Assistant Head

Changes to the Vetting and Barring Scheme

Were the recent adjustments to the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) necessary? Katie Michelon examines some of the changes that Singleton has recommended in his report, Drawing the Line, which was published in December

Primary Assembly: Football and national pride

This assembly looks at what it means to footballers to represent their country in the World Cup and the meaning of national pride

Secondary Assembly: Responsibility

In this assembly, Joe Walker challenges listeners to think about how easily we tend to blame external factors for things and so perhaps avoid our own responsibilities

Primary Assembly: Down’s Syndrome Awareness

The assembly sets out some of the facts about Down’s syndrome. It includes the story of Dr Down, and mentions some famous people with Down’s. The theme throughout is that of attitudes to people with learning difficulties

Recruiting students

As schools are operating in an effective market place, the number of students they are able to attract each year is vital to the future of the institution. In this ebulletin we consider some strategies for the recruitment of new students and their parents

Easter Holiday programmes for Year 6 and Year 11 Pupils – which pay for themselves

Extended Schools Update is a new e-bulletin which hopes to provide educational professionals with some practical insights and advice to support them with emerging practice at their schools

Making the most of relationships beyond the school

Children’s centres, multi-agency teams and other schools are valuable resources for every educational setting. This issue looks at how partnerships can help you to work towards the best outcomes for children

Primary Assembly: Lloyd Coleman

This assembly asks children to think about the challenges faced by deaf musicians and mentions both Beethoven and Dame Evelyn Glennie

Secondary Assembly: Cheap at half the price

In this assembly, students are invited to consider the cost of bringing up a child in the UK, and to think about whether they personally are offering good value for the money that has been spent on them

The National Commissioning Framework: a new marketplace in further education

From April 2010, the responsibility for commissioning 16-19 education will pass to local authorities. Rebecca Taylor-Onion looks at the policy driving the changes, and the impact which the new National Commissioning Framework will have on the market in further education provision

Headteachers or football managers?

In this e-bulletin we consider the pressure for schools to produce better results year on year, and the alternative approaches and strategies that can be taken to try and achieve it

Primary Assembly: Treo wins a medal

This assembly tells the story of a bomb-sniffing dog called Treo, an Army dog who did work in Afghanistan, became the 63rd animal to be awarded the ’Animals’ VC‘ – the Dickin Medal.

Making the most of your relationship with parents

This issue explores how you can evaluate and improve your school’s relationship with parents, presenting the vital questions to ask of your school and staff

Secondary Assembly: Through alien eyes

In this week’s assembly, Joe Walker challenges listeners to look at themselves and the wider exploits of humanity from a different perspective… prompted by the arrival of aliens

Exclusions and the law

Katie Michelon reminds us of the law in the area of exclusions and examines some recent developments around ‘unofficial exclusions’ and schools’ powers to direct pupils to receive behavioural provision away from mainstream education

Secondary Assembly: Cheats never prosper?

This assembly considers attitudes to cheating in the light of the news that more pupils are using new ‘technological’ methods in order to cheat in examinations. It considers the pressures that may drive us to cheat and asks questions about the role of conscience

Secondary Assembly: Sceptical at a cost?

On the general subject of climate change, this assembly invites students to consider how easily we become sceptical, and the effect this might have on the world’s poorest people

Primary Assembly: The Greensboro Four

Fifty years ago this month, the Greensboro Four sat down for a coffee in Woolworths. This assembly explores the lessons their act of bravery teaches us

Making the most of governors

Governors play a vital strategic role in the management of a school, so it is worth investing some time and resource in making sure that they are performing as effectively as possible

The Lamb Report: does it inspire confidence?

The recently published Lamb Report on special educational needs (SEN) and parental confidence has made some interesting recommendations. But are they all realistic? Westley Laird reviews the report and reflects on its viability

Secondary Assembly: Hope

This assembly reflects on the idea of hope, challenging listeners to engage in hopeful thinking for the future. It refers to the recent events in Haiti, as well as the memorial services recently held to remember the victims of the Holocaust

Working with unions in schools

Good relationships with unions are important to school leaders; these work best if roles and communication are clear and issues are dealt with regularly in a spirit of openness and honesty

Secondary Assembly: Groundhog Day

This assembly for secondary school pupils looks at the tradition of Groundhog Day, considers why we get bored of routine, and why we should think twice about it

How secure is your school’s data?

