Two of the best dual power scientific calculators for KS 3, 4 and GCSE maths and Scottish exams ……   

The Casio FX 85GT+ and the Logik LK 83XP are excellent choices for your

GCSE maths students.  They  benefit from battery power with solar power back-up  to provide extra reassurance for your students. Both calcs have a “natural display” function which enables students to enter expressions and data as shown in textbooks.  As you might expect,  the build quality of these calcs is excellent and both benefit from a THREE year warranty to provide peace of mind for teachers and students alike.   (excludes damage to the LCD).

The Logik  LK 83XP has similar features to the Casio FX 85GT+  but without the “verify” and “recurring decimal” functions. Both calcs  feature  prime factorisation, random numbers, algebraic logic, multi-line replay, standard deviation, log / anti-log, hyperbolics etc and have a three year warranty and are available at short notice from Signpost Educational Ltd.,

The  Logik LK 83XP  is available from £ 5.25 each  ex vat while the Casio FX 85GT+  starts at £ 7.75 each ex vat. 

In addition,  with orders for 100 or more of the LK 83XP   you have the option of obtaining the popular  “Value Maths set”   for  just 95p  (ex vat)

Normal  price  £ 1.25 (ex vat)

For more information & prices plus other products please visit:

    www.signposteducational.co.uk    

 or email to: info@signposteducational.co.uk    or phone: 020 7515 1797

Signpost Educational Ltd  PO Box 999  London E14 6SH 

PS.  orders are usually delivered within 1-3 working days.

 

Classroom chairs with a TWENTY  year warranty can save your school or college hundreds of pounds  AND eliminate time wasted in trying to repair damaged chairs. 

Improvements in  design and manufacture  have  meant that the quality and durability of student chairs have improved significantly. The result is that it’s now possible to obtain classroom  chairs with a TWENTY  year warranty.

That’s up to TWENTY years with NO replacement costs and NO repair bills…which,  in a large school or college can save  hundreds of pounds.

Designed not only to be comfortable, durable and virtually vandal proof but also to encourage good posture, the “Postura Plus” chair is available in sixteen attractive colours and six sizes,  making it ideal for use across different departments and in both primary and secondary sectors.

For a limited period  it’s possible to order Postura Plus chairs at 2017 prices ……. a saving of at least 45p per chair on what are already very competitive prices.  So, if you have been considering adding to your stock of Postura Plus chairs or perhaps introducing them for the first time here is an opportunity to do so and save money at the same time.

For more information about these chairs please visit the website  

www.centraleducational.co.uk/index.php/product/postura-plus/ 

 If you’d like to discuss their suitability for your organisation or to chat about a possible order please call 020 7515 1797 and ask to speak to Martin Evans who will be pleased to help.

Central Educational Supplies Ltd can also be contacted by email on info@centraleducational.co.uk or fax:  020 7515 4420

Central Educational Supplies Ltd.,  PO Box 999  London, E14 6SH

Specialist support for your ambitious and highly able students that helps everyone engage in learning 

How many providers do you know that offer genuinely effective skill development programmes for ambitious and/or most able students?  More importantly, how many would you recommend?

Finding an external scheme that actually makes the impact you want and offers good value for money can be surprisingly difficult.

Perhaps the secret is to learn from others and look at workshops hosted year after year by schools in your region or by some of the top performing schools in the UK.

Thinkers in Education deliver a range of these – enriching the curriculum, identifying the strengths of each participant and developing a skill set that will be advantageous in education and the workplace. There is a strong focus on higher order thinking, team building and communication – all assessed and given as immediate feedback to the students and performance reports for the school.

It is a proven formula that can positively change attitudes to learning and improve performance levels.  Moreover, the reports generated can help support your assessment and provide additional evidence for Ofsted Inspections.

But, one of the biggest benefits is that a single day workshop can inspire your staff to trial new techniques and strategies in their own lessons – with all pupils.

Workshops are available during term time – enabling schools to run highly effective transition days, activity weeks and challenge days – or at weekends and during holidays.

In fact, weekend and holiday workshops are actually two of the easiest ways to introduce the range. They offer the school a chance to host leading STEM workshops at very little cost to the school, without affecting the timetable or adding to teacher workloads.  Plus, they have been recommended by every host school since 2001.

To try this approach, you simply choose the date(s) you can host the workshop and provide the venue.  We send you the literature to distribute to parents so they can book a place.

If, after 21 days, you have 25 or more pupils enrolled, we will confirm the event and run the workshop on the date of your choice.   If not, there is no commitment and we release the date.

Parents pay for their child to attend, as they would for a school trip, or the school can choose to subsidise the cost and use Pupil Premium funding if appropriate.  Parents can book and pay online, so there is no extra work for the school.

