< PreviousWe have Care Homes across London For more information visit www.countrycourtcare.com Country Court Care & Nursing Homes in Lincoln Vaccinating our residents against Covid-19 Country Court Care Homes provide the kind of care we’d want all of our loved ones to receive. Our care homes are beautifully furnished, whilst retaining a warm family atmosphere that makes them feel extra special. If you’re concerned about how your relative is coping and would like them to have more support, our Care and Nursing Homes provide family-led care in a comfortable and homely environment. The Covid-19 vaccine will be offered to all those in our care, allowing them to live safely and as they wish. For more information visit www.countrycourtcare.com Eccleshare Court Lincoln (01522 695 458) Swanholme Court Lincoln (01522 689 400) Ruckland Court Lincoln (01522 530 217) Neale Court North Hykeham (01522 682 201) 50 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Looking for a great gift idea? PRIL 2021 A n T w AP£2.95 sta A tt Lincolns AArtistic hi Air Amb Lincs & N tradition Easter b l N tt Pets cor A W W W L I N C e 30+ y W W W . L I N C O L N S H I R E T O oo ears y O L N S H I R E T O O D A Y N E T oung O D A Y . N E T BLM GROUP www.blmgroup.co.uk 1st 3 issues only £1 Lincolnshire Today’s gift subscription for only £27.55 with free delivery Call 01472 310301 or visit www.lincolnshiretoday.net/341 Funeral Services Our funeral homes provide the best facilities including private arrangement rooms and peaceful chapels of rest. We also provide a funeral dividend during this difficult time of bereavement. A service from caring professionals To find out more contact your nearest funeral home: Lincolnshire.coop/storefinder 48-51.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:51 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 51 CARING the right care in place. Getting there means having some important conversations and taking some careful decisions. During Dying Matters Awareness Week, the coalition opens up the conversation around death, dying and bereavement and asking you to think about what it means to be in a good place to die. There’s a whole host of ways to get involved in the initiative – such as taking the opportunity to have a conversation with colleagues and sharing stories on social media, or actively taking steps to prepare for end of life for you or your loved ones or even holding your own events during the week. What matters is that you’re creating a space for people to talk about being in a good place to die – physically, emotionally and with the right care in place. Death is the one great certainty, the great unifying force that brings us all together. That inspires equal amounts of fear and comfort. However you feel about the end of your own journey, one thing is certain: no one should have to face it alone. Although we throw our full support behind initiatives like Dying Matters Awareness Week, this awareness needs to extend beyond one week of the year, instead becoming a mindset, a philosophy, for society at large. Fortunately, this is a philosophy that many funeral homes and deathcare specialists across our region already possess. They provide emotional support and dignity for families and individuals at one of the most difficult times of their lives. The pandemic has had a profound effect on our way of life, and we shall forever mourn the loss and bear the scars, but we must also use it as a catalyst for positive change. How to get involved with Dying Matters Awareness Week - Join the Dying Matters movement - Tell stories. Help the coalition understand what is happening to people and families in the UK at the end of life and when they’ve been bereaved. Share your #DMAW21 story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. - Hold events - use the Dying Matters resource pack (available for free here: https://bit.ly/3a4R3jG) and Dying Matters resources to support your Awareness Week events. © Shutterstock /Y aresik 48-51.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:51 Page 452 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY LINCOLNSHIRE NHS Q&A © Shutterstock /V italii V odolazskyi What is Type 2 Diabetes? Type 2 Diabetes is a condition where your blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than it should be. It can happen when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or when your body starts to become resistant to its own insulin. Insulin is essential as it allows the glucose in our blood to enter your cells and fuel your body. When you have Type 2 Diabetes, your body still digests the carbohydrate you eat and drink then converts it into glucose. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which isn’t working as efficiently as it should, therefore raising your blood glucose to a higher than normal level. Is Type 2 Diabetes a serious condition? Yes - if left untreated, high sugar levels in your blood can seriously damage parts of your body, including your eyes, heart and feet. With the right treatment and care however, you can live well by managing your condition thereby reducing your risk of going on to develop these complications. How do I know if I am at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes? There is a simple, quick online tool which calculates your risk. Try it here: https://preventing-diabetes.co.uk/Know- your-risk-dtc/. Q&A Lincolnshire NHS Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week takes place 10th-16th May this year. NHS England joins Diabetes UK and Public Health England as proud campaign partners for this annual awareness week. We spoke to Lincolnshire NHS to find out more. To refer onto the programme, contact your Practice or go to https://preventing-diabetes.co.uk/referral/ 52-53.