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Traffic Scheme’s Sports Goal
A NEW traffic
scheme is being introduced in Speke which will allow new sports
facilities to be developed in the area. The scheme includes
the closure to traffic of North Parade between Conleach Road and the
Speke Health Centre and the introduction of two way traffic along
South Parade.
Measures are being introduced to make the area safer for pedestrians
and other road users following the introduction of the 2-way traffic
flow. Speed humps have already been introduced on the section
of South Parade to become 2-way, and 2 new zebra crossings have also
been introduced.
On Sunday 18 November the next stage of this work will take place.
This involves making South Parade 2-way for all traffic. North
Parade will then be closed to traffic to enable the future
development of new sport facilities.
The scheme has been funded by Morrisons Supermarkets.
Councillor Mike Storey, Executive Member for Regeneration, said:-
”This is an area which is being transformed and this scheme will
contribute to its regeneration. Not only will it improve road
safety, especially for pedestrians, but it will free up land to be
used for new sports facilities so the local community will really
benefit. It has been developed between by the City Council and
Morrisons Supermarkets and shows what can be achieved by the private
and public sector working together to deliver regeneration in this
city.”
The traffic switchover will take place between 6.30am and 11am on
Sunday 18 November and will be supervised by Merseyside Police and
Enterprise Liverpool.
Nominate young anti-bullying campaigners today
*Deadline for
nominations: 16 November 2007*
DO you know
young people who are helping to eradicate bullying in their
communities or schools? In the 10th anniversary year of Princess
Diana’s death, the Diana Award is encouraging nominations for the ‘Diana
Anti-Bullying Award’ to mark this year’s Anti-Bullying Week
(19-23 November 2007).
The Diana Anti-Bullying Award, set up in partnership with the
Anti-Bullying Alliance, is presented to all young people aged 18 or
under who have tackled bullying in their schools or communities. So
far over 7,000 young people across the UK hold this award.
Young Award Holders are proud to tackle bullying. “Being
involved in the group has given me a sense of pride knowing that I
have helped the school to improve the people in it to feel happier
and safer.” Award Holder.
The Diana Anti-Bullying Award is a special award under the umbrella
of the Diana Award which is presented to young people, aged 12 to
18, who inspire the lives of others. It recognises the selfless and
positive contributions made by tens of thousands of young people to
their schools, communities, families or friends. Both awards are
non-competitive and the nomination process is simple.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP, who signs the Diana Anti-Bullying
Award and Diana Award certificates, says:- “Over the years, I
have been fortunate enough to meet many Diana Award holders and, as
I have been struck by the courage and service shown by ordinary
young people doing extraordinary things, I realise that the award is
itself becoming a national institution.”
Maggie Turner, Director of the Diana Award, says:- “The Diana
Anti-Bullying Award shines a light on young people and recognises
the outstanding contribution they make to society. We know there are
many more young people that deserve this award and we welcome
nominations from them.”
To make a nomination for the Diana Anti-Bullying Award or Diana
Award visit
www.diana-award.org.uk or tel.
0845 3372987
Minster's mobile blunder sparks concern over company policies
SINCE
immigration minister, Liam Byrne was caught and fined for using his
mobile phone while driving, legal experts are urging businesses to
update company car policies. Magistrates at Sutton Coldfield
court fined Byrne £100, reduced from £150 after the Labour MP
pleaded guilty and magistrates deemed him to have expressed
sufficient remorse for his crime.
Brian Rogers, operations director at Lewis Hymanson Small, said:-
"The fact that Byrne, who previously worked as an ex-police
minister, used his mobile while driving has really thrown the Home
Office into disrepute and other businesses should take note.
Employers must make sure that they have a clear company car policy
that covers mobile phone use in company cars. Employees who
use mobile phones while driving do not only break the law but also
damage the reputation of the company they work for and could face
disciplinary action leading to their dismissal.
Many businesses do not have car policies in place and those that do
often fail to address the use of mobile phones. Policies should
cover things like excessive hours, drink driving, insurance and
roadworthiness of vehicles. Employers need to make it clear that
using a mobile phone while driving is against the rules and any
employee that is in breach of the policy will face disciplinary
action."
Businesses should update company car policies and procedures before
the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act on April 6, 2008
which states companies and government bodies will face prosecution
if they are found to have caused a person's death due to their
health and safety failings.
