Two brand new conferences have been announced to take place alongside BETT 2011, the world’s largest educational technology show, at London, Olympia. The first, ‘World Education Leaders @ BETT’, will gather policy makers and influencers from across the globe, on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 January. The emphasis throughout will be on how education systems can best prepare learners for future challenges. Attention will be paid to how far technology solutions are being effectively used to this end.

Over 100 students gathered at The Atrium of 1000 Lakeside in North Harbour to take part in an innovative new educational programme from Brune Park Community College entitled ‘Maths and Dance, Give it a Chance’ which has been designed to demonstrate mathematical concepts through contemporary dance.

Relatives of world renowned author, poet, playwright, essayist and literary critique D H Lawrence, who originated from Eastwood and was a pupil at Nottingham High School from 1898 to 1901, have recently visited the School.

Voice: the union for education professionals – which represents teachers, lecturers, heads, education support staff and childcarers across the UK – has condemned the Coalition Government’s first budget as “destructive”. 

This year Armed Forces Day is on 26th June. The day is an annual opportunity for the nation to show support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from current Service personnel to Service families, veterans and cadets.

Education company RM is launching a new competition called designOne to get schools across the country to design their own computer frontage, for the chance to win and help build their very own customised RM One PC. Winners will also receive a unique learning experience for their school at RM’s educational technology REAL (Rethinking Education And Learning) Centre.

The UK has one of the most advanced education technology markets in Europe, with nearly all schools already having an interactive whiteboard. This represented around 55,000 boards in 2009, according to research from Panasonic. In many other countries such as France, where only 20 per cent of schools are equipped with an interactive whiteboard, the education technology market is still in its infancy.

New research by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) indicates there is significant variance between the way private nurseries and nursery units within state schools are providing early years education, and how they are using technology and other activities to teach young children.

Polam Hall School in Darlington is gearing up to welcome a special mystery guest from a popular children’s drama during the summer break.

Economic renewal, skills development and job creation must remain top priorities for the Welsh Assembly Government in a period during which public sector budgets come under increasing pressure, according to a key report out today (May 19^th).

A Leeds primary school pupil is to have his work seen by thousands of people from all over the world after winning a competition to design a postcard to be given out to visitors at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Soccer legend Gary Neville is backing a campaign which aims to bring a smile to hundreds of bullied young people.

Bully Free Zone will launch its new Save a Smile campaign on Monday, May 10 with Gary as special guest.

The England and Manchester United player recently became a patron of the charity and has pledged his support to give young people a reason to smile again.

Since the last issue of Education Today went to press, the government has dropped reforms to make PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education) statutory in schools after failing to win Conservative support. Compulsory financial education for young people in the UK now appears unlikely in the near future.

More than three quarters of teachers (77%) think engaging schoolchildren in election manifesto topics will nurture a future generation of politically active citizens, according to new research commissioned by British Gas’ Generation Green schools programme. The study marks the launch of a new set of interactive teaching resources designed to help teachers run mock elections in their classrooms.

Orbit HomeBuy Agents have welcomed the launch of a new mortgage that will help teachers who have been struggling to get onto the property ladder. 

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker MP has appointed the Kids Taskforce to lead a nationwide safety campaign in Britain's primary schools with a budget of £750,000 with immediate effect.

The Kids Taskforce creates personal safety programmes to teach pupils how to manage risk and lead safer lives. The campaign is supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Chief Fire Officers' Association and the Professional Footballers' Association. It aims to reach every child in England with important safety messages using a website and personal workbooks which each child will own, and can use at home.

NCFE’s chief executive is advising colleges and training providers to retain a level of caution following the faintly encouraging plans emerging from today’s budget.

Places in education or training have been guaranteed for all 16 to 17 year olds, as well as an extension of guaranteed jobs, work placements or training for all 18 to 24 year olds until March 2012. Darling also announced a higher, albeit unspecified, number of apprenticeships.

