit Minibus
Key features: Daytime running lights, Bluetooth, power side step, curve control, tinted glass, and remote central locking. The Trend in addition (for a modest rental increase) includes such items as metallic paint, power heated and folding mirrors, heated front windscreen, and parking sensors.

Ford Transit Minibus 12 Seater
2 years, 20,000 Total Miles gives Monthly Rentals of £299 + VAT.
A favourite as it can be driven on a regular driving license due to its light weight.

Ford Transit Minibus 15 Seater
2 years, 20,000 Total Miles gives Monthly Rentals of £317 + VAT.

Ford Transit Minibus 17 Seater
2 years, 20,000 Total Miles gives Monthly Rentals of £368 + VAT.

Renault Trafic Minibus
Key features: 62 mph speed limiter, electronic stability control, digital tachograph, two 2kg fully compliant water/foam fire extinguishers, first aid kit with VOSA approved content, electric side step, individual spot lights and air vents for passengers, and rear safety doors.

Renault Trafic 9 Seat Minibus
2 years, 20,000 Total Miles gives Monthly Rentals of £318 + VAT.

Vauxhall Movano
Key features: Padded head restraints, dual front passenger bench seat, individual saloon lighting, optional air conditioning, illuminated rear passenger walkway, overhead storage and coat racks, retracting side step, and standard Electronic Stability Programme (ESP).

Vauxhall Movano 17 Seat Minibus
3 years, 30,000 Total Miles gives Monthly Rentals of £470 + VAT.

All prices include a Full Maintenance package consisting of tyre replacement, servicing, Road Tax, MOT, and 6 Monthly Safety Inspections. Based on an initial rental equivalent to 3 monthly rentals.

You can find more information about Benchmark Leasing’s school minibus packages by visiting our website. Or, if you’d prefer, you can call us on 01753 859944 or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

School News

What is the simplest way of selling or giving away equipment and resources that the school no longer needs?

Many schools have items that are in a good condition but which for various reasons are no longer required.

However, they could be exactly what some other school wants. They might be exercise books, kitchen warmer units, equipment removed from teaching rooms during a refurbishment, some older but still fully functional computers, office furniture – in fact absolutely anything.

So how can they be offered to other schools without running up significant advertising costs?

The solution is simple: advertise on Savings for Schools – a free service for schools throughout the UK run by the School of Educational Administration and Management (SEAM).

Savings for Schools advertises services and products that will be of interest to teachers and school managers via Facebook and Twitter.  And to re-iterate the point, it is completely free.

All the advertising work is undertaken by the SEAM – all you have to do is provide us with one or more adverts for your products.

All orders and requests for further information will come direct to you, and there will be no costs for you – no upfront charges, no agency commission, no commitment to do anything else, no nothing.

Savings for Schools is a new venture, and thus far we have been putting up occasional notices from commercial companies as well as some news stories.  This is the first time we’ve offered the service free of charge to schools as well.

If you would like to see what Savings for Schools looks like just go onto Twitter and Facebook and in the search box enter Savings for Schools.

To become part of Savings for Schools all you have to do is send in your advert/s as a Word file to Jenny@hamilton-house.com and give us details of your school’s name and address, for our records.

Jenny Burrows
Savings for Schools

Facebook logo twitter logo

Behaviour / Motivation

How to make teachers twice as effective in the classroom and double the attainment of lower ability students

This statement is bold but true, latest research shows that when carefully crafted seating charts are in place, teachers are twice as effective in the classroom and the attainment of lower ability students can be doubled.

This will come as no surprise to those more experienced teaching staff. By telling pupils where they should sit in the classroom you are immediately asserting your authority and can also take advantage of strategies such as peer to peer learning.

So does your school have a policy on seating charts? Are you able to ascertain which combinations work best for the classroom and lead to improved performance and behaviour, are you ready to impress Ofsted?

Class Charts links up with SIMS, Integris & SMIS. It instantly creates seating charts for your teachers and displays key data such as SEN, Pupil Premium & subject targets. This means that your staff will be aware of pupils’ abilities and needs at a glance.

But there is more!

Coupled with the seating charts is an optional real time behaviour management system (SIMS writeback supported) that is simple for your staff to use and provides the leadership team with detailed behaviour analytics – allowing them to pinpoint behaviour issues and trends and get support strategies in place.

Sound good?

Take a look at what is on offer at Class Charts and get in touch quoting ref HH for a chat or a quick online demo.

support@classcharts.com

0845 094 6427

Edukey Education Ltd, 1 High Street, St Davids, SA62 6SA

PSHE, PSHE and Citizenship, School News

‘Banter VS Bullying’ – Is there a difference?

