Remote Education

Remote education provision: information for parents and carers

In accordance with statutory guidelines, the Department for Education (DfE) ask that schools provide information on remote education provision. It is aligned to the expectations for remote education, to which schools must have regard under the temporary continuity direction given by the Secretary of State for Education. This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students, parents and carers about what to expect from remote education if the academy site is closed.

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

All students in the Academy have access to our online learning platform – Satchel One. All independent study tasks have been set on Satchel One.  We have informed students and parents to access classwork activities/tasks as per the students’ timetable here.  Whilst we set work for every student in all years, our special focus is on Exam Classes.  From day one, not only will Year 10 and Year 11 students receive directed task for every lesson, they experienced live online lessons (via Microsoft Teams) with some of their subjects. These increased to all KS4 offered as online live lessons  in all subjects from week 2.

At KS3, work is set for every lesson from day 1, with one in four lessons being a live online lesson.  This will ensure students receiving a blended learning experience and experience a scheduled dedicated time with their teacher to overcome barriers.

From Week 2, students in all year groups are invited to a weekly tutor time.  This not only allows reassurance for students and celebrates successes but also helps in maintaining social skills. 

There has been no request for paper copies of the work, although our pastoral team is maintaining contact with home where engagement is identified as an issue.

With remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?

We continue to 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.

Within practical subjects such as PE, Drama, Art and Technology, tasks will be modelled using live and pre-recorded demonstration and then tasks/activities will be set, mirroring that of other curriculum areas. Tasks within these areas have been adapted so that students can work from home with limited resources.

Students are explained how to join and submit tasks online via Satchel One. 

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 students broadly the following number of hours each day:

Secondary school-aged students not working towards formal qualifications this yearWe are setting work for all five lessons as per students’ timetable every day.  At least one in four lessons will be an online live lesson to support/assess and develop students’ understanding.  With short and frequent assessments student participation and engagement will be monitored and all parents informed at least once a month.
Secondary school-aged students working towards formal qualifications this yearAll lesson will be live & online to support/assess and consolidate students’ knowledge and skills.  Work for independent study.  With short and frequent assessments to grow students’ confidence. Student participation and engagement will be monitored and all parents informed at least once a month.

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

The School Reception is open from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Thursday, 8:00am to 3:30pm on Fridays.  First contact is via tutor and Director of Learning as always. If engagement is an issue, pastoral team will contact home to explore ways forward.

Students are encouraged to communicate with their subject teachers via Satchel One (comments/discussion section) or using their school emails. Tasks set on Satchel One use Microsoft Office, all students have access to this free of charge via their Office 365 portal.

Live online lessons will take place using Microsoft Teams using students’ school email. 

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

  • Live online lessons will take place using Microsoft Teams. These include Do Now tasks, quizzes, opinion polls, exam practice questions, video, simulations etc
  • Independent study will be set on Satchel One in line with student timetables. This may then direct to another website or online platform.
  • Students with limited IT access can request paper packs/workbooks which can be collected from the academy by arrangement.
  • Students are expected to be contactable during the school day, to join in and fully engage in every lesson. All students should submit their completed work at the end of each lesson.
  • Students should seek help if needed, from teachers or teaching assistants (if onsite) and alert teachers if they are not able to complete work.
  • In addition, it is compulsory that all students attend their weekly tutor time session.
  • Weekly monitoring of engagement is followed by teachers contacting home to ensure students welfare and then discuss barriers to learning.
  • Attitude to Learning for students will be reported to parents at least once a month.

We value the support given by parents/carers to their children when working remotely. We ask that parents/carers make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise cannot complete work, and to seek help from the school if needed via your child’s Director of Learning via email (preferred) if not call the School Reception and leave a message for them,

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

  • Teachers enter an Attitude to Learning grade 0-4 (4 being Excellent) weekly for every child they teach. Weekly analysis will identify trends and spot random patterns. This will be shared with all parents/carers monthly.
  • Where student engagement is a concern, teachers/tutors explore barriers at the first stage, pastoral team contacts home and encourage students/parents to participate by providing available support.
  • If there is a growing concern around the level of engagement of a pupil, parents/carers will be contacted by phone/visits (where unavoidable) to assess whether school intervention can assist engagement.

How will you assess my child’s work and progress?

  • Students can receive individual support, feedback, and stretch every scheduled lesson during the period of academy closure. The teacher can communicate with students via the discussion tab on Satchel One, or live question and answer during a Microsoft Teams session.
  • The academy will be following its internal assessment schedule. During a half term students will receive consistent formative feedback, such as; verbal comments, online quizzes, written comments and self-assessment tasks, as well as summative assessments that will be submitted and then marked by the class teacher.

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 students, for example some students 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 students in the following ways:

  • Our SENCO will work with families to identify the level of support needed for individual students and ensure that provision is made for any students with EHC plans. Where appropriate these students will be allocated key worker spaces within school to improve their access to learning.
  • We will ensure that the technology used for remote learning is accessible to all students and that reasonable adjustments are made where required.
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