Remote Learning Plan
In the event your child needing to self-isolate due to having Covid-19 symptoms themselves or members of your household having symptoms or because we have had to close a class or the whole school, please find details of our remote learning plan.
DFE guidance states that schools should “Develop remote education so that it is integrated into school curriculum planning: Remote education may need to be an essential component in the delivery of the school curriculum for some pupils, alongside classroom teaching, or in the case of a local lockdown. All schools are therefore expected to plan to ensure any pupils educated at home for some of the time are given the support they need to master the curriculum and so make good progress.”
In the event of any form of isolation and loss of learning caused by Coronavirus, parents/carers should understand that engagement in remote home education is now compulsory, as is the expectation that our school makes this provision available and accessible. However, it is important to note that if your child is too ill then they should not be expected to engage in remote home education until they are feeling better. This information just needs to be communicated with the school office as it would be for any other absence.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home
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, all lessons and activities are directly linked to what your child would have been taught in school and will make specific reference to new teaching content as well as consolidating previous learning too.
Activities/tasks will be designed to be completed in your home and will only require the resources that have been given to you. We have provided each child with a home learning pack and Kindle Fire tablet (Year 2 - 6) to make sure that no child is disadvantaged by resources or technology.
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:
Reception Year 1 and 2 |
3 hours |
Year 3 and 4 |
4 hours |
Year 5 and 6 |
4 hours |
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
We will use our blogs (found on the school website) and Microsoft Teams to deliver remote learning.
All live lessons will be conducted using MS Teams.
We will also provide a paper work pack for pupils in Northgate as we recognise that accessing technology may be more difficult for our younger children. This work will be photographed and shared via email with the class teacher. Parents in Northgate may also use the Tapestry assessment tool to provide evidence of pupils’ work.
Any parents requiring technical support can ring the School Office.
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:
Devices:
We have provided every child in Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate with an internet-ready Kindle Fire tablet. The children have been using these in class and are very familiar with how to use them to access the blog and MS teams.
Any parents or carers of Northgate pupils who do not have an electronic device, can contact the school office to request a device loan. Laptops will be loaned out from the school subject to a loan agreement.
Internet access:
Any families struggling with internet connection can contact school and discuss options. SIM cards with prepaid data are available for families to use solely for accessing remote learning lessons and parents may be asked to submit their details to have their mobile data allowance increased under the government scheme.
General Resources:
Prior to Christmas, we also gave every child a home resource pack containing basic stationery items. Should these need ‘topping up’, please let your class teacher know and we will arrange for them to be replenished.
Work Packs:
Paper work packs for Northgate pupils and identified pupils with SEND will be delivered to your home by a member of staff who will follow COVID-19 protocols.
How will my child be taught remotely and how will you assess my child’s work and progress?
At St Paul’s, we use a combination of set assignments, live teaching and pre-recorded videos made by your child’s class teachers to deliver lesson content. Teachers will set follow up tasks for your child to complete at home using the resources that we have provided for them.
How your child is taught remotely and the expectations of them will be different, depending their age and stage of development.
For detailed information on how pupils will be taught remotely and how we will provide feedback on their progress in the event of a class/house or whole school lockdown, click here.
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?
Engagement and attendance
We believe in every child’s right to an education. Therefore, daily attendance to online sessions is expected. We encourage all pupils to attend all of their sessions to maintain their quality of education. If we have no attendance from your child at the daily registration, we will be contacting you to discuss your child’s remote learning and how we can support.
Parental support
Please encourage your child to attend their sessions where possible and complete any assigned learning tasks. A good routine can be maintained through following the suggested timetable uploaded by your child’s teacher.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
We will check pupils’ daily engagement with learning. Their engagement will be checked by attendance at registration and online lessons and through the submission of work to their teachers.
For pupils in Phase 1: If your child does not attend the morning phonics session, we will ring you to see if there is any support needed and discuss any concerns or anything we can do to help.
For pupils in Phases 2 & 3: If your child does not attend the morning registration session, we will ring you to find out why they have not attended in the attempt that they will then be able to attend subsequent live lessons on that day and to see if there is any support needed and discuss any concerns or anything we can do to help.
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:
Any pupils with SEND meaning that they would find it difficult to be taught remotely in line with their year group peers, will be offered alternative Maths and English lessons or catch up sessions appropriate to their needs. Tasks will be differentiated and scaffolding/additional resources e.g. picture prompts/word banks will be provided to support pupils in their learning.
We will also be running a range of interventions to cater for pupils remotely. If your child is in one of these sessions, you will be notified of their days and times. All pupils who are subject to an EHCP, and are not in school, will have sessions working on their own personalised targets. They will have regular check-ins with Mrs Thackeray (SENCO) to see if we can support you further in any way.
A number of other children have also been identified for pastoral support from Mrs Baller (Lead Practitioner for Pastoral Support and Well-Being). Work packs to be sent home will be altered where appropriate to accommodate for particular needs for certain pupils.
We understand that pupils in Phase 1, may find it difficult due to their age to learn remotely. We will endeavour to make online sessions fun, engaging and clear and offer any advice necessary to support parents during weekly welfare calls.
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?
For detailed information on how pupils will be taught remotely and how we will provide feedback on their progress in the event of an individual self-isolation period due to COVID-19, click here.