Fwd: ESSA June 06 Newsletter

[Matthew Savage]

For all of you in MLB and the Student Parliament to read carefully...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ESSA Forum < gemma...@studentvoice.co.uk>
Date: 09-Jun-2006 12:32
Subject: ESSA June 06 Newsletter
To: Matthew Savage <mat...@thesavages.charitydays.co.uk >

Please note this newsletter is in HTML format. If you are unable to read it and would like it in plain text please email: ad...@studentvoice.co.uk

mESSAge

Welcome to the June edition of the ESSA newsletter!! Here's what we've been up to in the last month, and also what's happening in the near future. We welcome your comments and suggestions about the newsletter. Please send them to: ad...@studentvoice.co.uk

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CONTENTS

HOT NEWS!

- ESSA/ACT Conference - 30th June 2006
- Education Bill Campaign
- ESSA's first pilot Citizen's Jury!
- Results from ESSA's online survey!


ESSA @

- ESRC Pupil Voice Conference
- Democracy Coalition Wake-up call with Helena Kennedy QC
- Compass Conference


OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU!

- ESSA Student Voice Conference 2006
- Confidence in Communication Training
- Student Voice Pilot - Citizens Juries
- Coffee House Challenge
- Have your say on citizenship lessons!
- Hear By Right
- Questionnaire on Participation
- X-Change essay competition
- What makes a good teacher? Tell the trainees!
- Whistle While You Work - HeadsUp debate
- Compass Conference - 17th June 2006

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HOT ESSA NEWS!


ESSA/ACT Student Voice Conference 2006

ESSA is getting very excitied about our joint conference with the Association for Citizenship Teaching which will be held on Friday 30th June 2006. The conference will be held at the Barbican in central London, and there will be an evening reception at the National Portrait Gallery. Why not bring along your teacher or youth-worker. They have to pay, but all school students get to come for free!! Students and teachers are encouraged to come along together, to look at how they can promote Student Voice in their schools. There will be workshops, panel discussions and some fun activities too, including Street Dance and Juggling!!! Tell your school about this fantastic event!!
For more information and to book a place, go to the conference website by clicking here


Education Bill Campaign

ESSA has teamed up with the British Youth Council (BYC), the Childrens Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and School Councils UK to campaign for a statutory right for young people to be involved in decision-making in their schools. ESSA representatives and representatives from BYC and CRAE, attended a meeting at the House of Commons to talk to MP's about the reasons why young people should have this right. We have also devised a short questionnaire about participation in schools. Click here to tell us about your experience of participation in your school, positive or negative!!!
You could also send a letter to your MP, email emma.b...@studentvoice.co.uk for a letter template. Remember, the more people who get in touch with their MPs, the more likely we are to succeed!!!


First student Citizen's Jury - 22nd June 2006


ESSA is piloting the first Citizen's Jury in less than 3 weeks time! Thank you to Hertswood School for getting involved. More feedback on how it went in the next newsletter, so watch this space!


Results from ESSA's online survey - your views on exams!

Thank you to everyone who took part in the ESSA survey on exams (maybe you were avoiding all that revision you needed to do?!?)

So results were:
Around 52% of you felt that you didn't spend enough time preparing for exams in school. More than maybe expected!

88% of you said exams made you feel a bit stressed or very stressed.

On methods of assessment:
- Just over half of you felt exams worked as an 'ok' method of assessment, but 26% of you thought they were rubbish.
- 78% of you thought that coursework worked well or very well.
- 69% thought that practical exams worked well or very well.
- 51% thought that computer based exams worked well or very well, but 30% thought they didn't work very well.
- 74% thought that Teacher Assessment worked well or very well.

65.2% of those surveyed agreed with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) that external exams for under 16's should be abolished.

56.5% of you agreed that exams should be more skills based (e.g. creativity, communication and I.T.), rather than subject based, and 27% disagreed.
So quite a mixed response there! Take a look below in our 'Opportunities for you' section, to get involved in this month's survey!


