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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. Jo Smith, Deputy headteacher, Long Field School, Melton Mowbray.

Tina Stockman, Teacher, Harlaw Academy, Aberdeen. Ray Tarleton,

Headteacher, South Dartmoor Community College, Devon. Dr

Bernard Trafford, Headteacher,

The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. Simon Viccars, Headteacher, Leon School and Sports College, Milton Keynes.

Alex Wood, Headteacher, Wester

Hailes Education Centre, Edinburgh

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On your doorstep: This striking image has been created to remind David Cameron, the new prime minister, that 72 million children around the word are unable to access even a basic primary-level education. Plan UK, the children’s charity, is calling on the UK’s new leader not to forget the Millennium Development Goals – set by the United Nations in 2001 – which include ensuring that every child has access to a decent education by 2015. Miriam Kybird, Plan UK’s development education manager, said: “Whether it be an inspiring teacher, a subject that grabs us, finding a love of learning or just the friends we make, school helps shape our lives. Yet 72 million children across Africa, Asia and Latin America never get that chance. They’re at risk of getting trafficked and exploited, with no chance of getting a decent job.” For more information, visit www.campaignforeducation.org

Exam stress on the up

St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB www.markallengroup.com

Students and parents are getting more and more stressed about examinations, according to a young persons’ charity. The number of calls to the Young

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Diplomas, Headteacher Update, Fundraising for Schools, Early Years Educator and 5to7 Educator.

© All rights reserved. No part of SecEd may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of MA Education The publisher accepts no responsibility for any views or opinions expressed in SecEd.

ISSN 1479-7704

Minds parent helpline regarding exam stress has risen by a third in the last year, the charity claims. More than 1,050 parents called in the last 12 months, compared to 693 in the previous year. Claire Usiskin, Young Minds

parent helpline policy manager, said: “This rise in calls is not sur- prising, with young people taking so many exams throughout their time at school and college, and the added pressures of coursework.”

2

Jacob, 16, is a GCSE student

at Garibaldi College in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He has Asperger’s syndrome, and is one of 25 young people who sit on Young Minds’ “Very Important Kids” panel, which advises the charity on its activities. He told SecEd: “Preparation for

GCSEs is tricky. Some aspects are going well and some aren’t. I do find it stressful particularly when I feel I don’t know what to do. “I think most students would

agree that revision is the worst bit. I find it really hard to know how much I can do and stay motivated.” He continued: “I feel under some pressure at school, but they

probably spend more time trying to push students who don’t give a monkey’s uncle.” However, Jacob acknowledged

that there was a place for testing in school – even suggesting he some- times felt there were not enough exams. “I don’t really feel over-tested.

Teachers have to test you so they know how to help you. In some subjects I feel I haven’t been tested enough because I still don’t know how to answer some questions.” Young Minds offers a range of

services to help schools ensure the wellbeing of students. Visit: www. youngminds.org.uk

On the cards: Scott Chapman, pictured with his mother Marie, won the Outstanding Individual prize for his Mother’s Day cards business which made £537 profit

The winners of an entrepreneur- ial competition that challenged youngsters to launch a successful business with just £10 have been announced. The annual Make Your Mark

with a Tenner final was held at the Institute of Directors in London last Thursday (May 13), and bud- ding entrepreneurs from 21 schools were in attendance to find out who had won. Winners were chosen from

under 11s, 11 to 14-year-olds and 14 to 19-year-olds in categories including Best Business Idea, Most Profit Generated, and the Best Social Impact. Among them was 11-year-old

Scott Chapman from Allestree Woodlands School in Derby, who won Outstanding Individual for his Mother’s Day cards business. Initially, Scott made a few cards,

using the proceeds from these sales to buy a laminator and more mate- rials. He then persuaded his local Sainsbury’s to sell his cards, which included a poem he wrote himself. Scott sold almost 800 cards in five hours and made a £537 profit.

He said: “I thought it would

be really good to design a gift that people my age can afford with their pocket money, because people do not get much money.” Another student,

from

Westhaven School in Somerset, which caters for children with SEN, won the Personal Achievement prize for his Easter quiz books. Jamie Cole, 13, who is autistic,

spent his spare time researching the books and went on to sell 89, making a profit of £129.80. Of this, he gave £40 to Westhaven’s school library to buy books, £39.80 to the local Weston Hospice and kept £40 to reinvest into his next project. Jamie’s deputy Headteacher,

Bernie Richardson, said: “Life for this young man is not easy, but he has got a lot out of this project and it has given him the enterprise bug.” In an effort to encourage this

year’s winners to develop their businesses further, they will now get £100 and a special visit to their school from a successful entre- preneur. For a full list of winners, visit

www.enterpriseuk.org

SecEd • May 20 2010

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Pupils shun canteen for fast food

by Sam Phipps

Plans to tempt Scottish pupils with healthy school dinners are having the opposite effect, with tens of thousands of children shunning the canteen and opting for fast food instead. Glasgow alone has seen a plunge

in the uptake of school meals from 61 per cent in 2006 to 38 per cent this year, according to figures quoted by The Herald newspaper. Tough rules were introduced

four years ago governing how much fat, sugar and salt school meals may contain. These were reinforced by legislation in 2008. Fergus Chambers, chief

executive of Cordia, the firm that supplies Glasgow’s school canteens, said it was impossible to compete with fast food outlets such as burger vans and chip shops.

A total of 5.7 million fewer

dinners have been served across Scotland every year since 2002, he said. “I believe that the most recent

rules, which allow no flexibility to those providing school meals, have fallen victim to the law. In this case the outcome has been that many school pupils now have an even worse diet due to their desertion of school meals in favour of some of the most unhealthy food.” Cordia last week tested food

from fast food outlets close to some Glasgow schools. A slice of pizza with chips, for example, contained nearly 600 calories and 30 grammes of fat, half of it unsaturated, and two pieces of chicken with chips had 14.5 grammes of saturated fat. Mr Chambers said his company

would not be allowed to offer such a meal to children. “Everybody wants the school meals service to

thrive and to improve diet and nutrition. But my concern is that those making the decisions on the latest rules have not fully listened to practitioners,” he said. “Fat, salt and

sugar levels are now set so low as to be almost non-existent. We can no longer sell diet drinks, flavoured water or even fruit juice of any reasonable portion size. Confectionery, including most home baking, is banned – yet pupils can walk out and buy anything they want.” A Scottish government

spokeswoman said regulations on food and drink in schools complemented its wider approach to health promotion.

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