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First aid lessons will become compulsory in 2020
From 2020 it will be compulsory for all school children in England to be taught First Aid. The move, announced by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, means the government’s relationships, sex and health education curriculum will be taught in all state-funded schools in England from September 2020.
Starting this month, 1,600 schools in England will be trialling first aid classes as part of the pilot in preparation for the full roll-out next year. Primary school children will be taught… Full story
Should children be allowed to skip school to attend protests?
A survey, commissioned by the National Citizen Service has revealed that 61% of teachers questioned agreed that pupils should be allowed an “explained absence” to take part in a social activism activity and attend protests or marches.
The National Citizen Service poll found that 8% of teachers polled relayed that 10 or more pupils at their school had missed lessons in 2018/2019 to take part in protests, such as those on climate change.
The National Citizen Service is trialling a new one day… Full story
HART Prize for Human Rights 2019 winners
The HART Prize for Human Rights aims to raise awareness of global conflict and poverty amongst young people in the UK. Anyone between the ages of 11-25 are encouraged to enter an essay or creative piece which critically examines the human rights abuses occurring in any of the countries where HART operates. It is a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation to engage with crucial humanitarian issues that are often absent from the mainstream media.
Winners are rewarded with a cash… Full story
Twinkl creates industry buzz with new EdTech accelerator TwinklHive
Twinkl Educational Publishing is launching a new start-up accelerator which will bring together and provide support to emerging education technology companies. The accelerator, named TwinklHive, will support EdTech startups with a customisable investment opportunity, including options for mentorship and a cash injection.
Located near to the company's head office in Sheffield, TwinklHive has been created to catalyse an EdTech revolution and support companies that are set to transform areas of… Full story
Should all watches be banned from exams?
An inquiry into the extent of malpractice in exams has called for a “blanket ban” on all watches to discourage cheating. The review, which was commissioned by exam boards, has stated that it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between smart watches and traditional watches.
Currently, there are exam centres across the UK that do not allow students to wear watches at all, but according to The Independent Commission on Examination Malpractice there needs to be a complete ban in all… Full story
Students win a Diana Award for fundraising efforts
A team of fundraising students from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys has been presented with a Diana Award after raising £1,114 for Manchester-based charity Prevent Breast Cancer.
Year 11 pupil Amin Hashmi got in touch with the charity to find out how he could support them after attending a conference as part of Prevent Breast Cancer’s Student Challenge, an annual campaign launched by the charity to educate young people about its work. Amin teamed up with a group of students to plan a ‘Pink… Full story
Children are becoming more vulnerable to cybercriminals
As children head back – or off – to school, parents will naturally focus on making sure they have all the equipment they need to begin their studies. However, guardians often forget about the devices their kids take to school – the increasing number of which is making more children vulnerable to cybercriminals
The number of devices children have access to continues to increase. Research shows that 42% of five to seven year-olds now own a tablet, up seven per sent from the previous year. In… Full story
Progress on empowering schools across Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire councillors today agreed a number of key workstreams to progress with the devolution of school budgets.
As part of a national drive to empower head teachers, primary schools across the local area will have more flexibility on how budgets are used in a similar way to the way secondaries have been able to operate since April 2017.
The principles which will support head teachers and their teams in their decision-making reflect the National Improvement Framework – to ensure every… Full story
"Post-Exam Stress Disorder" Still Causes Nightmare For One In 10 Adults
Young people receive their GCSE results next week, which might also be an unpleasant reminder for parents as one in 10 adults still have nightmares about their own exam experiences and results.
This is according to research from MyTutor that explored how stressful experiences during school and university assessments can follow us through life. Coined Post-Exam Stress Disorder, a range of different anxieties still exists in half (48%) of adults, ranging from recurring nightmares to a fear of… Full story
Research offers lessons for young people heading for university
Develop your personal skills: New research offers lessons for young people heading for university
New research on the importance of non-cognitive skills – such as conscientiousness, self-esteem and feeling in control of one’s life – for graduates’ earnings potential offers important lessons for young people receiving their A-level results.
The study by Gerda Buchmueller and Professor Ian Walker, of Lancaster University Management School, confirms previous evidence on the importance of… Full story
Over half of education professionals say work has damaged their mental health
Summertime blues: Over half of education professionals say work has damaged their mental health
Are you feeling down right now? With summer drawing to a near close, a new survey from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that education professionals are feeling the effects of the upcoming seasonal change, with over half (56.9%) claiming that work is damaging their mental health.
The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, found that almost half (49.7%) of… Full story
Aberdeenshire’s newest teachers prepare for life in the classroom
It won’t be just the pupils that will be learning when the new session begins, Aberdeenshire’s latest intake of probationer teachers officially start their careers in the classroom soon.
Cllr Gillian Owen, Aberdeenshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee chair, Director of Education and Children’s Services Laurence Findlay, and Head of Education Vincent Docherty formally welcomed the latest cohort at an event at Meldrum Academy today (Friday, August 16).
Cllr Owen said: “… Full story
NewVIc students achieve stand out results!
Students and staff celebrate a fantastic year of results seeing an increase in the number of students achieving A*- B A Level grades with the largest number of A*- A grades in A Level Biology, Chemistry and Maths. In Level 3 extended diplomas, students also achieved fantastic results with more than 50% of students achieving a Triple Distinction - equivalent to 3 A grade A Levels.