To request an information pack you can email:  info@thinkersineducation.co.uk

Alternatively, to view details of the Spectacular Saturday Workshops click here and to find out about the Holiday Schools click here.  You can request a brochure online.

If you would like to discuss options with an advisor, please call 01603 520866.

Summer Schools 2018 – Last Places Available

The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offer students age 11-18 the opportunity to find out more about some fascinating subjects, prepare for university applications, meet like-minded peers and get to grips with some tough intellectual challenges.

The material will be challenging (for the older age-group, about the level of difficulty one might expect in the first year at university), but the atmosphere will be relaxed, with plenty of discussion, debate, and opportunities for students to shape the direction of classes. It is an environment conducive to getting to grips with new ideas.

Working in small groups (usually around 14 students per group) over several days offers participants a real chance to get to know tutors and fellow students and to explore the topics or questions that particularly interest them.

Highlights of Summer 2018:

The International Relations Summer School will introduce the central theories involved in the academic study of IR – realism, liberalism, constructivism and Marxism – and will then look at a range of detailed case studies in order to apply, test and explore these theories. Topics covered will include military intervention, international law, development aid, feminism and foreign policy, regional sessions looking at China and the Middle East, and the European response to the migration crisis.

The Law Summer School, in three distinct five-day Parts to allow time for more cases, more analysis and more debate on some of the most intriguing legal questions. Students can choose to focus on Criminal & Family Law, Civil Law or International and Human Rights Law. Each course builds towards a Mock Trial in which students play the role of barristers, build their case from the evidence, question witnesses and make speeches to the jury.

The English Literature Summer School, also in three 5-day blocks to allow time for a more in-depth look at various literary critical perspectives from feminism to psychoanalysis. Students can come to Part 1 for literature up to 1790, including Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton, to Part 2 for literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, or to the particularly exciting Part 3 which covers contemporary poetry, prose and drama.

The Philosophy and Critical & Cultural Theory Summer Schools will look at some of the biggest questions in metaphysics, ethics and political theory, giving an opportunity to engage with the work of some fascinating thinkers, and also to develop students’ own skills of reasoning and argumentation.

For students interested in the Social Sciences or Humanities, we also have Summer Schools in Economics, Politics and History, while Arts enthusiasts should take a look at the Classical Civilisations Summer School.

For aspiring scientists and mathematicians we also have the Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Medicine Summer Schools.

Practical Details:

All the Summer School events will be held at University of London venues in Bloomsbury, Central London, and will take place in July and August 2018. Please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required.

You can find full details of schedules, dates, costs, student reviews and tutors at https://debatechamber.com/summerschools/

To book a place on any course please visit our website, call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Remaining places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Scroll down to request your FREE pdf download of Who is keeping us safe in Britain? from the popular resource, ‘Talking about Terrorism’

If your pupils could bring in one new law, what would it be? This is just one of  several activities that can be found, not only in Talking about Terrorism: Responding to pupils’ questions, but also in the free sample pages which you can request at the link below.

Talking about Terrorism: Responding to pupils’ questions will give you guidance for the best way to respond to children’s questions about terrorism, such as, “What do terrorists want?”, “How can we stop someone becoming a terrorist?”, “Who is keeping us safe in Britain?”, “Why are terrorists so angry and full of hate?” and “When will terrorism end?”.

The book enables teachers to provide pupils with a greater understanding of terrorism by using clear, easy-to-understand language – providing simple, objective explanations and reassurance – while being careful not to raise unrealistic expectations.

In addition activities such as discussions and debates, role-play, poetry and artwork help to develop children’s understanding of this complicated subject.

For more information and to see what people have said about this resource, visit https://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/talking-about-terrorism-740.

>> Click here to request your FREE sample pages from Talking about Terrorism<< 

You can order Talking about Terrorism on our website for £19.99 as a printed book, £13.99 as an e-book, or both for a discounted price of £24.19.

Alternatively, you can place an order:

  • over the phone on 01449 766629
  • by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • by fax on 01449 767122
  • or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND

What is the most practical and easy way to achieve the driving force of school improvement?

School improvement methods come in many different shapes and sizes. However virtually all of them have one thing at their heart: an agreement between colleagues about what the school wants to achieve, and how it will achieve it.

Getting this agreement can be harder than it sounds though as it can be difficult to get over the first hurdle of getting everyone working together.

While school improvement is about sustainably raising standards, to be truly effective it has to be about much more than that. The process has to be something that everyone in the school will buy into.

When achieved, the benefits can be enormous: from higher test and exam pass rates through to reduced stress levels, higher morale and lower levels of absence among colleagues.

It is easier to get agreement of the improvement aims and the methods of achieving them when everyone understands not just what changes are being made in the school but why.

The fact is that teachers who feel genuinely empowered, supported, recognised, and valued will work to create a school to be proud of.

