Action To Prevent Suicide
“Action To Prevent Suicide CIC Believes that Good Mental Health and Suicide Prevention can be supported by all” Suicide Kills over 800,000 people every year it is not a Virus. At time of writing this we have a pandemic. As it passes we can respond with insight & kindness. We are a training consultancy and support service, specialising in Suicide Prevention, intervention and postvention services .We also promote good mental health and wellbeing initiatives including mentoring, staff support and supervision. We offer a range of internationally recognised programmes as well as bespoke packages to suit your needs. Our courses include Lifeline Workshop Inc, The ASK Workshop for those who live and work with children of 5-14, LivingWorks’ safeTALK suicide alertness course for everyone working with ages 15+ and ASIST applied suicide skills intervention training regarding ages 16+. We have also developed a range of responsive and collaborative partnerships which can respond to your organisation’s needs. Our network of registered trainers and specialist advisers are drawn from a range of diverse backgrounds including teaching, psychology, social work, trauma-informed specialists, Ofsted, counselling, creativity and technology. We aim to address the issues of now that are affecting educational systems our children/young people and broader society. Action To Prevent Suicide CIC will support you in developing compassion, acceptance, respect and empathy (CARE) and the ability to respond. E: Info@actiontopreventsuicide.org W: www.actiontopreventsuicide.org T: 01803226227 M: 07528241400
Activity week at Tregoyd Mountain Riders
Provide your pupils with the opportunity to learn new skills including; learning to ride, caring for a pony, becoming more self-reliant and more responsible for own actions Fully catered residential riding experience tailored to suit the needs of your group. Tregoyd Mountain Riders is situated on the Black Mountains part of the Brecon Beacons National Park with direct access to the hill from our farm to ride across commons, tracks and bridleways. Our qualified and experienced ride escorts provide instruction and supervision for small groups riding our sure footed ponies: Full instruction given tailored to the individual (beginners and more experienced riders) Ponies and horses available to suit all sizes and abilities of riders Home cooked food chosen by you from our menu Evening activities provided Flexible bunkhouse accommodation for up to 40 pupils Separate staff accommodation in self- contained bungalow One free staff place for every 8 students Staff fully DBS checked (enhanced) and First aid trained Preview weekends available on request Trips of variable dates and length of stay can be arranged- Mid week, full week, and weekends all available and we are happy to arrange a bespoke booking to suit your requirements Visit our website www.tregoydriding.co.uk – schools page for more information Email: tregoydriding@btconnect.com Telephone; 01497 847351 to discuss your needs
Free remote phone service to all UK schools from CircleLoop
CircleLoop, the cloud-based phone system for business, will fund a pledge to provide free business telephony to any school, healthcare provider or charity who is facing remote working challenges, due to the unprecedented outbreak of Coronavirus across the country. The service will be offered free of charge for the next three months to any existing or new customers who need to facilitate remote, mobile or flexible working at short notice. The internet-based phone system can be live in a matter of minutes, following completion of a short online form, with no card or payment details required. It supports calling, call menus and greetings, voicemail transcription and a range of other features. Use CircleLoop to maintain connectivity Since it was founded in 2016, CircleLoop has rapidly established itself as an alternative to the normal telecoms approach, as businesses continue to shift to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and cloud services generally. CircleLoop operates as a self-service tool and it works anywhere over the internet in desktop and mobile applications instead of using traditional desk-phones. As such, organisations required to self-isolate, but which may not have existing structures in place to facilitate remote working, can use CircleLoop to maintain connectivity and accessibility for their workforce, with immediate notice. Damian Hanson, co-founder of CircleLoop, commented: “Here at CircleLoop we recognise the unprecedented issues that the Coronavirus outbreak is causing for businesses of all shapes and sizes. As a team we wanted to do something to try to make the pressures experienced by schools, healthcare providers and charities a little easier when needing to work remotely during self-isolation periods in the coming weeks.” Schools, healthcare providers and charities looking to take advantage of this free service can sign-up instantly at circleloop.com
How to get a free handwriting app from Kaligo
