Every 16-year-old should study a core of five academic GCSEs according to a new report by the independent think tank Reform. The study finds that academic study beats vocational learning in terms of personal earnings, economic growth and social mobility.  The next government should safeguard the quality of GCSEs by taking control of standards away from central quangos and handing it to groups of university academics.

The UK has dramatically slumped to the bottom of international education tables. In the past 12 years it has been overtaken by countries such as Portugal, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Korea, Ireland, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The news comes on the day the University and College Union (UCU) launches a cross-party group in Westminster to put UK education back on the map.

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*.

Singer and actress Michelle Gayle has joined national charity The Reading Agency’s drive to bring reading into the 21st century, and inspire more teenagers to read and get involved in creative activities.

During November Michelle ran a series of pioneering workshops in specialist library spaces – known as ‘HeadSpaces’ – designed by local teenagers.

The call for school leaders to take radical action is made by Jonathon Porritt CBE and Professor David Hopkins in a paper published on 7th December by the National College for the Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services.

The paper is supported by a piece of research by the Institute of Education and Forum for the Future, also commissioned by the National College, involving a study of more than 50 schools who are leading the way in developing sustainability in their school and wider community.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is asking young Britons to express their vision of a world free from prejudice as it launches Young Brits at Art 2010 in Liverpool today.

The national art award invites 11-19 year olds to explore their beliefs, opinions and judgments by asking: “What would the world look like if we lived without prejudice?”

After the success of the first year of the awards in 2009, Young Brits at Art 2010 includes new categories such as photography, sculpture and motion animation, as well as its previous sections for painting and drawing.

Applications are invited for the second round of funding available through a £500,000 accident prevention scholarship scheme.

The RoSPA/BNFL Scholarship Scheme provides funding for safety-related research that will produce defined, practical and influential outcomes to help save lives and prevent injuries.

Grants of up to £20,000 per project per year are available. The closing date for applications for the 2010 round of funding is April 2.

Higher Education and university students can now benefit from a new and unique internet based financial funding application form which is not only revolutionizing access to Government student hardship funding, but is helping overcome delays with student loans.  fafgenius offers considerable benefits to both students and HE institutions with its tailored, intelligent and bespoke funding solution.fafgenius, which has been developed by the Student Support department at Aston University, in the heart of Birmingham and Modus Creative, a marketing company based in Worcester, securely calculates ALF (Access to Learning Funds) easily and intuitively.

Michael Gove, the shadow education secretary, has announced that a Tory administration would exempt highly-qualified graduates in physics, among other science subjects and maths, from student loan repayments.

In response to the announcement, Charles Tracy, head of education pre-19 at the Institute of Physics, said, “This is a policy which seeks to address the most serious problem in physics classrooms around the country – the lack of teachers with knowledge and enthusiasm to engage and inspire our next generation of scientists.

In November 1859 Charles Darwin laid the foundations of modern evolutionary biology by publishing his landmark work ‘On the Origin of Species’.  150 years later, post-16 biology students are conducting their own experiments to investigate human evolution by extracting their own DNA and seeing how it compares with that of chimpanzees.

Nowgen, Manchester’s leading centre for genetics in healthcare, is giving school students an opportunity to take part in specialist laboratory workshops with the help of experts from The University of Manchester and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  Over 1,500 students will take part in a total of 75 workshops at the Nowgen Centre between now and July 2010.

Headteachers are among the country’s best leaders, according to a new poll of parents commissioned by the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services.

Local headteachers scored highly in the independent Ipsos MORI poll of nearly 500 parents across England, with 29 per cent saying they provide the best example of leadership, rated almost as highly as officers in the armed forces who topped the poll at 31 per cent.

Teachers and managers from across the country are invited to attend ‘Protecting Staff and Students Against Armed Attack’ at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Monday 18th January.

Over the last 10 years, nearly 400 students and staff worldwide have lost their lives to armed intruders. Speakers at the conference, who have all experienced the devastation an armed intruder can cause, will be offering practical advice on how to protect staff and students in the event of attack.

