When I talk to school managers about replacing old, worn-out buildings or providing extra space for an expanding curriculum, the most common response that I get is concern. We immediately agree that the school has at least one building that needs replacing, or needs a new facility to help cover the new curriculum. But as we begin to talk, concern emerges as we begin to talk about exactly how this can be achieved.

A Northumberland head teacher has complained that some lessons at his school have to take place in cupboards and store rooms due to a lack of space.

Maurice Hall made his comments about facilities at the Duchess's Community School in Alnwick during a debate on the future of schooling in the town.

Schools are offering head teachers five figure "golden hellos" as the shortage of good candidates continues to bite, education experts say.

Governors are devising increasingly attractive packages, and some are using headhunters, to find the right person.

Ateenage girl had to have most of her fingers and thumbs amputated because of severe burns caused by mixing plaster of Paris by hand during an art class.

The 16-year-old girl is said to have suffered third degree burns as the plaster set.

Criminalising youngsters who fail to stay on in education or training until they reach the age of 18 is the wrong approach, say teaching unions.

NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott said it would "alienate and undermine" any desire disaffected youngsters may feel towards continuing in education.

Cycling proficiency tests are set to be re-introduced into schools in England.

Organisers say the Bikeability award scheme will give children a more realistic experience of coping with road conditions.

Pupils should be able to suggest suitable punishments for bullies in their school, according to an MPs' report into bullying.

The Commons Education Select Committee also warned that children should not be excluded from school for retaliating against bullies.

More pupils from low income homes in England are to be offered free buses to school to stop transport costs pricing them out of popular schools.

Children are being bullied into providing "sexual favours" in exchange for protection as gang culture enters schools, campaigners have warned.

Charity Beatbullying said it had seen growing evidence of sexual bullying between boys and girls at school.

The government might introduce another new secondary school science qualification in England.

The move comes just as a revised science curriculum and qualifications have begun being taught.

An exam board's decision to drop its ancient history Alevel is symptomatic of "the general dumbing-down of

Britain", the Conservatives have said.

OCR - the last to offer the subject - said revised A-level courses would offer a better range of qualifications.

Gordon Brown's £45bn plan to rebuild England's schools will be a waste of cash unless classrooms are made fit for lessons of the future, a report warns.

Most current school buildings pre-date the computer age and are "obsolete" as learning environments, the study said.

New legal powers for teachers and schools in England to restrain and discipline unruly pupils have come into effect.

The law sets out teachers' right to break up fights and to confiscate items like mobile phones.

Drug education and prevention services for some of England's most vulnerable children are facing "disastrous" funding cuts, a charity has claimed.

Teachers are warning that pupils' violent behaviour is causing staff to leave the profession.

A third of teachers in the UK have faced physical aggression from pupils, a survey for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) suggests.

How do you engage pupils of the Internet age? It can be challenging enough in the classroom but what about sharing information on a wider level within school?

Last month a guidance paper was released by the DfES leaving it up to individual head teachers to decide what pupils should be allowed to wear in class. The emphasis of the new rules is that head teachers should be able to ban “any garment (that) imposes on a child’s ability to learn or is a safety or security issue.” But the world’s press have seized upon the wording to focus on the controversial full Islam face veil – known as the niqab.

The scourge of bullying is back in the headlines but this time it is not only the students who are the victims – but the teachers too. The relatively new phenomenon of cyber-bullying, where mobile phones, emails and the internet are used, is affecting one in six UK teachers according to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

Considering a VLE Solution

As the 2008 deadline nears for all schools to provide access to e-learning resources both in and out of school, the race is on to select the Virtual Learning Environment solution both for today and the future.

Whilst some of us look forward to the long summer holidays, or at least a much needed break from the children and recharging of the batteries in time to face the challenges of the next academic year, it is often the busiest time of the year for maintenance staff and their teams of external contractors.

Pre-school children just love the soft forms, fun and safety of Lollipop by washroom provider, Armitage Venesta.

New or upgraded schools where fresh produce can be prepared is now a priority, which means the standards will have to be met. The systems that are in place are outdated and are failing to meet British Standard BS 6173 which is to ensure efficient ventilation in kitchens. It's estimated that around 80% of schools are not up to this standard. If the schools kitchens do not pass this standard then they could be shut down, forcing the food to be brought in from outside sources at a higher price.

The Construction Skills Network report 2007 published by ConstructionSkills reveals that Government spending on education, and specifically Building Schools for the Future, will provide the single largest boost to construction employment outside London. The national picture shows that this eclipses even the resource demands of the 2012 Olympic build in the next five years.

Gradus Wall Protection has introduced eleven new colours to its InPro wall protection range. The broader choice for specifiers will help achieve suitable colour contrast in order to aid access around a building for visually impaired people to meet guidelines in Approved Document M, in line with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Ask a teacher or lecturer about the key issues concerning any building used for IT and the same issues will be raised wherever you go.

Hardman Fold School in Failsworth near Manchester installed its Junckers sport hall floor in 1983. From that point on, the floor received very little maintenance, the seal wore and the surface eventually became dilapidated.

Award-winning off-site construction specialists and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, has handed over a new £3m adult education centre in Lewisham, just 13 weeks after arrival of the building modules on site.

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 National Archives has a reputation for providing researchers and historians with a wealth of information. However, many teachers are unaware of the award-winning Learning Curve website that is also produced by The National Archives. The site is aimed at the education sector and provides free access to a range of primary source material and teaching aids.

Pupils and teachers using the modern day, ICTfocused classroom, stand to benefit from two unique new products designed for use with the increasingly popular interactive whiteboard. Awardwinning product design specialist, Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd (IDC), was called on by Steljes to develop a secure, vandal-proof projector mount and a sturdy step for children that would make the whiteboard more userfriendly.

Studies show that approximately one in five school-age children* have problems with their sight which have not been detected. With the launch of the I-test vision screener, there’s now an easy way to identify vision problems in the classroom at an early stage – something that is vital in helping children to fulfil their true academic potential.

Schools involved with inhouse building maintenance or design and technology projects often need to cut large sheets of material, which frequently has to be done by a lone operator. This is not an easy task either out on site or in a small workshop, and traditional methods usually have well known inherent difficulties and dangers.

Thorite announces two products which are ideal for use in schools and colleges. The Jun-air range of ultra-quiet air compressors is perfect for use in teaching situations.

Etech Group has launched the new 'Works with Studywiz' certification programme, announcing education software specialist Birchfield Interactive as its first content partner in secondary schools.

Find out about the Robber Crab that climbs trees to collect coconuts, the mating dance of Seahorses that lasts for days and the three metre Komodo dragon that can hunt a water buffalo.

This book gives a fascinating account of individual healing sessions with children with complex special needs and moderate to severe learning difficulties.