Introducing the New Leeds for Learning Store
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Leeds for Learning ‘Store’ on 28th July 2019.
The Store has been created to improve your experience when browsing, purchasing and authorising financial transactions through Leeds for Learning.
Examples of how the new Store will look can be downloaded, above. (Please note that the images are a 'mock up' for illustration only and do not reflect the services and products that will actually be offered when the system goes live).
The Store will be accessed via a new tab from your Leeds for Learning home page; once the Store is live this is where you will search for, and order from, our existing range of contracts, SLAs and adhoc services or request a bespoke quote.
The Store has been designed to provide a familiar ordering experience consistent with other online shopping providers. New ‘user guides’ will be provided to ensure a smooth transition to the new Store, these will be produced in August and will be available on the Leeds for Learning resource area.
Our aim is to offer you an improved customer journey and we hope that you will find these changes beneficial.
We look forward to hearing your feedback!
Benefits of the New Store:
Store Search - Dedicated searches mean that you can get to the item(s) you want much faster.
Increased Detail and Images - New offers will include more detail and images to support you to make informed decisions about the items you wish to purchase.
Annual Ordering - This option replaces some of the ‘quick buy’ functions by pulling together all items purchased in the previous year to save you time.
New Bundles - In 2020 new ‘Bundles’ will be available linking contracts and services from across a range of Leeds City Council teams. Watch this space for further news!
Auto Reminders - New reminder emails will let you know if you have contracts/services unchecked out in your shopping basket. If a limited number of items are available please note that adding to the shopping basket does not guarantee availability, items must be checked out.
Shopping Basket - A much improved and more interactive way of displaying the items you are ordering, each item can be clicked to see further detail.
If you have any queries regarding the new Store, please do not hesitate to contact our team who will be happy to help, leedsforlearning@leeds.gov.uk
Announcing Leeds Year of Reading!
Leeds is declaring September 2019 – September 2020 a Year of Reading!
This is in order to activate the whole city around reading and the love of reading. Currently there is a large gap in achievement between secondary school students who read books for pleasure and those who do not (OECD, 2010; Mol and Bus, 2011), and the strongest predictor of reading growth from age 10 to age 16 is whether a child reads for pleasure (Sullivan & Brown, 2013). (Booktrust review of Reading for Pleasure in Secondary Schools 2016). A love of reading leads to a love of learning and this helps to underpin achievement in all subjects at both primary and secondary schools. So we feel it is vital that the city supports children, families and communities to engage with reading and all of the associated activities that support reading.
Lots more details will be coming out in the next few weeks and over the Summer.
Follow the year of reading on twitter (@Leedsyearofreading ) and use the hashtag #Leedslovesreading if you want to get involved.
Phil Mellen, Deputy Director for Learning
Leeds for Learning Blog is Live!
We are delighted to announce that the new Leeds for Learning blog is now live and can be found at
https://blog.leedsforlearning.co.uk
It is a place for education professionals from the Leeds Learning Community - and beyond - to share news, views and ideas around current educational hot topics. Chief blogger is Phil Mellen, Deputy Director for Learning who will be joined by fellow bloggers from the LCC Learning Leadership team, so please feel free to join the conversation and help shape the dialogue that has a real impact on educational outcomes for children and young people.
Inside I'm Hurting Conference: Supporting Pupils who have experienced Significant Relational Loss and Trauma Friday 13th September 2019
Conference: Inside I’m Hurting
Supporting pupils who have experienced significant relational loss and trauma
Primary and Secondary Headteachers, Senior Leaders and Class Teachers
Leeds United Football Club, Elland Road, Leeds LS11 0ES
Friday 13th September 2019 8.00am – 4.00pm
The Virtual School in Leeds is delighted to present this one-day Conference delivered by nationally recognised trainer Louise Bomber from Touchbase.
The Conference will explore how early childhood experiences can impact on children’s ability to manage in a school context and will provide delegates with a range of knowledge and skills that can support policy and practice to understand behaviour as communication and promote learning.
The programme is being presented to support schools in both meeting their statutory responsibilities to looked after children and those who were previously looked after but also in recognition that there are thousands of children in schools across the city who also present with these needs who could be children in need, have an early help assessment or not known to services at all.
Free Places for Schools
Two complimentary places are initially being offered to all Primary and Secondary Schools in Leeds with one place allocated to a school leader and the other to a designated teacher.
To register your place, visit the Mondale Events website at:
https://mondale-events.co.uk/event/leedscitycouncilvirtualschool/
Music Centres Can Complement Classroom Learning
If you are a Head Teacher or Music Co-ordinator in Leeds, you will already be aware of the various music education services that ArtForms can offer for your school here on Leeds for Learning, but did you know that we also have offers within the community in the form of our Music Centres? They run on Saturday mornings during term time, hosted in seven schools across the city and are open to the whole community, regardless of age, as a place to learn to play and make music together.
The benefits of music on learning and education are well documented, including in this study from March, where researchers from the VU University of Amsterdam found that "children who received music lessons showed improved language-based reasoning and the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks, as well as improved academic achievement."
Another study from the University of Arizona found that “young men and women who shared musical experiences with their parents during childhood - and especially during adolescence - report having better relationships with [their parents] as they enter young adulthood.” The majority of Music Centre classes are based on ability rather than age group, so this allows parents and their children to learn and make music together which can benefit their social development and wellbeing.
ArtForms’ Music Centres offer a wonderful opportunity for your pupils to expand the knowledge they gain through their National Curriculum learning and complement their instrumental or vocal lessons in schools, as well as giving them the skills and confidence to reach their potential both inside and out of the classroom.
Our Music Centres will be enrolling from 9am on Saturday 8th September – why not encourage your pupils and their parents to go along to their closest centre! For more information, including what is on offer, and to find your nearest music centre, you can also visit our website.
