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 where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.

Information on remote learning for each class during the January 2021 national restrictions can be found here.

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

What is taught to pupils at home?

The aim is to deliver a full curriculum to all pupils, although teachers will adapt and work with parents where necessary to ensure children and families are supported in these strange and unusual times. The PDF document sets out the timetables which will also be sent weekly to parents via parentmail.

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

As we have had lots of practice due to the first lock down, we have been able to evaluate and learn from previous successes and mistakes. The first day of every period of lock down or each half term in lockdown will be a challenge day where children will be set independent challenges and parents will be invited to collect a pack of resources that will help with the half term ahead. From the second day the children will have access to the full online timetable as presented in the PDF document.

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?

Yes and this will be the same for the pupils in school. The main adaptations will be seen in the Tiny Acorns (EYFS) and Acorns (KS1) where a huge amount of teaching and planning effort is put into providing an environment that promotes development and learning. As this environment and of course the skills developed through working with peers, is not possible in the home learning environment - some elements will be adapted and more challenges will be set - these will be relevant to the children and may be thematic to keep the shared experience and allow children to share their learning in these challenges with their peers. For the Oaks (year 3 and 4) the timetable has been adapted to allow children to self-organise and keep to their learning timetable, whilst for the Mighty Oaks (year 5 and 6) the timetable is broadly in line with the normal school timetable.

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

The day will vary depending on the age of the children with a mixture of live lessons, independent tasks and challenges, both on and offline - please see the timetables in the remote learning offer.

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

All children in KS2 will automatically be provided with the chromebook they use in school, we also have a number of devices available for the younger children, therefore please contact us if you need a device. Please note we use Google Suite for Education which is accessible on a PC, chromebook or tablet (you may need to download specific apps - please contact your child’s class teacher if you need any further support.)

How will my child be taught remotely?

There will be a mixture but all classes will receive live teaching - by live teaching we mean two way lessons using Google Meets. For KS2 the live lesson will link to resources and assignments set through the Google Classroom. In KS1 and EYFS, any resources required will be shared in the Google Classroom. There will also be a pack of physical resources to collect at the start of each half term e.g. class novels, maths resources, etc, to ensure children have access to everything they need. If you are unable to collect these due to family/self isolation, please inform your child’s class teacher and we will arrange delivery. All additional online resources will be linked in the Google Classroom and any passwords required will be sent to each family via parentmail.

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

This will obviously depend on the age of the children. The aim is that the Oaks (Y3&4) and Mighty Oaks (Y5&6) will be independent. They will always have the option to stay on meets to complete any independent work. We will also use our teaching assistants to enable those who need a bit more support, to work in smaller groups. In the Acorns (Y1&2) the children will be independent in the live lessons and the challenges will be set in a way they can be completed with or without your support. If a parent finds they are struggling to support the challenges and independent work, they should contact the class teacher who will be able to stay on a meet with the children to help, however, please note we can support their learning but we can not help them if they fall off a chair or choke so we really need you to keep an eye on them. In the Tiny Acorns (EYFS) we know they will need help to get their resources out but hopefully, the maths, phonics and story times will be quite independent, although we know this depends on the individual. When it comes to the challenges and resources, some will need more support than others but any advice needed can be sought from your child’s class teacher.

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

Staff keep a register of engagement. If your child does not log on to a live lesson, you will receive a phone call from Mrs Wiseman just to give you a nudge, as we know sometimes timekeeping can become a bit muddled and days merge into each other during lockdowns and periods of isolation. If your child does not join the sessions their class teacher will contact you to see how we can help and check that you are all OK. If there are problems, they will liaise with you and if need be, the headteacher, to work out how we can best support your child and you to keep the learning going. Class teachers will contact you if there is any concern regarding your child’s learning but PLEASE do email your child’s class teacher if you are worried and they will get back to you as soon as possible.

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

For children working in the National Curriculum this will be similar to how it is in class, live lessons enable feedback to be immediate and with Google Classroom teachers can offer feedback on work and keep records about your child’s progress. In KS2 using Google Suite for Education (access via Google classroom and drive) enables teachers to live mark written (typed) work and suggest edits as the children work - assessment and feedback is as close to “normal” as practically possible. In KS1 and EYFS, for work that is not completed or shared in meets, parents are asked to upload work/learning play to Tapestry so teachers can offer feedback and suggestions where needed and positive encouragement too. In Early Years the teachers will focus on phonics and maths progress as well as language for communication. They will set tasks and challenges that help children to continue to progress within all areas of the Early Years Curriculum but they will do a baseline assessment as soon as children return.

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

Every class has two members of staff, therefore any children who need extra support will be able to work in smaller groups, on a separate meet. In addition to this some children will receive one to one live support. The one to one support may be pre-arranged with regular Google Meets for children with support plans if needed, however teachers will also offer additional support during independent tasks for any children they have noticed need extra support in a specific area. Staff meet weekly with the headteacher and discuss any concerns.

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

Children will be able to access learning remotely if they are self isolating, class teachers will use parentmail to communicate with parents about when the children need to log into the Google Classrooms and Meets to enable the children to join their peers. This will follow the normal school day.

Children in KS2 will have a full day of learning.

Children in KS1 will be able to be online with their peers throughout the school day, during challenge times the teacher will liaise with parents to work out what will work best for the child.

In EYFS the children will join for direct teaching, they will also be able to log in at specific times so their friends can talk to them as they play.