Encouraging women into STEM subjects is not a new topic for conversation. It is surprising then that women are still underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They represent only slightly higher than 35% of the world’s STEM graduates. This then leads to women being a minority in scientific research and development, making up less than a third of the world’s researchers (UN 2020, ‘The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics’).  

Is a career in STEM appropriate for all girls – of course not. However, it is important that the next game changer or problem solver is not overlooked. Interest and curiosity in all children should be nurtured from a young age so that everyone can realise their potential. Therefore, there has never been a greater need to promote the contribution of Women in STEM subjects. 

Four reasons why there should be more women in STEM careers. 

1. According to the UK Commission for Employment & Skills, 43% of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) vacancies are hard to fill. This is mainly down to a shortage of applicants with the required skills and experience. By overlooking 50% of the population, we miss vital creativity and innovations. Including women gives them an opportunity to shape the future.  
2. Female and male perspectives should be considered when developing products, this ultimately results in the design of better products. Innovation comes from having diverse groups of people working together each with their own experience and knowledge. Siobhan Stuart our primary science adviser spent 2 years working as a volunteer police officer and wishes a female perspective had been considered when designing the bullet-proof vests that police constables wear. Although advances may now have been made in the shape and structure of vests, at that time, everyone wore the same style – man or woman. 
3. More women in STEM roles would provide more role models for the next generation. Kayisha Payne is the founder of Black British Professionals in STEM and a Chemical engineering process engineer at Astra Zeneca. She says, “When you don’t see yourself represented in an industry it is extremely difficult to believe there is a place for you.” 
4. Gender stereotypes should not dictate the outcome of a woman’s career potential or direction. There are many well paid jobs in STEM careers, why shouldn’t women have access to a stimulating, interesting career that is well paid? 

It’s not all bad news – in 2019 participation from girls overtook boys in science A level subjects (although not in Physics). Here come the girls – Girls overtake boys in science exam entries in 2019 (cambridgeassessment.org.uk). There has been great improvement in increasing the number of women in the pipeline and hopefully one day this will be reflected in the workplace. Women make up roughly 50% of the world’s population – if they are not represented at this percentage in STEM careers, then there will be times when the needs and interests of women will not be met. We should not be dreaming of a better future but be determined to play our part in making it a reality. What will you do? 

 

 

How can schools encourage more girls into STEM?

Here are our top tips for ways that primary and secondary science education can highlight the possibility of a STEM career for girls.

Participate in events

Stemettes

A social enterprise charity supporting ages 5-25, showing the next generation that girls do Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) too at our free, fun, food-filled experiences. They run intersectional programmes, impactful events and inspirational content platforms:

Our Programmes - Stemettes ®

CREST awards

There are six CREST Award levels. To choose the right one, consider the age and ability of your students and the time they have available to do the Award:

CREST Awards

Evaluate your curriculum

How many scientific discoveries by women do you cover in your Science and Careers curriculum? Can you specifically identify areas to include more role models?  

• Maria Sibylla Merian, Entomologist and Artist (1647–1717) when teaching Animals Including Humans and Living Things and Their Habitats
• Caroline Herschel, Astronomer (1750–1848) when teaching Earth and Space in Year 5
• Mary Anning, Paleontologist (1799–1847) when teaching rocks in Year 3 or Evolution in Year 6
• Lise Meitner, Physicist (1878–1968) when teaching Earth and Space in Year 5
• Bessie Coleman, Aviator (1892–1926) when teaching force in Year 5
• Alice Ball, Chemist (1892–1916) when teaching Properties and Changes of Materials in Year 5
• Rachel Carson, Marine Biologist and Conservationist (1907–1964) when teaching Animals Including Humans
• Patricia Bath, Ophthalmologist and Inventor (1942– ) when teaching Light in Year 6
• Mae Jemison, Astronaut (1956– ) when teaching Earth and Space in Year 5

You can find more information about some of them here: 16 Wonderful Women Scientists to Inspire Your Students - We Are Teachers

 

 

Staff CPD

Cambridge Assessment Network and Research Podcast

Supporting women and girls in science education | Cambridge Assessment

Institute of Physics

What we're doing to address gender imbalance in physics | Institute of Physics (iop.org)

ASE

The Association for Science Education: Engaging children with science: A 'science capital' approach 

UWE Bristol Education Blog

Blog: Practical steps to build science capital in the classroom

Science Capital moves beyond the expense of taking our children to museums and paying for science camps to simply exploring their world and asking questions that they investigate and attempt to answer.

Organise a trip

The Science Museum in London

The Science Museum has an exhibition about Women in Science – Women in Science | Science Museum. They also have a number of online resources and examples to look at.

The National Trust list 

50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾  now has a new initiative through Local Authorities to get our Under 5s out. Get them out, get them exploring and get them asking questions! 50 things to do before you're 11¾ | Visit | National Trust

Books to have in your library

Fantastically Great Women scientists and their stories

Fantastically Great Women Scientists and Their Stories : Pankhurst, Kate, Pankhurst, Kate: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Women in Science: 50 fearless pioneers who changed the world

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World: Amazon.co.uk: Ignotofsky, Rachel: 9781526360519: Books

There are many toys, books and activities that really allow children to engage with their natural curiosities:

• Official GoldieBlox Store – Coding, Youtube streaming shows, Goldieblox toys, Daily DIY’s, Downloadables and loads more
• Magnetic toys (magna-tiles)
• Den building
• Lego, sticklebricks, K*Nex, marble runs
• STEM kits
• Coding activities
• Making rockets, kites
• Simple chemistry (growing crystals, vinegar and baking soda, mentos and coke)
• Snap circuits

Put up a display

Smashing Stereotypes

‘Smashing Stereotypes‘ is a collection of over 30 stories from individuals and teams that challenge long-standing stereotypes, with the aim of encouraging more young people, from all backgrounds, to see themselves as scientists:

Smashing Stereotypes - British Science Week

A Mighty Girl Website

This is incredibly encouraging to girls in countless ways and currently has a number of free posters celebrating mighty women in science:

Free Posters Celebrating Mighty Women in Science | A Mighty Girl

Its not all bad news – in 2019 participation from girls overtook boys in science A level subjects (although not in Physics). Here come the girls – Girls overtake boys in science exam entries in 2019 (cambridgeassessment.org.uk). There has been great improvement in increasing the number of women in the pipeline and hopefully one day this will be reflected in the workplace. Women make up roughly 50% of the world’s population – if they are not represented at this percentage in STEM careers, then there will be times when the needs and interests of women will not be met. We should not be dreaming of a better future but be determined to play our part in making it a reality. What will you do?

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Blog authored by Siobhan Stuart and Anna Mapley.

