We are delighted to be hosting a series of wellbeing workshops for our current parents.
All sessions will take place from 18:00 – 19:00. Please see information on the upcoming workshops below.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Timms (Senior Deputy Head) at timmsn@ashfordschool.co.uk.
Supporting your child in a Digital World - Tuesday 29 March 2022
Speaker: Gemma Gwilliam, Cross Phase Educational Technologist at United Learning
Workshop Overview:
Over the past few years, we’ve seen the Digital World grow incredibly as more and more can be accessed at the touch of our fingertips through a wide range of devices and platforms. Lockdown added to this as we moved to a world of online learning, hybrid working and flexibility in our approaches to how we see and interact with the world.
Based on this development, it comes of no surprise that using technology effectively is going to be fundamental to the futures of our children, but how can this be achieved safely? What steps can we take as parents, carers and educators to support our children, from knowing the different types of social media platforms, to providing them with safe devices and even developing those core 21st century skills so that they can thrive in this new digital world we’ve found ourselves living in?
About Gemma:
Gemma is an experienced teacher and leader, having worked across all year groups in independent and state schools, both in her hometown of Portsmouth and internationally across Asia. She is passionate about using technology to enhance teaching and learning, whilst reducing teacher workload and equipping all children with the necessary skills to learn and work in the 21st century. Gemma will often talk openly about some of the barriers she faces with her Dyslexia and uses these experiences to then advocate how technology can support both children and adults with additional needs.
Since joining the Educational Technologist team at United Learning in January 2021, Gemma has supported many schools across the trust as well as playing an active part in the Department of Education’s EdTech Demonstrator Programme. This has included: producing materials, offering webinars and training sessions, and working with senior leaders (both at school and trust level) to develop their digital strategy. More recently, Gemma has been working with the Portsmouth Education Partnership to develop a city-wide digital city project, where “No one school, child or family are left behind” based on three big ticket items including digital learning, digital skills and digital citizens. With her experience in coaching and mentoring, she has also been supporting ITEs and ECTs/NQTs across the South Coast and through the United Teaching Network as they begin their teaching careers so that they have the confidence and expertise to teach in the 21st century classroom.
A final part of Gemma’s role has been working with the Safeguarding Lead and other members of the Ed Tech Team to: write the United Learning Online Safety Policy; produce a Computing Curriculum for Primary schools with E Safety integrated throughout; and supporting schools across the trust with accessing Online Safety materials, which is what brings her here today.
Qualifications: BA (Hons) Primary Education and Teaching with QTD, Global Master in Business Administration, Microsoft Innovative Educator, Apple Teacher
Twitter: @GwilliamMiss
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gemmagwilliam
Empathy & self-compassion to overcome shame - Thursday 19 May 2022
Speaker: Rose Berry, Holistic Health & Life Coach & Founder of My Friend Fear
Workshop Overview:
We are not broken, and we do not need fixing – each of us is whole and perfect. In this talk, I discuss how the key to feeling healthy and well in mind, body and spirit, is through recognising that we are all enough as we are. Once we are able to embody this belief, our perspective of the world changes by creating a sense of safety within ourselves, helping to shift from fear to balance and ease.
About Rose:
Rose Berry is a holistic health & life coach, founder of My Friend Fear and former pupil at Ashford School. Her purpose is to help people feel safe enough to express their truest self, discover what brings them joy and find fulfillment through personal liberation. Having suffered with anxiety most of her life and come face to face with depression more than once, she shares the many insights she has gained and continues to gain on the never ending journey of self-healing.
Instagram: @myfriendfear_
Website: https://myfriendfear.com/
The Hungry Teenager: An introduction to teenage Health & Wellness - Tuesday 14 June 2022
Speaker: Lucy Osborne, Naturopath, Nutritional Therapist, & Medical Herbalist
Workshop Overview:
The teenage years are an important period of growth and development in a child’s life. Good food and nutrition play a vital role in helping teenagers navigate this exciting and often challenging journey. Many of us might be aware that good nutrition is important but encouraging / convincing our teenagers to eat well is not always easy.
In this presentation Lucy will share her knowledge and experience and provide practical solutions to help you support your teenagers to improved health and wellness.
About Lucy:
Lucy has been in the health and wellbeing sector for over 20 years, qualifying initially as a Physiotherapist and then going on to train as a Naturopath in Sydney, Australia. Lucy works in private practice and endeavours to combine her wealth of knowledge, both in nutrition and herbal medicine to help clients, young and old, to achieve the best of health. As a mother of two active boys Lucy is all too aware of the demands of busy family life and her approach, whilst well informed, is always practical and down to earth.