News
from SmithMartin
Partnership LLP
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We are pleased to offer
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SmithMartin
News
Update June 2008
Partnership
launches space rocket... Our
partnership has sponsored the delivery of seven SPACE DAYS for children
from local schools in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Continuing our support of the community project ImagineNewmarket,
partners provided resources and personnel to help nearly 500 children
across seven days of activity to better understand our solar system,
the galaxies and how rockets work.
The children made their own rocket, launched it and did a number of
activities to develop their understanding of our solar system,
Our partnership created a number of audio visual
presentations and films for the children to enjoy and as a backdrop for
the days events. You can see an early event report and the material
produced on the ImagineNewmarket web site at www.imaginenewmarket.org.uk
Not only did we support learning, but everyone had great fun.
Some of the comments from children and young people were energising and
intriguing.
On Venus '...it's so hot you sizzle like a sausage'. On Neptune ...'Why
is it blue? - it's a mystery!'
All our partners and the Space Day team had a great time too.
Scenes from a Space Day event...
SmithMartin
News
Update April 2008
Partnership plans
to roll-out literacy project... Following
the successful delivery of our Leyton Stories project, we are now
negotiating to extend the event to other settings in the borough of
Waltham Forest, Leyton Stories was delivered at The Epicentre in
Leytonstone, East London. We were able to bring together over 100
children, parents, carers and teachers to enjoy a day of workshops with
a variety of children's authors, artists and story-tellers.
We were able to give the children nearly £2,500 of books to take home
with them as a record of the event.
The partnership plans to develop the delivery of this concept in a
number of further urban areas outside London. Targets at the moment
inlcude settings in East Anglia, the North West and Galway in Ireland.
Our City Stories banner will see the delivery of further literacy,
reading and book events .
The project fits well with supporting the literacy aims of
communities and our follow up activity includes working with
communities to create Children's Book Groups, where none had existed
before. Helping to make durable the legacy of the Year
of Reading.
Watch this space for more details of the City
Stories web site and project bookings.
(...and thanks to Radha Clelland for another great logo to enhance the
project concept).
SmithMartin
News
Update January 2008
An exciting new
venture into reading and literacy support for children...
We
have
been commissioned by EduAction of the
London Borough of Waltham Forest to develop the Leyton Stories concept.
This is planned as a series of book events for children, where the
project will introduce them to authors and illustrators - stimulate
imaginations and help children, often from the least consulted families
in a borough, to develop a love of books that will last them a lifetime.
Sue
Martin
says '...we
hope to move away from 'the text' and return to the whole story idea,
using the project as a way to not only give books to children to help
start their own library, but to offer excitement and engagement with
writers and illustrators to bring the ideas of children to life'.
Our
brief
as a partnership is to create everything from the project logo - as
above - to engaging writers and artists, recruiting schools and
community groups and delivering the events.
Partners are supporting the
work by offering the project team web design, web hosting, email and a
collaborative workspace from Thirdsectorweb.The
books for the children, the author signing and displays, as well as the
workshops at events will be managed and supplied by Dolphinbooksellers,
the children's book arm of our partnership.
The
planned
legacy of the Leyton Stories activity
is to have created children's book groups, managed by parents and
carers, that will continue to engage children and young people with
books in the future.
Leyton Stories logo by Radha Clelland
Read more...
SmithMartin
News
Update December 2007 Partnership
welcomes Radha Clelland to the team... We are delighted
to
announce
that the partnership has further extended its skills by bringing Radha
Clelland into our team. Radha is a graphic designer with a wealth of
experience, who will offer existing and new clients access to
a range of design services that can compliment their projects.
Radha
is expert in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark Xpress,
with an extensive and diverse professional history, including design
agency work with blue-chip clients, producing leading scientific and
financial publications for large and small publishing houses, and
cartography for a variety of clients such as the BBC.
With
a
B.A., M.A. and postgraduate diploma in printing and publishing, Radha
can offer partnership clients cutting edge design support, utilising
our partnership infrastructure to deliver creative input to
projects. Whether developing a consistent corporate identity, creating
new logotypes or branding a project across a range of media Radha can
help compliment and deliver your vision.
Tim
Smith
of SmithMartin said '...we
are profoundly happy that Radha has found a professional home with our
partnership. As a family friendly, ethical practice delivering consultancy,
web design and hosting through Thirdsectorweb
our community web service, resources for schools thorough Dolphinbookbox
or children's books to young people, families and carers with Dolphinbooksellers
- we are confident that Radha will be a busy member of the partnership
team - improving both client projects and our own house style'.
Welcome
Radha, from all of us here at SMP.
