Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents - Stoke Lodge ...

Remote Education Provision:
  Information for Parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils, parents and/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 however staff are
prepared and well trained to ensure our remote learning offer is in place as soon as possible.

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent
home?

 From the first day of lockdown or in the event that a bubble is forced to close, teachers will upload a
 ‘good morning’ welcome video to Seesaw. This will be followed by the usual ‘Fluent in 5’ arithmetic
 challenge, handwriting and a ‘3 in 3’ grammar challenge. Links will be sent out for live sessions such as
 assemblies so that pupils and their families can join. As soon as teaching inputs have been recorded
 and usually on the first day, teachers will provide the full remote learning offer, including an English,
 maths and Curious Curriculum (wider curriculum) inputs. Teachers and support staff will also ensure a
 story is recorded for the end of the day to bring the community together. If pupils or their families are
 struggling with technology and/or resources, packs are either available for collection or delivered to
 ensure pupils miss no time. Our Family Link Worker and/or Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher
 contact vulnerable families and social workers to provide additional support e.g. food vouchers or
 parcels prepared by the school in conjunction with local businesses who we have established good
 working relationships with such as Co-op and Aldi.

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 aim to provide the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible. Teachers are
 becoming increasingly skilled at adapting planning and continue to deliver using our Olympus
 Pedagogy/Curriculum Axis which ensures a wide range of pedagogical repertoire is used to engage
 pupils. Our teachers ask themselves: ‘What do we want our pupils to learn?’ and ‘What is the best way
 for them to learn it?’ just like they would if working on site. Where specialist resources or equipment is
 required, our team plan ahead and send out packages or hand deliver, if appropriate, to ensure no
 child misses out on a high quality learning opportunities.

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 / Key Stage 1   In line with statutory requirements, our
                     pupils receive a minimum of three hours
                     across each day. In our experience so
                     far, teachers and support staff have
                     provided more than this.

Key Stage 2          In line with statutory requirements, our
                     pupils receive a minimum of four hours
                     across each day. In our experience so
                     far, teachers and support staff have
                     provided more than this.

Accessing remote education

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

 We want to ensure quality and consistency in our approach to remote learning for children who are
 learning at home.

        Work will be set and delivered on Seesaw (Tapestry for EYFS) from Monday to Friday, work in
         school will align as closely as possible to this. Teacher inputs are filmed and uploaded by the
         class teacher, the parallel year group teacher, another member of the school or Trust teaching
         team, for example if their teacher is unwell. Parents/carers in our community find this useful as
         they can pause and replay if necessary. Pupil voice has taught us that our community enjoy
         connecting and seeing the familiar faces of Team SLP.

        In the event of a national lockdown, in school provision is organised to ensure parents and carers
         who are critical workers and also vulnerable pupils e.g. subject to a CP plan, FSM, CIN etc. In
         each year group, staff are split into two teams which rotate: one team will be teaching pupils
         accessing in-school provision in week one and the other will be teaching remotely. Staff
         teaching online will be available throughout day to provide feedback and to answer any
         queries about the learning. In line with our whole school approach to providing quality
         feedback, pupils may receive a written or recorded actionable next step which requires them to
         respond, it may challenge them to think more deeply and prove or explain their thinking or it
         may help scaffold thinking and encourage them to revisit a concept, edit or revise. Work
         submitted may also raise something that the teachers will reflect on and adapt their planning for
         the next session or whole class feedback may be appropriate.

        Each day starts with a welcome/good morning video from the class teacher whether they are
         working remotely or leading in-school provision (implemented following EEF research highlighting
         the importance of building a sense of belonging for pupils and connecting the school
         community). As a minimum, the whole school community joins together virtually on a Monday for
         the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher assembly linked to our value/gem of the term and on a
         Friday for Celebration Assembly. We also hold our termly Amazing Achiever and Learning
         Champion assemblies virtually using Zoom. Parents and carers also attend these events and their
         feedback suggests it is a ‘highlight of the week’ bringing the school community together.

        We recognise that some parents will be working from home and will need to manage their day
         as well as their child’s. Pre-recorded lessons and suggested timetables have been useful in giving
         families some flexibility around completing tasks, although the expectation is that children are
         accessing learning every school day. Lessons will not be live streamed, but (as a minimum) an
         English, Maths and Curriculum lesson will be uploaded by school staff daily. Staff report any
         pupils or families who are not responding to the Leadership Team and this is followed up first with
         a telephone call to see if there is anything the family need support with.

        Whilst teacher inputs are uploaded to Seesaw and learning is uploaded back to the teacher
         using this platform, we do not want our pupils to spend all day in front of a screen. Our remote
         learning will be interspersed with ideas for practical, creative and physical activities to ensure
         that the children are having a broad and balanced curriculum experience as they would in
         school. Teachers may also direct children to other external websites such as the BBC, Oak
         National Academy and other verified websites in addition to the core learning provided by the
         school.

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:

 A Trust-wide digital access survey for parents/carers has identified any difficulties with providing devices
 for their children. We have provided a number of devices to families, including devices allocated by the
 DfE, donated devices and school funded devices.

