<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/b4c9358e431a3c17d8c4445cbd2185c6.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Andrew Clowes writes about <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/andrew-clowes-headteacher-of-hey-with-zion-primary-school-on-dealing-with-the-latest-lockdown-and-lack-of-clarity-from-the-dfe">his experiences of dealing</a> with the Covid-19 outbreak as the headteacher of <a href="https://www.heywithzion.oldham.sch.uk/">Hey With Zion primary</a> school located in Oldham, Lancashire. With the nation looking forward to the easing of the national lockdown Clowes is open on the issues that headteachers have faced from dealing with<a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/autumn-lockdown-from-the-perspective-of-a-primary-school-teacher-andrew-clowes-speaks"> the government response</a> to the anxieties of staff. He is now looking to welcome children back to the classroom.&nbsp; How will the children catch up?I think they’ll be okay.The general feeling among staff right now is that they are very pleased indeed that children will be back in school next week. Of course, there remain anxieties about virus transmissions, but the children need to come back and the teachers will be glad to be teaching a class in front of them again rather than setting online tasks, delivering lessons via the internet and delivering paper work-packs by hand to homes, making pastoral phone calls and the suchlike, while still keeping a check on those children who are in school.We have all had to adapt but this was not the kind of role teachers anticipated when they took on the job.My school has had, typically, around 30% of our children in school this lockdown, just a little above the national norm for primary schools. We have had classes of around 9 or 10 in school, with the rest receiving mostly online and some paper work at home.We do not know yet what the academic impact of lockdown will have been for children- we will begin to find out next week. We know schools’ remote learning has been much better this time than it was in the Spring. Teachers have learned to use technology in a way that most did not know how to twelve months ago, and this will have benefits in the future.But while I know that many of the vulnerable children and those of critical workers who have been in school this period have done excellently, really benefitting from the small class sizes, it is likely that among the others there will be a gap opened up between those who have engaged well with the home learning, and those who have not. We shall see in the coming days.The “Catch Up Premium” is a major boost to help the children make up for any lost time. We are a fairly typical primary school, a little larger than average, and we have received £22000 so far with another £9000 pledged.We decided to use the government’s “National Tutoring Programme” for some of this, as we have seen over time that 1:1 and small group tuition has a major impact.This is a wonderful scheme which supplements school costs on a 3:1 ratio, so that for every pound we spend, the government spends three. Hence for £4000 to the school budget (£16000 to the taxpayer) I have four new teachers in for the next five weeks, one of whom stays for ten weeks, giving three times a week 1:1 and very small group tuition to 75 children. It can only help.We have also set aside £500 to support a subsidized speech and language intervention by a local theatre group- an esteemed one, which has produced a number of Coronation Street actors- and we have bought 30 extra Chromebooks so that the laptops we have loaned to families to help them access online home learning can become longer term loans without diminishing our stock in school.A significant amount of our Catch Up Premium will remain still to be spent. This will likely be on further after school tuition to help children whose needs we have not predicted and become apparent, and extending our Saturday tuition next school year.























































The sun is shining in Oldham today, and we are looking forward to school opening for all on Monday.</div>

Andrew Clowes writes about his experiences of dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak as the headteacher of Hey With Zion primary school located in Oldham, Lancashire. With the nation looking forward to the easing of the national lockdown Clowes is open on the issues that headteachers have faced from dealing with the government response to the anxieties of staff. He is now looking to welcome children back to the classroom. 

Andy Clowes, headteacher of Hey With Zion Primary school, on getting children back into classrooms

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/d51eeb6597b6a2043f084a78439ab0f2.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin"><a href="https://www.againstthetidesfilm.com/">Against the Tides</a>, a film produced by <a href="https://redrockentertainment.com/">Red Rock Entertainment</a>, is to be screened on March 8 for <a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/">International Women’s Day 2021</a> and has been <a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Missions/16129/Every-woman-s-liberation-looks-different">featured</a> on the event's global website for the year.Directed by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Stefan Stuckert, Against the Tides is a poignant documentary that chronicles the story of marathon swimmer and world record holder Beth French, a single British mother battling against Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome while caring for her autistic son, Dylan. Seeking to prove to her child that anything in life is possible, Beth attempts to swim Oceans Seven, the ultimate extreme swimming challenge consisting of the seven most dangerous sea channels in the world which few people have ever completed.Endeavouring to become the first person to complete the challenge in one year, Beth’s mission took her all over the world and saw her pitted against jellyfish, sharks, hypothermia, challenging weather conditions, her own bodily limitations, and her inner demons. It took Beth five years to prepare for the Oceans Seven attempt, providing the funding herself through her own personal savings and a community crowdfunding project.Beth became the first person, and only woman, to swim the 26 miles from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly, and the first British woman to complete the 28-mile Molokai channel and swim it twice. She is also a co-world record holder for completing four of the Oceans Seven swims in one year following the attempt. Today, she continues to travel with her son and is a regular speaker at public events as well as training in several outdoor sports.The film enjoyed its world premiere at the prestigious International Sheffield Documentary Festival Sheffield and was nominated for Best Documentary at both the 2019 Austin and Marbella Film Festivals, as well as scooping the Filmic Prize at the Nordic Adventure Film Festival in Copenhagen. The documentary also received critical acclaim from TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and was described as “incredibly poignant” by the London Evening Standard.This year, alongside its listing on the International Women’s Day site, Against the Tides has been awarded a four-star review by Film Review Daily and named Film of the Month by Psychologies magazine in its April 2021 edition, who commented that the documentary was “beautifully shot, moving and exhilarating”.The recognition of the film by International Women’s Day constitutes a proud moment for producers Red Rock Entertainment, a company whose workforce is made up of 90 per cent women.Against the Tides is already available on demand in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada, and will be released on demand in Australia and New Zealand on March 8.</div>

Against the Tides, a film produced by Red Rock Entertainment, is to be screened on March 8 for International Women’s Day 2021 and has been featured on the event's global website for the year.

