posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

Speaker’s School Council Awards – Tell us about a School Council or student-led initiative that made a difference in your school or community.  Big or small, we want to hear about it!
The competition is open from now to 19 May.
For more information, call 0207 219 6260 or go to www.speakersschoolcouncil.org

Apply now for summer 2017 Teachers’ Institute – Applications for Teachers’ Institute 3 – 5 July 2017 are now open and close 2 April . Apply now for this free 3-day residential course: “the best CPD I’ve ever experienced”

Skype the Speaker – Long way from London? Got Skype? Your pupils can put their questions direct to Mr Speaker live from your school hall. Makes for a great whole school or year group assembly Find out more or book here.

From our partners

Parliament Explained – A new podcast from the UK Parliament – New six-part podcast series presented by Meera Syal  which explores the inner workings of Parliament – what Parliament is, how Parliament scrutinises the work of the Government, how laws are made and changed, and how you – the public – can get involved.  The podcast will be released every Monday from 20 March 2017. For more information, and links to the podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Petitions from the classroom – When students from a Gateshead secondary school started an e-petition asking the Government to DNA test the bodies believed to be the princes in the tower, we were left wondering whether that was something that Parliament or Government could do. See what we found out.