Tents Could Be Used to Support Return To School After Lockdown

Social distancing could be maintained with a concept already trialled successfully in Denmark

**Above: proposed pop-up classrooms including hand washing facilities (© Darc Studio)**

London-based architecture studio, Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture (CLTH) has released a new concept to help mitigate restricted circulation routes within schools and maintain the necessary social distancing among pupils and staff when schools reopen. This follows the latest announcement from the UK government on its plans to allow primary schools in England to reopen to select year groups from June.

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      string(4464) "point it’s a negative. But we have done so much learning, just a different kind.The last response above is an interesting one, and as school practitioners it will be important that we value, and show that we value, all of the new skills and learning that our students have gained which may sit outside of the formal curriculum. For many of our students with SEN, they have had the opportunity to focus on developing very important independent life-skills. These include planning and cooking meals for their family, teaching themselves about areas of interest in detail, and consolidating basic literacy and numeracy skills to develop a greater understanding and confidence. All of this needs to be acknowledged and valued by the school setting and used to support further positive progress and increases in confidence and skills for the individual student.Regular contacts with key staffAnother important aspect that parents commonly reported worked well through the lockdown experience was the regular contacts that they had with key staff whilst the students were learning from home.In the regular school context, this direct contact occurs naturally in the interactions that we have with our students in their lessons and around the school. However, in the unnatural context that we found ourselves in with schools closing, we quickly developed systems and processes for continuing that direct liaison and contact, albeit virtually. Direct mentoring and intervention sessions were therefore set up on virtual platforms to enable some continuity and consistency with key SEN targets and provision, as well as regular informal ‘check-in’s’. Actually, it was the regular informal ‘check-in’s with students and their parents that were particularly valued and which, in a busy secondary school, many parents do not receive. Many of our parents valued and appreciated our weekly email check-in’s and, even if they did not have any concerns, appreciated hearing from us and having that direct contact with us.This will therefore need to be something that we consider developing and continuing in the return to school- how can we establish and embed this in a meaningful and effective way, once we are all back in school?Reflective Questions:   What do you currently know about the experience of students with SEN and their parents with SEN? Has this been largely positive or negative? How do you know? How could you use this information to inform the development of practice in your school setting?   Professional Development Activity:   Having reflected on the strategies and findings presented above, work with colleagues to identify ways that you can work with students with SEN and their parents to find out more about their experiences through lockdown.   Try to identify the aspects of virtual learning that worked for students with SEN and that they valued; and any aspects that they have identified that give you more information about thei underlying needs and ways that they need support.   Think about ways that their insights can impact on the positive development of elements of practice and provision in your school setting moving forward. What will you take forward?How? Who will you need to work with to do this?    In Part 2 these discussions will be developed further by considering ways to use the unique insights provided by the recent lockdown and virtual learning experiences of our students with SEN to plan for their successful return to school and to review existing practices and systems embedded in our schools to question how effective they are and ways to further reduce barriers to learning for all students.Alison Ekins  is Director of SEN, Valley Invicta Academy Trust and Head of Foundation Learning Department, Valley Park SchoolReferences[i]DfES (2001) SEN Code of Practice, London, DfES.DfE/ DoH (2015) SEN and Disability Code of Practice, London, DfE/DoH.[ii] DfE (2013) Teachers’ Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies, DFE, London[iii] Ainscow, M., Booth, T. and Dyson, A. (2006) Improving Schools, Developing Inclusion. Oxon: Routledge.[iv] Delamont, S and Atkinson, P. (1995) Fighting Familiarity: Essays on Education and Ethnography. New Jersey: Hampton Press."
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'How to do it' Guides

How To Remove Barriers To Learning For SEN Children - Lessons From Lockdown.

