Embedding Oasis Horizons into the curriculum key for Oasis Academy Mayfield's teachers and students

Here at Oasis Academy Mayfield we launched our Oasis Horizons project during lockdown between January and March 2021 in an accelerated roll out programme.

A key part of our roll out was a ‘Horizons Masterclasses’ which staff received to develop their understanding of iPad basics, integration of Office 365 and subject-specific apps. This was followed by our students receiving similar Masterclasses across the academy.

To take the learning from the Horizons Masterclasses further, we launched a Horizons Working Party to explore projects within curriculum areas, to inform the embedding of diverse strategies within the curriculum and the wider pastoral development of our students.

Our team of staff worked relentlessly to begin embedding this exceptional learning tool within the curriculum from the very start. Our Year 8 team have taken this a step further and explored to what extent they are able to push a truly ‘paperless’ curriculum. This has been particularly true in Maths, English, and History.

For our Year 8 students we formally launched our Horizons project with an explicit ‘Horizons launch day’ when we returned from lockdown, teaching students key skills in how to operate their device and begin their journey in developing their digital literacy.

Our students have been overwhelmingly positive in their feedback. “I much prefer working with an iPad than a book because I can take my learning home with me,” and “It’s really helpful that my teacher can give me feedback straight away in the lesson, wherever they are in the room.”

Teachers too have begun to embrace the possibilities of the devices, mentioning that ‘Go Formative’ has empowered them and their students with the resources and tools to provide rapid intervention in lessons at the point of contact, re-shape the lesson or wider curriculum, and better articulate their misconceptions. We look forward to exploring with our NLP partners new ways in which the technology can complement the OCL Curriculum.