It was lovely to ‘meet’ everyone and great to know others are studying at the same time! I look forward to connecting with them more in the future.

Launched in Autumn 2023, our virtual welcome meetings are proving a hit with our students, giving them the opportunity to connect more closely with our staff and other students, as well as the chance to ask any general questions they may have.

Ideal Schools has spent the last forty years trying to ensure our students don’t feel isolated when studying remotely and this is just another way we are embracing technology and yet incorporating the human element, to ensure each individual can benefit from contact with others who are studying similar courses around the same time as them.

We are also seeing how these meetings can generate peer support groups which many students are finding helpful going forward, alongside our unique package of regular ways of assisting them via email, phone, live chat, instant messenger via our portal and our award-winning private Facebook groups.

Our aim is to create a virtual campus experience where students have access to a range of methods for accessing support. This should in turn empower them to choose what works best for them and their circumstances to develop a personalised experience. We’re delighted to be able to add virtual welcome meetings to our portfolio of approaches for doing just that.

And there is excellent academic evidence to support our belief that creating a sense of belonging for students is important. Research shows it is positively associated with academic success and motivation (Freeman, Anderson and Jensen 2007). Students who feel they belong also have higher self-belief in their chances to succeed on their course (Verschelden 2017).

If you missed out on one of these meetings when you enrolled, please contact elaine@idealschools.co.uk.

Thank you for the welcome meeting. It was very useful and motivating.