(You
can contact Radha
here...off...@smithmartinpartnership.com
)
SmithMartin
News
Update November 2007 Partnership
delivers Community Engagement Model in Bracknell Forest...
We
were delighted to be invited to attend the Extended Schools Conference
in the Borough of
Bracknell Forest during November 2007. The event was held at
the Kerith Centre,
adjacent to the borough offices.
This
well
attended conference of professionals in the borough - from education,
community development, children's services and health amongst
many others - saw lively debate about engagement and
the development of extended schools in the area.
We
were
able to deliver a workshop which launched the model, a copy of which
can be found on our archive
page. Partners also attended a range of workshops themselves,
including presentations on demographic change in the borough,
planning extended services and the role of the voluntary
sector in the process.
SmithMartin
News
Update September 2007
Partners
supporting the work of ImagineNewmarket...
SmithMartin were
delighted to be able to offer help and support to ImagineNewmarket,
working with children from six local schools, for the delivery of the
projects's Sustainable
Buildings Day on the 27th September.
ImagineNewmarket
is a regional project to build an Imagination Centre in the East of
England. The children were able to work with the project team on the
day - thinking about renewable energy resources and different building
materials and techniques. The high point of the day was the group
activity - where nearly sixty children attending were given
the opportunity to build their own shelters in the workspace, using
their ideas from the days activities.
Materials
being used ranged from shopping baskets donated by a local supermarket,
to hazel withies and copious amounts of string. All used by the
children to good effect. You can see the
ImagineNewmarket project at www.imaginenewmarket.org.uk
SmithMartin
partners and associates donate time and resources to ImagineNewmarket.
Our web arm,
www.thirdsectorweb.co.uk, is proud to provide the project
with a donated web
presence and email facilities.
SmithMartin
News
Update July 2007 Partners and associates
welcome Parveen to our network...
SmithMartin are
delighted that Parveen Hussain, a children's services practitioner of
great experience is joining our partnership network. Partners
and associates recognise that Parveen's knowledge and understanding of
settings and the policy context of our work will be an invaluable
resource in developing the work of all our partners.
We hope that
Parveen will benefit from our partnership resources and networks in
order to develop her practice and that our future partnership meetings
and information days are useful.
Tim Smith of
SmithMartin said today '...Parveen
has a great knowledge of the children's sector and we hope that her
work will find a perfect compliment in the other strands of
activity that we undertake around sustainable community
business, governance development and operational funding.We hope that,
as independent practitioners, our partnership support mechanisms both
formal and informal can help everyone not only win new
contracts, but deliver them more effectively'.
SmithMartin
News
Update June 2007 Project managing
the development of a Children's Centre in Waltham Forest
Sue Martin, second
from the left, is seen at the new Wellington and College Gardens
Children's Centre. Sue is working on project management of
the new site, which will offer a 60 place nursery, as well as meeting
rooms, toddler and parent groups, daycare and ICT provision as part of
the service mix.
Funding for this project is
provided by the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
Sue
says '...we are
delighted to be involved in the development of the Children's Centre at
Wellington and College Gardens. The project fits with our other recent
strategic work for clients in the borough and builds upon our mix of
expertise in both capital provision and operational delivery in the
children's services arena'.
Photograph
courtesy of the Waltham Forest Independent.
SmithMartin
News
Update March 2007
SmithMartin/Dolphin
Booksellers at International Women's Day Event
We were
delighted to attend as Dolphin Booksellers at the Epicentre in Leyton
on March 6th 2007. We were able to offer all the mums and children
visiting during the day a wide range of very high quality children's
books at great prices.
We distributed a wealth of
literacy promotional material and a lot of Dolphin Book Bags. We sold
some books too! Our lifesize Dolphin logo board was very popular with
the children attending the event. You can
order individual children's books directly from our website - www.dolphinbooksellers.co.uk
We also
distributed to the children's service providers present details of our
Dolphin Book Box bulk sales service for schools and childcare settings.
You
can see details of this business to business service at Dolphinbookbox.co.uk
If
you would like a literacy or book event at your next event, do let us
know - we would be happy to arrange author or book events tailored to
suit your organisation. Partners continue
their development work in Western Ireland
We have been
pleased to continue to develop our interests in Ireland.
Working with a client we have been developing business models
and plans for the opening of childcare settings in Western Ireland.
Partners
are currently working on the development of a number of settings,
involving the purchase of properties, the fitting out of the settings
and the recruitment and training of staff. These complex projects call
for a range of business and consultancy skills and provide an
interesting contrast to the delivery of childcare in the UK market.
