Academy conversion a big professional risk, say SBMs
Academy conversion is one of the key areas of professional risk for England’s school business managers today, according to a new survey by Schools Advisory Service. The poll identified academy conversion, along with accounting and
financial management, HR responsibilities and health and safety, as the top three aspects of their role which they say present them with the most professional risk. The survey, conducted in May 2016, also reveals that the majority of
schools are not planning to convert to academy status until 2018 at the earliest. Of the respondents whose schools had yet to convert to academy status (75 per cent) 40 per cent did not expect their schools to convert until 2020-2022, with 29 per cent saying it would between 2018 and 2020. Just over 31 per cent expected to convert by the end of 2017. Of those SBMs whose schools have already converted, an overwhelming
94 per cent said that academy status had increased their legal responsibilities as an SBM. The survey also revealed what SBMs think about the rapidly changing
nature of their roles. Respondents most commonly described their roles as “demanding”, “challenging” and “responsible” and said the three main areas of change in their jobs in recent years were increased hours and the general demands of the job, greater financial responsibility and more HR responsibility. The survey was carried out by school insurance provider Schools Advisory
Service to mark the launch of the company’s new liability cover for SBMs. The survey was supported by the National Association of School Business Managers (NASBM) and was completed by professionals working as SBMs or in equivalent roles.
uwww.schooladvice.co.uk/latest-news/
NEWS... Youngsters get gold
Ten Blackpool youngsters have received a special award after completing a twelve month challenge of their volunteering and physical skills. The young people
have all completed their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and were presented with their awards earlier in the month. All of them will also be invited to St James’s Palace in London to be
officially given their certificate by a member of the Royal Family. Completing the award involves undertaking regular volunteering, plus
doing physical activity and mastering a skill. The gold award also includes going on a 5 day residential and a 4 day expedition in the wild country. Around 30 young people complete the award every year in Blackpool on
average, with the course shaping the young adults to become well rounded members of the community. As part of the 60th anniversary of the DofE Award, a special plaque has
also been presented to Blackpool Council to acknowledge the authority’s continued support to the award. Cllr Graham Cain, Cabinet Secretary for Blackpool Council, said: “The
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is a very tough course to complete and all of these young people deserve a lot of praise for sticking with it and seeing it through to end. “The idea behind the award is all about teamwork, resilience and adapting
to new skills and challenges. That makes it the perfect foil to help young people get ready for later in their lives and everything that they’ve learnt over the past year or so will stand them in very good stead as they grow up.”
uTo find out more about undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Blackpool, contact
anna.elgee@blackpool.gov.uk
Research shows reading section complexity used in Key Stage 2 tests has increased substantially
complexity of the KS2 reading section has been more varied through the years with a marked difference between the official sample and the 2016 administered reading section. MetaMetrics, an educational measurement and
Research released this month by educational measurement and research organisation MetaMetrics, shows that the 2016 SATs tests are as difficult as the 2015 SATS, which were reported as ‘one of the hardest’ tests teachers had ever seen. The newly released study reveals that the text
research organisation, and the developer of The Lexile Framework for Reading, analysed the text complexity of the English reading sections from KS1 and 2 tests from 2003 to 2016, including the 2016 samples from the Department for Education. While MetaMetrics’ study found that the 2016 KS1 reading section is generally well aligned with complexity of the sample and previous reading sections, it also found that the 2016 KS2 reading
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www.education-today.co.uk
section was substantially more complex than the sample. Both Key Stage reading sections utilised text with greater complexity than that of available textbooks. Catherine Bell, co group MD at Scholastic UK
said, “The news that the most recent Reading SATS paper was the hardest yet wasn’t a surprise to us or the schools that we work with. We know that teachers are working hard to support children as the high stakes tests grow more demanding and that motivating children to read more is a great way to help prepare them for tests.”
u
https://lexile.co.uk/ July/August 2016
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