Whether you’re a parent, member of staff or pupil, we’ve all felt the effects of transitioning from classroom to home learning and back again.
Everyone across the Staffordshire University Academies Trust has worked hard to ensure that our young people continued to thrive and learn during the turmoil of the last 12 months. Hearing the feedback on how we’ve handled these unprecedented times is very important for us as a Trust and we want to make sure that it’s shared with you too.
We’ve received some great praise from Moorgate Primary Academy’s Local Academy Council (LAC) parent member, Zoe Goodwin.
Zoe’s area of responsibility for the LAC is to ensure that the quality of teaching is up to our expected standard of excellence. Here are the key areas that she’s identified as first-rate while the school delivered a home learning education:
Speed of transitions to home schooling
As a Trust we understand the importance of providing structure and clarity to both our parents and pupils, especially during times of change such as the move to remote learning.
Zoe said: “I was very impressed with how the team managed to put the home school provision in place so quickly. Lockdown was announced late one Monday evening and by the Wednesday morning Moorgate Primary Academy had resources on the website and a zoom timetable shared with parents.”
Comprehensive schedule
Human interaction is key for wellbeing and educational experiences, that’s why schools across the Trust aimed to ensure that a style of live lesson was in place for our pupils.
To help maintain this pupil interaction, Moorgate Primary Academy followed a timetable that included a 9am video call every morning so that teachers could explain what the children needed to focus on for the day.
Live video lessons were also kept for English, Maths and Reading with an optional drop in for wellbeing in the afternoon.
Zoe added: “When I compare this provision to that of other schools it’s clear that Moorgate went above and beyond. I’m sure that this structure has really helped to keep the children’s learning on track and it was a massive help to home-working parents like myself.”
Resources
So that all our pupils received a consistent and beneficial education while at home, it was crucial to provide the necessary resources for progressive learning.
At Staffordshire University Academies Trust, we know that taking a digital approach to learning is key for our pupils and parents so that they can access helpful educational tools.
Zoe commented: “The resources were added to the website each week and were excellent. Staff members would also print key resources off for those who couldn’t access them online. This was a massive help and the resources were always ready for me each week.”
Accessing help and support
At the Trust our community of schools is made up of many families from a variety of backgrounds and areas. As a result, all pupils across our Trust needed their individual needs to be assessed to ensure they received the correct support for their educational needs, especially while at home.
Zoe explained: “It was great to see the effort being put into sourcing IT kit for the children who couldn’t readily access it at home. This attitude reflects the care and ongoing support that the Moorgate Primary Academy team offer to all its pupils.”
Star of the week
While we educated our pupils from home our academies maintained their school’s reward schemes. This is because it’s important to demonstrate that hard work is rewarded – even from home – to give pupils the motivation and ambition to achieve their very best.
Zoe stated: “I was delighted that the star of the week assembly continued. Not only does this recognise and encourage hard work and a positive attitude to learning, but it also helps to maintain some normality and reinforces the Moorgate family spirit.”
Quality of teaching
Quality of teaching is a key component for any school. With great teaching comes great enthusiasm to learn. This is very important for us at Staffordshire University Academies Trust as a high standard of teaching allows us to prepare our pupils for a successful future.
Zoe shared: “The quality of teaching during the video lessons throughout lockdown have been great. You can hear the staff’s enthusiasm for teaching and this creates an excited and compelling learning environment. The care and professionalism shown by the teaching team has confirmed to me that my daughter is in the best place she can be for her education.”
At Staffordshire University Academies Trust, we’re confident in the quality of teaching that our academies deliver. We also know that all our staff, parents and pupils have worked exceptionally hard during this period and we want to thank you all for your efforts.
If you have any feedback on your experiences while home learning, please share it with your school so that we can hear your opinion.
