Latest articles from the Innovate My School community.

The benefits of opening up school facilities for community use are manifest. It benefits users such as community groups and sporting clubs by providing them with facilities, while schools can generate vital income and build strong community bonds. Kajima Community works with over 380 schools nationwide to streamline and manage their lettings process. For schools, this can provide a valuable source of income at a time of stricken education budgets. Last year, schools using their BookingsPlus service raised £16.3 million: an average of £43,000 per school.

Greater community cohesion benefits pupils - opening up opportunities for work experience with lettings partners, providing access to specialist coaches and stimulating a sense of community responsibility. Schools are public facilities, and should be a resource for the wider community. With over 15 years of experience in community lettings, Kajima Community works closely with its partners to understand their needs matching them with those of the local community.

For further ideas on how best to embrace Community Partnerships, check out the below content, running all through April and May!

Interview (20)

Images courtesy of interviewees. // Performing Arts at MCA.

Once upon a time in Manchester [interview]

After their big win at the 2017 TES Awards, we wanted to discover just how Manchester Communication Academy (MCA) capitalises on the city’s rich culture and history. We sat down with principal John Rowlands to find out more, and were soon joined by vice principal extraordinaire Patsy Hodson!

Ask IAN: Teacher wellbeing in three simple steps [interview]

Former BESA chair of edtech Maria Brosnan is on a mission to boost teacher wellbeing. Here, she shares her inspiration, her concerns about one SLT role in particular, and her three-step method for wellbeing success.

Why the world must unite for education [interview]

How best to build pedagogic bridges across the world? We recently had a lively Skype conversation with Stewart Cook (Frances Olive Anderson Primary School in Lincolnshire) and Myassar Al Itani (Mohammad Shamel State School in Beirut) on their award-winning, transglobal partnership. The two educators were meeting at a Connecting Classrooms event in Amman, Jordan, and were keen to tell us about the power of such a collaboration….

From special measures to School of the Year [interview]

When a school wins twice at one of the world’s biggest education awards ceremonies, the sector takes notice. Here, we sit down with Malcolm Drakes, executive headteacher of The Learning Federation, to see how Broadford Primary School has developed since its 2017 victory.

How one woman’s refugee-journey fuels her edu-innovations [interview]

Rusul Alrubail is a literacy guru, TEDx speaker, writer, student voice advocate and social justice activist. Her tireless efforts in education are fuelled, in part, by her experiences as an Iraqi refugee. Now settled in Toronto, Rusul recently took the time to tell us more about her work and insights.

Mental health, teacher workload and secret identities [interview]

Until recently, ‘That Boy Can Teach’ was a whisper on the wind of education. Writing under a pseudonym, he quickly became a trusted, popular name in helping teachers and school leaders to reach their full potential (while being humble enough to balk at such a description). Now, however, Iron Man’s helmet has been removed, and Tony Stark - or rather, school leader Aidan Severs - has been revealed to ...

Changing the future through careers education [interview]

Stephen Logan is both a school leader and an expert on careers education (as director of National Careers Week), so we absolutely had to rendezvous with the Yorkshire-based educator to pick his brain...

Eric Sheninger (left), with superintendent Robert R. Zywicki (centre) and Trish Rubin (right) // @E_Sheninger.

Award-winning edu-author shares his top leadership insights [interview]

To discuss how school leaders can make the most of their roles, we sat down with Eric Sheninger; best-selling author, international keynote speaker and International Center for Leadership in Education senior fellow. Eric is based in Cypress, Texas, and was the award-winning principal at New Milford High School in New Jersey.

Image courtesy of Merseyside Youth Association (MYA) // Kath (centre-front) with colleagues (left to right) Leigh, Damian and Tony.

Why your school needs mental health first aid [interview]

Following recent news stories regarding mental health in schools, we liaised with the Department of Health and Social Care (currently providing funding for every state Secondary school in England to receive training) to see about how schools might better handle this vital area of education.

No more boys and girls? [Interview]

In August 2017, BBC Two aired a two-part series looking at the role of gender equality in Primary education, with much of the action taking place at Lanesend Primary School on the Isle of Wight. Here, IMS editor James Cain and programme star (and Lanesend leader of learning for Years 3 and 4) Graham Andre discuss how attitudes towards gender have changed at the school.

Putting mental health first at our school [interview]

When we asked the Department of Health which schools were leading the way in mental health, they pointed straight to Tapton School in Sheffield. Assistant head Steve Rippin has been a local pioneer for mental health: from staff training and awareness sessions to school assemblies to engaging parents, mental health is well and truly on the curriculum at Tapton.

Mark Anderson on amazing apps and making 2018 your year [interview]

Mark ‘@ICTEvangelist’ Anderson is one of the world’s leading thought leaders in education. Mark lives to make the lives of teachers and school leaders easier, so when we suggested an interview, he leapt at the opportunity to share some of his favourite edu-recommendations.