Madeleine Lindley Ltd leaps to 35th Anniversary with World Book Day offer and 10,000 book giveaway

Children’s book specialists Madeleine Lindley Ltd celebrates its 35th anniversary on 29th February 2023, after being formed and remaining family-owned since 1988.

Family-run Madeleine Lindley Ltd marks its 35th anniversary and World Book Day by gifting 10,000 books to children across the UK. They are also offering 35% off their World Book Day Box for 35 days. The box contains the top 35 books for every school, handpicked by the staff. Teachers can gift their class £300 worth of books for £195 and have between 27th February and 3rd April to take advantage.

Madeleine Lindley founded the company in 1988 and her legacy is survived by her two daughters Rachelle Carter and Amelia Clayton. The business was founded to help schools rejuvenate their book collection and help children develop a passion for reading.

The company has an international customer base and employs more than 30 people at the Book Centre, a purpose-built showroom in Oldham. From its Lancashire birthplace, the staff uses their encyclopaedic knowledge of children’s literature to help primary schools build their own literary oasis. 

Rachelle said: “Supplying primary schools with the latest and most engaging books has always been Madeleine Lindley Ltd’s vision. The business was founded by our mother, Madeleine Lindley, a primary school teacher specialising in literacy. She grew frustrated at the difficulty in finding and choosing good-quality children’s books and began selling books to schools.

“As school book suppliers and acting as teachers’ personal shoppers, we help audit and update primary school’s book corners and libraries. Children across the country are once more unlocking their innate love for reading. 

Amelia added: “Celebrating our 35th anniversary reminds us of the journey thus far and our ever-growing commitment to incite a passion for reading in every child. We are proud to match more teachers and classrooms with the literature they need to help their children grow as individuals and as academics. 

“Our length of service to schools is a testament to Madeleine’s vision to equip schools with the tools they need to nurture our future generations. Literature is crucial for language, literacy, and emotional development – and losing yourself in a book is the greatest opportunity you can gift a child. Distributing 10,000 books to children for World Book Day is an ode to that.”

What’s new from LapSafe® at Bett 2023?

Two decades on and LapSafe® are excited to be at Bett 23 launching their new products.

 Celebrating twenty-three years of showcasing their products at Bett, LapSafe® will again be exhibiting at the show.

Each year at Bett, LapSafe® are excited to launch their new products and this year is no exception.  Visitors to the show will be able to see LapSafe®’s NEW entry-level self-service locker ENVOY™, designed to rapidly deploy devices such as laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, and similar devices. 

Up to 32 devices can each be quickly and easily issued to students or staff by scanning their ID at the universal reader.  MIFARE™, barcode and QR code are all supported in one simple to use reader. Once authorised, a locker bay will open and inside a fully charged device is ready to use.  The seamless transaction takes less than a minute saving both staff and student time.  ENVOY™ connects to ONARKEN®, LapSafe®’s Locker Management platform, so all transactions are recorded for accountability and audit purposes.

Smart Lockers are fast becoming the norm for schools, colleges and universities allowing them to quickly and easily deploy and loan devices or assets to students. As technology advances and our demands increase for easy access to equipment, goods or locker spaces, so-called smart lockers need to be smarter and more agile than before.

Therefore, LapSafe® will also be launching further enhancements to their popular Diplomat™Pro Smart Lockers bringing services such as drop off and collect, break/fix, hot lockers, as well as intelligent and sophisticated loaning of devices.  An all-in-one solution that makes light work of self-service and asset management.  In addition, new locker bay sizes will be launched to add greater flexibility to their Smart Locker range.

At the heart of LapSafe® Smart Locker range, ONARKEN® platform combines all their software services into one centrally managed suite of application which can be tailored to meet the needs of device management today and in the future.  An innovative cloud-based solution that is highly reliable, secure, and customisable.  A solution that is easy to manage and has thousands of possibilities.

LapSafe®’s Smart Lockers are already installed by over 70% of UK universities; with colleges and schools following closely behind.  With over 300 installations across the globe these self-service smart lockers are both innovative, and space saving with highly configurable workflows that allow for future growth.