ESSA @


The ESRC (The Economic and Social Research Council) Pupil Voice Conference


On the 22nd May, Council Representative Phillipe Chiarella from the East Midlands and Emma Biermann attended a Pupil Voice conference in Nottingham. They made a presentation about ESSA in a workshop to a mixed group of students and teachers, talking about ESSA's aims and projects. There seemed an interested response from the audience. Other workshops they attended included 'Asking the right questions' and 'Students as Researchers'. To find out more about the event, visit http://www.pupil-voice.org.uk



Democracy Coalition Wake-Up Call with Helena Kennedy QC

On the 25th May, ESSA participated in the Wake-Up Call event run by the Democracy Coalition for Children and Young People. This is part of a series of events run by the Coaliation, where organisations and individuals have the opportunity to talk and influence key policy makers. Last month, people were listening to Helena Kennedy's views of democracy and asked challenging questions. Baroness Kennedy is the Chair of the Power Inquiry (no, it's not about energy!), set up to explore how political participation and involvement might be increased and deepened in Britain. She's certainly a high-flying lady to admire with her persistance to defend human rights and her belief in the importance of politics!
To find out more about the Democracy Coalition click here
To read more about the Power Inquiry, and to download a copy of their report Power to the People click here


Compass 2006 National Conference

ESSA is attending the Compass Conference on the 17th June. Compass is the democratic left pressure group, whose goal is to debate and develop the ideas for a more equal and democratic world, then campaign and organise to help ensure they become reality. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is running a fringe meeting at the conference, with a panel including Emma Biermann from ESSA, Steve Sinnott NUT General Secretary and Jane Davidson Welsh Assembly Government's Education and Lifelong Learning Minister. The title of the workshop is 'Comprehensive Education? Learning in the 21st Century'. We'll update you in the next newsletter on how it went! Click here to access the website for more information.




OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU!...

Student Voice Conference

ESSA would be delighted to meet our members at our annual conference on 30th June. Students are free if you come with a teacher or an accompanying adult, who have to to pay the fee of �75. We'll even pay up to �10 towards students travel if you are coming from outside of London!!!! It will be an exciting event focusing on Student Voice - how to ensure effective citizenship education and pupil participation in your school, followed by an evening reception at the National Portrait Gallery in the evening (with a mini tour if you are interested!)
So, mark Friday 30th June 2006 off in your diaries and log onto the website to book a place!


Confidence in Communication


If you feel that you, or students in your school would benefit from some training in order to get more involved in the life of your school, contact ESSA about our Confidence in Communication training. Here's what some students have said about the training days they participated in:
"I think it was very helpful and I enjoyed it"

"It was very useful. I have become more confident in speaking and my presentation skills have very much improved."

"I liked the ESSA people we were working with. They were really helpful and friendly"

To get your school involved, click here and pass on the relevant information to a teacher who may be interested, or to a school council representative.


Student Voice pilot - Citizens Juries

ESSA has received a grant from the Department for Constitutional Affairs to pilot Citizens Juries in Schools. Citizens Juries are a way of involving people from a community in decision-making that affects them. This pilot will involve students, as members of their school community, in decisions that affect them. Examples of topics students look at might be changes in school policies, changing the school uniform, or building a new school. ESSA will work with the Participation team at IpsosMORI to develop materials and resources for students to hold a Citizens Jury in their school. It's not too late for you to get involved in the Autumn term! For more information about Citizens Juries click here And if you are interested in finding out more information on this project, or would like to get your school involved e-mail ad...@studentvoice.co.uk


RSA Coffee House Challenge

The aim of the RSA Coffeehouse Challenge is for young people to organise and participate in discussions about things they feel passionate about, coming up with solutions if they can. Discussions are intended to be very informal and simple in format and groups can be as small as six people. They can take place in school, an independent cafe or in a Starbucks store (provided there is a suitable one available and there is full agreement), in which case Starbucks, a sponsor of the project, would provide complimentary refreshments. The project is running from May to July. If projects come out of the discussions they can be put forward for an award of up to �5,000 to help make them happen. It's an opportunity worth going for!

If you would like to know more about the RSA Coffeehouse Challenge have a look at the following website: www.studentideas.org.uk.

You can also contact Jacquie Howley on 020 7451 6962 or email Jacquie...@rsa.org.uk for an information pack or to discuss the Challenge.


Have your say - June!!



ESSA would love to know what our members think about certain topics to do with schools and their education. This month we want to find out your opinion on citizenship teaching. We are running a poll with questions about whether citizenship should be assessed and whether it should be taught as an individual subject or across the curriculum? Results will be published in the next newsletter and updated to the website. So go on, let us know your views!!!!

Click here to try the survey!


Hear by Right Publication



ESSA has worked with the National Youth Agency to produce the Hear by Right user briefing for students,'Participation in your school or college: for students, by students' . As the title says, this guide is written by ESSA students for you, introducing in their own words what participation in their school means to them and why it is important. It talks about how you can use the Hear By Right and Confidence in Communication materials to get started. Click here to see a pdf version of the document.

