inspire - issue 7 summer 2012

ISSUE 7 SUMMER 2012

MaKing a diFFerence - pupils with Besd

new waterside caMpus

Better learning through technology

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Contents

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3 INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 7, SUMMER ‘12

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Select the respective application (QR reader) from your usual platform and upload it onto your smartphone (there are free reader apps, such as the ‘i-nigma’ app.

Open the application on your smartphone and hold the camera exactly over the QR code on one of the pages of this issue.

When the camera registers the QR code your smartphone will activate the link to the multimedia content.

Inspired provides multimedia content that you can access via the small square icons - known as QR codes – on some pages. With your smartphone and the right software you can link to websites, photo galleries, videos and social media pages. Follow the instructions and give it a try. You need an iPhone (3GS or later) or a smartphone with the Android operating system. We recommend at least 2 megapixels for the camera on your phone.

Inspired Interactive Written and produced by The University of Northampton School of Education all submissions are property of Inspire magazine.

The entire content ©Copyright The University of Northampton School of Education 2011, and cannot be reproduced in whole or part without prior written consent.

Editor & Words: Paul Bramble [email protected]

Photography: Design Depot Ltd, The University of Northampton, Neil Shelby Long

Design: Design Depot Ltd www.designdepot.net

Print: Portland Print Ltd

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@SoEUniNorthants

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TEACHING ASSITANTS

EARLY YEARS

RESEARCH

BLT

NEWS

NEW WATERSIDE CAMPUS

GATEWAY SCHOOL

EVENTS

LIFE AFTER UNI

NEWS NEWS

4 5WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION

MASTERS PROGRAMME IN EDUCATION LAUNCHED IN INDIA

TONY BALDRY OPENS NEW DYSLEXIA CLASSROOM

At the end of April 2012 the School of Education launched its MA Special and inclusive Education cohort for students in Bangalore, India.

Tony Baldry, Conservative MP for North Oxfordshire, officially opened the Banbury Schools new dyslexia classroom and resource centre.

INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 7, SUMMER ‘12

The first module, promoting inclusive practice was delivered intensely over six days and will be followed over the next couple of months with face to face tutorial support given by our two India based tutors and through skype tutorials given by Richard Rose and John Visser.

The module was taken by experienced teachers working in a range of schools and other provision from within Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states. All participants were very enthusiastic and engaged with a range of resources developed specifically for this cohort of students. The next module will be delivered in Bangalore in September.

Many Teachers in India are enthusiastic about studying for an English Higher degree with The University of Northampton but find it difficult to travel to England leaving behind their families and other responsibilities. The Right to Education Act in India has

Dyslexia is a learning difference, a combination of strengths and weaknesses which affects the learning process in reading, spelling and writing. Dyslexic learners may also have accompanying weaknesses in the speed at which they process information, sequencing material and with their short term memory. These are the tools that students need in order to learn in a classroom. Dyslexia can’t be ‘cured’, learners will always have dyslexia .

Natalie Dale, the specialist dyslexia teacher and English teacher at Banbury School, has completed the Level 5 Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties at The University of Northampton where

placed a new emphasis on teacher responsibilities to address special educational needs and students with whom we are working in Bangalore are keen to learn from the experience and expertise of tutors from the School of Education.

The first module of the programme provided evidence of enthusiastic and skilled teachers who are already making a significant contribution to the lives of children with special educational needs and who are determined to apply new learning and knowledge in the classroom.

PROFESSOR RICHARD ROSE

she has been able to develop her knowledge and understanding of dyslexia and her ability to deliver effective teaching for students and support for other teachers in the school. She has almost completed her Level 7 Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties which has enabled her to develop her ability to carry out diagnostic assessments and write dyslexia reports.

I have learned a tremendous amount from the course. I have learned the importance of multisensory teaching and overlearning skills and how to administer standardised tests for students with specific learning difficulties. I’ve grown in confidence when analysing the results from the tests also.

The new dyslexia classroom will also enable Natalie Dale to hold after school classes where students can develop their reading and writing skills, memory strategies, planning strategies, complete homework and feel more confident in their abilities.

The dyslexia classroom at Banbury School will be a place for students to come during the school day to develop their strengths and weaknesses and to be taught and supported by specialist staff. We’ve purchased several games to help students develop their blending skills and we have bought netbooks to help students develop their touch typing skills and use electronic games like Nessy. We have also purchased a library of Barrington Stoke books so the students have a range of reading material that is accessible to them.

NATALIE DALE

Netbooks, interactive games and learning aids have been purchased to help them learn in a multi-sensory way. Resources to help students develop their literacy skills have been placed on the school’s learning platform too.

By Professor Richard Rose

NEWS NEWS

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On Wednesday 16th May 2012, 21 Year 1 PE Specialist Students from the BA QTS Primary Education Course hosted a Multi-Skills Sports Festival at Caroline Chisholm School.

Almost 200 people gathered at our Park Campus to celebrate the graduation of our fi rst cohort of Mathematics Specialist Teachers (MaST).

John Mason, who was Professorof Mathematics Education at the Open University for many years, was the keynote speaker commented.

I enjoyed the afternoon, and was thrilled to see so much energy and enthusiasm for mathematics.

PE SPECIALISTS VISIT CAROLINE CHISHOLM SCHOOL

TDA PILOT MUSIC MODULES

MATHEMATICS SPECIALIST TEACHERS GRADUATE

The event was a tremendous success involving a total of 240 Year 7 children participating in a wide range of sporting activities under the guidance of the Year 1 PE Specialist students. This fantastic opportunity provided the University students valuable teaching experience enabling them to put many of the teaching strategies previously learnt into practice.

The students were encouraged to adapt their plans and activities to suit each individual group they received, offer praise and encouragement when required. In addition the Year 1 students were required to adapt their teaching style depending on the groups they worked closely with to encourage maximum progress and fun from the Year 7 children.

KIM DUFF - SENIOR LECTURER OF PE

As a result of the Multi Skills Sports Festivals success, further events are being organised between The University of Northampton and Caroline Chisholm School together with its feeder schools for the next academic year.

John is a well-known international writer and researcher who has inspired many mathematics teachers, including those on our programme.

The celebration provided an opportunity to stop and refl ect on what we have achieved through the development and delivery of the MaST programme. It has been a privilege to work with such committed teachers and see their expertise grow. Their schools and children have benefi ted from their development and I know that the future of mathematics teaching is safe in their hands.

DEBBIE MORGAN, MATHEMATICS SENIOR LECTURER AND PROGRAMME LEADER

Sue Nicholls and Hilary Miles have been delivering TDA pilot music modules to a mixed group of 40 Year3 BA QTS, GTP and PGCE students from the Universities of Northampton and Leicester. The modules are taught at two levels, catering for the needs of both generalists and specialists. Participants are exploring a very full programme which has so far included djembe drumming and an introduction to the ukulele. Feedback so far has been extremely positive and there are two more practical sessions this month and then students will undertake an assignment involving teaching and evaluating music lessons during their fi rst term as NQTs.

The 40 enthusiastic students from The University of Northampton and the University of Leicester have attended the TDA pilot music modules. Eager participants have explored djembe drumming and taken ukuleles and ocarinas home to practise. The students’ response to the lectures and practical workshops has been so enthusiastic, that we are planning to put on an extra session before the end of term!

SUE NICHOLLS,SENIOR LECTURER OF MUSIC


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NEWS NEWS

Students were selected through an open application process and had to undergo 20 hours of compulsory training prior to being paid to work in local primary schools. Staff from across the School of Education were involved in the selection and training of the Ambassadors. This training included:

•Teachingandlearningstrategies

•Behaviourmanagement

•Presentationskills

•Lessonandactivityplanning

•Safeguarding-Childprotection and disclosures

•Guidedreading

Following the training the ‘Ambassadors’ have been matched to a local Primary or Secondary school where they will work with classroom teachers to support the development of literacy skills and also manage bespoke

Chris delivered two keynote lectures on Tackling Homophobic Bullying in Schools. Chris’s lectures, featuring everything from banned books, the repeal of section 28 and gay penguins were very well received, described by several students as the highlight of the professional studies programme this year. Chris also ran small seminars with PGCE students professional studies groups exploring in very practical terms how students and NQTs can make a tangible differences in tackling this problem in schools.

I suffered from homophobic bullying throughout most of my teens at high school despite the fact I’m straight. Therefore, your lecture was very personal for me and I feel you opened up a lot of thought about how this type of bullying can be prevented.

TRAINEE COMMENT

UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS

STONEWALL LECTURE ON TACKLING HOMOPHOBIC BULLYING IN SCHOOLS

In the Spring Term the School of Education staff have played a key role in the establishment of the ‘University Ambassador’ scheme. Through this scheme 30 undergraduates from the across the University have been employed to work in local schools on improving levels of aspiration and achievement.

The School of Education was delighted to welcome Chris Gibbons, from Stonewall, the UK lesbian, gay and bisexual equality charity on Friday 27th April.

The University’s commitment to School Engagement is one founded securely in our moral purpose. We believe that the intellectual capital of the University and its students is a resource to be shared with our community and that we have a responsibility to work with our school-based colleagues to enhance and enrich the curriculum; provide opportunities for personal growth and development and to support young people with the transition from school to University. This project is a useful fi rst step in the development of an aspiration raising programme. Working with schools brings real benefi ts not only to schools and their students but also to the University, its staff and students.

Chris points out that, this is clearly indicative of how any young person, student, teacher or member of staff can experience homophobic bullying and how we all have a duty to challenge it. He also describes the ITE students The University of Northampton as amongst some of the most considered and refl ective he has come across whilst giving these lectures around the country

I was highly impressed by the response and calibre of your trainees. I think they’ll all go on to do very well.

