Remote education provision – information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to parents and pupils 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 children are self-isolating, please see the final section of this form.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home

The first day or two of remote provision might look different from our standard approach to remote education, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote delivery.

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

Students are able to transfer immediately to remote learning through Google Classroom. Google classroom has been a tool used in lessons and for homework completion. Teachers will set appropriate work for their classes via the Classroom; this will include live lessons, pre recorded lessons and appropriate resources to ensure that learning continues in line with the normal sequence of learning.

Students who do not have access to technology can loan a laptop/Chromebook from the school. In some cases, it may be appropriate for paper copies of resources to be sent home for students to complete.

If your situation at home changes please inform the school so that our records regarding students’ access to technology and Wi-Fi access can be kept up to date. Please use either the ‘Contact Us’ button on the school website or email: enquiries@acklam.outwood.com.

Following the first few days of immediate provision, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum remotely as they would if they were in school?

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school. There may be some subjects such as art, PE and design & technology that rely on access to specific resources and equipment that students do not have access to at home. In these cases, alternative work will be set that is linked as closely as possible to what the students would be learning if they were in school.

It is important that students continue to make progress in all their subjects, this is why we have carefully mapped the content for each subject to ensure that we can switch seamlessly to a remote learning approach should the need arise.

Students will also have access to at least one tutor time a week in which they will engage with their tutor teacher and / or members of the senior leadership team.

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 provision (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Secondary school-aged pupils not working towards formal qualifications this year

A minimum of 5 hours with additional work set between lessons (homework).

Secondary school-aged pupils working towards formal qualifications this year

A minimum of 5 hours input from teachers with additional work being set between lessons (homework).

Accessing remote education

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

Google Classroom is the place where all work will be set and where students can access feedback from their teachers. Students will continue to use online platforms such as Seneca Learning (Science), Hegarty and Sparx (Maths) to support subject lessons.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

If you have already informed us that your child needs access to a device to access online learning a laptop/Chromebook will be issued for the duration of the Covid related absence. We do understand that circumstances may change and should this happen then please contact us via the ‘Contact Us’ button on the school website or via the email: enquiries@acklam.outwood.com. A colleague from school will then contact you to address any issues and to resolve any barriers to online learning, including wifi access.

For those families who have requested printed materials; packs of work will be posted home or delivered (if appropriate). A member of staff will contact you to agree an appropriate way of submitting the completed work in order to get feedback from teachers. This could include regular phone calls, posting work back to the school or taking photos of the completed work via mobile phone and emailing it to the appropriate person.

How will my child be taught remotely?

Google Classroom is the ‘go to’ place for all students to access their online learning. All students have been taught how to use this platform and additional support if required is available via the ‘Online Learning’ section of the school website (parents/carers will find video clips which explain for example, how to log onto Google Classroom, re-setting passwords, accessing and submitting work etc). This can also be accessed by clicking Home Learning

Live teaching will be used wherever this is practicable to do so. Students will either follow their normal timetable of lessons or a bespoke timetable will be produced for the time they are absent due to Covid.

Recorded lessons where the teacher has pre-recorded the lesson for their class and posted this in their Google Classroom, this could include direction to national sites e.g. Oak Academy; BBC Bitesize or subject specific YouTube clips that are embedded in the content.

Additional work is set by the teacher via Google Classroom which will regularly include revision and quizzes to consolidate learning.

In some cases where access to technology is a barrier then work will be printed for students and posted or delivered home for students to complete.

Students have access to an online library via MyOn which consolidates the Accelerated Reader program; this is to ensure reading skills continue to progress during absence from the Academy.
All students are expected to engage with remote learning and those not engaging will be followed up by their teachers to identify ant barriers & to establish what further support is required.

What is the process for issuing or lending laptops or tablets to pupils, including eligibility?

