Five Minutes on Friday Issue 2 11th September 2026

Welcome to this week’s 5 Minutes on Friday digest! As we settle further into the autumn term, we have a packed edition featuring upcoming local EdTech events, powerful professional development opportunities, and essential online safety guidance for your school community.

Grab a quick coffee and take five minutes to get up to speed with what you need to know for Friday, 11th September 2026.

image

🍏 1. Apple RTC Conference: AI & Accessibility in the Classroom

image

Mark your calendars! The South Tyneside Apple Regional Training Centre (in partnership with Academia) invites you to join us on Thursday, 22nd October 2026 at The Word, South Shields for our Autumn Conference.

This whole-day event focuses on one of the most vital areas in modern education: AI and accessibility in the classroom.

  • Why Attend? Connect with fellow educators and tech experts, discover innovative ideas and practical teaching strategies, and explore inclusive approaches that empower every learner.
  • Who Should Attend? Senior leaders, computing leads, class teachers, and SEND coordinators looking to maximize Apple technology for inclusion.

👉 RSVP & View the Official Event Flyer: Download the Apple RTC Conference Invite (PDF)

image

🤖 2. Gemini for Education Event: Newcastle Roadshow

image

Google for Education is hitting the road, and their next stop is right here in the North East! Join the Google team in Newcastle on Wednesday, 11th November 2026 for a dedicated Gemini for Education roadshow.

This event is tailored for school leaders, IT coordinators, and educators eager to harness generative AI safely and effectively within the Google Workspace environment.

  • Key Insights: Discover how Gemini can save teachers time with lesson planning, assist with administrative workflows, and transform classroom interactivity.
  • Best Practices: Learn about data privacy, AI literacy, and practical strategies for integrating AI tools into your school’s digital strategy.

👉 Secure Your Space: Register for the Gemini Roadshow Newcastle

🛡️ 3. Online Safety Hub Weekly Highlight: Parental Advice & Digital Safety

image
In this week’s feature from the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub, we are highlighting how to report incidents on gaming platforms.Swift reporting is crucial for removing inappropriate content and mitigating the impact of negative online incidents.Reporting the incident to the platform itself is often the first step; however, each country also has applicable government organisations that can help.

👉 Explore the Article & Hub:

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of 5 Minutes on Friday! Stay tuned for more EdTech updates, classroom ideas, and leadership tips in next week’s issue.

Have a brilliant and relaxing weekend—unless you are taking on the Great North Run this Sunday! In that case, may the weather be in your favour, the crowds carry you along, and your legs take you safely home to the finish line in South Shields! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

image

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Record-Breaking Brainpower! 30/30 Scores, Ice Cream Tiebreakers, and a Golden Pineapple at the 2026 Live Summer Quizzes

What a day of virtual trivia, high energy, and incredible teamwork! On Tuesday, 16th June 2026, classrooms across the region transformed into live game shows as we hosted our annual Live Summer Quizzes via Google Meet.

This year was our biggest tournament in history, packed with flawless scores, nail-biting tiebreakers, and a massive surge in participation. Here is how an unforgettable day of quizzing unfolded!

🍦 Key Stage 1 Makes History!

For the very first time, our youngest pupils joined the tournament—and they absolutely stole the show! An incredible 15 teams and 371 Key Stage 1 children logged on for their exclusive session.

The energy on screen was electric as the mini-quizzers navigated the technology beautifully.

The competition was fiercely close, with an outstanding four different teams achieving absolute perfection and hitting a maximum score of 30/30!

  • 1MS (Mortimer Primary)
  • 1DR (Mortimer Primary)
  • 2VB (Mortimer Primary)
  • The Candy Floss Crew (Stanhope Primary)

To separate this incredible four-way tie, we turned to a mountain of a tiebreaker: How many scoops were on the world’s tallest ice cream cone?

With a correct answer of 120 scoops, The Candy Floss Crew (Year 2) Stanhope Primary kept their cool under pressure, guessing a fantastic 100 scoops to become our first-ever KS1 Quiz Champions!

They take home The Golden Pineapple Trophy

🧠 Key Stage 2 & 3: Morning Minds

The morning heat for Key Stage 2 kicked off with an incredible turnout of 14 teams and 320 children competing. The energy was fantastic, and the classrooms showed immense teamwork and sharp thinking on screen.

While the competition was incredibly fierce, we had one standout result that achieved absolute perfection. Huge congratulations went to our morning heat champions:

🏆 Stanhope Summer Stars (Stanhope Primary School) scoring a flawless 30/30! 🏆

🗺️ Key Stage 2 & 3: An Elite Afternoon Battle

The afternoon heat raised the stakes even further, matching the morning with another 14 teams and 362 children bringing their elite knowledge to the stream. The scoring was spectacular, resulting in a sensational joint tie for first place between two teams who both scored a perfect 30/30:

  • The Flowering Daisies (Biddick Hall Juniors)
  • The Quizzards of Oz (Harton Primary)

Faced with the tiebreaker question—estimating the distance from London to Ibiza in miles—the real distance of 890 miles proved a tough target. But with a brilliant guess of 1,100 miles, The Quizzards of Oz were closest, clinching the afternoon heat victory!

🏆 The Grand Champion & The Golden Pineapple

To crown our overall Key Stage 2/3 tournament champion, we had to compare the tiebreaker results across both the morning and afternoon heats, as we had perfect scores across the entire day.

Our morning winners, Stanhope Summer Stars, guessed 783 miles on their Ibiza tiebreaker—putting them just 107 miles away from the exact answer! Because their guess was the closest overall, the ultimate bragging rights and the highly coveted Golden Pineapple trophy go to…

🍍 Stanhope Summer Stars! 🍍

📊 2026 Quiz By The Numbers:

  • 1,073 Total Children Participating Live
  • 42 Teams Battling it Out
  • 19 Schools Represented
  • 7 Total teams achieving a perfect 30/30 score across the day!

A massive thank you to all the class teachers for coordinating the two-device setups, managing the cameras, and ensuring the day ran like clockwork. Participation certificates have been sent out to all schools to celebrate the students’ amazing achievements.

You all did a phenomenal job, and the teamwork on display was wonderful to see. Have a wonderful rest of the summer term, and we’ll see you at the next quiz!

Phillippa and Steve