LapSafe® will also be highlighting their storage and charging trolley range which are currently being used by thousands of schools and colleges. Built for sustainability and assisting in reducing carbon footprint, schools can save time and money with LapSafe®’s solutions.

Denise Crouch, Head of Sales and Marketing at LapSafe® said “This is my twenty-third Bett show and I always look forward to meeting existing customers, our business partners and making new connections.  It’s always exciting to launch new products and receive visitor feedback.“

To explore the full LapSafe® range, visit them at Bett 2023, London Excel, 29th to 31st March, Stand NN51 alternatively visit www.lapsafe.com for more details.

 

Vestel shines bright at ISE 2023

Display giant, Vestel, lit-up ISE with an ambitious stand featuring over 100 commercial displays from interactive education screens to LED walls. With display content featuring digital versions of artwork from the 15th to 17th century, under a content license from Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, the vivid stand showcased the brand’s hero display models and revealed some new lines launching later this year. 

Heading up the brand’s interactive screen offering, Vestel’s new IFX range was on active demonstration in 65”, 75” and 86” screen sizes, with visitors trying the products and adding a graffiti feel to the education corner of the stand. Leveraging the processing speed advantages Vestel’s System-on-Chip technology offers seamless touchscreen performance, the new models will ship with a host of new features including split-screen, 20-point IR Touch technology, video freeze frame and built-in Android apps for multimedia and office applications.  

Also previewing at ISE, Vestel new PF+ series signage displays are due to launch this spring. While retaining the exceptional value of the P series, the new PF+ panels are 16/7 usage UHD screens with a formidable 500 nits brightness. The new P series displays share the same slim, light and robust design cabinet across the range. Running an Android-powered System-on-Chip core, these models will offer unrivalled performance, value and flexibility for CMS providers.  

Vestel’s video wall wowed visitors with a giant circular display taking a front-centre position of the exhibition stand. Created with 10 x 55” high brightness displays on either side and running dynamic content throughout the show, the centrepiece demonstrated the flexibility and creative potential of Vestel’s display solutions.  

Around the large ISE stand Vestel unveiled a new series of Hotel TVs, due to launch in Q4, a range of LED Wall solutions and a new budget series promising class-leading performance in an effective, value-oriented display. The brand also used the Barcelona show to highlight some of its existing display models and features favoured by integrators, including auto-rotation models, Wide Colour Gamut series displays, the sophisticated Device Management Tool and the new Power Management with Sensor bundle. 

Vestel will be exhibiting its education-specific displays and interactive screens in the UK this March, at the BETT UK 2023, 29-31 March at London’s ExCeL. 

 

The Benefits of Smart Defibrillator Monitoring For Schools – words by Matthew Margetts, Director at Smarter Technologies.

Defibrillators save lives – and smart defibrillator monitoring ensures this important equipment is locatable and in good working order in an emergency. From 20 January 2023, defibrillators have become mandatory in all state-funded schools. Research has shown that the use of a defibrillator for three to five minutes from the time of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by 40%. The availability of these devices in schools is a meaningful way to safeguard the lives of students, parents, staff, and visitors to schools.

The government’s defibrillator programme includes the installation of heated defibrillator cabinets outside school gates, which are accessible by communities. There are also provisions for two defibrillators in some schools, with the intention to have a second defibrillator in sports centres or near pools where the risk of a cardiac event is higher.

This forms part of the government’s broader plans to equip communities in need with defibrillators. One thousand community defibrillators and more than 20,000 school defibrillators are expected to be installed from a £1 million defibrillator fund.

The effectiveness of this programme relies on these devices being well-maintained, free from tampering and theft, and in a condition that does not affect their functionality. By using Internet of Things (IoT) smart technologies, the maintenance and care of defibrillators is simplified for schools and other organisations, ensuring they perform as needed in life-threatening situations.

Here are some of the benefits of smart defibrillator monitoring to maximise the effectiveness of these important devices:

REAL-TIME MONITORING

Smart technologies provide data insights on the status and condition of defibrillators and cabinets in real time. Some of the metrics include temperature, battery levels, status, faults, and location. This information is remotely accessible and can be viewed on a personalised dashboard. These smart solutions provide alerts on unusual or undesirable activity that inspire immediate action in the case of tampering or theft.