Our
partners would be very happy to talk to any Irish based childcare
provider who would like help with business development, professional
practice, staff recruitment, quality assurance or service user
relations.
If
you
think our expertise could help - use our contact us page -
we are happy to talk without obligation.
SmithMartin
News
Update November 2006
SmithMartin
at the Daycare Trust Annual Conference 2006
Following a busy
year partners took time out to attend the latest annual
conference of the Daycare
Trust. Campaigning for universally accessible childcare, this
organisation has been at the forefront of change and improvement in the
UK childcare sector for over twenty five years.
SmithMartin are proud to be members of the Daycare Trust.
One highlight of the conference was the publication
of Childcare
Today - A Progress
Report on the Government's Ten-year Childcare Strategy. Thi
s important stage review looked again at the progress of the strategy
and delivered a series of recommendations for policy makers and
practicioners to reflect upon.
The extension of
free early years places
Subsidy for out of
school clubs
Subsidy for places
for disabled children
Continuation of
the Transformation Fund
Reform of
childcare tax credits
Extension of
parental leave
Ever forward
thinking, the document maps a way ahead in a telling manner...read
more
Harker
Report on Child
Poverty published: Another key
document published to coincide with the conference was the Harker
Report on Child Poverty - Delivering
on Child Poverty: What would it take?
This report for the Department of Work and Pensions by Lisa
Harker
focuses on the government's commendable progress towards the
target set to reduce child poverty, but concludes the target
has been missed to date.
One recent
development for partners was their engagement with a UK childcare
provider to work in partnership to undertake an assessment of
developing settings within the Irish market.
Childcare
provision in Ireland is undergoing rapid change, with both
legislation under way, quality assurance processes and demand for
services all growing. SmithMartin have the right mix of skills to help
develop a service in the country - delivering project management,
business planning and professional childcare development consultancy to
ensure that the contracts are sucessfully bid for and that the
resulting service is to the highest standards.
This has been redesigned into a single column frame layout,
with a news
and update sidebar. It will load more quickly and the image sizes have
been reduced to help this. Page layout and content is always a work in
progress, but we hope that our message is now clearer.
This site has undergone substantial revision. Although the
basic page
layout has stayed the same the format has changed to allow additional
news and information columns to be added. Our 'quick-books' feature has
been retained.
We now have regular rotating
news for our visitors, with feature pages by publisher and
theme.
Barefoot Books are a particular favourite of ours this
autumn. Have a look and see - buying individual titles from Amazon as
usual, we have introduced our 'Book
Box' service to deliver themed collections direct to schools
and childcare settings.
We can design and install a site on our secure servers,
whilst using
our sector knowledge and experience to make sure that the site offers
everything a professional childcare setting needs to tell it's users,
parents and carers.
Thirdsector also has a new on
line shop. A great source of laptops, accessories and even a
range of books on web design. Check out our dark blue sales pages.
News
Update June 2006
Daycare Childcare Champion Awards
at No 11 Downing St
No. 11 provided a great venue for the presentation of the
Daycare Trust
Childcare Champion Awards. Not only did it show the value that the
government gives to childcare but the climbing frame in the
garden gave a clue that children and families really are 'at the heart'
of those who live at Downing St.
From a huge number of entries the four people chosen showed a
real
sense of commitment, professionalism and enjoyment of working with
children.
The 2006 winners were:-
Carol Fairburn, a local childminder
Debbie Irving, leader of Kool Kidz parent and toddler group
Special Matters, a group of parents of children with special
needs
Ed Balls, Treasury minister presented the awards and
congratulated
Daycare Trust on the success of the organisation and the campaigning
work which continues to put children and families at the fore front of
the governments agenda.
Rita Stringfellow, Chair of Daycare Trust,
announced some of the latest work to be commissioned, RAMPS:
a framework for listening to children. Real value given to
listening to children and being able to react to their needs
is shown to be highly effective in delivering successful services.
The newly appointed Chief Executives, Emma Knights and Alison
Garnham
were introduced, a joint appointment for a top position, showing that
Daycare Trust believes in flexible working and can make it happen.
Daycare Trust is now set for the future, with key staff a
brilliant
team behind them and a programme of work to make sure that the
campaigning goes on to deliver best provision for children, young
people and families.
Architecture Week
2006 saw partners at SmithMartin volunteering time,
audio-visual equipment and displays to support the ImagineNewmarket
community project.
We had a real community development hands on day.
Tired at
the end, but elated by the ideas of the young people.
A one day event at
Tattersalls of Newmarket, the world's leading bloodstock auctioneers,
was delivered in partnership with
ImagineNewmarket, the Johns Practice -
Chartered Architects and Little
Angels Day Nursery.
