Website: https://bit.ly/48CWaEi

Commenting on the launch, Bob Usher, Content Manager at LGfL, said, ‘We have been conscious of the unique challenges in supporting SEND pupils and helping young people understand and manage their responses to death and grief. This resource aims to support all school community members, especially those who work closely with pupils with additional needs.’

The new resource – a blend of video and text-based support, with additional useful links provided in context throughout the structured portal – provides teachers and other professionals with advice and approaches. These include:

• Understanding death and grief
• Communication, including non-verbal and pre-verbal pupils
• Emotions and behaviour – ways grief may be expressed
• Beliefs, rituals and new experiences
• Life-limiting conditions – awareness of the mortality of the self
• Vulnerability and the importance of routine
• Working with families and care-givers

Rebecca Haycock, Education Development Co-ordinator, Child Bereavement UK, explained, ‘Children’s ideas about the concept of death, develop over time. With pupils with special educational needs, it’s really important to establish their understanding. Their cognitive ability may not match their biological age, nor their ability to communicate what they understand. So we must endeavour to meet each child’s individual needs.’

The resource also features contributions from highly experienced headteachers and support staff from Highfurlong School, Blackpool and Oak View School, Epping Forest. They share their experiences and offer some remarkable examples of ways they successfully supported SEND pupils and their families when facing both unexpected and anticipated deaths within their school communities.

These extraordinary case studies, highlight the complexity and depth of sadness families endure. By providing help for families, friends, and peers, pupils are supported to move on and resume their lives positively with joy and happiness even within difficult contexts.

Since partnering in 2018, the two charities have co-created several successful teacher support resources surrounding bereavement: Supporting a Bereaved Pupil, Managing a Sudden Death in a School Community and Having Honest Conversations about Death and Grief.

The new resource for supporting SEND pupils facing bereavement is open to view, to help school communities in both specialist SEND provision and mainstream settings. Please visit https://sendbereavement.lgfl.org.uk

MD Deborah Maclaren, commented: “The LoveReading brand naturally evolved into an online bookstore, but we were keen to make a difference. As well as delivering a steady stream of book recommendations, we wanted to make a positive contribution to society and impact positively in our communities.

Reading has a huge impact on children’s wellbeing, academic achievements, and future success. But cuts to school funding means many children don’t have access to well-stocked libraries. LoveReading and LoveReading4Kids have created a way to redress that shortfall: an easy way for people to support a school in their local community.”

Research from the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) found that more than 60% of classrooms have no access to a budget for new books, and within the context of 1 in 4 kids leaving primary school unable to read fluently, we need to do more for our children.

In addition to offering 10% off the RRP as standard, LoveReading donates 25% of a customer’s spend to a school close to their heart. If the buyer doesn’t nominate or have an affinity with a school, 10% of the spend is donated to schools in need. The Funding for Schools Scheme enables underprivileged schools to apply for vital funding for books. The schools who have been awarded funding thus far have been some of the most deprived in the country although LoveReading have had over 600 more applications that they are not currently able to fulfil, showing the real need for funding in this area.

As well as curating a selection of reading recommendations right across the age ranges – from toddlers to teens – their team of editorial experts deliver 100+ reviews per month to raise awareness of the latest and greatest books for children.

It really is a one-stop-shop for reading for pleasure. Their custom-built LoveReading4Schools portal delivers tools, information and funding opportunities for schools right across the UK. 14,000 schools have already signed up as their customer loyalty scheme is the ultimate of all schemes for funding-starved schools.

Rapidly growing as a bookstore, LoveReading looks forward to helping thousands more schools fill their libraries with exciting books that will take children on new adventures. Inspiring a love of books is one of the best ways to prepare children for a lifetime of learning, encouraging enjoyment of books and creating readers for life.

In this age of social value LoveReading has developed something special and are keen to work with corporate partners who place significant credence in levelling up and social mobility. If you are keen to investigate ways your organisation can have a positive impact on society, beyond your economic performance get in touch with LoveReading on schools@lovereading.co.uk. Because reading matters and books change lives.

