December 2013

The know zone

  • Health and safety: tread carefully
    Health and safety laws are not as unrealistic as they are often made out to be, says Richard Bird. More
  • Real-life learning
    Karleen Dowden is ASCL’s Apprenticeship, Employability and Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Specialist More
  • Be prepared
    Laying the groundwork with governors on performance related pay progression is very important if you don’t want to fall foul of Ofsted in the future, says Sara Ford. More
  • The professionals...
    The focus in this Leader is on Council’s Professional Committee, which has a wide-ranging remit that includes accountability and inspection, teacher standards, appraisal, continuing professional development (CPD), teacher supply and quality. More
  • Membership of Council
    ASCL Council members are key in setting the direction for the association, as it is Council that determines ASCL’s position on issues and government policy. More
  • Learning leadership
    Strategic and operational leadership, complementary and combined, provides the strongest form of school leadership, says Sian Carr. More
  • The perfect match
    Arsenal Double Club Languages is an innovative, multi-award winning education programme that uses Arsenal and football as a theme to inspire schoolchildren to learn a language. More
  • ASCL PD events
    Curriculum Structures: Planning, Development, Analysis, Staffing Requirements and Cost, Strategical Behavioural Management that Works, and Using Data Better: Workshops for School Leaders and their Data Managers More
  • Staff shortages?
    The government is increasing bursaries for trainee teachers. Is this enough to avoid a teacher shortage? Can more be done? Are teachers in short supply? Here, ASCL members share their views. More
  • Leaders' surgery
    The antidote to common leadership conundrums... More
  • Stray cat strut
    There’s more than one way for a head to start a relaxing weekend. Jonathan Fawcett goes in search of a less-than-peaceful easy feline. More
  • Adding value
    Cold and flu More
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Adding value

Cold and flu

Why can’t scientists cure the common cold?

According to Professor Ron Eccles, Director of Cardiff University’s Common Cold Centre, there may never be a cure. There are so many different viruses responsible for colds that it would be very difficult for scientists to create a vaccine that would cover them all.

When am I most contagious?

You will be most contagious when you’re showing the early symptoms of a cold. “This is when the virus is replicating in the cells lining your nose, so it can be coughed or sneezed out in droplets of mucus,” explains Professor Eccles.

Will antibiotics help?

Antibiotics do not treat colds. In fact, taking them unnecessarily can help bacteria build up a resistance and reduce the chances of them being effective for you in the future.

When should I go to the doctor?

Don’t be in a rush to expose yourself to even more germs from others in the GP waiting room. “If someone comes to see me with a sniffle, there’s nothing I can do,” says Dr Hilary. “But if you’re feeling wheezy or breathless, it’s worth getting checked out by your GP.”

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