David Grailey, chief executive at NCFE, said: “The recovering economy’s need for skills means that further education and universities are going to get a share of the funds available, and although we can take heart from this faintly encouraging news, the devil will definitely be in the detail.

Almost a third of parents know very little or nothing about the out-of-hours activities and services offered through their child’s school, according to a poll released today by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).  Many parents had no idea whether services such as parenting support, school holiday activities, study support or breakfast clubs were available. 

As well as feeling out of the loop, a similar proportion (36 per cent) felt that their views on additional services are not really taken into account.  Parents would like to see more school holiday activities on offer, along with sessions aimed at parents such as social events, information sessions on their child’s education and adult learning, highlighting the need to improve communication and consultation with parents.

We are on the cusp of major changes in the funding and provision of post-16 education and training.  A key part of this is the setting up of the new Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA), which I will have the privilege to chair from its inception this April.

The YPLA will champion young people by providing financial support to young learners, by funding academies for all their provision and by supporting local authorities’ commissioning of suitable education and training opportunities for all 16-19 year olds.

£167m of additional funding for out-of-hours school activities is being rolled out nationally from April this year.  The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is helping schools improve access to activities for economically disadvantaged children.

The subsidy is designed to improve equal opportunities in schools.  All pupils will now have the chance to take advantage of the extended services provided by their school, such as after-school clubs and holiday activities.  Economically disadvantaged children and young people and children in care, might not otherwise be able to afford some or all of the charges associated with taking part.

Heavy snow on the opening day of BETT failed to deter visitors from attending the world’s largest technology in education show. According to official figures, 29,736* educators, teachers, and leaders graced the halls of Olympia, London, over four days from 13-16 January.

Reinforcing its position as the largest, most impressive show of its kind, BETT pulled out all the stops to bring visitors the latest innovations in education and the best Continual Professional Development (CPD) opportunities available.

With the forecast for heavy snow and freezing temperatures, exhibitors were apprehensive, yet the show saw a massive turnout with visitor attendance less than one per cent shy of last year’s record of 30,007.

More than 180,000 telephone enquiries have been made and over 100,000 application packs sent out, just three weeks into the national roll-out of the Home Access programme. Around 3,500 partners, including a number of local authorities, have already registered to provide ongoing support and advice to those hoping to apply and the Home Access team is keen to increase this figure.

Schools are set to save millions this year-end by storming the IT market en masse with their surplus balances.

Following the Secretary of State’s challenge to schools to save £780 million through more collective buying - and the Schools Minister’s warning that Local Authorities “have the power to claw back excess, uncommitted surpluses” - staff across the country have turned to online, mass-buying events in order to stretch their remaining budgets.  Department figures have revealed that surplus balances totalled £1.92 billion in 2008/9.

The UK’s first integrated youth card ‘Street Base Connect’ will pilot in Eastbury Comprehensive School, Barking from next month.

Street Base Connect, launched by Barking and Dagenham Council and NHS Barking and Dagenham, has been designed specifically to encourage young people from 11-19 years old to lead healthier, more active lives.

By taking positive actions like choosing healthier meals in their school lunch, taking part in sporting activities or volunteering for charities, the card holders will earn rewards points that they can trade in for exciting incentives.

The world’s most prominent ministers, policymakers and influencers in the education and skills sector gather today in London for the official opening of the Learning and Technology World Forum 2010, the largest international event on the use of technology in education, taking place at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre from 11 – 13 January.

The Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP officially opened the Forum by launching the national rollout of Home Access, a government programme managed by Becta, the UK government's agency responsible for driving the effective use of technology in education, which provides grants for computer and internet access to low income families.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families today joined forces with Sarah Brown, Henry Winkler (aka The Fonz), First News and Pritt at No.10 Downing Street to launch a campaign focused on improving attitudes towards children with SEN and building their self-esteem.

The First News My Way! campaign will run in First News, the children’s weekly newspaper and will be fronted by Henry Winkler. Henry’s dyslexia wasn’t picked up until he was 30 and this has motivated him to change perceptions of SEN and inspire young people. 

