Subject:                                     Weekly News Update 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week......school’s out for the summer! We would like to say a big thank you for all of your support over the

last year and we hope that you continue to get involved in SCHOOLS NorthEast in the next academic year. Have a fantastic,

relaxing, pupil-free break and we’ll see you all in September.

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SCHOOLS NorthEast EPIC Summit 2009

 

Book your place before the end of July to take advantage of the Early Bird discount on your ticket for the inaugural SCHOOLS

NorthEast EPIC Summit! The unique event will be held on 8 October at Wynyard Hall, Tees Valley. The day has a packed

agenda and a high profile line up of over 30 speakers and contributors including internationally acclaimed academics, national

politicians, regional business experts and local school leaders.

 

Speakers include:

·         Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology Newcastle University and inspiration for the blockbuster film

Slum Dog Millionaire,

·         Sue Stirling, Child Poverty Champion, North East

·         Paul Collard, National Director of Creative Partnerships

·         Professor Peter Tymms, Director of Durham Universities Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring

·         Ken McMeikan, CEO of Greggs Plc

·         Steve McCormack, Education Journalist

 

Expert surgeries led by:

·         Kim Inglis, TV Presenter and media trainer

·         Chris Rushton, Head of Journalism and PR Studies, Sunderland University

·         Education Procurement Centre at the DCSF

·         Fundraising Skills

·         Careers Academies UK

·         Pearsons

·         The CBI

·         Muckle LLP

 

And many more.......For latest news of speakers or to keep track of the programme over the summer visit: www.schoolsnortheast.com/summit

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News and events

 

Goodbye to Katie (from Beccy, SCHOOLS NorthEast Director)

The bad news is that Katie Stonehouse our dedicated Communication Officer and author of the Weekly News Updates is leaving

us in August. The good news is she is training to become a Primary Teacher at Newcastle University and is hoping to work in a

school in the North East. All of us at SCHOOLS NorthEast would like to thank Katie for her hard work and good humour. As

well as starting the Weekly News from scratch, she has organised a multitude of events, developed our website and kept Chris

and I organised and in line! We wish her all the best in her future endeavours – we are sure she will make a great teacher.

P.S. Katie said to add that she will be looking for a job next year and any offers will be most welcome!!

 

Tourism resource

How many of you are staying in the North East for your summer holidays? With the beautiful coastline, rolling countryside and

wealth of cultural and historic sites, our region has a lot to offer. Tourism is an increasingly important part of the North East

economy and can offer great career opportunities for young people. That is why SCHOOLS NorthEast has been working with

the ONE NorthEast Tourism Network to develop a package of educational resources to increase understanding of how the

tourism industry works, marketing our region and tourism enterprise. Using case studies, scenarios and multimedia resources

such as the Passionate People, Passionate Places campaign the educational pack can be used flexibly to offer relevant, engaging

and thought provoking activities to your students. The pack will be available at the start of September in three versions that cover

KS2/3 and 4. If you would like to register to receive a free copy email info@schoolsnortheast.com. We have also linked up with

some of the region’s leading tourism employers to offer tourism ambassadors to schools – if you would like an ambassador to

visit your school again email info@schoolsnortheast.com 

 

Solar Car Challenge

Excited pupils from 29 of the region’s schools gathered at Nissan last Thursday for the 2009 Solar Car Challenge. Judges from

One North East, the Energy Saving Trust and Nissan selected the winning car in the ‘Design’ category, whilst outside in the sunshine

pupils cheered on the cars they had designed and built for the ‘Speed’ races. The Climate cops were also on hand offering fun,

practical activities, energy-saving tips and resource packs. Pupils also took part in climate change workshops. Well done to all

of the schools that took part and the runners-up in both categories. Congratulations to Ravensworth Junior School, winners in

the speed race, and Ox Close Primary, winners in the design category. Look out for information about next year’s Solar Car

Challenge and get your school involved!

 

From last week....

Leadership Development & Funding Opportunity

In collaboration with Heads of Schools, Senior Teachers, OFSTED Inspectors and experienced business coaches, Nova Business

Learning has developed a certificated programme in performance coaching that concentrates on the leadership skills of your key staff. 

This course will help to provide them with the skills to successfully develop themselves and their teams. The programme is aimed at

teachers and school leaders with an interest in performance improvement and continuous professional development. It is suitable not

only for Heads of Department, but would also appeal to teachers who look to encourage and support the development of colleagues,

especially NQT’s. Nova will be introducing this course at the Schools North East Summit 09 and are offering limited places on a pilot

programme which may attract funding for eligible schools.