Schools across the globe will be closed for the foreseeable future, as COVID-19 takes its toll across the world. It’s a well-known phenomenon for school leaders that there is a fall back in progress that can occur when children are away from school for long periods of time. So, what can parents do now to help ensure their child doesn’t fall too far behind in these extraordinary long absences from school? After listening to the concerns of teachers and senior leaders, Kaligo, the company behind the intuitive handwriting app wanted to help minimise learning loss. “It’s a worrying time and particularly for children in the younger years for whom learning is at an important stage. We wanted to see how we could help support pupils, parents and teachers throughout this time and help to keep the children learning at home,” Said Faisal Hamid, Director at Kaligo. Kaligo have decided to provide the practice version of their intuitive handwriting app for free to all schools closed for a period of one month, to help support schools, teachers, pupils and parents with handwriting whilst they are away from the classroom. Talking about the generous initiative, Philippa Wraithmell, Head of Digital Learning at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi said: “The next few days and weeks will be difficult for those who are not used to home learning, which is most of us. Kaligo can give the confidence as a parent that they are supporting their child’s development in a positive and meaningful way which will enhance all their work.” Philippa added: “Handwriting is a core skill to every Child’s development and as a school we also have an expectation for children to be able to write as part of the broader curriculum. Over holidays and times where we are not practicing these skills children’s progress can slow or halt. “Kaligo can allow the home-school support which is needed to ensure that children are still able to practice their writing skills. Kaligo also sets writing tasks which are suited to the child’s age and ability, then supports them with direct reflection on the letter formations which they need to practice. It’s a brilliant thing for the company to do and will really help provide continuation of learning at home and help to minimise learning loss.” Kaligo is a handwriting app which combines years of neuroscientific research with the latest AI technology. Children use a stylus and tablet to trace letters through colourful and intuitive screens, which most children are already familiar with. This makes the task of handwriting more exciting, Kaligo then stores the data so parents can easily monitor their child’s progress. “It’s great that we can help the education community during these difficult times. We hope they enjoy using Kaligo and come back to school ready to share their wonderful handwriting skills. Initially it’s free for a month, but if that needs to be extended in line with school closures we will review it.” added Faisal To download the practice version of Kaligo for free on iPad or Android visit kaligo-apps.com
Free learning resources to help parents and carers
A global educational publisher is providing free learning resources to over 630,000 teaching and learning materials to support teachers, parents and carers as schools close or prepare to close as a result of the coronavirus. The materials available on the Twinkl website range from activity sheets, information packs and interactive presentations to online educational games and videos. These cover all core subjects for all ages and include a huge range mapped to each curriculum in the UK. Twinkl is sending out codes to schools, teachers and parents across the world as well as sharing information on social media to provide free access. The company has already reached out to over 50 countries and regions across the world, including the UK and is continuing to reach out to any not yet contacted. Teachers, parents and carers in the UK can get access to Twinkl by visiting www.twinkl.co.uk/offer and entering the code CVDTWINKLHELPS alongside an email and password. Access will initially be granted for one month, but Twinkl is dedicated to extending this. Anyone with an existing Twinkl subscription using the code will be upgraded to get access to all of Twinkl’s resources if they do not already have this. No payment information is taken when accessing this offer of help and there is no obligation to use Twinkl after the help is no longer needed. Any accounts created with the code will later revert to a free Twinkl membership that gives access to a selection of over 40,000 free resources that are already available on the site. Jonathan Seaton, Co-Founder and CEO of Twinkl, said: “After hearing about the necessary precautions that are being taken at schools around the world because of the coronavirus, we recognised that our digital resources could help teachers, parents and children who may be unable to attend school. “Our mission has and always will be to help those who teach and we know that we need to do this right now more than ever. The things schools, teachers, parents and carers are doing to help their children is incredible and we hope this will go some way towards supporting them. It is also so important to us that children have access to learning, whatever the circumstance, and continue to learn throughout this situation. “We’ve already had an amazing response, with over 170,000 people using the code so far. We’re so proud to see how this offer of help has already impacted so many. The help we are offering would not be possible without the continued support of our members and we would like to thank them for enabling us to provide this, globally. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the coronavirus.” Twinkl is used around the world as a trusted provider of high-quality educational materials. All Twinkl resources are created and checked by current and former teachers and they are used in over 200 countries and regions across the world. The company has created a guide for teachers and schools, which also has useful information for parents about how they can support children with home learning: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/how-to-utilise-twinkl-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown-a-guide-for-schools Information about how parents and carers can use Twinkl can also be found in this guide: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-par-82-twinkl-parent-free-user-guide Bespoke resource packs to support children learning at home can also be found here. Each pack contains resources to help with distance learning: EYFS https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/xrh0w KS1 https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/qznc0 KS2 https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/1bm381 SEND https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/z2mha KS3 https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/gywrf GCSE https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/f5o2n So far over 170,000 people have accessed the resources, including 73,161 in the UK and over 30,000 parents worldwide. Twinkl is continuing to contact schools, teachers and parents and carers across the world to provide support. The company is contacting people directly to help but further information can also be found here: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/how-to-utilise-twinkl-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown-a-guide-for-schools
