Free eBooks for A Level studies welcomed by cash-strapped schools - according to survey

A survey conducted by OCR shows teachers facing tight budgets welcome the offer of free A Level eBooks from next September to help with their students’ studies.

Responses from over 1500 schools and colleges revealed that over 90% of teachers thought free resources for A Level students would help with their students’ studies while over 75% thought that the withdrawal of the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) would affect students’ ability to buy textbooks.

Awarding body OCR has joined up with Oxford University Press (OUP) and Hodder Education to provide free e-versions of AS and A2 publications, starting from September 2011. The offer from OCR, a not for profit organisation, is available to all schools and colleges teaching A Levels and covers broad areas of the curriculum. It’s the first time that free eBooks from major publishers have been made available via an awarding body.

Teachers have welcomed the money-saving move, as well as the benefits of new technology:

“I think the scheme is great, it would save schools and learners a fortune.” Clive West, Head of Science, Hall Green School, Birmingham.

“This sounds wonderful - a real gap in what we offer our students.” John Stokes, Head of Science, Gordano School, Bristol.

“This sounds great! It is something that I have considered and could make portability of equipment more efficient for some students. I look forward to my OCR eBook for History.” Jon Kempton, Langley School, Norwich.

“We would use eBooks and online resources if available in the 3 sciences, as this not only targets our development of e-learning, but can count towards our striving to be green.” Kay Thomas, Ashlawn School, Rugby.

The free eBooks will be available in a wide range of subjects including Maths, English, Languages, History, RE, Physics, Law, PE, Business Studies, ICT, Psychology and many more.

Mark Dawe, OCR Chief Executive said: “This partnership between OCR, Hodder and OUP gives A Level teachers and their students access to free high-quality eBooks which can be used in the classroom or at home. These resources can be used flexibly to suit personal teaching and learning styles. After the September launch, we’ll be working closely with our partners, schools and colleges to see how we can expand and improve this offer in future years.“

Commenting on the scheme, David Igoe, Sixth Form Colleges Forum Chief Executive said: “By working together, OCR and the publishers have shown their understanding of the needs of teachers and students, particularly in challenging economic times.”

Further details of the scheme and demos of the eBooks are available at www.ocr.org.uk/ebooks.

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Bidding for the Future - Art World raises funds for decorative arts education at Sotheby's auction

The Company of Arts Scholars is leading a campaign for greater educational support in the decorative arts with a spectacular Charity Auction at Sotheby’s later this year.

Today’s students will be the experts of tomorrow and the guardians of our heritage. But they will struggle to obtain the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need, without financial and practical support.

In February Colin Gleadell of the Daily Telegraph commented: “…in times of government cuts, it’s the art dealers and collectors at the auctions who can provide the jobs and sponsorship to keep the arts going”.

Now the Company of Arts Scholars is raising funds to support many crucial educational initiatives in the arts, including:

• The Tate Collective Training Programme – an intensive introduction to careers in the arts
• Future support for postgraduate internships at The Tate
• The Lord Mayor’s Cultural Scholarships – internships for London sixth formers in a wide range of galleries and institutions
• An annual travel bursary for arts based undergraduates
• An annual restoration/conservation prize for students at West Dean College in Sussex
• Other initiatives and opportunities for education and careers in the arts
The Company of Arts Scholars, Dealers and Collectors is a registered charity with members involved in the study, curation, trading or collecting of decorative art. Funding education in these fields is one of the Company’s key objectives.
The Arts Scholars’ Charity Auction will be held at Sotheby’s on 22 September with Loyd Grossman as its Patron and Sotheby’s European Chairman, Henry Wyndham, on the rostrum.
The auction is a perfect opportunity to buy very special gifts for the person who has everything, including exclusive arts-related experiences and private holidays, art and antiques and more. The many lots include:
• private tours of the newly restored Strawberry Hill, the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Rothschild gardens at Exbury
• exclusive holidays in Barbados, Puglia, Venice, Portugal and the St James’s Club in Antigua
• a range of exciting internships for young people in the arts world, including Waddesdon Manor
• 18th and 19th century silver, ceramics, jewellery and furniture
• paintings, watercolours and prints by Paul Sandby, Munn, Ken Howard, Cecil Beaton and others
300+ guests are expected to enjoy the champagne and cocktails at Sotheby’s and bid for lots that money cannot buy. Tickets will be priced at £50 per head.

