9 minute read
Class unplugged
Downe House pupils were encouraged to get o their screens as an antidote to remote learning in a recent school initiative that embraced the importance of the school’s seven core values, writes MARK HILL
In a world dominated by screen-time, Downe House took pupils o timetable and asked them to ‘unplug’ from technology for a day of self-led study to encourage them to be creative without any screens involved: the results were phenomenal!
A much-debated concern for everyone involved in the provision of online learning for young people in the lockdown is the sheer amount of time that they’re spending in front of a screen and the e ects it may be having on their wellbeing and mental health. No one disputes that online learning is the only viable solution during this time of national school closures, but in order to provide a sense of perspective and a welcome break from online learning in the third lockdown, we decided to give our pupils the opportunity to unplug, disconnect and go o ine for a day to pursue a project of their own choice. Quite the novelty in a world that’s very much living online in so many ways from teaching and learning to socialising and shopping. e
Downe House Unplugged Project Day challenged girls to plan an activity day with a purpose and a clear link to the development of one of the seven Downe House DNA characteristics – compassion, collaboration, creativity, communication, aspiration, resilience and being outward looking.
Under normal circumstances at school, everyone has the chance to develop the DNA characteristics daily in the classroom, on the playing eld, in the boarding house and everywhere in between, and these core values are the hope, aim and challenge for every girl. We believe that applies just as much now, whether we are o ine or online, whether we’re in school or at home. So we were aiming to give the girls an opportunity to challenge themselves and to make it a day lled with meaningful endeavour. ere was an impressive scope of plans submitted by the girls for Project Day, which included volunteering at a local foodbank, helping a neighbour, creating an artwork, studying cells through a microscope, embroidery, crochet, breadmaking, exploring a new culture through food or music, cooking supper for the family, taking photographs or baking a showstopper cake and of course, making the most of getting outside to exercise and engage with nature as far as was possible given local restrictions.
One girl produced numerous beautiful boxes of food with thank-you letters for NHS sta , which were decorated with rainbows and contained apjacks and butter y cakes. Another lled several plastic bags with rubbish and plastic that she had collected from her local area while she was out exercising. I was impressed with the initiative and depth of ambition shown by the girls – whether they’d chosen to write a short story, help pack food boxes for frontline workers or learn how to make pasta from scratch. A lower h pupil called Sherry produced a stunning drawing of a nurse inspired by artist, Charlie
Mackesy, who she spent time researching as part of her development for the artwork.
In the weeks following the Project Day, the girls were asked to re ect on what they’d achieved and learned about themselves and then to share their experiences with their tutor or members of House sta . Each house nominated the standout projects to be rewarded for their exceptional depth, breadth, ambition and for service to their community as well as being celebrated in the whole school assembly.
It was clear that the girls appreciated the ownership, independence and freedom they were given, resulting in tremendous levels of motivation and creativity. is unique day made us all pause and re ect on the way that technology has come to dominate our daily lives, and rmly resolve to take time out to be more creative and active away from our screens.
Mark Hill is Deputy Head (Academic) at Downe House in Berkshire
THIS UNIQUE DAY MADE US ALL PAUSE AND REFLECT ON THE WAY that technology has come to dominate our daily lives, and fi rmly RESOLVE TO TAKE TIME OUT TO BE MORE CREATIVE AND ACTIVE AWAY FROM OUR SCREENS
Music plays an important role in lifting spirits
BLOWING OFF THE COBWEBS
How do you teach music and sport remotely? Schools are ensuring that these subjects, which are so important for pupil wellbeing, are delivered in an engaging and creative way, reports ELIZABETH IVENS
Sport and music more than anything else children and young people do at school, have long been recognised as vital to their physical and emotional wellbeing.
While their activity levels have dropped significantly in the last year, their access to a musical education has also suffered.
Sport England reported in January that school closures had seen a further decline in young people’s activity levels. Meanwhile, the Incorporated Society of Musicians warned that music education in schools was facing an “unprecedented crisis” as a result of the pandemic.
In the independent sector, schools have been determined to find creative ways to engage students in both disciplines.
At Notting Hill & Ealing High School GDST in West London, Director of Sports, Sophie Nicholas, is passionate about encouraging students to exercise, saying: “Now, more than ever, engaging students in physical activity, no matter its shape or form, plays a crucial part in maintaining their mental and physical health.”
She implemented a daily sports initiative during the first lockdown via social media, which captured the entire school’s imagination and led to further inspired challenges.
