Educational Continuity

Our approach to educational continuity during Coronavirus

Having successfully launched and delivered Remote Education to all pupils at the beginning of Summer 2020, Lyonsdown School is well prepared and ready to provide educational continuity should any future lockdowns be announced.

Our parents have been delighted with the Remote Education we have offered so far – please read some of their feedback here.

Crucially, Lyonsdown has a responsive approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our Remote Education will be adapted as needed and required, to best reflect the needs of our children and families in the changing times in which we find ourselves.

For year groups or all pupils during a ‘bubble closure’ or local lockdown:

Our aim is to provide, as near as is reasonably possible, a timetable for our children that will enable them to access a full curriculum remotely if the need arises.

The remote education timetable runs closely in line with pupils’ current school timetable and will be activated if a child’s class is sent home for any period of time. We use MS Teams to deliver our remote education.  There is a blend of daily interactive teaching, recorded sessions and assignments. The timetable has been designed to enable all families, depending on their personal circumstances, to access different aspects of the School day at a time that best suits them.  For example, live lessons are recorded, so they can be accessed at a later point. Where possible, specialist teaching continues – with pupils being able to enjoy remote lessons with their specialist Art, Language, Music, PE and Science teachers.

For pupils who are isolating: We have a dedicated member of the school team, a ‘Remote Education Facilitator’, who liaises with home and school during any pupil’s period of self-isolation to ensure all runs smoothly for each child.  This enables self-isolating families to have contact and support from the School – to ensure their child is still accessing and enjoying their education, albeit from home.

A child who is self-isolating will be sent work, via email to their parent’s account, which they can complete independently. Each day they will receive a video call to support them in their learning.

Keeping our community safe

We take the safety of our school community very seriously with new hand washing and sanitising stations throughout the School, enhanced cleaning, and (when required) one-way systems.

From the early stages of the COVID-19 virus, Lyonsdown has been proactive in closely following the guidance and advice from the UK Government, the NHS, Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We will continue to base any ongoing guidance and protocols on advice from official sources and on regular risk assessments for our school.