 

There is little doubt that the lingering impact of the pandemic, coupled with new and emerging challenges are hampering school’s desire to move on and reset the dial on some form of normality. Schools and governors have reacted with tremendous poise and resolve as the full rigour of tests, exams and Ofsted inspections have returned in the past year. Despite this school budgets are a continuous challenge with spiralling energy costs and the wider impact of high inflation, pupil performance is being impacted by a perfect storm of attendance and wellbeing challenges, the disadvantage gap is remaining stubbornly resilient to the best efforts of our amazing schools and now the disruption of strike action will acerbate all of the above and more. Let’s look at some of these and other areas to be aware of in the coming months.

Attendance

Attendance is now a rigorous focus for the DfE and Ofsted. As governors we need to be challenging the data we receive termly from our Senior Leaders and dig deep into what lies behind it. Persistent Absenteeism (PA) is an area of particular concern often impacting on our disadvantaged pupils and yet it’s reporting can often be ‘lost’ in the wider reporting of attendance data. As a board you need to be asking what actions the school is taking to reduce PA, it often focuses on a few individuals and can have a disproportionate impact on overall attendance. How is the school office, often the frontline in improving attendance, being tasked with the daily tasks of recording reasons for non-attendance and equally encouraging and chasing up those families who with a little extra support will understand better the need to have their children attend regularly? How is the data being used to improve attendance? Does the school have a wider plan to improve attendance? With overall attendance data how do you compare to similar schools? Which cohorts or particular pupil groups have the poorest attendance and what’s been done to address this? In many schools there is a changing attitude from parents to attendance that is becoming more embedded whether it be taking advantage of cheaper holidays in term time, taking a more protective approach to illness in light of the pandemic and being more aware of the mental health and wellbeing impact on both the child and family. School leaders and boards need to work with sensitivity to rebuild resilience whilst being sensitive to the wider narrative and influences that feed into this and how it can be combated.

Complaints

Complaints are becoming an all too familiar part of school life often driven by wider societal problems where the frustration and anger caused finds a lightning rod in your school. Equally the day to day pressures on all involved in school life leads to misunderstandings that ultimately manifest themselves into complaints. First and foremost, how are complaints being dealt with? Not responding in a timely fashion and not following due process can often lead to a missed opportunity in resolving it at an early stage. Do governors and school leaders know their complaints policy inside out? Not following your policy, but rather a course of action that may feel right but runs counter to your policy, causes untold damage to stakeholder confidence in the process. A run of complaints can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of Headteachers who in most cases have to respond to complaints and also when those complaints are levelled at the Headteacher. As governors you need to not only be mindful of the level of complaints, but also if there are trends which can be identified and mitigations put in place, usually achieved simply with alterations to policy or practice. Equally being mindful of the impact of complaints on those they are made against and the boards workload in dealing with them.

Strike action 

Leaving aside the arguments for and against, this action will leave most schools and boards with a host of HR and compliance challenges and in some cases having to partially open or close the school on strike days. Supporting Heads as they navigate the complexities of strike law and HR advice and ensuring as best possible that the right decisions are taken will be key to ensuring your school copes on the days of action and returns to normal as rapidly as possible after. A positive impact of the pandemic, namely the development by all schools of remote learning, may go some way to mitigate the lost learning where it’s not possible to staff schools as normal. Boards will want to know amongst others what leaders have planned for in terms of remote learning provision, how vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils will be supported either at school or home and how the provision of free school meals will be delivered on strike days. There is definitely no one size fits all response to this, just ensure you pay due regard to DfE guidance, of which there is much to digest, and ensure a plan is in place! The HR team at HFL Education delivered a briefing on best practice and the video is available to view on Modern Governor under the Video Learning tab Modern Governor updates.

White paper 

Given the fanfare with which this was delivered timing is everything and with all that has occurred in the world of politics it was one of the many casualties. The new Education Secretary (Gillian Keegan) explained ‘that parts of the government’s plan did not require legislation and were already being implemented’ (read more on this here).One thing that is fairly clear, despite the axing of the white paper, is the direction of travel is still towards academisation and that whatever actions you were undertaking as a board can continue. Whether it be the setting up of a working party, inviting MATs to present to your board or visiting academies then consideration should be given to continuing this work. There may not be the explicit deadline of 2030 for joining or planning to join a MAT but given that the majority of pupils in England and Wales are now taught in academies, a tipping point that was reached some time ago, then the expectation that underlies DfE thinking suggest that there’s no turning the tide on this.

Board diversity 

The quest continues to ensure that boards to continue to improve their diversity and in particular to ensure they are more reflective of the community they serve. A heart-warming article hit the press early January that should be an inspiration to us all – ‘Expelled at 12 and Chair of Governors at 26’ is the tale of how one person didn’t let her first encounter with governors at an Exclusions panel put her off wanting to give back to her community and become a school governor. She discusses the all too familiar tale of imposter syndrome that can have such a corrosive effect especially on newly appointed governors and trustees – as a board how are you ensuring newly appointed governors have a planned induction, possibly a mentor and more importantly are reassured their input will be welcome and valued and ensuring this is the case in reality.

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So as this half-term ends take some time to have a break from governance before returning for the remainder of the spring term. I constantly remind myself that governance should at the very least be rewarding and occasionally enjoyable, if it’s neither of these then do take some time to discuss this with your Chair, Headteacher or trusted colleague – the old adage of a problem shared still runs true, no one wants governors to be struggling with the voluntary workload they have taken on. Remember there’s also a multitude of support to help you develop in your role as a governor whether it be local or national governance support together with the DfE whose latest Governance update can be found here. For now celebrate the positives and support with the challenges in your schools and know that the work you do is quietly appreciated. Behind the scenes you make the world of difference to your schools.

The HFL Governance team stand ready to support you whether it be through our acclaimed training programme, our supportive Clerking and Chairs service or our fantastic helpdesk.

To contact us please use the following: 

Governance helpdesk – 01438 544487  

Governance training – 01438 544478 

Governance clerking – 01438 544487 

Or email us at governance@hfleducation.org 

 

World Book Day is fast-approaching once again, and we are sure you’ll agree that there is nothing like a celebration to bring a community together – and what better way than in the name of reading! Of course, we love World Book Day and, when celebrated as part of a school’s intrinsic reading for pleasure culture, it’s the perfect cherry on the cake to celebrate the joy of books.

We know all too well the increasing pressures that fall upon our wonderful teachers and English leaders, and so we hope that this blog will provide you with some ideas and top tips to help promote a love of reading on World Book Day*… and every day!

