Our Education academics regularly work with Schools and Colleges on projects to enhance the learning experience of students and promote their progression into further study and work.
Read below for updates from our academics about activities they have been undertaking with young people across the region, including:
Maths Jam for gifted and talented students at Newcastle-under-Lyme College
Kate Dale, Course leader Secondary Maths
This project has run annually for 4 years now. The afternoon involves gifted and talented mathematicians from Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent schools who take part in solving lots of mathematical problems (that are very different to what they see in school). The aim of the event is to raise the profile of mathematics by making it fun, engaging and competitive. This year there were over 10 schools who took part and the Maths PGCE students designed and run the event.
‘Storystarters’ scheme in collaboration with Beanstalk
Manda Tayler, Early Childhood Studies Lecturer
Currently we are involved with a national charity – Beanstalk, in their Stoke provision. We are supporting them in identifying schools where their ‘Storystarters’ scheme can be implemented.
This scheme requires consistent volunteers reading to children in nursery classes, getting them excited about literacy and reading before they start school, using props, songs etc. We are holding a volunteer recruitment event at the university where members of the public (and others) can drop in and find out more and possibly sign up for the training.
Cultural Education Partnership (CEP)
Sarah Misra, Course leader Primary
I am currently working with the Cultural Education Partnership (Stoke) which was set up by Arts Connect (funded by the Arts Council) and involves representatives from schools, the local authority including the arts, culture, libraries and the Music Service, and from the wider arts, cultural and heritage sectors. Arts Connect have a three-year-plan to develop a network of Cultural Education Partnerships (CEPs) in each local authority in the West Midlands with Stoke being one of these.
The aim of these networks is to support a cultural offer that guarantees access to diverse, high quality arts and cultural opportunities for children and young people in each locality, and to connect the region as a whole. Our vision is that within 20 years, every child and young person in Stoke on Trent will be living in a vibrant cultural city, where they expect to have the opportunity to participate, aspire, achieve and succeed as active, informed citizens.
The CEP has been instrumental in the Stoke-on-Trent for 2021 City of Culture bid but whether we are successful or not Stoke Unitary Authority have committed to funding for the next twenty years.
Evidence of impact: Moorgate Primary School
Moorgate Primary (part of the Staffordshire University Academies Trust) had their OFSTED report published recently. We congratulate the school on the result and we were pleased to read in the report recognition of the impact of our links with the school: “Leaders, in partnership with the trust, invest significantly in staff training and development. For example, good links with the School of Education at Staffordshire University are used well to develop staff and enhance their leadership skills. This results in a team of staff who feel valued and motivated to do the best for the pupils in their care. Their increased confidence and skills development has built leadership capacity”
For more information on our work with Schools and Colleges, or if you would like to discuss an opportunity at your institution please email LSEoutreach@staffs.ac.uk