At the chalkface Coarse work part 94


IS THERE anything prettier than spring blossoms in city streets? Cherry and apple and magnolia bloom. Romance too – behind the bike sheds, in the 6th-form gardens and .. shhh .. in the staffroom. Daffodils are even dancing


in the playground – and QPR are finally going up. April, eh? Surely the loveliest month? Well, not quite. It’s


also, as TS Eliot calls it, “the cruellest month”. Or, as Sir Alex calls it, “squeaky bum time”. Why? For this is also the season of exam panics and coursework deadlines. We’re all in thrall to Mafia Exams Inc.


They put the


frighteners on teachers – of English, anyway. We stopped proper teaching yonks ago and now just peddle parrot answers. Mafia Exams own us – lock, stock and module. They tell us what to teach,


how to teach it, when to teach it, how to mark it and – just to save them any real work – instruct us to predict the results. Do they even read it? I’ve never known a predicted grade to change. It’s fool-proof loop. We


deliver it in bullet points on whiteboards. The mites ingest it and copy it and give it back to us. They tick boxes. We tick


boxes. They do second drafts. Just in case. And that’s it. Off it all goes in triplicate to the Mafia. The received Wisdom. Don’t knock it. It works. Fabulous


results. Everybody’s pleased. We keep our jobs, management get bonuses, Gove looks good, blondes get pretty A*s and their photos in Telegraph – and even more tots are given a chance of not affording higher education. So it goes. They put the frighteners on


the pupils too. The mites zoom down corridors, waving sheaves of gunpoint learning. Some panic – for without your exams, you could well end up in the soup kitchen. Some try cheating. I must check for nicking. They nick stuff from


things like Essays-R-US. com, BitesizeBollox.org or from their helicopter mums. There are rumours of GCSE essay dealers down the Portobello market. “Hey blood! Bad essays!


Anyfing! Macbeth! Steinbeck! Do you a Duffy for a fiver!! A grade stuff!” Desperate. Dennis Plum once quoted the book jacket of Animal Farm – “a searing indictment of totalitarianism in UK and Canada $3.50” – said the clot. Go Plum! Still, most meet the deadline


– even Crumlin, Haystack and Lunk. I have to lock the sloths in libraries and feed them chicken wings for as long as it takes. Then I post all those lovely A*s to Mafia Exams Inc. Job done. I walk back through the playground – and gaze on the still dancing daffodils.


• Ian Whitwham is a former secondary school teacher.


RECRUITMENT Mathematics


AST/SLT scale: £38,722 - £55,466 Teacher Scale: £23,024 - £33,489


We are looking for an ambitious Maths Teacher. You may be in the early stages of your career, or you may be an experienced established Maths Teacher looking to join us as either an aspirant AST or in a SLT development position. You will have high expectations and a commitment to getting the best out of your pupils. We will be ambitious for you and provide you with the professional development which will enable you to achieve the next stage in your career. For further information and an application form:


Visit www.basildonacademies.org.uk Telephone Nannette Windsor on 01268 498687 or email recruitment@basildonacademies.org.uk


Closing Date: Tuesday 17th May 2011 at Noon Interviews: Friday 20th May 2011


The Basildon Academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to CRB and health checks.


The Basildon Academies, Wickford Avenue, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex SS13 3HL


News


Fundraising students earn trip to Chennai


by Daniel White


Three students are jetting off to India after their tremendous charity fundraising efforts saw them win a national competition. It was all part of the Wings of


Hope Achievement Award, which aims to involve young people in fundraising activities while giving them the opportunity to develop a range of key skills. Karan Gupta, 16, from Merchant


Taylors’ School in south London, Amar Sehgal, 17, from ACS Hillingdon International School in Middlesex, and Shivankit Hora, 15, from Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys


School in Hertfordshire were pre- sented with the Achievement Award during a ceremony at London’s Wembley Stadium. The winning trio – called Team


