Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs

Supporting educators to welcome pupils from overseas with Leon Smith, Twinkl

September 10, 2021 Jamie Veitch Season 9 Episode 24
Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs
Supporting educators to welcome pupils from overseas with Leon Smith, Twinkl
Show Notes

Leon Smith is Chief Customer Officer at educational publisher Twinkl. The Sheffield-based firm employs over a thousand people and has produced specialist resources to support schools and educators in welcoming pupils arriving from overseas for many years.

Now, in response to growing demand, the EdTech giant has launched a curated collection of these (and new) resources, many of which are free to access, to provide guidance on how educators can support and welcome students whose first language is not English. There are also packs to help parents and educators explain current affairs and  upsetting news stories to children and young people.

Leon, a former teacher, tells me more about the range of resources and the impact they are designed to have. Plus she updates us on recent developments at Twinkl – and what her role as chief customer officer involves. We delve into user experience and marketing too.

Also in this episode: details of three fantastic grant funding opportunities:

  • £50,000 grants and mentoring, coaching and business support in the Women in Innovation Awards. Deadline 13 October.
  • Grants of up to £10,000 through the South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund – but be quick, the closing date is 9am on Monday 13 September. Details.
  • Innovate UK's Healthy ageing challenge – more about this on the UKRI website; closing date 17 November 2021.

And some events: a couple of years ago I visited the Megatron, part of a network of underground river tunnels and Victorian storm drains beneath Sheffield City Centre. This watery cavern is an engineering marvel. Public tours have resumed so grab your chance. Plus the free People Communities Together festival.

Timings:

  • 0:00 - 16:39 Leon Smith, Twinkl.
  • 16:39 New research demonstrates managers are focusing more on output than hours worked – and this improves recruitment and retention.  It's from the Working Families Benchmark Report.
  • 19:30 Grants and funding: Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards | South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Mayoral Community Fund | Innovate UK's Healthy ageing challenge.
  • 24:41 How to visit the Megatron in Sheffield on the 12, 19 or 26 September | People Communities Together Festival