Hybrid Learning and Mock Exams at the start of Term 2

We are delighted to have students back in school after a first week of remote learning. We are proud of the progress our staff and students have made in developing skills for teaching and learning with whole classes online. The development and use of collaborative features in Google Meet, consistent Reunderstanding of the technology and the ability of students to adapt effectively to remote learning all helped to make the first week of term a success. However, we all recognise that nearly all learning is better when we have children and teachers face to face as there is much more communication and collaboration in person. In addition, for subjects such as science, we are able to make full use of our facilities with teaching and learning through practical work. 

We are now in a phase of hybrid learning where significant numbers of students are at home whilst the rest of the class is in school. We recognise the importance of students being able to continue learning from home when they are forced to be away from school due to Covid isolation. This is why we have developed the ‘virtual learner’ programme (information on this can be found on our Continuing Learning Site). For teachers, this can be a huge challenge, especially in practical subjects or where students are working in collaborative groups. Students in the classroom and at home all deserve attention, the activities set may need to be adapted, there may be internet connectivity issues making access to resources and communication difficult and the number of students in class is fluctuating daily making it more difficult to plan. For teachers who have high expectations of themselves and for the learning environments which they curate, this can lead to stress over providing the best learning experience for every student. I would like to say thank you to all of our teachers who are working hard to ensure the best possible learning continues for all students during this very challenging situation. As a school, we are committed to continuous improvement and therefore, we are also looking for ways to improve our provision during this hybrid situation by talking to students and teachers about their experiences. 

We are very grateful that mock exams have been able to go ahead. A small number of students have needed to isolate during this time and we are working to find ways to ensure these students also experience learning from mock exams, such as online invigilation of exams and rescheduling where possible. It is important that we reinforce the mock exams as a learning experience - to practice revising, to practice exam technique, to understand how it feels to sit exams in the main hall and to get an indication of where students are in their learning in different subjects. 

We are very hopeful that all exams will go ahead as normal this summer and the indications from both the UK and Portugal suggest the Covid situation will allow that. Therefore, mock exams should be seen as a formative learning experience rather than a summative test of understanding.

In this frame of mind, with a growth mindset, conversations about the mock exams should be focused on what students have done well during this experience, what they are proud of and what they can do next to ensure that they feel satisfied with their efforts by the end of June.

Dan Norbury
Secondary Principal