For more information call 0191 265 8877 or visit www.novabl.co.uk/file/school.php    

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News round-up

 

Regional news

·         Focus on councils freezing cost of school meals (Chronicle Live)

 

Northumberland

·         Haydon Bridge eco centre design to be unveiled (Journal Live)

·         Blyth school's enterprise opportunities for pupils (News Post Leader)

·         Schools get creative with a 'big bang' (News Post Leader)

·         Closing school's gifts to the community (News Post Leader)

·         Swine flu case confirmed at Northumberland school (News Post Leader)

·         Students receive 'licence to cook' (News Post Leader)

·         New education project is launched (News Post Leader)

·         School celebrates the culture of the United States (News Post Leader)

 

Tyne and Wear

·         Killingworth kids use science knowledge to solve crime (Chronicle Live)

·         Schoolchildren create new Top Trumps game (Chronicle Live)

·         Youngsters' artwork on display at the Baltic (Chronicle Live)

·         TV star Ant McPartlin returns to Fenham school (Chronicle Live)

·         Primary school's got talent (Sunderland Echo)

·         Pupils' farewell carries a message (Sunderland Echo)

·         Eglingham School governors bid to prevent closure (Journal Live)

·         X Factor-style auditions for Jarrow youngsters (Chronicle Live)

·         Pupils get on board to cook up a treat (Sunderland Echo)

·         School closes amid flu crisis (Sunderland Echo)

·         Pupils designs are on the ball (Sunderland Echo)

·         Elite North school stays on top form (Journal Live)

·         Pupils create French bistro for parents and teachers (Northern Echo)

 

Durham

·         Pupils working the land (Northern Echo)

·         Pupils have their say on new school plans (Northern Echo)

·         Grant supports school sports festival (Northern Echo)

·         Garden marks school's century (Northern Echo)

·         Pupils give a tree a hug (Northern Echo)

·         Sad farewells at school speech day (Northern Echo)

·         Pupils compete in community sports event (Northern Echo)

·         Education Village pupils have a ball (Northern Echo)

·         Young people rewarded for litter campaign (Northern Echo)

 

Tees Valley

·         MP Vera Baird vows to help save St Peter’s School (Gazette Live)

·         Ballet kids create a special DVD (Gazette Live)

·         Pupils have a story to share (Gazette Live)

·         Eaglescliffe pupils create garden straight out of Africa (Gazette Live)

·         Wind turbine turns school green (Northern Echo)

·         Stockton schools plan to go ahead (Gazette Live)

·         Hundreds of kids join in Middlesbrough’s Big Sing (Gazette Live)

·         Just can’t beat kids for effort (Gazette Live)

·         More swine flu scares at Teesside schools (Gazette Live)

·         Pupils in a showcase of their many abilities during Shine Week (Gazette Live)

·         Dance project displays the creative talent of students in Shine Week (Gazette Live)

·         Berwick Hills boys on song in cathedral (Gazette Live)

·         Plans to close school on hold (Northern Echo)

·         Vandals leave a trail of damage at three schools (Gazette Live)

 

National news

 

Exams

·         Computerised testing likely to replace traditional exams, says head of board (Guardian)

·         Stop writing and put down your pens: is this the end of exams as we know them? (Guardian)

·         Conservative to make GCSEs tougher (Times)

·         Exam changes 'make it harder to maintain standards' (Independent)

 

SATs

·         Sats results delivered on time (Guardian)

·         Fears over marking accuracy of primary tests (Times Online)

·         Sats results 'published on time' (BBC News)

·         Sats results delivered on time (Daily Telegraph)

·         Can't spell. Can't add up. And that's the examiners (Independent)

 

A Levels

·         Academics denounce maths A-level (BBC News)

·         Alternative maths A-level branded 'mindless' (Daily Telegraph)

• Universities say A-levels lack creativity (Independent)

 

School meals

·         Healthy meals a favourite for North East pupils (Journal Live)

·         School meals take-up fails to hit government target (Children and Young People Now)

·         Jamie's dinners fail to get schoolchildren eating more healthily (Independent)

·         Healthy school dinners shunned by pupils (Daily Telegraph)

·         Jamie's school meal revolution shunned by 400,000 pupils (Daily Mail)

·         Battle for healthy school food is struggling (Independent)

·         Schoolchildren shun healthy school meals (Guardian)

·         School meals target to be missed (BBC News)

 

Primary schools

·         Quarter of primaries unprepared for compulsory language teaching in 2011 (TES)

·         Drive to recruit more men for primary schools (Observer)

