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 pupils being sent home?

Children will have information provided to them regarding their remote learning via their class page on Google Classroom.  Teachers will use this platform to distribute work and to arrange video calls to explain new processes and expectations.  Parents will be able to come into school at a pre-arranged time over day two and three of home learning to pick up resource packs created by the class teacher.

 

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?

  • We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, our Foundation subjects will be taught using Oak Academy (supported by BBC Bitesize and teacher’s own resources) rather than the CUSP curriculum.  The theme for each unit will correspond as closely as possible to our curriculum map.  Some subjects may have to be taught in a different order to previously outlined but teachers will ensure that all subjects are covered over the course of the year.

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 (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Key Stage 1

3 hours per day

Key Stage 2

4 hours per day

Accessing remote education

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

 

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:

  • If pupils do not have access to a suitable device, they should contact the school and let them know.  The school will then be able to issue the pupil with a device.  Our school devices are Google Chromebooks.
  • Parents will be issued with a lending agreement which sets out the conditions of use for borrowing a device.
  • If pupils require access to printed material, parents should contact the class teacher in the first instance, who will discuss the pupil’s requirements and arrange suitable alternatives if needed.
  • Work can be submitted to class teachers via Google Classroom.  Work can be created using Google operating programmes or by using Microsoft programmes.  Work from books can be photographed.  These can all be attached and uploaded to the assignment within Google Classroom.  Otherwise, parents can mail pupils work, or photographs of their work, to the class email address.  Teachers may ask pupils to show their work during live teaching or small group work, as well as contributing answers using the chat function or raise hand function.  Teachers will make explicit during their instructions how each piece of work should be recorded and submitted.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

The remote teaching approaches Ditton Lodge will be using are:

  • Live teaching (online lessons) for two hours a day to teach Maths and English.  Plus two hours of work tasks which will include further Maths and English and Foundation Subjects
  • Recorded teaching from White Rose Maths (to support daily Maths lessons), Oak Academy, BBC Daily or similar (to support Foundation Subject lessons.
  • Booklets/sheets to accompany lessons may be uploaded onto Google Classroom for pupils to download and print or read online.
  • Pupils may also be directed towards reading books at home
  • Foundation Subjects will be supported by weekly project banks with offline learning activities

These approaches will be consistent across key stages.

 

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?

Expectations of pupils:

· Attend all lessons on time with a positive attitude.

· Follow your teacher’s instructions if you have a question or answer you would like to share.

· Let your teacher know if you are finding the work too hard or too easy.

  • If you have additional needs and are worried that you can’t access or understand some of the home learning tasks, or are not receiving the feedback you need, let your teachers and family members know.

Expectations of parents:

  • to support their child to access the learning and live teaching sessions.
  • to support their child to access the resources needed for each lesson.
  • To support their child to submit the work to the class teacher
  • To be supportive of the class teacher/teaching assistant and behaviour expectations on Google Classroom and live teaching sessions
  • To communicate with their child’s class teacher if they have any concerns around their child’s ability to access the learning
  • If a parent of a child with additional needs, to communicate to the class teacher if they feel that the learning is not being suitably adjusted

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

  • Daily registers will be taken of all live teaching sessions.  If a child is not present, then parents will be contacted via the school office to check the reason the child is absent and to offer any support which may be needed to access the learning.
  • Teachers will communicate regularly with pupils during live teaching sessions and small group sessions, to ensure the pupils understand the work set and how to record their work.  If teachers feel they are concerned, they will contact parents in the first instance to offer support and any appropriate adjustments.  If further support is needed, the school SENDCo may be referred to.

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:

  • Feedback will primarily be live, instant feedback during the daily Maths and English lessons.
  • Feedback will be guided through questioning, entering answers into the chat, sharing responses out loud and showing teachers their work by sharing screens.
  • Children will receive further feedback to address misconceptions or secure a concept via small group work with teachers or teaching assistants.
  • Children will receive a positive comment on any work submitted to the teacher digitally.

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:

  • The SENDCo and class teacher will work closely with parents in order that provision may be adapted as appropriate so that it meets the needs of the child.
  • Regular meetings and feedback via phone call or email, will be used by the class teacher and SENDCo to monitor pupils with additional needs.
  • The use of small groups, 1:1 sessions, pre-teaching and interventions such as Easy Read, will be used by class teachers and teaching assistants to support children with additional needs.
  • Children with an EHCP will be invited into school and parents will make the choice whether they wish their child to take up the place

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?

The approach to remote education for children who are self-isolating will be consistent with the approaches to remote education during lockdown periods.  Class teachers will contact parents to explain processes for accessing the remote learning. All children will access Google Classroom and be offered a device if they require it.