Can AI in schools help keep learning personalised?
Aritificial intelligence (AI) is now helping teachers to identify issues such as dyslexia. Wendy Francis-White, assistant headteacher at Hawkedale Primary, discusses using AI in schools to assess pupils’ needs more effectively… The country’s primary schools are bursting at the seams. One in five primary schools in the UK is full or over capacity according to the latest government figures, in spite of the additional 59,000 primary school places created since 2017. As a result, many schools are continuing to increase pupil numbers to meet the needs of local families. Hawkedale Primary is one example of this. Having embarked on our own journey in 2015 when we were a single form infant school, five years later we are a primary school welcoming 210 pupils. That’s quite a leap for us, but you can be sure that your school is growing in the right direction when one of your pupils describes it as ‘like a big family’ to Ofsted inspectors. Personal approach A challenge for any growing school is to make sure the close community pupils have enjoyed continues to be nurtured as the school gets bigger. A key advantage of working in a relatively small school is that you can really get to know your pupils well and you build close relationships with their parents too. The size of our school had always enabled our teaching team to understand individual pupils’ strengths and spot when they need support. So it was important for us to keep that personal touch at the heart of the school and to be able to motivate pupils and inspire them to achieve their potential just as effectively in our newly expanded school. It might surprise some to know that AI in schools has played a key role in helping us to achieve these goals. A new vision An influx of new pupils can change a school community and present a wide range of different issues to address. That’s where AI in schools comes in. When you have more children to focus on and support, AI can help provide information to teachers about how their pupils learn. One such area was literacy. Literacy equips children with a solid foundation for their education, and without a strong vocabulary, good comprehension and sound decoding skills, children can start to feel cut off from an early age, unable to access a textbook or enjoy a story. Through our sudden growth, we noticed that more children were arriving in school with a weaker vocabulary and we saw an increase in pupils struggling to develop the literacy skills they needed. Although our teachers have a very good sense of what is behind the issues, the more help you can get to spot concerns early, the better, especially with a growing number of pupils. With our new vision for technology, we started looking at how it could help and we discovered an innovative eye-tracking tool that follows a child’s eye movements as they read a set text and then compares it with 30 years of research on other children’s eye movements. Within minutes, the tool from Lexplore Analytics spots if a child may be at risk of specific reading difficulties such as dyslexia, identifies if it’s phonics or another issue they are struggling with and helps teachers determine if they have developed the relevant reading skills for their year. Targeted support When one of our pupils had been scoring below average in literacy practice questions for her SAT assessment, it set alarm bells ringing. The AI identified that phonics and reading comprehension were the issue so her class teacher could focus the intervention accordingly. The child’s parents were brought in to help at home too and the pupil went on to achieve a higher than expected score in her SATs as a result. Another pupil clearly loved reading but tended to choose books that were aimed at much younger children. Both parents and her teacher were concerned that dyslexia was behind their child’s behaviour. However, when the pupil took the assessment using the AI tool it showed that in fact her reading ability was above average and that while she seemed to enjoy less challenging books, she was perfectly capable of reading a broader choice of topics. This new information prompted parents and teachers alike to encourage the child to choose books she would enjoy, but that would also match her reading abilities. In this case, the AI helped us prevent a child from simply coasting and helped her achieve her full potential. As Hawkedale grows it is almost inevitable that additional tools and different approaches will be adopted to help manage change. Advances in technology such as AI in schools can be used effectively to help schools understand the issues children experience and provide earlier intervention and support for their pupils. Our methods may evolve as our school gets bigger and new innovations present new solutions. But no matter the size and shape of our school, meeting pupils’ needs will always remain central to everything we do and every decision we make. For more information about how AI in schools can help to identify reading difficulties, download AI – the perfect teacher’s assistant from Lexplore Analytics.