In schools where senior leaders drive improvement from deep insights into how the staff feel about their work, actions are focused and results achieved quickly.

If you have a few minutes and would like to know more about how this is possible please take a look at http://info.teamsatchel.com/satchel-pulse-info

What’s the best way of solving the problem of students who turn up for lessons or exams without a pen, pencil, ruler.. ? 

It’s not easy to ensure that every student comes to school or college properly equipped for  lessons or exams.

But  NOW  there’s a simple, effective and low cost way of solving the problem The “STUDENT ESSENTIALS” set 

Consisting of, three quality black ink pens, two full length HB pencils, a 15 cm ruler, metal sharpener, eraser, all contained in  a clear “exam friendly” PVC wallet with a zip slider.

From just 85p each, ex vat it’s a simple and effective way of improving productivity and helping students succeed in their  lessons and exams.

More details at: www.signposteducational.co.uk/student-packs/

or you can contact them on: Tel:  020 7515 1797    Fax: 020 7515 4420   email: info@signposteducational.co.uk

Orders are usually delivered within 1-3 working days.

Signpost Educational Ltd   PO Box 999   London  E14 6SH

Pupils’ Mental Health – TWO issues – which is most important?

The consultation on the Green Paper Transforming Children’s and Young Persons’ Mental Health has raised a bit of a furore. Over 2000 responses have been made.  Will the government listen?  We’ve picked out two of the most important points.

It’s important to distinguish the two different responsibilities for primary schools that require rather different sets of skills:

i) Pupils with social, emotional, behaviour or diagnosable mental health issues that are impairing their learning capabilities and their future life prospects. These make up on average 20% of all pupils in the UK.  They require individual clinical help.

ii) Teaching good mental health for all pupils as a part of the curriculum.

Unfortunately, some schools are using programmes that meet ii) to put a ‘tick in the box’ for i).  Even worse some others are using school staff with inadequate training by on-line or videos and with no clinical supervision to carry out therapeutic work on the basis that it’s a cheap option.  This can be dangerous for the children.  If there is a complaint against someone who is not on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) for working with children the complaint will come directly to the school – with possible devastating consequence.  You wouldn’t send pupils to an unregistered doctor, dentist or nurse would you?

The Green Paper completely missed the need for regulation.  We hope that it will now be made a condition that only therapists on a PSA accredited register or with Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) will be employed or contracted in schools.  Over 1500 schools in the UK have school staff trained to the required standards, most haven’t – www.playtherapy.org.uk and www.playtherapyregister.org.uk

The Green Paper referred to the need for evidence based practice but didn’t specify what this should be.  The existing medical models of evidence base are not suitable for psycho-social interventions.  There is a crisis of reproducibility.  However, Play Therapy UK has an evidence base of over 59,000 measures collected over 12 years clearly showing the positive outcomes of between 74% and 84% that have been achieved year on year for a large variety of presenting conditions. As observed by teachers and parents.

So, although it might appear that responsibility i) is harder to fulfil, it needn’t be with PTUK’s help and we don’t need to hold our breath on the forthcoming White Paper.

Contact Monika at mokijep@majemail.com for more information on placement and training opportunities.

What is the most effective way of overcoming the Word Gap that many students now appear to have?

Recent research by OUP has established that increasing numbers of young people have what the publisher is calling a “Word Gap”.  This occurs when children don’t read for pleasure and don’t have much chance to expand their vocabulary.

Initially this was thought to be a primary school problem with just under half of the children in primary school suffering from a noticeable Word Gap.

However further research has shown that by Year 7 that gap still remains for 43% of those in school.

Reading is obviously fundamental to education, but it also affects self-esteem and behaviour, according to the OUP report, as well of course as life chances after school.

In the research 60% of secondary teachers reported that they were working with students with limited vocabulary, and 80% agreed that this affected the student’s self-esteem.

According to OUP one of the main ways in which some schools are overcoming the Word Gap problem is by giving pupils and students access to a wide range of quality texts.

This is where Wordsworth Editions come in, as we have a wide range of books from as little as £1.88 each (with no delivery charge and no minimum order) covering authors from HG Wells to Dickens, from Jane Austen to the Brontës.

If you want to see the full list of over 400 titles currently in print along with a ready to use order form, should you need it, then we have a page with those details.

We also have our offer of a free book just in case you have not come across Wordsworth Editions before.  (Or indeed just in case the notion of books at £1.88 each with free delivery seems just too good to be true.)

So, to receive a free sample of one of our classics without any obligation please do email education@wordsworth-editions.com with your name and the school address, and we’ll put it in the post to you with our compliments.

