Remote education provision: information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local or national restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home. For details of what to expect where individual students are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home

We are confident that we can offer full and high quality provision for students at the earliest opportunity and that disruption to students’ education will be minimal when they have to spend time at home. However, a student’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.

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?

As we have throughout the pandemic, we aim to 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, particularly subjects with a practical element. However, curriculum leaders have developed strategies to ensure that even in these cases students can still progress with their studies.

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

The amount of study will mirror the amount of work that students would normally do when school is open as normal. Therefore, we expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take students broadly the five hours each day.

Accessing remote education

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

Work will be set as assignments on the Google Classroom (GC) platform, and live lessons will be delivered through Zoom.

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 students may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those students to access remote education:

Accessing remote education

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

We have ensured that the work set through the GC mirrors the work covered in live lessons for those who cannot access the live lessons so that they are not disadvantaged. Other students who are not able to access the online provision will be invited into school to use the facilities there and benefit from our education in exactly the same way as students who are able to access it fully at home. Learning packs are also available for collection for those students who have difficulty in accessing online learning; students who are isolating and can’t attend school.

How will my child be taught remotely?

Students will be taught in a way that mirrors the provision in the classroom. Normally, there will be an expository session at the beginning of the lesson which might consist of recaps of previous learning, feedback on previous work and explanations of new learning. For the rest of the lesson students will experience a combination of independent work, plenary sessions when the group is brought back together for review or extension of learning, and other strategies; throughout students will be able to interact with teaching staff through the chat facility and through their microphones. Students will be able to upload their work through the ‘Drive’ facility in GC.

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?

We expect all students to engage with the learning set through whichever of the routes that we have supplied. We welcome parents and carers’ support in providing a context where students can concentrate and focus, and encouraging their children to engage as fully and wholeheartedly as possible. We have also helped parents to understand how they can monitor the learning expected of their children through a number of emails and guidance on how to support their child at home.

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

Teachers will monitor the engagement and learning of students through their responses in live lessons. They will also monitor the work submitted through ‘GC’ in the same way that they would monitor work done if school was operating as normal. Follow up telephone calls or emails are sent to parents if their children are not attending classes or submitting tasks on GC

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 will receive instant and immediate feedback on their learning during lessons through chat, ‘hands up’ questions, spoken responses, online quizzes and tests and other means. Students will also receive feedback on more substantial pieces of work with the same frequency as they would during times when the school is operating as normal according to the normal Assessment, Recording and Reporting Policy.

Additional support for students 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 students, for example some students 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 students in the following ways:

Students with SEND will receive support. Where a teaching assistant (TA) would normally be present in the student’s class this will remain the case, with the TA attending the lesson in Zoom and being able to assist students through the “chat” facility or in a breakout room. Differentiated tasks are set to strengthen foundation skills.

Remote education for self-isolating students

Where individual students 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 students 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?

When large numbers of student in a teaching group are self-isolating, some lessons will be streamed live and the provision will be similar to that outlined above, with the differences necessary to cater for student in school alongside those at home. When fewer are self-isolating we will use GC with meaningful and ambitious work each day in their usual subjects, including providing feedback to work submitted through ‘Drive’. This will mirror the provision for those in school.