How Does Education Help or Hinder the Road to Success of a Chief Executive: Chapter 2.

The continuing series of memories by Bill Whiting retired Chief Executive of B&Q. He reflects on his school days, the teaching resources and educational values learnt or missed that influenced his rise to top level management in a global operation.

 When I was Chief Executive of B&Q, I was asked by a business school if I could help them out with a project. They were inviting a series of people to give a talk entitled “The secrets of my success.”

The programme was to run for a number of weeks and the idea was that each week someone who was deemed to have reached the higher echelons of the business world would explain the main reasons behind their achievements in climbing the corporate ladder. Thus students would be given helpful insights to help them fulfil their ambitions.

I thought about this for a few moments and then said: “You know, I don’t think I can help you there. I haven’t really got a clue myself. I think I might have just got lucky.”Bill Whiting.


Chapter 2

The most painful caner of all, however, was the headmaster, ‘Baldy’ Adams. Baldy was a short, stocky man who would have won any Nikita Khrushchev lookalike competition and who seemed to have much else besides in common with Soviet dictators.


He was a prolific caner and I recall two contrasting occasions where this was demonstrated.
One day, for reason perhaps of a teacher absence, Baldy was taking our class when he had cause to admonish Neil Shields for some very minor offence. I’m not sure what exactly it was, but suspect that Neil had given Baldy a ‘wrong’ look.
“Get out here boy.” Baldy barked - and Neil duly rose and walked sheepishly to the front of the class where Baldy demanded he bend over.
Neil then put on an Oscar winning performance of total innocence in the face of profound injustice. Slightly bowed and with an anguished and flushed face he shook his head in disbelief and said “But why Sir? Why? I haven’t done anything.”
We all looked on and froze. Oliver had just asked for more in the workhouse.
“Of course not boy.” Baldy retorted, quick as a flash. “I always cane boys for doing nothing. Bend over!”
This was of course a master stroke from a man with total power and who could not only cane boys, but also had no need to explain why. Neil could provide no answer to the wonderfully closed nature of Baldy’s statement and so took a severe whack and struggled not to weep as he returned to his desk rubbing his buttocks.
Afterwards Neil told us he really had done nothing, but we suspected the truth was that after being told off he’d given Baldy a look which fell slightly short of fear-fuelled humility. Thus, strictly within the context of the prevailing rules, we all thought that Baldy was most probably entirely justified.
At the other end of the rule breaking scale, one day a robust lad called Robbo actually punched a teacher. This was the school equivalent of an inmate attacking a guard in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. It called not only for a minimum of six strokes, but even worse, the punishment had to be carried out in a fairly rare and frightening ritual manner.
At the end of morning assembly, with all pupils and teachers gathered in the hall, Baldy called Robbo up onto the raised stage. No mention was made of the crime or the prescribed punishment. Perhaps this was simply because everyone knew anyway – or maybe it was just Baldy’s way of demonstrating again that he had no need to justify his actions.
Robbo bent over in full view of a hushed school. Baldy picked up his cane. The hated Jap was all set to behead the prisoner.
Robbo took six strokes and they resonated loudly as Baldy clearly put all his strength into their delivery.
But for all Baldy’s efforts it was a triumph for Robbo. He did not cry out or weep at all – and he later showed off his very severely bruised arse to at least a hundred of us. Robbo’s reputation soared and he secured a legendary place in the school’s most prestigious though strictly unofficial list of war heroes.
Although punching a teacher was a dire offence, it was perfectly okay for boys to punch each other and fights frequently broke out in the playground. A cry of ‘scrap’ quickly attracted a big audience. If it went on for more than a few minutes, the fight would be broken up by a teacher, but otherwise it would be left to fizzle out on its own.
 I presume fighting was expected of boys and it was tolerated - in rather the same way that we can observe a large gathering of chimpanzees shown on one of those TV nature programmes. The older chimps step in only if the fight amongst juveniles becomes inconvenient in some way to them.
In a similar vein, it was perfectly okay for older boys to piss on new entrants to the school – though only in close proximity to the toilet wall.
The toilets in the playground featured a brick wall, maybe about five feet tall, with a long urinal on one side and playground on the other. Young boys can project pee a very long way indeed and many could spray it right over the toilet wall. Many new boys would be pissed upon as a result. And then, after a few days familiarisation, the playground side of the wall would resume its curiously empty appearance in that otherwise crowded and bustling space.
However, the greatest moments for us came when we could ‘get at’ teachers without punishment and the fact that all such opportunities were taken enthusiastically perhaps justified in some way the rather brutal disciplinary regime the teachers normally exercised.
Certainly, any weak teachers would be exploited without exception – and one such was a young science teacher at Stamford Road.
Like all teachers he would regularly throw out questions to the class, hands would be eagerly raised and someone chosen to answer. But one day, we hatched a plot whereby no-one would appear to be able to answer any question.
To achieve this, we first had to ensure compliance from our meeker brethren – and especially that of ‘Crawler Arch’ who was programmed to live on teacher approval. All pupils were informed that anyone answering a question in the class would be ‘got’ at playtime - and for extra security someone was posted behind Crawler with a clenched fist.
It was a chemistry lesson and the expected questions were duly asked; “What gas is needed to make something burn?” and so on. But on each occasion we all gave pained and puzzled expressions, ‘ummed and erred’ out loud and scratched our heads.
The questions got easier as the teacher sought to overcome the problem. Then finally, he took a glass tumbler and poured some water from a tap into it. He held the water up and said “What’s this?”  Again we all displayed very visible and audible signs of mental stress – and this time he broke. He threw the full glass into the sink and smashed it and cursed.
Teacher 0 – Boys 1
Another great favourite of ours was Joe Wilde, our religious knowledge teacher, commonly known as ‘Holy Joe’. Joe was a very fat man with a booming preacher’s voice and a rather theatrical manner. Perhaps true to his faith, he did not cane or hit boys or even hurl blackboard rubbers at them. However, as Christian martyrs before him had also found, entering the lion’s den without a whip, was asking for trouble.
Our best ruse with Joe was to go to the wrong room for his lesson. Joe was not a full time teacher at the school and so he always used whichever room happened to be scheduled as spare or vacant when he was due to work. But if Room 2a was designated for Joe’s lesson we would find another empty one and wait for him there - with a prepared deceitful claim that we thought this other room was the correct one.
After quite some time he would find us and enter the room in something of a rage. “You young sinners!” he boomed.
Teacher 0 – Boys 1
But the greatest victory we scored was against our greatest adversary, Baldy. ( to be continued next week in chapter 3; Bill meets Baldy head on.)