CHRIS GIBBONS, SENIOR EDUCATION OFFICER, STONEWALL

For further information on how the School of Education intends to work with Stonewall or to get involved please contact [email protected]

More information about Stonewall’s education work can be found at www.stonewall.org.uk/atschool

The School of Education is looking forward to extending its work with Stonewall, perhaps building on the work of honorary Northampton graduate, rugby player Ben Cohen. Ben reports that he is passionate about tackling bullying and homophobia in sports. He set up the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation which has been supporting the work of Stonewall’s Education for All campaign.

Homophobic bullying doesn’t just affect young lesbian, gay and bisexual people, it can affect any young people perceived to be different, and stop them from achieving their potential, but we don’t have to stand for this. Stonewall resources are now in every school, helping to tackle homophobic prejudice and bullying.

BEN COHEN

projects in partnership with their ‘host’ schools. These projects are designed to help with raising levels of aspiration amongst the pupils in the primary schools.

The Ambassadors scheme is part of the HE-School Engagement agenda which focuses on work with our partner schools to raise educational aspirations and achievement for the young people of Northamptonshire. We believe that children are never too young to be thinking about their future or to be encouraged to aspire to be the best they can be. This particular project is aimed specifi cally at widening children’s horizons and allowing them to see the extent of possibilities and the range of opportunities that exist.


Learn

more about

Stonewall

10 11WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 6, WINTER ‘11

Our international students had an opportunity to explore the Intel Reader which converts text-to-speech. They were also shown the beta version of the Achieve Tablet, which will be released in April 2012. The session enabled the students to examine some of the benefi ts of such technology, but also some of the limitations. Their suggestions for further development will be passed onto the company.

Towards the end of the week, the international students will visit

The Education Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The aim of the visit is defi ne criteria that could be applied when purchasing and using educational resources to support inclusion from value for money (VfM) perspective. Therefore they will be considering purpose, input, impact and outlay in the context of their home countries.

INCLUSION WEEK

3rd TEAN Conference – 18TH MAYThe theme for this year’s conference was “Creating Effective Teachers”. Dr Caroline Daly, from the Institute of Education (London) delivered the opening key note, encouraging academics and higher education institutions to think outside the box in terms of course design, widening participation and working collaboratively with a range of partners. Debbie Morgan shared some of her research and delivered a snapshot session on ‘Developing Effective Teachers of Mathematics’, whilst Anita Devi and Andy Smith contributed to a seminar session on ‘The paradox of learning: can good relationships between the teacher and the student lead to greater independence of the learner?’

The Inclusion Conference at The University of Northampton 26th -28th March 2012 for Year 2 BA QTS, GTP and PGCE students in Initial Teacher Education proved to be a great success with some very positive evaluations.

I would like to thank Peter Wells (Deputy Dean of School) for Opening the Conference and Jenny Digges (formerly Senior Advisor SEN - National Strategies), Marie Howley and Jane Badger for their keynote lectures and for

all our colleagues and external professionals for the high quality seminars and workshops they provided. I would like to thank all of the students for their engagement, enthusiasm and discussions in the workshops/seminars which really demonstrated high levels of debate and commitment to SEN and Inclusion.

STEVE CULLINGFORD-AGNEW, SENIOR LECTURER – SEN AND INCLUSION

It is hoped that the Inclusion Conference affi rmed amongst us all the need to include all children/people, to embrace and celebrate difference and how to improve the outcomes for all children and young people with SEN including vulnerable youngsters.

CONFERENCE NEWS

AMERICAN EDUCATION

RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

(AERA) CONFERENCE NEWS

– VANCOUVER, CANADA

On April 16 2012, Meanu

Bajwa-Patel, one of our PhD

students, and Dr Cristina

Devecchi successfully

presented interim fi ndings

of Meanu’s doctoral study to

a roundtable audience. The

paper, entitled “Nowhere

fi ts: Exploring the issues

around parental choice

and school placement for

students with a Statement of

Special Educational Needs in

England”, was well received.

Congratulations to Meanu

on her achievement. The

AERA conference is a highly

competitive one where only

around 20% of submissions

are chosen to be included

in the programme.

THE JOY OF SCIENCEDuring the last National Science and Engineering week across the county, children met present day scientists, pondered on problems and engaged with practical work.

Primary school children at Kettering Science Academy participated in a competition on fl ight; St Loys encouraged parents to support children’s learning with a potato plant event and Thrapston primary school focused on ‘movement’; in Great Casterton, children and their families were challenged to build circuits to light the Olympic fl ame; Old Corby children were enthralled by the Commotion company, Flore

children visited Think Tank and Studfall children were able to use a telescope won in a competition by the Science Coordinator.

Caroline Chisholm held their fi rst Science Fair. It was a most exciting evening with 52 children taking part in 18 teams from year 6 to year 12.

I was delighted to act as one of the judges. The children demonstrated their ability and genuine willingness to articulate their fi ndings. It is simply a joy to see young eyes light up!

ELAINE BATCHELOR - HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING

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EXPLORING NEW

TECHNOLOGY

NEWSNEWS

12 WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION 13

ongratulations to Diane Stoncel, Principal Lecturer, School of Education, who

has received the annual University Court Award. The Court Award has been awarded each year since 1995 to an employee of the University who has made a signifi cant contribution to the higher education institution. The award is traditionally presented at ‘Court’, an annual meeting which brings together people who have an interest in the life and work of The University of Northampton and which this year took place in the multi-award winning iCon building in Daventry. Court is an opportunity for the University to report to the wider community on its achievements and future plans.

The award was made in recognition of Diane’s huge contribution to the University’s School of Education and the University overall – Diane is retiring this year after an extensive professional career spanning school and University teaching and leadership. Within the School of Education, she led the development of major early years programmes: BA Early

“She is an inspirational teacher and models what is fi nest in our

HE teaching.”

DIANE RECEIVES UNIVERSITY COURT AWARD

RECENT PUBLICATION ON SUPPORT FOR MATHEMATICS LEADERS

NEWSNEWS


Years Education (QTS) and the Foundation Degree in Early Years that started the School’s fi rst involvement in professional early years programmes: this area is now one of the most signifi cant regional engagement areas within the School. Within the School she has inspired teams as programme leader and as School coordinator for learning and teaching, widening participation and equality and diversity driven the School’s success in the area of the student experience. Diane is also widely known across the University for her leadership of the Postgraduate Certifi cate in Teaching in Higher Education – our in-house staff development award accredited by the HEA- where she has made a

major contribution to improving the professional standards of teaching across the whole University. She has personally mentored and coached hundreds of staff for the benefi t of our students.

Diane commented: “I am absolutely delighted, surprised and overwhelmed by this award. It was a lovely day and a pleasure to receive the award, with the support of colleagues, from our Chancellor Baroness Falkner of Margravine.”

School of Education Executive Dean Professor Ann Shelton Mayes added: “She is an inspirational teacher and models what is fi nest in our HE teaching.”

Ems was invited by CUREE to share the work that she had been doing in Lincolnshire to develop support for mathematics subject leaders who were working in rural areas, where CPD was diffi cult to access. CUREE put the following statement on their

C

Debbie Morgan has had an article published in Mathematics Teaching, the journal for the Association of Teachers of Mathematics. It discusses the approach taken in the development of The University of Northampton’s Mathematics Specialist Teacher Programme and her related research regarding the impact of the programme.

he Mathematics Specialist Teacher

Programme (MaST)

the Mathematics specialist teacher

Programme – Mast - has arisen from the

government’s adoption of a key recommendation

of the final report of the independent review of

Mathematics teaching in Early Years settings

and Primary schools. The report recommends

that “there should be at least one Mathematics

Specialist in each primary school, in post within

10 years, with deep mathematical subject and

pedagogical knowledge” (Williams, 2008 p7). the

programme is individually developed and delivered

by eight providers across England within the

confines of national parameters. the research and

discussion below represents one particular Mast

programme, collaboratively written and delivered

by six universities within the East Midlands and

East of England.

Setting the scene – The development of the

programme

When we set out to develop the programme our

aim was to provide high quality cPD which would

have a positive and sustainable impact on teaching

and learning within primary classrooms. askew

et al (1999) and others, identify the most effective

teachers of mathematics as those who make

connections and support their pupils in making

connections in mathematics. our programme

adopts this connectionist view and sees

mathematics as a web of interconnecting ideas.

one of our aims is to increase teacher’s ability to

connect mathematics through the development

of deep conceptual understanding, and in doing

so to support children in doing the same. it is our

view that where children connect mathematical

concepts, they cut down on the amount of

mathematics to be learned, children also deepen

their understanding of basic concepts - which in

turn increase their ability to apply mathematics

within any context.

A Different Approach

We wanted to provide teachers with a different

experience of learning mathematics in order

to challenge thinking and significantly move

their development forward. We knew we would

be working for the most part with experienced

teachers who had already received significant

professional development - both through their

initial training, and subsequent cPD. We

acknowledged the quality of this and saw our

challenge as to move teachers to yet a higher

level of understanding and effectiveness. We

realised that our approach needed to be different,

and rather than tackle mathematics topic by topic,

as for example the five day course did (DfEE

1999) we sought to bring topics together under

larger headings in order to connect ideas. What

we consider to be five big ideas in mathematics

were adopted and they form the structure of the

programme.

5 Big Ideas in Mathematics Education

the five big ideas selected are:

• Mathematical thinking - this encompasses

what it means to learn mathematics, and to

be a mathematician, to reason and think in

mathematical ways and to apply understanding

and skills in solving problems.

• Proportionality - Proportional relationships

span, and are present in, almost every area of

the mathematics curriculum; recognising their

existence as linked ideas can be very supportive

in making connections across the curriculum.

