Ideas, Practices & Personal Insights

Laptop trolley jargon busting

According to the latest ICT Provision and Use in Schools report by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), the average UK secondary school has around 86 laptops. Even more extraordinarily, the same report holds that, of the 2.5 million computers currently used by pupils in UK schools, the majority of them are laptops. With so many schools favouring portable computers, laptop storage and charging trolleys are now commonplace in our classroom, providing ...

Using iPad applications for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)

It's no doubt that smart phones and mobile devices have changed the way we work, rest and play. For millions of users, the i-revolution has changed the way we read our news, connect with friends and manage our banking. And now, it’s changed the way we deliver augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) . With a growing number of AAC applications (knows as ‘apps’) available via iTunes, not only does it ...

An introduction to Drama in the Primary classroom

At the core of all drama is the concept of shared experience: of sharing thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions and information. Drama also, by its very nature, encourages participants to explore personal and social issues and builds self-esteem. But drama is at its most effective when used in the primary classroom to support and enhance thinking and learning. For example, when reading and discussing the traditional story of Goldilocks and the ...

Smarter financial management

Commencing September 2011, the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS) will be implemented in some schools. This will change the way in which schools financial management is audited and the individuals accountable for audit. School Governors will have increased responsibility to ensure that all expenditure represents good value and public money is safeguarded. Governors should also ensure that they have an affiliated representative with adequate financial experience and knowledge who can work ...

How schools should comply with Information Law

Do The Data Protection Act & Freedom of Information Act in Education apply to you? It depends on who you are, where you are and how you are funded. A simple answer is that all schools in the UK have to comply with the Data Protection Act. It’s a reserved power. Even this simple answer is complicated by whether you are a state funded school in Scotland in which ...

Be aware of urban fox problems in London schools

Urban fox activity in London schools is on the increase. Problems occur when foxes start persistently fouling, urinating, damaging property and harbouring underneath classrooms or even in roof voids above classrooms. The main risk of having fox activity around a school is the risk of disease transmission. As foxes are part of the dog family, they can harbour many contagious diseases. Most foxes will carry external parasites such as fleas ...

The importance of nature in our schools

One of the most important things children must learn about is the environment in which we all live. How the food chain works, how nature is a force, which works in ways we don’t know about and don’t think about as much as we should, how for every action there is a reaction. In this day and age of computer games and the internet, children must be encouraged ...

Catering: reasons to be cheerful (part one)

Through my involvement with catering in the education sector over the last 20 years or so, I have seen many business cycles. In state schools we have gone from the service of a very limited, home cooked but highly subsidised offer; to very commercial burger, chips and fizzy drinks with little staff input and profit returns; then Jamie Oliver’s intervention causing mass panic; to today, with the emergence of a ...

Handwriting: cover the page or colour it?

According to a recent BBC press release, the state of Indiana is the latest in a succession of US states which will not require its schoolchildren to learn joined-up, or cursive, writing. The move is part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which aims to ensure consistency in US education and makes no mention of handwriting. Some critics say writing well is a vital skill for life and builds ...

Purpose-built education games vs commercial entertainment games

This article compares Purpose Built Education Games to Commercial Entertainment Games in terms of their use in the classroom. The comparison is done using the five factors: design, delivery, technology & support, outcomes and cost. DesignDoes the game provide a sense of realism (as opposed to pure fantasy)? Commercial entertainment games (CEnG) provide a visually compelling experience for the player and can provide a chance to practice “authentic” activities. Unfortunately, ...

Are you as smart as a Year 6 in technology?

I’ve been teaching technology to year 1 through to year 6 for almost fifteen years. Parents and colleagues are constantly amazed that I can get the littlest learners to pay attention, remember, and have fun with the skills that are required to grow into competent, enthusiastic examples of the Web 2.0 generation. I have a confession to make: it’s not as hard as it looks. Sure, those first few reception months, ...

You can’t decode phonemes while they move around - but you can make the problem go away

The government is quite right to support the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in schools, and the forthcoming matched funding initiative for KS1 Phonics materials will be a welcome boost for many schools who need to invest in phonics resources at this level. It will also be a bonanza for the publishers who have got their programmes selected for the catalogue of approved resources to be released by ESPO later ...