Teaching Resources Come Home To Ruth

The lifestyle of any busy mum can impact on the schooling of children. Ruth Kelly, Minister for Transport, and ex Educational Secretary packs in parliament to give more support to her children.

Every mother suffers from guilt! It’s natural, goes with the job, is very difficult to overcome and causes considerable angst. Fathers as a rule, preoccupied with their latest bout of man flu do not suffer from this syndrome quite so much. Ironically a father’s contribution to support a child’s schooling can have a dramatic effect. This is in addition to any conventional help with their child’s homework. It is all about spending regular quality time with children and having educational fun. At least it should be the essential bedtime story, and ideally extended to give support through maths games, literacy, ICT games and science games to cover the curriculum where any problem exists or where their child just wants to have some support or fun with Mum and Dad. These educational games - used in school are designed to improve understanding through fun games that can turn the classroom lessons into practice at home.

The advent of computer games and online services add a significant new dimension to the range of educational games now available. Even the bedtime story can be accessed online where animated reading resources add entertainment in developing reading skills.

Why then has Ruth Kelly, the ex Secretary for Education and high flying cabinet minister, quit her post to devote herself to her children and their schooling. A courageous move, yet the undertone raises concern. Is the modern pace of life, ideals and social environment at odds with raising children? Are parents becoming distant from the bosom of their family? Long hours, pressure of work and stress take their toll on the relationships at home and children often miss out.

If the hugely resourceful ex Minister of Education sees such a flaw in the system that can only be resolved by leaving a focal role in government, is this a condemnation of our schooling system? Is there a disconnect between the state educational provision, the needs of industry and commerce coupled to a modern lifestyle.

Clearly the state education system is not firing on all cylinders. Billions spent in the UK, and likewise in the USA and Australia (the problem has international dimensions) have failed to improve standards in literacy or numeracy. Yet this is 2008 and these are first world countries who excel in many areas, banking accepted, so why are we falling short of our standards in school? In this age of extraordinary technical achievement, rapid communications where we can text or email virtually anyone in the world in seconds, do we fall behind in basics of effective schooling?

