Monthly Archives: January 2016

PSHE, Sixth form, Workshops

An opportunity for sixth form boys: Mentoring Male – mentoring work with boys and young men

How to effectively engage young males with education and provide routes into employment and socially responsible adulthood is a concern of many professions.

Education is also a recognised social determinant of health; boys and young men are consistently outperformed by girls and young women in schools and universities. Health improvement also means action on increasing educational opportunity.

Mentoring offers an evidence-based approach to work with young men –  helping young men to achieve their academic and vocational potential,  addressing  the new Ofsted framework and concerns related to problematic behaviours – and providing go-to support and signposting to other services.

Your sixth form young men

The Unit Award in Mentoring Boys and Young Men is a Level 2 award providing your sixth formers with an understanding of mentoring work. The unit considers:

  • the rationale for work with young males
  • a strengths-based approach to work with young males
  • the role of the mentor
  • qualities desirable in a mentor
  • primary tasks of a mentor
  • dealing with disclosure/safeguarding
  • setting boundaries in mentor-mentee relationships
  • building and sustaining mentor-mentee relationships
  • goal setting and outcomes

The outcome is that your sixth formers will have received training enabling them to peer-mentor boys in lower year groups. This not only strengthens their employability skills and student leadership within the school, but helps to raise the overall achievement of all boys and young men involved.

The workshop covering the award criteria is 4 hours long. Each sixth former undertaking the award will be provided with their own copy of the Mengage course book: Mentoring Male: A guide to mentoring work with boys and young men. A Level 2 certificate will be issued upon completion.

The workshop costs £495 for up to 15 sixth formers+ £45 per person for accreditation + reasonable travel costs.  Discounts for more than 15 sixth formers.

Mengage is committed to your school’s development; if this is something you would like to discuss or you have other concerns regarding the health or education of young men, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your time.

Liam Kernan & Paul Hopkins
BEd (Hons)      RGN, MSc (Men’s Health)

01905 570180
info@mengage.co.uk
www.mengage.co.uk

ICT

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4

This resource will enable pupils to become familiar and competent at using ‘SolidWorks’ CAD software.

They will use CAD (Solidworks) to develop their designs solution and be aware of the many advantages and dis-advantages that such software has in the real world.

This book contains a number of projects suitable for Key Stage 3 and as a revision guide for pupils in Key stage 4. It allows pupils to quickly get up to speed with using such a complex piece of software and, most importantly, allows them to become competent in designing better products.

Pupils will become familiar with the range of sketch tools and features available. They will be shown step by step how to build a Frisbee, Lego Block, Memory pen, IPOD Nano and a Digital camera. They will also be shown how to assemble parts step-by-step.

The resource also includes two further projects to extend your pupils’ skills – building a Die and a Child’s Stacking Toy. After completing all seven projects they should be able to create something by themselves using the skills they have learnt from the book.

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can print out for colleagues as often as you want.  You can also put it on your school learning platform so all members of your department can access the document.  YOu can view sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/T1781samples.pdf

You can obtain Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 by going to http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=76_114&products_id=754

The price is £10 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 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

You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Maths

Some teenagers love the drama of a good problem

We all look round for the cavalry when faced with a big problem and most of us have a ‘go to’ person who knows how to do almost everything.  But this knowledge only comes with experience.

So how do you give young people the opportunity to solve problems and develop creative thinking skills whilst they are still at school?

STEM resources have been developed to provide teachers with a way of giving students experience of solving problems and gaining confidence in how to respond to challenges. Good maths based problem solving exercises are hard to come by.

So in order that students might see how things can easily go wrong and how, by working together and sharing information they can go right, we’ve put together a business exercise called Safe Delivery which is designed to give students experience of solving a difficult maths based problem and to develop creative thinking skills.

The exercise is suitable for small teams of KS4 and 6th form students who will each act as managers in a business.  Each manager will have individual briefing notes which they must read carefully and then communicate to the rest of their team.

The Scenario – The MD has ordered a huge fire resistant storage cabinet for the business that will house a new ‘server’ on which information will be stored. It is Friday afternoon and the cabinet is being delivered Saturday morning. It must be installed in the General Office by Monday morning – an office floor plan of the building is provided.  A team meeting is called and the managers sit down to work out how this problem will be undertaken.

