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.
Bringing outdoor learning and forest school training to the north west
More children in the north west are experiencing the benefits of the outdoors with new forest school and outdoor learning training for practitioners in the area. Branching Out Training, based at Upton Heath Church of England Primary School in Chester, have delivered training for 18 providers in the area since 2018 with over 2000 children set to benefit. Leader of Branching Out Training Sarah Pearson said: “When we set up our own forest school provision at Upton Heath Primary School 8 years ago, we really had no idea how successful our forest school would become. Forest school and outdoor learning is ingrained into the culture at Upton Heath. Our EYFS teachers are out making their observations alongside us, our teachers value and understand what we are trying to achieve, and when our children talk about what they love about school, Forest School is often mentioned.†The Branching Out provision was received so well by parents, pupils and staff at Upton Heath that it wasn’t long before Sarah was fulfilling requests for training from other schools in the area: “Setting up Branching Out Training was the natural progression, enabling us to offer accredited training for schools, pre-schools and nurseries so that they have the skills and qualifications to set up a forest school in their own provisions. As well as being training providers qualified to Level 4, we’re a primary school that has been through the process and we’re teachers too. That brings a unique perspective that education providers really appreciate. We can share our successes and also the potential pitfalls.†Branching Out Training have released the dates for their 2020 training. The 7 day Level 3 Forest School Leader spring course will take place from the 23rd April whilst the autumn course kicks off on the 24th September. The 2 day Level 2 Outdoor Learning Practitioner course takes place 4-5th June 2020. There is a free taster session on Thursday 2nd April, 1.30-3.30pm at Upton Heath for the Level 3 Forest School Leader and Level 2 Outdoor Learning Practitioner course. All courses are hosted in the mini woods at Upton Heath C of E Primary School and are in association with UK training network Cambium and accredited by Agored Cymru. The Outdoor Learning Practitioner course is also recognised by the Institute of Outdoor Learning. To find out more about the Level 2 Outdoor Learning Practitioner or Level 3 Forest School Leader training courses, please visit http://www.branchingouttraining.com/ or email: spearson@uptonheath.cheshire.sch.uk. You can also book online at cambiumonline.co.uk for the spring Level 3 training, autumn Level 3 training and summer Level 2 training.
Bristol primary school children kick-off Shakespeare Week celebrations
One of the world’s most historic ships, proudly docked in the European capital of graffiti, will form a stunning backdrop for a special performance of Shakespeare’s famous plays marking the launch of Shakespeare Week – the annual national celebration of Shakespeare in primary schools. Children from two Bristol primary schools will be showcasing their Shakespearian learning with a performance of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet at Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Organised by independent charity the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, this year’s Shakespeare Week carries the theme of Art and Design. Pupils from Bannerman Road Community Academy and May Park Primary School have been taking part in a series of drama and grafitti workshops delivered by Bristol-based artists Graft and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (STF). The initiative is part of the new Shakespeare Hub Schools project, working with creative practitioners to provide children with a great first introduction of Shakespeare, via the arts. The scheme is delivered free to schools by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and supported by Arts Council England. Jacqueline Green, head of learning and participation at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said, “In the seven years that Shakespeare Week has been running we’ve demonstrated that making Shakespeare fun and accessible to young children has a positive impact in the development of their creativity, critical thinking and social skills. It’s clear that providing a culturally enriching first encounter of Shakespeare is benefiting children right across the country. By working with schools and cultural partners, we are supporting teachers to enthuse children with a passion for Shakespeare’s stories, language and heritage, inspiring curiosity and a desire to make discoveries of their own. All great preparation for the secondary curriculum, and their future lives.†Families too can celebrate Shakespeare. Throughout the week, there will be a number of events in libraries and cultural organisations across the country, and of course in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. On Saturday 21 March, Shakespeare’s Birthplace will play host to a free family fun day, with activities such as an illustration workshop with Horrible Histories illustrator, Martin Brown, an animation station hosted by Ricky Martin from CBBC’s Art Ninja, and Shakespeare-inspired crafts with children’s author and illustrator, Marcia Williams. Other highlights happening throughout Shakespeare Week include: Shakespeare-themed activities in libraries across the country, including Shakespeare LEGO clubs and illustration workshops The Big Shakespeare Book Hunt in 154 communities across the country, supported by Walker Books and the National Literacy Trust Kids Zone online challenges for children to complete in school or at home including drawing comic strips, writing poetry or enjoying retellings of Shakespeare’s plays Over 150 free resources for teachers, home educators and families covering subjects across the curriculum, including new step-by-step video tutorials from popular children’s illustrators on creating portraits of Shakespeare. There are also fun activity resources for educators to develop creative skills in the classroom For more information see www.shakespeareweek.org.uk.
