Welcome to our new-look Education Today. We have overhauled the layout and structure of the magazine and hope that it will reflect the many aspects of school life encountered by education professionals on a daily basis.

As the nation heads back to school after another frankly disappointing British summer, we are faced with the disturbing news that the number of 11-year-olds passing Sats in English has fallen for the first time since the exam was introduced in 1995.

The 2009 GCSE results show the overall A* to C rate has increased by 1.4 percentage points to 67.1 per cent. The overall A* to G rate has also increased from 98.4 per cent in 2008 to 98.6 per cent and the A* to A rate has gone up from 20.7 per cent in 2008 to 21.6 per cent.

Encouragingly, boys are making excellent progress, with their A* to C results in mathematics rising 1.8 percentage points to 57.6 per cent. Boys are also continuing to close the gap overall, their A* to C results improving 1.5 percentage points compared to 1.2 percentage points for girls.

We have been closely monitoring the spread and severity of swine flu over the school holidays. The latest scientific advice to the Government is that individual school closures are now of limited benefit in stopping the spread of disease.

Given the mildness of the virus, the expert medical advice is that there is no good reason for schools to remain closed after the summer holiday. We therefore expect all schools and early-years and childcare settings in England to reopen as planned at the beginning of the new term.

Children transferring to secondary school this September will be the very first who will all need to be in education or training until they are 18, following the passage of the Education and Skills Act last year. A short informal booklet - Moving Up - is being distributed to all secondary schools in the week commencing 7th September.

We are asking schools to pass these on to their incoming Year 7s and where appropriate use them in assemblies or lessons. This booklet will help new Year 7s with the transition, and explain the choices ahead.

Schools Minister Iain Wright hailed a new generation of mathematicians and scientists with top-grade A levels as being the key to building a strong economy and highly skilled workforce.

The UK 2009 A level and AS results, published recently, show the number of learners taking mathematics and further maths A levels at their highest levels for well over a decade.

Schools Minister Iain Wright welcomes research showing that top universities overwhelmingly back the Diploma.

The research, undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and University of Exeter, found that all universities questioned would welcome applications from the first Diploma cohort in 2010.

Children are increasingly unlikely to leave school with even the most basic knowledge of modern languages despite Government claims to the contrary, an independent study has found.

Angela McLachlan from The University of Manchester discovered a 'chaotic and ineffective' system of teaching modern languages in a year-long study of four English primary schools.

Reducing HIV infection in young people and improving their sexual and reproductive health require effective education programmes. However, such programmes are still not available in many parts of the world. UNESCO and its partners have now developed new guidelines to address this problem.

The "International Guidelines on Sexuality Education", which are voluntary and non-mandatory in character, provide educators with guidance on how children and young people can best acquire the knowledge they need to protect themselves from coercion, abuse and exploitation, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

All schools in London can now apply for a cash award to transform their grounds into an environment for learning, creative play, activity, discovery and social development.

The John Laing Charitable Trust - School Grounds Awards are offering over 50 awards, including cash prizes of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 to schools across London to improve their outdoor environments.

C'hief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson's, recent annual report called for children to be encouraged to use active computer consoles such as the Nintendo Wii to help tackle the increasing rates of obesity in children and young people - a method which is already being used as at The Whitminster Centre, part of Cotswold and Stroud Pupil Referral Service and part of The National Healthy Schools Programme.

Paul Barns, PE Specialist at The Whitminster Centre explains how games consoles are beginning to change their pupils' attitudes and behaviours.

Huge amounts of money are being spent on the Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmes, so it is vital that school leaders and decision-makers involved in the procurement process are aware of the importance of selecting suitable school furniture for learners of all needs.

Following its pilot year, thousands of teachers are now delivering the 14-19 Diploma qualifications to students across the country. As a highly vocational course, the Diploma will bring challenges to both those involved in developing and delivering teaching. It brings into focus the need for teachers of 14-19 year olds to have the knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to provide an effective Diploma programme.

New research by Glenigan for the UK's leading building show - Interbuild - has revealed that the education sector is likely to help lead the industry out of the recession with underlying construction starts forecast to rebound by over 12% in 2010.

This predicted spike in activity - boosted by the £45 billion Building Schools for the Future programme - demonstrates that public sector investment will continue to be a prime focus for the industry over the next two years.

Pritt, the UK's number one glue stick brand, has unveiled a limited edition glue stick pack, to celebrate its 40th birthday, which also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing.

The standard Pritt 20g glue stick comes with a free tube of Moon Dust Glitter, all presented in stunning space-themed packaging. There are even instructions on the back of the pack detailing how to make a rocket, and how to upload it to www.pritt4schools.co.uk to join the gallery of other rockets made.

A passion and enthusiasm for good design and resources in children's play has resulted in the launch of Playgarden Design and Resources Ltd. Playgarden will be an online service - www.playgardens.co.uk offering outdoor play solutions.

