Being off school for a few weeks might sound like a dream come true at first, but after a few days, many of us may be wishing they were back at school and out of the house. This is a challenging situation and most of us don’t know how to make the most of our time at home to stay on top of school work. Regardless of your year group, your education is important and these unprecedented circumstances just require some adapting to different ways of learning.
Check out these top tips from Innerdrive about making the most out of home learning.
Accessing your work from home
If you are working from home your teachers will be setting you tasks to complete. The work you are set is the same as the rest of your year group. It is essential that you complete the work daily and do not allow tasks to build up. For support accessing the work set by your teachers, click on your school below:
There are three essential tasks you should complete daily:
(see further information below)
Using books and/or knowledge organisers
The following websites are used regularly by both students and teachers. Click on the logos to access them.
The following websites can be used to supplement home learning:
There are a variety of other resources that can be accessed by students to support and supplement their learning at home.
General and online lessons |
BBC Bitesize Daily Lessons BBC Teach Secondary National Academy Online Classroom Learn at Home with YouTube |
English |
BBC - A Christmas Carol Audible Discovery Oxford Owl Researchify Poetry Society |
Maths |
Pearson Hegarty Maths TT Rockstars Corbett Maths Dr Frost Maths BBC KS3 Maths Seneca Learning Stem Learning Maths with Parents |
Science |
BBC KS3 Biology PHET Colorado Stem Learning - Biology The Royal Society |
History |
BBC KS3 History BBC Bitesize History Seneca Learning |
Geography |
BBC KS3 Geography BBC Bitesize Geography - Daily Lessons BBC Bitesize Geography Homepage Seneca Learning |
Spanish |
Duolingo Quizlet Lyrics Training Audible BBC KS3 Spanish |
Art |
BBC iPlayer - Arts BBC Bitesize Art Arts and Culture - The British Museum |
Drama |
Willows Musical National Theatre Shakespears Globe Disney on Stage MET Opera BBC iPlayer - Arts |
Dance |
BBC iPlayer - Arts YouTube - English National Ballet |
PE |
TES PE Resources YouTube - Joe Wicks Fitness Blender Association for PE |
Product Design |
BBC Bitesize Technology Stem Learning |
Textiles |
BBC Bitesize Technology Stem Learning |
Food Preparation and nutrition |
Twinkl Food A Fact Of Life Grain Chain |
Music |
BBC iPlayer - Arts MET Opera |
Computing |
TES Computing BBC Bitesize Computing micro:bit Seneca Learning YouTube Coding Lessons Code.org Stem Learning |
PSRE |
BBC Bitesize PSHE and Citizenship BBC Bitesize Religious Studies NAT RE The National Academy |
Working from home can be difficult. Remember your teachers are always there to support you. Click the links below for more help.
Working from Home |
Working from home tips |
BuzzFeed’s 17 Tips WFH |
Resilience |
Resilience |
Hard work |
Happiness Booklet |
Who can I talk to?
If you feel that you need mental health or wellbeing support during the school closures, Kooth is a web based confidential support service available to young people. Kooth provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and wellbeing support designed specifically for young people. Kooth offers young people the opportunity to have a text-based conversation with a qualified counsellor. Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm to 10pm at weekends, every day of the year on a drop-in basis. Young people can access regular booked online counselling sessions as needed. Outside counselling hours’ young people can message the Kooth team and get support by the next day. To find out more visit www.Kooth.com where young people can register and others can find out more about the service.
The government has also released guidance on how we can all protect our mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak. Here are ten ideas to help keep your mind healthy:
1 | Stay connected with others | Maintaining relationships is important: stay in touch with your friends and family through phone calls, messages and social media. There are lots of apps where you can video call multiple people at the same time, like Zoom, House Party, Skype and WhatsApp. Try a group video chat with several of your friends or family – on House Party you can play games and do quizzes at the same time. |
2 | Stay physically active | Current government advice says that you can leave the house for one form of exercise a day, e.g. a run, walk, or cycle, so make the most of it and get out of the house once a day. Don’t want to leave the house? Join Joe Wicks every morning at 9am on YouTube for ‘PE with Joe’, an easy 30-minute workout you can do in front of your TV - you could video call your friends at the same time! |
3 | Talk about your worries | It’s totally normal to feel a bit worried, scared or helpless about the current situation. It’s important to talk to people you trust; doing so may help them just as much as you. If you don’t feel you can speak to your friends or family, there are lots of helplines you can access and links provided by school. |
4 | Look after your sleep | Try and go to bed at the same time you would normally – it’s important to maintain regular sleeping patterns. Avoid screens an hour before bed, don’t drink anything with caffeine and create a restful environment. For more ideas on how to get a good night’s sleep, visit the NHS Every Mind Matters. |
5 | Manage your media | 24-hour news and constant social media updates can you make you more worried. Try and limit the information (e.g. only once a day) and make sure you are getting the facts from a reliable source. For example www.gov.uk or the NHS website. |
6 | Take time to relax | Taking time to relax and to clear your mind can help you manage your emotions and improve your wellbeing. Try downloading a mindfulness app like ThinkNinja, start a new book or have a bath. |
7 | Make a new daily routine | Life is different for all of us at the moment and will be this way for a while. It’s important to establish a new daily routine. Try to set a time to get up and a time to go to bed. During the day, engage in useful and meaningful activities like schoolwork, cooking, exercise, helping around the house, or phoning a friend. It might help you to write it down. |
8 | Do things you enjoy | You are being set schoolwork to do by your teachers, but it’s just as important to spend time doing things you enjoy. Adapt your hobbies so you can still do them inside. You may like to post your ideas on social media or video sharing websites so other people can try them too. For example: like football? Try toilet roll keepie-uppies! |
9 | Set yourself goals | Setting goals and achieving them gives a sense of control and purpose. Think about things you want to do that you can still do at home: watching a film, reading a book or learning something online. You could keep a lockdown diary or write a blog, or learn a new language using an app like Memrise or Duolingo. |
10 | Keep your mind active | Try not to just stare at a screen all day. Keep your brain active by reading, writing, playing board games, doing crossword puzzles, number puzzles, jigsaws |
For more help and support, please click the links below:
Young Minds |
KOOTH |
Chat Health |
Samaritans |
Childline 1-2-1 counsellor |
How do I stay fit and healthy?
Healthy body, healthy mind
Staying fit and healthy is essential to success. Eating the right foods, taking regular exercise and ensuring you get enough sleep will help you to learn better and to live a happier and healthier life. During your assemblies, tutor time and your PSHE lessons we will support you to lead as healthy a life as possible. Your tutors, teachers and Heads of Year will always be there to support, but there are lots of other organisations that can help you too. Please click here to find out about how to stay fit and healthy.
Please click here to view our e-safety page for more information on staying safe online.