Category Archives: Education

Apps, Education, News, Technology

Launch of Sophia aims to drive regulation in £2 Billion Private Tuition Sector

The private tutor market will be getting a boost with the launch of Sophia, a mobile application that provides students of all ages with tutors that have not only been meticulously security and experienced checked, but are required to fulfil a paid-for Safeguarding Awareness course to ensure both students and tutors are protected.

Sophia fills the gap for a mobile solution that provides secure, flexible face-to-face, on-demand private education. Through the app, users will have highly qualified tutors on tap, who will come to your home, office or public space, and who have been subject to an in-depth school-level vetting process. What’s more, in a UK first; all sessions booked on the platform are covered by Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance, provided free by Sophia.

The private tuition market has been growing over the last few years and now over a quarter of secondary school children have supplementary private education support. Current spend in the UK on private tuition is sitting at £2 billion, with the global market looking to grow to £176 billion by 2026. In London alone, 41% of students have had some form of tutoring.

However, unlike classroom teachers, private tutors do not need to be DBS checked, which means that many families are welcoming tutors into their homes without any knowledge of their background or qualifications.

Sophia is a simple to use application that provides a number of useful features, which accurately match tutor to student, depending on subject, suitability and location. Users of the app can:
– Choose a tutor based on location, time and subject, and can search by name of tutor if required
– Access private tuition for students from primary school through to university and adult education level
– Book months in advance or on the day, depending on availability
– Provide reviews and ratings on tutors
– Receive and deliver automatic feedback, as tutors are instructed to provide an update after every session. This enables students to progress and appreciate improvements in their studies.

The team behind Sophia has 50+ years’ teaching experience between them and developed the app with the knowledge that there is a huge gap in the market for the tuition market to adopt the same rigorous checks that any educational establishment would demand before putting students with tutors.

Founder of Sophia, Melissa McBride is a mum of three and has worked for many years in the education system as a head teacher, education director and advisor. She comments:

“There are now over 360,000 children in the UK receiving private tuition and shockingly, even though they are working with children, these tutors do not need to provide a background check. As a mum and ex-teacher, I appreciate the value extra tuition can give your child, but I would like to be reassured that I am not putting my child at any risk.”

Melissa adds:
“Regulation in the private tuition sector is backed by organisations, like The Tutors Association, and we believe our application will be welcomed by the industry, parents and students alike.”

To reassure parents and students, Sophia carries out a comprehensive assessment of all of its tutors before they are approved and registered on the app. This includes interviews and verification of references, qualifications, ID and address. Tutors are subject to both enhanced DBS, national Police and overseas checks (if so required) and obliged to complete a Safeguarding Awareness course, which is paid for by Sophia. All tutors are also obliged to sign a Code of Ethics.

Cost of tuition is per hour and there are three levels of tuition depending on the qualification, background and experience of the tutor.

Sophia will initially be available in London, with expansion across the UK forecast as more new tutors are enlisted.

For more information about Sophia and its tutoring service, please visit: https://www.sophia.app/index.html

Education, Food & Drink

NEOMA Business School launches innovative Msc program in Wine & Gastronomy

NEOMA Business School in France will launch a course that is both innovative and exciting; the Msc Wine & Gastronomy. This 15-month specialisation programme, taught entirely in English, will focus on marketing, with an approach adapted to the characteristics of the gastronomic food, wine and spirits markets, from the start of the 2020 academic year.

Taught on the Reims campus, this program will capitalise on the Champagne region’s wealth in this area, focusing on consumer and business decision making in the areas of food, spices, wine, spirits and other beverages, building on the assets of the schools local ecosystem and confirming its commitment to an internationally oriented training offer. With an international focus, this course combines marketing strategy, branding, food economics, agri-business, and business development. This marketing-dominated programme will provide students with all the key skills they need to understand a product, the context in which it is used, and all the elements likely to have an impact on the market.

“This programme will allow future graduates to develop a solid 360° vision, while mastering the codes of these sectors sufficiently to react to the unexpected with relevance and performance. Also, this is an appropriate solution for leaders in this market who are looking for professionals who combine marketing skills, sector culture and critical thinking,” explains Nathalie Spielmann, head of the MSc Wine & Gastronomy.

