CPD CPD by royal appointment


This year, the Prince’s Teaching Institute is celebrating


its 10th anniversary. Headteacher and co-director Bernice McCabe explains


T


eachers’ ambitions, self-confidence and enjoyment of their working lives are not helped by there being few opportunities for them to get away from the classroom and reflect on the significance of their jobs and the importance of doing them well.


Working within a regime of tighter accountability


that has led to inspections and league tables, with a lot of box-ticking and paperwork, many of them struggle to remember why they wanted to become teachers in the first place. Many may have had a genuine desire to work with


children. Some of them may have had a teacher of their own who was inspirational. Most of them were passionate about a single subject – a subject that first involved and excited them in their own school days, and went on to enrich and stimulate their adult lives. I happen to believe that it is not just wanting to work


with children, but being passionate about your subject (English is mine) which makes a good teacher. The Prince of Wales asked me to direct his first


Education Summer School in 2002 with the aim of bringing together teachers of English and history and giving them the opportunity to share their ideas of why their subjects were important, what should be taught and how. He wanted to create a forum in which


they could discuss, free from practical constraints and prevailing ideologies, how their understanding of what was important about their subjects might, and should, be reflected in their teaching. Over the last 10 years, this project has grown from


modest beginnings into the Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) and is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. We run residential courses and one-day training


events all over the country, covering not just English and history but also mathematics, science, geography and modern foreign languages. The list of subjects has grown at teachers’ own requests. One of the guiding principles has been that


everything we do is at the instigation of teachers, and that the organisation, a part from small central administrative team, is run by teachers for teachers. We invite experts in their subjects to come and speak


to teachers, arrange workshops and seminars which are all planned and chaired by practising teachers, and are often led by academics. Teachers are able to debate what they have heard,


and share ideas and good practice to take back to their classrooms. On the final day, I chair a panel of leading educationalists (often the chief executives of government agencies and subject associations). The conclusions from the conference are shared and debated with the panel. A recurrent theme in the evaluations we conduct


is how much teachers appreciate the opportunity to rekindle their enthusiasm and to share ideas about what makes outstanding teaching, without reference to the latest government initiatives or the pressures of targets and testing. The subject lectures “remind you what it feels like to be learning something new”, said one teacher, “and it’s important for teachers to remember that”. As well as regular residential courses in each


subject, we have introduced a membership scheme which sustains the spirit of the Summer Schools in the running of school departments by enriching subject provision both inside and outside the classroom (the Schools Programme). There is also a chance for headteachers to explore and develop subject-centred leadership through the


Increase your school’s level of funding


Fundraising for Schools is a monthly magazine, containing essential information on all the available sources of extra school funding from which YOUR school could benefi t.


A subscription to Fundraising for Schools will enable you to:


• Find out about all the awards and grants that are available, and the criteria for application;


• Formulate the best fundraising strategies for your school;


• Learn from the successes and failures of other schools that have previously applied for funding;


• Keep up-to-date with the latest fundraising stories; and • Increase the level of funding for your school.


QUESTION: WHY do people learn a language? Answer: to be able to communicate with others who speak that language, so they can be understood, have their needs met, difficulties overcome and directions to a pub provided. We’d all agree on that wouldn’t we? But when it comes to literacy and numeracy it doesn’t seem so. I’ve recently canvassed school leaders and found that some schools don’t see these subjects as forms of communication. When you talk to every child, these two words


feature in their vocabulary as easily as chocolate and X-Box. This isn’t the case at secondary level, here the communication becomes garbled. Is literacy just English? Is numeracy another word for maths? My survey suggested no-one was clear, least of all students. The trouble appears to be that schools are struggling to show students why they need to speak this language. Perhaps this metaphor can help. Students enter a world of learning with its own


TO SUBSCRIBE


Call FREEPHONE 0800 137201 or visit


www.fundraisingschools.co.uk


Fundraising for Schools – your essential practical guide to raising money!


SecEd • May 3 2012


language and its highly specific vocabulary. At secondary school, this world is a complex place, a bit like Italy in the 16th century where small states had their own idiosyncratic use of the language. As you cross each border – from English into history, into science – you encounter a range of different vocabulary. Except most of it has the same words – they’re just used in different contexts. As teachers we rarely see this (unless you track


a student for a day). Our experiences are formed by the language we speak in our city-states. Think how confusing it is for students who cross borders every hour of every school day. As Garibaldi unified Italy, so we need to unify the language of learning in our


School’s Leadership Programme, while the PTI has a partnership with the University of Cambridge as well which has led to the creation of a post-graduate Master’s degree in advanced subject teaching which will start in September 2012. Over the last 10 years, we have welcomed more


than 3,000 teachers from more than 20 per cent of secondary schools in England and Wales. Ninety per cent of the schools that have become members of our Schools Programme report that they have increased the challenge of their subject teaching. Inspiration and empowerment form the building


blocks of good teaching. We believe that the PTI offers the opportunities to reignite the passion that brought


Talking CPD Speaking the same language


Phil Parker on a project which puts every teacher,


regardless of their subject speciality, in charge of numeracy and literacy


schools. My survey highlighted four reasons why this is not so easy to achieve. • The lack of clarity. What defines literacy and numeracy?


