Hull Collegiate School Online Learning Guidance for Senior School Parents

Hull Collegiate School Online Learning

Guidance for Senior School Parents

Introduction

Dear Parents and Guardians, Thank you for your support in what are challenging times for us all. Your messages of gratitude, acknowledgment and appreciation to staff are extremely welcome to us all. This booklet aims to contain all the information you need to help navigate this period of online learning with your child and to outline the provision from the School. It 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.

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: 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...?

•

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!

•

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 school work. Children are used to the routine of the school day so it’s helpful to have this at home too.

•

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

•

Ensure they have breaks, eat and drink healthily, read books, take exercise and enjoy some fresh air

Hull Collegiate School will do our utmost to support our community through these challenging times.

Mrs Alex Wilson

Headmistress BA (Surrey) PGCE (Cantab) MA (London)

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Communication “Please thank the staff. We love the structure! It's great that the boys have to sign in at 9am and then into each subsequent lesson. It gets us up and working, using the time valuably during the day. It also keeps the day moving along, and not stagnating. It's so fab for them to be seeing/relating to the staff and their peers too on Microsoft Teams.”

How the School will communicate with you: Relevant Primary Contact mailings will be emailed as and when required. The school email (enquiries@ hullcollegiateschool.co.uk) and text message number (07581 992 882) are in operation as normal.

All personal, academic and pastoral matters will be communicated to you directly by your child’s Head of Year or the relevant member of staff.

Social Media You can follow our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Instagram.

Facebook @Hullcollegiateschool Twitter @Hullcollegiate Instagram @hullcollegiate Linkedin/Hullcollegiateschool Alex Wilson, Twitter @HCSHeadmistress

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How you can communicate with school?

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.

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 #HullCollegiateSchool or email enquiries@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk

Hull Collegiate School remains tightly connected as a community at all times.

#HCSPizzaChallenege

LEARNING

The plan outlined below is Phase 2 of

and the ability to provide a secure

our remote learning strategy which is

environment, whether physical or

to ensure as much normality despite

digital, in which to deliver our excellent

the current situation. It follows on

teaching standards and maximise our

from our strategic decision initially

active approach to learning. Now that

to use approaches and methods, such

pupils and families have adapted more

as The Hub and email, which the

to a new way of working, we will adopt

pupils were used to, in order to allow

a more formal, structured model in

them to adapt to a new way of working

order to replicate, as far as possible,

from home, build IT capabilities and

the School day using safe, and now

avoiding rushing to adopt fashionable

familiar platforms through Office 365,

and unapproved applications such

and in particular Microsoft Teams.

•

between teachers and pupils •

By adopting this more formal and

widely criticised due to security and

timetabled structure, we are building

privacy issues. Our primary concern

on the significant progress made

is the safety of our pupils and staff

before Easter and ensuring that:

MUSIC LESSONS If pupils receive music lessons, online lessons will be

high quality work being completed; no passive learning •

Teachers will not provide personal mobile numbers or

guidance and support will be available from their class teacher for every lesson

•

regular pastoral support from tutors and tutor group interaction

•

clear expectations of what pupils need to do

•

recognition postcards (via email) for excellent work or effort will be sent by

arranged directly with them.

CONTACTING YOUR TEACHER

there is greater structure in place for pupils with the ongoing expectation of

as Zoom which some local schools have adopted. Zoom has been

there is face to face interaction

teachers •

Notifications (via The Hub) will be

email addresses to pupils or parents.

applied for non -attendance or non

PUPIL EMAIL ADDRESSES

-completion of work (parents will also

All pupils’ communication with teachers should be via their school (@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk) email address or

be informed if this becomes an ongoing issue)

Microsoft Teams.

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YOUR OPPORTUNITIES “I appreciate fully the updates and regular communication from the school, and the teachers have been excellent in engaging my child. The tasks and work set are still teaching the children to a high standard and I feel proud to be part of Hull Collegiate School.�

Academic Enrichment Pupils should access subject pages on The Hub for a range of academic enrichment activities and wider learning suggestions.