The Work Inspiration campaign (www.workinspiration.com), launched on September 15th with a Big Conversation between 100 chief executives and 100 young people, has achieved major success in its first 90 days, Sir Stuart Rose confirmed to business leaders today at Business in the Community’s AGM.

Discover if you live on rocks from an extinct volcano, in the middle of an ancient river or deep under a Caribbean-like sea teeming with exotic creatures. This is now possible with the British Geological Survey’s (BGS) release of OpenGeoscience.

OpenGeoscience is a new web service that provides geological maps for the whole of Great Britain, images from its extensive collection of photographs and a wide range of other digital information – all for free.

An LSC funded programme has generated a successful new wave of Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLAs) in the Thames Valley.

The programme aims to enrol 250 students onto PLAs, a flexible alternative to traditional apprenticeships, particularly for those unable to find employment in the current economy.

Participating colleges have included Abingdon and Witney College, Bracknell and Wokingham College, East Berkshire College, Henley College, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and Thames Valley University.

New research into dyslexia has shown that it need no longer be as debilitating for pupils as has been the case in the past.

A program that pupils and students use to draw mind maps on computers allows them to express themselves without becoming worried about their dyslexia.  Using colour, symbols, keywords, icons and images, iMindMap allows dyslexics to restructure knowledge and ideas in their own way, and dramatically speeds up their learning.   

On Thursday 22nd October 09, Scottish Investment Operations (SIO) won the Innovation in Education and Skills award that was held at the Scottish Financial Enterprise Innovators' awards for its work on developing the first Diploma in Investment Accounting.

The diploma will be delivered by two partners - the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland - and will offer for the first time a recognised and transferrable qualification in investment accounting. Prior to the creation of the specialist qualification, there was no industry-wide standard qualification for accountants working in investments or fund management.

Pupils at Alma Primary School in Enfield are putting to good use their new school Play Garden which includes an impressive Climbing Structure and water play equipment.

The huge climbing frame challenges the students to get from top to bottom, side to side; in and out….the list is only limited by your imagination. The cargo netting tests the children’s balance and coordination skills to the max.

Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS), the UK’s leading independent laboratory supplier, has recently launched Select Education, a new division offering online services aimed at making the lives of science teachers in secondary education much easier.

The Select Education website brings together all the relevant information and literature needed to perform an experiment in the classroom, including details of the products required, worksheets, curriculum guides and much more. This unique, one-stop resource has full e-commerce capabilities, and allows customers to search for products, topics and even individual experiments, offering exceptional choice and service to teachers.

There’s a hygiene revolution in progress and it originates from the All Saints Primary School led by its progressive Head Teacher Mary Willatt.  The result is that pupils who were already extremely happy are now healthier too.

At break apples are distributed and milk is provided for years 1 and 2; the lunches are healthy with local fruit and vegetables and there is a very active health policy operating which covers everything from head lice to loo paper.

Babington college IT department recently reviewed the time it takes to respond to IT issues from staff and students as the previous method of responding to calls was becoming inefficient and unreliable. Technicians had difficulty recording notes each time an issue had been fixed, so it was difficult to pick up a task that another technician had been working on. This made it a nightmare when staff went off sick.

Roman Way First School in the West Midlands has won a national competition, launched by gate manufacturer Cannock Gates, to win a state-of-the-art school entrance worth £2,000, fighting off competition from ten other schools across the UK, securing 74,014 votes to win the prize.

This month, pupils and teachers at Roman Way First School were joined by the Mayor of Redditch and gate manufacturer Cannock Gates to unveil the new entrance.

Schools looking to upgrade to the latest cutting-edge equipment in the New Year can also contribute to a great cause.  As part of its continued support for the charity Jeans for Genes, Avery Office Products will donate £5 for every Trimmer or Guillotine sold until the 31st March 2010 in a bid to raise £40,000.

Available in sizes from A4 to A0, Avery Trimmers and Guillotines are a great addition to the staff room giving peace of mind through every cut, with full TÜV certification for quality and safety, fully enclosed blades and extended guarantees of up to five years. 