“Every single day teachers (often beyond the sports team) demonstrated various sports-
related challenges, videoing their efforts via Twitter and challenging the girls to beat them: challenges included juggling, holding planks, bouncing a ball while putting on a T-shirt to name just a tiny handful.”
Miss Nicholas said girls started to challenge the teachers and each other, adding:
“Twitter was buzzing with girls holding headstands for record-breaking lengths of time, loo-roll kicky-uppies, Tik Tok challenges and ideas of their own devising, such as a hockey ball flick game being made up on the spot in the garden.”
The challenge led to their trailblazing GoOutdoors Challenge, where individual girls’ exercise was collated to cover a weekly distance such as a trip to Brighton Pier and, from there, a fortnight student-teacher charity challenge was launched to cover the distance from one end of the UK to the other.
“What’s interesting about this initiative is that we were probably the first school to have done this and we’re now seeing other schools emulating this model,” Miss Nicholas said.
At Sherborne Girls in Dorset, the focus of the latest lockdown has switched to wellbeing, said Mrs Jayne Dart, Director of Sport, Adventure & Leadership. “We’ve focused more on an holistic offering which ties in with our drive for wellbeing – keeping the girls mentally and physically well,” she explained. “Our aim this term was to develop an offering which kept the girls active, kept them engaged and was fun to participate in.”
To that end, the school has been livestreaming yoga, pilates and HIIT classes, and has encouraged “a small amount of exercise each day, rather than long sessions”.
Mrs Dart said uptake of the school’s running club had also “hugely increased” with girls sharing their achievements on the Strava app, adding: “It’s encouraged positive competition and new increasing participation from girls who previously weren’t runners!”
At Blundell’s Prep School in Devon, Headmaster Andy Southgate said the school had been “determined” to make music a big part of their educational challenge when the first lockdown began.
He said: “Music lifts the human spirit, and we have all needed a little lifting these last 10 months.” And in line with this, one of the school’s first lockdown music projects was a virtual rendition of Lean on Me by pupils to lift spirts across the whole school. “As the weeks went by, we recorded small groups singing and through the wonders of technology, we learned to master the delay across Microsoft Teams (not ideal when singing together!) and created our virtual rendition,” he explained.
Music lessons have been able to continue via Microsoft Teams
The school also managed to continue its half-termly teatime concerts and hold a virtual carol service for Christmas.
“We’ve had to be creative and the learning curve for editing multiple performances has been a steep one, but it has meant that we’ve been able to keep music at the heart of our school community and that has certainly lifted our spirits and kept our families feeling connected to one another,” said Mr Southgate.
At Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in York, staff have used the growing range of online resources alongside teacher-led discussions to keep students “highly motivated and engaged” in musical activities, said Creative Arts Coordinator Matt Clayton.
The school, like many others, has also continued one-to-one instrumental and vocal lessons via Microsoft Teams, with more than 1,200 lessons delivered to students across the globe in the first lockdown alone.
Mr Clayton said the “greatest challenge” to
the remote teaching of music “centred around not having access to a wide range of physical instruments to play at home”.
Nevertheless, innovative ways of delivering interactive music lessons at Queen Ethelburga’s have included pulse and rhythm exercises “through the use of body percussion activities”.
The school has also created small ensemble performances “where individual parts have been recorded and mixed as if students were performing together,” Mr Clayton said.
Dipping in and out of lockdown meant schools could bring pupils together for some vital face-to-face time.
At Sherborne Girls in Dorset, concerts were adapted to year group performances to fit in with year group bubbles and ‘bubble choirs’ were able to practise safely in the school’s new concert hall, explained Mr Ian McClary, Deputy Head (Co-curricular and Planning).
He said the huge challenges faced by restrictions had also seen some positive benefits, such as the development of enhanced skills and confidence using technology.
This helped the school to deliver “its musical highlight of last term” – a virtual carol service which was seen by a much wider audience than the parents who normally attend when it was “shared around the world with alumnae”.
“We had some fabulous feedback on the calibre of our current cohort’s skills,” he said.
Sophie Nicholas also recognised the challenges schools had faced had brought advantages: “The activity challenges, which we started in the first lockdown have aided us in bringing the community together, from teachers, to sixth form, all the way down to our primary school students,” she said.
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So, if you’re looking for a really exciting and rewarding change of school at 16 – don’t leave it too late.
Call or visit our website for more information.
Please contact Cosmo Jackson T: 01483 279000 E: info@hurtwood.net hurtwoodhouse.com
