Subject: Weekly news update 27
This week..... with news that
yet another UK school shutting due to Swine flu (making a total of five), familiarise
yourself with the
DCSF-issued guidance for schools on planning for and responding
to pandemic flu. To prepare your school and your staff, go to -
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/emergencies/planning/flupandemic/
. Regular updates on the situation are available on the DCSF
website. If you have any concerns about the situation or your
school, call - 0870 000 2288.
If you missed Gordon Brown’s speech
earlier today on schools and education, go to - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8033044.stm
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News and Events
Northumberland schools set Guinness World Record!
A record for ‘The largest maths class ever held’ was set
recently by over 200 school children from Northumberland. The giant
maths class, organised in March, by NEPIC (North East Process
Industry Cluster) and Dr. Maths and held at The Alnwick Garden,
saw pupils from four different schools take part in the ‘The Alnwick
Garden Puzzle Trail’. Pupils were split into groups and completed
a range of fun, educational activities including counting the
animals in the Rose Garden sculpture and drawing the patterns and
lines of symmetry in the Ornamental Garden. Supported by Shadow
Schools Secretary Michael Gove and opened by the
Duchess of Northumberland, the day proved to be a huge success
for all involved.
To find out which schools where
involved in the record breaking day, go to - http://www.nepic.co.uk/FocalPoint/FocalPoint25.pdf
Interested in Next Generation Learning?
Cramlington Learning Village invites you to sign-up for the Next
Generation Learning conference, a day of engaging workshops
that aim to offer insight, tips, strategies and materials for
next Generation Learning. You will have the opportunity to question
practitioners with hands-on, proven experience of enquiry based
learning, personalised learning, working in flexible learning
spaces, and the innovative use of ICT to support and enhance
learning. Delegates are asked to create their own agenda by
signing-up for workshops that are split into four areas:
·
Next Generation Learning
·
Next Generation Learning Environments
·
Next Generation Learning Technology
·
Next Generation Learning Support
Date: Friday 26 June at Cramlington Learning Village,
Northumberland from 8.30am-3.45pm. For more information on the
Conference or to reserve your place, go to – www.cramlingtonlv.co.uk/nextgen
Need help with girls behaving
badly?
Creative Education brings you a
one-day course on the behaviour of disruptive female students and how to deal
with them effectively.
The event will offer guidance on
developing positive student relationships and on strategies that have proven to
be successful. You
will also discuss why so many
girls are causing problems for teachers, looking at pressures, tensions and the
power of self-image.
Date: Wednesday 24 June
in Newcastle (venue to be confirmed).
For more information or to sign
up, go to – www.creativeeducation.co.uk/TES
Inspire your pupils to be
passionate about languages!
Did you know that the North East
has the poorest uptake of Modern Languages at GCSE, AS and A‐Level
in England? Through
a mixture of roadshows,
language days, masterclasses, taster sessions and linguacasting, Routes into
Languages North East,
have been trying to change
this. You are invited to Modern Languages: "Influencing the
Influencers", a seminar to engage
the region’s Head Teachers in a
much needed discussion about the value and future of Modern Languages in the
North East.
Date: Wednesday
13 May from 4.00pm – 5.30pm at The Sage, Gateshead, with
the German Consul General from Edinburgh
as host. As Newcastle
University (Lead institution in the NE Consortium) celebrates 50 years of
German Studies, the seminar
will be followed by an evening
of Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn from Northern Sinfonia, starting
with a hot buffet at
5.30pm and a pre-concert talk
on British-German music relations. Inspire yourselves and inspire your
students!
Go to www.schoolsnortheast.com/events
to sign up.