SmithMartin were able to supply a revolving slide
show of
images and designs for the young people to use for inspiration
throughout the day.
Sue Martin delivered a storytelling workshop to a variety of
young
people, teachers and carers - eliciting a very wide range of ideas and
enthusiasm for the model building that was undertaken in the afternoon
session.
Partners were happy to donate their time to deliver real
consultation
and ideas generation with lively, interested and sympathetic
young people.
Smithmartin
are currently undertaking a broad range of stylistic and content
changes to our websites.
We are updating this website, www.smithmartinpartnership.com,
with new
page design and typography.
We are doing our best to keep our content pages and updates
going for
clients and other visitors during the changes.
Our book sales pages at www.dolphinbooksellers.co.uk
are also being revised. We are planning to move to direct web based
sales for community groups and school bulk purchases, but to keep our
Amazon based service integrated into the site for individual purchases.
Our web service pages are also being revised. We are
developing a new
style for the pages, but also revising the number of packages for web
page creation and storage. Our web email services are also undergoing
change, with a new, more accessible and clear pricing structure.
if you need a simple, clear web solution that is fully secure
and
developed by a partnership in sympathy with the culture
and aims of your organisation see us at www.thirdsectorweb.co.uk Check back
often for updates. News
update April 2006
Management
in a Childcare
Setting
Aims:
To create
a
positive vision for the future
To empower
staff to deliver effective management of their childcare
setting
OurPartnership
recently
delivered training to a variety of setting staff in West London.
If you attended our programme the narrative below is a
reflection of
the
events which we hope you find useful.
If you didn't we hope that it gives you an insight into both
our philosophy and mix of activities.
What people said...
'Working
with children is my passion, It's what I do. I love my job'.
'Every day is different and you just know that you are going
to have
fun'.
'Watching then grow and develop, just the things they say,
makes it
worthwhile'.
In delivering our recent
training to a mix of childcare setting managers the emphasis was on
helping to raise self esteem, build confidence and empower
managers in their changing roles.
The comments above were just a few which demonstrated a
genuine joy of
working with children and families and a commitment to
meeting the needs of the community.
We
focused on...
What
it is that makes working with children special.
Impact
of recent changes.
Creating
the right team.
Administration
and finance.
Working
in a multi-agency partnership.
The
future.
Although
many of the managers had received some management training the
complexities of managing in a childcare environment adds an extra
layer to the demands of a manager. A balancing act to ensure that
staff to child ratios are always correct and that the children's
needs are at the forefront of all activity.
Working in
a changing and evolving childcare setting is also demanding
and it means that the managers and leaders need to feel positive about
their role and are enabled to deliver successful and well managed
organisations.
The
programme delivered was a first step in that process. Networks were
re-established and new contacts made. It's always good to know that you
are not on your own.
Really
positive feedback means that we can work together to make things
better for the future, by developing programmes specific to the needs
for business and organisation skills and at the same time keep the
child at the centre of our work.
To
everyone who attended thank you for your energy and contribution. If
you would like us to support your organisation contact me at the
SmithMartin Partnership...Sue
Martin We
are
happy to help you
change your community landscape.
At the end
of February 2006 we attended the FCBG Conference in
Birmingham.
As well as
being able to review with publishers some of the forthcoming
titles for this year, ranging from early years to young adulthood,
there were a number of workshops and seminars with a wide variety of
authors.
From the
Children's Laureate Jacqueline Wilson to Valerie Mendes the
contrasting styles and influences of the authors gave us much to think
about.
One
particularly exciting seminar was delivered by the academic and
author John Singleton. Writing for teenagers and discussing his
influences and background the session was an exemplar of how good
writing, good storytelling can affect expectations and change attitudes
and visions for young people.
The
SmithMartin Partnership is delighted to announce that from the
beginning of 2006 we will be working with Regina on projects throughout
the UK.
Regina
Bash-Taqi is a committed and experienced practitioner
in our sector. We know that her passion for education, her experience
in training and service delivery in childcare settings will be
of benefit to clients.
Currently
running quality summer projects for 8-14 year olds, Regina
brings practical experience to her work as a consultant, combined with
real theoretical knowledge of best practice.
We
know that Regina shares our Partnership values and will be
immensely supportive to widening both the variety and range of services
that we offer our partners...Sue Martin.
Regina can
be contacted at reginabashtaqi@smithmartinpartnership.com Sue
Martin trustee appointment...this
month sees a number of developments for partners and
associates of SmithMartin.
Sue Martin
has recently been elected as a trustee of the Daycare Trust.