Reading for Pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success (OECD, 2002)

First up: finding out about your young readers! Ideally before World Book Day rolls around, make sure that you know enough about your children and their reading identities. In order to talk about and recommend books, knowing what your children like (or don’t like!) to read is important. Conduct a quick survey with your class to find out more about their reading habits and identities. These questions have been borrowed from Jon Biddle, who has shared his practice on the Open University’s fantastic Reading for Pleasure website. They are suggestions that you could use or adapt as you wish:

1. Write down three books that you have read in the last year.
2. What is your favourite type of book (adventure, mystery, graphic novel, poetry, non-fiction, etc?)
3. Can you name any children’s authors?
4. Can you name any children’s poets?
5. Do you enjoy reading in school?  (Score 1 – 10: 1 = hate it; 10 = totally love it!)
6. Do you enjoy reading at home?  (Score 1 – 10: 1 = hate it; 10 = totally love it!)
7. Are you a member of a local library?
8. Do you enjoy an adult reading you stories?  Why/ why not?
9. How would you make reading more enjoyable in school?
10. I read because….                                                              
11. I would read more if….
12. My teacher is a reader (true/ false)
13. Tell me two interesting facts about you as a reader.
14. Draw a picture which tells me something about you as a reader

The most important thing is that you follow-up pupil responses with conversations to find out more, and notice what they are trying to tell you about themselves and their identities as readers. How could their answers, and what you notice, inform how you approach not just World Book Day, but reading in general? Give greater attention to your more reluctant readers, focusing on those who may be disguising their reading struggles using different masking strategies.

Choosing books & creating wish lists

It is vital that we offer a rich reading diet which includes books that celebrate, represent, and appreciate the wonderful world around us, including the diverse community of the school. Remember the importance of books being ‘mirrors, windows and sliding doors’ – as the CLPE states in their latest Reflecting Realities report: ‘children need to meet characters that look like them – and those that don’t look like them, characters that inhabit similar – and different – worlds; stories that both reflect their lives and show them the lives of others.’

For more reluctant readers (and, in fact, for all readers), knowing and understanding their interests and experiences is key to unlocking their reading. It might be necessary to audit the books currently on offer in school to reflect on any gaps – but where to start?

• Ensure that there are a range of text types on offer: non-fiction books, poetry, graphic novels, and comics are equally important to fiction. Providing access to audiobooks is also a great idea, allowing children to tune in and listen to great prosody in action.
• Penguin & The Runnymede Trust’s ‘Lit in Colour’ is a fantastic website containing research and their report that highlights the systemic underrepresentation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers in the school curriculum. You can find their (incomplete!) Lit in Colour book lists here: Teaching resources (penguin.co.uk)
• If some children love graphic novels, Richard Ruddick @RuddickRichard) has generously shared a link to his Padlet which has some excellent recommendations: Graphic Novels (padlet.com).
• Books for Topics have also produced extremely useful ‘Branching Out’ posters which will help children to select a wider variety of books, based on their favourite authors.
• Use the ‘Grow Your Library’ resource, developed by colleagues at HFL Education (it can be downloaded)
• Delve deeper by reading more about the importance of diverse representation in the English curriculum.

Delve deeper by reading more about the importance of diverse representation in the English curriculum.

Engage the whole school community!

Why not select an awe-inspiring whole school text to focus on throughout the week? Wordless picture books are a fantastic way to spark curiosity and develop visual literacy across the age range. Here are just a few of our favourites:

 

 

Making connections through meaningful activities:

We know that children remember and enjoy books more when they are invested and can feel a personal connection to their reading. Here are some suggestions for activities that you might want to select from:

“You can’t force someone to love books, but you can tempt them to become a dedicated devourer of stories,” says Teresa Cremin (Teachwire).

Model the enjoyment of reading

Ask your school community to recommend favourite books. This could involve recommendations from children to staff, parents, governors and beyond! Holding a ‘Get Caught Reading’ event is another terrific way to spread those recommendations across school. A quick and easy way to showcase books the staff are reading is via whatimreading.org, where you can whip up a quick poster of the front cover and QR code for the community to find out more about a range of children’s literature. A note of caution though – if you do this, remember to change those ‘What I’m Reading’ posters frequently!

Create a sense of curiosity

Hold some clue-finding activities for children to guess books and characters. Many of our schools have created a ‘Masked Reader’ competition, inspired by the popular TV show ‘The Masked Singer/Dancer,’ where pupils must guess, “Who’s that behind the... book?”

Book blankets

Simply offer up a selection of tempting books (these can be placed on top of blankets or tablecloths on tables, to make this feel different and special) spread out around the classroom for the children to have a look at and talk about with each other. Set the children specific tasks, such as to find one book that interests them (asking them to explain why); one book that they would dismiss (also asking why that would be the case); one book by an author that they haven’t heard of before, and so on. You could even wrap some of the books in brown paper and write the blurb on the paper for children to select based on this – so that they are not dismissing them based on the front cover alone.

Book Buddies

Buddy up older and younger children in the school to read to each other and share their favourite books. Another excellent tool to have timetabled all year long!

The Great Book Swap!

Again, another great example to have set-up as a permanent fixture in school. World Book Day could be the perfect opportunity for a grand opening of your book swap area. Encourage the children to bring in a favourite book from home that they would like to share with their friends and swap with their peers’ favourite reads. This is a wonderful way to get that all-important, informal book talk happening.

Organise an inspiring author, poet, or illustrator visit

Or alternatively, bring in a performing arts company to bring a text to life in theatre form. Again, this is something that can happen at any time of the year, not just during the week of World Book Day. We would encourage you to pay particular attention to ensuring that you invite visitors from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and communities. There are also some wonderful, pre-recorded author talks available to watch at: Virtual Author Visit library | BookTrust and companies such as ‘Authors Aloud’ will arrange author visits for schools: Authors Aloud (authorsalouduk.co.uk)

Hold a book fair

This can be a fantastic way to develop a sense of excitement whilst boosting your school’s book collection through book rewards. There are many travelling book fairs that can be delivered straight to your school’s door and most will accept the £1 book tokens too. Planning a visit to your local library or supporting a local bookshop can also build your reading community.

Meaningful fundraising!

Book Trust research revealed that, “In the UK, nearly 400,000 children don’t have a book of their own. Having access to books and developing a love of reading for pleasure is vital for a child’s future.” Visit the fundraising section on the World Book Day website to find out how you can help to connect the school community to the power of reading.

What about dressing up?

Of course, we can’t talk about World Book Day without mentioning dressing up. Some children and families will absolutely love the idea of dressing up, whereas for others, this can become a source of stress (and dare we say it, may not always be about reading or books!). Instead, why not...

• Dress as a word! Create a vocabulary focus across school with pupils (and staff) dressing up as a word of their choice and plan a word-rich day around this theme. Encourage them to be adventurous with their vocabulary choices - their word could even describe their favourite book characters: courageous; mischievous; bright; sluggish; enthralling; intriguing… A delightful book link for this is ‘The Word Collector’ By Peter H. Reynolds.