Resource bank showcases careers in the creative sector
For students who wish to pursue a career in the creative industries, it can be difficult to see the relevance of studying subjects such as maths, English and science. So Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Burberry have teamed up to launch the latest FutureGoals careers resources which will help the region’s young people learn how the skills they are gaining at school are used in the creative industry. Created in collaboration with local businesses, schools and with the help of students the programme is based around the production of a festival. Spotlight can bust a few myths around careers in the creative sector and provide a wider understanding of the less well-known, yet in-demand roles. A year 9 student from Ossett Academy said: “I really enjoyed the mapping activity and being challenged in the budgeting task.” Students will need to use their English, maths and science skills and knowledge to tackle every aspect of the planning and running of a festival. Through the various tasks, quizzes, group activities and discussion topics, students will become aware that there is more to the creative sector than the well-known design-based roles. A year 9 student from Ossett Academy said: “I now know that there are many jobs in the creative sector and how maths, English and science skills are all needed.” Creative industry is region’s fastest-growing sector Following major creative icons such as Channel 4 and Burberry settling into Leeds City Region as their Head Quarters, the creative industry is now the region’s fastest-growing sector providing incredible job opportunities to local people. There are currently over 30,000 people working in the creative sector in Leeds City Region with that number predicted to increase. Pam Batty, Secretary of The Burberry Foundation and VP of Corporate Responsibility, Burberry said: “The FutureGoals Spotlight campaign provides a unique and interactive approach to equipping young people with valuable insight on entering the creative industry. The Leeds City Region has a fantastic creative network and this campaign will open up a world of opportunity for young people by introducing them to many diverse and stimulating career paths. “The Burberry Foundation is dedicated to using the power of creativity to drive positive change in our communities and this accessible toolkit can help empower young people to forge a new path with meaningful support.” The new Spotlight campaign, aimed at students from years 7 to 11 includes a series of interactive and engaging resources, all designed to give students a taste of what it would be like to work in the creative sector. Spotlight has been developed as part of the LEP’s wider careers campaign, FutureGoals which provides inspiration to help people of all ages feel inspired and informed about careers in Leeds City Region. Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chairman of the LEP and NP11 said: “Spotlight is a fantastic addition to the LEP’s FutureGoals campaign, highlighting the wide range of exciting careers available in the creative industry. “This innovative project-based approach incorporates maths, science and English to build confidence and skills transferable to roles in this sector.” Educators, careers advisers or influencers to young people are encouraged to download the FREE Spotlight resources at www.futuregoals.co.uk/spotlight
Get free VE Day 75 resources for your assembly!
