Debate Chamber Summer Schools are great for bright students who enjoy an intellectual challenge, and who are curious about the ways in which their knowledge can be applied to help solve real-world problems.

Our courses are rigorous, with an emphasis on independent thinking and collaborative problem-solving, providing a valuable insight into university level education.

Debate Chamber tutors are selected for their exceptional communication skills, a charismatic and inspiring classroom presence, and a true passion for their subject (typically they are Masters or PhD students, and so young enough to relate easily to school age students, at the same time as offering exceptional subject knowledge).

Group sizes for these courses are 12-14 students, and teaching involves a combination of mini-lectures, seminar discussions, team tasks and practical activities. The comfortable and welcoming environment makes it easy for students to share ideas amongst their peers, and to progress from their existing knowledge toward more challenging material.

Highlights for students aged 15-18:

The Summer Law 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 Law, Civil Law or International Law, or to attend all three Parts for a comprehensive introduction to legal study.

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 Medicine Summer School offers a series of two-day events with specialist sessions on cardiology, paediatrics, oncology, emergency medicine and many other topics – enabling students to attend a wide-ranging introduction or select the sessions most relevant to their interests.

Our Mathematics and Physics Summer Schools now offer options for students at GCSE, and also for those who have completed the first year of A Level study. These five-day events offer a challenging and rigorous exploration of theory and application, with a focus on developing practical problem-solving skills.

We also have courses in Economics, History, Classical Civilisations, Philosophy and Politics (all for students aged 15-18).

Last but not least, we also have a smaller number of courses available for younger students (ages 11-14) in Law, Medicine, Creative Writing and Science subjects.

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 2019. 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 www.debatechamber.com.

There is a limited amount of bursary funding available for students who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see here for details.

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

We really look forward to hearing from you!

The recent consultation on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision has highlighted the essential role that the education sector can play to support mental health and wellbeing. We recognise the real and positive differences staff working in education can make and we also understand the challenges this can present.

Team Mental Health provide an expert led, whole school approach developed by medical doctors who specialised to become consultant psychiatrists and a headteacher. As part of our multidimensional approach, we offer a whole school mental health awareness programme.

We don’t expect those working in education to become experts in mental health. However, we do want to empower all staff to continue to make a positive difference through prevention, detection, early intervention and stamping out stigma associated with mental health.

Our unique approach will also support schools to evidence to Ofsted their commitment in relation to the new inspection judgements set out in the 2019 framework.

Our next Advanced Mental Health Masterclass event is on Thursday 6th December 2018 at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham.

• 9.00am: Coffee and registration
• 9:15am: Start
• 4:30pm: Finish
• Also included: Refreshments breaks & lunch / Supporting documentation / Attendance CPD certificates
• Cost – £185 / delegate (exc VAT)

This intensive, fast paced, CPD UK accredited event is delivered by consultant psychiatrists. It is recommended for those working in the education sector who hold a position of responsibility relevant to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff and implementing development plans and policies.

More information about this masterclass can be accessed here: https://www.teammentalhealth.co.uk/courses/view-module/57b7b8d0-29c3-11e7-800e-0ad59815a061

To reserve a place please email: training@teammentalhealth.co.uk

Dr Libby Artingstall
Co-Founder & Director Team Mental Health
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist

www.teammentalhealth.co.uk

@GoTeamMH

Many children spend the majority of their time in front of an electronic screen, cooped up indoors. Getting them out for a spot of fresh air can be a challenge. But you needn’t struggle to get them to enjoy an expensive day out. In this article, ericaceous compost supplier Compost Direct will show you how all the fun of the outdoors can be found in your garden.

In the early-years stages

Early-years skills can be developed through playing in the garden. Messy play is a great way to improve sensory and cognitive development, whilst having fun. There is an abundance of research behind the advantages of messy play and how this unstructured form of activity can really help your child develop. This can be done in the garden with sand, water or even mud! It’s all about breaking down the usual rules that your child might face, such as being restricted to a play mat or not being too disruptive with toys. Encourage your child to draw shapes with different (child-friendly) tools and their fingers in various materials — this can help children to build up their finger and arm muscles, which is useful for when they come to hold a pen.

Your child can come into contact with so many new textures in the garden. They become used to handling solid objects, such as toys, and these are easy for children to learn because they don’t change shape. For example, letting your child come into contact with mud, a softer material, lets children broaden their knowledge and allows them to compare and understand new textures.

Overall learning experience

Doing homework out in the garden on a nice evening can be a great way to get some fresh air. Your child might have spent all day behind a desk at school doing their work and it’s nice to have a break from this when they come home. Make it easy for your child to work outdoors by purchasing a gazebo or having a table and chairs outdoors where homework can be done. 85% of teachers reported that they saw a positive impact on their pupils’ behaviour when they were taught outside. In addition to this, 92% of pupils said that they preferred their lessons to be outdoors. In a study between pupils who learnt indoors and those who learnt outdoors, those who were outside were found to have a better understanding of their responsibility to care for the environment.