• A lack of ownership. Is it only the responsibilities of maths and English departments?


• A lack of priority. Exam results are a greater priority, we can’t side-track staff.


• A lack of connectivity to the wider world. A fear of losing our focus on exam results by exploring the functionality of literacy and numeracy. In my survey, when people said they had literacy


and numeracy established across the school I asked how students used it. This led to the four reasons. The fact is teachers might understand a whole school strategy but frequently students don’t. I am working with several schools that are using


a skills-based approach to literacy and numeracy which is gathering momentum and ownership. It treats literacy and numeracy as a functional skill and every teacher has a responsibility to clarify to the students when these skills are being used – and how. The “how” comes from deconstructing the skills into competences – these words become the vocabulary which communicates the use. Teachers take responsibility for these competences


because they are part of what they do normally anyway. For instance, a numeracy competence is “convert”. Maths uses it, so does science, geography and design technology. As a student, when your teacher uses this word you realise it is the same skill you’ve used elsewhere. “Ah!” they say, “I know what’s needed here. I learned how to do this in maths.” It achieves clarity. Ownership is spread across


all subjects because it doesn’t require any extra work. Therefore priorities don’t need to change but the functionality of these skills can be reinforced constantly – how many careers need young people to be able to convert? In this way the relevance of literacy and numeracy is achieved, students use the language and develop the functionality employers demand. We just need to make sure we’re all speaking the same language.


• Phil Parker is an ex-senior leader of an outstanding school and now a director of Student Coaching. If you want to join his work in literacy and numeracy, contact him via www.studentcoaching.co.uk


Reflection: More than 3,000 have attended PTI courses since the Prince of Wales real- ised his ambition of bringing teachers together to share professional practice


teachers into this fine profession of ours and to remind them why they chose it.


SecEd


• Bernice McCabe is co-director of The Prince’s Teaching Institute and head of North London Collegiate School.


Further information www.princes-ti.org.uk


13


Grants available


Fundraising for Schools’ monthly look at the latest funding opportunities helps you apply for support quickly.


support


Instant Impact Fund UK-German Connection


Instant Impact Fund


Deadline Ongoing


Amount of award Up to £750


Contact details Lucy Farrant,


UK-German Connection, 34 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8QB


email: lucy.farrant@ukgermanconnection.org web: http://www.ukgermanconnection. org/?location_id=2215&item=4356


.ukgermanconnection. PRIMARY/SECONDARY


The UK-German Connection aims to bring young people together and is dedicated to increasing contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and Germany.


Awards criteria


The UK-German Connection will usually award grants on the basis of the following:


„ That the school or youth group has not visited the other country previously. „ That the trip includes a strong new element or significant development of the young people’s contact with the other country.


„ „


„ Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for the visit.


„


„ Materials, resources and dissemination activities.


„


„ That at least 75 per cent of the time during the visit is spent taking part in interactive and educational joint activity between young people from the UK and German partner institutions.


„


„ That there is a commitment to the sustainability of the link with concrete plans for follow-up and development. „ That the trip includes young people who would otherwise not have the chance to take part.


„ „


„ That the main beneficiaries are young people; that the grant is not solely for trips of coordinators (teachers/youth leaders and so on).


„ 4 Fundraising for Schools April 2012


UK-German Connection will not accept applications from individual students or through third parties.


Grants cannot be provided for the following:


The top-up grant can be provided before the start of the trip; payments are made by cheque.


Restrictions


The UK-German Connection cannot be involved in the organisation of the trip and is exempt from responsibility.


The grant may only be used for the proposed trip; should the trip not take place, the grant is refundable to UK- German Connection.


Incomplete or late applications cannot be assessed.


In order for an application to be considered for funding, the application must include all original signatures from all participating partner institutions. You are also asked to retain a copy of your application for your records.


How to apply


Download the online application form, fill it out and send it in hard copy to the provided address.


Recipients of the grant are required to submit a report one month after returning from the trip, including contributions (summaries, stories or diary entries, photo or video footage, and so on) by the participating young people. Recipients of the Instant Impact grant will receive guidelines about report writing.


UK-German connection will award funding for the following:


„ Unilateral activities


„ Traditional language exchanges „ Trips with a tourist focus „ Supply cover „ Hardware „ Insurance


„ „ „ „ „ „


Applications should be submitted at least six weeks before the trips. Applications received at the provided address less than four weeks before the date of departure cannot be considered.


The role of the project manager


Brin Best explains how project managers can help your school ensure its fundraising work is cost-effective.