With 10 million children heading back to school this month a recent study has shown that more than a third are worried about returning because of bullying.

It’s in the news, it’s on the TV and it is still a very real problem happening in our schools all over the country.  The question has been asked whether the media and technology is part of what seems to be an increasing problem, and if this is the case it can make it even harder for schools to tackle the influences and the resulting behaviour.

Where does a harmless joke between friends end and a more serious act against a person begin? What is the difference between banter and bullying?

Below is a section of script from a scene with Millie (age 7) and her dad, who are watching the TV and discussing the big question – BULLYING VS BANTER?

NEWS                                    …and a teenager has begun a legal battle against her schoolmates for
what she calls bullying and what they call banter. This banter has taken
the form of online abuse and worse, our reporter is on the scene…

DAD switches the news off.

MILLIE                                    Daddy, what’s banter?

DAD                                       It’s a kind of grown up joking.

MILLIE                                    So is it funny?

DAD                                       Well, yes.. if I’m with my friends and I tease them about their non-existent football skills, say, ‘You’d never get picked for the team!’  that kind of thing, you know…

MILLIE                                    So how is it joking?

DAD                                       Well, banter is joking and sort of teasing, but it can feel like someone is hurting your feelings if they say something that makes you upset.

MILLIE                                    Like bullying?

DAD                                       No, because banter makes you laugh and bullying makes you feel scared.

MILLIE                                    So when Jake says I smell and he makes a fart noise that’s banter?

DAD                                       Yes, kind of, but Jake who is this?

MILLIE                                    But when he says it over and over and over again in breaktime is that still banter even though it makes me want to cry?

DAD                                       No, that’s not banter,

MILLIE                                    But it makes other people laugh and you said that’s what banter is.

(SCENE CONTINUES)

©“Beyond the Surface – BULLIED BRITAIN”

Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company

With such a complicated and vast topic how can schools find exciting, relevant and practical sessions that explore the different types of bullying, yet also combat behaviour and help pupils to consider the root causes?

According to OFSTED “In 80% of primary and secondary schools, outside speakers made a valuable contribution by bringing a wide range of expertise and life experiences to the PSHE education programme.”

Often the difficulty with outside speakers or projects is finding one that is relevant to a majority of the pupils and that can have a lasting and memorable impact.  In the last 15 years Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company have been designing and delivering performances and workshops with this ethos at its core.  Completely funded by educational establishments their work looks to meet the needs of schools and their pupils, adapting the content to make sure that all their projects are involving, informing and inspiring.

It’s taken 4 years of research and development across the country and with over 200,000 pupils to create “Beyond the Surface” – a series of shows, based on a “fly on the wall” TV show format followed by an interactive workshop that entertains and educates to the highest standard.

Beyond the Surface –  “Bullied Britain” is a performance aimed specifically at Year 5/6 students to deal with the complex issue of bullying and the many forms it can take including; social and emotional, physical, and verbal. The 20 minute fast paced documentary format live performance serves as an entertaining icebreaker to highlight a range of issues while the follow-up workshop with trained facilitators then gives students the opportunity to relate their own lives, personalities and experiences to the events in the play, with the ultimate aim to arm students with the necessary tools and information to combat bullying in their future school life.

The show examines lots of different people and how bullying and banter affect them and their relationships, from TV show “Mates” to a serious case of cyber bullying and everything in between.

Based on the PSHE Association notes and guidance for the Core Theme of Relationships the ‘Bullied Britain’ project gives students the chance:

  • To recognise how behaviour effects other people and to respond appropriately to a wider range of feelings in others.
  • To recognise what is fair and unfair, kind and unkind, what is right and wrong.
  • To recognise what is part of positive and healthy relationships.
  • To listen to other people and play and work cooperatively (including strategies to resolve simple arguments through negotiation).
  • To identify and respect the differences and similarities between people.
  • To recognise when people are being unkind – either to them or others, how to respond, who to tell and what to say.
  • To see that there are different types of teasing and bullying, that these are wrong and unacceptable.

We also have our Interactive Friendship and Bullying workshops

A hands-on workshop with short integrated scenes to help students understand what constitutes a positive and healthy friendship and gives ways to form and maintain these friendships.

Suitable for Yrs 2-4, approx. 1hr running time for up to 50 pupils.

‘Bullied Britain’ is touring schools across the country throughout the Autumn Term. Call us for availability and a direct quote.

