Remote learning at Worksop College goes international

A Worksop school that is home to international students is setting the bar high when it comes to remote learning, having carried out more than 4,000 online lessons across four different time zones during lockdown and beyond.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Worksop College was embracing online learning across the board before the pandemic struck, which meant it was a seamless transition for the students to learn from home when lockdown started – even for one of its pupils in Cyprus who hasn’t missed a single lesson despite his teachers being more than 2,000 miles away.

Colin Worthen, 15, is a full-time boarder at the school, so when lockdown happened in March he flew home to Cyprus to be with his parents.

He said: “I’ve really enjoyed all of my lessons throughout lockdown and the fact they’re being done online doesn’t affect how much I’ve learnt at all.

Worksop College was able to switch seamlessly to online learning for students during lockdownWorksop College was able to switch seamlessly to online learning for students during lockdown
Worksop College was able to switch seamlessly to online learning for students during lockdown

“The only difference is that my day starts a little later as there is a two-hour time difference with the UK – but I don’t mind that.”

Dr John Price, headmaster, said: “We could see what was coming in the early months of this year, so we very swiftly ensured that all of our students from year four upwards were trained in how to use Microsoft Teams and we introduced our youngest pupils to Zoom as it allowed them to see lots of their friends’ faces on the screen.

“When lockdown was announced, we were ready.”

Adam Newton, reception teacher at Ranby House, Worksop College’s prep school in Retford, brought his creative skills to the fore to keep his very young class engaged during lockdown, making his own YouTube clips and kinesthetic lessons from scratch.

He said: “Reception is perhaps the hardest year group to teach remotely, purely because of how young the children are.

"They didn’t associate home with school and so I had to think of ways to bring the lessons to life through the screen.

“I made short YouTube clips for phonics and maths lessons which they could watch any time and basically got into the character of a CBBC presenter in order to bring as much fun and energy to the children as possible.”