​​​​​​​As a working mother with two young children, aged 1 and 4, remote learning has certainly presented a fresh set of challenges. Not just mastering the new technology and way of learning, but also juggling the demands of family and working from home.

I was somewhat apprehensive about how the first day of remote learning would go, but the Bethany pupils once again impressed me with their positivity and ability to cope with change. Attendance and punctuality at lessons online has been excellent. Our pupils have embraced the challenge of learning remotely, but what I have been most impressed by is their supportiveness of each other. Whether that’s through an encouraging emoji, or answering each others questions by messaging online during lessons.

We are fortunate that Geography is a subject with a wealth of relevant online resources. Pupils are already familiar with using many of them such as Seneca, Bitesize and GCSEPod to support their learning, so the transition to online learning has been relatively smooth. This new frontier has also presented an opportunity for us to explore new resources such as Digimaps, an online mapping tool, which we will be using with pupils after the Easter break.

It has been fantastic to see the new resources that are emerging, and I am particularly excited by the FSC #fieldworklive initiative that will be running from 20th April to 1st May. Hosted by the Field Studies Council, it will be a great opportunity for our KS3 and KS4 Geographers to develop their geographical and scientific enquiry skills, through online fieldwork with experts.

This last fortnight has tested us all as teachers and pupils but the Bethany spirit has prevailed. I hope that everyone has a restful and safe Easter break.

Fleur-Estelle Shaw, Head of Geography