Curriculum recovery from Coronavirus lockdown
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION in collaboration with HUMANITIES 20:20 Project and PRIMARY UMBRELLA GROUP present:
TOWARDS A BALANCED AND BROADLY-BASED CURRICULUM
Virtual Conference – Monday 8th March 2021, 4.15pm-6.45pm
The Conference, embracing a theme which has always been central to debate about children’s entitlements, has been highlighted by OfSTED as critical in curriculum development and its central importance has been further accentuated by the pressures under which primary schools are working in the post-lockdown phase as they prioritise what is perceived as essential in educational recovery.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children’s education may be perceived as a justification for narrowing the curriculum at the expense of the arts and the humanities, but this conference will explore the case for preserving young children’s entitlement to as rich and diverse a curriculum as possible. Dr. Eaude’s keynote lecture will set the scene, highlighting some key issues and considering some lessons to be learnt from the period of lockdown. The subsequent presentations will focus on classroom practice, providing a spotlight on innovations which have been implemented in school and offering guidance for the future.
All are most welcome at this event, including teachers, teacher assistants, governors and students and it’s our hope that the conference will play its part in bringing together a range of stakeholders in primary education, all with a commitment to enhancing children’s entitlement to a balanced and broadly-based curriculum.
SCHEDULE: 4.15PM – 6.45PM
4.15pm – Welcome followed by
Keynote lecture – Dr Tony Eaude
Why a balanced and broadly-based curriculum matters – particularly for young children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Dr. Eaude has published widely on a range of educational topics extending from pedagogy in the classroom to children’s moral, social and cultural development, earning himself the reputation as one of the most articulate and enlightened voices in the primary sector. His most recent book (2020), Identity, Culture and Belonging: Educating Young Children for a Changing World, characteristically draws on his wealth of teaching experience in the primary school, including headship and his insights into the changing contexts for schooling and children’s development.
5.15pm – Presentations A & B (Attendees will be ask to choose A or B when booking)
A. Social action in the Primary School – Naheeda Maharasingham, Head of Rathfern Primary School, Lewisham
B. Developing a curriculum as rich in humanity as in knowledge – Tina Farr, Head of St Ebbe’s Primary School, Oxford
6.00pm – Presentations C &D (Attendees will be ask to choose C or D when booking)
C. Beyond teaching – experiencing the humanities – Rachel Ford, Head of Bannockburn Primary School, Royal Borough of Greenwich
D. Exploring History through the local – Alison Hales, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Greenwich
6.40pm – Concluding remarks
LOCATION
Zoom Online Event – Monday 8th March 2021, 4.15pm-6.45pm
CONFERENCE FEE – Includes Keynote Lecture and 2 Presentations.
£10 per individual or £50 for 5 or more staff members from a school.
FREE for students
To find out more and book click https://www.nape.org.uk/conference
National Tutoring Programme appoints Third Space Learning to provide subsidised maths support to disadvantaged children
Third Space Learning, the UK’s largest online maths tutoring provider for schools, has announced it has been selected by the National Tutoring Programme to provide essential maths support to disadvantaged children across England as an approved Tuition Partner. From today, state maintained primary and secondary schools can access Third Space Learning’s subsidised maths tutoring support, funded as part of the government’s £350 million allocation to tutoring.
Third Space Learning works closely with schools to provide online tuition from professional tutors to children who are struggling with maths. Since launching in 2013, the company has delivered over 800,000 online maths lessons to more than 66,000 children in 2,300 schools across the UK.
Tom Hooper, Founder and CEO of Third Space Learning said: “Recent research* suggests that the social attainment gap is widening, particularly in maths, with children from poor backgrounds falling further behind than their peers. We’ve found that our model for online tutoring helps children to make significant progress in maths, often as much as seven months in just 14 weeks**. More than half of the children we support come from disadvantaged backgrounds and working with the National Tutoring Programme will enable us to extend this to many more. We are delighted to have been appointed.”
To help close the maths attainment gap, Third Space Learning has pioneered a tutoring model which recruits STEM graduates from across the world. This improves access to specialist one-to-one tuition so that schools can provide greater support to those disadvantaged children who are struggling with maths.
Third Space Learning tutors are all STEM graduates who undertake a rigorous training programme covering subject knowledge, online tutoring guidelines and safeguarding policies. They are all vetted and meet the highest safeguarding standards, before joining one of the largest online communities of expert maths tutors.