Prices Guide:

½ day projects start at £575 + vat
Full day projects start at £775 + vat

Email: admin@tipoftheiceberg.biz
Web: www.tipoftheiceberg.biz
Phone: 07519 593 711

 

School News

What is the most effective way to ensure that your pupils really understand key economic principles?

 

This resource contains a selection of around 200 questions on microeconomics which will force your students to think, consider and then think again, the kind of mental exercise that helps to ensure that knowledge and understanding are retained for exam purposes and beyond.

There are 13 sets of explained true/ false questions which are designed to secure and strengthen an excellent understanding of key principles in economics. In doing so, many of the questions asked have been set with a clear aim of stretching and challenging students to deliver A and A* grades in their final examinations. A further objective is also to develop the skills needed to tackle multiple choice question papers set by the AQA and Edexcel examining boards. This is achieved by prompting students to interrogate every word in the question. Many of these questions turn on a single phrase or word.

Model answers are provided, which allows students to mark their own papers, if required, again making best use of teachers’ time. They also provide students with a permanent feedback record, which will prove invaluable during their final examination preparation period.

Each of the test papers covers an area of the syllabus which may be set on a weekly basis as a topic test. They can also be used very effectively as a researched homework activity.

However, these materials will work equally well as a revision tool in the second term by helping keep students’ knowledge of micro-economics fresh once the teacher has moved on to macro-economics. This will be particularly important to many teachers now that January modular exams at A level have ended. Indeed, teachers will notice that some questions contain a synoptic element for precisely this reason.

Microeconomics Assessment Tests for AS, A2, and IB provides an invaluable resource for busy teachers of AS, A2, IB and even first year university students of economics.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/economics/T1824

ISBN: 978 1 86083 871 2; Order code: T1824emn

The volume is available as…

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

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book or CD…

Psychology

What is the most effective way of helping students come to terms with the key issues in psychology?

The answer to the question is simple: for the students to undertake activities relating to the topics that they are studying. Topics which they may have touched on in everyday life, but which they have never considered in terms of academic study.

Through such activities the students can engage in independent learning, develop their application skills and evaluation skills, and judge their own progress using the success criteria linked to examiner comments and the skills needed at each level.

Seven separate areas are covered within this resource: Social Influence, Memory, Attachments, Research Methods, Approaches in Psychology, Biopsychology, and Psychopathology

By way of example, the memory section of the resource starts with a sorting activity so that the students can clarify the difference between the multi-store model of memory and the working model of memory.  This is followed by a number of tasks to reinforce understanding of long-term memory types by relating them to real life examples.   And finally there is a section with activities on types of forgetting, looking at factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony and analysing and assessing cognitive interview techniques.

A similar level of depth is covered through each of the other topics.

There are sample pages at  http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/T1839sample.pdf

AQA Psychology Teaching Resources – AS and Yr1 Level is published as a download so that you can immediately receive a copy onto your computer, from which you can print out pages for colleagues and students as often as you want.  You can also put it on your school learning platform so all staff can access the document – and indeed you can make it part of the induction documentation for new members of staff.

You can obtain AQA Psychology Teaching Resources – AS and Yr1 Level by going to http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=73&products_id=787

The price is £12 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

AQA Psychology Teaching Resources – AS and Yr1 Level is published by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group.  If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk

First and Best in Education
Earlstrees Road
Corby
UK
NN17 4HH

Website: www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook

English

Where can I find the national bank of assessment questions for Literacy?

It was perhaps a little strange that the Final Report of the Commission on Assessment Without Levels asked for something that was already there when it recommended the creation of a “national item bank of assessment questions.”

But such things happen, and Testbase, developed by teachers to provide schools with valid and reliable resources to rise to the challenge set by the Commission, is certainly available.

All the content is from National Curriculum tests in Literacy (end of key stage, optionals, and DfE samples) categorised according to the new National Curriculum objectives.

Additional material has been developed by National Curriculum Test Developers. As for the software, that has been developed and evolved to meet the exact requirements of the teachers who use it.

As a result you can create tailor-made assessments that can be used formatively or summatively, print ready-made assessments, prepare pupils for test conditions, use Testbase for guided reading, meet Ofsted and DfE requirements, and centralise your school’s assessments through the online library.

In the in-school formative assessment you can search for questions covering the topic or skill you are teaching, and filter by level of demand.​

For the end of topic and termly assessments you can search for questions covering the topic or skill, drag selected questions into a new document, and then save that document to a library to share with colleagues.

While for the end of year assessments you can obtain detailed feedback on progress with high quality printed tests, create diagnostic and comparative reports, and review year on year progress.

