Most of our despatches are made by carriers even though the Post Office have been a trusted friend over the years. It’s a great shame they have had to resolve managerial differences in the time honoured fashion. At the moment there are many alternative options open to the delivery cycle. We will have to change and the problem to the post office, like many other customers in this situation,  – will we want to swap back?

The guys in the red vans may win the battle but unfortunately loose the war.  And I think we will all be slightly the worse off for it.

Keen2learn, the educational games toys and puzzles website operate with a single pricing promise. The price you see against each product is the final delivered amount you pay. There are absolutely no extras. But on-line retailer pricing shenanigans are growing. The number of sites using tricks that increase the final price at the checkout are increasing. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the UK is reviewing the perpetrators.

The “web demons” as Alistair Owens MD at www.keen2learn.co.uk refers to them can take several forms including the extra charges that emerge as you progress through the checkout. But there are other categories where the customer can be misled with market sectors operating different levels of, essentially, a sting.

The worst examples in the UK are associated with budget airlines. The price offered at the start of the booking baring little resemblance to the final price at the completion of the checkout. The initial seat price is dramatically inflated by taxes, charges, booking fees, seat allocation, luggage and finally a per person, per journey card handling fee.

Know as drip pricing this practice can do little to encourage people to use the web. It is achieving the opposite effect. Instead of a relaxed and enjoyable shopping experience, promoting the advantages of web shopping, it can be a nightmare where naive marketing leads to customer anger. Where budget airlines lead many are tempted to follow. But it will lead to tears as the web shoppers learn of the practice and rebel by abandoning the tainted web sites.

The Office of Fair Trading has names for these practices. The web shopper needs to be aware:

•   Drip pricing. A shopper buys a product for £5. But once taxes, a transaction fee and a card processing fee post and packaging have been taken into account, it costs substantially more.

•    Targeted pricing. A shopper has registered on a website selling DVDs. Files on the shoppers’ computer tells the website what he has looked at previously, allowing the retailer to tailor its advertising to him. It may charge a higher price because it knows that, once the shopper has registered, he is less price-sensitive.

•    Price comparison websites. A shopper is looking for car insurance, but the comparison website may not be comparing similar levels of cover. It may also be sponsored by one of the companies.

•   Baiting sales. Customers are attracted by an offer that turns out to be unavailable.

•    Complex pricing. Three-for-two or two-for-one offers that can make individual prices difficult to determine.

•    High-low pricing. Eye-catching discounts offered from artificially high original prices. For example, a 50 per cent discount on an item for £5 when it had not been widely available for £10 originally.

We live in a technological world where information can be found rapidly. There is a considerable chance the defaulting companies will be discovered – just as sales companies using 0870 phone numbers to charge customers a premium on telephone calls (now largely abandoned)
In the meantime www.keen2learn.co.uk will continue to operate with the ethical pricing  it always has.  What you see is what you pay. There are no hidden extras or “web demons” between add to basket and the product arriving at your door.

See the article by Marcus Leroux of the Times

There is an old Chinese proverb which says “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” There cannot be a more precise definition of the elements in learning science in school. But it is under substantial threat from government cutbacks in the educational budget.

Learning the periodic table in chemistry from the clever chart developed for the purpose can be made fun by the enthusiasm of the teacher. Otherwise this teaching resource masterpiece becomes a complicated meaningless list of letters. The much loved London underground map sought to unravel the intricate locations of the capital in a quick reference document. It never set out to replace the ordnance survey equivalent, and Google Earth can’t see below ground – yet. These positive examples of comprehending complex data have stood the test of time, but what about the practical side of learning; “involve me and I’ll understand”?

Practical experimentation is the essential practice which, according to the research by the National Training Laboratory, shows this as the greatest retention level of all learning. No surprise cooks, artists, musicians and craftsmen gain expertise with hands–on practice. Similarly, scientists learn though experimentation. The practical side of chemistry, physics and medicine research the means to test theories and explore the unknown. The greatest revelations are not necessarily the Eureka moments but more likely the “that’s funny” observations. (Isaac Asimov)

The capacity of any student is severely handicapped if they are to be excluded from the practical side of learning. This is the potential to fire the enthusiasm that a child may ultimately follow as a career option. Schooling should not be regarded solely as a means to pass an exam; something that has been clouded in the yeast to achieve targets. If we look to the future, Britain is facing a substantial realignment in its position in the world market place. Historic manufacturing facilities have relocated to the Far East. Our service industry, heralded as a growth sector and our salvation, is severely restricted in a recession. If we are to change in the medium term we need to invest in the future now. Not everyone can be employed in a supermarket.

