Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

 

This Remote Home Learning Strategy has been written as guidance for staff and parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It sets out the systems and procedures that staff will follow to provide Remote Home Learning for children who are not able to attend school due to national restrictions, local restrictions or year group/class bubble closures. For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

 

Our remote curriculum 

What should I do if my child suddenly has to engage in remote education following a bubble closure or self-isolation? 

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. However, we do have systems in place to allow for almost instant access to high quality remote leaning. We do this to ensure that children are not disadvantaged by school absence.

 

Will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?

We follow the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. We make some adaptations when necessary. For example, if we deliver an art lesson in school using resources that may not be available at home, we may set a different activity for remote learners.

 

Remote teaching and study time each day 

How long should my child take to complete the work set by school each day? 

The Department for education require children to engage in remote learning daily for a minimum of 3 hours per day in KS1 (years 1 & 2) and 4 hours a day in KS2 (Years 3-6).

We suggest EYFS children spend up to 2 hours a day on remote learning. Our Early Years (Nursery & Reception) children are used to having a very practical and play-based curriculum. We realise it would not be appropriate for Reception children to be sitting and learning in front of a screen for 3 hours. A large part of their day at school is made up of play-based activities and these should continue at home – supported by the high-quality learning opportunities planned out for them by their teachers.

Please note, the suggested learning time can be spread over the day in a series of shorter sessions and does not have to be at the same time as suggested on our timetables. However, we do recommend that you establish a routine for your child and provide a work space if possible to help your child focus on their work.

 

Accessing remote education 

How will my child access the online education school is providing? 

Pupils can access their remote education through work and links sent by school directly to you and by being directed to parts of our school website.

We will ensure that hard copies of work and pupil workbooks are also sent home where there is no or limited Internet access.

 

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• Uploaded tasks on our school website with written explanations or voice notes to help the pupils know what to do.
• Recorded teaching (eg Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recording made by teachers).
• Feedback provided for all work submitted through written comments, audio recordings, recorded video feedback over work and sometimes individual video messages to pupils.
• Offers of exercise books etc for those without resources at home.
• Class text have been provided to all children
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences (e.g. White Rose for Maths).
• Zoom lessons, where appropriate, for specific lessons e.g. singing or small group phonics.
• Phone calls home to share a book, discuss the text and answer questions about reading.
• Support via email or telephone for parents.

 

Engagement and Feedback 

 

What are school’s expectations for children’s engagement and the support that parents and carers should provide at home?

We expect all pupils  to complete a Maths & English task daily plus another subject. There is also an expectation that children read to an adult at home at least three times a week and practise their spellings.

If they are unsure of what to do at any point, they should contact school and ask for help. We also expect pupils to try their best and take care over their work and respond to any feedback.

In terms of parental support, we ask that parents help to make sure their child has the correct resources to be able to successfully complete their remote learning and a quiet space to be able to work in. We recommend establishing a daily routine if possible. If parents are struggling with providing this environment for any reason, we ask that they contact school for support.

 

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

Each pupil’s work will be checked regularly throughout the school day by the teacher from their year group who is responsible for Home Learning that day.

Teachers will track levels of engagement daily. If a teacher becomes concerned about a pupil’s level of engagement, they will contact Claire the parents to discuss how they are getting on and will work with the family to find a solution.

If engagement is not satisfactory, parents will be contacted by phone or text message.

 

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

Feedback will be provided daily. 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:

• Feedback will be provided on a daily basis and often throughout the day;
• Feedback may sometimes be a message to the whole class as an announcement if that is 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:

• Activities for children in Year One and Reception may differ to the tasks set for the rest of the school (e.g. more audio message explanations, more practical tasks);
• The school SENDCO and the year group teacher are also on hand to support parents and give advice on how best to support their child’s learning at home.
• Paper packs to meet the specific needs of children with SEND are sent home weekly.
• All children with an EHCP receive a call from school at least once a week.
• All children with an EHCP are invited to attend school daily

 

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? 

If your child is ill and not able to complete home learning tasks, please inform the school office. If your child is well enough to complete remote learning, daily work will be made available to them. However, the teachers and LSAs will be teaching the whole class in school at this time so feedback is likely to be less detailed and may not be sent until the end of the day. You can still request a call back from the class teacher but please note that this may not be possible until the end of the school day.