Write Path is an exciting Literacy event that takes place in October. The event started in 2008 and is organised by Bev Humphrey, an independent literacy and technology consultant. Schools who take part in the project will be able to take part in different writing activities, including an opportunity to complete stories that have been started by authors, special poetry day activities and awards to win.

There is a charge of £50 for participation but all schools that take part are sent a copy of the project’s specially published book that their students’ writing appears in. You can find out more about Write Path by visiting their Ning site or by contacting Bev by email. You can also get advice from those who have already taken part by browsing through the posts in the forum.

Over the Christmas break, I spent lots of time updating Teaching Events. If you’re not aware of the site, it is a place where you can find national and international events which can be used as starting points for your lessons. It also lists conferences, shows and other professional development events for teachers.

The updated site has lots of new features including a much larger main calendar which shows the events more clearly. I’m regularly adding new events, so let me know if you’re aware of an educational event that could be added to the site. If you would like an account to be able to add your own events, please get in touch!

Here are links to a selection of this week’s education news headlines:

• A review of special educational needs and disability by Ofsted revealed ‘a range of concerns about the current system and how well it is serving children and young people.’ Articles commenting on the findings appear on the BBC (here and here), Guardian and TES sites.
• Plans by the government to raise the bar for trainee teachers in England could worsen the shortage of science and maths teachers, according to a report by Buckingham University.
• An article on the BBC site tries to explain why parents struggle with new methods for teaching Maths.

Image – Finances

• A league table of universities shows that only 14 British universities appear in the top 100.
• A former government adviser has claimed that the exams system is ‘diseased’ with exam boards making profits through textbooks which hint at exam questions.
• Teaching unions are considering joint national strikes over public spending disputes.
• The Guardian are running a special event offering advice for schools teaching with technology on a tight budget.
• The School Library Commission says that good libraries are vital to successful schools and that their importance has been neglected.
• This Guardian article reports on the freedom that children are given in today’s society. What proportion of your pupils are allowed to walk to school on their own?
• This BBC video shows lessons in personal finance which are compulsory for all school children in Northern Ireland.

Visit Teaching Events to find educational events to use in your classroom.

The BBC’s School Report News Day takes place on Thursday 11th March. Is your school taking part?

For those who are new to the project, it aims to turn classrooms into newsrooms, giving children a chance to make the news. Pupils are given opportunities to make news reports about things that are important to them, through the radio, TV and online. You can find out more in this video which explains more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/school_report/

The BBC site has some useful links and resources for those planning to take part:

• Advice about getting ready for the day,
• Posters to decorate your newsroom,
• Reward certificates for those taking part.
• Suggestions for stories that the pupils could report on.
• A suggested timetable of activities.
• Lots of other resources for teachers.

The School Report site is an extremely useful resource for those taking part in the day, but lots of the content could also be used at other times of the year too.

Following on from yesterday’s post about The Little Book of Goodness, here’s another resource linked to food and healthy eating…

National School Meals Week is the biggest national healthy eating awareness week about school meals in Britain. It takes place from 9th to 13th November 2009 with the support of the School Food Trust and ASSIST FM. It encourages everyone to “Get Involved” in promoting healthy school dinners in Primary and Secondary Schools.

The NSMW site offers lots of ideas, resources and activities for schools to use during the week, and throughout the rest of the year too!