FAO: Secondary and special
schools
Leadership in the community
The NCSL brings you an event
which looks at how local secondary and special schools have addressed the issue
of leadership
within the community. You will
have the opportunity to network with local schools and share practical
solutions. Free for all school
leaders. Two sessions to choose
from:
Date: Tuesday 9 June from
10am-2.30pm at Stockton Education Development Centre
Date: Tuesday 16 June from
10am-2.30pm at the Dryden Centre, Gateshead
To reserve a place call – 0115
872 3857. If this will be the first Leadership Network event you
have attended, complete the online registration
form - https://www.ncsl.org.uk/session-timeout?urlParams=servid=35
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News round-up
Local news
·
Normanby
pupils conquer Everest in 24-hour challenge (Gazette Live)
·
Darlington pupils
dress up as punks (Northern Echo)
·
School
delighted with Ofsted report (News Post Leader)
·
Durham
teacher strike in college row (Chronicle
Live)
·
School's
three-pronged attack on health and fitness (News
Post Leader)
·
North
East pupils get a buzz from spelling bee win (Northern
Echo)
·
Schools
working from 'plot to plate' (News Post Leader)
·
Bishop
Auckland Teacher praised (Northern
Echo)
·
Commando
cooks to visit County Durham school (Northern Echo)
·
Thornaby
school set for support from 'outstanding' college (Gazette Live)
·
Apprenticeship
advice for Sunderland pupils (Sunderland Echo)
·
Failing
Sunderland school to get new team (Sunderland Echo)
·
Gateshead
MP Sharon Hodgson grills Jim Knight on school dinners (Chronicle
Live)
·
Westfield
School pupils run with charity baton (Journal Live)
·
North
East youngsters urged to take a voyage in history (Journal
Live)
·
Cats
stars happy to go back to Washington school (Sunderland Echo)
·
Durham
school menu wins award (Northern Echo)
·
Tees
school's playground transformed (Northern
Echo)
·
Tanfield
School in Stanley saved from merger (Journal
Live)
·
Ofsted
inspectors praise ‘outstanding’ St Bede’s Primary School children (Gazette Live)
·
Ashington
academy school plan put on hold (Journal Live)
Jim Rose’s Primary Review
·
Science to be
dropped as core primary subject (The TES)
·
Bullet points for primary
schools (BBC News)
·
Computers enter
learning 'core' (BBC News)
·
Primary
school strategies were a waste of money, report claims (Guardian)
·
School
starting age moved to help summer-born children (Guardian)
·
Rose calls for more play in
primary schools (Children and Young People Now)
·
School
to start at four with new timetable to 'restore creativity' (The Independent)
·
Primary
schools to get new freedom (Guardian)
·
Early
learning goals to be watered down in primary review (Times Online)
·
Technology
key in Primary Review (BBC News)
·
Primary
school children will learn to read on Google (Daily Telegraph)
·
School
starting age moved to help summer-born children (Guardian)
SATS
·
Children
to enjoy final year in primary school without Sats 'disruption'
·
Heads to write to
parents on Sats (BBC News)
·
Teachers on Sats
collision course (BBC News)
·
Head
teachers back Sats boycott (Daily
Telegraph)
·
Union
urges teachers to disrupt tests (The Independent)
·
Teachers
set to axe school tables (The Independent)
Swine flu
·
Another
school shuts as UK swine flu toll rises
(Guardian)
·
Alleyn's
school is fifth closed by swine flu as UK cases rise to 27 (Times)
·
Exam
chaos fears as six children get swine flu at independent school
(Telegraph)
·
School
closed after pupil catches virus and infects four classmates
(Independent)
Gordon Brown’s speech
·
New
education guidelines seen as rebuff to critics (Guardian)
·
School plans 'boost
parent power' (BBC News)
·
Gordon
Brown's boost to parents (Sun)
Recession and private schools
·
Private
schools feel the pinch as slump halts rise in pupils (Guardian)
·
Recession
sparks drop in private school pupils (Daily
Telegraph)
·
Private schools weather
recession (BBC
News)
A Level English Literature
·
English lit 'shunned by
students' (BBC News)
·
Number
taking GCSE in English literature falls (Guardian)
·
Teenagers
'shunning English literature' at school (Daily Telegraph)
Boarding schools
·
Boarding
'could transform lives' (BBC News)
·
Prejudice
denying thousands of children boarding school places (Guardian)
·
Children
at risk 'should get boarding place' (The
Independent)
Other educational news
·
Hundreds
of schools cannot find a head (Independent)
·
One in five schools struggle to appoint head (Guardian)
·
Bright
pupils pulled down in deprived schools, says study (Guardian)
·
Free school meal pilot areas
announced (Children
and Young People Now)
·
Bill to boost
school SEN duties set for second reading (Children and Young People Now)
·
Tories admit primary
academy scheme could torpedo their own phonics policy (The TES)
·
Unions and ministers
'abandon' staff (The TES)
·
Positive discipline
can set the bar for behaviour standards (The TES)
·
Swine flu puts
schools on alert (The TES)
·
Just
14% of children in care get five good GCSEs (BBC
News)
·
Child's
play: Why cooking should be on the primary school menu (The Independent)
·
Schools miss out on
cash surplus (BBC News)
·
Ed
Balls enlists Ofsted to help children with special needs (Guardian)
·
Resilience
programme improves wellbeing of pupils in trial areas (Children and Young People Now)
·
Extended school loophole found (Children and Young People Now)
·
Sector support
for compulsory PSHE plans (Daily Telegraph)
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Star pupil
Delves Lane Junior School
This morning, the angelic voices of Delves Lane Junior school
pupils could be heard on BBC Radio 4’s The Today Programme
During an item on alleviating the effects of poverty and deprivation through
choral music. Delves Lane Junior school in Consett,
County Durham have been taking part in the government-funded
‘Sing-up’ project which aims to
make all primary schools
‘singing schools’. Following visits from choristers and
specialist music teaching, the pupils performed in a concert at Durham Cathedral,
and even sang some songs in Latin!