Commenting upon the need for Playgarden, Paul Collings, MP is emphatic; "After conducting our own research we realised that there was a fantastic opportunity to offer play resources as well as play equipment to the nursery and primary school market. Playgarden will offer play solutions specifically to this market addressing their particular needs and adding substantial play value.

Leading stationery manufacturer, BIC, is set to build on last year's record Back to School success, with its fantastic product range for 2009.

BIC's must-have recommendations for the new school term include the Cristal® family, BIC® Kids range, Tipp-Ex®, mechanical pencils, highlighters and permanent markers.

Government educational policy is increasingly recognising the importance of children and young people developing core life skills (e.g. achieving economical wellbeing, staying safe) as well as learning traditional subjects. With this in mind, in 2007, Nationwide Building Society created Nationwide Education, an engaging interactive website linked to the UK national curricula.

Saville Audio Visual has helped Thames Valley University to create a totally interactive learning environment.

The Learning Innovation Room is equipped with a total of five SMART Boards, each running SMART Notebook software, plus five LCD data projectors around the edges of the room. Students work in small groups, each allocated to a laptop and SMART Board combination. A matrix switcher allows lecturers to select which image is displayed on which board.

The Childcare Act 2006, states that local authorities are required to provide information to parents and carers about childcare and other related subjects and, in response to this Kiosks4business has launched Parent Information Point (PIP) for schools. PIP is a kiosk-based information system to make family information and services easily available to parents and carers. It offers a touch screen ‘virtual receptionist' helping parents to answer simple enquiries unaided and allowing team members to focus on more complex problems.

ONELAN are delighted to announce the release of the new Century NTB500-P & NTB500-S. The key features are:

• Small form factor: 223 x 178 x 26mm
• Low power consumption: using less than 12W, this is a Green solution.
• Capable of landscape or portrait multi-zone multi-media playout
• Suitable for playout of Flash and PowerPoint content; a wide range of video formats is also supported, making this a versatile solution
• Available in two versions:
       - NTB500P Publisher/Standalone
       - NTB500S Subscriber player

A range of cookies and muffins have been launched to keep sweet treats on the menu in schools, following successful trials in Fife, Scotland.

Changes in government legislation has meant that chocolate based products have been removed in schools.

With the new geography GCSE syllabus, starting September 2009, to include the use of GPS devices, education technology provider DRS is planning to offer its own GPS device to the education market. Designed as probably the world's simplest GPS device, this unique device was originally intended for census population registration projects around the world, for use in field data collection activities, but is well placed to be used in the new curriculum due to its simplicity and robustness.

The Consortium, has taken one of the UK's most used paper items - the school exercise book - and indentified a sustainable tree-free alternative made entirely of sugar cane waste. For every kilo of traditional paper produced, 98 kilos of other resources is needed, let alone the 786 million trees needed to keep the world in paper for a year, or the forest ecosystems that are destroyed.

Melanie Teal, Chief Executive of The Consortium says: "Sugarcane re-grows from the roots, so the plant lasts for many cycles. It's a really sustainable solution".

As swine flu continues to be of concern around the UK, most of us are keen to find ways of preventing the spread of infection. Recent tests carried out on HiBi antiseptic products show, when used to clean hands, they are effective against the virus.

A study carried out on behalf of Mölnlycke Health Care, the company behind the HiBi range showed that HiBi Gel Hand Rub+ kills the Swine Flu virus after 15 seconds, while HiBiSCRUB is effective after 30 seconds.

North West based Matrix Media Systems has launched the iPOSS (Imaging Point of Sale System) - a slim profile multi screen digital signage and display system, ideal for the educational sector. 12 LCD TFT screens measuring 381mm are housed within one thin bezel unit (overall dimensions 1173mm x 1258mm) - a unique proposition for the mainstream market; previously only bespoke systems would be able to offer this configuration.

A child's education is a fundamental part of how they grow and develop. Children need the opportunity during their education to test their physical ability, imagination and sense of adventure.

Play Direct.com are the latest concept in outdoor play!

School has just got a lot more colourful for students in Pudsey, Leeds, as its interiors have been given a high impact new look with super-sized graphic wall coverings. These full colour wall murals have been created by large format printers Digital Plus Ltd.

The Leeds-based firm gave 300 square meters of wall the bespoke treatment, using cleverly adapted artwork to create maximum impact. The resultant inspirational images give a wow factor throughout the school, stimulating thought and discussion, and very positive feedback from students and teachers.

