How do we replicate a typical school day from the confines of our homes? We do it by duplicating our school schedule virtually – to ensure it includes all the aspects of on-campus delivery, including daily registration, Phase Assemblies, ECA’s, personal well-being, and Parent Teacher Conferences. Our aim at Harrow is to maintain a sense of order and community during this period of uncertainty, to preserve the progress and well-being of our students and staff alike. Our Phase Heads share how they and their teams have tackled virtual schooling with rigour and passion below.
Hear from our Leaders
We understand the pains and perils of keeping young children in a restricted environment. That is why our team is committed to providing as much educational support as possible to our parent and pupil community. By sharing resources, videos and activities, our children can continue to learn critical skills at home. For example, our Nursery children recently started the extremely successful Read Write Inc. phonics programme to help support them with the transition into Reception in September. Children are learning new sounds each week and finding corresponding items in their home which will help boost their language skills.
We are also delighted to host special events like inviting award-winning storyteller, Tony Wilson, to share stories and songs with our children to create an enchanting world of imagination for young and old.
Avril Connolly Phillips
Head of Early Years
The whole of our Pre-Prep team, children and staff, have risen to the challenge online learning from the offset. We have replicated our full curriculum timetable, including providing children with opportunity to engage in a new variety of optional ECA’s – these include Story Time with our Head Master, British Bingo, Graffiti Art and Virtual Science. Lessons have been adapted to take into account screen time and each week we are trying new elements to make them more interactive e.g. the use of Nearpod. WeCom has been a tool which have used for both parents and children successfully; this parental engagement has been so essential to ensure that the children continue learning and well-being is at the forefront. Individual pastoral check-ins have been well received and have provided a useful outlet for the children as has the introduction of Zones of Regulation. Our Student Leaders have been consulted and have even provided arrange of indoor activities for the children to take part in. The dedication, willingness, collaboration, kindness and resilience of our staff, children and parents has ensured that this has been a positive three weeks in our community, where we have truly demonstrated our core Harrow values.
Renuka Chinnadurai
Head of Pre-Prep School
Three key steps lead to virtual schooling success in the Prep school.
-Teachers have an established culture of incorporating and integrating our virtual platform, Microsoft Teams, into their day-to-day teaching.
-Students begin a digital literacy programme that provides them the skills to navigate a digital world and enhance their learning through technology, allowing them to be at the forefront of achievement in virtual schooling.
-Routine & normality – our online learning programme matches our in-school timetable and follows daily school expectations.
Joseph Jedrzejczyk
Head of Prep School
Senior School pupils and their teachers have done a brilliant job of continuing to learn online. Whilst we’re all missing seeing one another in person, Seniors have led the way with chairing Student Council meetings, offering amazing challenges to keep our community strong and undertaken Service challenges at home to show on-screen and off-screen leadership.
Tess St. Clair-Ford,
Head of Senior School
Student Led Initiatives
Listening to and leveraging the voice of our students is also critical in this time of change. Our whole school student council got together and came up with an initiative – the “Harrow Daily Challenge” – which allows our community to celebrate, have fun together and make the most out of being at home. Check out their activities in the posters above – try them out for yourself and post your results for all to see!
Curriculum & Parent Engagement
Our virtual curriculum has balanced our commitment to academic rigour and to sustaining the learning progress of our students with an appreciation to the different demands the virtual classroom places on students.
Ensuring each child reaches their academic potential requires an effective tripartite relationship, school-student-parents. Our virtual Parent Teacher Conferences enabled critical conversations to celebrate student successes and highlight and outline the next steps that need to be taken to further progress.
Dr Sean Knox
Director of Studies
Pastoral Care & Well being
Here at Harrow, we remain committed to the pastoral care and wellbeing of our Harrovians during this critical period of virtual schooling. Tutors have continued their weekly 1:1 engagement with each student in their care to provide ongoing encouragement and support in these times of change. Our school counselling service also continues as normal. We actively communicate and engage with our parents to provide additional support where needed.
Steve Morris
Acting Deputy Head
Beyond Academics
At Harrow, we continue to replicate a typical school day by continuing with other aspects of our programme that extend beyond our curriculum. For example, we host virtual ECA’s (extra-curricular activities) where we can gather as a community to participate in an amazing science experiment, read and discuss a book together, or play a game of British Bingo. In our recent PHSE Session (Personal, Social, Health & Economics), we discussed discrimination and protected qualities and then broke out in groups to analyse and write a response collaboratively. Our Music and Drama teams have hosted online performances for our communities. In our Leadership & Service programme, our pupils spread positivity in uncertain times by giving back to our family and community, which included tasks like babysitting, tidying our spaces, recycling and giving a call to a lonely neighbour. This is just a small taste of the many activities our students continue to lead and engage in throughout our typical school day.
Head Master Insights
When it comes to raising one’s game when it matters most, Harrovians have proven over centuries that at the very moment communities of people need leaders, Harrovians are there to innovate, think clearly, guide and lead the way. Now is one of those moments.
I am immensely proud of the entire Harrow Shanghai community – pupils, staff and parents – for the highly advanced Virtual Schooling experience presently being enjoyed. It is making certain our children and young adults continue to thrive and progress during this time of challenge.
As our Harrow motto states: ‘Stet Fortuna Domus’ – ‘Let the Fortune of the House Prevail’. It will take more than a pandemic to knock Harrow Shanghai off its stride!