“In constant evolution, the wine and gastronomy sectors combine traditional know-how and luxury codes with profound changes linked to digital technology. The originality of this programme is to think of the customer experience in its entire gustatory dimension by associating tradition and innovation whilst also taking into account the most recent evolutions of these sectors”, explains Delphine Manceau, Dean of NEOMA Business School

In parallel to the theoretical training, practical cases and workshops will also be set up by professionals from renowned partners. The Gardinier Group, which brings together the Taillevent, Les Crayères, Drouant and Le Comptoir du Caviar houses, will be a partner of this MSc.

“We strongly support the creation of this new programme, which is based on a knowledge of ancestral know-how and will train the future managers of major gastronomic brands, restaurants, major merchants and Champagne houses,” says Thierry Gardinier, Co-Chairman of the Group.

The MSc students will notably work on the group’s cases and will benefit from the expertise of the Chefs and managers. Once they have graduated, they will be able to move on to positions such as marketing managers, export directors, analysts and even journalists or specialist influencers, both in France and abroad.

Careers, Education, Recruitment

Bristol named no. 1 City Outside London Where Graduates Want to Work

Recruitment platform TalentPool has revealed the top ten UK cities outside London where graduates want to work.

New analysis of the 100,000+ graduate and early career job seekers registered on the site, showed Bristol is the most popular city to look for work outside of the capital – for the second year running.

As the leading platform for start-up and SME jobs, it comes as no surprise that TalentPool candidates also showed an interest in the vibrant startup scenes in Brighton, Edinburgh and Birmingham.

Manchester, which scores well in rankings for business and liveability, was a popular choice. And other top ten locations, including Liverpool and Southampton, are popular cities among millennials, according to Totally Money.

Top 10 UK cities outside London where graduates want to work:

  1. Bristol
  2. Oxford
  3. Brighton
  4. Southampton
  5. Birmingham
  6. Liverpool
  7. Leeds
  8. Edinburgh
  9. Manchester
  10. Nottingham

The ranking mirrors findings of the Good Growth Cities report, released earlier this month by PwC and Demos, which also sees Bristol, Oxford, Southampton and Edinburgh among the top 10 UK cities for living and working.

Sophie Hudson, TalentPool’s Director of Marketing and User Experience, said of the new data:

“There’s no denying that London offers graduates a broad choice of career-launching and boosting opportunities. However, great opportunities – particularly with startups and small companies – certainly aren’t restricted to the capital. As we’re seeing at TalentPool, there’s an appetite to work for new and fast-growing companies around the country.”

Despite uncertainties around Brexit, TalentPool candidates also showed an interest in opportunities abroad. And more than 600 intrepid job seekers were willing to consider posts as far away as Antarctica.

For more about TalentPool, visit: www.talentpool.com

Construction, Education, Midlands News

Brand new accommodation at Market Harborough school as works complete

Local architecture and construction consultancy YMD Boon has announced the completion of the expansion and remodelling works to Farndon Fields Primary School in Market Harborough, which have doubled the size of the school.

The £2m project, which had a 12-month construction period, has provided pupils and staff with seven additional classrooms, remodelled admin support facilities, an extension to the main school hall and a brand new playground and cark park.

The school, which previously accommodated 200 students aged between five and 11, will now welcome a further 210 students thanks to the 700 sq. m extension. Utilising its in-house expertise YMD Boon undertook full project management and design services on behalf of the school.

The new teaching block was delivered using modern methods of construction. The new classrooms were manufactured off-site resulting in a very sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to the delivery of the scheme.
David Yates, director at YMD Boon, said:

“Our design team wanted to create an engaging and inspiring environment for students to learn in, so it’s fantastic to see how the vision has been brought to life. Knowing that the expansion has helped respond to the community’s need for more primary school age places in the area is wonderful.

“We hope all students and staff enjoy their new facilities.”

Farndon Fields Primary School is a part of the Discovery Schools Trust.

Paul Stone, Trust leader, said:

“It has been a real pleasure working together with YMD Boon to create such an exciting and dynamic learning environment which has focused on the needs of the children and being sensitivity to staff needs during a live build project. The support and expertise we have received was first rate.”

Nikki Matthew, headteacher at Farndon Fields Primary School, said:

“YMD Boon worked closely with the school and were very responsive to our needs throughout the design and build project. We are delighted with the finished project and the learning environment we have created. Staff, children and families are proud of the buildings and the facilities we now have in place for our local community.”

Other consultants on the project included John Lester Partnership; HBa Consulting Engineers Ltd; Ideal Building Systems Ltd; MJE Contracts and Jackson Purdue Lever.

YMB Boon works on conservation, education, commercial, industrial and residential projects delivering services in architecture, building surveying, project management, employers’ agent, property management and maintenance, health and safety advisors and clerk of works.

For more information, please visit: https://ymdboon.co.uk/

Education, European News, Food & Drink, News, Research, Retail

Research: customisation isn’t always positive for consumers

The ever-evolving world of online retail has enabled companies to use customisation as an integral part of their business strategy, however new research from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) shows customisation influences product perception of consumers.

Assistant Professor of Marketing Anne-Kathrin Klesse and her team, which included Yann Cornil and Darren Dahl from University of British Columbia Sauder and Nina Gros, a doctoral student at Maastricht University, wanted to find out how customers perceive products that they had customised.

To do this, they conducted six studies in three different product domains including clothing, food, and holiday packages. The study compared customizers (i.e., those that customised a product) and non-customizers (i.e., those that received an off-the-shelf alternative) on their perception of salient product attributes, such as fashionability, healthiness, and adventurousness.

They discovered that allowing customers to customise a product means they will perceive what they created in line with how they see themselves and their most important attributes.

According to Anne-Kathrin Klesse:

“Customizers who view themselves as unhealthy eaters perceived a customised muesli as less healthy compared to those that didn’t customise it. Conversely, customizers who view themselves as healthy eaters perceived a customised muesli as more healthy compared to those that didn’t customise it. Note that this occurs although the end-product for customizers and non-customizers was in fact comparable with respect to its healthiness.

“The way customers perceive a product has important downstream consequences. For instance, customizers who perceived the muesli as less healthy, were less likely to recommend the customised food to their health-conscious peers and they promoted the product as less healthy on social media compared to a customer s who received an off-the-shelf-alternative. This might have a detrimental effect if a business wants to promote their company as a healthy food store”

Moreover, how a person feels about themselves might have direct impact on their choice of the size for a customised product.

“Our restaurant experiment revealed that customizers with an unhealthy self-image expressed lower desire to eat more of the Greek yogurt than non-customizers, because they perceived the Greek yogurt as less healthy. This suggests that customization might impact customers’ choices of portion sizes,” Klesse explains.

The results from the research provide important insights for companies that rely on customisation as part of their business strategy, especially as these companies frequently encourage customers to share their creations to their social media networks.

This research was published in Journal of Marketing Research.

Education, European News, News

ESCP launches its new brand campaign

In the year of its bicentenary, ESCP Business School, the only pan-European school, unveils its new brand territory designed with the TBWA agency. As it enters its third centenary, it is reviving its historic brand, reaffirming its pioneering position.

ESCP’s pioneering dimension was present from the first years of its creation at the beginning of the 19th century: from the outset, several nationalities, a strong humanism, a vision of multidisciplinary management education focused on science, humanities and languages. This approach, drawn from European culture, remains relevant at a time when the greatest economists and entrepreneurs are calling for the redesign of capitalism.

Several generations of entrepreneurs and managers have been trained by ESCP with the conviction that the business world must feed society in a positive way.

Today, students in all programmes follow their training courses on several campuses of their choice among the six offered by the School (Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin and Warsaw). This unique pedagogical model is managed by fully European pedagogical and strategic bodies.

The School’s values (excellence, singularity, creativity and plurality) guide our daily mission and are expressed through a pedagogical vision that brings them together.

Our conviction – In life and in business, it all starts with choices.

