Category Archives: Uncategorized

Strange Stories

Is it time to think carefully about the
spaghetti monster?

My recent articles on the issue of strange stories that people collect have opened a can of  floodgates or perhaps a tidal barrier of worms – I am not sure which.   Not only are several of my clients in the Admiral storage facility collecting tales of the weird and unexpected (not to say downright ludicrous) but it seems from my inbox that lots of other people have an interest in this.

I’ve had several emails from readers pointing out that if I really want weird, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, also known as Pastafariansm, might be worthy of my attention.

This church certainly came to the attention of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Council of Europe who noted that Pastafarianism celebrates an invisible all-powerful being called the Flying Spaghetti Monster which created the universe in one day.  

Supporters of the idea then demanded a place on the school curriculum in the United States alongside evolution on the one hand and intelligent design on the other hand, on the basis that their notion was a third variety – singularly unintelligent design.

It seems that despite the absolute oddness of such a vision, in recent times the followers of Pastafarianism has flourished, for they now have their own very colourful website in which they report many sightings of the spaghetti monster.  

Apparently one can buy the t-shirt to show unity with the monster for $25 or one can alternatively send exactly the same amount of money for a certificate that makes one a certified minister of the cult.  

The website, incidentally, has a section to which people can write (and be published) if they wish to argue against Pastafarianism or even be abusive towards the believers, which seems fairly democratic.  

It certainly raises a new notion for websites.  One has the usual drop down menus at the top with such headings as “News”, “Products”, “Offers”, “Contact us” and then comes “Abuse”.  I am not sure many other websites have added this option, but certainly reading the abuse column on the Pastafarians website is quite, err, educational.  Or at least vocabulary expanding.

Incidentally, through writing this piece on Google Drive I have just discovered that the spell checker accepts the word “Pastafarian” as perfectly correct spelling.  

I therefore tested this discovery out by going into Google itself and typing Define:Pastafarian, and low and behold up popped a definition.  How fast notions can grow!

Of course, believing in a Deity or not is an intensely personal affair, and our society does indeed allow us the freedom to believe or not believe, and to argue for our own beliefs and against the beliefs of others.

But I wonder if we haven’t gone too far in believing in giving information technology the same rights.   I particularly wondered that this week when I got an email from my bank which said, “If you cannot see this email click here”.  Isn’t it time to start seeing IT not as a blessing but actually the work of some universal nasty-being which exists possibly in the anti-universe or whatever the latest proposition of physicists is as they attempt to explain what’s what and what’s not in the entirety of space and time?

I was still contemplating that rather overwhelming point when my attention was then drawn (for no reason that will become apparent at this time) to the notion of nominative determinism – the tendency of people to go into areas of work which fit their surname.

You may well have seen, for example, that the last Lord Chief Justice for England and Wales was Judge Judge (actual real name Igor Judge) until he was replaced by John Thomas – on which, of course, I make no comment.

Now there is a report that the population of dentists in the UK has many more men named Dennis, and women called Denise, than one might expect.  On the other hand I did come across Dr Burns at my local hospital recently, which caused me a certain amount of concern.

But I must leave you with a notice from the Driving Standards Agency which helpfully told me that I could “normally book a theory test online 24 hours a day, every day.   Outside these hours you can make a pending booking.”

So time beyond 24/7 really does exist, at least within government departments.  I always thought that might be the case.

You can find more information about our facilities on our website at www.archive-document-storage.co.ukAlternatively you can call us on 0800 810 1125.

Admiral Document Storage
Bloxwich Lane
Walsall
WS2 8TF
Tel: 0800 810 1125

Email: info@archive-document-storage.co.uk

www.archive-document-storage.co.uk

What is a meaningful argument (and how can I have one?)

Everyone has arguments. Some people seem to have them all the time, others back away from them quickly and do anything to avoid any form of confrontation.

But what enables one person to win lots of debates and arguments, while another seems never to win at all?

Of course, force of personality and an access to relevant facts can help, as can be being a confident natural speaker with a winning smile.

But even so there is more – and there is no doubt that when students actually understand the nature of debate and proof they tend not only to get better A level grades and be better prepared for university and/or employment, but they also win more arguments.

In short, for many students it is a grasp of critical thinking which takes them from a C to a B and a B to an A, which delivers a far more impressive UCAS application, and which enables them to be much more persuasive in interviews and presentations.

The problem for students is that the issue of argument and debate is not just common sense. Even if they get to grips with the difference between such concepts as “claims” and “arguments”, there still remain such puzzling issues as explanations, assumptions, counter-claims, evidence, examples, deduction, induction, generalisation…

It is for these reasons that the volume “Critical Thinking” has been written.

For “Critical Thinking” is about far more than just dismantling and evaluating other people’s arguments; it is also about putting together the student’s own explanations and arguments.

Through examples and activities the volume encourages students to develop their considered point of view in essays, reports, debates, etc, and helps them be prepared to stand back and assess their own reasoning.

Critical Thinking is available as a printed copiable volume or as a CD which can be put on the school’s learning platform for use by students and staff.

You can see some sample pages at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1821.pdf

Publisher’s reference:T1821EMN; ISBN: 978 1 86083 861 3

Prices:

  • Photocopiable report in a book: £29.95
  • CD with school-wide rights: £24.95
  • Both the book and the CD: £36.94

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1821EMN

Imagine the whole school

Imagine a whole school picture… without the hassle of getting everyone together.

In recent years, the whole school picture has, sadly, become a bit of a thing of the past. 

Whereas it used to be customary for an image of the whole school to be taken every few years and then hung in the school hall or in the reception area, for many schools today the production of such a picture is seen as too much of a problem or too expensive.

And this is a shame, not least because a series of whole school photos taken over many years will invariably have a huge impact on visitors to the school.  For such photographs impart a sense of continuity, permanence, and style.

And today it is a fact that the taking of a whole school photograph is easier and a lot less expensive than it has ever been.

Furthermore, and quite amazingly, there is no need for a complicated rig to be set up for everyone to sit or stand on together.  Nor does there need to be any great disruption to the school timetable as there is no longer any need to get everyone together at the same time. 

Now I can understand that this might seem impossible – to have a full school picture taken without all the disruption, setting up the rig, and gathering everyone together.  But indeed, it can be done.

What’s more, the whole production is now less expensive than ever before because of the new techniques involved.

To see an example of a whole school photograph shot in this individual way please click here.  Alternatively, if you would like to talk about this process or make a booking, please:

  • Phone 01202 692433
  • Email roy@fraserportraits.com
  • Or write to Mr R. L Fraser, Managing Director, Fraser Portraits Ltd, 206 The Broadway, Lower Blandford Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8DP

Roy Fraser

Don’t leave teachers out of assessment decisions

Ensure it’s your teachers who make pupil progress decisions, not your software

Children’s progress needs to be measured in line with a commitment to high quality, in-class assessment for learning. But, many of the pupil progress trackers on the market simply aren’t cutting it.

That’s because lots of the systems are driven by tick-box thinking. Based on formulas that calculate overall objectives, they only succeed in taking assessment decisions out of teachers’ hands.

When Sue Hackman decided to work with us to create the Climbing Frames Assessment app, she wanted to create a system that went beyond simply adding up objectives, or that limited the school to just measuring Maths and English.

That’s why we’ve made sure that the assessment app is quick, manageable and user-friendly.  While also allowing your teachers to draw progress judgments directly from their own knowledge of how pupils are doing.

Teachers will find it easy to take an all round view of where each child is, based entirely on the new National Curriculum, ranging from not yet started to substantially secure.

Not just for the core subjects, either. Climbing Frames covers all National Curriculum subjects.

The app also lets you know at a glance what each child has achieved and where they need to go next.

As a school leader, you can see reports on what pupils have not yet attained at individual, class and cohort level. Giving you a clear indication of what teachers have covered and what remains to be taught.  

The app gives your leadership team the solid data you need for accountability.

Tracking and reporting data is transparent and easy to share. So, you have the information you need to understand how individuals, classes and cohorts are progressing across all subjects. 

If you would like to see how the Climbing Frames app supports your teachers and leaders, I would be delighted to organise a demonstration of the app.

You can book your demonstration quickly and easily online at www.climbingframes.org.uk/book-your-demo/.  Or you can contact me directly 0121 224 7584 and by email at james@imaginativeminds.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

James Mason
Marketing – Climbing Frames
Tel: 0121 224 7584 | Fax: 0121 224 7598
www.climbingframes.org.uk

PS Climbing Frames will help your teachers measure progress across all core and foundation subjects. Try it for yourself at: www.climbingframes.org.uk/book-your-demo/.  

How to maintain the children’s daily routine when outdoor play isn’t an option.

Perhaps the most important aspect of playtime for children at Sure Start centres is that it feels different from the rest of the day. 

But of course, when it is very cold or raining the normal routine of playtime is disrupted.  Which is why increasing numbers of Sure Start centres have introduced a wet playtime policy.

There is a dual point to this. First, it ensures that all colleagues know exactly what the routine is when it is wet outside during playtime.

Second, it ensures that for the children, playtime still feels like playtime. It is still a break from the other activities that the children undertake during the day.

This means that the Sure Start centre should have a range of indoor play activities that are entirely different from those they use as part of active learning or learning-through-play.  The change of activity which children get during clement weather is maintained.

As a result of providing a set of entirely different play activities to be used only at wet playtimes, the concept of a “break” is maintained, and children then return to their regular indoor activities once playtime is over.  Even though they haven’t been outside.

It is for this reason that Edventure regularly supplies Sure Starts with an Infant Wet Playtime Pack, specifically designed for young children, which contains a total of 18 games for just £70. Additionally, this particular pack comes with a free colour and shape game.

You can find our full range of wet play packs on our website.

You can order the Infant Wet Playtime Pack in a variety of ways, including:

  • at www.edventure.co.uk
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk   
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

And if you quote HH0515 on your order delivery will be free. Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95 if ordered online or £6.95 if ordered by fax, phone or post.

Free Trial Offer – Interactive PSHE Software

An Interactive PSHE Software Free Trial Offer, At An Unmissable Price. No School Should Miss Out On This. It Is Simply Unbelievable!

This offer for ALL 9 titles is packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for PSHE, text, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Includes a full school site PC and network licence, nothing more to pay EVER! Free 14-day trial , so if you don’t like it you can just send it back. All 9 of these individual great titles are included in the pack for just £150 for everything:

Alcohol; Anti-social Behaviour; Drug Education; Human Rights; Sex Education; Smoking; Success at Interviews; Sustainability; Bullying

It’s just £150 for all 9 of these software titles in
one pack!

