Kids Country, an education programme for children from across the East of England and managed by the East of England Agricultural Society, took their popular Autumn Apples half-day workshop into Folksworth C of E Primary School, Kirkstone House School and Bellbird Primary School, to help more children have a better understanding of the field-to-fork journey of their food, and using that information to learn to make good consumer and health choices.

At Folksworth C of E Primary School, near Peterborough, headteacher Michelle Norbury said: “The practical activities combined with the way information is shared makes it enjoyable for children, but they are still learning. The event linked to the curriculum through food and nutrition too.”

Emily Lang, Year 5 teacher at The Bellbird Primary, Cambridge, said: “The children loved it and learned so much. Apples have become very popular in our class!” The event complemented some of our science and PSHE curriculum too.”

The Kids Country team were supported by AMT Fresh Partnership, Co-operative Central England, Sustainable PECT, and a squad of tireless volunteers.

Sandra Lauridsen, education manager at the East of England Agricultural Society, commented: “At Kids Country we love to make everyday and accessible British-grown food exciting, and our Autumn Apples event does just that year after year. An apple a day really does help keep the doctor away through its nutritional benefits, so to help make them and how they are grown exciting to children is great!

“Thank you to our corporate sponsors and partners, as well as our tireless volunteers and farmers, for helping this event happen – we couldn’t do it without you!”

If you would like to be involved in any way in future Kids Country food and farming events, either as a school, corporate or individual volunteer, or to sponsor Kids Country to help more schools experience the hands-on and memorable learning that Kids Country offers, please contact slauridsen@eastofengland.org.uk

To keep up to date with upcoming Kids Country events and the new 2023-24 academic year programme, you can also visit: https://www.eastofengland.org.uk/kids-country/ or follow the East of England Agricultural Society on Facebook, twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Last year the National Memorial Arboretum welcomed 296 learning visits, offering 12,750 students the opportunity to explore the 150-acres of memorials, gardens, and woodlands, helping young people to discover incredible stories of service and sacrifice. From interactive Explorer Days, to tailored tours of our grounds or participation in an Act of Remembrance, the inspiring landscape at the National Memorial Arboretum and multi-functional classroom spaces is a perfect setting for workshops and activities for students in Key Stages 2-4.

“Our specialist on-site learning team has developed a wide range of cross-curricular activities for learning groups to discover inspirational stories about the people who have served the Nation, each with specific learning outcomes,” explains Rachel Smith, Head of Learning and Participation at the Arboretum. “We offer students activities and workshops that use our 150-acre site, rich natural landscape, breathtaking memorials, and multi-functional classroom spaces to develop an understanding of Remembrance and explore other subjects including science, literacy, and geography. The Arboretum really is a truly inspirational place to visit with your class.”

Free activity days taking place at the Arboretum this academic year include:

• National Poetry Day, 5 October 2023 (KS3-4) – working with the Arboretum’s poet in residence, students will draw upon inspiration from the Arboretum as well as the year’s chosen theme of ‘Refuge’ to create their own poetry masterpiece
• RAF STEAM takeover day, 17 October 2023 (upper KS2) – the Royal Air Force youth engagement team returns to the Arboretum with three different STEAM activities
• Black History Month activity day, 19 October 2023 (KS3-4) – students can take part in a selection of participatory activities exploring the Arboretum’s new exhibitions, exploring inter-generational stories and experiences through textiles and audio
• Remembrance activity week, 6-10 November 2023 (KS2) – giving students the opportunity to reflect on those who have served their country through arts-based workshops at the Arboretum and in schools
• Holocaust Memorial Day activity day, 26 January 2024 (Upper KS2) – students take part in workshops to learn more about the Holocaust, visit memorials and explore the importance of Remembrance
• World Book Day, 7 March 2024 (reception and lower KS1) – using Julia Donaldson’s ‘Stick Man’ as inspiration, younger students can explore the Stick Man trail around the Arboretum grounds and use natural materials to make their own stick characters
• International Women’s Day, 8 March 2024 (Years 6 and 7) – Students learn about some remarkable women by delving into the stories behind the memorials. Hands-on workshops and engaging discussions explore the attributes and aptitudes that defined these women and enabled them to identify their own skills and qualities.
• Earth Day, 22 April 2024 (KS2) – students discover the importance of protecting the natural world, create seedballs and bug hotels to increase biodiversity on their own green spaces
• Teaching Remembrance days, 2-3 July 2024 (KS2&3) – Together with the Royal British Legion, students will take part in a series of interactive indoor and outdoor activities before ending the day with a collective Act of Remembrance.