Two of the best dual power scientific calculators for KS 3, 4 and  GCSE maths  plus scottish maths lessons and exams …… 

The Casio FX 85GT+ and the Logik LK 83XP are excellent choices for your GCSE maths students.  They both benefit from battery power with solar power back-up  to provide extra reassurance for your students. Both calcs have a “natural display” function which enables students to enter expressions and data as shown in textbooks.  As you would expect the build quality of both calcs is excellent and both calcs benefit from a THREE year warranty. (excludes damage to the LCD).

The Logik  LK 83XP has similar features to the Casio FX 85GT+  but without the “verify” and “recurring decimal” functions. Both calcs  feature  prime factorisation, random numbers, algebraic logic, multi-line replay, standard deviation, log / anti-log, hyperbolics etc and have a three year warranty and are available at short notice from Signpost Educational Ltd., The  Logik LK 83XP  is available from £ 5.29 each  ex vat while the  Casio FX 85GT+  starts from £ 7.45 each ex vat. 

In addition,  with orders for 100 or more of the LK 83XP   you have the option of obtaining the popular  “Value Maths set”   for  just 95p  (ex vat)

Normal  price  £ 1.25 (ex vat)

For more details & prices please see: www.signposteducational.co.uk  or email to: info@signposteducational.co.uk    or phone: 020 7515 1797

Signpost Educational Ltd  PO Box 999  London E14 6SH 

PS. orders are usually delivered within 1-3 working days.

FREE WORKSHEETS FROM   OPEN-ENDED MATHS INVESTIGATIONS

Naturally the mathematics programmes of study puts a great deal of emphasis on number and functions; yet there is much less emphasis on problem-solving, and consequently teaching resources have been written to reflect this.

However, the ability to problem-solve is fundamental to maths attainment, and a lack of it can grind pupils’ progress to a halt, despite their comprehension of number and functions. Which is why we have made six worksheets from the Open-ended Maths Investigations Series available to you, free of charge.

Click here to request your FREE copies of the worksheets from Open-ended Maths Investigations

The activities in the Open-ended Maths Investigations Series encourage pupils to apply higher order mathematical strategies, creatively and effectively. The investigations become increasingly complex as you progress through the series, enabling pupils to develop proficiency in a wide range of problem-solving strategies.

The books in the Open-ended Maths Investigations series will provide you with open-ended investigations matched to the following strands of mathematics: Number, Money, Measurement, Space, Chance and Data, and Patterns and Algebra.

For more information or to order the Open-ended Maths Investigations bundle for £40.00 (hardcopy), please visit www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/open-ended-maths-investigations-for-primary-schools-603.

Alternatively, you can place an order:

  • over the phone on 01449 766629
  • by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • by fax on 01449 767122
  • or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND

Which of these popular Casio GCSE and A level calculators would be best for your students ….. ?

 

FX 83GT+                       FX 991 EX                           FX 85GT+

For KS 3, 4 and GCSE exams the FX 83GT+ and FX 85GT+ have been  favourites for several years.   Excellent build quality, a THREE year guarantee and competitively priced, they are highly recommended.

For A and AS level and scottish exams, (as well as for GCSE) the FX 991 EX, introduced in 2017 has quickly made a name for itself.  With   “natural textbook display”  an easy menu function, spreadsheet, binomial and normal distribution, metric conversions, equation solver, numeric differentiation and integration to name just a few of its 552 functions.  The FX 991 EX is dual power and has a hi-res LCD screen, slide-on protective case, auto power off and online visualisation via a QR code, PLUS Casio’s usual THREE year guarantee.  It’s a remarkable new calculator which has been very well received  and in a short space of time has received excellent reviews.

All  these Casio calculators can be obtained from Signpost Educational Ltd., at competitive prices.

FX 83 GT+    £ 6.49  (200+)    £ 6.55  (100+)   £ 6.65  (40+)   £ 6.75  (1-39)
Class set of 30 calcs in a Gratnells box, foam and lid   £  221.50

FX 85 GT+    £ 7.75  (100+)  £ 7.85   (40+)    £ 7.95  (1-39)
Class set of 30 calcs in a Gratnells box with foam and lid  £  252.50

FX 991 EX   £ 18.75 (50+)   £ 19.15  (30+)   £ 19.45  (10-29)  £ 19.75  (1-9)

Class set of 30 calcs in a Gratnells box with foam and lid  £ 587.50

Order or enquire by phone on 020 7515 1797  email:info@signposteducational.co.uk
or fax on 020 7515 4420 or visit their website:  www.signposteducational.co.uk

Prices exclude VAT, delivery extra (usually within 1-3 working days)

Signpost Educational Ltd.,  PO Box 999  London  E14 6SH

PS.  Ask for your very useful  FREE  teacher’s “Survival Pack” when you order 50 or more of any of the above calcs…see details on the website.

