The pick of education resources and expertise

The Education Show, which takes place 16-18 March, is the event that gives more than 10,000 visitors the chance to see the products and resources that are transforming teaching and learning, as well as hear from experts on current educational issues

In an era where teaching specific skills doesn’t have the value it once did, giving students the freedom to be more creative and adaptable is arguably more important than ever before.

Schools are under increasing pressure to prepare students for life beyond the classroom and that means providing them with skills for 21st century jobs, many of which don’t even exist yet. The Education Show is here to help.

Each year, the event gives more than 10,000 visitors the chance to see the products and resources that are transforming teaching and learning from more than 300 different companies, and this year is no exception. Here’s a sample of what’s on offer.

SAFEGUARDING AND E-LEARNING

SSS Learning’s team of safeguarding and e-learning experts will be displaying a range of CPD-accredited courses on stand H81. These courses meet the updated Department for Education (DfE) ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ statutory guidance, which emphasises the importance of regular updates and annual safeguarding and child protection training.

Already used by over 100,000 frontline professionals to help protect children and young people from a broad spectrum of issues, such as child sexual exploitation (CSE), forced marriage and honour‑based violence, the courses have been developed as a much-needed catalyst for change in safeguarding training.

The courses are fully CPD-accredited and certify staff and volunteers in pre-school, school and academy settings, replacing often insufficient or costly traditional group training methods.

EdComs Teachers is an online community that rewards teachers for their contributions, insight and experience, and its team will be on stand M70.

It was set up to enable EdComs – Europe’s leading provider of branded educational resources and associated research insight – to access a wider network of teachers and to allow more teachers to have their say.

It’s free to join and provides teachers with an opportunity to take part in research and be involved in the development of resources and current policy within teaching. In addition to all this, members are rewarded with points and also entered into regular prize draw.

PORTABLE STAGING AND LANGUAGES

Head to stand E56 to see Beeline Promotional Products Ltd, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of rewards, consumables and clothing for schools. As the preferred supplier to Youth Sport Trust and to many schools, colleges, universities and training organisations, Beeline is extremely reputable in the sector – visit the team to find out why.

On stand F56-G65, Stage Systems will be showcasing its portable staging and performance platforms. As the first company to develop the portable staging market back in the 1960s, it sets the standard for quality, versatility and service. Schools will have the opportunity to see these simple and fun designs, which are available as standard kits or bespoke solutions with flat, multi‑height and tiering options – all producing excellent results.

Head to the stand to find out why Stage Systems is dedicated to staging and how it delivers on bringing spaces to life with creative designs in primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities.

Stand N14 is all about Language Magnet, which provides a unique foreign language service for primary schools with ongoing personalised language coaching for non-specialist teachers, and a high-quality scheme of work with exceptional resources.

Language Magnet empowers primary schools to independently teach French or Spanish to a very high standard whilst being delivered by non-specialists. The scheme of work is detailed with plenty of differentiation and effective progression, and provides full assessment criteria and unique self-assessment pupil trackers.

With an effective grammar colour-coding system, humorous artwork and a unique home learning series, Language Magnet engages and inspires pupils and teachers alike.

WEB SAFETY AND PPA COVER

Junior Jam is an education supplier dedicated to providing high-quality PPA cover, after school clubs and holiday clubs for schools. The team will be on stand H99 to demonstrate the benefits.

Over the last 13 years, Junior Jam has worked in partnership with over 1,000 primary schools across the UK who have taken advantage of the expertise and reliability of a well-established, tried and tested provider.
Junior Jam is the leading provider of diverse PPA cover in the UK; visit its stand to find out about a wide range of courses and discover new and innovative ways for pupils to explore the national curriculum. A specialist teacher will be on-hand to guide you through how the lessons are delivered using iPads.

