Wendy Baster, Director of Learning
It has been just two months since we launched our new remote learning programme – the virtual ship – supporting our Young Pirates while they are at home. In this time the children have impressed us with how they’ve adapted to the ‘new normal’, watching videos we created and submitting weekly Writing Challenges we set them. The first four weeks of work resulted in the publication of a beautiful e-book of poetry, Home. The second month in A Pirate’s Guide to the Galaxy. And over the past two months they have also been sending us their diary entries.
A personal highlight has been reading these entries shared from their special ‘Diary of an Extraordinary Spring’ – they give rich insight into what lockdown looks like for children in London.
We are immensely proud to share that when asked, 100% of parents responding told us that the Virtual Ship was helping their child and their child was enjoying taking part. The most common reasons were a noted improvement in writing and reading. At the end of the year we will be surveying Young Pirates, parents and teachers to understand the impact the Virtual Ship and the wider Learning Programme has had throughout the year.
Importantly, we can see that the feedback loop we have put in place works. Children submit their work and our teachers give personalised feedback, suggest how to develop their work, and encourage them to keep going. We know this is working as we see the children’s redrafting coming back improved and looking better than ever!
On the 10th June, we launch our next project ‘After Lockdown’, encompassing poetry and campaigning. Watch this space!
