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Editor
Pete Henshaw – 020 7501 6771
pete.henshaw@markallengroup.
Kitted out: Arsenal and England star Theo Walcott went back to school to present members of north London’s St Thomas More Catholic School’s
com
under-14 girls’ team with the Football Foundation’s 0,000th set of free football kits last week. The World Cup hopeful also had time to take a quick
Deputy editor training session with the girls. “It is really important that we continue to look after our grass roots and I am pleased that football is doing its part
David Taylor – 020 7501 6772 through the Football Foundation,” he said. For more information, visit www.footballfoundation.org.uk
david.taylor@markallengroup.com
Chief reporter
Chris Parr – 020 7501 6750
Illustrator
Christos Mais
Editorial advisory panel
Poor dining facilities put
Paul Ainsworth, Deputy
headteacher, Belvoir High School,
Leicestershire. Mark Blois, Browne
Jacobson. Hilary Moriarty,
National director, Boarding
Schools’ Association. Neill
Morton, Headteacher, Portora
Royal School, Enniskillen. Helen
pupils off school lunches
Nurton, Assistant headteacher,
Guildford County School, Surrey. Jo
Smith, Deputy headteacher, Long of the School Food Trust, said: “It in their dining spaces. For the well- Langley Park Girls School in Kent,
Field School, Melton Mowbray.
by Dorothy Lepkowska
Its aim is to encourage schools to
implement simple measures that is clear that when children walk being of their pupils, we encourage where one of the experiments took
Tina Stockman, Teacher, Harlaw
will drive take-up of school meals into a dining hall that is crowded, them sign up to Canteen Rescue.” place, said lunchtimes were turned
Academy, Aberdeen. Ray Tarleton,
Pupils are being turned off from and, with it, the nutritional intake noisy and unattractive, they will Trials carried out in some school into a special occasion, with pupils
Headteacher, South Dartmoor
having school lunches by the of pupils. vote with their feet, no matter what canteens by the Trust, which tracked sitting down and appreciating their
Community College, Devon. Dr
shoddy state of dining rooms and As part of the campaign, the is on the menu. the eating habits of primary and food.
Bernard Trafford, Headteacher,
canteens, a new report has claimed. Trust is running a competition “The danger is that the huge secondary pupils, found that even “It made it obvious to us that
The Royal Grammar School,
The study, from the School which will see five winning school efforts which have gone into small improvements to facilities encouraging healthy eating is as
Newcastle upon Tyne. Simon
Food Trust, warned that the huge canteens given a make-over. improving the quality of school had an impact. much about providing an attrac-
Viccars, Headteacher, Leon School
government investment in trans- Although it has long been sus- food will quite literally go in the bin Staggering lunchtimes to give tive environment as improving the
and Sports College, Milton Keynes.
forming meals will turn out to be a pected that uptake of school dinners unless schools tackle the environ- children more time to eat, replacing food,” she said.
Alex Wood, Headteacher, Wester
waste of money unless facilities are could be affected by the environ- ment in which it is served. plastic plates and cutlery with prop- Pupils and teachers can nomi-
Hailes Education Centre, Edinburgh
improved. ment in which pupils are expected “With such small steps having er crockery, and introducing table nate their school dining room for a
The research forms part of the to eat, this is the first time it has such a positive and significant effect cloths saw the average child throw make-over by visiting www.getreal.
Trust’s Canteen Rescue campaign, been shown by research. on a child’s health, we want all away almost 40 per cent less food. uk.com/canteenrescue. The deadline
Sales director
which was launched last week. Judy Hargadon, chief executive schools to consider making changes Jane Nicholls, deputy head of for submissions is April 10.
Matt Govett – 020 7501 6735
Business development
manager Project for excluded youngsters
Abdul Hayee – 020 7501 6767
Classified sales
Rachel McElhinney – 020 7501 6728
recognised as an official school
Subscription manager
Chris Hoskins
An education project that has has always dealt with very chal- ple who left the school in 2009 went
Circulation director
worked with excluded students in lenging young people, but in recent on to college or work.
Sally Boettcher
east London for the last 17 years years the degree of difficulty has Officially opening the school
has been recognised as an official increased significantly. More young was local MP, Stephen Timms, who
independent school by Ofsted. people come from fractured domes- described the facility as the “feather
Circulation department:
Education Links, part of the tic situations, with bad experiences in the cap” of East Ham’s school
Tel: 01722 716997
Victory: Winning support staff celebrate at Number 10 Community Links charity based in of early childhood and mainstream system. He said: “There are a lot of
Fax: 01722 716926
email: subscriptions@
East Ham, Newham, started when schooling. changes happening in east London,
markallengroup.com
Support staff winners
young people excluded from school “The marginalisation of many of particularly with the build-up to the
turned up at their local youth club the young people begins from birth, Olympic games.