Auction patron Loyd Grossman, broadcaster and heritage champion, said: “The United Kingdom is a world centre for art scholarship, trade and collecting. Indeed our art expertise is one of our great national assets and in order to secure these skills for future generations, it is vital to provide training and opportunity for young people. This auction represents a great opportunity for those in the Arts world to provide support for the public arts in these challenging times.”

For further information visit www.artsscholars.org

Hubaco Acquires YourSchoolUniform.com Ltd

Derbyshire-based Hubaco Ltd has acquired 100% of the share capital of www.YourSchoolUniform.com Ltd, as part of its investment strategy for the company.

This comes after Hubaco Ltd recently announced it had invested in the Peterborough-based online supplier of school wear to help fund future growth.

Hubaco Ltd is a family-run business owned and led by husband and wife team Andy Utting and Carolyn Budding.

With its headquarters in Alfreton, the company owns long-established and award winning outdoor brands including Terra Nova Equipment, Wild Country and Extremities, plus children’s outdoor gear retailer, Little Terra.

Since making an initial Investment in www.YourSchoolUniform.com Ltd last month, Hubaco has secured stock and working capital to boost customer service..

Yourschooluniform.com Ltd also plans to improve sales via a franchised network to grow schools’ business and develop initiatives to increase its successful ‘direct to parent’ business.

Plans are under-way to develop a synergy between the school uniform business and Hubaco’s existing companies.

Andy Utting, the new MD of www.YourSchoolUniform.com Ltd said: “We’re pleased with this acquisition which offers plenty of long term opportunities.

“It’s a good fit with Hubaco’s children’s business, which retails outdoor and ski wear products from high quality brands such as Spyder, Columbia, Sprayway and Jack Wolfskin.

“Terra Nova Equipment also has a number of schools’ customers, which it supplies with outdoor gear.”

Hubaco operates on a global basis, with distribution throughout Europe, America, and the Far East in countries including Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It has a strong offshore supply base in addition to its UK manufacturing facility in Alfreton.

The company is renowned for providing best in class, technology-focused products.

This approach has seen the business secure a number of accolades including four Guinness World Records for producing the lightest weight tent commercially available and international recognition through three IF design awards.

Ofsted calls on the government to support nurture groups in schools

The government's school inspectors, Ofsted, have said that the government should help schools to provide 'nurture groups' for pupils with emotional and behavioural needs. In a new report, Ofsted said the groups can make a ‘considerable difference’ and that they provide ‘substantial value’ for schools.

Nurture groups are small classes for pupils with behavioural, social or emotional difficulties. They provide an environment in schools where pupils can build trust in adults, and gain the skills they need to rejoin larger classes.

In the report, Ofsted said that nurture groups ‘significantly modified pupils’ behaviour’, and ‘improved pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural skills’ when they are well run and staff are appropriately trained. They also improved attendance and helped pupils to reintegrate into mainstream classes.

Ofsted also said that parents welcomed the changes that they saw in their children after a period attending a nurture group. One parent said, ‘he has that sparkle back again’; another commented that ‘the nurture group has simply turned him around’.

But Ofsted warned that nurture groups need more support from the government. The report concluded that the Department of Education and local authorities should help schools to provide nurture groups for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social needs.

Irene Grant, Director of the Nurture Group Network, said: "The report confirms what we've seen for a long time: that nurture groups help many vulnerable children to achieve their potential. At a time when we are all worried about the challenges facing young people, nurture groups help children overcome a difficult start in life."

Marion Bennathan, Life President of the Nurture Group Network, said: “There is a lot in the Ofsted report to encourage the Nurture Group Network in its efforts to spread knowledge of the power of nurture groups. Particularly pleasing is the repeated recognition of the way parents value the groups, so that with support they become confident in their role as parents and real partners in their child's education. This will have long-term effects on their family life and on the wider society.”

Barbara Knowles, Executive Director of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association (SEBDA), said: “Nurture groups are a great way of helping children who are struggling to cope with mainstream classes. We need many more of them across the country, so it’s not just something that’s helps the few who are fortunate to have one in their school.”

“They also offer excellent value for money both for schools and for taxpayers”, Knowles continued, “as investing in helping children in Key Stages 1 and 2 can help head off much greater problems later on.”