Views from the balcony: ways of teaching Romeo and Juliet is an exciting new resource for secondary teachers from the National Strategies based around rehearsal video footage from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) 2008 production.

The online footage explores how the director, Neil Bartlett, helps actors develop their characterisation of the star-crossed lovers in Act 2 Scene 2 of the play. The result is a vibrant, engaging and fascinating insight into how a director and actors work together to evolve a performance.

WorkPoint have announced the launch of AirBench FN, a new addition to their leading range of downdraught dust and fume extraction benches.

AirBench FN is a heavy duty downdraught workstation, designed with educational and industrial applications in mind. The new model has all the benefits of the existing AirBench FP range, but with the addition of fast front access to all filters. Filters can be quickly cleaned or replaced without accessing the surface of the bench, ideal for schools where maintenance time can be limited.

The central government Department for Children, Schools and families has set a clear vision: ‘To make this the best place in the World for children and young people to grow up’ and in the past 10 years the UK has seen huge developments and spending within governmental policy which will transform education and its settings both inside outside the classroom.

Whether it’s a nursery, school, college or university, the spending programmes which include Sure Start, Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programme, aim to create learning environments which inspire all young people to unlock hidden talents and reach their full potential.

Comprehensive data on the full range of Knauf Drywall plasterboard systems, plasters and drywall accessories is now just a click away for specifiers, contractors and builders merchants. The company has just launched a brand new edition of the popular Online Manual – www.knaufdrywall.co.uk/themanual – the time-saving electronic information resource at the core of its acclaimed website. 

Thermally efficient Multi-Therm polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation roofboard from EcoTherm is contributing to the impressive green credentials of a new ‘eco’ school building in Darlington. Approximately 2,000 square metres of 120mm Multi-Therm are providing energy saving insulation in a sedum-planted roof for the new Northwood Primary School. Scheduled for completion in December 2009, the timber-framed building has been designed and built under the Government’s Primary Capital Programme using the latest sustainable technologies and materials and is expected to achieve an ‘excellent’ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating.

As the first of the Government’s Academies Framework schemes to achieve planning permission, the brand new Milton Keynes Academy opened its doors to pupils for the first time in September 2009.  Complete with over 6000m2 of Tarkett iQ flooring products, the £30m state-of-the-art building will accommodate over 1500 pupils and 200 staff.  The ground floor is home to specialist departments such as sciences, music, arts and design and technology, and Tarkett’s iQ Granit was installed throughout these areas. 

IGLOOS Washrooms has redeveloped their existing cubicle systems following recent research into common issues associated with school toilets. This research has resulted in designing a new range purely for the education sector, split into pre-school, primary and secondary school ages.

Problems identified by IGLOOS varied according to the age ranges. For example privacy is an issue in primary schools as the pupils are quite self conscious of using urinals, therefore there was a need for urinal partitions and higher cubicles. Poor hygiene and ventilation was found to be a general problem across the board.

With aspirations that their new facilities be at least as good as their world renowned music education programmes, Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music set out to create the best possible facilities on a tight budget.  Together with the faculty and administration, Sound Space Design set standards for the acoustics of the Koerner Concert Hall and the new teaching studios.  The facility brings professionals and students together for the musical growth of both.

The RCM realised that their need for an excellent performance and rehearsal venue for their orchestras and choirs was compatible with the greater music community’s need for an excellent chamber music hall of about 1000 seats in central Toronto.    So the Sound Space Design team created acoustics that would be excellent for student symphony orchestra as well as for top rank professional chamber music and chamber orchestras.  

Many factors influence the quality of the learning environment including the balance of natural / artificial daylight levels and the elimination of glare. In designing school buildings sufficient natural daylight must enter and artificial lighting should be controlled in accordance with natural lighting availability. The aim is also to maximise energy efficiency and KNX smart building technology and façade management products have important roles to play.

Three new schools projects on which independent engineering and environmental consultant Gifford, provided a variety of engineering and building services have triumphed at this year’s Excellence in BSF Awards, organised by the Partnerships for Schools.

