Brighton Steiner School are hosting a Festival of Steiner Education on 26th & 27th September 2008 giving families a chance to discover for themselves what Steiner education is really about. Many parents, concerned at the emotional costs of a targets-driven approach to education, are looking ‘over the fence’ to see how the Steiner approach to education differs, and what it might offer their children.

Join world leading futurologists, scientists and Ufi, the organisation behind learndirect, at 8:45am on 16th June for the launch of the Skills Evolution Report - a future-gazing look at how technology might change the way in which people learn, and the impact this will have on the workplace.

The 28th February saw the NEC open it's doors to yet another storm of product hungry teachers who were all looking for the next "must-have" product for the next school year. The show offered decision makers a diverse range of product from pink blu-tak through to a bargain £99 lap top, proving that the Education Show is still the one stop shop for school equipment! Visitor numbers soared over 14,500 throughout the three day event which highlighted the shows importance in the education sectors buying calendar.

ETT 2008, again provided the platform from which suppliers to the education market could showcase a wide variety of software products available to aid with the running of schools both in the UK and overseas. At the last count footfall had totalled almost 29,000 making it the highest attended event yet proving that ICT is still of the highest importance and value in the modern day teaching environment. What is most interesting is that 19% of the attendees were from overseas, which means that BETT has once again retained its title as the largest and most truly international technology show within education.

After a busy first day at the show, the BETT awards took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. The event not only recognises pioneering suppliers within this part of the sector but also the close working partnership between Becta and BESA. Judges review the entries based on criteria including design, cost-effectiveness, support of higher order thinking skills and effective learning and teaching styles. The technical criteria against which the awards were judged focused on the robustness and resilience of each product, and its accessibility for those with specific needs.

To all intents and purposes the school classroom has remained unchanged in its basic design for over 50 years. There is a teacher with a teacher's desk, and there are pupils and students who sit and write at their desks.

Sharp Electronics (UK) Ltd has launched two new handheld calculator models - the EL-233S and the EL-M332 aimed at primary school children of all ages.

The Building Schools Exhibition and Conference (BSEC), is the only event of its kind in the UK. It is designed to bring together the key decision makers involved in the Government’s many school building programmes - Building Schools for the Future, City Academies, the Primary Capital Programme, the Targeted Capital Fund and celtic PFI. The event focuses on the construction, maintenance and design of all schools - new, refurbished and old.

PremierPlus is the new and technologically advanced modular building system from Premier Interlink (Waco UK Ltd).

The architecture education organisation Open House encourages creative learning experiences for all through interactions with exemplary architecture. Learning by Design, an Open House programme funded by the DCSF, comprises a series of accessible publications and open days showcasing exemplar schools and early years facilities. It aims to inform and inspire decision-makers, particularly those at the pre-briefing stage. For further information, including London open days to be held in late January 2008, please email learningbydesign@openhouse.org.uk

Procter Fencing Systems, one of the UK's leading manufacturers of fencing and gates, will be on stand 743 at BSEC 08 to exhibit its range of perimeter fencing. Visitors to the stand will also be given a free copy of Fencing for Schools, a specifier's guide to perimeter security fencing for schools.

Award-winning school building specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, is to unveil its latest design initiative for off-site construction at BSEC 2008.

Public sector windows specialist WHS Halo System 10 will be launching its unique new online energy savings calculator as part of its complete package of low carbon solutions for schools, at this year’s BSEC exhibition.

A leaking roof can be very disruptive, and potentially extremely costly if computer and electronic equipment is housed in the room below. To make matters worse it can be difficult to schedule building works into holiday and shutdown periods without running over and incurring large costs.

Manufacturers of specialist stationery equipment for the education sector, STAEDTLER offers a comprehensive range of writing, drawing and Art & Craft materials for schools, developed in close association with the teaching profession.

Introducing Shakespeare isn't easy. One innovative and entertaining approach is offered by the Shakespeare Comic Book Series. Each of the titles in the series presents an edited version of an original Shakespeare play, supported by a modern English translation – and all in a highly illustrated, comic book format.

West Midland Safari Park announce the birth of the first ever white lion cubs to be born in the UK and they were on view to visitors for the first time, when the Park opened on 10 February 2007.

Access to online forums and teacher networks such as Promethean Planet (www.prometheanplanet.com) have opened up new ways for teachers to use their interactive whiteboards – discussing the best software, hardware, new gadgets, training courses as well as sharing tips and flipcharts for specific lessons. One particular set of tools that are being used more and more in schools to accompany the whiteboard are student response systems. These handheld devices can be used for non-academic and curriculum purposes to make lessons more fun and engaging. Below are a few ideas on how to use them in the classroom.

Anyone visiting the Education Show’s Art Zone at the NEC in Birmingham would have come across a stand with a difference. This year edding UK Ltd decided to put the fun back into exhibiting and what a buzz it created.

The UK's major education exhibition returns to the NEC in Birmingham from March 22-24 and it is shaping up to be an essential visit for all teachers.

Representing a 3.5 per cent increase in attendees from BETT 2006, 29,774 (subject to ABC audit) educators visited BETT 2007, the world’s largest technology in education event. Before the end of BETT, 98 per cent of exhibition floor space, including 100 per cent of floor space in the Special Needs Zone, had been rebooked for the following year.

The National Archives is celebrating its success at the recent e-Government National Awards, announced on 17 January at the Savoy in London. The National Archives was presented with the award for Central e-Government excellence: Take-up and usage growth.

The j2e.com, a powerful online document processor, suitable for KS1-4 word processing, simple desktop publishing and other classroom activities from the BETT-Award1 winning creators of Textease® - Danny Young and Geoff Titmuss.

Pupils can now collect data for analysis in Geography lessons on handheld computers (Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs) with the Advisory Unit’s new Aegis Recorder program. The Recorder can be used with or without a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) to assist KS3, GCSE and A-Level students to easily collect and display data accurately.

Djanogly City Academy has installed a new breed of integrated pupil management system by linking its CMIS Management Information System (MIS) with the latest cashless catering and access control system provided by M H Systems in partnership with Toshiba.

Interactive whiteboards have arguably brought about one of the biggest changes in the way we teach in recent years. Since 2004, the government has spent £50m encouraging schools to go interactive, and now almost every school in the country has at least one interactive whiteboard.

Halifax based FrogTrade Ltd had a very busy BETT Show with an incredible amount of interest shown from schools, colleges and government officials. FrogTrade have developed the FrogTeacher digital learning platform which enables schools and colleges to maximise teaching and learning opportunities.

ADEPTIAS Limited designs IT integrated adaptive desks with patent-pending innovations for access, adaptability and security. IT integrated desks have become a part of the established wisdom of school furniture requirements. Their benefits are also recognised throughout the public sector.

Finding the right hardware for your school or college can be just as much of a headache as finding your way through the maze of new software constantly coming to market. From wireless networked devices to sophisticated all-in-one machines that can print, copy, scan and fax – and even translate documents – how do you decide which is right for you?