Now isn’t that truly staggering value for money for all these titles from the UK’s leading curriculum software supplier? Let’s beat the cuts!

To order your free trial please click here

 

A-Level Psychology ‘How to do series’: Statistical Tests

Suitable for the new examination specifications 2015 and covering the requirements for all the major examination boards this unique PowerPoint resource, is designed for the experienced teacher or teachers who are new to teaching statistics as part of A-level Psychology. Also it requires minimal statistical knowledge to deliver.

This resource carefully and clearly demonstrates how to calculate:

  1.     Standard Deviation
  2.     Binomial Sign Test
  3.     Chi-Square Ӽ²
  4.     Spearman’s rho
  5.     Mann Whitney U
  6.     Wilcoxon T

There are seven PowerPoints in total (one introductory and then the six statistical tests). The slides are set out in a way to engage students in a simple yet informative way. Each test has an explanation, a progressive worked example and one for the student to attempt themselves. They are designed to be presented as six whole lessons.

Quite simply, this pack contains everything you need to deliver the statistical tests, just simply ‘pick up and go’.

The author is a Chartered Psychologist, an experienced publisher, Psychology Teacher/Lecturer and a member of the Royal Statistical Society.

Reviews:

“These are no nonsense PowerPoints which simply talk the viewer through the statistical calculations. The students found it accessible and we could easily flip back through slides for clarification.”
Claire Barker: Head of Psychology, Queen’s College, Taunton

“Does exactly what it says on the packet, teaches you how to teach the statistical tests: understandable, fun and informative for students.”
Dr Agnes Lech: Queen Mary’s, London

A-Level Psychology “How to do series”: Statistical Tests.

6 Powerpoint Presentations, total 76 slides. £49.99 (£59.99 including VAT)

Once purchased, the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school!

To see sample pages please email info@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H19053

You can order the A Level Psychology “How To Do” Series Statistical Tests CD-ROM in any of these ways: 

  • On our website
  • By phone on 0117 940 6409
  • By fax on 0117 940 6408
  • By email (quoting a school order number) to info@classroom-resources.co.uk
  • By post to: Classroom Resources Ltd, 9 Logan Road, Bristol, BS7 8DU

Classroom Resources Ltd
9 Logan Road,
Bristol,
BS7 8DU

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk

Tel: 0117 940 6409

Now more than ever

What more can be done to support your pupils
in preventing, managing and overcoming
poor mental health?

With 76.9% of school leaders reporting that they have had to support a student with poor mental health, and 65.8% reporting that they have had reason to make a referral to CAMHS, it is vital that support is readily available for students, now more than ever.

One way that you can support your students in preventing, managing and overcoming poor mental health is by offering them a comprehensive understanding of mental health through your teaching in PSHE lessons or elsewhere.

As a result, MHTV has produced a whole range of DVDs which you can use to help develop your students understanding of mental health. Titles include Extreme Anxiety, Depression, and Anorexia Nervosa, among just a few.

You can see the full range of our DVD titles on our website. And if you quote save2015 when ordering we will give you a 10% off the prices shown on the website.

The smallest thing

Even the smallest most inexpensive item can have a significant effect on student behaviour and parental perception.

Can a pen make a difference? Could a pen change the way a person thinks and behaves? Might it actually make a person perceive their environment in a different way?

It seems rather strange that an inexpensive item such as a pen really could change the way students and their parents might see the school and their place within the school community.

And yet pens which carry the school’s name, presented perhaps to each new pupil after their first half term at the school, do have this impact. In a recent survey over 90% of schools that had given a free pen to pupils and students felt that the approach helped enhance the identity of the school.

Indeed presenting after half term can be quite an important moment, because by this time the new school year has become established, the newness of the classes and timetable has worn off. Now here is one unexpected token of association that takes the pupils, students, and parents by surprise.

This is particularly important when it comes to the question of how the pupil or student sees the school. Being given a pen bearing the school’s name becomes a symbol of the world that the pupil is part of, and it will undoubtedly be shown to the parents.

And, of course, there is always the opportunity for the school to recover much of the cost of the pens that are given out in this way, for as well as giving away a pen to each pupil or student in a selected group, the students can also have the opportunity to buy a school pen later on.

All you have to do is order slightly more than you need for the initial give away and hold the spares in stock. You might be surprised at just how fast they are sold!

You can find more information about our Contour Ballpen with coloured grip on our website. If you require any other information or have any questions please do email sales@image-logo.co.uk or call 01323 745710.

Delivery normally takes 15-20 working days from artwork approval, but just in case time is tight we do have a wide range of Express items which could be turned around in 5 days (from artwork approval).

What’s more, if you are looking at getting any other branded items for your school, Image Logo UK Ltd has a wide range of different products available, all of which can be marked up with any details of the school that you wish. You can see the whole range on our e-book.

Nicole Carter
www.image-logo.co.uk

Stonewall Training

I am writing to invite your school to a training session on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in secondary schools on 14th October 2015

Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying is endemic in secondary schools. 55 per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students say they’ve experienced homophobic bullying, and almost nine in ten secondary school teachers say pupils regardless of sexual orientation experience it in their school, with nine in ten also hearing homophobic language (phrases like ‘that’s so gay’) in school. Almost all teachers say they want to tackle this problem, but lack the training or support to do so. These issues impact upon student lives, grades and how a school addresses these areas are scrutinised by OFSTED.

Sir Christopher Hatton Academy has worked closely with Stonewall and were the first school to achieve their prestigious “Gold Award”. We are an ethnically diverse school with a very active peer support team and were pleased to be graded as Outstanding by OFSTED in January 2015.

‘Without a doubt the most helpful training I have attended in 17 years of teaching!’

‘Superb range of ideas that will introduce staff to the practical aspect of tackling homophobic behaviour.’

99.9 per cent felt more confident afterwards and would recommend the course to others

Feedback from courses in 2014 – 2015. Statistics from The School Report (2012) and The Teachers’ Report (2014)

Stonewall Train the Trainer courses give staff the knowledge, tools and confidence to train colleagues in tackling HBT bullying and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans young people.

Attending a course means your school will receive year-long membership of Stonewall’s School Champions programme, including an extensive pack of resources, free access to their School Role Models programme and ongoing support and guidance. All this – the course and a year’s membership – are just £150 +VAT (£100 + VAT for qualifying schools – contact us for details)

This course will be delivered over a full day at Sir Christopher Hatton Academy – a Stonewall Training Partner with particular expertise in tackling HBT bullying.

I do hope you or a colleague can make it. For more information or to book, please contact Mr J Barker via Barkerj@hattonacademy.org.uk ASAP

Best wishes,

Mr John Barker

Sir Christopher Hatton Academy
Stonewall Training Partner

 

Take your students to Mars

A STEM related Saturday Workshop aimed at G&T students, held in your school, and at no cost to the school.

Gifted and Talented students tend naturally to be particularly interested in latest developments in science, technology, maths and engineering.  They tend to take more notice of the news and become ever more fascinated by possibilities.

Of course, it is difficult to adjust the curriculum every time a big story that could be used with such students comes up.  And that is why the Spectacular Saturday Workshops series exists.

At present one of our most popular events is Target: Mars – a one day project suitable for secondary students from year 7 to 13.

Here we have six heroic individuals embarking on what turns out to be an ill-fated colonisation of Mars.

Each group knows that they are involved in a space race and must work together to achieve the ultimate glory of the first landing on the Red Planet.

But they have to invest their funds wisely, determine which of their team members has the skills to complete each of the changes, undertake experiments, and solve the problems they face.

They use the techniques that are fundamental to scientific research but meanwhile have to overcome a terrorist plot, an outbreak of disease, industrial espionage, and all the dangers that Mars itself will present.

Quite simply, you choose a day on which you can open up your school, and we will come in and run the event based around the theme you choose.  Our costs are paid for by parents (usually around £35 per student) although the school can, if it wishes, subsidise the cost in certain or indeed all students from its own funds.

The Target: Mars team will need access to the hall or a large room in which the project takes place from 8.30 to 15.45 and during the course of the day will provide different versions of the event for different age ranges.

We will also supply posters and leaflets to your students and all the promotional literature for parents, which you can put on your headed paper, or edit if you wish. There are more details about Target : Mars here.  

Thinkers in Education also undertakes two other Saturday projects, “Bunkered” (in which an asteroid is heading towards Earth) and “Dead on Time” (in which crime scene investigators unravel a suspicious death) – and there are details of all three projects on our website.

For further information, please call us on 01603 520866 or email events@thinkersineducation.co.uk

Free Trial Offer – Interactive Physical Education Software

An Interactive PHYSICAL EDUCATION Software Free Trial Offer, At An Unmissable Price. No School Should Miss Out On This. It Is Simply Unbelievable!

This offer for ALL 8 titles is packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for PE, text, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Includes a full school site PC and network licence, nothing more to pay EVER! Free 14-day trial , so if you don’t like it you can just send it back. All 8 of these individual great titles are included in the pack for just £150 for everything:

Diet and Hygiene; Physically Active; Safety and Risk Assessment; Skill Acquisition; The Muscular System; The Respiratory System; The Skeletal System; Health Related Fitness

It’s just £150 for all 8 of these software titles in
one pack!

Now isn’t that truly staggering value for money for all these titles from the UK’s leading curriculum software supplier? Let’s beat the cuts!

To order your free trial please click here

 

From decoding to comprehension

Activity books that will support your pupils on the journey from decoding to comprehension and on to critical thinking.

In order for your pupils to become confident in their comprehension abilities, they must first be confident in their ability to decode texts. Once decoding has been mastered they are well on their way to becoming confident in their comprehension abilities.

Towards the end of their primary school career, an ability to think critically about texts will also be established where they will be pondering questions, such as: “what does the writer really mean?” and “why has the writer chosen to use these words?”

With Topical Resources’ Comprehension Activity Books for Year 1 to Year 6 you can support your pupils with this journey, all the way from decoding texts, to comprehending texts, to thinking critically about texts.

You can see sample pages from each of the activity books by clicking on the links below:

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 1

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 2

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 3

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 4

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 5

Comprehension Activity Book – Year 6

We have also produced a Comprehension Activity Book for Year 7 which you can use to challenge your Year 6 pupils who have progressed above and beyond expectations.