Perhaps Ruth Kelly has the answer. It lies at home. Instead of abandoning our children when they go to school maybe parents, both mum and dad, should be coerced into providing a minimum period of schooling time with their children. This could be measured and even incentivised through some payment or tax relief. The substantial effect of parental support in the schooling process could be supported through the educational budget. But would this work ? Research in the UK and USA show the 80% of a child’s academic success of relies in what parents do with their children at home.

I imagine that Ruth Kelly also spotted this fact. As an ex minister for education and parliamentary high flyer perhaps she should be given a new role as minister for home educational support - working from home of course.

Alistair Owens Keen2learn

Can't Read Can't Write TV Shocker Reveals Teaching Resources Opportunity

he new TV documentary highlights the dilemma. Accepting the inevitable slant TV puts on many programmes to add drama, last night’s docudrama featuring a group of nine mature and illiterate students was still shocking.

The reality of this staggering statistic is a body blow to the educational standards in the UK. We still fail to provide the very basics of education to all our children. The TV teacher chosen to lead the recovery demonstrated passion and commitment to the role. But worryingly he was at considerable odds with the teaching resources he was advised to use. If the reading support, including worksheets and procedures developed by the hierarchy were regarded by the teacher as complex, arduous and missing the point what hope is there it will work.

The slightly over emotional teacher, previously a musician, admitted he had never taught anybody to read in his life. Initially he seemed a strange appointment but his direct approach proved the skill of a good teacher can outweigh a multitude of ring binders of arduous theory. His novel approach using educational games supported his passion in the role that started to break through decades of frustration and neglect. Turning reading support into fun and providing one to one support has started to overcome the many reasons for the student’s illiteracy, epitomising what good teaching is all about. Once the inertia is overcome we can expect rapid progress.

Each of the nine students had been failed by the initial schooling process. They had suffered the law of averages, inevitably casting students operating at the bottom of the class into the inevitable realm of exclusion from the lesson. The point emphasized by the illiterate plumber set word search puzzles at school and sent home at midday.

Teachers facing the constant pressure of attaining academic targets are bound to focus on the average and brighter student to boost the score. In place of spending vast sums of money on complex procedures maybe we need to listen more closely to the operational experience of teachers. Investing in a policy where no student should leave primary school whilst failing in literacy or numeracy would deal with the problem at source. This perhaps brutal approach should receive vital direct funding where it will help give all children the best chance to thrive academically in secondary school. The “Every Child a Reader” literacy scheme introduced by the government has to be a prerequisite in any target judgement.

The sterling work completed by the reading support organisations such as the “Volunteer Reading Help” ( primary schools ) and “Reading Matters”(secondary schools) provide 1:1 support to struggling readers in school. Both are registered charities and reliant on volunteers. Should government funding be extended to develop the services offered by these groups? A greater number of trained volunteers to help teachers in more schools and perhaps adult classes can only help - provided they do not loose their independence.

The TV program’s refreshing angle showed the element of fun through reading games overcame many of the issues faced by the students, and that illiteracy is not down to a single cause. The musical introduction to reading skills introduced enjoyment to the process that seemed adequately to displace the complex procedures. But learning to read through English games involves teaching phonics - the sound of words - ironically where the “ph” of phonics is of course pronounced as “f” which is where we came in!

Fractions, Decimals and Percentages Are Just Coded Maths Games

Fractions, Decimals and Percentages Are Just Coded Maths Games

I always found math to be a difficult subject to learn at school. I put most of my failing down to the fact I sat too close to an old fashioned pot-bellied stove. This provided a great source of warmth but also destroyed my concentration. At least I learnt to spell soporific in a written defence during a subsequent detention, but the absence of maths sense slowed the learning curve for some years. Maths was always a struggle; the pot bellied stove inflicted collateral damage but I believe the real culprit was the boring way maths was taught.

Mathematics can be described as a series of fantastic codes. Once they are broken the maths games that can be played are endless and enjoyable. The modern technique of using educational games as the base makes life far more interesting and pays dividends in the attention paid by the average child. It also allows parents to repeat say a maths game at home

Like many things in life once a code is understood the task becomes far easier. This is the case when we come across a new computer program. Initially it is hard work and intuition fights with or against the operating manual. Once mastered a host of shortcuts and shortcomings are revealed and in no time our learning curve overtakes the computer and we start to identify areas where the program could be improved.