And of course, if you are looking to buy a book consider purchasing them from www.lovereading.co.uk or www.lovereading4kids.co.uk

Additionally, from the multi Academy® and BAFTA award-winning Aardman (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep), and Academy Award® and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (ParaNorman and Flushed Away, respectively), Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the sequel to the highest-grossing stop motion animated film of all time, Chicken Run, will close the Into Film Festival on November 24th with special preview screening events across the UK. The Into Film Festival bookings will go live, free to all UK educators, on Thursday, 7th September: www.intofilm.org/festival.

Sean Clarke, Managing Director at Aardman, said: “Aardman has a rich history of world class talent working seamlessly together to create award-winning productions that entertain millions of people across the globe. It is only fitting that as we approach the release of the studio’s most anticipated films, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, that we partner with Netflix and Into Film to engage and encourage the next generation of creatives into our industry.”

Paul Reeve, CEO, Into Film, said “We’re thrilled to be building further on our long-standing relationship with Aardman, having made many of their films, and educational resources linked to them, available to schools for a number of years. This new partnership initiative will enable teachers and their pupils to become creators themselves and help to inspire a new generation of animators.”

Animate! With Aardman, delivered in partnership with Into Film and supported by Netflix, brings the magic of stop motion filmmaking to the classroom, with experts from the studio behind animation classics, Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep providing a video-led step-by-step guide to creating simple, stop motion masterpieces with young people. The course, launching 19th September, has been designed to help young people produce achievable animated projects using everyday equipment and free motion apps. Each video is complemented with educational resources and guidance to support teachers through the process, plus, there’s an opportunity to attend a live webinar with an Aardman Director.

For enrolment and more information as to how animation can support learning across the curriculum: https://intofilm.org/animate

Into Film has been awarded new funding as part of the BFI’s National Lottery Funding Strategy 2023-2033 to ensure screen culture will have the greatest positive impact on educational outcomes for UK children and young people aged 5-18.

“Educational institutes need mats that are durable and effective at keeping water off slippery floor surfaces,” said Richard O’Connor, Marketing Director at First Mats. “With our new Logo Mats, they can be a great eco-friendly choice too.”

These Logo Mats are ideal for schools, nurseries and other educational institutions, as they offer a vast selection of 151 vibrant colours and high-resolution print finishes. This ensures logos and branding remain vivid and eye-catching while maintaining eco-friendly credentials.

First Mats’ new Logo Mats are created from discarded nylon waste, such as fishing nets, effectively transforming waste into a valuable and usable resource. The backing material is a phthalate-free rubber with a 34% recycled nitrile rubber content, perfect for high-traffic commercial entrances such as those in educational institutes.

Richard adds, “Our eco-friendly Logo Mats offer a unique opportunity to infuse school and college branding with environmental responsibility. It’s about helping our clients achieve their sustainability targets without compromise. With these mats, durability, functionality, and a commitment to the environment go hand in hand.”

The use of ECONYL® is enabling organisations worldwide to significantly reduce the global warming impact of nylon. ECONYL® decreases the environmental footprint of nylon by up to 90% compared to materials derived from oil, making it a truly sustainable choice.

To explore the new range of eco-friendly Logo Mats, visit https://www.firstmats.co.uk/pages/logo-mats

The Kit Scheme, run in partnership with Nike, aims to encourage more young girls across England and Wales to participate in football and builds upon the 7,000 free football kits that have already been given away via the Premier League Primary Stars schools programme since 2017.

Premier League Primary Stars uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to be active and develop essential life skills. It is available to every primary school in England and Wales, inspiring girls and boys aged 5-11 in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field.

The programme supports teachers with free, downloadable, curriculum-linked resource packs and activities across PE, PSHE, Maths and English. More than 18,700 primary schools across England and Wales have taken part in Premier League Primary Stars to date.

Nick Perchard, Head of Community and Football Policy at the Premier League said: “We are pleased to be able to launch the Premier League Primary Stars Kit Scheme again in partnership with Nike, this time specifically to support and encourage more young girls to get involved in football.

“The Kit Scheme builds on the League’s ongoing support of women’s and girls’ football, having provided funding to aid the expansion of The FA’s Emerging Talent Centres and pathways for girls aged eight to 16. We hope as many schools as possible take up this opportunity.”

All teaching staff registered to Premier League Primary Stars, and who work with primary school pupils aged 5-11 in England and Wales, can apply for the Kit Scheme. Applications will need to include details on each school’s commitment to girls’ football and how the new kit will support an increase in girls’ participation in the sport.

