KING’S EDUCATION ONLINE: INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
KING’S EDUCATION ONLINE: INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE During this time of distance learning, we hope to bring students a creative, enriching and inspiring education that remains true to our goal of ensuring students receive excellent individual support as they adapt to UK school life and develop their academic English. We have created an educational programme online that helps students continue to develop their core academic skills while at the same time being part of our very special College community. Students not only study academic subjects online, they also continue to enjoy wider opportunities for growth and development in different areas and benefit from the close support of our excellent staff and nurturing community, which forms the foundation of an education at King’s.
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS
We pride ourselves on offering individual support to students, with staff knowing each student well, and this is as true of our online programme as it is during face to face teaching. Our teachers and staff are just as available to students and families in this time of distance learning as they are normally. Students see their teachers and classmates every day as part of lessons and tutor group meetings, and the individual support we provide remains at the heart of the education we offer. Parents and guardians should feel as welcome as ever to communicate with staff about their child’s/ward’s learning. Therefore, please feel free to communicate with your child’s tutor or teachers by email, and followup phone calls can be arranged if you wish. The Joint Principals are also happy to communicate with you at any point. If you wish to be in touch, please contact us at: principals@international.kings-school.co.uk
OUR APPROACH TO DISTANCE LEARNING
Students continue to enjoy the first-rate education that we offer at the International College. This is an education that delivers individual support to students as they adapt to the UK school system. Our online teaching is based on the founding principles that learning should be active and supported by close and open dialogue between students and teachers. Our online College community meets and learns in Microsoft Teams. Students are members of ‘Teams’ that recreate the groups that they are already part of in the College: their Maths class, a guitar lesson, their Tutor group, the House community. Students can access Teams through nearly all modern devices, and ideally one of the following: a desktop PC, laptop or tablet computer.
THE EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING ONLINE
Our small class sizes mean that students continue to enjoy a high level of individual teacher support in their learning. The learning our students do typically involves: •
A group call from a teacher to the class allowing for discussion and feedback
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A recorded explanation from a teacher, allowing for students to control how they learn by pausing and re-watching the video as they take notes
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Research tasks, whether online or using the resources they find in their home life
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Collaborative tasks, working with classmates in the virtual space
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Assignments allowing students to practise and master content and receive feedback from their teacher
COURSES OF LEARNING
Year 11: Students continue to develop academic skills and academic English, finishing the content of GCSE courses and studying IELTS and pre-A-Level courses in all subjects and working towards summer assessments Years 9 and 10: Students continue with a broad curriculum (and GCSEs where applicable), working towards summer assessments
TIMETABLE
Our College community spans many time-zones and we have adapted the daily timetable to fall as far as possible in the UK morning, which will allow all students to access any live elements during waking hours. Recorded explanations and group calls will allow students to catch up on any elements they miss. The broad timetable is as follows: Monday to Saturday, UK British Summer Time 08:15-08:30 – Tutor Time (Mon-Fri); whole College Assembly (Sat) 08:30-12:45 – Online lessons (mixture of live, pre-recorded, group and individual work activities) Afternoon – Small number of Year 11 online lessons containing pre-recorded but not live element
Tutor Assembly
08.15
Period 1
08.30
Period 2
09.30
Period 3
10.45
Period 4
11.45
Continental Europe
Kiev, Moscow, Minsk
Nur Sultan
Bangkok
Beijing
Seoul
+1 hour
+2 hours
+5 hours
+6 hours
+7 hours
+8 hours
HEALTH
It is important that when learning online, students continue to take breaks between lessons as they would do in a normal school day to move around, stretch, eat and drink. We recognise that some lessons may cut across family mealtimes and we hope that by making recorded lessons available to students this allows them the flexibility to meet family responsibilities. Students should also try to keep a balance in their day between screen time and other activities. Teachers and tutors will be supplying activities for students that do not require a screen – sometimes these will be learning activities, sometimes they will be physical exercise, interview research or reading a book. In their time outside of lessons, students should also try to keep up activities that do not involve a screen – for example, talking to family and friends, practising a musical instrument, drawing or doing craft activities. They should also try to keep to a healthy daily routine: eating and sleeping at normal times, eating a balanced diet, having a mixture of relaxing and physical exercise, and not taking a phone or tablet to bed.
