EDClass had a great discussion with specialist learning assistant, Katie Bullimore, from The Garibaldi School in Nottinghamshire to discuss why they chose EDClass to help support their students struggling with anxiety and other mental health issues. 

Many students struggle to attend education because of their mental health. Finding the best support possible could perhaps be initially through an online model then transitioning to a hybrid one and then fully reintegrating. Take a look at what Katie had to say:

Q) What were the main challenges your school faced and why did you seek out EDClass?

“As a school, our main issue has been students not coming into school due to anxiety and mental health.

It’s been really important for us to try and keep students engaged in some form of education and EDClass was a really good option for those students struggling with anxiety. This is because rather than the norm of Teams or Zoom calls it was really helpful for our students to be able to take part in it and not necessarily have to talk or verbalise things all the time and be part of really big groups, because that's what a lot of our students were struggling with. That’s why we initially thought EDClass would be great for those students.”

As students can work independently in a setting they feel most comfortable they can regain confidence in their learning at a quicker rate than they probably would in mainstream.  

Q) How does EDClass specifically support students one-to-one pastorally and academically?

“Because our students are missing out on those teacher-led lessons having that teacher support on EDClass when they are struggling has been massively helpful.

Trying to engage students back into education has been number one really for us. We’ve had students under that anxiety-related non-attendees umbrella and it has been a big challenge. So, having EDClass there allows students to get their attendance and confidence up, so it's been great.”

Having one-to-one support from UK-qualified teachers for students with anxiety, EBSA, depression or other reasons can allow students to build rapport, trust and meaningful relationships. 

This can also allow students to get to the core root of trauma or barriers to their learning that are preventing them from reaching their educational potential.

Q) Would you recommend EDClass to another school or trust?

“I would recommend EDClass, from our point of view, it has been great working alongside our attendance team. It's made a huge impact on that because we've been able to use it and provide evidence for students not even on school grounds and see the amount of learning they’ve done.

It’s also been really helpful for parents and also for the students, a lot of them haven't been in school for quite some time. So, they are still able to engage in some sort of education and that has really been beneficial.”

If you would like to learn about an effective online alternative provision that can assist students one-to-one call EDClass on 01909 568338, send an email to mail@edclass.com, or enquire for more information here.