Conference & Common Room magazine turns 50 May 21, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in Independent Education, John Catt Educational news, Magazines.Tags: conference and common room magazine, independent education, independent schools
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The new issue of Conference & Common Room (C&CR) brings up a landmark anniversary for the magazine.
C&CR (then titled Conference) was first published in 1963, and the summer issue celebrates 50 years of the publication.
This retrospective issue looks back at five decades of the magazine, and also takes the opportunity to speculate on what the future may hold.
It provides fascinating insights into how the educational landscape has changed over the decades; while celebrating the values and good practice that remain as true today as they did in 1963.
In his introduction, editor Tom Wheare writes: “One of the salutary things about being editor of C&CR is the lesson that there is nothing new under the sun. Whatever whizzo scheme one may think of, look back through enough previous numbers and there it will be, the topic you thought that only your fertile mind had generated, marmorealised in cold print.
“Fortunately, being editor of C&CR is rather like being Beatrix Potter’s Taylor of Gloucester. A steady supply of well-crafted pieces of work appear on my computer screen at regular intervals, each with a buttonhole or two at the most remaining to be completed by a few final stitches in the editorial twist. Thus it was that two articles on school archives spontaneously appeared for inclusion in this distinctly retrospective issue.
“There are, however, quite a few commissioned articles here too, by way of birthday cards. Ian Beer was a Head before C&CR was born and is the senior Honorary Associate member of HMC, whilst John Blatchly, Jonty Driver, Nigel Richardson and Andrew Cunningham have all been editors of the magazine. The landscapes and portraits they paint fill in at least some of the back stories of the scene Conference & Common Room has sought to cover.”
You can read the new issue online at: www.candcr.co.uk
C&CR is published three times a year, at the start of each school term. If you are interested in contributing to the magazine, you can contact Editor Tom Wheare at tom@dunbry.plus.com. Potential advertisers can contact Madeleine Anderson at manderson@johncatt.com.
To subscribe to the magazine, visit our bookshop by clicking here.
Summer 2013 issue of Prep School magazine available now May 20, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in John Catt Educational news, Marketing.Tags: prep school, prep school magazine, prep schools, preparatory schools
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The summer issue of Prep School magazine is available now – in print and online.
The magazine, produced in partnership with SATIPS (Support and Training in Prep Schools), will be arriving with schools and subscribers this week.
You can also read it online here: www.prepschoolmag.co.uk
This issue has a focus on ICT and encourages schools to use the summer term to consider the challenges that lie ahead.
In her welcome notes, editor Michele Kitto writes: “Now is an excellent time to look at the demands of the curriculum and to build in new experiences. The sustainability article (by Robin Davies, Barfield School) shares the sorts of discussions we should be having about how we can embed this philosophy into our schools. Or maybe it is time to go all iPad, or Google? What about developing a digital curriculum? Is it time to look again at your pupils’ emotional needs? How about doing something different to help the move from junior to senior school? Can phonics teaching be spiced up? Perhaps puppets could help in the classroom? Is handwriting being neglected?
“This issue is packed full of ideas to get your staffroom talking and thinking: use it to plan next year’s educational journey. On this journey you may need to change route or double back on yourself. You’ll almost certainly need to take detours – and the odd risk. I am afraid your satnav won’t work. But the view when you get there will be fantastic.”
Prep School is published three times a year. Potential contributors can contact editor Michèle Kitto at editor@prepschoolmag.co.uk while advertisers can get in touch with Madeleine Anderson at manderson@johncatt.com.
To subscribe to Prep School magazine, please visit our bookshop.
New book offers expert advice on teaching ESL students May 17, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in International education, John Catt Educational news, New releases.Tags: EAL, english as a second language, english as an additional language, ESL, international schools
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We are very pleased to introduce a new title to our catalogue: Breaking through the language barrier.
The book, written by Patricia Mertin, has the strapline ‘Effective strategies for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) students in secondary school mainstream classes’.
Breaking through the language barrier provides strategies and practical advice that teachers can use every day in the classroom to help ESL students understand and get to grips with their subject.
It includes advice on using textbooks, cultural differences, realistic timescales for learning, using language and grammar that is easy to understand, and chapters on teaching specific subjects.
