eNewsWire

At the House of Commons, Westminster, 25 November 2009, the International Association of Book-Keepers (IAB) announced the winners of its latest Top Centre Awards, which recognise the top IAB centres. Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) was awarded the top centre prize for Level 1 Certificate in Computerised Book-keeping.

The Awards acknowledge the ultimate achievement of particular IAB Accredited Centres – enabling a greater proportion of their students to pass an IAB examination than any other Centre.  These Awards celebrate their achievements in the June 2009 IAB examination session. Read more…

Oscar winner musician A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Middlesex University of United Kingdom (UK), focusing on blending Asian and Western music styles.

With this MOU between A.R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory in Chennai (India) and Middlesex University, both the organizations agreed to explore the possibilities for collaboration in music and education and it aims at educational collaboration between India and UK. Both the institutions are reportedly looking at offering a collaborative three year music program. Rahman has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by this University. Read more…

Newbury Park, California (June 2009) Teachers everywhere are facing unprecedented layoffs. In fact according to the Associated Press, The National Education Association estimates that some 34,000 teaching jobs will be eliminated this year alone with California facing the largest loss of nearly 18,000 teachers. It’s a frightening statistic, however, fortunately unlike many careers where employees are left with few options, teachers can utilize their previous experience to find stable income. In fact, many are finding that they can make even more money than before. By simply utilizing their vast educational experiences, teachers are able to start their own business – A Home Tutoring Business.

Laurie Hurley, the president of Home Tutoring Business, has been helping entrepreneurs start their own home tutoring business since 2005. To date, over 110 new entrepreneurs have utilized Hurley’s proven business model to start their own business. What makes Hurley’s program different is that unlike a costly franchise, wherein the buyer shares their income and pays royalties monthly, Home Tutoring Business provides all the necessary tools a business owner needs including a complete website, customized accounting software program, marketing and advertising materials, a 186-page manual and ongoing support through mentoring and consultation. All of this can be obtained at a price significantly lower than the thousands of dollars required by most tutoring franchises. And, in today’s economy, an affordable option to owning one’s own business is extremely attractive and attainable. Read more…

Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) is celebrating the publication of its Ofsted inspection report after being awarded a Good: Grade 2 overall.

During the week commencing 11 May 2009, the service was inspected by Ofsted, the government department responsible for setting and monitoring standards in education. The purpose of the inspection was to assess the quality of education provision for adults provided by WAES, and to consider the effectiveness of the service along with its capacity to improve. The inspection also assessed the service for leadership and management and quality assurance procedures. Read more…

HSBC is providing £120,000 in university bursaries to help four promising students realise their potential and make the most of their time at university.

The bursaries will be awarded to the four students in November 2009, with £10,000 made available every year for three years. To enter, students1 need to complete a short online application2 explaining why they chose their degree and how they plan to use the funding. Read more…

Hindus and Jews have hailed Warwickshire Police of United Kingdom for organizing first “Family Day of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History and Culture”, to be held on June 27.

Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement in Nevada today, said that this might appear to be a small step but it was a big step forward for the British society as Roma-Traveller-Gypsy communities had been living in apartheid like conditions for many centuries in Europe. Read more…

Elizabeth-Ann Murphy gained her first job in nineteen years after studying several Childcare courses at Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES).

“I was so proud of both my sons and I just wanted them to be proud of me”, with that in mind Elizabeth-Ann Murphy decided to turn her life around and embarked upon pursuing a career in childcare.

Elizabeth-Ann, a single mum who has lived in Westminster all her life endured tremendous hardship and has overcome many struggles in her life. She left school at sixteen and worked in retail for many years until she had her son. Since then, she hasn’t worked in nineteen years and over the years had lost complete confidence in herself and abilities.

She had always heard about courses offered at WAES but never anticipated she would be studying on one of them. With much hesitation, she built up the courage and made the leap to come into the Amberley Road Centre and enrol onto a Level1 Childcare course.

After successfully completing the course, she not only gained a qualification but also gained a boost in confidence which lead her to study Level 2 in Childcare. Once she had successfully completed Level 2, her tutor suggested she progress further onto the Level 3 Diploma in Childcare. Elizabeth-Ann laughed at the very suggestion and dismissed it because she never thought she’d be capable of achieving a Diploma. But with continued support from her tutor she decided to take on the challenge and is now well on her way to completing the course. As a direct result of studying at WAES, she was able to secure her first job in nineteen years.