A recent example of breaking a mathematics code appeared in the form of the crop circle in the south of England. The intricate pattern that was pressed into a wheat field at first sight appeared as just another artistic pattern in a crop circle. In reality it was a complex diagram that an astrophysicist decoded to reveal its meaning as a fantastic way to represent the value of pi to the first 10 significant places. Guaranteed 99% of us who looked at the crop circle failed to understand that it was a mathematics code rather than a decorative pattern. Obviously the perpetrator knew what he was doing and set this elaborate game to challenge mathematicians. Once the code was broken the answer was obvious.

Leonardo Da Vinci was artist and a great mathematician who used codes to set out his theories. Used by subsequent generations of scholars even today they provide educational games that require ingenuity to crack the code. Some areas of maths have a number of different ways of expressing the same information. Fractions and percentages express similar information in slightly different form. This feature allows us to mask the details by expressing facts in a form of code.

Recently Ed balls, the schools Secretary in the UK, announced that two fifths of all secondary schools are underperforming. He could of course have said that 40 per cent of all schools are failing which conjures up a much bigger image. Expressing the number of schools as a fraction is code to mask the actual hard fact. He could have just also revealed the actual number, but to say that 638 schools are failing would come as quite a shock to parents of the children involved. More startling perhaps would be an announcement that there are around 1,215,000 children at these 638 schools many of whom are potentially failing at maths. That’s a much bigger number than we might associate with two fifths! Codes are designed to initially hide or abbreviate the facts. Mr Balls could be said to be masking the facts, but he has only been in the job for a few months. Let’s hope he can quickly crack the code to improve the educational performance of future generations of children in the UK.

Learning To Read Hidden In Educational Games

Learning to read; the essential foundation of all learning doesn’t come easy to all of us. But the onset of broadband technology has provided a fantastic new reading support opportunity that helps children to learn to read. Stories in the classroom and bedtime stores at home take on a wonderful extra dimension.

When I was a lad a few years ago, I won’t mention the year as I don’t want you to be able to work out that I’m 59 (doh!) I went to one of the first comprehensive schools in the UK. This leviathan, based in the exquisite surroundings of Holland Park in London caused considerable angst. Local residents were aghast at construction in their very nice backyard; parents were in awe that their children could be taught in what was considered to be a learning factory. Children were phased by it’s vast size. Educationalists oscillated between the boundaries of visionary and crazy. London County Council the education authority ( as it was then) stood firm, the Head teacher stood firm, the children quivered.

At 11 years old, fresh from a small and very personal primary school about 5 miles away, I crept through the gates into the bewildering new world that was Holland Park. Home to 3000 souls, four huge multi story teaching blocks, four gymnasiums, a swimming pool and a vast central auditorium that could hold the entire school. Class size ballooned to 48 pupils comprised of five ability steams from A to E with two classes per stream per year and a different teacher for every subject. The concept needed considerable adjustment to both pupils and staff. The battalion of teachers required, many lasting a term, some not, meant teaching continuity was fragmented. Our music teacher shot himself playing Russian Roulette, thankfully off the premises. His death did little to improve the averages.

Welcome to my baptism in secondary schooling and my excuse for being an initial struggling reader and academic pariah. Anyway it’s better then owing up to any possibility that it could just be me.

See the full article by Alistair Owens

Schools Reading Support Service

Reading Matters was established in Leeds in 1997 as a training and volunteer network. Based in Bradford, West Yorkshire as a registered charity not-for-profit social enterprise, Reading Matters recruit, train and place volunteers in secondary schools to work as Reading Mentors. Here they work using reading support materials on a one-to-one basis with children who are struggling with their reading.

Reading is a basic life skill that most people take for granted. Imagine for a moment you cannot read the instructions on a bottle of prescription medicine or that you find it difficult to read the job adverts in the local paper. In the UK today an estimated 5 million adults do not meet this basic standard of literacy.

It is vital that children are encouraged to become competent readers in order to benefit from secondary education. Reading Matters offers a range of tried and tested interventions and training programmes that can have a direct impact on this statistic.

The Reading Matters training course for Reading mentors includes:

• understanding of why some young people struggle to read confidently
  

• practical techniques to help support reading
  

• guidance on choosing books, games and other resources to motivate the reluctant reader
  

Reading Matters has linked to Keen2learn to provide logistics support with a selection of key resources to encourage reluctant readers. Selected from the market leaders suppliers the reading resources comprise of reading games, special books developed for reluctant readers and an on-line reading service MightyBook.