·         Primary schools to get £200m to ease admissions crisis (Daily Telegraph)

·         Councils set for £200m to ease schools crisis (Financial Times)

 

Public schools

·         Offer free places or lose charity status, private schools told (Guardian)

·         Private schools charity threat (BBC News)

·         Tax threat could hit public schools (Independent)

 

Languages

·         Bringing language learning to life (Independent)

·         1 in 5 schools failing on languages (Guardian)

·         1 in 4 primary schools will miss language target (Daily Telegraph)

 

School places

·         Pressure rises on school places (BBC News)

·         Crisis in primary school places causes councils to cut back other services (Times Online)

 

Other educational news

·         Parents face rise in independent school fees (Times online)

·         Private sector professionals want to work in education (Children and Young People Now)

·         School computers 'fail to filter' (BBC News)

·         Labour fails working class on education (Sunday Times)

·         Teach First exposed: top graduates placed in successful schools (TES)

·         State pupil university applications hit record despite jobs dearth (TES)

·         Licence to teach: DCSF to close academies loophole (TES)

·         Poorer pupils to get elite university places (Times)

·         Are teachers' qualifications good enough? (Times)

·         Schools launch drive to recruit male teachers (Children and Young People Now)

·         ADCS Conference: Schools white paper fails to promote wellbeing (Children and Young People Now)

·         Councils could avoid SEN duties (Children and Young People Now)

·         Government to honour 2.3% pay rise for teachers (Guardian)

·         Segregation in schools fuelled by 'white flight', report warns (Guardian)

·         Primary school children read to dogs to improve skills (Daily Telegraph)

·         Crisis fears on university places (BBC News)

·         Ofsted is a poodle, say MPs (Guardian)

·         Labour 'has shut 200 rural schools' (Guardian)

·         From head of geography to whistleblower (Guardian)

·         US astronauts urge British youngsters to set sights on Mars (Times Online)

·         Poetry, movies and needlework, please (Guardian)

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Star pupils

North East pupils

Amidst all the bad press last week surrounding the shunning of healthy school meal take-up, the North East came out shining as the

region saw the largest increase in take-up of any part of the country, outside London. Research published by the School Food

Trust last week showed that two thirds of school pupils are shunning healthy school lunches, despite the major campaign started three

years ago by Jamie Oliver and supported by the government. However pupils in the North East outstripped the rest of England with

50.8% of primary school pupils and 41.4% of secondary school pupils now eating school meals. County Durham and Stockton local

authorities both reported the greatest improvement.

 

Could do better

Edexcel

Let’s finish the year as we started....with a moan about Edexcel. Despite having managed to deliver this year’s SATs results on time,

it was reported last week that the company has returned thousands of papers littered with marking errors. Schools fear that as many

as one in five grades is inaccurate and papers are being sent back from across the country for review. Pressure on the QCA and

Edexcel to deliver on time (following last year’s fiasco) is being blamed for the errors. Here we go again!

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Head to Head – we’re got two corkers for the end of term!!

 

In honour of all the wonderful achievements of North East schools this year......we have Head Teacher of the Year.

 

Steve Taylor has been Head Teacher of Halllgarth Community Arts College for three years. Previously he was Deputy Head in a

school in Barnsley. Steve was recently crowned Head Teacher of the Year at The Journal School Awards 2009.

 

Last week was a good week. We had an Awards Evening and decided who will be the new Head Boy and Head Girl.

The two best things that happened at school last week were: 1) A Year 6 camp for those joining us in September. 2) The

awards evening.

The biggest disappointment at school last week was having Toothache - I need a dentist !

The funniest thing that happened at school last week was playing rounders at a BBQ for Year group parents.

One thing that would have made your job easier last week would have been more time.

Top of my to-do list for this week is booking my holiday.

My your hero of last week was anyone in Afghanistan.

My Villain of last week was anyone who sent them to Afghanistan.

“You see furthest by standing on the shoulders of giants” How much do I agree with that?..... You see furthest when you

Look into your heart.

My question for next term’s Head Teacher is: What is important as a Head?  Intelligence or common sense ?

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And in honour of all of the Heads who are retiring this year......

 

Mike Booth is retiring after six and a half years as Head Teacher at Walbottle Campus, Newcastle. Previously Mike was Head at

Benfield School, Newcastle for seven years – in total 36 years teaching in the N.E.

 

Last week was a strange week for me in that I started to come to terms with the fact that I will not be here in September. A

presentation event with the Governors and a fantastic evening with the Leadership Team and their partners at Linden Hall finally

made me realise that retirement is for real. Despite having many regrets I must admit that not having to worry about ‘Licence to

Teach’ and Report Cards holds a certain appeal.

