Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

This Remote Home Learning Strategy has been written as guidance for staff and parents in the event of a situation that results in our school closing. It sets out the systems and procedures that staff will follow to provide Remote Home Learning for children who are not able to attend school due to national restrictions or local restrictions.

For details of what to expect when individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

Our remote curriculum

Your child’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. However, we do have systems in place to allow for almost instant access to high-quality remote learning. We do this to ensure that children are not disadvantaged by school absence.

After the first few days, your child will be able to access the school website to engage in the lessons set for the day. Each class teacher will set out learning opportunities and activities linked to the curriculum that would be taught in school if closure had not taken place. Each day, children will be set a maths and an English lesson to be completed in the morning, then in the afternoon, they will have the opportunity to select learning linked to foundation subjects from a menu of choices, which will change each week.

Completed work should then be emailed to individual teachers for feedback.

We follow the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. We make some adaptations when necessary. For example, if we deliver an art lesson in school using resources that may not be available at home, we may set up a different activity for remote learners.

Remote teaching and study time each day

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department for Education required children to engage in remote learning daily for a minimum of 3 hours per day in KS1 (years 1 & 2) and 4 hours a day in KS2 (Years 3-6).

We therefore suggest EYFS children spend up to 2 hours a day on remote learning. Our Early Years (Nursery & Reception) children are used to having a very practical and play-based curriculum. We realise it would not be appropriate for Reception children to be sitting and learning in front of a screen for 3 hours. A large part of their day at school is made up of play-based activities and these should continue at home – supported by the high-quality learning opportunities planned out for them on the school website by their teachers.

Please note, the suggested learning time can be spread over the day in a series of shorter sessions and does not have to be at the same time. However, we do recommend that you establish a routine for your child and provide a work space if possible to help your child focus on their work.

Accessing remote education

Pupils can access their remote education via the school website on any internet-enabled device, including smartphones. Children who require resources such as stationery, or a laptop to access remote learning are welcome to borrow one from the school for the duration of the closure. Please email our school administrator to arrange safe pick-up of any items you may require using the following email: admin@thwaites.cumbria.sch.uk

If, for any reason, your child has no access to the internet, remote learning packs can be requested using the email address above.  

How my child will be taught remotely

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

• Uploaded tasks on the school website with written explanations to help the pupils know what to do.
• Recorded teaching (eg Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recording made by teachers).
• Feedback is provided for all work submitted through written comments.
• Offers of exercise books etc. for those without resources at home.
• Reading books will be provided for all children.
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences (e.g. White Rose for Maths, BBC Bitesize).
• Zoom lessons, where appropriate, for specific lessons such as phonics.
• Phone calls home to discuss learning.
• Support via email or telephone for parents.

Engagement and Feedback

We expect all pupils to visit the school website daily to find out what tasks they have to complete. They are expected to complete a Maths & English task daily plus another subject. There is also an expectation that children read to an adult at home at least three times a week and practise their spellings.

If they are unsure of what to do at any point, they should send their teacher an email and ask for help. We also expect pupils to try their best and take care of their work and respond to any feedback.

In terms of parental support, we ask that parents help to make sure their child has the correct resources to be able to successfully complete their remote learning and a quiet space to be able to work in. We recommend establishing a daily routine if possible. If parents are struggling with providing this environment for any reason, we ask that they contact school for support.

Each pupil’s work will be checked regularly throughout the school day by their teacher.

Teachers will track levels of engagement daily. If a teacher becomes concerned about a pupil’s level of engagement, they will contact the headteacher, Mr. Redhead, who will contact the parents to discuss how they are getting on and will work with the family to find a solution.

If engagement is not satisfactory, parents will be contacted by phone, email or text message.

If the headteacher cannot make contact with the family via these methods, then a home visit may occur or a Police Welfare Check may be requested.

If children or parents have any issues, we ask that they contact teachers via the school website, or the headteacher via the email: head@thwaites.cumbria.sch.uk

How we will assess your child’s work and progress

Feedback will be provided daily. 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:

• Each piece of work a pupil sends to their teacher will be approved and, where necessary, a comment will be given;
• Feedback will be provided on a daily basis and often throughout the day;
• Feedback may sometimes be a message to the whole class as an announcement if that is appropriate.

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

We recognise that some pupils, including 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:

• Work will be adapted where needed for certain pupils and tasks will be set individually on the school website for them;
• Activities for children in Year One and Reception may differ to the tasks set for the rest of the school (e.g. more audio message explanations, more practical tasks);
• The school SENDCO and the year group teacher are also on hand to support parents and give advice on how best to support their child’s learning at home.
• All children with an EHCP receive a call from school at least once a week. 

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.

Children who self-isolate will be provided with a learning pack, consisting of adapted learning that mirrors what will be taught in school during their absence. If your child is ill and not able to complete home learning tasks, please inform the school office.

If your child is well enough to complete remote learning, daily work should be completed following a similar timetable as that followed by all pupils during periods of closure. Completed work should be emailed to the class teacher so that the child can receive regular feedback.