The Hub features a host of engaging resources varying from videos to lesson guides, assembly plans and handbooks, organised under six categories: ‘the journey of waste’, ‘food’, ‘clothing’, ‘plastic’, ‘composting’, and ‘take action for the environment’.

The Hub was launched in response to NLWA’s research project in 2022 with Keep Britain Tidy which set out to identify priority areas of interest and gaps relating to waste prevention education in north London. Users are invited to share their feedback about the Hub online, to help NLWA keep pace with schools’ needs and resource gaps.

To celebrate the launch of the Education Hub, NLWA is inviting schools to submit posters around the theme ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. The top 30 entries will be professionally printed to form part of the construction fencing leading up to the brand new Reuse and Recycling Centre at the redeveloped Eco Park in Edmonton. Schools will also be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win either a £200 voucher or an interactive assembly and Q&A on what happens to north London’s rubbish and recycling once it’s been collected. Details on how to take part in the competition can be found on NLWA’s Schools Competition page.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, NLWA Chair, said: “There’s great opportunity to teach children about their community and how the waste we produce impacts climate change – the objective of the Education Hub is to support local teachers and make waste reduction behaviours part of every north London school’s bread and butter, from a young age.

“The Hub is a fantastic directory that brings together some of the best educational resources out there and promotes interactivity. If every north London school integrated consumption and waste prevention into their curriculum, we’d be looking at a generation who see this as the norm and is empowered by their potential to mitigate climate impacts.”

Resources on the Hub have links to the national curriculum, including English, Science, Geography, Citizenship, and Art and Design, making it easy for teachers and home school tutors to integrate environmental and waste prevention education into the syllabus.

For further information about the Hub, please go to the North London Waste Education Hub.

Please note: the competition is only open to primary schools in the seven member boroughs of the North London Waste Authority: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest.

There are still a limited number of spaces available before the closing deadline on 31 January. The Reading Quiz is the only national reading quiz which is entirely dedicated to knowledge of fiction books, meaning that schools can celebrate their star readers, while also championing the benefits of reading, learning and working as a team to the wider school.

The Reading Quiz is an inclusive event open to all schools across the UK. It costs £20 to enter a team (of up to four members) and pupils must be aged 10 – 14 years. Each school can enter a maximum of two teams. Out of the 500 spots available there are only limited places left, so don’t let your school miss out – sign up today.

Regional heats will take place across the spring and will be led once again by fun and engaging quizmaster ‘Mr Dilly’, providing an entertaining as well as educational experience for teams taking part.

The winners from the heats will meet in central London for the Grand Final on 6 June, where teams can experience the excitement of competing live and enjoy special guest appearances from renowned authors.

Henrietta Roberts, Senior Project Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are so excited to be able to run the National Reading Champions Quiz for the third time. This is a chance for schools to put their best readers in the spotlight, the same as they might do for sports stars or art whizzes. Taking part in this quiz can help children feel a sense of pride, self-fulfilment and confirmation that their literary knowledge is important and enriching. It’s also just such a fun event, you don’t want to miss out.

“Furthermore, preparing for the quiz by learning collaboratively with other pupils, school librarians and teachers can help pupils to gain confidence and enjoy working in a team. We hope that by entering teams in the quiz, schools can inspire their other students to visit the school library and get into reading for pleasure.”

Barbara Hayes, Deputy Chief Executive at the ALCS, said: “We are delighted once again to be partnering with the National Literacy Trust to put on this fantastic reading quiz. It’s a brilliant opportunity for enthusiastic readers to be proud of their fiction book knowledge but also to learn about what it takes to be an author and how the publishing and copyright industry works. We look forward to welcoming every team to this year’s National Reading Champions Quiz.”

A representative from last year’s winning school said:

“We are really thrilled to have won the 2022 quiz. Thank you to everyone involved in organising the event – we all had a fantastic day at the final and are looking forward to entering again in 2023!”

Find out more and register for the quiz here: literacytrust.org.uk/reading-quiz

Organised by Hertfordshire County Council, the 10th annual competition saw submissions from 780 children across 29 schools in the county, all invited to create artwork depicting a memorable event from 2022 to send Christmas cheer to those in the Armed Forces serving away from home over the holiday period.

All four winners will be presented with a certificate and spend a day of adventure at Northwood HQ, the UK’s military strategic headquarters based in Hertfordshire.

• Year 3 – Kaiqi from De Havilland Primary School
• Year 4 – Poppy from Lime Walk Primary School
• Year 5 – Mason from Countess Anne School
• Year 6 – Lizzy from Chambersbury Primary School

The Year 3 winner, Kaiqi from De Havilland school in Hatfield, created a colourful piece of art with an RAF plane, Father Christmas, a ship and two saluting King’s guards.

A snowy, winter scene with night time sky, Christmas tree and deer was drawn by Year 4 winner Poppy from Lime Walk Primary School in Hemel Hempstead. Included in her artwork was a crown, poppies, the symbols of each branch of His Majesty’s Armed Forces and other things which reminded her of 2022.

Year 5 winner, Mason from Countess Anne School in Hatfield, drew a sunset image of solider, an RAF plane and Royal Navy ship in the silhouette of a Christmas tree with lights, and the words “Thank you” reflected in the water below.

The drawing created by Lizzy, a Year 6 pupil from Chambersbury Primary school in Hemel Hempstead (pictured), depicts a Christmas dinner complete with turkey and all the trimmings with soldiers ready to dine together. A corgi sits at the head of the table next to a crown.

The winner’s artwork, along with all entries submitted, will be shared with those in His Majesty’s Armed Forces who are serving away from their families this Christmas. The Hertfordshire Heroes Christmas Art Competition helps support the joining of military and civilian communities in Hertfordshire, which is one of the three aims of the Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant Board.

Chairman of the Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant Board, Cllr Terry Douris, said: “The Hertfordshire Heroes Christmas art competition is always a wonderful display of creativity from primary pupils in Hertfordshire and our 10th annual competition was no different. We are grateful to all the children who entered for their hard work on their artwork which will bring cheer to military personnel this Christmas time. “

Colonel Clint Read, Commanding Officer of Northwood HQ said: “The Northwood HQ were very impressed by all the artwork and commend participants for their hard work, imagination and attention to detail.”

Four students from a Cheshire secondary school have won a major anti-hate challenge organised by the University of Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation and global edtech leader Discovery Education.

The students from Sandbach High School, were awarded top prizes in the UK category of the international Stronger Than Hate Challenge after creating pieces of artwork and a short film about hate crime. Inspired by the testimony of holocaust survivors, the students’ winning entries were designed to encourage people around the world to unite against racism.

Impressing US-based competition judges, the four students received scholarships and iPads. The judges said that the Sandbach students “demonstrated excellence in leveraging testimony and creativity to promote empathy, understanding, and respect in their local communities.”

The 4 winning students are:

Joint first prize Chloe Heath and Sophie Kaler

Chloe’s winning entry was ‘Silence is Compliance’, a beautiful iPad drawing inspired by the testimonies of holocaust survivors. Chloe said:

“After watching the testimonies, I have been filled with hope. I have learnt about many beautiful acts and how they have drastically improved countless lives.  My work reflects the disappointment I feel for the people who silently stood by and watched genocides take place and also represents how genocide destroys communities emotionally and physically.

Chloe will receive a £5,000 scholarship.

Sophie’s winning entry was ‘An Anti-Racist World’, a colourful piece of art inspired by Diane Uwera, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide. Sophie said:

“I have a dream of an anti-racist world. I hope that more people will come to realise the need to be kind to everyone, everywhere. I hope they will strive to create a world like the one on my piece; we should all want to live in a colourful, diverse, anti-racist world, where people like Diane shouldn’t have to suffer or hide. I hope that my work inspires others, just like Diane inspired me.”

Sophie will receive a £5,000 scholarship.

Third prize Evelyn Tickner and Eleanor Taylor

Evelyn and Eleanor were awarded joint third prize for their animated short film, ‘Love is a Gift’. Watch the video here.

“In order to spread the stop hate message, we will share it with our friends and family, put it on our church page, share it on our social media and throughout our school”, said Evelyn and Eleanor.

Evelyn and Eleanor will share a £500 scholarship.

Now in its third year here in the UK, The Stronger Than Hate Challenge was launched in March along with special classroom resources to help teachers and students recognise and counter hate and discrimination. Freely available at TeachingWithTestimony.com/challenge-uk, these expert resources and videos will empower students to employ empathy, build critical-thinking skills and become inspired to create a brighter future after listening to first-hand accounts from survivors and witnesses of genocide.

“Research shows us that students are facing a mental health crisis. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge empowers students to creatively express the power of empathy, understanding, and respect. Congratulations to the 2022 winners and the change you’re already making in the world,” said USC Shoah Foundation Interim Director of Education and Outreach, Lesly Culp.

“Teaching with Testimony – and the Stronger Than Hate Challenge – are wonderful examples of how students are creating a more peaceful and collaborative world,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Social Impact at Discovery Education. “We are proud to stand alongside USC Shoah Foundation in putting testimony in classrooms nationwide.”

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), in collaboration with Universal Pictures, has announced their second Create The Card competition. They are calling for UK-based primary school students, aged 4 to 11, to unleash their creativity by designing the official BBFC Black Card for Puss In Boots: The Last Wish – the upcoming sequel and the second instalment of the beloved Puss In Boots franchise.

The winning design will be projected on screen ahead of every cinema showing of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish in the UK. The winner will also be granted the once-in-a-lifetime experience of attending a preview screening of the film with friends and family, a framed copy of their BBFC Black Card, and an abundance of film merchandise. Ten runners-up will also receive a goody bag.

Sarah Peacock, BBFC Compliance and Education Manager, said: “After receiving over 1,000 fantastic entries from secondary school students across the UK for our Create The Card competition earlier this year, we are thrilled to launch this next competition for primary school students. Recognising and understanding age ratings and content advice is crucial for young people’s development. We hope this competition will help to facilitate conversations with children and their educators about the work of the BBFC and the importance of viewing age-appropriate content. The Puss In Boots franchise leans into the wonderful world of fairytales, and we can’t wait to see students across the country draw inspiration from the film series in their creative designs.”

Rob Huber, Managing Director (UK & Ireland), Universal Pictures International UK, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the BBFC once again, especially following the success of the Jurassic World Dominion competition earlier this year. The enchanting world of Puss In Boots has so many avenues to explore and we would encourage entrants to harness what they already know about the myths and legends in this DreamWorks’ tale when creating their masterpieces. Primary school students have just over two months to submit their entry and we can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

The competition is open for entries today, and will close on Friday 16 December. The selection process will be overseen by a jury panel including industry experts from both Universal Pictures and the BBFC, alongside some very special guests. The young winner will be revealed at the end of January, ahead of the film’s UK release on Friday 3 February.

Young people, aged 4-11, can enter by either scanning and emailing a copy of their A4 landscape design, or posting it directly to the BBFC’s London offices. Competition templates can be downloaded here. For further information and to read the terms and conditions, please visit the BBFC’s children’s website, CBBFC.co.uk. You can also download the BBFC app from the App Store or Google Play.

Considered the most influential accolade in the industry, the annual awards, which are open to state, academy and private SLA members, identify and celebrate examples of best practice across the UK.

The judges selected thirteen school librarians and schools to honour, across three categories of excellence: School Librarian of the Year Award, Community Award and Enterprise Award.

Judges of the School Librarian of the Year award were looking for librarians demonstrating a commitment to continual professional development, strong engagement with all school departments, innovative stock rotation and excellent examples of pastoral care.

In the Enterprise of the Year award, the judges considered evidence of individual projects that involved the imaginative use of resources in the form of space and stock along with any other initiatives such as a rebuilding or refurbishment project.

The Community Award highlights wider support for the school library. This included backing from a local business or individuals who have provided outstanding assistance to a school whether this be in the form of funding, infrastructure, advice, resources or simply their time.

The panel of judges, comprised of SLA trustees, authors, charity fundraisers and former SLA award winners, evaluated each entry based on its appreciation of the sector’s needs, potential and commitment to supporting education standards.

The honourees of the School Library Association Awards 2022 in each category are:

The winners in each of the three categories will be announced on the 20^th October.

Alison Tarrant, chief executive office of the SLA  (pictured left) said: “This year we had more entries than we anticipated, given the intense time schools were experiencing last September, and it was great to launch our two new Awards: the Community Award and Enterprise of the Year Award. Our panel of esteemed judges had an incredibly hard time selecting the honourees. It was a long but very positive experience seeing the level of excellence being achieved in so many schools’ libraries.

“It was also heartening to see the range of work going on in school libraries which is positively impacting not only children, but their families and teachers as well. This support is only more important as we recover from COVID and look to get through another difficult period for most families.”

The nominations for the Awards for 2023 are now open. For more information, please visit https://www.sla.org.uk/awards.

Over 800 schools entered, involving close to 134,000 students from primary to secondary ages. The response staggered Bayer’s Bethany Leaver, who with colleagues Emma Schierbaum and Grace Beglam (pictured left) now have the sizeable task of sifting through a mountain of entries to select the finalists for the Infant, Primary and Secondary age categories.

What started out five years ago has continued to build and the theme for this year’s Lab Coat event is centred on food waste, an initiative coinciding with the UN’s Sustainability Goals and Food Waste Action Week. The UN aim being to reduce global food waste by 2030.

