School World

Creating the right impression for visitors to your school is always going to be of the utmost importance. But what is it that creates the right impression?

One could put comfortable furniture in the reception area, with awards and school photos on display. But what else?

It is interesting that in some locations (and schools are by no means alone in this regard) it is assumed that the visitor’s experience starts at the reception area – when in fact it actually starts as the visitor looks for signs pointing the way to that reception area.

But the impact of signs doesn’t stop there. Visitors will see signs on the doors of offices and classrooms, signs about safety, and so forth. Where these signs are printed on paper and stuck on with blue tack, all the hard work of making the reception area look smart is wasted.

The reason that some schools have been restrained in their use of quality signage has generally been because signs have been expensive to buy and install. You had to get quotes and then place the order (which may take a while to arrive); you may even have the pleasure of paying a delivery charge on top of everything else.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case. Delivery time has come down to zero, and the cost has dropped beyond belief (and all while the quality has not been affected).

This is all achieved because it is now possible to print signs on your laser printer within school. The Quick-Mark Digital is a unique product that allows you to produce self-adhesive signs, front panels and labels up to A3 size, on a standard office laser printer at an extremely low cost and with the highest quality.

All you need is some Quick-Mark Laser Film and Base Sheets and you can then print self-laminating, high quality self adhesive labels, panels or signs. The signs are highly durable, the laser toner is always sub-surface, and you can work on metal or plastic Base Sheets producing a polycarbonate finish if needed.

There is more information on this unique printing system on our website – http://www.megauk.com/qmd_signs/

Alternatively, call us on 01223 893900 or email us at sales@megauk.com.

Whether using a single biome clip to support a discussion or an entire five-clip biome module to give students a quick introduction, Biomes of the Earth is an indispensable educational tool.

This comprehensive video clip library of 50 two-to-three-minute segments will open viewers’ eyes as they learn key biological, environmental, and geological concepts associated with the ecological communities forming the biosphere.

In addition to the complete video clip library supplied on chaptered DVD, a printable support guide is available to download featuring a video review quiz and answer sheet for each biome module.

Reviews & Awards

“Stunning visual material and easy-to-follow, information-filled narration” —School Library Journal

“A flexible and informative tool…. Teachers could use some or all of the clips as vehicles for introduction or review, and students will find the entire program to include excellent reinforcement of basic concepts in environmental studies.” —NSTA Recommends

Communicator Award of Excellence (“Environmental” category).

A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production ©2010

Order on approval from Viewtech Educational Media for only £99.90*

*Limited Offer was £148 now £111 + save a further 10% – quote promotional discount code: HHM110 at the checkout! Price includes non-theatric public performance rights for educational and training purposes, excluding P&P (£3.50 standard UK delivery) & VAT.

If you need any further information or assistance please contact:

Viewtech Educational Media
7-8 Falcons Gate
Dean Road
Yate
Bristol
BS37 5NH
————————————–

tel: 01454 858055
fax: 01454 858056
email: info@viewtech.co.uk
http://www.viewtech.co.uk

I will start with a confession. We can’t really make the charging of laptops exciting and fun. We’ve tried, but it just doesn’t work.

But, we have actually managed to make the storing and recharging of laptops less frustrating, arduous, annoying and time-consuming. In doing this we’ve reduced the number of headaches– and actually cut the cost too.

So although “fun” is a little bit of an exaggeration, I think it is fair to say we’ve taken some of the annoying factors out of laptop storage and re-charging.

It is all done via the EcoCart range. These laptop storage and recharging carts can store up to 16, 20 or 30 laptops at a time and are lightweight so they’re easy to move from classroom to classroom.

They don’t rust and they’re constructed from a recyclable non-conductive anti-static material which ensures they are particularly safe for schools.

What’s more, they also contain a power management system with an energy saving timer, which conserves battery life and prevents energy wastage. They allow you to charge the laptops during off-peak energy supply hours, helping you to reduce the electricity bills.

So, in essence, you can save money and also help the environment. Not quite exciting and fun, as I confessed, but even so, quite an improvement.

There is more information on our website at http://eco-carts.co.uk/

Alternatively, give us a call on 01753 539955.

I am inviting your school to take advantage of preferential terms available for all versions of our BCS approved ECDL courseware and automated testing software, for a limited period until 31st August.

We have almost 15 year’s experience in the ECDL field, and to celebrate the recent release of our new Microsoft Office 2010 versions of both online courseware and automated tests we are offering discounted test prices and free courseware to a limited number of selected schools.

Click here to find out more information about prices and availability.

Best regards

Adam Freeman MBCS
Business Manager, e-Products

Activ Training Ltd, subsidiary of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Activ House, 45 Bromham Road, Bedford MK40 2AA

Tel: +44 (0) 1234 340 880
www.activ-training.com

The chances are that for many young people today newspapers are either something that exist in other households but not their own or they are gossip columns with very little international news.

Which is why Newsademic exists – for it is an international newspaper written and edited for KS3 and KS4 students.

To date we have over 30,000 readers – which is why we know there is a demand for such a publication.

It is also why we are happy to offer a free two month VLE/intranet subscription to the paper. We know that schools that see it, like it.

The publication supports the PSHE, History, Geography, Science, English and RE curricula though its focus is on international news events that shape and affect the world that we all live in today.

Newsademic carries no advertising. Neither does it feature articles about television, sport, computer games, pop music or celebrity cu lture.

The newspaper is distributed fortnightly in both PDF and HTML formats. A VLE/intranet licence allows all students and members of staff to access an HTML searchable version of Newsademic via their school network, as well as a full HTML and PDF archive. Two levels of activities, based on some of the featured articles plus the respective answer keys, accompany each issue.