Especially in the case of cabinets that are located outdoors, extreme temperatures pose a worry for the continued operability of defibrillators. Many outdoor defibrillator cabinets are usually fitted with a thermostat that regulates temperature. Smart defibrillator monitoring provides real-time reports on temperature changes that may affect the effectiveness of defibrillators.

Manual monitoring is time consuming and resource intensive. Smart defibrillator monitoring automates these processes and removes the risk of oversight and human error. This empowers greater control and reduced timespans in addressing faults.

MAINTENANCE

Caring for defibrillators traditionally involves regular manual inspections. This ensures, for example, that batteries have not reached their shelf life and confirms the presence of pads and accessories. The functionality of smart defibrillator monitoring outlined above is also used to achieve optimal defibrillator maintenance, allowing for maintenance audits and comprehensive record-keeping.

This is a pragmatic approach to preventative and corrective maintenance. Defibrillators themselves also last for about five to seven years depending on servicing and usage. Smart monitoring solutions keep a detailed record of the events throughout the lifecycle of individual machines to guide replacement as needed.

Smart defibrillator monitoring solutions, like those from Smarter Technologies Group, should have simple retrofit capabilities that align with different defibrillator models. Smart defibrillator monitoring is a powerful and inexpensive solution. Finding out that a defibrillator is not functioning or has been vandalised eats into the critical minutes following a cardiac event. This data reporting tool works to keep defibrillators operational and increase their potential to save lives.

 

About the author

Matthew Margetts is a Director at Smarter Technologies. His background includes working for blue-chip companies such as AppNexus, AOL/ Verizon, and Microsoft in the UK, Far East and Australia.

About Smarter Technologies

Smarter Technologies Group will help to digitally transform your organisation with our market-leading expertise in hardware, software and proprietary communications. 

Smarter Technologies tracks, monitors and recovers assets across the globe in real time, providing asset tracking systems to the open market and fulfilling the world’s most complex asset tracking requirements. Our services cover a vast array of business sectors, products and equipment from container or pallet tracking to military-grade devices; and can be used across a broad spectrum of industries. As a leading IoT company, we also provide smart building solutions for modern businesses, offering wire-free, battery-powered and low-cost IoT smart sensor technology. Our solutions will put an end to scheduled maintenance and help businesses utilise their building’s efficiency, benefitting from real-time alerts and facilities management tools that will bring them into the 21st century. 

https://smartertechnologies.com/

New energy education programme launched to help schools save on sky-high utility costs

 

‘Energy in Schools’ provides energy management and educational tools that could help schools save thousands of pounds per year on energy costs and reduce carbon emissions

 

The programme will provide schools with smart meters, technology devices and learning resources to encourage lower consumption and energy efficiency education amongst students

 

SMS plc, a fully integrated energy infrastructure company, and MyUtilityGenius (“MUG”), an energy consultancy, have launched Energy in Schools (“EiS”) to help schools in Britain significantly reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, and to engage pupils in learning about energy efficiency.

 

A recent survey by the school leaders’ union NAHT[i] found that almost all respondents (99%) were expecting energy costs over the next 12 months to continue rising, with 16% anticipating an increase of 200% or more. More than a third of respondents predicted a budget deficit by the end of 2023, directly impacting their ability to invest in teachers and support for children.

 

The EiS programme will provide schools with everything required to get started on their energy-saving journey, including a smart meter, easy-to-use smart device sensors, pocket-sized programmable single-board computers (Micro:bit), a TV display, training, support and teaching resources. The integrated solution uses the energy monitoring software to draw data from the smart meters, to monitor energy consumption, and feed it to the TV in order to display the energy dashboard clearly to school users. This enables the school to engage pupils, teachers and visitors in analysing usage and support the behaviour change required to help manage and reduce consumption.