PASTORAL CARE
TUTORS Tutors continue to play a central role in the learning and College experience of their tutees. Tutors have a live group call with their tutees every morning to check in on students’ learning and wellbeing. This kind of individual support is as important as ever in the context of the global crisis in which we are living. Tutors will also work with tutees as normal to help prepare our weekly Assembly. Finally, Tutors will continue to provide students with the wider enrichment that characterises this relationship by sharing experiences, links and interest-based activities with their tutees, and encouraging tutees to share their experiences with the group. COUNSELLOR The current situation may cause students to feel different emotions, such as sadness, anxiety and loneliness, and the mental and emotional health of our students is of top importance. The College Counsellor continues to be available to students, offering confidential support and individual meetings online. She can be contacted to arrange appointments through the following email address: nickycrouch@kings-school.co.uk JOINT PRINCIPALS The Joint Principals continue to communicate daily with students and tutors, overseeing students’ academic progress, wellbeing and engagement. They are available for conversations with students, parents and guardians and will address any issues affecting students.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING CURRICULUM Students will continue to participate in the Health and Wellbeing curriculum, which is an important part of learning to cope with life as a teenager in the 21st century. COLLEGE COMMUNITY Students will continue to feel part of the College community by taking part in weekly live College Assemblies, which will include short speeches, presentations and performances.
LEARNING IN THE WIDER SENSE
A King’s education is about academic excellence and also wider opportunities. We want students to continue to take every opportunity to discover and develop talents during this time, and we are doing our best to recreate and discover these opportunities in the online world. It will include, for example, College activity ideas and challenges that involve all students; ideas for physical exercise to keep students active and healthy; encouraging students to explore some of the vast Museum and Gallery digital resources around the world that have been made available; and musical opportunities, including composing, online performance and some instrumental lessons.
CO-CURRICULAR
Co-curricular activities will also be encouraged in the afternoons in as many different areas of school life as possible. This is a wonderful opportunity for pupils to perhaps widen the breadth of their activity uptake when under normal circumstances other commitments would have prevented this from being possible. Activities: On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, activities will start at either 2.30, 3.30 or 4.30pm and last up to 45 minutes each. Some activities will run weekly, whilst others will be either a one off activity or last just a few weeks. Some will be live and others pre-recorded so they can be accessed at a more convenient time if required. There will be a creative new style of Music and Drama opportunities, sport-based activities, interactive quizzes, cultural activities, cooking lessons and classes that teach life skills. Some of the regular offerings will still continue through the term. Pupils will be expected to sign up for activities in advance on SOCS and all pupils are encouraged to take at least two activities a week, but they are obviously welcome to take more. There will also be a number of non-school activities suggested (eg museum virtual tours) for those who want more to do. Parents and families might like to join some of these. Games will run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with all pupils encouraged to participate and there is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to part in the unique King’s Challenge. There will also be some more sport sessions and extra fitness sessions for those who wish to take part. There is free time at the weekends when it is hoped families can exercise together.
Music lessons will continue where possible, remotely, by arrangement with individual teachers around the online lesson slots when pupils are free, and at other times during the week. As the term progresses there will continue to be a varied and interesting programme of opportunities available for all pupils to access in the cocurricular offering.
RULES & EXPECTATIONS
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Students should be ready to start their day and log in to their tutor group Team at 08:15 (UK time). The tutor will register each student’s attendance
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Students should be dressed appropriately and be aware of what may be visible in the background if they are in a video call.
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Where possible, students should undertake any online lessons in a family space in their house (e.g. living room) and not in their bedroom. However, we are aware that this may not always be possible
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Family members should be aware that a lesson is taking place to minimise interruptions where possible
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Students must not record or take photos of other students or teachers during any online teaching sessions, nor share lessons publicly. Any breach will invoke a disciplinary response in line with the School Rules and Behaviour Policy
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Students should have their school books, pen and paper available for lessons
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Students should avoid distractions from mobile phones or non-school-related internet chat and games during lesson times
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Normal classroom behaviour is expected from students in group calls, school work and collaborative activities, and students should ensure that the way they communicate is appropriate and sensible. Students should be aware that interacting online in a school environment is different to informal interactions they have with friends. Additionally, students should not browse, upload or forward material that could be considered offensive or illegal
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Students are reminded that the Acceptable Use Policy still applies
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A student who is ill or unable to join classes should try to inform her/ his tutor
SUPPORT FOR PARENTS
We understand that the current situation will be stressful for parents at times, as they juggle working from home and supporting their child’s education, together with the uncertainties that the COVID-19 pandemic brings. We are here to support the whole of the King’s family. Please speak to the Joint Principals if there are additional factors we need to consider, and we will do all we can to help. E-SAFETY King’s uses a huge amount of filtering and monitoring software to keep our students as safe as possible when they are using the school Wi-Fi. We encourage parents to: •
Set filters on their home connection
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Check their parental controls via their broadband provider
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Check that they have suitable anti-virus protection in place
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Ensure that their son or daughter is ‘broadcasting’ from a suitable place or that they have blurred their background, and that they are always suitably dressed when participating in any school activity
www.international.kings-school.co.uk