One of the aspects of a Forest Prep education we are most proud of is the breadth of our curriculum, replicating online the interest, variety and excitement on offer to pupils during more normal times was a non-negotiable for us from the outset.

Although the challenges have been many and varied, some lateral thinking and the prodigious flexibility of Prep School staff has allowed us to not only continue teaching almost every subject (from maths to Mandarin and phonics to philosophy),but also to continue our co-curricular offerings through ‘virtual clubs’ and activities. In addition, our start-and-end-of-day class ‘check-ins’ and weekly ‘virtual assemblies’ have allowed us to maintain the sense of community and pastoral belonging that is so vital to the wellbeing of Forest’s youngest learners through these uncertain times. 

One of the most significant changes in comparison to remote provision during last year’s site closure is our increased use of live provision. As the weeks have gone on, we have refined the format of lessons to combine the best aspects of both live and pre-recorded content. This has enabled pupils to regain some of the interactivity and camaraderie of their real-life classrooms, while also providing some precious flexibility to our families as they juggle the demands of school, home and wider life under lockdown.

We all hope to back on site as soon as possible. In the meantime however, the enthusiasm, resilience and passion for learning demonstrated by our pupils throughout this period has been truly humbling. Their determination to make the most of every opportunity we provide reminds us why we do what do, even under the most adverse of circumstances.

Tej Lander
Senior Deputy Head of the Preparatory School

 

The technology used for our Prep School pupils, centres around their form as it would in school. Pupils have a dedicated Class Team for their form. This gives them access to their form tutor, specialist teachers and games and activities teachers. After the first lockdown, we took the decision to give every Forest pupil a Teams log-in. For the first time ever, our youngest pupils from Reception to Year 2 have Forest log-in accounts. 

Form tutors have a morning and afternoon check in with pupils as well as delivering their lessons via Teams.  Our fantastic Prep School staff have adapted their teaching to incorporate Teams tools such as Microsoft Forms, OneNote Class Notebook and Assignments to keep our youngest pupils engaged online and learning alongside their classmates.

 

Louise Golding-Hann
Head of eLearning