We believe that our school is the most suitable place for learning and that all children should attend school if they are healthy and well. However, remote education will be offered in situations where children to self-isolate but are feeling well, or there are local restrictions requiring pupils to remain at home.
For these situations we have made contingency plans and are able to switch to home learning immediately, with almost no delay. All children in the school have a personal iPad that they can also use at home. The iPads are centrally configured with all the apps the children need.
What does a typical day in 'Remote Learning' look like?
By 9am every day, the teachers share a timetable on ClassDojo with suggested timings and links to video lessons, worksheets and other resources. At some point in the day the teachers will meet pupils who are isolating on Zoom to discuss the work, to teach and to connect with the pupil.
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, some adaptations in the subjects may be necessary for the children to be able to compensate for learning away from school. Completed tasks and activities are shared by the pupils with their teachers using ClassDojo and the teachers will make sure that all work is acknowledged and leave a constructive comment to show how children can progress.
Teachers are available between 8.50am and 3.30pm. Teaching assistants help to share the teachers' responsibilities during the day. Whilst supporting home learning, teachers are also teaching children in school and they may not respond to requests immediately.
Weekly learning packs are distributed to the pupils' homes with the resources they need to engage with the online learning for the week ahead.
What are the expectations for children's engagement for home learning and parents support?
The amount of work provided will be equivalent to the amount of work that would reasonably be expected to be completed in school. Guidance from the government sets out the following expectations:
• Key Stage 1: 3 hours a day on average across the cohort, with less for younger children
• Key Stage 2: 4 hours a day
We are mindful that we live in difficult times and recognise that we are all doing our best for our children. If you are experiencing difficulties in meeting the government's expectations or in supporting your child's learning, please get in touch with your child's teacher. Usually a solution is easily found.
We will instigate a conversation with parents when we become concerned about a child's engagement with their work. This is because in these challenging times we are genuinely concerned about all our pupils' wellbeing as well as their academic progress.
Children's academic progress will be assessed upon their return to school. This will inform us of how well they have been learning at home and it will allow teachers to adjust the curriculum to recover any gaps in learning.
How are children with particular needs supported in learning at home?
All pupils have access to remote learning and reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure that all children can engage with activities suited for them. Resources are distributed and individual lessons (Zoom) are scheduled when necessary, e.g. speech and language sessions.
Please use these resources to help you keep your child safe online: