Dear Colleagues,
The House of Lords has its say
The Lords at its best can get stuck into an issue without fear or favour. Last year they set up a committee specifically to look at education for 11-16 year olds in England. We were among many organisations to submit evidence.
The resulting 100+ page report Requires improvement: urgent change for 11-16 education doesn’t pull any punches. It goes through most of the key issues, remorselessly points out what is going wrong and recommends what should be done about it. A highlight for us is that the new GCSE in natural history is welcomed but the committee were also keen that nature, climate change and sustainability issues should be embedded widely across the curriculum, especially at key stage 3. We certainly agree with them on that.
The government is required to respond officially and it duly did so last month, refusing to accept many of the recommendations. It’s frustrating but not unexpected. However, one outcome is that a lot of educational organisations and think tanks prepared some in depth research that was published in advance of the inquiry. This research and the other evidence submitted gives insight into the current mood music around education. Some of it seems to line up with what little we know of Labour’s plans for Education should they form the next government. We can’t often make the political weather, but we can always keep an eye on the forecast.
We’re not that FSC
It’s a hard habit to break but please remember that our name Field Studies Council should be used in full. We are not FSC or even Field Studies Council (FSC). There are good reasons for this. One is that using the brand name in full gives a clearer indication about who we are and what we do without expecting customers to work it out. Another is that the acronym actually belongs to that other FSC: the Forest Stewardship Council. Their trademarked logo is the one that appears on products made from sustainable sources.
As both our organisations work in sustainability it’s important that we don’t get confused, as has happened already with job applications. I know that the acronym is used as a short cut internally, but internal things tend to escape and become external. Please take care to ensure that documents, social media posts, external reports and presentations use our name in full.
Membership of The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
We have joined the NCVO for a year and membership gives all of us access to a big range of useful resources, practical tips and insights into the wider political charity landscape. The NCVO is an umbrella organisation for charities and voluntary organisations with more than 17,000 members. You need to sign up for an account and follow the usual verification process to get the most out of it. Our membership number should you need it is MEMBER/32087. The NCVO are also asking members to nominate outstanding individuals to join their trustee board. More information can be found here.
Cycle to Work Scheme
With the approach of the Easter Holidays and hopefully some spring weather I wanted to just give you a heads up if you are thinking of buying a bike. We will shortly be announcing the details of our Cycle to Work Scheme.
Welcome to Field Studies Council
Joseph Longbone has joined Blencathra as a Hospitality & Catering Assistant
Previous catch ups can be found on the staff news website here.
Mark
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