Life since March
Since COVID-19 reared its ugly head in Australia in March, things haven’t been exactly ‘business as usual’ at Lexis Byron Bay.
First of all, when the first and (so far) strictest stage of restrictions hit, we had to take the decision to move our classes online. Teachers spent around 9 weeks teaching our classes on the Zoom platform, mostly from their homes. The learning curve for online teaching was steep but the teachers were amazingly adaptable and creative and soon were providing lessons equally as informative and effective as their face-to-face classes.
On 9 June, we were able to bring our classes back into the school; but with numerous safety and social distancing measures in place. For example, we created two teaching schedules so that break times were staggered, a minimum of 4m2 was allocated to every student in a classroom, and they all had their own desks and chairs. We’ve also upped our cleaning and removed shared items such as cups/cutlery from our kitchen area.
Both students and teachers were delighted to be back (after all, learning English is a very social activity) and I think are all really enjoying the family atmosphere that results from there being fewer students in the school.
Exit Feedback June/July
Earlier this week, we collated the feedback from our students that finished their studies at Lexis Byron Bay in June and July and were very happy with the results, especially because the majority of these students have all been enrolled pre-covid, during online teaching and then back in school with social distancing measures in place.
First of all, 100% of students who left said that they would recommend us to a friend. Moreover, they all felt that Lexis Byron Bay offered value for money.
Overall, everyone felt that the English program was either ‘Effective’ (25%) or ‘Very Effective’ (75%) at helping them reach their language goals.
And finally, all departing students said that there overall experience was ‘Good’ (25%) or ‘Excellent’ (75%).
Particularly singled out for praise, were two areas; our (very special) teachers “ I liked the lesson, the atmosphere and the teacher,” “Fantastic teacher, good programme,” “I am so satisfied to study with kindly friends and friendly and nice teachers,” and our English Only Policy –“ Was really good,” “ It is important rule,” “I agree and it makes perfect sense.”
So, while it’s going to be interesting times ahead, with no news yet about when the borders will re-open and therefore when we can expect a significant number of new students, we will keep doing everything we can to ensure that the students who are still here get great lessons in a warm and supportive environment.
Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE, and English plus Surfing and Yoga in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.