This resource contains: For the students:
A memo that sets out the task
5 detailed briefs for different managers in the business and one scribe
A floor plan of the office building showing all the obstacles that need to be overcome

For the teacher:
Clear teachers’ guidance notes that explain how to run the exercise
A snapshot crucial information chart
The written solution
The solution on a power point presentation

There are more details at…
http://c-l-e.co.uk/buy-teaching-resources-online/safe-delivery-exercise/

You can pay and download the exercise direct from our website using Paypal or you may wish to pay with a purchase order number. Simply e-mail your purchase order number to us and we will send the exercise to you along with the invoice for payment.  For more information e-mail Julie@c-l-e.co.uk

Behaviour / Motivation

Ofsted is again highlighting low-level disruption. But it is still missing the fundamental question.

Ofsted’s 2014 pronouncement (“Below the radar”) about low-level disruption was remarkably similar to its earlier comments on the subject.

Indeed it has been commenting on the topic since at least 2005 – and quite possibly before.

And what is interesting is that once again there was one issue missing: the discussion on why low-level disruption happens. What is the cause?

This is not a remote academic question, because normally understanding the cause of a problem is the key to solving the problem. In this case, however, it seems Ofsted thinks not.

The government office instead focusses on the notion that some teachers feel senior leaders do not understand what behaviour is really like in the classroom – and they cite PISA research which backs up this view.

In most organisations, if a problem exists and is not being solved, the issue of the cause quickly becomes the focal point. Find out why and then address the issue.

Indeed it can be argued that one of the great problems with approaches to discipline is that they are based on ideas and beliefs rather than practical experimentation which might establish whether a theory works in terms of reducing disruption and enhancing learning.

Even when such experimentation does exist, it can sometimes be the case that those who determine educational policy may set it aside when the experiment’s results don’t quite match their established political beliefs.

When it comes to behaviour and discipline there is research, the findings of which have never been countered, which shows that the key factor in determining the behaviour of pupils is not the syllabus of the school, parental expectations, nor indeed the socio-economic background of the students.

Rather it is the view of the staff within the school. In fact, where different staff hold different views on the issue of behaviour and discipline, then behavioural issues increase.

In short, when the staff genuinely agree to, and subsequently adopt, a unified policy then the problems vanish.

What makes this finding so important is that first, it puts the power to change pupil and student behaviour totally in the hands of the school and its managers, and second, it assures us all that change is possible.

This is the starting point for the volume, Improving attitudes, managing behaviour and reducing exclusions, a book that builds from the original research which proved this finding and which applies it to contemporary schooling.

The findings of the original research reviewed in the book are very clear: schools improve when all those in the school decide to improve the school, not because of government initiatives, Ofsted, or what anyone else tells us to do.

For, once a school has its own unified policy, and is able to project that policy to parents and students as an approach to which all staff agree, the unity of purpose of the school is established.

The key issue thus becomes the implementation and maintenance of the policy every day of the school year. And it is the implementation of this approach that “Improving attitudes” describes.

You can see some sample pages at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/education/T1813.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1813EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 821 7

Prices

  • Photocopiable book £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • CD £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Book plus CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1813EMN

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

Clothing/Uniform

Now is the best time to start organising your leavers’ hoodies

The task of organising schools leavers’ hoodies or shirts is one that requires a bit of planning. To avoid that last minute rush and panic, our experience at LeaversGear tells us that it is better to start early and avoid any stress.

Whether it is you, the school administrator, who has to organise it or the students themselves, we advise an early start to the project. With exams coming up for students and “end of term” admin to be sorted out, it makes sense to allow plenty of time.

If the students themselves normally organise the hoodies then please forward this email to the right student or perhaps the Head of Final Year.

At LeaversGear, we are all set for the usual January rush of enquiries, and at this stage that is all you need to do: enquire by clicking here.  You will receive full information on pricing, an order form, and a draft of what your hoodies could look like.

AND….We can even send you some FREE samples to help with colour choice and that all important task, sizing.

We make it all hassle-free and we keep you right on track throughout the process which we have reduced 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

Building, furniture, maintenance, energy etc, PE, School News

See whether your school qualifies for a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school

This is true – your school can get a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school (and indeed many schools already have), but it does require a little bit of planning – which, fortunately, Notts Sport can help you with.

So, the immediate question is, how does it work?