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 09:50 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 53 LINCOLNSHIRE NHS Q&A Alternatively, ask your GP Practice for a blood test. The test will check your HbA1c levels which is your average blood glucose level for the last two to three months. If you’re at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes your target range HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%). What happens if I am at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes? If your blood glucose is higher than it should be, but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, you may hear the term ‘prediabetes’ or ‘Non-Diabetic Hyperglycaemia’ to describe this stage. While prediabetes is a warning sign, there are lots of things you can do to prevent or delay Type 2 Diabetes from developing. Is there support for people with prediabetes? Yes, there is a free NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in Lincolnshire to help you take control of your health, supporting you to make changes to reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. To find out more about the programme, go to www.preventing- diabetes.co.uk. In your own words Pat Guest, who attended the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in Market Deeping, told us about his experience. What did you find useful about the programme sessions? I found meeting up with others created a very positive environment for my own learning and the support this gave me - how other people interpreted the information that was being given and the alternative questions they asked and the opinions they had. The programme was delivered with energy and knowledge and common sense by our Health & Wellbeing Coach. What changes did you make to your lifestyle? The biggest change to my diet was the reduction in carbohydrate. I joined the programme believing sugar was the cause of my problem and quickly learned that this is only a part. I effectively cut out processed food. I’ve improved the overall quality of the foods I now chose on a regular basis such as changing to high cocoa dark chocolate and snacking on nuts. I was expecting that changing to better quality foods might increase my food bills but it hasn’t. I now drink more water; another stand out learning point for me. I hadn’t realised I could feel hungry when in fact I was thirsty. I am a lot more in tune with my body. I’m also doing more walking. What challenges did you face with the programme, and how did you overcome them? I began to make lifestyle changes gradually and quietly without making a fuss as I anticipated I would have some difficulties changing the mind-sets of people around me. Since my success I’ve had some comments from people saying I’ve lost too much weight although I feel a lot healthier and have far more energy. I also enjoyed the positive comments I got initially and as the new me has settled down, I miss these reactions from people who haven’t seen me for a while as they encouraged me to continue and be successful. What physical changes have you noticed most? I have gone from a size 40” trouser to a comfortable 36”. I also went from 17st 5lb to 14st 5lb – although I have put a little bit back on during Lockdown. What would you say to those who are thinking about joining the programme? If you are ready to embrace a lifestyle change and challenge your own perceptions about food and the reasons we probably over eat this is the programme for you and it is life changing. How would you sum up your experience? I knew I needed to do something and was searching for the way and the reason, but it wouldn’t have happened without the course and he knowledge I gained; the mind-set required and most importantly how it was delivered. The quality of the mentor was outstanding. It has helped me to change my lifestyle, mind-set and understanding of food and the triggers. I’ve realised it’s about taking personal responsibility for your own health and wellbeing. My energy levels have increased significantly as a result of the changes I’ve made. © Shutterstock /Yeexin Richelle 52-53.