Subject: Heads Up - Weekly news update 11

Text Box: SCHOOLS NorthEast weekly update
The future of our region is in school

This week... look out for the information we will send about our Future Leaders’ project. The project, in partnership with the CBI,

will offer you the chance to have a high flier from the region, who is tipped for the top in coming years, come into your school and

apply their business knowledge and leadership skills. The Future Leaders will be helping schools across the region in the SCHOOLS

North Lead to Learn challenge and you are invited to be part of this. Don’t forget to take a look at the Interim report on the Primary

Curriculum too.

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News and Events

Places still available!! SCHOOLS NorthEast surgery: Working with the media

Want practical help from the experts on how to deal with journalists, get positive publicity for your school and manage any issues

that could jeopardise your reputation? SCHOOLS NorthEast launches the first of a series of support surgeries on working with the media.

This introductory session will help you to understand how to approach the media and the techniques you need to ensure that you get

your message across. The event will be held on Thursday 22 January from 9.00am-11:00am at One NorthEast’s Head Office.

in Newburn Riverside, Newcastle. The session is free and open to all, but places are very limited so get in quick! Further sessions will

be offered subject to demand.

For more information and to register your interest in attending please email – k.stonehouse@schoolsnortheast.com or call 0191 280 5037

Call out for case studies

SCHOOLS NorthEast is co-ordinating a response to the recommendations of the National Council for Educational Excellence. In the new

year we will be holding an event to develop an action plan for the implementation of the Council’s ideas in the North East, working with

Universities for the North East and regional business leaders. Throughout this work, we want to showcase the fantastic activities already

happening in our region’s schools so please let us know if your school has any interesting case studies on how your school has:

· Worked with business or industry

· Worked with universities

· Worked with other providers, schools and/or colleges

· Demonstrated an innovative approach to engaging parents

Email us at info@schoolsnortheast.com or call 0191 2805037 if you want to shout about your success! (and make sure that lots of others hear about

it too).

Enterprise week a great success!

Enterprise Week 2008 was the biggest and best yet, and in the North East alone, there was 400 events with 65,692 participants!

In addition to this, 3800 young people took part in the Make Your Mark Challenge. To check out the Make your Mark blog, learn more

about the activities which took place or to submit photos and details of Enterprise week activities at your school, go to -

http://blog.makeyourmark.org.uk/2008/12/02/enterprise-week-2008-has-been-the-biggest-and-best-yet/ or call - 01642 451826.

FAO: Science Co-ordinators

Send your Sixth form students to the Alec Campbell Lecture Theatre, Newcastle University on Wednesday (10 December) for the Shaw

Lecture - a practical demonstration of chemical energy and explosives by Dr. Peter Licence, University of Nottingham. Time: 1.30pm-3.30pm.

Contact Dr. R. W. Harrington at the School of Chemistry - r.w.harrington@ncl.ac.uk or call - 0191 222 6641 for more details.

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News round-up

Local News

· Schools closed as bad weather continues to bite (The Chronicle)

· Ten overseas teachers visit primary school (The Northern Echo)

· Hartlepool mother refuses to send her daughter to school over jewellery policy (John Hardy, Head Teacher of St John Vianney, Hartlepool, on BBC Radio 4)

· Schools delighted to scoop book prize (The Sunderland Echo)

Primary Review: Interim report

· Themes replace subjects in review (BBC News)

· Traditional subjects go in schools shake-up (Times online)

· Independent review of the primary curriculum (DCSF)

· Scrap history lessons in primary, says study (The Guardian)

· Schools told reading is top priority (The Independent)

· Children to be taught to use internet at school (Daily Telegraph)

· Children to go to school at just 4 (Sunday Mail)

Faith schools and admissions

· Faith schools urged to end selection on basis of religion (BBC News)

· Faith schools must give up religion as basis for selecting pupils, says report (Times online)

· Faith schools urged to end selection on basis of religion (The Guardian)

· Faith schools 'should face admissions curb' (The Telegraph)

· Revised schools admissions code published (DCSF)

· New bid to stop pupil selection by religion (Daily Express)

· School places loopholes targeted (The Guardian)

· Choice Advice service helps parents (Children and Young People Now)

SATs

· Teens to sit SATs at three quarters of schools despite axing of compulsory test (The Telegraph)

· SATs: they're already hard at the prep (The TES)

Pupil behaviour

· Pupil conduct deteriorates as recession hits (The TES)

· Pupil behaviour plan is working, government insists (The Guardian)

· Behaviour classes 'lack impact' (BBC News)

Other educational news

· Minister calls for school guidelines to tackle exploitation of young girls (The Guardian)

