NEWS

Parents step in to fill Scottish funding gap

by Sam Phipps

Parents are subsidising Scottish schools to the tune of £6.5 million for essential items including books and computers, a survey has shown. That sum was raised last year

via various events from baking stalls to school plays, according to the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC). Most of the money went on

books, including library books, fol- lowed by trips and activity days,

then computer equipment and out- door play equipment. Parents in Aberdeenshire con-

tributed £172,850 last year, more than any other local authority. Next highest were Fife parents, who raised £63,400. Eileen Prior, executive director

of the SPTC, said it was worrying that parents did not have a clear pic- ture of their school’s finances, a fact that emerged from the findings. She said: “Either they are not

getting the information or they don’t understand the information they are being given. This is information

they are entitled to have in a clearly understandable format. “That concerns us, because if

they don’t know the problem, they cannot be part of the solution.” An average of £2.41 was raised

per secondary child and £13.09 for pupils at special schools. This com- pared with £14.83 per primary pupil. Parent councils also disclosed

that their fundraising targets ranged from £200 to £19,000 last year, and 39 groups across Scotland took in more than £500. Des McNulty, Labour’s educa- tion spokesman, said: “We have

the unedifying spectacle of teachers being forced to buy jotters for kids whilst parents are being asked to fundraise for equipment that should be provided by the government. “The Scottish government will

no doubt try and blame councils, but the buck stops with the educa- tion minister,” he said. Michael Russell, the education

secretary, said: “The generosity of Scottish parents in their willingness to contribute to fundraising drives in schools is well known and helps to pay for valuable extras such as school trips and outings.

“The Scottish government is giv-

ing an increased share of the budget to councils, so parents should not be having to supplement resources. The money they contribute should be providing extras to improve the experiences of pupils.” A survey by the EIS teaching

union earlier this year found severe cuts to school services from lan- guage teaching to music tuition. The cutbacks, including job

losses, spurred a march of 10,000 teachers and parents in Glasgow in March and the union has threatened a one-day strike next month.

Welsh announce helpline for young people

Wales has launched the UK’s first national advice helpline for young people. The helpline, called Meic,

received £450,000 of Welsh Assembly government funding, and is designed to help youngsters to get advice on issues that are affect- ing them. It will initially run for eight hours

a day, seven days a week, before becoming a 24-hour service. Huw Lewis, Wales’ deputy min-

ister for children, said: “Meic is a significant step forward for children

When can the new helpline assist a young

person?

• When a facility or service they use changes or stops.

• If they don’t feel they have been treated fairly.

• When they have been excluded from a service but they don’t feel it was their fault.

• When they don’t understand a system and need help to navigate.

• If they are not getting anywhere with a service.

• When they feel that nobody is listening to their point of view but making decisions regardless.

On call: Aled Haydn Jones, presenter of Radio 1’s advice show The Surgery, helped to launch the Meic helpline

Children’s commissioner for

and young people’s advocacy in Wales. Not only are we leading the way – we are making sure children and young people are getting support to have their voices and opinions heard in decisions that affect them. “For the first time, children and young people have a single point of

contact – whether that’s by phone, text or instant message – to get the help and support they need.” It is hoped that the service will

compliment existing helplines such as ChildLine, which offers students counselling and support rather than advice.

Wales, Keith Towler, added: “When you think about finding information there are usually two things which spring to mind: where to find it and will you trust the source? What Meic attempts to do is to provide a solution to both; a home to reliable

and accurate information, a one- stop-shop for children and young people.” Young people under 25-years-

old can get in touch with Meic by free phone (080880 23456), free text (84001) or by visiting www. meiccymru.org

Schools still wait for new buildings

Northern Ireland secondary schools in dire need of new buildings are still waiting for work to begin years after plans were first approved – with one given the go-ahead as far back as 2002. A total of 26 post-primary

schools are waiting for brand new buildings, while others are in need of major refurbishment work. With the North’s education

budget having been slashed this year, it appears that work will be put off even further. The longer the projects are delayed, how- ever, the greater the cost. Education minister, Caitriona