 

 

• The children could snuggle up with a good book by participating in a pyjama day, focusing on the habit of daily bedtime reading. Invite parents into school to share stories as children enjoy reading and feeling relaxed, whilst being surrounded by a wonderful selection of books to share and discuss.
•  Offer the chance to dress up as a class, so that no one misses out, by creating costumes in class beforehand. There are lovely suggestions available on the WBD website for this: World Book Day dress up ideas

Whatever you decide is best for your school, ensure that promoting your children’s love of reading and literature remains the focus. Encourage your readers to share their favourite texts, finding time for discussions, recommendations, and opportunities to bring texts to life using varied and diverse approaches.

 

 Blog authored by Kayleigh Valentini and Ellen Counter.

 

Two years ago, a couple of my colleagues asked me if I knew anyone in my family that had fought for Britain in the First or Second World War. They asked as they intended to share the real histories of staff and pupils for Remembrance Day. My immediate response was, ‘No,’ but the question reminded me of a picture I once saw as a child of my grandfather wearing medals. I decided to track down that photograph. I contacted my aunt and, from her, discovered my grandfather to have been a proud British soldier who fought in Burma during the Second World War. My grandfather had served directly under Lord Mountbatten and spoke of him with much love and respect; his children had never seen their father cry until he heard of Lord Mountbatten’s death. My aunt shared pictures of grandfather’s medals, documents of where he served and explained how proud he was of his contribution. He even chose to be buried alongside his fellow soldiers in Brookwood Military Cemetery in Woking. My aunt shared many stories that I hope to go back and document in greater detail.

This had been an emotional discovery for me. I had not known that my grandfather was one of the 2.3 million soldiers who made up the Indian army that fought for Britain. I had never learned about the contributions that our Indian and African soldiers made to the world wars in school. Sitting through every ‘Remembrance’ assembly, as a child and in the 18 years of my teaching experience, I had no idea that these moments were relevant to the contributions of people from my own community. I never heard in school any mention of sacrifices made by soldiers from the Commonwealth, and my two teenage children tell me they have not either.

 

 

These revelations, received at the age of 41, upset me deeply. What difference would it have made to me as a young British Bengali Muslim girl growing up, if I had learned about the sacrifices that our grandfathers made for this country? What difference would it have made to my understanding of my identity and relationship to Britain? What difference would it have made to all my White British friends, if they had known about all the soldiers from around the world who fought for Britain?  The true diversity within British history is still not taught enough in our schools and, in some, not at all. I hope that, going forward, all schools will teach about the range of British contributions that were made in the world wars and that our children grow up understanding the shared history that unites us all. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. There is much work to be done to diversify the curriculum, but one place to start is in sharing and exploring the powerful untold stories of all our families.  

Race equity and anti-racism: guidance on developing an anti-racist approach

 

As with any financial commitment, it is good practice to review your school’s contracts on a regular basis and MIS is no exception to this. In the current financial climate, the cost is important, but there are other factors that should be considered too.

From the very earliest stage of the process, before a decision is made, it is key to engage with stakeholders in your school – start the change-management process early.  Staff that are involved and invested in a potential change will be far more open to new ideas if you do ultimately decide to make a switch of MIS. 

Nominate someone to drive the project from the very beginning, having an advocate in place from the start will help smooth the journey.  Take a whole-school view, speak to everyone that uses your MIS – does it suit their needs?  What changes would they make if they could?  Identifying the pain-points of various interested parties in school might throw up a common theme.  Encourage users to take a step back and think about their processes – are they the most efficient they could be, or are they dictated by the tools available?  For some schools, staying with their existing MIS will be the right choice, for others, moving to a cloud-based MIS will be appropriate. So, what should you be thinking about when reviewing your MIS contract and considering a move to the cloud? Here are just 3 (of many):

1. Price – what is the total cost of ownership? This will include the MIS licence as well as any hardware and associated warranties, support, and maintenance. Think about third party products and ‘add-ons’ you are paying for: will you still need them if moving to a new MIS? Is training for staff an additional cost? Part of the consideration for a move to a new system should include indirect costs, such as staff familiarisation time.
2. Real-time system updates – in a cloud-based system, changes and upgrades are managed by the supplier in the background and in real-time. Fixes will be applied for issues as soon as they become available, no need to wait for patches to be applied on your local server.
3. Any-time, any-place access – wherever there is an internet connection, staff can access the data they need to, on a range of devices. This puts data into the hands of staff when and where they need it. 

Of course, this is a real simplification of the decision-making process, there are many, many other factors to take into account.  It is really important to take a bespoke deep dive into the MIS options you are considering.  All MIS in the market have a basic set of functionality that meets the core requirements of most schools, but how does a particular system manage the things that are important to you?  Refer back to your initial investigations – what are the specific pain-points?  What are your staff most concerned about?  It might not be something that your current MIS doesn’t do particularly well, it could be the fact that it does it really, really well and staff are concerned about moving to a replacement that’s an unknown. 

All MIS suppliers should be happy to spend as much as time as you need on demonstrations and talking to you about your needs, to help you make an informed decision. Are there other schools near you that are already using the MIS you are considering?  Many schools will be happy to talk to you about their experience and might even give you a demo of the system in a ‘real-world’ environment.  Work closely with your support team too.  At HFL Education, we have supported almost 300 schools with switching MIS to date and have learned a lot along the way, tap into that experience and expertise and ask as many questions as you need to.

Once you have decided on a move to a cloud MIS, how do you achieve a smooth transition to your new system? Our top 3 tips:

1. Use a Framework to buy your licences – the HFL MIS Framework provides an easy, quick and fully compliant mechanism for schools to purchase MIS licences at up to a 35% discount. In addition to the cost savings on price, schools, settings, and trusts can save months in procurement time compared to running an open procedure and any procurement risk sits with HFL Education as the owner of the framework.
2. Manage the change – We can’t stress this one enough. The people involved are key to making the transition a success. As early in the process as possible, get your team on-board, identify a ‘champion’ in school to drive the change process. Who are the users in your organisation that will be most affected by a change of MIS? Involve them in the planning and make sure that they feel heard and confident that their training needs will be met. Investing in training and migration support from the outset will pay off.
3. Recognise that a new system will not directly compare to the old one – different functionality and processes may seem challenging for users to adjust to at first, but all of the MIS on the HFL Framework have been through a rigorous procurement process to ensure that they provide the functionality that a school MIS needs to operate successfully. A new system will have a different look and feel, and things will be done differently.  

For those schools tied into an existing MIS contract, this does not necessarily mean ruling out a change of MIS. Some suppliers have offers enabling schools to switch MIS while only paying for one until their existing agreement expires (subject to terms and conditions).

