News
In brief
GCse guide
While most teenagers celebrated
Teachers fear being
the long summer break between
the end of GCSEs and the start
of A levels, Robert Blakey, 16,
has become a debut author. The
West Midlands teenager has seen
his book, How to achieve 100
per cent in a GCSE, published.
The book aims to help GCSE ‘judged by a letter’
students achieve their academic
potential. Written from the
perspective of a teenager who
achieved 10 A* grades, the book The report, Lessons From the Writing in response to the Teach their contribution to children’s The report said: “The traditional
shares practical tips on exams
by Chris Parr
Front 2009, added: “(Including a First study, Vernon Coaker, schools wider wellbeing.” sight of members of a school’s
and revision techniques. Visit: single grade) seems to represent a minister, said: “We believe a sin- He added: “While we are pro- senior management team deliver-
www.lulu.com Teachers have warned ministers waste of the strengths of the pro- gle overall grade is important to ceeding with the presumption that ing CPD to an entire teaching staff
that having a single grade on the posed Report Card system, retain- show a clear definitive view of a the Report Card will include an is one that is still widespread, but
Alcohol support
School Report Card will “negate” ing as it does the worst aspect of the school’s effectiveness among all overall grade, we will make a final also one which most of our teachers
any potential benefits of the new current system of accountability.” stakeholders. decision once the detailed develop- considered to be ineffective.”
Drinkaware, the UK charity accountability system. Last week, SecEd revealed that “Without an overall grade, ment work has been concluded.” The report said that every
combating alcohol abuse, has A study by Teach First involv- the government was still “minded” there is little hope of removing Elsewhere in the report, the teacher should be entitled to 30
launched a new online toolkit ing more than 500 teachers claims to include a single grade on the the focus on a single academic teachers called for a guarantee on hours of CPD each year, and that
for professionals working with that introducing cards with a sin- Report Card – despite the fact that indicator which provides only a the amount of CPD they receive they should be able to dictate how
young people. The resource, gle grade in place of league tables schools only started piloting the partial account of what schools each year, and said that individual around 12 hours of this should be
aimed at 11 to 16-year-olds, would see schools go “from being proposals this term (Ministers hint do, while ignoring the differ- staff members should have more spent.
includes medically approved judged by a number to being judged at single grade for Report Card, ent challenges schools face, the of a say over how they spend this For more information, visit www.
worksheets and workshop plans by a letter”. issue 231, November 19, 2009). progress their pupils make, and time. teachfirst.org.uk/news/policyfirst
covering issues such as alcohol
and emotional and sexual health.
Visit: www.drinkaware.co.uk/
professionals
Students back
Licence to Thrill
Young people aged 10 to 14 are
being invited to the 02 Arena as
part of next year’s Voices for a
school dinner
Better World. The event, entitled
A Licence to Thrill, is organised
by Theatretrain, a performing
arts training provider. It will see
6,000 students perform musical
campaign
hits from the James Bond films
accompanied by a live orchestra.
All the concert’s proceeds will be A secondary school in Sheffield right to take part. It makes young-
used to provide performing arts has thrown itself into a campaign to sters think not just about their own
opportunities for underprivileged fund school dinners for students in health but about others who are less
children. Visit: www. developing countries – even though fortunate.”
voicesforabetterworld.co.uk it does not officially get underway Year 10 student, Akram
until next year. Ahmed, who contributed the first
Lightman in line
The Really Good School Dinner 10 pence of the day, added: “I’ve
campaign, which raises money by donated my money because every
Brian Lightman has been named asking students to pay an extra 10 six seconds people are dying in
as the preferred choice of the pence when buying their lunch, poorer countries. People are
Association of School and does not kick off until January 2010 also dying from obesity in this Food for thought: Year 7 pupils at Tapton School in
College Leaders’ Council for – but Tapton School has already country, and school meals are Sheffield do their bit for the Really Good School Dinner
the post of general secretary. raised more than £330 for the healthy food, so the Really Good
The former union president cause. School Dinner is helping people
and current head of St Cyres Headteacher David Bowes here as well as in less developed week asking their pupils to donate in developing countries to stay in during the campaign, raising a total
School near Cardiff is now in explained: “As a healthy school, we countries.” the extra money at lunchtime. school by ensuring they get a meal of £11,855.
line to succeed current general take it very seriously and encourage Hundreds of schools across Every donation will go to the while they are there. To find out more or register, visit
secretary, Dr John Dunford, who pupils to make the right choices in England will join the campaign in United Nations’ School Meals Last year saw more than 118,000 www.getreal.uk.com/really-good-
is to retire in August 2010. John what to eat, so it seemed absolutely January, when they will spend one Programme, which helps children school dinners eaten by children school-dinner
Morgan, current union president,
said: “His passion for education
and learning make him an ideal African teacher project recognised
person to lead the association.”
