LearnRadio.Net - A broadcasting platform that reaches anywhere that has an internet connection
LearnRadio.Net is a live Internet radio station created during
the first lockdown to provide a daily interactive learning
experience. We started broadcasting on 20th March 2020 with
a vision to reach children, young people and families in their
homes to help support and scaffold their learning. Our listeners
hear well known authors read from their books. Children then
follow our live writing challenges on our showpage. Uniquely,
no registration or email addresses are required; our Padlets
allow moderated posts to be shown publicly in realtime. It’s a
fast paced format with music tracks and shoutouts playing an
important part for wellbeing.
Last year over 600k listeners joined us and engaged in our
shows. Online-Radio is technically light-weight and can be
enjoyed using older mobile phones with the tiniest amount
of bandwidth. This is perfect for tech-poor households who
possibly do not have access to superfast broadband and the
latest laptop.
We are now a team of educators from across the UK, the two
original founders, Headteacher Ian Rockey in Wiltshire and
broadcaster Russell Prue in Oxfordshire have been joined by
Maria Wojciechowska-Caneda in London and Hazel Pinner in
Orkney.
We have continued our work right the way through to lockdown
3 with our five regular weekly shows that include an after
school book club, educator wellbeing shows with live Yoga and
professional development ideas. We have shows for inspiring
creative educators and a feel good Friday music show. Our
Crafty Cafe shows are on Saturdays; designed to engage and
inspire young creatives with live make-alongs. Pupil voice
and interaction are important elements that run through all of
our shows, with children able to connect and feel a part of the
community.
Children’s mental health and wellbeing have been a primary
concern right from the start and our shows are tailored to support
this through upbeat tracks, familiar voices and opportunities to
get a mention for friends and family, who young people may
not have seen for some time. This fully underpins our ethos of
‘evolution, innovation and connection’ as it highlights how our
shows are ever evolving, particularly throughout lockdown. We
regularly inspire young people to extend their learning. It’s all
part of the validation process and getting that quick win, with
the many elements of success that our shows bring, all going
towards raising self esteem and confidence.
From an educational perspective, we are also evolving to
support the broader curriculum through the introduction
of ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy’. The seeds are sown, and the show
waters those seeds and the listeners grow them, with endless
possibilities for development and enjoyment.
We have recently broadened our focus to take in the Arts, STEM
and Music with our programme output. All of our broadcasts
and showpages are available to enjoy again from our website,
building a huge resource for reference and future use, by
families, educators and colleagues alike. We have a formidable,
deployable solution that does not involve video imagery or
pose any safeguarding risks. LearnRadio also hosts dedicated
shows for specific schools and home users.
Our broadcasting platform reaches anywhere that has an
internet connection. We have even put on a live show to
celebrate a birthday bringing young folks together who have not
been able to meet this year. We are available for commissions
and specific broadcasting projects. At the moment, we’re self
funded and looking for sponsors and supporters to allow us
to continue our valuable work. We have a Radio Academy for
budding radio presenters and podcasters.
Please visit our site LearnRadio.Net where you will find a wealth
of information and every one of our previous shows as a podcast.
LearnRadio.Net
From Engage issue 22.
LearnRadio.Net • September 27, 2021
Seeds of Hope are everywhere! “I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Stage at the Lake…” But it was special to meet all of the Calderdale team in person, who had brought this four-day event together so successfully. Sometimes an event stays with you long after the final performance has finished. My visit to Stage at the Lake at the beautiful Shibden Hall in Calderdale was one of those occasions. As UNESCO ASPnet UK Coordinator, I was delighted to be invited as a guest, but what I experienced was much more than simply attending an event. Here, in the grounds of a house steeped in history, the past, present and future seemed to meet. The English Chamber Orchestra filled the setting with music, Northern Ballet brought movement and storytelling to life, and throughout there was a wonderful sense of creativity, community and possibility. And then there were the parklets; a unique gardening festival at Shibden Park celebrating community, creativity and the power of nature to bring people together. At its heart was a specially commissioned trail of ten micro show gardens, designed and built by community groups from across Calderdale. It was wonderful to see spaces where ideas, conversations and creativity were flourishing and connecting through Seeds of Hope. I cannot wait to see them transported to their ‘forever homes’. Standing there, I found myself thinking about what we mean when we talk about education, culture and hope.
