Remote Learning

[Remote learning is] “Absolutely brilliant. Implemented straight away, with such confidence and very well organized. Thank you”

[Remote Learning is] “Excellent in all areas. Thank you to all the staff involved”

“[My daughter] has really enjoyed the live [remote] lessons, she is interested and engaged and pleased to be connecting with her friends and teachers again. Seriously impressed!”

“We have been extremely impressed by the way that the school has very quickly adapted to these very challenging times [during the COVID pandemic]”

“Live lessons with teachers [on Skype]… are helping to keep [our son] focused, to work independently [during lockdown] and have a better understanding”

“Having school provide such a good support and learning plan has helped immensely” [during the COVID pandemic)

“We would like to thank you for setting up these online Skype lessons… Miss Allen has been fantastic with all the children and has made it fun for them all whilst learning” (Reception Parent)

“AKS has really risen to the challenge [of Remote Learning], and continues to provide a wonderful education for our children”

"Teachers sought and responded to feedback [about Remote Learning] excellently to provide such a welcoming teaching experience for the children”

At AKS, we have used a combination of Microsoft Teams through the Office 365 suite and 'live' lessons through Skype for Business.

These lessons are accessed by both students working remotely and those whose parents are key workers and who are welcome to attend school (open for breakfast club and Twilight after school sessions as usual in Prep School and for the normal nursery day from 8am-6pm).

Our delivery of the full school timetable, across the whole curriculum, including co-curricular activities ensures continuity of learning for all year groups. Teacher-student engagement sustains our sense of community whilst also trying to keep school life as normal as possible for pupils and staff.

The adaptability and tenacity shown by the whole AKS community has been exceptional in such a short period of time and exemplifies what the school community is all about.

Features of AKS Remote Learning for Senior School

Feature	Benefit
Three 'Live' Form Tutor sessions per week	Pastoral support for and communication with students Includes spirit-raising initiatives by form tutors, e.g. 'bring your pet to form period'.
Weekly Senior School Assembly	Communication cascade and discussion of themes which support wider personal development of students, e.g. Round Square Discoveries such as ‘Tenacity’.
Delivery of the full school timetable	Students can follow the progress of each course they study, by using the curriculum overviews and the GCSE specifications found at the link below on the website: /senior/learning
Microsoft Teams – for every class	Dissemination, storage and assignment completion/feedback. Topic and subject-specific discussions.
Registration in every lesson	Pastoral and academic staff able to quickly see anyone who may have missed a lesson, enabling timely follow-up and support.
'Live' Skype lessons across all subjects to optimise learning	Supports: Teaching new material Addressing pupil misconceptions Hosting pupil discussion and interaction Providing feedback on work that has been completed and marked. Contributes to enjoyment and support for learning as well as having a positive impact on well-being.
Skype lessons recorded and shared	Enables students to watch again to assist their understanding.
Delivery of creative and practical subjects through Skype	Ensures continuation of our broad and balanced curriculum, including music, drama, art, design & technology and PE. Teaching includes practical challenges and projects, working offline, enabling students to break from screen time.

Remote Learning in AKS Nursery & Preparatory School

The principles of remote learning outlined above are reflected in our nursery and preparatory school, adapted for the younger age groups. Features include:

Weekly timetable detailing the activities for every subject and materials required
Four Skype lessons per day across the full curriculum
Use of Teams for document dissemination, storage and upload
Class time for younger years includes ‘show and tell’ sessions, encouraging students to share what they have been working on with their classes and story time sessions
Co-curricular activities include creative arts subjects, themed challenges and cookery lessons
Regular updates from Mrs Ilhan to all pupils and their parents
Weekly newsletter to communicate progress, achievements and sustain the strength of our community

A sample of a typical week’s learning is illustrated in the reports included on the weekly Nursery and Preparatory School Newsletter

Community Engagement via our Online Community

AKS isn’t just a school, it’s a community and this too has moved online, with a 170% increase in engagement on our social media channels in recent weeks, it is a thriving community of current and former parents and students.

Current and incoming students are invited to participate in the various contests and challenges that have been levelled by our Prep, Sport and Art Departments amongst others. Other competitions are open to all. It is a great way to keep connected, keep up to date and get a flavour of the AKS spirit.

You can submit content to news@akslytham.com and find and follow us on the following platforms:

Twitter (@AKSSchool), Facebook (@AKSSchoolLytham) and Instagram (aks_lytham).