New virtual teaching platform transforms homes into classrooms of the future
Every living room in the world can now be transformed into a classroom by EC English, who have quickly adapted their passion for full immersion face-to- face teaching in response to the global pandemic. The new virtual teaching platform, EC Virtual, brings together people from across the world to learn English online from the comfort of their own home without sacrificing the chemistry of face-to- face learning. EC Virtual classes are taught by well-travelled and passionate teachers and are kept to small groups of four to eight students to ensure every person benefits from the full-immersive learning experience. Family owned and operated, EC English launched from humble beginnings with just one school in Malta almost 30 years ago and has expanded to become one of the leading players in the industry, a global business with centres in eight countries, welcoming over 60,000 students through its doors each year. Its key partnership with National Geographic Learning gives students access to engaging learning materials that help develop global competencies alongside English language skills. The pivot into online teaching happened at lightning pace, with the whole organisation adapting to the new normal of the virtual ecosystem, learning fast, trialing in real-time and launching in beta. EC English effectively became an online start-up overnight. Andrew Mangion, EC English Executive Chairman, said: “Every facet of our lives has changed in the recent weeks and the same is true of the way in which we learn and upskill ourselves. EC Virtual aims to bring the connectivity and chemistry of our classrooms to the online learning experience. “Our schools don’t just teach English but bring together people from all over the world. We have a hugely diverse and multicultural team of teachers who love what they do and bring an incredible amount of passion and knowledge to their teaching. With the right training, they’ve quickly learned how to teach effectively in this new online environment” EC English offers classes suited to a range of abilities from beginner to proficient. The company has helped more than 500,000 students learn English and explore the world in their classrooms over the past 30 years. How does EC Virtual work? Before the lesson, the teacher sets up a pre-class assignment for relevant discussions in the class. During the 90-minute intensive lesson, students collaborate via a live video conference and the teacher outlines objectives and goals, offers questions and a post-class collaborative activity. After class, students work on a structured 60-minute English writing or speaking assignment which is shared online. Students can discuss their work while being closely monitored by the teacher. EC Virtual (which is offered in French as well as English) is available for €99 per week, with the option to add additional private lessons. To sign up or learn more visit www.ecenglish.com/virtual.
Exam Cancellation Update: Coronavirus
For this summer’s awards, schools and colleges are being asked to provide centre assessment grades for their students. Schools, colleges and other exam centres will be asked to submit students assessment grades after Easter. Exam boards will put all centre assessment grades through a process of standardisation using a model being developed with Ofqual, to ensure grades are fair. During these unprecedented times, we appreciate that substantial uncertainty and rapid change may be affecting many aspects of your family’s life, including your child’s education and plans for the future. Understanding the announcements regarding changes to exams and schooling is one area Justin Craig Education can help with, enabling you to work out how best to support your child in the months ahead. For this summer’s awards, schools and colleges are being asked to provide centre assessment grades for their students. These should be carefully considered judgements of the grades schools and colleges believe their students would have been most likely to achieve and should take into account the full range of available evidence: previous attainment, including GCSEs and mocks non-exam assessment (course work) up to date grade predictions To make sure that grades are as fair as possible across schools and colleges, exam boards will put all centre assessment grades through a process of standardisation using a model being developed with Ofqual. Exam boards will be contacting schools, colleges and other exam centres after Easter asking them to submit, by a deadline that will be no earlier than 29 May 2020. The Government has said its aim is to provide these calculated grades before the end of July, and there will be an option to sit an exam at the earliest reasonable opportunity or appeal your grade. For further information or support, please head over to Justin Craig Education: https://www.justincraig.ac.uk/here-to-help-latest-news-from-ofqual-ucas/
#StayHomeSaveLives: A Guide for Parents