 

A pilot scheme for EiS across 20 schools, found the following results[ii] were achieved:

 

  • Schools implementing EiS could achieve savings of c.7% of on energy costs;
  • 85% of school participants reported more confidence in their knowledge across energy and climate topics with a better understanding of how much energy they used and how to reduce it;
  • 89% of schools were motivated to take action to reduce energy consumption, incentivised by the metrics provided by the EiS platform.

 

EiS – which is designed to help schools align with the Department for Education’s (DfE) ‘Climate Change Strategy’ and the UK government’s wider net zero 2050 goal – uses Microsoft coding and provides tailored lesson plans aligned to key stage two and three, engaging pupils in STEM subjects on climate change and energy consumption. The lesson plans were developed and tested by PGCE qualified experts at University of Lancaster and are designed to support staff, teachers and pupils. In addition, advice, training and an optional audit of school buildings to identify energy saving opportunities can also be provided under the scheme.

 

Schools can apply for the EiS programme through the website energyinschools.co.uk. Schools may be eligible for funding support to invest in the programme through the DfE, local councils, or their energy supplier.

 

Tom Woolley, Smart Product & Strategy Director at SMS, and spokesperson for Energy in Schools, said:

 

“Unprecedented energy price inflation means schools are under immense pressure to find cost savings. This means finding ways to mitigate the destructive impact of rising bills on school finances, and also reducing the education sector’s contribution to climate change more widely. Improving awareness and education of energy efficiency within schools, whilst providing easier access to technologies that can help schools and students better understand, manage, and reduce their consumption is one the simplest ways of achieving this.

 

“Energy in Schools is designed to empower schools with technologies and learning resources that can make them role models of sustainable energy use within our local communities, whilst also providing better opportunities for young people to engage practically with the net zero agenda. Ultimately, our goal is to help safeguard the future prospects of our school system, our children, and our planet.”

 

 

David Page, Deputy Head & Computing subject leader, Jennett’s Park Primary School:

 

“The Energy in Schools project has been fabulous. It has provided the children with a rich and meaningful context that has been truly empowering to them. They have taken responsibility to monitor the energy use across our school and make meaningful differences to energy consumption. The project has also strengthened their views of themselves as global citizens.”

 

[i] https://www.naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comments/Press-room/ArtMID/558/ArticleID/1648/Rapidly-rising-energy-costs-could-negatively-impact-education-and-hamper-recovery-efforts-say-school-leaders

[ii] Analysis conducted by CSE and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and separately by Carbon Trust

Ed-tech isn’t all bad

~ How VoIP can improve e-learning for teachers and students ~

 

Almost a third of university courses still combine face-to-face teaching with online learning, data gathered by the BBC suggests. However, as one disgruntled student labels virtual education no more than a “glorified online streaming service”, how can educators deliver quality, virtually? Here, Ross Slogrove, UK and Ireland country manager at business phone system provider Ringover, explains how VoIP technology can help overcome these challenges.

 

In January 2023, the BBC reported that 28 per cent of university courses are still being taught the hybrid way, compared to just 4.1 per cent pre-pandemic. For some students, blending the physical with the virtual has been beneficial, offering greater flexibility and reducing time on campus. Others, however, report a drop in the quality of their education. For educators, succeeding in 2023 has become a balancing act — offering the flexibility of hybrid education, without risking a subpar educational experience.

 

Introducing VoIP

For hybrid education to work effectively, educators and their students need access to the right technology. Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, can allow educational facilities to merge their telephone and computer networks in a way that’s more secure, cost-effective and easy-to-use.

 

VoIP enables calls through the internet, rather than a fixed telephone line. By 2025, it’s going to become an absolute essential that all educational facilities replace traditional legacy services with internet-based calling. BT will switch off the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in just two years’ time and, giving the complexity of transferring multiple teaching departments, back offices and administrative bureaus, it’s best to act now rather than wait for the deadline.

 

The sooner the education sector acts, the sooner it can reap the benefits of VoIP. Having a VoIP telephone system in place, integrated into a customer relationship management (CRM) system, forms the backbone of any ed-tech stack. Not only will it help educators deliver better quality online teaching, VoIP can also be used for multiple other facets of education customer service, from prospecting to future students and helpdesk support, to executing marking campaigns and streamlining email management.

