Remote education provision: information for parents

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

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

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home 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.

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

Home learning packs for supplementing the online, remote offer will be produced and collection arranged with all families, socially distanced and following guidance, School will ensure all children are set up and able to access learning remotely online – for example, passwords reset, hardware allocated as needed.

Initial tasks to bring everyone online will be set, responded to and actioned.

Parents and children will be kept up to date on all the above, our guidance for remote learning and intended approaches to ensure they know the expectations.

Teachers will upload videos to outline the intended learning approaches, to explain the first initial actions and tasks and to reassure.

Initial tasks may be consolidation tasks to get children settled into new routines and ways of working.

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?

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We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, within art where the necessary equipment may not be available at home, this planning may be adapted, or a different unit taught until children return to school.

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Long term curriculum plans have been carefully reviewed, adjusted and amended to support online and remote learning where at all possible.

Remote teaching and study time each day 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 pupils broadly the following number of hours each day: Primary school-aged pupils

Reception and KS1 pupils: 3 hours minimum KS2 pupils: 4 hours minimum Daily – Maths, English, Spelling/phonics sessions with prerecorded inputs where needed.

Other subjects will be set according to the curriculum being taught and the timetable, which will be shared weekly.

Wider curriculum offered throughout the week.

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

We will share all learning, and make all contact via Seesaw.

Timetables will be shared weekly so that parents and children know what the day/week entails. Google Classroom will also be used for Y5/6 as appropriate. However this will be shared via Seesaw so everyone is aware.

In addition we will use wider facilities such as; Phonics Play, TT Rockstars, Purple Mash, Bug Club.

We may also enhance our school offer and supplement learning through lessons and resources from other providers such as Oak Academy, White Rose Maths, Classroom Secrets.

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If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education: •

We understand and recognise that many reviews identify lack of technology as a barrier to successful remote instruction and that it is important that support is provided to ensure that any pupils disadvantaged as a result, have access to technology. In addition to providing access to technology, we also recognise the need for teachers and pupils to be provided with support and guidance to use specific platforms, particularly if new forms of technology are being implemented and have prioritised and invested in staff training and support for pupils in the form of INSET and CPD for staff and regular uploaded videos for children and their families to include tutorials for any new ways of working digitally.

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We also offer 1-1 support for parents who may lack confidence or to improve their own digital/computing skills to support their children i.e. when setting up SeeSaw accounts or when accessing new devices from school.

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All families who currently receive paper pack homework, or previously struggled in lockdown for access have been contacted and decisions agreed about whether the loan of device or paper pack will best support the individual chlid’s needs.

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The loan of devices i.e. Chromebooks have been made to those families who do not have access to devices and collection of these for those identified families arranged.

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For some families, even with a loaned device, we recognise that they may struggle to access learning – for younger children for example, they may not have the skills to access IT independently, or parents’ own skills, or own work commitments may present barriers for their child to access digital learning. Where this is the case, we have created paper packs, produced on a fortnightly basis that match the learning being taught online. We work with each individual family to make the necessary (and safe) arrangements for the collection of these packs. All families access Seesaw and send photographs of paper work for marking to the teacher.

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We have surveyed all families for challenges/barriers to remote learning and support on an individual basis, i.e. to lend out devices for individual children, by arrangement.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

All remote learning will be posted on SeeSaw, which is our main school chosen platform. All children and families have access to a SeeSaw account.

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Learning will take a range of forms and be varied and interactive where possible.

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Recorded teaching will be created for lessons as the teacher sees appropriate.

These will be set within Seesaw activities so that each child watches the input before attempting the task – similar to that of a taught session in school. These inputs will include modelled teaching, demonstration, and instruction to enable pupils to understand the learning task.

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We set work that is designed to support and encourage pupils to work independently as we recognise this is the most effective way pupils will access learning at home. Multiple reviews identify the value of strategies that help pupils work independently with success. For example, prompting pupils to reflect on their work or to consider the strategies they will use if they get stuck have been highlighted as valuable. Wider evidence related to metacognition and selfregulation suggests that disadvantaged pupils are likely to particularly benefit from explicit support to help them work independently, for example, by providing checklists or daily plans. We give all our pupils weekly timetables and often daily inputs at start of the day to explain the learning, as well as regular pre-recorded teacher sessions explaining the learning.

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We also host regular live pastoral sessions, to either explain the learning at the start of a day or week and/or to provide feedback sessions. This in turn, informs staff about next steps in learning and provides valuable assessment for learning opportunities.

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For UKS2, Google Classroom will also be used to set and access work. This will be extended into LKS2 over time.

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Learning support packs will be produced by teachers for all children in their class to support, supplement and enhance the online learning. These will include basics such as writing paper, squared paper, pencil etc, and also resources that may be useful such as 100-square. In addition, they will have some independent activities to support consolidation.

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Reading books have been sent home, and all pupils can access either Bug Club or Oxford Owl for banded reading materials.

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Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences, such as Oak Academy, White Rose Maths; staff will signpost children to these as appropriate.

