Remote Learning
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
The Remote Education Plan links below cover all the information required by the DfE regarding the curriculum but does not include the input provided through tutors and other pastoral support staff. All students who are receiving remote learning will have access to regular pastoral input.
Primary Remote Education Plan
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?
- Class teachers set work in line with the curriculum being followed by the rest of the class.
- This is set via their ‘2Do’ folder on Purple Mash.
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 possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, for practical lessons such as technology or PE, tasks will be set that support the curriculum topics being covered by the rest of the class.
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 1
Three hours of remote education will be provided through both recorded or live direct teaching time, and time for pupils to complete tasks and activities independently.
Key Stage 2
Four hours of remote education will be provided, through both recorded or live direct teaching time, and time for pupils to complete tasks and activities independently.
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Purple Mash is the primary platform for our remote learning provision. Two lessons of recorded direct teaching will be set as ‘2Dos,’ along with a task or activity booklet that follows on from the lesson content. In addition to this, all children will receive a daily live Literacy lesson via Microsoft Teams, which will set up a writing opportunity. Live lessons will be recorded and available in Teams for children to access after the event. In addition to this, children will be set learning to support the development of core skills. This will be via:
- Purple Mash
- Mathletics
- TT Rock Stars
- Oxford Reading Buddy
- Phonics Play
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:
- Our aim is to ensure that all pupils have access to an electronic device (laptop or tablet) with internet access so that they can participate in remote learning set via Purple Mash, Mathletics, and Microsoft Teams.
- The school will continue to respond to technology needs as they arise subject to the guidelines of 1 device per household.
- Priority is given to disadvantaged students, in the first instance, and those with no access to internet enabled devices or internet access.
- Parents or carers should contact the school if they do not have any access to an internet enabled device or internet access. Until an internet enabled device or internet access is available, the school will liaise with parents on carers regarding access to printed materials for work and how to submit this to teachers on a case by case basis.
How will my child be taught remotely?
- Live Literacy lessons which are delivered using Microsoft Teams. These live sessions introduce new learning and content via shared PowerPoints and direct teaching. They set up a writing task which the children may complete during or after the session.
- Recorded teaching (e.g. narrated PowerPoints, White Rose Maths videos, video recordings made by teachers, Oak National Academy Lessons).
- Dedicated learning platforms, such as Mathletics, Purple Mash, Oxford Reading Buddy, Phonics Play and TT Rock Stars which support the teaching of different subjects. These include interactive activities that provide feedback to pupils on their work.
- Long-term project work is set for subjects that contain a practical element (such as Music, PE and DT).
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
- Wherever possible, we ask that pupils engage with live lessons at the time of delivery. In scheduling our daily live lessons, careful consideration has been given to sibling relationships to ensure that their lessons do not occur at the same time (except in the case of twins who are in a class together). These lessons are recorded and made available for those who are unable to attend.
- Our recorded lessons (e.g. narrated PowerPoints, White Rose Maths videos, video recordings made by teachers) can be completed at any time during the day, or later in the week if needed. A deadline of Saturday will be set for all ‘2Dos’ assigned during the week. This is to give families flexibility around their days while remote learning is in place.
- Each Year Group has created a suggested timetable for remote learning which has been shared with parents.
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 check levels of engagement on a lesson by lesson basis. Engagement is defined by access to live lessons and/or completion of tasks set via Purple Mash.
- Names of pupils who are not engaging with their learning will be reported to Phase Leaders on a weekly basis.
- Parents will be contacted by the class teacher or our Pastoral Support Worker in the first instance, following an identified concern regarding lack of engagement in remote learning.
- For repeated instances, parents will be contacted by Phase Leaders.
- Conversations with parents will identify what support strategies need to be put in place (by home and/or by school).
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 will be given to students through a range of methods that mirror good practice in the classroom. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Written feedback for work submitted via Purple Mash or e-mail
- Teacher feedback during live lessons — both whole-class and individual
- Teacher/TA feedback during intervention sessions
- Feedback from dedicated learning platforms, such as Mathletics, Purple Mash, Oxford Reading Buddy, Phonics Play and TT Rock Stars.
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:
- Pupils with an EHCP are encouraged to access provision in school. In school, they are supported, in person, by a dedicated Teaching Assistant.
- Those pupils who are learning remotely are provided with support to access the distance learning provision through additional live Microsoft Teams sessions and differentiated learning
For younger primary school-aged pupils, for example those in reception and year 1, how will you work with families to deliver remote education?
- Careful consideration has been given as to how we can best support our younger pupils with remote learning. Our EYFS children receive daily videos from their reception class teachers which lead and initiate learning across the EYFS Curriculum (including a Phonics focus). Once a week, the children enjoy a live story time with one of their class teachers.
- The focus of the live lessons for our Year 1 children, is Phonics. The children are accessing daily, high quality teaching of phonics.
Remote education for individual 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?
Provision will be as outlined above but without the live lesson element.