Dan Burrows, Senior Director of Social & Community Impact at Nike said: “Nike is delighted to partner with the Premier League to launch the Premier League Primary Stars Kit Scheme. Our work with partners like the Premier League is vital to removing cultural, social and economic barriers to participation, so all kids, especially girls, have an opportunity to benefit from play and sport. Together, we can create an active next generation and a healthier and more equitable future for all.”
Successful applicants for the Premier League Primary Stars Kit Scheme will receive a set of Nike Park Short Sleeve shirts, shorts and socks (13 x outfield sets and x 1 goalkeeper set) – with a range of colours available.

The playing kit will be embellished with Premier League on the front of the shirt, No Room For Racism on the sleeve and will be numbered between one and 14 on the back, with Nike 2.0 hijabs also available as required.

Teachers can register for the Premier League Primary Stars Kit Scheme on www.PLPrimaryStars.com ahead of the application window closing on Friday 9 June 2023. Successful applicants will receive their kit during the Spring term 2024.

The Hub features a host of engaging resources varying from videos to lesson guides, assembly plans and handbooks, organised under six categories: ‘the journey of waste’, ‘food’, ‘clothing’, ‘plastic’, ‘composting’, and ‘take action for the environment’.

The Hub was launched in response to NLWA’s research project in 2022 with Keep Britain Tidy which set out to identify priority areas of interest and gaps relating to waste prevention education in north London. Users are invited to share their feedback about the Hub online, to help NLWA keep pace with schools’ needs and resource gaps.

To celebrate the launch of the Education Hub, NLWA is inviting schools to submit posters around the theme ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. The top 30 entries will be professionally printed to form part of the construction fencing leading up to the brand new Reuse and Recycling Centre at the redeveloped Eco Park in Edmonton. Schools will also be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win either a £200 voucher or an interactive assembly and Q&A on what happens to north London’s rubbish and recycling once it’s been collected. Details on how to take part in the competition can be found on NLWA’s Schools Competition page.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, NLWA Chair, said: “There’s great opportunity to teach children about their community and how the waste we produce impacts climate change – the objective of the Education Hub is to support local teachers and make waste reduction behaviours part of every north London school’s bread and butter, from a young age.

“The Hub is a fantastic directory that brings together some of the best educational resources out there and promotes interactivity. If every north London school integrated consumption and waste prevention into their curriculum, we’d be looking at a generation who see this as the norm and is empowered by their potential to mitigate climate impacts.”

Resources on the Hub have links to the national curriculum, including English, Science, Geography, Citizenship, and Art and Design, making it easy for teachers and home school tutors to integrate environmental and waste prevention education into the syllabus.

For further information about the Hub, please go to the North London Waste Education Hub.

Please note: the competition is only open to primary schools in the seven member boroughs of the North London Waste Authority: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest.

The Department for Education (DfE) has released further details of its National Education Nature Park, created to teach children about climate change and improve biodiversity across the country. Esri UK is providing a digital mapping platform and expertise in biodiversity mapping to help underpin this exciting initiative, first announced at COP26 by the Education Secretary.

The National Education Nature Park will engage young people and teachers with nature, supporting them to play a driving role in mapping and monitoring biodiversity on their grounds using citizen science and, critically, taking action to enhance it. The DfE believe this could play an important part in increasing biodiversity across the education estate and have a real impact on halting the decline of nature in England.

Anna Richards (left), who has worked in ITT since September 2014 and been a NASBTT Trustee since December 2017, will lead the Board of highly experienced ITT, education and commercial professionals whose core remit is to review and agree NASBTT’s strategic direction. She succeeds former Chair Ian Hollingsworth, who stepped down in October after five years in post.

“In my view teaching is the best job in the world – and now more than ever we need inspirational teachers joining our profession to inspire and support the next generation,” Anna said. “Working for a SCITT, and previously as a Headteacher for five years, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that trainee teachers can have on a school community and children’s lives. I am honoured to be appointed Chair of NASBTT’s Board of Trustees to both represent and further develop school-led ITT, and in turn support school improvement.”