The MIS is only the beginning.  As the cornerstone of your school’s IT solutions, once the MIS is in the cloud, it opens up a whole range of possibilities for your digital strategy, such as cloud-based document hosting, enabling the real-time sharing of documents, enhancing truly collaborative working for staff and pupils.  In addition to achieving a saving of up to 35% on MIS licence costs by utilising the HFL MIS Framework, similar savings can be realised in the total cost of ownership when all related IT expenditure is considered. Moving to a cloud-based MIS could be the first step in your school’s journey to a fully cloud-based IT solution and attaining the economies that could come with it. 

For more information about our MIS Framework and/or migration and support services, please email us at misframework@hfleducation.org or visit our website.

 

What is Risk Management?

Risk Management can be defined simply as anticipating what might not go to plan and putting in place actions to reduce uncertainty to a tolerable level.  When we think of risk, we normally perceive negative events, however risks can also be positive opportunities. 

The Academy Trust Handbook states that Trusts must manage their risks to ensure effective operation.  A good risk management process allows individual risks to be analysed, understood and managed proactively so that ideally the negative impact of threats can be minimised, whilst the positive impact of opportunities can be maximised.

Risk analysis is fundamentally based on an individual’s perception and therefore it is possible for Trusts to have separate and distinct risk profiles.  The risk profile or risk appetite of the Trust is an evaluation of individuals’ willingness and ability to take risks. To understanding the risk profile of a Trust we need to understand the acceptable levels of risk that management are prepared to accept.

What are the main responses to risk?

There are typically four main responses to risk:

1. Transfer – this is where the risk is transferred to a third party such as insurance
2. Tolerate – this is where management are prepared to accept responsibility for the risk. This might be the case where the likelihood of the event occurring and the impact to the Trust operations is relatively low, or where the cost of implementing controls outweighs the potential benefits.
3. Treat – this is where controls are put in place to manage or mitigate the risk and keep any potential impact to an acceptable level
4. Terminate - this is where measures are put in place to try and eliminate or avoid the risk.   

What is a Risk Register?

The Academy Trust Handbook states that Trusts must maintain a Risk Register. A Risk Register can be used to analyse the risks identified and document the responses to risks with a clear action plan.

Who is responsible for Risk Management?

The Board of Trustees ultimately has overall responsibility for risk management within the Trust, including oversight of the risk register. The Board of Trustees can rely on advice provided by the Audit and Risk Committee.  

Why is Risk Management important?

One can argue that it is better to be proactive rather than reactive. A proactive approach means that resources can be prioritised into key operational areas to deliver the Trust objectives.

Poor risk management can have a direct or indirect impact on outcomes for pupils.  Therefore, it is important that the Trust Board, Audit and Risk Committee and Senior Leadership Team work together effectively to ensure that there is an effective internal control environment.

Failure to ensure proper internal control over key business processes may result in irregular activity occurring, triggering an intervention by ESFA or a modification of the external auditor's regulatory opinion.

What is Internal Control?

Internal controls are a key element of the risk management process. 

The risk assessment process identifies the risks, taking into account the likelihood of the event occurring and the impact on the Trust operations. 

The internal control assessment takes the process one step further by mapping the existing controls onto the risks identified and determining if there are any gaps between risks and controls that can leave the Trust exposed.  

What is the link between Risk Management and Internal Scrutiny?

The Academies Financial Handbook states that planning a programme of internal scrutiny must be a risk based exercise between the Trust Board, the Audit and Risk Committee and the Internal Scrutineer.

A programme of Internal Scrutiny should ideally be informed by the Trust's Risk Register with guidance and advice from the Audit and Risk Committee. The internal audit program should consider the risk profile of the Trust and any concerns of the Audit and Risk Committee.

The process of formulating the internal audit work program can in itself be a form of risk assessment which results in a list of potential scrutiny areas.  A good risk review process is iterative and the findings of the programme of internal scrutiny will in turn inform the Risk Register.

High risk areas identified during the risk management process should be included in the internal audit work program and undergo more thorough frequent reviews, whereas low risk areas may be given less priority particularly if controls are found to be operating satisfactorily.  A schedule of potential work can be presented annually to the Audit and Risk Committee for consideration, challenge and sign-off.

How to develop the Internal Audit Plan?

To provide effective coverage and assurance, the internal audit plan should ideally be a rolling cyclical program over a period of at least 3 years and should include reviews of both financial and non-financial controls. 

Several factors can be taken into account when assessing risk and developing the internal audit plan, such as:

• The volume and monetary value of transactions
• The complexity, sensitivity and stability of the system
• Changes in senior management and strategic roles
• Potential fraud risks
• The strength of existing management controls
• Whether work has been carried out on the system recently

How are Risk Management and Internal Scrutiny linked?

It is a requirement of the Academy Trust Handbook that all Academy Trusts must have a programme of internal scrutiny to provide independent assurance to the Board that its financial and non-financial controls and risk management procedures are operating effectively.

Historically, Internal Scrutiny was viewed as a “necessary evil” to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the Academy Trust Handbook.  A small amount of audit days was purchased by Trusts to fulfil a “tick box” exercise. 

A good understanding of risk management recognises Internal Audit as an independent function designed to give assurance, add value, and advise on improving business operations. To work effectively, this culture needs to be embedded in a top-down approach where the Audit and Risk Committee work closely with the Internal Scrutineer to develop the Internal Audit Plan. 

A top-down approach can demonstrate that the culture and values of risk management are embraced at the highest levels of the Trust where responsibility also sits for risk management.  This can in turn ensure that management actively co-operate with the Internal Auditor and embrace recommendations for change.  

What is a good programme of Internal Scrutiny? 

In line with the Academy Trust Handbook, a good program of internal audit scrutiny will focus on:

Risk Management

Although the Trust is responsible for identifying all categories of risk and maintaining a risk register, internal audit can assist by advising and giving the Board independent assurance that all categories of risk are adequately identified, reported and managed.

Risk Model

Internal Audit can advise the Trust on developing a risk model which in turn populates the Risk Register. We can provide training and advice to the Audit Committee on how to use the risk register to inform and prioritise the internal audit programme of work, ensuring a rolling program of work is developed and checks are modified as appropriate each year. We can facilitate the process for reviewing and updating the risk register and ensuring that the risk register is kept up to date. 

Evaluation

Internal Audit can review the suitability of, and level of compliance with, both financial and non-financial controls. We can assess whether procedures are designed effectively and efficiently and can check whether agreed procedures have been followed.

Advice and Insight 

Management are ultimately responsible for the day to day running of the Trust, but we are available to offer independent advice on how to address weaknesses in financial and non-financial controls and we can also act as a catalyst for change and improvement.  

Conclusion

HFL education can assist and advise on embedding a culture of risk management in your Trust.  We employ specialist auditors with the right qualifications, experience, and key skills required to perform the audit work and our auditors are governed by professional codes of ethics and standards.

