Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents/carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home. 

For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page. 

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?

A pupil's first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching. In the short-term, an initial home-learning work pack will be created for all children, this will include:

- Enough tasks to cover two days (English, Maths, Reading, Topic)
- A pencil
- Materials to write on 

Much of the work sent home will be a recap of previously taught content, this should enable children to complete tasks independently in the first instance. 

Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?

Wherever possible and appropriate, children will be taught the same curriculum remotely as we do in school. However, adaptations have needed to be made in certain subjects. For example, science lessons will be more focused on the theory aspects of the topic. Our P.E. curriculum has also been adapted to work from weekly videos provided by Mr Bingley, these videos include tasks that require minimal equipment - this provides a COVID safe environment in school, and easily accessible activities whilst at home. 

Remote Teaching and Study Time Each Day

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

Nursery Pupils - A maximum of 3 hours.
Foundation Stage - A maximum of 3 hours.
Year One - 3 hours.
Year Two - 3 hours. 
Year Three - 4 Hours
Year Four - 4 Hours.
Year Five - 4 Hours. 
Year Six - 4 Hours.

Accessing Remote Education

How will my child access any online remote education you are providing? 

As a school, we are fortunate to have a variety of methods to ensure that your child can access their learning from home. 

In EYFS and Key Stage One, work will be distributed using the following applications:

• Class Dojo
• Tapestry 
• Microsoft Teams (Year Two)
• School Website

In Key Stage Two, work will be distributed using the following applications:

• Class Dojo
• Microsoft Teams 
• Microsoft OneNote 
• School Website

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. Therefore, we take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

• Work Packs - These are available for collection on a weekly basis that are carefully designed to include content that would be posted online for pupils to access. Message your child's class teacher for more details. 
• Laptops - In school, we do have a limited number of laptops that may be loaned to families in order to access home learning. Where a laptop is required, we are currently prioritising years 5 and 6. This is due to limited availability and the frequency of 'live' lessons that will be taking place in Upper Key Stage Two. If you feel that your child would benefit from a laptop, please contact us via phone or Class Dojo. 
• SIM Cards - We have managed to purchase a selection of SIM cards that are unlocked and pre-loaded with 30gb of data. These have been purchased to support families with unreliable or limited WiFi. These can be used in accordance with our school policy surrounding home learning expectations. Please contact your child's class teacher for more details. 
• Submitting Work Packs - When you arrive at school to collect your child's work pack, place their previous pack in our COVID secure 'Drop In' box that is in recepetion. Your child's class teacher will then work on providing feedback in a timely manner. 

How will my child be taught remotely? 

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

• Printed paper packs produced by teachers. These include carefully selected content that mirror the home learning timetable provided for your child's year group. 
• Live teaching in the form of online lessons. These lessons will be scheduled on Microsoft Teams and will be led by class teachers. Each lesson is carefully planned and families are provided with a minimum of 24 hours notice before lessons start. 
• Recorded teaching from the National Oak Academy across a range of subjects. Alongside this, your child's class teacher may record video and audio to support allocated work. 

As a result of using a combination of the above approaches, as a school we are aiming to provide effective home learning which:

• Ensures pupils receive clear explanations 
• Supports growth in confidence with new material through scaffolded practice 
• Allows the application of new knowledge or skills 
• Enables pupils to receive feedback outlining how to progress

Engagement and Feedback

What are your expectations for my child's engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

Expectations for pupils' engagement with remote education = Try your best! We know that remote learning can be challenging and we would much rather be in school, but if you try your best and engage with the learning set by your class teacher, we will be so proud of you!

Expectations of parental support = Interact with your child's class teacher if you are experiencing any issues with the home learning experience your child is receiving. We are here to help. Please contact us to share completed work, we love to see what the children are doing whilst at home. Also we can get back to you with valuable feedback where applicable, we understand that having children complete work at home is a challenge, but we are here to support you throughout. 

How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?

Your child's class teacher will be taking a register each day to see which children in their class are regularly engaging with their home learning. This register will then be used to help school support children and their families. Teachers will be in regular contact with families via Class Dojo and occasional telephone calls. 

Where engagement is a concern, our first thought will be: What can we do as a school to help? Our school will offer support via:

• Telephone calls to support: wellbeing, technology issues, misunderstandings...
• Microsoft Teams messages, this will be a form of communication used in Key Stage Two and it involves children talking to their class teacher directly, as part of a wider class group. 
• Class Dojo messages will be sent offering support to parents, any questions that arise, teachers will offer a useful and supportive response. 
• Senior leadership will also assess the situation to decide if we can support by providing improved access to technology at home, this might include distributing a laptop on a temporary basis or providing a SIM card to improve the remote learning experience. 

How will you assess my child's work and progress?

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children from your child's class teacher. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods that we use in school. Therefore, our approach to feeding back on pupil work will consist of a blended approach of the following methods:

• Success Criteria - Work set in English, Maths and Reading will include a success criteria. These are steps that your child must meet during the course of the lesson. In school, pupils would tick the step if they feel they have met it. This is something that they will continue whilst working from home. 
• Microsoft OneNote - On the Class Notebook function on Teams, your child will have their own page within their class OneNote. If work is completed on this page, class teachers will provide written feedback. 
• Class Dojo Portfolio - Work may be photographed and sent across to teachers on Class Dojo. If this is the case, class teachers will take time to review submitted work and provide written feedback where necessary. 
• Microsoft Teams - Children may send their completed work directly to class teachers on their Teams channel. On this platform, the rest of the class will also be able to see their work, alongside the feedback that their class teacher provides. 
• Microsoft Forms - This is an automated online platform that provides immediate responses to quizzes that are submitted by children. This is a useful tool that teachers will use within their live online lessons. 

Additional Support for Pupils with Particular Needs

How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education? 

We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

• Updated Individual Education Plans (IEP's) - Class teachers will be in contact to discuss updated IEP's and the increased provision that will arise from these. 
• Increased Contact with Home - Class teachers will be in touch regularly via Class Dojo. They will also make phone calls on a regular basis to ensure that everything is being done to improve your child's home learning experience. 
• Extra Provision and Resources - Following increased discussions with families and the pupil themselves, a decision will be made regarding increased provision that can be put in place to enable home learning. School will also look to distribute additional resources to children who require them. 

Remote Education for Self-Isolating Pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided may sometimes differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home, and in school. 

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?

If your child is healthy and well, it is expected that they engage with remote learning during their self-isolation period.

If your child is ill, there is NO expectation for them to complete learning, their health and wellbeing is our ultimate priority. 

Live lessons will not take place for pupils in isolation, instead, we will provide home learning packs in the first instance. These packs will mirror the content being delivered in school. This allows pupils who are self-isolating to continue to receive a planned and well-sequenced curriculum with meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects. Support will be accessible for parents and children via Class Dojo and Teams. However, responses may not be as immediate, this is due to their class teacher having to deliver lessons to the pupils still in school. However, we will always try our best to get back to you as soon as possible. 

HOME LEARNING TIMETABLES

Please select the timetable below that is appropriate to your child's year group. The document will clearly outline timings for online learning and the offer that we are providing as an academy.