Bridging the Gap
We’ve been hearing it on the news, from our students and the international business community all year: these are unprecedented times for everyone.
In the UK, there have been so many changes to education and our learning systems, that as a parent, so often it might have felt completely bewildering, and difficult to keep up with.
Thankfully, Yorschool has been able to be there for all of our students since the first stages of lockdown. As both an in-person and online business, our teachers were already au fait with Zoom and Skype, as well as having an understanding of the steps students had to take to acclimatise.
Now, as we enter September and a new school year, we’re hearing a lot of concerns from parents about how to establish some consistency with their child’s language learning.
Since March this year, many students have seen regular lessons disrupted and their normal classmates split off into different groups. In August, the government’s handling of the GCSE and A Level results only compounded this stress, bringing yet more uncertainty for students.
Even younger children will be aware of the disruption to GCSE and A Level results because of coronavirus. While we know schools are working quickly to adapt to the current situation, and producing new materials and ways of teaching, educators as well as families are facing the unknown. The important thing to focus on is establishing routine and consistency where possible, so your child can focus and be receptive to the task at hand: learning.
Over the past few months of lockdown we’ve added some bitesize resources for parents on our blog, including Home Tutoring Language Tips and Six Ways to Support Home Tutoring. Now that the new school year is approaching, we’re hearing new concerns from parents...
Do any of these sound familiar?
Concerned about your child missing another year of face-to-face 'normal' schooling?
Preparing for your child to begin Year 7?
Keen to get ahead in French, German, or brush-up English skills....
Worried that your Year 7 child has missed out on half of the first crucial year of secondary school as they prepare for Year 8?
Perhaps you have a Year 10 child unsettled about GCSE from September (or Year 9 and starting their course)?
Worried that a second wave of coronavirus could result in mock exams being used to determine your child’s final exam grade?
In this blog, we’re here to assuage your fears a little.
Teaching is continuously challenging, exciting and rewarding - and 2020 will certainly prove to be a year of challenges. But our language school is also focused on bridging the gaps in education your child may be feeling right now.
When there has been so much else changing in the world, it is vital that your children have consistency with teachers and their peers.
With the Autumn Term about to begin, we’re here to bridge the gap between the face-to-face learning your child may be used to, and the uncertain classroom set-up they may be returning to.
What Yorschool can offer:
If you’re concerned about more upheaval for your child, why not consider bubble teaching all year-round, with bespoke-group tutoring?
We all know that you can't learn a language on your own at home. Your child needs regular contact and feedback from an actual live teacher - and we can certainly help with that! Find out more about Yorschool founder Rita Bose’s extensive experience in the field, including 26 years as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher.
Yorschool sessions build consistency between your last real lesson and the next - our teachers can pick up where your child may have disengaged, or circle back to parts of their learning that may need more time.
We can fill in all those vital grammar gaps, and answer all the lingering questions your child may have from missing some of the syllabus.
In a full class, your child won’t often receive regular 'air time' - why not make the most of personal tutoring to be able to ask and answer as many questions as you like?
In the past, mock exams were viewed as a practice exam, but they may have a lot more sway now in your child’s end result. Therefore pupils returning to school in September need to hit the ground running and prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible for the forthcoming mocks in the Autumn Term.
We specialise in bespoke courses to suit your child's needs. With 16 years’ experience as Head of Modern Foreign Languages at an Ofsted-graded ‘Outstanding’ secondary school, our founder Rita can quickly establish the areas your child requires help with, and provide tailor-made lessons to bridge those gaps.
Not forgetting that we also encourage small groups to sign up. By getting your children together with a friend or two, you can keep costs lower than individual tutoring, and still create the peer camaraderie so many of our young people have missed out on by not being at school for four months or longer.
If your child was taught in a small bubble during the last Summer Term, it’s likely they’ve already seen the benefit of being taught in groups of around eight - and managed to retain a lot more of the key learnings by having so much more time with their teacher. Now imagine that experience all year-round, thanks to a bespoke course of online tutoring?
Yorschool offers lessons of 30, 45 and 60 minutes in length, with materials sent via email and all feedback, corrections and grading taking place between classes. We can support with school work or cover aspects of the curriculum you’re aware your child may need further assistance with.
In the end, we’re all facing unknown waters this year, but with a little preparation, there’s no need for your child to miss out on developing their language skills at such a vital age. Yorschool is here to bridge that gap, and minimise the impact of COVID-19 felt by all of our students.
