COVID-19 Update
One of the benefits of the two week break was to give our students and staff the opportunity to relax and recharge after what was a quite stressful half-term.  We hope that, in the long-term, it will also reduce the number of people within the Britannica community, who are impacted by the virus.  Given the rising number of cases currently and our experiences from the first half-term, further cases are likely over the coming weeks.  We know that our rapid response to situations last half-term was very much appreciated by parents and we will continue to  take the necessary steps to keep our community safe. 
One of the questions we do get asked frequently is with regards to synchronous online and in class lessons.  I thought it would be worth sharing the current thinking in this area amongst most International Schools in Budapest when we meet each week:
'At the moment, the option of a mixed approach with some students in school and some at home on the same course has proven to be such a compromise to either one group or to both as to be unworkable. Students have been off school isolating or quarantining and still engaging in learning throughout this pandemic. However, they don’t typically join live lessons, as this aspect is generally very ineffective and not beneficial to learning or progress for the majority. It is also, from a time perspective (let alone a wellbeing perspective) incredibly demanding on teaching staff and unsustainable in the long-term.
 The reasons why it is ineffective lie more in the nature of the lessons than the technology. While a remote connection may work for lectures or for small adult meetings, lessons in school are dynamic and interactive. Anyone joining remotely will likely be a passive or partial observer of the class’s experience with issues around how to take part in discussions or group work. The specific planned, differentiated and tailored classroom lesson is designed for those on site and although teaching materials can be available to those working remotely, there is little value in the remote student joining the live lesson. Without setting up cameras and microphones on all desks and managing these, the remote student will not see, hear or be able to participate meaningfully in the relevant interactions.
If we imagine a typical class of students (say 20) in a distance and live blend, the technological and the pedagogical challenges become significant. One teacher cannot easily and successfully interact in a room with ten students and at the same time provide ten others linking through computers with the attention they require. In addition, there are privacy issues relating to streaming video of children into other people’s homes and vice-versa.
Online lessons in themselves can be very effective and there is considerable evidence to show that when these are done well, it can result in very successful learning for most students. The models that work for this are different to those for lessons that are provided live, which is why so much adaptation was needed during the summer premises closure. 
We can successfully move back to Virtual School for all students when we need to, but we don’t currently mix approaches. 
The overwhelming majority of parents want their children in school, a feeling that is matched in a recent survey we conducted with students.
If the situation becomes unsafe, we will naturally switch to Virtual School; the safety of the children is of paramount importance.
As always, we will remain vigilant and agile and act swiftly to change if we need to.'
I hope this addresses our approach to this at the moment.  As ever, it may well evolve and change over the coming months.  
Thanks once more for all your support at this time.

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