Patricia has taught ESL students at the International School of Dusseldorf, where she is Mother Tongue co-ordinator and chair of the EAL department for grades 6-12, since 1993.
The book has a foreword written by Maurice Carder, former head of ESL and Mother Tongue department at Vienna International School, and is the first in John Catt’s new World Class Schools series.
To order a copy of Breaking through the language barrier, please visit our bookshop.
The Schoolmaster enters the digital age May 16, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in John Catt Educational news, New releases.Tags: a c benson, amazon kindle, books, the schoolmaster
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The Schoolmaster – Arthur Christopher Benson’s classic account of school life at the turn of the 20th century – has now been published as an eBook.
Published by our imprint Peridot Press in both hardback and paperback, it is now available to download on Amazon Kindle.
The Schoolmaster was originally published in 1902. It provides a fascinating insight into the profession, much of which still rings true today.
Benson was born at Wellington College, educated at Eton and Cambridge and spent his life and career at both. He also had a successful career outside of education; he was the editor of Queen Victoria’s letters, a lyricist and a prolific diary writer.
The foreword is written by Tony Little, Head Master of Eton College. He writes: “Benson was a man of many parts, but above all he was a consumate schoolmaster, dedicated, stimulating, idealistic yet wise to the ways of the world, and more importantly to the wiles and needs of teenage schoolboys. His book The Schoolmaster is personal and idiosyncratic and remains one of the best accounts of schoolmastering that has been written. I am delighted to see this work back in print, which for A C Benson is the most fitting memorial.”
To download the eBook, visit its page on the Amazon Kindle Store.
John Catt at The Bookseller Industry Awards May 15, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in John Catt Educational news.Tags: awards, books, the bookseller industry awards
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![JCEL BIA13[1]](http://johncatt.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/jcel-bia131.jpg)
Here’s a line-up of the John Catt team at The Bookseller Industry Awards on Monday night.
Chairman Jonathan Evans, information director Christine Evans, production manager James Rudge, account executive Rachael Ling and I made the trip to the London Hilton on Park Lane for the event.
We were shortlisted in the new Independent Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year category but unfortunately returned to Suffolk empty-handed, with the trophy going to Edward Elgar Publishing.
We were delighted to be shortlisted, however, and enjoyed an excellent night, particularly as our new friends at SkanTrans-PSL won The Supply Chain Innovation Award.
For a full rundown of the results, see The Bookseller website. Let’s hope we can go one better next year!
Mobile website for COBIS conference delegates May 15, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in Conferences, International education, John Catt Educational news.Tags: cobis, international schools
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We were pleased to be part of the COBIS Annual Conference at the Park Plaza Hotel in Victoria, London at the weekend.
It was a great opportunity to exhibit our titles and meet delegates from COBIS schools around the globe.
There was an excellent mix of speakers, seminar leaders and workshops as well as a busy exhibition area over the three days. Congratulations to executive director Colin Bell and his team for putting on such a successful event.
As last year, John Catt produced the official conference brochure. This year, we were also asked to produce a mobile website to connect those attending the conference with other delegates and exhibitors.
You can see the conference website at: www.johncatt.com/cobis/index.html.
We are delighted to have such an excellent relationship with COBIS and look forward to working together on future projects. We are very pleased that COBIS will be supporting a forthcoming book, edited by Estelle Tarry and Anna Cox, on Teaching Assistants in International Schools, due for release later this year.
John Catt Guide to International Schools May 13, 2013
Posted by Alex, managing editor in International education.add a comment
We are deep in the middle of putting together the latest edition of our highly-respected Guide to International Schools, and I am delighted to reveal that we have a royal endorsement this year: HM King Constantine II of Greece has agreed to write the foreword.
His Majesty is Patron of the Round Square organisation, a world-wide association of schools on five continents sharing unique and ambitious goals. We will also feature editorial contributions from the International Baccalaureate, who will be writing about their new Career-related Certificate; Monash University; and Woodstock School, amongst others.
The Guide to International Schools is set for a July 2013 publication.