There are two stages. First, we develop the facility that you require on your school grounds using Fast Track Funding, which means no payment is required until the facility is complete. After that, payment is arranged over a period of time – normally five or seven years.

This is when the second part of the arrangement comes in. Schools are finding that it is not at all difficult to hire out their new facility to local clubs on occasional evenings and weekends, and through that are able to cover all the costs of the development (and more).

And there you have it – a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school, all whilst helping to promote sport and healthy lifestyles in the local community which will inevitably create a significant amount of positive PR for the school.

Such sports facilities that we install for schools under the Fast Track Funding Scheme include a new all-weather pitch for football, cricket, hockey, etc., and at the heart of the development plan is England Hockey’s Official Facilities Partner.

Unfortunately our seminars about Fast Track Funding have now finished. However we have created a presentation for those who couldn’t make it to the seminars and are interested in Fast Track Funding. You can view this presentation by clicking here.

We will be doing live Fast Track Funding webinars in the New Year. To register your interest or if you have any questions about the Fast Track Funding Scheme, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by calling us on 01455 883 730 or emailing us at info@nottssport.com.  

There is further information about Fast Track Funding on our website.

What’s more, you can find out more about the various pitch surfacing systems designed and developed by Notts Sport, by visiting http://nottssport.co.uk/.

English, Special Needs

What is dysgraphia and how can you identify it among your pupils?

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder which can be defined as “a disorder in written expression”. It is a Greek term which in English translates to “impaired at writing by hand”.

Perhaps the first step to identifying dysgraphia is by comparing your pupils’ handwriting with other pupils’ handwriting of the same age.

Pupils with dysgraphia will often have unorthodox or poor quality handwriting due to a number of factors – other than because they simply dislike handwriting or/and have no intention of putting effort in to making their handwriting legible for others.

Things to look out for in your pupils’ handwriting, other than just poor quality, are:

  • Oversized letters and punctuation
  • Inconsistencies in the size of consecutive letters
  • Letters and words not written at a consistent angle (straight, then slanting left, then slanting right)
  • Inconsistently spaced letters, words, sentences, lines, paragraphs and margins (even when margins and lines are provided)
  • Letters and words written in the wrong order
  • Writing is often crossed out and rewritten
  • Spelling mistakes

However, just because some of your pupils may have poor quality handwriting and may do some or all of the things listed above, dysgraphia can still not be assumed. The cause of the poor quality handwriting needs to be identified and it is only then that a diagnosis of dysgraphia can be made.

A pupil with dysgraphia will very often have problems with their language processing, their fine motor skills, memory retrieval, their pen/pencil grip and writing posture, and/or visual spacing.

At Dysgraphia Help we offer an online dysgraphia test for pupils (over the age of 8) for 71.71 NZD* (£32).

After completing the

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder which can be defined as “a disorder in written expression”. It is a Greek term which in English translates to “impaired at writing by hand”.

Perhaps the first step to identifying dysgraphia is by comparing your pupils’ handwriting with other pupils’ handwriting of the same age.

Pupils with dysgraphia will often have unorthodox or poor quality handwriting due to a number of factors – other than because they simply dislike handwriting or/and have no intention of putting effort in to making their handwriting legible for others.

Things to look out for in your pupils’ handwriting, other than just poor quality, are:

  • Oversized letters and punctuation
  • Inconsistencies in the size of consecutive letters
  • Letters and words not written at a consistent angle (straight, then slanting left, then slanting right)
  • Inconsistently spaced letters, words, sentences, lines, paragraphs and margins (even when margins and lines are provided)
  • Letters and words written in the wrong order
  • Writing is often crossed out and rewritten
  • Spelling mistakes

However, just because some of your pupils may have poor quality handwriting and may do some or all of the things listed above, dysgraphia can still not be assumed. The cause of the poor quality handwriting needs to be identified and it is only then that a diagnosis of dysgraphia can be made.

A pupil with dysgraphia will very often have problems with their language processing, their fine motor skills, memory retrieval, their pen/pencil grip and writing posture, and/or visual spacing.

At Dysgraphia Help we offer an online dysgraphia test for pupils (over the age of 8) for 71.71 NZD* (£32).

After completing the test and sending us a sample of the pupil’s handwriting, you will receive a detailed report on whether or not we believe them to have dysgraphia.

If we believe dysgraphia to be present, you will also receive a number of activity materials for the pupil to work through.

