Online Learning Guidance for Parents (Prep School)

Online Learning Guidance for Parents P R E P SC HO O L APRIL 2020

CONTENTS

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

PAGE

➤ Introduction

2

➤ Communication

3

➤ Learning

4

➤ Registration & reporting absences

5

➤ Pastoral care & support

6-7

➤ Wellbeing

8

➤ E-safety & safeguarding

9

➤ Staying Active

9

➤ The school day timetable

10 -14

➤ House Events

13

➤ Technology

14

➤ ImpactEd Survey

15

1

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

INTRODUCTION

Dear Parents and Guardians,

➤ Make sure your child has a good routine in place for completing work. It might help to have specific times for using technology, going outside, reading, and completing schoolwork. Children are used to the routine of the school day so it’s helpful to have this at home as well and ensure that those devices are put to bed well before the children.

Thank you for your support in this hugely challenging period for us all. We aim, through all of this, to be a constant for the children and we will endeavour to support our school community as much as we possibly can. We have never before been through anything like this and in the following booklet we aim to outline how we intend to navigate what is a quickly changing situation. We guarantee that all staff are giving their all through learning how to use technologies effectively and providing supportive pastoral provision.

➤ Ensure your child has a suitable and comfortable space where they can work, free from distractions.

➤ Ensure they have breaks, eat and drink healthily,

This booklet includes details of the academic provision, guidelines for maintaining a sensible balance and routine to their daily lives during the period of closure and some useful links for pupils’ wellbeing. You might also like to look at www.parentinfo.org as a helpful starting point.

read books, take exercise and enjoy some fresh air.

As a School, we will focus our attention on ensuring the following:

1) Ashford School remains tightly connected as a community at all times.

In terms of what you can do to help your children in the coming weeks with their studies, you don’t need to be an expert in any subject to support your child at home but encouragement and awareness of what they are studying is invaluable. There are some small practical ways in which you can involve yourselves and support them without having to watch over them all day long:

2) The standards for education continue for all pupils at Ashford School.

3) Understanding that parents may continue to work, including teaching and administrative staff, and will be required to manage the logistics of supervising children either while at home or elsewhere.

➤ Take an interest in what your child is working on.

Be curious, ask them to teach you about something, ask questions, such as: • Can you explain that to me?

• Can you give me some evidence for that?

• What do you mean when you say…?

The community at Ashford School will do our utmost to support these challenges and will ensure we are flexible, patient and tolerant during these times. These are new times for everyone.

➤ Offer praise and encouragement. Acknowledging the hard work your child puts in is really important and can keep them going. Children really value this from their parents – even if they don’t tell you that!

Mrs Rosie Clifford and Mr Chris Neesham Acting Heads

2

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

COMMUNICATION

How the School will communicate with you:

How you can communicate with the School:

➤ Relevant iSams mailings will be emailed as and when required. We will be sending weekly updates through this channel to keep you updated as the situation progresses.

➤ Please contact your child’s form tutor in the first instance for any learning or pastoral concerns. The form tutor will be able to answer any queries or redirect your email if appropriate.

➤ All personal academic and pastoral matters will be communicated to you directly by your child’s form tutor or the relative member of staff.

➤ You can show us what your children are up to and how they are engaging in the lessons by sharing photos and videos on social media, using the hashtag

#AshfordSchOnline

➤ Our normal digital newsletters .

➤ For area-specific questions, please see the key contacts on page 7.

➤ Social media. You can follow our posts by searching

#AshfordSchOnline.

3

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

LEARNING

While the School is closed and online learning is live, children must work from home or where there is good internet access and in a safe location known and approved by their parent or guardian. Children are expected to be dressed and presented appropriately in any live online sessions.

All communication with teachers should be via their school (@ashpupil.co.uk) email address or through Showbie/ Seesaw – teachers will not provide personal mobile numbers or email addresses to children or parents.

Teachers will plan lessons and activities that relate as closely as possible to the current class content or skills.