• Pattern - the whole of the mathematics

curriculum could be summed up in this one

word. Mathematics would not exist if it were not

for pattern and the structure and relationships

that it creates.

• Generality - relationships and structures in

mathematics can be generalised and thus

connected. in particular this is what algebra

does, which makes it a powerful problem solving

tool. although formal algebra is not taught

within the primary curriculum, the development

of algebraic thinking is central to sustained

progression and success in the subject.

• Representation - Mathematics is an abstract

subject with concepts that can be represented

in a multitude of different ways; some

FiVE Big iDEasDebbie Morgan - outlines the importance of making connections in mathematics.

t

© ATM 2012 • No reproduction except for legitimate academic purposes • [email protected] for permissions.

Academic copyright permission does NOT extend to publishing on Internet or similar system. Provide link ONLY

Ems Lord has had a research summary published by CUREE (Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education, entitled ‘Let’s work Together - Supporting Mathematics Subject Leaders Through Clustering’

website with the commissioned reports: These have been designed with the learning needs of teachers in mind, in order to make them accessible and hopefully inspire teachers to engage with research and maybe even undertake a research project of their own.

RECENT PUBLICATION ON MATHEMATICS SPECIALIST PROGRAMME


NEWS NEWS

Estelle Tarry and Anna Cox were key note speakers at the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) ‘Teaching Assistants Professional Development’ Conference in Rome 18th/19th February. The 18 Teaching Assistant delegates from International Schools in Rome, Rome La Storta, Milan, Alicante and Basel were joined by 3 members of the senior management team of St George’s International School (the host

Second year BA Childhood and Youth students taking the module ‘Children in Society’ met the Vice Chancellor to discuss their on-going research at Wellingborough Prison.

The research focuses on the work of the Anne Frank Trust. The ‘Anne Frank Prison Project’ was founded in 2002 in response to growing concern about racism and prejudice in prisons, young offender institutions and secure units. The Trust runs educational programmes which include an exhibition on the life and times of Anne Frank, the historical context within which she lived and the contemporary relevance of this point in history.

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS AT COBIS

WELLINGBOROUGH PRISON PROJECT


school) as well as Colin Bell, the Executive Director of COBIS. The sessions, which included the Role of the Teaching Assistant, Teaching Assistant support for children with SEN and Effective Classroom Management, were very positively received. The newly validated Certifi cate for Teaching Assistants in an International Context was promoted at the event and it is hoped that further international links will be generated.

The students are investigating the effectiveness of the Trust’s programmes and are hoping to gain an enhanced understanding of inclusive practices within the prison setting.

Four students were selected for the research, but the whole group of students also participated in an open forum with prisoners and prison staff to debate issues of racism, xenophobia, homophobia and prejudice.

The Anne Frank Trust has invited the students to their Head Offi ce to present and discuss their fi ndings on completion of the research in May.

Last week Feb Richard Rose presented a keynote address to the Fourth North South Global Dialogue Conference in India. This conference bought together NGOs, national politicians and researchers to consider work undertaken in support of the Millennium

Development Goal on achieving universal primary education. Richard’s paper Supporting Communities Towards a More Equitable Education System was based upon work in which he has been involved with colleagues in Southern India since 2000.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT CONFERENCE IN INDIA

Thinking of becoming a Partnership school?The School of Education works in strong partnership with schools throughout Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

We value the contribution of our partner schools very highly and work collaboratively to produce inspiring teachers of the future. Our partner schools have a clearly de� ned shared responsibility with the School of Education for programme development, recruitment of students and for improving and increasing students’ school based experience.

Schools have welcomed this increased involvement in teacher education not only for the insight it gives them into general professional development but also for the access it gives them to a pool of high quality Newly Quali� ed Teachers (NQT’s).

We are always looking to increase the number of schools within our partnership and offer free in-house mentor training for all staff members and an ongoing program of regional training for all staff involved in mentoring our students.

If you would like to � nd out more please contact the Partnership Team on: 01604 892473 or email [email protected]

Learn more about Anne Frank trust

WATERSIDE CAMPUS

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WATERSIDE CAMPUS

17

he landmark University development would provide a town centre

based campus. Once developed, the new location on the River Nene would be in close proximity to the new planned halls of residence and would also be situated in an existing Enterprise Zone.

The Waterside Campus site is part of Avon Nunn Mills and is within the

WATERSIDE CAMPUS- next stage in The University of Northampton’s development plans approved

WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 7, SUMMER ‘1216 WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION

The Governing Council of The University of Northampton has approved further exploration to develop an iconic new campus.

Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone, one of 21 enterprise zones in England.

This new Waterside Campus will place us in the heart of the community making us much more accessible, central and visible. It would also enable us to deliver our mission of being the number one university for social enterprise though a co-ordinated programme

to develop projects regionally, nationally and internationally.

It is a hugely exciting project and a massive undertaking with an investment of more than £330m. If it progresses as we hope we could be moving in to start ground work in 2015, with the campus opening sometimes between 2018 and 2020.

DELIA HENEGHAN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

TThe principle of a major mixed-use development at Avon Nunn Mills is enshrined in local planning policy and is supported by the local authorities.

West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) has commenced a Compulsory Purchase Order to address fragmented land ownership and support the delivery of a major

mixed-use scheme at the site. This process is expected to conclude by the end of 2012.

WNDC has also commenced the procurement of a developer partner for the site and is currently seeking expressions of interest from prospective partners. The University will be registering their interest as part of that process.


MAKING A DIFFERENCE:Enhancing the welfare, achievement and life chances of pupils with BESD

round 16 years ago, whilst still a Deputy Head, I was asked to run a primary

SLD/PMLD school (School A) which, at the time, found itself with some signifi cant diffi culties. Given that this was an age range I had never worked with and that I had never had any contact with any form of disability, the task represented a huge challenge to me. However, it was while working at School A that I developed a vision for working with pupils with a different category of SEN, namely secondary aged pupils with behavioural, emotional and social diffi culties (BESD).

Whilst at School A I couldn’t help but notice a huge discrepancy in the types of provision made for the pupils there compared with my own secondary BESD provision. The

GATEWAY SCHOOL

children in School A, quite rightly, had access to a range of therapies including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, conductive education, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and so on. To simplify for the sake of illustration, if the children needed it, they received it. Down the road at the BESD school however, we had no access to no therapeutic input such as psychiatric support, mental health or clinical psychology. We simply had what became the’ least suitable’ school building in Northamptonshire (according to the DfE), the National Curriculum and a dedicated team of staff. Given that both sets of pupils come under the umbrella term ‘Special Educational Needs’, the disparity between their provision was stark.

Secondly, I discovered that every two weeks or so somebody would ring the school and announce that they had been fund raising and hoped the children would benefi t from the proceeds. That has happened just twice to our school since 1996 when I took up the headship. This said to me that there was a huge disparity in the way these two sets of pupils with SEN were perceived by those outside of our schools.

These two issues crystalised for me the job that needed to be done to advocate for the pupils who come to schools like ours; fi rstly we needed to ensure some kind of equity of provision between the various categories of SEN and secondly, we needed to address the public perception of our students to exactly the same degree to which public perception of those with disabilities has radically changed over the past 15 to 20 years or so. What was also clear to me is that if we did not assert the interests of our students then it was unlikely anybody would and such inequalities would continue unchecked. We have subsequently

worked with a passion to achieve the very best we can for our students and their families.

OUR VISION

So began our vision for the future of our school and our determination to succeed in delivering it. In 2003 we wrote a targeted capital funds bid, a competitive process, to the DfE outlining our plans and aspirations. What was clear to us was that we could not continue in the building we occupied but the DfE were equally clear that it was not their role to fund the building of new schools; this was in their view the role of the LA. What they were looking for was innovation and I was delighted to hear that our bid provided that and was therefore successful.

The overall aim of the project was to develop a multi-agency centre of expertise to improve the curriculum offer and enhance the welfare, achievement and life chances of pupils with BESD. This included the provision of a new school building, refurbished workshops for vocational learning and a

By David LloydPrincipal of the Gateway School and Technology College

A

comprehensive response to our pupils’ broader needs (given that many of their needs are anything but educational).

We wanted to create a single point whereby our students aged from 11 to 18, their families and carers and those working with them could access a range of services including education, social work, counselling, parent support, clinical psychology, psychiatry and training. This would develop as a centre of expertise from which support to other schools could be provided in order to improve their ability to meet the needs of their pupils.

OUR NEW SCHOOL

In 2006 the school opened, a purpose built school building designed to support us in managing challenging pupils. The building is well lit by natural light, spacious and has a number of subtle design features aimed at limiting certain behaviours. This include, among others, under-fl oor heating so that students can not pull pipes from walls or hurt themselves on radiators, a roof designed to prevent

GATEWAY SCHOOL


EARLY YEARS


GATEWAY SCHOOLGATEWAY SCHOOL

students climbing onto it, square profile down pipes which are almost impossible to climb, mirrored glass on the classrooms which dissuades pupils from disrupting when they are outside and many more.

We also designed the layout so that pupils on a continuum of need could be caters for. This means there is a range of classroom and learning spaces and a discreet area made up of a number of smaller rooms which the students named ‘The Zone’. This is effectively an internal learning support unit to which students can be referred by parents, staff and themselves in order to address a particular difficulty they may be facing at a given.

We wanted to provide for our students a curriculum at least as good as that available to students in mainstream schools and establish this as their right. We recognised that we would be unable to achieve this within our own resources and would to develop an income stream in addition to our base budget. We therefore sought and gained additional funding in order to build a new vocational learning centre (VLC) which provides 6 further areas of learning catering for up to 60 students aged 11 to 19. The plan is for our own students to use the new learning centre and for surplus places to be purchased by other schools and organisations for pupils at risk of exclusion, pupils on the role of Complementary Education who have a statement for BESD and others with similar needs as well as students from other special schools. The income generated by this project will ensure that the VLC pays for itself and allows for a surplus to be ploughed into extending our capacity to address the emotional and profound psychological needs

of our students through engaging a range of therapists in a virtual team.