NQT Manager is a new, simple way for local authorities to manage their NQTs' induction. It is a secure, online solution that conforms to the latest standards of the TDA and GTC. It was originally developed for two of the country's largest LAs, Kent and Hertfordshire County Council. The system has many time-saving features, including automatic chasing for late assessments, automatically generated GTC exports, and easily searchable historic data. Schools input all of the information online - registration of NQTs, completing assessments and adding of tutors, saving the LA hours of time. NQT Manager is a secure system. Data is protected and backed up regularly and a rolling 10 day backup is kept. The system includes comprehensive support from our experienced team, who've been dealing with schools and NQTs for over seven years. There is no annual contract and pricing starts at just £200 per month.

Proud of their latest accolade, Gopak has recently achieved certification to ISO 14001:2004 the standard for Environmental Management. This has been achieved through the company's dedication to eco-friendly manufacture and distribution of its market leading lightweight furniture.

The company's was first assessed in February 2009 by the national standards body BSI, and was recognised as meeting the requirements of the standard by May 2009. In the first six months it has reduced waste previously destined for landfill by five tonnes through a meticulous recycling strategy.

TOSHIBA TEC has partnered with MH Systems and HPort to provide a solution that will give a complete analysis of nutritional data for each pupil based on their daily purchases in the school restaurant. The integrated catering system will initially be installed in 44 secondary schools in Essex, allowing the schools to manage menu planning in-line with Government nutritional standards which will be introduced in September 2009.

By having products that increase child-centred activity in a lesson, learning becomes faster and more in-depth.

In a lesson revolving around the body's internal organs, it is possible to have a skeleton at the front of the class and for a child to come out and place an organ where he/she thinks is the correct place. The same can be done via an interactive whiteboard. But consider an alternative in which each group of four children is given a skeleton. They are then invited to work together putting the organs in the right place.

With increasing numbers of pupils using laptops as part of their core curriculum, safe storage and charging is becoming a real headache for network managers and ICT teachers.

"I realised what a major problem it can be when I spoke to educationalists who spend a great deal of time and effort in ensuring that students, who are increasingly mobile, have a safe solution for storage and re-charging" comments Chris Mott, Global Business Development Manager of the KE Group.

Schools and Colleges have the biggest communications problem of any ‘business'.

To communicate a large number of messages simultaneously to such a widely diverse audience is a challenge.

LapCabby (www.lapcabby.com) is the most cost effective laptop and netbook storage and charging product on the market, and is as feature-rich, robust and secure as products costing two to three times as much.

Now, with 8,000 British schools already using the device, the company behind the product is set to expand across Europe.

Spitfire, the leading ISP and Internet telephony service provider, has launched PureStream^TM SDSL for customers requiring high bandwidth SDSL, coupled with 100 percent resilience. PureStream^TM SDSL combines a 2Mb uncontended LLUStream SDSL (including market leading service level guarantees), with a 2Mb uncontended SDSL(M) as a backup circuit - for a fraction of the price of a 2Mb leased line. This offers outstanding resilience combined with network redundancy as the circuits are provided over different network infrastructure and routing.

Award-winning Barry Island School, one of the highest achieving schools in the Vale of Glamorgan LEA, has become the UK's first school to implement a state-of-the-art networked ICT solution that provides all children with their own monitor, mouse and keyboard at their desks. The former ICT suite has now been turned into a new classroom for 30 additional pupils.

Recognising the importance of technology in education, and the need for the school's ICT systems to work effectively and efficiently, the school decided to invest in a new ICT solution that met its core objectives: a low total cost of ownership (TCO); a high return on investment (ROI) and a system that was environmentally friendly, easy and quick to install.

The new LG Network Monitor is a virtual computing solution for schools that reduces costs, maintenance and energy consumption by allowing multiple users to share a single host PC. The host computer acts as a server, with up to eleven users independently running the software application of their choice via LG desktop monitors.

Connecting several monitors to one host PC has the advantage of reducing energy spend as each individual screen draws considerably less power. A normal terminal draws between 15-80 watts, while the LG network monitor reducing this to between 1-5watts. This has means that a school can potentially lower its annual energy cost by almost 80%.

Meru Networks' "wireless without compromise" has vast potential for the future development of education delivery. With some of the largest school, college and higher education deployments globally, Meru's cutting-edge "virtual cell" wireless architecture has the proven ability to deliver the highest-speed IEEE 802.11n standard at full power to hundreds of students simultaneously, without any dropouts, failed connections or quality-of-service problems. With huge investment directed at education and ICT investment in particular, UK schools are finally starting to take notice of the transformational innovation Meru's wireless architecture can provide.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd has launched the bizhub PRO 1200 mono production print system offering up to 7,200 impressions an hour (120 prints per minute), with a maximum duty cycle of three million prints a month. The launch of the bizhub PRO 1200 extends Konica Minolta's presence in the digital mono print market, offering customers a mid-range production system with outstanding image quality and a comprehensive range of modular finishing options.

Nintendo and Musical Futures, an educational initiative that introduces informal learning approaches into the classroom announce the launch of a pilot scheme bringing Wii Music into schools as an innovative learning aid.