To see the full report see Reading Support at keen2learn

Self Esteem Learning for Children

It’s off to school; hat, coat, school books, dinner money and a great slice of trepidation are ready. Our ability to learn may be linked to intelligence and concentration, but the greatest influence is the feeling of well-being. Self Esteem plays a critical role in commitment and our ability to excel.

So what influences our feeling of self esteem? Clearly as a significant function it needs careful analysis and nurturing to ensure the optimum condition prevails. We need to understand where we can support those who would benefit from this attention and in what form.

The annual performance appraisal in adult circumstances can be extremely rewarding for both parties if used properly. Equally it can be disruptive if misused as the opportunity to castigate and focus on the negatives elements of performance. I am a great believer in the need for continuous appraisal. It takes the sting out of a situation, provides immediate beneficial feedback allowing corrective or progressive actions to be taken promptly.

Storing problems merely to coincide with an appraisal is a total waste of the opportunity to encourage an individual to develop. Schoolchildren need a regular check more than ever up to reassure, encourage and provide positive corrective support. Yet this element is predominately overlooked. “How was it at school today” is hardly an approach that will reveal the full facts. A child with low self esteem may miss the opportunity to open up preferring anonymity than having to explain their feelings.

The skill is to overcome any reluctance for a child to open up. How often have we heard of incidents of a child being bullied at school that has gone unmentioned or a child struggling in lessons which only came to light in the end of term or annual report? Low self esteem has a self destruct element. Careful and progressive handling is required to nurture a positive response that can make the world of difference. Lessons become enjoyable personalities develop, general outlook and demeanour develops a positive theme and individuals become less of a target with bullies.

There a number of books and games developed to encourage positive self esteem. Possibly one of the best is the range developed by two sisters, both mothers who are passionate about children feeling good. With backgrounds in Psychology, complimentary therapy, counselling and Art and Design the sisters put their skills together to design and produce a fun, educational range of products including board games, books, relaxation CD’s and positive affirmation cards.

The range developed as educational games features four fun, funky, multi cultural characters called the Feel Good Friends who help children in different ways to gain confidence and self esteem. The range teaches children about feelings, emotions, empathy, kindness, sharing and caring and helps to change negative beliefs into positive beliefs. Most importantly children get to explore their feelings and emotions in a fun, safe way.

The products are popular with Parents, Teachers, Foster Carers, Social workers, play therapists, members of the Children and Family Court Service and other professionals working with children.

Since launching in 2006 Feel Good Friends have won business awards and a community Impact award. The Feel Good Faces board game was short listed for the UK TES and NASEN Inclusive Resource for Primary Classrooms Award as well as being highly recommended at the Toy Awards 2007

Are Parents, Children or Schools Responsible For Failing Exams?

The trepidation of waiting for the annual exam results does not just apply to school children. At the moment parents are discovering if they have been successful in their application for their child's place in a preferred school. Naturally we regard the performance of a school is entirely due to the skill of the teaching team, but one of the greatest influences in the teaching environment is the effect parents have in the performance.

Changes in the social environment, and the assumed responsibilities of families have evolved over the years. Many schools cite increasing pressure and workload from dealing with issues that have been abandoned by the family. Discipline seems to be the greatest concern, creating problems with the control of the classroom and a challenge to authority. Hardly conducive to a focus on learning and inevitably the prerequisite to a dysfunctional adult life for the child involved.

The schools best able to cope have retained a level of control and a teaching team that achieved good results for the children. No surprise that these schools are much sought after and strive to maintain their position in the league tables. But they suffer from their own success as a proportion of parents have been resorted to lie and cheat to meet the entrance criteria. Unbounded by any social responsibility this regrettable activity hardly sets the ideal role model for their children and wastes valuable resource in its detection.

