Apple Recommends RGS Worcester
The start of term for teachers normally begins with an INSET day. This involves training, communication about the new Academic year and ensuring teachers are up to speed with the latest safeguarding legislation. At RGS Worcester Family of Schools, we also always reserve some time to share information about our Digital Learning Programme. However, this year our Director of Innovation was also tasked with delivering a remote presentation at an entirely different family of schools: The Stephen Perse Foundation in Cambridge.
Like RGS Worcester, The Stephen Perse Foundation consists of a number of schools that provide outstanding education from Nursery up to Year 13 in Cambridge. It is also an Apple Distinguished School and was able to provide remote schooling during ‘lockdown’. However, over the summer, Stephen Perse contacted Apple as they felt their staff were suffering a little ‘digital fatigue’ and wanted some inspiration for the new term. Apple immediately thought of RGS Worcester as the perfect school to provide this.
On 2nd October, using a combination of Google Meet and Nearpod, Mr Jones, Director of Innovation delivered a presentation to over 150 staff from across the Stephen Perse Foundation, sharing details of our Remote Learning and some of the incredible feedback we had received from parents, pupils and staff. He highlighted that having a Digital Learning Programme meant that our pupils were able to continue to progress in their studies, collaborate with teachers and peers whilst creating and completing exciting projects and work in a variety of digital formats.
Following the presentation, Vice Principal, Tracy Handford had this to say “The Stephen Perse Foundation was pleased to share reflections on Remote Learning with John Jones from RGS Worcester. Both schools achieved exceptional uninterrupted provision in the delivery of a full curriculum throughout lockdown through online teaching and learning. As both organisations look towards the challenges of the coming Academic year, the opportunity to learn about John’s recent experiences and great resources has helped Stephen Perse staff to recognise that their exceptional efforts and ability to manage challenges were shared by another Apple Distinguished school.”
This is not the only occasion that Apple has asked us to present our Digital Learning Programme. In recognition of how successfully we adjusted our teaching model to overcome the national ‘lockdown’, they asked us to present at the Apple Distinguished Schools Virtual Conference in May 2020 to showcase our best practices and solutions to educational leaders across the globe. We presented our outstanding Academic programme, the incredible Co-curricular activities and Pastoral care, which continued daily. We showcased the excellent teaching delivering exciting lessons which all our pupils were able to enjoy.