12 Apr 2021

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      string(5789) "Renaissance quiz improves skills and confidenceSponsored ArticleOnline learning has played a key role in education for many years. The majority of schools have used technology to deliver parts of the curriculum, raise standards and often to support children and young people who need extra help above and beyond that provided during school hours. This year is different. With Covid, online learning was no longer just an option, it became an essential part of how we teach our children.Lockdown gave education technology providers a chance to reflect on how they deliver content and whether it meets the needs of children and teachers when they are operating at a distance.  Renaissance has a wide base with over 6,500 schools and 1.6million pupils in the UK using its products. The company has been workingclosely with teachers during lockdown. 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Some children who are classed as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ may not be able to attend school while others may move to a blend of school attendance and home tuition.  Some schoolshave provided full time tuition during lockdown with excellent rates ofattendance but this has not been true across the board. Thegovernment has announced a Covid-19 catch up fund, and a number oforganisations have expressed concerns about learning inconsistencies duringlockdown. Some children have struggled to access technology during schoolclosures and others have found it hard to focus on school work while at home.Accordingto Renaissance’s research, when it comes to successful learning, over a thirdof teachers and school leaders (34%) believe that the input from parents hasthe biggest impact. This is followed by a quarter (25%) who say feedback fromteachers, and 16% who believe the ability to set tailored work, makes thelargest difference to learning achievement during lockdown.Increased confidence in using thetechnology Whileschool closures have caused many problems, teachers have used the time toimprove their skills. The Renaissance research shows that nearly two-thirds(65%) of teachers and senior leaders say they are more confident using edtechcompared to pre-Coronavirus.  MargaretAllen, Curriculum and Education Specialist at Renaissance, said: ‘We have beenso impressed by how quickly pupils, teachers, and schools have adapted to theseexceptional times. No technology can replace the role of a teacher in aclassroom but it can help teachers to enhance the educational experience fortheir pupils, and effectively and consistently track their progress.’ This isgood news as three-quarters of those surveyed (75%) believe online remote orblended learning will play a continued role in education after lockdown ends.How schools deliver online learning will therefore continue to be a keyconsideration. Renaissance’sresearch showed that during remote learning the online tool that teachers citedas the most effective was quiz-style formats with instant feedback (24%). Thecompany is well known for developing products rooted in research and with astrong evidence base from education professionals, psychometricians and datascientists. They also offer first rate support and professional developmentwhich increase teacher confidence. Flagshipproducts such as Accelerated Reader and Star Reading help teachers to track,monitor and improve their students’ reading both at home and in school. Many teachers will want to assess student progress at the beginning of the academic year when schools return and Renaissance’s formative assessment solutions provide teachers with invaluable data to track pupil development and guide future learning. Similarly, Focus Skills™ for literacy and maths are being made freely available to schools to provide a roadmap for closing learning gaps and can be used to support individual, group or class instruction.‘Ourtools are designed to help teachers stay on top of their pupils’ performance,and encourage their love of learning, wherever they’re doing it,’ said MargaretAllen. ‘Education technology can transform pupils’ outcomes now more than ever,and we’re committed to supporting schools to make the process as easy"
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Teachers Prepare To Address Learning Loss As Schools Return This September

12 Aug 2020

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      string(5239) "The pre-recorded lessons were posted with resources on both Satchel One and Google Classroom Podcast. Some staff were reluctant to at first but this has become a key feature of the school’s provision. Now the school is in the enviable position of having a bank of lessons that can be used both in school and remotely for the years to come. The school conducted over 100 online lessons per week for all year groups. This included large Google live stream events for whole year groups, smaller class size Google Meets for individual classes and small group seminars for Sixth Form classes. Some of the live streams were very popular with most having over 200 students participating.Next time round The senior leadership team has planned for four different levels of lockdown.:Level one: at the time of writing, some  15 to 20 young people per year group are at home with symptoms or have siblings suspected of having Covid or members of the family who are shielding. Pupils are added to and removed from this virtual classroom area on a daily basis as and when they report potential symptoms or return to schoolLevel two: if a whole class or year group is out,  teachers would be working face to face with those classes in school and then switching to online learning for the classes working from home.  Satchel One lets them set up individual classrooms for each year group and staff representatives are tasked with uploading work.  Level three: if there is a partial lockdown, or perhaps a rota system with year 7 in on a Monday and Thursday and year 10 on a Wednesday and Friday etc.   The timetable would continue but at a distance using GoogleMeet for lessons and Satchel One for tasks .  Teachers may find themselves teaching  classes face to face for part of the day and other classes via Google Meet or Google Live with tasks set for each subject on Satchel One so everyone has a record of what pupils should be working on. Level four: full lockdown then staff would focus on online learning using the techniques and technology from last lockdown but extending a refining  these approaches Lessons learnt The summer term provided a steep learning curve but staff learned what worked and what needed improvement.  ‘Differentiation was not fully realised last time round,’ said Kavanagh. ‘We had lots of Google Meets and Live Lessons but we often taught the same thing to everyone in the class. Next time round we will split classes and teach the same topic but at different levels, such as foundation, medium and high.’There will be more emphasis on assessment too, using Google Classroom toset up templates. Last time round it was experimental with a few departments usingquizzes for low stakes testing. It will be far more extensive this year and inanother lockdown they will be making more use of Google Classroom and lookingat ways to develop short written responses and to upload extended writing tasks.Howe and Kavanagh have come to appreciate the full extent of the Satchel One offering through lockdown and the return to school. The Seating app helps track pupil contact and clear  seating plans mean that if a child is off sick the school will know exactly which pupils have been sitting in proximity. If children are sent home, the Content app provides access to Collins’ online textbooks for English, maths and science so staff can be sure that all children will have access to the same materials.Staff have also come to appreciate some of the other features. 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That way you     can set work in art and practical subjects      Many phones have a notes     app or similar that acts like a scanner so pupils can handwrite their     work, photograph it and send it to a teacher and it will be high enough     resolution for marking"
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Blended Learning

