This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home. 

 

What will remote learning look like in the event of extended school closure (Guided Home Learning – GHL)? 

a) Direct, live, instruction from teachers, following the GHL set timetable, with the ability of pupils to communicate directly with teachers online via video calls. 

 b)  Work is set electronically, completed by the pupils and then returned by the teacher, with feedback, via Ms Teams or Tapestry. 

 c) Critical-worker children supervised in school, following GHL  

Digital platforms used: 

The primary platforms the school will use to deliver continuity of education are:  

Early Years including Reception - Tapestry and Zoom 

Year 1 to Year 6 – Microsoft Teams and Satchel One 

Access to MS Teams is via the pupil’s normal school e-mail; if pupils have difficulty with logging in, they should contact Mrs A Rafferty in the first instance.  

In a complete closure, GHL will take place according to the timetable with teachers available online on live video throughout the whole lesson. However, within the Early Years, the class teacher is always available via Tapestry. 

Will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school? 

The type of task set will vary between subjects, but examples of appropriate tasks might include: 

● Written responses to prompt questions, essay plans etc. and/or completion of practice questions or past papers, particularly for those in examination years  

 ● Reading and noting new material from a common subject area textbook or electronic resource 

 ● Working through subject-specific presentations provided by the subject area and/or watching a relevant video resource and making notes on it  

● Completing a listening exercise (e.g. in French)  

● Working through relevant exercises offered by external providers (e.g.Purple Mash, MyMaths, SPAG.com, Read Theory, TTRS and Spelling Shed)  

 

What is the structure of the school day? 

Children’s lessons are taught from 8.30am - 3.30pm. 

How are lessons delivered? 

Teachers and pupils must remain in live sessions throughout the session. Two members of staff will be on each live lesson. Live lessons should be planned so they allow for the pupils to interact with the teacher and each other.  

Remaining online ensures pupils are engaging and can be supported individually. At the end of each session, teachers ensure pupils have followed the lesson effectively and know what the next steps are. You will be informed by the class teacher, if we are concerned with your child’s engagement. 

Assessment and feedback  

Providing timely and helpful feedback is a cornerstone of good teaching and learning, this can be facilitated easily across all digital platforms. However, under normal circumstances, not all pieces of work are formally assessed by teachers and this would continue to be the case under GHL. 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. 

When they set assessed work, teachers ensure it is designed in such a way that meaningful feedback may be provided. Feedback is at the heart of our assessment policy and when given well, has arguably the greatest impact in terms of improving outcomes of any pedagogical approach. Possible methods may include: 

 ● Verbal feedback. Hearing the teacher’s voice is hugely important to pupils, especially in a GHL setting.  

 ● Providing whole class feedback rather than comments on individual pieces of work – this is an effective way of providing feedback, supported by findings from educational research  

● Using the “Comments” function on online documents, or in MS Teams assignments  

● Feedback via another website / piece of software (e.g. Tapestry, Satchel One, MyMaths, Kahoot challenges etc.) 

Expectations of pupils  

Pupils will be expected to participate as fully as possible in the remote learning process, attending all live sessions, completing independent work, and submitting assessed tasks promptly and to the best of their ability. Pupils are expected to keep their video cameras and microphones on throughout each live video lesson, unless otherwise directed by the teacher. Teachers may choose to mute microphones if required.  

Pupils should ensure that, in addition to completing the tasks promptly, they should complete any administrative tasks that allow the school to monitor their progress.  

If pupils or parents have any questions about the nature of specific tasks set, these should be directed towards the relevant subject area. If there are questions about a pupil’s overall workload (e.g. a pupil feels they are overwhelmed or falling behind), these should be directed to the pupil’s class teacher in the first instance.  

Additional support for pupils with particular needs 

Teachers ensure work is appropriately differentiated as required for all learners when setting online tasks. 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 to support those pupils with differentiated tasks, lessons from other year group materials, alternative methods of recording, additional resources and advice and support. Online intervention resources and small group sessions with our LSAs / class teachers will also be used where appropriate. We encourage parents to get in touch if their children are finding things too difficult or easy and we will do what we can to make personalised adaptations. Advice can be sought from the SENDCo (Ms A Underwood). 

Pastoral Care 

Class teachers will continue to monitor both the pupils’ academic progress and their general wellbeing. The Early Years curriculum ensures that the children’s wellbeing is the focal point of all teaching. PSHE is timetabled for all year groups to ensure the pupils’ wellbeing is at the centre of all their learning. Pupils will also be contacted individually by their class teachers, to discuss any pastoral or academic concerns.  

Safeguarding during a school closure  

In the event of a school closure, pupils, parents and teachers are reminded that the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy still applies to all interactions between pupils and teachers. 

With the increased use of digital technologies that comes with remote learning, safeguarding implications need careful consideration. Parents are advised to spend time speaking with their child(ren) about online safety - reminding them of the importance of reporting to an adult anything that makes them feel uncomfortable online.  

While we will be doing our best to ensure links shared are appropriate, there may be tailored advertising which displays differently in your household or other changes beyond our control. Online safety concerns should still be reported to the school’s Online Safety Lead (Mrs A Rafferty) as normal. Parents can do this through messaging via the appropriate digital platform or by calling the school office.