Remote Learning

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 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 morning, your child should spend some time reading, whether this is a book or via Reading Plus (KS2) or Reading Eggs (KS1). By lunchtime, your child will be invited to a Microsoft TEAMS meeting so that they can join in with class teaching remotely.

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?

Yes. The work set for home learners will be the same work that the children in school will be completing, with the exception of certain lessons which may not be appropriate for a child to access without adult guidance e.g. relationships and sex education. In these exceptional cases, pupils will be set alternative lessons to complete at home within the same curriculum area. Another example where the content may be different, under certain circumstances, is PE where teaching may include a link to a live stream lesson in school or a link to a video PE lesson via Oak National Academy.

All children will access 1 mathematics, 1 English, 1 reading/phonics and at least 1 foundation subject lesson each day.

Where possible from Y1 to Y6, we will invite children to join the class for live lessons via Microsoft TEAMS.

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 – 4 hours
Key Stage 2	4 hours

Accessing remote education

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

In Reception, online remote education is provided through Class Dojo. You can access lessons uploaded and send evidence of your child’s learning via this platform.

In Year 1, lessons and activities will be uploaded via Microsoft TEAMS and parents can send evidence of learning back through Microsoft TEAMS or via Class Dojo.

In Years 2-6, lessons will be uploaded to Microsoft TEAMS and children will turn their work in and receive feedback.

Any resources needed for the lesson will be uploaded onto Microsoft TEAMS as well as a blank Word document on which pupils will type their answers.

Children will be expected to upload their completed work via Microsoft TEAMs each day so that teachers can provide written feedback the following day or before the next lesson for that particular subject.

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:

For pupils who do not have access to an electronic device, school will strive to provide a sanitised, data-wiped laptop for them to use. Where this is not possible, school will provide printed versions of worksheets, PowerPoints and resources.
For pupils who do not have access to the internet, school will print all worksheets and resources needed to ensure that they have access to the same offer as all other pupils. School can also provide an internet dongle for pupils with poor or little internet.
If you do not have access to a digital device that would enable your child to access online learning then please contact the School Office 01744 883281 or email rainfordp@sthelens.org.uk
If you require a greater data allowance in order to be able to download and upload work, please contact the School Office.
If you have requested work to be printed off because you do not have access to Wifi at all, then work for the week will be left at the School Office for collection.
If you collect printed materials, please leave completed work for marking at the same time

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

Live, daily streaming access to class lessons

For PE, an online lesson will be provided (once per week) either via a direct live TEAMs stream to their class or, where this is not possible, a link to a PE lesson via Oak National Academy. The PE lesson will not necessarily take the place of 1 of the foundation subjects. Where PE is taught that day, another foundation subject will usually still be set for children to complete.
Printed paper packs are produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets) for those children without any remote access
Pupils will also access online resources as they would if they were in school, including but not limited to, Reading Plus, Reading Eggs, Times Table Rockstars, Accelerated Reader, IDL Literacy and IDL Numeracy.

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?

Children are expected to complete the lessons uploaded and turn them in to their teacher for feedback
Most children will be able to complete activities independently
Younger children may need some support to access the lessons and need encouragement that they can do the activities
Where live sessions are taking place (registration and PE), parents must read and agree to our Live Streaming Sessions Acceptable Use Policy which outlines the expectations of staff, pupils and parents/carers during these sessions.

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

Teachers will be monitoring engagement daily as they read children’s work and provide feedback to them (via Microsoft TEAMS or Class Dojo).
Teachers will make a weekly phone call to parents if children have not been completing work in order to see what any issues might be so that they can be resolved.
Teachers will communicate with parents/carers via Class Dojo to provide support and information, where appropriate.

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:

For most subjects, children will receive live feedback via their remote link into the classroom.
Teachers will also, where appropriate, mark directly onto children’s written work and return it to them.
Children will be asked to self-assess and feedback how well they did in some subjects, particularly reading comprehension, arithmetic/mathematics fluency and Maths No Problem. Teachers will still provide feedback for mathematics and reading lessons but it is an opportunity for children to develop self-assessment skills.

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:

If your child receives top-up funding or has an EHCP, the teaching assistant allocated to your child will contact your child daily to offer support.
If children are working below the level of their year group and would access differentiated work within the classroom, home learning work will then be differentiated, where appropriate, to ensure learning continues to address the next steps for individual children.
Tasks set for younger children will be accessible to those children at home and responses to teaching may involve photographs of activities rather than written responses.
If they access these interventions in school, children will still be expected to access IDL Numeracy and/or IDL Literacy daily from home. All children are able to access this intervention independently.

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?

Y1-6 If a child is isolating at home but the rest of the class remain in school, the teacher will send a link to a Microsoft TEAM meeting so that the child can access learning live from the classroom.

EYFS - children will be sent activities to do at home via Class Dojo.