Daily Archives: 10/03/2016

Workshops

Why are an increasing number of teachers linking aspects of the curriculum to current affairs publicised in the news?

When we consider that young people of today, according to Demos – an independent think tank, are more politically and socially aware than previous cohorts, it makes sense for the curriculum to be linked to current affairs wherever possible to increase relevancy. Particularly for your G&T pupils.

For in doing this it is possible to inspire a passion among your pupils for a particular subject or topic area, resulting in higher levels of attainment in the said subject.

And with the recent return of NASA’s astronaut, Scott Kelly, from the longest US space mission on record together with Britain’s own pioneer, Tim Peake, currently aboard the International Space Station, now is a better time than any to enthuse your more able pupils with the science of space exploration and all that it entails.

Not to mention the collaboration between European and Russian Space Agencies to launch the ExoMars probe, set to monitor methane levels (which could indicate life) on Mars, blasting off on March 14th.  Right now, missions into space are in the spotlight in the media.  It is certainly an exciting time for any budding astronaut and a golden opportunity for teachers to make lessons about the ‘final frontier’ particularly relevant.

To support you in inspiring and enthusing your pupils with the science and technology involved in adventuring to space (using current affairs), Thinkers In Education has produced a workshop by which you can introduce 60 pupils a day to a deeper STEM experience.

Our Space Pioneers Workshop offers a ‘gamified’ learning experience and requires your pupils to work as a team in high pressure situations in order to fix failing electrics and ensure safe touchdown – before analysing the alien surface upon which they have landed.

The practical activities are designed to complement one another and can be readily adapted to the age, ability, and engagement levels of your pupils by changing the content, pace, guidance, activities, and overall difficulty level to suit.

Now is also a better time than any to book your more able pupils onto our Double Lesson Session Space Pioneers Workshop as we are offering schools a massive 30% discount in April and May (making it less than £9 per pupil).

Double Session Workshops last for two hours and will be delivered twice in a day (30 pupils per session).

Our extended five-hour workshop session, Target: Mars, is also available to primary schools and offers hands-on physics, chemistry, and biology activities which enthuse pupils to view science, engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving in a new light – as pioneers of the future.

You can find more information about the wide range of STEM workshops that we host in schools (including our Spectacular Saturday Workshops) by visiting the links above or www.thinkersineducation.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can call us on 01603 520866 or email us at events@thinkersineducation.co.uk to make a booking or enquire about any aspect of our work.

Science

At a Glance books

The At a Glance books provide students with everything they need to prepare for and excel in their GCSE science exams. Presented in an innovative visual style, the books are of benefit to all candidates, and are especially useful for those who find the going a little tougher than most. The books are also useful to teachers as handy references and planners.

tf

The fourth edition of a bestseller, Biology at a Glance 4th edition presents, in a clear, concise, and visual way, the main biological content required by all the examining boards for both the GCSE Double Award Science and separate Biology Award, including IGCSE. It is also useful as an introductory guide for AS Biology. The fourth edition has been revised to include new material on industrial fermenters and their applications, plus additional material on flowering plants.
 		 “…an excellent book. It is well worth getting hold of a copy to see for yourself.”
—School Science Review(about the third edition)
Order your inspection copy online now
Behaviour / Motivation, Play

Saving time, money, and a whole lot of hassle when ordering games, activities, and equipment for playtimes

When a member of staff approaches you and asks for authorisation to order something, and a different member of staff approaches you the very next day for authorisation to order a similar thing – I can imagine that to describe it as “frustrating” would be an understatement.

For not only could these “things” have been ordered from the same supplier, which would have saved on both time and paperwork, but the school could have saved on the delivery costs and, in many cases, taken advantage of a bulk or wholesale discount.

And so it is for this reason that we are making you aware of our Bumper Playground Pack – so that instead of ordering different playtime games, activities, and equipment from different suppliers, you can get everything you might need from Edventure – www.edventure.co.uk.

By ordering everything in one go with our Bumper Playground Pack you will save £35.05 (14%), and this does not include the savings that you can make on delivery – which is free, by the way, if you quote HH0515 at the time of order.

The Bumper Playground Pack comes complete with 2D Boules, Ankle Skip, Big Hand Tennis, Catchtails, Cats Cradle, Diabolos, Flipsticks, Foam Flyers, French Skipping, Hoop a Peg, Koosh Balls, Lolo Balls, Mini Footballs, Plastic Stilts, Poly Playground Balls, a Scoop Set, a Shuttleball, Skipping Ropes, Soft Wall Balls, Spinning Plates, a Springy Ball Game, a Starball, Twirling Ribbons, and Whopper Hoppers.

Furthermore, we have also produced a number of free downloadable Game Guides, including Guide to Starball and a Guide to Spinning Plates, so your lunchtime supervisors can be confident in introducing new games to your pupils.

More free downloadable Game Guides can be found to accompany our playtime games, activities, and equipment at www.edventure.co.uk.

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
STEM, Workshops

Why are an increasing number of teachers linking aspects of the curriculum to current affairs publicised in the news?

When we consider that young people of today, according to Demos – an independent think tank, are more politically and socially aware than previous cohorts, it makes sense for the curriculum to be linked to current affairs wherever possible to increase relevancy. Particularly for your G&T pupils.

For in doing this it is possible to inspire a passion among your pupils for a particular subject or topic area, resulting in higher levels of attainment in the said subject.

