www.sec-ed.com NEWS
School’s plan to drop
In brief
Time for bed?
Recent reports about a North
Tyneside school that has
experimented with allowing
history sparks outrage
students to start the school day
at 11am in a bid to improve
learning outcomes have sparked
much reaction. However, perhaps
the bluntest comments came
from the NASUWT’s general
secretary Chris Keates, who said:
by Sam Phipps
Stephen Phee, the headteacher, “There is no question of a year. However, figures from the Scottish Association of Teachers of “Maybe teenagers should simply
said: “It was recognised two years lack of confidence in the history Scottish Qualifications Authority History suggests that of the three go to bed earlier.” The story
ago that not only was interest in the teaching staff, who are fully com- show a rise in Higher history can- social subjects – modern studies, came after Monkseaton High
A Scottish school has dropped his- subject diminishing among pupils, mitted to their subject, to teaching didates to 8,185 in 2007 from 8,088 history and geography – the most School gave 200 of its students
tory from its curriculum for two those who were sitting Standard in general, and who are actively in 2003. popular in growth of pupil numbers the later start and found it had a
years while it reviews how to attract and Higher grades were performing looking at ways to refresh the St Mungo’s staff were report- and examinations over the past five positive impact on their learning.
more students to the subject and markedly less well in history than in courses, engage all pupils’ inter- edly concerned that its history can- years has been history. However, Ms Keates added:
raise exam grades. the other subjects they were taking. est, and help them to reach their didates were getting at least a grade “Would they ever think about “Before wholesale changes to the
St Mungo’s High in Falkirk will “At that stage it was agreed to full potential.” below those in other subjects. doing this with maths, English or timetable are proposed, far more
remove history as an option for its implement a two-year plan to reor- In 2004, the number of S2 pupils Professor Tom Devine, a histori- physical education?” research and comparative data is
243 S2 pupils when they start S3 in ganise and to revitalise the teaching taking Standard grade history at St an, said the decision was “scandal- In its 2007 election manifesto, required.”
August, defying the Scottish gov- of history for Standard and Higher Mungo’s was 43, which dropped to ous” and St Mungo’s was atypical the SNP pledged to “embed” his-
ernment’s push to place history at grade courses in St Mungo’s. That 38 last year. At Higher, nine took in experiencing waning interest. tory and “a Scottish world view”
the heart of secondary education. plan is now being carried out. history in 2004, down to six last He said: “The evidence from the in schools.
BSF boost
Thousands of Building Schools
School opens up
for the Future modernisation
projects across England can start
12 months early after funding
worth £919 million was brought
forward. More than 100 local
hair and beauty
authorities will share £499
million, brought forward from
2010/11 to the coming financial
year, after bidding for capital
training academy
investment made available in
November’s Pre-Budget Report.
Mr Balls has also brought
forward £390 million of capital
Budding hairdressers at a North “When we cleared the shop out, funding, to be given to every
West school will be able to put their we found journals and leaflets in school head in England to invest
skills to the test on real customers the loft detailing the latest hair- in smaller projects as they see fit.
after their school acquired and styles of the 1920s, and the different
opened its own hair and beauty treatments that had been on offer.
training academy. After speaking to local pensioners,
Find your match
St Mary’s Catholic College in a number of them could remember An online tool that allows
the Wirral recently acquired a dis- it being a salon many years schools to identify the schools
used travel agents near to the school ago.” they could be partnering with
grounds, and transformed it into The new around the country has been
a workable salon, complete with salon features launched by the Specialist
12 hairdressing stations and eight state-of-the-art Schools and Academies Trust.
beauty therapy beds. hairdressing and Educational Outcomes Online
And while renovating the shop, beauty therapy will allow schools to benchmark
which was officially opened by the equipment. themselves against other schools
mayor of Wirral, councillor Adrian Around 30 in England across a range of
Jones last week, staff at the school year 10 students criteria, including value-added
made an amazing discovery. are already Headstart: A year 10 students shows off her scores, GCSE results by subject
Hairdressing magazines and involved in skills to the mayor and mayoress of Wirral, while and by student. It is free to all
artefacts dating back to the 1920s h a i r d r e s s i n g pictured left are some of the 1920s hairdressing schools affiliated to the SSAT.