Around 240,000 children fail to get into the school of their choice each year so it is easy to see the temptation to manipulate the application details and accept that some parents would feel they had failed if they did not. It’s a double edged sword. But now more grist to the mill; figures announced in May 08 reveal 24,000 teachers are classed as failing and should not be in the job, up from the 17,000 assessed as failing last year. At 5% they are a small percentage of the c.450,000 full time equivalent teachers in the UK but lets say the figures are still understated by 20% and really there are 28,800 failing teachers. The outcome is staggering as these failing teachers are involved in teaching children who are subsequently penalised. The average class size is 30 thus 720,000 children suffer as a consequent but this assumes the poor teachers only handle a single class. In reality they handle several classes at secondary level. Let’s assume five classes and the resultant number of children disadvantaged reaches a staggering 3,600,000. Doesn’t bear thinking about, but what are schools doing about it? The procedure to remove a poor teacher is so arduous that many schools have taken the alternative route to persuade them to move on to another school merely recycling the problem. So can we really criticize parents wanting to get their children into the better schools.

The ideal outcome would be the appearance of a greater number of good schools and the allocation of greater involvement of parents in the schooling process throughout their child’s attendance at school. This would swell the teaching numbers with an auxiliary team drawn from the 7.4 million households with school aged children. Suddenly the teaching capacity of the UK is swelled by a huge reserve that can only benefit our children. Parenting issues that clutter the school can be effectively redirected and schools allowed to focus on academic content. Modern teaching resources used in class to support lessons are predominately educational games. These are ideal to replicate the lesson content at home as practice. All we need now is the coordination of this massive resource, at least it will help compensate for a child failing to gain entry to a preferred school, being taught by a failing teacher, or a school cluttered by social burdens

You can see an example of the educational games and teaching resources used in school .

From Couch to Coach

From Couch to Coach

The biggest concern of most parents as their child goes to school is how are they are going to cope. Suddenly you are reliant on third parties to handle a crucial role that could influence the entire future for your child. The intimate bond with your child is interrupted; your omnipresence substituted for a class of around 30 children of mixed ability, and a school teacher who is frequently overworked, stressed, seeking alternative employment or early retirement. Hardly conducive to a relaxed state of mind, but there is an extremely practical role parents can take to support their child and teacher.

The teaching resources used at school are carefully selected as part of the lesson plans, mainly taking the form of educational games or educational toys they have the significant advantage of being equally valuable as learning resources for use at home.

A search of the web reveals the range of fun based interactive learning games available on-line. These can be used to support the early years as a primary classroom resource through to the finals in high school. Children being able to play for example a constructive maths game at home benefit significantly from the opportunity to practice the school lesson with their parents. This

family approach to learning maintains the involvement of parents in any number of lessons using educational games, toys, educational software and puzzles.

The link between home and school becomes dynamic rather than a once a term or an annual event, and playing the games at home reveals the progress being made in English, math, science, reading, history and geography far better than a couple of sentences in the end of term report. The regular content check by parents using a game provides a map where help is needed and a search of the web for educational games reveals the teaching tools available.

Practice helps learning retention, building the bedrock that provides encouragement, enthusiasm and knowledge back in the classroom. The additional teacher resource that emerges provides a multimedia approach to learning. This can positively modify the engagement towards their studies that can alter a child's perception of learning. Being regarded as fun generates a natural interest from children. Using educational toys and interactive games provides the chance for children to excel. The chance to beat parents, siblings and peers is far more enjoyable that the chore of conventional homework. Studies become more enjoyable and

progress at school benefits from the increased team strength of child, parent and teacher. Governments in many countries are concerned at the lack of material progress in schooling standards. Maths and literacy in the west display declining trends despite huge corrective investment over the past 10 to 20 years. Yet in the Far East educational standards are improving. The key is the different approach from parents; in the east they see it as their duty to maintain a level of active involvement. The outcome is a substantial improvement in exam results compared to the UK., and the USA.

Transformimg Maths From a Chore to a Challenge

A well proven fact states if you fire the imagination of children you also gain their attention – an essential ingredient towards efficient learning. A school in Nottingham in the UK has proven the point by adopting a central Harry Potter theme to lessons.

Maths has adopted a series of spells and codes to enthral and encourage. Science has included “Herbology” as a new theme, and teachers have been dressing up to set the scene. It proves that education can be fun, and fun can be highly educational. By turning lessons into games much of the resistance to learning is removed and the results prove the effort to be well rewarded. Pupils at the Robert Mellors school in Nottingham have moved from the bottom 25% to the top 25% of schools in England in just three years.

A clear case of “Learning in Disguise”; Dona Chambers, the Headteacher said “They don’t realise we are ticking boxes in the National Curriculum during the games. It has had a phenomenal impact on the whole school. Because learning is so much fun, pupils want to be engaged”.