The majority decision in the Supreme Court is a correct restating of the law on direct discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity.  The Court recited earlier cases which established the test for direct discrimination and which have been applied “time and time again”.  The intention or motive of the defendant to discriminate irrelevant to liability.  The key question is why did the complainant receive less favourable treatment?  Was it on the grounds of race?  Was it for some other reason?  If it was for some other non-discriminatory reason, the claim fails.  If the less favourable treatment was on the grounds of race, the claim succeeds.  The tests of justification and proportionality which apply in indirect discrimination cases are not relevant to claims arising from direct discrimination.

School software provider, Bromcom, has made a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in relation to what Bromcom considers to be anti-competitive practices by Capita Children’s Services (‘Capita’).

Over the past twelve years, Bromcom believes that Capita’s charges for contracts and dominance in the UK schools software market has led to schools over paying by £75.4 million over a ten year period*.

Teacher Support Network is marking the 10^th Anniversary of its 24-hour Support Line this week - a service that has dealt with 15,555 calls over the last 12 months.

The Support Line has remained available every single day since its launch in 1999, offering free, confidential, expert advice to trainee, serving and retired teachers.

It provides support on a wide range of issues, both personal and professional, with work-related stress, workload, conflict with colleagues as well as parents, pupil behaviour and financial difficulty the most common reasons for teachers to call.

A leading child psychologist believes new tests for dyslexia could help diagnose children from a much earlier age than before.

Doctor Peter Gardner, Chartered Educational Psychologist and Founder Director of Appleford School in Shrewton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, says the tests could help children and their parents feel more comfortable about overcoming difficulties with reading.

Dyslexia Awareness Week runs until Saturday 7th November and organisers are asking people to focus on the strengths those with dyslexia can bring to the community.

Government announcements are often criticised for being made in haste, but this is not a charge that can easily be levelled at the Higher Education Framework announced by the Government this week.  It has been a long time coming, and its gestation period (which the Conservatives' David Willetts has likened to that of an elephant), has spanned both the creation and abolition of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

So was it worth waiting for?  There is certainly much to welcome for employers and indeed for everyone with an interest in seeing the UK maximise its world position on higher-level skills.  The title of the document is ‘Higher Ambitions', and that is indeed what seems to be on offer.

***TEA WARNING***: there are about 15 minutes worth of SERIOUSLY good short films to watch in the course of this feature - you might like to make a beverage before you start.

SciCast is the sister project of the estimable www.planet-science.com, hence the name, FYI - neither of them are particularly about planets.

In a nutshell, SciCast is a film-making competition and resource, for everyone, about Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM).

A young person is seriously injured in a UK workplace every 40 minutes and 66 under-19s have been killed at work in the last ten years. 

As part of its ongoing campaign to educate young people about the risks they may face in the workplace, the British Safety Council is launching a national video competition for schools designed to encourage students to understand the possible dangers through an exciting learning experience.

Every state-funded school in the country can now experience the potentially life changing adventure that is FILMCLUB.  This exciting after-school club which provides FREE access to thousands of classic and popular films as well as to film industry events, news and talent is running a series of 29 free induction and training events at venues across the UK throughout October and November.

Since its launch FILMCLUB has been endorsed by film industry professionals and educationalists alike:

"FILMCLUB is incredible. Through it children will be exposed to different worlds, new cultures and the limitless possibilities life has to offer.  I made up my mind what I wanted to do when I was a young school kid - perhaps FILMCLUB will inspire children to decide what they want to do."

Actor, Ewan McGregor

Schoolchildren across England and Wales have the chance to get their hands on free Ordnance Survey maps, as the national mapping agency launches the Free maps for 11-year-olds scheme today (3 September).

The initiative offers every Year 7 pupil a free OS Explorer Map and has been an overwhelming success since its launch in 2002, with the 5 millionth map given away last year.

With schools across the country getting ready for the new school year, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is urging teachers to log onto its new, free online resource for teachers - Tax Matters.