Click here to go to the Hear By Right homepage.


Questionnaire - Have Your Say at School!

The government has published an Education Bill (The Education and Inspections Bill 2006); with the aim of ensuring that every child or young person gets the education they need to help them achieve their potential. It is being discussed in Parliament at the moment. ESSA, the British Youth Council (BYC) and the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), are campaigning with other youth and children's charities to ensure that young people have a voice in the whole debate and that children and young people have more of a say in how their schools are run.

Click here to please complete the following questionnaire to help us tell politicians what you think! Or if you would like to receive a hardcopy, please e-mail emma.b...@studentvoice.co.uk


X-Change Essay Competition



X-Change (the Youth and Student Wing of the Electoral Reform society) is running an essay competition this month. So if you're a creative writer, maybe you'll consider coming up with an essay between 1000 and 1500 words on the subject, 'Does Democracy Need Elections?' There are two different age categories 18 and under and 19-16. If you need any more convincing to take part or extra motivation there are cash prizes and winners will have their work published! The deadline to submit your entry is the 30th June so go grab your pens and get writing!

For more information on categories, requirements and how to submit your master work click here to be navigated to the X-Change website!


What makes a good teacher? Tell the trainees!



Soon-to-be teachers on the Teach First programme are being trained in Manchester this month. This is a scheme where graduates go straight into teaching after university and is a fast-track way of becoming a qualified teacher. The new teachers are really eager to have the opportunity to discuss issues to do with school and education with ESSA members. So if you live either in Manchester or near there and are interested in talking to them maybe about what makes a good teacher, e-mail in...@studentvoice.co.uk for more information. You need to be available on the 29th June. We look forward to hearing from you!


'Whistle while you work? How do young people rate their job prospects?' - HeadsUp Debate hosted by the Hansard Society



Interested in debating political issues? Concerned with current affairs? Thinking about future careers? HeadsUp will hold a timely forum debate to establish your perceptions of job prospects including an analysis of whether you feel you have to go to university, the value of NVQs, work experience and reliable careers advice. The debates are taking place from June 12th - June 30th and involve the UK's top decision-makers from parliament and government who want to understand the views and experiences of young Britain.

If you're young, have opinions and want to have your say,visit the HeadsUp website www.HeadsUp.org.uk or contact Barry Griffiths at b.g.gr...@hansard.lseac.uk or on 0207 438 1214.


Compass 2006 National Conference 'The Shape of Things to Come'



As mentioned in the above section, ESSA is taking part in the Compass National Conference this year. Young people are welcome to come either to get inspired, take part in debate or to influence the future! You can come and join the workshop we are involved in with the National Union of Teachers called 'Comprehensive Education? Learning in the 21st Century' and go to other seminars that might interest you, ranging from environmental issues to Making Poverty History. It will certainly be an exciting event. Cost for students to attend is �21. Click here to access the website for more information.


ESSA's online forum

We are happy to see some new faces on the forum, and would like to encourage everyone else to get chatting by clicking here ESSA Forum



If you would like more information about anything mentioned in this newsletter, please contact:

Helen Trivers, National Co-ordinator Email: helen....@studentvoice.co.uk 0207 022 1910

Emma Biermann, Student Support Officer Email: emma.b...@studentvoice.co.uk 0207 022 1911

Or write to them at ESSA HQ:

3rd Floor,
Downstream Building
1 London Bridge
London
SE1 9BG

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Emma Biermann
Student Support Officer
ESSA

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Matthew Savage
Assistant Headteacher
Curriculum Leader for English and Media

GEORGE MITCHELL SCHOOL
Farmer Road, Leyton, London E10 5DN
Tel: 020 8539 6198
Email: savage....@gmail.com
Website: www.gmschool.co.uk
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Find out more about Student Voice @ George Mitchell:
* http://www.thenewspaper.co.uk/home/pg000639.php
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4785538.stm
* http://www.teachers.tv/strandProgramme.do?strandId=6&transmissionProgrammeId=189417
* http://education.independent.co.uk/schools/article345645.ece
* http://www.bteducation.org/awards/casestudy05.ikml?id=1352
* http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/features/article.html?uid=474
* http://www.ldr-magazine.co.uk/viewstory.php?id=328
* http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/search/display.var.530744.0.a_quiet_revolution.php
* http://www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2148170
* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/education/2005/11/09/edclare09.xml