Over the past couple of months, students have been taking to technology to try and continue the normality of their education. At King Edward's Witley, as well as other schools nationwide, the staff have been dedicated to ensure that this is not only in the form of the standard curriculum but that it also includes activities to stimulate and involve students from afar.
The courses within this 'online school' are far more than the standard requirements, breaking down into categories including music, drama, art, games and more. The music department offers 'the delivery of individual music lessons, small ensembles and rehearsals for Chapel Choir and Orchestra. Budding composers have access to a range of music technology software, bands are still rocking and there is even a KESW@HomeTogether music extravaganza scheduled.'
King Edward's Witley also explains that they are offering photography, textiles, origami and drawing tutorials for the more artistically inclined students and online monologue training and weekly performances for drama students. When it comes to physical fitness, the PE department have been hard at work offering yoga, indoor mountaineering, Pilates, running club and other fitness routines as well as hotly-contested keepie-uppie sessions. For those without specific interests in these, additional activities such as Bake-Off, Book Club, Forest School, Investing Club, First Aid provision and online chess are also available.
On the academic front, the school is dedicated to assisting GCSE and sixth form students in CV development, applications for internships or work experience and interview techniques and also bespoke classes for transfering from school life to university.
Joanna Wright, Head of King Edward’s Witley said, “We are delighted with the response to our distance-learning timetable and so impressed with the maturity and level of responsibility demonstrated by our pupils who have accepted - and indeed embraced - this new way of learning. During these challenging times, we envisage that our children will benefit from working more independently, via a variety of teaching methods. We have invested a lot of time in developing an educational programme that ensures pupils spend less time in front of a screen and more time developing their skills and knowledge, introducing on-demand lessons with tasks to be completed and uploaded. Social interaction is key right now, so it is wonderful to see our pupils taking advantage of the opportunity to interact with their peers and teachers. The School may be closed but it is very much business as usual when it comes to learning!”
Read the full article here: https://www.boarding.org.uk/media/news/article/14683/School-may-be-closed-but-the-learning-continues-at-King-Edward-s-Witley