eNewsWire

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uCertify exam preparation kit (PrepKit) is a software tool that gives you a unique learning platform. Each PrepKit comes with “Interactive Quizzes”, “How Tos”, “Flash cards”, “Exam Objectives”, and most importantly with a user-friendly interface to help you focus on learning the subject instead of spending the time on learning the software. 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.

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

The majority of parents admit they don’t know as much about their child’s day at school as they would like, according to a new Oh, Nothing Much report commissioned by Becta, the government agency for technology in learning, to support its Next Generation Learning campaign.

The survey of 1,000 children aged between seven and 14 years and 1,000 parents, reveals that 43% of parents admit they find it either difficult or very difficult to extract information from their child about their day at school.

Other key findings of the report include:
• A third of parents feel excluded by their children
• Only 16% of children proactively talk about school day
• Children admit they want to keep ‘hassling’ parents away from school life
• 82% of parents want schools to keep them better informed

Parents are not alone in facing this communication challenge: almost half of children (44%) don’t like sharing information with their parents they like to keep their school day private, and over a third (37%) of children say they find it quite or very difficult to speak to their parents about their education.

Tanya Byron, child psychologist, has been commissioned by Becta to explore the issue further and offer simple, practical solutions to help improve and enhance communications between parents, children and schools using technology in addition to more traditional methods.
According to Professor Byron, this inability or unwillingness for parent and child to communicate might have implications which will hamper a child’s progress, creating stress between the parent-child relationship and creating tension between parent and school as the packed school itinerary gets ‘lost in translation’.

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.

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.

Click this link for more information on Next Generation Learning, or contact Laurence Borel at Shiny Red:

laurence.borel@shinyred.co.uk/ 0207 520 9537

Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) prides itself in searching for the best possible tutors in order to deliver the best possible teaching and Anna Silverton is no exception.

Anna Silverton is a Course Team Leader for 3D Art & Design at WAES and an accomplished Ceramist who runs her own studio from home.

Her clients range from Doris Lockhart Saatchi and Sir Terence Conran. Anna has also enlisted a wide range of corporate clients who commission her to produce one off ceramic pieces. Previous clients include Butterfield Chapel, Covent Garden, London Meridian Hotel Piccadilly, Budapest
Four Seasons Hotel, Canary Wharf, London Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire
Radiance of the Sea, Caribbean Cruise Ship Sandy Lane, Barbados.

Anna has built up an elaborate collection of ceramic vases over the years receiving impressive coverage at exhibitions and in magazines including Elle Decoration. Currently some of her work is being exhibited at Contemporary Applied Arts Gallery in London.

“All my vases and bowls are wheel thrown. I like to interrupt and repeat structures, through cutting, joining and reshaping on the wheel, to discover new forms and hone them” says Anna.

Anna completed an
MA Degree (with commendation) at the Royal College of Art, from there she went on to teach Ceramics in America. When returning to the UK she naturally continued her teaching as a part time Ceramic tutor at WAES and then went onto becoming a Course Team Leader. Anna has been a tutor at WAES for over 15 years and thoroughly enjoys the experience.

“Teaching is incredibly satisfying and I absolutely love it, I’ve remained with WAES for so long as I’m passionate about the quality of teaching and the excellence of facilities. WAES excels on both those accounts as some of the equipment we use at WAES is equivalent to that of degree level.”

Anna’s experience at WAES has given her immense satisfaction, she has seen people fulfil their lifelong dreams and go onto achieve great things, at Universities or in their own studios.

Anna goes onto say that; “ Over the years there’s been a wide range of people taking ceramic courses at WAES, some are older learners with hobbies, people returning to study and broaden their horizons or sometimes professionals looking to increase their skills. Whatever their reason, background or ability I have never yet failed to teach anyone how to use potters wheel to make functional ceramics, I gain great pleasure from that.”

WAES was the first adult education to offer a glass course and is still the only adult education to offer kiln-formed glass. This coupled with the fact that WAES has some of the best quality tutors are the main reasons why students from all over London and beyond come to study at WAES.

For information on courses please call 020 7297 7297 or visit our website at www.waes.ac.uk

Plans to enable every child in England to have access to a computer and the internet at home took a step forward today with the announcement of the suppliers approved for the pilot phase.

The Home Access programme, which will be piloted in Oldham and Suffolk from February, aims to provide practical and financial support for low-income families to get online. Announced by the Prime Minister in September, it will target families with children aged 7-18 in full-time state-maintained education.

The Home Access programme forms part of Becta’s Next Generation Learning campaign, which promotes the best use of technology in learning (www.nextgenerationlearning.co.uk).

“There’s clear evidence to show that effective use of technology really does boost a child’s achievement,” said Becta Chief Executive Stephen Crowne. “We need to ensure that every child has an equal chance to tap into the benefits of the internet to support their learning at home.”

All families in the pilot areas will be able to buy all or some elements of approved Next Generation Learning @ Home packages. These consist of a computer, internet access, software and support services. Families eligible for financial help will get funding from a Home Access Grant scheme run by the local authority.

The packages will be provided by approved suppliers who have gone through an accreditation process run by Becta.

The following suppliers were awarded “approved supplier status” for the Home Access pilot phase:

* Centerprise International Ltd
* Positive IT Solutions
* RM Education plc
* Stone Computers Ltd
* XMA Ltd

Notes to editors:

Each supplier was assessed on their capability to deliver the Home Access package. They had to demonstrate a commercial understanding of the Home Access programme and how to meet the needs of the customer group, as well as their technical capability to provide a package in accordance with Becta’s published statement of requirements for Home Access packages.

The process included practical assessments of technical capability and an on-site assessment of business and quality processes.

About the Next Generation Learning Campaign – www.nextgenerationlearning.co.uk

The Next Generation Learning campaign will enable you to take charge and use technology to its full potential – if you’re a parent, it lets you get fully involved in your child’s education; if you’re a learner, it lets you learn how, when and where you want; and if you’re an employer, it helps you train your workforce efficiently and effectively.

Author:
Press Officer
Telephone: +44 (0)24 7679 7146
Email: press@becta.org.uk

The brand new Next Generation Learning campaign website is part of Becta’s ongoing goal of helping learners, educators and parents to make the most of technology in the learning environment.

Becta, the UK government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning, has launched a new Next Generation Learning website as a resource in finding out more about the exciting ways technology is already being used by some schools and organisations to improve engagement, motivation and results.

One example is the John Cabot Academy in Bristol, where sixth formers teach software designers some tricks of the trade, and where students are using their PSPs (PlayStation Portables) in PE lessons to see how their long jump techniques compare to the professionals.

The Next Generation Learning website includes a postcode school tracker where parents can find out which schools in their area are using technology effectively. These are the schools that are already using technology to a high standard and have received the prestigious ICT Mark.

Research indicates that ICT Mark accredited schools are four times more likely to be rated as outstanding in the overall effectiveness category of Ofsted inspection reports. Pupils at ICT Mark schools are also more likely to achieve better results.

“We know that technology significantly improves results, yet despite this, only one in five schools and colleges are making the most of its potential,” says Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta. “Our children, and all other learners, deserve a truly outstanding education and in the modern world this means we need all schools and learning providers to become effective and innovative users of technology.”

The Next Generation Learning campaign will enable you to take charge and use technology to its full potential – if you’re a parent, it lets you get fully involved in your child’s education; if you’re a learner, it lets you learn how, when and where you want; and if you’re an employer, it helps you train your workforce efficiently and effectively. For more information go to the Next Generation Learning website.