Daniel Nelson, Headteacher at Choppington Primary School in Northumberland said: “The progress made by the children since receiving Third Space sessions has been superb with children accelerating their progress and now closing the attainment gap, closer to desired outcomes.”
Third Space Learning’s sophisticated virtual classroom allows pupils to talk to their dedicated tutor through a shared screen and audio headset, including personalised online lesson plans to align with core curriculum concepts and classroom learning. Online delivery also means that if schools are partially closed, or a child needs to stay off school, their maths learning can continue and not be disrupted.
Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design at UCL said: “We need new thinking and clever technology to address the huge educational challenges the pandemic has presented. Third Space Learning’s innovative and research-informed approach to widening access to one-to-one maths tuition is a great example of this. It is excellent news for schools and children that Third Space Learning is a part of this national initiative.”
Schools can learn more about Third Space Learning’s subsidised spaces by visiting: https://thirdspacelearning.com/national-tutoring-programme/
Click here to listen to Tom talking to Mark Taylor on the Education on Fire Podcast
The development of handwriting skills
The world famous Christopher Jarman Handwriting Skills book has just been updated. This is designed for teachers and parents working with their children at home. The book contains handwriting exercises, exemplar pages and fun facts about the history of handwriting.
This resource is from our sponsor National Association for Primary Education.
Order from the National Office for £30 including post and packing or £25 if you are a NAPE member. All details can be found at https://nape.org.uk/christopher-jarman-handwriting
Youth Climate Summit
The Youth Climate Summit 2020 is being brought to you through the collaboration of a large group of individuals and organisations. We would like to thank all of them for their hard work in making this happen.
https://www.transform-our-world.org/whats-on
Time is already running out to tackle the climate and ecological emergency. Unlike world leaders, young people are refusing to let it drop off their agenda.
Schools from around the UK will be coming together for the Youth Climate Summit during what would have been the week of COP26 to take action to create a more just, sustainable world and make commitments and pledges for the planet.
What is the Youth Climate Summit?
The Youth Climate Summit is an engaging, free and accessible week of climate action and discovery for schools, with events hosted online throughout the week. The Youth Mock COP is running at the same time, and the Youth Climate Summit will complement and feed into this.
The Youth Climate Summit is coordinated by environmental charity Global Action Plan and aims to empower students and teachers to become more ambitious with their school commitments in tackling the climate emergency.
We’d love to get every school in the UK talking about the climate and ecological emergency and what action they are taking at a time when World Leaders should have been doing the same.
In bringing together young people from across the UK who are committed to taking action, the Youth Climate Summit will demonstrate how critical the climate emergency is to young people, and send a clear message about the expectations they have of the world leaders that represent them.
Who can take part in the Youth Climate Summit?
Teachers and young people – whether in schools, groups or independently – are welcome to join the Youth Climate Summit. The Youth Climate Summit will support and connect young people across the UK to come together to take action on issues they care about.
How will the Youth Climate Summit work?
The Youth Climate Summit will run over five days, from 9-13th November 2020, with participants joining online.
Created in collaboration with teachers and young people, each day will focus on a different theme, with morning, afternoon and after school sessions (film screenings and teacher CPD), as well as fringe activities provided by schools, youth-led organisations, community groups, NGOs, experts and thought leaders.
Each day will have its own set of pledges for schools to make.
Find out more
https://www.transform-our-world.org/whats-on
Podcasts into books for children
https://www.gofundme.com/f/education-on-fire-book-fundraiser
The education system is broken and many young people are disillusioned with school. However, it is still an important part of our children’s future. So, how do we support them to be creative, inspired and passionate about learning so they can fulfil their potential?
School is important because you need qualifications to access higher education and jobs. BUT, it is only part of the learning tapestry.
Some other key areas that support learning and growth include understanding:
– Mentorship
– Masterminds
– Empathy, Kindness & Gratitude
– Being of service to people
– Communities
– Expert advice
– Recommended resources
– Online learning
– Your family & friends
As I watched our 3 children progress through school, I wanted to help change the dialogue about the essence of learning. I created the Education on Fire Podcast and started interviewing people about their educational experience, what important advice they had been given, what advice they would give their younger self, and what resources had opened their eyes to a world of possibilities.
The stories of how these people are living life on their terms is fascinating. There seem to be common threads based around being yourself and following your passion and intuition, alongside an awareness of how to utilise the key areas of understanding mentioned above.
I have now interviewed over 250 people on my podcast, and I would like to compile some of these stories and the wealth of information shared, to create a book for children aged 11+.
