Remote Learning

Aims

The information below aims to:

• Provide parents/carers with a clear understanding of the learning platform at Charnwood which will be used for remote learning: COVID-19 related illnesses and accessing weekly homework.
• Ensure consistency in our approach to remote learning for pupils who aren’t in school due to COVID-19.
• Set out clear expectations for all members of the school community with regards to remote learning.
• Provide appropriate guidelines for data protection.

1. Levels of remote learning

As a school, we are mindful that there will be different levels of remote learning required during the academic year. Some of these include (in no particular order):

1. A child or a small group of children test positive and are advised by the Government helpline to isolate.
2. A child has been on holiday and on return needs to quarantine (Government led).
3. A child lives in a household with someone who has tested positive or the household has been contacted by track and trace and therefore needs to isolate.
4. A member of staff tests positive for COVID-19 and the Government helpline advises that a child/group of children need to isolate.
5. A partial school closure due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases confirmed.
6. A Local Lockdown.
7. A National Lockdown.

2. The Online Learning Platform

• We will be using Class Dojo™ for our online learning platform and for teacher communication. Instructions for how to set up Class Dojo for your child are in Appendix 1 of this document. EYFS will be asking parents to upload observations onto tapestry as they do currently.
• If your child cannot come into school due to COVID-19, you will be able to access your child’s remote learning via Class Dojo™ and communicate directly with their class teacher.
• Class Dojo™ will be used to return and share images of homework for the children. Homework will continue with our half termly learning mats that you can access and choose from.

3. A summary of what Remote Learning your child will receive

4. Pre-recorded lesson introduction led by class teacher

If your child’s year group are not in school due to COVID-19, the class teacher will upload one pre-recorded lesson introduction each day. These introductions or guides will support your child with their learning and will sometimes demonstrate skills or methods to be used by your child.

• Over the week teachers will make sure there are at least: 2 maths introductions, 2 English introductions (including phonics for Reception and Year 1) and one foundation subject introduction.
• The introductions to these lessons will be no longer than 10 minutes.
• The introductions to the lessons will explain what learning activity your child will need to complete after the introduction has ended.

5. Pre-recorded lessons led by another teacher or professional

The teachers at Charnwood may direct your child to access specific pre-recorded lessons provided by different providers. In many cases these lessons will be in a format that the children are already familiar with and will have been chosen to match our curriculum and methods in school.

• There are many high-quality, pre-recorded lessons on the Oak Academy which are delivered by qualified teachers. These are brand new for this academic year and funded by the Government. These lessons will support our teaching.
• As a school we use White Rose planning to support our teaching in maths. Teachers will direct your child to the appropriate lesson and activity for their year group using Class Dojo and will direct you to worksheets and lesson videos.
• Teachers will use resources from Twinkl to support learning including lesson videos and PowerPoints.
• Videos and lessons created by the BBC and BBC Teach will be used to guide and engage pupils.

6. Live Sessions

During a full National Lockdown zoom calls or google classroom calls will be used in a variety of ways.

• To keep communication with the children.
• To introduce a lesson
• To share completed learning and provide feedback
• To share quizzes etc

7. Different types of learning

• Your child’s class teacher will use a variety of different resources to support your child’s remote learning.
• Some of these will include:
  • PowerPoint/PDF presentations
  • Work sheets
  • Links to online activities
  • Videos including modelling of learning techniques
  • Live sessions to introduce learning
  • Directed tasks to complete
  • Reading including Accelerated Reader
  • Numbots,  TT Rockstars and Accelerated Maths

8. Marking and Feedback, assessment and progress

To support learning and to make sure that pupils continue to progress in their learning class teachers will mark work and give a range of feedback on the learning completed.