My previous article in Fundraising for Schools discussed the importance of devising high quality projects in order to help secure the funds your school needs for its various priorities. Once funding is secured, however, the onus falls on your school to ensure that the projects you have planned actually achieve the outcomes set out in your project summaries and this is where effective project managers are vital.


This article explains what a project manager is, gives examples of the kind of people that can carry out the role and the benefits they can bring to a school. It outlines the main tasks project managers will need to carry out, provides advice on day-to-day aspects of the role and concludes with a five-point plan for making the most of project managers in your school.


What is a project manager? It is important that you or your colleagues are not put off by the rather grandiose title of ‘project manager’ (they could be equally called ‘project coordinators’). The definition of the term (see box) should make it clear that every school will already have at least one person carrying out the role of project manager for a discrete project – even if this person is not formally described as a ‘project manager’. Three examples of project managers from schools and their projects are included in the box on the opposite page; it should be apparent that every one of these projects aims to improve educational outcomes for pupils and/or the wider community. This list also serves to underline the fact that project managers in a school setting are not usually specialists parachuted in from outside to run only the most high profile projects; they are the people who work in the institution every day and who spend most of their time carrying out key duties other than project management (for example, teaching, leadership and management activities, supporting teachers, and so on).


10 Fundraising for Schools April 2012


‘Project managers are essential because they bring with them many benefits that will help you make your fundraising work more effective.’


Another common misconception is that the school’s fundraising coordinator takes a leading role in managing a range of projects. My studies show that, for the schools that raise the most funds, this is only rarely the case. Instead, the fundraising coordinator does precisely what their name implies – they oversee the overall fundraising work of the school and are supported in this endeavour by project managers who take the lead on specific projects.


It is essential to recognise that the project manager is simply the person who oversees the successful execution and completion of the project – they are not necessarily the person responsible for delivering some or all the actual activities that make up the project, though this model is possible. A more likely scenario would see the project manager working with a range of additional people that might include teachers, school leaders, support staff, governors and external partners in order to make the project a reality (see also below under ‘What does a project manager do?’).


There are two approaches to appointing project managers:


„„


Appoint early on in the development of the project, allowing them to contribute to the project summary and funding application(s)


„„


Appoint when funding has been secured for the project, with a view to taking things forward from that point onwards.


Although I have seen both scenarios work effectively, it makes sense where possible to try and appoint project managers as early as possible in the development of the project. This is mainly because involvement in the preparation of the formal documents that underpin the project – in particular the funding bid(s) – helps to create a sense of ownership


best practice


Fundraising April 2012.indd 4


28/03/2012 15:55


Fundraising April 2012.indd 10


Fundraising for Schools


April 2012 Issue 133


Your practical guide to raising money Government


Grant launches £50m


The Government has launched a £50m summer school fund to help the most disadvantaged pupils.


By Sue Learner


The money is designed to help up to 100,000 pupils making the transition from primary to secondary school, as Ofsted research has revealed that academic performance can take a dip at this time.


Secondary schools will be able to apply for up to £500 for every disadvantaged pupil taking part in a two-week summer school. All pupils transferring to Year 7, who are on free school meals or have been in care for six months or more, will be eligible.


Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said: ‘As any parent knows, the move from primary to secondary school can sometimes be tough. For those who struggle to make the jump, there can be a dip in performance that can last for years.


In this issue News and grant reminders


Grants and awards


We know that those who struggle most are often among the poorest in society, but we also know that just two weeks’ activities and education can help them at this tricky time in their lives.’


He added: ‘Summer schools will give some of the most disadvantaged pupils the chance to swim rather than sink in those first critical weeks of secondary school.’


1-2 3


4-9


10-11 12-13 14-15


Fundraising For Schools 16


Children’s minister Sarah Teather hopes the fund will help towards breaking down the social barriers that are a deciding factor in a child’s achievement and future prospects. She said: ‘In a fair society, it is the Coalition Government’s responsibility to close the gulf in achievement between the poorest children and their classmates. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children can slip further behind as they move into secondary school, so we know that heads and governors will be keen to build on their own induction arrangements and support these children.’


The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has given a cautious welcome to the scheme but warns it should not be primarily seen as an antidote to broken Britain.


Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said: ‘We’d like to see residential


Continued on page 2 Fundraising Deadline 1 June 2012 Contact details


http://www.fideliocharitabletrust. org.uk/


Instrument &


Equipment Awards Amount of award


Up to £2,000 Deadline


12 September 2012 Contact details


http://www.


emimusicsoundfoundation.com/ index.php/site/awards/


Playsafe Competition


Amount of award An IT prize to the value of £1,000


Deadline 8 June 2012


Contact details http://www.tradingstandards.gov. uk/events/events-playsafe.cfm


reminders summer school fund Fidelio Trust


Amount of award Up to £5,000


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