NEWS
New campaign aims to champion Teaching Assistants amongst rising pressure on school budgets
A new initiative designed to showcase the impactful and essential work of Teaching Assistants has been launched by one of the UK’s foremost educational charities. The campaign All I Do, created by the leader in vocational and technical learning NCFE, features real Teaching Assistants reading out public opinions about the role, before challenging the misconceptions and celebrating everything they do for children, young people and schools.
It comes as increasing pressure on school budgets means this vital role is at risk, potentially leaving some of the most vulnerable children without the support they need.
Angie Rogers, Subject Specialist in Teaching and Learning at NCFE, said: “Teaching Assistants deliver a wealth of value for schools, yet often don’t receive the recognition their role deserves. We want to raise
awareness of the impact Teaching Assistants are having every single day in supporting the needs of children and young people.
“Teaching Assistants make up over a quarter of the workforce in schools, including up to 35% of the primary workforce. As a specialist role, they support some of the most vulnerable children and young people, including students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). “Despite the essential work they do, Teaching Assistants are often the first role to be made redundant or have hours reduced when budgets get stretched. That’s despite most teachers across primary and secondary schools saying they don’t have everything they need to support students with SEND. “This is why we’re on a mission to champion everything Teaching Assistants do and the difference they make to so many. We’re also focused on supporting Teaching Assistants directly and helping them to develop their skills by improving access to specialised development and training opportunities.”
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https://www.ncfe.org.uk/celebrating-teaching-assistants
Amazon and The Learning Foundation launch new scheme to provide disadvantaged schools with devices and digital support
Amazon and digital education charity, the Learning Foundation have launched Tech4Schools, a new scheme that provides low-income schools serving disadvantaged communities with new devices, digital skills training and tech support. The scheme is funded by Amazon, and will be rolled out in collaboration
with charity In Kind Direct, who will connect schools with their devices, and education charity Teach First, who will identify schools to participate in the scheme, all of whom will be part of Teach First programmes. Tech4Schools is an initiative designed to tackle the issue of digital poverty and digital access - an issue which excludes many disadvantaged children and families across the UK from basic learning, work and career opportunities. Research from Teach First has revealed that one in five children who were home schooled in 2021 due to the pandemic, did not have access to an appropriate device, and around 10.2 million people (20 per cent) in the UK lack the digital skills needed for everyday life.
Following £360,000 funding from Amazon, Teach First will select schools in need from disadvantaged communities across the UK to receive support. Each school will receive a donation of £18,000 to fund devices to use at home and in-class, as well as other tech peripherals they may need, such as keyboards and headphones. Participating schools will also receive bespoke support from the Learning Foundation on how to embed a digital culture within the school, how to engage with parents, and how teachers can best use devices to enhance learning opportunities for young people of all ages.
In addition, the Learning Foundation’s online Community Hub will run a dedicated space for school staff participating in this scheme, to share best practice and learning, together with masterclasses and short “how to” sessions, with Q&As for participants. Schools will also gain support from experts within their Teach First community, and receive ongoing access to products and savings with In Kind Direct.
The Learning Foundation will evaluate the impact of the scheme with support from the University of Nottingham Trent, who has been commissioned to assess how the device donations and digital support affect pupils’ attitudes to learning. Only a limited number of schools (20) have been selected to participate in Tech4Schools, but if the programme is successful, it is hoped the scheme will be rolled out to more schools with the support of all four partners.
Applications open for Malorie Blackman Scholarships
Budding writers everywhere have the chance to win a scholarship to fund one year’s study in creative writing, as the Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices open for applications today.
The scholarships, launched by adult education provider City Lit in 2020, provide three annual awards worth up to £1,000 each, to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing Department at City Lit. The awards seek to support and encourage the creative and professional development of writing by ‘unheard voices’, with the final award winners selected by acclaimed writer, City Lit fellow and Patron of the School of Culture and Communications, Malorie Blackman OBE.
Malorie Blackman has a long connection with City Lit as a former student attending diverse courses since the late 1980s. She has been recognised with numerous honours for her work and in 2008 received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. Malorie was the Children’s Laureate between 2013 and 2015 and her autobiography was published on Stormzy’s Merky Books imprint this year.
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www.education-today.co.uk
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices welcome applications from anybody who has a strong interest in writing and who demonstrates talent and potential in their writing skills. Students who identify as belonging to under-represented groups, which include (but is not exclusive to) those with disabilities, people from minority backgrounds and communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, refugees and BAME writers, are encouraged to enter.
City Lit CEO and Principal Mark Malcomson CBE said: “Creative Writing has an amazing heritage and pedigree at City Lit with so many famous writers having enhanced their craft with us over the last 100 years. Malorie Blackman is one of our most famous alumni and a huge inspiration to all of us. Her relationship with City Lit shows how important creative writing courses can be in a writer’s career. We can’t wait to see what the next generation of writers has in store for us”.
Applications involve the submission of a piece of original writing no longer than 500 words in length (for prose writing) or up to 40 lines (for poetry), and a completed application form including a statement of up to 300 words identifying how you feel you meet the selection criteria.
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www.citylit.ac.uk/malorie-blackman-scholarships December 2022
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