Virtual summer school awarded government funding

Wey Education has been granted government funding as part of the Innovate UK programme to create a virtual summer school.

The Wey Virtual School has been developed for parents and students looking for additional education support during the summer period due to missed schooling during Covid-19.

The education packages can also be tailored for schools and Local Authorities providing blended education.

Various programmes for students aged seven to 18 will be available via an online learning platform which blends ‘live lesson’ delivery with virtual experiences.

Following a successful pilot scheme in China, the organisation has been working alongside the University of South Wales to develop capabilities including AI learning, augmented reality and virtual training agents to build on the innovative work and reach a wider audience via its scalable model.

Beginning later this month, the virtual school will offer a wide variety of fun, interactive and engaging learning experiences, from full time study to shorter (one to four weeks) sessions. The four offerings available include:

There is the option to choose a one-month programme of immersive lessons for students aged seven to 16, exploring science and history activities covering four themes including Time Travel, Exploding Science, Superheroes and Animation.

There are revision courses for 14-16-year-olds to help them prepare for postponed iGCSE/GCSE exams in maths, science, English and history.

There is also a ‘Study Skills’ programme for KS4/5 students, delivered in one or two modules covering a variety of content including digital literacy, communications and collaboration skills.

The final offer is a ‘Learning on Demand’ service enabling 14-16-year-olds to study English Language, maths and/or double award science, with the option of studying for one week, a half term, a full term or a complete academic year.

Dr. Sara de Freitas, executive director of education at Wey Education said: “There are currently more than five million school children in the UK with an additional 263 million globally, who have been unable to access comprehensive schooling over the past few weeks. The sad reality is, despite some year groups returning to school, these interruptions could be ongoing for the next two years.

“We are delighted to have received this funding from the prestigious Innovate UK Fund, especially with such a such a large volume of high-level competition. The programme is a taste of what the future of learning is all about and we are very excited to be a part of such an innovative project that will support students impacted by Covid-19.”

Jacqueline Daniell, CEO of Wey Education, said: “We are very pleased that this initiative has been recognised as an ambitious and innovative solution and that Wey Education will be able to support so many young learners and help provide them with an optimistic future.”

Wey Education provides online learning services, InterHigh and Academy21 and has more than 15 years of experience in supporting virtual, remote learners across 120 local authorities, private-candidates, home-schoolers, and British-expatriates living overseas.