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

Your child will have access to the lessons they would usually receive in school but these will be provided remotely via the Satchel One online learning platform.  These lessons will be pre-recorded with teachers narrating lesson instructions and also giving explanations. Teachers will be available to provide live zoom support during the timetabled lesson.  This means they can answer questions, or set extension work.

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?

The lessons your child has access to remotely will follow the same curriculum as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we may need to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, in some practical lessons such as Food Science, PE and Art.   The sequencing of the curriculum may be adapted to ensure that all content taught remotely is accessible to all students.

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

The work your child is set remotely will follow their usual timetabled today, so your child can expect to spend a minimum of 5 hours of remote learning per day. 

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

Your child will be able to access the remote learning resources via the online learning platform Satchel One.  All students have access to Satchel One, if your child does not have their log in details please contact school so we can support.   We also use the video conferencing website Zoom to provide live lessons and live zoom support.  Links for this are sent as a message to your child on Satchel One.

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 students may not have suitable online access at home. If students do not have access to online learning, please contact the Academy and we can support by loaning a suitable device where possible or making alternative arrangement, for example attending on site provision, or providing printed materials.

How will my child be taught remotely?

Students have access to a mixture of pre-recorded and a minimum of two live lessons a day. Both the Education Endowment Fund and Ofsted have released research which support this approach.  Pre-recorded lessons also have live teacher input. The student’s teacher is available on Zoom at the time of the lesson to teach the student or give support if they need it throughout that lesson.

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

Attendance to all live lessons is compulsory and teachers will register attendance within the first five minutes of the lesson start time.  If there is a reason why your child cannot attend their live lesson please let the year team know.  We expect that students engage with all pre-recorded lessons and would advise students to follow their usual timetable as closely as possible.  This will help provide structure to the day and support wellbeing whilst learning remotely.  We do recognise that this may be difficult to do when students are at home with parents who are also working from home or are sharing devices with siblings.  Students must engage with all online learning by completing and submitting tasks so teachers can check understanding and provide feedback.

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

If your child has not logged in to Satchel One by 11am each day you will be sent a text to notify you.  If your child is not attending their daily live lessons, you will be sent a text to notify you.  If your child is repeatedly not logging on to Satchel One and/or attending their live lessons then we will write to you and asked to attend a parental meeting to discuss our concerns. 

If your child is not completing and returning responses to the tasks set by teachers, he or she will receive a message on Satchel One reminding them.  If your child repeatedly fails to complete and submit tasks to lessons, their teacher will refer them as a ‘cause for concern’ to the relevant Achievement Leader and either they or your child’s form tutor will be in touch via email/phone to discuss their concerns. 

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

Every lesson either pre-recorded or live, will have one ‘Check for Understanding’ task that students must complete so teachers can check your child’s progress. This can include a range of different methods such as knowledge quizzes, short written responses, or multiple choice tests.  Teachers use this information to assess your child’s work and will provide feedback as appropriate.  Feedback will be given through the online platform via Satchel One and is provided after your child responds to the ‘Check for Understanding’ task.

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

Learning support assistants contact vulnerable students regularly to provide support with all aspects of remote learning.  They attend live lessons when scheduled to ensure students are provided with the support they needed.

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?

If your child has to self-isolate they will be able to access all of the resources for the lessons they should have that day via Satchel One.  Students will be able to log in to Satchel One and view and download lesson resources and complete any associated task.  The only difference to the approaches above is that your child will not have access to their teacher during the timetabled lesson as he/she will be teaching the students in school receiving face to face education.