Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

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.

For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

 

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 your child is sent home as part of a bubble, on the day they are sent home we will provide them with a list of online resources they can use to continue their learning while we set-up our school specific provision. 

 

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?

On the first full day of absence your child should access all lessons through Microsoft Teams.  For the large majority of these teachers will deliver a live lesson where they will share their screen with pupils and teach in a similar format to a normal school lesson. 

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 practical subjects.  For example PE, Design Technology and Art, for these subjects pupils will are work through Microsoft Teams which is subject specific but allows for the different resources which may be available to pupils at home.

 

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 follow a normal school day pattern with 5 lessons of approximately 60 minutes each though teachers may provide a short screen break between lesson of approximately 5 minutes.

 

Accessing remote education

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

At Savio Salesian College we use the Microsoft Teams platform.  All pupils have been provided with a username and password.  Should your child have difficulty accessing this platform you should contact the school reception to request support.

 

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. 

As a school we have been able to access a number of laptops through our links with Everton in the Community, from charitable donations from our Salesian trustees and from the DfE.

If your child does not have a device on which they can access remote learning (ideally a desktop PC, laptop or tablet) you should contact the school to find out if they may be eligible for one of these machines.

As well as a suitable device your child will also need to have a good internet connection and large data allowance.  If this is not the case we may be able to support with Wi-Fi Dongles or having your mobile provider increase your data allowance.  Please contact school reception for further information.

We can also provide printed materials upon request and our SEND department can provide differentiate materials if your child is struggling to access the online curriculum.  Again please contact the school reception for further information.

All pupils have been provided with an exercise book for home learning and these should be given to their head of year upon your child’s return to school after isolation.

 

How will my child be taught remotely?

The majority or your child’s remote learning will be delivered via live teaching (online lessons) on the Microsoft Teams platform.  On some occasions when ‘live’ teaching is not possible or appropriate teachers may use:

• recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers)

• printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)

• textbooks and reading books pupils have at home

• commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences

• long-term project work and/or internet research activities 

 

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?

While pupils are isolating, and are well enough to do so, we expect them to attend all of their live lessons.  We ask that teacher’s record attendance at these lessons and the school office will make contact to find out how we can support where pupils do not appear to be engaging.  Pupils should be sure to register their attendance in the lesson ‘chat’ facility as this will be used to monitor attendance.

We ask that parents support us but ensuring that their children have a good routine, are up early, eat breakfast as normal and then are logged in and ready to learn before 8.30am.  Pupils follow the normal school day timings so will have a morning and lunch break.  

We ask that parents monitor their child’s engagement at home and ensure they have a quiet place to work and are free of distractions.  Parents should contact the school immediately if there are any technical issues to seek support.

 

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

If pupils are not logging in to lessons, contributing to discussion and/or completing set work teachers will report this concern to the school office who will contact parents to share their concerns and identify ways in which we can support. 

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

During live lessons pupils will be able to ask and answer questions either verbally or through the chat facility.  The teacher will use this interaction to gauge their progress and adapt their teaching accordingly.

Pupils will be asked to complete and submit work using the online platform.  Teachers will follow their normal marking frequency determined by the school marking policy.

Pupils may also be asked to complete online quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms to assess their progress.

 

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.

The SEND department will provide printed work at the appropriate level for those pupils who may struggle without adult support from school staff.  The SEN Co-ordinator will liaise with these families and make arrangements for distribution, collection and assessment of work.

 

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?

In the case of individual pupils self-isolating - not as part of a school bubble - pupils should access their work through the Microsoft Teams platform.  Teachers will not be able to provide ‘live lessons’ in this scenario as they will be working with those pupils still in school but will place the lesson resources online so that pupils at home do not miss out.  In some cases teachers may feel it practical to provide isolating pupils with slightly different work while at home which is more suited to independent study for example research projects or revision resources.  Pupils can use the Microsoft Teams platform to request support from teachers on any of the set work.

 

Please click here to view some great tips for Parents when Remote Learning

Please click here to view our Blended Learning & eSafety Policy