· School tests 'failing to measure standards' (The Telegraph)

· 'Educate girls to stop population soaring' (The Independent)

· Don't consult on core policies (Children and Young People Now)

· Deprived pupils shun academies (Children and Young People Now)

· Coasting schools in line for funds (Children and Young People Now)

· 'Federations to end state-private gulf' (The TES)

· Minister checks on science exams (The TES)

· NASUWT stakes its claim to being the biggest union (The TES)

· EU funds sought to prop up BSF plan (The TES)

· Left-handed children 'do badly at school' (The Independent)

Star pupil

St Benet's RC Primary School in Fulwell, Ryhope Junior School, Seaburn Dene Primary School, Biddick Primary and

Nursery School and Benedict Biscop CE Primary School – All five primary schools in the Sunderland have clinched £1,000

worth of books each in the Northern Echo's Barclays Books for Schools competition. They battled it out with twenty-five schools

to collect the most vouchers. Well done to all the schools and happy reading!

Could do better

The Credit Crunch – It may have initially helped in the recruitment of trainee Teachers from the banking profession, but now it’s

been reported that the credit crunch will ‘fuel’ a behaviour ‘downturn’ in the classroom as the recession puts a strain on family life.

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Head to Head - a week in the life of a North East Head Teacher

Philip Cantwell has been Head Teacher at The King’s School in Tynemouth for since 2002. Previous to this Philip was Headmaster

Of Cokerthorpe School in Witney, an independent day and boarding school.

Last week was as hectic as ever with everything happening in school! We are coming to the end of the first term in our new

buildings so are sorting out all of the ‘snagging’ and monitoring all of the new activities being provided very carefully. With the

start of Advent, the choirs are preparing for Christmas too, which all adds to the atmosphere.

The two best things about last week were: ‘King’s Got Talent’ organised by the 6^th Form Charities Committee along ‘X-Factor’ lines

– the ten finalists performed in aid of Childrens’ Cancer Care – a joyous evening! Also the Upper Sixth Leavers getting their University

offers – a rush of them have come in this week - but they now have to get the grades!

The biggest disappointment last week was not being able to accommodate all of the pupils who want to take part in our World

Challenge expeditions in 2010 – some will have to wait for 2011.

The funniest thing that happened last week was a member of our Geography Department performing at the talent show was

introduced by the 6^th Form Compere as ‘sporting the Geography Department haircut’! It dawned on us all that all of the geographers

do indeed have the same hairstyle!

One thing that would have made my life easier last week would have been having more hours in each day to get to see even more of

what the children do!

Top of my to-do list for this week will be report writing as the season is upon us – I need to get mine done without missing speaking

to as many pupils as possible to congratulate them on what they have achieved.

My hero of last week was the ‘Policy Exchange’ think-tank for their research paper ‘The Hard Truth about Soft Subjects’ in which they

conclude that some schools are selling children short by offering too many soft options just to boost their standing in meaningless league

tables and to hit meaningless targets set by Government.

My villains of last week were the writers of the new GCSE Science courses! A-level candidates are left with much more to do than

before to achieve full understanding.

If someone donated £20,000 to my school it would go into our Bursary Fund from which we support children who would benefit from

being at King’s, but couldn’t afford the fees.

My question for next week’s Head Teacher is: Will the end of compulsory Key Stage 3 SATS be used to really free up teachers

to allow more creativity in the classroom?

If you would like to take part in our ‘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.

Funding and opportunities

Improve behaviour and attendance at your school

As pupil conduct is set to deteriorate as the Credit Crunch kicks in, the National Programme for Specialist Leaders of Behaviour

and Attendance (NPSLBA) offers a professional development programme to help you along. The year-long programme aims to

strengthen practical and theoretical knowledge, develop leadership skills and build a professional community of specialists in

behaviour and attendance. Open to all school staff and managed by the National Strategies on behalf of DCSF.

For more information call the NPSLBA on – 0118 918 2555 or visit – www.teachernet.gov.uk/npslba

FAO: Science co-ordinators

Awards bursaries for professional development

For the first time, DCSF is offering awards bursaries worth £200 per day to help Teachers in maintained secondary schools and

colleges pay for a place on many of the courses at the regional Science Learning Centres. For more information and a list of

Courses at the Science Learning Centre in Durham, go to – www.slc.ac.uk/tes/0512 or www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk

North East in a Nutshell – know your region

The North East has the highest number of digital media and animation start-ups outside of London.

Wise words

“A leader's role is to raise people's aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”

David Gergen

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

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Have a good week!

SCHOOLS NorthEast Team

Katie Stonehouse

Communications Officer

SCHOOLS NorthEast

Tel: 0191 280 5037