Thousands of children have returned to school for the new academic year to new-look menus. A range of healthier, more sustainable meat-free menu options have been introduced as part of the new School Plates programme launched by food awareness organisation ProVeg UK earlier this summer.

A total of 110 primary schools across two local authorities in England have been working on new menus in collaboration with ProVeg UK ahead of their launch this term. Changes include the adoption of Meat-Free Mondays, new daily meat-free meals, and new descriptions for the meat-free and plant-based dishes to make them even more appealing to the students. 

Bloomsbury, who publish a range of educational titles including SEND books, have very kindly put together this package of five titles which will come in handy for staff at mainstream or specialist schools. They are:

100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Supporting Students with Dyslexia, by Gavin Reid and Shannon Green (£14.99)

Do you need ready-to-use, fun and engaging ideas for supporting students with dyslexia in your classroom? Then look no further! Designed for busy secondary school teachers, this book is packed with tried-and-tested activities to integrate into your lesson plans that you can use straight away.

On Wednesday 12th September, Shaw Education Trust held a CREST Awards Ceremony to celebrate students’ achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Over the past academic year, students across the Trust have participated in a variety of British Science Association’s flagship programmes, helping to improve their understanding of, and develop a passion for, STEM subjects. 

Organiser of the event and Director of Science for the Trust, Dawn Platt, said: “We believe that learning through investigation and exploring is a key way in which all our students can enjoy, achieve and learn through science. 

“As a result we are here to celebrate the unique talents of all our students across all our schools with equal importance.” 

Children are taking up new sports this school year which is increasing the price of back to school as parents fork out for sports clothing and equipment, according to new research.

A survey of more than 7,600 UK adults published by Decathlon in the Decathlon Activity Index 2018, shows that parents spend £54 on average on sports clothing and equipment per child, ahead of the new school year.

In fact, 86% of those surveyed said that their keen kids will take up a new sport this year at school.

The research shows how the cost correlates to the amount of sport kids take up, with children picking up three sports on average per school year.

With children across Stockport now back at school for over a week, the chances are that many parents are already dealing with new-term bugs, sniffles and germs.

And even though it is simple advice, one of the easiest ways to reduce the chances of your child and family picking up any germs is for everyone to practice good hand hygiene.

Councillor Tom McGee, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, said: “As your children start school for the first time, or return to school, they’ll come into contact with new children, and therefore new germs.

A group of young people were given the opportunity of an exclusive behind the scenes tour at Palace House National Heritage Centre along with a work experience challenge this summer, in partnership with local education charity Inspire Suffolk and national youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

Redway Networks popular “Win Big” competition is back for 2018 and is bigger and better than ever! They have teamed up with Aerohive to bring you their new 802.11ax wireless technology for your education institution. This fantastic 802.11ax wireless solution is worth over £20,000! And will ensure that you are one of the first institutions with this solution, providing the very best in connectivity and mobility for your students.

Elmwood School in Bridgwater has today received a Variety Sunshine Coach donated by award-winning developer Crest Nicholson.

In conjunction with Crest Nicholson’s official charity partner Variety, a children’s charity that carries out vital work to support and improve the lives of young people across the UK, the donation will see a specially-adapted Sunshine Coach replace the Elmwood School’s old minibus.

Half of people wish they could take up their favorite hobby as a full time job, according to new research.  

A survey of 1,000 people, carried out by Europe’s number one sports retailer, Decathlon, found that 50% of workers would like to turn their hobby into a career, with 23% more passionate about their hobby than their current profession.

The majority of people (30%) would want to turn their passion of caring for animals or children into a paying career. Sports is another popular choice with 27% wanting to pursue a career in an outdoor pursuit like camping, 25% a team sport like football, cricket or rugby and 24% an individual sport like tennis, golf, cycling or swimming. 

The behaviour of pupils in class has been proven to have a direct link to their educational outcomes. Here, Lyn Hamblin, former Leader of Student Personal Development and Wellbeing at St Albans Girls’ School and current Regional Director for Supply Desk Ltd, discusses the importance of helping children build their emotional intelligence skills as part of teachers’ approach to behaviour management…

Behaviour can affect learning