School kitchens and refectories will always provide a challenge for interior surfaces. Extreme temperatures, wear and tear and a high risk of spillages make these demanding environments, so ensuring the performance of materials is a must. Hygiene must also be a key consideration to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff. Here, I’ve outlined a few important considerations when selecting interior surfaces for catering environments within schools.

Sixth form students are being warned not to cheat on their university application forms by copying material from the internet. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has written to every UK school saying doing so could affect students' chances of winning a place.

A parent is urging a judge to reconsider a ruling that the government did not break the law when it sent schools copies of a film by Al Gore.

Gordon Brown has hit out at celebrities for their "casual attitude" towards drugs, and called for more positive role models. Mr Brown said children should look up to positive figures like athlete and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.

Nearly a quarter of England's state secondary schools let down their pupils, an education minister has said. Schools Minister Lord Adonis told private school leaders fewer than 30% of pupils got five good GCSEs including English and maths in some 800 schools.

A third independent school in England is to join the state sector as an academy, it has been announced. The Girls' Day School Trust said Birkenhead High School in Wirral was to make the change after consultation.

A lack of consultation with children and parents is partly to blame for the fall in pupils having school meals in England, inspectors have said.

A leading head teacher has called for a tougher line against illegal drugs, saying attitudes are too lenient. Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College in Berkshire, told a public schools' conference drugs were "too sinister" to tolerate.

Schools in England have been given new advice stressing that uniforms must be reasonably priced and widely available. Ministers have released new guidance on their rights and responsibilities.

The teaching of evolution is becoming increasingly difficult in UK schools because of the rise of creationism, a leading scientist is warning.

The education system should be freed from local democracy if it is to meet the challenge of global competition, a leading educationist says.

Teachers could be obliged to keep updating their skills to stay on the register of those allowed to work in schools, under possible new plans.

A major campaign to boost the teaching of science and technology is needed if the UK is to keep its place in the global economy, a key report warns.

The system by which parents can be balloted on the future of grammar schools is to be reviewed by ministers. Since 1998, a ballot on the future of any of England's 164 remaining academically selective state schools can be held if 20% of parents want one.

A new system of youth mayors should be introduced to stem the worrying trend of 'anchorless and disengaged' young people who have no interest and feel they have no say in the democratic process.

Boring break times and poorly designed playgrounds are partly to blame for school bullying, a charity claims.

A government advisor is calling for multi-faith academies to be built in the East Midlands to avoid the creation of religious and racial ghettos.

Schools have used workload reforms to improve teachers' lives but not necessarily to improve education, the inspectorate Ofsted has said. Ofsted said the deal between government and unions was meant to raise standards as well as to reduce workloads.

Everyone's heard Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall - but the story of how a handful of children got to sing on the track recalls an era of starkly different schooling values to those held today.

The Edward de Bono Foundation (UK) has announced its Q4 2007 open course dates, offering businesses, government and education organisations a unique opportunity to improve individual and group productivity through one-off workshops.

Teachers seeking fresh ideas for school days out and short breaks will find details from a huge variety of attractions, destinations and tour operators at Excursions 2008, the UK’s premier one-day group travel show at Alexandra Palace, North London on Saturday 12 January (10.30am-4pm).

Award-winning off-site construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, has handed over a new purpose-designed classroom building to Hayes School in Bromley just three months after start of work on site.

Sexiness In A Stick and The Ventriloquist - two new innovative short films, have been launched by www.quitbecause.org.uk - the youth website about smoking issues. To mark the rise in the minimum legal age for buying tobacco on October 1st, QUIT, the UK charity that helps smokers to stop, commissioned production company Sound Talent to produce the humorous films.

When a school for children with learning difficulties starts getting significant passes at GCSE, it’s time to take note of its methods. Selly Oak School in Birmingham is a special school that caters for children with moderate learning difficulties.

The Sutton Trust report was published last month and found that four-fifths of the private sector account for nearly one third of all Oxbridge undergraduates each year.

George Warner, Former Science Teacher and Product Designer explains the reasons behind the development of the Cambridge Brainbox electronic educational kits. Cambridge Brainbox came into being to provide the essential kit and learning support materials to help teachers to teach some of the more difficult parts of the National Curriculum.