Following Government Guidelines: Stay at Home Parents working from home, school from home and big events suspended. PE in my living room, supermarket trips only, and no seeing my friends. Will this go on forever? For children, it might seem confusing and even frustrating that their personal reality is on pause. For parents, it might feel impossible to balance childcare, cooking, work-from-home, school-from-home, fun activities, food shopping, checking on older relatives (quick pause to breathe), keeping up with friends, relationships, news, housework, paying bills… and the list goes on. For most of us, navigating change isn’t easy. How do I keep a routine? Will my children miss out on education? How will I keep them entertained? These are just a few of the questions that will be floating around many parents’ minds. Life couldn’t be more different making it challenging to establish a sense of continuity and stability for your family. However, by keeping a regular routine and protecting our physical and mental health we are already halfway there. Read the guide for parents to find out more. How do I balance Work-From-Home and childcare? As home and office blend together, striking a balance between family and work life might feel nearly impossible. It’s easy to feel distracted, unmotivated or unable to do it all. Feelings such as inadequacy, stress and worry are heightened as we try to balance home duties alongside work tasks. Whilst WFH might feel chaotic at times, there are ways to ensure you are able to work effectively and get through a meeting without hearing “Mum, I’m bored” halfway through. 1) Honesty with your boss and team-mates Trying to remain 110% at the top of your work game whilst managing your children is an unrealistic expectation, leading to feelings of failure and inadequacy from the get-go. Remember that your children, much like yourself, have been asked to flip their norm upside down. Your number one priority is therefore to be realistic about your situation, and that means making sure that you and your family’s wellbeing isn’t sidelined. Honesty and open dialogue with your team, as well as prioritising essential tasks isn’t a bad place to start. 2) Be realistic with your time Write yourself an achievable checklist by breaking down your bigger goals into easier steps. For example: 1) Check emails 2) Finish expenses 3) Make the kids a snack. As you go through the day, tick off the things you complete. This will help nurture feelings of purpose and success. When you look back at your day, you’ll be able to visually see all the things, big or small, that you managed to complete. Stick to your contracted hours. Whilst it might be tempting to do ‘just one more task’, give yourself time to switch off and recharge. 3) Separate your workspace and life-space If you live in a house, try to separate spaces in which you work with the spaces in which family activities take place. For smaller accommodation, keep work to one side of the room and play for the other. If your children are old enough and are getting on with school work, create a ‘work zone’ for you and the family. Older children will understand that parents still have jobs. You can divide your time effectively by using a timer. Focus on how much you can do in thirty minutes, rather than having to complete a specific task. If you have an important meeting, prepare in advance some online activities or quiet reading your children can do to create a quieter environment. For parents with younger children, try to provide activities that keep their attention whilst you do essential tasks or meetings. Alternatively schedule meetings for when your child is having a nap to ensure a quiet space. If you live with a partner, divide your day around who is keeping an eye on the children. For single parents, be open and honest with your colleagues that you are looking after your children single-handedly. How do I entertain my kids? Most parents struggle to provide continuous fun activities during the summer holidays, let alone in confinement, so be easy on yourself and your expectations as a parent. Keep in mind that you are a parent and not an entertainer. Whilst structured and organised activities are undoubtedly important, there are also benefits of allowing your children to create their own fun. Skills such as independence, leadership and communication come from autonomous play. Set your children fun projects such as putting on a show for Mum and Dad. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Try to schedule in an organised fun activity with your children where you can. This could be something simple such as watching a movie together, baking, dancing, theatre, drawing or reading a story. Sit down with your children for a chat about their feelings and thoughts. Children, particularly younger ones, will not be looking for dazzling acts of entertainment but for attention and love, which we as parents know how to provide. Out of inspiration? Create an ‘I’m Bored Jar.’ At the beginning of the week, write fun activities on pieces of paper and place them in the jar. When your children say ‘I’m bored,’ they can take an activity from the jar. How do I home-school my kids? Looking after our children can be challenging at the best of times, let alone making sure their educational development needs are met. When it comes to teaching, most of us haven’t looked at fractions or The Tudors for a fair few years. First things first, remember most of us are not a teacher by trade. What we can do is provide a similar school structure for our children and find creative ways to explore academic topics in a relaxed manner. There are plenty of resources available to help parents provide educational resources. Here are a few of our top recommendations: 1) PE with Joe Wicks : Kids and parents are taking to the living room
Edtech charity LGfL wins for second year running Supplier of the Year