“I have loved every aspect of studying at WAES; it’s such a warm and welcoming place. It has equipped me with the skills and much more importantly with the self confidence I yearned and needed in order to move my life forward and secure a job

I was so frightened of the prospect of taking on a job after 19 years of not working but with the encouragement of my sons I just thought we all have to let go of the umbilical cord someday and when the opportunity arouse I grabbed it with both hands,” says Elizabeth-Ann.

Elizabeth-Ann has much to look forward to with a new found career in childcare and her childcare graduation ceremony in July where she will be awarded her Diploma certificate by her long-term inspiration, Constance Briscoe; first black female judge in the UK and author. Read more…

Residents in South Westminster experienced a fun filled day at the Westminster Boating Base on Monday 30th March. With a host of taster sessions on offer from Yoga to drawing, Silk Painting to ESOL advice there was something for everyone.

Westminster resident Christina Barker came along with her three year old daughter Lucy to take part in the drawing and family workshop. She says; “I think the workshops were very enjoyable, I’ve attended a few other WAES family workshops in the past and found them to be very good”.

Fred Simpson an elderly resident living on the Churchill Gardens Estate in South Westminster said; “ When I found out about the Open Day I thought I’d come along and try the Silk Painting, I’ve made some lovely greeting cards – it’s been very interesting”.

The Open Day was organised by Ann Tucker, Community Partnership Worker at WAES who worked tirelessly on trying to arrange a venue for the event. Ann said; “Westminster Boating Base is a great location. Hopefully the Open Day would have enabled people get a taste of the range of courses we offer at WAES”.

The Open Day was apart of continuing efforts by WAES to offer classes in the community and build partnerships with local organisations in order to deliver a more cohesive and accessible form of learning for everyone in the community.

Magdoline Abdulla, a Sudanese mother of three escaped a life of turmoil in her native country and has been living in the UK for over three years. Not being able to speak a word of English, Magdoline built up the courage and enrolled onto an ESOL course at Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES). This decision has changed her life.

Magdoline says; “ it’s so important for me to learn and improve my English as it will mean that I can do simple things like take my children to the doctors and go to school meetings”

Arriving in a new country was very scary and daunting for Magdoline but learning to speak English at WAES and receiving tremendous support from her tutors has given her enormous confidence and the ability to look into the future with great optimism.

Magadoline is currently studying the ESOL Upper Intermediate and the CLAIT Introduction to Computing course at WAES and her long-term goal is to secure a job in childcare. Read more…

Lack of after-school communication leads nearly a third (31%) of parents to feel ‘excluded’ which can then lead them to ‘hassle’ their children for information, according to a report commissioned by Becta, to support its Next Generation Learning campaign.

Professor Tanya Byron, child psychologist, who has been commissioned by Becta to explore the issue further offers simple, practical solutions to help improve and enhance communications between parents and children.

Professor Byron’s anxiety management tips for parents include:

• Ask both open and closed questions, noting which method encourages more information from your children.
• Alter the times you ask your children about their school day to find which time they are most open and honest – is it on the walk home from school / over the dinner table / before bed?
• Try talking about your own experiences at school to see if this prompts your children to be more forthcoming about their own day at school
• Experiment with different and creative communication styles including storytelling and note effectiveness
• Get your child to start a diary entitled ‘My Week at School – The Good, The Bad & The Funny’ to encourage your child to give you an overview of what has happened at school during the week
• Ask your child about their day whilst they’re doing an activity they enjoy e.g. playing on the Wii, in the bath, at mealtimes or before bedtime

Technology Matters

For over ten years, Becta has been leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning. The benefits of technology in schools are two-fold: making lessons and learning more enjoyable and successful, whilst also keeping parents better informed and involved with their child’s learning.

If your child’s school is engaging with you through technology, you should be able to:
• keep track of your children’s work, curriculum and homework assignments
• view their reports, attendance records and grades at any time of day that suits you
• keep in touch with teachers and other staff via email and text messaging

Becta’s Next Generation Learning campaign is urging parents to talk to their child’s school to find out how technology is already being used and also discuss ways it can help improve day-to-day communications between them and the school in the future.

For more information, click here or contact Laurence Borel at Shiny Red:
laurence.borel@shinyred.co.uk/ 0207 520 9537