The High School of Dundee is working hard to give pupils the best school experience throughout lockdown.
The school’s focus is on enabling every pupil to achieve their full potential through its Integrated Curriculum. This brings together academic studies, co-curricular activities and pupil health and wellbeing to provide a coordinated, genuine all-round education with the pupil at the heart.
And the vision remains the same in 2021.
High School of Dundee knows that, this year more than ever, it needs to be flexible and agile as it switches to online learning again. Here we share its arrangements for the current lockdown, which closely follow the set-up established during 2020’s lockdown.
Going online
A timetable of lessons is in place, with most delivered live using Microsoft Teams. More than 600 live lessons take place each week in the Senior Years and around 220 take place each week in Junior Years.
Teachers are also creating pre-recorded lessons and continuously uploading resources to High School of Dundee’s Virtual Learning Environment.
Meanwhile, the Learning Skills Team will continue providing timetabled support.
Junior Years teachers have devised activities to help pupils stay engaged with one another, giving them a chance to work and play alongside friends virtually.
And Senior Years Guidance Teachers will meet groups online every week and continue to provide one-to-one pastoral support. PE lessons and music tuition – around 500 virtual individual music lessons per week – will take place online.
High School of Dundee is also providing care for key workers and vulnerable children at its main campus and Mayfield Nursery.
Building essential skills
Now more than ever, the school is focused on building skills in creativity, resilience and confidence so that pupils are able to adapt to the ever-changing world and take responsibility for their own learning in the widest sense.
At the beginning of lockdown, the team is concentrating on providing core subjects – more co-curricular activities will be introduced when possible.
During the last lockdown, students took part in weekly sport and cookery challenges, alongside a variety of other activities. These included:
- Creating wellbeing podcasts and lockdown newsletters
- Virtual ensemble music performances
- A virtual Sports Day
- Charity work.
Reinforcing school values
While the above has been established in response to the pandemic, High School of Dundee is also looking ahead. It knows it will need to remain flexible and agile going forwards.
A remote learning programme allows it to do that, ensuring pupils can continue with high quality education regardless of where or how they’re learning.
The pandemic has also reinforced vital whole school values such as togetherness and adaptability, which have already served to strengthen its community.
Rector Lise Hudson says: “The wellbeing of our pupils is always our number 1 priority, and is something we have worked hard to protect and safeguard during lockdown; we listen to our pupils’ concerns and their feedback and respond to their needs.
“We are a community that works to support each other and kindness is at the heart of all that we do. We have learnt how precious our shared humanity is and the power that we have to change the world for the better through our individual and collective actions.”
Looking ahead
High School of Dundee worked hard on plans for returning to school and nursery in August 2020.
These arrangements – more details can be found here – allowed the school to implement physical distancing, adopt enhanced safety and hygiene measures and respond to a range of different scenarios.
No one knows how the pandemic and lockdown will progress, but High School of Dundee knows that when schools can return, it will be ready.
Join High School of Dundee
Pupils join the High School of Dundee all year round, even during lockdown.
A parent of a pupil who joined the school during lockdown said: “My son has been very happy with the process so far. There is a good quantity of information/resources available for him.
“The online classes where there is real interactive teaching makes a big difference in enabling him to feel some confidence in the process of settling into a new school.
“To meet the teachers and to have some very basic interaction has been helpful for him to begin to feel a part of the school. Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming”.
The Admissions team is ready to answer your questions, give you a flavour of life at the school and arrange virtual meetings with key members of teaching staff. Find out more by contacting admissions@highschoolofdundee.org.uk.
