Information for Parents on remote learning.

What does remote learning look like at Bishop Monkton CE Primary School?

January 2021

As soon as they are able to (or at the latest by the end of the next day) class teachers will share a general overview of the work that is intended to be done in class, with further specific links to use for lessons at home. Teachers will use a variety of teaching methods to move the learning forward.  These may include sharing:

• PowerPoints
• Microsoft Teams
• Video clips
• White Rose Maths resources which may include a home-learning video, worksheet and answer sheet
• Directing children to certain educational websites such as Oak Academy / BBC Bitesize
• Personal directed tasks made available on the school website under Class Pages / child’s class
• Individual challenges appropriate for the age of the child

• The school will continue to teach a broad and balanced curriculum remotely
• Teachers will follow the school’s long and medium-term planning covering the same key objectives as they would if children were in schools
• Lessons in foundation subjects may be adapted for remote teaching if teachers are aware that some resources may not be available at home
• Specialist subjects such as PE and French will continue to be delivered by our specialist teachers

Remote learning can be accessed via Microsoft Teams digital platform.

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home, nor the technology to access it. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

• School laptops can be lent out for the duration needed to support remote learning.  Parents should contact the school office to request this.

• If a child is unable to access online work through not having the internet, teachers will provide packs of work and post/deliver these out to the home address.

• Teachers will be mindful that not all children have access to a printer and will provide a variety of options to help support this eg. printed materials delivered to the home, working online and uploading tasks.
• For those pupils who do not have online access, work can be submitted by dropping it off at school or arranging for it to be collected.

When providing remote learning, teachers are mindful that access to the use of technology may be limited and will therefore endeavour to provide blended learning opportunities that can be accessed by all children.  We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

• Twice daily check-in on Teams (registration) for all classes where the daily plan is shared and teachers check for understanding
• Live teaching (online lessons)
• Recorded teaching by the class teacher, uploaded on Teams
• Recorded teaching from Oak National Academy lessons, White Rose Maths, BBC Bitesize, Kapow and other recognised educational providers

• Printed paper packs produced by teachers e.g. workbooks such as Schofield and Simms, worksheets
• Textbooks and reading books pupils have at home, or parents choose to buy such as for Guided Reading
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
• Short-term project work and/or internet research activities such as researching a country for Geography.

Children are expected to fully engage with remote learning and should be present on Teams for all opportunities. 

Teachers can expect pupils learning remotely to:

• Complete work to the deadline set by teachers
• Work to the same high standards as expected in school
• Seek help if they need it, from teachers or teaching assistants
• Alert their class teacher if they’re not able to complete work

The amount of support that is expected of parents to give their child with remote learning, varies depending on the age of the child and the task allocated.  Younger children may need support and supervision with their learning, whilst older children would be expected to complete work independently.

Teachers can expect parents with children learning remotely to:

• Make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise cannot participate and complete work
• Seek help from the school if they are struggling accessing learning materials/resources
• Seek help from the school for clarity around any of the learning tasks or the amount of support that is required
• Help establish a healthy remote learning routine using the class teacher’s daily plan

Teachers will be checking in with their pupils twice daily on Teams to ensure that there is understanding and engagement in remote learning. There will be further opportunities during the day when children can speak to their teachers, online or by telephone, to help with any misconceptions or to provide clarity around remote learning.  Children are also encouraged to message their teacher directly on Teams should they require individual help.

If teachers have any concerns around a child’s engagement in remote learning or the quality/amount of work being completed, they will email parents directly to discuss this with the aim of seeing an improvement.

Teachers recognise how important feedback is for children, not only to move their learning forward but also to validate the work that has taken place. Children will receive feedback on selected pieces of work that are key to deepening their knowledge and understanding. This will take place on a regular basis.

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. Teachers will use the following methods to assess and provide feedback on children’s work:

• Class quizzes to check understanding
• Online tests and assessments
• Personal feedback in Assignments on Teams, both verbal and written
• Marked work in the completed work folder in Teams
• Self-marking under the direction of the teacher

• Provide differentiated tasks and activities that are appropriate to your child’s needs
• Provide additional resources that are suitable to help support your child’s learning 
• Provide a key contact member of staff to discuss your child’s remote learning with and discuss any concerns you may have
• Lend out familiar resources used in school, for home use, eg an iPad with Clickr
• Devise an individualised learning plan suitable for your child’s learning needs

Class teachers are responsible for setting work for children in their class. However, teachers will be working in their classrooms so, initially, a child who is self-isolating and awaiting a test result, would be expected to continue their learning with reading, spellings, TT Rockstars, Numbots or White Rose Maths.

As soon as they are able to (or at the latest by the end of the next day) class teachers will share a general overview of the work that is intended to be done in class, with further specific links to use for lessons at home. This will be the same curriculum that is being covered in class. Work will still be assigned through Teams and the class teacher will provide a daily check-in time to ensure that there is good understanding, provide timely feedback and that work is being completed to a high standard.