The pilot scheme has been running in five champion schools* identified by Musical Futures as schools that are open to introducing innovation to music lessons.

Muratec Europe (UK), manufacturer of multifunction office equipment and business solutions, has won the coveted Editor's Choice award from Print.IT magazine for the Muratec MFX-C3400 system.

For colour output the powerful MFX-C3400 has a 26 page per minute (ppm) print and copy speed, making output of colour documents, such as reports and training notes, easy and quick. For black-and-white output the MFX-C3400 has a fast 34ppm print speed.

Becta has recently awarded a contract to Insight Direct (UK) to provide assistive technologies on all its Home Access packages when the scheme goes national later this year. Home Access is a government programme managed by Becta. It aims to ensure that more children in state-maintained education in England have access to technology at home to support learning. To ensure that all learners are catered for, regardless of their needs, the packages available will come pre-loaded with a suite of assistive technology software. This has benefits not only for learners, but for their families too.

Exterity, the building IPTV specialist, has launched the AvediaStream chassis and blades. This modular head-end solution makes it easier than ever before for educational institutions to capture and distribute high-impact TV and video learning materials over their existing building or campus network (LAN).

Make foreign language broadcasts available to faculty and students or distribute live lectures or announcements from video cameras. Save internet bandwidth by distributing TV to student accommodations from an internal source, eliminating multiple streams from outside sources such as BBC iPlayer.

With more adults than ever entering further and higher education, the demands on institutions to provide students and lecturers with the best resources and infrastructure has never been greater.

"Having an IT infrastructure capable of meeting student demands is absolutely central to the college's continued success", says Alan Race, Director of ICT and Purchasing at New College Durham; an institution which knows a thing or two about success, having been awarded "outstanding status" in a recent Oftsed inspection, and whose performance and success rates place them among the top 10% of Further and Higher Education colleges in the UK.

With extensive experience and expertise in the education sector, HellermannTyton has its products installed in a wide portfolio of schools and universities across the UK.

At HellermannTyton we believe that cabling infrastructure in educational establishments needs to be cost effective whilst being of the highest quality and standard to meet the unique exacting demands of the environment.

Mitsubishi Electric has for many years been a leading manufacturer of presentation and display products for the education sector and has recently launched a new user friendly, ultra portable projector - the XD221U.

Designed to meet the changing demands of today's educational establishments, the XD221U utilises DLP^TM technology and features a 10-watt speaker and audio mix function. Benefiting from both audio and visual components, users can produce high quality presentations to keep their audience entertained.

School maintenance and refurbishment is an essential part of the duty of care to the pupils and staff. But gone are the days when it constituted a caretaker replacing a few lightbulbs or giving the classrooms a lick of paint during the holidays.

Now the business of refurbishment, in particular, is fraught with a number of new considerations. How environmentally friendly are the materials used? Where were they sourced? How inspiring are the colour choices? How do they conform to the myriad of Health & Safety considerations that are now currently in place. And this is before one even gets to the difficult issue of cost...

Comprised of a four-layer vinyl sheet, the LG RexCourt from Techfloor represents the appearance of a traditional hard wood surface or even a solid colour design, while offering shock absorption, noise level reduction, and ease of maintenance.

RexCourt is suitable for gymnasiums, basketball, badminton and table tennis courts - in fact, any situation where impact resistance, elasticity and hygiene are key requirements. Its impact absorption and ball reflection performance exceed DIN standards, with sound insulation levels of up to 28dbA. Rexcourt also conforms to current EN standards.

Following two visits to the Church of Wales School site at Newbridge-on-Wye, the Considerate Constructors monitor assessed Yorkon's operations in areas such as environment, site cleanliness, safety, responsibility, respect and accountability.

Yorkon was awarded a certificate of Performance Beyond Compliance with a final score of 86%, exceeding UK industry averages of 77%.

Pupils at two schools in the North East are dining in style and safety following the installation of new Polysafe Wood FX - from commercial flooring specialist Polyflor Ltd - in the dining halls at Driffield School and Hessle All Saints School.

Installed by Hull-based flooring contractor Modus Interior Designs, Polysafe Wood FX is especially suitable for school locations, toilets and changing rooms. For improved cleaning and maintenance in these areas, Polysafe Wood FX is reinforced with polyurethane.

IGLOOS Washrooms are pleased to announce that they have recently developed their existing cubicle system ranges to include a collection suitable for the education sector.

These include pre-school, primary and secondary and have been designed as a result of extensive research into the common difficulties associated with school toilets. The pre-school range can incorporate age appropriate learning aids such as shapes, colours, alphabet letters, words and sums.

The Pegler Yorkshire Group has several new product launches planned for this year, including a new range of Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMV's).