The two best things that happened at school last week were our Year 11 Prom at the Civic Centre in Newcastle. The students

looked stunning in their ball gowns and three piece suits. They behaved brilliantly, many tears were shed and they were a great credit

to their teachers. I was also thrilled with the art work that two students had done for me as a retirement gift from the Governors.

The biggest disappointment at school last week was only four staff turned up for the kickboxing session for staff and students

organised as part of the girls’ P.E. department Sports Week. Perhaps it should have been made compulsory – who knows when

the skill could come in handy?

The funniest thing that happened at school last week was the Year 11 boy who arrived in a Pink Panther suit for the Year 11

Prom - on the hottest night of the year so far!

One thing that would have made my job easier last week having a script writer to write all my leaving speeches – five at the

last count!

Top of my to-do list for this week is to spend time talking to all the staff who have made my job so enjoyable over the last few

years and who I will miss greatly when I leave.

My hero of last week (and every week) is Jane my P.A., who seems to be having to do the job of two people at the moment

sorting out things for me and my replacement (Paul, our Deputy Head). She is worth her weight in gold and I know I could not

manage without her.

My villain of the week was a certain union official who wanted to argue about the ‘rarely cover’ policy even though our teachers

covered on average two lessons per year this year. What is it about union reps and reality that don’t quite go together?

It is important for all Heads is to have some form of balance to your life. How do you achieve this?

Try jive dancing. I’ve been doing it for 11 years now and it is a great way to exercise, forget about work and meet interesting

people (who don’t talk about school). It also gives me and my wife a night out together.

“You see furthest by standing on the shoulders of giants”, how much do I agree with this?....The trouble is finding giants

that are friendly and willing to help. Often the unassuming ‘little people’ have just as much to offer as those loud mouthed giants!

My question to ask next week (or term’s) Head Teacher is: Who has been the biggest influence on your career development

and why?

 

We would like to wish Mike and any other Head Teachers who are retiring this year, all the best for the future. We’d also

like to offer our special thanks to Jim O’Neil and Enid Fairbrother, SCHOOLS NorthEast Board Members for Darlington

and South Tyneside, who are leaving us (and the their schools) at the end of the week.

 

P.S. If you are retiring this year but just can’t let go, why not send us your personal email address and we’ll continue to

send the Weekly News Updates in September.

 

If you would like to take part in our regular ‘Head to Head’ feature and tell us all about your week, please contact the team at

info@schoolsnortheast.com or call us on 0191 2805037.

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Funding and opportunities

 

FAO Secondary schools

Have you got any Mini-Masterchefs?

Register your school now for the ultimate schools cookery competition and bring out the Jamie Oliver (but perhaps not Gordon Ramsey)

in all your pupils. The Quality Standard beef and lamb Young Chef Challenge 2009 is a great way to inspire your students to get cooking,

appreciate the importance of good nutrition and also engage them with the Food Technology National Curriculum. Pupils must create

an original recipe using beef or lamb mince all costing under £10.00. The challenge also encourages students to consider the environment,

sustainability and cultural influences. Lessons plans are available to help Teachers incorporate the competition into lesson plans and

homework. Following regional cook-off finals, the overall winner will be handpicked by celebrity chef Chris Martin and prizes include

£200 worth of school equipment vouchers, chef whites and cookbooks.

Register your school before Friday 24 July at – QSMyoungchef@goodrelations.co.uk or visit – www.meatandeducation.com/youngchef

 

For the love of music......

Youth Music’s Open Programme provides grants of between £5,000 and £30,000. It aims to increase the number of children and young

people with access to high quality, sustainable music making activities across England. Youth Music are keen to fund projects which

clearly progress the musical skills of children and young people and/or provide them with pathways for further progression. Their Open

Programme targets nearly £2m of Youth Music’s funding towards projects that support their goals of:

·         Early Years – advancing the learning and development of all children in their early years (0-5) by aiming to ensure universal access

            to high quality music making in England. 

·         Challenging Circumstances* – improving the life chances of children and young people in the most challenging circumstances

by supporting them to achieve their full potential through engagement and progression in music making.

·         Encouraging Talent and Potential – realising the musical talent and potential of children and young people by ensuring opportunity

for all to develop their talent regardless of background or chosen genre. 

Schools are eligible for funding. 

For more details, go to -  www.youthmusic.org.uk/assets/files/OP2009ApplicantGuidance.pdf

 

For the love of football....

