From Rydal Penrhos School
Bucking the national online learning trend
Some significant concerns were raised by Wales’ future generations commissioner Sophie Howe on the “patchy and inconsistent” online learning methods being utilised by schools across the country during the latest educational lockdown.
This is not the case at Rydal Penrhos.
The Welsh Government confirmed to the BBC that there was “no legal duty on schools in Wales to deliver a minimum amount of online teaching”.
While there remains plenty of uncertainty surrounding when schools will actually re-open, staff at the school have worked incredibly hard to put together a diverse and engaging online learning provision that is not too dissimilar to what they experience on-site.
Rydal Penrhos’ senior leadership team, together with teaching and support staff, are striving to ensure that each pupil’s goals are met and there is the minimum amount of loss of learning despite the current COVID-19 restrictions forcing a return to online methods for which the school was more than prepared.
It has taken a considerable amount of planning over recent weeks in readiness for the inevitability of a second lockdown period. This was worth its weight in gold, with pupils of all ages hitting the ground running with a clear, concise online learning programme that has been supported in full by the school’s incredible parent group.
Here is the structure in place during the current lockdown.
Pre-School
Reception and Year 1
Year 2-Year 6
All classes have a 30 minutes physical activity lesson each day. Specialist lessons in music, art, RE, Welsh and Spanish are continuing for all year groups.
1:1 music/speech/drama lessons are continuing where possible and sorted out by the peripatetic teachers direct with parents.
Keyworker children from all year groups are accommodated and supervised by teachers and teaching assistants on the Prep School site.
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Years 12 and 13
In addition, pupils are meeting with each other and their form tutors on a daily basis.
Cooking is continuing and there will also be some live sessions in the coming weeks in which pupils can participate from the comfort of their own kitchens.
Live workout sessions are taking place at the end of the day, led by our fantastic staff and attended by pupils and some brave members of staff. These sessions have been implemented to improve wellbeing and take away some of the stresses of day-to-day life.
Pupils have been provided with time to share and reflect. PSHE lessons are being utilised, allowing children time to talk about their mental health and share any ideas that they may have.
All these little things make a substantial difference. Attaining some semblance of normality in troubled times is absolutely critical to a child’s learning and with the structured online learning, together with constant support and guidance, pupils at Rydal Penrhos are being put in the best possible position to maintain their high educational standards and attain specific objectives.
