Remote education - important information for parents

The Government has asked schools to publish on their websites key information relating to their provision of remote education, in support of pupils who may need to isolate during the pandemic.

The information included in the St Francis website is modelled around the Government’s own template, which aligns to the expectations for remote education found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#res

This ensures that schools adhere to the Secretary of State’s Temporary Continuity Direction issued on 1st October 2020 (updated 18 August 2021).

We have adapted this template, so that it is relevant to our particular circumstances; however you can view the original template here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-information-to-parents-template

Please note that this published information provides a foundation for information to parents regarding remote learning; additional information may be shared on top of this, so that parents and pupils can be well prepared to access the learning they need in the event of further isolations. 
 

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.

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 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 isolation or pupils being sent home?

Initially, children can access key learning via online programmes including: Times Tables Rockstars, Mathletics, Numbots, as well as reading, practising any key words and phonics.

Class teachers will endeavour to post learning on Google Classroom as soon as practical; we will provide, from day 2; English and Maths learning, with a form of direct teaching (e.g. links to Bitesize, Oak National Academy or teacher video), clear instructions and learning task. Learning activities for appropriate foundation subjects will also be uploaded (e.g. art, PE, STEM). This learning for days 1 and 2 may be in line with the class curriculum if it is easily adaptable, or may be for other key skills relevant to your child’s year group.

If we have advanced notice of isolation then workbooks can be sent home with your child. If not, we can arrange collection times for workbooks if required.

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?

Yes – your child will be taught the same curriculum as we do in school, where possible and appropriate. Some learning tasks may need to be adapted for remote learning, for example, specific resources may not be readily available in the home (e.g. oil pastels for art, magnets in science, etc.).

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 (which includes remote teaching and independent learning) will take pupils broadly the same amount of time as their curriculum time in school each day.

Following the expected number of hours each day:

Accessing remote education

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

Daily learning will be set on Google Classroom. Guidance has been given to parents and children about how to access Google Classroom, Oak National Academy and other resources being provided. All parents and children are welcome to contact our school office for further guidance and support.

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:

• All children and families have previously used Google Classroom for individual or class isolation periods, or through Google Meet for parents evening.
• We will lend laptops to families who may not have access for each child in their class.
• Teachers will follow up with individual families who are not accessing remote learning and submitting tasks.
• For some families, where appropriate, printed packs will be made available for collection or will be posted to families.

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

• Clear instructions on Google Classroom for task set
• PowerPoint presentations, including some with voice overs from teachers
• Direct teaching through video input, either recorded teacher videos, Oak National Academy or other similar videos
• Reading books – from classes and school library
• Online programmes, including TTRS, Mathletics, Education City
• Google Meets for connection and social interaction as a class.
• Printed packs as agreed with individual families.

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 every child to register every day by 9.45am. This can be online via Google Classroom, or by telephone or email to our school office.

We expect children to complete the learning set each day, however do not expect them to spend longer than the time allocated for each task. For example, 1 hour for maths and 1 hour for English. Where possible, a member of staff will be available on Google Classroom for children and parents to private message for support with learning during the day. Please note that if only one child is receiving remote education then the class adults may be teaching and will try to ensure they respond to questions during the day. If your question is urgent, please contact our school office who can pass a message on for you.

We would like English and maths learning to be submitted on Google Classroom by 1.00pm; this will enable teachers to look through all learning and provide feedback before the next lesson planned. We do, however, understand that this is not possible for all families and expect all families to endeavour to complete maths and English learning on the same day it is set and submit as soon as practicable.

We have compiled a range of resources to support parents with helping their child engage in remote learning, including how to set routines etc. at home. These are accessible on our school website.

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

If your child is not registered by 9.45am, we will contact you that same morning to ensure your child is safe.

If your child does not submit any learning, a member of staff will contact you via telephone, email or google meet to discuss ways we can work together to ensure your child can access their learning.

If engagement continues to be a concern, we will continue to make contact with you regularly and offer a variety of ways to promote engagement; this could include, but is not limited to:

• Access to technology to support learning (e.g. a laptop)
• 1:1 telephone calls or video calls to your child with their class teacher to motivate them, or support learning.
• Paper copies of learning.

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:

• Teachers will respond to learning daily.
• They will respond to areas of learning appropriate to address misconceptions and support your child's progress.
• This feedback may be individual, or may be whole class as appropriate to ensure misconceptions are addressed and enable learning and progress.
• Some feedback will be written, some may be verbal.

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:

• Differentiated learning tasks provided if appropriate.
• Individualized instructions and direct teaching videos to support learning at individual level.
• Appropriate resources to support learning sent home (e.g. multilink).
• In school provision where pupils have Education Health Care Plans (in the case of national lockdown).

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?

Teachers will continue to provide learning resources on Google Classroom to mirror the in-school curriculum at home, as outlined above. However, they may not be available for feedback throughout the day on Google Classroom.

If a child isolating requires some help, they should ask an adult to email into our school office who can alert the class teacher. They will contact the child/adult at an appropriate time in the school day. Feedback will not be provided until the end of the school day as the teacher will be in class. Feedback will prioritise addressing misconceptions that may prevent future learning. We will maintain contact with families to ensure they are safe and feel supported.