The activities will reinforce existing understanding or introduce new content as planned in the regular scheme of work. Regular School hours will be reduced, and we expect that the older a child is, the more independently they should be able to carry out the tasks assigned by teachers, including access to materials online.

➤ Learning Support Learning Support lessons are running throughout the Trinity Term. Learning Support Assistants are providing both in lesson support and 1:1 sessions.

For more information on Learning Support provision, please contact Mrs Alison Thomas.

Lessons and activities will be posted for timetabled lessons daily, from Monday to Friday. Lessons online will be shorter than traditional lessons in the classroom. The Prep School will continue to teach using Seesaw and Showbie.

thomasa@ashfordschool.co.uk

Some of the lessons will not be live, however the teacher will be “present” for every lesson as per your child’s usual timetable and available to be contacted (live chat, email, etc). There will be resources and/or pre-recorded lessons available to the children and the teachers will be contacting the children to check their understanding.

➤ GENERAL ACADEMIC QUERIES Mrs Rosie Clifford Acting Head – Teaching and Learning

cliffordr@ashfordschool.co.uk

If pupils receive music, and/or speech and drama tuition, online lessons will be arranged directly with them.

4

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

EXPECTED ONLINE BEHAVIOUR

REGISTRATION AND REPORTING ABSENCES

Children are expected to behave online as they would in the classroom: politely and sensibly. It is vital that all children listen carefully to instructions from teachers and to wait for an explanation about the task in hand. It is also important to listen with respect and patience when other pupils express their ideas in lessons, and to use appropriate language at all times.

Your child’s form teacher will be registering all children at 08.30 every morning. We ask that, if possible, children attend their form time in order that we can check in each day.

If your child will be/is absent for any reason, please can you email your child’s form teacher so that we are aware of the absence. .

PASTORAL CARE AND SUPPORT Although we do not have the opportunity to see children in person each day, our pastoral standards need to remain high. The diagram on page 6 gives a number of ways that children will be kept safe and whom to talk to when concerns arise.

5

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

PASTORAL CARE AND SUPPORT

Who can the children talk to?

We are all still here for them!

How will the school communicate?

With children via Showbie or Seesaw

General Wellbeing

Form Tutor catch up every morning Weekly catch up phone calls / emails to parents

Form Tutor Head of year Pastoral Deputy Head

Weekly updates via the usual channels

This can continue to be via the normal channel of email

Pastoral Support at the Prep School during school closure Safeguarding

How else to share concerns?

Chris Neesham Designated Safeguarding Lead

‘I Wish My Teacher Knew’ App

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads Alison Thomas Zoe Jefferson Marion Woolley

EPraise Bully Button Childline 0800 1111

6

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

➤ FORM TUTOR Pupils’ main school contacts – to be contacted via school email ➤ HEAD OF Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

YEAR Miss Cridland cridlandk@ashfordschool.co.uk Mr Coombes coombesj@ashfordschool.co.uk Mrs Davis davisj@ashfordschool.co.uk Mrs Furnival Brown brownc@ashfordschool.co.uk Mrs Leyden leydenp@ashfordschool.co.uk Mr Wiseman wisemans@ashfordschool.co.uk Mrs Dodds doddsd@ashfordschool.co.uk

➤ HEAD OF SECTION Acting Head Academic Mrs Clifford Cliffordr@ashfordschool.co.uk Acting Head Pastoral Mr Neesham neeshamc@ashfordschool.co.uk Head of Pre-Prep Mrs Gibbons gibbonsh@ashfordschool.co.uk ➤ HEALTH CENTRE healthcentre@ashfordschool.co.uk ➤ SCHOOL COUNSELLOR Barbara Morgan morganb@ashfordschool.co.uk ➤ MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS Nurse Zoe jeffersonz@ashfordschool.co.uk Mrs Dodds doddsd@ashfordschool.co.uk ➤ EXTERNAL SUPPORT AND ADVICE

7

PASTORAL CARE

PASTORAL CARE AND SUPPORT

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

WELLBEING

It is more important than ever to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle even during the period of school closure. Please keep to a regular routine (follow the school timetable), eat healthily and take exercise - in the fresh air if possible, provided it is safe to do so and remembering the social distancing requirements.