Edtech charity LGfL is celebrating having won for the second year running Supplier of Year: Not for Profit in the Education Resources Awards (ERA). The judges selected LGfL as the winner in recognition of its social mission to advance education through digital innovation and its delivery of circa £9M in savings and benefits to schools per annum. One of LGfL’s most notable initiatives is its Pledge 2020 project to supercharge connectivity across its 3000-strong consortium of UK member schools by the end of 2020, enabling them to use cloud computing, 4K streaming and virtual reality in the classroom. The Education Resources Awards are organised by The British Suppliers Association (BESA) and Brilliant Marketing Solutions and are recognised throughout the education sector as an accolade of excellence. This year’s awards ceremony was streamed online for all finalists and winners to enjoy their achievements safely and responsibly during the COVID-19 pandemic. EdTech Top 50 mover and shaker LGfL’s mission is to energise teaching and learning, improve educational outcomes for its 3,000 member schools, keep its 1.2 million children safe online, tackle inequality, promote wellbeing and help its community harness the power and promise of edtech. Commenting on the award win, John Jackson, CEO, LGfL, said “We are thrilled to be recognised for LGfL’s role as a digital leader in transforming teaching and learning. During this difficult period, we are working tirelessly to provide schools with all the resources, connectivity and support required to deliver the best education possible.” For more information on LGfL, please visit https://www.lgfl.net/default.aspx For more information on how LGfL is supporting school communities during the coronavirus pandemic, please visit https://coronavirus.lgfl.net/ andhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTgQ6keprSw
3P Learning launches Support Package to keep maths and literacy on the home-schooling agenda
Maths and literacy are set to stay firmly on the agenda worldwide for 3P Learning’s 17,000 schools and 5 million pupils working from home during the current COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the launch of its Digital Accelerator Support Package designed to help schools keep pupils engaged, on track with the curriculum and communicating well with parents and students. Global leader in online education 3P Learning is offering its multi-award award-winning suite of online education resources to educators and schools including its much-loved Mathletics challenge and reward maths resource and Reading Eggs, its comprehensive range of online reading lessons, activities and ebooks that teach children aged 2–13 the core literacy skills needed for reading success. The increased support is open to both new and existing customers. Any new customers can use 3P Learning’s resources for free for 30 days and use any of the webinars and increased support to get up and running as quickly as possible. The company is also mobilising its extensive education specialists and customer service teams to provide an unprecedented level of support for teachers, as well as bringing on additional staff to help teachers transition smoothly to their digital classroom so pupils can continue learning regardless of where they are. Commenting on the launch Allan Dougan, Global Head of Education, 3P Learning, said: “None of us have experienced mass school disruption or distance learning on this scale before. We want teachers and parents to know that via our Accelerator Support Package we can resolve concerns for our school teachers so enabling them to continue to educate students remotely. The Accelerator Support Package is fully aligned with national curriculum requirements and provides the following: Access to any or the full range of 3P edtech solutions covering mathematics, literacy and science with thousands of activities suitable for pupils aged 4-14 Express on-boarding one-on-one guidance on how to set up a school or class and upload students’ work, as well as a tour of the portal to ensure teacher are confident to begin distance learning Daily product Q&As and weekly education webinars with customer success managers and teams of education specialists who can advise on remote teaching and learning strategies Parents comms advice to help teachers mobilise parents to provide support for home learning, weekly webinars on home learning for parents and weekly student progress reports. Commenting on the Support Package Rebekah O’Flaherty, CEO, 3P Learning, said: “We are fortunate to have unique access to a community of teachers across the world, all focused on delivering online learning. Our community of schools has made it loud and clear that it is support that they need and a human voice to help them manage a fully digital classroom. That is why we are mobilising our staff workforce to support them at this time.” “As we’ve always done, we’ll innovate to ensure that we do all we can to connect and support our students, teachers, school leaders and parents to give them the confidence and help they need at this time,” added Mr Dougan. 3P Learning’s Accelerator Support Package is designed to meet the needs of the teacher and the learner. Its auto-created pathways are tailored to the various country-specific curriculums to ensure that students continue to move forward with their learning. Teachers can also personalise their pupils’ learning journeys as and when required. 3P Learning’s resources are diverse and designed to meet a wide range of different teaching and learning styles. Please click on the link for more information on the Accelerator Support Package
