Remote Learning
DFE guidance states that schools should “Develop remote education so that it is integrated into school curriculum planning: Remote education may need to be an essential component in the delivery of the school curriculum for some pupils, alongside classroom teaching. All schools are therefore expected to plan to ensure any pupils educated at home for some of the time are given the support they need to master the curriculum and so make good progress.”
In the event of any form of isolation and loss of learning caused by Coronavirus, parents/carers should understand that engagement in remote home education is now compulsory, as is the expectation that our school makes this provision available and accessible. However, it is important to note that if your child(ren) are themselves ill, then they should not be expected to engage in remote home education until they are feeling better. This information just needs to be communicated with the school office.
How will my child/children access home learning?
We will continue to use Google Classroom as the main resource for children and parents to access home learning.
We will provide a mix of live lessons, video recordings, online links and activities to cover the full curriculum and give your child a range of activities during the school day.
What will Remote Education look like whilst my child is not at school?
Different areas of the curriculum will be planned for your child to access daily so that they do not miss out on the objectives being taught in class, reducing the risk of missing key concepts and hindering their learning journey. Activities/tasks will be designed to be completed in your home and garden. These activities will now be directly linked to what your child would have been taught in school at that time and will make specific reference to new teaching content as well as consolidating previous learning too.
For the first 2 days of self-isolation, please complete the following:
- Complete the maths and English work in the pack emailed out from the school office when you notify us of your child’s need to self-isolate
- Complete any outstanding English and Mathematics homework
- Read their reading book or any books you have at home and fill in the reading record
- Learn their spellings and practice their times tables
This will keep your child going educationally whilst the teachers start to upload further activities/guidance on Google Classroom for the rest of your child’s isolation period.
When will Remote Education activities be uploaded?
From Day 3, your child will find all of their activities for the day on their Google Classroom account. If you have any problems with this, please contact the school office and we will rectify the situation with your child’s class teacher as soon as they are able to do so.
When does my child/ren complete the Remote Education activities?
Your child/ren will need to access and upload their completed activities onto Google Classroom each day.
Alternatively, children can work on paper and photograph it, to upload their learning for that day. There will be a mixture of online and offline activities planned as we understand that computer/devices may need to be shared within the family, and we are keen to make sure that not all your child’s learning is screen based.
How will my child’s special educational needs be supported?
Work will be planned according to the child’s needs. Where specific, individual support plans are in place work will be set according to this. A teacher or teaching assistant will provide further guidance. This may be a telephone call home or uploading video clips or further guidance via Google Classroom.
How and when will my child/ren hear from their teacher and get feedback?
Your children will receive a response from a member of staff regularly in a variety of forms. This may be wellbeing and ‘How are you doing with your activities?’ check on Google Classroom or by telephone. Staff will feedback on your child’s learning regularly so that your child does not go off track if they have had a misconception. Feedback will come in many forms including written/typed comments, acknowledgment of learning, or staff audio-recorded feedback. Your child may receive additional challenges to think about in their further learning if they have found something easy or they may get another similar activity if they need the extra practice of the skill.
Children do not need to respond to their feedback that their teachers give however they may well need to act on the advice given in their future learning, just as they would do in school. If your child does not understand their task, they can contact the teacher via Google Classroom to let them know and the teacher will respond when they are able to do so.
If the whole class are absent from school due to an outbreak or lockdown, teachers will be able to respond throughout the school day. However, if only some of the children in a class are absent at a time, I am sure you will understand that our teachers will only be able to give feedback at the end of the school day due to their class teaching commitments.
What can I do to support my child’s home learning?
We would recommend creating a dedicated area for your child to work on their remote education. We would encourage a set start and finish time that works for you and your family setting. The regular time to move, exercise, and have a break will be beneficial for your child’s home learning experience. Having log in details for education platforms to hand will also make this process easier for your child.
Check-in on what your child(ren) have achieved on a regular basis throughout the day – only upload the activities when you are both happy that the task is completed fully.
If your child doesn’t finish all of the tasks set on the day please encourage them to upload what they have achieved so we can ascertain their level of understanding/effort. We do not expect any child to be working on their remote learning for longer than the normal school day. If you child is not able to complete the tasks set in this time, please contact your child’s class teacher.
If your child finishes the work set quickly, get your child to feed this back to the teacher so they know further challenge is needed in the future.
What if my child is struggling or not completing their Remote Education?
Your children’s teachers will be setting learning appropriate to your child’s ability, age and stage in the year. They will be able to monitor if your child is engaging. Teachers will be providing materials that will support and extend your child’s learning moving forward which should allow all children to participate in their Remote Learning and make genuine progress so they don’t have lots to catch up on when they come back to school.
There may be different levels on activities, additional support videos, word mats, options to replay and much more to support your child’s understanding. It is important to remember that struggle is a normal part of learning and children would face challenge in that learning pit even when in school. However, if your child is struggling with Remote Education beyond what is expected, please contact me at school or via email head@barrington.cambs.sch.uk in the event of a full lockdown. If your child struggles with Remote Education because of lack of IT equipment, then please contact us.
If a child does not engage with the remote education provided, the Class Teacher will call the parents to discuss obstacles and give support. If this disengagement continues, Mrs. Davies will also contact the family to see if the problem can be solved.
Will my child still have to do their remote learning if they are feeling ill with Covid symptoms?
No - if your child does not feel well – let them recover and feel better before settling them down to remote education tasks. Just let the school office know by reporting the absence if this is the case.
Will my child use Google Classroom Remote Learning for other illnesses? No – remote education is just being planned and provided for the Covid self-isolation period. The same applies as above – if your child is unwell, they will not be fit to do work – they need rest and recovery time before heading back to school as normal.
Other things to know if my child(ren) is/are self-isolating
The school office will contact parents/carers to ensure a test has been taken and to make sure that parents know to communicate test results to the school office.
If your child is entitled to Free School Meals we will be providing them with a weekly food parcel or food voucher.
As with all new routines, this will take us all time to get used to so we must be patient with one another and with practice we will all get better. We are here to help as we move through the difficult times. Please come and speak to me if you have any problems so we can work through them together.
Gill Davies has the overarching responsibility for the quality and delivery of remote education, including ensuring that the provision meets the national expectations for remote learning.