This London
based organisation is at the heart of the process for
setting the childcare agenda. A committted body of childcare
professionals, the Daycare Trust is an important source of
information
and advice for practitioners in the field.
Their
annual conferences have become red letter events, attracting
speakers and presentations of the highest calibre from Whitehall and
beyond. Their recent annual report for 2005 is currently available -
highlighting the contribution that the Trust has made to service
provision in the UK.
Their '10
for 10' Achievements in the Ten Year Strategy
is worthy of review - illustrating how much of the Trust's philosophy
has become accepted practice.
We wish Sue
well on her election, confident that her service as a
trustee will be successful, informative and effective.
A Children
in Scotland
conference
featuring design ideas and reflections on using space in the delivery
of services for young children,
This was an
exciting forum for the latest thinking on buildings and
space for young children. The conference offered a forum for architects
from around the world to feature their current work.
Presentations
from a variety of practice's featured fresh ideas on
colour, space, furniture, philosophy and research.
From modest
budgets to fully specified turn key projects - the variety
of ideas and buildings presented offered a fantastic range of
inspirational ideas for practitioners and developers across the UK.
Bubbletecture
Maihara Kindergarten, Shiga, Japan - Conference 1st Prize.
This
kindergarten in the community of Maihara-cho
in Japan won first prize in the conference architectural
competition. Designed by Shuhei-Endo Architect Institution this ground
breaking geodesic design serves a community of some 30,000 people.
'A magic alchemy between
design and understanding...'
Michele
Zini - Architect and designer with ZPZ Partners and Reggio Children,
Italy.
This quotation set the tone for the conference. The SmithMartin team,
with colleagues from a variety of architectural and child setting
practicioners, traveled to the conference and were inspired by
the presentations and the lead given by the speakers.
Michele
Zini
challenged the conference on issues around the use of colour
in settings. The research and philosophical base to
his practice successfully creating models, rules of design, that now
includes their own range of furniture. The whole philosophy
now translated to a variety of new buildings from Modena to Turin.
A
catalogue
of publications, with links
to their practice can be found here.
Offering insights into their research and catalogues of
equipment. (In English and
Italian).
The
Reggio Children/ZPZ philosophy is structured round a number of key
concepts. A language of design, engagement and consultation that
creates a cutting edge environment for the stimulation and
development of young people.
Environment
- this must be soft and varied, it should be 'symphonic' in style,
content and structure.
Relationships
- these must thread through all thinking and creation, involving
children, educationalists and parents and carers.
Osmosis
- Schools and education of young people must be integrated, not
isolated. The school setting is the osmotic filter for the children's
learned experiences.
Multi-sensory
- material choice must be endlesly varied, sight, smell touch, ageing,
creating , living material, dying and fading materials. All have their
part to play.
Epigenesis - the
transformation of children by a mix of environmental and inherently
stimulated change.
'Our philosophy builds the DNA of the next
generation' (Michele Zini
2005).
Another
inspirational speaker, with a philosophy that sees architecture
as the need to design spaces that are 'playgrounds for adults'.
That is to
say, the work does not exclude any age group, but
their premise at the onset of a project is to envision the final work
as 'seen by a giant'.
The embt
practice take much of their inspiration from the works of
Miro, with their bold use of colours and strikingly fresh ways of
seeing. A classic embt project was the design of a market roof at Mercat
d'Sanata Caterina
in Barcelona.
The
conference competion also saw a wide variety of other buildings and
practices bidding for prizes.
These sites
below represent only a selection of entries that
were
diverse, imaginative and a credit to the communities that created
them. We liked them too.
This
interactive children's space was created from a disused timber
merchant building. Radically duifferent from the ZPZ concept, it none
the less, using bold colour, books and extensive use of
recycled materials that shows '...everything and everybody has value'. De
kleiner kikker ( The Little Frog) Utrecht.
A
wonderful, wooden building. The design making it seem to lean
forward, to reach out to you, the onlooker. Although
the website is in Dutch, it offers some good insights into the
building of the space and the features it offers young people.
Another
beautifully designed and accessible building. The website for
the museum is also a great way into the spaces for younger children.
Have a look and see.
This
conference, the first of its kind, was a revealing experience. As
community practitioners for many of us the energy and effort needed to
grow something
of worth often means that time to look up and see what others in
different disciplines are doing and contributing
to the work of changing community landscapes is sometimes
limited.
Looking up
was worth it. We hope that Children in Scotland
will have the opportunity to repeat the exercise every two or three
years.
The SmithMartin Partnership
would be happy to talk to you about how we
can co-ordinate a variety of professional disciplines in the process of
changing your
community landscape.
Email: office@smithmartinpartnership.com - Write to 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4BS.