Positive feedback from parents and pupils in response to home learning provision and Key Worker support

Clifton College closed its doors to all pupils and staff on Friday 20th March following Government instruction in light of the Coronavirus outbreak. In this short time, the College staff and pupils have all transitioned successfully into a virtual learning environment, implemented a robust home learning programme, and put in place support for key workers.

Since going live with our online learning programme, feedback from parents and pupils has been positive. We were in a fortunate position to already have a virtual learning platform, Google Classroom, in place which was well established from Year 4 upwards amongst pupils and staff alike.

Head of College, Dr. Tim Greene said

“The last few weeks have opened a new chapter in the 158-year history of Clifton as we have moved to delivering our education through remote learning online platforms. We thank all the staff and pupils for the enthusiasm and commitment they have shown in making this transition.

Over the coming weeks we will continue to extend, augment and grow this provision not only in the teaching of academic subjects but also in the delivery of pastoral care and support for wellbeing, as well as the enrichment provided by an online co-curriculum.” 

Smooth transition to Home Learning Environment

We have used Google Classroom successfully for a number of years. This has enabled us to make the swift transition to a solely online learning environment and we have endeavoured to keep disruption to our staff and pupils to a minimum during this time.

All pupils are being helped and directed by the teachers to pursue progress in their various subjects, through a combination of ‘live lessons’ (via video conference) and independent tasks. Pupils maintain regular contact with their Houses and Housemasters/mistresses with House and Tutor group meetings continuing to take place. Alongside the academic offering, there is a range of co-curricular activities that continue to be available, such as speaker visits, music groups and societies including debating, creative writing and keep fit classes. It’s vital that our pupils have continued access to the wide range of activities on offer at Clifton College.  

The safety and wellbeing of our pupils is also a top priority. Pupils continue to have access to a dedicated Counselling Team who they can contact by phone, email and via virtual meeting, to make access to support as easy as possible. The College Chaplain is also available to offer support for any matter, religious or pastoral. 

Clifton College proud to operate Key Worker Hub

In response to the Government’s pledge to support key workers, the school now welcomes a number of children as part of a Key Worker Hub.  

We are proud to provide a happy, safe and enjoyable environment for Clifton College pupils whose parents are on the Government Key Worker list. Our experienced staff provide child-led free-play utilising many of the College’s exceptional facilities including the Forest School Garden and the expansive Butcombe playground. There are many activities on offer including golf, badminton, rounders and Forest School. 

The health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff are our highest priority. We conduct a mandatory Health Screen for everyone on arrival which involves confirming that there have been no symptoms and a non-contact temperature check. We ensure children and staff undertake regular hand washing and the children demonstrate social distancing between themselves throughout the day. Buildings are also cleaned thoroughly between uses and during the school day to maintain high levels of cleanliness.

If you would like to enquire about the Clifton College Key Worker hub, please email: keyworkersupport@cliftoncollege.com.

A big thank you to our committed staff and parent community

Staff across the entire College have gone above and beyond to ensure all pupils are equipped to fulfil their academic curriculum from home. We can’t thank our staff enough for their incredible and ongoing support to all the pupils. 

We would also like to thank all of our families and the wider Clifton community for the ongoing messages of support and we will continue to work in partnership for the education and wellbeing of all our pupils. None of the above could be possible without the wholehearted support from our parents, for that we are incredibly grateful.

Together we are Clifton.