The new Pegler Yorkshire TMV's produced will be branded under the Prestex name and manufactured and assembled completely in the UK. Improving design and quality have been key drivers for the new product, while basing everything in Doncaster is also delivering environmental benefits too.

Liquid Plastics, pioneer of liquid applied roofing technology, has returned to the University of Central Lancashire to extend the life of a roof system originally installed 15 years ago.

The 2,000m2 roof of the university's Victoria Building was originally coated with Liquid Plastics' Decothane Omega 15 system in 1993, and over 15 years later the waterproofing has survived its full term without any problems or any requirement to re-visit the roof. Although the coating was not showing any signs of failure, the client wished to overcoat the system to extend the guarantee period.

Cistermiser's AV Range is a specialist vandal resistant range of touch activated washroom controls for use in high risk or demanding public environments such as prisons, secure hospitals, schools, sports facilities, etc.

The User Interface is a piezo touch button encased in a stainless steel mount, fixed flush with the mounting surface. When activated, the piezo touch button, which has no moving parts, causes an electronically operated valve to open allowing water to flow from a Hand Basin Spout or Shower Head or the flushing of a WC or Urinal.

Avanti is a market leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of partitioning systems. It offers high-performance coupled with design-led finishes with its fully relocatable partitioning solution Solare 60/60. This partitioning system combines contemporary aesthetics with outstanding fire resistance and acoustic performance.

Solare 60/60 is one of the highest fire specification fully glazed, dry-jointed relocatable partitioning systems in the industry. It is tested for 60 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation setting a new industry standard for limiting height. These tests mean architectural designs can become reality as clear glazing, without vertical posts, can now be realised with a much stricter performance specification.

Twyford Bathrooms has launched the only truly Rimless WC Pan for schools, it is ultra hygienic and water saving.

The Sola School Rimless WC Pan has no hidden channels, no covered rim, no box section and no tubes making it far easier to clean. It also meets BREEAM specifications and flushes on 4l of water per flush.

When Forest Way Special Educational Needs School was opened recently, thirty five Elta Fans were installed as part of the system to provide a comfortable, effective and well ventilated learning environment for the pupils.

The school, situated in the National Forest in Leicestershire, is a new co-educational special school for 138 pupils aged 3 - 19 years old with a wide range of special needs. Designed with sustainability in mind, the school incorporates several integrated, eco-friendly systems, added to which is the low energy ventilation system that utilises the Elta fans.

Formica Limited provides a diverse range of decorative interior surfacing materials that combine functionality, practicality and comfort with the brightest and freshest colours and designs. Formica® products are suitable for all manner of applications in schools including wall and door panelling, desk and table tops, washroom and changing room fit outs.

Polyrey's popular Cubicle & Washroom collection has been updated to offer even wider decorative and practical benefits from its selection of HPL, compact grade laminates and MFC solutions which are ideal for cubicles, benches, lockers, partitions and vanity units.

There are four new design additions based around a popular blue palette and a sophisticated black speckle design, bringing the total to 51 different decorative choices available in plain colours, woodgrains and patterns.

SAFETYWORKS & Solutions new western region office got off to a flying start by delivering an efficient installation programme and a range of roof safety systems for Abergele School in Wales, thereby providing maintenance operatives with safe access around, and onto the five roof areas within the school grounds.

It was essential that the school remained uninterrupted whilst the work was carried out, therefore a weekend installation was necessary. Utilising a special crane lift and their own fleet of lorries and experienced personnel, SAFETYWORKS & Solutions were able to complete the installation on time, and within budget, much to the delight of their client. The project included the provision of 440m of Easyguard free standing handrails.

Charterhouse School near Godalming in Surrey has taken delivery of two new CG wall-hung condensing boilers from Clyde Energy Solutions as part of an ongoing programme to upgrade the entire heating system with Clyde's high efficiency units. The latest additions bring the total number of CG boilers at the School to eleven. Designed with a sophisticated microprocessor control to be ‘BMS technology ready', the boilers are linked to the School's integrated energy management system that allows central control and local overrides to optimise energy consumption. The boilers heat a range of buildings on the site, including teaching blocks, boarding houses and the theatre, and have outputs from 60kW to 100kW depending on heating demands.

Shaws of Darwen ‘British made' white glazed commercial fireclay products suit all applications in public and contract sectors of the market. Fireclay is a traditional robust material which can be used in many areas. Products include an amazing array of eight sizes of Belfast sinks which are acid and alkali resistant, lab sinks, two styles of practical floor or wall mounted cleaner's sinks with stainless steel bucket gratings plus many other sinks.

Leading UK carpet manufacturer Heckmondwike FB has achieved the highest rating from the BRE (Building Research Establishment) for its market leading Supacord range.

Using the 2008 BRE Environmental Profiles Methodology, Supacord sheet achieved an ‘A+' rating whilst Supacord tiles achieved an ‘A' rating, both for education and commercial buildings. These results put Supacord at the top of the list for specifiers looking for floorcoverings with strong environmental credentials along with a proven track record.

