School’s out – now it’s coming to Park Academy students through their laptops to minimise disruption to learning

Schools are now shut for all children, bar those of key workers or who are classed as vulnerable, leaving families to tackle home schooling during the country’s coronavirus battle.

Park Academy in Hillingdon has been prepared for this outcome for sometime and  digital classrooms were rolled out on Monday to try and minimise disruption to learning for students.

A virtual school is in place for children to use remotely to ensure students continue to learn at the same pace and do not fall behind. Traditional hard copy learning packages are also available to students.

Jack Taylor, Assistant Principal at Park Academy in Park View Road, told the Hillingdon Times: ‘’We live in a digital world. A Virtual School allows children to learn in the same way at the same time. Teachers will receive notifications if things are incomplete and can mark remotely.

‘’Students are able to interact with their teachers and also receive feedback.

‘’It’s important that pupils have a structure and routine in place and treat their time at home as they would a normal school day.

‘’We would also encourage our students to spend some time doing things that are good for their well-being and talking to members of their family about what they have learnt.

‘’Joe Wicks, the well-known nutritionist and fitness guru will be broadcasting a PE lesson live on his YouTube channel every weekday at 9am and students should get involved!’’

What are we doing at Park to rise to the challenge?

 We have launched a Virtual School on our website. The Virtual School provides our students with a shared resource hub where they can continue their education at home.

 Work for all subject areas has been published on our website for students and parents/carers to access whilst schools are closed.

There is sufficient work for at least 2 weeks, and this will be updated by teachers and departments every fortnight.

 Where students do not have access to the internet or a computer, we have created hard copies of the packs of work which students are taking home with them, or can collect from Reception during school closure.

 We have purchased a wide range of revision guides, for several key subject areas including Maths, Science, Geography and History. We have also purchased Exam Practice Workbooks for some Key Stage 4 subjects/classes.

 We have advised students of websites that are best / useful for revision activities / subject specific content, such as the newly updated BBC Bitesize!

 We have reminded students of their Hegarty Maths login details, so that they can continue to use this useful resource. Students are used to using Hegarty Maths and teachers can set work / check progress during the school closure.

 We have bought into the PiXL App for Science specific content, and shared this with students who need to have access.

 We have, and will continue, to update parents/carers on where they can find the most up to date information and work.

 Our website home page contains a Noticeboard so that parents, carers and students can see regular Coronavirus Updates and what we are doing to support them during this time.

 Our main aim and priority during school closure is to support our students wherever possible, and as a result have published all staff email addresses on the Academy website so that students, parents and carers can make contact should the situation arise.

 

General guide to home schooling for parents & pupils:

Students should treat their time during school closures, as like a normal school day. Set an alarm and wake up at a reasonable time, have breakfast, get dressed and then start completing school work.

Students should focus more on the core subjects (English, Maths and Science), as they would when at school.

Students should spend some time doing things that are good for their well-being, such as regular daily exercise and talking to members of their family about what they have learnt that day.

Joe Wicks, the well-known nutritionist and fitness guru, will be broadcasting a PE lesson live on his YouTube channel every weekday at 9am, and students should get involved!

Students should focus on eating healthy foods and make sure they drink enough water to keep hydrated. We know first-hand that this helps when learning and retaining information!

Scheduled breaks are important, we want to encourage students to structure their day, as it would be at school. The time could be used to help around their home for example by hoovering!

Where possible, students should not use their phones persistently throughout the day, but they might use technology to research something or ask a friend for help. We all need to club together and collaborate during this very difficult time; so turn to a friend if you need some guidance.