Children are at the heart of everything we do and Christ is the light that guides us.

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 if 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?

Where whole classes are learning from home (with the possible exception of critical worker or vulnerable children) – within 24 hours work will be set using the class blog and the pupil log in section of School Spider. All children have been provided with access to log-ins.

Teachers will write their daily class blog which will include English and Mathematics pre-recorded lessons to allow for synchronous education. The ‘Class Discussion’ section of the school website and the ‘Homework’ feature will also be used to allow the children to ask questions throughout the day and for their work to be submitted to their teacher and personalised feedback provided. Every morning, the teacher will host a live Zoom meeting where the learning for the day will be explained, questions answered, work shared etc.

Where children have additional needs, there will be bespoke arrangements made with families whereby work is provided that does not access online learning. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis and a bespoke remote learning plan put into place which may include individualised packs, printed workbooks and materials. Regular individual contact will be maintained with these families via our SMT and Pastoral Team (Mrs Powell, Mrs Downing, Mrs Rice, Mrs O’Marah & our school FSW).

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 broad and balanced curriculum remotely as we do in school. The lessons and units of work will be taught sequentially with a particular focus on English and Mathematics.

Daily PE activities to be provided for each class with a particular emphasis on allowing time away from screens to support our children’s well-being.

Where some children are still learning in school e.g. critical worker and vulnerable children, the daily sequence of lessons will mirror remote provision.

Where children are attending essential provision part-time, the sequence of lessons will be continuous from days at home and days in school.

We will make adaptations for some curriculum areas where necessary e.g. Art (if taught as a unit block whilst children learn remotely) may be tailored to account for resources available, but will aim to cover the key skills.

Daily timetable the same for every class each day to allow for consistency amongst siblings. Every day will start with a Zoom meeting with the rest being pre-recorded lessons to allow flexibility for parents and their own work patterns and commitments. Teachers available of the class discussion all day to answer any questions and feedback will be provided for any work submitted using School Spider.

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:

EYFS

• No DfE required minimum.
• One pre-recorded teacher input approximately 20-30 minutes long with suggested activities throughout the day.
• Particular focus on teaching phonics.
• Daily live Zoom meeting to include class story time.

Key Stage 1

• 3 hours DfE minimum.
• Live with teacher: 20 minutes each morning.
• Pre-recorded teacher lesson videos: 2 x 20 minute videos each for English and Maths. Once per week these lessons will be substituted for a pre-recorded lesson on science, history, geography etc.
• Independent work set: 1.5-2 hours per day to include phonics, handwriting, reading, independent English and Maths from pre-recorded lessons, worship activity, PE activity, foundation curriculum activities.

Key Stage 2

• 4 hours DfE minimum.
• Live with teacher: 20 minutes each morning.
• Pre-recorded teacher lesson videos: 2 x 20-30 minute videos each for English and Maths. Once per week these lessons will be substituted for a pre-recorded lesson on science, history, geography etc.

Independent work set: 2-2.5 hours per day to include spellings, handwriting, reading, times table practice (TTRS), independent English and Maths from pre-recorded lessons, worship activity, PE activity, foundation curriculum activities.

Accessing remote education

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

• Our school website and class blogs on http://www.lostockgralam.cheshire.sch.uk/ (School Spider).
• Our home learning platform (School Spider) which includes a daily class discussion feature where the children can ask questions and a teacher or teaching assistant will be on call all day to help. It also includes a homework feature which allows children to upload their work and teachers can provide bespoke feedback to move the children forward with their learning.
• Microsoft PowerPoint with teacher audio voice teaching the content and new concepts and modelling and explaining the independent activities for that lesson. These are also converted to YouTube videos to allow access on any device at any time
• Live daily Zoom meetings each morning. Meeting details to be sent to parent’s via SchoolComms (our email system).

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:

• Class teachers know which children in their class don’t have access to remote education. iPads from school will be provided for these children.
• Parents/carers will be contacted on day 1 of closure and we will check they have access to our remote education offer.
• Printed work packs will also be provided via email, collection from the main office or we will deliver these to families if required.
• Attendance on daily Zoom meetings and participation in uploading of work will be monitored closely by the teacher. Regular contact with parents will be on-going with this in mind via email and phone calls.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• Recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers using Microsoft PowerPoint and YouTube links)
• Live Zoom meetings to ensure a sence of community and ‘togetherness’ and to provide a consistent routine for the children each morning.
• Printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
• Textbooks and reading books pupils have at home
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
• Small group sessions (live via Zoom) may be arranged where there is a need and an agreed plan to do so. This may include, for example, SALT sessions or differentiated learning.

NB: A contingency, should a staff member become ill (this may be a staff member working in school or remotely), may require us to be flexible and adapt plans rapidly. Should a staff member be unable to deliver live lessons or set work, we will seek to:

1. Review existing staff structures and see whether other teachers and staff in your child’s teaching cohort can provide live sessions and/or set work.
2. If needed, review whether our detailed contingency plan is required. This may involve no live Zoom sessions but work being set for the interim period that follows the National Curriculum and sequence of lessons.
3. Communicate with impacted families with our contingency plan.