It is important to remember to look after their mental health and wellbeing now more than ever.

Here are some useful links: ➤ www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk

Pupils will not be able to meet up with their friends and will no doubt miss their company; please encourage your children to keep in contact virtually. Please also encourage your children to be creative and imaginative with their spare time: read books, take exercise, play music, cook, write a blog, be helpful around the house....

➤ https://parents.au.reachout.com ➤ www.youngminds.org.uk ➤ www.kidshealth.org

8

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

E-SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDING

STAYING ACTIVE

We are doing all we can to ensure your child stays safe whilst using technology, but we ask that you support us in this by being aware of what they are doing whilst online. We understand that you cannot be expected to sit with them throughout the day due to your own work commitments, but we advise that you, when possible, take time to discuss their online learning and activities.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s safeguarding, please do not hesitate to contact the School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead as below:

Staying active is more important than ever right now as the official advice is to stay at home and to only go outside for one form of exercise a day. Now that we as a school have moved to online learning, it is important that you keep yourself physically active each day in order to maintain good physical health and mental wellbeing.

30 minutes are allocated at the start of each day to put children in a learning frame of mind.

Chris Neesham, Acting Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead neeshamc@ashfordschool.co.uk

The links below show some wonderful sites from which children can get ideas to exercise and stay healthy:

➤ www.cosmickids.com A calming YouTube channel with links to scores of themed yoga activities aimed at smaller children. ➤ www.youtube.com Joe Wicks’ body coach channel Daily 30 minute workouts aimed at children but oh so useful for adults. ➤ www.sportengland.org ➤ www.youthsporttrust.org

9

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TIMETABLE The reception and pre-prep timetables aim to support children through activities and lessons; with a range of instructions, videos and voice recordings, teachers and staff are available through these times; however the timetable allows flexibility to complete tasks independent of these times as well.

The afternoon allows children space to extend their learning should they wish but also be away from their screens.

BLE A T E M I T 2 RS 1 & A E Y & N O I F R ID A Y DAY RECEPT WEDNESDA

TUESDAY

MONDAY

T IO R E G IS T R A

G/ D M O R N IN T IO N /G O O A R T IS G E Y R THE DA PREP FOR

0

0

MATHS

0

BREAK

09:30 – 10:0

10:00 – 10:1

BREAK LE T’ S TA LK

ENGLISH

MO N ND IN G UN DE RS TA TH E W OR LD

10:50 – 11:20

TU ES

FRENCH

FR I

UR S W ED S & TH EX PR ES SI VE GN AR T & DE SI

PE

OUS ADVENTUR

11:30 – 12:00

LEARNING

RNOO GOOD AFTE

12:00 – 12:10

K TOPIC WOR BREAK

BREAK

11:20 – 11:30

ENGLISH BREAK

BREAK

0 10:40 – 10:5

AFTERNOO

MATHS

FR I

10:10– 10:40

EMENT

BREAK

BREAK

09:20 – 09:30

NC N & ANNOU

T JOHNNY JUMP STAR

T JOHNNY JUMP STAR

09:00 – 09:20

THURS

YEARS 1 & 2

RECEPTION 08:30 – 09:0

Y

N

N

10

K TOPIC WOR OODBYE STORY & G ORK PROJECT W L A N O I T P O

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TIMETABLE We encourage children to work to the published timetable as teachers will be on hand during these times to support, however they may complete these tasks at any time during the School day. We strongly encourage children to cease use of their device at the end of the School day. It must be used purely as an educational tool.

