News School opts for aerated technology Alistair Hamilton, St Hugh’s bursar, said: “It
was important that the new system met a range of criteria set by the school. Not only did it need to meet standards set by the Environment Agency but it needed to be sustainable, cost-effective, require little maintenance and fit within the confines of the existing system. “As we already had a filter bed, we wanted a
A preparatory school in the heart of Oxfordshire has turned to a more natural method of treating its sewage by investing in a constructed wetland fitted with Forced Bed AerationTM (FBATM). St Hugh’s school in Carswell, Faringdon has
been working with reed bed specialists ARM Reed Beds to replace its existing sewage treatment system with one which works within the existing footprint, is environmentally-friendly and meets its sustainability targets. Up until recently the school had been treating
all of its sewage with a system installed over 20 years’ ago. Comprising three septic tanks and a filter bed, the system had become overgrown and no longer fit for purpose. With a tight discharge consent set by the
Environment Agency and the continual welfare of its pupils a primary concern, St Hugh’s chose a new system incorporating two septic tanks and an aerated reed bed fitted with FBATM technology.
Highgate School Design Technology team takes on the world – and wins
Highgate’s DT department is the toast of the School, after two teachers and four sixth-form boys became the highest ranking VEX Robotics team in the United Kingdom last week in Kentucky. Omar Hussein, George Ball, Jacob Green and Colin Kpodonu,
all aged 18, attended the VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky this month, representing Highgate as System- 32. Out of 850 teams – comprising some 8000 students from 30 different countries – they also won the Teamwork award. This was presented to the team that demonstrated a ‘season-long commitment to cooperation, unity and mutual respect’ who built ‘a sustainable multi-team robotics program… [demonstrating] the ability to field multiple independent robotics teams which also work and collaborate together to enrich the experience of all students involved’. Director of Design Technology, Andy Thomson, who
accompanied the boys on the trip along with DT teacher Jon Taylor, is understandably proud. ‘It very much embodies the Highgate spirit that System-32 was awarded the Teamwork award, which recognises not only their obvious skill, but also their attitude and solidarity.’ The trip to the United States comes shortly before the boys
take their A Levels and leave the School – no doubt for a stellar future. people in interesting jobs can make all the difference.”
uwww.highgateschool.org.uk 4
Majority of NQTs to drop out within a year by 2017
By 2017, the majority of newly qualified teachers will be dropping out of the profession within 12 months, according to supply teaching agency Randstad Education. The specialist recruiter has produced a forecast based on the current trend of
increased dropouts in the sector – if nothing changes, within two years, those dropping out within their first year will outnumber those staying in the profession. Just 62% of newly qualified teachers were still in the education sector a year
after qualifying according to the latest figures available (for 2011). The drop-out rate includes those who qualify but never get a teaching job as well as the number who secure jobs in education but leave within 12 months. This is a steep decline from 2005 when 80% of newly qualified teachers stayed in the profession for at least a year. Randstad Education says that there is no sign that this rate is set to change and that by 2017, just 48% of newly qualified teachers will remain in the profession 12 months after they qualify – meaning the majority will have dropped out of the system within a year of qualifying. Jenny Rollinson, managing director of Randstad Education, said: “Universities are
over-emphasising the importance of securing a permanent job. This has two unfortunate results. Some graduates don’t find a permanent job and feel defeated by the process.
Instead of looking at other options, like supply teaching, they duck out of
the profession altogether. Others panic and taking the first job they find – a job which is often not well-matched to their personality traits and skill-set. After a disastrous demotivating year in a role which doesn’t suit them, many teachers leave with less-than-glowing references making it even harder to find the right job second time around – also making them more likely to drop out of the profession. It’s a Catch 22 situation which does newly qualified teachers no favours. There are plenty of other problems that newly qualified teachers face – from government bureaucracy and curriculum changes to the pressure of league tables and problematic pupils – but being panicked into ducking out of the profession or taking on the wrong role shouldn’t be one of them.”
uwww.randstad.co.uk/Education www.education-today.co.uk May 2015
similar green solution but it had to have the right capabilities. ARM was able to design a system that met our needs and the use of aerated technology means we have the option of fine- tuning the aertion for maximum treatment during peak times and lowering it during holidays – reducing energy costs.” “The headache for many schools is meeting If they fail to meet these, costly
consent levels.
fines will be imposed. The sewage treatment solution must be able to meet these tight
consents and deal with the challenges that term time and long holidays throw at it,” said Tori Sellers, director at ARM. “Over the past ten years ARM has invested a
lot of resources into providing solutions for a range of clients and the development of aerated reed beds has opened up the possibility of using wetland solutions to treat wastewater for many businesses, including schools. “The requirement is nearly always the same -
a need to reduce BOD and ammonia concentrations in the water before it enters the local watercourse. “Schools have limited budgets and if they
need a solution which hits sustainability targets, reduces operating costs and requires little maintenance, then aerated wetlands is the only solution.”
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