79% of educators believe hybrid teaching is here to stay

Research by publicly owned buying organisations YPO has found that 79% of education professionals believe that the Covid pandemic will have a lasting impact on teaching, resulting in a hybrid approach that combines traditional and technology-led teaching methods.
 
It also found that mental health for both staff and students was a key concern across the sector, with 64% of parents saying they were concerned about their children’s mental health and wellbeing and supporting staff’s mental health cited as a top challenge by schools.

To address lost learning caused by the pandemic, YPO is collaborating with a new EdTech tutoring platform, askOLA, to offer an online, on-demand alternative to private tutoring, designed to support students both academically and emotionally.

Through the platform, available on desktop, tablets and mobile devices, young people can access professional academic support from online learning assistants (OLAs). Each OLAs is a qualified and vetted individual who delivers personalised academic coaching in key subjects – English, maths, and science – as well as wellbeing support for young people aged 11 to 16, via interactive white boards and a live chat function on askOLA.
 
By providing on-demand support at peak times (3pm – 9pm on weekdays and 9am – 9pm at weekends) askOLA aims to address challenges faced by the education sector including helping young people who lost learning time throughout the pandemic and providing extra support to young people who are at risk of falling behind their peers, and relieving pressure on teachers. If needed, OLAs can point young people to a series of helpful wellbeing resources, or, if there is a more serious problem, they can direct them to professional mental health support through a partner platform, Kooth.
 
Simon Hill, Managing Director, YPO, said, “At YPO, we pride ourselves on being a helping hand to schools, whether they need school supplies like glue sticks or new computers, or contract support to procure energy, furniture, and transport. Over the past several years, the education sector has faced numerous challenges, including lockdowns and increased pressure on teachers.
 
"Our own research has shown that the pandemic exacerbated these challenges and has put additional pressure on teachers, teaching staff and parents. There is no one way to deliver the education our young people deserve, but we believe that innovative, thoughtful EdTech tools, developed and supported by both the public and private sector, can play an important role in supporting students and teachers, which is why we’ve chosen to collaborate with askOLA.”