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 highly 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 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 global responses to climate change

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 2020. 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/

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 https://debatechamber.com/ call us on 0800 810 1058, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Exams aren’t far away now and it’s perhaps easy to assume that there will be enough exam desks for all your students taking the exams. But suppose this isn’t the case….

It might be worth checking the stock of exam desks well before the exams are due to start, just to make sure there’s enough to go round.

Central Educational Supplies Ltd have been supplying exam desks (as well as other educational furniture) since 2004 and can often supply at very short notice, sometimes just two or three  working days.

Why not contact them now to see how they may be able to help with your exam preparations?

Central Educational Supplies Ltd can be contacted by email: info@centraleducational.co.uk or phone: 020 7515 1797 or visit their website.   www.centraleducational.co.uk

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

The Casio FX 83 GT+ was the UK’s best selling scientific calc…and deservedly so.  It’s been setting the pace in many UK schools & colleges and was  the first choice for GCSE exams for many students.

But now it’s been discontinued, having been replaced by an upgraded spec’ model at a higher price. Top grade maths students are likely to benefit from this new model (FX83GTX),  but what about the majority, for whom the FX83GT+ was perfectly adequate and available at a reasonable price ?

Well, the news is positive. There is an alternative……

It’s the Logik LK 83XP which has almost all the features of the FX 83GT Plus   but with one big advantage…… it’s dual power.  This combination of battery and solar power  prolongs battery life and gives students  extra reassurance, especially when used in exams.

The LK 83XP has a THREE year guarantee* and is suitable for all exams where a calculator is allowed.  Features include:  252 functions,   “natural (textbook) display,”  check, correct and replay,  stats calculations, prime factorisation, hard plastic keys, slide on case etc.

It’s a calc which can see your students all the way from year 7 to GCSE and at a surprisingly modest price.  (*excludes LCD damage)

Further details on:   www.signposteducational.co.uk 

or phone 020 7515 1797  or email: signpost@talk21.com

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

PS.  For other calculators and helpful maths products please visit the website.

Ed has 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,  ie. 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 

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

When studying an undergraduate degree, most of us try to avoid thinking the inevitable — what on earth do I do next? It’s unlikely that in the last three years or so you’ve paused the partying to think about the next stage of your life seriously.

As with all major life decisions, there are pros and cons to consider. With further study comes even more fees. However, in a saturated jobs market, additional qualifications could be essential to even land a job in the first place. Ultimately, the best thing to start with is to do some research about what is best for you. So, in this article, we’ll try to make your life a little bit easier and will list the top reasons why you should choose to study a postgraduate degree.

Higher Salaries

According to research, the top paying salaries are the ones linked to postgraduate STEM courses. Architecture, medicine, veterinary science, maths, computer science and engineering related careers started at around £31,000 a year. Of course, these subjects can be quite specialist and might not be accessible to everyone for a number of reasons. However, BBC recently reported that on average, postgraduates earn £6,000 more a year than graduates. Even if you don’t start on a higher salary initially, it makes it more likely that in the long run you could be exposed to more opportunities and responsibilities leading to a pay rise.

In 2008, the average young graduate earned a yearly salary of £24,000. Ideally, this should’ve risen to £31,500 in 2018 to be in line with inflation. However, in 2018, the average salary only increased to £25,500, which shows that earnings have dropped. For this reason, and to overcome this disparity, it would make sense to undertake postgraduate study.

Develop Your Skills in Saturated Jobs Market

University research has found that there are more graduates choosing to study postgraduate than ever, which means that there are more rival candidates for you to outshine on your job application and in your interview.

Currently, the jobs market is an extremely competitive environment. It’s better to stay on in higher education so that you can develop your skills and even specialise in a particular area — around 9 per cent of students said that they studied postgraduate to meet the requirements of a current job. With rising expectations, employers can favour candidates who have committed to further study as it shows that they are willing to improve their skillset and are worth investing in.

Discounted Tuition Fees

If you’ve recently graduated, it’s worth checking to see if your university offers any alumni discounts for continuing to study at their establishment. For example, if you previously studied at Northumbria, and you’re considering postgraduate study but are put off by the tuition fees, you’ll be pleased to know about their alumni discount scheme. As alumni you can get a generous 20 per cent discount, which knocks a significant amount off your fees. This can make university life a lot easier and leaves some of your loan left over for living purposes. Keep your eyes peeled for your university’s discounts.

Can Help Change Career Path

If you find that you’re no longer interested in the subject you studied at undergraduate, or are losing interest in your current career, no, your degree wasn’t a waste of time. And yes, there’s still hope for you yet.

Postgraduate study is an excellent way to redirect your career path and prospects. And the brilliant news? You don’t always need to study a postgraduate course linked to your existing degree. For example, if you studied psychology at undergraduate, but decide that you want to be a solicitor, you can take a law conversion course. If you’re a psychology student who has just finished their degree and develops a sudden interest in marketing — go for it!

Many skills we learn at university are transferable no matter what you studied: time management, research, organisation, data handling, presentation skills. These are all desirable skills that would help you in the working world.