To read more about the Sing-Up
project or to sign your school up, go to - http://www.singup.org/what-is-sing-up/
Could do better
Morrisons
The supermarket has withdrawn alphabet building blocks from its
shelves after a shopper spied spelling mistakes on the
educational toy. The blocks, produced in China, state that a
little boat with sails is a ‘Yatch’ and the object that keeps you dry
in the rain is an ‘Umberlla’. Whoops!
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Head to Head
Kieran
McGrane took up the post of Principal of West Sleekburn Middle School and
Bedlingtonshire Community High School,
Northumberland
in January 2007. Within three weeks of taking up the post, the middle school
was placed in Special Measures.
Previously
Kieran was Deputy Head Teacher at Ashington Community High School in
Northumberland.
Last
week was a
brilliant week because we hosted Ofsted. It was brilliant because West
Sleekburn Middle School was finally
removed
from Special Measures following a long journey of gradual improvement.
The
two best things that happened at school last week were: 1) West Sleekburn being
removed from Special Measures.
2)
The report stating that pupils enjoy coming to school and that relationships
are a strength within the school community.
The
biggest disappointment at school last week was realising that due to budget
issues I would have to start a redundancy
process.
The
funniest thing that happened at school last week was a group of year 5
girls singing (to me) to convince me to plan
and
organise a West Sleekburn Primary Unit X Factor and then having to join in with
their skipping game in the play area.
One
thing that would make your job easier last week would have been an extra
10% on the KS2 SATs L4+ internal data.
Top
of your to do list for this week is to spend more time with my three young children.
My
hero of last week was Sara Morrissey, HMI – the Lead Inspector.
I
didn’t have a villain of last week – a rare week!
If
the postman was to deliver something special to my school today it would you be Saturday’s winning
lottery ticket
My
question for next week’s Head is: If you could change job’s with someone for a day who
would it be and why?
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
Has your school got talent?
The Clore Performing Arts Awards offer funding for
performing arts education initiatives aimed at children and young people up to
18 years old across the UK. Grants are available for programmes
that cover every aspect of the performing arts including opera,
dance, music, musical theatre, the spoken word and theatre and
schools must be able to demonstrate both artistic excellence and
fully participatory experiences for young people. The Awards
will fund project costs ranging from £1,000 to £10,000 per annum,
for up to three years and aim to provide children with
opportunities to experience performing arts education at its best. Early
years settings, primary, middle and secondary schools,
sixth-form colleges and SEN schools are eligible to apply
For more information, go to -
http://www.cloreduffield.org.uk/page_sub.php?id=71&parent=35
Deadline approaching!
FAO: Secondary schools / Science Teachers
Make your students VIPS!
Have your KS3 students entered the Science Festival film-making
competition? If not, they have until the 31 May to submit their
two and a half minute movies about anything to do with science.
The best entries will go forward to represent the North East
at the National Planet Sci Cast Film Awards and the winning team
will have a VIP red-carpet ‘Oscars’ reception at the Tyneside
Cinema, arriving in true Hollywood style in a stretch limo being
dropped off at the red carpet for fizzy non-alcoholic cocktails before
the screening. The winners will be announced in June at an
Oscars ceremony.
More information or to enter
your students, go to - http://www.life.org.uk/articles/158
Free Diploma Practitioner training
If you’re preparing to deliver the Diploma in September, book
yourself and your staff onto a free workshop to help gain a better
understanding of the Diploma qualification and how it works,
learn more about personal, learning and thinking skills and consider
how to develop your delivery style. Network with other
colleagues in the region and meet experts in your line of learning.
Date: Thursday 21 May at Seaham Hall, County Durham.
To book your free place, go to
– www.diploma-support.org
FAO: Schools in Northumberland, Newcastle and Gateshead
Creative Partnerships Northumberland, Newcastle / Gateshead -
Enquiry Programme Applications
Creative Partnerships is the Government's flagship creative
learning programme that aims to develop the creativity of young
people, teachers and schools, transforming their aspirations and
achievements. The application process is now open for the
Enquiry programme for the 09/10 school year. This offers your
school the chance to explore, over the course of the year, how
a creative approach can address a particular aspect of your
school improvement plan or other need. £3000 funding is available,
matched by a £1000 contribution by the school. The Creative
Partnerships Northumberland programme will be managed by the
North East Regional Museums Hub, which has been contracted by
CCE (Culture, Creativity and Education) to deliver the
programme. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 1
June.
For further information, contact Claire Smith - clare.smith@twmuseums.org.uk,
01670 528060 or to view examples of previous Enquiry
Programmes, go to - http://www.creative-partnerships.com/programmes/enquiry-schools/enquiry-schools,24,LAN.html
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Wise words
If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it
round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
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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