 

Free activity materials from the Grammar and Punctuation Series Pack

Year 1: Nouns are names

Year 2: Noisy verbs

Year 3: Preposition opposites

Year 4: The Problem of ‘me’ or ‘I’

Year 5: Hyphens

Year 6 Words that help your writing

The Grammar and Punctuation Series Pack contains six photocopiable books (one for each year group) and teaches grammatical and punctuation concepts in a fun and memorable way which will challenge and stimulate the whole class. The sheets are designed for the practice, reinforcement and consolidation of grammar and punctuation skills and they address the requirements laid out in the Programmes of Study in the September 2014 National Curriculum.

The books will provide you with the tools you need to teach grammar effectively, including an assessment checklist, and will complement other language and literacy schemes of work.

To order the Grammar and Punctuation Series Pack for just £79.00 (hardcopy), visit http://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/brilliant-activities-for-grammar-and-punctuation-series-pack-584.Alternatively, you can place an order:

  • over the phone on 01449 766629
  • by email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
  • by fax on 01449 767122
  • or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND

Are your students ready for their  GCSE maths exams? 

It’s perhaps easy to assume that all your students will turn up to  their maths exams with the equipment they need….but what happens if there’s a panic on the morning of the exam?

27 students have left some or all of their kit at home and it’s too late for them to go back and get what they need!

Fortunately there is a solution. There’s a “one stop shop” where schools can get Casio and Logik calcs, geometry sets, Value Maths sets, “Student Essentials” sets etc…all designed to equip  students and help them succeed.

Why not order some of these Value Maths sets,  from just £ 1.22 each, ex vat in advance of the exams, so they’re ready to hand out on (or before !) exam days… just in case!

Full details on the website:  www.signposteducational.co.uk

or contact Signpost Educational  Ltd., by phone;  020 7515 1797 or

email:  info@signposteducational.co.uk       Fax:  020 7515 4420

Signpost Educational Ltd.,  PO Box 999, London E14 6SH

To express themselves creatively in a foreign language, your students may find a multilingual word discovery tool invaluable.

Here’s an easy way to help them.

Wordipedia is the only multilingual deep word discovery tool on the Internet.

What do we mean by ‘deep discovery’?

Deep discovery is finding words in the desired language:

  • By meaning or topic
  • By category
  • By class
  • By sound or pattern
  • By relationship
  • By context
  • By implication, such as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ connotation
  • And by a combination of these criteria

With Wordipedia, you don’t need to know a word to find it. You specify your criteria and Wordipedia’s  search algorithms return suggestions and allow you to refine your search as well. Regardless of the language (English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, Russian, etc.) Wordipedia will provide suggestions matching detailed criteria. Students will extend their foreign language vocabulary and express themselves with creativity, clarity, and impact.

You can try Wordipedia yourself for free by simply joining with a trial membership on our JOIN page, as well as clicking this link to see more details of the Benefits for students and teachers. YouTube tutorials are available by clicking on the LINKS tab of our site.

Also, we provide low-cost access for school libraries.

“Teachers’ voice strain – a thing of the past” …

Schools across the UK are saving thousands of pounds and teaching hours by using a classroom SoundField system from Connevans.

Are you missing out on a potentially huge money saver?

There is a simple and free way to see for yourself how you can save your teachers’ voices and all the costs associated with voice strain.

A SoundField trial gives you and your colleagues the opportunity to try the equipment within your school.

The teacher will never have to raise or strain their voice, you will quickly find that all the children become more engaged, and the children with poorer hearing and attention will hear perfectly.

Simply tell us a convenient time to visit and we will bring the SoundField system to you and show the relevant teacher how to use it. Set up in the classroom takes just 15 minutes.

There is more information about the popular, easy-to-use Swift Digital SoundField system here … www.connevans.co.uk/product/3109896/

The Swift Digital SoundField system is designed by Connevans, the UK’s leading manufacturer of Classroom SoundField systems used in classrooms all over Europe.

To see how easy the Swift Digital is to use and to arrange a free three-week trial, simply call or email and leave the rest to us!

Email: phil@connevans.com     Phone: 01737 247571

As a special school trial offer there is a 10% discount on the Swift Digital.

If you would like us to have a look at your school hall or offer free advice regarding simple equipment to help ensure the school is complying with the Equalities Act for visitors who are hard of hearing, we will be pleased to help.

What part of the school day do children in your school enjoy the most?

Whether you’ve asked the children that question or not the chances are you can guess the most popular answers. Play time, lunch break, games, the reading of a story, art…

But does anyone say “Assembly”?

If any children do give that as an answer they are probably going to be in a minority, and yet it ought to be possible to generate more enthusiasm for assemblies, since the assembly is an opportunity to do something utterly different from what happens in the rest of the day.

