Spring Term 2021
During the spring term pupils at Lochinver House School are learning remotely. The School is offering on-site support to the children of Critical Workers, including morning and afterschool wrap around care. We are incredibly proud of both our provision and the work of all our staff as they enable the boys to continue to learn during this national lockdown. The learning needs of our pupils remain our priority. Since these differ considerably across the year groups, we have adapted and tuned our remote learning provision and timetables to suit. By offering the very highest quality of education, we aim to get the most out of our remote provision, in order to enable the continued best progress of our pupils. We have used our teaching expertise to design, plan and deliver effective online learning.
‘I just wanted to express my thanks for how the school has handled everything from the moment the announcement regarding school closure was made. All the support has been amazing. And now we don’t even have to remember to pack snacks. My son has enjoyed being back at school and we are grateful he could return.’ – Critical Worker Reception Parent
Pre Prep – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2
The boys follow a blended programme, which uses Microsoft Teams for live teaching, and then Seesaw for independent follow-up activities. All activities supporting the live teaching content are released beforehand and boys submit work to their class teacher via this platform. This may be in the form of photographs, videos or uploaded documents. Live teaching is taken in the main by the class teacher, with some subjects taught as a whole year group by the parallel class teacher. Subject specialist lessons, such as Music, Drama, Computing and PE all continue to take place. Work is submitted through Seesaw, which is a child friendly program that very much encourages and supports independence in learning. Activities can be printed out, or in many cases completed through the platform, on an iPad, laptop or PC.
‘I wanted to say thank you for the great job you and your team are doing! It is not easy for any of us, but we think it’s working well. If you could pass on our thanks to the wider team it would be appreciated.’ – Year 1 Parent
Years 3 to 8
We have been able to continue to offer a broad and balanced curriculum mirroring our normal timetable. Our remote timetable consists of live lessons, which include all the subjects normally delivered at Lochinver. Live lessons have been carefully planned to help and guide the pupils as they learn at home. These lessons are accessed through Microsoft Teams, which enables the pupils to communicate through video link and microphone with the teacher and other pupils in the class. With Teams, teachers can replicate a classroom in a remote environment, enabling interaction with pupils through questioning, eliciting responses and through reflective discussion. This interactivity and dialogue mean teaching is more effective, supports pupil motivation and leads to better progress. Teams also allows pupils to submit work, receive feedback and keep their work in place for future use.
Ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our pupils remains paramount to Lochinver School. During the remote period, our Pastoral links have been maintained with all students via their Class Teacher or Tutor. Pupils continue to have form time in the morning as a regular check in.
We are very conscious that the success of our provision is built upon an effective Home/School partnership. Continued regular communication has included a detailed survey of parent and pupil experience. Accordingly, we have been delighted to receive so many appreciative comments from parents and pupils.
‘I just wanted to say “Thank you” to all of the fantastic teachers at Lochinver! I have been popping in and out to see my son in between my lessons and he is always busy doing something, from a maths puzzle to playing the saxophone in music! The teachers are all doing such a brilliant job!
Thanks so much for keeping him going!’ – Year 5 Parent
‘The positive can-do attitude of you and the whole staff at Lochinver is infectious. You have quickly flexed the learning approach and the daily “face to face contact” with the teachers via Teams has been great. I know of many colleagues here at work, who have children in both state and private schools, where they have not taken the same approach. Everyone is tired and showing the scars of the impact of the last 10 months – maintaining energy levels and team morale to keep looking forward is not easy. You and the team have done so at a time when it may have been easier not to. You have led by example and shown the boys the true spirit of the schools ethos and values – ‘To Persevere, To Succeed’. You have collectively ensured a positive learning experience for the boys as we all navigate this half term together.’ – Parent of boys in Years 1 and 4
