Subject:                                     Head Teachers - Weekly news update 30

 

 

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

 

 

 


This week.....get political! The European Parliamentary elections and mayoral elections in Hartlepool and North Tyneside,

provide a good opportunity to get students thinking about politics, democracy and citizenship. Why not hold a mock election and

encourage your students to stand as candidates (just don’t forget to check their expenses!), take part in hustings and practice voting.

You can find everything to set up your pupil poll at www.mockelections.co.uk/sections/england/teachers/homepage.asp For lots of

other useful resources and information on how to get your pupils to ‘do politics’, go to:

www.dopolitics.org.uk/toolbox-index where you can download materials, arrange to loan a giant map of the Europe and order your

free Democracy Cookbook.

 

Also this week, make sure you have Thursday 8 October, the new date for the SCHOOLS NorthEast EPIC Summit , blocked out

in your diary.

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News and Events

 

SCHOOLS NorthEast EPIC Summit 2009...

 

will now be held on Thursday 8 October at the lovely Wynyard Hall in the Tees Valley

 

Based around the themes of Empower, Provoke, Inspire and Connect – the Summit will offer you everything you expect from a

great conference (quality speakers, impressive venue, networking and a good lunch) and a whole lot more (opportunities to influence regional

and national policy, perspectives from beyond the world of education, one on one media training and expert surgeries everything from legal advice

to public relations and marketing).

 

At the SCHOOLS NorthEast EPIC Summit you will:

 

 

Detailed  information about the Summit will be winging its way to you in the post soon but if you want to book your place today,

go to - www.schoolsnortheast.com and click on the Summit logo. Bookings made before Friday 31 July receive an early bird discount!!

 

North East Solar Car Challenge runs again

Sign up before Friday 5 June!!

Pupils in the region will soon be racing for pole position for the fifth year at the North East Solar Car Challenge. Schools across the

North East are now invited to enter teams of four at the popular event held at Nissan Sports and Social Club in Sunderland on

Thursday 9 July. Each participating school is given two solar car kits and pupils taking part will gain valuable experience in engineering,

science and graphic design. The challenge also aims to promote renewable energy, sustainability, and wider environmental issues

in schools. There are exciting prizes for first, second and third places in both competition categories – speed and design. This year’s

event is being sponsored by One North East and supported by a partnership involving the Energy Saving Trust, Nissan, Hartlepool

Borough Council and the North East Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Schools. 

Any schools interested in taking part should contact k.stonehouse@schoolsnortheast.com

 

14-19 Conferences

The DCSF invites Head Teachers, Senior Managers and teaching staff to learn more about the teaching of the Diploma from colleagues

who have been teaching it and those who have participated in the functional skills pilot. Delegates will also get the chance to meet Ministers

and discuss the 14-19 reforms and the new requirement for all young people to participate in education or training until their 18th birthday from

2015. The Conferences are held in collaboration with the NASUWT, ACSL, AoC and NAHT.

Date: Tuesday 9 June at the Hilton Hotel, Gateshead.

Go to - www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/index.cfm?go=calendar.eventsDetail&Event_ID=1634 to book a place.

 

Something for your school community...

Show Racism the Red Card are hosting family fun days across the North East to promote anti-racism education. The festivals aim to bring local

communities together to celebrate diversity and show that there is no place for racism in the North East. There are lots of free activities on offer

including: football, basketball and rugby skill stations, live music, dance and drumming, fashion shows, climbing, arts and crafts, face painting and

international food stalls. So, spread  the word with your students and staff and encourage your school community to unite against racism.

Date: Sunday 21 June at the Raich Carter Centre, Hendon, Sunderland from 11.00am-4.00pm

Date: Saturday 5 July at Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College, Ferryhill, County Durham from 11.00am-5.00pm

Date: Saturday 11 July at The Lightfoot Centre, Walker, Newcastle from 11.00am-4.00pm

For more information or to get a poster for display, email sarah@theredcard.org, call - 0191 257 8519, or go to – www.redcard.org

 

FAO: KS2, KS3 & KS4 Teachers

Get your pupils model-making

Northern Architecture offers on opportunity for teachers to work with professional model-maker Andrew Parkin, to explore techniques

used to create architectural models and develop new skills in translating 2D plans into 3-dimensions. This full day CPD workshop will

allow you to:

With links to ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ and using the built environment to teach, there’s heaps of potential for transferring skills

and ideas into your own teaching practice and across a range of curriculum subjects.