• If your child has completed a piece of work, they can upload it onto Class Dojo™. For example, this could be work that they have completed on a device or work that has been uploaded to a pupil’s portfolio. [Class teachers are unable to mark work uploaded in direct messages as these can not be seen clearly].
• Your child’s class teacher will specify specific pieces of completed work which they need to be uploaded so that they can monitor progress.
• Your child can upload additional pieces of work if they wish to do so.
• Your child’s class teacher will mark work with a positive comment within 48 hours of receiving the work. 2 pieces of work each week will receive a developmental point to help support progress.
• Forms may be used to ask children questions and assess their understanding of a topic or lesson.
• Please note that your child’s class teacher will only access Class Dojo within the following working hours: 8.45am – 4pm Monday – Friday. No feedback will be given outside of this timeframe. Please note if your child is isolating and the rest of the year group are in school the class teacher will spend the majority of the time in class and will have limited time periods to respond.
• In the event of a lockdown please note your child’s class teacher will be delivering teaching in school with critical workers’ children as well as managing Class Dojo so please bear with them as immediate responses may not be possible.
• In Early Years, remote learning that is shared by parents via Tapestry will be saved within each child’s online learning journey and linked to the relevant areas of learning/objectives with feedback and/or next steps provided.

9. Well-being phone call

• If your child is absent from school due to COVID-19 for more than 72 hours, they will receive a well-being phone call from a member of staff.
• Your child will then receive a phone call every further week that they are absent from school.
• The well-being phone call will last no longer than 5 minutes.
• For safeguarding reasons, the phone call may come from an unknown number if the teacher is not in school (due to isolation).
• When a teacher makes a call, they will log that the call has been made along with any key information for school records.

10. How parents/carers can contact class teachers about remote learning

• Parents/carers can contact their child’s class teacher about remote learning via Class Dojo™. A response to this remote learning query will be given within 48 working hours of receipt.
• All other queries about your child, whether or not they are in school, should be made using the office@ or admin@ address as usual.

11. Curriculum Content

• We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate.
• We may change the topics around to enable topics needing less equipment (like plants in science) to be taught via remote learning and save topics that need specific equipment (like electricity in science) to be taught within school.
• We have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, lessons that are taught by external staff for example clarinet/recorder lessons will be taught remotely.
• The long term plan will be taught during the course of the school year. If a national lockdown lasts longer than 2 terms then this will be adjusted due to resourcing issues for pupil’s remote learning.

12. Remote teaching and study time each day

• We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

13. Access to remote learning with no digital or online access at home?

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:

• We will lend laptops to pupils in order of priority following the online survey completed.
• Collect exercise books from foyer to complete work in at home.
• Collect paper packs from foyer if no digital access at home (please make school aware you require this).
• Support for families to submit images via mobile phone or alternative to class dojo.
• Learning phone calls with child to discuss learning.
• Support with access via xbox, playstation etc

14. Homework

Homework will continue to be available in the style of home learning mats for each half term. These are available on the class webpage and on Class Dojo™. Class teachers may on occasion send additional pieces of learning home to support their learning in school.

15. Engagement expectations

Expectations for engagement and the support parents and carers should provide at home.

• Pupils to have a set routine during the week to ensure they engage with learning
• Parents to be responsible for their child’s education and ensure they access the learning available

16. What will happen if there is no engagement with remote learning?

• Daily checking of engagement (via dojo or tapestry) with weekly welfare calls as required
• where engagement is a concern school will call the parents/carers

17. Support for pupils who have additional needs

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:

• Contact from Mrs Stafford (Inclusion Lead) to discuss additional support required
• Regular contact from Mrs Stafford to provide additional tailored resources as required
• Bespoke learning for child from class teachers
• Access to work from other year groups (via Mrs Stafford)
• Children with EHCP can access a place in school during full lockdown

18. Data Protection

• Any uploaded work, communication and feedback will be via each child’s individual profile and only the school teachers and support staff will be able to view this.
• If a teacher wishes to share work on a Class wall to be viewed by others they will check that consent has been given before posting.
• If your child is not attending school due to COVID-19, class teachers will only communicate to your child via the child’s individual Dojo account and through their weekly well-being call.
• Any other forms of communication will be via the school phone or office@ /admin@ email.