The activities can either be used with full classes, small groups, or individual pupils and are available in three formats:

  • Black and White Photocopiable book (£17.95)
  • Full colour PDF e-book on a CD (£15.95+VAT)
  • Or you can download the PDF straight from our website (£13.95+VAT)

If you are looking at implementing a whole-school Comprehension programme using our clear, concise, easy-to-follow and child-friendly Comprehension Activity Books, you can buy all seven books at a discounted price of £112 for the books, £105+VAT for the e-book on a CD, or £84+VAT for the download on our website.

Or if you’d prefer, you can order the comprehension resources:

  • By phone on 01772 863158
  • By fax at 01772 866153
  • By email to sales@topical-resources.co.uk         
  • By post to Topical Resources, P.O. Box329, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire PR3 5LT

   
www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk

Student Trips to Germany – Christmas Markets and 2016

Exclusively prepared for teachers who organize
student trips to Germany

Dear Teacher,

It’s not too late to organize an amazing and affordable student trip for this year! 

Here just some of many ideas for a student trip to one of Germany’s best areas for student travel from the UK, the Rhineland:

Discover Duisburg

This city of almost 500,000 is one of Germany’s largest university towns, has the largest inland harbor, and is an important city for commerce, steel production, architecture, history, and culture.   Only about 20 miles from Düsseldorf Airport, Duisburg is the perfect city to include in a Rhineland itinerary filled with the region’s exotic and unique attractions. 

Stay at these two DJH City Hostels in Duisburg:

DJH Hostel Sportpark
An amazing hostel – brand-new, and with a look and a list of features that equal many top sports hotels:

  • In-house sports center, gym and sauna
  • Ball field on-premises
  • 2 volley ball fields
  • 7 conference rooms
  • All rooms with private bath

The hostel is located right in the enormous Sportpark Duisburg, one of Germany’s largest and most modern sports parks, with over 500 acres of land and 150 acres of water facilities. It supports 40 different sports and is home to 30 local clubs and teams.  Perfect for your sports-related trips! Click here for information and pictures

DJH Hostel Landschaftspark
The hostel is named after the Landscape Park Duisburg, a public park built in 1991 on a former industrial site and a stunning example of how the industrial past of a region can be healed by transforming industrial elements into objects of beauty and recreation.   Our modern hostel is right in the park, and it’s the perfect location for your Rhineland adventure.

Bonn & Cologne Christmas Market

A Magical Germany Christmas Experience for Your Groups

A visit to the enchanting Christmas markets in Cologne and Bonn is a spectacular occasion for all ages.  Each city’s market is unique, and Cologne’s has seven different markets all over the city waiting to be discovered by your student and group travelers.   Stay at our hostels in Bonn and/or Cologne.  Optional: additional activities, e.g. a trip to the Odysseum Adventure Museum in Cologne, the Cologne Cathedral, the Chocolate Museum, and much more – for a fascinating itinerary.

Rates: starting at € 22.90 per night per person, including breakfast, lunch or dinner, and all taxes.

Contact us for a free proposal for rooms and activities!

For more information, contact Rainer Perry – Marketing & Sales Manager North America, UK & Ireland; email:  rainer@go2city.travel

Full contact info below

Christmas Markets are just one of many reasons for a school trip to Germany.  Germany is becoming a trendier and more popular travel destination all the time, especially for student groups from the UK.   You know why:  whether by train, coach, car or plane, Germany is an easy reach from most places in the UK, often in just a few hours.  The country offers great values in accommodations, restaurants, and many other attractions – and the options keep growing from year to year. 

We at DJH GO2CITY want to help you get the latest about traveling to one of Germany’s most fascinating – and most accessible – areas: the Rhine Ruhr Region. 

For all 2015 and 2016 Student Trips to Germany’s Rhineland:
Your partner Go2City – DJH’s all-in-one travel agency 

The incoming agency partner you’ve been looking for!  We help you with all aspects of your stay, so that you don’t have to spend your time and money planning the best travel for your students. Our in-house meeting planning agency creates the best itineraries at no cost and helps you book tours and tickets, often at huge discounts.  You safe money and time. 

We own the accommodation and the in-house agency.  No middle men, no extra fees, no miscommunications or wasted time.  Just tell us what your group wants to do, and we’ll put the whole package together!

What do you want your students to experience in Germany?

  • Music? – We know the right festivals, concerts and local choirs and music groups for your performance
  • Performances? – We find local theaters, rehearsal spaces, audiences and stage time.
  • Sports? – We connect you to local teams, competitions, and stadiums
  • Education? – We have loads of contacts at local schools, universities, and programs.
  • Other programs also available, including drama, languages, etc.

Choose your customized itineraries and activity modules

  • Museum and theater visits
  • Sports and tournaments
  • Specialized city tours and looks behind the scenes
  • Excursions beyond city limits
  • Transfers and coach trips (free coach parking at our hostels!)
  • Local contacts for activity-centered trips (sports, theater, music, education)
  • And much more

Packages also available:

  • 3-day programs starting at 79 € per person
  • 5-day programs starting at 161 € per person

For more information, visit: www.go2city.travel

Free Unlimited Overnight Stays for 2 Chaperones with any Student Group Bookings!
Teachers and chaperones stay free with a group of 10 students or more, no matter how long the stay.  Ask us for details!

Budget accommodations – high quality hotel alternatives for student groups
You’ve heard amazing things about modern hostels in Germany. They are true at DJH City-Hostels in Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf.  You get amazing 3-star hotel-quality accommodations in Germany at hostel prices, and they are perfect for student groups.  Our hostels are still among the best kept secrets of the budget-conscious traveler, but more and more foreign groups are catching on to the amazing value and quality:

  • Some of the best hostels in the world.  3-star hotel level at hostel prices!
  • Pristine, modern single & multi-bed rooms, all with private baths
  • Amazing rates: starting at € 22.90 per night per person, including breakfast, lunch or dinner, and all taxes

Who we are:

DJH GO2City is the new in-house travel agency by non-profit DJH (German Youth Hostel Association).   Operating  6 hostels in 4 cities in Germany’s Rhine Ruhr Region, DJH GO2CITY also plans and executes customised itineraries and programmes for groups and individuals.

Here a list of all our hostels:
City-Hostel Bonn
City Hostel Cologne-Deutz
City-Hostel Cologne-Riehl
City-Hostel Duisburg Sportpark
City-Hostel Duisburg Landschaftspark
City-Hostel Düsseldorf

For more information about DJH, to request a customised proposal or to book your group reservations, please contact:
Rainer Perry – Marketing & Sales Manager North America, UK & Ireland

DJH Go2City

934 8th Avenue 2b; New York, NY 10019; USA
phone: +1 646 207 6406
email: rainer@go2city.travel

www.go2city.travel
www.city-hostel.de
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djhgo2city

click here for our online ebooks:
DJH City-Hostels in Cologne & Düsseldorf

New in-house agency Go2City

The benefits arising from improved typing skills

Students who can touch-type will deliver more accurate, better presented and easier to read work. That will save you and your teaching colleagues’ considerable time in deciphering and marking badly written scripts.

Meanwhile, Ofqual has publicly stated that online exams should replace pen and paper for today’s students. The major awarding bodies have already welcomed this view. When the inevitable happens, students who can type accurately at speed will perform better in tests.

So to improve the keyboard skills of your pupils so that they can type quickly, accurately, effortlessly and safely, then look no further than Type&Test Ltd, the UK’s leading specialists in online touch-typing training and assessment.

Whatever your budget for this activity – or even if you don’t have one – we have a solution for you!  Our range of options even includes an income generation scheme.

Simply click here to reply to this email using the subject line ‘Improved typing skills’ and we will email you a link to our Schools Brochure.

Kind regards

Andy Stevenson
Director
Type&Test Ltd

The unexpected threat

What is the most unexpected unwelcome event
that can befall a school?

It is hard to imagine a school in which senior management know that the law is being broken and yet in which they turn a blind eye and continue to allow the offence to happen.

And yet, if you were to go onto Google and type in “School breaches data protection” you will find page after page of examples of schools that have suffered the fines, ignominy, and bad publicity that comes from being caught out.

No school ever deliberately breaks the Data Protection Act.  Every school has a Data Protection policy in place.  But it happens.

The worst of it is that most of the people who break the Act are actually trying to be helpful, for the most common cause of breaking the Act involves a member of staff  transmitting sensitive data via email – perhaps to their home address so that they can once again continue working at home.

The data might be personal data including staff and pupil names, dates of birth, addresses, national insurance numbers, school marks, medical information, exam results, SEN assessments, and staff development reviews….

Sometimes they even transmit sensitive personal data which covers race, ethnicity, political opinions, religious beliefs, membership of trade unions, physical or mental health, sexuality… The difference between processing personal data and sensitive personal data is that there are greater legal restrictions on the latter.

The person who is responsible in such circumstances is the head teacher as it is the head who holds the role of Data Controller in a school.  Equally, the Board of Governors are responsible for ensuring that the school has taken appropriate measures to ensure data confidentiality.

The fine for getting it wrong is up to £500,000 from the Information Commissioners Office.

And yet the solution is easy.  You just need to ensure that if you are sending any information via email, or putting it on any transportable device, it is encrypted.

Emailsecurity supplies email encryption software to schools in the UK.  There is nothing to be installed on individual machines, just some very simple changes to your email configuration, and typically takes less than 10 minutes to get you up and running.  That’s it.  You use your existing email address as normal.

The pricing model is also really simple and is payable annually.

Up to 149 pupils (8 email addresses) £ 199
149 to 299 pupils (15 email addresses) £ 299
300 to 699 pupils (35 email addresses) £ 399
700 to 1000 pupils (50 email addresses) £ 799
More than 1,000 Please call for details

There is no installation charge, no upfront fee, and no long term commitment.  Please contact schools@emailsecurity.eu and we will be more than happy to work with you and your local IT support partner to get you up and running within 10 minutes.  Alternatively please call Tel: +44 20 3598 4798

X509, Enniscorthy Enterprise & Technology Centre, Milehouse Road, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland www.emailsecurity.eu

Creative Writing Club

Start a Creative Writing Club
in the click of a mouse

Many schools are running a creative writing club  – either after school or at lunchtime in the library. It’s a fantastic way to boost writing. However, dreaming up new writing materials every week is a time commitment.

Now you can start a lunchtime or after school club with zero preparation time!

  • Our interactive writing Apps make writing fast and fun
  • New topics every week mean they’ll never run out of things to write about!
  • Publish pupils work in our Hall of Fame on in your own book.

Plus: use it to write class stories on your topic: the rainforest, floods, space, the Stone Age, the Romans, the Greeks, the Bronze Age, the Anglo-Saxons, Romeo and Juliet, Great fire of London, unicorns, football, hamsters and sci-fi.

