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Why should we be talking to schools?The most obvious answer is that by talking to schools you will have the opportunity to reach a captive audience of some 7.5 million young people, their teachers, school managers, governors, parents and the wider community. Whether in the classroom, in after-school clubs or in pastoral situations these people represent your current and future customers, opinion formers and potential employees. Children’s learning can be enhanced by the provision of high quality sponsored materials and resources, and you will find that you meet some of your organisation’s corporate social responsibility requirements along the way. Should we talk to primary schools or secondary schools?This will depend on the issues your project intends to address, and the messages you wish to convey. It is worth noting that primary schools are often able to work to a more flexible timetable. Activities in secondary schools will need to adhere more closely to the National Curriculum subject guidelines. What about 16+?Pupils in England and Wales have an ever-growing range of qualification options available to them. Traditional academic routes, GCSEs and A Levels (now comprising AS and A2) are now complemented by the New Diplomas, a range of vocation based qualifications being rolled out in September 2008; schools will be actively seeking business partners to support the introduction of these courses. Traditional vocational qualifications such as NVQ, City and Guilds and BTEC awards
continue to form part of the National Qualifications
Framework. Young people in Scotland have access to similar opportunities. Young people choosing to enter into employment at 16 can consider Apprenticeships which allow them to earn while they learn. To explore the opportunities these courses might present for your company contact Magenta. How can we be sure schools will use our materials?Making sure your resources reach the right people in school is crucial; the best material in the world will fail if it never gets past the head teacher’s waste paper bin. Specific targeting of promotion material or sample copies the appropriate member of staff will ensure you reap the maximum benefit from your investment in education liaison. Carefully researched, high quality materials linked to the National Curriculum will have educational value, and will therefore be more likely to be used by schools. How long does a project take?An average project will take 6–9 months from initial planning to distribution of the finished product. The actual timescale will depend on its size, complexity and many other variables. How much will it cost?Again, there are many variables which will influence a project’s cost, such as its size and complexity, and whether you are able to use any in-house resources. We will work closely with you and our network of suppliers to deliver an optimum solution within your budget. If you don’t know how much you want to spend we will work with you to explore the options available. What’s involved?There is no such thing as a typical project and the course your own initiative follows will be influenced by many factors. Please refer to ‘How we work’ to learn more about the stages of a project that may apply. The list may seem daunting, but we can work in partnership with your own team and help you at every step along the way. Are there any guidelines we should follow?There has been continued growth in recent years in sponsorship, advertising and marketing projects targeted at UK schools. High quality sponsored material and activities can provide schools with a wide range of information and supplement other classroom resources. They can strengthen the links between business, community and education. At the same time, it is essential that all materials or activities used in a school setting do in fact reach the high standards of quality, balance and integrity expected of educational resources. The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the ISBA have published
a set of best practice guidelines for sponsors and
producers to promote these high standards. They aim
to identify good practice – where the marketing message
is balanced by genuine educational benefit. In practice,
a sponsored project is likely to meet some guidelines
and miss others. What is important is that, taken as
a whole, the sponsorship offer has integrity and educational
value. How much of my time will it take?You can be involved as much or as little as you like, but there are key stages in a project where we will need your approval for before we can progress. Can my staff be involved?Yes, any appointed member or members of staff can be involved, although it is best to appoint one person as the key communicator. What is the National Curriculum?The National Curriculum for England aims to provide teachers, pupils and parents with a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge children will gain at school up to the age of 16. As well as determining the content of what will be taught, it also establishes attainment targets and determines methods of performance assessment and reporting. The National Curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure it meets the changing
needs of pupils and society. For example, in 2004 work-related
learning was introduced as a new statutory requirement
at key stage 4. This part of the curriculum aims to
ensure that young people see how their studies will
lead to further education and employment. The most
recently review introduced the Personal Learning and
Thinking Skills Framework (PLTS) which sets out to
help young people become:
Students also study Religious
Education, and Careers Education, Work Related Learning,
Enterprise and Personal, Social and Health Education. Is it the same in Scotland and Wales?The Welsh Curriculum Children must also study Religious Education according to the syllabus set by their local authority. Most schools also provide Personal and Social Education. For further information go to www.accac.org.uk The Scottish Curriculum The eight curriculum areas will be: The examination system is also quite different to other regions of the UK. For further information go to www.ltscotland.org.uk The Northern Ireland Curriculum More information about the subjects and the timetable for the roll out of the new curriculum can be found on the Department of Education website. For further information go to www.deni.gov.uk Students in Northern Ireland have access to GCSE and A Level qualifications and Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS). All qualifications are overseen by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. For further information go to www.rewardinglearning.org.uk How many schools are there?There are approximately 23,400 primary schools (age 5–11), 1,500 middle schools (age 8/9–12/13) and 5,000 secondary schools (age 11–16/18) in the UK. How can we get our project into schools?Perhaps you’re looking for a local project with a few schools. That’s fine, we can identify any target group to suit your requirements. What if we don’t want to talk to all of them?The way schools are organised varies between countries in the UK, in England the following system is recognised
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