A Tes Webinar drawing on the experience of Kellett School In Hong during the closures because of Covid-19

1. How to support pupil, staff
and parental wellbeing
when your school is closed
Mark S. Steed, MA (Cantab), MA, MSc
Principal and CEO
Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong
Tes webinar:
Wednesday 1 April 08.00UK /15.00HK
Sponsored by
Staff Pulse
@independenthead
@KellettSchool

2. 1
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How to support pupil, staff and parental wellbeing when your school is closed
Context
2
Pupils
Staff
Parents

3. Our context:
Kellett School, The British
International School in Hong Kong
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4. Hong Kong protests
4
• Seven days school
suspension in November
2019

5. Covid-19 coronavirus
5
• 39 days school suspension
since Chinese New Year till
further notice
• Last teaching day was
Friday 24 January
• Earliest opening May

6. Chronology
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31 January EDB announced Chinese New Year extended by 4 weeks: School schools suspended
until 2 March
SLT decision: all staff to return to HK and to work in School from 5 February – working
pattern, Monday – Wednesday – Friday in school
13 February EDB announced schools suspended until after Easter 16 March
24 February Y13 students allowed onto campus for small group tutorials – secondary staff in school
every day
25 February EDB announced schools suspended until after Easter 20 April
2 March Y12 and Y11 students allowed onto campus for small group tutorials every other day.
19 March SLT decision: all staff to work from home. Revert to full home learning programme and
UK Exams cancelled
21 March EDB announces that schools suspended till further notice

7. Prep school – pupil wellbeing
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8. Pupil wellbeing initiatives – prep school
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> Prep Schools
• Assemblies are continuing – ‘worry bag’ and World Happiness Day
• Daily ‘circle time’ with the teachers
• Teachers are able to monitor and support
• Musical/ creative events
• Feeling connected

9. 9
Happiness wall

10. 10
Prep school online community events

11. Senior school - pupil wellbeing
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12. Weekly mindfulness video
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https://youtu.be/yEcAup6sqtY

13. Weekly mindfulness video
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeax6140YyVtaeHTr5MHLgA
Twitter: @sandrabushnell

14. Student wellbeing initiatives - secondary
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> Formal
• Daily Zoom tutor-student meetings
• A fortnightly questionnaire for students (self-reporting
one – 10)
• One-to-one video-conference ‘check ins’ (counselling
sessions)
> Informal
• A lunchtime ‘open mic’ competition with participants
around the world contributing to the live streamed
event
• A book week event – online poetry recitals, book
reviews, a ‘micro-fiction’ story competition (1,000 words
or fewer)
• Kellett infinite positivity playlist - a playlist on Spotify
where each contributor says why they picked each track

15. Student letters of gratitude to teachers
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Benefits for students:
> It will provide a boost to your
wellbeing as you write it
> It provides an even bigger boost if
you actually send it
> It will provide a huge boost to your
teachers’ wellbeing when they
receive it
> It will probably make your
relationships even stronger too
What happened:
> 1,000 letters from students
> 400 letters from parents

16. Student letters of gratitude to teachers
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17. Student wellbeing website
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18. Secondary wellbeing questionnaire – week three
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19. Secondary wellbeing questionnaire – week six
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20. Live tutorials – one-to-one?
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Initially we didn’t allow one-to-one Live Tutorials, but as the closure ran on:
> We needed to be able to provide pastoral, one-to-one support,
> There was a greater risk to students by not providing counselling support.
Protocol for One-to-one Live Tutorials with students
> should follow the same guidance as one-to-one conversations in school
> If in school, staff should ensure that the door is open, and that another member of staff is
aware and nearby while the conversation is taking place.
> If at home, the sessions to be recorded (with parental permission) to protect all
concerned.
(Zoom Cloud Recordings to remain confidential and only be used in the event of an
accusation.)