 Please contact the school (01454 866772 / SLP-Enquiries@olympustrust.co.uk ) if your child has any
 difficulties accessing online learning. We are always here to help.

        We can direct you to the DfE scheme to upgrade your data package / offer a free sim card or
         provide an internet dongle
        We will be able to provide / lend devices to families where there is no access
        We can provide materials for pupils in different formats
        We can organise for pupils to submit work to teachers in alternative ways.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

        Work will be set daily and uploaded to Seesaw. There will be an English, maths and Curious
         Curriculum theme lesson, as a minimum, daily. There will also be a welcome/meet and greet
         and a story read to pupils at the end of the day.

        We will make daily contact with parents and children via Seesaw (Tapestry for EYFS).

        Teachers may use the live streaming for Q&A sessions but we will not use live lessons, for
         safeguarding reasons. However, staff will provide frequent and clear explanations of new
         content using high quality resources and pre-recorded videos.

        Staff (including Mr Ferris and Mrs Reeves) are happy to make phone contact with any parents or
         carers who have questions or need support.

        Teachers will monitor the engagement of children’ learning; children will be expected to
         engage in learning every school day.

        The school will communicate regularly with families through Seesaw (Tapestry for EYFS), social
         media, newsletters, phone calls and emails.

        Phase Leaders (Mrs Paske, Mrs Johnson and Mrs Hughes) will keep an overview of the work
         which is being set to ensure consistency across the phase.

        The Headteacher (Mr Ferris) and Deputy Headteacher/Curriculum and Teaching and Learning
         Lead (Mrs Reeves) will remain responsible for the overall quality of the school’s remote learning.

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?

 School staff will…
        Share daily teaching activities through Seesaw/Tapestry, ensuring that the quality of planning
         and lessons are equivalent to those the children would receive in school.
        Provide feedback to children daily.
        Be available daily to answer any queries, or to provide support.
        Mrs Todd (SENCo/Inclusion Lead) will be available to provide support and advice for any
         individuals identified as having additional needs and/or an EHCP.
        Mrs James (Family Link Worker) will be available to provide support for any families at this difficult
         time.
        Mr Ferris and Mrs Reeves (Designated Safeguarding Leads) will provide any support if you have
         concerns about the welfare or safety of a member of our community.

 Pupils, we will need you to…
        Log on to Seesaw/Tapestry each day.
        Watch all of the learning videos/inputs set by your teachers.
        Complete the learning set by your teacher each day and upload it to Seesaw/Tapestry.
        Use other online resources such as TT Rockstars and any other activities recommended by the
         teacher.
        Present your learning with the same high standards that we all share at SLP.

 We’d be really grateful if parents and carers could…
        Make sure your child is signed up to Seesaw Class and as parents/carers you are signed up to
         Seesaw Family so that you can upload work and communicate with the class teacher. For EYFS
         this is the same but using Tapestry.
        Set a clear routine with your child(ren) using the timetable and the daily learning set.
        Read all communication that comes out from the school to ensure you are fully aware and up to
         date with news.
        Support your child(ren) to complete the learning set.
        Liaise with school staff and seek support, when needed, with class teacher via email or on
         Seesaw/Tapestry.
        Provide access to the learning offered for their children.
        Support your child(ren) by uploading completed work for assessment and feedback as required.
        Make sure we have up to date contact details so we can stay in contact.

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

        Pupil engagement will be checked daily and feedback will be given on work uploaded to
         Seesaw.
        If there are concerns, a member of the team will contact you to discuss any support needed.
        If families do not engage or respond to phone calls, a home visit will be arranged.
        If parents have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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 to pupils will take different forms, including:

        Individual written feedback on Seesaw (Tapestry for EYFS) providing actionable next steps
        Individual live verbal feedback during Zoom sessions
        Audio comment feedback on Seesaw (Tapestry for EYFS)
        Phone call / Zoom contact where appropriate

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:

 Remote education for pupils with SEND:

        In line with the SEN&D Code of Practice, teachers will ensure work is pitched appropriately to
         challenge and support individual needs using their knowledge of effective
         scaffolding/differentiation. Our SENCo, Mrs Lucy Todd, takes responsibility to oversee this and
         ensure to ensure that the work set is targeted and appropriate for pupils’ learning needs.

        Mrs Todd (SENCo) works alongside class teachers and support staff to ensure pupils with
         additional needs have access to provision listed on their EHCP and/or Plan Do Review including
         live/pre-recorded interventions.

        Individual packs of work may supplement that which is available on Seesaw/Tapestry.

 Remote education for younger pupils:

        EYFS pupils will use Tapestry for remote learning.

        There will be an emphasis on practical learning, teacher inputs may be shorted and a higher
         proportion of the activities will be ‘live’ and interactive.

        Priority will be given to phonics and early reading.

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 however, teachers will use their best endeavors
to share the learning taking place in school online. The main difference here is only the amount of teacher
inputs recorded and shared online, however additional ‘live’ video calls and/or phone calls are put in place
in this instance either from the class teacher, Mrs Dani James (Family Link Worker) or a member of the
Leadership Team.

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the
approaches described above?

 For pupils who are self-isolating, the remote learning offer is the same as that outlined above.