Necessity is the mother of invention and we have a proven track record in this capacity. The UK has more citations in science journals than the rest of Europe put together and second only to the USA. But any invention has an inevitable practical element. Downgrading science by restricting practical science experiments to reduce the budget deficit will stifle the lateral thinking desperately needed for the future. It will also take the fun out of learning science. But this will not just affect science. The process of experimentation teaches research, reasoning, prediction and proof. Something that all business plans rely on.

Admittedly there are cost implications in science education and in the present climate it is difficult to resist some inevitable reductions in the budget. But we must take a pragmatic view. Britain is evolving through circumstances beyond our control. Past skills and industries have disappeared and will continue to do so. We must focus on those areas of our unique strength to sustain our future. One of the key areas is that of science; a sector that has already reviewed waste and effective use of resources. Modern teaching resources in science have been pared to form micro science where experiments can be conducted in miniature without detriment to the result. The range is growing and covers everything from electricity, chemistry DNA and even forensic science in blood analysis.

Let us hope the Department of Children Families and Schools are able to retain science education as the fountain of experimentation and invention that we will all need for the future. In the meantime China, South Korea, and India have all stepped up their investment in  R&D significantly.

Alistair Owens MD www. keen2learn.co.uk

The world is changing and in school right now we are preparing the future entrepreneurs , captains of industry and political leaders. We are also schooling children to enter general employment. But overall we are failing. The effect could be horrendous as the pace of technology accelerates,  global markets relocate and changes in political emphasises evolve.

Concerted criticism  voiced over recent  years states that our educational system is not geared to the current demands of employers. Keen2learn believes the focus on targets and the subsequent “teach to test” syndrome has clouded the vision of the curriculum. Rather than a quango reviewing the teaching resources and scope needed for exams, these should be set by the receiving entity. Primary curriculum  should be set by the secondary schools, GCSE should be controlled by Universities and Universities governed by the CBI. This will  help offset the mismatch we currently achieve, where secondary schools are forced to correct primary shortcomings and children find they are unemployable.

Sir Terrance Leahy, Chief Executive of Tesco, said standards in schools were often “woefully low” and the educational system left it to “pick up the pieces”. The Times. The current 20% unemployment rate in 18 – 24 year olds  is partly the recessionary effect but probably  the fact they are unemployable. The schooling journey of a child takes  a minimum of 1o years to get to GCSE level. Now is the time to get the programme right less we suffer the further consequences of inadequate planing for the world that will exist when our children leave school.

Alistair Owens MD www.keen2learn.co.uk

Based on research with the growing number of visitors to www.keen2learn.co.uk, one of the leading educational games toys and  puzzles on-line  sites, has introduced some great new features. “We thought we were OK but research with customers indicated a “Can do better” opportunity” says Alistair Owens MD at keen2learn, “It was a humbling experience that proves how close you need to keep to changing customers expectations”.

The world of e-commerce in the educational sector  is moving at a phenomenal pace. Visitors to the site have grown substantially, fuelled by a growing awareness of the highly effective use of educational games in the classroom and at home. This has revealed a number of improvements  suggested by customers; a wider page format, more products to the page, new on site search and a secure checkout process  throughout.  Although schools are switching over to credit card payment many still prefer to be invoiced on account. Keen2learn has two checkouts, one  processes credit cards and the other  raises a school quotation on account.  Both operate with a secure checkout to protect cutomer details. A key feature of keen2learn is ethical pricing. Sickened by the shenanigans of  airline websites, there are absolutely no hidden extras or delivery charges to emerge as you complete the keen2learn checkout. The price you see on the products is the final price paid.