Healthy diet

Research has revealed how children are more eager to eat fresh fruit and vegetables that they have had a hand in growing. This can be a great way to improve their diet and get them outdoors. Easy fruit and vegetables to grow include: strawberries, cabbage, radishes and potatoes. You can decide on the size of your patch and watch as your child runs outside to see what has grown that week.

Tasks for your children

Children like to have little tasks and jobs in order to feel responsible. Give them some tasks to do daily, or even weekly, and it’s likely that they’ll start to look forward to spending time in the garden. One simple task to get children outdoors could be to grow a sunflower. Each day your child can head outdoors to see how their plant is growing and practise some maths skills through measuring. This can be exciting for a child, as often the sunflower will grow taller than them!

If you are mowing the lawn or potting plants, why not get your child involved with keeping the garden tidy. Let them trim the edges of your garden, water the plants or do some de-weeding — it’s a nice way to spend time together, too.

Sources

http://www.peecworks.org/peec/peec_reports/01795CA8-001D0211.32/CYE_FactSheet3_Benefits%20of%20Gardening%20for%20Children_August%2020.pdf

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 £ 5.25 each  ex vat while the  Casio FX 85GT+  starts from £ 7.75 each ex vat.

For more details & prices please visit:

    www.signposteducational.co.uk    

or email to: info@signposteducational.co.uk  or phone: 020 7515 1797 and ask for Martin Evans who will be pleased to assist with queries or orders.

Signpost Educational Ltd  PO Box 999  London E14 6SH

P.S.  orders are usually delivered within 1-3 working days.

Over the years I’ve spoken to various teachers (mainly in secondary schools) and one topic seems to crop up more than others. It’s the problem of students  turning up to lessons without a pen, pencil, ruler etc.  Apparently this leads to a measure of disruption and wasted time at the start of lessons while students try to beg, steal or borrow what they need to benefit from the lesson.

Fortunately there are now a couple of simple, low cost  products which can help to  solve this problem.

The first is the “Student Essentials set”  consisting of three good quality black ballpens, two full length HB pencils, a 15 cm ruler, eraser  and a pencil sharpener  …all packed in an A5 size “exam friendly”  clear PVC zip slider wallet. From only 85p ex vat it will almost certainly prove useful for students and teachers alike.

The second is the “Value Maths set”…and once again it comprises the same  A5 size

“exam friendly”  clear PVC zip slider wallet  but with some components which are specific to maths lessons: a metal compass and half pencil, 180 degree protractor, 15 cm ruler, sharpener, eraser,  two good quality black  ballpens and a full length HB pencil. From just £ 1.25 ex vat it should help restore a bit of order at the start of maths lessons!

Both these products can be obtained from Signpost Educational Ltd  via their website:

www.signposteducational.co.uk or by phone (020 7515 1797)

or email: info@signposteducational.co.uk

We understand that the firm holds good stocks of these products and  usually deliver  within 1-3 days of receiving orders.

The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offer students age 15-18 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.

Working in groups of 12 – 14 students 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 from our Summer Schools 2019 programme include:

Law Summer School

The Law Summer School offers an exciting and challenging introduction to the legal profession, and is aimed at students who wish to take their first steps towards a legal career or Law degree. With options top specialise in particular areas of interest, this course includes mini-lectures on key areas of the law, seminar discussions on tricky and controversial legal questions, lively group negotiations and activities, and concludes with a full mock trial in which students take the role of barristers for the prosecution or defence.

‘The Summer Law School was an exhilarating and unforgettable five days. It gave me great insight into the theories of law and how they are implemented in real court cases; and also provided me with the opportunity to meet other young people with similar interests to me.’

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.’

Physics Summer School

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!’

In addition to these highlighted courses, we also offer courses in English Literature, Philosophy, Economics, International Relations, Politics, Mathematics and Dentistry.

Bursaries

Debate Chamber is committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent any student from attending our events. Students can apply for bursaries covering up to 95% 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 2019. 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/.

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.

There have been many takes on this question and one of the most common responses across the years has been that the school should work with parents to ensure that the young person in question takes the behaviour modification drugs prescribed.

Only when this is done, it is argued, can the individual modify her or his behaviour enough to be able to settle into mainstream education.

However recent research has cast doubt on this approach. Indeed research from the University of Exeter Medical School has found that the greatest progress of all occurs where the school undertakes three actions related to the pupils and students.

First, this most effective approach needs to include ensuring that all colleagues throughout the school understand ADHD and support the approach being used to help the pupil or student.

Second the approach must be undertaken with the wishes of parent. If  the parent is very keen on constant medication, then this alternative approach will simply cause difficulty.