Specific Key Stage Expectations

EYFS: Reception

Daily live morning meeting with class teacher – via Zoom – which includes a class story

RWI video lessons set daily

Two pre-recorded lessons – maths and one other area of learning

Activity list designed to replicate Reception activities as closely as possible, to include:

• Phonics (ReadWriteInc.)
• Number
• Handwriting
• Play-based ideas

Feedback provided on work shared via Tapestry, and any misconceptions addressed individually.

Key Stage 1

Daily live morning meeting with class teacher via Zoom

Two pre-recorded lessons each day – focus on English and Mathematic including independent work set for follow-up and feedback

Misconceptions addressed via feedback in School Spider and in live morning meeting

Recorded class story daily

Daily PE and Worship activity

Work set follows National Curriculum:

• High frequency words
• Phonics (ReadWriteInc.)
• Maths
• Handwriting
• English
• Foundation subjects

Feedback provided on work via School Spider and Zoom. Whole class misconceptions addressed in daily live sessions and via individual feedback where needed.

Key Stage 2

Daily live morning meeting with class teacher via Zoom

Two pre-recorded lessons each day – focus on English and Mathematic including independent work set for follow-up and feedback

Misconceptions addressed via feedback in School Spider and in live morning meeting

Recorded class story daily

Daily PE and Worship activity

Work set follows National Curriculum:

• Statutory spellings lists
• Spelling rules and patterns
• Maths
• English
• Foundation subjects

Feedback provided on work via School Spider. Whole class misconceptions addressed in daily live sessions and via individual feedback where needed.

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 all children to engage in the remote learning set out on our school website via the class blogs. Parents need to ensure that their child has access to the above provision and school will do every we can to help with this.
• Live sessions have been staggered so siblings should not need to access live lessons simultaneously.
• During live sessions, we ask that you ensure your child adheres to the guidance as set out in the ‘Home Learning School Agreement’ document sent out to parents.
• We ask that children at home engage with the online learning daily, and work is submitted daily for feedback.
• With the live sessions and School Spider pupil log-in, we would expect that your child is able to work with a good level of independence. There is an understanding that the younger the child, the more guidance may be required.
• Set up a routine and timetable that works for your family. We have recorded the lessons, provided packs etc. so that you can work flexibly to fit in with your own work commitments.
• If you or your child are unsure about the work, we would encourage you to direct a message to your child’s teacher via the School Spider ‘class discussion’ or by emailing admin@lostockgralam.cheshire.sch.uk where it will be forwarded to your child’s class teacher and they will respond as soon as possible.

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

• Teachers will check attendance at the daily live Zoom meetings.
• Engagement in School Spider via the ‘class discussion’ and the uploading of home learning will be monitored every day that remote education is being set.
• Where there is an absence of more than 1 day without hearing from the family, families will be contacted via phone or email by the child’s class teacher.
• Should there be further support required, SMT will be involved to identify a bespoke plan for the child or family.

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:

• The School Spider home learning platform ‘homework’ feature will be used to provide individual feedback to the children. This may not be for every piece of work submitted but children will receive developmental comments from their teacher where appropriate.
• Children will receive whole class verbal feedback where appropriate e.g. where there is a common misconception in the learning during the daily live Zoom meetings
• Quizzes, polls or games may be used to gain feedback.
• Please note that feedback on work will be given during normal school hours. Teachers will also have one afternoon non-contact preparation time per week. During this time, the class teaching assistant will be available on the ‘class discussion’ and will provide feedback where appropriate to work submitted.

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:

• Parents/carers of children with identified SEND in our school will be contacted on the first day of school closure to ensure parents and young people can access school’s remote education offer.
• Every child with an EHCP will have a bespoke plan for them to either access school during times of National Lockdown, or for their learning to continue in a way supported and monitored by the school.
• This is done on a case-by-case basis, individual to the needs of the child and family. This is led by the SENDCo (Mrs O’Marah) in direct liaison with class teachers.
• Any SEND children will also be supported in this way, with a bespoke plan (where required) created and regular contact maintained.
• All plans will be formally documented and monitored by the SENDCo.
• SENDCo will drop in weekly with families of those children with identified needs. This will provide a private, safe platform for parents and carers to share their experience of remote learning and to address any difficulties they may be facing.
• Where a pupil has health provision specified in their EHC Plan, it remains the duty of health bodies to secure or arrange the delivery of this in the setting. There may be times when it becomes very difficult to do so. In this situation, decision on how provision can be delivered should be informed by relevant consideration including, for example the type of services that the pupil can access remotely, for example, online teaching and remote sessions with different types of therapists. These will be planned on a case by case basis. The SENDCo will liaise with health bodies to support.

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?

• During National Lockdown, children will access remote learning provision as above, regardless of the need to self-isolate.
• In times when school is open to the majority of children, self-isolating children will have work set via email (that matches the curriculum and the work set in class) but will not have pre-recorded video lessons or live Zoom meetings with the teacher. This is due to the need for the class teacher to teach the rest of the class during school hours.
• Work packs will be provided that follow the in-school curriculum and lessons from Oak National Academy and White Rose Maths will be utilised for English and Mathematics.