Introduction to the British Council learning hub

Dear families,

The British Council has introduced the learning hub as part of your child’s course so that your child can get the most out of learning English.

 The learning hub is a safe and secure space online where your child will enjoy doing activities set by their teacher so that they come to class feeling more prepared. It also gives your child access to their virtual lessons if classes are online.

 By developing skills such as reading and listening in fun ways before and after class, your child will have more time to practise speaking English in class. 

It’s designed to help them make more progress and feel more motivated and confident.

 At the British Council, we take the safety, well-being and protection of children and adolescents very seriously, both in our face to face and virtual classrooms.

Please read this document in conjunction with the Safeguarding Policy.

If you have a concern about safeguarding, please contact us on this email address: safeguarding@britishcouncil.org

With you every step of the way

To keep everyone safe, all students accessing the learning hub are required to follow the following rules.

General rules for using the learning hub

To keep everyone safe, all students accessing the learning hub are required to follow the following rules.:

• Parents must provide consent for their child to use the learning hub
• Log in details must not be shared
• Work uploaded to the learning hub should not contain any personal information, photos or offensive material
• No personal information such as addresses, email addresses or phone numbers should be shared as part of the work completed online

Rules for using forums

Teachers and students can discuss and share ideas and views on the topics being studied and learning English on the forum. Students cannot start forums but are able to post comments, appropriate images, and URLs in reply to discussions started by their teacher and posts by other students. When using forums, we ask that students follow these rules:

• All forum posts must be in English. Comments in any other language will be deleted.
• Email addresses, phone numbers and ‘bad or abusive' language are not allowed.
• Students must not post links to any file sharing websites; any such links will be deleted.
• If students have any concerns regarding any content or posts on the forum, they should report them immediately to their teacher.
• Failure to abide by this behaviour policy may lead to the student’s suspension or exclusion from the course.

All forums will be regularly monitored to ensure that the rules above and British Council policies are being followed.

Virtual lessons

Students’ learning experience may take place via a virtual classroom.

Virtual lessons are designed to help students build confidence, practise speaking, develop skills and provide the same progress as regular classes.

Code of Conduct for Virtual classes

Students who attend virtual classes must be responsible for their behaviour and follow the same policy as face-to-face classes. This includes adhering to the British Council’s zero-tolerance stance on bullying.

In addition to these expectations, we ask that students follow these rules.

Positive Behaviour

Everyone attending virtual classes must show respect for others. We ask that all students make every effort to:

• Be friendly
• Be inclusive – welcome others to join in activities
• Get involved - try the activities their teacher asks them to participate in
• Listen and follow the teacher’s instructions
• Listen to others and give them an opportunity to speak
• Make sure they are the only person on their camera
• Ask for help from their teacher or tell a trusted adult if they are unhappy
• Keep their camera on at all times.

Other necessary actions

• Students must set up their Zoom account so that it appears as the full first name and initial of the family name (eg, Juan R or Kim Y). Participants with a name that does not match the class register will not be allowed in the classroom.

Prohibited Behaviour

The following behaviour is NOT allowed.

• Bullying
• Deliberate disobedience
• Discrimination
• Use of offensive words in any language
• Use of telephones during lesson time
• Using software or tools to create a disruption to the calls
• Sharing materials that may be deemed offensive.
• Recording of virtual classes
• Allowing other people apart from the student to be visible on their camera
• Allowing other people apart from the students to contact other learners in the virtual classroom

Failure to abide by this behaviour policy may lead to the student’s suspension or exclusion from the course.

Guidance for setting up virtual classes.

Get ready!

Be seen and heard

In virtual lessons, students need to have a camera in order to participate fully. If you have ever used Skype, FaceTime or any other video calling app, the experience is very similar. Ear/headphones with a built-in microphone are also needed to speak to the teachers and other students throughout the class.

Be in a quiet place

The great advantage of virtual lessons is that you can choose where to study. For the best experience, however, find a place where other people will not interrupt and where noise is not a problem. Being interrupted and constantly on the move can result in a poor learning experience.

Be properly connected

You are going to need a stable internet connection. A poor connection will mean students may find it hard to hear or see each other and the teacher. This can be frustrating for everyone.