Indeed, there is no reason why the children should not look forward to each day’s assembly in order to find out what new and exciting event is going to happen next.

And there is, of course, a bonus here, because in such a scenario what we inevitably find is that one has everyone’s complete attention.

It was with this idea in mind that I began to collect ways of delivering Assemblies that did more than meet the statutory requirement.  Assemblies that become as riveting as the TV programme that children ensure they get home in time to watch each day.

But, of course, assemblies need more than originality, for they also need to meet the social and emotional needs of the children who attend them and offer a focus on the values that the school wishes to present to the children.

As a result of this thinking we have produced a set of over 350 assemblies which are instantly available and fully scripted. And we are still working on the project with new assemblies being added every month.

These assemblies are divided into 12 categories along with an index which allows you to choose your assembly by topic. You can read a full example of one of our assemblies by following this link 

Additionally you can see the complete list of the 12 main categories and from there you can go into each category and see the details of all the assemblies on offer.

All the details are available at http://www.assemblybox.co.uk where you can also order online. The complete set of all of our assemblies costs £149 (+ VAT). If you have any questions please email enquiries@assemblybox.co.uk

Royal Wedding classroom PowerPoint: a great Citizenship/PSHE resource

All over the UK Britons are preparing to celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

This royal wedding themed PowerPoint Presentation is a highly accessible and enjoyable citizenship and PSHE resource to help classes learn more about some great British institutions.

From the wedding venue, Windsor Castle to the roles being played by the public sector, military, and the Church of England – all working together to help ensure that Prince Harry and Megan have a great day.

To purchase and download the Royal Wedding Citizenship/PSHE Classroom PowerPoint click here

To find out more about our range of British Values books and posters click here

Gresham Books Ltd

info@gresham-books.co.uk

www.gresham-books.co.uk

 

Free Tools to Support Your Active School

 

As you’ll be aware, there is a growing expectation for Primary Schools to offer more physical activity within the school day, not only in PE but across the whole curriculum. This is a totally new way of teaching, so not surprisingly some teachers are finding this concept a little daunting; you might even have colleagues who are struggling to see the importance and questioning the benefits it will have on their classrooms.

I hope the tools below will help you to change mindsets and support teachers with in getting more activity into the school day.

Physical Activity is the key to whole school improvement…

  • Active kids do better! Brains work better, they are better behaved, more focused, happier and healthier, and their learning improves.
  • Active schools do better too! With better performance, improved Ofsted results, happier learning environments, improved attendance and improved staff confidence.

In an article published last month, our very own Ian Pickles explains all… To receive a free copy of this report please email active@schools.co.uk

A teacher’s experience of imoves…

“we saw the enthusiasm for movement and dance soar”

A school in Lincolnshire have been using the imoves dance resources since 2016 (this case study is based on John Harrox Primary School and was commissioned by Youth Sports Trust).

It shows that with the right tools and resources, together we can get children more active, not only in school but also in extra-curricular activities too! Here’s what one parent told the school:

“One parent was particularly pleased that their daughter had come home pestering her to find a disco class for her to go to. She now attends disco dance weekly at a local community venue. It has increased her activity levels out of school along with her confidence”

Read full case study here >

Free Tools to Support Your School

You’ve heard what other teachers think about imoves, now try it for yourself!  Simply drop us an email and we’ll give you a free trial membership, along with some you some really useful tools to help assess current activity levels within your school and highlight areas for improvement.

Giving visitors a totally positive feeling concerning the values at the heart of your school

It shouldn’t be like this, but sadly it often is.  We live in a society in which people make snap judgements.

Indeed, even when there is a chance to revise that judgement later, the fact is the first impression lingers and can dominate.

Which is why it is so important to make sure that everyone who comes to the school – from inspectors to those delivering goods, from parents to students – has a very powerful and positive first image of the school.

Take for example the simple issue of where visitors should report.  A sign that says “All visitors go to reception” is brusque to the point of being rude, and doesn’t actually help a flustered parent or bewildered delivery man if there is no sign pointing the way.

A sign that says, “If you’re a visitor please go to our reception area; first door on the left,” is more friendly and welcoming.  It might seem a trivial point but it can make a difference.

It can also be helpful to have site plans, floor plans, 3D plans as well as signs: and all of these are exactly what we specialise in: signs and plans that not only make it clear where a room or building is, but which also say, “don’t worry, we’re friendly” at the same time.

There’s more information about making your school as friendly as possible to visitors  on our website and if you have any questions you can call me on 01746 766233.

Michael Best

Director

michael@bestwayfinding.co.uk.

What makes a student read one book and not another (or come to that, none)?

02A recent report concerning teenagers and their phones told the story of a couple of young ladies of around sixth form age, who were clambering over some rocks at the edge of a beach.