There are 30 topics planned this year (two new topics are added every week in term time). Suggest a topic and we’ll create an activity especially for you.

How do I start my free trial?

There are two ways. Visit http://creativewritingclub.co.uk and click on the sign up button. (Use the coupon hamlet for a 20 percent discount).

Or call 0845-8385-526 and we’ll set up your free trial with you over the phone. It only takes 5mins. (Don’t forget to mention the coupon hamlet when we set the trial up).

Note: You’ll need to provide some invoicing details. You will not be invoiced till the end of the trial. Cancel at any time during the trial and you won’t get billed – no quibbles!

Would you describe yourself as ‘not so great’ with computers?

We’ve designed the site with everyone in mind.

  • Pupil passwords can be torture! So we’re using a single user name and password for the whole school.
  • Multiple users can use the site at the same time. So your whole class can work on different stories.
  •  It works on Mac, PC, Ipad and interactive white board.
  • Print out your pupil’s planning work and use it for ‘evidence’.

There’s everything you need to start a Creative Writing Club in the click of a mouse. Visit:

http://creativewritingclub.co.uk and use the coupon hamlet for a 20 percent discount.

How To Help Young People Deal With Anger

Activities To Help Young People Deal With Anger

These 33 activities have a particular focus on developing skills for managing anger and conflict, plus relating to others. Using a mentoring approach, they provide specific structured tasks that can be used during one-to-one intervention or for group work.

The activities include:

My Anger Triggers – For students to recognise the initial signs of anger and identify some ways of diffusing the emotion of anger.

Anger Matrix – To give students the opportunity to map their approach to anger and visualise where they are going and where they would like to be.

Initial Self-Assessment: Relating To Others – To give students the opportunity to assess themselves in order to provide a baseline for measuring progress with a focus on relating to others and issues of conflict.

Student Reassessment And Evaluation – To give students the opportunity to reassess themselves in order to measure progress.

How I Feel When I Am Angry – To give students the opportunity to reflect upon the physical responses to anger.

A Letter Home – For students to recognise how others may view their behaviour and reflect upon the impact this behaviour has upon others.

Ways Of Coping – For students to generate ways of coping in moments of crisis.

Improving My Listening – The aim of this activity is to raise student awareness of listening skills and how to improve them.

Dilemmas 1 & 2 – To give students the opportunity to consider dilemma-based learning situations.

Conflict: What It Is And How To Deal With It – To raise awareness of the skills students will need to enable them to mediate between students in conflict.

Read All About It: Making Headlines – Students are to consider the content of a story then think about how stereotypes can influence people’s actions and reactions.

Crime Scene Investigation – To give students the opportunity to act as investigators and look objectively at a given situation and come to their own conclusion, thereby encouraging independent thinking.

What Happens Next? (1 & 2) – These activities aim to help students to consider a set of circumstances and consequences.

Stop Seeing Red – To identify strategies for coping with highly charged emotional situations.

My Autobiography – To augment and support the idea that the students’ decisions have an impact upon their lives and their futures.

My Progress – For students to demonstrate that there is measurable progress in aspects of their learning.

Target Setting And Action Planning – To develop a set of SMART targets and create a plan of action.

Review: Target Setting And Action Planning – To review a set of targets and prepare a plan of action.

Each activity includes full instructions, and worksheets which can be photocopied from the A4 book or printed out from the FREE CD Rom.

ISBN: 978 1 909380 49 3- 64 page A4 ring bound book with FREE CD Rom. 

Ages 10-16

Activities To Help Young People Deal With Anger Ref 104-HH £32.50 

TO ORDER:
By phone: (01604) 870 828
By fax: (01604) 870 986
By email:
orders@loggerheadpublishing.co.uk

By post: Loggerhead Publishing,P O Box 928, Northampton, NN7 9AP
By the website:
www.loggerheadpublishing.net

For the products listed here and a whole range of other resources to help promote the social, emotional and behavioural skills of children and young people visit our website www.loggerheadpublishing.net

 

Why do some students get jobs and others not?

Do you want this job or would you sooner check your text messages?

People who find themselves undertaking interviews of students who are seeking a job or who are looking for a place on a course love to share horror stories.

They talk of the young women who don’t turn their mobile off or, worse, actually check their phone while in the interview. 

They share stories about school leavers who write outrageous comments on social media about their school, college or current employer, and then can’t believe that their potential employer or course organiser has actually looked them up. 

Such tales of course tell us what we already know: that many young people are very naïve when it comes to applications and interviews.

Which is why we produced “101 Ways to be Successful at Job and College Interviews.”

Like all good manuals this one starts with a premise, and here the premise is that an interview is a two way process, allowing the candidate to get an idea of what the company or college is like as well as being a chance to impress potential employers and lecturers.

Thus we ask the most obvious question: “Why do you want this job/course?” and moves onto the variations, such as thinking about “Why do you want to work for this company”, “Why do you want to study here?” and so on.

Each of the 101 Ways is an exercise or an activity as well as providing information on what to do in different situations. Thus 101 Ways will enable your students to prepare thoroughly for first job or college interviews and help them to manage any nerves.

Students can dip into chapters that will help them brush up on specific bits of preparation or use it as a workbook from start to finish as a complete guide to being successful at interviews.

This book has been written by an experienced recruiter who both trains recruiters and helps inexperienced interviewees of all ages. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the interview process with 101 practical and thought provoking tips that have been proven to work.

Teachers may also use this book as a class resource in Careers, English, Drama, PSHE, Citizenship or other lessons to prepare pupils for interview practices or the real thing. Each chapter is followed by a series of suggested exercises, mostly working in pairs or small groups, which develop the key themes of that chapter.

You can see some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/careers/T1633.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1633EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 683 1

Prices

  • Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £9.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • CD with school-wide rights: £9.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Both the Ring Binder and the CD £16.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1633EMN

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Free Trial Offer – Interactive History Software

An Interactive HISTORY Software Free Trial Offer, At An Unmissable Price. No School Should Miss Out On This. It Is Simply Unbelievable!

This offer for BOTH titles is packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for HISTORY, text, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Includes a full school site PC and network licence, nothing more to pay EVER! Free 14-day trial , so if you don’t like it you can just send it back. BOTH of these individual great titles are included in the pack for just £50 for everything:

The Depression and The New Deal: The Causes of the Great Depression The Features of the Depression The 1932 Election The New Deal Opposition and Support for the New Deal The New Deal: An Assessment

The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party: Defeat for Germany & the Birth of the Weimar Republic Adolf Hitler and the Birth of the Nazi Party The Stresemann Years: Nazi Frustration The Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression Hitler Secures Control

It’s just £50 for BOTH of these software titles in
one pack!

Now isn’t that truly staggering value for money for all these titles from the UK’s leading curriculum software supplier? Let’s beat the cuts!

To order your free trial please click here

 

What is the most effective way of offering pupils healthy snacks without yet another financial burden to the school?

Recent reports from schools have suggested that an increasing number of children who are eligible to receive hot school lunches as part of the DfE’s free school meals scheme are reverting back to bringing in their own packed lunches.

A possible reason for this is because children, quite simply, enjoy snacking. A typical lunchbox will consist of a sandwich, an apple, a yoghurt, a chocolate bar, and a packet of crisps. All of which you might consider as foods that are snacks.

Now there is, of course, nothing wrong with a packed lunch as long as it contains roughly the equivalent nutrients and calories as can be found in a hot school lunch. But often this is not the case, and the snacks in some packed lunches contain far more sugar, salt and calories than is recommended.

And this, in turn, is why we have set up Tasty Tuck Shop – a simple-to-run school tuck shop based entirely on healthy food and drink. This way children can continue to snack, but on foods that prevent them from overeating and being overweight (now an issue for 64% of the UK population).

You pick and choose the snacks you sell so that your tuck shop stays varied and appealing – and your teaching colleagues can help the children to understand more about the healthier options that the shop offers.

We make a tuck shop simple to set up (there are no set up forms, etc) and we supply posters, nutritional information, display stands, and an example letter to give to parents.

The snacks sell for as little as 35p, and our ‘Healthy Range’ fully complies with the new ‘National School Food Standards’ that were introduced in January 2015.

You can find more information by clicking here and also on our website at www.tastytuck.co.uk

Alternatively please do call James on 01206 391179 or email me at james@tastytubs.co.uk

Supporting tutor time – free sample of ready to use resources

How can tutor time support learning and student development?
Wise Ark Ltd provides resources to help with the delivery of effective tutor time, aiding teachers cope with the many pressures they face including the need to promote ‘British values’.

Helping students develop tolerance and learn about British society is of intrinsic worth but how can hard pressed tutors do this on top of all the other demands on their time?

· Having opportunities to learn about and reflect on those who have contributed to society
has a part to play.

· Being able to work co-operatively to solve puzzles and challenges is also a method of
developing team working and listening skills which help support tolerance and
democratic methods.

Daily Tutor Time © provides all this and more in one easy to use package.

· Each week we supply (via email) a set of 5 ready to use power point presentations.

· Each day has information on a person or event linked to that date in the past as well as
a set of 4 activities related to that topic.

· Recent topics have included the Newport Chartist Uprising, William Hogarth and the first
female peers. (We do regularly include Scottish & Welsh related people/events)

· Daily activities are a mixture of observation, literacy, numeracy and knowledge/research
puzzles and challenges. There is also a free word document each week with the activities
– ideal for printing out or for adding to a shared area for student access.

For a free sample set of this week’s resources then please email michael at Wise Ark Ltd ; we will send you the power points and word document –there is no obligation and you will be free to use them across the whole school if wished.

Michael

Wise Ark Ltd Company no: 07630623

P.S We also offer Weekly Tutor Time © – an edited version of the above with information on one topic and 5 activities (one from each day).

A different world – The Cuckoo Rock Songbook

Take a world that is completely different from ours – and those creatures completely different from ordinary people like us
David Stoll (SEALSONGS, DICK OTTINGTON) has a new song collection for Primary Schools available for download from First & Best.

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK includes twelve settings of poems by Phil Bowen. These magical poems are full of unusual characters, colourful scenes and surprising wordplay; the original book was short-listed for the CLPE prize.

The music has echoes of 60’s rock as well as various contemporary styles. The SONGBOOK includes both printed piano accompaniment and pre-recorded full backing tracks with permissions for use.

The package also contains a specially written story script for a narrator which weaves all the songs together.

Thus the collection can be used as a basis for individual songs to be sung in assembly or simply within the class, or it can be a complete production for presentation to parents and the rest of the school – without any need for complex staging, special lighting or any other effects that may or may not be available.

