calling all teachers- is this a good idea

[elliot3]

I'm thinking of setting up a company which organises speakers/visitors to go into schools for a variety of subjects curriculum functions- do you think this is a good idea, is there a need for it, would schools have a budget for this and do you know of any companies who do it already?

I'm not at all convinced. Can you give us more idea of the sort of service you might be providing?

Schools tend to have very tight budgets, with rarely anything spare for outside input. They can usually get people in to do things for free: either on a business sponsorship thing, or through some scheme funded by the LEA or grants or charities.

Is it for kids or staff?

Staff comes from training budget but kids stuff tends to be free where ever possible

I thought author visits, people who have had anorexia, had drug problems, career talks, MPs, people who have achieved things in sporting fields. the school my children go to is fantastic they organise all thes eamazing people to come in and speak to them - especially the sixth formers but even the primary children are exposed to all sorts of really interesting people and I wondered if there was any way I could bring them together and offer a service - I've also seen on the tes talk forum people asking about speakers who could come in and talk on moral education subjects and I thought it must be pretty hard to find them? I used to be an English teacher seven years ago until I had the children but I feel pretty out of touch and I never had any involvement with budgets- thanks for your input

What sort pf speakers are youthinking of?

I think a large number of those sort of speakers should do it free to the school (and some do)

I would have thought that school budgets would be very tight for this sort of thing.

We do get outsiders in, but afaik these are free, or funded bya specific government organisation.

So, for example, we get people to come in for disability awareness day (they are volenteers), people from different religious groups come in for the RE department (free), we have had specific funding for G and T activities, and for primary outreach, but this monet was specific to a named project.

We did once pay for a group of Unversity sudents to come in and spend 2 days working with our kids. They were great. But that was the only paid function I can think of in the last 5 years.

schools are prime audeinces, a prime market. I don't think schools would have enough of a need to pay.

mmm, are there any companies who organise any people into schools - you know companies who come in and do science stuff?

non-profit organisaitons more than companies. Science Festival does it for example.

Book trust organiseds authors, Sorytelling Centre will offer storytellers etc.

I see where you;re soming from re one organistion that ocvers different topics.

I just think anyhting that puts real live people in front of oupils to inspire them in a real way rather than all the celebrity big brother crap they are exposed to would be good; if they could see people who have achieved things worth achieving then they may aim higher than simply wnaitn to be famous as so many of them do nowadays - just not sure if there's a market in it

don't think there's a money-making martket in it. There is a market, mainly addressed by govt, non-profit orgs and people's goodwill

It's done through different sources where and when they have the money. Where I am, visitng writers, for example, go in under an Arts Council scheme to work with G&T groups and schools pay for it through they G&T budget. I admire your intentions but I think it will be very hard to do under one umbrella.

through THEIR G&T budget, grrr!! sorry, it's late...

what's a G&T budget?

The only paid for events I can think of are the maths roadshow type ones and the god awful theatre productions. Oh how I hate those "Let's be really wacky and right on with the kids" Cringe

I don't think individual departments would have the budget for outside speakers unless you could really sell it that it'd have an impact on results.

Sorry, missed your question, Gifted and talented

thanks everyone - a teacher friend who works in the indeoendent sector has said that she thinks as long as the speakers were of a high calibre, does anyone agree?

don't know about independent sector. Might well be different - sure others can help.

Interesting idea. I guess, as others, that when schools want a speaker it's for a very specific reason and they would go direct to an organisation specialising in that. I work at a 6th form college. We've got people coming in next week for One World Week, we have people who come in annually to talk about organ donation, police, fire officers, university reps, people to talk about finance etc. I think most of the people who come in contact us or are on our database or known to us through the careers department or the pastoral team or whatever. My dd's class has had a visiting poet come in for National Poetry day and an artist for art week. Paid for an organised by the parents association. While she is in an independent school I think this is common in state schools too and again I think various organisations are likely to advertise themselves to schools rather than the schools search. If schools did need a speaker my guess is they'd visit the appropriate organisation's website first. One of the issues you'd be up against if you provided a sort of umbrella organisation is checking each speaker's credentials (it's likely they'd have to be CRB checked too) and whether they'd actually be any good talking to kids (some experts are not very good at making their presentations child-friendly). I think this would be quite a tricky task if you weren't a specialist (which you couldn't be for every subject). Also you'd really need to have a huge database of people from all fields prepared to visit all areas because if schools tried your organisation and didn't find what they wanted they'd go direct to the specialist and probably not return to you. It is a really intesting idea though. Keep us posted how you get on.

Like others, also, I don't know how you'd make money on it. I suppose people would pay you to be put on your database or give you commission on any engagements. Any speaker willing to do this would probably be a bit desperate and it would exclude charities. Don't know if schols would be willing to pay an intermediary either.

thanks blackandwhitecat, the more I think about it the more I think it would lend itself better to 6th form pupils-maybe. Do you think an author promoting a new book or an MP or famous photographer or sportsperson , someone very inspiring would work well - not the run of the mill charity speakers- would work? for instance at my children's school - an independent school they have a programme for 6th formers which had people like Jonatahan Aitken -i know- a photographer whose work is in national geographic as well as Hello! a woman who has suffered from anorexia and John Sargeant in the space of five weeks or so. A teacher at the school organises it but says it's real pain with all the work involved . I was even thinking that you could hire a small theatre in a city and bus pupils from several schools in - or am I just getting completely carried away here?? I have asked around a bit and while many would be willing to do the talks, agents etc have said they would need payment of some sorts

yes i think that potentaily it could be great, but there is no money. This is the first year in 4 that I have had books for all my sixth formers!

is that in an indepdent school martianbishop/