Grow the Game, run by The Football Foundation, aims to increase participation by both players and volunteers in grass roots football by

supporting the cost associated with providing new activity.  A maximum grant award of £5,000 is available for community  groups with

educational establishments able to apply for up to 50% of this.  No partnership funding is required and there is a simplified application form

including a funding 'menu' for applicants to choose from.  All requests for funding will have to be submitted by completing the application

form available from 8 July 2009 and the deadline for submissions will be 28 August. The Football Foundation run a number of programmes

to assist schools and communities including a facilities scheme, a goalpost safety scheme, a junior kit scheme, and Reading the Game a

football programme to promote literacy and to raise reading motivation for all ages. 

For more information on how to apply for a grant, go to - www.footballfoundation.org.uk/our-schemes/

 

Be prepared....to celebrate your gifted pupils

Get ready for the third ‘It’s alright to be bright’ week  - a celebration to raise awareness of the social and emotional needs of gifted children,

at the same time celebrating the diversity of all children's abilities. This year a whole week of activities are planned from 19 to 26 September

and you download free resources for your pupils now at - www.nagcbritain.org.uk/schools.php?id=176

 

From Last week......

FAO Secondary schools/ Language Teachers

Get your pupils to the LAFTAs!

As UK schools face a ‘language crisis’, what better time to remind your pupils why learning languages is so important. The LAFTAs

(Language and Film talent Awards) are a fun and exciting opportunity for your pupils to get creative, to think about why languages are

important and also developing their film-making skills. The competition is open to 13-21 year olds and pupils are asked to make a

two-minute video showing why languages are important. The video can be in any style  -from comedy sketch to thriller, from animation

to rap piece or interview. There are six different categories that pupils can enter in and fantastic prizes include; trips to France and

Germany, surfing lessons in Spain and a visit to the Olympic Village in London. Regional judges will select finalists to be sent to London

for the glamorous LAFTA awards ceremony where celebrity judges will announce the winners. Closing Date: February 2010.

For information on how your pupils can enter, go to - www.languageswork.org.uk/laftas/index.htm

 

Can your pupils design the World’s Fastest Bike?

Get your pupils even more interested in science, maths and engineering with the Bloodhound SCC Competition. The competition

will celebrate a SuperSonic car that is currently being built by the Bloodhound SCC team in an attempt to beat the current world record

for speed across land. Both primary and secondary pupils can enter by coming up with a design for the World’s Fastest Bike. The

designs should use the same aerodynamic principles that were applied in the design of the SuperSonic Car. Winners of the competition

receive Gold Membership to the Bloodhound SSC 1K Club which includes a visit to the Bloodhound development site to see the

SuperSonic Car being developed and tested. Closing date for entries: Friday 25 July.

For more information on how to enter, go to - www.dstl.gov.uk/news_events/competitions/BLOODHOUND/entry.php

 

Freebies!!

FAO Science Teachers

Grab your free science debate kits  - everything you need to run a debate with your pupils on a controversial topic. The sets help

students learn how to structure a debate, back up their opinion with facts and consider other points of view. The kits are funded by the

Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest medical charities, to encourage debate on science. The kits are primarily designed for KS4,

but can be used by pupils aged 11-18 years. There will be four kits available over the next year (the first one is on IVF) and are produced

by the same team involved with the award winning ‘I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here’.

For more details on the debate kits or ‘I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here’, go to – www.imascientist.org.uk/debate/

 

Introducing ‘Bobby the Boiler’

Worcester Bosch Group are giving away free children’s books on being green. The book - ‘Picture a Greener Future’ is aimed at 7-11

year olds and tells the tale of Bobby the Boiler who looks after the ‘Green Family’ and his encounter with Solar Sam. It includes tips on

how we can all help to save energy at home, a spot the difference game, colouring pages and a word search.

To get a copy of the book for your school, go to - www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/homeowner/literature/picture-a-greener-future-your-free-childrens-book

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Wise words

 

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”

C.S. Lewis

 

“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.”

Oscar Wilde

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SCHOOLS NorthEast is your network.  Please get in touch with your ideas, concerns, views and experiences- email: think@schoolsnortheast.com

 

....and don’t forget, if you’ve missed any of our previous weekly news updates, you can find them at:

http://www.schoolsnortheast.com/content/new-resources/weekly%20news.html

 

 

To unsubscribe to this weekly update, please email us at – info@schoolsnortheast.com

 

Have a good week!

 

SCHOOLS NorthEast Team

 

 

 

 

 

Katie Stonehouse

 

Communications Officer

SCHOOLS NorthEast

 

Tel:    0191 280 5037

www.schoolsnortheast.com