Subject: Head Teachers - Weekly news
update 31
This week.....its Aim Higher Week! This initiative from the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills aims
to encourage young
people to consider higher education as a path to reaching their career and life
goals and spread the word
that anyone of them,
regardless of their background, can go on to further education.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/sites/practitioner/aimhigher_associates/news.cfm
Events and activities aimed at 14 to 18-year-olds
will be taking place
across the country. If you aren’t already working with your local
University then this is a good time to make
contact. All of the
North East’s six universities (including the Open University) have great school based
programmes, outreach
services and activities,
and as research tell us that aspirations are set by the early teens, it is
never too early start!
Also
this week....
Get
to know the new faces in the DCSF! Although Balls stays, there is a new Schools Minister - Vernon
Coaker, MP for
Gelding
in Nottinghamshire and most recently a Minister in the Home Office. A former Deputy Head
Teacher and member of
the
NUT, Coaker takes over from
Jim Knight, who moves to the DWP, and Dawn Primarolo joins the department as Children’s
Minister
following the resignation of Beverley Hughes.
It’s
also National Tackling Drugs Week, you can find more information about the campaign on:
have
also produced a series of
lesson plans to support the delivery of drug education
http://www.health-promotion.cdd.nhs.uk/index.cfm?articleid=9359
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................
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:
- Discuss
the future of education and the North East with senior political figures.
- Learn
from leading educationalists and academics.
- Be
inspired by innovative practice and new perspectives from different
sectors.
- Gain
practical support from industry experts.
- Make
contacts and indentify opportunities for collaboration.
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!!
........................................................................................................................................................................
Events
Youth
Engineering Show (YES)
Around 7,000 year 7 and 8 pupils are set to attend an event this
month billed as ‘the engineering world's Greatest Show on Earth’ –
to wow and inspire the engineers of the future. This year’s YES
will not only highlight the importance of engineering in
everyday life but will feature Honda’s Asimo - the world's most
advanced humanoid robot and a team attempting to break the
land speed record. Presentations, interviews, demonstrations and
videos about the world of engineering, including the technology
that powers the world's video games industry, will keep the students
on the edge of their seats. The five day event aims
demonstrate how engineering can change the world. Companies
exhibiting at the event include BAE Systems,
sub-sea company Perry Slingsby, Nissan and IBM. Open to all
years and free for all schools.
Date: Monday 23
June- Friday 25 June at Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring.
For
more information on the event, email Network events - yes@networkevents.ltd.uk or
call - 023 9263 1331.
FAO: Primary schools
Get your bucket and spades out!
Bring your pupils
along to Sandhaven Beach in South Shields for the 15th Annual
Sandcastle Challenge. You school will be teamed
with professionals
from architecture, design and construction in the aim to design and build the
best and most original sand structure
around a given theme. Organised by local charity Children North
East and RIBA North East (Royal Institute of British Architects), the
Sandcastle Challenge
is a fantastic and fun event to get your pupils involved with. Each primary
school will be competing
to win one
of the five prizes of £200!
Date: Friday 3 July
at Sandhaven Beach, South Shields from 10.00am-4.00pm.
To
sign your school up, contact Catrina Flynn - catrina.flynn@children-ne.org,
tel -0191 256 2444 or go to - www.children-ne.org/
FAO: Secondary schools History teachers
The Great History Project Auction
Would you be interested in developing new projectsand sessions with museums in the North East? Do you
have project ideas that you
would like to see developed at a North East Museum and Gallery? The
North East Regional Museums Hub invites you to become part
of the new network of History Teachers and Museum Educators and
join your colleagues at the Great History Project Auction. The event
will offer you the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with other
history educators and create new, innovative partnerships.
Date: Tuesday 7 July at The Great North Museum:
Hancock from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Places at the auction event are
limited
so booking is essential.
The North East Regional Museums Hub have also set up a social
networking site for the members to keep in touch and follow the
progress of any projects and partnerships taking place.
For more information or to book
a place at the Great History Project Auction, contact Thomas Elwick - thomas.elwick@twmuseums.org.uk,
call - 0191 263 9860 or email -
hubeducation@twmuseums.org.uk.
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
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.
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
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................