You can see an extract from the songbook here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/CUCKOOROCKsample.pdf and you can hear the backing track here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/01 cuckoo rock.mp3

A copy of the complete collection of songs and the narrator’s script is available as a download from http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=820

The price is £16.95 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK is distributed by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
First and Best in Education
Earlstrees Road
Corby
UK
NN17 4HH

Website: www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

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Maths presents us with one overwhelming problem: if you missed the last bit, you can’t do the next bit.

While it may not be desirable, a pupil or student can make sense of history lessons on the second world war without studying the first world war. In other words, history doesn’t have to be taught from the start.

But maths is not like that. It needs to be taught in a sequence, and if a pupil or student fails to grasp (for example) division, there is no chance of the individual subsequently understanding fractions.

Unfortunately, quite often it is very difficult to go back and revise earlier pointS with those who either through absence, or lack of attention, or dyscalculia, have failed to grasp one or more of the fundamentals of maths.

Indeed, it can bbe quite difficult to spot the pupils and students who have missed out on an early part of maths, when something more complex is being studied. Without going back to the very start one doesn’t know exactly what bit of mathematical knowledge is missing.

Which is why we have Tests for Dyscalculia.

Tests for Dyscalculia allows you to undertake a series of straightforward tests in the classroom which will enable you to find out exactly where the specific difficulties lie. Once this has been done, you can then turn to appropriate remedial teaching to overcome these particular problems.

Tests for Dyscalculia contains over 80 separate tests. You can choose exactly which tests to use based on your initial knowledge about the child’s work. Each test is wholly independent, and there is no requirement that a pupil should undertake one test before taking on any other.

Likewise there is no age limit for the tests – they are mathematically specific as opposed to age specific. As a teacher you can select the concepts that you know your pupils ought to be able to handle at a particular age, and then test to check that there is indeed an understanding of those concepts.

The tests search for difficulties with written and aural perception and cover topics from a basic recognition of number, “high”, “low” and the four basic functions, up to decimals, fractions, money, estimations, shapes and area.

No special knowledge or training is required in order to use this volume. The tests come in fully photocopiable form, so that they may be used an indefinite number of times within the school.

You can read a summary of the six reasons for acute failure in mathematics, and the appropriate responses to the six reasons for acute failure on our sample pages from the book at pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/dyscalculia/t1631.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1631EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 673 2

Prices
Photocopiable report in a ring binder: £49.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £49.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD: £56.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Download for immediate free delivery: £39.95

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1631EMN
By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
By phone to 01536 399007

By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=460

Two students have an argument. So what?

What is a meaningful argument (and how can I have one?)

Everyone has arguments. Some people seem to have them all the time, others back away from them quickly and do anything to avoid any form of confrontation.

But what enables one person to win lots of debates and arguments, while another seems never to win at all?

Of course, force of personality and an access to relevant facts can help, as can be being a confident natural speaker with a winning smile.

But even so there is more – and there is no doubt that when students actually understand the nature of debate and proof they tend not only to get better A level grades and be better prepared for university and/or employment, but they also win more arguments.

In short, for many students it is a grasp of critical thinking which takes them from a C to a B and a B to an A, which delivers a far more impressive UCAS application, and which enables them to be much more persuasive in interviews and presentations.

The problem for students is that the issue of argument and debate is not just common sense. Even if they get to grips with the difference between such concepts as “claims” and “arguments”, there still remain such puzzling issues as explanations, assumptions, counter-claims, evidence, examples, deduction, induction, generalisation…

It is for these reasons that the volume “Critical Thinking” has been written.

For “Critical Thinking” is about far more than just dismantling and evaluating other people’s arguments; it is also about putting together the student’s own explanations and arguments.

Through examples and activities the volume encourages students to develop their considered point of view in essays, reports, debates, etc, and helps them be prepared to stand back and assess their own reasoning.

Critical Thinking is available as a printed copiable volume or as a CD which can be put on the school’s learning platform for use by students and staff.

You can see some sample pages at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1821.pdf

Publisher’s reference:T1821EMN; ISBN: 978 1 86083 861 3

Prices:

Photocopiable report in a book: £29.95
CD with school-wide rights: £24.95
Both the book and the CD: £36.94
Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1821EMN

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=154

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How to keep children’s equipment and belongings safe and organised

From day one many children come to nursery with essential items and belongings that parents do not want getting lost or confused with another child’s.

Parents regularly send their children to nursery in expensive coats and clothing and with toys without name labels, meaning they are at risk of being misplaced or mistakenly taken home by another child in a busy nursery environment.

This issue becomes more serious if the child has equipment relating to special dietary requirements or a medical condition.

More often than not, when items go missing parents are inclined to lay the blame for this with the nursery/preschool or even with an individual teacher.

Many schools and nurseries are now taking steps to prevent these mishaps occurring by encouraging parents to be organised and to label every item their child brings along with them to preschool or nursery.

My Nametags colour labels are perfect for the nursery environment. The labels are available in a variety of colours and with a large choice of small images – making them clear for both staff and for young children not of reading age as they can identify the image.

As well as being 100% waterproof and washproof, My Nametags colour stickers are suitable for both clothing labels and hard surfaces, and come with a 10 year guarantee. Therefore they are also perfect for nurseries wishing to label their own toys and equipment over a long period.

If you would like to order a set of leaflets for your parents and find out about My Nametags’ nursery fundraising scheme please contact sales@mynametags.com. Aternatively you can see the wide range available on the website https://www.mynametags.com

I know we had one…

What is the simplest way of always keeping track of laptops, tablets, cables, musical instruments, cameras…?

Quite obviously, the first thing we all need to do is to have a hard-to-remove label on every piece of equipment – a label that won’t come off in the normal course of wear and tear, and one that is very hard to remove if someone tries to scratch it off.

But that is only the first point – because no matter how hard you make it to remove a label, there is always someone who will attempt it.

So the second thing is to make sure that the school name cut out in the label is painted with UV ink to show up should the label be removed. And, by simply letting everyone in the school know that this is the case, you can reduce attempts to remove the label by 90%.

ID Silver Mark are precision cut stencil labels which are ideal for labelling IT equipment (including iPads, tablets and mobiles) as no one can remove the label without it fragmenting, and even if they get peeled off the UV paint still shows the school name and postcode.

Another approach is to use a system that identifies and tracks small portable items of equipment, and this is where the Mini Mark Label comes into its own.

Each ID Mini Mark Label is not only hard to remove, but can also incorporate a serial number and/or barcode thus making it possible to include data in a small space.

Additionally should anybody attempt to remove the asset label or switch the label onto some other equipment, the material will break into small pieces, thus visibly announcing the fact that the label has been interfered with.

Furthermore, because the data is engraved into the surface of the label it cannot be removed with chemicals and cleaning materials.

Due to their size Mini Mark labels are suitable for all small electronic equipment from laptops to microphones, tablets to earphones, as well as cables, cameras and similar equipment.

Mini Mark labels are also ideal for musical instruments as the text won’t come off the label even with the continuous handling of an instrument. The labels can be provided with white text on black or silver material with black text.

Dantech also has a full range of ‘traditional’ printed labels with school name, asset number and bar code. Using asset numbering enables the school to maintain a detailed register with an instant view of which equipment is available and where.

There is more information on our website

Alternatively, please call us on 01354 688 488 or email us sales@dantech.co.uk for free and unbiased help and advice.

Would you consider our literacy resource free for your school library?

I am contacting you regarding our unique online literacy resource, Ziptales, which more than 20% of schools across Australia and New Zealand have been enjoying for over a decade.

Ziptales has now launched here in UK, aligning our content directly to the National Curriculum AND Curriculum for Excellence, which is why I am emailing you today.

The resource is PERFECT for primary schools to use within your library as well as for your teaching staff to use in their classes.

Ziptales is a resource proven to help pupils aged 4 – 12 years improve literacy and instil a love of reading for pleasure, even with reluctant readers. Better still, Ziptales is available at a fraction of the cost of other literacy programs!

I would love for your school, if you are interested, to take part a free trial. Would I be able to send you through some further information to consider?

Kind regards,

Steve Auchettl

PS. If you would like to get started instantly, you can find out more and register for free at http://ziptales.co.uk/tryfree.php

​Ziptales UK LTD

VAT # 213 7776 02
Wimbledon Reference Library, 35 Wimbledon Hill Road, London SW19 7NB
support@ziptales.co.uk | +44 2 030 953 262

Sex doesn’t change

Sex doesn’t change; it is the attitude of young people to sex that changes and that’s the problem

In debating sex and sexuality there are two issues: context and expectation.

Nudity and sex have different meanings in different contexts and as expectation changes following the growth of unbridled pornography available to anyone who seeks it on the internet.

So we may ask, in this era of dramatic change, amidst a million contexts and varying expectations, what determines the appropriateness or otherwise of any picture or behaviour? What makes some contexts more or less appropriate than others?

Considering this topic helps to lead us towards the most effective ways of dealing with sex education – for it suggests that by focussing on a very specific topic or issue it is possible to lead into much more productive and insightful discussion and reflection than through the use of less focussed activity.

Thus in the chapter “Nudity and the Media” in the copiable volume “Sex and Sensibility”, the sex and relationships course for secondary schools, we consider the issue of the cover of a parenting magazine which showed a mother breast feeding a child – a picture which itself brought outrage and opprobrium. Context and expectation appears to be everything.

This is one of 60 such topics gathered together in 12 modules, ranging from the opening section on “Being human” through to modules on “The Right Pace”, “Peer Pressure”, “Sexual Orientation”, “Sex and Language” and “Sex in the Media”.

Each topic contains a whole series of activities for the students to participate in, which can be used as either whole class or small group discussion topics, as research topics and for written assignments.

Each area within the volume is itself used to explore wider connotations – and thus includes such areas as following fashion, one’s own look, influences, being oneself, how we see ourselves and so forth.

There are around 100 pages of activities and materials for the students, as well as over 20 pages of teaching notes and further information.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1760.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1760EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 754 8

Prices

Photocopiable report: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1760emn

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=734

You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook

FAO the Music Coordinator

Take a world that is completely different from ours – and those creatures completely different from ordinary people like us

David Stoll (SEALSONGS, DICK OTTINGTON) has a new song collection for Primary Schools available for download from First & Best.

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK includes twelve settings of poems by Phil Bowen. These magical poems are full of unusual characters, colourful scenes and surprising wordplay; the original book was short-listed for the CLPE prize.

