Displays books relaunched

BOOK REVIEW
On Display: the Essential Guide to Primary Display, ages 5-11
Noel and Stephen Springett-McHugh
HarperCollins, 2011
£16.99

If you've been reading Linda Hartley's regular articles on classroom displays in Learning Support magazine over the past few years, you will know how much is involved in creating a display which really supports children's learning.
You can still read all those articles of course - just visit the Knowledge Bank, and leaf back through the issues.
Belair On Display is a set of 25 books which have already been published twice - first by Belair Publications and then with a different title (Display a Creative Curriculum) by Folens. Now the whole set is available again, with a separate title for each curriculum area as well as several general books. They are all full of ideas for colourful display projects, many of them interactive.
This book, just one in the series, is much more than an introduction and is bursting with really meaty ideas. It starts with a chapter on displays for whole school areas such as reception areas, school hall, music room and reading area, and even the staff room. The authors suggest ideas for whole-school themes which can strengthen the school community - ideas such as the ocean, space or fairy tales.
The book goes on to look at the role of displays in the classroom, in the learning environment and in supporting good behaviour.  It also has chapters on cross curricular displays with different curriculum focuses, for communicating the school's aims and on displays for visitors, and finally suggests some ideas for themed weeks.  At nearly £17 it's not a cheap book, but for an inexperienced teaching assistant faced with the job of making his or her first displays, or anyone who is not a displays "natural", it could be a lifeline.
Click the link below to order this book from Amazon
Belair On Display - The Essential Guide to Primary Display

"Eat up" is bad advice, say experts

Lunchtime staff should not make young children eat everything on their plate, say experts.

Advice from the Schools Food Trust and NHS agree that children should not be pressurised into clearing their plate.

The Schools Food Trust advises its member schools, "Younger children shouldn't always be expected to finish everything on their plate, and should be able to eat dessert even if they haven't finished their main course.

"Food should never be used as a punishment or a reward.

"Lunchtime supervisors and school cooks get to know about the likes and dislikes of individual children, and can vary portion sizes and the way food is presented to help."

Advice from the NHS "Live well" project warns parents not to try to force children to eat more than they want, even if they are underweight.

"Don’t insist that a child eats everything on their plate or criticise them when they don’t eat as much as you want. This turns mealtimes into a negative experience for the child."

The School Food Trust is also campaigning for school meal times to be a more relaxed and socialble time for children. It suggests extending the lunchtime break so children do not need to be rushed to finish their food, and also recommends that staff sit down to eat with children.

School Food Trust

Learning Support magazine closes

Issue 39 will be the last issue of Learning Support magazine. 

After more than six years, the professional magazine for teaching assistants is stopping publication.
Learning Support editor Frances Rickford (left) said, "It's  simply because we have lost advertising and we are not selling enough subscriptions to produce the magazine any more. We cut costs by going digital in the spring, but it hasn’t solved the problem."
 Learning Support will still be there to support teaching assistants, through  the website. As well as storing digital versions of all the back issues, learningsupport.co.uk will have more news and views, useful links, reviews and of course our forum, the Teaset, where TAs can meet and support each other.

Academies hit with support staff pensions bill

Schools which become academies are facing huge bills for support staff pensions.

The Local Government Pension Scheme, which most teaching assistants and other support staff belong to, is running at a deficit. This means the scheme does not have enough investments to cover future pension payments, because of share price falls.

When schools become academies, they have to take on a share of that shortfall. For some secondary schools, the bill could be as much as £800,000 according to the TES magazine.

Non teaching staff in academies, including newly appointed staff, have a right to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

The government published advice about these pension liabilities to schools on 10th October. But those which have already converted may be caught unawares.

Four out of ten disabled children live in poverty

Four out of ten disabled children are living in poverty according to the Children’s Society. 

Once the extra costs of their disability are taken into account, disabled children are more likely than others to be poor, and the situation will get worse under government plans to cut welfare support for disabled children.

4 in every 10

Pupil premium to go up

The extra money schools get for children on free school meals is to rise. 

The sum will increase by £58 per child to £488. The extra money has been released because fewer children than expected registered for free school meals this year.

Swings and roundabouts for school funding

Most schools will see their budgets fall in real terms over the next four years, but some will have more money says an economics think tank.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies says that overall education is facing the biggest cut since the 1950s, with early years, youth work and education for 16 to 19 year olds expected to take the biggest share of the cuts.
Because of the pupil premium, schools with a high proportion of children on free school meals will get more money, but the majority of school budgets will fall.
Read the report.

Summer-born children are disadvantaged right through school

Children born in summer are more likely to fall behind at school, says a big study.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15527145