For this month’s View from the Classroom feature, Sal McKeown visited schools and academies across the UK to find out more about how educators are using EDClass to support students, taking the classroom to them by bringing learning online.

“EDClass helps with attendance figures but it’s less about that and it’s more about making sure the kids have got a really high quality provision whilst they’re not on site,” says Michael Martin, Vice Principal at Cromer Academy.

The newer forms of AP are transforming the educational experience for many young people who have been excluded or who are difficult to place. Lockdown changed everything. Once we discovered that learners could access education online, we didn’t need to send students to a new education setting to start over again. Online learning could include video, audio, interactivity and discussion. Schools were freed from the tyranny of worksheets as new companies appeared with first-rate resources to motivate reluctant learners.

EDClass is one such company. Based in Dinnington, near Rotherham, it supports 990 learners in 352 schools and 110 Multi Academy Trusts across the UK. They won the Education Resources Award 2024, in the category Collaboration Between School and Supplier. This was for their work with Inspiration Trust, a MAT with 17 academies based in Norfolk and north Suffolk. Easing the burden on schools EDClass has in-built flexibility.

A school ‘buys a seat’ but they may choose to use it with one learner for four hours in the morning, and then allocate four hours in the afternoon to a different person. This flexibility is especially useful if they have students who struggle to focus on learning for a whole day. The teachers in school have admin privileges, so they can log in at any time to see what learners are doing and check the lessons that they’ve completed.

EDClass reduces the pressure on staff as Whitby High School in Cheshire has discovered. Sarah Fleet, Director of Alternative Provision said: “EDClass has assisted us with student absences… It has taken the pressure off our staff to supply work to send home, which has reduced their workload and ensured the work-life balance is in place.” Supporting vulnerable students and overburdened schools January 2025 www.education-today.co.uk 27 VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM Steven McIntyre, Director of Inclusion and Transition at Woodkirk Academy, likes the fact that the EDClass School Account Managers help with admin and practical arrangements:

“There is always someone contactable who will be there to help you with any queries that you’ve got.” Teaching the curriculum All the teaching staff are fully qualified experienced teachers. All the lessons are one to one, online with the camera on. Each student has an individual timetable according to their needs and the requirements of the school. EDClass covers the National Curriculum key subjects of maths, English and science in depth because students may have missed lessons over several months. They also offer geography, history, art and a detailed PE curriculum. “

Obviously we can’t offer the practical elements as you would in a school,” said Danielle Myles, Head of Teaching and Learning at EDClass. “But our lessons include recordings of PE sessions filmed in schools by our media team.” They also offer ‘time out’ interventions for behavioural issues such as anger management. Lyndsey O’Neill, Vice Principal at Jane Austen College, said: “We have used EDClass from a racial discrimination perspective with a couple of students ...There are modules there to help them consider why their behaviour was not appropriate. EDClass provides all the resources that we need.”

The company is DfE-accredited which gives schools confidence that their children will receive a high-quality education, even when they’re unable to attend school physically. Shazad Ali, Alternative Provisions Manager at Co-op Academy Grange, said: ‘The online platform provides access to a wealth of resources, including interactive lessons, assessments, and personalised learning plans.

The support from EDClass’s UK-qualified teachers has been invaluable. They provide guidance and encouragement to our students, helping them stay on track and achieve their academic goals.’ Mental health and wellbeing The EDClass PSHE teachers create lessons and content on topics that are directly relevant to learners including mental health, self esteem, and relationships. Danielle has found that many learners are in unhealthy relationships, perhaps within their families, perhaps with criminal gangs. ‘We can make a difference because our teachers have got the time to have those important one to one conversations with the learner and give them a different perspective.’ One learner, struggling with gender dysphoria, refused to have the camera on and would not appear in photos or when talking to family members on WhatsApp.

EDClass staff held a virtual Engagement Meeting with the learner, parent and main point of contact from their school. “We discussed the issue at length, explaining reasons behind the camera from our point of view. We also shared tips and strategies to build the learner’s confidence,” said Danielle. “The meeting was a fantastic example of how building relationships and addressing issues can help a learner to understand the platform better and engage in learning.” Supporting learners and schools

The school and EDClass teachers devise pathways for the individual students to suit their ability and interests. This often remotivates them and makes for a smooth transition back into school if that is the right route for them. At Stokesley School in North Yorkshire, Sarah McGriel, Deputy Head and SENDCO, was delighted when a teacher from EDClass attended and contributed to a pupil’s annual review. Charlie was a Looked After Child with attachment issues and an EHCP. He quickly became too dependent on the teachers. The aim was to make him more independent and aware of boundaries. EDClass altered his timetable so that throughout the day he was in lessons for 60 minutes then had a 30 minute break.

They arranged set times for video interactions with teachers, as well as a well-being chat each day with a member of the safeguarding team’ They liaised with the Senco at his school and Charlie went back on a part-time basis. “The interventions offer positive destinations, achievements and post-16 direction. The remote nature of the provision engages pupils in a manner that sometimes face-to-face alternative provision is unable to provide,” says Jason Kenneally, Director of Secondary Education, Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust. Safeguarding Ofsted praised the focus on the pupils’ wellbeing and safety, saying that leaders have established: ‘robust systems’ to check wellbeing and engagement, and have policies in place to make sure that staff respond swiftly to any identified concerns and share information appropriately’.

“We’ve had a few learners who have been vaping on camera or who have obviously been taking illegal substances,” says Danielle. “We record it and can download the stream to share with the school.” Schools have to equip the student with a laptop that has a camera and EDClass has a record of the IP address of the place the student will be logging in from. The student gets a registration mark when they log in.

They are not allowed to log in on a phone and if there appears to be someone with them this triggers extra safeguarding measures. On one occasion, a learner was travelling in a car. EDClass alerted the school who contacted the police and the car was tracked. It turned out that the boy was involved in county lines activity and this timely intervention kept him safe.

Tom Shepheard, Deputy Headteacher at Ashton Park School, said: “Having students who are not in the building means that we don’t have eyes on them as often as we’d like. But there is a safeguarding trained professional, working with that child. If the child turns off their camera, they inform our safeguarding team at once. Knowing that, makes a real difference.”