Sussex children go 'virtually' back to school

As the new school terms began today (Monday 20 April), teachers and school management teams throughout Sussex said they're ready to welcome many children of key workers, while supporting on-line activities for families in isolation. Healthy physical activity, including planned exercise, is key to several Sussex-wide programmes offered to children and grown-ups. Among them is the free of charge scheme from Active Sussex — including guided exercise and training in sports skills, seven days a week. Teaching, open to everyone to use, includes keep-fit classes, yoga and ways to practice skills for games such as basketball. Traditional school sports days haven't been forgotten: Active Sussex has also begun preparations for "virtual" school games competitions as the summer term continues. The group said every Monday from April 27, they'll introduce a new sport through their on-line service, with children invited to train through the week and submit their scores, and the name of their school, by Friday. At that point, scores will be added to a school total, to appear on a leaderboard — with medals going out to the schools achieving the highest points. [video width="1000" height="564" mp4="https://moreradio.online/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/VirtualSchoolGames.mp4"][/video] Parents and teachers can also take part, in the "Active Adults" classes. Academic work must also continue, and Sussex's libraries have joined many other institutions to offer classes and learning materials for everyone to share. West Sussex county libraries said they maintain a list of on-line resources for parents and children to explore, including pointers to home education classes from the Department of Education, games to help with reading and writing, and extra resources for young people with special educational needs or other disabilities. Sussex STEM, the group encouraging local children into scientific or engineering careers, has begun compiling information and material for use at home — their first two subjects, already on-line, are 'space' and 'dinosaurs'. As it continued to support parents and children learning together, Lewes Priory School was also celebrating achievements in home cooking. When last checked, its social media accounts contained pictures of baking, summer salads, samosas, and lasagnes. Along with all other schools, the staff also invited pupils and parents to take part in the online Ofqual survey about the process to award examination grades, this summer. Finally, Handcross Primary School has produced a rainbow message for everyone who's doing the right thing during the pandemic.

Handcross Primary School staff have a special message for our pupils and families! #StaySafe #TakeCare pic.twitter.com/j32xTD2rmB