Sophia High School’s Director of Education
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If you don’t want to be first and best, then what do you want?
For those of us in education, to be told you are ambitious is not always complementary. What makes wanting to change the game, to strive for something better, or to help create a new vision for the future, something negative?
At Sophia High School we are working to not only bring this vision of personal development to life for our teachers, but also teachers of the future. This week we are hosting a Virtual Teaching Experience for several Beginning Teachers from the University of Derby, on their outstanding Postgraduate Certificate in Education with QTS. They have previously joined a Virtual Visit morning to experience a range of classes and sample some of the innovative technology we use in our teaching, and now we are excited to be a part of this dynamic new way of working with Paul Glossop and his team to bring exceptional online teaching to life.
Excellence from Experience
Having mentored and developed a range of teachers and leaders, from those just starting out through to those who have significant CVs, the one thing that always thrills me is the possibility of where we will go, and the shared focus of how we get there and bring their vision to life. This new kind of online teacher – what is their vision for their work day, the impact it has on their family, their mental and physical wellbeing? What a wonderful place to be in – this is the unknown, anything is possible!
The focus of everything that we do at Sophia has always been quality. What is needed to bring the highest quality of online education to our families? How to maintain that through working with our team (both teaching and technical)? How are we developing tech partnerships to ensure our work is always cutting-edge? It is not by accident that we were the first DfE accredited online education provider, the first COBIS accredited online school, and the only online school with member status of the ISA. We set out to bring a level of quality to our work with a plan for curated growth without compromise – and now we get to share that with amazing Beginning Teachers.
So, how does an initial Virtual Teaching Experience work?
- Planning and preparation – as always. Matching the students to the teachers, and ensuring that all relevant documents and policies are shared in advance to support a smooth visit.
- Safeguarding – following policies and protocols to ensure all child protection measures are in place.
- Communication – say it, write it, share it. From initial communication to personal 1-to-1 sessions with teachers, clear and consistent communication is central to success.
- Agreed Goals – what is the level of participation expected? What are the outcomes, how are these recorded, tracked and celebrated?
- Feedback – We want to offer an experience to these Beginning Teachers which meets their needs, and adapt to needs as they change. For this, meaningful feedback is essential as it allows us to consider our programme and what it may look like in the future.
Our commitment to supporting the development of online teaching goes quite a way beyond hosting this Beginning Teacher cohort. We are also proud to begin work with the University of Derby to register one of our experienced specialist teaching team on their fully remote QTS programme. This groundbreaking way of working, enabling online teachers to have their exceptional digital pedagogy recognised and celebrated, is something we are particularly proud to support.
Supporting the development of online teaching
With a surge of interest from across the sector to work with online schools to support Alternative Provision, meet staffing gaps created by the Global Teacher Shortage, and an increasing need to provide the highest quality of teaching with budget restrictions, this is a unique time for education. With all these new challenges emerging, what is wrong with wanting to be first to offer the best support for our partners in education?
- QUOTE FROM PAUL GLOSSOP
Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (UNIVERSITY OF DERBY)
“Our exciting collaboration with Sophia High School has allowed our beginning teachers on the PGCE to experience the full life of an online school for two days. This has opened their eyes to the potential of online education, not only as a career choice, but also to support their own pupils who are experiencing school anxiety. Thanks to the team at Sophia for making this happen!”
Quotes from beginning teachers from The University of Derby
“My experience at Sophia High School was both eye-opening and inspiring. It challenged many of the traditional perceptions I had of schooling and demonstrated the power of virtual education when it is thoughtfully and creatively implemented. The use of innovative tools like Minecraft to support learning particularly stood out, and I left with a deeper appreciation of how technology can enrich education. Overall, I found the visit valuable, and it has sparked new ideas I hope to incorporate into my own teaching practice.”
“This was an experience that gave me a lot of inspiration in how to utilise technology and technological tools in my own lesson planning and classroom. Having experienced how an online school works has given thought for. my future career path.”
“Witnessing the rapport between teachers and students gave me a strong sense of the school’s supportive and nurturing ethos. The staff’s ability to maintain structure and care within a digital setting was inspiring.”
“Observing how lessons are delivered at Sophia High School was incredibly insightful. The integration of technology into everyday teaching, particularly the use of Minecraft as a learning tool, stood out as a creative and effective way to engage students and enhance learning.”
“Seeing how Sophia operates as a fully online school provided a valuable perspective on virtual pedagogy, classroom management, and student engagement. This experience broadened my understanding of how education can be delivered successfully beyond the traditional classroom.”
“I found this experience to be a fantastic way of learning, and it shows how much the students enjoy it.”
“Moving with the times, enriching and high expectations throughout.”
“I found this an amazing experience, I’m so grateful for this opportunity. It was wonderful to see how the school runs and the positive impact it is having. I hope to have the opportunity to return one day. Thank you so much!”
