Richmond Academy, on the Isle of Sheppey, is at the forefront of a significant shift from the traditional philosophies and practices around teaching and learning.
The school is leading the way to develop a greater focus on personalised learning, allowing children to encounter a truly modern learning experience that centres attention on the individual needs of the children.
Technology will play a critical role in providing children at Richmond Academy the tools to give them more control over how they learn and engage and as such, each child in KS2 has been presented with an iPad in the next step of the school’s aim to revolutionise how children learn.
All children in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 have each received an iPad, which will become their own personal learning tool for them to use throughout their KS2 journey.
The children will soon also be encouraged to take their iPad home with them so that they are able to refer back to, carry on with or even share their learning with parents.
All KS2 classes are now effectively teaching the majority of their daily lessons via the Microsoft OneNote app.
OneNote is an online digital notebook in which children record their personal learning, have access to teacher models and lesson resources and work collaboratively with other children on a single document at the same time.
Children will be able use their iPad to digitally ink using a digital pen or type, depending on what best suits the task, as well as insert online videos, quizzes, audio recordings and images into their work.
Classrooms have also undergone an exciting re-design. Moving away from the traditional classroom setup, the focus has been centred on allowing children flexibility in how and where they sit, resulting in greater opportunities for collaboration and independent working.
Staff, pupils and parents have reported a significant change in the atmosphere surrounding the Sheerness Primary School in recent years. With the Ofsted recognised “stability and renewed sense of ambition” from Headteacher Helen Evemy and “relentless” leadership of The Stour Academy Trust alongside a substantial £300,000 spend in recent years on upgrading buildings, premises and the school environment, this current investment in digital technology for the children is the latest landmark in the school’s transformation.
Headteacher Helen Evemy:
“We recognise that the ways people interact, socialize, and work are shifting rapidly and that by the time our current children have become young adults, the world will be vastly different from anything previous generations have experienced. This is a further watershed moment in the school’s recent transformation, and we are proud to be the first school on the Island to make such a radical change to our way of teaching and learning to make sure that our children will be well equipped for this new world.”
“We have already begun to see the impact that personalised learning is having on the ability to flip learning, provide swift and effective feedback, increase levels of pupil engagement, and extend opportunities for learning beyond the school day. We would encourage any parents who may have never considered Richmond Academy, to come along to our open day and see the amazing transformation in person.”
Richmond Academy are holding an open day at 9am and 2pm on Wednesday 6th October for parents with children who are starting school in September 2022. Parents looking for in-year applications can contact the school to arrange a private tour with a senior member of staff.
Please visit www.richmond.kent.sch.uk for more information.