 

Securing the space

A huge benefit of VoIP, that also helps deliver a better education customer service, is its security credentials. All educational facilities keep large volumes of data on record, including student contact details, performance logs, medical information and attendance records. Keeping this data safe from security breaches is crucial, but old analogue phone systems are more vulnerable to hacking. In fact, it’s reported that just over 40 per cent of primary schools and 70 per cent of secondary schools experienced cyber breaches between 2021 and 2022.

 

One of the main cyber threats facilities can face is through a Voice over Misconfigured Internet Telephones (VoMIT) tool, where cybercriminals steal voice snippets and confidential information directly from calls. However, a cloud-based VoIP system encrypts calls to protect content, rendering it unreadable if it is hacked.

 

Bringing confidence back

One of the biggest barriers teachers face when delivering high-quality virtual lessons is the lack of confidence. And, three years on from the pandemic, a lack of digital skills still impacts the education sector.

 

The 21st Century Teachers report, published in July 2022, found that 20 per cent of teachers say they have little or no experience using digital technology for teaching, and 48 per cent feel increased work stress due to the lack of digital technology integrated into their teaching. Elsewhere, a YouGov poll of 536 staff revealed that only 21 per cent of teachers felt ‘very confident’ with online learning.

 

So how can VoIP make teachers feel more at ease with online learning? Firstly, a VoIP system like Ringover’s encompasses a range of communication tools such as in-app chat, video calling and SMS messaging, which are easily connected with existing CRM integrations, APIs and educational tools.

 

This unification of communication tools and technology provides educators with some relief knowing that a VoIP phone system works alongside their existing teaching technologies and doesn’t require any further technical skill or experience to manage.

 

With the reception of hybrid learning still unbalanced, it is essential educational facilities keep customer service in mind for every one of their deliverables. Going hybrid has presented some obstacles, but VoIP can change that. The ease at which VoIP can integrate with existing systems and improve teacher and student experience takes the challenge out of delivering at a distance.

 

New book REDCAP released by Purple Mash Publishing with free downloadable resources and additional material for Purple Mash schools

REDCAP, an inspirational and heart warming tale written to help children appreciate how love can overcome hardship, has been brought to life by Purple Mash Publishing, complete with a teachers pack accessible for all schools and a suite of supporting downloadable interactive activities available for Purple Mash users.

 

REDCAP is the uplifting story of a little boy who lives with his mother in an enchanted wood. After she falls ill, REDCAP is determined to look after her and make her well again.

 

As a little boy, REDCAP faces many challenges in his quest to navigate the unrelenting woods. but he discovers that he possesses infinite strength, self-confidence and a burning desire to never give up. Helped by his woodland friends, Robby Robin, Sammy Squirrel, Softy Sheepdog and a woodsman called Mr Bobbins. REDCAP realises that anything is possible when you have love, determination and good friends by your side.

 

The book is published by Purple Mash Publishing, part of the 2Simple group, who are the creators of Purple Mash – an award-winning cross curricular website for primary school children, enabling them to explore and enhance their knowledge in a fun and creative way. Cloud-based, it delivers an exciting mash-up of curriculum focused activities, creative tools, programs and games.

 

Purple Mash resources are currently used by over 11,000 schools and educational establishments across the UK. 

 

To support the publication of REDCAP, Purple Mash has created a selection of printable teaching resources including quizzes, character interviews, diary entry and storyboarding. All have been designed by experienced educational professionals to optimise learning, with the free resources focusing on the book whilst the additional Purple Mash activities hone in on the key themes raised during REDCAP’S adventures.

 

Commenting on the publication of REDCAP, Nigel Canin, Co-Founder of 2Simple said: “We are delighted to bring the adventures of REDCAP to primary school children in a way which is informative and accessible to all. The teaching resources that support this book provide the perfect opportunity to extend discussions into the classroom and apply the themes to everyday life in a way that promotes inclusivity, compassion and camaraderie,”

 

A QR code is available to access free printable teaching resources. Purple Mash subscribers can access additional interactive online resources, just search REDCAP inside Purple Mash.