Schools need to lead and inspire pupils so that we all make an effort to reduce global warming. This brief note relates to the reduction of current flue gas energy wastage which some people do not consider important. This view is unfortunate since the recovery of this energy is really vital!

Education Today discusses energy conservation in the education sector with Martin Fry; Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor, City University Chairman, Energy Services and Technology Association, Advisor to the Carbon Trust

Eurobond has re-launched the Europanel composite panel system, with a new emphasis on its proven credentials in low environmental impact and fire performance. The ‘total wall’ solution is designed to be integrated with glazing and louvre components from partner manufacturers.

Keylite Sun Lite™ provides specifiers and housebuilders with a source of daylight in challenging areas. Lighting is the most visible building system, which directly affects the aesthetics and image of a building and business, not to mention being responsible for affecting mood, comfort, productivity and health and safety of a building’s occupants. Sometimes a conventional Keylite Roof Window may not be an option due to certain obstacles.

Vulcana Kestrel room-sealed gas heaters are ideal for schools because they do not use air from the classroom to support combustion, so maintain warmth and high air quality, even on the coldest days.

Five young people from Walton High School, Milton Keynes, will be on their way to Prague next year to represent their country at the third annual Youth Eco-Parliament.

Who can forget the pleasure of the first day of term and a new pencil case, pristine and yet to be stained with fountain-pen ink? Or the feel of a freshly sharpened pencil skimming across the page in art class?

For primary schools, the BIC Kids Colouring range includes a vast array of crayons, pencils, felt tip pens, glue, whiteboard markers and activity kits, all of which are clean, long lasting and great value for money. All products are high quality, safe and meet British Safety Standards too.

Spillages and shoe scuffs were proving a real headache for teachers at a Warwickshire school as previous floors in its science laboratories have always failed to score top marks.

The Institute of Education estimates 1 in 4 children receive extra tuition during their school years. With the demand for private tuition rapidly on the rise, online tutoring and tutor-matching agencies, First Tutors (www.firsttutors.co.uk) and Bright Tutors (www.brighttutors.co.uk) are making finding a private tutor and promoting yourself as a private tutor a lot easier.

The senior management in every school will want to know that every department and every area of the school has all its record keeping fully up-to-date and immediately available.

Markett Marley Floors’ products have been specified in 13 primary schools as part of Barnsley’s £54m PFI investment. The programme is designed to upgrade and replace the existing schools in the area to provide state of the art facilities that will benefit 3,600 pupils and staff from ‘enhanced’ learning environments.

Armitage Venesta’s Academy ticks all the boxes for Building Schools for the Future projects. Its steel cored anti-vandal structure is extremely robust and the solid grade laminate boards are impervious to water and easily cleaned.

Café Bar (UK) Ltd, a nationwide supplier of hot and cold beverage systems understands the importance of delivering a comprehensive drinks service operation. Part of this one-stop-shop facility includes providing Cleaning & Hygiene Kits for each and every beverage system.

Crown Trade’s Timonox range of flame retardant paints has been specified for the redecoration of the prestigious Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in Cheshire. Paints from the range were selected for the refurbishment of the school’s library due to their durability and ability to allow surfaces to comply with fire safety requirements.

Forget fatty chips and turkey twizzlers, hungry pupils are now loading up their school dinner plates with healthy salads thanks to Gopak’s Premier Servery tables.

The Ultralight staging system from Gopak - the UK’s market leader in lightweight aluminium furniture - is the perfect choice for schools putting on annual productions this Christmas.

Davies Sports, the UK’s leading sports equipment supplier to schools, has reported a 25% increase in demand for non traditional sports equipment over the past 12 months.

These two fascinating books contain original World War II information leaflets - never before published in book form and reproduced in full colour.

by Angela Gluck Wood and Dan Stone, Foreward by Steven Spielberg, DK hardback £17.99
In association with USC Shoah Foundation Institute for History and Education, DK has published this book, a moving and powerful account of one of the world’s most profound tragedies.