The music has echoes of 60’s rock as well as various contemporary styles. The SONGBOOK includes both printed piano accompaniment and pre-recorded full backing tracks with permissions for use.

The package also contains a specially written story script for a narrator which weaves all the songs together.

Thus the collection can be used as a basis for individual songs to be sung in assembly or simply within the class, or it can be a complete production for presentation to parents and the rest of the school – without any need for complex staging, special lighting or any other effects that may or may not be available.

You can see an extract from the songbook here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/CUCKOOROCKsample.pdf and you can hear the backing track here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/01 cuckoo rock.mp3

A copy of the complete collection of songs and the narrator’s script is available as a download from http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=820

The price is £16.95 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK is distributed by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
First and Best in Education
Earlstrees Road
Corby
NN17 4HH

Website: www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

Science Day 2016

Science Day 2016
University of London
Institute of Education
Logan Hall
20 Bedford Way
London W1H OAL

Thursday February 11th 2016
10.30 – 3.30
Free Event
To book or for further information, please email

scienceday16@gmail.com

Following the success of last year’s Science Day, we are now planning our 8th. It will follow a similar format to last time, with lectures, films and displays. Three eminent speakers from Israel, from a variety of backgrounds, will talk about their latest research, all relevant to A Level Biology and, for the first time, Geography.

Dr Adi Jonas-Levi will talk about his work on food biochemistry; Dr Shmulik Yovid about his work on conservation, monitoring and species re-introduction into the wild;
Shlomi Brielle B Sc about live cell imaging and understanding neurodegenerative diseases. There will also be films on groundbreaking medical and environmental innovations.

Some feedback from last year:

“The feedback was very positive. They enjoyed the day and it was very relevant to the subjects they are studying. Look forward to future Science Days.” Elaine

“The speaker about sleep was excellent, relevant and pitched at the right level for our Y12 and Y13 students”. Elyse

“The first two lectures were really good, especially the sleep deprivation one. The slides were understandable and pitched at the right level. It is a really valuable experience to experience any lectures of any type and I know the students benefitted from this.” Maroulla

“We all enjoyed the day and learnt a lot – thank you. The second speaker particularly was very good and clearly knew how to keep the younger students engaged.” Susan

“Thank you for organising the day. It was very well organised and my students got a lot out of the presentations and the speakers. Keep the good work going. Do let me know of any similar event s that you organise in the future. Thank you again.” Sharita

Organised by Anne Smith and ZF Science Day

Exams, relationships, driving tests, independence, money …

Exams, relationships, driving tests,
independence, money … It’s just the Tip of the Iceberg.

Are our 16-18 year olds being left out when it comes to supporting
their mental health and well being in school?

The national curriculum does not cover key stage 5 and there are no suggested PSHE guidelines, so this could mean that finding a budget or a gap in the timetable for such provision is near on impossible. Also this situation means that there are few organisations out there offering projects for the complex needs of 16–18 year olds.

The PSHE Association’s Subject Advisor Nick Boddington says:

“I guess the bottom line is that PSHE education in Key stage 5 is your last chance to provide that learning that everyone needs but lies outside of the academic curriculum. Not a bad way of planning is to look back on all the PSHE work you have done in years 7-11 and ask yourself by the time they walk out of our school gates for the last time what more do we need to provided or reinforce to ensure that they have the knowledge understanding, feelings about themselves and others, are able to say and do, and understand their responsibilities to lead productive, independent, fulfilling and safe lives?”

The topics that are relevant and important to key stage 5 pupils can also be difficult to address within school and especially in the classroom. There are endless projects on career opportunities, university and finance, but it’s much harder to find sessions exploring more personal topics like sexuality, pornography and relationships, or effective delivery at that age on risky behaviours and health – yet according to research done with older students, this is what they are asking for. According to Ofsted research, when asked what would make PSHE education lessons more useful, pupils said;

‘Rape culture. What to look for in a healthy relationship.’ Female student

“The influence of the media such as porn on people’s views of sex and the human body.” Male student

It is the combination of need and lack of provision that inspired Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company to develop two projects specifically aimed at the 16+ age group that tackle difficult topics in an involving, entertaining and informing way.

Having worked directly with over 100,000 young people Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company strongly believe, from their experience working with sensitive and hard hitting issues, that the way to approach PSHE education should include a much broader look at our world – the internet, technology, the whole sex industry, and attitudes to risk – you cannot separate topics into small boxes or educate on these complex subjects in a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation. It is now more important than ever to create relationship, sex, internet and safety education projects that can be as compelling, as exciting and as influential as the media campaigns and products it is battling against.

“If you’re too ashamed to speak to children about sex, exploitative free porn will fill the gaps” Grace Dent, The Independent, Sept 8th 2015

From september 2015 Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company will be touring the following projects for years 12 & 13.

“Sexposed Britain” A 30 minute performance followed by an interactive workshop.

Based on our imaginary fly-on-the wall documentary “Beyond the Surface” the play is made up of clips from the programme, the reactions of different people watching it, as well as parodies of other T.V shows and adverts. The format allows students to consider many aspects of a topic in a quick, recognisable and engaging format. The play shows a vast range of people in varying situations, from university students to grandparents, the pub to the school playground, the ideas of the young to doctors and psychologists.

The “Sexposed Britain” episode takes a mature approach to the many attitudes, ideas and pressures experienced by all ages in regards to sex and relationships in Britain today. The storylines include scenes around teenage pregnancy, sexual pressure, sexting, pornography, communicating feelings, self-esteem and self respect, marriage and sexuality.

In our workshops we use our performances as a springboard for pupils to examine their own attitudes, ideas and behaviours in relation to difficult, contentious and sensitive topics. We strive for students to learn something about themselves that will make a positive difference to the rest of their lives.

“What’s driving you?”An interactive project with performed scenes that explore personality types and road safety.

The format and content of the workshop utilise corporate training techniques and aspects of personality assessment used in the world of management and staff development, which are then combined with live performances, videos and debates.

This experience has been designed to empower students to be successful, healthy achievers and as they are asked to examine their ideas, attitudes and concepts of self, the project can influence many areas of their life – and not just the journey in a car. The workshop explores:

– Confidence
– Communication styles
– Attitudes to risk
– Decision making.

There are different delivery formats available from assemblies to full day projects.
Prices start at £550 + VAT

Please contact us for further information and an exact quote.

Hazel Ward
Schools and Performances

Email: admin@tipoftheiceberg.biz
Tel: 07519593711

Free Trial Offer – Interactive Business Studies Software

An Interactive BUSINESS STUDIES Software Free Trial Offer, At An Unmissable Price. No School Should Miss Out On This. It Is Simply Unbelievable!

This offer for ALL 10 titles is packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for BUSINESS STUDIES, text, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Includes a full school site PC and network licence, nothing more to pay EVER! Free 14-day trial , so if you don’t like it you can just send it back. All 10 of these individual great titles are included in the pack for just £150 for everything:

Business and the Economy; Business and the Government; Business Basics; Finance; International Trade and the EU; Marketing and Production; Marketing Communication and Finance; People and Communication; People in Organisations; The Impact of ICT

It’s just £150 for all 10 of these software titles in
one pack!

Now isn’t that truly staggering value for money for all these titles from the UK’s leading curriculum software supplier? Let’s beat the cuts!

To order your free trial please click here

From translation to thinking

What is the most effective way of helping students to higher grades at GCSE German?
In learning any language students we all go through two phases.

The first involves becoming familiar with the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language that allows the individual to engage in simple written and verbal communication – enough to ask the way to the shops and understand the answer.

That type of communication is expanded and developed through bringing in new situations and speeding up the exchanges while still keeping the subject matter very much in the every day.

That is part one. The second part then makes a conceptual leap from that position – a leap which takes the students up to a completely different level.

By this second stage the awareness of many everyday phrases is embedded in the brain and can be heard, understood and answered without translation. The language is understood as language.

And here students make the leap from a pass at GCSE to a higher grade and prepare themselves for A level, should they wish to take it.

Deutscher Wiederholungskurs will help this type of candidate make these steps forward. It provides material for revision for the GCSE speaking and writing tests and helps to bridge the gap between GCSE and A level.

The course is divided into 8 topics drawn from the GCSE syllabus, each containing the same tasks:

Oral questions to revise the topic briefly;
Suggestions for visual stimuli for further oral revision;
A passage of German entitled “Fritz erzählt” which contains gaps to fill in and practice for case endings, pronouns and verb endings;
Comprehension exercises on the passage to be answered in full German sentences;
A passage of English for translation into German; and a series of questions in German, the answers to which should form the basis for a short essay. Finally there are a series of related role-play situations.
The book is fully photocopiable for ease of use in the classroom and will prove an invaluable source of revision and consolidation for your GCSE students.

Sample pages from the book, order code T1616emn, can be found on http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/modlang/T1616.pdf

Prices
Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery

CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery

Both the Ring Binder and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…
By post from First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, NN17 4HH

By fax to 01536 399 012

On-line with a credit card at http://tinyurl.com/mw79zv
By phone with a school order number or a credit card to 01536 399 011
When ordering the book please quote the reference T1

 

What is the most effective way of helping children with literacy special needs?

And building group trust and self confidence, teaching self awareness, body awareness and self-expression.

Children with literacy special needs tend also to have problems in the areas of self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-expression.

Our view is that if one works to overcome the literacy problems without tackling these other issues, then the task is much harder than if one works with both the literacy issues and these other factors as the same time.

Which is all very well, but how does one use the limited time available to build group trust, self confidence, self awareness, body awareness and self-expression?

The volume “Drama for students with special needs” provides the answer.

This is a book of lesson plans across 180 A4 pages, each of which can be used as a one-off session or built into a comprehensive scheme of work to address all of these issues.

Included within the volume are lessons intended for students with moderate learning difficulties as well as those with disabilities who might participate in sessions with a support worker.

The book has been written with basic KS3 skills in mind, in particular through the development of literacy skills as well as basic drama skills.

However it can be equally be used towards other aims, for example, to build group trust or self confidence, to teach self awareness, body awareness and self-expression.

Drama for Students with Special Needs by Louise Tondeur is available as a photocopiable ringbinder or on CD Rom which can itself be copied or loaded onto the school’s learning platform or intranet.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 790 6 Order code: T1689emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/spneeds/T1689.pdf

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £36.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a credit card or school order number at 01536 399 011
By email with a school order number to sales@firstandbest.co.uk

By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=501

Deciding what to do after 16

Deciding what to do after 16 is the first big decision most 16 year olds will make, and both they and their parents need information

If the decision as to what a 16 year old does after year 11 is to be successful it must not only involve the student and his/her wishes, but also the student’s parents and the organisation/s that the student will use in the coming year.