Third the approach needs to be talked through regularly with the pupil or student.  This is not just a case of a single session where what is happening is explained.  Rather opportunity needs to be found to return to the topic and the approaches used on regular occasions, helping the pupil or student reflect upon the progress being made.

But what is particularly interesting is that although this approach was designed as a way of working with students and pupils who are not taking medication it now turns out that these three fundamentals are just as important when working with those who are taking medication to modify their behaviour.

Where these three factors are all in place then, whether it is with or without medication, better progress and exam results can be expected.

It is to help with the multiplicity of such issues that relate to ADHD that we have produced “Helping ADHD pupils and students through school”.

It is a book which is available as a download, which means that you can then take any of the short articles that appear in the book and make them available for colleagues without any further charges for reproducing the information.

To see sample pages please click here

ISBN:  978 1 86083 855 2   Order code: T1789 – please quote with order.

You can purchase the download copy of the volume for £14.95 including VAT

• On the phone with a school order number at 01604 880 927
• By email to sales@schools.co.uk with a school order number
• With a credit card via PayPal at our on-line shop

Because “anxiety” is such an everyday term, it can be easy to forget what it actually means.  And that can be a shame, because for some students anxiety means they never achieve the results in school that could and indeed should be theirs.

At its simplest anxiety is a worry about a future event. The worry does not have to be realistic to affect behaviour, and sadly simply telling a person there is nothing to worry about or “you’ll be fine” often does not help at all.

Indeed such comments can make matters worse for an anxious student, because to the teenager the anxiety is completely real, as real as any pain following any injury, but quite often far more debilitating. That it is irrational, only makes it worse.

And here we see the problem that we as teachers face.  If we have not suffered from anxiety it is hard to appreciate how debilitating it is and how difficult it is to overcome.

Worry about the future is built in to all of us; indeed it helps stop us taking too many risks.  Anxiety, however, is worry that is out of control and unrealistic.  A desperate concern about what will happen in specific situations which has nothing to do with what actually happens.

Indeed no matter how many times the individual faces that worry and comes through it satisfactorily, the anxiety can be just as strong next time.

Worse, after a while each anxiety episode builds up, so in the end it is always there in the background or foreground, never allowing the student to relax or escape.

Fortunately one short-term intervention programme with students who suffer in this way can result in a wholly different outcome.  One in which anxiety is reduced to more normal levels.

Such a change can be achieved through a short period of intervention with a small group of secondary school students – and the big bonus is that there is external funding available for this type of intervention so that there is no cost at all to the school.

If you feel that you have some students in your school who are not reaching their full potential because of anxiety or related issues, and you would like to make use of external funding to help these students, I would ask you to get in touch.

We have already worked with numerous schools across the country and now have additional time and funding available to come to your school and work with the students you nominate. There are more details of our work with pupils with anxiety at on the Anxiety section of our website.

If you would like to discuss the options without any obligation please do call 0345 3192 666 or 0203 6677 294 or email gemma@NLP4Kids.org

If you’re anything like the teachers I know then I can almost guarantee you are constantly hit with the feeling that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

I want to be respectful of your time so I’ll keep this short. I am in the process of creating some study hack posters which will look great on classroom walls and will be of great value to students. If you would be interested in receiving free pdf copies to print out then please do email me.

I’ve included 3 of the hacks below:

1. Go Cold Turkey – The website ‘getcoldturkey.com’ is essential for those who are easily distracted by surfing the web.  People use Cold Turkey because once you start a block, there’s no turning back. By default, timers are locked until your timer is up and the weekly schedule can be locked until a certain time.
2. Pomodoro Technique – Set a timer, get serious about studying for 25 minutes and off you go. Reward yourself with a five-minute break afterwards. Repeat 3 times and give yourself an hour off. It’s easy and very effective.
3. Maths Genius –  khanacademy.org is a fantastic website that allows students to repeat a particular topic multiple times and become really confident with the subject matter.

The videos incorporate all learning styles, and many people have used them to study up to degree level mathematics in their own time.

If you are still reading this then I hope you’ve found this helpful so far. We share many different and effective study techniques in our motivational seminars delivered by our team of military veterans. They relate their personal stories too which students find incredibly inspiring and helps motivate them to try harder. We deliver one hour seminars for up to 100 students for £399.

If you would be interested to find out more then feel free to contact me.

Nasir Unia
07830 208725

info@armykeynotespeakers.com
www.armykeynotespeakers.com

Ed had been a teacher for more than thirty years,  working in several London boroughs. He started out as a supply teacher, then moved on to be a subject teacher,  head of year and head of department.

Now and again he would recount some of the more “grisly” goings on in whichever school he was working  at the time…..and it wasn’t only the students he got “naffed off” with…… (but that’s another story, as they say).

