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A curriculum review now takes a few minutes opposed to a few hours per subject. This platform is a great time saver and helps us support the wellbeing of our staff in our commitment to remove unnecessary administrative tasks.
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Customer Care Assistant Vacancy
Thursday, 10 March, 2022


Curriculum Wide Advert - Customer Care Assistant 


At Curriculum Wide we're looking for someone with educational experience (2-3 hours per week rate £25 per hour) to help manage enquiries. 


About us

We're an education company that is passionate about helping schools to create a curriculum that is fit for purpose for every child. We have three main objectives which are to support:


  1. Schools with improving Progress 8 scores 
  2. Students with exam anxiety  
  3. Schools with reducing NEETs and number of exclusions  


We help schools achieve this by using our platform to find the most successful and accessible courses. 


Responsibilities:


  • Respond to email enquiries
  • Seek opportunities for Curriculum Wide to grow
  • Support schools with the onboarding process
  • Follow up with schools
  • Respond to social media messages 
  • Create general posts 


We're looking for some with educational experience with a good understanding of schools and curriculum. This is a flexible role that can be done alongside other work and commitments. Training will be provided to help you accomplish results.The following should apply to you:


  • Good communication skills
  • Ability to write well.
  • Good sense of humour
  • Strong desire to learn
  • Independent
  • Good understanding of social media (desirable)


We are looking for an individual who is independent, driven, passionate, and particularly interested in hearing from people who love our vision and values. If this is you, please send your CV and a brief cover letter to info@curriculumwide.co.uk outlining why you are interested in this role. 


Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Digital Marketing Assistant - Volunteer role
Monday, 28 February, 2022

Digital Marketing Assistant

At Curriculum Wide we're looking for a volunteer (6-8 hours per week) who wants to build their portfolio and gain real experience in Digital Marketing by helping us to spread the word about what we do. 


About us

We're an education company that is passionate about helping schools to create a curriculum that is fit for purpose for every child. We have three main objectives which are to support:


  • Schools with improving Progress 8 scores 
  • Students with exam anxiety  
  • Schools with reducing NEETs and number of exclusions  


We help schools achieve this by using our platform to find the most successful and accessible courses. 


Responsibilities:


  • Increase social media presence
  • Create content for social media, including videos, blog posts and general posts
  • Create advertising campaigns
  • Manage social media channels
  • Monitor analytics
  • Manage email campaigns
  • Market research


We're looking for students/graduates who would like to build their portfolio and showcase their digital marketing management skills. This is a remote voluntary role that can be done alongside other work/studies. Training will be provided to help you accomplish results.The following should apply to you:


  • Good understanding of social media
  • Good communication skills
  • Ability to write well.
  • Good sense of humour
  • Strong desire to learn
  • Independent
  • Knowledge of marketing  (desirable) 


We are looking for an individual who is  independent, driven, passionate, and particularly interested in hearing from people who love our vision and values.  We reward you in small ways such as paying for pizza take away, vouchers etc. If you are interested, please send your CV and a personal statement to info@curriculumwide.co.uk outlining why you are interested in this role. 


Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Email Wellbeing
Saturday, 23 October, 2021

Is sending that email necessary?


Depending on your role, In some settings, sending work emails outside of hours is necessary. However, in many instances it is unwarranted and can have a negative impact on morale and wellbeing.




In 2019, former education secretary Damian Hinds told teachers not to answer emails outside of work hours. Many schools have put policies in place to support teacher wellbeing, but more needs to be done.


A survey found that employees spend at least 11 hours a week on work emails, sending an average of 40 emails a day. With the amount of time spent online, it is frustrating that only a few employers provide email training for their staff.


Training on organising email and automating processes, enables employees to work smarter and can increase productivity, allowing teachers to focus on planning rather than admin.


Use of pause inbox, would have avoided the problems received from the post in the image. When working with a school/client, I always encourage all employees to participate in ‘Zero’ inbox training.


I would be lost without the 'snooze', 'schedule send' and 'template' feature.


What email training have you had? If you would like to know more about ‘Zero’ inbox email training for your support and teaching staff contact info@theechotree.co.uk

Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Curriculum Wide recommendation by education and curriculum expert Mary Myatt
Monday, 20 September, 2021

Curriculum Wide has been recommended by Mary Myatt both on social media as well as featuring in the September 2020 newsletter released by Mary Myatt.



Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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The cost of a review
Tuesday, 7 September, 2021

When deciding to visit a new restaurant or hotel, research shows over 70% of consumers will actively look at reviews. Increasingly, parents are researching schools for their children to attend. If you are local to the area of a school, word of mouth or visiting a school is often enough to get a feel for what a school is like. Regardless of whether you are looking, the google review score will be present for all to see.


Over 25% of parents move house to get in a catchment area to get into a good reputable school, with some having little knowledge about the area. The research starts with the school website and ofsted report. The question is, how damaging is a review like the one below?


Financially, you would expect schools would aim to be fully subscribed. An unjust review left by a student or disgruntled parent is out in the public domain for the world to see and could sway a decision whether or not a parent should consider a school. 


With open evening looming and £5150 funding for every child, can you afford to ignore your review score? If you would like to know more about managing your reviews, get in touch with us info@theechotree.co.uk




Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Why I wanted my daughter to underperform in her SATs
Wednesday, 3 February, 2021

Year 6 pupils in primary schools across England will no longer be sitting their SATs exams this year, as announced by the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson. This will be welcome news for primary schools, who will now be able to focus on education recovery.


Prior to the announcement, pupils in Year 6 across the country will have been preparing for their SATs - a set of tests taken in year 2 and 6 to measure attainment in maths, reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Naturally, parents will want their child to perform to the best of their ability in any test or exam. The approach to SATs was mentioned at our daughter‐s parents evening in December. Across conversations with parents, there were many questions around SATs, a theme that ultimately led to the question - Should I get my child a tutor?


Other questions that came up:

What is a good score in the test? What can my child do at home? What area do they need to focus on? What happens if they do not do well? What books can I buy to support?


With the removal of SATs this year, parents no longer have to worry about this, Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, said:


"Thankfully, this particular SATS pressure has been lifted from pupils and staff this year. Schools have now rightly gained some extra time to address the urgent issues of educational recovery".


Here is an explanation of what happens with the data received once pupils sit their SATs. With a scoring range of 80 - 120, 100 is the expected standard for children.



Once the test has been moderated, the data is shared with the primary school where the test was completed, and the secondary school where the child is to attend in September.


Schools will have varying approaches to how they use the data, but typically the KS2 (key stage 2) SAT scores will equate to a target grade that often stays with the child throughout their school career, up to GCSE. The score (based on English and Maths) is used alongside internal data to develop target grades (9-1) across all subjects, including PE and Food, Music etc. An example of targets could be:



* this is just an example, each school will use the data in line with their own policy


The aim of the SATS is to hold schools to account for the attainment of their pupils and the progress they make between KS2 and KS4 (key stage 4), whilst this is useful for schools and to gain an understanding of how well schools perform, the SATs can have a long term damaging effect on individuals.


The majority of schools issue target grades to new Year 7 pupils at the earliest opportunity, to allow tiered setting (i.e. top set) in subjects such as Maths, and to support teacher planning. Without meeting students, an opinion is formed of the child based on their targets. Once students have had targets explained, there will be some who feel demotivated with a target of 3, and those with a target of 8 could feel pressured over time. In addition, there will be a minority of parents questioning targets, asking for them to be raised because they feel they are too low, and others who want them lowered i.e. a target of 7 in French or Design Technology because it is too high.

Headteachers will have whole school targets to meet and will be aiming for a positive Progress 8 score. The

Progress 8 measure is used to determine how well a school is performing locally and nationally, the score is recorded in government school performance tables.


Linked to whole school targets, teachers will be set annual appraisal targets, as well as improving the quality of Teaching and Learning in the class. Teachers could have an additional appraisal target such as, KS4 classes will make good progress, with success criteria of 80% of your class will achieve their target grade. This could be with a class with a mixture of target grades, or a top set group with students, all with 7+ targets.


Where individual subjects and classes are not meeting targets, some teachers will have commonly heard phrases such as:


"Concentrate on your grade 3 / 4 borderline students and focus on those below target to improve your progress score."


