Leading online safety experts Smoothwall join forces with VESPA Mindset and Warwickshire County Council at BETT 2019
This week at BETT, leading online safeguarding solutions provider Smoothwall, will be joining forces with VESPA Mindset and Warwickshire County Council to provide expert advice on internet safety and mental wellbeing within an academic environment. For those unfamiliar with BETT, it’s the UK’s leading education technology show attended by over 34,500 educators and decision makers from all around the world. Taking place at ExCeL London from 23rd to 26th January 2019, those attending can expect to see the latest and most innovative information technology set to inspire the future of education. At the Smoothwall stand on Thursday 24th January, Steve Oakes, at VESPA Mindset will be hosting two sessions looking at how active monitoring can impact academic attainment. Steve will discuss how technology can help in recognising and developing mental wellbeing needs to improve examination results. Advanced monitoring technology means that schools aren’t having to physically monitor pupils’ online activity as any risks are picked up and alerted via the solution. This frees up teacher’s time and resources so they can concentrate on pupils academic learning and in turn promote a positive learning environment and higher standard of academic achievement.Smart monitoring solutions will become increasingly important when you take into account Ofsted will now focus on promoting a positive learning environment. This new behaviour judgement will assess whether schools are creating a calm, well-managed environment free from bullying, which monitoring solutions can identify. Those attending BETT will also be able to find out about how to run effective safeguarding across a school cluster. On Friday 25thJanuary, Steve Holley, Systems Engineer at Warwickshire County Council will look at the work they are doing with the safeguarding provider to improve its safeguarding capabilities. WCC currently manage IT systems for schools within the Warwickshire area, monitoring 45,000 staff and pupils across Primary and Secondary schools. To learn about and interact with its market-leading filtering and monitoring solutions, visit Smoothwall on stand D250. Here you can discover its brand-new monitoring solution RADAR and how it can detect children at risk of mental health concerns or cyberbullying, and hear exclusively what new product innovations Smoothwall has in store for 2019.
Positive Futures
Young people in Warwickshire are being helped into work by Positive Futures, a training scheme targeting 15 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training who do not have basic maths and English qualifications. Co-funded by the Department for Work and Pensions’ European Social Fund and 50 per cent match funded by Warwickshire County Council and PET-Xi Training, the training course is helping break down barriers to entering the jobs market for young people in the local area. Deputy Director, Head of European Social Fund Division, Dr Catherine Blair visited young people taking part in the training course, to see first-hand the support offered by the training and education specialists. Since its launch in 2016, the project has seen over 350 young people secure jobs or enrol in education on completion of Positive Futures. The programme, launched by PET-Xi Training, has an ambition to support a further 400 young people move into employment or education. Joined by Glenn Robinson, manager of the Skills for Growth programme run by Warwickshire County Council, the pair were given a tour of PET-Xi Training’s headquarters in Coventry by the project’s managing director, Fleur Sexton. After meeting employees, Dr Blair visited PET-Xi Training’s new Skills Hub in Nuneaton to hear more about the Positive Futures project and the impact it has had on participants’ lives. Dr Blair said: “It was fantastic to see how this project is making a real difference to the lives of young people at risk of social exclusion. “Staff can offer young people practical advice on a range of issues, including employment, and support individuals with their next steps such as moving or providing transport to interviews. “Youth unemployment is at a record low and it’s great to see the difference projects like this make, helping more young people move into work or education.” Cllr Colin Hayfield, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Education and Learning at Warwickshire County Council, said: “The county council has prioritised young people who are at risk of social exclusion and has established a planning and co-ordination group where we liaise with partners such as PET-Xi Training to provide our young people with the support in areas where it is most needed.” Fleur, winner of Businesswoman of the Year 2017, said the legacies of Positive Futures include the impact on the lives of young people and the Skills Hub which has been opened to make it easier for young people in Warwickshire to gain qualifications and improve their career prospects. She said: “For over 20 years, PET-Xi’s vision has been to champion every single person to fulfil their potential through education and employment, find their place in their community and transform their life. “This scheme is designed to break down barriers to help young people in local communities to achieve essential basic maths and English qualifications and to improve their life chances by giving them the support they need to gain a job or a place in further education. “It was fantastic to welcome Dr Blair and Glenn to PET-Xi Training to show them first-hand the benefits of the project. “The feedback we have had from everyone involved whether it is young people or funders has been extremely positive – the Department of Work and Pensions and Warwickshire County Council have helped to fund this essential project which is making a real difference to young people’s lives.” www.pet-xi.co.uk/programmes/vocational/positive-futures/