Remote Learning

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 students to remain at home due to COVID-19.

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?

As soon as students are sent home they will be able to access their normal timetable on Showbie.  We allow some travel time to ensure students and arrived home and that they are able to organise themselves for remote learning.  Staff will be available to deliver remote lessons but depending on the time of day that students are sent home it may be this provision starts in earnest the next working day.

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.  We continue to deliver our curriculum following exactly the same timetable we would follow if students were on site.
  
• There are times when we have to adapt lessons, particularly in practical subjects, in order that they can be accessed by students at home

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:

Key Stage 3 and 4

All lessons are live and last for an hour. There is no expectation when remote learning is taking place for students to work beyond the 5 hours of lessons a day.

Accessing remote education

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

All students have an iPad or laptop issued by the school.  All lessons are delivered using Showbie.  There are also some sixth form lessons and interventions that are delivered by Zoom. When Sixth Form have a zoom lesson, details will be given in the class showbie group.

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:

• Where there are issues with iPads our ICT team offer a collection and delivery service and the usual turn around for repairs is 24 hours.  Where this is not possible, due to awaiting the delivery of parts, the turn around is completed as quickly as possible.  Parents/Carers or students can email or call the school to alert us of any ICT issues.
  
• If students are struggling to hand in their work, which they do on Showbie, they are encouraged to make contact with their Head of Year to inform them of the issue.  Students are marked in for attendance and also for their engagement within the lesson and this is assessed when staff have seen their work.

How will my child be taught remotely?

Some examples of remote teaching approaches are:

• live teaching (online lessons) – mainly used for sixth form teaching for the hour long lessons.  Students are to attend lessons with the camera turned off and use the chat function if they prefer not to speak.
  
• live teaching on Showbie – staff record an introductory video explaining the lesson but are online throughout prompting students to register, setting work, marking work online, setting clear timelines for sections of the lessons to be completed and handed in, answering any questions students have as they go along and interacting with students to ensure they are ok.
  
• All creative curriculum lessons have booklets that are posted home for students.  In the case of Year group bubbles having to isolate, they are given their booklets for upcoming weeks in order that they have them at home.
  
• We are trying to provide a library of e-books for students to access

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?

• All students are expected to attend all lessons.  They let their teacher know at the start of the lesson that they are ‘here’ and ready to take part.  They are expected to hand in work throughout the lesson to demonstrate their active engagement by submitting a photo of their work onto showbie.  Students are coded for the attendance to lessons and also for good engagement.
  
• Parents/Carers are expected to support the school, where they can, in ensuring they are up and ready to work, have a space in which they can work and know who to go to if they are struggling.

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

• As mentioned earlier, student engagement is monitored every lesson as students are expected to hand in work at the end of each lesson.  Phone calls are made by Heads of Year and tutors, where student engagement becomes a concern.

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:

• Students are asked to submit work every lesson in order that their teachers are able to assess the level of engagement.  Engagement levels are also monitored throughout the lesson by looking at conversations between staff and students.  Staff feedback regarding work on Showbie in a number of ways.  Some staff give a score for every lesson, others write personalised comments in the chat function and all staff have been asked to physically mark work electronically and send back to students.  They do this using iPad pencils.
  
• Students will have one part of a lesson (assessment for learning task or Independent Practice task) marked once a week in every subject.

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:

• SEND students, where relevant, are provided support in lessons according to their needs. This approach will be replicated using remote learning. SEND students are also offered individual or group intervention sessions via zoom with Student Support Workers.

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?

Students who are self-isolating are able to access their normal classes as they happen in school.  Staff are instructed to interact with self-isolating students to ensure they can access the work.