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 09:50 Page 254 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY LINCOLNSHIRE FOSTERING SERVICE Q&A What is fostering? Fostering is a way of providing a stable family life for children and young people who are unable to live with their birth family. This allows children and young people to thrive in a loving and secure home with their foster carers, and can be for a short or longer period of time. Whilst fostering is extremely rewarding, the children and young people who live with foster carers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and may display some challenging behaviours depending on their past experiences. Fostering is different to adoption as an adoption order ends a child’s legal relationship with their birth family. As a foster carer you are not the legal guardian of the child or young person as this remains with the birth parents and / or the local authority. You will need to be available to take children and young people in your care to regular health appointments, as well as to attend meetings about their care and educational needs. Fostering also involves working closely with a range of people including social workers, teachers, health professionals and birth families. Why do some children need fostering? • It is unsafe for them to be at home • They may have suffered neglect or abuse within the birth family • They may have witnessed scary and / or inappropriate behaviour • Their parents may be drug or alcohol dependant • There is no wider family available to look after the children safely • Their parents may have asked social services to intervene temporarily Are there different types of fostering? Yes. Children and young people who are fostered are not able to live with their birth family, which can be for any number of reasons. Therefore, foster carers may be required to care for a child or young person for a short period of time, perhaps due to a crisis in the child’s or young person’s birth family, or for longer periods of time where it has been decided that a child or young person can’t be safely cared for within their birth family. During your assessment your supervising social worker will discuss with you what types of children you are open to fostering, and will make a recommendation about what type of foster care to approve you for. We are currently looking for foster families who can offer children a loving and stable home, and are particularly interested in hearing from people who can care for: • Teenagers • Brothers and sisters who need to be kept together • Children with additional needs • Children who need long-term families (usually until the child reaches adulthood) Q&A Lincolnshire Fostering Service In the UK there are over 65,000 children living with almost 55,000 foster families each day, and every year thousands more new foster families are needed. In Lincolnshire, this picture is reflected with new foster families actively sought to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of children coming into care. We spoke to Lincolnshire Fostering Service about becoming a carer locally. 54-55.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:53 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 55 LINCOLNSHIRE FOSTERING SERVICE Q&A Who can become a foster carer? We put the children who need loving foster homes at the heart of everything we do and try to place children with foster families who are most likely to meet their needs, including any religion or cultural identity, which is why we need foster carers from all different backgrounds! We consider each application on an individual basis so you can apply to become a foster carer whether you are male or female, single, married, or unmarried, heterosexual or LGBT+, working or unemployed, are a homeowner or renting, have had your own children or not, or are from any ethnicity or religious background. There is also no upper age limit to foster but you do need to be fit and well enough to look after the children in your care. There are some requirements though. You must be over 21 years of age and have a spare bedroom for a foster child or young person to use, and this needs to be in place from the moment you apply to foster. If you have any criminal cautions or convictions for offences against children, or sexual offences against an adult, then you will not be able to foster. If you smoke, including e-cigarettes, you will not be able to foster a child under the age of 5 years. If you are applying to foster as a couple, you need to have lived together for a minimum of 18 months before applying to foster. What support is available to foster carers? Not only are we rated as an Outstanding provider by Ofsted in our latest inspection, we also offer our foster families a great combination of support and rewards every step of the way on their fostering journey, including: • Our award winning Caring2Learn initiative which supports education settings to be confident in nurturing vulnerable children and young people so that they can achieve better than expected progress, whilst asking foster carers to champion education in the home. • A competitive fostering allowance which is comparable to those paid elsewhere, as well as an annual retention payment to say thank you to our foster carers and the amazing work that they do with our vulnerable children! • Support for birth children - It is important to remember that fostering will have an impact upon your own children. From experience we know how crucial they can be to creating successful placements. For this reason they will be part of the application and assessment process and we will always seek to answer any questions or concerns they may have. We also run a support group for birth children within foster families called the Supportive Superstars who meet throughout the year to take part in fun activities and to talk through anything that may be bothering them. • Foster Carers’ Hub - We believe that having a local support community goes a long way in being able to foster successfully. That’s why our carers have access to: - support and supervision from a designated supervising social worker - additional one-to-one support from support workers - ongoing local training and development - regular focus groups across the county - a buddying scheme to link new carers up with experienced carers - problem-solving sessions - monthly service e-newsletter containing the latest training, events, information and advice about fostering - bi-annual foster carers’ magazine - written by foster carers, for foster carers! For more information about fostering, book your place on our next information event on Thursday 20th May at 6:30pm by visiting www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/fostering or call 01522 554114. 