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NEWS In brief Food fortnight


Winners: Oliver Mooney, principal at St Paul’s High School, receives his award for outstanding secondary head in Northern Ireland from the BBC’s Donna Traynor (left), while Gillian McGarry celebrates her award for enterprise


Outstanding teachers pick up top awards


by Chris Parr


The first winners of the Teaching Awards 2010 were unveiled last week at the Northern Ireland, Midlands and North regional finals. A total of 15 secondary schools


and staff received awards (listed, right), which recognise the best in classroom practice across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first ceremony took place


at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, where the cream of Northern Ireland’s teaching professionals received prizes – including Gillian McGarry, head of English at The Wallace High School in Lisburn. Ms McGarry took home the


Department for Education Award for Enterprise in recognition of her


16 years of service to the school – years that were tinged with per- sonal tragedy when she was sud- denly widowed two years ago. She told us: “After (my husband)


passed away, I was back in work within the week. The school is like a second home to me, and it was at the stage when my personal life was crumbling that the support from my colleagues, and the sense of com- munity, really came through.” Ms McGarry was nominated by


Jonathan, a year 12 student who takes part in the journalism class that she runs. He told the judges: “Rather then being depressed and broken in class, she became even more enthusiastic and even more focused on our success. She came back with a new determination and a new goal to achieve.”


Ms McGarry added: “I’m so


proud to have won the award. It’s one of the proudest moments of my life – it was lovely just to be nomi- nated, never mind win.” Another Northern Irish winner


was Oliver Mooney, principal at St Paul’s High School near Newry, who received the National College Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School. Since his arrival at St Paul’s


High School, eight years ago, he has overseen a raft of major chang- es, including a school refurbish- ment and extension. The school, an all-ability secondary for more than 1,200 11 to 18-year-olds, is now over-subscribed and has to turn pupils away. Mr Mooney told us: “It’s such a nice feeling to receive the recogni-


Film marks plight of young carers


“The hardest thing about being a young carer is time.” This is just one of the poign-


ant comments made by a teenage girl in a hard-hitting new film produced by a group of 20 young carers from York. Entitled The Unusual Suspects, the 15-minute film aims to raise awareness among teachers of the pressures young carers face. Research estimates that there


are up to 30 young carers in every secondary school. Many of them combine caring for men- tally or physically disabled family members with shopping, cook- ing, doing the laundry, looking after younger siblings and keep- ing up with their studies. Their domestic demands often leave them exhausted and hard-pressed to complete their school work. The 2001 Census showed that


there are 175,000 young carers under 18 in the UK but the real figure is likely to be far higher. A survey carried out by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Children’s Society found that many young carers experience bullying, mental health problems, and a lack of support from teachers. But last year, the York Carers


Centre helped to start Young Carers Revolution, a forum to give young carers between 12 and 20 a voice.


Secondary Teaching Award winners (region in brackets)


The Royal Air Force Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School Kevin Ramsay, Dominican College, Portstewart (Northern Ireland) Katie Beech, Baxter College, Kidderminster (Midlands) Mary Firth, Balby Carr Community Sports and Science College, Doncaster (North) The National College Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School Oliver Mooney, St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook (Northern Ireland) Francis Tunney, Painsley Catholic College, Stoke on Trent (Midlands) Roy Halford, Hawkley Hall High School, Wigan (North) The Becta Award for Next Generation Learning David Stinson, Sullivan Upper School, Hollywood (Northern Ireland) Paul Evason, Haybridge High School and Sixth Form, Stourbridge, (Midlands) The Department for Education Award for Enterprise Gillian McGarry, The Wallace High School, Lisburn (Northern Ireland) Caroline Bell, Holbrook Centre for Autism, Belper, Derbyshire (Midlands) Joanne Martin, Highfurlong School, Blackpool (North) The Award for Outstanding School Team of the Year Maghull High School, Liverpool (North) The Department for Education Award for Sustainable Schools Macmillan Academy, Middlesbrough (North) The Department for Education Award for Governor of the Year Ron Kenyon, Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham (Midlands) The TDA Award for Teaching Assistant of the Year Tania Jones, The Heath Specialist Technology College and Leadership Partnership School, Runcorn (North)


tion, but really it’s recognition for what the whole school has achieved. “Most of what headteachers


achieve is because of other people, and I’m very fortunate to have a strong, loyal school community.” SecEd will report on the winners from the remaining regional finals


(Wales, the South West, London and the South East, and the East) in the coming weeks. The winners will go on to the


national Teaching Awards, which take place in London this Autumn. For details, visit www.teaching awards.com