Which School? for Special Needs 2013/14 now available in print and eBook May 10, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in John Catt Educational news, New releases, Special Educational Needs.Tags: Special Educational Needs
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The 2013/14 edition of Which School for Special Needs? is now available.
The 22nd edition of this long-standing guidebook contains a comprehensive directory of independent and non-maintained schools and colleges in the UK that provide services for children and young adults with sensory or physical impairment; learning difficulties; social, emotional and behavioural difficulties; and autistic spectrum disorders.
It features full and double-page profiles of leading special schools and useful information on groups, associations and charities serving the special needs sector. The book also includes a directory of maintained special needs schools.
We also aim to highlight the latest news and initiatives from the sector in the editorial section.
This year we have excellent pieces from Claire Dorer, chief executive of the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-maintained Special Schools, and Malcolm Reeve, chair of the Federation of Leaders in Special Education and national director for SEND at the Academies Enterprise Trust, on the latest Government reforms of SEN provision.
We also have articles from educational psychologist Ruth Birnbaum on choosing a school and Katie Emsley, of Langley Wellington LLP Solictors, on the legal aspects, as well as an update from the British Paralympic Association post-2012 Games and latest information from the National Autistic Society, the RNIB, SpaceKraft and Options Group.
To order a copy of the guide, click here. To see the eBook, click here.
For any further enquiries about the guide, email us.
Jonathan Smith’s The Following Game paperback version published May 8, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in New releases, Peridot Press.Tags: books, cricket, jonathan smith, memoir
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Through our publishing imprint Peridot Press, we are delighted to announce the publication of the paperback version of Jonathan Smith’s memoir, The Following Game.
Jonathan Smith was, for many years, Head of English at Tonbridge School. As well as his acclaimed memoir, The Learning Game, which was described by Matthew Parris as ‘the only book I have read on teaching which is not boring’, he has published six novels and written many plays for radio. A film of his novel Summer in February, for which he wrote the screenplay, will be released in 2013. Jonathan is the father of the writer, Ed Smith, who played cricket for Kent, Middlesex and England.
As you may have seen, the hardback version of The Following Game gathered some stunning reviews upon publication in 2011.
‘Jonathan Smith is just as good at writing as he was at teaching. And that, believe me, is saying a very great deal.’ – Dan Stevens in The Times Educational Supplement
‘This beautifully produced little book says more about family, books and the game of cricket than many flashier volumes by well-known names. It is modest, candid, personal and brief, but full of surprises.’ – Robert McCrum, The Observer
‘The best passages flow along so joyously as to call to mind a cover drive by that most famous of Tonbridge old boys, Colin Cowdrey.’ – The Cricketer
To order a copy of the paperback version, visit our bookshop.
The Crystal Spirit released as eBook on Peridot Press – updated with new chapter May 1, 2013
Posted by Jonathan Barnes, editor in New releases, Peridot Press.Tags: books, new release, peridot press
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Our imprint Peridot Press has released a new eBook – a second edition of Totty Ellwood’s The Crystal Spirit, now with a new chapter.
The Crystal Spirit was first published by Peridot in 2003 as a printed book. It is the moving account of Totty’s journey to Bali after her brother Jonathan Ellwood was among 202 people killed in the Kuta nightclub bombing in 2002.
Jonathan, 37, was an international school teacher in Vietnam and was in Bali for an International Baccalaureate conference.
Totty, also an international school teacher, then working in Malaysia, recounts the horror of discovering Jonathan’s death and her experiences in Bali in the aftermath of the disaster as she and her family sought to find out what happened to him and to recover his body, battling red tape and British officialdom.
The obstacles and bureaucracy faced by the Ellwood family in their efforts led to an apology from the British Government and a meeting with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw amid attempts to improve the UK response to overseas disasters.
For the eBook, Totty, who now works at the International School Moshi, Tanzania, has written a new chapter, in which she describes the lasting impact on her family of the loss of her brother.
She also explains how the tragedy prompted her to research the way in which schools deal with and teach about death, with the aim of helping bereaved families, and describes how colleagues and friends from all over the world have continued to pay tribute to and share their memories of Jonathan in the years since his death.
To order the eBook, click here.
Alex, managing editor
Jonathan Barnes, editor