In January 2017, web safety experts Smoothwall launched Visigo, a proactive keystroke monitoring solution that allows schools to smartly detect suspicious or inappropriate behaviour. Schools will have a chance to see it in action on stand G81. The software monitors all keystroke activity, both online and offline, allowing visibility of content being created in chatrooms, documents and messaging apps.

Its unique, intelligent profiling capability considers the age, gender and other characteristics of the user, along with their activity and behaviour on the device. This smart profiling function allows for the most accurate information to be relayed back automatically to a school’s safeguarding officer, allowing for appropriate action to be taken.

CHARITIES AND THE CENTRAL FEATURE

Chatsworth will be on stand J91, providing visitors with information on the Devonshire Educational Trust, which provides a varied and unique education programme. The house, garden, farmyard and woods provide an inspiring resource for students of all ages and the sessions that are available to schools are bursting with history and art, illustrating life across the generations.

The farmyard offers a hands-on learning experience, whilst the outdoor education sessions explore the garden and parkland. Chatsworth caters for all groups, large and small, and offers both staffed activities and self-guided options. Visit the stand to find out more and hear first-hand about the Gucci sponsored fashion exhibition.

On stand M24, teachers can visit Dogs Trust’s education team, which aims to educate young people – the dog owners of tomorrow – by delivering free fun, engaging and interactive classroom workshops. Themes include dog safety and responsible dog ownership, as well as many curriculum‑based subjects including maths, English, science and history.

The workshops are delivered throughout the UK in primary and secondary schools and within the community by a dedicated team of trained education officers. They can be tailored to meet each school’s individual needs.

Visitors to The Education Show will also have access to a range of free CPD (continuing professional development) and training, through a programme of seminars and workshops running in theatres alongside the exhibition.

The Central Feature is the theatre at the heart of the show, filled with practical and engaging sessions focused on teaching innovatively to improve literacy skills across all subjects, addressing the changes to assessment facing both primary and secondary institutions, and other inspirational stories.

KEY SLOTS

On Thursday, 16 March at 11:50, national treasure, Darcey Bussell CBE, will take to the stage as one of the show’s headline speakers.

The retired ballerina is the former principal of The Royal Ballet and one of the most famous British dancers of her generation; more recently she is well-known for her role as a judge on BBC One’s hit TV show, Strictly Come Dancing.

On the same day, guest speaker Miles Berry, principal of Roehampton University, will be giving a talk on Assessing Computing.

He will be addressing the challenges teachers face with assessing skills, and knowledge and understanding in computing. Miles will show some of the technologies that can support this, including automated analysis of pupils’ projects, tests for code correctness and diagnostic questions. This will start at 3.30pm.

The following day, the CEO of FindEd, Mark Robinson, will be giving a talk on how to recruit the right teachers for your school in three steps. This session covers the dos and dont’s of recruiting the right teachers for your school and provides a framework for assessing and improving your current processes. This will start at 11.50am.

Mastery or Mediocrity: How to overcome the challenges for the KS2 SATS will take place on 16, March between 2.50pm and 3.50pm.
Nazie Quershi, director, SATs companion, will address the key issues teachers are facing with the new Key Stage 2 SATs such as: curriculum coverage, saving time and money, differentiated resources, gap analysis, and the new question styles.

Another date for the diary is Saturday, 18 March. The managing director for Leadership Matters and The Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Andy Buck, will be speaking in the DofE: A Holistic Solution to Issues Facing Head Teachers Today talk. This will take place between 12pm and will last about half hour.

Many of the challenges faced by headteachers and senior staff today revolve around the need to satisfy a growing number of requirements that may not be met through the national curriculum.

In this session, teachers will find out why the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) can provide a solution. Hear more about how it can be easily integrated within an education environment and hear about the benefits that extend beyond the school.

Whilst participants develop skills and attributes such as communication, confidence, leadership and resilience that will set them up for life, teachers and senior leaders can also develop skills by working with students outside of a conventional classroom setting.

The Education Show takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 16-18 March.