If there was one thing he felt strongly and got so angry about it was when students came to his lessons without the basics, i.e. they turned up without a pen, pencil, ruler, etc.

He was well read,  an experienced teacher and planned his lessons carefully, so he regarded any delay in starting a lesson as a personal insult.  His view was “If I take the trouble to plan my lessons and make them  relevant and interesting, then why the heck can’t my students bring a pen and pencil with them?”

Thankfully, a couple of years before he retired, he found out about the “Student Essentials” set.

“If I’d known about this product thirty years ago then my life as a teacher would have been much easier and my students would almost certainly have got a lot more benefit from my lessons.”

The “Student Essentials” set is all about providing students with the basics they need and cutting out wasted time at the beginning of lessons….result:  Improved productivity in both teaching and learning.

The “Student Essentials” set consists of three quality black ink ballpens, two full length HB pencils, an eraser, pencil sharpener and a 15 cm ruler, all packed in a clear “exam friendly” PVC wallet with a zip slider (size: 230 x 155 mm). It’s ideal to sell to your students (or maybe even give them away !) or use as prizes or incentives.  From only 85p each, ex vat  it’s a simple, yet cost effective way of helping both teachers and students be more productive.

The “Student Essentials” set can be obtained from  Signpost Educational Ltd.  who can be contacted on: email:  signpost@talk21.com  or tel  020 7515 1797  or you can visit their website:

www.signposteducational.co.uk

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

P.S. Your order will usually be delivered within 1-3 working days.

The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offer students age 15-18 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.

Working in groups of 12 – 14 students 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 from our Summer Schools 2019 programme include:

Law Summer School

The Law Summer School offers an exciting and challenging introduction to the legal profession, and is aimed at students who wish to take their first steps towards a legal career or Law degree. With options top specialise in particular areas of interest, this course includes mini-lectures on key areas of the law, seminar discussions on tricky and controversial legal questions, lively group negotiations and activities, and concludes with a full mock trial in which students take the role of barristers for the prosecution or defence.

‘The Summer Law School was an exhilarating and unforgettable five days. It gave me great insight into the theories of law and how they are implemented in real court cases; and also provided me with the opportunity to meet other young people with similar interests to me.’

History Summer School

The History Summer School gives students the opportunity to ask some of the deeper and more philosophical questions about how we relate to and interpret the past. A combination of engaging discussions, formal debates, lectures, group presentations and close individual reading of primary and secondary source material will help students to get a realistic sense of what undergraduate study is really like. This is also a really social course, and students often make friendships which continue on into university.

‘I enjoyed every minute of this Summer School and would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for history! I was able to learn about parts of history which I had never encountered before. The variety of topics and the fantastic tutors definitely made the course worthwhile.’

Mathematics Summer School 

The Maths Summer School is an opportunity for very mathematically able students to indulge their passion for problem-solving and stretch their understanding of a range of topics in pure and applied maths. This Summer School is particularly appropriate for students who may be considering further study of mathematics at undergraduate level, or who are interested in related disciplines such as physics, computing or engineering.

‘The Maths Summer School is great fun! Everyone is so friendly and I learned so much. It is a great opportunity to expand your mathematical knowledge beyond the school syllabus. I would definitely recommend it!’

In addition to these highlighted courses, we also offer courses in English Literature, Philosophy, Economics, International Relations, Politics, Physics, Dentistry and Medicine.

Bursaries

Debate Chamber is committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent any student from attending our events. Students can apply for bursaries covering up to 95% 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 2019. 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/.

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.

A recent study by the Youth Mental Health First Aid in Schools programme has confirmed what many of us have seen day by day: the taboo surrounding mental health issues remains a fundamental barrier which stops pupils and students speaking openly about any problems they perceive.

Indeed research by the NASUWT union last year revealed that, although 98 per cent of teachers have contact with pupils who they believe are experiencing mental health issues, 46 per cent report never having received any training on youth mental health.

However the report has shown that a small number of schools are making progress in facing the issue of helping pupils and students to deal with the problems they are facing.

And thus the question is asked, how can we help improve the mental well-being of pupils and students?  It is a most important question, not least because pupils and students who have the ability to prevent mild conditions from becoming major problems cope better than those who don’t have this skill.

And this is what NLP4Kids offers.  Helping pupils and students communicate their thoughts and feelings with others, helping them make meaningful relationships, and ultimately helping them improve their employment opportunities.

If you feel that you have some pupils and students in your school who are not reaching their full potential because of mental health issues, and you would like to make use of external funding to help these children, I would ask you to get in touch.

We have already worked with numerous schools across the country and now have additional time and funding available to come to your school and work with the children you nominate. There are more details of our work at http://nlp4kids.org.uk/positive

If you would like to discuss the options without any obligation please do call 0345 3192 666 or 0203 6677 294 or email gemma@NLP4Kids.org