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Weekly academic, creative and kindness tasks are being set for children to keep them engaged with school.

With the majority of children not attending school due to the Coronavirus outbreak, teachers are having to find new ways to keep inspiring children.

Students from Sir Frederick Gibberd College are being set weekly challenges to enjoy alongside their online learning.

Headteacher Dee Conlon said: “Each week, we set our students an academic task, a creative task and a kindness task in addition to their online learning. The academic tasks are to review previous learning continuously so students do not forget what they were taught in school; the creative task is to help students to be innovative; while the kindness task is part of our work to develop students’ life skills.

“These are all the kind of things we would be doing if we were in school together, through assemblies, lessons and our PSHE (personal, social, health education) programme.

“This is all just part of our culture. We cannot give them these experiences in person, so we are adapting and challenging them to complete these tasks at home.”

Tasks have included completing household chores, showing their families appreciation, a toilet roll art challenge, making a robot and an upcycling project.

The school is also sending students weekly virtual careers talks to watch as well as inviting them to view museums and galleries virtually.

Mrs Conlon said: “We would be incorporating careers into our daily routine, as well as taking the curriculum out of the classroom.

“We do not want to forget we are trying to develop the whole person. It is great that they are completing their academic work, but there is more to a child than that. If we want our children to be successful, we have to develop their soft skills as well as their academic knowledge. We also need to show them how everything we do at school fits together, so they know and understand why we do what we do and the impact it will have on their lives long-term.”