Remote education provision

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

• Students who are sent home to self-isolate will be provided with invites to join their normal timetabled lessons through Teams the following day.
• Students will hear their teacher in the lesson and see work displayed on the board. They will be able to talk to their teachers and ask questions, just like they would in class. Resources will be accessible through Showbie, just like that for students attending the lesson in person.

• We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate.
• On occasions there maybe a need to make some adaptations in some subjects, for example, to change the order of topic coverage, to best support students whilst working remotely.

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 pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Key Stage 3

Students will follow their normal timetabled lessons. Core PE will be delivered via recorded sessions for students to access at a time to best suit them. There will be no subject based home learning, to ensure that the amount of screen time is not excessive. Instead, students will complete a home learning task, linked to the Big Picture theme each fortnight. Students will be able to select at least one option from a menu of tasks.

Key Stage 4

Students will follow their normal timetabled lessons. Core PE will be delivered via recorded sessions for students to access at a time to best suit them. Following feedback from students and parents/carers, the time spent on home learning has been reduced from 40 to 20 minutes per subject, to ensure that the amount of screen time is not excessive. Home learning tasks will be carefully chosen to focus on those which secure essential knowledge and where possible, non-iPad activities to provide a contrast the timetabled lessons.

Key Stage 5

Students will follow their normal timetabled lessons. Home learning tasks will continue to be set as normal, as students have fewer timetabled lessons than in other Key Stages. Tasks will also continue to be set for study sessions, via the Showbie study folders.

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

• All of our provision can be accessed through the iPad.
• Live lessons are conducted using the Microsoft Teams app.
• Resources are shared through Showbie. Students can also upload work to Showbie, for teachers to view, either as an electronic document or photo.
• Feedback on work is given verbally through Teams and in written form, where appropriate through Showbie or Classkick.
• The positive achievement system will continue to operate, and this can be accessed via the Classcharts app or web version.
• Home learning tasks, where relevant, will continue to be set via Homework 4.

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:

• If students are experiencing difficulties accessing remote provision due to a lack of internet connection, parents/carers can contact Mr Stephen, Business Manager, by email, Stephent@hgs.rklt.co.uk who can arrange for support with access to a WiFi connection.
• If the school iPad is requiring repair, parents/carers can email Mrs Lister, iPad Administrator, hgsipads@hgs.rklt.co.uk to arrange a repair. It maybe possible to arrange a loan iPad whilst yours is being repaired.
• Where it would help to support a student’s learning at home to have materials printed, contact can be made with the relevant Year Manager.
• Where students study specific, practical subjects and require additional resources, contact can be made with the child’s subject teacher, who can arrange materials to be delivered home if required (for example, art supplies)
• Where students have not joined the school iPad scheme, we will provide a device for remote learning.

• Our remote provision follows each student’s timetabled lessons, to ensure the continuity of routines and structure.
• A register will be taken during each lesson and where a student is absent, a cause for concern notification will be forwarded on to the attendance officer. Where we are not aware of a reason for the absence, a notification will be sent to parents/carers so that they are aware and can update us if there is an issue.
• In order to support students physical and mental well-being, PE activities will be delivered via recorded sessions, which students can access at a suitable time.
• Tutor time takes place each day, where the form tutor meets with 5 or 6 tutees, to check-in with them and ask how things are going and if they need any support.
• Each lesson will include an element of live teacher interaction.
• Resources for all lessons will be available in Showbie.
• In the event of teachers being unable to deliver a live lesson, instructions and resources will be present in their subject Showbie class or provided on an email

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

• We ask all parents to support their child by providing a quiet space to work and access to basic equipment such as pen, pencil, ruler, eraser and calculator and resources such as plain and lined paper. If you require support with any resources, please contact your child’s year manager.
• It is expected that all students follow their timetabled lessons and join them on time through their calendar in the Teams app or from the email meeting invite link.
• A register will be taken each lesson, with attendance recorded and followed up with parents/carers, where no reason is known.
• We would ask you to encourage your child to follow the same daily structure as a school day, including getting up at a similar time and going to bed at the same time, taking breaks from screens at normal break and lunchtimes.
• There will be a short break between lessons 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 to enable students to take a comfort break, get a drink or stretch their legs. Lessons 1/3/5 will finish at least 5 minutes early to allow for this.
• Teachers will encourage students to look up and look out during their lessons, to take a short break from screen time.

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

• Teachers are monitoring attendance to Teams lessons and parents will be informed of any absence through email on a daily basis.
• Teachers are also monitoring the productivity of students. This is based on contributions to lessons and the quality of work submitted. Parents will be informed of concerns through contact by Year Managers.
• Where there are concerns over a child’s overall engagement, the year manager will make contact with parents/carers. Depending on the circumstances, it may be suggested that the child would benefit from coming into school, to support their learning.

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

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

• Teachers are using a range of methods to assess students’ work and therefore monitor their progress. This includes:
  • Verbal questioning
  • Quizzes, some of which are automatically marked
  • Marking submitted written work
• Teachers are providing feedback:
  • Verbally to the whole class
  • Written feedback on submitted work
  • Providing opportunities for students to self-assess work
• Students will receive feedback in at least one of these ways every lesson
• Termly Common assessment tasks (CATs) will continue to be set and marked, during periods of remote learning. This assessment data will be reported home each term, with Attitude to Learning grades, focussed on engagement and quality of work being reported home every half term. Please see the descriptors below.

Engagement

Quality of work and productivity

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, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

• Students with an EHCP or identified as being particularly vulnerable due to SEND will be asked to attend school where appropriate, to best meet need.
• Teaching Assistants attend the same remote lessons as these students and then work either 1-1 or in small groups to address difficulties.
• Teaching assistants and staff in the Learning Support Faculty also offer remote lessons for students working from home, who may be unable to attend school but are experiencing difficulties.
• A ‘break-out’ room function is available within Teams to support individual needs.
• The Learning Support Faculty are in regular communication with Year Managers, students, and parents to support individual need.

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 students are at home due to self-isolation, they will continue to follow their normal school timetable and will be invited to join lessons via Teams.
• They will hear the teacher and see the board/any apps used by the teacher.
• Any resources required will be available via Showbie in the normal way.