This information is to provide clarity and transparency to students, parents and carers about what to expect from remote learning when students remain at home.

 

Our Learners

The remote learning expectations and provision set out here detail how we feel best we can meet the needs of our students to ensure they are engaged in learning if the need arises for them to remain at home.

As always, we strongly recognise the need to consider each student as an individual and to find the most suitable approach to meet each individual’s needs. Teachers will endeavour to do this to the best of their ability and in some cases, where a student’s needs are complex, the learning activities and experiences might be very limited.

As you read this guidance, please be reassured that if something doesn’t seem to be working for your son / daughter an alternative solution will be found by working together with their teacher.

 

The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home

If your child is at home their teacher will be in touch with them via Microsoft Teams. Your child has their own log in details which the teacher will provide. The teacher will then provide the following through Microsoft Teams

1. Appropriate learning activities
2. Signposting to appropriate and stimulating websites
3. On line sessions each day

Each teacher will provide as close to usual curriculum as possible using remote learning. With some lessons this will be very challenging, for example a community visit to buy ingredients is very difficult to replicate remotely! It is also impossible for some sessions, like swimming, to be taught in any way by teachers remotely. Some sessions like PE can be accessed by all students at the same time through our ‘Let get active’ on line lessons. Teachers will send you details about this and we will publish this on Facebook as well. 

 

Accessing the remote curriculum

If you are unable to provide your son / daughter with a laptop or iPad to access MS Teams, then please contact your teacher and they will arrange for you to pick up a laptop you can borrow. You’ll be asked to sign for this and then return it when your son / daughter returns to school full time.

We recognise that some students may not have regular or suitable online access at home. Where possible we will assign tasks where the learning and task details can be accessed on all devices (computers, laptops, tablets and phones) but where the activities can be completed using pen and paper, without the need for a printer.

If you feel your child is unable to access remote learning at all, please contact the school. We will assess individual cases and put a plan in place to support them so that opportunities for some kind of learning activities are maximised.

We can provide individual learning packs of activities for students who are not able to access via online activities, all you have to do is request this from your son / daughter’s teacher.

 

Access to teachers

Teachers will be available via email and, if appropriate, face-to-face video support between the hours of 9 and 3 excluding breaks, lunchtimes and scheduled class or school sessions, which teachers will make you aware of.

Teachers will provide a series of activities which reflect our overall curriculum and can include paper and fine motor skills work and especially social and communication activities.

 

Expectations

Remote learning will be supported when local restrictions or lockdown situations require students to stay at home. Students who are shielding will be supported as required by teachers, and offered a number of chances each week to see their class peers virtually through Microsoft Teams.

As a parent or carer, you are encouraged to help your son / daughter engage with the tasks and learning set. Things like encouraging a routine of getting up, washed and dressed, as they would on a normal school day, will really help your son / daughter to be in the right mind-set to learn. We also ask that you actively promote the need to complete and electronically ‘hand in’ activities by taking photos and videos etc. and uploading them.

Teachers will monitor remote learning each day, keeping an eye on whether your son / daughter has viewed and completed activities.

Teachers will make contact with you if they notice that your son / daughter has not been engaging with sessions for up to two days. They discuss any problems you or your son / daughter may be experiencing.

If your son / daughter does not engage between Monday and Thursday, teachers will notify the Head teacher and parents will be called by the Head teacher. If contact cannot be made with parents for a prolonged period, the Head teacher reserves the right to call social care to report concerns.

Evidence of learning activities completed at home during remote learning can be used by teachers to inform their assessment of progress towards your child’s learning targets and curriculum goals. How this is done will depend on the abilities of the individual and the group.

 

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

If your child is not in school because they are self-isolating, please contact your teacher and they will provide learning activities which can be accessed through Microsoft Teams.