Remote learning prepares Portsmouth school for the future

Pupils at The Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS) coped well during lockdown, thanks to a combination of online teaching and real-life enthusiasm.

And its leaders say investment in technology means staff are ready to resume remote learning if it becomes necessary, without hindering student progress.

According to deputy head Henry Wiggins, the High Street school had been well prepared for what he called “the biggest global educational technology experiment in history” when it came earlier this year and is ready for what comes next.

"Whilst we all missed the daily human contact of school life and teaching and are overjoyed that it is now back, we are well placed to ensure uninterrupted and continuous live learning in the future, whatever it holds," he says.

Mr Wiggins added that digital learning had made the idea of a snow day – closing down a school or workplace because of bad weather – a thing of the past with pupils able to learn anywhere.

"Since March we have continued to invest in the latest technological hardware for use both in and outside of the classroom to fully facilitate the expected ongoing blending and integration of classroom- and home-based learning going forward.”

During lockdown, teachers from the Senior School carried out 5,078 hours of teaching online, with 816 posts each day by teachers on Google Classroom, setting assignments, posting instructions and staying in touch.

As just one element of the remote teaching support to help pupils keep in touch with the school community, staff set up 14,291 Google Meets with pupils, and a range of pre-sixth form courses for Year 11 students was introduced to help them develop the key skills they would need.

During lockdown, learning wasn’t just all about studying either, with musical theatre masterclasses, digital photography club, art challenges and online sports sessions all on offer.

The Junior School also created a wide range of clubs through Google Classroom, from Lego, bakery and craft sessions to dance groups and poetry clubs, some of which were pre-recorded to allow students to access the activities at a time that suited them. With 322 pupils in the Junior School, there were 550 enrolments to the 25 clubs available – showing what a lifeline it was for many.

One parent wrote: “I just wanted to thank you for going to all that trouble to put together a remote co-curriculum programme.

“Max has signed up to Spanish, baking and photography and is really enjoying them. They have certainly helped on days which are a little harder to bring an extra exciting dimension to the day.

“I just wanted to you to know that in these more challenging times what you have put together really is helping.”

For the past five years, pupils from Year 9 onwards have used their own digital devices at the school, with Google’s education software packages established at PGS long before lockdown.

“The coronavirus pandemic has irreversibly changed our perspective on the potential means by which learning can be delivered – and the crucial role of digital technology in not just supporting but framing and underpinning this provision,” says Mr Wiggins, adding that it was vital to equip pupils with the best study skills "in order to make the very best of a situation in the future where you might not be situated in a classroom and learning together".

Discover more about how learning at PGS could transform your child’s future at their virtual open event. For details, visit https://www.pgs.org.uk/virtual-open-experience/