To highlight the achievements of inspirational individuals and organisations that provide extraordinary support in energising STEM learning to captivate and capture the next generation of engineers, scientists, technologists and mathematicians, a national awards ceremony is being held on:
Hosted by award-winning education technology specialists Frog (www.frogtrade.com), secondary school leaders across the country are invited to attend The National Learning Platforms Conference 2010 – Frog’s most inspirational educational event of the year. This free one-day event will feature workshops and keynotes including ‘From intranet and failed VLEs to outstanding success’ by Cramlington Learning Village to ‘Parents and schools: learning platforms supporting a new partnership’ by Simon Shaw from Becta. Every workshop is intended to give forward-thinking school leaders the inspiration to maximise the impact of their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and achieve excellence through creativity.
MAD Mentors, one of the most pioneering schemes for mentoring disadvantaged, London-based youth in the fields of media, art and design, is hosting a unique performance and fashion show event to showcase the talent of some of the young people currently enrolled in their innovative mentoring programme. Nurturing and celebrating the talent of tomorrow, the event will take place on Friday 30th April at Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London, W1. The most promising talent of the night will be selected for work placements with top media, art and design industry professionals such as world-famous make-up artist, Daniel Sandler, and Art Director Murielle Bourdais from Urban Retreat, Harrods.
Tuesday 30th March sees the launch of Lab 13 at Peele Community College. Peele Community College in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire will be unveiling its new dedicated science space, where experiments are driven by imagination and curiosity, independently of the curriculum.
The college will be host to one of the six Lab 13s created across the East Midlands, designed as a ‘space for creative science learning’ managed by young people for young people. The first Lab opened last April (2009) at Dovecote Primary School, Nottingham.
The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is holding a policy seminar on 25th March, entitled, “Challenging schools: the fact and fiction.” Chaired by Alison Goddard, Britain correspondent for The Economist, the morning seminar will feature three debates that aim to uncover the myths about so-called challenging schools, and discuss how to encourage more teachers to consider working in them. Delegates will include educators and headteachers, children’s advocacy organisations, and policy makers.
Young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) will quiz politicians on Wednesday 24 February about their policies for education. The youngsters, who will be travelling to Westminster from around the country, will take part in a question and answer session with spokespeople from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.
The event, which is at Westminster Central Hall (see notes for directions) from 3pm, is being organised by the University and College Union (UCU). The UK has over one million NEETs and each of the young people attending has written a letter about their situation that will be delivered to Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
The annual Building Schools Exhibition & Conference (BSEC) takes place this month in London’s ExCel exhibition centre from the 24 to 25 February. The show will again play host to visitors ranging from architects, teachers, educational managers, builders, ICT specialists, Local Authority heads and sub-contractors.
BSEC has become the largest event for those involved in education construction and design, since its inception four years ago. Last year, the show and conference attracted more than 5,000 visitors, and it seems likely that many more will attend this year. The combination of the recession and the General Election this year, means that now, more than ever, those involved in education construction and design have questions about the future of school building projects going forward.
At BSEC Stand 854 of Hall S14, it is easy to see why Junckers is Europe’s leading producer of 100% solid, pre-finished hardwood floors and the market leader in the sports flooring sector. Ideal for stage or dance practice areas as well as assembly, dining and multi-use halls, corridors and receptions, Junckers floors and sub-floor systems offer proven safety, guaranteed performance along with impressive life cycle costings. The product of high-level research and development, Junckers floors are made from fully sustainable hardwood, meet all required standards and offer a 25 year installation, product and maintenance warranty.
Cavendish School in Hemel Hempstead, a specialist sports school, had a new purpose built sports hall constructed during their summer break with Gerflor’s Taraflex Sport M Plus flooring their preferred option. It provides users with a safe, technically advanced sports floor, including an optimum Grip/Slide compromise, a friction burn-free surface and a consistent high performance, shock absorbing floor that complies with the new BSEN14904 sports floor standard.
Schools need to provide a good learning environment so unwanted noise or chilly classrooms must be avoided. Secondary glazing can offer a simple and effective solution which is particularly appropriate for traditional or listed buildings with preserved facades.
Secondary glazing provides an additional purpose designed window on the room side of the existing window. The frames incorporate high performance seals to limit the discomfort of draughts and the extra pane of glass traps an insulating layer to hold in the warmth and reduce fuel costs. Use of modern thermally efficient glass in secondary glazing can match the performance of new windows and so help the building meet much more demanding energy performance standards.
With almost 50 years of experience in the education sector, Rockfon has established itself as one of the leading manufacturers of acoustic ceiling solutions and has now launched three new acoustic solutions to enhance its offering. These are Rockfon Contour baffles, Rockfon Eclipse ceiling islands and the impact resistant Rockfon Boxer ceiling system.
Rockfon Contour is an economic baffle offering new opportunities for correcting acoustics in areas where frequent and unhindered access to service installations is required. It is also ideal for acoustic correction in premises using thermal mass, by enabling the air to flow freely around the room.
People in the field of education are beginning to question the use of ‘carrots and sticks’ to motivate young people to behave in pro-social ways and to make the most of their school experience. This ‘behaviourist’ strategy is at odds with attempts to develop social and emotional skills and responsible citizenship amongst young people. Many educationalists and practitioners believe it is time to adopt a new approach. In response to this, a growing number of schools and residential homes in the UK are changing their culture and adopting a restorative approach to relationships and behaviour.
The Excellence in Forestry Awards 2010, run by the Royal Forestry Society, opens its doors for entries in January 2010.
RFS Competition Co-ordinator, Trefor Thompson, said: "Schools do not need to own or manage their own woodlands to take part. There is huge variety of work being undertaken in primary and secondary schools across the curriculum, in the form of classroom projects, art work, story telling or in hands-on field study work, relating to the very many different aspects of woodland management and to the uses that wood can play in our lives. This is an opportunity for schools to showcase the work of their teachers and their pupils and to develop stronger links to forestry and woodland management."
Achieving educational excellence through creativity and innovation
Event: The National Learning Platforms Conference 2009 Date: Wednesday 10th June 2009 Time: 09:00 -16:30. Informal Drinks Reception: 16:30 - Late Venue: Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester M2 5GP
Khipu's Secure and Flexible Network Management Seminar will inform school IT managers of how to effectively provide a secure, fast and flexible network for students and staff, ensuring much needed piece of mind for IT departments, while increasing the efficiency of the network and improving the student experience.