They included, the Beaumont Leys School in Leicester, which won the BSF School of the Year category and was named overall winner of the judges’ special “Grand Prix” award. Park Hall School in Solihull won Best Design for a New School category and Elm Court Special School in Lambeth won Best Design for a Remodelled School category.

Cold draughts and noisy rattles are unwelcome additions to any classroom and Sheffield High School is no exception.

Its owners, the Girls’ Day School Trust, called in renovation specialist Ventrolla South Yorkshire to address problems with 120 sash windows, which were individually refurbished over a five month period.

Golf stars of the future will be able to train all year round with a new golf facility at Whitgift School in Croydon.

Huxley Golf has installed a new practice golfing area within the school grounds which has allowed golf to become a major part of the curriculum. The independent day school now offers students training and coaching using equipment specified by professional golfers.

One of the UK‚s leading suppliers of high efficiency gas-fired boilers and water heaters for commercial and industrial applications, Lochinvar, has launched the TT range of high efficiency condensing water heaters and boilers. Available as a heating boiler, or as a dedicated direct gas-fired water heater, twin modulating pre-mix burners and a triple pass heat exchanger are the design principles of this product which operates at efficiencies of up to 97 per cent (gross). In addition, the wide range of control options available provides real potential to reduce fuel consumption and consequently carbon emissions and fuel bills. Low NOx emissions make the new TT range a more environmentally friendly choice.

When Tunbridge Wells High School in Kent needed to refurbish its 200sqm canteen and dining hall, it turned to new Altro XpressLay™ to help complete the refurbishment before the start of the new school term.

Altro’s revolutionary new XpressLay is the first safety flooring which can be installed without the use of adhesive, making it extremely quick, easy and clean to install. Because there is need to wait for adhesive to ‘cure’, joints can be welded immediately in the traditional way.

Spending time outside is vital during a child’s school day for many different reasons. By taking elements of the curriculum outside learning becomes a fun activity, whilst many vital life skills can be learnt through free play. However whether due to budget or space it is not always possible to provide the perfect playground. From their many years of experience in the sector Caledonia Play can help to find the most effective solution to meet schools individual needs, whatever the size of space, wherever the location.

FOAMGLAS® insulation from Pittsburgh Corning was the only material that could provide the right combination of properties for an innovative rooftop play area at St Mary Magdalene Academy in Islington. As well as excellent insulation properties FOAMGLAS® also offered the high compressive strength, light weight and durability demanded by the architects Feilden Clegg Bradley.

The new 600 square metre all-weather playground is sited on the roof of the sports hall – giving twice the space for games and activities. The FOAMGLAS® was laid onto the concrete deck and then topped with a layer of Permanite polymer modified asphalt. As cellular glass insulation is inert and hence completely non-combustible there were no restrictions on laying hot asphalt over the insulation. 

A new initiative to help teach children about the importance of healthy eating has just been launched in Cambridgeshire.

‘The Lunchbox Challenge’ has been created by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE) Service with the support of Cambridgeshire Dietetic Business Unit. A key component of the resource is the Top Grub card game developed by Health Enterprise East, the region’s NHS Innovation Hub based at Papworth Hospital.

European Electronique, a leading technology company spearheading the delivery of ICT to the education sector, will be showcasing a range of the latest innovations in ICT at BETT 2010.  The team will be on stand number D80 demonstrating how its cutting-edge ICT systems and solutions can help drive down costs while enhancing and empowering teachers and pupils alike.

Yolanta Gill, Managing Director of European Electronique explains, “With a general election looming and public sector cuts expected, schools’ ICT budgets will certainly be affected. We regard this as an opportunity to help school IT and procurement professionals reduce overall spend through the adoption of appropriate ICT technologies.

As a leading, global provider of desktop and server management software, ScriptLogic Corporation, www.scriptlogic.com, understands its customers’ needs and develops solutions to address daily IT challenges. In the education sector, common IT tasks such as application rollouts, desktop configurations and ensuring that specific users and groups have access to needed network resources, would take a significant amount of time for the generally small IT departments if completed manually. ScriptLogic’s Desktop Authority, a desktop lifecycle management solution, provides IT teams at schools and universities with the management functionality that they need to increase productivity and decrease the total cost of desktop ownership.