We plan to use this virtual team to set up a bespoke package of support for each of our students who may need or request it and to review and adapt these programmes on an on-going basis, the litmus test being how well each student is able to access their education and make progress.

OUTREACH ROLE

The final part of the puzzle is for the school to develop an outreach role with mainstream schools. This could help develop better and more reintegration opportunities for our students by developing closer working partnerships with our mainstream counterparts. We are also a strategic partner in the Fairfields Teaching School Alliance and as a Local Leader in Education myself and as the Headteacher charged by the Alliance to recruit and develop Senior Leaders in Education, we will soon be in an ideal position to develop a training and support role too.

I spoke earlier of the drive to shift societal perceptions of our students and we have tried to address this in a number of ways. Firstly the building makes a very positive impression on those who visit it and we have evidence that this has affected the thinking of a number of visitors e.g. parents who come to the school fearing the worst but are so impressed with the environment that they leave very positive about us. I also believe that the quality of the environment shouts messages about how much you value the people and students you are working with. Unlike our former building, this one delivers strong messages of value and quality. The pleasant landscaped area at the entrance to the school is there deliberately to lift spirits as visitors approach the school. In this way student staff and visitor opinion of what they subsequently encounter will be positively influenced by what they have experience on their approach to the school.

Secondly, all of our students are in a smart uniform giving them the appearance of ‘normal’ children rather than the perception that some hold that they are a gang of thugs. We also train them to meet and greet visitors, sign them in, get them a drink and find the member of staff they have come to visit.

CHANGE OF PERCEPTION

However, one of the key ways in which we have tried to address the perception of our pupils is to drastically increase our relationship with The University of Northampton. As well as providing training in behaviour management and dealing with violence and aggression, we have significantly increased the number of students we take on placements, all of whom have reported on very positive and beneficial experiences. We are also working with the University to train up our own teachers and this has been very successful so far. We hope that in these ways we can generate an interest in our field of

work and that those who have had positive experiences will encourage their peers to take a closer look at what we do. This may eventually lead to more high quality individuals being appointed to key roles across the organisation which in the end improves the offer we make to our pupils and this, as always, has to be our key focus.

As I write, we have almost completed the implementation of this plan and we are hoping to partially open the VLC in September. We now need to generate further income to make the comprehensive provision which, over the last eight years, we have striven for and our pupils deserve.

“We wanted to provide for our students a curriculum at least as good as that available to students in mainstream schools”

“The overall aim of the project was to develop a multi-agency centre of expertise to improve

the curriculum offer and enhance the

welfare, achievement and life chances of pupils with BESD”


The Baroness Warnock is the author and chair of the Warnock Report. This was commissioned in 1974 by the English government. Its brief was to review educational provision for students with special educational needs who were of school age. The fi ndings were published in 1978 as the “Warnock Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People”, and the fi nal report formed the basis of the subsequent Education Act (1981) in England and Wales.

The Warnock Committee’s fi ndings resulted in a remarkable legacy. It broke the convention of referring to students with learning diffi culties and disabilities as ‘backwards’ and ‘educationally subnormal’. Instead, the notion of ‘special educational need’ was introduced. This more positive, and empowering terminology has been universally adopted, not only in England, but all over the world.

Australian Special Education Principals Association Lecture “Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future”

The Report did not just make recommendations on school curriculum and delivery. It was ground-breaking in its suggestions regarding more direct involvement by parents. Warnock’s recommendation was that parents should be crucial partners in their child’s education and be consulted on all decisions regarding it. The Report also made recommendations about teacher training, the early years and post

The School of Education and University of Northampton, in association with the Australian Special Education Principals Association (ASEPA), was delighted to welcome Baroness Warnock, who presented a lecture entitled “Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future” at our institution on the 21st June 2012.

school options for students with special needs.

Baroness Mary Warnock still continues to champion the needs of students with disabilities in schools in England and around the world.

Delegates reported that this was a most enjoyable, informative, interesting and stimulating event.

EARLY YEARS EVENTSEVENTS

Behaviour2LearnDeveloping positive classrooms

Behaviour2Learn (formerly Behaviour4Learning) exists to support the development of positive behaviour and learning in classrooms, schools and other settings.

It provides practical resources and information for trainee teachers, Newly Quali� ed Teachers and those working with children who are in the early phase of their career development. The materials on the new Behaviour2Learn website are drawn from a variety of sources. Each item has been carefully selected in order to inform and enhance our belief that pupil behaviour is � rmly linked to the learning they experience.

www.behaviour2learn.co.uk

CALLING ALLSTUDENTS – TEACHERS – STAFF

from the past 40 years!• Northampton College of Education• Nene College• University College Northampton• The University of Northampton

The University of Northampton is celebrating 40 years of teacher training in 2012.

So, if you qualifi ed to teach with us within the past 40 years, have studied with us when teaching, or have worked with us, we would like to hear from you!

We are planning a celebration event on Tuesday 13th November at 5pm, where we are hoping that past students and staff can join us.

So, if you would like to register your interest and have would like to share your experiences with us, pelase contact Julie Martin, School Manager, [email protected]

WELCOME


WELCOME


What was your fi rst promotion?My fi rst promotion was for Primary Science Liaison. I was responsible for setting up a science roadshow for the local primary schools in Wellingborough. I can still remember 29 years ago organising for children to be hoisted up in their school hall using a pulley system.

Where have you taught? I have been privileged to have taught in six schools and to have worked with a diversity of staff and children. I worked at Wrenn School for nearly three years then moved to the largest secondary college for 14 – 19 years old in Leicestershire in 1986 as Head of Engineering Science (the forerunner of Design and Technology). This college provided the opportunity to take on promotions such as Assembly Coordinator, Assistant Head of House, Assessment Coordinator and Lead for Health Education. I left in 1994 to become Head of Science in a challenging inner city school in Leicester that was in special measures. In 1996, I moved into the post of Director of Science and Technology at another challenging inner city school. During the next 8 years, senior leadership responsibilities included performance management, investors in people, supply teachers and healthy schools as well as winning bids for using ICT and curriculum links with industry.

After 19 years of teaching, I became the Science Advisor in Leicester City Local Authority working with secondary, primary, special schools and PRUs. I led the training for science teachers, technicians and teaching assistants and had the

When did you decide to be a teacher?I have always wanted to teach and in particular Physics. My fi rst post, after training at Nottingham Trent for four years, was at Wrenn School in Wellingborough. I taught A level Physics and Electronics, O levels in science and mathematics and CSEs and mode 3 (for those that remember this examination) in ngineering science. These were the days before the National Curriculum.

WELCOMEELAINE BATCHELOR

Head of Initial Teacher Education

extra interesting roles of being the LA lead for Gifted and Talented and International Coordinator for teachers’ professional development. It was inspiring to lead groups of primary and secondary teachers to Cape Town, Ottawa and Prague as well as visiting Mumbai to examine how science and mathematics is taught.

After four years, I moved into HE and became the PGCE Secondary Science Subject Leader at the University of Leicester. Research and scholarly work opened up new thought processes and experiences. I then spent two years as a consultant to two secondary school leadership teams before joining The University of Northampton in January 2011 as the Science Leader. I am very proud to now have the role of Head of Initial Teacher Education in the School of Education.

What do you enjoy doing when not working?There may be some people, for example my husband and family, who say I never stop working.

But I do enjoy reading and gardening. I enjoyed towing our caravan although I am not sure that the drivers behind me in the queue always agreed. I enjoy spending time with my family. My son is an engineer and my daughter has just completed her second year in her Physics degree.

What advice would you give to trainee teachers?Teaching is an honour. Children deserve the best teachers. We re here to ensure that each child makes progress in a safe environment. Teachers need to know how to build in each child a joy of learning that will go on beyond the year or term that they teach them. Trainee teachers need to demonstrate their commitment to improving their own subject knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and professional attributes to ensure all children can become successful and contributing members of a global society. I also believe that trainee teachers need to use the university experience as an opportunity to develop their own

refl ective and target setting skills which will support their own future development. Lastly, I would advise trainees to develop an attitude of ‘I can and I will’ in order to seek out opportunities to extend and enhance their own life and professional experiences which can then impact on children’s learning.

I am looking forward to working with staff in all of our partnership schools, settings and colleges and the School of Education Divisions to ensure that all ITE students on the BA QTS, PGCE, FE and EBITT/GTP programmes make outstanding progress in their learning to be a teacher in their chosen phase.

27

BEING SOCIAL

Our students are our greatest asset and can give you the best information on our courses, at The University and Northampton. Some of our Education students are tweeting for us, sharing their experiences, ideas, opinions about their course, their social life, The University and Northampton itself. Why not follow the conversations or even join in.

Following the success of the Festival of Movement in December, a short fi lm has been made of the project entitled ‘Celebrating the voice of movement: Empowering young children’. It is hoped that this will be the fi rst of many similar partnership projects.

If you are male and wondering if primary school teaching might be for you, listen to the experiences of 4 of our students who are currently on our BA Primary QTS programme. They offer an insight into their early experiences as Year 1 undergraduate students.

You’ve gained a place at The University of Northampton. What kind of support is available once you are here if you fi nd:

•Youareonthewrongcourse

•Youhaveadditional learning needs

•Youfindaschoolorsetting placement challenging

•3studentshighlight such issues from a personal perspective.