Parents uninformed of deadly school run risks, according to new research
Parents across the country are worryingly unaware of how the school run can threaten their children’s safety, according to the latest research from leading home-to-school travel provider Kura. The research, which surveyed 1,000 parents across the UK, found that more than half (52%) of parents are unaware that the toxic fumes created by school run traffic were detrimental to their children’s health. Concerningly, this figure also increases to 57% of parents living in cities and built-up urban areas, where air pollution is a recurrent problem. Air pollution is linked to as many as 40,000 premature deaths a year, and recent findings from Unicef revealed that children are more at risk of breathing in toxic air pollution during school hours than at any other time of the day, with nearly two thirds of the air pollution they take in daily coming from this period. Indeed, the same research found that millions of children are breathing in deadly levels of particulates that breach World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines – known as PM 2.5 – every day. This lack of awareness around the problem is perhaps surprising, given that 52% of parents surveyed reported a keen interest in environmental issues, with 42% claiming to be more interested in “green†topics than their children. Furthermore, more than half of parents (53%) report that they would like their children’s school to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Parental awareness was only slightly higher around the dangers posed by cars entering and exiting school premises before and after school, with just over half of parents (52%) citing traffic around schools as a risk to their child’s safety. A further 47% also went on to report there being “too much†traffic around school entrances and exits, which can lead to vehicle collisions, or the potential for the 38% of pupils who walk to school each day to be struck by a passing car. The research, which surveyed parents of school-age children attending state schools, independent schools and academies across the UK, was conducted as part of Kura’s Green School Guide – a new resource created to support parents and schools looking to create a safer, greener school run. Mathew Hassell, founder and CEO of Kura, said: “Children are more at risk from deadly air pollution during the school run than anywhere else, so it was extremely worrying to see this problem flying under the radar for so many. As it stands, a lack of viable school travel options is forcing parents across the country to take their children to and from school in their cars, which in turn poses threats to children’s safety that many are not even aware of. “School travel needs a serious rethink, if not a full-blown revolution. Pupils, parents and schools are all being negatively impacted by a school run that is no longer fit for purpose, and the only way we’re going to stop this is by working together. Schools and parents working as one with pupils’ needs front of mind, and the support of stakeholders, businesses and the community around them, can stop this deadly issue in its tracks and drive a safer, greener school run that truly meets the needs of all.†Kura is a leading provider of home-to-school transport services, providing safe travel for over 7,000 pupils a day across 300 routes. Kura is part of the Transport2 Group which carries over two million passengers a year. Kura is currently expanding its network of partner-schools throughout the UK, working to identify and deliver a safer, greener, smarter school run. For more information, please visit https://www.ridekura.com/green-guide/
Children Who Can!
Imagine a Primary curriculum that embraces diversity, encourages curiosity and empowers success. Children Who Can offers just that. Based in Yorkshire but working across England, Children Who Can works with primary schools and educators to support them in designing a bespoke curriculum that allows children to create their own learning experiences. Using the CWC Way — their unique approach to curriculum design — they collaborate with schools to craft tailored curriculum solutions that meet their children’s emotional, social and educational needs. In addition to this, Children Who Can provide unique classroom workshops and off grid experiences. Going “Off-Grid†is exciting and enriching for children, especially when the experience involves preparing food, crafting treasures or exploring wonderful woodland scenery. Their popular outdoor learning activities provide opportunities for children to think creatively, work collaboratively and develop essential life skills. Outdoor learning boosts children’s long-term physical and emotional development and wellbeing, promoting a healthy, happy body and mind. Children Who Can actively promotes outdoor learning and works with schools to incorporate woodland and outdoor exploration, creative outdoor crafting, group gardening and exciting food preparation activities. Learning, using the CWC Way, helps children to learn how to manage and understand their emotions. Children learn together, collaborating and negotiating to achieve goals as a team. This enables the development of stronger communication and social skills, an essential part of children’s development. Enjoying outdoor learning experiences not only helps children to develop essential skills, but it also has a naturally calming and stress-relieving effect that lessens anxiety so that children can stay in control of their emotions. Learning outside the classroom helps children to develop healthy, active lifestyles and explore their environment, deepening their connection with nature. Children who enjoy active lifestyles are generally less prone to obesity and gain vital skills under a creative outdoor learning curriculum, improving their problem-solving skills, nurturing their creativity and developing their imagination. With highly positive Ofsted feedback, the CWC Way is considered to be something special that is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning outcomes. The problem-solving-based approach to teaching and learning is unlike any other — the teacher provides imaginative opportunities in the form of missions, challenges and problems, and the children lead their own learning experiences. Children develop ownership of their work through collaborative planning, designed to investigate and solve the set mission, while the teacher facilitates work on real-life situations and enterprise. The CWC Way: • Has purpose • Engages children in problem solving and enterprise • Is child-led • Ensures collaboration and teamwork • Develops oracy skills • Integrates the whole curriculum • Develops life skills The bespoke curriculum consultancy service, provided by Children Who Can, includes a range of curriculum training opportunities for primary schools and educators such as: in school training (staff meetings, twilights and INSET), curriculum planning support and curriculum evaluation and health check services. Services Offered by Children Who Can: • Bespoke curriculum design consultancy for primary schools • Curriculum development training for primary teachers and educators • CWC Curriculum taster days and school visits • Children’s learning experiences and “Off-Grid†workshops designed to develop social and emotional skills • Intervention for specific groups of children • Meaningful, relevant and memorable teacher cover solutions • After school workshops. That’s the CWC Way; a unique, child-led, problem solving approach to learning Contact Us Rosie Driver and Dr Julie Snead Managing Directors www.childrenwhocan.co.uk enquiries@childrenwhocan.co.uk