The Arboretum’s school’s activity days are free. There is a cost for other facilitated activities with the learning team and bursaries are available to help with transport costs, thanks to the Arboretum’s involvement in ‘The Great British School Trip’ initiative.

To book a school trip call, teachers can call 01283 245133 or email education@thenma.org.uk.

For more information about the school activity days, visit https://www.thenma.org.uk/visit-us/plan-your-visit/visiting-for-learning-and-training/learning-activity-days

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 event was supported by Marriage’s Flour, Ladies in Pigs, Vine House Farm, Co-op Central England, Thomas Beazley, Park Farm Thorney, and Schöffel Country – who came along as part of their new partnership with Kids Country, to be launched on ‘Black Friday’.

Folksworth C of E Primary school headteacher, Michelle Norbury, said: “We’ve worked with Kids Country many times over the years and know how exciting it is for the children to have this kind of hands-on learning experience brought to them in school. It is so important to get children excited about locally produced food and how it is grown – we are surrounded by farmland at our village school so for children to understand what that land produces, with activities like Farmer Luke’s ‘Metre Square’ is really engaging for our students.”

Children rotated around four activities – Pancake Making, Pig Zone (learning all about pig farming and tasting the difference between free range rare breed pork sausages and typical premium supermarket ones), Tractor Zone with Farmer James from Park Farm Thorney, and the Metre Square with Farmer Luke, where children learn exactly what can be grown in a metre square of farmland and the inputs required to do so.

Joining the Kids Country for the first time was award winning food writer, Jenny Jefferies. Jenny, author of the “For the Love of the Land” and “For the Love of the Sea” books, said: “It was a real privilege to come along to the Kids Country Breakfast Week today. It’s such a fantastic and inspiring initiative, and to see first-hand how school children are experiencing food provenance in an all-inclusive, enjoyable and informative way is both heartening and wonderful. This is what it’s all about!”

Alongside the usual team of Kids Country educators and volunteers, the event also welcomed Charlie Coups and Paul Tomson from Schöffel Country, who are partnering with Kids Country this year for a range of fundraising events – kicking off with their Black Friday event next week. Charlie said: “We were delighted to join the team at Kids Country for the start of Breakfast Week 2022. It was clear from the offset how passionate Sandra and her team are in helping to educate children about food, farming and the countryside. The children were excited to learn and engaged throughout the morning in a variety of hands-on tasks – it’s not every day you get the chance to see a tractor up close or do a taste test on rare breed vs supermarket sausages! I hope that over the next twelve months, Schöffel Country can help to shine a light on these countryside heroes and the incredible work they do in educating the next generation.”

The Kids Country team also took their Breakfast Week event to Fourfields Community Primary School, Yaxley, and Clough and Risegate Community Primary School, Spalding, in the same week, with a second Breakfast Week sold-out in January.

Kids Country education manager, Sandra Lauridsen, said: “Breakfast Week is always such a great event to bring to schools as children all eat breakfast in some form, so it’s really useful to engage them in not only how that breakfast is grown – whether it’s sausages, toast or cereal – but also about making healthy nutritional choices part of their decisions.”

“We are so grateful for all of our volunteers, educators, the companies donating produce and their time, and also to Jenny Jefferies, and Charlie and Paul from Schöffel Country – their engagement helps us to bring more events like Breakfast Week to more schools going forwards.”

To keep up to date with upcoming Kids Country events, please visit: https://www.kids-country.co.uk/events/

Many children experience puberty whilst they are still in primary school, with some girls starting their periods as young as eight. Esteem will not only offer quality lessons and resources to help build their understanding and give them confidence whilst their bodies change, but also crucially offer training to teachers, many of whom say they don’t feel equipped to deliver statutory relationships education and have not received enough training in this area.