In the light of recent high-profile data losses by government agencies and banks, the government has signalled its intention to impose hefty fines on organisations that breach the Data Protection Act. Simon White, a data protection expert at Browne Jacobson LLP, assesses the impact this will have on schools

Tackling challenging staff behaviour

School business managers may sometimes be called upon to deal with staff behaviour that is causing problems – this week we look at how to deal effectively with this thorny issue

Primary leaders - are you making the most of your staff?

This ezine shows that there’s no secret to good staff management – communication, building and maintaining relationships and managing staff development are the keys to a satisfied and effective school workforce

Secondary Assembly: When your chewing gum’s lost its flavour

In this assembly Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider an imaginative way to recycle an unsightly and invasive type of litter

Primary assembly: Miep Gies

Miep Gies died this week aged 100. She helped shelter Anne Frank’s family during the Second World War and saved Anne’s diaries which were published to great acclaim

Using conversation as a strategic tool for school improvement

In this e-bulletin we consider how productive working relationships and conversation can be encouraged through reorganising the structure of staff meetings

Are you making the most of yourself as a primary school leader?

Jane Golightly starts the term by asking - are you making the most of yourself as a school leader? - and offers examples of best practice to measure yourself against

Changes in the charitable status of Academy Trusts

The Children, Schools and Families Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on 11 January 2010. If the unamended Bill becomes an Act, it will grant Academy Trusts exempt charity status. Vicki Hair examines the current charitable status of Academy Trusts and what the change will mean

Secondary Assembly: We are all ‘Time Lords’

In this assembly, Joe Walker considers the extent to which we are all masters of our own destiny, as we begin another decade. The assembly challenges listeners to consider not how the next year might turn out, but how they might shape 2010

The Children, Schools and Families Bill: what does it mean for your school?

This week’s copy, by Katie Michelon, examines key proposals of the new Children, Schools and Families Bill including new rules on accountability for schools, parental responsibility, curriculum, National Challenge schools, school report cards and home school guarantees

Primary Assembly: The Turner Art Prize

Secondary Assembly: What’s the point of advent calendars?

This assembly uses the popularity of advent calendars to consider what our values should be as we prepare for the season of goodwill

Staffing: Getting the wrong people off the bus

In the third of our e-bulletins about staffing, we look at how senior leaders should tackle the sometimes difficult, but important issue of underperformance of staff

The new Ofsted framework

Successive Ofsted regimes have made changes to the inspection framework. This e-bulletin looks at the latest one, which came into use in September 2009, and suggests some issues for you to consider

Transform your work with families

Schools can do their best for each child only if families and carers are involved in children’s learning. Jane Golightly considers the reasons why some schools are great at involving families, while others struggle

Are the Disability Discrimination Act obligations too burdensome for schools?

The recent Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) decision by the High Court in the case X Endowed Primary School v Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (2009) could impact significantly on schools. Westley Laird reviews the case and discusses how this decision could affect your school

Secondary Assembly: Violence amongst teenagers

In this assembly, Brian Radcliffe invites students to consider the rise in incidents of violence between teenagers, even in apparently safe relationships

Staffing: Keeping the right people on the bus

Following the ezine advice on how to employ high quality staff, the second in the series discusses how to keep the right staff once they're on board

Thinking about visible leadership

Jane Golightly asks, how well do you know your school, are you a visible leader, and advises on how to rectify both

How the General Teaching Council regulates the teaching profession

The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) has recently introduced a new Code of Practice which came into force in October. Nearly 10 years since it was first established, Katie Michelon examines the GTCE’s role and how it carries out its regulatory function

How to make sure your school makes a difference

Jane Golightly discusses how to make sure that your educational establishment makes a difference in your pupils lives

Admissions appeals: the two-stage test

Admissions appeals based on admission decisions seem to be a constant thorn in the side of schools and admissions authorities. A recent High Court decision focusing on when a school is ‘full’ will remind appeal panels of the evidence they need to consider. How could the case impact on your school?

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