For more information on testing for dysgraphia, please visit http://www.dysgraphiahelp.co.uk/testing-for-dysgraphia/.

* Based on rates of exchange on 15/12/2015. Price is subject to change.

test and sending us a sample of the pupil’s handwriting, you will receive a detailed report on whether or not we believe them to have dysgraphia.

If we believe dysgraphia to be present, you will also receive a number of activity materials for the pupil to work through.

For more information on testing for dysgraphia, please visit http://www.dysgraphiahelp.co.uk/testing-for-dysgraphia/.

* Based on rates of exchange on 15/12/2015. Price is subject to change.

Safety and Security

Incident Management – A simple solution

Schools today are complex and demanding environments presenting a range of difficult situations.

Recent experiences have demonstrated the importance of effective safety and security – for both staff and pupils. This comes on top of corporate responsibility legislation to protect staff.

Managing these situations effectively requires a reliable and flexible communication system. Our range of communication solutions help you to deliver a safer learning environment for everyone.

Typical problems that we address or improve are;

  • Senior Leadership Team communication
  • Incident management
  • First aid and emergency response
  • Staff Safety and lone worker protection
  • Site security and intruder alerting
  • School evacuation or lockdown
  • Site & facility staff communication
  • Truancy patrols and disruptive pupil response teams

From simple, compact two-way radios that provide fast and direct communication across a campus to advanced digital systems that can integrate with fire alarms, panic buttons and door entry systems, Nationwide Radio Supplies has the experience you can rely on.

Site staff working alone can be protected with a range of measures – from radio mounted panic buttons to automatic man-down alarms – all integrated into the core radio system and keeping them in touch with colleagues throughout the school and off-site!

Even the simplest two-way radio systems help with everyday management around your campus by allowing you to pass messages and instructions quickly and easily. This ensures that staff and teams remain co-ordinated and informed at all times.

Our advanced bespoke solutions can be integrated with third party systems including email and mobile phones for complete flexibility and system redundancy.

With many years experience servicing the education sector we ensure that our solutions are cost-effective, simple and powerful.

You need complete confidence when choosing the right solution, so we can also offer free on-site demonstrations and trial periods, all without obligation.

Mention this email when responding and enjoy up to £20 additional discount per radio!

If you need more information or wish to discuss your schools requirements in detail, call us now on 0800 084 27 99 or email sales@nrsupplies.co.uk and we’ll get straight back to you.

Maths, Numeracy

Joining the DfE’s war against innumeracy.

The BBC and other well-known news’ services report that the DfE has declared war on innumeracy with upcoming policies that will result in pupils in England being tested on their times tables up to 12×12 at the age of 11 using an “on-screen check”.

According to the BBC the checks will be piloted to about 3,000 pupils in 80 primary schools this summer, before being rolled out across the country in 2017.

Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, commented: “Since 2010, we’ve seen record numbers of 11 year olds start secondary school with a good grasp of the three Rs. But some continue to struggle.”

“That is why, as part of our commitment to extend opportunity and deliver educational excellence everywhere we are introducing a new check to ensure that all pupils know their times tables by age 11.”

“They will help teachers recognise those pupils at risk of falling behind and allow us to target those areas where children aren’t being given a fair shot to succeed.”

Our Written Arithmetic Questions for Years one to six each provide thirty weeks of written arithmetic questions and will support you in joining the DfE’s war against innumeracy.

What’s more, times tables feature frequently throughout the question books which will support your pupils in their preparation for the upcoming on-screen times tables tests.

This volumes contain carefully graded arithmetic questions, each with their own full page answer sheet, and covers topics such as number, calculations and fractions.

The price for the books depends on the format required: paper book (£17.95) or a download from our website (£13.95 + VAT).

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

BBC article link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35216318
www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk

– See more at: http://www.schoolsare.us/#sthash.1sLv6Uvj.dpuf

Travel

Survey reveals that 75% of schools say they’d benefit from having at least one more minibus.

A survey conducted by Benchmark Leasing has revealed that a significant rise in the number of schools that are leasing rather than buying their minibuses; yet one third of respondents say that they have looked into leasing, but decided against it.

It’s suggested that the reason for this is because there are few minibus leasing contracts on offer which meet the specific and varied needs of schools. Thus we’ve put a great deal of time into creating such contracts – see our top five school minibus leasing arrangements.