Lockdown Lessons: North West. School Achieves 90% Pupil Engagement

2 Oct 2020

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      string(4086) "of the class. Theyrented an AV1 for her which quickly became part of the lesson. In class at Queens Gate School Lucy is studying for A levels. ‘Sociology in particularrelies so much on learning and applying core concepts,’ said Mark Crundwell,‘and AV1 proved to be an ideal tool for discursive discussions.  The sound quality is particularly good, soshe can catch comments from other people in the class.’  Mark hasdiscovered that the charge lasts well so there is little downtime but herecommends that one pupil is made responsible for collecting AV1 in the morningand returning it at the end of the day. He also found it beneficial to try outAV1 before the first lesson to make sure it is situated in the best place toread information from the board but also has good sightlines to cover all theother pupils in class. ‘Once you have established this,’ he says, ‘mark it onthe seating plan.’ Meeting other children’s needsIt is well known that AV1 helps children with cancer to go into the classroom and take part in lessons. But it has been trialled with children and young people with many conditions: By August 2020, more than 1250 children in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland were using AV1. Their ages range from 6 to 25. AV1 has been part of more than 15 pilot studies and used by children with a large variety of diagnoses including ME/CFS, cancer, cerebral palsy, anxiety, burn-out, tick-borne illnesses, gastroschisis (gastrointestinal illness), viral infection and rare conditions including autoimmune diseases and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The common factor is that the users have been unable to undertake their normal everyday activities.AV1 is a one way video channel so the child can see everyoneelse but cannot be seen. This reduces the pressure on them, especially thosewho are experiencing trauma. It is super-secure and came 2nd in the NorwegianGovernment Privacy by Design Competition. For more information on safeguarding,click here.  Mental health and the pathway back to schoolThe rise in SEMH, the number of children impacted by trauma and the effects of long-term lockdown have led to what some are describing as ‘a social anxiety pandemic’. AV1 could be a solution. Not just for the classroom -AV1 can go out to play tooThis little robot is not just about formal schooling. It has a 4G sim card so it can go out and about. If it falls off the table or gets damaged in the playground, the extended warranty means the user will get a replacement. AV1 can go to the dinner hall and sit with friends, be a spectator at sports lessons and even go on school trips. Users and their families are finding that AV1 doesn’t just reduce feelings of loneliness in the short term, but also acts as a bridge to face-to-face communication, providing a pathway for a phased return to school. Transition from home to schoolThe child may start in their bedroom but via AV1 they are visiting the class, seeing what is going on, talking without being seen and without the pressure of making eye contact. Then they may Zoom with an individual teacher or talk to a friend on their phone. Over time, the aim is to get the child into school, perhaps to sit in a quiet room or Learning Support with their iPad, moving day by day for some, month by month for others, until they get the confidence to go back into the classroom.‘This is hugely transformative for children who have beensecluded for a long time,’ said Harriet Gridley, No Isolation’s UK Director. ‘We all need continuity and to build personal connections and AV1 can break downsome of the barriers.’AV1 is iOS and Androidcompatible. AV1 – the robotfor children with long-term illness (noisolation.com). Schools may want to try before they buy orenter into a short term rental agreement. If you buy it and use it for threeyears it works out at £8 a day. This contrasts favourably with the cost of hometuition."
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Special Needs

