Devasted that Luljeta Nuzi has died after a long fight with cancer. An incredible, dynamic, fierce woman whose optimism and passion for equality for all, in education, as women, as members of refugee and global majority communities will remain an inspiration for those who met her. I first met Luljeta in 2009 when she came […]
British Museum Community and Supplementary School events
Charmed Lives in Greece
I’m delighted to invite you and your students, teachers and families to an exclusive Community Preview of Charmed Lives in Greece: Ghika, Craxton & Leigh Fermor at the British Museum on Sunday 4th March 2018. The exhibition explores the friendship of the artists Nikos Hadjikyriakos-
Ghika and John Craxton and the writer Patrick Leigh Fermor and how their work was inspired by a shared love of Greece.
We are also inviting schools to take part in the Great Postcard Challenge and have their own artwork, inspired by the exhibition, displayed at the museum on the day. We’d love your school to get involved and have a resource pack we can send you with information on the exhibition and submitting artwork.
To book your tickets* and for information on the resource and postcard challenge please email aross@britishmuseum.org before Monday 12th February
Save the Date – 17th March 2018
As part of British Science Week, we will be organising an exciting day for supplementary schools to explore Science, Maths and history through objects in the museum’s collection. The special event Zoom-in will also be taking place in the museum, where you will be able to explore how science unlocks objects’ secrets, see the latest technology in action and handle raw materials.
More information to follow but if you have any questions in the meantime please contact aross@britishmuseum.org
020 7323 8972
Alice Ross
Changes to GCSEs
For GCSE subjects taught in mainstream schools the new specifications are already being taught and children will be taking the new exams in the Summer term 2018 (or in the case of English and maths already took the reformed exams this year).
For ‘community’ languages ie. many of the languages taught in supplementary schools, the new specifications were issued for teaching from September 2017 by AQA and are still in draft for Pearson Edexcel, due to be taught from September 2018. Exams will be available to take in 2019 or 2020 depending on language.
Take a look at the draft specification for your language on the exam board website.
Have you had training on the new specification? Are you sure that your pupils will be able to take the current/old specification exam in 2018? Have you spoken to the mainstream schools where your pupils sit their language exams? Let us know and we will get more information for you and, if necessary, co-ordinate a campaign to ensure that pupils are able to take ‘community’ language exams in 2018 and 2019.
These changes will apply to all awarding organisations’ specifications:
- The new 9-1 grading system will replace A*-G, and there will no longer be any controlled assessment. All papers will be set and marked by the awarding organisation.
- Papers will be tiered, with 25% assessment weightings per skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing).
- Compulsory topics will be linked to identity and culture; local, national, international and global areas of interest; and current and future study and employment.
- Papers will include:
- short translations from and into the target language
- some target-language questions in the reading and listening papers
- authentic stimuli in the reading paper, including literary texts.
For AQA the following languages will be available for GCSE examination from 2019:
Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin), Italian, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Urdu
For Pearson Edexcel the following languages will be available for GCSE examination in 2019
Arabic, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Urdu
And the remaining five from 2020:
Gujarati, Turkish, Biblical Hebrew and Persian
For A levels check with the examination boards directly.
If you teach a language offered by AQA then you should contact the person you generally speak to, these languages have been with AQA for several years. If you used to speak to someone at OCR, contact Alistair in the first instance for all languages with Pearson because he is very helpful – see below.
Building partnerships in practice!
It’s always good to see new partnerships developing!
It was one of the aims of the Northern Supplementary Schools Network which held its first meeting in September 2016. The NSSN aims to bring together representatives of supplementary schools, NRCSE Mentors, universities and museums with a common interest in the delivery of community-led out-of-school education.
One of the organisations attending was Polish Educational Society (PES), a charitable organisation supporting Polish supplementary schools in the United Kingdom. Following the network meeting the PES was successful in establishing a new partnership with Manchester Museum. This led to the museum hosting a PES training session for teachers on ‘The new Polish GCSE exam’ at the Museum. The teachers loved the Museum and were very enthusiastic about the chance to propose ideas on how the Museum could work with them. As part of the training Manchester Museum also had the opportunity to present their programme offer such as the incredible touring Inflatable Museum. The Inflatable Manchester Museum is now scheduled to visit a couple of Polish schools in the area in the summer term.
If you are interested to join Northern Supplementary Schools Network please get in touch with Gosia McKane: gosia@nrcse.org.uk
Family First Nights
Family First Nights is just one of the 20 programmes ran by Mousetrap Theatre Projects
http://www.mousetrap.org.uk/
We work through partner organisations to identify the families that wouldn’t normally be able to afford a West End show as a family group!
Well now your families can, for only £6 per ticket! We’re on the hunt for more partner organisations to join this unique programme.
This summer we will be subsidising the ticket costs for 500 families to take part in the programme and we would love to reach some of the families you work with. Contact us now and don’t miss out!
Email: ffn.admin@mousetrap.org.uk or call us on 020 7632 4111.