The school has already collected data on student access to technology in the home and processes are in place to support these students. Laptops/Chromebooks will be available for these students to loan during the period of absence due to Covid. This will continually be reviewed during safeguarding/welfare calls. Parents /carers should inform the academy should their circumstances change.

How pupils can access any printed materials needed if they do not have online access

Work can be collected at any time from the Academy reception by a parent or family member and arrangements discussed as to how to submit completed work in order to obtain feedback from teachers.

How pupils can submit work to their teachers if they do not have online access.

As stated above.

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?

All students are expected to engage with remote learning and those not engaging will be followed up by their teachers to identify ant barriers & to establish what further support is required.

Parents/carers are able to sign up to Google Classroom Guardian’ which enables them to receive an overview of the work that has been set and completed for their child on Google Classroom.

The following guides have been produced to support remote learning:

• Parent/Carer Guide to Online Lessons – this document provides useful advice on how best to support your child with their online learning eg establishing routines, regular screen breaks, removing distractions etc).

Parent/Carer Guide to Online Lessons

• Student Guide to Online Lessons – this document outlines the behaviours we expect from students during live lessons

Student Guide for Live Lessons

• Staff Protocols for Online Lesson – this document outlines how we expect staff to deliver quality first teaching in online lessons.

Staff Protocols for Online Lessons

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

A register will be taken by the teacher for all live lessons and absentees will be followed up regarding their non attendance.

Parents will be informed via phone call or text message regarding lack of engagement with remote learning.

Subjects teachers monitor the work they set on Google classroom as well as the live lesson attendance. If there is a concern then a member of staff in the Academy will contact you via a telephone call or text message.

For students who are accessing printed resources, their progress will be followed up via phone calls and other means which will be established at the start of the period of self isolation as outlined in the ‘Accessing Remote Education’ section above. Submission of work expectations will be set by the classroom teacher, and is dependent on the COVID Tier status at the time.

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:

This will take a variety of formats depending on the way the lesson is delivered:

• Live lessons enable the teacher to obtain feedback from students in the same way they would in the physical classroom
• Feedback via Google Classroom will be given to students regarding their progress and areas for development. This can take the form of written feedback or through the use of Apps which records the teacher’s feedback to the students which is then posted in the Google Classroom for the students to listen to.
• Google Forms are used frequently to quiz students to check for understanding providing them with immediate feedback.
• Students will receive feedback via Google Classroom on the work they have submitted. This feedback will be in line with the school policy which means that the student will receive regular feedback from teachers in school.

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

How will you work with me to support my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?

We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with SEND, may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

• Students with SEND who would usually receive additional adult support in the classroom are allocated a key worker who will provide the link between home and school.
• Regular dialogue will occur to ensure that SEND students are able to access the work and if appropriate they will be given additional remote support from support staff who they are familiar with.
• It may also be appropriate for specialist equipment eg radio mics to be loaned to the family during the period of absence to support remote learning.
• Because work is set by the class teacher there should be no barrier to students being able to access the work set.
  Teachers will deploy teaching assistants in their google classroom in the same way as they would their physical classroom using breakout room tools.
• Students will receive additional intervention and 1:1 support as they would do if they were in the Academy.
  Students new to English (EAL) that cannot properly engage with online instruction will be invited into the Academy to attend lessons in person.
• We will provide required equipment such as overlays for students. Any specific request should be made directly with the Inclusion coordinator at j.cainer@acklam.outwood.com

Remote provision for self-isolating pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, remote provision is likely to differ from the approach for whole groups set out above. This is due to the challenges of teaching both pupils 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?

High quality learning will be set via the Google Classroom that is in line with the work that would be being covered in the lessons. Where it is practicable to do so, the lesson being taught in school will be live streamed for your child to access at the same time as they would normally access the lesson should they be in school. There will be some lessons where it is not appropriate to live stream the lesson, eg. PE, Design & Technology, Dance etc as it is difficult to capture the learning during practical lessons. In these cases, work will be set that aligns closely with the content of the lesson.