Since Brexit, voluntary grammar schools in Northern Ireland have been finding it increasingly difficult to purchase goods from educational companys on the UK Mainland. The Educational companys are requesting from the Voluntary Grammar School an EORI number.

EORI stands for “Economic Operators Registration and Identification number”.

Educational Companys and Schools wishing to trade must use the EORI number as an identification number in all customs procedures when exchanging information with Customs administrations.

To get an EORI number your School would be paying Tax on the goods and both sender and receiver need to demonstrate that the goods will not pass across any kind of border into the EU. The problem for Voluntary grammar Schools is that because of the way they manage their finances they do not pay tax on goods bought at the time of purchasing. Therefore they cannot get an EORI number.

Keeping The politics to a bare minimum, the fallout from brexit has caused a hard border (down the middle of the Irish Sea) since the European Union and the UK need to control their borders for customs purposes. Where that border exists is currently subject to intense anger and political dogma.

So when some schools in Northern Ireland place an order for certain products with a company on Mainland Britain, the company will not send out the order unless the school has this EORNI number.
Are you affected by this problem? If so, what steps do you take to get around it? Let us know on our comments section of the Forums.

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This experiment has the "woah!" factor as it demonstrates the stregnth of air pressure as you crush an ordinary drinks can. It is mainly suitable for third years studying Pressure and forces.

To check out the method visit our Wiki area here..Why does this happen?

When we begin our experiment, there is water and air inside the can. As we boil the water in the can, the water turns to steam and pushes the air out of the can. When we flip the can over into the cold water, the water momentarily seals off the can, so now the steam is trapped in the can. Since the water and air on the outside of the can is cooler than the steam inside, the steam condenses into a few drops of water. The drops of water on the inside of the can can’t exert the same amount of pressure as the water and air outside that can, so it collapses.

Microscale (or small-scale) chemistry refers to practical activities that use much smaller amounts of reagents, and often with simpler equipment.

The microscale approach removes barriers that get in the way of carrying out practical work in schools, such as expense, risk and logistics. Teachers also need to find the time to teach theory alongside practical skills. Using microscale chemistry reduces cost and waste, which makes practical work more sustainable and less environmentally damaging. It’s important to spend time with your school’s science technicians exploring how the equipment will work, and time with other teachers trialling new activities before using them with classes.

More Information

• Bob Worley and David Paterson’s book, Understanding chemistry through microscale practical work, is a useful introduction to microscale for teachers and technicians. 
• The RSC has a range of classroom resources for teachers. 
• CLEAPSS provides teacher training and has a large range of microscale experiments. It also has a selection of demonstration videos.
• “The fast Guide to Microscale practical work” (Education in Chemistry- (By Maria Burke 25 March 2022)