Meet Jim the Robot, the latest recruit to our classrooms this week.

Our pastoral team has initiated the use of the AV1 robot to support students who – for whatever reason – can’t access school lessons. The number of medical conditions that keeps children off school for a long period of time is huge. Equally, children suffering with anxiety, mental health issues and chronic fatigue could all benefit from Jim.

So how does Jim work?

It’s very simple – Jim sits at the front of a lesson and the child accesses the lesson via a connected tablet. They are able to see and hear the lesson from wherever they are based. It’s a live feed and the lesson is not recorded, so the student feels as though they are present. They can ask a question through the robot, which they do by activating a light on the robot’s head to get the teacher’s attention. They are also able to move Jim’s field of vision to see the board, or to engage in group work.

Commenting, Clare Wilson, Pastoral Manager said, “It’s a really valuable asset! It’s proving to have a really beneficial effect on those few students who aren’t able to access the classroom. We and the SEND team are really pleased.”