A simulation of new carbon cutting legislation has highlighted that the majority of organisations affected, including Local Education Authorities and large educational establishments, will struggle to collect and verify their energy data risking unnecessary costs, penalties and in extreme cases facing criminal prosecution for non-compliance.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment, CRC – Energy Efficiency Scheme comes into effect in April next year with qualifying organisations required to buy carbon allowances to cover the carbon emissions they produce.  Local Education Authorities and educational establishments will be among those affected by the new carbon cutting laws and need to act now to ensure they are CRC-ready with LEAs responsible for collecting and reporting all carbon emissions data from their schools and other premises.

Research carried out by Portakabin, the UK’s leading education building specialist, has shown that it has successfully delivered 99.6 per cent of buildings on time and on budget over the past four years.

This is in dramatic contrast to new Government statistics for building industry performance that show just 46 per cent of construction projects were completed on cost and only 59 per cent on time over the past year (source: Construction Statistics Annual 2009, Office of Public Sector Information*). 

Foremans Relocatable Building Systems, the UK’s largest supplier of recycled and refurbished modular buildings, has completed a new performing arts centre at Swanshurst School in Birmingham after only nine weeks on site. 

Because the building is constructed from pre-owned building modules, it is also a highly sustainable construction solution.

The contract to install natural cooling and ventilation control systems in a new skills academy currently under construction in Bristol has been awarded to WindowMaster.

WindowMaster was selected because it was able to provide a well thought out and cost effective natural ventilation solution. A feature of the building is full height glazing to the entrance supported by vertical tubular steel trusses, allowing natural light to flood the atrium. The original design used high level windows and louvres with heaters to pre-temper the air prior to it entering the space. WindowMaster carried out a substantial analysis to prove that the building would still work using openable windows. The extensive environmental modelling ensures that a natural ventilation strategy will achieve comfortable teaching conditions within the building and meet the strict design criteria set by the college. As a result of the analysis the final installation will include 182 actuators controlling windows in 26 zones.

Ocip Energy is a leading company within the renewable energy sector, and our mix of LED lighting and wind energy technologies offer significant and tangible benefits to our customers.

Our Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are a very demonstrable statement of a school’s green credentials, aside from being an asset and investment. We are distributors of the widest range of VAWTs in the UK.

There was a time when the biggest health scare at school was getting the Rubella jab. Unfortunately, like so many things, health education and provision has become a lot more complicated. We now have swine flu to contend with and cervical cancer injections for teenage girls, not to mention the ongoing fight against obesity.

Everyone has greater access to information than ever before. We can watch the news, read the papers or research subjects on the internet. While this should be a good thing, when it comes to discussing children’s health, it can actually lead to more confusion.

This year, Minister of State for Public Health, Gillian Merron and Head of Healthy Schools, Richard Sangster officially unveiled the next phase of Healthy Schools, which will help bring about part of the Government’s vision for the 21st Century School, by providing closer support for children and young people’s health and well-being within the school environment.

Richard Sangster, Head of Healthy Schools explains, “The 21st Century School is about much more than just learning spaces and school design in the physical sense, although this is an important element of improving the overall offering available to children and young people in the school of tomorrow. The 21st Century School is really about the re-shaping of the whole culture and ethos of schools. It’s about creating a school environment where children and young people have easy access to all of the support they need to reach their full potential in learning and life.”

The second wave of the swine flu outbreak is underway, with the biggest increase among school children. The Chief Medical Officer stated that washing hands, or using antibacterial hand gels, is the best way of preventing the spread.

Many gels contain alcohol, therefore not suitable for schools.  Luckily, there’s a solution.  NO-GERMSTM is the UK’s leading alcohol free hand sanitiser, and is clinically proven to be effective against swine flu, MRSA, E-coli and other flu viruses. It kills 99.9% of all germs, is non-toxic, starts to work in less than 15 seconds, and remains effective for 2-4 hours.