54-55.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:53 Page 2www.oms.uk.com 01530 833 533 info@oms.uk.com Helping you to perform at the highest level OMS have delivered consultancy and training services throughout the Midlands and UK for over 22 years. We are a leading authority in health and safety, employment, quality, environmental and business continuity management systems and training. Our tailored solutions support organisations throughout the UK. Could we help you too? Some of the benefits of using OMS 3 5 star Trustpilot rating. 3 Trusted by many major and local organisations to deliver consultancy and training. 3 Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 45001 for “The provision of Consultancy and Training Services” giving you the assurance that we have management controls in place to provide a quality offering safely, with minimal impact on the environment. 3 Easy access to our training centre, with free car parking, centrally located just a few minutes from Junction 22 of the M1. 3 Covid Secure training centre and head office. 3 Approved CITB touch screen (ITC) test centre, which allows you to attend a Site Safety Plus Health & Safety Awareness course and your touch screen test on the same day. 3 Wide range of health and safety e-learning courses. 3 Accredited to run a wide variety of courses at our training centre at Bardon Hill. 3 NEBOSH Gold training provider. Visit www.oms.uk.com, call us on 01530 833 533 or email info@oms.uk.com to learn more about us and how we can enhance your organisation. 56-59.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:55 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 57 EDUCATION © Shutterstock /Phuttharak P arents, teachers and students have long been calling for changes to help improve secondary school education and, now that schools have been up and running again for the last few months, now is the perfect opportunity to instigate lasting and meaningful changes. Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest desires for change is for more physical activity in schools. Research commissioned by the Youth Sports Trust states that adults have a real belief in the benefits of sporting activities and do not support the idea of cutting physical education lessons in favour of additional time for Science, English and Maths (core subjects). While the government recommends two hours of PE a week, schools are currently able to choose how much time to allocate for the subject. In 2018, it was reported that 38% of secondary schools had cut PE lesson time since 2012 for 14-16-year olds to make room for core subjects and as a result of exam pressure, and 24% had cut time in the previous academic year. By the time pupils are 16-18-years old, they are doing 34 minutes of PE a week at school. Despite the lack of consideration for PE, the Youth Sports Trust research shows that the public do appreciate the subject: two-thirds of people thought that PE should become a core subject in the curriculum and 80% believed there should be more chances for children to be active in school. Meanwhile just 26% of respondents thought children should be taken out of PE to be taught core subjects. With the benefits physical activity provides to mental, physical and social wellbeing, the current high obesity rates and 97% of teachers agreeing PE should be more valued in the school curriculum, it is shocking to see the subject being dramatically squeezed. It’s in everyone’s interest to boost the health of pupils and increasing the amount of PE is a great way to accomplish this. Much like the decreasing amount of time being allocated for PE, school breaks are being cut to accommodate more lessons. A study from the University College London found that secondary school students now have 65 minutes less break time a week than in 1995. While this means more time for learning it also means less time to eat and socialise. Since for many students school is the main chance they get to socialise with others, with declining numbers visiting friends outside of school hours, this is potentially inhibiting social development and the valuable skills this forms. If 58 Á For every season Few, if any, of us would have wished for the COVID-19 crisis which ground to a halt our way of life for months on end. However, our nature is to make the best of a bad situation and so the pandemic’s aftermath can be used as a catalyst for change – especially where our schools are concerned. 56-59.