Recognising the challenges brought by the recent ITT market review and accreditation process, Anna explained what she sees as the core role of NASBTT and the Board of Trustees. “Firstly, whilst needing to remain agile, it is important that the organisation does not stray from its core mission,” she said. “That means providing member support and reassurance, representing our members at the highest level and passing information on to them as much as possible, and delivering more focused services that can help with the requirements of accreditation. The opportunity to come together is also really important. As a NASBTT member I have recently attended Espresso Shot Networking Events on accreditation, Ofsted and curriculum design, and by sharing our experiences we become much stronger.”

Anna continued: “As Trustees we exist, by definition, to hold the organisation and Emma Hollis (Executive Director) to account. However, the nature of education is far more collegiate and supportive, and so I see our role as shaping the direction of NASBTT. Our Board has professionals drawn from both within and outside of the ITT sector, which means we can provide more robust challenge and supporting thinking to ensure we are giving Emma what she needs to facilitate the development of school-led initial teacher training provision, whilst navigating an extremely challenging political landscape.”

When Anna joined Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT, which is one of the biggest SCITTs in the country with 200 primary and secondary trainees every year, she immediately turned to NASBTT for support. “Knowing that the organisation is there is a huge comfort, it always has been, and actually when I started in ITT the first thing I did was sign up to NASBTT membership,” she said. “The organisation has shifted and developed dramatically over the past five years. Initially it was more of an advice/support service to members. Now we have a wide range of products and services, all of which are designed to help the sector to develop. Accessing our online CPD modules and video resources for teacher educators, mentors and early career teachers, for example, is hugely valuable as we are giving people content they had either not thought about creating or had the time to develop themselves.”

Anna spoke about her pride in working for Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT and challenged schools to “do everything you can to support the future of the profession”. She explained: “We are proud of our profession and privileged to be able to work with so many inspirational trainees as they start their journey to become excellent teachers and future school leaders. The depth and strength of our partnership with schools across Suffolk and Norfolk means that we train our trainees to be part of the whole teaching profession rather than training them to teach in just one type of school. But we know nationally that some schools do not engage in ITT at all. If everyone took that approach we would not have teachers.”

NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis added: “I would like to formally welcome Anna as our Chair of Trustees. Our Trustees provide incredibly valuable support and challenge, as Anna herself has for over five years’ now, and I am really looking forward to working with Anna in her new role. I would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank Ian Hollingsworth who offered unerring support during his time as Chair. Professionally, he has been my guide and my supportive challenger as I have grown in my role leading NASBTT. He has also directly helped our team to grow the organisation to what it is today.”

Launched in 2017 and available to every primary school in England and Wales, Premier League Primary Stars uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to support pupils in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field.

Premier League Primary Stars’ range of more than 640 curriculum-linked activities support teachers to build their pupils’ confidence in key areas from Maths and English to PSHE and Physical Education and can be used off-the-shelf or tailored to suit teachers’ needs. More than 58,000 teachers have downloaded and used the free curriculum-linked resources since the programme began.

To mark the five-year anniversary, the Premier League is launching the Active Summer Challenge. This brand new initiative will challenge pupils to find five ways to keep active during the summer holidays, a time when fitness levels can drop. The new resources are now available for teachers to download for free on the Premier League Primary Stars website.

Exclusive content featuring Premier League players, club coaches and experts has been created to support teachers to inspire pupils deliver impactful PE lessons. Nine out of 10 teachers believe that they have seen an increase in pupils’ enjoyment of sport and physical activity linked to the programme.

In addition to PE, English and Maths resources, Premier League Primary Stars also supports teachers to deliver classroom-based discussions and activities on important societal topics such as anti-discrimination, mental health and gender stereotypes linked to No Room for Racism, Wellbeing Stars, and Rainbow Laces. After using the PSHE resources, 72% said that their pupils understand more about how to challenge prejudice and discrimination and 79% of teachers said their pupils have a better understanding of how to look after their own wellbeing.

Natalie Sutton, School Manager at Sandfield Close Primary School, said: “The Premier League Primary Stars programme has opened up so many opportunities and doors to us that we wouldn’t have been able to open on our own. We’ve had such a positive experience since joining back in 2018. It is important to measure progress but for me, it is also important to see our pupils expand their thinking and learn about key subjects in a fun and engaging way. It has all been so positive for us as teachers, but more importantly beneficial to the learning of our pupils.”

www.PLPrimaryStars.com