revealed that the unit had operated courses, and magazines found in the salon
as a hairdresser around 90 years although they will
ago. practice on each we will offer certain days other businesses, such as a painting
Maths support
Mike Cheu, vocational cur- other to begin with, for treating members of the and decorating service, or a local Two new booklets to help
riculum manager at the school, it is hoped that they community, where they will garage. He added: “The best way teachers improve pupils’
explained: “When a local premises will soon be able to begin by learning in- only be expected to pay for to get a real-life experience of any understanding of maths have
came up, we expressed an interest offer their services to class, and then look at offering any materials used.” trade is to get the children to run a been published by Ofsted.
and brought in an architect and the wider community. hair treatment to friends and family. Mr Cheu said he hopes that business, and do the activities in a Mathematics: Understanding the
builder. Mr Cheu continued: “We will When the students are more adept, the school can find ways to open real-life setting.” Score – Improving Practice in
Mathematics are for classroom
Further IT grants offered to low-income families
teachers and subject leaders
and aim to improve maths
teaching by shifting it away from
a narrow emphasis on skills
Families living on low incomes in towards a focus on improving
Oldham and Suffolk have become pupils’ understanding of maths,
the latest to be offered grants for and its application. Download
computers under the Home Access them at www.ofsted.gov.uk
programme.
The project is aimed at sup-
porting the 1.4 million children in
Young journalists
the UK who still lack access to Budding journalists and
the internet at home, and the one designers have the chance to win
million who do not have a home prizes in the Hewlett-Packard
computer, and forms part of Becta’s school newsletter competition.
Next Generation Learning cam- Entrants need to submit a
paign. newsletter on the topic of their
In Oldham alone, the pilot choice. Students can enter in
means that 4,690 young learners three age categories and prizes
will be eligible for a Home Access include a tour of BBC Television
grant. Steve Goodman, the coun- Centre, and laptops. The deadline
cil’s head of ICT strategy for peo- is November 28. Visit: www.
ple, communities and society, said: hp.com/uk/newslettercompetition
“We are expecting to see improved
economic prosperity, which will
be achieved by raising the educa- top, but when this broke found they “The computer will be great for unacceptable that the digital divide with Becta, has already delivered
Botswanans visit
tional attainment levels of children could not afford another one. They revising and other stuff, especially is growing, which is why we are more than 40,000 notebooks to The General Teaching Council
and young people, improving the now have two, thanks to the grant. looking things up on the internet. taking this unprecedented step. families in Liverpool, Manchester, for Scotland (GTCS) will host
skills of local people, and creating Ms Bebbington, who is disabled, I’ll also be able to use it to type up “What I find particularly excit- Blackburn and Derby. a delegation from Botswana’s
business growth and employment said: “The computers will make a my school work and take it into ing is that young people can also Stephen Crowne, Becta’s chief ministry of education this
opportunities.” lot of difference to me and the chil- school on a memory stick to get it show their parents and grandparents executive, said: “There is clear evi- month. The nine-strong African
One family to have already ben- dren. They can use them for their printed.” how to use the internet so the whole dence to show that effective use of delegation will undertake the
efited from the scheme is Stephanie school work and I can use them to The scheme is being championed family can benefit from the vast technology really does boost a child’s three-day fact-finding mission in
Bebbington, a single mum, and keep in touch with friends”. by schools minister Jim Knight. He amount of information available at achievement. We need to ensure that order to be able to replicate the
her three children Nicole, aged 15, Nicole, a pupil at Our Lady’s said: “It is clear that pupils without their fingertips.” every child has an equal chance to success of Scotland’s teaching
Emma, 13, and Thomas, 10. RC High School, will be sitting home internet access are at a dis- Leading ICT supplier, XMA, tap into the benefits of the internet to regulator in their own country.
The family used to have a lap- GCSEs this year. She told SecEd: advantage to their peers and it is which is working in partnership support their learning at home.”
SecEd • March 12 2009 3
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