Specifically designed for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), Business Studies and Citizenship teachers of pupils aged 11-19, the Tax Matters resource contains three new teaching modules, to help secondary school pupils gain an understanding of how tax is raised, what the main taxes are, and what they ultimately pay for.

The CBI congratulated students and their teachers on their GCSE results today (Thursday).

In particular, Susan Anderson, CBI Director of Education & Skills policy, applauded students' achievements in maths, where 57.2% achieved a grade C or above, and in English, where 62.7% attained this level.

Teacher Support Network today congratulated all teachers who have helped deliver improved exam results across England this year.

There has been an increase in A-Level pass rates and those students gaining A grades, with one in eight students achieving straight As.

Teacher Support Network Chief Executive, Julian Stanley, said: "We'd like to congratulate teachers for the pivotal role they have played in improving exams results and academic achievements of pupils across the country.

On the eve of the publication of the latest A-Level results, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning that small businesses are struggling to recruit young workers with basic skills.

The FPB is supporting ‘Backing Young Britain', a government initiative pledging £1 billion for employers in order to create 50,000 new jobs for 18-to-24-year-olds by October 2009. However, following an Ofsted report highlighting "disappointing" results in the ‘functional skills' courses that form part of the trial of Government's new diplomas, which it hopes will eventually replace A-levels and GCSEs, the FPB is concerned that the education system is not adequately preparing young people for the world of work.

The Suppliers Association for Learning Technology and Interoperability in Schools (SALTIS) is to play a key role in a new project being managed by BECTA for the UK government's Information Standards Board for UK education (ESCS ISB). The project will improve interoperability between Learning Platforms and Digital Learning Content in UK schools.

Research results published today show that Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks have prevented around 98,000 unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults in the past five years.

Customer satisfaction rates are also at an all time high with 94 per cent of customers saying they are satisfied with the service provided by the CRB.

For three years, supply2.gov.uk has advertised thousands of public sector procurement opportunities worth up to £100,000 - making the website ideally suited to small and medium sized businesses.

The fee that was previously charged to search the site across the UK will now be removed, providing firms with better access to public sector contracts to help their businesses grow.

More than 3,000 young readers from 17 disadvantaged areas across the UK are taking part in the WHSmith Trust Summer Read this summer, in an effort to combat negative stereotypes of reading and increase reading enjoyment. The initiative launches as today's Key Stage 2 national test results show that one fifth of 11-year-olds in England are not reaching expected standards in English.

Barking and Dagenham Council has been given the green light by The Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCSF) to proceed with its Building Schools for the Future Programme - worth over £270m.

The project will see all nine secondary schools and Trinity special school in Barking and Dagenham transformed through a combination of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing ones.

The first Youth Commission report, capturing the views of the nation's 10-25 year olds on government plans to raise the participation age to 18, finds young people critical of an exam heavy curriculum.

The commission established by independent education foundation Edge and supported by the Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families, found that while 58 per cent of young people are in favour of raising the participation age to 18 (31 per cent against), changes need to be made to ensure the education system brings out the best in students.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is holding an embargoed press conference to launch a new clinical guideline on when to suspect child maltreatment.

The guidance aims to provide a summary of clinical features associated with maltreatment that may be observed when a child presents to the NHS. When used in routine practice, the guidance should prompt healthcare professionals who are not specialists in child protection to think about the possibility of maltreatment. Its purpose is to support initial clinical suspicion before a child has been referred to children's social care services or to a specialist child protection team.

Six local authorities have been given the green-light for their Building Schools for the Future programmes (BSF), Schools Secretary Ed Balls announced today.

Barnet, Bolton, Hampshire, Peterborough, Sunderland and Wigan are the first in a series of ‘rolling starts' for the remaining 70 local authority projects yet to join BSF and follow-up projects in existing BSF authorities.

These projects have been assessed as fully ready to deliver and will join more than 1000 individual building, rebuilding or renewal BSF projects already under way across 80 local authorities in England