Stephanie Davis Jt Education Studies, year 2, @Steph_EdStudies

Lucy Crawford, BA QTS Primary Education, year 1 @LucyPrimaryEd

Lydia Prewet, BA Childhood and Youth, year 1 @Lydia_uon

Sarah Durbin, BA QTS Primary Education, year 2 @Sarah_PrimaryEd

Nicole Coaly, BA Early Childhood Studies, year 1 @Nicole_UON


BEING SOCIAL

TWITTER

Celebrating the voice of movement

Men into Teaching

Overcoming Obstacles


STUDENT ART

The art work is inspired by taught sessions and relates to the work of artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, David Hockney, Andy Warhol...even Banksy! The students may also consider cross-curricular dimensions so the work could be linked to history, science or ICT thus building on their other developing strengths as trainee teachers.

The sketchbooks refl ect all taught sessions and demonstrate involvement and engagement both during and beyond the session.

The aim is to create a book full of inspiration...a bank of ideas to carry forward and become a lasting resource. Students own strengths and interests often shine through so work can feature anything from the use of digital photography and image manipulation to acrylic painting or work in 3D.

SORRELL KINLEY,ACTING ART CO-ORDINATOR

For many, the highlight of the course is the study visit to Burghley Sculpture Park near Stamford, an ideal place to go when considering working in 3D as there are many items of contemporary sculpture set in beautiful landscaped gardens and woodland.

For their fi nal piece the students are encouraged to extend the work of one session into a completed, in-depth piece of work. Whilst this element is not assessed upon artistic ability, the concept is to investigate and engage with a range of media and techniques and to consider how this work may be used as a stimulus in their placement schools.

These stunning examples show art work produced by Year 2 BA QTS Primary trainee teachers. The majority of the students are non-art specialists and are challenged to produce a unique sketchbook and a personal piece of art for submission as part of their work in the foundation subjects.

Bob Hopkins- Photographs

INTRODUCING THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR INTO ART WORK

both courses with the genuine and passionate support from my tutors, supervisors and colleagues and friends within the University. Throughout my 6 years of stay in Northampton and involved in number of activities within the University, I realised that I was in a right place to build up my dreams. I have received a higher level of tutorial and supervisory support throughout my education at the University, especially from Prof. Richard Rose and Prof. Philip Garner. Emotionally, the research

administrators and CeSNER research team within the school of education have done a great job for me.

The qualifi cations and experiences at The University of Northampton have helped me to concentrate my energy into a particular focus, which is inclusive education development of the communities. I have earned a great deal of teaching experience in school and higher education level within the UK, understanding of children’s varied and complex needs, organisation and leadership skills to start an NGO in Trivandrum through the University of Northampton’s MA programme and PhD study and two years of post-doctoral research assistant position. I also received a high level of support from colleagues within The University of Northampton to pursue my inclusion journey and continue as an effective educational leader within the fi shing community in Trivandrum.

On my return to India I have started an NGO as Venad Education & Social Services (VESS) to promote inclusive educational activities in Trivandrum Fishing Communities. Under VESS, I am planning to start an Inclusive School in Trivandrum for children from poorer backgrounds, girls and children with disabilities and emotional


LIFE AFTER UNILIFE AFTER UNI

t is always my passion to work with children, young people, parents

and teachers around the fi shing communities in Trivandrum. I started my career as a teacher in India, then I realised that I did not have necessary skills and experience of working with children with emotional and behavioural diffi culties. This has encouraged me to choose The University of Northampton as my higher education destination for MA in Education and then my PhD study. I have successfully completed

BY JOHNSON JAMENT

LIFE AFTER UNI

After many years studying at the University, Johnson has now moved back to his home town in India. He currently has two jobs being the founding director of an NGO-Venad Education &

Social Services (VESS) and a tutor for The University of Northampton’s new India MA Special and Inclusive Education programme and amongst all of this he is getting married later this year!

“I got involved in number of activities within the University, I realised that I was in a right place to build up my dreams.”

I


and behavioural diffi culties. As with anything of this nature fi nance is the biggest hurdle for the school.

VESS is making a worthwhile contribution to develop innate capabilities of students and the respective communities. The most important challenges of the organisation are to fi nd out appropriate individuals and resources to support the activities of VESS. I am very happy to be supportive of inclusive education movement in India; the MA programme is well set around this cause. The current students are genuinely interested in the programme and I am facilitating their interests to build up the momentum in India towards an inclusive community within schools.

However, it is very hard to gain the attention of school leaders and policy makers to push the inclusive education process in India.

It is my own personal interest to work with the fi shing communities which I hailed from. I know the educational backwardness and the poverty of aspirations of the communities; therefore, I thought my current activities would make a great contribution to society.

About VESSVenad Education & Social Services (VESS)

MissionSupporting inclusion movement in India with a reference to UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

Company OverviewVESS is an NGO registered in 08/2010 under Travancore-Cochin Literary Scientifi c and Charitable Societies Registration Act XII of 1955. We are situated at Poonthura, Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, India. VESS aims to establish range of educational services including implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations in traditional fishing and marginalised communities in India.

The traditional fi shing communities are still far from the MDGs of UN and will be unable to achieve these without proper support. VESS tries to provide them enough resources and intellectual support to bring them closer to that goal and to make them duly recognized part of the global society.

the politics. You’re not thrown in at the deep end which is really important in my view.

FDLT really prepared me for the BA (Hons) Learning and Teaching (BALT). The BALT confi rmed for me (not that I needed much persuasion!) that teaching was the right job for me.

There will of course be lots of really good TAs who want to remain as TAs and are completely fulfi lled doing that job. They do not want the additional responsibility and they want to stop when the school day stops. There’s nothing wrong with that and we all know that schools would be unable to operate effi ciently without TAs. For me, however, I knew that being a TA would only ever be an integral part of my route into teaching.

The beauty of being a trained TA is that you’ve always got that pastoral edge. You know what makes those children tick and you know how you can keep them happy and secure. And happy children are better learners! Having highly trained TAs also means that the opportunities for children to have much more individual attention are signifi cantly increased.

I have no doubt that FDLT/BALT gave me the opportunity to become a teacher in a way no other qualifi cation could. Eleanor is currently undertaking her GTP at the University.

31WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION30

TEACHING ASSISTANTS TEACHING ASSISTANTS


KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCEEleanor Austin talks about how the University gave her knowledge and confi dence to peruse her dreams

remember doing work experience at a secondary school when I was a student

and really enjoyed it. Because I had A levels I did think of doing a straight biology degree but then my research led me to the Foundation Degree in Learning and Teaching (FDLT).

I thought immediately that this was the qualifi cation I was looking for. Part of the requirement was

experience of working in a school so I secured some voluntary work at Primary School and loved it. I knew even then that primary was the right context for me. I then got a Teaching Assistant (TA) post at Caroline Chisholm where I was for 18 months. The school was very supportive in paying some of my fees. I hope I repaid their confi dence in me by getting a distinction in FDLT and a fi rst in BALT.

The major driver for me was the knowledge that in teaching I had found a profession that I felt I could do well in and which would be challenging and fulfi lling. The fact that you needed to be in a workplace context made a huge difference. It meant that you had to put the theory into practice in that the information you gained during the study day were tested during the rest of the working week. That worked really well. The balance of 1 day of study and 4 days of work worked very well in my view. Having specialists who really know their stuff made a great difference. It was really important for me that the tutors had wide ranging experience of doing the job and being surrounded by educational professionals made a real impact on me.

I gained understanding of learning styles; they encouraged you to look at the individual needs of your students. I also found the sessions on observing and analysing behaviour thought-provoking and very relevant when it came to your own dealings with children in your class. The positive management skills you pick up are also so useful. It also makes you realise how important your TAs are.

The FDLT gave me the knowledge and confi dence to become a teacher. I’m a better NQT for it. You’re immersed in the classroom – the work context when you are studying the course as well as the ethics and

I

“I gained understanding of learning styles; they encouraged you to look at the individual needs of your students. I also found the sessions on observing and analysing behaviour thought-provoking and very relevant when it came to your own dealings with children in your class.”

PAUL WATSON, HEAD TEACHERPRESTON HEDGES PRIMARY SCHOOL

Find out more on Teaching

Assistants


EARLY YEARS


EARLY YEARS

EARLY YEARS TEACHER TRAINING

STUDENTS:Researchers in our Partnership Settings

Vishakha talks about her experiences of collecting data as a student research assistant for The Early Years Foundation Stage through the Daily Experiences of Children Project

It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to expand my knowledge and understanding of the importance of precise observations and how to evaluate them effectively. It enabled me to closely observe how the provision of teachers provided moulded the interests and play of children. I volunteered to take part because opportunities to be a part of a change do not come often, especially for first year students, so it felt like a privilege to be a part of national research.

I had an observation paper, which already had the format provided with an example that I used to conduct the observation. Two key children were chosen and I followed the child around (from a distance) and observed them in play. Every five minutes I recorded what the child was doing and whether it was adult led or child initiated. Within the observation I also included whether the child seemed to be engaged.

These observations took place every five minutes and one minute worth of an observation was recorded.

It was very insightful to be able to specifically observe an individual child’s play process and how their interests changed throughout the day. It enabled me to understand the effects practitioners have on children’s development and understanding; it also enabled me to recognise that children’s interest plays a significant role in scaffolding their development. I would definitely participate again as the importance of continuous research is much more apparent now. The experience provided enabled me to confidently say I took part in national research from which the views of individuals, who have the power, can make a difference can change.

“It was an interesting insight into the experience of a child in a reception class and I was happy to be contributing to such eye-opening research. I would welcome more opportunities to be involved in further research projects as I feel this is a key element of teaching.”

