This page was originally created during the first national lockdown to share our practice in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We appreciate that school leaders are continuing to face significant challenges, so we are continuing to make these resources available in the hope they are of use to others.
In these unprecedented times, we recognise that all school and trust leaders are working exceptionally hard under very difficult circumstances to support and safeguard the communities they care for so deeply. The executive team at Advantage Schools have felt exceptionally fortunate to work with a highly supportive group of trustees and governors and collaborative school leaders who have consistently gone above and beyond all expectations, and we know many other school leaders feel equally supported by their team.
We are also aware that there is the potential for many school leaders to feel isolated and overwhelmed in these uncertain times. We are an outward-facing trust, and we believe effective collaboration enables school leaders to be more efficient through sharing good practice and working together.
You can access editable risk assessments for each phase below. Please note, the schools in our trust have their own risk assessments, which are live documents, reviewed on a regular basis. The documents below are samples only, and should not be considered to represent the current version in place in a particular school:
Sample primary risk assessment
Sample secondary risk assessment
Our remote learning handbook is designed to support all educational staff with the transition to remote learning and was written and shared in the early stages of partial school closure. It offers guidance on remote learning platforms, effective remote learning practice and supports with curriculum review and adaptation in the light of partial school closure:
Advantage Schools Remote Learning Handbook for education staff
Extracts from our online training module on effective remote teaching can be accessed here:
Video: Using a phone as a visualiser
These updates were shared throughout lockdown to support staff in engaging effectively with professional learning whilst working from home, and provide direction and support with educational planning and resourcing.
Each update signposts some of the best available online professional learning opportunities as well as providing guidance on key decisions, such as curriculum planning and prioritising workload.
These may still prove useful to anyone engaging with curriculum review, or looking for a sequenced approach to managing curriculum conversations:
In September, the DfE asked us to provide some case studies exemplifying how we had adapted our curriculum and teaching practice at in response to the lockdown. Specifically, they asked for subject specific examples drawn from primary and secondary, detailing how the curriculum sequence had been adapted in a practical subject, and how individual lessons were being adapted to be delivered remotely, either through paper resources, pre-recorded videos or live lessons. Below are links to the annotated examples we provided:
Secondary Art Curriculum Sequence Review (post lockdown)
Primary Geography Lesson Plan (Annotated) Online live or recorded lesson
Primary Reading Lesson Plan (Annotated) Online Live Lesson Primary Reading Lesson Resources – Online Live Lesson
Secondary Drama GCSE lesson – printed resources lesson
The following blogs and webinars from Advantage Schools staff were written or produced during the pandemic. Some relate to the individual’s personal or school response to the pandemic and its impact, others have been shared to support the professional development of the wider education community:
Blog: How should we review our curriculum and why should we even try?
Blog: Gloves off: school leadership in uncertain times
Blog: Sallie Stanton for Ambition Institute’s Leadership Series: Adapting Our Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