And with the recent return of NASA’s astronaut, Scott Kelly, from the longest US space mission on record together with Britain’s own pioneer, Tim Peake, currently aboard the International Space Station, now is a better time than any to enthuse your more able pupils with the science of space exploration and all that it entails.

Not to mention the collaboration between European and Russian Space Agencies to launch the ExoMars probe, set to monitor methane levels (which could indicate life) on Mars, blasting off on March 14th.  Right now, missions into space are in the spotlight in the media.  It is certainly an exciting time for any budding astronaut and a golden opportunity for teachers to make lessons about the ‘final frontier’ particularly relevant.

To support you in inspiring and enthusing your pupils with the science and technology involved in adventuring to space (using current affairs), Thinkers In Education has produced a workshop by which you can introduce 60 pupils a day to a deeper STEM experience.

Our Space Pioneers Workshop offers a ‘gamified’ learning experience and requires your pupils to work as a team in high pressure situations in order to fix failing electrics and ensure safe touchdown – before analysing the alien surface upon which they have landed.

The practical activities are designed to complement one another and can be readily adapted to the age, ability, and engagement levels of your pupils by changing the content, pace, guidance, activities, and overall difficulty level to suit.

Now is also a better time than any to book your more able pupils onto our Double Lesson Session Space Pioneers Workshop as we are offering schools a massive 30% discount in April and May (making it less than £9 per pupil).

Double Session Workshops last for two hours and will be delivered twice in a day (30 pupils per session).

Our extended five-hour workshop session, Target: Mars, is also available to primary schools and offers hands-on physics, chemistry, and biology activities which enthuse pupils to view science, engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving in a new light – as pioneers of the future.

You can find more information about the wide range of STEM workshops that we host in schools (including our Spectacular Saturday Workshops) by visiting the links above or www.thinkersineducation.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can call us on 01603 520866 or email us at events@thinkersineducation.co.uk to make a booking or enquire about any aspect of our work.

School News

Just how much could your organisation save when ordering Postura Plus chairs and how useful is their TEN year warranty?

Postura one piece classroom chairs have been in use in UK schools and colleges for over 15 years. Every chair carries a TEN year warranty against manufacturing defects…so no maintenance or replacement costs for a decade or more.

This could mean significant financial benefits compared with alternative products.

But that’s not all……….

The Postura Plus range of chairs has been designed not only to be extremely durable but also to encourage good posture for your students, as well as being easy to stack and move from room to room.

Postura Plus chairs are used successfully in thousands of UK schools, often just as a trial in one classroom and then being “rolled out” throughout the school as funds allow.

Postura Plus chairs are available in a range of 15 attractive colours.  The TEN year warranty (and its associated benefits) means that these chairs are likely to be one of the best financial investments that a school or college could ever make.

Further information about Postura Plus chairs including very competitive pricing and how to obtain a sample for evaluation, may be obtained from Central Educational Supplies Ltd., PO Box 999, London E14 6SH

Why not visit their website: www.centraleducational.co.uk or phone 020 7515 1797 and ask to speak to Martin Evans who will do his best to help. You can also email: signpost@talk21.com

PS. In addition to the Postura Plus chairs described above you can also order classroom tables, exam desks, stools etc.

Assemblies, Music, School News

Why the reproducing of song words and music during Collective Worship requires specific copyright permission.

Many of the songs that are popular in school assemblies are protected by copyright.

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is the agency which administers licences on behalf of the vast majority of publishers and copyright owners whose songs are reproduced during Collective Worship in assemblies. CCLI already cover all state-funded schools in England under the Government’s National Licence Scheme.

Collective Worship is not covered by the Schools Printed Music Licence (SPML) currently administered by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA). Therefore, many independent schools as well as state-funded schools and academies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are unwittingly infringing copyright law when they reproduce or project the words of hymns, worship and assembly songs.

For these schools, CCLI’s Collective Worship licences are the most convenient and cost-effective means of obtaining copyright permission to use the majority of hymns and faith-based songs in assemblies.
For annual licence fees and terms click here.

To find out more and apply for CCLI licences:

Please quote reference AD054 in all correspondence.

You can also find out more about CCLI and the other agencies which provide copyright licences for schools on the copyrightandschools.org website.

 

Safety and Security, Travel

An effective way of dealing with parent parking in a friendly way.

Parking both in and outside school is a fairly emotive issue and can lead to increased tensions among staff and parents at those peak busy times of the day.

There are many ways to approach the issue, from naming and shaming the guilty parties to bringing in official traffic controllers.

One simple way however to reduce the problem is to use parking signs, but parking signs with a difference.

Upson Downs have developed a set of signs ‘Parent Calming Parking’ which not only get your message on parking across they are presented in such a way that they are friendly and at the same time emphasise that the reason for parking restrictions is not to make life inconvenient for the parents but to protect the children themselves.

What’s more, at no extra charge, the characters’ jumper colours can be changed to match your school’s uniform.

WEEDON BEC_parkingsign

Below are some more samples of our friendly, ‘Parent Calming Parking’ but effective signs.

https://www.upsondowns.co.uk/safety-signs/parent-calming-parking.html

Orders placed before the end of July will get a 10% discount if you Quote code MCHH1.

To order call 01423 521654 or fax us 0844 443 2455
Email info@upsondowns.co.uk

Upson Downs Ltd
13 Claro Court Business Centre
Claro Road, Harrogate
North Yorkshire, HG1 4BA