TEACH OUT News
Ministers launch new Quality Badge scheme and more support for teachers
More children and young people will be able to go on educational school trips thanks to new measures slashing red tape and giving teachers more support, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said today.
The Out and About package, launched this in October 2008 and backed with £4.5 million of funding, is designed to give schools much clearer information to organise effective learning outside the classroom activities for all pupils.
It includes a new Quality Badge scheme which will cut paperwork for teachers by helping schools and local authorities to identify organisations that provide high quality experiences and manage safety effectively.
Mr Balls said learning outside the classroom – whether within school grounds, locally and on visits further afield or even abroad - should be part and parcel of every child’s school career.
But he said it was wrong to deny children valuable learning opportunities or wrap them in cotton wool because of risk assessment paperwork or fears over compensation culture.
And he stressed it was time to allay teachers’ fears about litigation over incidents on school trips once and for all.
The Quality Badge scheme is part of a series of measures being launched at the first-ever Learning Outside the Classroom National Conference, at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Kevin Brennan is the keynote speaker.
The full Out & About package includes:
- A new Quality Badge to identify organisations that provide high quality experiences and manage safety effectively - from field study centres and outdoor activity centres to museums and historic houses. The first badges will be awarded next year; and
- Online guidance, advice and training to help school staff plan learning outside the classroom effectively.
For more information go to www.dcsf.gov.uk
NEW ENGINEERING DIPLOMA MATERIALS
The IET has just released a new set of materials to support the delivery of the engineering diploma. We would be delighted if you can take advantage of the Faraday resource and raise awareness of the materials amongst those both taking and delivering the diploma.
The materials are part of the award winning IET Faraday programme. Faraday is a free and flexible resource for schools and colleges that aims to inspire young people to consider further study or careers in the fields of science, engineering and technology. The diploma materials are based on current industrial applications and are related to this year’s Faraday theme of ‘Engineering in Sport’.
The films and related teaching materials engage students in a ‘real’ understanding of many aspects of engineering and give an insight into what lies behind the development of products before they reach the public eye.
Overview of materials:
These teaching and learning materials have been designed with four key objectives in mind:
- To support the teaching of the new Engineering Diploma
- To allow the teacher to engage and ‘own’ the resources and consequently adapt them to their specific context and needs
- To allow a high level of flexibility and creativity when using the activities
- To provide stimulating, relevant and creative teaching and learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom
These materials are related to the following three key storylines developed for the Faraday theme for this year - ‘Engineering in Sport’
- Skeleton Bob – Aerodynamics in action
- A new ‘smart’ material ‘D3o’ – Engineering materials to enhance sporting performance
- The Wii – Virtual gaming
These storylines have been the motivation behind the design of the materials and related film clips that are on the Faraday 09 website. As a consequence, the website and films will be used throughout the materials to help reinforce and highlight key learning points.
Visit the Faraday website at www.theiet.org/faraday to find out more.
Learning Outside the Classroom – the ‘Out and About’ Package.
Every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances. To make this a reality, the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto was launched in November 2006.
The DCSF is now producing a comprehensive set of advice, guidance and training to support the delivery of high-quality learning outside the classroom; as well as complementary support for providers of learning outside the classroom. They are calling it the 'Out & About' Package and it has two parts:
1. Guidance, CPD/training and resources
The DCSF has contracted the Council for British Teachers (CfBT) Education Trust to deliver this element of the package.
The CfBT has put together writing teams that have extensive experience across all sectors and phases from a wide range of education contexts. CfBT is also working closely with teachers' unions, the TDA, the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel (OEAP) and the DCSF to achieve the vision of providing 'off the shelf resources, grounded in the professional experience of teachers and other educators, that help them do their job'.
The purpose of the 'Out and About' Package is to enable all key stakeholders to plan, manage and personalise LOtC for young people, providing valuable experiences that supplement and enrich their learning. The support materials as a whole will promote learning; should not significantly increase workload (i.e. they will ensure that unnecessary paperwork is not part of the process); explain how, and the extent to which, support staff can be deployed effectively.
'How to' guidance and CPD modules will be available to download from the Manifesto website from May 2008.
2. A 'quality' badge — for providers
The DCSF continues to work in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to bring together existing safety and quality badges into one easily recognisable badge for LOtC.
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There are to be two routes for providers to achieve the quality badge. The route providers take will be determined by the degree of risk management required to manage the activities offered. Providers will not be able to choose the route they take; the route will be determined by the activities they offer. End users will see only one badge and will not be aware of the different routes.
Route 1 will involve setting up a new 'Code of Practice' for providers who offer activities that are deemed to have a lower requirement in terms of risk management. This route will also include random spot checks for providers who have signed up to the Code.
Route 2 will involve an external assessment for providers for activities that require a higher degree of risk management.
It is hoped that the quality-badge scheme will be launched in September 2008, following a pilot phase in the summer.
USEFUL INFORMATION
To keep informed of developments to the ‘Out and About’ package visit http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/
resourcematerials/outsideclassroom/ and don’t forget to regularly access www.teachout.co.uk where the information on providers in your region is kept up-to-date.
The Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel (OEAP) comprises nominated representatives of Chief Officers of Local Authorities in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. It provides a forum for sharing and developing good practice in Outdoor Education and Learning Outside the Classroom. They fully support the content of the Manifesto. See www.oeap.info for news, advice, resources and guidance
Outdoor Education Advisers covering this region are:
Borough of Poole – Debbie Priest | 01202 633768 |
Bournemouth Borough Council - Patricia Zimmerman | 01202 425173 |
Cornwall County Council – Andy Barclay | 01872 324302 |
Devon County Council & Torbay Borough Council – Bryan Smith | 01392 385238 |
Dorset County Council – Rob Brindley | 01305 224517 |
Plymouth City Council – Martin Northcott | 01752 406434 |
Replacing the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Three new departments were set up by the Prime Minister on 28 June 2007. They replace the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is responsible for improving the focus on all aspects of policy affecting children and young people, as part of the Government’s aim to deliver educational excellence.
Calling all first-aiders
With the launch of the National Schools' First Aid Competition 2007, St John Ambulance is urging teachers to recognise the importance of teaching first aid in schools.
Schoolchildren are encouraged to participate in the competition, which aims to help them develop life skills, work as a team, learn how to perform first aid and, ultimately, save lives.
"We believe you are never too young to learn first aid. Our training makes it fun and interesting for children to take part in an important skill that they can retain for life", says Elaine Howlings, training manager at St John Ambulance. "First aid saves lives. The schoolchildren who take part in this competition will be well equipped to deal with real emergencies competently and confidently."
The competition is open to children aged seven to 11. Entry is free and the closing date is 30 April 2007.
For more info: www.sja.org.uk/young_people/schools
Science Learning Centre South West offers high quality continuing professional development for everyone involved in the teaching of science in primary and secondary schools and FE colleges.
A partnership between At-Bristol, the University of Bristol and the University of Plymouth, Science Learning Centre South West delivers across the region using a state-of-the-art education suite and a teacher drop in centre within At-Bristol, the world class science facilities at the Universities of Bristol and Plymouth and other partner sites. Mobile resources also available.
For more info: www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk