Robotics support
Grants to help encourage girls into STEM subjects and careers, by supporting their participation in the VEX Robotics Competitions, are now open for application. The funding, provided by National Grid, totals more than £30,000 and will be allocated to all-girl teams. Grants will cover essentials to help teams take part in either the VEX IQ or VEX EDR competition and are worth £500 and more than £1,000 respectively. Visit: www.girlsintostem.co.uk
Bike to School
A resource aimed at encouraging students to cycle, walk or “scoot” to school has been released by charity Sustrans to coincide with Bike to School Week this week. Designed for teachers to deliver over five days, the resource includes information on bike maintenance, travel surveys, mapping tasks, as well as activities which can be delivered in the classroom or playground. Visit: http://bit.ly/1AEABBC
Financial education
A new teaching qualification has been launched aimed at enhancing financial education as part of the mathematics and citizenship curriculum. The Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching Financial Capability is being run by ifs University College and is aimed at already-qualified teachers. The first cohort begins study in September 2015, with the first group expected to qualify by September 2016. Visit: http://bit.ly/1GQt8k2
VQ Day 2015
The annual VQ Day, celebrating vocational qualifications and education, takes place on Wednesday (June 10). Hosted by the Edge Foundation, the celebrations will include the finals of the VQ Awards, which recognise the achievements of learners, teachers, schools and colleges, and employers. Schools can download a VQ Day Action Pack offering ideas and guidance for events and activities. Visit: www.vqday.org.uk/get-involved
Cyber-crime GCSE
Cyber-security threats including malicious code, phishing scams and weak password-setting are included in draft plans submitted to Ofqual for a new computer science GCSE. The qualification, from awarding body AQA, proposes to include, for the first time, an introduction to the most common forms of cyber-crime, including malware and unpatched and outdated software.
Computer science
The first teachers to have completed the Certificate in Computer Science Teaching will receive their qualifications this month. The course enables teachers who do not have formal teaching qualifications in computing to demonstrate competence in the computer science elements of the new curriculum. It has been devised by Computing At School and accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT and there are primary and secondary versions of the certificate. Visit: www.computingatschool.org.uk/certificate