A project that gives more than in 1993 by The Royal Anniversary teachers can then access and share Ofsted publish
Broadgreen victory
200,000 teachers in remote areas of Trust to recognise the contribution remotely.
Africa access to teaching materials made by the education sector to the The project’s website pro-
Broadgreen International School, and training has been recognised wider community. vides access to nine country-spe-
an inner-city comprehensive with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize Founded in 2005, the TESSA cific versions of the materials in
Annual Report
in Liverpool, has been for Higher and Further Education. project is now Africa’s largest four languages (Arabic, English,
recognised for its excellent The Teacher Education in teacher research and development French and Kiswahili), and also The quality of learning in However, despite the positive
use of technology. The school Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) consortium, and extends across allows teachers to amend and England’s secondary schools has trends, Ms Gilbert said there was
beat off stiff competition to project, which is run by the Open nine African countries. Education adapt the materials before shar- improved in the last year despite still a “stubborn core of inadequate
pick up one of this year’s University, was one of 20 winners experts in these countries help ing them. a “stubborn core of inadequate teaching” within the education sys-
Becta ICT Excellence Awards in the awards, which were set up develop the CPD materials, which Freda Wolfenden, director of the teaching”, Ofsted has said. tem, and added it was “Ofsted’s
at a ceremony in Bristol last TESSA project, said: “We listened According to the Annual job” to highlight these concerns.
Thursday (November 19). Judges to what teachers wanted and the Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Elsewhere, the report found that
were wowed by the school’s programmes are very accessible. Inspector, which was published although more than half of acad-
futuristic technology centre and They meet the immediate needs of on Tuesday (November 24), 64 emies were rated good or outstand-
the use of ICT to involve the the teachers. per cent of secondary schools ing, some 17 per cent (five schools
wider community. “We aim to enable teachers offer “good” or “outstanding” in total) were judged inadequate.
to improve practices while in the teaching and learning, compared Other concerns highlighted by
IsA concerns
classroom. Often, you have to send to 58 per cent in 2007/08. the report include the continuing
the teacher to college to learn these The number of secondary low take-up of modern foreign
School leaders are concerned skills, leaving the students with no- schools judged “inadequate” has languages at age 14, and the qual-
about the Independent one to teach them,” she added. also fallen, from five per cent to ity of assessment – which is said
Safeguarding Scheme (ISA), In 2009, the project was used by three per cent in the same period. to be inconsistent both within and
according to a headteacher 200,000 teachers, and it is hoped The Annual Report, which was between schools.
information service. Throughout that figure will rise to 300,000 in delivered by Ofsted’s chief inspec- The report also revealed that
October, The Key received a 2010. tor, Christine Gilbert, gives an over- schools with a higher proportion of
large volume of enquiries from Professor Bob Moon, found- all picture of education provision in pupils from deprived backgrounds
schools regarding the law around ing director of TESSA, said: “The England’s schools, and the findings were more likely to be judged
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) award is great news for us but also are based on the 1,071 secondary inadequate than those in less chal-
checks for staff and how they for the hundreds of academics across school inspections carried out dur- lenging areas.
have to be recorded. Next year, it Africa who have worked to make ing the 2008/09 school year. In the independent sector, of the
will become law for employees this happen. By the end of next year, Ms Gilbert said: “Almost 394 schools inspected, three quarters
working with children to apply up to half a million teachers will be seven in 10 maintained schools were judged to be providing a good
for ISA registration, and for their training using our service.” are now good or outstanding, and or outstanding education, while five
employers to check their ISA For more about TESSA, nearly twice as many schools are per cent were inadequate.
status, as part of the new vetting Plan in action: Mavis Nkwenkwana, a teacher at Isithsaba visit www.tessafrica.net and for outstanding, and half as many Visit www.ofsted.gov.uk to
and barring scheme. Junior Primary School in East London, South Africa, making details of the awards, visit www. inadequate, as four years ago.” download the full report.
full use of the teaching resources royalanniversarytrust.org.uk
 SecEd • November 26 2009
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