 

To start a free trial of Purple Mash or request a quote, click here.

Trinity Sixth Form Academy wins Dynabook devices in BETT competition to revolutionise learning.

Trinity Sixth Form Academy is an education institution exclusively for Year 12 and 13 students, located in West Yorkshire, England. Rated as outstanding by Ofsted, the school offers a wide variety of A-level and BTEC courses, and while only two years old, is growing fast with 700 students already.

 

The need to innovate, adapt to the increasingly digital world, and ensure the best tools possible for students, has been a crunch point for Trinity Sixth Form Academy ever since the pandemic bought with it a new age of education. Hybrid learning revolutionised what students expect from their educational experience, and a want to align more closely with the technology they use in their everyday lives.

 

To help supercharge this digital transition, Trinity Sixth Form Academy won a competition for 30 Satellite Pro C40-G Dynabook devices following their attendance at BETT 2022, the world’s leading education technology show. Implementation of the laptops proved seamless and efficient, arriving within two months, and ready to plug and play in time for the new school year, without the need for any additional support.

 

The impact the devices delivered for student and staff collaboration was significant. The Satellite Pro C40-G devices came equipped with the full Microsoft 365 office suite, and opened new lines of digital communication across the school via the Teams collaboration tool. Assemblies and large group meetings are also now able to run entirely across Microsoft Teams, allowing students to log on anywhere and connect, with the option to record sessions so they can easily catch up as needed. 

 

Prior to the Dynabook devices, there were limited options to store documents electronically or via the cloud. Now with the Satellite Pro C40-G devices, everything, from saving and sharing is done over the cloud, removing the stress of students submitting their work in paper form. The ability to host electronically was cited as a key benefit by the students, who all have their own folder system set up on Microsoft Teams so they can save and share work with confidence. The ultra-fast charging capabilities also proved perfect for the increasingly mobile learning environment of the sixth form, enabling devices to remain powered all day long.

 

Following the success of the devices, Trinity Sixth Form Academy has achieved its aim of transitioning to digitally led, reliable education and is looking into additional devices from Dynabook. This will ensure all staff and students feel the benefits this fleet has had on the learning experience.

 

Oliver Alcock, Director of IT at Trinity Sixth Form Academy, said “We were delighted when we won the competition following our attendance at BETT. It is so important that we move with technological innovation to bolster the education of our students. The devices supplied by Dynabook enabled us to achieve this goal, and the feedback from our students has been overwhelming positive, who prefer using the Satellite Pro C40-G laptops for schoolwork over old ways of working as it enhances remote collaboration. The devices have been reliable, and we have seen first-hand how this technology is supporting our student body in their education, which is the number one priority for us.”

 

Dawn Henderson, Education Sales Lead at Dynabook Europe, said, “Dynabook’s attendance at BETT aims to promote how digital learning is the future of education, so we were very excited to take part in this competition, and give the opportunity to Trinity Sixth Form to experience the benefits of this technology first hand. This has proved to be a great success, as Trinity Sixth Form is looking to continue its work with us in the future, so we can bring our technology to more students and help enhance digital education.”

Device Churn in Education – 626,400 devices are being replaced each year in the Education sector.

 

London, UK – November, 2022.

Acer conducted research in partnership with PX3 – an award-winning IT sustainability consultancy – which revealed that on average educational establishments replace 480 end user computer devices each year. However, for instance one university affirmed that its replacement program is of 2,500 devices annually. Considering that the UK has a total of 1,305 multi-academy trusts and universities, these findings suggest a considerable turnover involving the purchase and disposal by the education sector alone of around 626,400 devices yearly.

 

Device Churn

Such replacement is widely known as ‘device churn’. The average replacement cycle of EUC devices is three years and a half. 67% of respondents affirmed that they replace their EUC devices before they are four years old and 18% reported to keep devices in use for 5 years or longer. Only one multi-academy trust, admitted a refresh cycle of 10 years. No universities confirmed a device churn shorter than three years – compared with 24% of multi-academy trusts who did – and twice as many universities as trusts reported cycles of 4 – 5 years.

