NEWS


£2 million food project ‘is more about ticking boxes’


by Sam Phipps


A £2 million food education scheme in Scotland will fail to bring lasting benefits to pupils because it is more about “ticking boxes” than inspiring young people in the kitchen, according to the director of a leading community cooking organisation. Last week rural affairs secretary


Richard Lochhead pledged the cash over three years so that every Scottish school child understands more about the food they eat and how it impacts on their health and on the environment. A group of industry and


education representatives will steer the scheme and provide advice on attracting private investment. However, Bosco Santimano,


director of You Can Cook, which runs workshops and classes in schools and other venues around Scotland, said the money would have a negligible effect on most young people’s culinary skills or health in the long term. “What I see lacking out there is practical knowledge, and this


scheme makes little if any mention of that,” Mr Santimano told SecEd. “It’s more about ticking boxes. “(We have) been dealing with


schools for five years but it’s the most difficult client group for us to work with because it’s so rigid and time-constrained. Pupils are never given the freedom to explore things themselves when it comes to cooking.” The £2 million scheme is aimed


at helping young people make informed choices about what they eat by ensuring more opportunities for them to use farms, fishing and food companies to learn about their health, the environment and their relationship with food. It is also meant to deepen


their understanding of Scotland’s growing food and drink industry and the career options available. Many of the topics will tie in readily with the Curriculum for Excellence, according to the Scottish government. “It’s no secret that Scotland


faces issues around the health of our nation and – like every other country – we need to protect our


environment and face up to the challenges around climate change,” Mr Lochhead said. “Whether through farm visits,


working with local companies or embedding food topics in the curriculum, food education is key to helping young people understand the role food plays in their lives.” “By encouraging pupils to learn


more about these issues they can have the facts they need at their disposal to make informed choices for their future.” But Mr Santimano said it would


make more sense to invest in out- of-school cookery workshops and classes, where pupils feel more relaxed and ready to learn via hands-on involvement. He added: “The risk with this kind of government scheme is that you lose your target audience with fancy language and theoretical concepts. Food preparation should be about socialising and enjoyment as much as health.” The scheme’s partners include


The Royal Highland Education Trust, Seafood Scotland and the Scottish Food and Drink Federation.


Campaign targets MPs in a bid to highlight careers guidance gaps


Campaigners are urging the government to ensure every student receives expert career guidance. The Institute of Career Guidance


(ICG) has launched a campaign to promote the need for ministers and employers to invest in services offering help and guidance to students on their futures. It follows funding cuts which


Making waves: Award-winners Tom, 13, (left) and Luke, 14


Tom and Luke take over the school airways


Radio 1 DJs Chris Moyles and Fearne Cotton had better watch out. Two year 9 pupils at a Bath secondary school are hot on their heels. Tom Matthews, 13, and Luke


Nix, 14, present the Drivetime show at Culverhay School between 3pm and 5pm every weekday afternoon. Now their unique mix of top-


40 music, chat, celebrity gossip, interviews and competitions has won them a prestigious Sony Award for Schools Radio. The pair scooped the 2012


music entertainment programme prize while the other award, for a feature/documentary programme, went to Kents Hill Junior School in Benfleet, Essex. Tom and Luke began


contributing to Culverhay’s Lazer FM radio station as year 7s and


4


have hosted their own show for the last two years. Around 50 pupils at the all-boys school help to run the radio station, which has its own studio and broadcasts for four hours a day. Shows are transmitted via the school’s own PA system and on the internet. “The school is incredibly


proud of Tom and Luke,” said Culverhay’s IT network manager and station manager Dan Copp, who launched Lazer FM in 2007. “They put so much effort and


hard work into their shows and mentor other pupils too.” The two young radio


presenters visited Sony’s headquarters last week and will receive their awards at a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House on May 14. To hear Lazer FM, go to


www.lazerfm.co.uk


have led to the closure of the Connexions advisory services in many local authorities. This comes at a time when youth unemployment across the UK is at a record high of more than one million.


Schools have now been made


responsible for providing careers guidance in years 9 to 11 instead of local authorities. From September schools will have to provide access to independent and impartial advice – without any additional funding. However, a study by the ICG


published last month revealed that nearly one in 10 schools is not planning to offer students any careers advice while many others are uncertain as to how they can best meet the new duty. The ICG maintains that closure of the Connexions services has


adversely affected four out of five schools, with half reporting a “reduced” or “seriously reduced” service for pupils. The new campaign aims to


show how career guidance can make a difference and help students to understand what is out there for work and learning. Campaign supporters are being urged to sign a postcard and send it to their MP or elected representative. Sarah Finnegan-Dehn, president


of the ICG, said: “We are urging the government and employers to invest in career guidance to help the


UK return to growth and support those people who are struggling to find a job. The UK job market is complicated – it is vital that people whatever their age and level of achievement can access guidance when they need it. We are particularly concerned that face- to-face career guidance, delivered by qualified impartial careers professionals will simply not be on offer to many people.” Campaign supporters can


download the postcard to send to their MPs or elected representatives, visit www.icg-uk.org


Miliband left saddened by vocational axe


Labour leader Ed Miliband has expressed his disappointment at the downgrading of vocational subjects in school league tables. He has also called for students


to be given lessons in how business works so they are more aware of the opportunities available to them in the workplace. In a speech to industry leaders


this week, the leader of the opposition slammed education secretary Michael Gove for downgrading the league table standing of subjects such as the


Diploma in Engineering and for axing other subjects altogether. It follows the government’s


decision to strip hundreds of vocational qualifications out of the school league tables. From January 2015, the number


of vocational courses that are counted within the league tables as GCSE equivalents will be cut from more than 3,175 to just 125. Furthermore, only 70 of these


vocational courses can be included in the main measure of students who achieve five A* to C GCSE grades.


Mr Miliband said: “What signal


does that send to young people thinking what they might do in the world? The people at the top do not regard this (Diploma) as a proper subject or as a proper qualification. “The British engineering sector


needs to recruit an extra 2.5 million engineers over the next 10 years. How can we do that when we have this snobbery getting in the way?” Elsewhere, Mr Miliband


spoke of the importance of British manufacturing but claims businesses are being “shut out” of


schools. He added: “While other countries celebrate and exalt the success of their inventors, designers and makers, too often you have not been given the respect and status you deserve in our education system and wider culture.” The Labour leader said in one


school a business wanted to show off a new robot to children but were told they could not because of health and safety. “Schools should be letting


industry in, not shutting it out,” he said.


Autism CPD programme is unveiled


A three-tier autism-training programme to help teachers improve their knowledge of the condition has been launched. Funded by the government, the


Autism Education Trust (AET) aims to raise the level of good practice among all education professionals and school staff working with students aged five to 16. The programme will be rolled out via seven organisations which


are to be appointed as training hubs following £1.2 million worth of funding from the Department for Education’s Voluntary and Community Sector Fund. Basic autism awareness training


is available for school staff free of charge, and in September this year two more levels of training will open up. According to the National Autistic Society, 88,000 students


currently suffer with autism in mainstream schools in England and a survey last year by the charity found that four out of 10 student sufferers felt that their teachers did not understand autism. Steve Huggett, director of the


AET, said: “Currently there are no nationally recognised standards for teachers in autism education yet all teachers, including NQTs and teaching assistants, can expect to


teach a child or young person on the autism spectrum. “Autism affects each individual


differently so it is essential that all teachers – from those newly qualified to experienced headteachers – receive training in appropriate teaching strategies and techniques.” For more details, visit


www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/ traininghubs


SecEd • March 15 2012


Photo: Lucie Carlier


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