Move On Up
About Move On Up
Move On Up is a National Lottery Community Fund funded project that will provide early support to 290 young learning-disabled people in Leeds and Bradford leaving school, college and young people’s services, empowering them to transition successfully to adult community services. The project will run until the end of July 2025.
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We work in partnership with local schools, colleges and young people’s services to deliver interactive and creative transition workshops. The workshops focus on topics which equip young people with new life skills, so they transition to adult services feeling confident, with increased self-esteem and independence.
Transition Workshops
We work in partnership with local schools, colleges and young people’s services to deliver interactive and creative transition workshops. The workshops focus on topics which equip young people with new life skills, so they transition to adult services feeling confident, with increased self-esteem and independence.
Buddy Scheme
We’re working with partner organisations to train learning-disabled adults to become Buddies, so young people attending taster sessions are supported by a peer.
One to One Support
We can provide one-to-one support to young people who need longer-term, holistic support to transition to adult services.
Support for families and carers
We can support parents, families and carers by offering advice, information and guidance about community activities and funding arrangements.
Spring 2025 Update
“You make each and every participant feel truly valued and supported and make their transition into new services much smoother and more positive than it would otherwise be.” Tutor feedback
It’s been a busy few months in our Move On Up final year; the students at Leeds City College and Bradford College have done brilliant work, including giant games of Jenga to rebuild the routines, writing song lyrics about being a good friend, creating acrostic poems to argue why they chose a certain activity, and working as a team to solve various puzzles in our escape room session!
We’ve also been encouraging participants to reflect on their experiences and relate the topic to their wider lives. Each group chose a multi-sensory journey to go on, and use this imagery to help them engage in reflective questions.
Alongside our Transition Workshops, we also finished putting together the online version of our Move On Up training. We are currently piloting the online model, and will be ready to share it soon!
Finally, as we move into the summer term, we are moving into our final few months of this phase of Move On Up. We are working hard behind the scenes to develop the next phase of the project; if you are interested in getting involved with Move On Up, especially as we explore how the project will look in its second phase, please get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
You can keep up to date with Move On Up and see photos from the workshops on our Instagram and Facebook.
Move On Up’s Impact
“Students have the opportunity to make choices, express themselves and work together which is building confidence and self-esteem” Tutor feedback
Using our innovative Purple Patch Approach to evaluation, we reimagined the River of Life evaluation tool to take our participants of a journey of reflection on their year and their feelings about their futures. We pride ourselves on creating safe, supportive spaces that enable our participants to express themselves and share how they are feeling in a way that suits them. Move On Up helps participants to develop the skills and confidence to share their true feelings, positive or negative, meaning they can feel more empowered to use their voice during times of change.
“Move On Up has given the students lots of time to talk about how they feel and has helped teach them to use their voice” Tutor feedback
Move On Up Training
“Hannah and Róisín delivered a fantastic session. It was well planned, with clear focus and engaging activities.” Training feedback
During the third year of Move On Up, we developed and piloted training for school and college staff to deliver Move On Up workshops to their students. We have had more requests for Move On Up than we can accomodate, so we hope that by creating training, we will be able to expand the reach and impact of the project, as well as spreading the use of the Purple Patch Approach.
100% of the school and college staff who have completed the Move On Up training would recommend the training to another teacher.
Our in-person Move On Up Training is now available to book for your school or college!
The Move On Up training has 3 sections:
- ‘The Purple Patch Approach’: explore the Purple Patch Approach: what it entails, why we use it, and how to use it.
- ‘The Transitions Toolkit’: explore the tools in the Transitions Toolkit, look at a variety of creative activities to develop the skills, and examine the structure of a Move On Up session.
- ‘Gathering Thoughts and Opinions’: explore ways for participants to express their thoughts and opinions through creative, multi-sensory methods.
In each section, we will provide plenty of activity ideas, which will also be distributed in an ‘Activity Bank’ booklet, as well as give your staff the tools to create and develop their own ideas.
We are also currently developing an online version of the Move On Up training – watch this space!
If you would like to know more about Move On Up training, please contact Hannah using the form below or the contact details at the end of this page.
Contact us about Move On Up Training for your staff:
“Really enjoyed the training. I like how interactive and practical the session was. I found all the ideas relevant to my class. I will definitely implement them into my teaching.” Training feedback
Move On Up Online Training
Our Move On Up online training includes all of the elements of our in-person training, but in webinar form, meaning you can access it at any time.
Already set up for your online training? Access it here:
Want to know more and sign up for our online training option? Contact Hannah using the details at the bottom of this page!
Move On Up Resources
Organisations Booklet
The Move On Up Network is a group of organisations and services across West Yorkshire who have provided us with up-to-date information about their service to share with Move On Up participants. Click the link below to access the accessible booklet.
Buddy Training
We have developed the Move On Up Buddy Scheme to develop the peer support available for young people transitioning into new activities and organisations. Take a look at the training available and get in touch if you would like a Buddy Training pack for your organisation!
Move On Up Newsletter
Our Move On Up Newsletter provides information about transitions, relevant events and opportunties, organisations, and websites to support families and carers during the transition process. You can read the relevant newsletter using the buttons below.
You can read all of the newsletters using the links below:
Please note, the newsletters below do not include upcoming events, open days and opportunities. If you would like to see information about upcoming events in either Leeds or Bradford, please check out the newsletters above, which contain the most recent information about events.
Where to Start?
Starting Conversations
The Money Bit
Social Worker Q&A/Carer Support
Supported Living Information
Information Round-Up
If you have any questions about the Move On Up resources, please contact Hannah or Róisín using their details below.
As always, a big thank you to Beth who designed our logo, and the wonderful icons that accompany the various strands of the project!
Move On Up Contacts
If you would like to know more about Move On Up, please get in touch!
Hannah, Projects Manager
Róisín, Projects Assistant
Move On Up is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.