Homework & Remote Learning

Remote Education

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.

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?

If students are sent home in the morning or asked not to come into school, assignments will be set on Microsoft Teams for the lessons due to take place in the afternoon. The following day live learning sessions will begin via Microsoft Teams for all students. These ‘Live Learning Sessions’ could be anything from full sessions with a Live Teacher to part teacher input and part assignment.

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 curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, for practical subjects such as Construction and Engineering some amendments are necessary due to students not having access to the necessary tools and equipment at home.

We may also adapt the order of the curriculum. It may be more beneficial to start another Topic or Mini-Topic during shorter periods of closure than to complete a Topic that was being delivered in class.  This does not mean we won’t return to the previous in school topic at a later stage, thus ensuring coverage.

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 3 and 4: 5 hours – We would also expect to set homework according to our policy.

 

Accessing remote education

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

All Live Learning takes place through Microsoft Teams. Some teacher lead sessions and/or assignments will guide students to other online platforms e.g. Seneca Learning, Hegarty Maths, Bedrock Learning, The Oaks Academy etc.

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:

Where pupils need support to access online learning we issue or lend laptops and/or iPads to students, and dongles (For internet connection) where necessary. Support can be sought by contacting Mrs Kay (DKay@claytonhall.windsoracademytrust.org.uk) who will discuss individual needs and how we can best support students. To date we have supported over 60 families with online access.

If your child has a change in circumstances that is reducing their access to IT, please also let Mrs. Kay know.

Our intention is to ensure all students have adequate access to IT and the Internet at home.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

We will use a range of different teaching methods during remote learning to help explain concepts and address misconceptions easily. To provide remote learning, the academy may make use of:

• Live Lessons – through Microsoft Teams Meetings
• Assignments set through Microsoft Teams Assignments. The content of these could include:
  • Pre-recorded video or audio learning sessions
  • Quizzes set through Microsoft Teams
  • Current online learning portals such as Seneca, Bedrock etc which support the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips and sequences.
  • Educational websites such as BBC bitesize, Oak National Academy
  • Past and mock exam papers

During the Live Learning sessions students will be able to contact their teachers through MS Teams posts or through the chat within the Live Lesson (meeting)

Pupils may be asked to produce electronic records of their work; examples would be through Word, PowerPoint or by sending photos of the hand written/art work they have completed, audio files may also be requested i.e. for Music or Drama.

Homework will also be set as per our Policy.

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?

Staff will be providing lesson work which provides for 1 hour of remote learning for each timetabled session. This may include both recorded or live direct teaching time and time for pupils to complete tasks and assignments independently. Staff will be available during this time (wherever possible) to answer any student questions.

The most productive Live Lessons are those in which students interact. 

During a Live Lesson we would ask all students to (a) show their screens if they feel comfortable doing so (use blur background) (b) respond vocally (rather than via a message) when asked questions or if they are asking questions  and (c) respond through posts and chat as directed by their teacher.

Students should be present for remote learning by 8:50am and cease their remote learning at 3:15pm from Monday to Friday, except for breaks and lunchtimes. Breaks and lunchtimes will take place at the following times each day:

• Morning break will take place at 10:10am until 10:30am.
• Lunchtime will take place between 12:30pm and 13:10pm.

Parents can support their child by

• helping them build a daily routine with a regular wake up and bedtimes, break and mealtimes.
• helping them to be organised and ready to learn at 8.50am with their books, pen, pencil, ruler, calculator, spare paper etc. at their computers, in a quiet space if possible
• talking to their child about their work, encouraging them to seek help from their teachers if they are unsure what to do, and praising them for doing their best.
• Talking to their child about how they are feeling and seeking support.

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

• We check student engagement at least weekly. This is through several mechanisms including the amount of time spent on assignments and in live learning sessions, and also through staff feedback about engagement in lessons and completed assignments.
• If we are concerned about your child’s engagement your child’s House Leader will contact, you in the first instance to see how we can support you and your child.

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:

We expect all schoolwork and homework completed through remote learning to be:

• Finished to the best of the ability of the student when returned to the relevant member of teaching staff.
• Returned on or before the deadline set by the relevant member of teaching staff.
• The student’s own work.
• Students will receive feedback at least weekly in the form of either whole class feedback or through other digital means.
• Returned to the student, once marked, by an agreed date.

The academy uses a variety of formative assessment and feedback methods, e.g. through quizzes (MS forms) and other digital tools e.g. Seneca Learning, Hegarty Maths, Bedrock Learning etc.

The academy will log participation and student engagement with remote education, as well as motivation levels and progress, and this will be reported to parents via formal regular reports or, if there is a concern, individually via email or telephone.

Please note that not all work completed or submitted during periods of closure will be marked.  We will, however, mark according to our Policy.  Focussing on key pieces of work for feedback via Teams, including the use of Rubrics.  Please see our guide on ‘The Marking and Feedback Loop’. 

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:

Teachers are responsible for ensuring that work is differentiated as required for all learners when setting online tasks as part of the Academy’s Gold Standard teaching expectations.

Individual Education Plans are in place for all students of SEND and are issued to all teaching staff who can seek additional advice from the SENCO or the child’s keyworker to ensure student needs are met.

The SEN Team will

• review the resources students have access to and adapt learning to account for all students needs by using a range of different formats.
• ensure the programmes chosen for online learning have a range of accessibility features, e.g. voice-to-text conversion, to support students with SEND.
• contact with students by email or phone with parents/learners and feed back to teachers. Students who need more bespoke individual support will have their needs addressed by the SENCO in collaboration with Mrs Kay and the pastoral team.
• monitor tasks set via Microsoft Teams and attend live lessons to support student progress
• monitor the use of the Microsoft Teams and the SEN specific Rising Stars group, to offer continuing dialogue with SEN students who will be able to seek keyworker support during lessons
• use of features within Microsoft Teams such as breakout rooms to allow bespoke one to one support during lessons.
• regular reviewing of work submitting by SEN students, in line with the Academy’s marking and feedback policy.

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?

Resources for each lesson will be placed into the ‘Files’ for each classes TEAM that students self-isolating can continue to follow the same curriculum as their in-school peers. Work can be submitted via assignments or through email.

Each Team has set an Assignment titled ‘Work to be completed in Self-Isolation’.  This assignment includes generic instructions for that work and allows students to submit work into school for reviewing and assessing as appropriate.

Remote Learning Policy

Please see our policies page for more information on our Remote Learning Policy