Remote Learning
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home. Examples may be pandemic outbreaks, or snow closures.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home
When being educated remotely lessons will be delivered using Microsoft Teams. Links to the meetings can be found in the Calendar application on the left-hand side of the Teams app. Work set will follow the Curriculum for each subject where possible.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education on the first day or two of students being sent home?
If your son/daughter is sent home to isolate, lessons will be delivered on Microsoft Teams. If a teacher is unwell or unable to deliver a live lesson, there will be activities set for your son/daughter to complete. These will be shared via teams and will often be hosted on SharePoint. Your son/daughter will follow her normal timetable.
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 teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate; however, we may need to make some adaptations in some subjects.
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 students approximately 5 hours per day, but this is dependent on the school. The lessons are structured to follow best practice and allow time for independent work (offline). The structure of lessons is outlined below and reflects the structure used in school.
Start of lesson – Register taken and teacher delivers new learning and understanding
Middle of lesson – Depending on the topic being covered or the year group a range of teaching methods will be used including live teaching, student presentation, independent learning or recorded content being followed
End of the lesson – Again depending on the lesson structure some lessons might return to live teaching to allow feedback or preparation for future lessons, whereas in other lessons the work set will continue independently until the end of the lesson.
Accessing Remote Education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
All students have an Office 365 email account that they can use to access Microsoft Teams. From Microsoft Teams students will predominantly have teacher directed lessons, some lessons might use additional websites including Oak National Academy, BBC Bitesize, GCSEPod, Seneca Learning and Mathspad to name a few. Teachers will use the best method of delivery for the topic they are covering, this will include assessment lessons, recorded content, and independent research tasks.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We take the following approaches to support those students to access remote education:
• Issue laptops to those without devices (up to the limit on the number of devices we have)
• Print and post resources to students who may require it
• All teachers have online access to support the delivery and monitoring of learning
If you do not have access to online learning or experience difficulties, then please contact the school office
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?
Students are expected to attend all lessons that are delivered remotely and complete all work set. It is helpful to make sure your child sticks to a clear routine, following their usual timetable. Please support them in finding a quiet place to work and support us in ensuring they follows the guidance for Teams lessons.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Registers will be taken for each lesson and attendance will be monitored for online lessons. If your son/daughter is unwell or unable to attend the online lessons please report the absence as normal. If there are concerns with attendance the Pastoral Team will contact you.
For individual subject concerns, the class teacher or Head of Department will contact you.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individuals. 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:
• Your son/daughter will receive feedback on her work in line with usual school policy- they will receive feedback on a regular basis.
Additional support for students 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 students, for example some students 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 students in the following ways:
• Regular (at least weekly) contact with parents/carers and students from a member of the SEN department
• Work packs provided and distributed for individuals who require extra support
• Extra support from a subject specialist in the core subjects when the need arises and is identified by the SEN Department to support your youngster’s remote learning.