Students who took part by designing a food waste themed lab coat are now in the running to win a grow-your-own veg pack and a set of lab coats for their class.

Winners will be selected based on the creativity of their lab coat designs as well as how well they express their care for our planet and the food we produce within those designs.

Students who participated could use a template provided in the entry pack, which also included a number of learning objectives based on reducing food waste and its impact. “Our aim is to engage students with how agriculture can help tackle some of the key global issues we face in a fun and inspiring way. Judging by the Lab Coat Competition result, we are doing that,” notes Bethany.

To coincide with the Lab Coat Competition, Baylab also offered schools the chance to partake in a Wacky Wellies Fun-raiser: an activity where students could wear their wellingtons to school for a day, in recognition of our farmers. Schools could raise money for one of three national charities – Alexandra Rose, Feeding Britain, and FareShare – or a local food waste initiative as part of the Fun-raiser if they wished.

100 schools that took part in the Lab Coat Competition participated, with students wearing their wellies to school either as they came or ‘wackier’. 50 of those schools with approximately 11,408 pupils also chose to fundraise. “Again, we were overwhelmed with the response. According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) a global NGO, a third of UK food ultimately goes to waste, which is enough food to provide all chronically undernourished people with ten meals per day, every day, so this activity really helped to raise awareness about the fight against food waste.”

“It was up to schools to decide on the level of donations and how they were distributed to their charity or charities of choice. But if every pupil who chose to fundraise made the suggested donation of £1, that equates to over £11,000 which is just incredible,” notes Bethany.

The competition is open to all schools in England and Wales. To enter schools need to fill in a simple entry form on the A&S Landscape website. Schools will then need to collect votes, with the school with the highest number of votes winning the competition.

The decision to relaunch the competition was a no-brainer for the team at A&S Landscape after the unprecedented interest in the previous contest, which saw a total of 48,000 votes cast. Competition Coordinator at A&S Landscape, Lucy Grime, shared why the decision was made to give away another canopy: “After the hardships and challenges faced by many schools throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we were all too aware that many were struggling to make improvements to their facilities due to a lack of budget and manpower. We knew that giving away a canopy would to help spread some positivity and make a difference to the winning school.”

Schools have until the 15th July 2022 to enter the competition, with the winner being announced shortly after.

Primary and secondary schools can now download an extensive programme of free cross-curricular resources to inspire pupils as the nation counts down to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament on home soil this summer.

One lucky school will win a Q&A session with an England player, while other top prizes will be given out to schools in the lead-up to the first match of the tournament on 6 July.

England Women’s Leah Williamson and Demi Stokes each surprised a school from two of the tournament’s host cities, Manchester and Milton Keynes, last week as both classes were busy taking part in challenges from the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Schools Programme.

The tournament resources, for KS2 and KS3, have been developed and tested by teachers and encourage teamwork, creativity and a love of sport. The activities, which cover subjects including PE, English, Maths, PSHE, Science and Art & Design, can be differentiated for pupils of varied abilities or with SEND and can be used in the classroom or at home.

They include:

• An assembly to build young people’s excitement about the tournament that includes an interactive quiz
• A Challenge Pack with 23 bite-size activities, including how to make a mini stadium out of recycled materials and how to write a motivational speech as a team captain
• A Reading Challenge with the National Literacy Trust which contains a wall chart for young people to discover their class’s favourite book
• PSHE lessons for KS2 and KS3 that focus on topics such as teamwork, resilience and a growth mindset
• A tournament journal for young people to record their experiences and share their highlights

To download the resources and stand a chance of winning a Q&A with an England player, as well as many other prizes, register at www.weuro2022schools.com by 18 February 2022.

England Women’s Leah Williamson said: “Many of us players discovered our love for football at school, so we know first-hand what an important role teachers play when it comes to instilling a passion for the game and developing the skills we need.

“We’d love as many pupils and schools as possible to enjoy the UEFA Women’s EURO this summer, especially since this year it’s on home soil. The Schools Programme is packed full of resources to inspire pupils in the lead-up to the tournament and beyond.”

“I loved surprising the school last week – the pupils are from my hometown of Milton Keynes. It’s great that they’re able to learn more about women’s football and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 – especially as they have group tickets to some of the games on their doorstep at Stadium MK.

“It’s so important to inspire the next generation of female athletes, so I hope all schools get involved with the Schools Programme and provide a lasting legacy.”

