This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education.
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 to remain at home.
Pupils with Educational Health Care Plans
All our pupils have an EHCP and are classed as vulnerable learners according to the government’s definition. As an academy we will aim to remain open but there may be times when we are directed to fully or partly close. At all times we will endeavour to communicate our intentions in a timely manner via WeDuc, text or email. There may be times when staffing falls to an unsafe level in which case the following learners will be prioritised:
- pupils on a child protection plan
- pupils who are looked after by the local authority
- pupils who due to the nature of their learning disabilities may present a risk to themselves or their families.
We are also asked to prioritise key workers.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to learners at home?
What should pupils expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of being sent 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.
Initially all parents/carers will be contacted by phone by the class teacher or an appropriate member of staff who knows the child/young person well.
Parents/carers will be asked a number of questions about their immediate and long-term requirements. These will determine the level of support the pupil requires and can range from full time attendance at school to a weekly welfare call.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child/young person be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?
Yes, but in consultation with parents and carers. Our teaching methods are very specialised and often built around familiarity and routine. Whilst parents/carers cannot replicate what goes on in the classroom there may well be elements that they wish to carry on at home. This can be discussed with the class teacher who will support with resources and ideas.
We will still follow the themes set out in the curriculum newsletter:
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the academy to take each day?
This will form part of the above discussion. Some pupils may, for example refuse to work at home, as school is school and home is home.
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Teachers will email or send through any links on Weduc that they feel is appropriate.
Pupils will be able to submit their work through the ‘Home Learning’ globe on Weduc. Parents/carers will also be able to communicate with the teaching staff using the message on Weduc.
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:
- the academy has a small number of devices that can be issued to pupils. If a device or internet access is required, parents/carers can contact the pupil’s class teacher who will pass on the request.
- if printed materials are needed, these can be collected from the academy by prior arrangement. If this is required, parents/carers can contact the class teacher
- if pupils do not have online access and use printed materials, this can be brought to the academy when a new printed materials pack is collected.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach learners remotely:
- live ‘drop-in’ class meetings
- websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences e.g Developing Experts, Oddizzi, Kapow, Mathletics and TTRS
- where required, printed paper packs produced by teachers e.g. workbooks, worksheets
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?
- It is important that your child accesses some home learning every day and keep, as far as possible to a routine. However, we appreciate that routines may have to change, so pupils can complete the work at a convenient time in the day.
- Honesty and engagement. If you cannot support the activities set, please tell the teacher why. This will enable the teacher to change the approach and suggest alternative activities
- A commitment to support and encourage the completion of home learning
- For parents to communicate with the class teacher on how your child is doing in terms of their home learning. This could be via phone call or Weduc message.
- An understanding that the academy has a legal obligation to provide learning for your child whist they are at home
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Teaching staff will monitor engagement through the work submitted on Weduc through the ‘Home Learning’ globe. Parents will be informed of any concerns via phone calls.
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 learners. Our approach to feeding back on pupil’s work is as follows:
- teachers will provide feedback to work submitted through Weduc’s ‘Home Learning’ globe
- feedback will be provided daily in a variety of forms such as talking to the pupil on the ‘phone or via teams
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 our pupils 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 learners in the following ways:
- class teacher/ teaching assistant will provide work to support individual targets
- the class teacher or appropriate staff will monitor arrangements to ensure they meet the needs of the pupil
Remote education for learners where circumstances make in-person attendance not possible
Where individual pupils cannot attend the academy due to circumstances where in-person attendance is not possible, but they are able to learn, 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 the academy simultaneously.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Work will be set which reflects the current learning taking place in the class. However, live class meetings and teacher recorded videos will not be available.
