Remote learning 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 learning where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
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?
After the first lockdown, we carried out a survey of parents. The majority of parents asked for a combination of online learning and physical workbooks that could be completed. We have taken that into consideration when designing our Remote Learning provision.
Day One – Differentiated learning packs are available to be collected from the school. For those families unable to collect packs, arrangements will be made to deliver learning packs as soon as possible.
Day Two – Google Classroom will go live from Day Two and will be populated with work for the following week. Login details were sent out in December 2020 to pre-empt possible lockdown and to ensure parents had the means to access learning as soon as possible. New starters are given details of how to access Google Classroom and other sites used by the school.
Video Tutorials on how to access Google Classroom can be found on the school Facebook page. (Links below)
Following the first few days of remote learning, 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 possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. English and Maths is taught on a daily basis using a combination of learning packs, pre-recorded staff videos, and/or videos from sites such as Oak National Academy and BBC Bitesize. We cover the following curriculum areas in our remote learning provision:
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 learning (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
EYFS/Key Stage 1 – 3 hours
Key Stage 2 – 4 hours
When we surveyed parents after the first lockdown, we had mixed reviews about the amount of work that was set on a weekly basis. Some said that too much was set, others that too little was set and others that we set just the right amount of work. We have communicated to parents what the core learning expectations are and ensured there is more than enough work so as to meet the needs of all our families.
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Google Classroom
Microsoft Teams
TT Rockstars/Numbots
Oak National Academy
BBC Bitesize
White Rose Maths
This list of sites is not exhaustive and may change as staff become familiar with different sites to support remote learning.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote learning?
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:
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
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?
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
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:
Feedback is provided as and when work is completed.
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 learning?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote learning 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:
Remote learning for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote learning 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?
For children having to self-isolate for a short period of time, whilst waiting for covid test results, we will direct families to Oak National Academy, BBC Bitesize etc. We will inform parents of what is due to be covered in school on those days. Where possible/needed, we will provide worksheets that can be covered at home. For longer periods of self-isolation (10 days), we will use Oak National Academy and suggest lessons linked to the curriculum that is being delivered in the classroom. Curriculum maps are also available on the school website so that parents can see what learning is happening. Contact will be made with self-isolating families to provide support as and when needed, to ensure learning continues at home. We are conscious of the fact that learning at home when a member of the family has tested positive for covid can be very difficult – in some instances looking after a child’s mental health takes priority and the school will support that as much as possible through the use of Thrive interventions and providing reassurances to the family that we will ensure children catch-up on any missed learning.
Should you require any help or support please do not hesitate to contact the school - office@annecy.org.uk or 01323894892