24 Jan Local School Awarded Prestigious Edtech 50 Title for the Second Time
The Royal Hospital School (RHS) in Holbrook, Suffolk, is celebrating after being named as an Edtech 50 school for 2021/22. It is the second time the school has received the accolade, following recognition in 2019.
The Edtech 50 Awards celebrate the effective use of education technology to support learning and teaching in the UK, along with the individuals who have played a leading role in its development.
The recognition comes following RHS’s response to the challenges of online education throughout the pandemic. The independent school remarkably delivered over 32,000 live lessons across 38 countries worldwide and 600 virtual after school clubs.
Only one day after the school closures were announced by the government back in March 2020, RHS commenced a full live online timetable for all pupils, and these were instantly reinstated following the second closure of schools back in January 2021.
The Royal Hospital School continues to deliver hybrid learning today and uses Microsoft Teams and OneNote for pupils unable to return to school due to isolation or international restrictions. These hybrid lessons are invaluable as they allow pupils to remain an active part of their lessons from home and, importantly, allow them to engage with their teachers and peers.
Mark Vickers, Head of Digital Learning at RHS, said: “I am delighted that the School has been recognised for its leading use of technology and it is a huge accolade for our staff, who worked incredibly hard throughout those initial months of the pandemic to ensure pupils’ education didn’t suffer.
We are continually working to develop our digital skills pathway and ensure our pupils are prepared for life beyond school, where digital literacy is quickly becoming an essential skill.”
RHS has been using one-to-one devices in classrooms since 2014, putting the school in a great position to transition to online learning during the school closures. Recently the school began a move to using Microsoft Surfaces with pupils and from September 2022 pupils in Years 7 to 11 will be one-to-one with Surface Pro devices.
