Flying by August 31, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentThis week has flown by. The science department is always busy and industrious but seems even more so with the addition of two Newly Qualified Teachers which brings the number of staff in the department to nineteen.
Its changed out of all recognition since I started in 1987. I think at the time the school roll was under 800. There were around seven science teachers with two science technicians.Now the roll is around 1400 and there are seventeen science teachers in the department and still only two technicians.
I often quote the above figures in mitigation on the very rare occasions when something goes wrong, but more often than not Im met with a blank stare. I would have thought that science teachers were quite good at maths, but hey, there you go.
CPD Opportunities August 25, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentWell thats the end of the first week back for the pupils. It has really flown in and everything seems to be going smoothly with everybody in the department getting back into the swing of things.
I have a few CPD opportunities coming up and I have asked for permission for to be out of school on those days. Unfortunately they all seem to occur in the next 2 or 3 months but theres not much I can do about it as CPD opportunities for support staff are so thin on the ground I really have to try and make the most of them when they occur.
In East Lothian, I have, in the recent past come across managers who are convinced that support staff are not entitled to CPD when of course all staff members of ELC are entitled to advance themselves professionally. It seems though in education that CPD for support staff is not as high a priority as other parts of the council.
I have been working with agencies such as the Scottish Technicians Advisory Group and the
Scottish Schools Equipment Research Centre to remedy the lack of provision for Science support staff in East Lothian and to try and get it to the levels found in other local authorities. Its a slow process but footsteps are being made in the right direction and I hope that in the near future East Lothian will be fully involved in the project by the
Scottish Executive to provide relevant CPD and related activities for school science support staff.
Wiki's August 24, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentThis afternoon I managed to find a bit of time to contribute to the Wiki that was set up for the SSDN (now called
GLOW) mentors in East Lothian.
Now I will admit to having heard of
Wiki’s but hadnt really understood fully what they were about. If any one doesnt know what one is, then I think a simple way of describing it would be as a noticeboard that allows users to add to or edit content. It really does give one a feeling of inclusion as each posting has as much merit as any other reagardless of who it was posted by.
I posted a few comments and hope now to get a bit more organised so that I can contibute on a more regular basis and take a more active part in how the GLOW mentors think that the whole project should progress.
Technicians National Conference August 22, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentI put out an email to all the technical support staff in East Lothian today asking for applications to become a delegate at the technicians national consultative conference in November.
The consultative conference is part of a project set up to address priorities identified by the Scottish Executive in a report called
Why Science Education Matters: Supporting and Improving Science Education in Schools
This report made recommendations including
1. “Technical support in schools must be strengthened so that pupils can experience and stimulation of hands-on practical work.
2 “…..such staff members should be seen as an integral part of the science provision, having access to appropriate CPD and career enhancement opportunities”.
The main aim for the inaugural conference last year was to gather data to determine current provision of CPD for technical support staff in the primary and secondary sectors throughout each of the 32 local authorities, and to identify the best way forward for improving support for science and technology education.
As a result of last years meeting several CPD opportunities for technical support staff were identified. This led to the courses being created, then piloted in some local authorities, most of which are currently awaiting accreditation from the SQA before being made available on a national basis.
I hope that this years conference can continue the good work being done and that East Lothian can be at the forefront of this worthwhile project.
The Return August 21, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentOh well back in the thick of it all as the pupils return. I managed to bump into Ollie this morning and have a very quick chat about some stuff. He mentioned that it had taken him a bit of time to get used to the size of the school and had lost his bearings a couple of times. I meant to say to him that the building is basically a figure of eight so if he keeps going he will eventually end up back where he started.
There’s always a little amount of confusion amongst the staff and pupils at the beginning of this term, it just wouldnt be the same without it. Lots of pupils and new staff asking directions, that kind of thing. I am sure things will be ironed out over the course of the week and everyone will get back into the swing of things. The issue of keys is a major problem at the moment, there simply arent enough to go round. Many teachers now teach in a number of rooms, and there are health and safety implications if the science rooms and stores have to be left open due to a lack of keys. Hopefully it will be sorted soon before it all becomes a real guddle.
There are always two questions I end up asking myself at this time of year.
1. Will the pupils I see this week wandering the corridors between periods be the same ones I see all year wandering about between periods?
2. Our dining hall puts on excellent food, with a number of choices and healthy options. Why does it always smell like boiled mince by the time the odour gets along to the Science corridor?
Smelling of Roses August 17, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentAll staff are back today so its feeling more and more like an educational establishment and not a building site. Still no water today so things are a wee bit pongy in the science department as the toilets are still being used but there’s no water to flush them. Hopefully the water will be restored by tomorrow which should mean that the school should smell a bit sweeter by the time the pupils come back on Monday.
We have a couple of newly qualified teachers starting in the department this term and its always nice to see fresh faces ready to face up to the new challenges that the department has for them. Its also sad to hear that one member of the department resigned over the holidays.I was equally saddened to hear that one of the assistant premises mangagers had had a small stroke and it looks likely that he may not return as he was due to retire in a short while. I shall miss them both.
Looks like on Monday there may be an issue with keys. All the locks in the department have been changed. Only problem is that as a Technician I need to get in and out of all the classrooms and stores throughout the department and it looks as though no provision has been made for this. I guess we will have to go through a lenghty process to acquire master keys for the three departments that we provide a service to. Just a little bit of forethought by the company who runs the building would have prevented this situation, but going on previous issues like this, that would have been far too much to have hoped for.
Return From Holiday August 16, 2006
Posted by Brian in : Uncategorized , add a commentWell that’s me back from quite a long break and its has went quickly. Its always interesting coming back from holiday and seeing what has been altered around the school, but at least my office in is one piece this year. I am sure the little snags will have been sorted by the time the pupils return on Monday.
I must admit that my mind hasnt been on education for the past few weeks, so will have to power up the old grey cells and try and get my mind focussed for the job in hand.
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