Unfortunately there have already been many suggestions to the effect that a considerable number of parents are not particularly well informed on the options available.

Worse, many students seem to be ready to make only short-term decisions which do little to take into account what the student wishes to do in the longer term.

As for the notion of having a back-up plan if the first choice options don’t come to fruition – the number of students and parents who don’t even consider this seems to be frighteningly high.

Of course, in many ways this is all very understandable. For the past 11 years all the student’s educational needs, and most of the decisions that have been made, have been in the hands of the school. Both parents and students have become used to this, but suddenly there are questions to be answered and plans to be made.

Which is why “Making the Next Transition” exists. It is a copiable volume (available both on CD and in printed format) that can be used by both students and parents to help them to make the right decisions for now and to understand the long term implications of those decisions.

It is a publication that is ideal for placing on the school’s learning platform so that parents can access it and take an ever greater role in helping their sons and daughters make a successful transition to the next phase of their lives.

“Making the Next Transition” shows both parent and student what the options are and gives advice and support to the student who is preparing for the next stage in life.

Most importantly it is an activity based volume so that the student actually has to engage with the materials, answer questions, and consider where the issues raised by the book lead, rather than just reading through more text on the topic of “what next?”

In short it helps with decision-making, application forms and interview techniques, all directly in relation to the requirements that the law lays down for what students may do after the end of year 11.

ISBN: 978 1 86083 876 7; Order code: T1825emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/careers/T1825.pdf

Photocopiable book, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the bookr and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=794

You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Two students have an argument. So what?

What is a meaningful argument (and how can I have one?)

Everyone has arguments. Some people seem to have them all the time, others back away from them quickly and do anything to avoid any form of confrontation.

But what enables one person to win lots of debates and arguments, while another seems never to win at all?

Of course, force of personality and an access to relevant facts can help, as can be being a confident natural speaker with a winning smile.

But even so there is more – and there is no doubt that when students actually understand the nature of debate and proof they tend not only to get better A level grades and be better prepared for university and/or employment, but they also win more arguments.

In short, for many students it is a grasp of critical thinking which takes them from a C to a B and a B to an A, which delivers a far more impressive UCAS application, and which enables them to be much more persuasive in interviews and presentations.

The problem for students is that the issue of argument and debate is not just common sense. Even if they get to grips with the difference between such concepts as “claims” and “arguments”, there still remain such puzzling issues as explanations, assumptions, counter-claims, evidence, examples, deduction, induction, generalisation…

It is for these reasons that the volume “Critical Thinking” has been written.

For “Critical Thinking” is about far more than just dismantling and evaluating other people’s arguments; it is also about putting together the student’s own explanations and arguments.

Through examples and activities the volume encourages students to develop their considered point of view in essays, reports, debates, etc, and helps them be prepared to stand back and assess their own reasoning.

Critical Thinking is available as a printed copiable volume or as a CD which can be put on the school’s learning platform for use by students and staff.

You can see some sample pages at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1821.pdf

Publisher’s reference:T1821EMN; ISBN: 978 1 86083 861 3

Prices:

  • Photocopiable report in a book: £29.95
  • CD with school-wide rights: £24.95
  • Both the book and the CD: £36.94

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1821EMN

Sorry sir, I lost the key

What is the simplest way to ensure that every locker has a key. No matter what

It is a sad, but inescapable fact of school life, that students occasionally lose the key to their locker. Or “forget” to hand their key back at the end of term.

It’s annoying, but it happens.

Which means you will almost certainly need replacement keys for some of the lockers in the school, and you may even quite possibly need them on a fairly regular basis.

The solution to this problem is simple. You simply call or email Keysplease, and tell us the code number for the lock in question, (normally stamped on the face of the lock) and we will supply you with keys for that locker.

We can even, if you wish, supply a new lock as well.

And the great benefit is that the locker keys can be supplied for as little as £1 each in some cases, which means that if you charge a deposit of £5.00 per locker, your costs of replacements and administration are covered. Locks are available from just £5*.

Ordering is simple, by phone, email or direct online. And there is a full list of the range of makes that we stock, on the web site. But don’t worry – 99% of the locks in use in UK schools are covered by the manufacturers whose keys we stock.

*Please quote promotional code HH2 to gain these special rates.

Terms and conditions apply. Please call 0208 343 2943 for details, email us at sales@keysplease.co.uk or visit our website www.keysplease.co.uk

Homework set, completed and marked

The most effective way of ensuring that students and their parents can always see the homework set, and the marks given.

There is no doubt that the best way of enhancing parental involvement in their children’s education is to make it as easy as possible for the parent to see what homework has been set, when it was due in, what is expected, how long it should take, and what mark was given.

For, as every parent knows, although asking a teenager what homework is required each night may bring forth the right answer, this result is not guaranteed.

So, to ensure that everyone knows what homework has been set (and indeed to ensure that the student has the resources required), when it is due, what mark is given, and what comments are made, we have Show My Homework.

It is an online resource that offers benefits to parents, their children and to teachers. Using this online system homework can be set in minutes, homework tasks can be shared between colleagues, and revision tasks can readily be set and marked.

To-do lists are automatically populated, work can be submitted online (giving advance experience of the world of FE/HE and employment), and grades and comments can be left by teachers and are automatically entered onto relevant spreadsheets.

And there is one additional benefit – because not only can parents see if work is being done, but they can also appreciate teachers’ expectations and, most importantly, see where their child needs support at home.

They are able to judge equally when a child is not doing enough work and when a child is starting to worry about school work and is spending too long on it to the detriment of family life.

Thus we have three huge benefits from Show My Homework. There is a real time-saving aspect to this approach for the school, enhanced knowledge for the parents, and a massive saving in administrative time as homework can be set, monitored and marked online and reports can be instantly generated and broken down by year group, subjects and so on.

If you would like to know more about the product, or benefit from a free Senior Leader demonstration, click here to find out more or email louise@showmyhomework.co.uk

Maths Challenge Cards

Sold to over 3,000 UK primary schools – a top selling classroom resource!

600 Problem Solving challenge cards covering all aspects of the Mathematics curriculum.100 Challenge Cards for each year level, with a separate storage box for each set of 100 cards.

Develop studentsʼ mathematical skills in all curriculum areas.

Answers online, durable materials, ready for immediate classroom use.

www.challengecards.com

£180 for the Full Primary School Maths set.

Email to place your order: archer@challengecards.com

Regards
Archer

Would you let one of your students use an AK47 automatic weapon?

With the Virtual Physics Laboratory they can fire an AK47 at a ballistic balance and calculate the muzzle velocity of the shell – without the possibility of causing any harm.

This is just one of a set of 20 virtual Physics experiments that include many of the AQA required activities. They are extremely realistic and really do give the look and feel of doing the actual experiments, but there’s no setting up, nothing to break, wear out or steal and the equipment always works!

These virtual experiments can really save you time and be a big factor in your students gaining much more experience of practical science.

Have a look at our website here: http://www.keylinkcomputers.co.uk/virtualscienceexperiments.html

Where you can watch a video of the experiments in action and find a complete list of all the experiments. You will also find a couple of experiments you can try.

If you have any questions or would like a demonstration please do let me know.

Dr Rob Lucas MBCS CITP Cert Phys (Open)
Director

“I thought that the controls were pretty easy to get used to and the detail in the apparatus was excellent being able to zoom in and see the set up of the multimeter and read scales, being careful of parallax. This type of software is most useful in experiments which can’t be done in the lab like the gravity on the moon or where the equipment is too expensive or difficult to use like the Millikan Oil drop.”
Physics Scholar Coordinator

A lesson in the art of (almost) everything

Is it really possible that an art class can raise the self-esteem of every pupil?

Put another way, can art, where children’s innate abilities seem to vary so greatly, have a positive effect on the social and emotional development of all pupils?

We believe the answer to that question is a resounding “yes” – and the mechanism to achieve this is a skills-based approach.

The lesson activities in our Painting is a Class Act and Drawing is a Class Act Series Packs for Key Stage 1 and 2 have been designed to focus on developing children’s painting and drawing skills, whilst at the same time boosting pupils’ self-esteem and confidence which in turn will help promote high standards in other curriculum areas.

In using the resources pupils will learn to record their ideas and experiences through drawing and painting, develop the ability to use the language of art to analyse creative works, expand their knowledge of great artists, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

The resources provide a structured, skills-based approach to the development of painting and drawing skills (and other skills that come with it) with easy-to-follow lesson plans, clear progression of skills to be taught, and examples of how these skills can be applied with examples of pupils’ artwork for every lesson.

Painting is a Class Act and Drawing is a Class Act Series Packs cover all the National Curriculum Programmes of Study relating to painting and drawing respectively, and have been designed to support non-specialist art teachers in teaching art and to inspire the experienced.

What’s more, the Drawing is a Class Act resources are winners of Best Curriculum Material in the Global Learning Initiative Awards at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2006.

You can order in any of these ways:

On our website using the links above
By phone on 01449 766629
By fax on 01449 767122
By email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 767122

Free Trial Offer – Interactive Geography Software

An Interactive GEOGRAPHY Software Free Trial Offer, At An Unmissable Price. No School Should Miss Out On This. It Is Simply Unbelievable!

This offer for ALL 10 titles is packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for GEOGRAPHY, text, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Includes a full school site PC and network licence, nothing more to pay EVER! Free 14-day trial , so if you don’t like it you can just send it back. All 10 of these individual great titles are included in the pack for just £150 for everything:

Acid Rain; Deforestation; Desertification; Global Warming; The Work Of Ice; The Work Of Rivers; The Work Of The Sea; Urban Geography; Weather and Climate 1; Weather and Climate 2

It’s just £150 for all 10 of these software titles in one pack!

Now isn’t that truly staggering value for money for all these titles from the UK’s leading curriculum software supplier? Let’s beat the cuts!

To order your free trial please click here

What is one of the most effective ways of supporting your new teachers?

What is one of the most cost effective ways
of supporting your new teachers?

Since the introduction of the 2012 Teaching Standards, there has been a lack of guidance and support to ensure schools are delivering successful NQT induction programmes.

At ‘Teachers’ CPD Made Easy’ we have addressed this gap. As trainers, we have used our 12 years’ experience to produce a complete NQT Induction package, ready for you to personalise to your school context. We believe that you know your staff best which is why our sessions are written to be delivered fully or adapted and personalised, saving you valuable time to maximise your impact across the school.

