Remote Education Provision Information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or 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. 

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at 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.

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

In the first few days of remote education, all children will receive a pack of home learning resources with any pencils, books and any other equipment they might need. The packs will be delivered to your house by a member of staff. Additional work on Seesaw will be available for Y1-Y6 for any child who has a device and access to the internet at home.

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?

We aim to teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school. There will be some adaptations made to some subjects if, for example, the children do not have the necessary resources at home.

If the children who are in school are being taught in separate year groups, then they will follow their year group’s curriculum and the children at home will do the same.

If year groups are combined (for example, Y1-2, Y3-4, Y5-6), the curriculum will be adapted to meet the needs of both year groups. The teachers from the two year groups will look at objectives and key learning from each year group and combine them to ensure coverage and progression. They will then plan teaching and learning to ensure the core objectives and key learning is covered.

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

   Reception class Varied depending on the needs of the child
   KS1 3 hours
   KS2 4 hours

 

Accessing remote education

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

Your child can access online remote education through Seesaw. Live lessons will be taught through Zoom.

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. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

We have carried out an audit of technology in every family’s home.

We will lend a device (iPad or netbook) to every family that does not have one. We will also do this if the family has only mobile phones. In families with three or more children aged between 4-11 years we will provide two devices.

If needed, we will provide with each device at least one SIM card with 30GB of data. We will provide more SIM cards if needed. For families that require dongles, we will order them on their behalf. Parents/carers can find more information by ringing the school office.

Weekly learning packs will be delivered by members of staff to the homes of all children. They will contain a variety of learning activities, paper, pencils, books and any other equipment they might need. These packs can be completed by all children, regardless of their ability to access online learning.

If families have an email address and a mobile phone but no other technology, they can take a photograph of the work they have done and email it to school for the attention of their teacher. If the family does not have a phone or email address, they can drop school work off at the school gate. However, we will aim to ensure that every family who needs a device will get one.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

  • Seesaw online platform
  • Live Zoom lessons at least three times a week in Y1-Y6 with a class teacher (lessons might take place more often, if appropriate). Zoom lessons will be scheduled so they do not clash with any other Zoom lessons in the school. This will enable siblings who are sharing devices to attend all Zoom lessons
  • Recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons)
  • Video/audio recordings made by class teachers and uploaded onto Seesaw
  • Links to commercially available websites carefully chosen by teachers to support the key learning of lessons
  • Weekly printed learning packs produced by teachers and delivered to children’s homes
  • Regular phone calls to support the children’s learning and their health and wellbeing

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?

  • We expect every child with technology to log-on every school day to complete the set activities and to respond to the feedback from the teacher
  • We expect every child with technology to attend live Zoom lessons at least three times a week
  • We expect children without technology to complete some of the activities in their learning packs every day
  • We ask parents to ensure their child:
    • has a quiet place to work
    • completes their activities each day
    • maintains a regular bedtime, eating and work routine
  • We ask parents to contact school if they require any support with remote education

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

Teachers will engage with Seesaw every school day and will respond to your child’s work.

If teachers are concerned about your child’s lack of engagement with Seesaw, they will call you as soon as they can to let you know and to ask you to help support your child’s learning. If teachers remain concerned about your child’s learning, they will inform the head teacher or deputy head teacher.

Teachers will call families at least weekly (unless they have already communicated directly with a child on Zoom). During those phone calls, a child’s engagement with remote education can be discussed if needed.

For children who are not able to access online remote learning, the weekly phone calls will be crucial in assessing a child’s engagement with their learning.

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. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

  • Individual feedback will take place on a daily basis through Seesaw and through live Zoom lessons three times a week.
  • When appropriate, whole class feedback can take place through Zoom.
  • For children without technology, feedback can take place through phone calls and/or by email/text, if appropriate.

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:

  • We will ensure that all children with SEND either continue to attend school or have access to appropriate technology to enable them to access learning
  • Class teachers will set work at the appropriate levels and monitor the children’s work closely
  • Teaching sessions with outside agencies (e.g. SENISS, dyslexia support) will take place via Zoom
  • Meetings with parents and SEND professionals (e.g. Educational Psychologists, physiotherapists, school nurse) will continue through Zoom, where appropriate.
  • The Inclusion Manager will maintain regular contact with the families of children with SEND who are not attending school
  • We will encourage parents to contact school, specifically the Inclusion Manager or Welfare Officer, if they need support

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 will likely 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?

Remote education will continue in the same way as above for children who are self-isolating. For children with technology, work will be set through Seesaw and the teacher will feedback daily. Where appropriate, live lessons will take place through Zoom.

Children without technology will be offered access to an iPad/netbook and a SIM card with data if required. Support will be provided to enable them to use it at home.

If appropriate, a weekly home learning pack will be sent home with all the resources the child needs to complete the tasks. The teacher will call the parent/child at least weekly and the parent will be encouraged to contact school if support is needed.