The activity wasn’t particularly dangerous, although a slip might well have caused grazing or cuts, or even a sprained or broken ankle.

Both teenagers carried shoulder bags, which was sensible, except that each climbed with their mobile phones in one hand, thus seriously impeding their mobility.

As to why they did this, one can only surmise, but the most likely explanation would seem to be that so deep was their anxiety about missing a phone call, even placing the phone in a bag at their side felt like creating too great a distance between the self and the phone.

The story is, I feel, relevant to those of us concerned to introduce classic English literature to students, for it emphasises the battle that we can have just to get some students to focus on literature that is more than a few lines long.

However, we think we have found a way of encouraging students to consider the classics further by producing English literature texts in thoroughly modern covers and by reducing the price to just £1.88 each (with no delivery charge and no minimum order), meaning that you can offer the students a wide choice of books to read.  

The authors in the catalogue range from HG Wells to Dickens, from Jane Austen to the Brontës, covering more than 200 of the greatest works of classic literature.  Indeed not only does each volume have the full text, but with all of our classics there is also a set of exclusive introductions and notes.

If you would like to see a list of over 60 titles that are set texts on various curricula and are available from as little as £1.88 that is available here.

Then if you want to see the full list of over 400 titles currently in print along with a ready to use order form, should you need it, then we have a page with those details as well.

And here’s one final offer of a free book.  Just in case the notion of books at £1.88 each with free delivery seems just too good to be true, we’d like to assure you of the quality of our publications and the speed of our service.

So, to receive a free sample of one of our classics just email education@wordsworth-editions.com with your name and the school address, and we’ll put it in the post to you with our compliments.

It is self-evident that even a minor mental health issue can compromise a young person’s ability to learn.

So what do we do?

Medical professionals generally concur that one in four adults in the UK experience mental illness at some stage in their lives, and in half of these cases the problems take root before the age of 15.

Thus if we can improve and help support the emotional, social, and physical health and wellbeing of pupils and students in our school we will be giving these young people two incredibly important benefits.

First we will be helping to improve their personal wellbeing, and second we will be giving those who don’t suffer from any mental health issues in later life a much deeper understanding of what mental health issues are and how their own children might one day be affected.

To undertake this task, NeuroHeadway provides resources for teachers to deliver in the classroom on the subject of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Our resources are collected into modules each of which are focussed on a single topic that can be delivered in PSHE and Science lessons, to improve and help support the wellbeing of all pupils and students.

Content for the NeuroHeadway modules has been supplied by practising psychology and neuroscience experts from around the world and shaped by us into classroom ready materials, suitable for all secondary school pupils and students.

For information on how the resources work, please click here.

For more information, please call: (+44) 01562 730 696 or email: enquiries@neuroheadway.com

Information and activities to support your SEN students to demonstrate good work etiquette during their work experience placement

Organising work experience for SEN students can be something of a challenge, for not only must it be tailored to the needs of a young person, but it must also be tailored to the needs of a young person with a SpLD or who may view the world in a wholly different way.

So, to help your SEN students to succeed during their work experience placement (and to make organising their work experience placement easier for you) SEN Press has devised the Work Experience Series.

The Work Experience Series contains a wealth of information, support, and resources about what your students can expect when undertaking work experience and how to demonstrate good work etiquette in the array of situations they’re likely to find themselves in.

Not only has the value pack’s content been specifically designed to respond to the way in which students with autism typically view the world, but it will also respond to their learning needs – it has been designed for older students with a reading age of around seven.

The Work Experience Series uses an approach that we have adopted through a series of six student reading books each focussed on a particular work setting, ranging from an animal charity to a fast-food restaurant, from a garage to a supermarket.

The six reading books, each of which builds upon the themes of the series (time-keeping, showing respect, and so on) are accompanied by a set of copiable worksheets and teachers’ resources, supplied in spiral-bound format for easy use.

The teachers’ resources also include around 100 A4 pages of additional resources including keyword flashcards, word searches, and spot the difference pictures.

Finally the pack also includes a CD rom which has a set of eBooks and whiteboard resources. These include real voice audio tracks of the eBook versions of the readers and a wide range of interactive activities so that the students can practise various life skills.

The complete set of resources containing two copies of each of the six readers, the complete teacher book, and the CD Rom is available for £139 plus VAT.  Individual elements from the pack are also available separately.

For further information, please click here.

Alternatively, please email info@senpress.co.uk or call 01582 833205.

Debate Chamber Events 2018  

Debate Chamber Summer Schools

Debate Chamber Science and Mathematics courses are for students who enjoy being intellectually challenged and who are curious about the ways in which their knowledge can be applied to help solve real-world problems. Our courses are challenging, with an emphasis on independent thinking and collaborative problem-solving, providing a valuable insight into university level education.