TCS iONTM Offers Free Access to its Interactive Virtual Classrooms
TCS iONTM, a strategic unit of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, is offering free access to its virtual learning platform:TCS iON Digital Glass Room. The announcement comes as global lockdowns of schools and colleges continues. Using Digital Glass Room, educators and students can connect in a safe, secure virtual environment, moving lessons from classrooms to interactive digital “glass rooms”. Students can ask questions and debates with peers, teachers can conduct polls, run quizzes, set assignments, conduct exams, give feedback, and mark handwritten work. Interested schools and higher education organizations can register for the platform by going to: https://learning.tcsionhub.uk/organisation/intl-glass-room/ The TCS iON Digital Glass Room is a mobile and web education platform for schools and colleges, that empowers educators to engage with students in real time by sharing lessons, videos, worksheets, assignments and assessments, using interactive methods like polls, debates, quiz, surveys and many more tools. As an add-on, the platform also provides an embedded live classroom, which simulates live classroom teaching. The iON Digital Glass Room mimics an actual classroom – acting as a ready-made platform for schools and educators to take advantage of in this unprecedented time. Any level of education – be it primary or secondary schools, universities or other institutions – can leverage this platform to ensure the teaching and learning doesn’t come to a halt. Customers include the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and The Training Room, which mentors young unemployed people. “These are unprecedented times. With schools and colleges shut down across the UK, educators are quickly pivoting to digital teaching. We want to empower teachers and institutions to confidently take their lessons online and enable students to continue learning with as little disruption as possible. said Venguswamy Ramaswamy, Global Head, TCS iON. There are many platforms out there enabling video classes with the ability to post text and videos – iON Glass Rooms is far more than that, it is providing a holistic 360’ learning experience. This tool is an easy way to transition online without having to immediately make a long-term commitment, and we hope we can help teachers and students alike in such a challenging time.” TCS iON Digital Glass Room is available to educational institutes of all types. The software easily integrates with other online tools and gives educators everything they need to take learning online. The initial offer is available for 90 days, which will be extended if the lockdown continues for longer. Customers are not automatically charged at the end of the 90-day period.
Ebbsfleet Green Primary, celebrates signing of Funding Agreement
Ebbsfleet Green Primary, due to open Sept 2020, celebrates signing of Funding Agreement with the Department for Education: a major milestone for the school Ebbsfleet Green Primary, a new Garden City school due to open in September 2020, is celebrating the signing of its Funding Agreement with the Department for Education: this official contract between the school and the government is a key milestone in the school’s journey to opening. Ebbsfleet Green Primary School is part of the Maritime Academy Trust; an educational charity catering for over 2600 pupils aged 3-11 across eight primary schools with nurseries based in London and Kent. The Trust is headed up by Nick Osborne, CEO and National Leader in Education – a title earned for his ‘exceptional’ leadership as Executive Head Teacher of Millennium, Brooklands and Timbercroft Primary Schools, a position he held prior to founding Maritime. Ebbsfleet Green Primary will serve the rapidly growing community in the new Ebbsfleet Garden City and help meet increasing demand for school places in Dartford and Gravesham, whose population is predicted to rise to 252,000 by 2031. Beginning as a one-form entry school, it will become two-form to match Ebbsfleet’s rising population. In September 2020, the school will have Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes. It has already received over 100 applications for school places for the upcoming academic year. The Funding Agreement, which is a legally binding contract between the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson and Maritime Academy Trust, sets out the terms on which this free school is funded. As part of a Multi-Academy Trust, Ebbsfleet Green Primary is a free school – funded by the government but not run by the local authority. Therefore, the Funding Agreement specifies how the academy is run, its duties and the powers that the Secretary of State has over the school. Commenting on the event, Nick Osborne, National Leader of Education said, “As CEO of Maritime Academy Trust, I am delighted to sign the Funding Agreement with the Department for Education. This is a significant step towards the opening of our brand new community-driven school in Ebbsfleet Green – we thank all the local families who have supported our journey and we look forward to welcoming parents and children to the school in September.” To learn more about the school, please email info@ebbsfleetgreenprimary.org.uk or visit its website: https://www.ebbsfleetgreenprimary.org.uk/
