News
The Wizard of OZ needs new front cover
Over £10,000 of prizes R
F
egistration is now open for the National Schools Storyonics Competition for years 5 and 6 (years 4 and 5 in Scotland). There are over £10,000 worth of prizes including 500 sets of ‘Storyonics for PC/Whiteboard’ worth £19.99 for 500 lucky participating schools to be won in the prize draw. First prize for the winning class is £1,000 worth of educational toys and games with second and third prizes of £500 and £250 respectively.
At the beginning of September participating schools will receive 12 slides each with four images. The class selects one image from each slide and creates a story for submission before the half term break. This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage imagination and creativity while incorporating curriculum literacy skills in a fun way.
The competition is run by ZooBooKoo to celebrate the National Year of Communication and in recognition of schools’ services to children’s literacy learning. The competition is supported by The Communication Trust and Volunteer Reading Help charities.
Schools can register by visiting
www.zoobookoo.com and clicking on Storyonics Competition. It only takes one minute to register - a minute which will bring hours of fun and learning in your classroom.
Fair funding for all schools A
Government consultation on how school funding can be made fairer seeks the views of parents, teachers, schools, unions and local authorities about the current system, and asks whether a new system would result in a fairer outcome for schools.
The consultation, launched last month, is the first part of a two-stage process. Taking into account these views, further proposals will be published for consultation later this year.
As it stands, the school funding system creates large variations in how much money similar schools in different parts of the country receive. Funding is based on historic calculations - some dating back to at least 2005 - that bear little resemblance to the needs of schools and their pupils today, says the Government.
Schools Minister Lord Hill said: “Headteachers tell us that the current funding system is unfair and illogical. In some cases it means a child living in one part of the country can be funded up to £1,800 more than a child with similar needs living elsewhere. Having a fairer system is not just right in principle. It would enable parents to see more clearly how schools are doing with the funding they receive.
“Addressing the disparities and inequalities within our school system is a top priority for the Coalition Government. For standards to improve, all pupils must get the support they are entitled to. This consultation is the first step to ensuring fairer funding for all.”
Brian Lightman, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “ASCL has long argued for a reform of the funding system and the development of a new funding system. We are therefore very pleased to see that the Government is launching this consultation.
May 2011
or the fourth year running Vintage Classics has teamed up with Young Times in The Times and Random House Children’s Books to give budding designers the opportunity to see their illustration on the cover of a published book. Launched today in Young Times, the competition is open to 7 to 12 year olds and the winning image will feature on The Wizard of Oz book jacket, available in bookshops from 3rd November.
The judging panel includes Dame Jacqueline Wilson, one of the nation’s best loved children’s authors and former Children’s Laureate and author and illustrator Louise Yates, who won the 2009 Roald Dahl Funny Prize for her book Dog Loves Books. The winner will receive £100 worth of books of their choice from Random House Children’s Books, along with their cover featuring on the new Vintage Classics edition, and two runners-up will be able to choose £50 worth and £30 worth of books from Random House Children’s Books. The winner will be announced in Young Times in the week of 24th October. Entrants must use the official competition entry form and are asked to send in a drawing or painting (without any writing) on a piece of paper no larger than A4 by 29th July. Visit
www.vintage-classics.info where the entry form, further tips, information and terms and conditions can be found. If you would like posters for your local school, library, cafe or bookshop email
vintageclassics@randomhouse.co.uk
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the NAHT, said: “The time is right for a debate on a new funding system. The significant differences in funding between schools of the same size and intake cannot be justified and the current system is far too complicated. Funding must be consistent across schools if accountability is to be fair. We are under no illusions about the challenge and risk, especially in times of financial constraint, but it is a conversation worth having.
The Government is also consulting on potential options for funding Academies next year, as an immediate step towards making the funding system simpler. This consultation will run for six weeks. At present, Academy funding replicates the funding that other schools in the local authority receive. But this system was designed for a much smaller number of Academies. As more schools choose to convert, the current system is becoming increasingly clumsy and needs to change, says the Government, adding that 629 Academies are now open, compared to 203 in May 2010.
The Government is consulting on three different options for funding Academies in 2012/13.
David Wootton, Chair of the Independent Academies Association, said: “We in the Academy movement are committed to a funding formula that is fair for all schools and all children. The present system is innately unfair and has for a long time disadvantaged many youngsters. The funding system has not kept up with the pace of change or indeed changes in localities.
“A new funding system has the potential to create a fairer and simpler way of funding schools. This consultation offers everyone the chance to explore and consider in some detail the opportunities and challenges in moving from the current highly complex arrangements to a simpler, transparent system.”
The intention to consult on the benefits of a new funding system was set out in the Schools White Paper.
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