Ofsted’s report follows an academic study of nurture groups in Glasgow, which found that the groups helped pupils to address emotional and behavioural needs more effectively than mainstream classes.

Ofsted’s report, ‘Supporting children with challenging behaviour through a nurture group approach’ is published on Tuesday 12 July. It is based on inspections of 29 nurture groups, in infant, first, and primary schools.

Nurture groups typically contain between eight to 12 pupils. There are around 1500 nurture groups in the UK, including 110 in Wales.

Training and support for nurture groups is provided by the Nurture Group Network: www.nurturegroups.org

Tesco announces embroidered uniform giveaway

Tesco has got together with its Uniform Embroidery Service Team to give away embroidered school uniforms to every child at two primary schools in time for the start of the new school year, come September.

As one of the first choices for mums and dads to purchase their children's school uniform, Tesco knows value for money as well as quality are important factors in selecting school uniform, which is why Tesco sells both quality items and its value range online throughout the year.

In 2010, Tesco launched its School Embroidery Service online at tesco.com/clothing which allows parents to purchase their child's uniform online throughout the year complete with their school's crest already embroidered.

The uniform embroidery service makes it easy for parents to order children's embroided schoolwear and have it delivered to their doors already embroidered. Schools and parents can register their interest for the School embroidery service by visiting www.tescoschoolembroidery.com.

Tesco have launched this school uniform competition through an app on its Facebook page.

To be in with the chance of winning a free 100% cotton 2 pack polo shirt and cotton rich sweater complete with embroidered school crests for every pupil at their child's primary school, parents can visit the Clothing at Tesco Facebook page and vote for their child's school to win.

Voting started on Monday 4th July and closes on Wednesday 13th July when the school with the highest number of votes will win the uniforms and, because Tesco know a few lucky schools (mainly in Scotland) will have broken up for the holidays or may not be around to vote and some schools may have smaller communities than others, the company will be selecting a second school at random to win too.

This year Tesco has over 80 pieces of Back to School uniform, across its Value, Core, Signature and Fairtrade range as well as more features and benefits than ever before, with superior quality.

Tesco's Value back to school uniform, along with Tesco's Core and Premium F&F Signature uniform ranges, have been rigorously tested for wear and tear to British and European Testing Standards.

The Tesco Back to School range is available year round with new styles in store in June.  A wide range that includes shirts, pique polo shirts, school trousers, school shoes, back to school shorts, skirts and pinafores is available in 500 stores and online at Tesco's website. Essential Back to School items such as shirts, polo shirts, socks and briefs will be available during the summer in 600 stores across the country, including Metro stores. The Value uniform will be available in 200 stores and online.

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National Student Housing Survey Announces 2011 Accommodation Awards

Nationwide student survey reveals top performing universities and private accommodation providers.

Independent market research agency Red Brick Research today announced the winners of the National Student Housing Survey Awards for 2011. So if you want to base your academic future on a range of factors, including how well you will be living, read on...

The National Student Housing Survey (NSHS) is an annual survey of students in higher education across the UK. The survey measures satisfaction levels in all types of accommodation and allows participating institutions to measure their performance against national and regional benchmarks. The 2011 survey attracted over 15,000 responses from more than 120 universities and colleges across the UK.

The three headline award winners for 2011 are:

Best University Halls: Lancaster University (retained)
Awarded to the institution demonstrating the highest levels of student satisfaction amongst residents.

Best Private Halls Provider: Victoria Hall Limited
Awarded to the private halls provider achieving the highest levels of satisfaction amongst residents.

Best Student Living Experience: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Awarded to the town, city or locality achieving the highest levels of student satisfaction in the private rented housing sector.

The following awards were also made:

Best Learning Environment: Lancaster University - Grizedale Townhouses
Best Individual Accommodation: Lancaster University - Grizedale Townhouses
Best Student Broadband: Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
Best Booking Experience: Lancaster University
Best Moving In Experience: Liberty Living / BRANDEAUX

The National Student Housing Survey also licenses an International Accommodation Quality Mark which recognises organisations achieving at least 90% satisfaction among international students.

The following universities and private hall providers achieved this threshold:

Victoria Hall Limited
Derwent Living
iQ Student Accommodation
University of Sheffield
Lancaster University

For further information and for lists of previous award winners, please visit http://www.nshs.co.uk/ or http://www.redbrickresearch.co.uk.

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