Remote Education

1: The remote curriculum

Covid-19 restrictions may sometimes require large groups of children (or ‘pods’) to remain at home.

The information in this leaflet explains what parents and carers can expect from remote education if this happens.

Details about what you can expect when individual pupils are self-isolating are in the final section of this information.

What is taught to pupils at home?

On the first day or two, remote learning may look different to our usual approach. Teachers will need this time to get ready 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?

• On the first day of self-isolation, pupils will be directed to the Pegasus website Home Learning page. Pupils will be able to access a range of activities and links that they can complete before the TEAMs Learning platform activates.
• The school will send Parents and Carers an email explaining how each day that pupils are self-isolating will operate.
• All pupils will have personal log-in details. They can use this to access the work set by their class teacher.

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?

• We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever it is possible and appropriate. However, we have made changes in some subjects. For example, we understand that not all households will have access to the resources required in science or art. Activities in these subjects will therefore be adapted.

• The work set by the class teacher will ensure a balance of subjects. Work will include reading, writing, maths and project. For children in Reception, and Years 1 and 2 and some Year 3, this work will also include phonics.
• Class teachers will use their own resources but will also use resources from Oak National Academy, White Rose, BBC Bitesize, and other educational websites. We strongly encourage pupils to remain physically active by taking part in Joe Wickes online sessions. Pupils can also log their mileage/steps using an app when walking for exercise.
• You should support your child with daily reading of age-appropriate text Your child’s class teacher will offer guidance about reading.

2: Remote teaching and study time each day

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

• Learning, including any ‘taught’ lessons, should take approximately 3 hours for pupils in Years 1 and 2 with slightly less for our Reception pupils. It should take approximately 4 hours for pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.

• This time will include a daily ‘check-in’ and a daily story session.

• There will be time for your child to have breaks as well as carry out some form of exercise.

3: Accessing remote education

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

• Pupils can access online remote education through TEAMs.

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 provide printed work packs to be collected from school or delivered to pupils who do not have access to technology at home. We will update these regularly.

• Parents can collect resources, including exercise books and stationery from school at specific times. We will share these times with all parents via text message.

• Through the Government funded laptop scheme, we can provide some families who need one, a device for the duration of remote learning at home. We can also allocate a number of 4G internet routers and SIM cards to families.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers, BBC Bitesize lessons, Oak National Academy lessons, White Rose, Joe Wicks)
• live interactions (registrations, story sessions, assemblies and some lessons)
• reading books that pupils will have been given to take home
• printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. worksheets)
• follow-up tasks to be completed by pupils
• practical activities that do not require access to a laptop or tablet
• independent work
• online resources (e.g. Accelerated Reader, Time Table Rockstars, Doodle Maths)

4: 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?

There is an expectation that pupils engage in remote learning each day and that parents establish positive routines in order for their children to complete the work set. We realise it is not always easy to keep to a routine if you are working from home, but it will make learning much easier for your child.

See Code of conduct for pupils and for parent in Appendix.

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

• Class teachers will take a register during the daily check-in to ensure pupils are engaging in learning.

• Throughout the week, teachers will check engagement through phone calls and assignments completed on TEAMs.

• In the first instance, any child who does not submit work will receive a follow up message through TEAMs offering support and guidance. We will follow up further non-engagement via a telephone call from a member of staff offering support and guidance.

• If a pupil does not engage in learning for two consecutive days, a member of staff will make a phone call to the parent/carer to offer support and guidance.

• We will be keeping note of which pupils access the leaning and how much work they complete. There will be at least weekly feedback opportunities as well as the option to email in any work to your child’s class email for feedback and comment.

• If you are struggling to support your child’ learning, please do not hesitate to contact school for additional support and guidance.

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

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean long written comments for individual children.

Our approach to feedback is as follows:

• Whole class feedback
• Verbal feedback during telephone calls
• Individual feedback through TEAMS
• Quizzes to check understanding
• Pupils will be encouraged to bring and share work through assemblies and the daily check-ins

5: 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 continue to work with parents and carers to support those pupils. We will work with families in the following ways:

• Teachers will ensure activities are inclusive and adapt the work that they set.

• Class teachers, support staff and the SENDCo will work with families to deliver remote education for pupils who have SEND.

• Teachers will keep a close check on pupils who have SEND and discuss additional support or provision with the SENDCo

• We will continue to liaise with external agencies in order to ensure that pupils who have SEND receive specialist support.

• To further support children with additional needs in the early years we will provide a range of practical resources.

6: Remote education for self-isolating pupils

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?

• Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, their remote education will be different from the approach for whole groups as outlined above. This is due to the challenges of teaching individual pupils at home and the rest of their peers in school. If your child is self-isolating due to family circumstances, we ask that you keep in close contact with school. We will provide pre-prepared materials for remote learning, including paper copies where require

• Where individual pupils are self-isolating and the majority of their peer group is also at home, remote learning will take a similar format to that stated above.

• If your child is unwell, we would only expect them to join in the learning when they are fit to do so. Please let the office know if this is the cas

We hope this has helped to clarify our approach to remote education. If you have any further questions or queries, or indeed any positive comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.

January 2021.