2025 During the annual fomasyon for Alfa monitors, Antoliyis Pye gave an extensive presentation on how best to introduce and develop basic math concepts in literacy classes. The response to his insight and enthusiasm led to our decision to create our own math book for Alfa participants. In Haiti and around the world, illiterate market women and peasant farmers develop their own techniques for calculating and recording numbers. However, in providing literacy for the development of our people, we must also introduce the world of conventional numeracy. These skills lead to logical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions on numerical evidence. For a year we worked together to draft the contents of our Alfa Liv Kalkil, seek illustrations, create layout, and finally take our product to the local printer. Funds were provided for 350 copies, enough for each Alfa participant at each of our sites at the present level of attendance. 2026 Our next step was to fully engage each Alfa monitor in the process for introduction and use of Liv Kalkil in Alfa classes. Our two day fomasyon for 2026 was dedicated to ensuring that each member of our team was familiar with the book and comfortable in implementing the concepts with Alfa participants. The sessions were a great success. Every monitor was extremely pleased with this new tool which will allow them and their classes to work together in the world of mathematics. Liv Kalkil is now in service for every participant throughout Alfa, from Limonade itself out to sites in the hills and along the river. It is with some excitement that the monitors and participants are beginning to use our very own, home-grown, math book. In the same way that we already had Goute Sel*, Lekti Netale*, Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti*, we are proud to have this math book which advances our shared work for the development of our people. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported us in developing this book. We want to thank our dedicated team of monitors, the Alfa support team in Columbus, Ann Beatty and the Steve Sinnott Foundation, and the many others who contribute to our literacy programme. Chancy Jak (Alfa Co-ordinator) Antoliyis Pye (senior monitor) *Goute Sel: Taste of Salt (base text for Alfa literacy classes) *Lekti Netale (reading comprehension) *Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (stories from Haitian history; Alfa second level)
Every teacher has a time in their career when a student needs someone to listen to them instead of just a lesson plan. Schools have been preparing for that moment for far too long. That started to alter on Friday, August 7, 2026. After completing a five-day guidance and counselling program in the RED 2 West hall in Brikama, 64 educators left with certificates and something more substantial than paper. They left with a duty: to be a support system for young people negotiating the challenging realities of school and life, a listening ear for a struggling student, and a source of advice for a colleague. Why This Training Matters During the closing ceremony, union leaders and education administrators made it clear that schools need counsellors, and they need them right now. The message is grounded in reality. Today's students face an ever-more complicated array of social, emotional, financial, and personal obstacles as they enter the school each morning. Teachers are the first to notice it. They are the ones in the classroom when a youngster needs someone to notice, when a student becomes quiet, or when grades decline for no apparent reason. Guidance and counselling have traditionally been viewed as optional extras rather than essential components of a school's operations. This instruction directly challenged that notion. Counselling and guidance are not extras. It contributes to the success of a school. Five Days of Learning and Practice Over the course of the week, participants moved beyond theory into practice, building the listening skills, guidance techniques, and support strategies they'll need to respond to real situations in real time. It wasn't just about acquiring knowledge; it was about rehearsing the kind of presence that makes a difference when a student or colleague needs it most. By the final day, the room held a shared sense of purpose. Participants reflected on what the five days had given them, not only new skills, but a renewed sense of why they came into education in the first place. They thanked the funders who made the training possible and made a collective commitment: to serve with diligence, empathy, and purpose. Taking It Beyond the Training Room The real test of this training won't happen in Brikama; it'll happen in the weeks and months ahead, in classrooms, corridors, staffrooms, and communities across the region. The 64 newly certified counsellors were challenged to carry what they learned into every one of those spaces: to notice the learner who's struggling silently, to check in on the colleague who seems overwhelmed, to be the steady presence that a school community can lean on. That's the real outcome of a training like this. Not just a certificate, but a shift in what's considered normal: a school culture where guidance and counselling sit at the centre of education, not the margins.