News round-up
Regional news
·
Young
writers use creativity to change the world in Climate Change schools project
(Journal Live)
·
Engineering
show returns to the region (bdaily)
Northumberland
·
Northumberland
pupils spread seeds of diversity (Journal
Live)
·
Duchess
High School rocked by second death (Journal
Live)
·
Pupils
get dads to join in challenge (News Post Leader)
·
Concerns
at overspend with Cramlington school refurbishment (News
Post Leader)
·
Children
have a field day at Glendale countryside event (Journal Live)
Tyne and Wear
·
Sunderland
pupils get a taste of Oxford University life (Sunderland Echo)
·
Pupils
celebrate history in song (Sunderland Echo)
·
Gateshead
pupils grill CBI business chief (bdaily)
·
Sunderland
School's menu gets spiced up (Sunderland Echo)
·
Gateshead
pupils mark centenary with Edwardian events (Chronicle Live)
·
Some
Tyneside schools could close under council plans (Journal
Live)
Durham
·
YMCA
to help troubled North Durham youngsters with their schooling (The
Northern Echo)
·
Sedgefield
Primary School celebrates centenary (Gazette
Live)
·
Shildon
pupils relive Victorian schooldays (The Northern Echo)
·
County
Durham primary school plans 'an absolute nightmare' (The
Northern Echo)
Tees Valley
·
Teacher
runs for school funds (The Northern Echo)
·
School
plans to boost Yarm economy (bdaily)
·
Glowing
Ofsted report for Teesdale school (The Northern Echo)
·
Darlington
schools' progress rated outstanding (The Northern Echo)
·
Swine
flu hits Teesside High School (Gazette
Live)
·
Darlington
school extension set for approval (The Northern Echo)
·
Darlington
school set for early demolition (The Northern Echo)
National news
Politics and Education
·
Dawn
Primarolo replaces Beverley Hughes as children's minister (Children and Young People
Now)
·
Ed Balls remains as Children's
Secretary (Children and Young People Now)
·
Speculation
grows over who will replace Ed Balls and Beverley Hughes (Children
and Young People Now)
·
Hughes
quits as government shake-up looms (TES)
·
What
schools can learn from the MPs' expenses scandal (Daily Telegraph)
·
Education
bill gives Ed Balls and John Denham 153 new powers (Guardian)
Girls outperforming boys
·
Men 'out-performed at
university' (BBC Online)
·
GCSEs
'put girls on path to beating boys at university' (Daily Mail)
·
White
and male? Go to the bottom of the class (Daily
Mail)
·
English
should not just be a subject for girls (Independent)
·
Nice
girls more likely to get good grades at school (Daily Telegraph)
·
Tear
up these exams or we're going to leave our boys behind (Observer)
·
GCSEs
blamed for boys not going to university (Observer)
·
Women
are soaring ahead of men at university
(Sunday Times)
·
Girls
will take up 70 per cent of university places, says new study (Sunday Telegraph)
Academies
·
City
academies on par with poorly performing schools (Children
and Young People Now)
Education white paper
·
TDA bonus scheme for teachers in
challenging schools (Children and Young People Now)
·
£10,000
to lure teachers to disadvantaged schools (Independent)
·
Challenging schools offer bonus to teachers (Daily Telegraph)
·
Plans
for report cards in next week's white paper (TES)
·
Plan to give parents
the power to oust underperforming headmasters (Daily Mail)
A’ levels
·
Students
face university entrance test in row over 'easy' A-levels (Daily
Telegraph)
SATS
·
Hundreds
of SATs examiners wrongly disqualified (Guardian)
·
Sugar
and spice and all things nice. That's why girls do better in exams
(TES)
·
Further
threat to troubled SATs tests (Daily Telegraph)
·
SATs
crisis as markers are axed in error (Daily Mirror)
·
New
marking hitch for SATs tests (BBC News)
·
French
GCSE pupils sit 2008 exams (BBC News)
·
Hundreds
of SATs examiners wrongly disqualified (Guardian)
·
Activities
'improve exam results' (BBC News)
Single sciences
·
CBI
reaction to school science figures (CBI Press Release)
·
Schools
rapped over GCSE sciences (BBC News)
·
Schools
shunning science 'in favour of easier courses' (Daily Telegraph)
Other educational news
·
Edu-babble
is turning schoolchildren into ‘customers’ (Times
Online)
·
Soham
advice ignored by 60% of schools (TES)
·
Sick
leave due to stress doubles (TES)
·
Number
of teachers abandoning state schools for private sector quadruples
(Daily Telegraph)
·
Are
disabled teachers getting a raw deal? (Independent)
·
We
need to set up a new standards agency (Independent)
·
Teachers
fear new restraint rules (Children and Young People Now)
·
Independent
boarding schools get £10,000 to take vulnerable children (The Independent)
·
DCSF
seeks free transport reform (Children and Young People Now)
·
Faith
schools and contradictions (Times)
·
Poll
finds 57% think faith schools are divisive (Guardian)
·
LSC staff resist move to councils
(Children and Young People Now)
·
Visa
warning from private schools (BBC News)
·
Private
schools' poor pupils claim (Financial Times)
·
Children
in London and Katine, Uganda, had a chat online (Guardian)
·
Rose
report places technology centre stage in primary curriculum
(Guardian)
·
Sandpits
disappearing from playgrounds as councils blame health and safety (Daily
Telegraph)
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Star pupils:
Fell Dyke Primary school pupils
The voices of the future took on the voice of business last week, when pupils at Fell
Dyke primary put business leaders Richard
Lambert, Director General of the CBI and Ken McMeiken, CEO Greggs
PLC, in the hot seat. The
children quizzed them about careers,
education policy and MPs expenses! Lambert said that he
was very impressed by the level of preparation and quality of questions.