Senior School Parent

HEAD OF YEAR EMAIL ADDRESSES Year 7 andrea.asbury@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk Year 8 katherine.bloomfield@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk Year 9 fraser.henderson@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk Year 10 nicola.lough@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk Pre-Sixth and Sixth Form annabel.robinson@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk james.windeatt@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk

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EXPECTED ONLINE BEHAVIOUR Pupils are expected to behave online as they would in the classroom: politely and sensibly with unconditional respect.

It is vital that all pupils 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.

When pupils join Teams, they need to ensure that their video and audio is turned off and only activated when the teacher requests them to do so (relative to Senior School pupils only).

REGISTRATION AND REPORTING ABSENCES As from Monday 20 April, your child’s attendance will be checked in every lesson by their teacher.

If your child will be/is absent for any reason,

E-SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDING

parents must email their child’s tutor. You can also text the school in the usual way (07581 992 882).

EXERCISE

We are doing all we can to ensure your child stays

Staying active is more important than ever right now

safe online, but we ask that you support us in this

as the official advice is to stay at home and to only go

by being aware of what they are doing online.

outside for one form of exercise a day. Now that we as

We understand that you cannot be expected to sit

a School have moved to online learning, it is important

with them throughout the day due to your own work

that pupils keep themselves physically active each day

commitments, but we advise that you, when possible,

in order to maintain good physical health and mental

take time to discuss their online learning and activities.

wellbeing. The Sports Department have compiled

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s

some of the most useful tips on how to stay active

safeguarding, please do not hesitate to contact the

when at home.

School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead as below: katherine.bloomfield@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk

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EXPECTATIONS Years 7 to 10 and 12 • All pupils will follow their normal school timetable as far as possible.

• All pupils will log on to Office 365 by 9am and log into the class they would normally have in Microsoft Teams to register for period 1 (and log into classes for every period thereafter, registers will be taken).

• Year 12 should log in according to their timetable.

• Log in to lessons should be at the following times:

9.00, 9.50, 11.20, 12.10, 2.20, 3.10 starting with ‘week B’ timetable

• Lessons will be in a ‘live’ virtual classroom with the use of Microsoft Teams, some tasks set, some flipped learning preparing work for follow up session/discussion/further development, voice over PowerPoints, You Tube video demos by our teachers, etc.

• All of these (and other) methods will be used (in the same way that we use different methods of delivery and tasks at school) to ensure:

* maximum possible progress of pupils

* minimal passivity on the part of pupils

• Do not expect pupils to simply sit watching information being streamed to them, every lesson will require their engagement and completion of written work in order to ensure they cover the same ground as we would in school and therefore make good progress.

• The timing of lessons (approx. 40 mins) will allow for the replication of moving between classes and giving them a short break away from the screen.

• Throughout each lesson/period, if the class is not being taken in the virtual classroom, the class teacher will be available to answer questions, check understanding, live stream etc to support your children when necessary through Teams chat and/or video functions.

• Work will be set, submitted and marked and regular feedback given.

• Form Times, as at School, will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays – pupils should log into their Form Team at 10.40 on each of these days for tutor time discussion and activities. Any immediate issues in relation to the learning plan should be raised in Form Time and will be collated by the Tutor.

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WELLBEING AND ENRICHMENT

It is more important than ever for pupils to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle even during the period of school closure.

Please encourage your children to keep to a regular routine (by following 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.

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...

There are a number of online interesting and cultural experiences available and we will post on our social media pages ideas to pupils weekly. Some examples may include the BBC’s “Culture in Quarantine” festival, live streams from the National Theatre and various museums which have launched

We have a dedicated area on the school website for Covid 19: • External links to help parents with resources from Young Mind, NSPCC and Think You Know • ICT support to access Microsoft Teams • Parent communication • Staff contacts www.hullcollegiateschool.co.uk/covid

virtual tours, including the Tate Modern, the Guggenheim and the Musée d’Orsay.

In addition to the array of fitness challenges the sports department has posted, there will be a series of house and co-curricular challenges and events over the course of the term, as well as year assemblies.