UK annual rates:
because there was nowhere for and it is inspiring to see the progress “It is vital that we ensure all our
visit Downing Street
them to go during school hours. that many make in the nurturing young people can make the most of
Personal £50
Since then, the school has environment that they enter when the opportunities that London 2012
Institutional (libraries,
grown, and now accommodates they come to us.” will provide, and Education Links
companies etc) £110
From teaching assistants to IT for pictures with her outside more than 150 students from across Two visits by Ofsted have can help to reach those who have had
Europe annual rates:
specialists, school support staff Number 10. the local area. resulted in the charity’s success- a hard time at mainstream schools.”
Personal £92 play a vital role in the day-to-day Paying tribute, prime minister Neil Berry, principal of the ful accreditation as an independent For more information, visit
Institutional £165 running of schools up and down Gordon Brown said: “Support staff school, explains: “Education Links school. Nine out of 10 young peo- www.community-links.org
Rest of world annual rates: the country. work incredibly hard behind the
Personal £113 The National Awards for School scenes to ensure schools across the
Institutional £209
Support Staff are held every year to country run smoothly.
recognise the commitment and skills “These winners are highly
Welsh funding review announced
Printed by
support staff bring to their schools respected, esteemed and appreci-
Pensord Press, Wales
– and are now looking for nomina- ated by their colleagues and pupils. A major review into how education stage to test the rigour of the infor- review is being carried out by
tions for the 2010 competition. These awards give rightful recogni- is funded in Wales has been mation gathered and to obtain a PricewaterhouseCoopers, which
Published by
The awards are organised by tion for their hard work and I’m announced by the Welsh Assembly sample of stakeholder views of key has already started work and will
the National Association of School very pleased these staff are having government. opportunities to refocus resources be making its stage one recommen-
Business Management (NASBM) their day in the spotlight.” Wales’s education minister, to the front line. dations by the end of March.
and are open to all schools. The judg- William Simmonds, chief Leighton Andrews, says the review “Stage two of the review will then Unions have welcomed the
es are keen to hear about staff who executive of the NASBM, added: is part of a commitment to ensure follow; this will build on the findings review, saying an investigation into
St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road
are making an outstanding contribu- “Support staff are frequently the more of the money reaches the of stage one exploring in more detail the costs of administering education
Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB
tion to the success of their schools. unsung heroes in the world of edu- frontline. potential opportunities that have in Wales is long overdue.
www.markallengroup.com
The 10 categories include awards cation. This visit to 10 Downing Wales spends an average of been identified which require further Dr Philip Dixon, director of
for cleaning, catering, ICT, business Street is deserved recognition of £527 a year less on each child’s development. This stage will also the Association of Teachers and
and administration staff, as well as their contribution to the school education than England. seek to address any significant gaps Lecturers Cymru, said: “We need
teaching assistants and pupil supervi- environment. “The review will be conducted in data identified by stage one.” to get more money to the front line
sors. Entries close on May 7 and the “The nominations we receive in two stages, the first of which Mr Andrews said there would and strip the costs of ‘passporting’
MA Education Ltd is an independent
finalists will be invited to a national from schools have shown just how will be primarily desk-based using be a “pause and review” after the that money to a minimum, so the
publishing company also responsible
ceremony in the autumn. big an impact these members of internal and external information first stage to “ensure that effort is focus of the review is spot on.
for education titles Early Years
Meanwhile, the 10 winners of staff make to the teaching and already available within Department focused in the most appropriate “Without wishing to pre-empt
Educator and 5to7 Educator.
the 2009 awards celebrated their learning processes and how much for Children, Education, Lifelong areas taking account of the analysis some of the review’s findings, it
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stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any
achievements last month with a they care about their schools and Learning and Skills,” said Mr already undertaken and the initial would be surprising if 22 different
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without prior written permission of MA Education
visit to Downing Street. pupils.” Andrews. input from the stakeholders who education authorities doing things
The publisher accepts no responsibility for any views or opinions
expressed in SecEd.
They met Sarah Brown, the To find out more about the 2010 “Some targeted input from have been targeted”. in 22 different ways is the most
ISSN 1479-7704
prime minister’s wife, and posed awards, go to www.nasbm.co.uk stakeholders is being sought at this The first stage of the efficient use of resources.”
 SecEd • March 4 2010
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