What are the ‘Covid Keepers?’

After months of lockdowns, emergency measures and remote learning, new Ofsted research, conducted during the pandemic suggests that this period of remote education will influence the education system in many ways.

What did we learn and what will we develop?

Three-fifths of the teachers responding to an Ofsted, You-Gov survey, were quite confident that they had provided a high-quality education through their school’s remote education solution when this was needed.

An online focus group held in July 2020 with seven digital leaders underlined the important input of EdTech demonstrator schools in helping Ofsted decide on some of the core principles of quality digital remote education.

Did It also highlight the lack of expertise within England’s inspectorate when it came to digital learning? 

Groundwork

Where the transition to remote education was easiest, it built upon existing provision. Some leaders displayed a degree of foresight before the March 2020 lockdown- beginning preparations several weeks before official announcements were made.

Sensible changes to Pedagogy

Pedagogy did change during remote teaching with positive adaptations cited by Ofsted, including:

• a closer focus on verbal explanations and exposition, and presenting concepts in ‘bitesize’ segments, so that pupils could concentrate for short bursts of time and teachers could check pupils understood the learning points regularly

• shortening the length of lessons to aid pupils’ concentration spans and to reduce screen time

• using a variety of different ways of presenting information; for example, modelling on a whiteboard, using videos, teacher demonstrations of practical work to introduce and reinforce key concepts, using dual coding to present ideas and concepts

• ensuring time for pupils to practise what they have learned, independent work or pupil discussion

• avoiding open-ended tasks that can potentially overwhelm pupils but providing opportunities to scaffold concepts.

It was clear from each school’s remote education journey, that there was no one-size-fits-all approach with live lessons a much more common feature in secondary schools.

Did schools rediscover parents?

Leaders talked about how important parental involvement was in live or recorded remote education. Schools generally all expressed that relationships with parents had been bolstered and parents felt they were more involved in their child’s learning. Many schools stated that they felt remote learning had created or strengthened the ‘community’ or ‘team-like’ nature of their schools’ environment

Creative flexibility was also a hallmark of schools activity with the most effective solutions for pupils with SEND being often bespoke, taking into account the specific needs and circumstances of each individual child.

What are the ‘Covid Keepers’ ? 

There are numerous ‘covid- keepers’ with leaders identifying positive benefits, with a focus on Blended Learning or a more hybrid approach.

Although the Ofsted research was fully published in Feb 2021 there is much to learn from schools’ journey in remote teaching and learning; lessons for the wider system and the need for strategic thinking about the uses and benefits of digital.

To read the full report: www.gov.uk

I’m keeping these:

• Video lessons from subject experts to provide teacher cover - potential workload benefits?

• Video lessons where there are subject specific teacher recruitment and retention issues

• Supporting anxious or excluded students off site or in other on-site learning areas

• Availability of pre-recorded lessons for revision purposes or where pupils miss lessons due to illness

• Provision of teaching and learning during snow days, extended periods of pupil illness or absence, holidays, interventions for over and underachievement and potentially INSET days, to minimise learning loss

• Improvements to homework delivery

• Giving pupils the means to manage aspects of their own learning. Several school leaders felt their pupils had gained independence from their remote learning experiences.

• For some pupils with SEND, there were some notable positive opportunities from remote learning. Different platforms could be used to cater for different needs and overcome issues that may have previously excluded pupils from parts or allof certain lessons.

• Pupils with ‘sensory overload’ issues, for example, could be taught remotely for a portion of a lesson and then reintroduced to a class when the environment had ‘calmed down’.

Improve the offer:

Schools’ are complex organisations and technology can help improve the ‘offer’ teachers, pupils and parents.

• Up-skilling both of staff and pupils gaining digital proficiency had led to the potential for an improved learning experience in the future

• The social aspect of remote provisions, particularly in the context of improving communication/relationships with parents, carers and families of pupils.

• Safeguarding: some schools said that it was easier to safeguard vulnerable children because they have found it easier to communicate with them more regularly