I believe it has the power to change lives and children’s perspective about learning. I want to demonstrate that we all have more control of our lives than we think, and once we have this knowledge, the world is our oyster.
So let us join together as parents and educators to give our children what they need to thrive, be happy, successful and self assured.
Change the disillusionment to excitement, clarity and positive intention!
To create this book I need to cover these costs:
– Transcriptions – £2500
– Editor – £3100
– Designer – £1200
– Formating – £1250
– Media/marketing – £2750
Total – £10,800
Timeline
I would like to start creating this book as soon as possible. I would like to make it available for teachers to give to their pupils as an end of year gift in July 2021.
I believe this goal is achievable if I have all the funds in place by December 31st 2020.
I wish more of this type of learning was taught in schools, and I believe in a child focused education. I believe in it so much that I am vice chair of National Association for Primary Education. The political wheels turn slowly however, and our children need support and encouragement NOW!
My Story
I was lucky enough to find my passion at an early age. I am now a professional percussionist and music educator, having attended Trinity College of Music, and had the opportunity to perform with many world class orchestras and organisations. English National Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company and Productions in London’s West End to name just a few.
I have experienced first hand how the ‘learning tapestry’ created opportunities for me, and showed me the next step to take in both my life and career.
Examples of guest expertise to be included in the book.
– Student Breakthrough Coaching
– Kids Coding
– Online music tuition
– Power of Positive Transformation
– Software entrepreneur
– Executive Function
– Mentoring
– Selling/marketing
– Yoga
– Speed Reading and memory skills
– Teachers & Educators
– Authors
– Speakers
– Financial Education
– Wellbeing & Mental Health
Case Study
Podcast Ep 123
Guest – Vondale Eugene Singleton Sr. was born on the Southside of Chicago. After overcoming the death of his mother due to crack-cocaine, an incarcerated father throughout high-school, and the negative influences of the Ida B. Wells Housing projects he beat the odds becoming a first-generation college student earning his Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and his Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK.
Vondale is a teacher, educator and creator of www.champsmentoring.com
C.H.A.M.P.S. Male Mentoring Program is a Mentor Illinois Gold Star Award Program based in Chicago, IL. We offer a culturally relevant approach to developing the mindsets of African-American and Latinx young men ages 12 and up. C.H.A.M.P.S. stand for Culturally Helping And Making Positive Success. We focus on the 3E’s; Education, Empowerment, and Exposure.
How did Vondale create his life given his experiences as a child?
He credits his mentor, Steven Robertson as the person who invested sacrificially his time and resources to help him become the man he is today.
The best advice Vondale was given was by his mentor – ‘The same thing I did for you do the same for somebody else. Eg Pay it forward
What advice would he give his younger self?
Not to allow the tragedies of your past to make your future seem unattainable.
What resources would you recommend?
The Bible
Believe to Achieve by Howard H White
Eric Thomas – Podcast
You can listen to the whole podcast here. It explains how even given the most desperate of situations you can become anything you desire – a force for good. Working with a mentor, studying hard, immersing yourself in learning materials of all forms can change your life. But you need to understand the mindset, hear the life stories and commit to YOU.
This is only the beginning. Imagine a world where children were not turned off from education, but constantly surprised and excited about what they could experience. Imagine a child’s life being transformed by receiving this book when life seems unclear. Imagine a selection of resources from podcasts, YouTube videos, books and a community of people able to mentor, support and guide young people as they become adults.
Every journey starts with the first step. So please join me in creating this book as the next step to support the next generation to fulfil their potential.
‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’
William Butler Yeats
Podcast Reviews
”Education on Fire is an incredibly important podcast exploring the breadth of voices in the education space today. Enlightening, thought-provoking and expansive, Mark Taylor is a consummate host who brings the heart of the matter to the fore.” – Jeanie Davies author of The Trust Revolution in Schools
“Inspiring, Uplifting and Practical
I love this podcast- Mark does a brilliant job of gently challenging the education status quo, and in so doing he reveals some of the most innovative, creative and inspiring approaches to education.” – Lisa Avery
”Makes me a better mother –
I’m not a teacher in traditional senses, but I am a mother of 2 children who I am called to raise and train up in this world. I’m a firm believer that I am also their teacher, but without knowledge/training would get frustrated trying to teach my kids. I came to this podcast to get help and to better teach my children and I’ve been seeing amazing results using these strategies. Thank you so much for making me a better mom, will continue to listen!” – Noelbrianna
Please support at:
www.gofundme.com/f/education-on-fire-book-fundraiser
