WEST PENNARD CE VC SCHOOL REMOTE EDUCATION PROVISION: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Our school vision…
- ‘Since God so loved us, so we must love one another’ (1 John 4 v11)
- Valuing our Christian foundation, we care for each other and our world.
- We develop resilience, confidence and independence through our innovative and diverse curriculum; inspiring and motivating everyone to thrive.
- Our motto, ‘To Try is to Triumph’ and growing Christian Values, are central to all that we do.
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 document.
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?
In the event of the requirement for immediate provision of remote learning, work will be made available using Google Classroom as the primary medium for providing remote education. Children in each class will already have immediate access to this as it is the medium for which we now issue homework, in order to keep skills and passwords fresh in the mind. Teachers will upload work onto their classroom linked to that being delivered face to face. There will also be links to online learning materials as well as stipulation as to the time required to practise skills such as reading.
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, the teaching of certain skills in subjects such as Art or Computing will be subject to the availability of materials in respective peoples’ homes. A lesson on coding using certain software or a particular device would need to have the assumption that everyone has access to this in their homes for the lesson and outcomes to be as intended. Alternatives ways of meeting the desired outcomes will be sought. Access to art materials can equally not be assumed, so physical outcomes in subjects such as art (final pieces) will largely need to be facilitated once back in school.
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 - 5 hrs
Key Stage 2: 4 – 5 hrs
Of course, the time that children take on work, in school or remotely, depends upon the support that they receive, their ability and also the access they have to resources. Work will be differentiated and tailored to cater for differing needs and there will be a mixture of closed and open ended tasks to allow for extension where necessary.
Within the allotted time stipulated above is also the requirement for daily practise of the following:
Key Stage 1:
Phonics Bug (daily – 30 minutes)
Reading (daily – 20 minutes)
Doodle Maths (Y2+) (daily – 20 minutes)
Key Stage 2:
Reading (daily – 30 minutes)
Doodle Maths (daily – 20 minutes)
TT Rockstars (daily – 20 minutes)
ACCESSING REMOTE EDUCATION
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
The primary medium for delivering remote education will be Google Classroom. Parents and pupils have access to this as it is the medium for issuing homework during the normal workings of the school.
Other online tools that are used currently:
- Accelerated Reader (passwords and access already granted)
- Phonics Bug (passwords and access already granted)
- TT Rockstars (passwords and access already granted)
- Doodle Maths (passwords and access already granted)
- My On (passwords and access pending)
- White Rose Maths Premium Resources (directed by teachers)
- Power Maths Resources (directed by teachers)
- BBC Bitesize (open source)
- Oak Academy (open source)
- Teach Your Monster to Read (passwords and access already granted)
This is a growing, not a definitive list.
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:
We will lend out Chromebooks to families that require them to enable effective engagement with remote learning. This is considered on a case by case basis and follows a discussion via email or by phonecall with the Heateacher.
Parents were canvassed as to access to devices and internet connectivity during the Autumn Term. 97% had access to the Internet. Parents can contact the school to request an internet dongle should they require one. Parents are also advised that BT and EE are offering free data access to sites such as BBC Bitesize.
Much of the content created or adapted for Google Classroom is editable or can be editable, negating the need for printing. Where it is not editable parents have been shown an online help video to make it so to enable it to be turned in without the need to print.
Parents have been issued with packs of books and printed resources to facilitate learning at home also. Should anyone not be able to ‘turn in’ work via Google Classroom they can keep a record of the work that they produce in the exercise books that they have at home and drop it off at the school for the teachers perusal if and when safe to do so.
HOW WILL MY CHILD BE TAUGHT REMOTELY?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers and narrated activities. Oak Academy and other online recorded teaching)
- editable worksheets and activities (parents have been shown how to make them editbale where / if they are not)
- some classes will have live face to face catch up meetings using Google Meet
- textbooks, reading books and printed resources pupils have been given to work from home
- tailored reading resources have been made available online (EYFS/KS1)
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or teaching sequences
- project work and / or internet research activities (only where necessary)
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 that you ensure that your child engages with the work that is set via Google Classroom and that they are supported to do so when and where possible. The support that you provide should be sufficient enough to facilitate them doing the work set for them to do. If the child is finding the work too easy or difficult please contact class teachers to make adaptations accordingly.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Teachers will monitor the work ‘turned in’ through Google Classroom during a working week and will raise concerns with the Headteacher, should work not be submitted for three consecutive days in a week. The Headteacher will monitor the log ins to assess the access made to the platform and the duration of the engagement.
Should concerns be raised, class teachers will seek to make contact with the child and / or the parents initially through Google Classroom or through Class Dojo. A follow up phonecall from the Heateacher will be made if necessary.
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:
Comments will be made on work where appropriate via Google Classroom as comments on particular work. This is task and needs dependent. Feedback will be given through the week but not necessarily on the day that the work was turned in, unless feedback is necessary to inform the next lesson. This is because teachers may be supervising the key worker provision and will be unable at that time to give immediate feedback.
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 a number of 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:
- Providing access to support materials, pertinent to the age taught, within Google Classroom.
- Differentiating the work set so it is accessible by all in the class
- Having regular channels of communication with parents through phonecalls and emails to the school and discussions with the SENCO.
- Providing help videos and narrations to assist the explanation of the concepts at a level the children will understand.
- Where appropriate, additional support linked to previous interventions and/or needs. This is on a case-by-case basis and log ins to Rapid Reading / Rapid Phonics, for example, have been provided to parents by the SENCo where necessary
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 medium for which work will be accessed will match that for remote education en masse. The teachers will upload and direct pupils to activities and work that matches what they would be doing in school as closely as possible. However, there will be some activities and some lessons for which this is not completely possible for reasons stated earlier e.g. access to certain resources or materials. Should this be the case, depending on the period of isolation, this learning can be facilitated when back in school.
REMOTE EDUCATION LEAD: TONY WHEAT
