As a senior-school teacher at VSV, I’m always reminded that our students are all logging in from very different worlds, every single day.
For some of our students being a VSV student might mean training during the day as an elite athlete and then, studying in the evening. For others, it might be managing a health condition from the comfort of home whilst completing an assessment between appointments. And for some, it will be attending a bricks and mortar school till 3.30pm and then attending an online Applied Computing class at 4.30pm.
The great thing is that no matter how different each one of our students might look, they make up who we are as a school; uniquely different to any other. Their goals might be different, their circumstances might be different, yet their paths are often aligned and that’s what makes our school, our school.
However, what really sets us apart, is the role of our Learning Advisors. Learning Advisors act as each student’s personal coordinator, supporting our students in navigating study designs, understanding expectations, managing time, and becoming confident using our online systems. Sometimes the support we provide is academic, we are a school after all – but a lot of the time it’s a quick 10-minute check-in that helps our students feel heard, understood and like they truly belong.
And that’s really what sets us apart. The relationships we all form mean that learning at VSV is not just about submitting homework. It’s about authentic engagement where together, we build a genuine sense of belonging, where our students understand that what makes them different, is what brings us together – that they’re not learning alone but that they are in fact, learning together and being the heart of our very connected and supportive community.
Fatma Gorgulu (she/her)
Acting Senior School Engagement Leader | Year 11 Applied Computing | Year 11 Learning Advisor | Year 11 Student Coordinator (L-Z)