Red Rock Entertainment’s Against the Tides to be screened on International Women’s Day

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/29cce799da70cff4100496dac41a48fe.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In today's leadership round up we hear from Olvier Tsemo, CEO of SADACCA, as he responds to the budget. The government announces an expansion to the free workplace testing scheme for companies that register before the 31st March.&nbsp;<h4>Olivier Tsemo of SADACCA concerned with lack of budget consultation </h4>Olivier Tsemo is the CEO of Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (<a href="https://www.sadacca.co.uk/about/">SADACCA</a>) an organisation that aims to be the cultural hub of a socially inclusive space that caters to the needs of people from the African Caribbean communities across the city of Sheffield. Tsemo regularly contributes to the conversation around the Black community interests he represents. With the budget announcements this week Tsemo said that ‘The Black community is concerned about the lack of consultation on the budget and will advise that future budget proposals should engage our community early to meet our exact needs.’‘We are happy to engage with the government to propose an approach to the consultation . This will help understand better the needs of the Black community. A community that does not engage in consultation is in our opinion a lost community with a wider trust gap. Tsemo continues saying ‘The Black community would have welcomed an announcement in the budget for dealing with health inequality or any direct cash to help improve community infrastructures . A Rapid Improvement Plan from the government to demonstrate clear intention to minimise the negative impact of Covid-19 on Black communities is urgently required. This document will bring confidence in this current government’<h4> Hancock announces free rapid tests for all businesses for regular workplace testing</h4>The government previously announced free testing for all companies with over 50 employees this has now been expanded as part of the government’s roadmap to cautiously lift restrictions, meaning businesses of all sizes, including those <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-rapid-tests-for-all-businesses-for-regular-workplace-testing">with fewer than 50</a> employees, can register from today to order free lateral flow tests for their employees.Rapid testing detects cases quickly – in under 30 minutes – meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, breaking chains of transmission.Regular testing could be the difference between a workplace being able to stay open and operational, or needing to close due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The offer forms a crucial part of the government’s plan to gradually and safely ease restrictions. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ‘Regular workplace testing is a vital part of our route back to normal life, which is why I’m very pleased that we’re now expanding our offer of free workplace testing to businesses of all sizes, including SMEs.These rapid tests will allows positive cases of Covid-19 to be caught quickly, which is crucial in helping businesses protect their workplaces and employees as we cautiously lift restrictions.I urge all businesses to register their interest in the programme before 31 March to help break chains of transmission and keep people safe.’’







































The tests can be ordered from: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests">https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests</a> </div>

In today's leadership round up we hear from Olvier Tsemo, CEO of SADACCA, as he responds to the budget. The government announces an expansion to the free workplace testing scheme for companies that register before the 31st March. 

Leadership Round-up: Olivier Tsemo of SADACCA comments on the budget  and  Hancock announces expansion of free testing to get employees back to the office

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/abd21da130b9e10ec04a5f745080568e.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">After 40 years, leading fire, HVAC and security equipment specialist Johnson Controls <a href="https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/insights/2021/history/this-month-in-history-march-2021">revisits</a> one of its most historic projects: the installation of a computer-controlled fire safety system at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, US. Back in March 1981, the MGM Grand Hotel and casino was in the midst of reconstruction after a fatal fire had torn through the building in November 1980.Following the disaster, The Milwaukee Journal reported on March 11, 1981 that Johnson Controls was designing and installing a $5 million computer-controlled fire safety system to ensure that such an incident could never recur, and the MGM Grand could become the “safest hotel in Las Vegas” according to then president and CEO of MGM Grand Hotels Inc, Alvin Benedict.MGM Grand Hotels selected Johnson Controls to install the state-of-the-art fire control system, with a central computer that controlled a whole network of sprinklers, smoke detectors and alarms, alongside special ventilation and smoke exhaust technology, to avoid any destructive repeat of the previous year's fire.Installation of the new fire control system was completed in April 1981, with the hotel able to reopen in July. Upon its reopening, the MGM Grand was the biggest hotel in the world with over 2.5 million square feet of space inside its interconnected 26-storey towers.The anniversary of the MGM Grand Hotel project in the US comes just weeks after news in the UK emerged that the Arconic company which produced cladding for Grenfell Tower did <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/grenfell-inquiry-latest-cladding-firm-did-not-reveal-disastrous-fire-tests-on-tower-panels-12220914">not inform certifiers</a> about a failed fire safety test of the product which occurred 13 years before the 2017 tragedy, despite being legally required to do so.Claude Schmidt, the president of Arconic, informed the Grenfell Tower Inquiry that the failure to inform certifiers was a "misleading half truth" but denied that the information was deliberately concealed or undisclosed.The "5B test" was carried out in 2004 on Arconic's Reynobond PE cassette product, and it was cassette-style cladding that was used on the Grenfell Tower.The building set ablaze in June 2017 and caused 72 deaths.Certifiers say that data from the failed "5B test" constituted "crucial safety information" that went undisclosed.</div>

After 40 years, leading fire, HVAC and security equipment specialist Johnson Controls revisits one of its most historic projects: the installation of a computer-controlled fire safety system at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, US.

Samantha Murfitt

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Popular News Stories

Andy Clowes, headteacher of Hey With Zion Primary school, on getting children back into classrooms

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Leadership Round-up: Olivier Tsemo of SADACCA comments on the budget and Hancock announces expansion of free testing to get employees back to the office

Looking back: Johnson Controls marks 40th anniversary of historic MGM Grand Hotel project as revelations emerge on Grenfell disaster

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