Over the next 3 years, Esteem schools’ workers will develop a new relationships curriculum to complement their acclaimed secondary school Esteem programme and will research, pilot and deliver relationships education training to over 300 educators who, in turn, will reach 23,000 children. The course will be accredited by the Open College Network.

As a result of Esteem sessions, acet UK expects the children to have increased confidence to build positive friendships, set and respect boundaries, and recognise what an unhealthy friendship or relationship looks like and what to do in that situation. The sessions will also give them a better understanding about body changes during puberty, the differences between appropriate and inappropriate, or unsafe, contact, and how to stay safe online and recognise bullying and abuse and how to seek help.

acet UK CEO Catherine Healey said: “This grant will enable us to develop and deliver a much-needed primary school relationships curriculum which will have a significant impact on children across the UK – increasing their self-esteem, knowledge and confidence so they can understand their worth.”

Patrick Haverty, Head of Year 9 and Head of Citizenship at Compass School in Bermondsey, where Esteem have been teaching secondary students for many years, said: “Their knowledge and skills in this area have been nothing short of vital for all students.”

Usman Saeed, Grants Officer for Benefact Trust, said: “We’re delighted to support acet with the development of the new relationship curriculum for primary schools. We realise the importance of setting foundations for healthy self-esteem and relationships at an early age, as children are becoming more exposed to a variety of influences. It’s also vital that teachers feel they have the training and resources they need to discuss sensitive and complex topics.”

Benefact Trust is one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities and awarded more than £23 million to churches, charities and communities in 2020. Its funds come from its ownership of the Benefact Group.

If you would like your primary school to be involved, please contact info@acet-uk.com.

]]> https://education-today.co.uk/interactive-shows-from-science-museum-inspires-thousands-of-school-pupils/ Tue, 18 Oct 2022 08:00:02 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14988 Around 8,000 school pupils recently felt the full force of an inspirational learning experience delivered by experts at London’s prestigious Science Museum.

The React Foundation Annual Science and Engineering Shows were hosted in person for the first time in three years following the Covid-19 pandemic, and their return proved a huge success with students across West Cumbria as Science Museum staff brought their hugely exciting ‘Feel the Force’ and ‘It Takes Guts’ shows to the north.

The shows run by the Foundation, the charitable organisation of Cumbrian business React Engineering, were toured around schools and colleges across West Cumbria to enable as many students as possible to participate in the free activities, which are primarily aimed at pupils in school years 5 to 9.

During the interactive shows, Senior Explainers from the Science Museum’s outreach team demonstrated how forces, such as gravity, magnetism and friction, worked.

Pete Woolaghan, the Chairman of React Foundation, said: “We have been inspiring schoolchildren to learn more about STEM subjects through the live science and engineering shows since 2007, but we haven’t been able to host them live since 2019 for Covid-19, although we did run some online shows for pupils.

“The Foundation was created to provide more opportunities for our local young people to engage in science and engineering, and running these shows in a fun, informative and exciting format always helps inspire people to want to learn more.

“By getting the young people to interact with the shows, what they are taught can remain with them throughout their lives and it’s important that we provide these events to show them that learning can be fun.”

The science shows ran for a total of two weeks, with primary and secondary schools in the area signing up to enjoy the free shows.

The team at the Science Museum spent the entire fortnight in Cumbria, and they were overjoyed with the participation from the pupils – and the teachers.

Chloe Wiles, a Senior Explainer at the museum, said: “There are lots of different ways to learn, and that’s not just always in a classroom. When I was young, I was a visual learner and participating in shows and demonstrations like these always helped my education.

“We are here to show that learning about science can be fun and really interesting, so what better way than visiting a different school and getting all noisy and shouty, and joining in with the activities?

“By getting them to join in, it inspires young people to learn more about STEM subjects and it’s very important to us to catch children at an early age so they want to continue their learning when they get older.”

The feedback from the participating schools was overwhelmingly positive, with teachers reporting that their children loved the interactive element of the shows – and they had already requested more demonstrations and experiments in the classroom.

Rebecca Crowther, a Year 6 teacher at Seascale Primary School, said: “It was a really fun show and our pupils were very engaged from the very beginning. They all participated in the activities which were presented in a very dynamic manner.