Samantha Rosehill, Assistant Headteacher at Alma Primary School in London, said: “The UEFA Women’s EURO is a really special event this summer, not least because they’re being played at home. This is a great opportunity to turn the tournament into an enjoyable learning experience for children, even those who aren’t football fans.

“I’ve gone through the resources and am excited about using them. They cover a wide range of the KS2 curriculum, including English, PE and PSHE, and they focus on the importance of mental health and wellbeing, as well as physical health. They can also easily be differentiated for varied ability levels and those with SEND.”

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 takes place in England in July and is due to be the biggest European women’s sport event ever. 16 nations will compete across 10 venues, in nine host cities, all kicking off on 6 July at Old Trafford, with the final at Wembley Stadium on 31 July.

Schools can purchase group tickets for UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 up to 8 February, using code SCHOOLS www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing/

The finals of the Growing Future Assets Investment Competition, which nurtures the next generation of female investment experts, will be held in March, when a total of eight teams compete for the top spots in junior and senior contests.

And this year the competition is tougher than ever with entries up by a record-breaking 300%.

Making it to the last stage in the 16-18 year age group are pupils from: Lochaber High School (Fort William, Inverness-shire); North Berwick High School (East Lothian); St Columba’s High School (Gourock, Inverclyde) and Wellington School (Ayr). In the 13-16 year age group, those in the finals are from: Bishopbriggs Academy (East Dunbartonshire); Craigmount High School (Edinburgh); Deans Community High School (Livingston, West Lothian) and Larbert High School (Falkirk).

Financial educators Future Asset believe that being female should never be a barrier to progressing in a chosen career and the contest introduces senior schoolgirls to potential careers in investment management, demonstrating how working in the sector provides engaging opportunities and can change the world for the better.

During the competition youngsters must prove their ability to spot the next big investment opportunity by researching, analysing and pitching a company they think will be a great long-term prospect.

And teenagers have reacted enthusiastically to the opportunity, despite the challenges of the pandemic, with 62 groups, comprising 240 girls, from all over Scotland taking part.

They have been mentored by investment management professionals offering advice, inspiration and career insights, and supported by teachers who have gone above and beyond in providing extra-curricular activities.

Business Education Teacher Hannah Fox, North Berwick High School (East Lothian) says: “The Growing Assets Investment Competition connects classroom learning to the Investment Industry as the students are able to make use of their learning from Business Management and Economics related subjects.

“The task set makes it abundantly clear what a role in the industry might look like, breaking away from the stereotypical portrayal of the industry in movies. It pushes students out of their comfort zone in areas such as interacting with professionals to ask advice and run ideas past and allows them to experience managing a varied workload as well as the value of team work.

“The enthusiasm from the Future Asset Team and their guest speakers is second to none, as is the support the students receive throughout the competition. The students are very fortunate to be given access to such talented individuals and high-quality resources.”

This year more than 80 investment mentors from 28 firms, including Baillie Gifford, Stewart Investors, Walter Scott and Partners and Rathbone Investment Management, volunteered to counsel the youngsters.

Mentor and investments expert Amanda Forsyth says: “The competition has proved to be a superb exercise, not just in demystifying some elements of the working of the stock market, but also in helping the teams identify skills in themselves, the relevance of which to investment processes might not have been obvious.

“Good communication is crucial in writing research and finding that the ability to construct a flowing argument is something that truly matters was a real breakthrough moment for the members of the team who already enjoy writing. The Growing Future Assets Investment Competition has very obviously unlocked for these young women a plethora of new opportunities – and for me, as their mentor, seeing that happen has been a joy.”

Experts from journalism and business have also advised the teenagers with Executive and Voice Coach Susan Room boosting their skills and confidence with online masterclasses in Mindset, Body Language, Speech and Voice, and author, broadcaster and financial journalist Iona Bain explaining how they can invest their way to a better future.

Now in its second year, the teams have already presented their case in a research report and three-minute elevator pitch. The eight finalists will deliver an extended pitch to judges at the beginning of March with the winners announced on March 2.

The champions will receive: £1000 for the winning senior team and £200-worth of vouchers of the students’ choice for each team member; £800 for the best junior team and £150-worth of vouchers each. Senior and junior runners-up receive £500 and £100 of vouchers and £400 and £75 of vouchers, respectively.

Helen Bradley, Future Asset programme manager, says: “The response to this year’s competition from the youngsters has just been astounding – matched by a fantastic level of commitment from teachers and mentors.

“And the calibre of entries has been so impressive. The judges are going to have a challenging job on their hands determining which teams are the true future stars of the investment industry.”

For more information visit https://www.futureasset.org.uk/