Rogers concludes:- "With the impending Corporate Manslaughter
Act there is an argument that the magistrates acting on the Liam
Byrne case should have made an example of him instead of letting him
off with a reduced fine. As a government minister he should know
better than most." |
NCSL breaks new ground on
social inclusion
THE National
College for School Leadership (NCSL) has broken new ground on social
inclusion with fresh research published that has implications for
policy, practice and leadership development.
How schools address the challenge of social inclusion is an under
researched area and “Leading under pressure: leadership for
social inclusion” is the first research publication of its kind
for NCSL.
There has been a recent rise in interest in social inclusion and
numerous attempts to make sure certain groups of individuals are not
excluded from mainstream society. However leadership for social
inclusion within education is not well researched and was identified
by NCSL as a priority.
6 schools – all located in the North West - were chosen for the
study to be representative of different types of social disadvantage
across the country. NCSL commissioned researchers from Manchester
University to interview a cross section of leaders, parents and
pupils to gain rich data on practices across the organisations. They
found that, although achievement was a goal for all establishments,
schools typically fell into 1 of 3 categories as to how they
addressed social inclusion.
* Type 1 schools focussed mainly on achievement and improving the
quality of learning and teaching in the classroom– these had more ad
hoc involvement with wider social issues
* Type 2 schools addressed improvement in learning in the classroom,
but also focussed on overcoming broader barriers to learning and had
the strongest commitment to working with other agencies. For
example, they involved parents, liaised with the youth service and
connections and provided booster classes
* Type 3 “enrichment” schools went one step further and also
focussed on enhancing other capacities so social inclusion was seen
as involving work on social skills, attitudes and self esteem
Maggie Farrar, NCSL’s Operational Director for Every Child Matters (ECM)
and Standards, said:- “The main factor impacting on leadership
was the extreme pressure these schools were under. The standards and
accountability agenda, combined with the social disadvantage some of
these young people were facing, meant that pressure to perform at
adequate levels was unrelenting. It was high stakes for schools as
they constantly faced how to address both the standards agenda and
social inclusion.
Leadership clearly plays a critical role in solving these issues and
in deciding what approach to take to address social inclusion.
Equally context appears important. Where communities are more
homogenous and oriented towards education, it is easier to put the
school at the heart of the community than in circumstances where
they are confronted by fractious and sometimes hostile situations.
Arguably it is more important in these contexts that leaders take a
socially inclusive approach.’
School leaders who are socially inclusive and embrace the ECM agenda
will raise educational standards but it would be simplistic to
present a list of things leaders should do – we know from this
research that being sensitive to the context both within and beyond
the school is critical.”
The research paper - launched at a conference in Kirklees – is
called Every Child Matters in our Localities: Working in Partnership
to Make a Difference.
The following are some of the main conclusions and recommendations
from the report:-
Policy implications
* Putting a commitment to social inclusion at the heart of education
policy would provide a strong incentive for schools, as has the
focus on standards over the past decade.
* Schools need to be
provided with the freedom to adapt their curricula to the needs of
their population – this would enhance social inclusion
* Fewer initiatives
would help schools struggling to implement sometimes apparent
contradictory policies
* Structures need to
be in place that encourage cooperation and collaboration with areas
as social inclusion which is wider than individual schools.
Implications for practice
* Leadership was key to social inclusion in the schools studied with
personality and biography influencing effectiveness – this puts a
premium on leader selection, leadership development and the role of
governors
* A strong commitment
to social inclusion is key and needs to be translated into
structures, such as having an inclusion manager in the leadership
team – demonstrating an alignment of practice and vision
* The importance of
motivating staff and sharing the vision and celebrating success
* Curricula need to
be adapted to the need of pupils and communities in the school and
relevant in terms of both culture and in terms of meeting the goals
of social inclusion in the school
Implications for leadership development
Varied motivational strategies have to be a key element of
leadership development programmes
* Leadership preparation needs to include a strong focus on the
difficult choices school leaders will confront
* Leadership
development focussed on social inclusion needs to include contextual
learning as well as leadership development programmes as they
currently exist
* Leadership
development needs to be linked closely to succession planning and it
would be useful to allow potential school leaders time to bed into
their school and area. This could be done for example by building a
period of pre headship work in the school though mentoring,
shadowing and preparation meetings or through networks of schools or
federations where schools do not have the capacity to provide strong
leadership development
“Leading under pressure: leadership for social inclusion” is
available on NCSL’s website under latest publications –
www.ncsl.org.uk/publications. |
