Students, teachers and parents worldwide are now far more familiar than they would like to be with the concept of remote learning. However, New Hall School has decided to see this as an opportunity as well as a challenge, with dedicated staff exploiting a full range of new technology to make the transition from classroom to screen as smooth as possible.

To keep each day structured and feeling normal, lessons begin with a full timetable at 8.45am. At New Hall School each student from year 3 and above is issued with an iPad. This makes remote learning much easier, meaning that even early on in the pandemic, New Hall was more than capable of making the transition to online learning. Each lesson is organised to promote maximum interactivity.

Parents were grateful for the School’s remote learning program:

“The quality of the remote learning during closure was fantastic and, throughout this time, my girls felt connected, motivated and valued, and most certainly part of the community they (and we) value so much. Although they missed their friends and teachers, the Skype sessions, the regular feedback and the creative tasks meant that they maintained their love for learning, and made our job at home a pleasurable one!”

At the heart of New Hall’s ethos are the core values of care, trust and respect, and these permeate the remote learning programme just as much as they do in-person teaching. During this challenging time when students may well be feeling isolated, all of their usual support systems remain in place and available at a moment’s notice.

During Blended Learning last term, students who were isolating at home were able to access all of their lessons live, asking questions and contributing to discussions as if they were in the classroom.

It is wonderful to see the dedication demonstrated by  teachers at New Hall, and nationwide, during these unprecedented times.