The products have been carefully selected from specialist suppliers in the educational games, toys and puzzles market.  Many are suitable for both school and home use, with a teaching resources section that includes  specialised products designed for the classroom. Education is a changing market reflected in the recent addition of new products  in renewable energy and special needs. “We are in an developing  world where  the fun based  parental help in the schooling process can now really help children and schools keep up with the educational needs of tomorrow”, said Alistair Owens.

Apologies to any reader of  back issues of our blogs. We recently upgraded the site to the latest version of Wordpress. A simple process, but, it seems fraught with niggling consequences. One of these corrupts the apostrophe, don’t we all I hear you say. We have trawled back to correct the hieroglyphics that have emerged any  other irregularity we could spot. If we have missed any please accept out apologies. We are older, wiser and valuable lessons have been learned.

David Cameron’s one hour closing speech at the Conservative conference covered many issues. One critical issue we hope can be pursued “I see a country where the poorest children go to the best schools, not the worst; where birth is never a barrier. No, we will not make it if we pull in different directions, follow our own interests, take care of only ourselves. But if we pull together, work together, we will get through this together.”

A further boost was his observation that the educational budget should be paid to teachers to spend and not to Whitehall to squander on Quangos and faceless government departments. So that got the teachers vote. Just one niggle, for a man who wants to get closer to the people especially in the recession
perhaps a £150 M&S suit would have done instead of the £3.5k Saville Row creation.

Alistair Owens MD www.keen2learn.co.uk

The growth in the use of computers in education will have profound effect on our children’s handwriting skills. The ability to type is becoming the first parameter in communication over any cursive script skill. But there is a device that turns handwriting into a word document. Can this have any real benefit in our technological world?

When I was a lad at school I was taught Italic handwriting. Really got the hang of it and won a school prize. My brother, two years older, received the same tuition and equally mastered the skill. Then a change of location from South of the river to north London meant a change of school. My elder brother entered the fourth form, year 9, and I was in year 7. He was allowed to maintain his handwriting skill, I was to be restructured. The aim; to replace my ‘œarchaic Italic script’ with a prescribed form.

The restyling lessons totally destroyed my handwriting skills ( my excuse). Within six months the ‘award winning’ script had become scrawl. I was confused, devastated and demoralised. I never recovered; to this day my infamous scrawl is testament to a botched job at school. My chagrin heightened each time I receive a letter from my brother whose handwriting is legendary.

Perhaps indicative of the damage that can occur with any needless change in educational curriculum. So are we seeing a sea-change in handwriting skills through the advent of typing computer keyboards? Being able to type efficiently is vital, should this therefore be the focus of learning, leaving handwriting to decay? The real problem is there is no choice. To excel in school with the growth in computer learning, Qwerty trumps all. Texting, typing, data entry, pin numbers and telephoning it is possible to go for days or weeks without writing anything. With the dear old cheque being superseded by debit and credit card payment with pin security you rarely even get to sign anything – apart from the back of your credit card once every two years. And tell me you don’t practice the signature with a few dry runs!

Is handwriting becoming superseded and unnecessary for the future? Apart from what to do when the power fails or your battery is flat the one measure that will herald the ultimate demise of script – will probably coincide with the last post-it note. But there is one technological gadget that may yet save cursive script. A special pen, looking identical to a conventional pen, sends a radio signal to a mini receiver clipped to the top of a sheet of paper. As you write the receiver tracks the pen to record an accurate image of your handwriting. Upload the receivers’ memory to a PC and the software converts the handwritten script to a Word document. Two huge benefits; you don’t need a PC or dictation machine to record your notes. There’s a huge saving in size and weight, all that’s required in a sheet of A4 paper the pen and receiver. Taking notes and diagrams in class at a meeting or on the train is a doodle. But there is a catch; after some training sessions the software is very good at deciphering your handwriting but to work efficiently you need to write clearly and consistently- it’s a computer after all. So no off days allowed and to get the full benefit of the system you need to improve your handwriting style and legibility. Hang isn’t that where we came in.

Maths and English, the two stalwarts in our educational programmes are the subject of further games being played between the DCFS, schools and examining boards. The chief executive of the Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR) awarding body says that without a vast injection of cash and teacher training schools will struggle to teach Math and English to the standard needed.