BLE A T E 3 M I T YEAR TUESDAY

MONDAY

YEAR 3 REG

0 08:30 – 09:0

Y WEDNESDA

THURSDAY

ANNOUNCE & N O I T A R IST

F R ID A Y

MENT

VITY SICAL ACTI Y H T P I V I T C A PHYSICAL

09:00 – 09:30

BREAK

09:30 – 09:40

MATHS

MATHS

5

09:40 – 10:2

BREAK

5

10:25 – 10:3

ENGLISH

10:35 – 11:20

BREAK

11:20 – 11:30

G

11:30 – 12:15

EOGRAPHY

ART

D T /H E

LUNCH

0

12:20 – 13:2

0

13:20 – 14:0

FRENCH

14:00 – 14:10 14:10 – 15:00

16:00 IP A D S OFF

H IS T O R Y

GLOBAL IP C IT IZ E N S H

S C IE N C E

M U S IC

CA TC H -U P/ O FF FI N IS H IN G

D E A R T IM E

ND OF DAY E D N A P N U O R WNROA P GOOD AFTE G OF WORK N I D A O L P U ME/ T WORK TI N E D N E P E IND 11

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TIMETABLE We encourage children to work to the published timetable as teachers will be on hand during these times to support, however they may complete these tasks at any time during the School day. We strongly encourage children to cease use of their device at the end of the School day. It must be used purely as an educational tool.

BLE A T E 4 M I T YEAR TUESDAY

MONDAY

YEAR 4 REG

0 08:30 – 09:0

Y WEDNESDA

THURSDAY

ANNOUNCE & N O I T A R IST

F R ID A Y

MENT

VITY SICAL ACTI Y H T P I V I T C A PHYSICAL

09:00 – 09:30

BREAK

09:30 – 09:40

ENGLISH

MATHS

5

09:40 – 10:2

BREAK

5

10:25 – 10:3

ART

10:35 – 11:20

GLOBAL IP IT C IZ E N S H

11:20 – 11:30

D T /H E

GEOGRAPH

Y

S C IE N C E

BREAK MATHS

11:30 – 12:15

LUNCH 0

12:20 – 13:2

0

13:20 – 14:0

H IS T O R Y

14:00 – 14:10 14:10 – 15:00

16:00 IP A D S OFF

FRENCH

M U S IC

CA TC H -U P/ O FF FI N IS H IN G

D E A R T IM E

ND OF DAY E D N A P N U O R WNROA P GOOD AFTE G OF WORK N I D A O L P ME/U T WORK TI N E D N E P E IND 12

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TIMETABLE We encourage children to work to the published timetable as teachers will be on hand during these times to support, however they may complete these tasks at any time during the School day. We strongly encourage children to cease use of their device at the end of the School day. It must be used purely as an educational tool.

BLE A T E 5 M I T YEAR TUESDAY

MONDAY

YEAR 5 REG

0 08:30 – 09:0

Y WEDNESDA

THURSDAY

ANNOUNCE & N O I T A ISTR

F R ID A Y

MENT

ITY ICAL ACTIV S Y H T P I V I T C A PHYSICAL

09:00 – 09:30

BREAK

09:30 – 09:40

M U S IC

5 09:40 – 10:2

H IS T O R Y

ART

D T /H E

FRENCH

BREAK

5 10:25 – 10:3

MATHS

10:35 – 11:20

BREAK

11:20 – 11:30

ENGLISH

11:30 – 12:15

LUNCH 0

12:20 – 13:2

0

13:20 – 14:0

S C IE N C E

Y GEOGRAPH

D E A R T IM E

ND OF DAY E D N A P N U R WNROAOP GOOD AFTE OF WORK G N I D A O L E/UP WORK TIM T N E D N E P INDE

14:00 – 14:10 14:10 – 15:00

GLOBAL IP C IT IZ E N S H

CA TC H -U P/ O FF FI N IS H IN G

16:00 IP A D S OFF

13

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TIMETABLE We encourage children to work to the published timetable as teachers will be on hand during these times to support, however they may complete these tasks at any time during the School day. We strongly encourage children to cease use of their device at the end of the School day. It must be used purely as an educational tool.