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PRE-SIXTH HEADSTART TO SIXTH FORM With the announcement that summer exams had been cancelled, all GCSE subjects are being consolidated and brought to a formal close. Following this the Heads of Sixth Form will introduce their Headstart to Sixth Form programme; a combination of Pre-A Level courses, the early introduction of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and an enhanced Enrichment programme.

Both current students and those who are joining our Sixth Form in September, will benefit from introductory lessons in up to five A Level or BTEC courses of their choice, allowing for the bridging of the gap between GCSE and A level learning. These courses are a chance for students to get a feel for the subjects and will help them both firm up their decisions for A Levels and to give them a head start for when we do return to school.

The introduction of the EPQ qualification will give students the chance to begin research into a topic of their choice, getting a head start and making real headway into their project. The HCS Sixth Form Enrichment programme has grown from its introduction two years ago and this has been continued throughout lockdown with an extensive array of online courses, workouts, well-being and skills workshops for students to stretch themselves whilst learning new and useful tools that will help with their future growth.

“The routine and interaction with the teachers, both in Seniors and Prep, has been great. We really appreciate the teachers managing work along side having their own children at home too!”

Senior School Parent

LOWER AND UPPER SIXTH Lower Sixth Academic lessons for the Lower Sixth will continue. There

Modules relating to their future areas of study or Higher

are several subjects which are using this opportunity to do

Apprenticeship can be accessed from subject teachers, as

additional work and get ahead of the syllabus and move

well as online MOOCs. UCAS advice is updated daily and

on to next year’s teaching. The UCAS process is being

the Enrichment programme still runs for our Upper Sixth

introduced by the Heads of Sixth Form through webinars

students to allow them to gain valuable experiences and

and Teams lessons and they have access to the extensive

skills in the lead up to the next chapter in their learning. Our

range of enrichment activities via the Hub in their timetabled

Careers Advisor, Mrs Mason, is liaising with students who

lessons, as well as continuing with their EPQ.

are not following the university path, with apprenticeship programmes, workshops and mentoring to get them

Upper Sixth

ahead with applications and advice.

Following the announcement of no summer exams, the Year

There is an array of information for all Pre-Sixth, Lower

13s will see their A Level teaching brought to a formal close.

Sixth and Upper Sixth students on the Hub under “A level

They will then liaise with subject teachers of their chosen

subjects” and the Heads of Sixth Form are accessible via

course of study at university to access reading lists, webinars

email and Teams daily.

and additional preparatory resources.

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KEY POINTS Access to Microsoft Teams can be found through Office 365 which pupils access through their school email address and password. Alternatively they can download the Teams App available for free from the App store (School email details to be used to log in to the App) – this means that pupils do not need to have access to a computer but can take part in lessons and activities via a mobile phone.

For Year 12 pupils there will be additional communications from the Heads of Sixth Form about your Enrichment Programme and UCAS.

When logging on and accessing Teams pupils should, for reasons of safeguarding, be appropriately dressed and in a suitable working environment.

Ongoing pastoral support is available through the Heads of Year and Mrs Bloomfield; their contact information can be found on the school’s website: www.hullcollegiateschool.co.uk/staff Any technical difficulties should be emailed to: helpdesk@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk

Please note that as we are continuing to provide childcare for children of key workers on a rota there may, at times, be one or two staff who will be unavailable ‘live’ but who will have set work for the pupils to cover.

#HCStogether 10

IMPACTED SURVEY We are working in partnership with ImpactEd, a non-profit organisation that exists to help evaluate, understand and improve impact in education. We will be monitoring pupils’ engagement, wellbeing and motivation so that we understand what is and isn’t working. For further information, please see their website ww.impacted.org.uk

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

Sir Jon Coles, CEO, United Learning

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MON - FRI: 8.30AM - 5.00PM (01482) 657016

enquiries@hullcollegiateschool.co.uk www.hullcollegiateschool.co.uk

Address: Hull Collegiate School Tranby Croft Anlaby East Yorkshire HU10 7EH