The comment from Greg Watson, chief executive of the Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR) awarding body, has ideal timing if maths and English are to escape the proposed cutbacks of £2bn in the schools budget. The bigger problem is rather than defending the current level of expenditure he is asking for an injection of cash above the current spending. If Ed Balls has to find savings as part of the government need to cut back will these vital teaching resources be found or become the sacrificial lamb? If so our current record of sub standard primary education is about to get a lot worse. Nicola Woolcote

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

Britain has one of the highest teenage educational drop out rates of any developed country. Ten per rent of 15 -19 year olds are NEETS. (Not in employment, education or training) Worst still are the number graduates abandoning degrees courses.

The UK is just above Turkey, Israel, Spain and Brazil for teenage drop outs says the organisation for Economic co-operation and Development (OECD).  We are also in the top league for abandoning higher education. Thirty three per cent of university Students quit before graduating. And these figures were calculated before the recession; the situation has bound to have deteriorated.

Despite the lure of improved salaries, realising an estimated additional £113,000 during their working life, graduates are currently finding it tough financially. Many prefer to pitch into the job market earlier to earn an income, avoid the massive student loan debt and maybe put a foot into the housing market. All of which can easily outweigh the gross graduate benefits.

Our current level of educational investment is pitched only at the OECD average. By comparison graduates in Poland have risen from 34 per cent of total graduate aged people in 2000, to 47 per cent in 2007. Britain in the same period has stalled at 37 per cent, of whom 33 per cent abandoned the course. If we reduce the level of investment due to the recession we can only slip further down the league. And we run the risk of clocking up a serious shortfall towards meeting the demand for graduates in commerce. The now global market will inevitably seek qualified or aspiring graduates from overseas. Britain can be a huge looser in this equation.

A concern is the perceived value of degrees. Analysis reveals the ranking in earnings potential. Economics and maths score highly, whilst a degree in life sciences show little real benefit compared to a non graduate. This, coupled to the increasing cost of fees and living expenses, may be percolating through to the student. There is a growing decline in the vocational relevance of a degree in future employment, resulting in a huge waste of trained resource. We perhaps need to rethink the format and benefit of degree courses. Are they matched to employer needs and opportunities or becoming too expensive and  thereby becoming socially divisive? Britain must plan ahead now. Leaving it to when we emerge from the current round of economic unrest we may be short of talent.

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk
Young children absorb information at a phenomenal rate. Their learning curve is at its steepest up to the age of five. This phase in their educational development nurtured through games and structured play needs more focus. The ability to learn and “learning to learn” is crucial throughout the learning journey. But investment in early learning is fighting for survival alongside rebuilding secondary schools.
The government cutbacks are inevitable in the current economic crisis. But if it comes to a choice between developing early learning or rebuilding secondary schools we need to get our priorities right. The £55bn allocated to Building Schools for the Future (BSF) to rebuild ageing secondary schools is therefore at risk, but equally is the investment in early learning. If we don’t get the foundation in place subsequent schooling will inevitably suffer. Its already happening. Primary school results are far from ideal with a significant proportion of children inadequately prepared for secondary level. There they either become a burden to the teacher or fail to thrive educationally.

Polly Curtis, Education Editor of the Guardian makes the point that the investment should be aimed at the very young. And too much cash is wasted on the contractors handling the BSF scheme. There are around 3300 secondary schools in the UK. Many are well past their sell by date having been designed and built to last 25 years and still going after 50 years. The problem is the vast number of shapes sizes and designs involved. Perhaps we should adopt the Cuban approach to secondary schools. Every one follows a common design. The vista of a national design would send many architects into spasm but would cut cost dramatically. One flexible national design, allowing minor adjustments for local  variations, would remove the immense duplication and localised costs. It could reallocate savings to be spent in early learning.

National features may make life less interesting but a stylish school with a 30 year life span would make economic sense. Beyond that we might be able to afford the individual approach once more. If we follow this ideal through we could revolutionise other national operation’s. In the UK we have 60 different police forces. That’s 60 different specifications of police car, 60 buying departments, 60 contracts to administer. A national police car is bound to save a small fortune from duplication.