Furthermore, despite over half of survey respondents reporting that their secondary school already operates two or three minibuses and a quarter reporting that their school operates more than three, 75% said that their school would benefit from having at least one more.

On a final point, the survey also found that three out of four school minibuses on the road are over five years old, so are becoming increasingly at risk of breaking down or failing their MOT.

Minibuses leased from us are brand new, and with our leasing packages we offer full maintenance which covers tyre replacement, servicing, Road Tax, MOT’s, and 6 monthly (or more often to suit) safety inspections if required.

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

Early Years, Lunch times, playtimes and school clubs, Play

We’ve sent it to you, but you might find someone will want to borrow it.

We have just sent you the new catalogue of positive playtime equipment from Edventure. This should be with you by the 6th or 7th January.

But there is always a chance that it won’t be there because

a) somehow it got lost in the post.

b) one of your colleagues spotted it and removed it for a quick perusal of the products.

c) the fact that there is a new article in the catalogue from positive playtime expert Therese Hoyle attracted the attention of a colleague who borrowed the catalogue to read the article, and then quite possibly passed it on to someone else.

Now if b) or c) is the case I would like to apologise sincerely on behalf of your colleague. You see, the catalogue is something that teachers do like to meander through, not least because of the many new ideas in it in relation to enhancing positive play, stopping bullying before it starts, and encouraging creative experimentation.

So if your copy is missing (for whatever reason) please do click here, complete your details and we’ll get another in the post to you right away. Alternatively, you can view our online catalogue by clicking here.

I do hope you will find the article and the range of ideas within the catalogue to be of interest. You can place an order in a variety of different 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.

English, ICT

If we want to encourage student reading, we need to offer them a way of reading in keeping with their daily lives.

According to Android, the creators of the mobile phone system that most people use, the average person checks their mobile phone nine times an hour.

Of course statistics like these are always dubious, but given that the figure came from data collected by Android directly from users, it is probably near the truth.

It is a figure that adds weight to the notion that there are a lot of young people for whom the mobile has become the centre point of life.

All of which points to the fact that if one is trying to encourage secondary school pupils and students to do something, if the task can be related to their phone, they are more likely to do it, because the phone is so central to their lives.

Thus if we take the notion of reading, if the student can read a book on the phone, there is an ever greater chance that it will be read.

This is a key reason as to why ePlatform has become so popular with schools.  For students, it is like having the library in their hand, available 24 hours a day.

ePlatform offers more than 350,000 titles including the latest UK and international best sellers and Collection Builder compilations (lists of most borrowed titles in schools like yours) for easy collection development.

In short ePlatform puts reading into the heart of students lives, making books instantly available, as those born since the digital revolution expect.

There are also many additional features to make reading easier for those with dyslexia and other reading challenges.  Students can vary the font, background colour, look up the meaning of unfamiliar words and use internet links to learn more.

ePlatform is also the most affordable eLending solution on the market, so you can spend more of your budget on eBooks, not hosting.

Of course being digital it also means that there is no question of damage to books, no loss of books, no concern about unreturned books.  Everything is set to encourage students to read more.

The easiest way to explore this development which is changing students’ perception of libraries and reading is to book a personal webinar demonstration either:

●       By phone on 07971 661782
●       By email on: Rachel@eplatform.co
●       Or by visiting www.eplatform.co

Rachel Lindsay
ePlatform Business Development Manager, UK

Art

Art Aid for Key Stage 3

Tone, texture, pattern, shape, colour…  undertaking Key Stage 3 Art and preparing the students to move on to Key Stage 4 is a significant step for students.

Which is why “Art Aid For Key Stage 3” was developed.  It is a Key Stage 3 volume which encourages the transition to independence and confidence during the KS3 course.

The volume contains numerous project sheets which can be used as starting blocks to write a scheme of work, used as starter activites, or used to run alongside the current scheme of work so that your students learn to work independently before getting to the KS4 syllabus.

The projects can also be used as homework sheets and to provide work for cover lessons.

As a result of this approach students will learn throughout the KS3 course how they can reveal ever greater independence in their work and have a greater level of confidence in what they do is also expected.

Projects include topics such as “About Me – and Picasso), “The human figure”, “My environment – and LS Lowry”, “Still Life”, “Printing” and so on.  In fact there are over 40 separate projects within the volume.