Date: Friday 12 June, 2009 at Walbottle Campus, Newcastle from 9.15am to 4.00pm. Cost £130 per delegate (including materials

and lunch)on a first come first served basis

To book your place at this CPD event contact Sara Cooper - sarac@northernarchitecture.com, 0191 260 219. To find out more about Northern

Architecture’s educational workshops for pupils, go to:  www.northernarchitecture.com 

 

Free HR seminar!

Local law firm Short Richardson Forth invite you to a ‘Balancing the right to manage with dignity at work: Performance Management,

Bullying and Stress, a practical seminar that will examine the employer’s right to manage and the legal claims that can arise when the

balance between tough management and dignity at work goes wrong. The seminar will cover the latest developments in bullying and stress

claims and give guidance on how to avoid these situations arising.

With Short Richardson Forth partners Dr John McMullen and Max Winthrop as speakers.

Date: Friday 25 June at Northern Counties Club, Newcastle (NE1 6HL) from 8.30-10.30am.

For more information contact :Erin 0191 232 0283 or e-mail: em@short-richardson-forth.co.uk

 

FAO: Maths teachers

‘Golden Ratio’ cocktail anyone?

The National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM) invites you a night of glitz, glam and all things maths! The evening

provides an opportunity to meet colleagues involved in maths education from the region’s school, universities and local authorities, experience

some of new approaches to maths teaching and hear about changes to the exams system.

The programme of presenters includes:

Mathtastic -  LIFEs keystage 2 and 3 mathematical experience for students.

Durham University - New research on ways of teaching fractions.

Exam boards -  Update on GCSE, Functional Maths, A Levels and Diplomas.

Mangahigh - New online software which claims to teach maths as a game.

ShayPeds - Teaching shape and space with feel and touch.

edtech -  Educational resources for schools

Date: Thursday 9 July at the Centre for LIFE, Newcastle from 5.00pm to 7.00pm. As you would expect for a cocktail party, food and drinks

will be served. To reserve your place, go to - www.ncetm.org.uk or call Steve Humble, NCETM North East – 07787588568.

           

Influence the maths agenda...

The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has been designated lead organisation for the STEM

Action Programme 2, Improving teaching and learning through CPD for mathematics teachers. Under this Action Programme, the

NCETM has formed a National Mathematics CPD Committee which will feed info to the DCSF/DIUS STEM Strategy group. Regional

intelligence of CPD provision and gaps is essential to the work of the National Mathematics CPD Committee. In order to ensure that

the NCETM is able to receive appropriate evidence to inform its own planning the NCETM now seeks to establish Regional Advisory

Committees (RACs) in each of the nine NCETM regions to feed into this group. 

The NCETM would really like these committees to be held in schools and chaired by Head Teachers. If anyone is interested in hosting

and chairing the inaugural meeting 3.00pm 2 July 2009, please email steve.humble@ncetm.org.uk

 

Get on the road to being a sustainable school

DCSF’s National Sustainable Schools Framework initiative highlights the vital role schools have to play in ensuring that the next

generation have the skills and knowledge to make sustainable lifestyle choices. The National Sustainable Schools Conference,

organised by WWF-UK, DCSF and Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd), aims to help you fulfil this role and plan

your journey to becoming a sustainable school. The conference offers you the opportunity to meet schools from the region who

have begun their sustainable schools work and includes workshops and a ‘market place’ where local and national organisations

will offer support and resources to schools with demonstrations of their work. Choose from four dates: Leeds: 3 July, Preston:

6 July, London: 8 July, Bristol:14 July.

Register online at - links.wwf.org.uk/inxmail2/d?vuyl000bwlubqbsbx3a10 or for more information, contact Hermione Fricker at SEEd:

hermione.fricker@se-ed.org.uk

 

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News round-up

 

Local news

·         Communications officer appointed to new academy (News Post Leader)

·         Arts Council urges North East to ‘Get in the Frame' (bdaily)

·         Esh Group encourages green fingered pupils (bdaily)

·         Hirst High students get career insight into human resources (News Post Leader)

·         Middlesbrough primary school pupils take part in Multi-skills Academy (Gazette Live)

·         Ideas for two Stockton secondary schools to be unveiled (Northern Echo)

