Harrogate’s Ashville College is going ‘offline’ today (Thursday, February 25) with pupils swapping time in front of their computer screens for activities that encourage them to get active, get creative and to give something back!
Instead of formal lessons delivered remotely, pupils from the College’s Prep School, Senior School and Sixth Form will choose four different activities from a menu of more than 40 different options suitable for a range of ages and interests.
The tasks are grouped under the three headings of ‘Get creative’, ‘Fitness and wellbeing’, and ‘Give something back’, with a number of activities dedicated to putting family, friends and the community first.
Options include gardening, creating a family coat of arms, litter picking, drawing a still life picture of a fruit or vegetable, writing a business pitch for a company, completing a random act of kindness for a family member or friend, and writing an article for the College newsletter.
Pupils can also undertake other activities not listed, and again the emphasis is about ‘giving something back’. House points will then be awarded for all completed activities – supported by evidence – which will go towards a new College ‘Lockdown Cup’.
Laura Jackson, Acting Deputy Head (Pastoral), said: “With so much time spent in front of a screen recently, most of us long for the opportunity to see people face-to-face and break free of the dependency on devices.
“As a College, we recognise that we have generated this need for increased screen-time as our lessons and tasks revolve around live and pre-recorded online classes and tasks.
“As a result, we have decided that we will have an Ashville Offline Day to encourage a break from the screens, but also to allow us to spend some time on Enrichment activities.
“There will be no formal lessons. Instead, we have provided pupils with a list of activities and tasks, with several aimed at ‘giving something back’.
“Pupils will have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities throughout the day, and when tasks are completed and evidence provided, then ‘House’ points can be earned.”
For more information about Ashville College, please visit www.ashville.co.uk or call 01423 566358.