Our NQT Programme incorporates 15 generic training sessions which encourage new teachers to use their classroom experiences to analyse, critique and move their practice forward whilst enhancing their subject passion and pre-empting their termly needs. Covering challenge, engagement, differentiation, planning and marking to name a few, our sessions are varied, relevant and purposeful.

If you would like to find out more about this programme or any of the other packages we have to offer, visit us at www.teacherscpd.co.uk to download a free training sample. The website offers detailed information about each individual session available and an opportunity to subscribe to receive our monthly blogs which share our good practice and ideas in staff training.

For more information about using any of our products or for bespoke training request contact: jo@teacherscpd.co.uk.

Should we worry about children snacking?

The notion of snacking is deeply embedded in our culture. But does it matter what children
eat when they snack?

When children have a snack between meals they mostly do it because everyone else does it. Their friends, their parents… everyone has a snack. It’s what we do in Britain.

Interestingly it is not something that is commonplace in every country, and even where it is, not every country takes snacking so seriously. Indeed the word “snack” comes from the middle English word snacken – “to bite”. It is just that we have extended the notion somewhat.

Children who snack are not necessarily hungry (although some will claim to be “starving”) but rather snacking is a habit. It is what they, their friends, and most likely their parents, do.

In the end there is nothing much wrong with snacking in itself, but there is everything wrong with snacking too much and with snacking on the wrong foods.

And this is where the problem arises because many children (along with many of their parents) simply don’t know which foods are healthy and which ones are not.

Which is why it is important that we help children to discover healthier food rather than the foods that may lead them into overeating and being overweight (now an issue for 64% of the UK population).

And this, in turn, is why we have set up the Tasty Tuck Shop – a simple-to-run school tuck shop based entirely on healthy food and drink.

You pick and choose the snacks you sell so that your Tuck Shop stays varied and appealing – and your teaching colleagues can help the children to understand more about the healthier options that the shop offers.

We make a Tuck Shop simple to set up, there are no set up forms, etc, and we supply posters, nutritional information, display stands, and an example letter to give to parents.

The snacks sell for as little as 35p, and our ‘Healthy Range’ fully complies with the new ‘National School Food Standards’ that were introduced January 2015.

You can find more information by clicking here and also on our website at www.tastytuck.co.uk

Alternatively please do call James on 01206 391179 or email me at james@tastytubs.co.uk

What is the most effective way of helping children with literacy special needs?

And building group trust and self confidence, teaching self awareness, body awareness and self-expression.

Children with literacy special needs tend also to have problems in the areas of self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-expression.

Our view is that if one works to overcome the literacy problems without tackling these other issues, then the task is much harder than if one works with both the literacy issues and these other factors as the same time.

Which is all very well, but how does one use the limited time available to build group trust, self confidence, self awareness, body awareness and self-expression?

The volume “Drama for students with special needs” provides the answer.

This is a book of lesson plans across 180 A4 pages, each of which can be used as a one-off session or built into a comprehensive scheme of work to address all of these issues.

Included within the volume are lessons intended for students with moderate learning difficulties as well as those with disabilities who might participate in sessions with a support worker.

The book has been written with basic KS3 skills in mind, in particular through the development of literacy skills as well as basic drama skills.

However it can be equally be used towards other aims, for example, to build group trust or self confidence, to teach self awareness, body awareness and self-expression.

Drama for Students with Special Needs by Louise Tondeur is available as a photocopiable ringbinder or on CD Rom which can itself be copied or loaded onto the school’s learning platform or intranet.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 790 6 Order code: T1689emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/spneeds/T1689.pdf

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £36.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a credit card or school order number at 01536 399 011
By email with a school order number to sales@firstandbest.co.uk

By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=501

The Secret to Successful Revision

The Secret to Successful Revision
A practical guide for GCSE Geography teachers

How is it possible for a dedicated student to fail to get the grades s/he wants despite long hours of revision?

All too often, the answer is simple. The type of revision that has been done at home by this promising student has been ineffective, focusing on knowledge acquisition rather than understanding.

It is this observation that leads to the thought that the knowledge one needs to give to students is that knowledge is not quite as important as they think.

The typical weighting for knowledge in a GCSE Geography exam is only between 30 and 40% of the marks. But, despite this fact, left to their own devices some of my students would happily devote near to 100% of their geography revision time to the retention of knowledge.

Some, in pursuit of the magical A* grade, will recreate their notes into beautifully colour co-ordinated works of Post-It note art or elaborate mind maps. But still, despite all the work, these students will ignore the other 60-70% of the marks that are not knowledge based.

So, it may be argued that in the classroom the teacher no longer has to emphasise knowledge. As creatures of habit, students will still spend plenty of time on knowledge acquisition, leaving the teacher free to fill their revision sessions with activities that enable them to practise applying that knowledge and honing their skills.

“The Secret to Successful Revision” makes clear that students retain more by actively re-working their knowledge in different ways than by reading revision guides or following revision lessons. It deals with methods of revising geography which take into account the way exams are marked. It covers “command words” and “maximising marks on terms and definitions”, simplifying case studies, using data from graphs and maps, and much more.

The Secret to Successful Revision is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can print out for colleagues as often as you want.

There are sample pages from the book at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/T1808samples.pdf and you can order it at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=76_112&products_id=776

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

The Secret to Successful Revision is published by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
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What is the most effective way of ensuring that everyone has work to do, even when in isolation or excluded?

What is the most effective way of ensuring that
everyone has work to do, even when in isolation or excluded?

Nearly every secondary school I have visited or worked in has an isolation room or isolation area.

In one sense there is nothing wrong with this for Section 42 of the government’s “Behaviour and Discipline in Schools Advice” allows the use of seclusion or isolation rooms. But it also insists that the time spent there must be used as constructively as possible.

Which is why the series of Detention and Exclusion Management System worksheets for Key Stage 3 were developed.

The worksheets within the volume cover a wide range of topics and range of ability – and are all designed so that they can be used as a one-off in an emergency, or as a series of highly varied tasks over a number of days.

Book 1 of the series, Exclusion Worksheets for Less Able Students, contain worksheets which cover subjects as English, Geography, History, Science, Religion, Mathematics, Technology and Food.

Activities range from changing the tense of an extract from the third person to the first person in English, to completing a wordsearch on light, electricity and sound in Science.

And Book 2 of the series, Exclusion Worksheets for More Able Students, contain worksheets covering subjects as History, Science, Religious Education, Mathematics, French, Spanish, English, and Geography.

Activities in this volume range from drawing and labelling a diagram of the breathing system in Science, to a History task, requiring pupils to answer comprehension questions on how black people were treated in America 90 years ago.

Each lesson in the volumes is printed on a single page and is simple to photocopy instantly for any pupils that require work.

The Exclusion Worksheets book 1 and book 2 are available from Hamilton House priced at £50 each (£100 for both books) plus £2.95 delivery.

If you buy both book 1 and book 2 of the series together, you will receive Book 3: Detention Worksheets for free, which is usually priced at £30. The Detention Worksheets include activities such as filling in the gaps, to spelling practice through repetition.

You can order by

Email from the school’s email address to sales@firstandbest.co.uk
Fax to 01536 399 012
By phone (with a school order number) to 01536 399 011
By post to First & Best in Education, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, NN17 4HH

How to turn “I want to be an actor” into “I am an actor”

It is a given fact that the overwhelming majority of professional actors in the UK were initially trained at Drama School.

It is also true that the top Drama Schools in the UK audition as many as 2500 candidates every year from across the world.

So clearly, any student who wishes to go to Drama School and take up acting as a career needs to be well-prepared and confident enough to showcase his or her talent to the very best of his/her ability simply to get past the first hurdle.

It was with this in mind that A Student’s Guide to Auditioning for Drama School was written to help your students work towards achieving that desired place at Drama School.

The author uses both drama and the actual experiences of students to illustrate how to get ready for the audition and what the interviewers are looking for. He also demonstrates what can go wrong and offers tools and techniques to avoid these pitfalls.

There is, among other things, a section on the importance of selecting the monologues which are best-suited for the student, plus a list of suggestions for sources of monologues that the interviewers would find acceptable.

Taking Shakespeare as an example of the classical monologue, the book also discusses how to approach the presentation of the monologue with huge emphasis on understanding the real meaning of what is being said – as well as on the need for practise, practise, and then more practise.

Following this there are chapters which help the student prepare for the interview and workshop, as well as ways of dealing with such issues as confidence, nerves and the need to prepare one’s mind for what can be a gruelling interview experience.

The book ends with useful tips for students and lesson plans, all of which are geared towards improving the student’s confidence and presentation.

A Student’s Guide to Auditioning for Drama School is available in photocopiable format so can be shared with your colleagues and students in your school.
ISBN: 978 1 86083 886 6; Order code: T1827emn – please quote with order.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/dramas/T1827.pdf

Photocopiable book, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the bookr and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=800

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Preparing for the 2016 written arithmetic tests

What are the two fundamentals required for children to reach their potential in the 2016 Arithmetic Tests in KS1 and KS2?

For children to be able to reach their maximum potential in the 2016 KS1 and KS2 Arithmetic Tests they clearly need two things: to understand the relevant maths, and to be used to the format and style of the tests they will take.

Which is why we have produced the new photocopiable practice papers in Written Arithmetic prepared specifically for the 2016 syllabus.

Each book contains six photocopiable test papers, similar in style to the new government tests for 2016, and the volumes are available either as printed copies within a book, or as PDFs in an e-book, or as a download from the web site.

Answers are provided, along with assessment score indications at the levels of

Below National Standard
Towards the National Standard
At the National Standard
Above the National Standard
Mastery of the National Standard
The Practice Papers in Written Arithmetic books for Year 2 and Year 6 are available now. Books for Years 3, 4 and 5 will follow.

We have also produced the photocopiable book, Weekly Written Arithmetic Questions for Year 6, in support of the practice papers to develop pupils’ written arithmetic abilities in their final year of primary school. Books for Years 1 to 5 will follow.

This volume contains 30 pages of carefully graded arithmetic questions, each with their own full page answer sheet, and covers topics such as, number, calculations and fractions.

The price for the books depends on the format required:

Paper book in post £17.95
PDF e.book in post £15.95 + VAT
Download from website £13.95 + VAT
As always, you can order any of our resources in the following ways:

On our website
By phone on 01772 863158
By fax at 01772 866153
By email to sales@topical-resources.co.uk
By post to Topical Resources, P.O. Box329, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire PR3 5LT

www.topical-resources.co.uk
sales@topical-resources.co.uk