ESCP has chosen to teach responsible leadership that is open to the world, aware of social issues, and supported by European diversity, multiculturalism and universal values.

Teaching is also part of our philosophy: training our students to ask the right questions, to question preconceived ideas and patterns, to decode the world so that they can make the right choices.

Joining ESCP means choosing to follow this vision, that of a humanistic, culturally agile, innovative, responsible and optimistic leadership.

Phillippe Houzé, Chairman of the Board, says

“The global business school market is a based on brands. To support the school’s international development, we are repositioning ESCP on its bicentenary brand in order to promote it throughout the world. »

Professor Frank Bournois, Executive Director & Dean, adds

“Our mission is to educate and inspire future business leaders to have a positive impact on the world. Our teaching will help them to meet the technological, environmental and societal challenges of today’s world by drawing on our European values: excellence and humanism. »

Dimitri Champollion, Director of Communications and Brand, declares

“To support the new brand identity, a major project was carried out with Alumni from the School, supported by the Foundation, to launch a campaign based on choice, The Choice. We are now in an era of choices: technological, economic or political. ESCP incites and teaches to make informed choices. Not tomorrow, but today. »

It all starts here.

Education, Leadership, News, South West

SETsquared ranked global #1 university business incubator for third time

The SETsquared Partnership has been ranked the global number one university business incubator for the third consecutive time by leading research and advisory firm, UBI Global.

The title, which was awarded at last night’s World Incubation Summit in Qatar, continues SETsquared’s ongoing success, having maintained its world-leading position since 2015. This year, the Partnership was commended for demonstrating exceptional value for tech start-ups and the local ecosystem.

With bespoke entrepreneur training programmes and unrivalled access to a network of mentors, alumni, investors, corporate partners and the knowledge base of five research intensive universities, SETsquared has supported over 4,000 UK high-tech start-ups since its inception, helping them raise more than £1.8bn of investment and creating £8.6 billion of economic impact to date – a figure which is set to rise to nearly £27 billion by 2030.

In the last year alone, 878 students, academics and entrepreneurs have participated in SETsquared programmes, with supported companies raising £292 million in investment between them.

The Partnership’s ranking follows the world’s most extensive benchmark study which analyses more than 1,500 incubators and accelerator programmes in 78 countries worldwide. SETsquared scored highly against all 21 key performance indicators (KPIs).

Simon Bond, innovation director at SETsquared, said:

“We’re thrilled to be acknowledged as the world’s top university business incubator once again and to be recognised amongst the world’s leading university business incubators and accelerator programmes.

“This ranking is testament to the dedication of everyone in the SETsquared team and their commitment to the entrepreneurial talent and research and innovation capabilities of the UK. We hope this ranking demonstrates to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and scale-up businesses that SETsquared has the experience and track-record to help them succeed and grow.”

Ali Amin, CEO and co-founder at UBI Global, said:

“Following a rigorous data-driven approach, we assessed and benchmarked incubation programmes across the world. Our World Benchmark Study 2019-2020 is in tune with the multiple facets of the international incubation ecosystem and illustrates key challenges and opportunities faced by the participating programmes.

 “The top lists of programmes were each recognised for outstanding performance in nurturing entrepreneurship and innovation, but SETsquared really stood out amongst its peers.

“We’d like to extend our congratulations to the whole team for these exceptional results, which really highlight the Partnership’s fantastic contribution to business, innovation and the UK economy.”

About SETsquared

SETsquared is a long-standing partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey which specialises in growing high-tech start-ups and scale-ups through its support programmes and other business acceleration services. SETsquared provides entrepreneurial training, mentoring, access to investors and corporate innovators and a wide range of industry experts through its network and training programmes.

Independent research carried out by Warwick Economics estimates the economic impact of SETsquared member companies to be £8.6bn to date, and rising to £26.9 billion by 2030, with the creation of 22,000 jobs.

Education, News

East Midlands teachers invited to exclusive event at Lincoln Cathedral

Education professionals from across the East Midlands are invited to the historic venue of Lincoln Cathedral, to discover the many exciting opportunities open to schools in the region.