ETABL M I T 6 R A E Y YEAR 6 REG

0 08:30 – 09:0

Y WEDNESDA

TUESDAY

MONDAY

E THURSDAY

ANNOUNCE & N O I T A ISTR

F R ID A Y

MENT

ITY ICAL ACTIV S Y H T P I V I T C A PHYSICAL

09:00 – 09:30

BREAK

09:30 – 09:40

S C IE N C E

5 09:40 – 10:2

GLOBAL IP IT C IZ E N S H

E TIME/ FORM/CIRCL ONS CORRECTI

FRENCH

GEOGRAPH

Y

BREAK

5 10:25 – 10:3

ENGLISH

10:35 – 11:20

BREAK

11:20 – 11:30

MATHS

11:30 – 12:15

LUNCH 0

12:20 – 13:2

0

13:20 – 14:0

D T /H E

D E A R T IM E

ND OF DAY E D N A P N U R WNROAOP GOOD AFTE WORK ADING OF O L P U / E M TI ENT WORK INDEPEND

14:00 – 14:10 14:10 – 15:00

ART

M U S IC

H IS T O R Y

16:00 IP A D S OFF

14

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

HOUSE EVENTS

A sense of house is very strong at Ashford Prep School and just because we aren’t on site doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate house identity. From house story competitions to virtual bake offs we ensure that children in all houses feel part, not only of their form and year group but of the wider school.

IDEAS WE HAVE IN STORE: ➤ Poster competition for International Earth Day

➤ Interhouse Maths ➤ Interhouse General Knowledge

➤ Whole school assemblies

➤ House stories - read by each member of the House and the put together as a video for the whole school to see

➤ Each house to produce a dance video featuring every pupil

➤ Origami Day Challenge

➤ Treasure hunt

➤ Whole school Bake Off competition

➤ Poetry competition

13

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

TECHNOLOGY

Our technology underpins the online teaching and learning environment and is robust, secure and sustainable for the future. Our teachers have been trained in using these platforms over the past few years along with our pupils, who possess the digital literacy skills to use it confidently and in a competent manner.

Our teachers will ensure that they are available during lesson time and provide feedback for their pupils via a personalised approach of annotated, audio or video feedback.

Pupils from Years 2 - 6 each have an iPad which will have access to a range of Microsoft Office products, which are locally installed on their devices. Alternatively, they can also login with their school username and password on their home device. This is accessible at www.office.com

All pupils will have access to their classes via Showbie, Teams or Seesaw. All posts within these platforms will be recorded and are stored in the back end of our systems.

It is expected that online behaviour and language must mirror the expectations of a classroom.

If you wish to get in touch regarding the use of technology and e-learning practices at Ashford, please contact Dr Parmar on parmarn@ashfordschool.co.uk

➤ Should your child have difficulties accessing the online learning platforms, then please do contact our IT support department by emailing ictash@ashfordschool.co.uk

14

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

IMPACTED SURVEY

We have partnered with ImpactEd, to conduct surveys, collate and report findings on each pupil’s wellbeing in Years 5-13 during this period of school closure. Bi-weekly on a Wednesday morning, pupils in these year groups will receive an email to their school account that includes their unique code and a link to the required survey. All surveys are completed on-line and are designed to help monitor each pupil’s wellbeing and engagement with learning.

The findings will ultimately help us to refine our provision.

“High-quality evaluation is crucial to making a difference for outcomes for pupils”.

Sir Jon Coles, CEO, United Learning

For further information, please see their website www.impacted.org.uk

15

Head of Ashford School: Michael Hall

Senior School and Sixth Form East Hill Ashford TN24 8PB

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www.ashfordschool.co.uk Ashford School @AshfordSchool

A MEMBER SCHOOL OF UNITED LEARNING REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1016538

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