As one of the UK's leading provider of Lifting Platforms. Level Access Lifts offer an unparalleled choice of high quality Public access equipment.

The owners and many of the staff here at Level have been involved in the platform lift industry since its infancy over 20 years ago.

The award winning Runshaw College has significantly reduced its energy consumption by installing an advanced lighting control system from Schneider Electric.

 The Clipsal C-Bus® product range from Schneider Electric was selected for its ability to control and automate any type of electrical load. With products catering for any type or size of system ranging from homes to large scale commercial applications, power and lighting control, dimming and energy management, Clipsal C-Bus provides a flexible solution for managing energy consumption. To ensure fast and reliable operation each device has its own inbuilt microprocessor, which can be individually programmed using PC based software or directly via the ‘learn mode' devices.

Following the completion of a successful installation in 2008, Sovereign Play Equipment has been awarded the second phase in the outdoor play development at Springside with Hamer Learning Community in Rochdale.

Jane Herring, Head Teacher of Springside School commented: "Sovereign listened very carefully and understood the needs of the children when the first stage of work was carried out last year. As it was a new school, there were no existing play facilities. Fellow Headteacher of Hamer, Jan Smith and I wanted to create a well constructed, interesting play area that would not only cater for the pupils, but encourage them to interact." Ms Herring continued.

Ampleforth College, the largest private Roman Catholic mixed boarding school in the United Kingdom located near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, has taken delivery of a Ransomes Spider slope mower from local Ransomes Jacobsen dealer, IC Distributors. Ransomes Jacobsen is Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT) company.

School dinners came under scrutiny five years ago when TV chef Jamie Oliver highlighted the deplorable diets of many children in the UK, both at home and at school. Since that time, new nutritional guidelines have been put in place to ensure that schools provide healthier food and finally the message seems to be hitting the target.

Figures released by the School Food Trust this summer reveal that more children are taking advantage of school lunches than ever before. This is partly due to better, healthier food but also as a result of better facilities, food education and other initiatives designed to raise awareness in pupils and their parents.

Barr Soft Drinks has developed a new range of products under the St Clements Squeeze brand to meet the needs of both the Schools Food Trust's soft drinks guidelines for school's and school pupils desire for great tasting refreshment during the school day.

The Schools Food Trust want drinks provided in schools to be additive free, contain no flavourings, colourings, sweeteners, fruit extracts or preservatives (other than those permitted under existing EU regulation).

Aimia Foods has acquired Spring Cool Soft Drinks from Norbev, the Northern Ireland-based soft drinks, packaged water and juice producer.  The Spring Cool Soft Drinks business with a £3 million turnover sells products into schools such as Spring Cool Irish Spring Water, Spring Clear 105, and Spring Cool X-ite - all of which will be integrated into Aimia Foods' portfolio with immediate effect.

Aviko's ‘Pure Mash', launched at the LACA Conference, is a success with school caterers, following endorsement of the rest of the range by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

Aviko's ‘Pure Mash' is just potato, with no added ingredients, and quick-frozen to lock in all the flavour and vitamins.  Prepared using a microwave or combi-steamer, it is ready to serve from frozen in less than 12 minutes! 

It's a fact: use induction just once and you'll never want to use anything else. It will do everything you can on gas and more, while saving energy and carbon emissions.

Induction is up to 86 per cent more efficient than gas and avoids expensive extraction and installation costs.

But having an energy efficient solution doesn't mean you need to compromise on functionality.

Following the success of last year's Premier Culinary Academies for Schools, Premier Foods is launching an Academies programme again in 2009. Aimed at secondary school cooks and unit managers, the relaxed and interactive one-day sessions are being enhanced this year to help drive income as well as create healthy and appealing meals.

Welsh soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills recently launched an exciting new product to add to their range of school compliant drinks.

Jufru 330ml is one of the first of its kind, being a still 60% fruit juice and spring water drink with no preservatives.  This product utilises brand new packaging technologies to give a long ambient shelf life in a PET bottle with the exclusion of added preservatives.

The Government and the School Food Trust (SFT) have long been leading the way in the fight against childhood obesity, one of their key initiatives is the ban on sweetened fizzy drinks, they now only allow bottled water, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, pure juices and yogurt or milk drinks with less than 5% added sugar to be sold in schools.

The Outspan range of drinks from Aimia Foods is continuing to expand through the launch of Juice Splash, a healthy and great tasting juice drink. 

Made with 60 per cent juice, the school compliant drinks are ideally suited for lunch boxes, independent retailers or schools. The high impact, premium packaging ensures the drinks stand out on shelf, offering retailers great margin potential.

