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FEATURE FOCUS: CLOSING THE LEARNING GAP


they will know that their children have extra professional support to underpin their learning activity, reducing pressure at home. The last few years have already shown there is


no one size fits all method to teaching and it seems obvious that education is going to become more tailored and personalised in the future. Giving children more chances to self-direct their learning seems like a good next step and utilising EdTech to its full capacity, in a manner that hasn’t been seen before, is the clear way to do this. askOLA will now work in collaboration with


established summer school programmes through its unique ‘teaching assistant’ style online support. Whilst the school gates are closed for summer, through askOLA, they remain virtually open and students can ask for instant support with their summer learning every day of the week. As mentioned, this support is particularly key


learning loss. We have never had a framework up and running that could be moulded to solve one of our oldest problems until now. The pandemic has already sped up the


digitisation of education and a ‘hybrid’ approach to the classroom is starting to emerge, supported by the remote provision families became accustomed to during lockdowns. At GLUU we recently launched a new online tool called askOLA, which is an on-demand, out-of-school wellbeing and learning support system. The idea is for the system to support the whole student, both academically and emotionally; addressing their readiness to learn. It is now tried and tested. askOLA has already


been piloted in the West Midlands at The Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust with around 2,500 pupils. The pilot has been highly successful with an extra 1500 learning hours added in the first 4 weeks. Students receive academic support from vetted Online Learning Assistants (OLAs) and are also signposted to Kooth, the digital mental health and emotional wellbeing service, if they are experiencing mental or emotional difficulties. askOLA adds capacity to the education system


by giving young people the ability to access pastoral and academic support outside of school in the same way that they can approach a teaching assistant if they were in a classroom. Children have access to support whenever it is needed, and teachers can rest assured that their students are being well supported outside of school, reducing their workload. The platform has been designed to be student


led and children are encouraged to use it at their own pace out of school hours. Feedback has been very positive so far with students finding the online platform easy to use and helpful - a selection of student comments so far includes: “I think it's going to help a lot. Sometimes in


lessons I don't really get the questions and so I can use askOLA….they don't just give me like the answer straight away, but they lead me towards the answer. So, they're not just telling me [information], I'm actually learning something.” “It’s really helpful because…they've shown you how to work it out. That's great.”


July/August 2022 www.education-today.co.uk 37 Staff have also found askOLA’s new catch up


and wellbeing support helpful: “The service has been well received by pupils


and staff. During the launch assemblies our students were clearly enthused - they couldn't wait to get started... especially outside of school hours and in homework club.” askOLA was launched in the run up to this


year’s GCSE exams as, understandably, up until now, a lot of focus in schools has been on revision and educational catch up due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. However, I believe that solutions like this shouldn’t just be deployed at the last minute as revision aids, or when a child has already fallen behind academically. They should have a more integral place in day to day education and should also be used to make sure that children do not fall behind in the first place, but achieve to their full potential. We know that it’s tough on parents when they


feel responsible for their child’s entire education, as the time spent learning from home during lockdowns demonstrated. So, I think embracing self-directed EdTech solutions can help to allay parents' fears about summer learning loss, as


for those transitioning to secondary school and we are launching a project with Year 6’s across the country. The project develops student’s independent learning skills in preparation for the Key Stage curriculum and children are encouraged to use askOLA as their go-to digital learning support, as it is a tool that will stay with them as they progress to the next step of their education journey. askOLA’s Year 6 to 7 transition projects will be taking place in schools across Cheshire, Birmingham and Buckinghamshire. askOLA will also help to promote wellbeing in


children during the summer break. For many children, the summer holidays are not a time of relaxation and enjoyment. For those with tricker home lives, school can provide a feeling of structure and security, as well as access to academic and pastoral resources. There can be a feeling of loss linked to the absence of daily school communication and askOLA hopes to plug that gap by remaining a friendly constant. A supportive contact, available to children at the click of a button, with the added benefit of access to clinical mental health experts if needed. High-quality summer learning programs can


accelerate learning, impart non-cognitive skills that impact academic achievement and nurture a sense of community and belonging. Working in partnership with schools and education publishers, askOLA’s experienced learning assistants can help to prevent summer learning loss and enable students to stay on track for the new academic year and the rest of their lives.


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