THINK back to when ‘zoom’ simply meant the sound of a rocket and ‘remote’ was merely an object for siblings to squabble over after school. That simpler world of desks, dormitories, and muddy rugby boots can seem like another era, a source of nostalgia. In early January, schools once again had to pivot—in some cases, within 48 hours— to an online curriculum. Yet amid the inevitable disappointment and disruption, the principal of Harrow School’s new virtual sixth form was looking forward to the seamless start of the new term.
Harrow School Online welcomed its first pupils last September, but its genesis was pre-pandemic; the principal, Heather Rhodes, spent three years perfecting its teaching methods and pastoral care. Mrs. Rhodes fizzes with enthusiasm as she expounds on the benefits of wholly online education. ‘It is increasing access to exceptional education and opening up choice for students,’ she explains. ‘It’s moving away from that one-size-fits-all approach, offering greater flexibility and better-individualized learning.’
The school’s 30 pupils work through selfstudy courses at their own pace, then come together for ‘live’ lessons. Students can book a 15-minute individual session with a teacher whenever they want. Staff are unique to the school, although Harrow’s heads of the subject are involved in recruitment and quality assurance. ‘There is the chance to learn at the pace directed by the student—rather than the speed of their class,’ adds Mrs Rhodes, ‘plus a data-informed smart approach to teaching, so the lessons are really focused.’
Denne historien er fra February 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Save our family farms
IT Tremains to be seen whether the Government will listen to the more than 20,000 farming people who thronged Whitehall in central London on November 19 to protest against changes to inheritance tax that could destroy countless family farms, but the impact of the good-hearted, sombre crowds was immediate and positive.
A very good dog
THE Spanish Pointer (1766–68) by Stubbs, a landmark painting in that it is the artist’s first depiction of a dog, has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted.
The great astral sneeze
Aurora Borealis, linked to celestial reindeer, firefoxes and assassinations, is one of Nature's most mesmerising, if fickle displays and has made headlines this year. Harry Pearson finds out why
'What a good boy am I'
We think of them as the stuff of childhood, but nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner tell tales of decidedly adult carryings-on, discovers Ian Morton
Forever a chorister
The music-and way of living-of the cabaret performer Kit Hesketh-Harvey was rooted in his upbringing as a cathedral chorister, as his sister, Sarah Sands, discovered after his death
Best of British
In this collection of short (5,000-6,000-word) pen portraits, writes the author, 'I wanted to present a number of \"Great British Commanders\" as individuals; not because I am a devotee of the \"great man, or woman, school of history\", but simply because the task is interesting.' It is, and so are Michael Clarke's choices.
Old habits die hard
Once an antique dealer, always an antique dealer, even well into retirement age, as a crop of interesting sales past and future proves
It takes the biscuit
Biscuit tins, with their whimsical shapes and delightful motifs, spark nostalgic memories of grandmother's sweet tea, but they are a remarkably recent invention. Matthew Dennison pays tribute to the ingenious Victorians who devised them
It's always darkest before the dawn
After witnessing a particularly lacklustre and insipid dawn on a leaden November day, John Lewis-Stempel takes solace in the fleeting appearance of a rare black fox and a kestrel in hot pursuit of a pipistrelle bat
Tarrying in the mulberry shade
On a visit to the Gainsborough Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August, I lost my husband for half an hour and began to get nervous. Fortunately, an attendant had spotted him vanishing under the cloak of the old mulberry tree in the garden.