Supporting this form of fun activity is a large range of educational games used in school. They are now available for use at home to turn that boring homework session into a fun entertaining and imaginative approach to learning. And as the saying goes Practice makes perfect, or more appropriately in learning - Practice make Permanent. Many parents ideally like to maintain a role in the schooling process but do not want to interfere in the teaching process. Developments in teaching techniques have benefited from advances in technology and the text book of yesterday has been supplemented by the interactive DVD.

A whole range of educational games and educational toys have emerged over the last decade. Designed to tie in with the school curriculum by educationalists and ex teachers, the key is the element of fun they induce to learning. Children look forward to the games and suddenly learning takes on a hidden dimension. But perhaps the real key is the opportunity for parents to join in.

Learning retention is a combination of different inputs. The classroom environment steers children through the lesson presentation, demonstration and discussion activity, a process proven by the National Training Laboratory (NTL) to achieve 50% retention in learning. The key activity derived by the NTL research is the practice function which a highest level in the retention in learning. This activity is sometime difficult to achieve in class due to lack of time or equipment or the spread of abilities in an average class. To overcome this gap in the learning process inevitably the practice function is transformed into homework exercises.

This single activity is seen to be dull, boring and regarded by children, parents and teachers alike as a necessary chore. But there is an alternative. The maths games referred to earlier are an ideal way for parents to play an interactive role with their child at home. Playing educational games as a form of homework generates the practice function which can be lacking in school and according to the NTL achieves a massive 75% retention in learning.

The Future World Leaders And Scientists Are In School Right Now.

The Future World Leaders And Scientists Are In School Right Now.

The world is a small place. Rapidly expanding and almost instantaneous transfer of information, we are reaching parts of the world that were, until a few years ago, impenetrable. Previously a dearth of knowledge led us to believe that such countries were different, alien and held disparate views on life. Perhaps the greatest surprise once a door is opened is the amazing similarity in the aspirations and fears held by parents for their children. Paramount, irrespective of race, creed and colour are concerns over the health and education of their children. Despite the development in technology, the removal of many barriers to freedom and the realisation of a global market, schooling of children remains an international and fundamental concern.

Learning starts early and involves parents playing educational games with their children. The element of fun is a fantastic stimulus that should be present throughout life’s learning journey, but is largely lost as children go to school.

Parents in Fairfax County USA have the same fears and aspirations as those in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and the UK. Our knowledge base and influences are becoming international rather than parochial. Globalisation is instigating vast changes in our society, for example just flip over the nearest manufactured object and see if it is not made in China.

If parents view education as a global concern, expressing concerns with current schooling standards why are we unable to correct falling standards. The English language could achieve the status of a global first or second language within a generation thanks in no small part to the spread of the internet. Should we therefore consider a global curriculum with international investment? Vast sums are wasted in localised attempts. Britain as an example invested 22 billion of pounds Sterling over the last 10 years is witnessing falling standards in numeracy and literacy. Many children inadequately equipped to progress from primary to high school subsequently fail to thrive.

The world’s population is expanding yet the number of teachers is not. Stress, changing attitudes in society and pressure to achieve influence many to leave the profession early. So how do we overcome this mounting issue? Whilst computers have infinitely greater processing capacity than three years ago, and many life saving drugs have been developed, academic achievement fundamental to the progression of this cycle is not improving at the same speed. Educational experiments have failed and we are re-introducing teaching techniques contemporary during the lunar landings.

The scaling benefit of a global curriculum would reduce resource costs and widen the application. Perhaps it should also encourage parents to take an active part. Educational games are still fun, stimulate learning and play a crucial role as a teaching resource in school. But they can be used with additional impact at home to replicate the lesson at the pace of the child. The mobilisation of vast numbers of parents providing this additional focus can help overcome the fall in educational standards, and as the saying goes; many hands make light work.

Alistair Owens

All Is Not Lost When The Ideal School Is Full

The annual lottery is amongst us. 25% of children in the UK will not get into the secondary school of their choice. That's a staggering 100,000 disappointed families. The Minister for school's advice to appeal against the local decisions is well meant, but do schools with the pressure they are under to perform have the capacity to deal with 100,000 appeals from displaced parents?

If appeals are upheld the precedent could create even greater annual mayhem. The ideal outcome would be a dramatic rise in the number of good schools. In the meantime extra children being shoehorned into larger class sizes at existing preferred schools seems an undesirable outcome. A significant number of 11-13 years old's already fail to thrive in the secondary environment, which must surely increase as a result of either fighting for a place in a good school or having to attend an indifferent school in another area.