Ruane, has now revealed a com- prehensive list of capital builds approved by her department, but where building work has not yet started. Those on the list include

Lagan College in Belfast, which was approved back in 2002. The new building would

replace “existing sub-stand- ard accommodation at a cost of £11.1 million”. However, taking inflation into account and the need for extra money to finance the extension, it is thought the cost is now closer to £20 million. Also waiting are Colaiste

Feirste, the Irish language sec- ondary school in Belfast, Glastry College in Ballyhalbert, and Holy Trinity College in Cookstown. Late last year, Ms Ruane

announced a review of all proposed major capital work projects. She said this would “inform

a more strategic approach to capital investment decisions and the management of the schools estate”. “In the current economic

climate the review will ensure that available resources are used to secure the best outcomes for children and maximum value for the taxpayer,” Ms Ruane said. “In light of this it is important

that we validate that the capital projects in which we invest are viable in the long term.” She added that it was critical-

ly important that investment in the education estate was consist- ent with the policy framework she is putting in place.

Design scheme launched Still time to win over £2,500 worth of ICT

How to enter

Pupils from schools across London are being offered the chance to gain experience of work in product design as part of a new programme launched by The Design Museum. The Design Ventura pro-

gramme, supported by Deutsche Bank, will allow 600 students from 30 of the capital’s state schools to put their design skills to the test each year. The youngsters will be chal-

lenged to create a product to be sold in the museum’s shop, to a brief set by eminent product designer Sebastian Conran. Those taking part will be

able to participate in school- based workshops, provided by the museum, and will be given access to professional designers and business people. The students will also receive hands-on expe-

rience relevant to qualifications including the creative and media Diploma, and GCSE-level design and technology. There is also a training day

for teachers, with ideas for how to imbed the programme in the curriculum, and an online resource that can be used by all schools in Britain. Helen Charman, head of learn-

ing at the Design Museum, said: “Design Ventura is a ground- breaking project for us, enabling us to inspire and equip young people with valuable skills while giving them personal experience of the real world of design.” Registration for the programme

is open now. Information and appli- cation forms are available from ventura@designmuseum.org. To access the resources, visit www.designmuseum.org/ventura

There is still time to get your school’s entry in for SecEd’s latest ICT giveaway, which is offering the chance to win £2,600 worth of software and equipment from software publishers Serif. The competition will see one

lucky reader win a 50-user Serif Design Suite site licence for their school – worth £2,199 – as well as 10 Wacom graphics tablets worth £40 each.

Design Suite

Serif’s Design Suite package provides a creative solution for ICT across the curriculum. The Design Suite has been praised for its powerful and easy-to-use software for schools, enabling pupils to achieve outstanding results. In doing so, they also develop

their design skills to prepare for the competitive workplace. Professional software programs team with teach- er resources that guide you through

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every step – for any schools offer- ing the OCR Nationals in ICT, for example, Serif’s teacher resources are OCR-endorsed. Included in the Design Suite are five software pro- grams covering all areas of the crea- tive curriculum. The winner will also receive 10

Wacom graphics tablets for their school. Discover new, fascinating ways

of being creative, with the Bamboo One pen tablet. With a brushed sil- ver design, the tablet and digital pen offers students a simple and intuitive way of interacting with a computer, enabling a personal touch to be added to digital photographs, invi- tations, birthday cards and emails. Bamboo One also presents a quick way of navigating office applica- tions.

How to win

For your chance to win all of this, simply answer the following question:

SecEd • May 27 2010

How many software programs make up the Serif Design Suite?

To be in with a chance of winning these prizes, email your answer to the above question, including your name, school and contact details, to Pete Henshaw, the editor of SecEd, on pete.h@markallengroup.com

You can also post entries on a

postcard to SecEd Competitions, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0PB. The deadline for entries is

May 31. The competition is open to

all UK secondary schools, but is restricted to one entry per school. Normal SecEd terms and con-

ditions apply. For a copy of these or for further information, email pete.h@markallengroup.com The winning school will be

drawn at random from the cor- rect entries and announced in SecEd during June. All entries will be passed on to Serif. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16