21. Practical: reorganisation of the timetable
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> Shorter lessons in the morning (50 minutes down to 40 minutes )
> PE and community activities into the afternoon
> Moved in response to pupil questionnaire from week six
Usual School Day Structure Home Schooling Day Structure

22. Student wellbeing – lessons learned
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1. The normal issues are still there:
• Schools play a significant role in supporting young people in normal
times – these issues don’t just disappear because the school is closed
2. Beware the long-standing issues that take on a
new complexion:
• Near ‘school refuser’ with anxiety issues
• Students with serious long-term illness/ injury
3. The new Coronavirus-related issues:
• Medical, financial, family events, isolation, cabin fever

23. Staff wellbeing
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24. Staff context – the first six weeks
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Prep schools
> All Staff in Hong Kong
> Working in School Monday –
Wednesday – Friday
> Collaborative working –
creating pupil content
> Staff INSET days
> Staff wellbeing activities
Some staff initially were very anxious about
this.
Over time, we’ve realised the importance of
having support from colleagues, both
professionally (preparing lessons) and
personally.

25. Staff context – the first six weeks
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Secondary
> All Staff in Hong Kong
> Working in school Monday –
Wednesday – Friday
> Live teaching using Zoom
> Staff INSET days
> Staff wellbeing activities

26. 26
These are now stopped because we’re
all working from home from Monday –
the wellbeing team are working on a
virtual version.
• Muffin Monday (provided by parents)
• Bring and share lunches
• Coffees croissants and computers
• Free school lunches on Friday
• Free buses to school

27. Staff context, present – working from home
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Prep School
• Online lessons
• Video lesson
• Some live ‘touch points’
Senior Schools
• Live teaching via Zoom
• Online work via Google Classroom
• Online tutorial support

28. Weekly staff wellbeing survey
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1. How would you rate your current
wellbeing?
2. Is there anything you are finding
particularly challenging?
3. Is there anything you think that we
could do as an employer to assist you
currently?
Survey tools available include Staff Pulse by Tes which enables you to
send your staff short surveys weekly or fortnightly.
For more information on Staff Pulse visit: tes.com/staff-pulse

29. Wellbeing activities for Easter
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30. Parental wellbeing
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31. Health
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> Protecting family from Covid-19
> Elderly or vulnerable relatives

32. Family events
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> Cancellation of weddings
> Cancellation of holidays
> Cancellation of family gatherings

33. Financial
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> Uncertainty about jobs
> Concerns about costs

34. Children’s education and exams
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> Concerns about home learning
> Feelings of helplessness that they can’t
support their children’s learning
> Concerns about technology

35. Cabin fever
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> Trying to combine working from home
with supporting home learning
> Living at close quarters
> No respite
> Battling over computers

36. Parental Push-back
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The flashpoints came around key announcements:
1. The extension of the School Suspension/ Closure by the
Education Bureau.
2. The Cancellation of UK and International GCSE and A-level
Exams.
3. Term 3 Fee Letter.
Demands
1. Refunds or Reductions on School Fees.
2. Extension of the School Terms to provide teaching through the
summer.
3. Waive fees in lieu of notice for those leaving the school at the
end of the year.

37. Communicate with your community
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> Weekly newsletter
• Showcasing home learning
• Wellbeing and mindfulness tips
> Video messaging for difficult
announcements.
> Parent-Teacher meeting via Zoom
> Heads-of-house and tutors phoning
parents.

38. Final thoughts
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39. It’s a marathon not a sprint
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40. Don’t go off too fast
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41. Settle into a sustainable pace
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42. Take every opportunity to refresh yourself
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43. There will be false summits
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44. People in your community will hit a wall
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45. 45
“If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.”
~African proverb

46. Questions?
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What’s next?
> If you want more information on Tes’ wellbeing tool Staff
Pulse and how it can support your school and staff visit –
tes.com/staff-pulse
“Tes Staff Pulse provided an easy-to-use, confidential way for all teaching team members to have a voice.
They can highlight areas where attention is needed, and comment on specific points that we can then
address quickly. The tracking feature enables us to see our progress over time, and the new conversation
feature allows us to respond to individual commenters, without affecting their anonymity.”
Tom Wilde, head of school, Kazakhstan International School
Mark S. Steed, MA (Cantab), MA, MSc
Principal and CEO
Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong
@independenthead
@KellettSchool
principalceo@kellettschool.com
uk.linkedin.com/in/independenthead