The Royal British Legion assembly plans will help schools across the UK commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. As the nation comes together to honour the Second World War generation on 8th May, The Royal British Legion has launched a range of new assembly resources to help pupils explore their shared heritage of Remembrance and commemorate the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation. The assemblies have been created in partnership with the National Literacy Trust to help explain to children of different ages and backgrounds why and how we remember the contribution of the entire WW2 generation on VE Day. The language, design and format reflect the needs of both teachers and students, ensuring everyone can benefit from engaging with these carefully crafted resources. The assemblies are aimed at Key Stages 2 and 3 and are an ideal way for schools to take part in the VE Day commemorations in this significant anniversary year. The assembly packs and learning materials are suitable for young people aged 7 to 14 and will be free to download from 9th March on the Legion website. The VE Day 75 resources are available to download at: rbl.org.uk Catherine Davies, Head of Remembrance at The Royal British Legion says: “It is important that children from all backgrounds learn about their shared history of Remembrance. The assembly packs will not only teach children about the significance of VE Day, but also help children explore the idea of Remembrance and discover its relevance to today. The Royal British Legion is committed to making sure the torch of Remembrance is passed on to the next generation and these assemblies will play an important role in achieving that.” The resources, downloadable in PowerPoint format, include: VE Day: Introduction for Assemblies – presentations designed to be shared with a whole school or year group, with a focus on helping students understand what VE Day is and how it remains relevant today. VE Day: How To Get Involved – presentations designed to be delivered to a year group, form group or class, focusing on ways to engage students around VE Day and providing different activity suggestions. They will come with detailed teacher notes, giving key information on VE Day as well as historic context to help teachers feel confident in delivering the presentation and supporting their class.
Supporting our community when in-person teaching isn’t possible
Supporting our community when in-person teaching isn’t possible. From the team at online learning platform and app, Quizlet. Over the past week, we’ve seen back-to-school seasons postponed in South Korea and Japan, as well as school closures here in the U.S. due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus. During these challenging and uncertain times, we know teachers want to help students learn and make progress — even if it’s not possible to be in the classroom. For the teachers and students affected by school closures, digital tools and services — video conferencing and chat like Zoom and Google Meet, online document editing through services like Google Docs and learning tools (including Quizlet!) can help make a huge difference in engaging students. We know nothing can replace the time inside of a classroom, but we hope some of these best practices for using Quizlet in a remote learning environment can be useful in the coming weeks and beyond. Simple steps to empower your students to use Quizlet for remote learning: 1. It starts with the content While students are out of the classroom and teachers aren’t able to directly monitor student learning, start by creating the study sets you want your students to study. When you create the sets, you’ll know exactly what students are studying while at home. Many teachers create all the content their students will be studying to make it easy for students to start studying ASAP, but other teachers see the value in having students create their own content. Especially for older students — middle, high school and beyond — encouraging students to create their own content can be an empowering activity and give students ownership of their learning. 2. Keep everyone organized with a class It’s simple to share sets out through Google Classroom, Remind or another LMS you use if you already have your classes set up elsewhere. We also recommend setting up a class on Quizlet, which is free and helps you keep both content and students organized in one spot. Pro tip: Create a new class on Quizlet for every class you teach — even if it’s the same subject. So, if you teach French 2 in three different periods, create a new class on Quizlet for each. Or, if you teach both Biology and Chemistry it can be overwhelming to stay organized with the sets you’re creating for students. Creating a class can be a big help. Once you create your class and add your students, they’ll be instantly notified when you add new content. You can also choose to let your students add their content or keep it so that only you have that ability. 3. Check on student learning with class progress Class Progress is part of the Quizlet Teacher subscription and gives you insight into progress your students are making as they study the content in your classes. You’ll have access to two different views: First, you can see macro trends about which terms your students are getting right most of the time, some of the time or almost never. With this view, you can choose which terms, concepts or questions to focus on in upcoming lessons or units. Second, you can see a detailed view of which students have started or completed studying on your set — and which students might need more encouragement to get through their study session. We hope taking these steps with Quizlet will help teachers and students stay connected and empower students to learn even while outside of the classroom.