“I love to observe children’s independent play; to sit back and watch them imaginatively create their own worlds with no interruptions from adults. It helped remind me why I love working with children so much.”

ollowing required ethical protocols, the students’ partnership settings were

asked if they wanted to take part and several signed up. Our students then tracked individual children’s activities throughout the course of a morning; Professor Moyles described the quality of our students’ observations as ‘excellent’. The study’s outcomes indicated the importance of well trained reception teachers who understand the relationship between effective play and learning: key

Some of our BA (Hons) Early Years Education (QTS) students volunteered as research assistants for a national study focused on ‘The Early Years Foundation Stage through the Daily Experiences of Children’. The project was commissioned in 2011 by TACTYC (the Association for the Professional Development of Early Years Educators) and was directed by Professor Janet Moyles with Maulfry Worthington, both of whom are highly regarded early years experts.

Faims of our BA (Hons) Early Years Education (QTS) programme. Over the past year, the study findings have provided an evidence base for TACTYC’s discussions with government regarding the development of the revised EYFS, due in settings from September 2012, as well as the Nutbrown Review on early education and childcare qualifications. You can read more about this research at www.tactyc.org.uk/occasional-papers.asp

Lisa

Vishakha

Louise


EARLY YEARS EARLY YEARS

KURDISTAN UKTI TRADE MISSION

They were part of a UKTI trade mission focusing on the construction and education industries. The trip led to establishing contacts with four different Universities in Kurdistan, the biggest and longest established being Saladdin University in Erbil.

The Early Years Foundation Degree Annual Conference this year not only supported the coherence between the on-site and off-site groups but also provided a wonderful opportunity for 150 1st and 2nd year students to fi nd out about early years practices and provisions in Europe and in Hong Kong and main land China. Denise Hevey, the professor of Early Years presented

Cilel Smith from the Early Years Division and Anna Hughes from the International offi ce recently returned from Kurdistan.

Potential future collaboration includes supporting the development of their nascent Early Years Division and supporting capacity development through up skilling lecturing staff in learning and teaching techniques across the Education sector and beyond. Kurdistan needs to train or upskill

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION DEGREE TRIP TO HUNGARY

LEARNING AND GROWING TOGETHER: An International Perspective on Early Years Provisions

All the students are in their second year and are work-based students who work in their early years’ setting for most of the week and then attend University one day a week.

The students spent two days participating, observing and recording the environments and child care practices in two Hungarian kindergartens. They will use their observations to make comparisons between the English and Hungarian systems and analyse the different ways in which children’s development can be supported.

A group of 18 students and three tutors from the Foundation Degree in Early Years Programme, School of Education, have recently returned from a very successful four day trip to Hungary.

Their analysis will be used to inform at least one of their modular assignments, as well as their own professional development and practice.

Whilst there, the students and tutors also took part in professional discussions with the Kindergarten Pedagogues and there was a lively exchange of views and perspectives, made possible by skilled interpreters. The Kindergarten Pedagogues commented that the students were “extremely professional and skilled”, “ very child centred” and “a pleasure to have in the kindergarten.”

her ‘impressions’ following her trip to Hong Kong and China earlier this year. Donna Luck, Senior Lecturer, shared her own observations and knowledge of provision for young children in Sweden offering insightful statistics and images of children using the outdoors in creative ways. Building on the partnership between the Early Years Division and a Hungarian

The students commented that the trip was “eye opening”; “made me question my beliefs and practices” and one described it as “an experience that I will always remember and am already using to challenge and develop my own approach”.

In May 2012, some of the Kindergarten Pedagogues from Hungary are coming to talk at the Annual Early Years Foundation Degree Conference so that all the students on the course can learn more about the Hungarian system and practices.

This was the fi rst year the trip has taken place. Some of the costs were met by a grant from the University’s Chancellor’s Fund and the rest by the students themselves. It is hoped that the trip will now take place annually and involve more students now that good links have been made with the kindergartens in Hungary.

Denny Hevey is just back from a successful trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou in Southern China where she participated in two seminars on Early Years organised by the UK training and Industry (UKTI).

EARLY YEARS SEMINARS IN HONG KONG

The trip included visits to two 1,000 place residential Kindergartens (3-6 yr olds) in Guangzhou and a class observation of a group of 3 year olds being taught English at the British Council Teaching Centre in Hong Kong.

These highlighted the huge cultural differences, in the former relating to the valuing of group over individual identity and in the latter relating to

didactic approaches to teaching rather than child-centred learning. Good contacts were established with the Department of Early Childhood at the Hong Kong Institute of Education and it is hoped that these will materialise into staff and student exchanges in future.

The photo depicts the demonstration of Kung Fu skills of around a dozen 5 year olds led by their EY teacher that was performed for the delegation. 20,000 primary teachers from

Certifi cate to Degree level in the next few years. Cilel may well be approaching colleagues across the school to fi nd out who might be interested in working with her for short periods in Kurdistan as the programme develops.

Kindergartens, 6 nursery pedagogues fl ew in to offer fi rst hand information regarding The Hungarian National Core Programme of Kindergarten Education, a specialist transitional project with feeder schools, the importance of physical development , sensori-motor therapy, practices supporting emotional and social development and the advantages and disadvantages of mixed-age grouping. The fi nal presentation by Dr Eunice Lumsden celebrated the role of the Early Years Professional in England, which rounded up the conference and inspired all of our students.


EARLY INSPIRATIONS

Early Years Partnership Evening - Thursday 29th March

Last night Early Inspirations hosted a well-attended partnership evening with a key note from Carmen Mohamed from the University of Leicester. The engaging key note ‘I listen and I believe, I see and I understand’: a collective refl ection approach to understanding children’s experience. The evening also saw 14 past students presented with their Early Years Professional Status awards. Attendees were then invited to join the Early Years team in light refreshments as a huge thank you for all their hard work.

Researching Young Children and their Learning: I am a Practitioner ResearcherCPD conference

Jean McNiff is professor of educational research at York St John University. She is also a visiting professor at Ningxia Teachers College and Beijing Normal University, People’s Republic of China; and at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa. She has written a range of practical books and papers about how to do action research, and how this may infl uence processes of educational improvement for all.

RESEARCH

Research in the School of Education

TILE is a 24 month international project funded by the European Commission, led by universities and colleges from Finland, Estonia and the Czech Republic. The University of Northampton and OCVC (Oxford and Cherwell Valley College of Further Education) are the English partners. The project’s purpose is: To develop and pilot a ‘Roadmap for the Inclusion of students with SEN for professionals in VET learning environments’. The tool being developed will be a set of indicators for inclusion of students with SEN and disability in VET, which will be translated into 3 other languages and disseminated in a variety of ways, including a website which will allow countries across Europe to access adapt and use the tool.

Sheena and Andy have so far been involved leading the development of a dissemination plan, gathering baseline data about SEN in VET in England, and adapting and piloting

the Policies’ Indicators of the Roadmap with our partner college.

At the end of November, two of our partners from OCVC joined us in Finland, along with representatives from the three other countries. We received a warm welcome in a chilly Jyväskylä for our fi rst meeting. We were welcomed by Maija Hirvonen from JAMK, the University of Applied Sciences and other members of the support team from the university. Partners from the Vocational College in Kokkola in Finland were also in attendance, as were partners from the University of Tartu and Tartu Vocational Training Centre in Estonia, and The University of Masaryk in the Czech Republic. We took part in a series of workshops and discussions over four days, and continued to collaborate on indicators for inclusive policies which Finnish colleges had been preparing and which have been piloted in January within our partner institutions. Despite all the intensive

work, we managed to spend some time getting to know each other, including a wonderful dinner and sauna at a traditional Finnish venue by a lake.

There will be a workshop in June at The University of Northampton in which partners from all countries will participate, and this will include a Dissemination Event.

TILE - Towards Inclusive Learning Environments in Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sheena Bell and Andrew Smith from CeSNER are taking part in an exciting European project to promote inclusion in further education and vocational training in England and across Europe.


A network for continuing professional development in Early Years education

Demystifying Practitioner Research

This interactive session will give practical advice about how you as an early-years practitioner can improve your practice in order to improve the learning of your children. You can do this by developing your understanding and skills about how to conduct research into your own practice and fi nd ways of helping other people to do the same.

Learn more about EarlyInspirations

39INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 6, WINTER ‘11

The impact of training on Teaching Assistants’ professional development: Opportunities, impact, barriers and future strategy

The School of Education’s Cristina Devecchi and Julian Brown are now putting the last touches to a report on training opportunities for teaching assistants. The research was supported by colleagues Paul Sedgwick and Mary Doveston, who aided the initial planning of the project and Ken Bland, who acted as critical reviewer of the study.

The objectives of the study, commissioned by Leicester City Council, were:

• To identify which training and professional development TAs received;

• To identify barriers which might prevent some TAs from taking training opportunities;

• To inform future strategy for the content and delivery of continuing professional development for TAs.

• Consequently, the study asked the following questions:

• Which training opportunities do TAs take and are available to them?

• What impact do TAs and line managers think training has on TAs and pupil underachievement?

• What barriers prevent TAs in taking up training opportunities?

The study applied a two-phased mixed method approach which included an online and postal survey sent to every TA (1,600ca) and CPD manager (173) in the local authority, and semi-structured interviews with TAs and CPD managers. A mixed method approach was chosen because it seemed to be the most appropriate to acknowledge both general practices shared across all schools and the unique characteristics of each school and individual TA’s experience (Greene, 2005, p. 209).

So far the evidence of the training provided to TAs confirms that training is varied, localised and dependent on in school factors as much as national policy. The preliminary findings from the survey raise a number of questions as to the nature, impact and quality of the training provided for TAs. They also raise questions as to the way schools made, and will make, decisions, as to whether to train TAs, and if so, in which way.