The teachers’ hospitality evening is set to take place on Thursday 14 November – with the event being free to attend for all regional educators.

The event will start with welcome drinks in the Chapter House, followed by talks and activities led by the Cathedral’s education team around the various ongoing and forthcoming learning programme developments available at the local landmark.

Evensong will then commence, which guests are invited to join, and the evening will finish with an optional guided tour of the Cathedral afterwards.

Works have been underway at the Cathedral since 2017 as part of the Lincoln Cathedral Connected project – which will see major improvements to the iconic East Midlands place of worship, as well as a new visitor centre, café and toilets.

The grand opening of the Old Deanery Visitor Centre, which will also include a new learning and discovery centre, is set for spring 2020 with a host of new education opportunities and workshops – but there’s plenty for teachers and pupils to get involved with before then.

From September, schools can join three different national curriculum linked workshops, all of which include guided tours of the Cathedral and plenty of hands-on immersive activities. All workshops vary in time and price, with further information available on the night of the teachers’ hospitality evening, and the chance to see the new resources at the Cathedral for schools including artefacts and costumes.

Guests will also be able to sign up to the Cathedral’s new teacher’s forum – a dedicated group which will give members first opportunity on forthcoming events and offers, quarterly informal catch-up meetings, and feedback on the development of educational activity.

Education manager at Lincoln Cathedral, Sally Bleasdale, said:

“The Connected project has enabled the Cathedral to develop a fantastic new learning programme for schools, with an experienced team dedicated to helping pupils and teachers understand and enjoy Lincoln Cathedral like never before.

“The unique programme is designed to maximise the huge potential of the Cathedral as a place for learning; not only for its key purpose of understanding Christian faith and the purpose of the building as a Christian place of worship built for the glory of God, but also inspiring learning across the whole curriculum.”

“The aim is to bring to life the many wonderful stories of Lincoln Cathedral’s rich local, national and international history and significant people to inspire further investigation. Its magnificent art and architecture will also be brought to life through looking, pausing, participating and enjoying. The new opportunity to handle objects and documents, and take part in arts and crafts, should greatly enhance a visit and hopefully inspire return visits with families too.”

AI, Education

Edtech platform Atom Learning doubles headcount as business expands internationally

Atom Learning, the edtech platform that uses AI to transform educational outcomes, today announces its international expansion into Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It’s award-winning online learning platform – Atom Prime – is now used by schools in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Nigeria and Abu Dhabi.

Boasting 50 per cent growth month-on-month, Atom Learning has doubled in headcount in the last two months and announced a number of significant new positions. They will drive the development of its innovative learning platform which combines high-quality content, designed and produced by teachers, with sophisticated technology to keep students on their individual, optimal learning paths. 

Atom Prime launched just six months ago and in October entered the UK State sector, following a successful trial in private schools, with over 200 Preparatory Schools now using the platform.

Atom Learning was founded by Jake O’Keeffe and Alex Hatvany in 2018, having become frustrated by the inequality in education provision in the UK and globally. They see huge potential for technology to reduce the gap in attainment between the most and least privileged. 

Atom Prime reduces teacher workload, supports teachers in managing mixed ability classes, ensures non-subject experts can run productive lessons and improves dialogue between parents and teachers. Atom Prime integrates with Atom Nucleus, part of the Atom Learning suite of learning products, an affordable alternative to a private tutor to which parents can optionally subscribe. 

Named one of the UK’s best and most exciting new businesses by Startups magazine in 2019, Atom Learning was this month shortlisted for AI Business of the Year at the National Business Awards, the winner of which will be announced in November.

Jake O’Keeffe, co-founder of Atom Learning, comments:

“We have seen phenomenal growth since launching Atom Prime in May, doubling headcount in just two months and now expanding internationally. This demonstrates a clear appetite from schools and parents for innovative solutions to improving access to high-quality education. 

“We firmly believe in the power of technology to enhance educational outcomes and reduce the gap in attainment between the most and least privileged, and that is why we continue to invest in the growth of the business, to constantly improve the platform and to reach greater numbers of students across the UK and overseas.”

For more information please visit: https://atomlearning.co.uk/