A Little Robot Friend On The Desk Can Help Troubled Students Back To School

18 Dec 2020

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      string(5670) "Industry NewsAt the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to shift to remote education quickly. There was very little time to adapt schools found it challenging to deliver the curriculum online to pupils.Many teachers looked to senior management for guidance during these turbulent times. As the lockdowns and social distancing measures saw no sign of ending, it became clear that there needed to be an effective way of bringing people together, enabling them to share best practice and offer support to one another.The NEU joins forces with GuildThe National Education Union (NEU) did just that. Using the community and professional messaging platform, Guild, they created groups to allow members to offer support, to share best practice and to help them deal with the new issues they were facing as a result of the pandemic.The community was set up as an online resource to support education staff and collectively overcome the challenges associated with remote learning. It was part of a wider innovation hu and provided expert advice and guidance. After just a few weeks, the community had 1,300 members and it has continued to grow and develop as teachers have discovered new methods of engaging and motivating pupils.Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: ‘As the pandemic continues to bring chaos, and politicians bluster and change direction, education staff are working hard to maintain stability for children and young people, and to create the conditions they need to learn well.‘The NEU’s new Remote Education Hub brings together guidance with expert advice on pedagogy for remote learning, freely available to all, with a bespoke platform for members to share innovative practice and to support each other through the obstacles. This puts education professionals at the heart of developing professional practice.’Support from the communityMembers of the NEU Leadership community also shared how they have benefitted from the Guild platform. Louise Moores, a primary school teacher, school rep and NEU local officer in Middlesbrough said: ‘The Remote Education Hub has been a fantastic resource for a whole range of reasons. I am a teacher of mainly SEND and EAL pupils and it has provided practical hints and tips to support remote learning. As a union officer I have found that it is somewhere I can signpost members for union guidance about remote learning and as a tired human, feeling overwhelmed by teacher-bashing in the media, the praise section has really lifted my spirits in darker times.’Sharing ideasStephanie Hancock, an Early Years teacher in Gateshead, has used the hub to support remote learning for younger children, which has been particularly challenging. ‘EYFS education is all about building relationships – with the classroom environment as another ‘teacher’. We have worked hard to to keep those positive relationships and learning through play during this period of remote learning but it’s easy to run out of steam! The Remote Education Hub has enabled me to connect with other EYFS professionals. We organised an EYFS EduMeet session through the hub and it was a fantastic opportunity to share ideas, advice and resources. It is great to know you are not alone and that if you need some inspiration there is somewhere to go!’Laura Cooper, a primary teacher in the fourth year of her career, highlights the wellbeing benefits of the community: ‘I think the Remote Education Hub is a fantastic tool for teachers in these really challenging times. The bank of resources is great; I particularly like the focus on staff wellbeing. We are so focused on making sure the children are OK, but it’s nice to see someone checking that we are okay and having the provision of support where needed. Just having the hub and bank of resources lessens our workload.’The transition to remote learningIt’s not just the National Education Union and its members who have utilised Guild during the pandemic. A growing number of schools are also using the platform, having migrated from WhatsApp, which is not GDPR-compliant, among other factors that make it unsuitable for use in schools.While email can be used for ‘push’ communication, communities provide a more open, collaborative feel, where staff can come together to share success and learning, providing advice and guidance for developing future lesson plans or sharing helpful online tools and resources to improve the remote learning experience for students. In addition, with many teachers having limited or no experience in teaching remotely, training sessions have been developed within communities to ensure all staff are supported.The mental health of many teachers has been impacted and communities have proved to be a space where staff can be less formal and voice their concerns to their peers. It’s not just pupils who feel isolated during these difficult times so these communities have also supported staff wellbeing and boosted morale.Some schools have also been using Guild to communicate and share information on the government’s Coronavirus briefings throughout the pandemic. They have created sub-groups and threads within these communities to strategise how teachers plan ahead for a safe return to the classroom.What is the future for online communities?With the end of the UK’s lockdown finally within touching distance, and as educators move away from remote learning, these online communities will stay in place, providing a space to share ideas and offer"
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Digital Learning

Guild's Online Communities Lead The Way In Supporting Remote Education

5 Apr 2021