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
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk 📅 Deadline: 5th September 2025 Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! 🌍💡 Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