·         School extension set for approval in Darlington (Northern Echo)

·         Teesdale school pair work with science company (Gazette Live)

·         Top Wearside teachers up for awards (Sunderland Echo)

·         Excellence at Durham (Sunday Times)

·         Revision goes social with Newcastle-based technology company GCSEPod (Bdaily)

·         Figures show attacks on teachers in Tyneside (Chronicle Live)

·         Pupils have their say on Stockton schools’ future (Gazette Live)

·         Parents protest about school closures in Sunderland (Sunderland Echo)

·         Bedlingtonshire school support staff out in the field (News Post Leader)

·         Top schools boycott ‘biased' Durham (Sunday Times)

·         Tyneside Head Teacher honoured (Journal Live)

·         First look at the new Monkseaton High School (Chronicle Live)

·         Wolsingham pupils live the eco life in Stemnet trip to Wales (Northern Echo)

·         Sunderland pupils thrilled by electric car in eco-week (Sunderland Echo)

·         North East Women Leaders conference in Times Online School Gate (Times Online)

·         DCS leadership programme appoints Catherine Fitt as Head (Children and Young People Now)

·         Endeavour Educational Trust Chosen For Acklam School (Gazette Live)

·         Transformed Northumberland school out of 'special measures' (News Post Leader)

·         Morpeth school partnership brings technology status (News Post Leader)

·         Durham pupils' international message for China (Sunderland Echo)

·         Technology award for County Durham school (Northern Echo)

·         Sunderland school awarded a gold mark (Sunderland Echo)

·         No mountain high enough for fundraising teachers (Northern Echo)

·         Pupils' views on new school (Northern Echo)

·         Top leadership role for Prudhoe Head (Hexham Courant)

·         Pupils' thanks to teenagers (Northern Echo)

·         Pupils are good sports in ‘Playing for Success’ lessons(Sunderland Echo)

·         Three schools to shut for new build (Sunderland Echo)

·         Equipment worth £5,000 stolen in Bedlingtonshire school raid (News Post Leader)

·         Top County Durham Head Teachers honoured by Ofsted (Sunderland Echo)

·         Blyth Teachers left without jobs (News Post Leader)

Exams

·         Tests assurance as markers moan (BBC News)

·         Teachers report Sats marking delay (BBC News)

·         Teachers report new delays in marking Sats (Guardian)

·         Designing alternatives to A-levels (Guardian)

·         Creative Partnerships scheme shown to improve exam results (Children and Young People Now)

·         A-levels must be revamped, says head of exam board (Independent)

·         Less than one in three pupils taking history GCSE (Guardian)

·         Exam gamble: State school replaces A-levels with the International Baccalaureate (The Independent)

·         Swine flu schools let pupils sit exams - but keep their distance (TES)

·         Textbooks axed as exam fees rise by £100m (Daily Telegraph)

·         Government accused of orchestrating a 'stitch-up' over Sats blunders (Daily Telegraph)

·         Exam chief was urged to step down (BBC News)

·         Let universities design new A-levels, Tories say (Guardian)

·         Sats marking disaster inquiry 'like an episode of The Thick of It' (Guardian)

·         Fears of 'two-tier' education system as pupils taking rival exam to A-levels rise by 40% (Daily Mail)

Special Educational Needs

·         Autism: study finds 12-fold rise in cases (Independent)

·         Minister heads off SEN protest (TES)

·         Gifted and talented face further reform - yet again (TES)

 

BSF Funding and school lending

·         Banks resume £54bn schools lending (Financial Times)

·         Colleges told to 'big up' building funding requests (Guardian)

 

Other educational news

·         School exclusions 'merry-go-round' shows that reforms are failing (Times Online)

·         Pupils bounce back with ‘happiness lessons’ (Times Online)

·         Alcohol abuse leaves toxic school legacy (TES)

·         Plea to PM to keep Balls at DSCF (TES)

·         MP demands urgent action as new data reveals race-bully exclusions are soaring (TES)

·         Single-sex schools boost girls' science, study finds (TES)

·         Boys get a raw deal and their needs are ignored in schools, claims expert (TES)

·         The School Staffing (Consolidation) (England) Regulations 2009 (Children and Young People Now)

·         Swine flu outbreak at Birmingham school infects 44 (Guardian)

