Ramsbury Primary, like all other schools, has been closed to all but keyworkers’ children since March 20. With daily in-school numbers now varying between six and eleven, the majority of children have been at home following the school’s home learning programme.
All classes have been learning via Google Classroom which means teachers can set tasks, provide information, send videos and links. The children can all post comments and talk to their teachers. Using Google Classroom has allowed children and teachers to feel they aren’t working in isolation, to post and share what they have been doing.
Mrs Rean, Assistant Head at Ramsbury, commented, “Using Google Classroom has given both teachers and children a way of keeping in touch every day and we are all very glad of that opportunity at a time when our regular face-to-face contact is missing.
Tasks set have not been compulsory, but have allowed a mixture of independent working and working supported by parents, following each class’s current topic and curriculum. The children have embraced home learning with enthusiasm, following the daily videos of who’s in school each day, and loving the daily story-time, with their teachers reading to them on a pre-recorded video. Class 5 have particularly enjoyed seeing Mr Jones’ selection of headgear – with a different hat each day!”
Keeping fit with Joe Wicks and many of the nation’s children (and parents!) is a daily activity enjoyed by all. In Key Stage 1, Class R, who are studying dinosaurs have been ‘On a Bear (dinosaur!) Hunt’, making obstacles to go over, under and around, writing signs for the dinosaur’s cave, doing cosmic yoga to retell the story and measuring their own and their family’s feet to compare with the foot of a T-Rex!
As well as doing lots of fun practical work with their families to support learning about fractions, Class 2 have used humour to write their own versions of the amusing story, ‘Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion’.
A parent with children in Class 2 and Class 5 said, “Home learning for us has had its ups and downs whilst we learn to live with the new routine, but Ramsbury Primary have been fantastic, setting interesting work via Google Classroom.
The message from school has been very clear about ‘doing what we can, when we can’, whilst remembering to have fun and keep the children happy and well. The kids have particularly enjoyed using the technology to speak to their teachers and friends in small groups as well as watching videos posted by the staff.”
In Key Stage 2, Class 3 devised some fantastic projects as part of ‘Children’s Choice’. This included creating bug hotels, rainbow weaving and programming robots. Many activities have involved adapting whatever is available to the children. Class 6 used different liquids in their kitchens to investigate surface tension, sharing their findings with their classmates and teachers via Google Classroom. Class 4 held a magic numbers challenge where the children improvised at home to find their own maths counters including fizzers, midget gems, blueberries and pompoms instead of school equipment!
Another parent of a pupil in Class 5 explained, “Given such short notice, school have managed to prepare a varied and engaging curriculum, helping my daughter to feel she is still part of her class, despite being isolated. As well as the daily videos and whole school game of ‘guess who is in the barrel’, my favourite moment so far has been the full class video call – wonderful!”