Evolution – beat off competition from 450 teams from 142 schools, 34 of which made it to a semi-final at the House of Lords last month. In the semi-final, teams presented their fundraising initiatives and achieve- ments to a panel of judges including Sir David Jason, Lord Parekh and the BBC’s Yogesh Chauhan. Among the trio’s fundraising


activities were car washing, a “Glitz ‘n’ Gala” charity event, trick-or- treating, and snow shoveling. To raise money for the events they


sought sponsorship from a range of companies. Wings of Hope was founded in


2003 and works to support a school near Chennai in South India and the House of Hope, an orphan support centre in Malawi. The winners will now embark


on an all-expenses-paid trip to India. They will visit the Wings of Hope school programme in Chennai to see to the impact their fundraising will have. They will also teach some of the children and be organising activities with them. Other awards presented during


the ceremony included prizes for the most innovative fundraising, the most awareness raised, and best indi-


Young fundraisers: (from left) Emma Chapman, Dr Sri Ram and Rajni Sriram from Wings of hope with Achievement Award participants outside Wembley; Team Evolution in action at their ‘Glitz ‘n’ Glam’ fundraiser (inset)


vidual. Prizes included the chance to get work experience at top employ- ers including Saatchi & Saatchi. Co-founder and chief executive


of Wings of Hope, Rajni Sriram, said: “I am amazed and humbled every year by the enthusiasm and dedication that the students and teachers show when taking part in the Wings of Hope Achievement Award.


“Their support demonstrates


how much they care for students around the world, and helps us to continue our work providing free education to orphaned and vulner- able children in India and Malawi.” For more information, visit www.thewingsofhope.org


Science


AST/SLT scale: £38,722 - £55,466 Teacher Scale: £23,024 - £33,489


We are looking for an ambitious Science Teacher. You may be in the early stages of your career, or you may be an experienced established Science Teacher looking to join us as either an aspirant AST or in a SLT development position. You will have high expectations and a commitment to getting the best out of your pupils. We will be ambitious for you and provide you with the professional development which will enable you to achieve the next stage in your career. For further information and an application form:


Visit www.basildonacademies.org.uk Telephone Nannette Windsor on 01268 498687 or email recruitment@basildonacademies.org.uk


Closing Date: Tuesday 17th May 2011 at Noon Interviews: Tuesday 24th May 2011


The Basildon Academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to CRB and health checks.


The Basildon Academies, Wickford Avenue, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex SS13 3HL


Time Effi cient ways of developing your People Skills Schools are like businesses in that they spend a huge amount of


time and energy on trying to sort out people issues. If you are serious about developing your management skills but don't have the time to attend training courses then this is for you, go to www.merechats.co.uk


And get your FREE Coaching Session when you sign up to a membership this term.


You will get the opportunity to discuss topical issues with others on weekly conference calls and discussion forums and we’ll give you access to lots of useful self coaching resources which are updated monthly.


The website is live now! Go to www.merechats.co.uk or call Dot Struthers on 020 8408 3782


English


AST/SLT scale: £38,722 - £55,466 Teacher Scale: £23,024 - £33,489


We are looking for an ambitious English Teacher. You may be in the early stages of your career, or you may be an experienced established English Teacher looking to join us as either an aspirant AST or in a SLT development position. You will have high expectations and a commitment to getting the best out of your pupils. We will be ambitious for you and provide you with the professional development which will enable you to achieve the next stage in your career. For further information and an application form:


Visit www.basildonacademies.org.uk, Telephone Nannette Windsor on 01268 498687, or email recruitment@basildonacademies.org.uk Closing Date: Tuesday 17th May 2011 at Noon. Interviews: Monday 23rd May 2011


The Basildon Academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to CRB and health checks.


The Basildon Academies, Wickford Avenue, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex SS13 3HL


basildon.indd 1


04/04/2011 16:36


Calling all Teachers


The London Teaching Pool has numerous job opportunities Start the new academic year on the right foot


Permanent, long-term and daily supply work available within:


· Primary · Secondary · SEN · Early Years · Further Education


16 danum copy.indd 1


Contact us on 0845 450 1496 info@tltp.co.uk www.tltp.co.uk


SecEd • May 5 2011


23/6/09 12:43:24


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