He encouraged pupils to think about a career in science and agreed with
students that there are too many exams and tests! On the
same day, another class from Fell Dyke were in London visiting
Parliament and were lucky enough to have a chance meeting with
the Queen. Fell Dyke’s pupils certainly now have friends in all
the right places!!
Could do better
Stress
A recent survey carried out by Teachers TV has shown that
teachers taking leave due to stress has doubled in the past two years.
Out of the 1000 Teachers questioned by the channel, four out of
five said that symptoms they experienced from teaching included
anxiety, depression,
insomnia and high blood pressure. 40% of these Teachers admitted that they felt
either too embarrassed to
report stress-related
illnesses or were concerned about a perceived lack of support from their
school.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Head to Head
Chris Hutchinson has been Head Teacher at Newcastle School for
Boys for the last two years. Prior to this he was running a boarding
house at an independent school in Berkshire
Last week was exciting and challenging. We had our first GCSE boys
taking public exams this year and lots of new appointments
to finalise.
The two best things that happened at school last week were: 1) making swords
with Year 2 on ‘Castle Day.’ 2) Appointing two
outstanding new teachers as Head of Juniors and Head of
Infants
The biggest disappointment at school last week was having to remind
pupils that uniform means uniform, even when the sun is out.
The funniest thing that has happened at school last week was going wine tasting
with the ‘Friends of NSB’ ahead of our summer
BBQ.
The one thing would have made my job easier last week would have being having
more than 24 hours in a day!!
Top of your to do list for this week is to sort out the
timetable and class allocations for September.
My hero of last week was Roger Federer.
My villain of last week was Stuart Broad! (The Cricketer)
If I could do it all again.....I would acknowledge that it is
impossible to be in two places at once.
My question for next week’s Head is: What are you
looking forward to in 2010?
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Funding and opportunities
Leaders in International
Development (LiID) programme now recruiting
Would you like to develop your
educational leadership skills by working in developing African countries,
supporting their educational
system development for three
months? This exciting new programme, run by the international development
charity Voluntary Service
Overseas (VSO), NCSL, the
National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and
College Leaders
(ASCL) is currently recruiting
school leaders for the next cohort heading overseas in 2010. The deadline for
applications is 16 June
2009. Each volunteer’s UK
school receives £5,000 to help cover costs incurred during a school leader's
secondment, which also
enables middle and senior
leaders to step up and develop their leadership skills while the Head Teacher
or senior leader steps out.
Returning volunteers bring back
a wealth of experience, knowledge and inspirational leadership challenges that
pupils and staff will
learn from. See the VSO
website for further details.
To apply for the next LiID
scheme or to request more information, email – enquiry@vso.org.uk
putting school leader in the subject line and
providing your postal address.
Anti-racist education workshops
Anti-racist charity Show Racism
the Red Card, offer free workshops and resources to schools (and youth groups)
in the region. The
workshops tackle general issues surrounding racism or can focus on more
specific areas such as racism towards asylum seekers and
refugees,
travellers and Islamophobia. They combine education with football
training that is delivered by professional coaches and ex-
football players and managers.
Show Racism the Red Card also organise festival and family fun days across the
region. To book a
workshop for your school or to
access anti-racism games and resources for your pupils, go to - www.srtrc.org/home.
For more information email laurahagan@redcard.org, call - 0191
257 8519, or go to – www.redcard.org
Join the school meal campaign!
The Million Meals campaign aims
to increase the take-up of school meals and implement positive changes to the
health and
wellbeing of pupils. Sign your
school up to take part and receive free resources, support and expert advice on
how to increase
the number of children having
school lunches and make improvements. The ‘School of the Month’ initiative
celebrates
achievements by schools taking
part in the campaign and offers you the chance to win £5,000 pounds worth of
dining or kitchen
equipment.
To sign your school up, go to –
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/millionmeals
FAO: Secondary schools
Get ready for 2010
Keep up to date with all the developments in GCSE specifications
for Maths, English, ICT and the new Functional Skills qualifications
in preparation for 2010.The AQA website and news updates aim to
guide you through the changes so you're 2010 ready.
For information on the GCSE
specifications and to sign up for the updates, go to - http://2010ready.aqa.org.uk
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Wise words
Either I will find a
way, or I will make one."
Philip Sidney
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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