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Learning platforms

Online learning platforms, websites and tools used by schools

The government issued guidance to schools in January 2021 outlining their expectations for remote learning. The document states that the Department for Education (DfE) expects schools:

“to select a digital platform for remote education provision that will be used consistently across the school in order to allow interaction, assessment and feedback and make sure staff are trained and confident in its use.”

Solihull schools have explored a range of platforms and have selected the platform that takes into consideration knowledge of their school staff , their communities and the technical support available. The platforms enable teachers to collaborate with their pupils by meeting online and sharing documentation. To enhance the activities shared through these platforms, many teachers will use popular teaching resource websites and online tools to help make learning more interactive.

Below is a selection of the most commonly used platforms, websites and tools across Solihull. This is not a complete list – there are 100s more websites that schools can choose to use – and there may be other resources that are used by your school which will provide a more collaborative and fun learning experience.

Online learning platforms

Microsoft Teams – a chat-based collaboration platform hosted by Microsoft complete with the ability to share documents, set assignments and hold online meetings.
Google Classroom – a free web service developed by Google for schools that aims to enable teachers to create, distribute, and grade assignments. Pupils can meet virtually using the Google Meet facility.
Class Dojo – is a school communication platform that teachers, students, and families can use to share learning through photos, videos, and messages.

Common websites used by schools

Purple Mash – a creative online space aimed at primary school teachers and pupils, which aims to inspire creative learning across the curriculum both at school and at home
Oak National Academy – an online classroom made by teachers sharing high-quality video lessons and resources.
White Rose Maths – a website offering maths video lessons and resources created by teachers
Times Table Rock Stars – a fun programme of daily times tables practice.
My Maths – a mathematics website with resources which can be used on interactive whiteboards or by students and teachers at home.
Oxford Reading Buddy – an online reading service that supports each child’s reading journey. Reading Buddy contains hundreds of Oxford books all matched to each child’s reading levels.

Common learning tools and apps used by schools

Microsoft Sway – an app from Microsoft Office that makes it easy to create and share interactive reports, instructions, personal stories, presentations, and more.
Padlet – an online tool that is best described as an online notice board. Padlet can be used by pupils and teachers to post notes on a common page. The notes posted by teachers and pupils can contain links, videos, images and document files.