Wakefield Council is set to trial a pilot project involving robots, enabling students to engage in school remotely.
To increase the accessibility and inclusiveness of their education system, the local authority plans to introduce 27 AV1 robot devices that allow children to participate in lessons when absent from school.
The BBC reported that the council’s digital project seeks to accommodate children whose anxiety, health requirements or emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) would otherwise cause them to miss vital learning opportunities.
The robots are built with cameras and microphones to enable communication between the class and students at home, who can access lessons through an app.
Although the devices will be stationed in classrooms, the security features ensure nothing can be recorded, Jacqui Dundas, the council's head of inclusion, strategy and performance told the BBC.
‘We have done a lot of work to ensure safeguarding is paramount’, added Nathan Heath, service director for education and inclusion.