In this way pupils find that by year 9 their knowledge, experience and security while using a range of materials is at the right level to allow a peaceful transition into the independence of enquiry and research that is required for a successful year 10.

Better still, time that might otherwise be taken up during the Key Stage 4 years with enhancing independence and confidence is no longer required, leaving more time for the exploration of the curriculum.

Art Aid is available as a black and white copiable book with an accompanying CD.  The CD contains the text of the book plus some of the projects in colour.

The copyright licence allows the copying from either the book or the CD, so that all students can have pages relevant to their study at any time.  It is also possible to place the CD on the school’s learning platform, so that students may access it at any time.

ISBN:  978 1 86083 789 0

Price: £24.95 for the book and CD, plus £3.95 postage.

You can order in four different ways. In each case please quote our reference T1764emn. Sample pages and a contents list can be viewed prior to ordering on http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/art/T1764.pdf

  • By post to First and Best, Hamilton House Mailings plc, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH
  • By fax on 01536 399 012
  • By phone with a credit card or with an official school order number on 01536 399 011
  • On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=740

Policies, School News

Keep up-to-date with new and updated school policies at www.policiesforschools.co.uk

When we consider that the average school now has around 70 policies to cover an array of eventualities, and adds several more policies every year, it appears that there is an ever growing demand for policy changes and new policies (outlined by the DfE) to be located all in one place.

Fortunately, we have created such a place – www.policiesforschools.co.uk.

But we didn’t stop there for we also recognise that the process of creating, adjusting, amending, and updating school policies takes up a considerable amount of time that you and your colleagues simply don’t have spare. So we decided to go a step further…

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 school policies need creating, adjusting, amending, or updating.

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:

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

which are all available to download here, free of charge.

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.

Religious Education

What is the most effective way of helping students come to terms with all the key topics within the subject?

One of the problems that some students face when coming to the philosophy of religion is that of the multiplicity of concepts.  They learn about verification and falsification, but then as other new issues arise, that piece of knowledge slips from their mind…

What is needed is a quick and easy way of going back and being reminded of each of the topics that arise within the philosophy of religion course, so that when there is any uncertainty (for example, half way through writing an essay) they can resolve that at once.

With this in mind Francis Beswick created a straightforward book which can be photocopied, or put on the school network and made available to everyone, and which covers 22 of the key topics within the philosophy of religion.

Thus every student taking A level religion, and those in the sixth form who are interested in such topics, can get an immediate insight into the issues.

Each topic is dealt with in a short article (usually around 1000 words) which gives the student an immediate awareness of the key points within the topic and which is ideal both as a basic learning resource and as a source for revision when needed.

The essential philosophical arguments covered in this book are supplemented by research topics and discussion points which will make philosophical language more accessible and enjoyable for your students.

Topics within the volume include: Design Arguments; religious experience; verification and falsification; theories of revelation; near death experiences; life after death and reincarnation, etc.

The essential philosophical arguments covered in this book are supplemented by research topics and discussion points which will make philosophical language more accessible and enjoyable for your students.

The Philosophy of Religion by Francis Beswick
Publishers reference: T1700; ISBN: 978 1 86083 741 8

A sample of the book is available on line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/philosophy/T1700.pdf

Prices

  • Photocopiable book: £21.99 plus £3.95 delivery
  • CD with school-wide rights: £21.99 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Both the book and the CD: £28.98 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

Procurement

Understanding all there is to know about school procurement

School Procurement is significant in terms of expenditure and time.  The Certificate of School Procurement provides Business Manager/Executive Officers with the tools to ensure that procurement is carried out in a transparent way.

If you wish to::

  1. Gain control over procurement
  2. Have confidence in procurement
  3. Protect the school from high risk procurement
  4. Reduce reliance on supplier focused contracts

then this online training is for you.

The benefits are:

  1. Increased confidence in procurement
  2. Better understanding of leasing versus purchasing issues.
  3. Focus on school contract for suppliers.
  4. Managing contract performance

The 14 week online modular procurement course can be undertaken at your own pace and can be completed within six months. The training will give you a benchmark as to how school procurement is currently operating and provide a guide for improving.

More information can be found at http://www.admin.org.uk/CCMintro.html

English, School News, 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:

  • On our website
  • By phone on 01536 399017
  • By fax to 01536 399012
  • By email to msl@schools.co.uk    
  • By post to Multi-Sensory Learning, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, NN17 4HH