If you would like further advice or information, please get in touch. 

 

Reading is fundamental to education. Proficiency in reading, writing and spoken language is vital for pupils’ success. Through these, they develop communication skills for education and for working with others: in school, in training and at work.

DfE, The reading framework Teaching the foundations of literacy, July 2021

 

 

Where did it all start?

It’s often said that humans have only been reading for around 6000 years.  That’s in spite of us having a brain that contained a visual cortex (the part that we use when we read) millions of years earlier.  Or perhaps we did actually gain the ability to read earlier?  Much, much earlier!

According to Derek Hodgson in his research paper presented in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports (2019), he explains that he believes that it was at this earlier time because this is when humans started to make repetitive marks.  These aren’t at all similar to the later pictures that were created in cave drawings, but quite separate and distinct, repetitive symbols.  There are some shell engravings that have been discovered in South Africa containing repetitive symbols that date from 540,000 years ago! This is interesting information for us as practitioners who are required to teach children to read in that it’s nothing new, humans have apparently been ‘reading’ for over 500 millennia!  The interesting bit is that although it’s been a skill for hundreds of generations, it’s never evolved into a skill that comes naturally to the human brain.  It still needs to be taught.  And taught well.

The importance of reading

In July of 2021, we saw the publication of The Reading Framework which contains advice from the DfE about reading and ideas about how it might be taught in schools.  It has interesting information about the English language and it sets out some principles underpinning the teaching of reading.  It, of course, contains details about the teaching of phonics - the recommended strategy for teaching early decoding skills to young children, what we know to be the ‘nuts and bolts’ of early reading.  This document is presented to us alongside the validated list of phonic schemes.  These schemes are recommended to schools who are making the decision to change their current approach to teaching phonics.  The teaching of phonics has been highlighted by Ofsted as something they would expect to see being taught during their ‘deep dives’ into reading.  Gill Jones, Ofsted’s Deputy Director for Early Education explained in 2019 that phonics needs to be taught daily in Reception classes. Children need to read closely matched books and that extra practice might be seen throughout the day for those in need.  Underpinning all of this skills teaching, teachers need to instil ‘a love of literature: (through sharing) the best stories and poems’!  Something not added to this is the understanding that children really do need a good grounding in the foundations for phonics i.e. early phonics – phonemic awareness.

 

 

The teaching of reading - a joy or a challenge

Do you enjoy teaching early reading, or do you feel overwhelmed with it all? As early years practitioners, we understand the importance of developing children’s early reading skills to prepare them for Key Stage 1 and lifelong learning. ‘It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading.’ (Department for Education Early years framework, September 2021). With the new EYFS Statutory Framework, September 2021 as well as the non-statutory guidance of Birth to 5 Matters and Development Matters and of course, the Ofsted Framework, it can be overwhelming to think about where best to start in planning a rich and comprehensive reading curriculum.

As we know, reading is a skill that requires comprehensive, sequential planning.  It also necessitates skilful adult interactions along with high-quality opportunities across the learning environment that enable children in the EYFS to practise, consolidate and rehearse their learning. Early reading skills begin at a young age when children are absorbing and responding to the language that is around them.  They then begin to communicate with those around them and, upon receiving a response, early communication and language skills are embedded.  Much of this early language acquisition may also come from books being shared with children, by parents and carers and later, in the EYFS settings and schools they attend. 

 

 

Taking this into account, it then becomes apparent that literacy rich learning environments that promote reading are an essential element in promoting early reading. As a practitioner, when did you last review how well your EYFS is doing this?  How well is your provision engaging children with early reading opportunities?  Taking time to review your phonics programme is another essential element of developing secure early readers.

Why not let us support you on your journey to improving early reading across practice and provision by joining the ‘Succeeding with Reading’ programme starting in autumn 2023. The programme aims to support English leaders and EY leaders to review and monitor the processes and provision that support the development of early reading in the EYFS. This comprehensive programme is based on current research and will commence in the autumn term with a ‘launch’ event, followed by a thorough early reading audit visit.  During the audit, advisers from the HfL Early Years team will review your current early reading practice and provision.  This will then be followed with bespoke training sessions in the spring term, with a final celebration of impact event at the end of the programme in late spring.

The programme aims to support leaders and teachers to:

• develop their knowledge and skills in reviewing, developing and implementing a highly ambitious and focused approach to reading
• using a specifically designed audit tool to monitor provision and practice
• create a provision where there is sufficient opportunity for children to practice, rehearse and consolidate reading skills across the curriculum in meaningful, play-based contexts
• improve the reading skills of children in their care  

Here is some of the feedback from delegates that attended the ‘Succeeding with Reading’ programme last year.

 

 

The audit visit report is really comprehensive and incredibly useful for us. I know that my Reading Lead and my Phonics Lead found the afternoon really valuable and insightful.

Richard Fordham, Headteacher, Stopsley Community Primary School and Nursery

Thank you for this report and we would like to thank you for a positive and very useful audit visit. We are currently working on our Reading Action Plan and have taken on board the great advice that we received in the feedback meeting and the report and feel it will be very beneficial in developing reading in our Early Years.

EY leader, St John the Evangelist RC Primary School, Islington, London

Visit the HfL CPD hub for further information and to book your place or contact earlyyearsteam@hertsforlearning.co.uk.

 

With our Word-Utopia English conference just a few weeks away, language and vocabulary are very much at the forefront of our minds. The varied line-up of speakers - including academics, poets, authors and teachers - will present us all with a fresh look at how to support language acquisition in the classroom. But, there’s no need to wait until after the conference to get stuck into vocabulary work with your class. Join us as we revisit this blog from our former colleague, Sabrina Wright, about how we can develop children’s vocabulary through morphemic analysis.

The National Curriculum recognises that ‘Pupils’ acquisition and command of vocabulary are key to their learning and progress across the whole curriculum.’ Acquiring a broad vocabulary supports understanding in all subjects. Understanding is developed through language comprehension, and the exploration and explicit teaching of new vocabulary contributes to pupils’ developing comprehension.

‘Vocabulary is learnt both indirectly and directly. Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language.’ (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2011). Wider reading is an absolutely essential part of indirect vocabulary growth; however, it is not sufficient for all students. For children to have a deep and long-lasting understanding of the vocabulary they are learning they need to meet the words they come across frequently, and in different contexts. In other words, it is not enough to look a word up in a dictionary and expect that most children will be able to understand it, use it and apply that word in other contexts. They need more to be able to build a sense of the word. So, if dictionaries won’t do the job, we need to provide children with word learning strategies and knowledge that they can apply independently. In addition to this, it is vital that we inspire children to develop an interest and love of words, their meanings and how they are built.

