Testimonials - Alternative Provision

Since EDClass has been implemented at Merrill Academy, we have seen an increase in student engagement when they are unable to attend the Academy. It has been an invaluable resource within our SEND and safeguarding teams as some students who have struggled to access the academy, have had work provided during their difficult periods. This has meant that they did not develop meaningful gaps in their education so could reintegrate easily.

We have utilised EDClass Seats for students who are at risk of permanent exclusion or are school refusers. The students and parents have been positive about this approach and have helped to build parental relationships to support these students. The students on seats respond well to the feedback given on their work. In addition, we have been able to boost the CORE subjects in year 11, creating extraction classes.

Students follow the EDClass resources to improve their skills in Maths, English and Science. The feedback is useful to both the students and their subject teachers who are working towards improvements in the run-up to the upcoming exams. The year 11 students have responded well to the program and find the interface easy to use whilst still finding the work set at an appropriately challenging level.

 

- Merrill Academy - Adele Chilton

 

EDClass maintains excellent communication with the school. They are always willing to offer help and support and respond to requests incredibly quickly. There is a great variety of lessons on the platform which means I have been able to always set a pathway for a student that is appropriate to their needs. I am impressed with their safeguarding protocols and how well they work with the school to ensure the wellbeing of the students on the live seats, their vigilance and open communication supports the school to meet safeguarding responsibilities when the student is working offsite.

 

- Vicki Bond, Daventry Hill

 

At Springwell Lincolnshire, we have been using EDVirtual as part of our targeted intervention programme for students who have been excluded from mainstream settings and have struggled to integrate into alternative provisions working alongside peers.

For many of our students, anxiety creates a barrier to their learning, but with EDVirtual the pressure to perform in front of peers is removed, which has meant that for two particular students attendance has gone from virtually nothing to 80% plus, which has, of course, also raised attainment dramatically. The interface for the students is very user friendly, and they actively enjoy their lessons, even those who have previously hated school.

From a teacher's point of view, the system allows me to provide a totally individualised curriculum for each student, and to track progress with great accuracy. The marking and feedback system is incredibly helpful, as the lesson is marked automatically as the student works through it so that I can focus on giving useful verbal and written feedback rather than spending hours over the minutiae of checking answers. The variety of subjects and number of lessons available provide flexibility, and a much broader offer than students on one to one tuition usually receive.

 

Lucy Flux, Lead Teacher for Targeted Intervention, Springwell Lincolnshire

 

We use EDClass at Weston Favell Academy in several ways. Firstly in our Learning Support Unit as a tool to engage disaffected students, also those who need booster sessions. It has been invaluable as a way of providing education to students on fixed-term exclusions and we have used it with students who have severe medical needs and are at home. We have found EDClass to be an invaluable tool, our students really engage well, with only a couple of exceptions, which is rare! The support offered is excellent. I have shown EDClass to some of our external education providers and would highly recommend this to any educational setting, especially with disaffected students.

 

Jo Ratcliffe, Weston Favell, Learning Support Manager (S4), Inclusion

 

EDLounge has enabled us to provide one particular student with a regular and high-quality education provision. Previous to this resource, the student was not able to access education.

 

- Tori French, Education Welfare Officer at Melior Community Academy

 

Very clear advice and guidance and support - a provision that is equipped to meet the needs of mainstream pupils.

 

- Marie Matthews, AP Coordinator at Minsthorpe CC

 

I personally have two students from my house with medical issues preventing them from coming to school. EDClass helps them keep on top of their studies.

 

- Nikki Mason, Assistant Head of House at the Elizabethan

 

Very informative and knowledgeable staff creating a lovely, relaxing learning environment.

 

- Nicola Thornhill, Teaching Assistant at Long Eaton School

 

The access to qualified teachers throughout the EDLounge experience promotes a level of engagement that we have not seen with similar products. We have used a range of online products and have always felt that there was something missing. EDClass meets the needs of students, parents/carers and staff, ensuring that safeguarding and student engagement are paramount.

 

- Andy Percival, Deputy Headteacher, The Rodillian Academy

 

The impact on attendance that EDClass from EDLounge has had is that been able to support an increase of 2.7 per cent increase in the first term of this academic year (2015) because students are engaged on an alternative provision whilst excluded. This often has not been the case in other alternative providers we have set up through failure to engage or attend through choice or transport issues. This is not the case with EDClass as we have set it up in the comfort of their own home after we have undertaken appropriate and legal safeguarding measures to ensure the student is in the right and safe environment to continue their off-site education.

EDClass, because it is all interfaced related students of this day of age quite often prefer to interact in that measure and they almost don’t feel like they are learning and they don’t feel like it is school work, because of the way it is set up and how they engage with it. I cannot recommend EDLounge highly enough in terms of how it has supported the behaviour transformation at the Featherstone Academy and I would willingly endorse it to any other educational establishment in the country that is looking to make a difference in their school’s behaviour and overall school culture.

What is a real bonus for the student is how they can see how they are making progress because the work is so tailored to them in their personalised pathways they actually demonstrate a mark able amount of progress. With that intrinsic motivation and being rewarded with being able to see the personal progress made themselves is a really powerful tool to changing some of our students, some of real hard to reach student behaviour.

Also, EDLounge has saved the academy many thousands of pounds this academic year because we use it as our first port of call for alternative provision. The impact of EDLounge and EDClass is that we can now support students learning whilst they are excluded from the academy. Therefore, when they return from their exclusion they have not fallen behind their peers in terms of their learning and they are able to be seamlessly reintegrated back into mainstream lessons without any detriment to their education.

We are avoiding bounce back exclusions where students return back to mainstream lessons because the gaps in their knowledge can often lead to low-level disruption or further disruption which ends up as a repeat fixed term exclusion – but EDClass fills that gap and students are far better supported in their learning both once on exclusion and when on return from exclusion.

 

-Jason Kenneally, Associate Headteacher

 

EDlounge has quickly become popular with the students, and Teachers have caught on to the buzz created. We decided first of all to use EDClass in our support units as an aid to teaching but also to set work for non-attending students and short term exclusions. This has rapidly expanded to Teachers using it in class to reinforce their lessons, and of course setting homework. The feedback has been 100% positive from the staff. Going forward, the whole school will be offered access to EDClass, both for reinforcement and homework. I would like to add that I cannot fault the team at EDlounge, one phone call, job done!!

 

- Peter Fletcher, Abraham Darby Academy

 

EDClass is a fantastic resource that enables students who are often attending an alternative provision to learn in a monitored way. It is easy to set up lessons for classes, and if a student does well they can have a reward and play on it instead. Having the ability to monitor what is being done is great, and it can be accessed from home.

 

- Miss Natalie Turner, The Regis School

 

EDClass is about to revolutionise the way we work with disengaged students. It is a powerful tool and we are excited at the speed at which we can set or provide work to students remotely.

 

- T Cale, Leeds East Academy

 

I have been using EDClass from EDLounge for about a year. I work in a small intervention unit within the school, where pupils who could potentially underachieve in maths and science come for catch up lessons. Each student has an individual learning programme through EDClass. I have also used EDClass during my lessons as I can tailor the learning pathways to individual students. The students also enjoy using it as it’s different from anything else they use in school and they actually want to complete the lessons as they receive rewards at the end. I tend to use it as a bit of a reward if they have worked hard, as I find my students cannot concentrate for long periods and EDClass gives them something to aim for. I think it has helped behaviour, as even improving the enterprises requires quite a bit of concentration and this is something the students want to do.

 

- Mrs J Taylor, Sandy Upper School, Bedfordshire