Other stand out A Level subjects included Computer Science, French, Further Maths and Spanish, where 100% of… Full story
Twinkl, Twinkl, big star: Publisher opens second office in Sheffield
Twinkl Educational Publishing has gone from shining star to supernova after opening its second office in the city of Sheffield, following rapid growth.
The company, which provides an online catalogue of over 625,000 resources and services for schools and educators, has purchased a 20,000 sq.ft building at Hallamshire Business Park on Napier Street.
Over 90 team members have moved to the new building, with others continuing to work from the company’s headquarters at the nearby Wards Exchange… Full story
Rolls-Royce and Discovery Education bring STEM to primary schools
An exciting new partnership to inspire the next generation of scientists was launched at Rolls-Royce HQ in Derby recently. Teachers from local primary schools visited the Rolls-Royce Learning and Development Centre to celebrate the start of the new initiative, which sees the company joining forces with Discovery Education to support STEM learning.
Developed to spark children’s interest in future STEM careers, the pioneering collaboration will provide classroom resources to 40 primary schools… Full story
Cardiff primary teacher wins Twinkl Teacher of the Year 2019
A Cardiff primary school teacher has been awarded Teacher of the Year 2019 for her outstanding work at Lakeside Primary School, Cyncoed.
Holly Buse, who teaches Year 5 at Lakeside, was recognised for her efforts as part of the Twinkl Awards 2019 run by the international educational resource publisher, Twinkl.
Teaching staff from across the UK were asked to nominate their colleagues for the awards by providing testimonials about the impact they have had on their school and pupils.
Holly won… Full story
1decision awarded PSHE Association Quality Mark
1decision, part of Headway learning resources, has been awarded the PSHE Association Quality Mark for its Key Stage 2 classroom materials.
With Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) reaching a pivotal point in UK schooling, and Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education becoming statutory from September 2020, this national recognition for 1decision could not be better timed.
The programme, which already held the PSHE Association Quality Mark for its Key Stage 1… Full story
Exams success for Aberdeenshire pupils
Exams success sees improvements in attainment levels for Aberdeenshire pupils
Aberdeenshire’s 6,000 senior pupils are finding out how they did in their exams today (Tue, Aug 6) in a year that has seen attainment levels improve locally for those in S4, S5 and S6.
Pupils across the area this year entered for a total of 30,000 courses across 65 qualification areas at SCQF levels 2-7.
The wide range of subject areas saw pupils study for vocational and academic exams covering the creative arts… Full story
University of Derby Dean of Students to receive prestigious award
University of Derby Dean of Students to receive prestigious National Teaching Fellowship award
Fiona Shelton, the University of Derby’s Dean of Students, is to receive a National Teaching Fellowship – the most prestigious individual award in higher education.
Fiona, who began her career in higher education in 2003, has been awarded the accolade in recognition of her contribution to teaching excellence at the University.
The Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship scheme has been running… Full story
NASBTT statement: Scrapping skills tests
The Department for Education (DfE) has today confirmed that it will withdraw the professional skills test at the end of the current recruitment style.
These tests are undertaken to assess the core skills that teachers need to fulfil their professional role in schools, rather than the subject knowledge needed for teaching, to ensure that all teachers are competent in numeracy and literacy, regardless of their specialism. Currently, all trainee teachers have to pass skills tests in numeracy and… Full story
Gratnells consolidates STEM packaging expertise with international partnership
Gratnells, the global leader in educational storage solutions, based in Harlow, has continued its commitment to enhancing worldwide classrooms by redesigning a CoDrone STEM education kit for a robotics company in the USA.
Established 7 years ago in San Diego, California, Robolink make STEM education accessible, engaging and fun for American children and hobbyists. The company encourages students to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on robotics kits, the… Full story
Modular school buildings mythbuster
by QA Education editor Victoria Galligan
With a rising number of pupils and an ever-increasing demand for schools in the most populated areas of the country, the need for more classrooms continues to grow – and fast. Many schools find themselves stuck in older buildings which now cost a lot to maintain or, worse still, are no longer fit for purpose.
Here, we look at the modern methods of construction (MMC) which are changing the landscape of the building trade and ask: is modular right for… Full story
How Twinkl Parents has progressed in the last 10 months
In August 2018, Twinkl Parents was launched, a service designed to meet the needs of an increasing number of parents accessing and subscribing to the Twinkl website.
The service provides resources ranging from flash-cards and activity sheets to online educational games and apps.
Jay Wynn, who manages the Parents service at Twinkl, said: “We wanted to create a service to address the universal challenges parents and guardians face raising children. The team's mantra is “made by teachers,… Full story
Schoolworks Celebrates SATS Progress
Dave Ayers, Head of School at River Beach Primary in Littlehampton, which is celebrating its best ever SATs results
Schoolsworks has announced its unverified Key Stage 2 SATs results for 2019, which show that the multi-academy trust is having a positive impact on school improvement. For schools which have been in the Trust for more than 3 years this year's combined RWM is 67% against a national average for combined RWM this year of 65%.
Schoolsworks is a growing multi-academy trust, based on… Full story