The interactive role of the parent is vital in either outcome. Educational authorities consistently promote the profound and continuing role parents can play in the schooling process. Despite the current surface trauma this activity can be real fun! The educational games used as a teaching resource in school are now available on-line to parents. www.keen2learn.com as an example offer a huge range of maths games, English games, and science games that follow the curriculum. Spending time with your child at home recapping on the lesson content is highly practical, enjoyable and can reap dividends.

10 Ways To Limit Yours Child's Schooling

1. Undervalue your ability to help teach them when they go to school. The skill you developed when they were infants; teaching them to walk, talk, ride a bike, learn about colours, numbers etc should be ignored. Leave everything to the teachers now on.
2. Regard school time as the only time children can learn. Lessons are meant to be hard work and not there to be enjoyed.
3. Treat homework as a chore. It has to done, nobody likes doing it and you don’t want to interfere otherwise it could ruin a good row and you’re very busy.
4. Avoid giving your child help in case its spotted or criticised better to regard your knowledge of school lessons as dated and not applicable to modern teaching techniques.
5. Consider kids free time out of school as sacrosanct. Quality time with children cannot possibly be linked with school work.
6. Believe that TV is the sole means of providing educational input relevant to their lessons.
7. Minimise all contact with the teacher. You’ll find our how your child is doing in end of term reports or parents night. Don’t worry if you wasted a term’s opportunity to help before you found out.
8. Don’t believe the hearsay that the biggest drop in your kid’s performance generally happens when they go to secondary or high school. Fingers crossed they’ll keep up.
9. Always buy presents that other kids have got, have been heavily advertised and hold their interest for about a week.
10. Ignore the range of fun interactive Educational Games & Toys at www.keen2learn.co.uk. They’re great fun for kids aged 3-15, matched to the curriculum and help you take a more positive role in their learning.

Are We Looking More At Testing Than Teaching

The downside of the emphasis on testing is the tendency towards “teaching to test” rather than broadening the horizons. The redirection of time consumed in testing could allow the teacher to make a more rounded assessment of a child’s skills and make it more interesting for the child and teacher

If a child is falling behind teachers should enlist extra effort from parents. The range of educational games now matching the curriculum can make the recovery real fun for parents and child at home. This positive interaction would ensure parents maintain a dynamic involvement in schooling process rather than the sudden burst after the end of term or year reports are released.

Do Large Secondary Schools Impair Performance

Dr James Wetz, former headteacher of two large secondary schools and visiting fellow at Bristol University's graduate school of education, argued that large secondary schools are ill-equipped to support pupils and may even stifle their potential in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme.

A huge number of star pupils from primary education fail to thrive in secondary school. Wetz's research, published in 2006, showed that 40% of the young people who left secondary school without a single qualification at GCSE actually achieved average or above-average performance in English, maths or science in key stage two tests at the end of their primary schooling.The dramatic change in schooling procedures, building size and the number of teachers involved overwhelms many children. The drop off being most significant in the age group 11-13.

Dr Wetz suggests the pastoral approach in primary education where one teacher predominately takes all lessons for a class should be adopted at secondary level. The abrupt change to an environment where children will meet 11- 15 different teachers a week causes a disconnect that can be irreparable. The class tutor, gaining only a fleeting view of their charges can be unaware of issues which could be otherwise easily addressed.

Curriculum changes seek to achieve greater lesson integration, something that is difficult without significant liaison, and probably impractical.

The quest to introduce continuity can receive huge support with the parent taking an interactive role to mentor their child. With school class sizes over 30 the 1:1 ratio at home can provide vital encouragement and the active opportunity to go over lessons. With modern classroom resources being in the form of educational games this can also be great fun!

Teaching Resources

One of the keys to effective learning is to fire up the imagination. Children learn more when they are enjoying something rather than seeing it as a chore. There are many computer games that have a "hidden" education content as well as being fun - learning in disguise. The following web site is a good example of the extent of the opportunity for parents to enjoy games with their children.

Educational Toys

Keen2learn - award winning selection of Educational Games, educational games and toys induces fun to stimulate learning.

These three quotations best summarise the opportunity:

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own".
Ben Sweetland

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them".
James Baldwin

"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre".
Gail Godwin