At the chalkface Crumlin kettled


London’s burning! Flames flicker in the city night. Students storm Whitehall. Police horses charge peaceful tinies, who wave witty placards and link hands like flower children. Clots whack windows. A royal carriage is ambushed. Paris ‘68? The Miners’ strike ‘84? Of course not. The Winter Revolution against education cuts. I watch it on the rolling news. It gets me through Christmas, but prompts much sadness. And shock. Especially when


some familiar shapes surface out of the murk like that larking figure with a QPR scarf. Crumlin! Ronald Crumlin! Next to a cadaverous figure in a T-shirt that says “The Nightmare Returns!”? Who he? Dervish. Attila Dervish! And that muscled thug, chatting up a revolutionary blonde? Who he? Lunk! Sidney Lunk! El Sid! My 12th year boys. The dread triumvirate frolic in the flames. What are they doing there? Revolting? Again? Bunking? Again. An accident? Most things in their lives tend to the accidental. Their political consciousness is usually about zero isn’t it? No more, it would seem. The cancellation of the EMA was a wheeze too far – they are well irked. Off they go to the demos. I feel rather proud of them. Am I not being sentimental,


irresponsible and unprofessional? Probably. Mobs solve nothing? I’m not sure. Smashing windows is wrong? Yes. So are tripled tuition fees, the cancelled EMA,


the evisceration of humanities, denying the working class a decent education – and kettling children like cattle on Wordsworth’s Westminster Bridge. Men should weep. I nearly did. What a vision! The Flower of England, rising like Blake’s children of Albion – finally workers and students and peaceful, smiling tinies and Sidney Lunk will come together to build Jerusalem in this green and pleasant land... or not. Alright, not! Get real. If the miners couldn’t do it, what


chance have these tender, silly children got? And those baby thugs don’t help. Bloody fools. That it


should come to this... The new term begins.


The revolting trio charge into registration to fawning adulation. Candace and


Rhapsody give them high fives and hugs, and kiss their brute


and blushing faces. “Respect!” Revolutions need a frontline


– and so far they’ve espoused non-violence. “I need educatin,” says Dervish, who has hitherto rather bunked it. “Kettled by coppers!” says Crumlin. “Old Bill nearly froze my nuts off!” observes Lunk. This may not constitute the most sophisticated political consciousness, but hey, who knows what the new year will bring? Kettled and Cabled and confined, they might soon be sunk in Chomsky. We could well be watching the politicisation of Sidney Lunk.


• Ian Whitwham is a former secondary school teacher.


Deep learning: Caroline Johnson, education co-ordinator at the National Marine Aquarium delivers what is believed to be the first ever underwater lesson to students from Marine Academy in Plymouth


Lessons from the deep by Daniel White


Students came face-to-face with three sharks when they became the first to try out a new £500,000 underwater classroom. The special lesson took place at


the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth with students from the nearby Marine Academy. The classroom features tradi-


tional furniture and apparatus, but is located inside the aquarium’s Ocean Tank. Caroline Johnson, education


co-ordinator at the aquarium, gave what is believed to be the first ever underwater classroom lesson and which featured three sand tiger sharks. The classroom is just one of


the activities on offer at the new £500,000 “Just Add H20” facili- ties, which will open in April as part of the aquarium’s education programme. Other resources on offer include


an Aqua Lab, science theatre, a media and video recording suite, and a marine resources centre. The facilities are part of a work-


ing partnership with the University of Plymouth and the city council and have been co-funded by the South West Regional Development Agency and the Wolfson Foundation. Dr Dave Gibson, managing


director at the aquarium, said the facilities offer a “real flavour of what learning outside the classroom is all about”. He added: “The new facili-


ties will provide an educational resource which is second to none in the country. The possibilities of what we can offer to support learn-


ing, both for students visiting and those who use our online resources, are really exciting. “Although we’re not suggesting


that teachers submerge their usual classroom equipment and swim around with the sharks in the tank, it’s a great way of engaging with the students and really bringing to life all the facilities that we have here at the aquarium.” The aquarium had 28,500


learners of all ages take part in educational sessions last year. For more information, visit www.national-aquarium.co.uk


News


The School Certifi cate in Data Protection


Proper staff data protection training in a single, swift, affordable step. Job done.


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Why Does My School Need this Training? The Data Protection Act requires the school to take reasonable steps to ensure the reliability of any staff handling personal data and to keep that data secure. Proper staff training can help you comply. Apart from damaging your school’s reputation, breaching data protection law can lead to fi nes and criminal convictions for the school and potentially also for individual staff. If investigated for a potential breach eg. loss of a laptop, this certifi ed training will be taken into consideration by the regulator when considering what enforcement action to take.


Who Should Attend? Any member of staff that handles personal data. ie. All teaching and support staff, governors, administrators, secretaries, business managers and bursars.


Training In association with The Information Law Practice


16


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What will my Staff Learn? • The school’s basic legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998. • How to handle a request for access to personal data eg. by a parent or other person.


• The legal steps the school must take to keep personal data safe & secure.


• The latest government recommendations on data security, encryption, secure remote working and backup solutions.


• How to handle a data security incident such as a laptop theft including managing the Press & deciding whether or not to report the loss to the regulator and parents.


• How to lawfully use personal data for your website, pupil photos and biometrics.


SecEd • January 6 2011


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