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Live PSHCE, Social, Mental Health and Well-Being sessions to support pupils with their interaction with their peers held by teachers in all classes

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We will ensure the elements of effective teaching are present – for example clear explanations, scaffolding and feedback and that our explanations build clearly on pupils’ prior learning or how pupils’ understanding is subsequently assessed.

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Pupils learning at home will often need to work independently. We will use strategies that help pupils work independently with success. For example, prompting pupils to reflect on their work or to consider the strategies they will use if they get stuck. Wider evidence related to metacognition and self-regulation suggests that disadvantaged pupils are likely to particularly benefit from explicit support to help them work independently, for example, by providing checklists or daily plans and we will plan these accordingly.

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We will ensure the elements of effective teaching are present – for example clear explanations, scaffolding and feedback – as research has shown that this is more important than how or when they are provided. For example, teachers might explain a new idea live or in a pre-recorded video. But what matters most is whether the explanation builds clearly on pupils’ prior learning or how pupils’ understanding is subsequently assessed and we will ensure these aspects are prioritised.

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Different approaches to remote learning suit different types of content and pupils.

For this reason, our approaches to remote learning will offer a broad range of teaching styles and learning to suit all needs.

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Teachers will consider which approaches are best suited to the content they are teaching and the age of their pupils. For example, games for learning have been found to have a high impact on vocabulary learning in foreign languages, but there is less evidence related to their use in other subjects. Likewise, using technology to support retrieval practice and self-quizzing can help pupils retain key ideas and knowledge, but is not a replacement for other forms of assessment

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Pre-recorded teaching videos will be regularly provided as well as some live sessions to explain the learning for the week/day to support all learning being set.

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?

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School’s policy and Continuation of Learning principles have been shared with all families via an explanation video and also uploaded copies to SeeSaw.

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A guidance document of expectations for pupils’ engagement with remote education has also been shared.

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Tutorials on the use of SeeSaw to access and engage with remote learning have been uploaded and shared and updates are regularly shared

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A guidance document outlining expectations of parental support, for example, setting routines to support your child’s education has been shared and uploaded to SeeSaw.

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All parents receive a timetable with suggested learning times set out.

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Expectations have been shared and made clear that parents will encourage their child to work hard and try their best, ensuring that high quality work is submitted for feedback. School, staff, pupil and parent expectations and responsibilities are laid out within school’s policy and continuation of learning principles documents. These have been shared with all families and are available on the school website.

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

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Engagement is checked at least weekly by the Remote Learning Lead (RLL School’s Deputy Head teacher and Teaching and Learning Lead) on Seesaw.

SeeSaw administrator analytics are used and analysed to assess engagement across year groups and pupils.

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Teachers also share as a minimum, weekly, any concerns with SLT - RLL and HT they have regarding engagement of any pupil within their class.

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In the first instance teachers will contact parents to discuss lack of engagement and how we can support, following guidance and discussion with SLT.

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Following this staff within school from pastoral support may make phone calls to check in with families and provide support and also speak regularly to children to motivate and encourage their working,where parents tell us that children are refusing to work for them.

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Following this, if a child is still not engaging, the HT or DHT may make phone calls to discuss work expectations.

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We aim to work supportively with our families and phone calls and contact are made to talk about barriers and support school can give to enable families and pupils to overcome these in order to engage effectively with remote learning, in line with their peers.

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

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: •

You can expect daily feedback on all pieces of work submitted. The depth of this may vary dependent on need. It will either be an acknowledgement, a written comment with comment regarding positives and development areas, or an oral voice recording; this is more likely with our younger pupils. Work may also be annotated and teacher input provided as needed. Sometimes, video feedback may be given.

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Feedback and marking may be made by the class teacher or the support staff within the class. If this is the case, this will always be overseen by the class teacher.

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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: •

Paper packs provided if needed.

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Other resources may be sent home to support, as appropriate – for example writing slopes.

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Teachers will ensure all learning is differentiated and individual needs planned for appropriately, as per face to face in school teaching. For example, there may be more options for practical work, less screen time, or voice recordings etc.

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Pre-recorded video sessions will be shared to make relevant to the child and allow engagement with their teacher. These may be individual, depending upon the individual child’s needs.

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Teachers will liaise directly with individual families to discuss their children’s needs and their planned provision, with support from school’s SENCO, if appropriate.

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?

The different phases and approaches taken depending upon the circumstances i.e. when an individual child is self-isolating, which will be different to when the whole class is at home due to a national lockdown directive, are outlined in School’s Continuation of Learning Principles document, which has been shared with all families via SeeSaw and via a demonstration video from the Head teacher, as well as being shared on school’s website.

Phase 1 of this document outlines what parents can expect for their child, if their child is off initially just for a few days, whilst awaiting a test result for example. In this instance, initially children are encouraged to access reading book, purple mash tasks, and highlighted Oak academy units of learning or lessons.

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During this phase and when at phase two (if an individual child is self-isolating for a longer period of time) videos from teaching inputs in class will be shared, as appropriate, to allow pupil to engage with same learning as peers in school.

When necessary OA/WRM has been aligned to our curriculum, and can be offered to support those children self-isolating when the majority are attending school.

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