“The pupils have learned about forces as part of the curriculum and events like this really drum it home to them and show the forces in work in a really impactful way.”

The React Foundation Annual Live Science Shows are supported by a number of partners, including the University of Cumbria and RWE, which operates the nearby Robin Rigg Offshore Windfarm.

Mike Edwards, the general manager of Robin Rigg, said: “It was fantastic to see the React Foundation Live Science and Engineering Show bringing science to life for children across the area. The interactive show was well delivered, lively, educational and fun.

“RWE has always looked to help to bring STEM to a wider community and we have been involved with the React Foundation for more than a decade. We believe that it is really important to bring science to life for all children to enable them to understand the world around them and be able to imagine a future in STEM.

“The energy that the React team brings to enhancing science education for such a wide group of children is exemplary and we look forward to continuing our collaboration.”

The React Foundation was created by Cleator Moor-based React Engineering in 2004 to raise aspirations of young people and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The foundation hosts various events and activities throughout the year, and also awards annual bursaries to secondary school pupils studying STEM subjects.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), in collaboration with Universal Pictures, has announced their second Create The Card competition. They are calling for UK-based primary school students, aged 4 to 11, to unleash their creativity by designing the official BBFC Black Card for Puss In Boots: The Last Wish – the upcoming sequel and the second instalment of the beloved Puss In Boots franchise.

The winning design will be projected on screen ahead of every cinema showing of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish in the UK. The winner will also be granted the once-in-a-lifetime experience of attending a preview screening of the film with friends and family, a framed copy of their BBFC Black Card, and an abundance of film merchandise. Ten runners-up will also receive a goody bag.

Sarah Peacock, BBFC Compliance and Education Manager, said: “After receiving over 1,000 fantastic entries from secondary school students across the UK for our Create The Card competition earlier this year, we are thrilled to launch this next competition for primary school students. Recognising and understanding age ratings and content advice is crucial for young people’s development. We hope this competition will help to facilitate conversations with children and their educators about the work of the BBFC and the importance of viewing age-appropriate content. The Puss In Boots franchise leans into the wonderful world of fairytales, and we can’t wait to see students across the country draw inspiration from the film series in their creative designs.”

Rob Huber, Managing Director (UK & Ireland), Universal Pictures International UK, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the BBFC once again, especially following the success of the Jurassic World Dominion competition earlier this year. The enchanting world of Puss In Boots has so many avenues to explore and we would encourage entrants to harness what they already know about the myths and legends in this DreamWorks’ tale when creating their masterpieces. Primary school students have just over two months to submit their entry and we can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

The competition is open for entries today, and will close on Friday 16 December. The selection process will be overseen by a jury panel including industry experts from both Universal Pictures and the BBFC, alongside some very special guests. The young winner will be revealed at the end of January, ahead of the film’s UK release on Friday 3 February.

Young people, aged 4-11, can enter by either scanning and emailing a copy of their A4 landscape design, or posting it directly to the BBFC’s London offices. Competition templates can be downloaded here. For further information and to read the terms and conditions, please visit the BBFC’s children’s website, CBBFC.co.uk. You can also download the BBFC app from the App Store or Google Play.

The presentations, features and experiences are specifically tailored for Key Stages 2 (upper), 3 & 4, giving students a unique opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and bring the world of STEM to life.  The show will connect students with leading-edge researchers and give them the knowledge to engage with the scientific, social and ethical challenges that will shape the world of the future.

Highlights include:

• World-class science presenter Stefan Gates whose presentation will be packed with explosions and will explore combustion, pressure, sound, elasticity, energy storage, pressure and sound. Expect mini-motorbikes, massive balloons, fireballs and flame throwing on the Universe Stage!
• Filmmaker Simon Clark on the Mind & Body Stage discussing how he became a YouTube scientist starting from his A level choices to submitting his PhD thesis, as well as the lessons he learned along the way
• Palaeontologist David Hone featuring on the Planet Stage and discussing why the Tyrannosaurs rex is the most dangerous terrestrial predator of all time.
• Tech wiz Rob Sedgebeer and Steve McNeil who will be presenting an interactive history of some of the earliest advances in videogames so make sure you bring a charged smartphone to play along on the Future Stage
• J Spooner on the Engage Stage with a special guest in the space shed for interactive, intergalactic, mind-blowing fun!