The reporting of students takes place through data drops, providing school leaders an indication and overview of how a school is performing in regards to Progress 8. This data is scrutinised and pupils underachieving are identified. There is pressure on staff to deliver where they have predicted pupils are on target and even more pressure to support pupils underachieving. There are pupils who could be underperforming on every report they receive, this can be extremely demoralising for the child.


Teachers will support individuals and groups of underperforming pupils through guidance and school intervention. If students can meet their target or even better exceed their target, this has a positive impact in that particular subject area, as well as the whole school Progress 8 score.


If a pupil is underachieving in 8 subjects, that will be 8 teachers pushing them in terms of intervention. Depending on how the message is conveyed, the pressure of the teacher can be felt by the pupil. This is without looking at individual circumstances i.e. the pupil may have overachieved in their SATs, they may lack motivation, they may have a difficult home life, they could be a carer, to name a few. The number of mental health cases in schools are rising year on year, particularly linked with anxiety and exams. There is also the consideration of the child who is not being given the targeted intervention, and those who struggle to access mainstream curriculum.


Is this the Headteachers fault? Is it the fault of Ofsted? Is it the fault of the Government (introduction of the Ebacc and relentless focus on school performance tables)? This is now a common culture in many schools. Schools are in a difficult position and there is no simple answer.


A school with a declining progress 8 score may find themselves subject to an early Ofsted visit, a stressful time for all staff involved. With a poor Ofsted rating and/or a low progress 8 score may result in a school being undersubscribed in relation to pupil intake. This leads to an undersubscribed school receiving less funding, as schools receive funding for every pupil that attends the school. Schools are already struggling with budgets, making the need to perform well more important than ever.


To achieve a positive progress 8 score pupils need to achieve better than their predicted grade, one method some schools use is to increase target grades, increasing the pressure even further on staff to meet appraisals, and for pupils to meet their targets.


Within our evolving society, with the advent and pressures of social media in the last decade and more, children already have so much to content with. 1 in 8 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder , 1 in 6 young people aged 16-24 has symptoms of a common mental disorder such as depression or an anxiety disorder, and half of all mental health problems manifest by the age of 14. How much of this is a knock-on effect from the pressure put on schools to achieve?


I deliver assemblies on motivation and believe in children setting themselves challenging targets through the development of a growth mindset. I want my daughter to do well, I want her to get the highest grades possible, but through nurture, guidance, self motivation and armoured with the tools to succeed. She is already an anxious girl and I do not want her to become one of the 1 in 8 children with a diagnosable mental health disorder because of school pressure.


This is why I would be happy for my daughter to underperform in her SATs, to avoid the constant pressure from her teachers and the feeling of disappointment of not meeting her targets. I'm concerned about the long term impact it could have on her well-being, based on an exam result completed as a young preadolescent. Our schools do a great job in raising the awareness of mental health, it is just a sorry shame that many inadvertently contribute to the problem.


Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Curriculum Wide are proud to be part of the GEC Collective
Sunday, 13 December, 2020

Curriculum Wide are proud to be part of the GEC Collective. The GEC have developed the framework for gender equality. The GEC App simplifies the process for schools and businesses working towards gender equality, diversity and inclusion. Read more about GEC here.



Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Ethical Curriculum - Live. Love. Learn. Lead
Saturday, 12 December, 2020

In this article, Katie Smith discusses the need for an Ethical Curriculum, sharing practical steps you can use to start designing and implementing a holistic, values based curriculum in your school.



2020 has been the year that teachers and leaders have faced a plethora of unthinkable challenges and demands. But, despite the pandemic, and the pressure of the current Edu climate, children’s social and emotional development has to remain of the utmost importance in schools. I think now is a pivotal time to be thinking about…
Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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Teachers need an end to joyless curriculum
Monday, 30 November, 2020

‘Fundamental change’ needed to national curriculum or ‘we do a disservice to children’, warns shadow education secretary.

Not yet a member of Curriculum Wide? Click here to find out more about how we support schools to:
  • improve progress 8 scores
  • help students with exam anxiety
  • find an alternative curriculum for student NEETs or those at risk of exclusion.

Subscribe now for a 30 day free trial (no card or payment details needed)

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