This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain home.
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?
During the first day or two of remote learning, you will be sent the login for Google Classroom (if not already provided) for access to the daily learning. On here there will be a timetable, which follows the lessons taught in school. We will prioritise calculations, reading and spelling in the morning and subject disciplines will be timetabled in the afternoon. Logins for Times Table Rock Stars and My Maths will also be distributed. Initially, lessons will appear through PowerPoints and word documents with explanations and instructions where needed. This will be replaced by live sessions and recorded teaching.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they were in school.
We teach exactly the same curriculum remotely as we do in school with the addition of daily learning video clips for KS1 and KS2.
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 the remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following numbers of hours each day:
- KS1 (Years 1-2) – 3 hours
- KS2 (Years 3-6) – 4 hours.
Accessing remote education
How will my child access online remote education you are providing?
All of the online remote education will be assigned daily using Google Classroom. Each child has an individual login to access their class work. On Google Classroom there will be a daily timetable (identical to the one in school) with accompanying PowerPoints, video clips, website links and documents to support the learning.
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:All children without digital or online access at home have been classed by our school as vulnerable and offered a place in school. We are able to access both DfE laptops and vouchers for the Internet for those families who need either or both.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- Live teaching (Microsoft Teams/Google Meet)
- Recorded teaching sessions
- PowerPoint presentations
- Digital Maths No Problem text and workbooks
- Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences.
- Online YouTube channels (The Body Coach– Joe Wicks)
- Educational films with questioning.
Engagement and feedback
What are the expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parent and carers should provide at home?
Our expectation for pupil engagement with remote education is set out by the daily timetable for each year group. This timetable (on Google Classroom) provides specific timings for learning across the day. By completing the daily sessions, pupils are receiving remote education from across the school curriculum for their year group. Parents/carers need to support their child’s education by setting regular routines for each day. The timetable provided is there to help with this.
How will you check whether my child is engaged with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Through Google Classroom, staff can access information showing when users have been active. This shows how often a login is used to access the remote learning provided and will be checked weekly.When work is not received or pupils have not accessed Google Classroom, a weekly phone call is carried out by the admin team and concerns will be discussed.
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 followed:
- Where appropriate Maths calculations are marked and returned via email.
- Positive praise and comments send in response via email.
- Digital marking on questions/assignments through Google Classroom.Pupils will receive feedback weekly on the work received.
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 Need and Disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge thedifficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:As a school, we recognise SEND children as vulnerable and have been offered a place in school. If parents/carers have chosen to keep their children at home, differentiated work has been sent to individual learners.
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer groupRemains in school, how remoted education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both as 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?
If self-isolating, remote education will still be provided through Google Classroom. The timetable and learning provided will follow that being taught in school on that day with specific guidance and all resources included. As detailed above, core subjects (Maths, Reading and Writing) will be included in the morning and wider subjects in the afternoon, this matches the timetable taught within school. During the period of isolation, regular communication from the class teacher will be given via Google Classroom/email along with feedback on any work completed and received by school.
Springbank Academy is a member of The White Hills Park Trust, a company registered in England and Wales.