Education

School visits for learning and wellbeing

Motivation and engagement are key

RHS Rosemoor is looking forward to welcoming schools back to the gardens as soon as possible to participate in its newly relaunched (and covid-friendly) workshop programme. Each workshop is specially designed to include school curriculum links as well as a horticultural element such as seed planting, learning about the garden or finding out about different plants. Perhaps most valuable to everyone at the moment is the wellbeing element that each workshop offers. This is so important to our children and young people, especially as they have had such an unusual experience of school in recent months. The education team is keen to promote spending time in the Garden and outdoors as a great way to improve everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. The workshops include favourites such as How Plants Grow, Who Lives in Our Garden? (AKA minibeasts or pond dipping!) and Inspirational Nature. They take place around Rosemoor’s 65 acre garden and within the purpose built Peter Buckley Learning Centre. Rosemoor is a covid-secure site, and safety measures are in place to ensure the school visits take place safely for schools, staff and other visitors in the Garden.

For more information about school visits to Rosemoor, see www.rhs.org.uk/ education-learning/gardening-children-schools/school-visits/ school-visits-rosemoor or contact schoolsrosemoor@rhs.org.uk

Since March last year, educators and students at Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust (DMAT) have been on a journey unlike anything they could have ever imagined. Yet they have conducted themselves with enormous levels of resolve, integrity, and are a credit to themselves and the institutions they represent. The motivation to learn and willingness to engage with new methods of teaching demonstrated by students has been phenomenal. They have proven they are eager to advance their skills and knowledge, and willing to tackle whatever challenges come their way head-on. It is this motivation and engagement that has enabled young people to achieve so much during this difficult period and it is crucial we all work to sustain this if we are to move forward from this pandemic wiser and stronger than before. At DMAT we have recently launched our Fellowship Passports initiative, to help to keep students engaged and motivated in their learning. Students attending school and those learning remotely will receive points for accomplishing a variety of tasks throughout the school day, including attending lessons, completing work and getting involved with extracurricular activities such as taking part in a community initiative, an environmental project, or being an anti-bullying ambassador. Students have been challenged to achieve 100 points between now and May half-term; doing so will enable them to attend one of a number of events we are planning to host for students of different ages at the end of the summer term, in line with whatever Covid restrictions we may face, to celebrate what will have been an incredible year. We will of course be understanding if students are unable to achieve the total points required, but these Passports remain a positive incentive to keep students engaged and motivated with their learning. It is not only young people who have excelled and remain motivated, but educators too. As many parents thrown into home schooling will verify, the job done by teachers every single day is incredible. The ability of teachers to provide high-quality remote learning provision has been outstanding. They have taken all the challenges associated with online learning in their stride with tireless positivity, despite the ever-changing circumstances they have been forced to deal with. Additionally, not only have they provided new methods of learning, but also always been on hand to support vulnerable students and children of key workers who have continued to attend schools throughout the pandemic. Without the strong spirit and dedication of our teachers, none of this would have been possible. The past year has unquestionably been immensely challenging. But together we have demonstrated how strong we are and what can be achieved despite the adversity faced. In order to move forward, we must use everything we have learned to make us stronger and remain motivated to uncover our potential.

Dan Morrow, Chief Executive Officer, Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust

Lessons in Lockdown

Blended Learning at South Tawton Primary School

By 8.05pm on Monday, January 4th, it was clear our plans for the spring term needed to change. On Tuesday morning, with roughly 70 children of critical workers attending, staff set about providing a blended learning experience for children at home and at school. Feedback from the last closures highlighted two issues we endeavoured to improve: children wanted more contact with their teachers and classmates - and we needed to provide better opportunities for pupils’ work to be meaningful and valued. We set about doing exactly that. All Key Stage 2 classes are using Google Classroom, while younger children make good use of Evidence Me and Seesaw. Teachers present live lessons; bringing together the children in school and at home for registrations, lesson inputs and live marking sessions. The children at home have quickly adapted and learnt to use the technology, confidently asking and answering questions both verbally and through text. Work is ‘turned in,’ marked by teachers and returned with praise and ideas for improvement. Most classes meet ‘live’ three times a day ensuring that they keep the structure and timetables they have in school. The children are continuing to follow their class curriculum and are continuing to make progress. Children in KS1 have daily phonics lessons live with teachers and support staff and several are accessing daily 1:1 coaching sessions. Parents are telling us that the children feel more supported than they did in the spring, are more motivated to complete the work and are struggling less with their mental health as a result of the frequent contact with school and classmates. We have recently surveyed parents to ask their opinions on our offer and have been delighted with the responses and some very constructive feedback: ‘My daughter is engaged and enjoying her learning. She is really well supported and the regular structure to the school day/week, where she is included with the rest of the class in school and at home, is providing the nurture she needs too.’ ‘I think you are doing a wonderful job, it has been a really impressive and seamless delivery of a completely new way of learning with such little notice and tailored to each age group.’ It has not been easy for staff in school or for families at home, but as we hear that schools will not re-open until March 8th at the earliest, we feel it is important to continue to provide this offer. In the meantime, we look forward to having all of our pupils back in school again as soon as possible, and wish to think all our staff and families for rising to meet another challenge!

Sarah Marvin Head of School

e ree Hares is a trio of rural primary schools, consisting of North Tawton, South Tawton and Chagford Church of England Primary School. We work closely together within the larger Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust, consisting of 14 primary schools and 3 secondary schools. We are striding forward in our ree Hares primary schools, with quality remote learning provision for our pupils during lockdown. ese are exciting times within the ree Hares and the Trust, following the appointment of our new CEO, Dan Morrow. If you would like to know more, please visit our new websites or contact the school to speak with Executive Headteacher, Elizabeth Underwood or the Head of School.

Miss Tara Penny www.chagford-primaryschool.org Miss Sunita Chauhan www.ntcps.co.uk Mrs Sarah Marvin www.southtawton.co.uk

Step into Learning

www.steplearning.org.uk

Never too late to learn!

www.steplearning.org.uk