Our tutors are selected for their exceptional communication skills, their charismatic and inspiring classroom presence, and their very strong knowledge base and passion for their subject. Our classes consist of a combination of lectures, group discussions, team games and practical activities, creating a comfortable environment for students to share ideas amongst their peers, and to progress from their existing knowledge toward more challenging material.

Young Scientists Summer School (New for 2018) 

The Young Scientists Summer School is aimed at students aged 11-14 and focuses on developing intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. Covering a wide range of skills from the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Engineering, students will learn how to build bridges, design spaceships, search for life on distant planets, and trace the history of the universe all the way back to a trillionth of a second after the big bang.

Physics Summer Schools

The Physics Summer School provides an opportunity for bright students to explore some of the most exciting and challenging ideas in contemporary physics. The Summer School is split into two parts: Part 1 focuses on classical mechanics and astrophysics and is open to GCSE and A-level students. Part 2 focuses on quantum mechanics and relativity and is open to students who will have completed at least one year of A-level mathematics.

‘Challenging, but great fun, the Physics course was a fantastic opportunity to gain an insight into some of the fundamental principles that govern our world, giving me a better idea of what Physics at University might be like. From learning about the abstract world of Quantum Mechanics to discussing black holes and teleportation, the course left me astounded by both the amount we already know, and how much we have yet to discover!’

Mathematics Summer School 

The Mathematics Summer School explores a variety of advanced topics in pure and applied mathematics, including set theory; prime numbers; algorithms; infinites; multi-variable calculus; proofs; cryptography; probability theory and Turing machines. Part 1 focuses on number theory, algebra and geometry and is open to GCSE and A-level students. Part 2 focuses on calculus, proofs and infinities and is open to students who have completed at least one year of A-level mathematics.

‘It was a fantastic opportunity to discover new areas of maths that I would otherwise have not been introduced to through the A Level syllabus. I enjoyed the course and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in approaching more challenging maths problems.’

Medicine Summer School 

The Medicine Summer School is split into five 2-day programmes, each covering a different area of medical practice. Students will be given the opportunity to work alongside practising medical students to develop the theoretical and applied skills necessary to become a doctor.

‘Debate Chamber’s Medicine Summer School was great! I learnt in great detail about medical topics such as oncology, paediatrics and epidemiology. Suturing bananas was a highlight for me and I would thoroughly recommend the course for anyone considering medicine as a career.’ 

Bursaries 

Debate Chamber is committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent any student from attending our events. Students are able to apply for bursaries covering up to 100% of the course fee through our website. 

How can my students attend?

All the Summer School events will be held at University of London venues in Bloomsbury, Central London, and will take place in July and August 2018. Please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required.

You can find full details of schedules, dates, costs, student reviews and tutors at http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/. There is a limited amount of bursary funding available for students who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.

To book a place please visit www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/, call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  

Specialist support for your ambitious and able students, at little to no cost for the school

How many providers do you know that offer genuinely effective skill development programmes for ambitious and/or most able students?  More importantly, how many would you recommend?

Finding a scheme that actually makes an impact and offers good value for money can be surprisingly difficult.  Perhaps the secret is to learn from others and look at workshops hosted year after year by some of the top performing and most highly rated schools.

Thinkers in Education deliver a range of these – enriching the curriculum, identifying the strengths of each participant and developing a skill set that will be advantageous in education and the workplace. There is a strong focus on higher order thinking, team building and communication – all assessed and given as immediate feedback to the students and performance reports for the school.

It is a proven formula that can positively change attitudes and improve performance levels.  Moreover, the reports generated can provide valuable evidence for Ofsted Inspections.

Spectacular Saturdays and Holiday Workshops are easy ways to introduce the range. They offer the school a chance to host leading STEM based workshops at very little cost to the school, without affecting the timetable or adding to teacher workloads.  Most importantly, they have been recommended by every host school since 2001.

Of course, workshops are also available during term time – enabling schools to run highly effective transition days, activity weeks and challenge days to fit within the year plan.

You simply choose the date(s) you can host the workshop and provide the venue.  We send you the literature to distribute to parents so they can book a place.  If, after 21 days, you have 25 or more pupils enrolled, we will confirm the event and run the workshop on the date of your choice.   If not, there is no commitment and we release the date.

Parents pay for their child to attend, as they would for a school trip, or the school can choose to subsidise the cost and use Pupil Premium funding if appropriate.  It costs £15 per pupil for a half day and £25 for a full day.   Parents can pay online, so there is no extra work for the school.

To request an information pack you can email:  info@thinkersineducation.co.uk

Alternatively, to view details of the Spectacular Saturday Workshops click here and to find out about the Holiday Schools click here.

If you would like to discuss options with an advisor, please call 01603 520866.