Despite the fact that ‘ the work of support staff is becoming more varied and demanding’ (TDA, 2005, p. 3), the evidence shows that training seems to have the greatest impact on the personal sense of achievement of TAs, but little or no impact on their career progression. With regard to impact on children’s learning, TAs and CPD managers perceive that training has had an impact, but only the analysis of the interviews with TAs and members of the senior leadership team can shed light on this aspect. Yet, we believe more research is needed to understand the pedagogical nature of TAs’ support

RESEARCH RESEARCH

IT MAY BE TEMPORARY BUT I’D STILL LIKE TO BE HEARD.Carmel Capewell, a PhD student in the School of Education, is investigating the lived experience of the common childhood problem of Otitis Media, more commonly known as Glue Ear. It is believed that 80% of children under the age of 7 years will have at least one episode of this condition, which causes temporary hearing loss. Other children will have recurring

bouts. Among the concerns of parents is that the temporary deafness could cause difficulties with language development and academic progress.

Most of the research to date has focused on looking at the medical causes and treatments of the condition. Carmel is using the Photo Voice technique to encourage children who have had glue ear from an early age to explain how they feel the condition has impacted their day-to-day life. Ideally young people should be aged between 10-16 years, have had, and continue to have Glue Ear. She is investigating the same question of the parents of the children in the study, looking at the way they feel their own lives have been affected. Both

parents and young people are asked to take photographs

and create images which they feel depict how the hearing loss affects them, describing these images in their own words.

The output of the research will be used to raise awareness of teachers and medical professionals about some of the frustrations and difficulties which the condition causes for children, and their parents.

There are no support groups specifically for parents or young people with glue ear as it is seen as ‘temporary’. From initial investigations, it seems that parents, in particular, feel that they would like to share their experience and knowledge about the condition both in the short and longer term. Carmel is looking to support parents in setting up such groups.

Because of the hidden nature of Glue Ear, Carmel is looking for participants who would be willing to share their experiences. If you would like to know more about her research or know someone who might be interested in participating do contact Carmel by email carmel.capewell@

northampton.ac.uk or look at her research webpage by

going to The University of Northampton website, clicking Research then School of Education,

New Research Study.

38 WWW.NORTHAMPTON.AC.UK/EDUCATION 39 INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 7, SUMMER ‘12


Promoting the conditionsfor positive behaviour:A research report forthe National College

This study provides a series of commentaries on existing research and ground-level knowledge regarding pupil behaviour, with a particular emphasis on the role of school leaders in the promotion of positive behaviour in schools. Four leadership-related issues are explored during the project:

• School cultures, relationships and behaviour

• Partnerships and communities

• Professional characteristics and behaviour

• Promoting inclusion, limiting exclusion.

Each of these themes is highlighted in the report, and a set of case-studies of schools have also been completed. These use the commentaries of school leaders (occupying different roles within schools and services) to indicate approaches which have been successful in addressingbehaviour challenges.

It is hoped that the case-studies, which were fi lmed, will be used as part of the NCSL’s Middle Leadership professional development initiative. Links to this will also subsequently appear on the University’s own Behaviour2Learn website (www.behaviour2learn.co.uk).

The study identifi es the importance of the use of key individual professional characteristics on the part of school leaders:

• Motivation;

• Use of positive affi rmations;

• Modelling positive behaviour;

• Recognition of personal strengths and capabilities.

It also signals that there are certain institutional leadership characteristics which affectpupil behaviour:

• Distribution of Leadership;

• Promotion of professional learning;

• Encouraging calculatedrisk-taking;

• Redefi ning pupil ‘behaviour’.

Professor Garner has already presented the fi ndings of the study at the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society National Conference (Cambridge), the Teacher Education Policy in Europe (TEPE) Annual Conference in Vienna, and, to the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Annual Conference. In addition, papers are also being prepared for a range of professional andacademic journals

The National College for School Leadership has recently published thereport of the research undertaken by Professor Philip Garner. The study examined

the views of school-leaders regarding their role in promoting the conditions for positivebehaviour in order that ‘every child can succeed’.

40 INSPIRE MAGAZINE. ISSUE 6, WINTER ‘11

RESEARCH

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP):

School of Education and the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-maintained Special Schools (NASS)

Developing awareness of mental health concerns in children and young people with complex special educational needs

ReferencesFergusson, A., Howley, M. & Rose, R. (2008) ‘Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Young People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.’ 5, 240-251

Rose, R., Howley, M., Fergusson, A. and Jament, J. (2009) Mental health and special educational needs: exploring a complex relationship. British Journal of Special Education 36 (1) 3 - 8

This 2 year KTP evolved from previous research commissioned by NASS which identifi ed particular worries amongst school staff in relation to overlaps between an individual’s usual behavior, which may be characteristic of their primary area of need or diagnosis, and, behaviours which may indicate a mental health need (Fergusson, Howley & Rose, 2008; Rose, Howley, Fergusson & Jament, 2009). As a result of this research, a KTP was established with the aim of producing an e-learning training resource, currently being developed by the KTP Associate, Rachel Allan, and supervised by the School of Education’s Marie Howley and Ann Fergusson.

The resource is intended to: • Promote greater staff confi dence

in identifi cation of mental health concerns;

• Develop tools to observe, monitor and record those concerns systematically;

• Provide guidance on signposting concerns to appropriate colleagues both within and external to the school.

This KTP is a good example of outcomes which are a direct result of research carried out in the School of Education. The resource will be launched at the annual NASS conference in October 2012.

RESEARCH



DR ESTELLE TARRY RESEARCHER PROFILE:

Estelle has been working as a Senior Lecturer at The University of Northampton for the past 6 years. Initially she taught on the BA (Hons) Learning and Teaching degree (BALT), working with Teaching Assistants aspiring to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and was the Course Leader from 2008-2011.

Presently Estelle is developing the Certificate for Teaching Assistants in an International Context (CTAIC). This has involved working with the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and researching into the deployment of Teaching Assistants in British International Schools. This has drawn on Estelle’s 7 years international experience as a Head of School of a variety of international schools in Thailand, Netherlands and Sri Lanka, working with both the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and National Curriculum of England and Wales.

Estelle completed her Doctorate in Education (EdD) at the University of Bath in 2008, which involved researching international schools, international education and international students. Whilst being a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS), she was part of an accreditation team in Melbourne, Australia.

Estelle, along with Dr. Anna Cox, has just completed research into the parental expectations of Primary schooling and the support provided by schools to a single Indian community in the Midlands. Estelle has also visited South Africa and has investigated Democracy and Citizenship; post apartheid, with Tide-Global Learning.

Estelle also teaches on the MA in Education programme and is a PhD Supervisor, supporting both full and part-time students, specialising in aspects of education in the United Kingdom and other countries, such as Ghana and Zimbabwe. Estelle is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the National Academy of Higher Education.

Recent publicationsTarry, E. (2011), British

international schools: The deployment and training of teaching

assistants, in the Journal of Research in International

Education, Volume 10 Issue 3 pp. 293 - 302.

Tarry, E. (2011), ‘Is West really best? Social and cultural

tensions: international students experience having studied

at British universities’, in Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 35, No.1, p.p-

69-87.

Cox, A., Jament, J. and Tarry E., (2011), ‘An

investigation into parental expectations of Primary

schooling and the support provided by schools to a

single Keralite community in an English county’ in Procedia

- Social and Behavioral Sciences on ScienceDirect,

Volume 15, Pages 66-71.

RESEARCH RESEARCH

Internationalisation of Research on Special Education

A one day seminar was held on January 18th in Rome, at the Universita’ del Foro Italico, on the topic of the internationalisation of research on the inclusion of children with special educational needs.

The seminar, hosted by the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof. Lucia de Anna, included a meeting with PhD students and an afternoon session in which academics from Italy, England and Spain discussed the practice of inclusion in their countries.

The School of Education’s Cristina Devecchi was invited to speak about her research on the deployment and training of teaching assistants. Cristina’s input drew from:

the research carried out with colleagues Mary Doveston, Paul Sedgwick and Johnson Jament (2010) on the impact of gaining HLTAs status on the deployment and use of HLTAs; on recent research on the training of TAs and the impact of training

on children’s achievement carried out with colleague Julian Brown and with input from Paul Sedgwick and Mary Doveston;

a comparative paper co-authored with Dr Filippo Dettori (2012), Universita’ di Sassari, on the role of TAs and support teachers in England and Italy.

The presentation was well received and raised interest on the nature and features of TAs in English schools, since this form of support is not present in Italian schools. It is hoped that this exchange of ideas is the start of a future collaboration between Italy and England on topics which are of common interest.

The School of Education Research ForumThe School of Education Research Forum is open to all members of academic and research staff within the school, as well as the school’s Visiting Professors and PhD students.

The purpose of the forum, which is a working meeting, is to raise the profile of research within the school, increasing bidding activity, supporting colleagues in submission of work for publication, and, increasing research capacity. The aim is to give colleagues an opportunity to present aspects of their research, and to come together for practical writing and bidding activities.

Last year’s Research Forums were very well received by staff and students. The remaining event for this year will take place on the 20th June 2012.

Please contact Pam Cormack ([email protected]) if you would like to attend; she will be sending around an internal invitation to staff and students nearer to the time.



RESEARCH

RESEARCH SEMINARS AND DROP-IN LUNCH MEETINGS

Dr Bénédicte Halba is the President of the Institute for Research and Information on Volunteering (iriv, www.iriv.net ). She presented her doctoral thesis on Economics of sport in Europe (University Paris Sorbonne, 1996), published in 1997 (Economica, Paris). She has worked for the Ministry for Youth and Sports (1991–1994) and was in charge of a study on the Economic impact of sport in 12 European countries (published at Dalloz editors, Paris, 1995).