‘Simply put, if we want our students to become independent word learners, then we must model how to think about new words that they encounter in their reading.’

(Templeton & Pikulski, 1999)

Templeton and Pikulski (1999) talk about there being ‘four types of knowledge and strategies that enable students to become independent word learners:

1. morphological knowledge
2. effective use of contextual clues
3. the application of morphological and contextual knowledge in a word-learning strategy
4. the role of dictionaries and other word reference books.

Research has shown that being able to draw upon specific morphemic elements, and how these combine to make words, supports students in being able to determine the meaning of new words. (Scott & Nagy, 1994). With that in mind, I’d like to fly the flag for using morphological knowledge to support the acquisition of new vocabulary, and to consider the important part it plays.

So what is morphology?

Morphological knowledge is the spelling of grammatical units within words (e.g. horse = 1 morpheme, horses = 2 morphemes). It includes knowledge about the following: root words, compound words, suffixes, prefixes and the origins of words (etymology).

The National Curriculum sets out that students begin with the exploration of morphemic elements in KS1, with base words and suffixes such as adding -s/-es/-ing/-ed/-ful/-ly, and by the time they get to KS2, not only are they exploring a wider range of prefixes and suffixes, but they can begin to explore in detail the morphology of a variety of words, and use this to help their understanding of new vocabulary.

For example, knowing bicycle (Year 3/4 statutory word list NC) is cycle from the Greek for wheel, with bi– meaning ‘two’ before it, and in Year 5/6 knowing conscience and conscious (Y5/6 statutory word list NC) are related to science: conscience is simply science with the prefix con- added (these words come from the Latin word scio meaning ‘I know’), helps children to understand not only the meaning of the vocabulary being taught, but they can then later apply this knowledge to any new related vocabulary.

So how can I use morphology to support word learning in the classroom?

Basically, this strategy focuses on analysing the meaningful parts (morphemes) within in a word to support the understanding of it.

Kieffer and Lesaux (2007) suggested the following steps for effective teaching of morphemic analysis:

1. teach morphology in the context of rich, explicit vocabulary instruction;
2. teach students to use morphology as a cognitive strategy with explicit steps;
3. teach underlying morphological knowledge in two ways—both explicitly and in context.

The following graphic shows an example of how you would analyse a word with pupils as part of the above model.

 

 

Being explicit with the children that words that are related in meaning are often related in spelling, and that clues to the structure of the words can be clues to the meaning, is essential in supporting children in their vocabulary acquisition.

As touched on before, it is also important that teachers share with children their own interest in and enthusiasm for words, and model how they’ve thought about them. Sharing an interesting story about where a word originates from can help to develop an interest and curiosity in words. For example, I should probably tell you about the origin of the word vocabulary, but honestly I’d rather tell you about the origin of the word nincompoop. The day I got my etymology dictionary, ‘Nincompoop’ was the first word I was thumbing through the pages looking for. Curious? It turns out that there are a few stories about its origin; one is from the 17th century, where it is suggested it originates from a ‘given name Nicholas or from Nicodemus…and his naive questioning of Christ’, but the other (and my favourite) although denied by some etymologists, is from the 1670s where it was linked to the Latin legal phrase ‘non compos mentis’. How does that help me you may ask yourself? Well, I don’t use the word nincompoop often, but it certainly has stuck in my mind, and I can see how the definition is linked to its origin. What would be the first word you would look up?

There have been a number of studies that show the significant relationship between vocabulary and comprehension, and another factor to consider is that the ‘teaching of morphological awareness and decoding in school may be the way to narrow the achievement gap for children whose families differ in education and income levels, and ethnic or racial backgrounds.’ (Nagy 2007). Morphemic analysis is just one strategy of many, but it is a valuable strategy to aid word learning that will help readers unlock the meaning of new and challenging words with increasing independence.

Originally published 15 June 2016 by Sabrina Wright, who was previously an English Teaching and Learning Adviser for HFL Education.

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Bibliography

Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2001). Put reading first: The research building blocks for teaching children to read.
Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2007). Breaking down words to build meaning: Morphology, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in the urban classroom.
Nagy, W. (2007). Metalinguistic awareness and the vocabulary‑comprehension connection.
In R. K. Wager, A. E. Muse, & K. R. Tannenbaum (Eds.), Vocabulary acquisition: Implications for reading comprehension.
Scott, J. A., & Nagy, W. E. (1994). Vocabulary development. In Purves, A. C., Papa, L., & Jordan, S. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of English studies and language arts, Vol. 2.
Templeton, S. & Pikulski, J. (1999) Building the Foundations of Literacy: The Importance of Vocabulary and Spelling Development. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Recommendations

Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (Oxford Quick Reference) Cresserrl, J. (2010)

 

The turbulence of the past year is quite frankly astounding and will no doubt make essential reading for future students of politics and history. But in the here and now, the fallout has left governors, trustees, boards and schools picking up the pieces. Resilience is being tested in a way not seen since the pandemic, with the couple months of calm we had now feeling like a distant memory! In times such as this ‘being effective’, whether as an individual or board, will be a vital support to your school, let’s explore some effective practice.  

School funding  

The recent budget had some unexpected news on school funding from the DfE with some additional monies over the next two years which according to the IFS will return spending to 2010 levels in real terms, the highest previous level. The detail will follow but it is expected that schools will be exempt from any future energy price cap, and that the additional funding will allow for pay increases. When we add in SEND funding pressures, falling primary roles, a recruitment and retention crisis and the corrosive effect of high inflation, it’s hard to see how this money will stretch far enough. Ensuring that your 3-year forecast is robust is now essential. Too many schools describe their third year forecast as a work of fiction. It can’t and it mustn't be. Every organisation out there is having to work hard on their forecasts to stay solvent, schools should be no exception. Most current school/ academy budgets will have had some mitigation built in for pay rises, inflation and utility costs but it’s understandable that these assumptions may now fall rather short of the reality. Boards need to be working with school leaders to monitor the current and projected budgets ensuring that where savings can be made that they are. It is extremely challenging to forecast cost pressures next year, so modelling several scenarios is pragmatic. Starting from the bottom up, looking at what is essential is key to effective budgeting. Last year’s budget plus inflation is unlikely to stretch far enough.   

Boards will have been discussing energy efficiency and carbon reduction over the past few years spurred on by COP26 and their pupils amongst others, given what has happened to energy costs this is probably the greatest financial pressure on budgets – let’s face it most public buildings, especially our aging school stock, are possibly the worst examples of energy inefficiency. The Government’s announcement of further funding to reduce energy costs made last week is therefore welcome. Hertfordshire County Council has also secured funding, 30% of which will be targeted at schools, for details see here.  

