Designed by Lawrence and Hugh to support the next generation of schooling, The Four Pillars give crucial daily structure to our students education.
By getting the basics right, we are able to innovate more easily and build a virtual school community like no other.
Our innovative Virtual Learning Platform delivers the British Curriculum, at all ages, through a blend of multimedia and discussion modules, featuring quizzes that enrich the learning experience.
Pupils do preparatory and consolatory work on the VLP, enabling focused, productive interactions with subject teachers during group classes.
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Each day, students attend Live Lessons for which they will have done preparatory work.
Our specialist and highly-experienced subject teachers lead these engaging and interactive sessions, helping students to deepen and apply their learning and giving them the chance to work collaboratively.
Live Lessons are the heartbeat of Minerva's Virtual Academy.
Each student is matched with a dedicated mentor who regularly meets with them to provide tailored support based on individual needs.
Whether it's improving self-study skills, boosting confidence in lessons, or balancing sporting commitments with academics, mentors specialise in crafting a personalised learning experience and serve as the primary champions for student success.
Our vibrant community extends beyond academics, offering enriching experiences that shape well-rounded individuals.
Weekly assemblies and wellbeing sessions reinforce life values and emotional growth. After-school clubs, inspiring guest speakers, social rooms, and Student Voice add to this. It all culminated with our twice-termly school trips, where the entire MVA community gathers in person.
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The Four Pillars of Virtual Learning Platform, Live Lessons, Mentoring, and Community allow us to deliver a highly effective education whilst equipping our pupils with the skills needed to thrive in the modern world; all in an environment where each pupil is known, encouraged and can make life-long friends.
Our Virtual Learning Platform (VLP), also known as Canvas, is a dynamic digital textbook containing all MVA course materials in modular form. Students log in to learn at their own pace, promoting self-study and accountability. The platform uses multimedia elements like video and quizzes to gamify learning, enabling students to learn, reflect, revise, test themselves, then master the topic before advancing to the next.
Students typically engage in 3-4 live sessions daily, including subject lessons, assemblies, and extracurricular activities. The number of Live Lessons varies based on subject choices and year group. An average weekly timetable may contain fewer live subject lessons compared to traditional schools, but thanks to our Flipped Learning approach and VLP preparation, these sessions are more effective and focused. This differentiates us from conventional educational settings.
Every MVA student is assigned a mentor to help bring out the best in them. A true ally on the student's educational journey, the mentor will meet with each student regularly and can be contacted at any time via email or chat. It is the mentor’s job to oversee all aspects of the student's academic progress, including their self study schedule, pastoral wellbeing and involvement in school life. They are highly trained and experienced with 1000s of hours of 1-2-1 mentorship under their belt.
Weekly assemblies - An opportunity for the whole school to come together, celebrate successes, share stories and reflect on important values for life.
Wellbeing programme - Weekly sessions for all students help them to know themselves, develop resilience and practise mindfulness, learn about and discuss issues that affect them, and equip them to make good life choices.
Clubs -Every student in Years 7 - 11 may join at least one club and may join more - from art to film production, debating to gaming, there's something for everyone.
Guest speakers - Students and parents alike are invited to attend termly virtual talks by inspirational speakers.
We organise a variety of educational, cultural and activity days out for the entire school community each term. These provide an opportunity to develop the friendships built through group learning and clubs, in person! So far we have visited London and York and there are lots more exciting trips in the planning stages. All trips are optional.