One of the most important things to remember is that additional education is never going to be a bad thing. At the end of the day, you’re bettering yourself and your chances of landing a job you’re interested in. In the grand scheme of things, a little bit more debt will be worthwhile in the long run. So why not invest in your future?

Sources

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/postgraduate/top-10-postgraduate-subjects-for-starting-salaries?entry=10

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48058013

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jul/09/more-graduates-choose-further-study

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/masters-degrees/should-i-do-a-masters

Every now and again I get to chat with  teachers and one of the topics that often crops up is why many students don’t  bring a pen, pencil, ruler etc to their lessons.  They tell me that this leads to wasted time and a measure of disruption,  even before teaching has begun.

In an attempt to solve this problem there’s  now a  product called the “Value Maths set ” which, as the name suggests, contains all the basics that students need for their  maths lessons.

Consisting of  two quality black ink ballpens, a full length HB pencil, eraser, 15 cm ruler, 180 degree protractor, metal compass and half pencil,  and a sharpener, all packed in an  A5 size, clear PVC “exam friendly” wallet with a zip slider.

From just £ 1.25 each (ex vat) the “Value Maths set”  is a convenient and cost effective solution to the problem of students who haven’t brought the correct kit to their maths lessons.  Ideal to give or sell  to students at the start of lessons or at the start of a school day………  also very useful for exams.

Full details of the “Value Maths set”   can be found on the website:

     www.signposteducational.co.uk 

You can order by email:  signpost@talk21.com  or tel: 020 7515 1797

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

Ed has 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,  ie. 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 

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

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

That’s  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  primary,  secondary and tertiary sectors.

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

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

PS.  If you need new classroom tables or exam desks we can also help with these….and did you know that you can order  replacement table tops in a range of colours  if your existing tables are perhaps looking a bit worse for wear  ?  If this is of interest, please phone 020 7515 1797 and ask for Martin Evans.  As with all enquiries we receive we’ll give you the facts and leave the decisions to you. There’ll be no “hard sell”  or “pie in the sky” delivery promises

In 2004 the Logik LK 183 GCSE scientific calculator was introduced to UK schools and colleges.

Up to this point the Logik brand had only been available in basic four function models which were fine for primary schools, but didn’t really cater for KS 3 and 4 and GCSE exams.

The LK 183 changed all that.  With excellent build quality and reliability and a keyboard that was already familiar to maths teachers and students alike, the LK 183 became a favourite in many schools.  It’s functions and features, which included twin line display, stats calculations, check, correct and replay,  random numbers etc   meant that it was well suited for GCSE.  With 240 functions, a slide-on protective cover, hard plastic keys for durability, auto-power off  and similar features to the brand leader PLUS a three year guarantee, it became established in many maths departments.

The good news is that the LK 183 is still available today.  From just £ 3.80  ex vat and in class sets of 30 calcs in a Gratnells storage box with foam insert and lid from just £ 124.50  ex vat  it still offers remarkably good value.

Further details on the website:  www.signposteducational.co.uk  or call  020 7515 1797 or

order by email:   signpost@talk21.com

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

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

A new TrailBlazer group is developing a government funded training scheme for SENCOs, Teachers, Teaching Assistants and School Nurses to become registered Play Therapists.  90% of the total cost (estimated at £17,000 over a three year period) would be provided for training at level 7 (Post Graduate), once the proposed scheme is fully developed.

We can’t yet guarantee that the scheme will go ahead and it will depend upon enough schools in your area becoming involved. Out of the 300 maximum capacity in 2020 there’s 128 places left.  There’s no commitment on either side at present so don’t miss this opportunity.  Register your interest now!

The training will meet:

• The new Ofsted inspection requirements that came into force this September;
• registration on the Professional Standard Authority’s Accredited Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists;
• the principles of the new Mental Health Charter, being put forward as a blueprint for the reform of the 1983 Mental Health Act https://childmentalhealthcharter.com/

This is a marvellous opportunity for you to provide therapeutic support for your pupils with social, emotional, behaviour and mental health issues.

Please contact: jefferyht@majemail.com  for registration and more details.

Yours sincerely

Jeff Thomas

Secretariat:  Play Therapist TrailBlazer Apprenticeship Group

Fred Theatre’s popular production of A Christmas Carol is now out on tour. Directed by Tracey Street, our team of six actors report that the production is receiving an amazing response from staff and students at all the schools where they are performing.

Although the diary is very busy already, there are a couple of opportunities to book a performance before Christmas if you’re quick.

As ever, to discuss any aspect of a visit from Fred Theatre to your school, please feel free to contact me or Helen Warrilow, our tour administrator. You can call us on 01789 777612 or email:

Helen: helen@fred-theatre.co.uk

We look forward to speaking with you soon, and bringing amazing live performance to your school this year.

Full details of all of our productions can be found on our web site, along with further information on the additional pedagogical material we’ve added in for this year:

www.fred-theatre.co.uk/schools

Robert Ball
Artistic Director
Fred Theatre

PS: Also on our website we have a great report on the value of booking a visiting theatre company, well worth a read.