Board recruitment   

In the quest to be effective we need to ensure recruitment is an ongoing focus. We need to ensure that the right people are around the table and that the workload is shared evenly across the board. Looking at recruitment it’s essential to conduct a skills audit at least bi-annually to identify skills gaps within the board and then to actively look to recruit to refresh the board and fill those gaps. As an example, a board of governors with mainly educational expertise will not be enough to deliver the full spectrum of constructive challenge that’s required at meetings whereas a mix of educational, finance, wellbeing, HR, legal, business, local community experience are all skills gaps that need filling. This is not to discount the importance of parent and staff voice represented by parent and staff governors and where they have any of the above skills then that’s a bonus! Herts County Council have revised the governor recruitment section on the HCC website and are about to launch a governor recruitment campaign, have a look to see what’s there that could help your own local recruitment drives.  

Visiting your school  

Governors should attend as many FGB and committee meetings as they possibly can, but that alone won’t make you effective. There’s no substitute for getting into your school and seeing theory put into practice. Visits are usually planned based on the link role you may have but be sure they include what you would like to see and focus on – let school leaders know in advance the year classes you would ideally like to visit, whether you would like the opportunity to talk with pupils, are there displays or children’s work that you would like to look at – you should be looking for evidence to support the schools progress/ achievement in the particular area you are linked with to enable you to put together a short visit report that can be shared with governors and retained as evidence of governor effectiveness in particular for Ofsted & HIP visits. In terms of board effectiveness planning for one or two ‘Governor in School’ sessions during the year is essential – the board would agree a particular focus and again let the school know the sort of evidence they will be looking for which will enable leaders to plan for the visit. Feedback should be done on the day if time allows, governors coming into school should be a positive experience and to share your immediate impressions with school leaders will help cement the supportive role you play and increase the visibility of governors with staff and pupils alike.  

Workload  

We have spent many years focussing on senior leader and teacher workload for obvious reasons, if the balance is right, they will be more effective at what they do. Sometimes in doing this we forget that governor workload should also be at the forefront of our thinking – we are volunteers, often with other work, caring or parental commitments. It’s important to ensure that link and key roles are shared equally across board members otherwise it will rely on a few doing the work of the many which in terms of governance is neither healthy or effective for those individuals or the board. How about a mid-year review to check in on colleagues to ensure that they are coping with the roles they took on at the beginning of the year and if not to reshare some of that workload, this way you may catch those that are about the throw the towel in and make better use of new governors who by that point will have found their feet.  

Education white paper   

The new Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, has announced that the white paper is to be scrapped, read full story here. We will consider the impact of this in our next blog and how this may impact on the drive for academisation.  

As we discussed in our last blog being crystal clear of purpose and where you want to be as a school is an essential starting point, the vision for your school should be costed and mapped out over 3-5 years with a clear of idea what needs doing and as importantly why you are doing it. Equally that this vision is shared by all stakeholders – parents, staff, pupils and even the local community need to be invested and included – together with senior leaders and the board you are all on a journey together. A famous example of this is when President John F Kennedy was visiting NASA in 1962, he stopped to ask a janitor ‘what are you doing?’ to which he replied, ‘I’m helping put a man on the moon’. In your school, if asked the same question, would all staff members reply along the lines of ‘I’m aiming to improve the outcomes and life chances for every pupil in my school.’ Having a shared purpose and for everyone to understand that whatever their role is, will ensure they are equally valued and contribute to the school’s success. When your school next achieves a milestone moment or when test and exam results are published, we should take a moment to thank not just the teachers and senior leaders but also those behind the scenes – including site staff, office staff, classroom assistants, pastoral staff, midday supervisors, catering staff, lollipop person, lab technicians, parent volunteer readers etc – who by the work they do have equally contributed to that moment of achievement or success.

If we value, we retain - not only our staff but our purpose, our reputation, our vision and our belief in what we are doing – in that way whatever the headwinds and challenges if we are ‘together’ we will be effective in overcoming and ultimately succeeding in these imperfect times.  

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The HFL Governance team stand ready to support you whether it be through our acclaimed training programme, our supportive Clerking and Chairs service or our fantastic helpdesk – we wish you all a peaceful festive season and best wishes for the New Year.  

To contact us please use the following:  

Governance Helpdesk: 01438 544487   

Governance Training: 01438 544478  

Governance Clerking: 01438 544487  

Or email us at governance@hfleducation.org  

 

 

At this time of year, there’s nothing better than hunkering down with a great book. In this blog, Amanda Webb shares some ideas for writing based on a brand new, wintery story that is perfect for the season. Alongside the new book, she recalls an old favourite story and shares writing ideas for both of these winter wonders.

‘The Frost Goblin’ by Abi Elphinstone and illustrated by Fiona Woodcock

We couldn’t leave you this Christmas without failing to mention the release of this Christmas winner to share with your class: ‘The Frost Goblin’ by bestselling author Abi Elphinstone and renowned illustrator Fiona Woodcock.

‘The real story of frost has nothing to do with Jack Frost and everything to do with goblins…’

You will fall in love with the delightful Bertie from the very first moment you meet him as you join him on an exciting adventure with the Frostgobble family. Be prepared for your heart to wobble, just as Bertie’s does in this wonderful story of belonging.

A perfect story for a heart-warming read with your class on a cold winter’s afternoon. In the resource linked here – The Frost Goblin Writing Opportunities - you will find a collection of wonderful writing opportunities inspired from ‘The Frost Goblin’.

Find out more about Abi and her work.

Find out more about Fiona and her work.

‘The Santa Trap’ by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Poly Bernatene

We have shared this one with you before, but it is worth revisiting to enjoy afresh with a different class.

Welcome Bradley Bartleby…

 

 

Everything that you need to know about this charmless character is conveyed on the first double-page spread:

‘Bradley Bartleby was bad.

He’d been born bad….

And the older Bradley got, the badder he became.’

The tale goes on to outline Bradley’s rapid descent from spoilt child to revenge-seeking Santa hunter!

Beyond its obvious anarchic appeal, this text provides so many opportunities for children to improve their writing skills. In the resource linked here – Santa Trap Planning Ideas – you will find our suggestions for how this text could be used creatively to develop children’s writing skills in line with the Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation Programme of Study for each year group. In addition, in the resource - Year 6 Christmas Planning The Santa Trap - you will find the outline for a three-week sequence of learning aimed at Y6, in terms of grammatical content, where children will be writing their own anarchic sequel to The Santa Trap.

 

 

We hope that this fun and feisty text will help to spread a little Christmas cheer throughout your classroom this year. The question is: who will be brave enough to present each of their children with a lovely end of term Christmas gift this year?

A nice new pair of socks should do it!

Find out more about Jonathan and his work.

With special thanks to Poly Bernatene for giving permission to use his images in this blog.

Explore more of Poly’s work.