A pre-fabricated semi-permanent kitchen and dining complex from PKL, supplied on a contract hire basis so PKL takes all financial risk, is being used to feed up to 500 pupils from three schools operated by Croydon Council.

The new temporary building, which will be on site for at least five years, replaced a run-down kitchen building at Winterbourne Junior Boys, Junior Girls and Infant schools site. It provides fresh preparation, hot production and cold storage facilities, with space to accommodate over 200 pupils in one sitting.

Unilever Foodsolutions , maker of KNORR foods, launched a new initiative earlier this year, to help primary and secondary schools increase school meal uptake by providing expert marketing, culinary and nutritional support tailored to each local authority's needs and requirements.

Eatz4U works by inspiring the children through front of house theatre that competes against similar high street offerings, whilst also getting them excited about food. The dedicated team at Unilever Foodsolutions offers continual support throughout the programme, with advice on marketing execution and access to nutritional and culinary specialists.

Brian Nimick, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, today called on the government to take urgent action to implement a programme for the management and removal of asbestos in schools. 

In calling for a national comprehensive register of asbestos in schools he said  "it is unacceptable that the UK, in 2009, has not yet undertaken a national audit of asbestos in schools; has not comprehensively assessed the risks that teachers and pupils in each and every school face;  and has not allocated appropriate resources to take urgent remedial action.

As 5-14 year olds remain the age group predominantly affected by the current flu pandemic, Midlands based hygiene experts, Deb Limited, advise how educational establishments can reduce the risk of catching and spreading flu by adopting good hand hygiene practices, providing adequate hand washing facilities and through promoting the use of a hand sanitiser such as Deb InstantFOAM which kills 99.999% of common germs in 15 seconds and has been tested and found to be effective against H1N1. Deb products are available in over 100 countries and it is estimated that at least 40 million people use Deb products everyday in the workplace.

Hand hygiene specialists TEAL have a range of portable warm water hand wash units that have been specially designed for small children to make hand washing fun and enable youngsters to learn about and take responsibility for their own personal hygiene.

The units require no fixed plumbing as they store clean and dirty water so can be positioned in convenient locations wherever needed. They are safe and easy for children to operate and come in bright colours to encourage use.

Leading asbestos removal contractor, The Caswell Group are advising UK schools not to leave it too late to plan asbestos removal works over holiday periods.  They are offering all UK Schools a free audit/review of the schools existing asbestos registers.

Following school closures due to the Swine Flu outbreak, Ilford Ursuline High School in Essex has made the task of keeping its pupils hands clean easy by installing a number of SaniPost units.

Mark Smith, Facilities Manager at Ilford Ursuline, said "The school is very aware of the rise in infections through hand to hand contact. We feel  that by installing SaniPost we will minimise the spread of infections whilst demonstrating to the schools users that we are committed to providing a hygienic, safe and healthy environment'"

Polyrey's brand new Sanitized® compact grade anti-bacterial laminate can be specified with confidence to optimise standards of public health and hygiene when it comes to decorative surfaces. Complementing Polyrey's existing compact grade offer, Sanitized® is an ideal product for schools, hospitals, restaurants and shops in a range of horizontal and vertical applications including counters, furniture, washroom and changing cubicles.

McGee Group is one of Europe's leading civil, structural, demolition and decontamination specialists. The Group was founded in 1958 by Tom McGee and has grown dramatically in size and reputation. McGee continues to pioneer new and innovative techniques and methods, enabling them to deliver projects quicker, more economically and with reduced environmental impact.

Swine Flu, seemingly, is on the increase but you can impact its spread in public places by installing the revolutionary new ultra violet air sterilizer, Bactokill from Bower Products.  

Years of research and development followed by stringent testing by Microsearch Laboratories have proven that Bactokill will destroy 97% of all airborne bacteria. They say, "It is entirely probable that UV radiation will significantly damage the Swine Flu bacteria"!

Rising birth rates is one factor being blamed for a shortage of places in England's primary schools. London and the West Midlands has been hardest hit, with the government expected to announce an extra £200m in funding to provide new primary school places.

According to the National Union of Teachers, too many schools were closed when the birth rate was falling, meaning there is now no capacity in the system.

Innovative carpet tile company, Burmatex, has created a bespoke 720m2 carpet installation for Carmarthenshire College, one of the largest further education establishments in Wales. The brief was to create a design-led flooring scheme that was both welcoming and would leave a lasting impression. It was also important that the design met the requirements of the Discrimination and Disabilities Act (DDA) and improved the acoustics of the typically noisy reception area.

It's that time of the year again when schools across the country have had to hold exams. Highgate Wood School in London is no exception, however, noisy construction work being undertaken to upgrade school buildings adjacent to the exam hall, left nowhere suitable for students to sit their exams.

With only 6 weeks to go until the first exam, the school needed a quick and versatile solution and contacted Spaciotempo, the UK's largest temporary building provider.