Dr Halba has been an expert for the Council of Europe in two workforces: “Economic impact of sport” and “Volunteering” (1992-1994). In 1997, she founded the Institute for Research and Information on Volunteering (iriv) with the aim of improving knowledge and practice within the nonprofit sector. She is

responsible for the implementation of the research and studies of the Institute, for the updating of its website, and, for training programmes and conferences.

Dr Halba is also the director of its Newsletter les rives de l’Iriv (www.benevolat.net). She initiated and directed the pilot project Leonardo da Vinci (2003-2006), Assessing a Voluntary Experience

(www.eEuropeassociations.net) and received an award for excellent practice in addressing the priorities of the Copenhagen process and promoting an enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training in Helsinki, in December 2006.

Dr Halba has been a lecturer at the University of Evry-Val d’Essonne, in France and Vienna University, Austria, since 2000.

She is currently working on the European All-in-HE project in partnership with colleagues from several countries, including Emma Sims, Anita Devi and Richard Rose from The University of Northampton, and is working on further research bids with colleagues from within the School of Education.

This research seminar was conducted by Dr Bénédicte Halba, Institute for Research and Information on Volunteering (iriv), Paris, and was called ‘Breaking the waves – Preparing students for tomorrow’s challenges - the Lifelong learning perspective’.

RESEARCH

Children with SEN making the Transition from Primary to Secondary SchoolBY PHIL ELLENDER

Phil Ellender joined The School of Education as a Research Degree student, having previously worked as a principal Educational Psychologist during a period of huge changes in the educational experiences of children with SEN, with increased emphasis on inclusive approaches to meeting their needs. This has been reflected in international agreements and also in UK Government legislation and reports during this period.

Pupils face increased demands as they move from spending most of the day with a single class

teacher in their primary school to the organisational and relationship complexities of needing to work with several different adults during the week in the secondary setting.

Phil’s research investigates the experiences of children with SEN statements as they make this potentially difficult transition from mainstream primary to mainstream secondary school. It explores those social, academic and personal organisation matters which are often mentioned by children as of concern to them at time of transition. He is using mixed methods research involving qualitative (interview and focus group) and quantitative (questionnaire) elements. His research explores the views of children, parents and school

staff about this process, and the approaches taken by mainstream schools in an English Local Authority to improve the transition experience for children.

During the previous academic year, Phil worked with three secondary schools who were expecting to include children with SEN statements in their 2011 intake. This gave rise to a list of 20 primary schools, from which 8 children and their parents agreed to be involved. These pupils, their parents and school staff were interviewed about their expectations during and after the transition process. What has emerged so far is that the children interviewed looked forward with a mixture of excitement and concern.

Most optimism was expressed about the prospect of enhanced opportunities for sport, science and school lunch! There were three broad areas of concern:

• Social concerns ranging from making new friendships to fear of bullying;

• Academic concerns relating to the anticipated increased amount/complexity of the work and decreased support for their specific difficulties;

• Worries about personal organisation in a larger school with different subjects each requiring specific materials.

The eight primary and three secondary schools visited during this research all make arrangements to introduce children to their new school in advance of transfer, with additional activities for children with SEN.

Ongoing research will involve post-transition interviews with the same participants, to investigate the extent to which reality differs from expectation, and to identify those features which participants felt were most effective in facilitating transition. It is intended that the outcome of this study will include published information for pupils, parents and schools



BLT

Northants Better Learning Through Technology Development Day

I like an event with a good buffet lunch, so the one at the Northants Better Learning Through Technology Development Day went down really well. It had a good mix of tastes, full of vitamins and didn’t leave me with a bloated, stuffed feeling.

The event was much the same: there was a good mix of teachers from across the county who were interested in sharing their use of technology in schools. We had some excellent practical demonstrations of how to use Web 2 tools in the classroom - that’s the vitamins bit of my overstretched analogy - and the schedule was light and refreshing, so my mind wasn’t left feeling bloated.

By Al Holloway, Learning Technologist

In the morning, Gareth Honeyford ran a fun, practical session on simple stop-mo animation and its use in the classroom. He also showed what some KS2 students had achieved and it was great to see a demonstration of what young people can achieve with technology, training and imagination.

After Gareth’s session, we broke for coffee and exotic fruit, and found time to tweet comments on the morning. Steven Bryant and Paul Bramble, the School’s excellent technical team, wired up the twitter feed to appear either side of the lecture room, so it was great to see all the positive comments. The

tweets were also projected onto monitors in the building’s reception area, so staff from the School of Education were able to follow the stream even if they couldn’t make the event.

Following on from coffee, the highly creative and almost unbearably nice, Peter Ford lead a short activity in which we shared in pairs our use of technology in practice. It was good to keep it practical and great to hear people’s experiences.

Helen followed Peter with some excellent resources on how to work creatively with text. She has a mountain of links, proving she is the Bookmark Queen. I know some of the resources she’s bookmarked, but there’s so many more I’ve never heard of - and I surf the web lots. I guess this proved one of the BLT core beliefs, that sharing between colleagues can have a massive impact on practice, saving hours of time spent trawling. One teacher listened to Helen’s intro to a specific web tool, used it on her school blog during the session, and then shared it in the afternoon’s TeachMeet-style sharing. I tweeted her effort and there you have the #northantsBLT vision working perfectly. These

EARLY INSPIRATIONS

events are always crammed full of excellent resources but more importantly they allow teachers some time to test and try-out at least one thing before they have to jump back into the river and start paddling again.

After lunch, the whirlwind that is Tom Rees delivered a short talk about mobile technology and the current discussion of BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. Should schools allow students to use their own mobile technology in a class setting? Tom offered a number of views, opinions and perspectives and has invited the #northantsBLT to contribute to a resource of experiences which we hope will have impact at a local level.

The final part of the afternoon gave everyone a 2 minute slot to share an aspect of their practice. Some interesting ideas came up and we’ll find share them on the BLT website. I had lots I wanted to share but my two minutes ran out far too quickly.

I’ve attended past BLT meetings held around the county, so I was keen for The University of Northampton to host one of their inspiring sessions,

and I think we were 100% successful. The feedback has been excellent and we’re already talking about being a host again in the future. This was an amazing team effort from Steve Bryant, Paul Bramble, Gareth Honeyford and Helen Cauldwell, but a special thanks goes to Julie Martin, the School Manager for the School of Education, who generously offered to host the event in the School’s newly built Sulgrave building.

I am extremely proud of how the School of Education and the Learning Technology team worked together to put on this event, which people enjoyed and found inspiring. I think it was a great example of great learning through technology, and I am confident the colleagues who attended will go back to their schools with some new ideas and inspire their students..

If you would like to follow the northantBLT network then look out for #northantsBLT or head for bltnorthants.net and have a look around.

See you at the next event.

TWEETS FROM THE DAYdraigcymru40 Tony Whitfield Have had a truly inspirational day, sharing different ICT ideas with Colleagues #northantsBLT& then twilight training with @janeconsidine.

acevansit Andrew Evans A fantastic day at the #NorthantsBLT. University of Northampton were superb hosts. Leaving feeling very inspired

spowell81 Stacy Powell Wow what a fantastic day at #northantsblt I feel overwhelmed with ideas but excited at trying them out.

peterford Peter Ford University of Northampton is a brilliant venue for the #NorthantsBLT Development Day. Thanks!

simoneshaw Simon Shaw Many thanks to @peterford and all the teachers who came along to share at #NorthantsBLT

geoffrussell3 geoffrussell3 #northantsBLT Thks for a great BLT day. And to Gareth and the staff at UoN@universityofNorthampton

mosquitomax Amos McMorrow

Listening out to the “Thought-Apples” from the people at the #NorthantsBLT - keep sharing.

lisarich30 Lisa Richards Inspiring day yesterday at #NorthantsBLT. Thanks to all there and Northants Uni. Its inspired me to tweet!

chrisdicken Chris Dicken Good buzz at UoN BLT animation workshop #northantsblt

For further information and an application form please contact [email protected] www.northampton.ac.uk/teachingassistants

or call 01604 892 651

Transformed.Inspired.

Do you want to enhance your role in school?Do you want to gain a recognised qualification?The University of Northampton offers a range of opportunities for the continuing professional development of support staff.

The Foundation Degree in Learning and Teaching (FDLT)This course is designed for a range of support staff who are currently working in schools and who wish to enhance their role. There is the opportunity to extend study into a third year by following the BA (Hons) Learning & Teaching course.

Certificate in Higher Education Supporting Learners (CHESL)Specific work related modules can be studied as one-off units or built up to gain the full CHESL award, depending on your needs. Modules can be arranged on a needs basis locally.

FDLT and CHESL Open Evenings: Date Time VenueMon 6th Feb 4.30pm-6pm Beauchamp College, OadbyTues 7th Feb 4.30pm-6pm University Centre Milton Keynes, Silbury BoulevardThurs 9th Feb 4.30pm-6pm Sulgrave building room 29, University of NorthamptonMon 19th Mar 4.30pm-6pm Beauchamp College, OadbyTues 20th Mar 4.30pm-6pm University Centre Milton Keynes, Silbury BoulevardWed 21st Mar 4.30pm-6pm Sulgrave building room 29, University of NorthamptonMon 14th May 4.30pm-6pm Sulgrave building room 14, University of NorthamptonWed 16th May 4.30pm-6pm Beauchamp College, OadbyThurs 17th May 4.30pm-6pm University Centre Milton Keynes, Silbury Boulevard

Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)We offer HLTA programmes at a variety of venues throughout the East Midlands.

HLTA Open Briefings: Date Time VenueWed 21st Mar 4pm The University of NorthamptonTues 27th Mar 4pm Forest Lodge Education Centre, LeicesterMon 18th Jun 4pm Forest Lodge Education Centre, LeicesterWed 4th Jul 4pm The University of Northampton