County Councillor Frank Godfrey seeks council approval for vaporisation process to reduce council staff illness during swine ‘flu outbreak.

A revolutionary new infection control process has been trialled at a Drogheda GP Health Centre to demonstrate its effectiveness for reducing the scale of swine ‘flu and seasonal ‘flu cross-infection in offices, health centres and schools during outbreaks of infection.  Arranged by County Councillor Frank Godfrey, a well-known member of Louth County Council and a former Mayor of Drogheda, the trial was set up to endorse Councillor Godfrey’s belief that his and other councils should be using the SitexOrbis vaporisation process to reduce the impact on council staff and council services of the expected swine ‘flu pandemic.

Hand hygiene specialists TEAL (www.tealwash.com) has a range of portable warm water hand wash units that have been specially designed for children to make hand washing fun and enable youngsters to learn about and take responsibility for their own personal hygiene.

The units require no fixed plumbing as they store clean and dirty water so can be positioned in convenient locations wherever needed. They are safe and easy for children to operate and come in bright colours to encourage use.

T.H.E. Ltd, exclusive distributors for Beam central vacuum systems, this month launches the very latest Beam Platinum range.

Manufactured by Electrolux, the Beam Platinum Series central vacuum represents the latest generation of the proven Beam system. A Beam central vacuum provides up to five times the suction power of a portable, yet uses less electricity through its specially designed motor.

As ever, BETT 2010 is organised into a number of “zones”. This year there is a new ‘Supporting Next Generation Learning’ zone (formerly Policy in Practice area), which is located in the National Hall near the main entrance. This is where all the government and partner stands will be offering free advice and support to help schools to make the most of using ICT effectively.

"BSquared has been an asset in our school development over the last 2 years. It has helped to strengthen our assessment procedures and tighten our planning. It was crucial in securing our Outstanding OFSTED Inspection too!"  

Mrs Lisa Bird  Headteacher   Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School  Derbyshire.

KI is the largest educational furniture manufacturer in the world. With over 60 years experience, KI understand the distinct and evolving needs of the educational environment designing furniture that facilitates learning and interaction between students and staff.

Saville Audio Visual has launched a new range of school furniture. Saville Academy tables offer a versatile new concept for primary and junior schools. Strongly built in a range of hard-wearing laminate surfaces, they enable safe, stylish and attractive classroom layouts to be created with ease.

The classroom of the future is here today and visitors to BETT 2010 will be able to experience it first hand on stand S42. Crestron, the market leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation solutions, will be showcasing its range of control solutions in a classroom environment and will be demonstrating how a unique collaboration with Texas Instruments is taking projector functionality to impressive new levels.

Let’s face it there are some very high-tech stands at BETT. Learning Materials Ltd stand out as, although they do CD-ROMs and e-books for SEN pupils, they also provide something that we all understand - BOOKS. Their titles cover most areas of the curriculum and different series are age appropriate for different key stages from reception to 16+. Visit www.learningmaterials.co.uk to get more information and download free sample pages.

With over 20 years of experience in 3D development, installation and training, Amazing Interactives Limited believes in producing the very best quality solutions for customers, delivering every project on time and to the highest standard of excellence.

The “REACH OUT” 3D interactive system is  Installed  in over 150 education/training establishments and is  a unique way of viewing interactive educational content giving the illusion of objects flying out of the screen and “hovering” above your head. 

E2BN (East of England Broadband Network) has two learning resources shortlisted for BETT 2010 Awards. Cookit has been shortlisted in the Secondary, FE & Skills Digital Content category and Myths and Legends in the Primary Digital Content category.

Cookit’s main purpose is to improve pupils’ skills, understanding and enjoyment of healthy eating. Students can share their own recipes and ideas with others and can access podcasts illustrating cooking processes and techniques or explore the history of cooking.

Over 500 colleges and schools currently supplied. All works are carried out in-house giving total control over quality and leadtime whilst offering Factory Direct prices.

No minimum order or set up fees and just 4 working days leadtime from artwork approval to the Crested USB Drives being in your hands.

Free samples available upon request.

10% BETT show discount.