The robot is pint-sized and sits on the desk in the space where the child would normally sit. They can take part in class learning, discussions with their partner, and see and hear everything in the classroom from the comfort of their home. The robot will sound like the pupil as they can speak through it to share their ideas and ask questions, with a button on their tablet at home allowing them to 'raise their hand' like in any normal class situation (the robot's head will flash green).  

The pupil is able to set volumes at home depending on the task where they can 'whisper' in partner talk, speak loudly for a wider class comment, and set a normal voice in other situations. The pupil controls which direction the robot looks, swiping their screen at home to track the teacher. 

Westcliff children in Year 2/3 have all had their Inclusive introductory session with the robot. As we move around for groups the pupils will take their class buddy with them, and they have all have met the robot in advance and are excited to have 'him’ in their class, allowing them to be closer to their class buddy who they haven't been able to see for a while.  

As a school, we did orientation sessions and demos for staff, and it helped to edit the Misuse Agreement with the staff involved and edit the Risk Assessment frame from the company behind this device to provide the additional reassurances staff needed. The technology sounds scary but is reassuringly safe, with strict measures automatically built-in and extensively tested for safeguarding and privacy.  

Natasha Outhwaite, Head of School says, ‘It has gone down so well with the family! It was easy to onboard them using their home tablet device and our Year 2 pupil is so excited to see their friends and classmates again.’