Key benefits
• Immediate impact on parental engagement (96%)
• Builds resilience in children
• Shares positivity all around
• Re-enforces positive behaviours and classroom learning at home
• Supports staff well-being
• Ensures clear communication boundaries from home to school
• UK based and fully GDPR compliant
About Kanes Hill Primary School
Based in the seaside city of Southampton, Kanes Hill Primary School is larger than average, with around 400 pupils aged 4 to 11 years. In 2019 the school was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ and had 46% pupil premium, but despite these challenges, the team at the school have been working hard to drive school improvement continually.
Back to school
As pupils returned to the classroom after another lockdown, children were buoyant and couldn’t wait to be back, says Katie O’Grady, Interim Head of School:
‘Our school have used MarvellousMe for around three years, and with 96% of our parents signed up, they are used to being kept in the loop regarding their child’s education. We have a high number of SEND pupils with EHCPs, and for these pupils, in particular, it’s great to share the positive work and achievements they make daily.’
‘Our parents did a brilliant job of supporting their children with home learning, and it’s great that we can continue to share the good news with them now that children are back.’
Power of positivity
Like many schools, children returned well, but the cumulative impact of lockdowns has been more visible after some time in the classroom, as Katie explains:
‘Children have struggled more following the latest lockdown. Their mental health has suffered, and we are having to up the ante re positivity and rewards.
Initially, they returned well, but their resilience has taken a knock, and we are having to work to build that back up. This is where a reward or praise goes a long way. MarvellousMe is helping as we can share this good news with parents. This create positive conversations about school and continues the feel-good factor about any rewards or praise for great work they’ve completed at school.’
Bee-ing Kind
It’s well publicised that mental health is a huge issue in schools, as children return to the new normal. As Katie explains:
‘Another impact of lockdown is social skills. Children have been at home for many months, unable to socialise with their peers. Although they are delighted to be back at school with their friends, we are noticing that we have to do some work on social skills and working with them in the playground to resolve friendship issues. This is where the new MarvellousMe ‘Bee’ badges are great. We’ve been working this week on Kindness, and the ‘Bee-Kind’ badge has been focused on in assembly and will be awarded to children for small acts of Kindness.’
‘After all the doom and gloom of Covid, it’s great to give the children targets of happy things to work towards, like pretty badges or a cheerful message home to their parents. We need to keep the positivity alive as much as we can for our pupils and parents, and sharing good news through MarvellousMe helps us to do this.’
‘If one thing should be the top of school agenda at the moment, it should be rewards. It’s critical for the mental health of our children that we provide regular praise and positivity to help build their resilience back up. MarvellousMe helps us to do that, quickly and easily.’
Empowering teachers
With MarvellousMe, in a couple of clicks, teachers can send home a class or individual message, a beautiful badge or a reminder, says Katie:
‘It’s been great for teachers as the messaging is one way, so it keeps the positivity and protects their workload. Our parents do have our email addresses if they want to bring another matter to our attention. Teachers get ‘high-fives’ back from parents, so they know that parents are engaged.
In a few clicks, they can send reminder messages, a shiny rewards badge, or a positive comment home to parents.’
‘I also send out a leader board each Friday so the teachers can see how their class is doing. This helps us to ensure consistent rewarding and parent engagement across the whole school.’
Positivity all round
‘For pupils, parents and teachers, the last 18 months have been tough. I love MarvellousMe because it helps us share positivity all around in an easy way, which doesn’t add to teacher workload. And at the moment, positivity to parents and pupils can go a long way; the impact is huge.’
Next steps
MarvellousMe is well embedded at Kanes Hill Primary School, but where will it take them next?
‘We are so pleased to have 96% of parents signed up. We’ve just started using the ‘Bee’ well-being badges, which are brilliant and well needed in the current climate.
Our focus is building the resilience back up in the children, and MarvellousMe is the perfect tool to help us do that.’