 
     

 

     
  Reasons behind the replacement cycles.

Many institutions implement EUC devices replacements on a regular basis, choosing not to conduct periodical specific analysis.

Many organizations believe that outdated, underperforming and obsolete devices can potentially pose organizations to risks, including security risks and that they need to be replaced with up-to-date equipment and to keep with the ongoing technological progress.

 

In the market research that took place, the most common reason for replacing devices given was performance for 67%, followed by battery life for 57%, operating system compatibility for 46% and expiring hardware warranties for 38%. Considering climate change concerns, energy consumption drives replacements for 31%.

Screen quality and screen size feature a low end of the range of key issues driving device churn for respectively 27% and 20%. Less significance has the appearance of the device for 11% and weight for 9%.

 

Conclusions.

Acer and PX3’s findings on the issue of device churn showed a continuous and early replacement of EUC devices than manufacturers may expect, due to performance, functionality and compatibility rather than for problems relates to equipment aesthetics or user experience.

 

Keep innovating with Acer for Education. Come to visit us at Bett show 2023 in stand NJ10 to stay current with the latest EdTech trends, discover innovative solutions for schools, update your skills and more! www.acer.com

 

TikTok teacher Kit Brown helps young people discuss diversity with help of free Premier League school resources

The end of last week marked the two-year anniversary of the launch of the Premier League’s No Room For Racism Action Plan, a key commitment of which is supporting communities and the education of young people on topics such as inclusion.  To mark this moment, TikTok teacher Kit Brown, led a special lesson with pupils on diversity.

 

Premier League Primary Stars provides teachers in England and Wales access to free downloadable curriculum-linked resources covering English, Maths, PE and PSHE, helping to support children’s learning both in the classroom and on the sports field.

 

Pupils at Martins Wood Primary School in Stevenage, where Mr. Brown is a teacher, received a Premier League Primary Stars assembly, learning about the League’s core values of being ambitious, inspiring, connected and fair before pupils could have their photo taken with the Premier League Trophy.

 

From there, the Premier League Trophy visited Mr. Brown’s Hazel Class, where Year 4 pupils discussed allyship, listened on as they had questions on diversity answered by Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira, before they designed a football shirt to promote diversity in a team.

 

Commenting on the free resources available for teachers, Mr. Brown said: “All the Premier League’s resources on anti-discrimination are fantastic.

“The lessons where I’ve based them on Premier League Primary Stars resources have been some of the most powerful lessons that I’ve had.

“Being a person of colour, now a teacher of colour, having those conversations a lot more and having them more in the classroom have been [beneficial] to me.

“Not only are [the resources] easy to deliver, but they also give you that starting point to open the door to what can be tricky conversations.

“The resources are really fun, they’re really engaging. You get the children out of their seats, you get the children being creative, you get the children to really think about those difficult conversations and how they can apply the values from them into real life.”

 

Mr. Brown is one of 8,900 teachers who has helped engage more 267,000 young people in primary schools across England and Wales, using Premier League Primary Stars No Room For Racism resources.

 

The free lesson plans and activities available via PLPrimaryStars.com cover equality, diversity and inclusion, allyship and stereotypes, encouraging important conversations at both Key Stages 1 and 2 (five to 11-year-olds).

Take a look at Premier League Primary Stars No Room For Racism, Racism and Inclusion, resources here.

 

You can hear more from Kit and pupils at Martin Wood Primary School here

 

Since launching in March 2019, No Room For Racism has brought together the League’s work against racial discrimination and the Action Plan is embedded across all Premier League activity. 

 

Over the last five seasons, match rounds have highlighted the ongoing action undertaken by the League and clubs and send a clear message to fans, urging them to take action when they see or hear racism and the work done via Premier League Primary Stars plays a key part in the process of educating pupils about what it means to be an ally and what can be done to end racism.

 

Premier League Primary Stars offers a range of resources, mapped to National Curriculum topics in English and PSHE, which aim to educate pupils about the negative impacts of racism and what we can do to tackle it. Visit plprimarystars.com for more information.