Union votes for industrial action


Scotland’s biggest teaching union has voted for a ballot on industrial action over spending cuts and the imple- mentation of the new curriculum. The Educational Institute of


Scotland (EIS) used its annual gen- eral meeting last week to back a national ballot for a one-day strike next March. Ronnie Smith, the general sec-


retary of the EIS, said: “Everything we do is dominated by the context of the economic crisis and the com- petition among political parties to see how far and how fast they can go in adopting measures to reduce the deficit in public finances.” The introduction of Curriculum


Carer: Amie has cared for her mum for 11 years. This poster featured in the Young Carers Revolution media campaign


The young carers’ film was fund-


ed through Mediabox (a fund offer- ing 13 to 19-year-olds the oppor- tunity to create their own media projects) and made by York compa- ny Inspired Youth. It was shown for the first time on Friday (June 11) at a conference for practitioners working with children and young people at the University of York St John. “If you ask any of our young


carers what their biggest problem is they say ‘school,’” said Liz Langwade, young carers worker and schools link worker at the York Carers Centre. “Many of them don’t feel able to tell teach- ers what is going on in case teach- ers think it is an excuse.” To find out more about the


film, visit http://youngcarersrevo- lution.blogspot.com


for Excellence also dominated con- cerns, with delegates agreeing unani- mously to adopt a work-to-rule policy on the basis that the Scottish govern- ment has not granted enough time or money to the new framework. The curriculum is due to be rolled out in secondaries this August. But members voted against a


motion to boycott it outright, opting instead to co-operate as long as it does not push their working week beyond the contractual 35 hours. However, they have backed a


delay to the start of new qualifica- tions based on the curriculum. Larry Flanagan, from the Glasgow local association, argued


SecEd • June 17 2010


that a boycott made no sense. “If you step away from the process you lose influence over the process, whereas the effect of a work-to- contract would be to slow down the process of implementation,” he said. Meanwhile the Scottish


Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) is also a step closer to indus- trial action over Curriculum for Excellence. The SSTA has voted for an indicative ballot, saying the gov- ernment has failed to make enough progress on outstanding issues. Ann Ballinger, general secretary


of the SSTA, said: “Teachers are being asked to produce and imple- ment new courses with no clear guid- ance on new forms of assessment. “The end product of qualifica-


tions is four years away but teachers have to provide meaningful assess- ment for S1 courses beginning in August. Before beginning a journey it is essential to have a map and a first destination in mind.” Education secretary Michael


Russell said industrial action was against the interests of pupils. “My advice would be for teachers to work with the range of support that already exists, rather than disrupt the education of pupils and delay the much-needed improvements we all agree are necessary,” he said.


British Food Fortnight is running from September 18 to October 3 this year. The event encourages pupils to learn about food – from its diversity, to the benefits of healthy eating and the pleasures of eating fresh, seasonal produce. This year sees the arrival of new challenges, including one inspired by the Hairy Bikers’Mums Know Best television programme. Pupils are encouraged to cook a meal based on recipes that would have been used in their school’s region in previous generations. The winning school will be invited to cook their meal for a celebrity. Visit: www.lovebritishfood.co.uk


Finance resources


A charity that helps schools to teach students about personal finance has been rewarded at the Charity Awards 2010. The Personal Finance Education Group, known as pfeg, won the Education and Training Award at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel last Thursday (June 10) for the finance teaching resources and consultancy it produces for teachers and local authorities. It also works with government to influence education policy. Visit: www.pfeg.org


Bridging the gap


A series of books has been launched by the Geographical Association to help geography students to bridge the gap between A level and university. The first two titles in the Top Spec Geography range are Health Issues in Geography, which explores geography’s link to health, and Emerging Superpowers: India and China, which considers India and China as the future’s superpowers. Forthcoming titles in the series include Flood Risk and Management, Climate Change and the Arctic, and Tectonic Hazards. Visit: www.geography. org.uk


Design challenge


The education company RM has launched a competition encouraging UK schools to design their own computer frontage. Winners of the designOne competition will gain a customised RM One computer with their design on the front, as well as the chance to take part in a guided tour of RM’s educational technology REAL (Rethinking Education And Learning) Centre in Oxfordshire – a state-of-the-art creative learning environment. The closing date for the competition is July 16. Visit: www.rm.com/ designOne


Overseas support


The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has launched a website to support overseas-trained mathematics teachers by guiding them through the mathematics curriculum and assessment structures of England. The NCETM’s site explains aspects of classroom culture and the qualifications framework for prospective teachers and their students. Above all, it reminds teachers of the requirements for CPD and the support available for this. Included on the site is a community portal where teachers can exchange ideas and support. Visit: www.ncetm.org. uk/otmt


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