·         Boys outperform girls at science in UK (Guardian)

·         Ofsted 'a waste of public money' (Times)

·         Schools to share heads (Daily Express)

·         Specialist schools accused of failing their specialist subjects (The Independent)

·         Creativity 'tsar' attacks schools ministers (The Independent)

·         C4EO to study education gap for looked-after children (Children and Young People Now)

·         'We want the wow factor’ – a creative curriculum in primary schools' (Guardian)

·         BNP councillors target schools as key battleground (TES)

·         First state primary turns choir school (TES)

·         Rose has 'failed', warns fledgling curriculum body (TES)

·         Heads 'need more search powers' (BBC News)

·         Traditional school subjects 'no longer fashionable' (Daily Telegraph)

·         A single school entry date will cause long-term damage to education (Guardian)

·         Apprenticeship numbers fall short (Children and Young People Now)

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Star pupils

North East school and teachers

There has been a wealth of news stories recently about the great things happening in North East schools...we’ve had the five

primary schools in Newcastle that received a letter from Jim Knight MP congratulating them on being in thet op 100 of more than

17,000 schools, there’s also the schools in Sunderland and Durham receiving awards for Quality Assurance and leading in the use

of technology, not to mention the Head Teachers across the region honoured by Ofsted for their ‘outstanding’ work. A huge

congratulations to all those schools and individuals!

To read the articles about the ‘Star pupil’ schools and Heads, go to the local news stories in bold above. Don’t forget to let us know if your

School has any good news or you think it should be Star Pupil  - info@schoolsnortheast.com

 

Could do better

Race related bullying

Figured published by DCSF last week have revealed that school exclusions as a result of racist abuse and attacks have risen by

more than 20% in the last three years in primary schools and 40% in secondary schools. Anti-racism charities claim the problem

lies with a lack of ‘cultural cohesion’ in schools, although the DCSF suggests the figures seem ‘worryingly’ high due to changes to the

scope and methods of data collection. If you want to do more to tackle this issue in your school, book a free

education workshop, with North Tyneside-based charity Show Racism the Red Card email sarah@theredcard.org, call - 0191 257 8519, or

go to – www.redcard.org

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Funding and opportunities

 

European Training Grants for School Education Staff

UK schools looking to develop the skills of their education staff have the opportunity to apply for funding through the European

Commissions Comenius – In-Service training programme. This is part of the EU’s Lifelong Learning programme and provides financial

support to help improve the quality of school education by enabling staff to undertake training in a country other than that in which they

normally work or live. In this way, participants are encouraged to improve their practical teaching/coaching/counselling/management

skills and knowledge, and to gain a broader understanding of school education in Europe. The funding is available to school education

staff (teaching and non-teaching). Applications have to be made via the school and the level of funding available is up to €1500

for one week, €2000 for two weeks and up to a maximum of €2500 Euro for six weeks. The next closing date for applications is the

15 September 2009. For more information, go to - http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/socrates/comenius/activities/comenius2_en.html

 

Get your students set for the Olympics!

Register your school for the Get Set programme and be involved in the excitement leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games. Schools

across the UK are applying to be part of a network encouraging schools to integrate Olympic and Paralympic Values into planning for

sustained improvement. The programme encourages students to take responsibility for generating and implementing activities using

the wealth of 2012 related resources, advice, networking opportunities and information made available to them. By being part of the

network your school will also gain permission to use the special London 2012 education logo on your school website and headed paper

and receive a plaque and certificate showing you are a member of Get Set network.

If you think your school can demonstrate how it ‘lives the Olympic values’, go to - getset.london2012.com/en/home

 

FAO: Secondary schools /Sixth forms

Young business minds wanted!

With the announcement by Sir Alan Sugar that a junior version of The Apprentice is heading for our screens, why not encourage your

entrepreneurial 16-17 year old students to apply to take part? The format for the show will follow that of the adult version with five boys

and five girls participating in business challenges and competing to be the winner. The prize however will be "tailored to the winner’s

individual career prospects" and worth up to £25,000. We think it could be a fantastic opportunity and perhaps our junior apprentices will

fare better than the North East’s adult contestants both fired weeks ago!

For more information and to see the online registration form for young people, go to – www.apprentice.fremantlemedia.com/juniorapprentice/  

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Wise words

 

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
Albert Einstein

 

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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