Harrogate school goes offline for day as students are asked to get creative

Rock music festival for Harrogate on the Stray this summer 2021

Instead of formal lessons delivered remotely, pupils from the College’s Prep School, Senior School and Sixth Form were encouraged to choose four different activities from a menu of more than 40 different options suitable for a range of ages and interests.

The tasks were grouped under the three headings of ‘Get creative’, ‘Fitness and wellbeing’, and ‘Give something back’, with a number of activities dedicated to putting family, friends and the community first.

Options included gardening, creating a family coat of arms, litter picking, drawing a still life picture of a fruit or vegetable, writing a business pitch for a company, completing a random act of kindness for a family member or friend, and writing an article for the College newsletter.

Pupils were also able to undertake other activities not listed, and again the emphasis is about ‘giving something back’.

House points were then awarded for all completed activities – supported by evidence – which go towards a new College ‘Lockdown Cup’.

Laura Jackson, Acting Deputy Head (Pastoral), said: “With so much time spent in front of a screen recently, most of us long for the opportunity to see people face-to-face and break free of the dependency on devices.

“As a college, we recognise that we have generated this need for increased screen-time as our lessons and tasks revolve around live and pre-recorded online classes and tasks.

“As a result, we decided that we would have an Ashville Offline Day to encourage a break from the screens, but also to allow us to spend some time on enrichment activities.

“There were no formal lessons. Instead, we have provided pupils with a list of activities and tasks, with several aimed at ‘giving something back’.

“Pupils had the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities throughout the day, and when tasks are completed and evidence provided, then ‘House’ points can be earned.”

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