Students can immerse themselves in the latest tech developments, from surgical robots to augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence to VR, and see how the latest medical innovations are being used by world-class clinicians to improve diagnosis and treatment. One feature not to be missed is the immersive pop-up planetarium where you can see what it takes to become an astronaut and let the inspiration take you to new places that you could never have imagined.

With VR rollercoaster rides to piloting a virtual drone, seeing inside an artificial star to smelling space, New Scientist Live features an unbelievable experience for everyone.

A proportion of the Schools’ Day tickets will be made available for free to schools with a high proportion of disadvantaged students and schools with lower science capital ensuring that science is accessible to the widest possible audience and to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and leaders.

For the full Schools’ Day programme visit https://newscientist.com/schoolstalks

The proposals for the first primary school at the development of the former barracks at Waterbeach have been announced by Cambridgeshire County Council. The new school will be called Deneia Primary Academy, to reflect the history of the area, and will be a part of Anglian Learning, a multi academy trust based in East Anglia covering Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.
The school will be built as part of Urban&Civic’s Waterbeach development and, subject to successful final planning permission, will offer education for children from age four through to eleven. Deneia Primary Academy will open from September 2024.

Anglian Learning has been working with Urban&Civic, Van Heyningen & Haward Architects, Cambridgeshire County Council and the constructors of the school, RG Carter, throughout the design stages. The new 630 place, 3 form entry academy will have extensive grounds and will be an environmentally friendly building. The school will be built as a nearly net zero energy building and whole life carbon emissions are minimised within the proposals. These designs will produce a building and grounds that are resilient in the face of climate change.

Provision for each year group at the school will be created using linked classrooms and shared breakout spaces to facilitate flexible and creative approaches to learning. The academy has additional facilities to provide bespoke provision for children with special educational needs.

The school has also been carefully designed into the wider development by providing nearby woodland play areas and a car free zone, so the children can walk, cycle and scoot safely to school. It will also have a shared public square in front of the school for parents to meet and the community to come together.

Jonathan Culpin, CEO of Anglian Learning (pictured), said: “We are delighted to be the sponsors for this new primary school. As a Trust our vision is for dynamic, empowered learners who will thrive and lead within their community. Deneia Primary Academy will be built with an outstanding setting and learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, and this will enthuse the children in their learning and deliver on our ambition.”

Rachael Johnston, Executive Headteacher for Deneia Primary Academy, said: “I am thrilled to be leading the establishment of this new school for Anglian Learning. The eco-credentials of the school build with sustainable and reusable materials, will significantly influence our curriculum. For example, the extensive grounds, including mature woodland, pond and wildlife area will provide the opportunity for outdoor learning through our Forest School whilst the orchard, with heritage fruit trees, will provide pupils with the experience of growing their own food and will be incorporated in lessons on cookery and nutrition.

“As an Anglian Learning school, there will be a strong focus on the arts, due to the formal Memorandum of Understanding that the Trust has with Arts Council England and our commitment to embed arts and culture within all of our academies.”

Caroline Foster, Project Director at Urban&Civic (pictured), said: “This is a significant milestone for the development, and we are really pleased to be working with an Academy Trust that shares our vision for the community. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the County Council and Anglian Learning on the delivery of Waterbeach’s first primary school in an inspirational woodland setting.”

Deneia Primary Academy will be the sixteenth school to join Anglian Learning. Formed in 2016, the Trust spans education from early years through to Year 13 with nine primary schools, six secondary schools including two sixth forms.

The new school will have a Local Governing Body, comprising members of Anglian Learning, the local community and parents. It will be at the heart of the community at Waterbeach New Town, a thriving, diverse community in a sustainable and well-connected location in Cambridgeshire. The development will be delivered in phases with each phase containing the facilities, amenities and services the new community needs – from homes and schools through to green space, play areas, sports facilities, shops, eateries and community spaces, all connected by an extensive network of footpaths and cycleways.

To find out more about Deneia Primary Academy and to register an interest in places at the school, please contact enquiries@anglianlearning.org.