In total, Testbase provides online access to over 7,500 KS1–KS3 test questions, mark schemes and examiner comments. The questions come from SATs papers from 1995 to 2015 and are mapped to NC2014. DfE sample tests are also included.

There is more information on our website.

To order Testbase please

Efficiency

The benefits of recording lessons are plain to see. But are there any legal complications?

The arrival of the Lessonbox system through which teachers can record, both in pictures and sound, all that happens in a lesson has meant that many more lessons can be recorded than ever before.

Indeed the recording of these lessons so that teachers may observe best practice and study in depth their own teaching process is clearly a very, very helpful process. To all intents and purposes it offers the biggest breakthrough ever in continuing professional development.

Many schools are now moving over to this unique system, which is described in full on our website, and the benefits to CPD are, of course, overwhelming.

However, it is a legitimate question to ask where the school stands in relation to this sort of recording – which is done entirely to help develop the quality of teaching and learning – in terms of laws relating to the recording of the activities of young people.

To understand the situation more fully Lessonbox has met and taken guidance from the ICO on the data protection issues raised with the use of Lessonbox systems.

In summary the ICO recognises the positive applications of Lessonbox under the teacher’s control for the purpose of training, reflective practice, etc.  It accepts that there is a place for teachers to use Lessonbox to support their continuing professional development, and they acknowledge that teachers will find it useful to look back at lessons as part of their reflective practice.

Restrictions on use only relate to situations in which Lessonbox is set up to be an equivalent of a CCTV surveillance device – when obviously separate rules apply.

Lessonbox can be used as part of the school’s approach to addressing problem behaviour and low level disruption, as long as the use is proportionate.  Details of all the ICO’s findings and views on using Lessonbox both to record lessons and for disciplinary and other purposes can be found on our website.

Lessonbox uses wireless technology to record multiple lessons, and once recording is complete you have the choice of saving and reviewing the footage in school or, if subscribed, using the Lessonbox Cloud video platform to share, add comments, and attach related documents.

What’s more, because the recording equipment is portable it can be used by any teacher in any room or building, and there’s nothing to stop it being used to record a number of lessons by different teachers each day.

If you would like to download the ICO and Policy white papers or to discuss how Lessonbox can work in your school, please visit our website or call 0845 519 3660. If you have any specific questions, please do email info@lessonbox.co.uk

Andrew Jenkins

Music, Primary

How can assembly songs provide a positive and hugely creative experience for young children?

SEALSONGS is a collection of assembly songs which aims to get children engaged through the experience of making and creating music. The lyrics were written with considerable input from Year 4 and 5 pupils, so speak from children to children, and the musical backing tracks were professionally recorded.

But the resource goes further and offers teachers detailed advice on writing new lyrics, leading singing and other ways that SEALSONGS may be used in the classroom. Thus it enables teachers to give young children the positive experience of working with others in creating new songs within the SEAL framework. There is also guidance for non-specialists in how to teach songs.

The SEAL themes are:

Song 1: New beginnings
Song 2: Getting on and falling out
Song 3: Say no to bullying
Song 4: Going for goals!
Song 5: Good to be me
Song 6: Relationships
Song 7: Changes

Two further general songs – one about writing songs and one providing a Rhyme Game – are also included in the pack.

SEALSONGS was written by David Stoll, a well-known composer of music for the concert hall, the theatre, and for television and radio. He also writes children’s songs and for school ensembles, and designs projects in creativity for schools, higher education and the corporate sector. His music is now being published by Novello & Co.

JENNY MOSLEY (Founder of Quality Circle Time) said “SEALSONGS is a wonderful gift to any adult who wants to truly help their class or school embed SEAL as a way of ‘being’ with ourselves and others. We all know that song can lift you to a different spiritual dimension – David Stoll has given us the perfect package to help even the most music-shy amongst us to engage young people in the process of creating heart-warming songs as part of a creative team….. This is an excellent resource.”

HOWARD GOODALL (National Ambassador for Singing) said “These SEALSONGS have the authentic ring of children’s ideas and feelings in every line. This, for me, makes it a valuable and empowering set of musical tools….. with excellent supporting materials and explanations.”

Purchase of SEALSONGS includes a licence for full use of all the material within the school, including recording new versions of the songs.  The complete package is split into different files so that schools may choose which elements they wish to record or print.

Sample music can be downloaded from www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/music/SEALSONGSSamples.rar

You can purchase SEALSONGS in the following ways:

1. As a download, price £10 plus VAT

2. As a copiable book plus CD, price £19.99 plus £3.95 delivery