Department for Education appoints Sigma as its user experience partner
£1.5 million contract for Manchester and North of England partnership UX design and development agency, Sigma has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) as its user experience (UX) and design partner in Manchester and the North of England. The appointment will see Sigma support the Department for Education on the development and improvement of a range of its products and services over the next two years, as part of its digital transformation strategy. The contract, valued at up to £1.5 million, starts in Spring 2020 and will run for two years. It will enable the department to draw upon cutting edge expertise from one of the UK’s leading UX design agencies, during a period of unprecedented growth in its digital ways of working. Sigma’s scope of work will include improving the user experience of services designed for, and delivered to, teachers, schools, parents and children. It will specifically focus on designing and developing end-to-end services that fit together as a coherent, consistent offer for users. Shaun Gomm, commercial director at Sigma UK, said: “This is a pivotal partnership for Sigma, and one that will see our expertise put to use as a leading UK user experience and design agency. We are looking forward to further developing our relationship with the DfE and working closely together to improve the everyday lives of teachers, parents and pupils. Jack Collier, deputy director of digital at Department for Education, said: “We need to think beyond just building digital products and transactions. We want to consider the longer-term experience of our users over time and build stronger relationships with them. This will give us richer insight and a deeper understanding of their changing needs. That insight will enable us to get better and better at supporting them to achieve their goals.” Sigma is a leading specialist in user experience (UX), with an inclusive approach to improving the accessibility of digital products and services – covering websites, intranets, mobile apps and software. It is also an experienced Gold Partner with Umbraco, the flexible, open source Content Management System chosen by the charity.
Nanogirl’s Lab – a fun-filled science experiment every weekday
Join Nanogirl™ as she gains STEM superpowers – including creating COVID-19 fighting super-soap A new science adventure every weekday for just 50p per day. Children join Nanogirl™ on her quest to gain superpowers using STEM. Child-friendly COVID-19 videos – including making your own virus-fighting super-soap! Buy one, give one – for each subscription purchased, Nanogirl’s Lab will give access to a family unable to afford it. From the bestselling author of The Kitchen Science Cookbook (as seen on Blue Peter!) Designed with diversity in mind so all children feel welcome and included Millions of children are currently being forced to stay home from school – but this doesn’t mean they should have to miss out on essential STEM skills. Nanogirl’s Lab release a science experiment every weekday for kids to try at home with everyday household items. Perfect for children aged 7-11, kids are given ‘lab notes’ worksheets to follow as they watch their daily Nanogirl™ instructional video before getting stuck into fun-filled science experiments. These include – understanding sound waves come from vibrations by building your own harmonica, seeing the world upside down by making a pinhole camera, and learning about the structure of COVID19 by creating virus-fighting super-soap. Developed by a team of scientists and engineers, the experiments give children access to essential hands-on science skills they could miss out on while staying home while also empowering parents who may not feel confident teaching STEM at home. Subscribing to Nanogirl’s Lab gives parents and children access to: Daily lab notes and a video for children A daily ‘cheat sheet’ and instructions for parents Weekly parent webinars with creator Dr Michelle Dickinson – covering everything from COVID-19 questions, the science behind the experiments and helping children with STEM subjects. Access to the private Facebook group – an online community of parents to share concerns and questions. Working to make STEM accessible to all Created by nanotechnologist and engineer Dr Michelle Dickinson, Nanogirl™ is a superhero with a difference. Her powers don’t come from magic – or spider bites or alien suns! – but instead through her study of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. By solving problems using her STEM skills she encourages children to find their superpowers by building and tinkering with common household items. Sadly, missing even a week of school can have a profound impact on a child’s long-term relationship with STEM which can impact their future careers in these fields. With so many children currently at home, Nanogirl’s Lab are working to inspire, educate and empower through STEM through their home experiments. For every paying subscriber to Nanogirl’s Lab, they donate a STEM learning experience to a family who could not otherwise afford to take part. Find out more about Nanogirl Labs’ other projects at nanogirllabs.com Nanogirl™ STEM Adventure subscriptions are available for 50p a day. Find out more at https://nanogirlslab.com/