Mapei's Eco-friendly products have once again been specified for use in a major public sector flooring project.  Three schools in Berwickshire: Eyemouth High School, Earlston High School and The Berwickshire High School had a total of approx. 26,000m² of carpet and vinyl floors installed using Mapei levelling compounds, damp proof membranes and adhesives.

The highly developed and proven Eco products were specified by contractors Proctor Flooring of Washington, Tyne and Wear, having used them before and experienced the benefits they bring to this type of contract.

PARQCOLOR Ultra 9582 Birch, the high pressure laminate flooring from ABET LAMINATI, has been used extensively throughout the new River House Montessori School, recently relocated to a stunning prime waterfront location in London's Docklands.

PARQCOLOR , laid in the assembly hall, walkways, corridors and open areas, is a perfect choice for this type of heavy duty application. With a wide range of rich and distinctive designs and finishes, the high pressure laminate offers the dual benefits of high performance and durability combined with an extremely attractive appearance. The flooring has excellent impact resistance as well as high resistance to scuffs, spillages, dirt and staining.  Importantly for the school, it is maintenance free, does not need polishing, sanding or varnishing and is easily cleaned with a damp mop.

An innovative dry floor screed from Knauf Drywall boosts the green credentials of new and highly sustainable primary school buildings in the Devon countryside, near Totnes. About 1,800m2 of thermally transparent Knauf Brio Dry Floor Screed was specified for the new Dartington C.E. Primary and Nursery School, to ensure maximum efficiency from its underfloor heating, from specialist supplier Nu-Heat. Knauf Brio is a gypsum fibre board, specially developed for new or refurbishment flooring and for use with underfloor heating or cooling systems.

Innovative design, speed of construction on site and a competitive price were the key factors in Andoversford School's decision to specify a Pinelog building to house its new community playgroup.

In order to provide a resource for the local community, the Governors' at Andoversford Primary School decided to invest in a new building to house a playgroup and a mother & toddler group. For the budget available, a factory-fabricated building was thought to be the best option. A number of suppliers were invited to tender, the proposal from Pinelog being accepted as their buildings were thought to be the most attractive and competitively priced.

Evac+Chair International has recently supplied over 50 of its stairway evacuation chairs to the University of Chester, assisting them to offer an equal university experience to all. The University of Chester is one of the oldest education institutions in the country with in excess of 150 buildings of varying style and age.

"We have a transient population so we need to cater for those that are currently here and for those who may wish to study or work here in the future," explained the University's Health & Safety Manager Stephen Povey. He continued, "A stairway evacuation device was identified to us as a way of fulfilling our health and safety and equality and diversity commitments enabling us to offer a safe means of emergency escape for all."

Aluminium Rainwater specialists Alumasc have supplied a high performance rainwater system to the award-winning £7.3m Windygoul Primary School in Tranent, near Edinburgh. 

The school, built to stringent ‘green' requirements boasts environmental features such as integrated photovoltaic glazing, solar hot water heating and a sedum roof, earning East Lothian Council a Carbon Trust Award for Low Carbon Building.

Accio Group has consistently proven itself to be one of the UK's leading suppliers of temporary structure solutions to the education sector. The company's dedicated team of highly trained professionals offer expert project management and can provide a range of solutions to meet individual establishment's needs.

Specialising in delivering temporary structures of all shapes and sizes, Accio Group is renowned for its ability to deliver projects on time and on budget. 

Thirteen new primary schools that have been built for Barnsley Metropolitan Council as part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) have benefited from the high performance products and technical expertise of leading paint manufacturer Johnstone's.

The paint specification that Johnstone's devised was required to meet a challenging brief set by main contractors Carillion that included the need for all materials used to be aesthetically pleasing whilst helping to significantly reduce maintenance requirements and potential disruption throughout the contract term. 

Moulton College has an unrivalled reputation for excellence in training for the land based industries. The need arose for a pet shop and florist on campus, to be used as a teaching aid and provide horticultural and animal welfare students with first-hand retail experience.

The shops were planned as an extension to the college's garden centre so a single building made from natural materials but steered well clear of something that looked like a large wooden ‘shed' was required.  There was also a tight deadline, the building had to be up and running in a few weeks.

To expand school facilities quickly and cost-effectively local education authorities are turning increasingly to factory built, modular construction. Not only are great savings achieved in construction costs and site development times, but the steel framed buildings look just as pleasing and are as equally robust as those that are built using traditional building techniques.

To expand school facilities quickly and cost-effectively local education authorities are turning increasingly to factory built, modular construction. Not only are great savings achieved in construction costs and site development times, but the steel framed buildings look just as pleasing and are as equally robust as those that are built using traditional building techniques.

A quick look around any school, college or university and you'll see a greater preponderance of women in teaching posts. Yet it seems that few make it to the very top of the tree - even in these enlightened times!