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:55 Page 258 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY EDUCATION parents cannot push schools to increase breaks, one might consider looking at out of school clubs - from language groups to football teams to art groups, there is something for everyone and a group of people interested in the same things ready to socialise with. Other skills that people would like to see schools focus on more are computing skills. Despite the increasing importance of the skill in society, computing in English schools has seen a decline. According to the University of Roehampton, the number of hours computing/ICT were being taught in secondary schools dropped 36% from 2012 to 2017, while the number of computer science or ICT qualifications taken by students in Year 11 decreased by 144,000 between 2017 and 2018, and the number of schools offering any computing qualifications at Key Stage 4 has decreased slightly. The University of Roehampton notes that this is despite computing education and digital skills being a key focus for the government, for instance with the establishment of the National Centre of Computing Education. The numbers are more concerning when one considers the increasing skills gap businesses and industry are facing with a need for more data scientists and engineers – the demand for whom tripled between 2013 and 2018. To solve this shortage, business leaders believe ICT and computer science need to be considered essential subjects, need to be portrayed better to attract more students and invested in to ensure teachers have the skills to teach it, which fortunately the National Centre of Computing Education should help with. Since the UK could benefit by £21.9 billion by upskilling the population in digital skills, it seems worth the investment. Schools have long been criticised for not equipping students with some of the necessary skills that will prepare them for ‘real’ day-to-day life in England. 90% of parents say that all schools should teach personal, social and health education (PSHE), according to a YouGov poll. A key ask of schools has been to increase mental health awareness as part of this and fortunately health education is to become compulsory in all schools in England in 2020 - it will teach how to recognise when peers are struggling with their mental health and how to build mental resilience. Students will also learn about eating healthy, to combat the obesity crisis, consent and LGBT topics. However, other key subjects that are part of PSHE lessons including financial literacy are not becoming compulsory, leaving students lacking in those basic skillsets upon leaving school, despite more than half of parents polled by charity MyBnk wanting more time to be set aside for financial skills and being fine with reducing national curriculum time for it. One of the solutions offered to enable © Shutterstock /FamV eld 56-59.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:55 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 59 EDUCATION to re-opening of schools whilst also ensuring everyone is kept safe is with smaller class sizes – something that parents and teachers alike have been seeking for years. Looking away from the skills the public want students to learn in their lessons and instead turning to the environment they are taught in, teachers are looking for smaller classes and the government, more teachers. While the topic seems to have been in the news for years, rather unfortunately, rising numbers of secondary school students are resulting in ‘super-sized classes’, meaning less attention per student and more class interruptions. In 2018 the average class size in England’s secondary schools was 21.2, just up from 20.8 in 2017, while the percentage of students in classes of 31+ rose from 11.5% in 2017 to 12.1% in 2018. As they deal with larger classes, budget cuts are seeing more teachers let go and teachers are also now being required to teach subjects they are not trained in, which is not helping teacher retainment. Though the number of pupils of secondary school age is to grow by half a million by 2025, and the number of students in Lincolnshire’s schools set to rise by 7,000 in the next 5 years, 18% of teachers plan to leave schools in less than 2 years, according to a National Education Union poll, and two-fifths of teachers, support staff and leaders want to leave in the next 5 years. Meanwhile 40% of those polled said they would not be working in education by 2024. This isn’t too surprising when one hears about the high expectations placed on teachers, their workloads and some having to buy their own school supplies. As we face the upcoming disruption of a lack of teachers, better recruitment and action to improve retainment is essential. The pandemic has ushered in a unique opportunity to change our education and school system for the better – let’s not waste this chance to make schools better for students and teachers both. © Shutterstock /cr8tiveshotz Our curriculum is c luurricculumm The ENL UTC are pleased to offer Health Sciences & Social Care from September 2021. An exciting addition to our KS3 and KS4 STEM curriculum. Be #SkilledForLife and help to engineer a healthier future! Apply now to join in year 9 enlutc.co.uk | info@enlutc.co.uk | 01724 878100 @ENLUTC 56-59.qxp_Layout 1 26/04/2021 08:55 Page 4Next >