The Wish Centre
Self harm is a growing concern in the UK with rates of 1 in 9 teenagers self harming (National Inquiry 2006) and possibly as many as 1 in 5 (Affinity/NHS 2008). Black British and mixed race girls have high rates of self harm, which has been linked to domestic violence, family breakdown, socio-economic deprivation and gang related sexual violence and teenage pregnancy. Rates of domestic violence and incidents of teenage sexual violence and risks of honour based violence are rising nationally. Young people in these situations are impacted in the short term through mental health issues and risky coping behaviours, and in the longer term through a cycle of disadvantage which includes poor educational achievement and life chances and higher rates of mental health life issues and suicide ideation. Cuts in services and support have resulted in critical effects. The WISH Centre was founded around 15 years ago to support young people who were self-harming and has developed into a community-based service to support young people on a path to recovery. The WISH Centre provide a range of services to keep children and young people safe and supported. This includes therapy – in school, after school at our centres and online. We run award winning Self Harm Peer Support groups where young people can get extra support, safeguarding measures and wrap around services. We completed a two year pilot replicating our offer in the London Borough of Harrow in the London Borough Merton. This was evaluated by Government think-tank the Centre for Mental Health. The results of the evaluation demonstrate the success rates of 90% recovery from self harm that has been previously demonstrated and continues in Harrow, which has been replicated in Merton. Attendance of A&E for self-harm was markedly reduced and statistically significant positives outcomes were demonstrated for young people in both Harrow and Merton across a range of outcomes (i.e. self-harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, trauma, anxiety/stress, depression/ sadness, coping mechanisms & emotional resilience). Centre for Mental Health concludes that the approach offered by The WISH Centre is both successful and replicable. The evaluation report recommends that services using the WISH approach should be made available across the country, drawing on the benefits of peer support networks and evidence-based psychological therapies, which were both found to have a positive impact on young people at WISH. The children we work with are incredible. Despite many suffering from domestic or sexual violence and abuse, exploitation and being at risk of serious harm from themselves or others, they will find a resilience and determination to keep going, even if this means self harming as a means of coping. Children and young people we meet may have undergone trauma and may have been exploited, abused or neglected. Some have suffered physical harm and have mental health issues or are living in poverty or in fear of their safety. The work of our dedicated team of psychotherapists, outreach and youth workers is vital to ensure that the young people are supported and empowered, and that they not only achieve positive outcomes to overcome the impact of their experiences but also that their voices are heard in terms of shaping the services and help they get from WISH and others. We believe that we are all effective together. From working with partners in social care, education, health and the community to improve aspects of support for young people, to improving awareness of issues and skills through training, together we are making a real difference to children’s futures. The visibility of our impact is seen in “A Space to Talk: An Evaluation of The WISH Centre’s Self harm services to young people “by the Centre for Mental Health 2018. A key recommendation of the report is that our methodologies are adopted nationwide, and our aim is to deliver this through capacity building and training. thewishcentre.org.uk
Water is cool
It is a documented fact that most School children do not drink enough water. Children are at greater risk of dehydration than adults as they do not always realize that they are thirsty and if they are not encouraged they may not drink enough. Many children go through the entire school day consuming perhaps just one glass of water or less. Our bodies are made up of approximately 70 % water and it has a multiple functions in the body – controlling temperature, digesting food and regulating the excretion of waste. Drinking water regularly throughout the day is a very important way to protect long term health. When children do not drink enough their attention span and concentration is severely affected. It has been noted that when thirsty their mental performance is decreased by 10% and will continue to decrease even more if adequate hydration is not attended to. The child may become tired and irritable and suffer headaches, which can then contribute to behavioural problems and they find it difficult to focus on lessons. Children need educated by explaining why drinking water is so very important to their health. To ensure mental clarity and to be able to participle in exercise and physical activity it is essential that water is available for children at all times of the day and it is readily accessible. We owe it to our children to ensure adequate hydration to protect their long term health and help them to achieve their best personal educational potential by ensuring that hydration is used as an aid to their concentration and attention, which will help maintain mental clarity at lessons and improve their overall learning. As children spend a large proportion of their day in School this gives a vital and unique opportunity of encouraging regular water intake to promote good health and an excellent learning environment. Children do not always like the taste of chlorine in water so it is essential that a source of clear pure pleasant tasting water is available and this can be achieved by the use of a Filter. Also the use of refillable bottles can encourage children to drink more often. We have been providing Schools with suitable Water Cooler Units since 1998, and can provide a wide selection of Units suitable for both small and large schools, and would be happy to offer advice and recommendations for the best options for the specific needs of your school. www.watersystems4u.co.uk Tel: 01727 226 464 Email: sales@watersystems4u.co.uk