Annual subscription rates start at £150.00 and there is no restriction on the number of students from within your school who have access.

To set up your free of charge two months VLE access trial please complete and submit the online form at: http://www.newsademic.com/promo/hm190312

For more information visit http://www.newsademic.com/index/internalpage/menuid/1 49/cmsid/2/substypeid/8

A great way to introduce the concept of an advertising campaign to your students is to use a case study featuring a real campaign.

To help you teach ‘campaigns’ in the most effective way, The History of Advertising Trust has developed an online resource based on the British Heart Foundation’s strategy to raise awareness of heart attack symptoms. This is a powerful and complete case study, which clearly illustrates the key elements and distinct phases of a campaign and demonstrates a number of techniques used to measure the success of a campaign.

Designed for you to adapt easily for your own use in the classroom, it is quick and simple to download and is licenced for 365 days to give you the flexibility to decide how and when you want to use the materials.

Containing ideas on how to use it, the resource can also save you time and effort developing lesson plans.

All the materials, including print collateral and TV commercial, are downloadable. At just £30 this case study represents great value for money.

Click here to find out more.

www.hatads.org.uk

I will start with a confession. We can’t really make the charging of laptops exciting and fun. We’ve tried, but it just doesn’t work.

But, we have actually managed to make the storing and recharging of laptops less frustrating, arduous, annoying and time-consuming. In doing this we’ve reduced the number of headaches– and actually cut the cost too.

So although “fun” is a little bit of an exaggeration, I think it is fair to say we’ve taken some of the annoying factors out of laptop storage and re-charging.

It is all done via the EcoCart range. These laptop storage and recharging carts can store up to 16, 20 or 30 laptops at a time and are lightweight so they’re easy to move from classroom to classroom.

They don’t rust and they’re constructed from a recyclable non-conductive anti-static material which ensures they are particularly safe for schools.

What’s more, they also contain a power management system with an energy saving timer, which conserves battery life and prevents energy wastage. They allow you to charge the laptops during off-peak energy supply hours, helping you to reduce the electricity bills.

So, in essence, you can save money and also help the environment. Not quite exciting and fun, as I confessed, but even so, quite an improvement.

There is more information on our website at http://eco-carts.co.uk/

Alternatively, give us a call on 01753 539955.

As you may have noticed from the commemorative jars of ‘Ma’amite’ and the profusion of posters advertising street parties, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is almost upon us.

To help your students understand the significance of this event, we’ve created a one-off set of free Jubilee resources.

Download the resources: www.boardworks.co.uk/citizenshipfreestuff

Culminating in a class discussion about the future of the monarchy, the resources help to contextualise the debate through:

• a true-or-false activity which tests students’ knowledge of the Queen’s duties as Head of State;
• a voting activity which asks students to vote on different statements regarding the public perception of the Queen;
• a research activity which asks students to research and write a journal entry describing a typical day in the life of the Queen.

Regards,

The Boardworks Citizenship team

P.S. Boardworks PSHEE and Citizenship resources are up-to-date with case studies, statistics, weblinks and much more, saving you hours of research time. Find out more and try out all Boardworks products by ordering your free sample disc!

SCHOOLsef
Feedback from headteachers and analysis of Ofsted reports show clearly that this new inspection regime is the most demanding and most rigorous to date. Without doubt the bar has been raised.

SCHOOLsef has been developed to help provide the required rigour but without the huge amount of work that would be needed to address the new framework in full. The SCHOOLsef provides a way of presenting self-evaluation and supporting evidence in one clear, highly professional document.

Comments from Ofsted reports from schools who have used the SCHOOLsef include:

“Self-evaluation is very accurate and extremely rigorous and underpins all aspects of the
school’s performance”

“Since the last inspection, school self-evaluation and development planning have improved
substantially”

“Accurate, rigorous school self-evaluation enables a corporate understanding of the
school’s strengths and areas for development”

To see how the SCHOOLsef documents can help schools prepare for an Ofsted inspection then please see our website:

http://www.schoolsef.co.uk

Economic well-being has been part of the primary curriculum since Every Child Matters was introduced in 2003.

However, despite the fact that this innovation was introduced nearly a decade ago there is still little in the way of material that directly relates to helping primary school pupils develop a deeper understanding of how companies work and how consumers can influence the companies with whom they interact.

It is for this reason that the simulation approach has been developed as part of teaching economic well-being. It has become, in fact, the basic way of helping children understand how companies work.

This approach is activity centred in which the pupils form companies to manufacture and sell products, and it is an approach that is explored in full in Mind Your Own Business. This is a copiable resource (available as a photocopiable book and on CD) which contains a wide range of stand-alone sessions, support work and follow-up activities, and a whole range of further steps linked to curriculum subjects.

Throughout these activities children make a positive contribution to their team and develop an understanding of how their decisions, wishes and thoughts, relate to companies.

As a result the sessions simulate the achievement of economic wellbeing which can easily be adapted to create products for sale at school or in fairs, in order to apply the system to real life situations.

Following Mind Your own Business pupils create a brand, make products and sell products – and through this develop a much deeper economic awareness than would otherwise be the case.

There are extracts from this resource, ISBN 978 1 86083 825 5, order code T1783EMN, at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/T1783.pdf

Prices

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

By post from First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, NN17 4HH
By fax to 01536 399 012
On-line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=759
By phone with a school order number or a credit card to 01536 399 011
When ordering the book please quote the reference T17831EMN.