Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents about what to expect from remote learning where national of local restrictions require entire cohorts to remain at home.

Please read our remote learning policy – Remote Learning Policy January 2021

KS1 Remote Learning Timetable

KS2 Remote Learning Timetable

Please click below to find out more about our parent questionnaire about remote learning provision during the second school closure.

Remote Education Questionnaire Results

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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.

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

After the first lockdown, the use of Microsoft Teams for live lessons is now well established and familiar to KS2 pupils. Immediate live lessons, via Teams, will be available from the first day of a bubble closing for all KS2 pupils. Year 2 pupils will use Teams to access their remote learning, however, this will not involve live lessons. Teaching staff will send work for Reception and Year One pupils on Tapestry. Once tasks are completed, parents will upload photographs and/or work to their Tapestry account.

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?

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible. However, there are some instances where adaptations need to be made. For instance, some lessons require resources and equipment which would not be typically found in the home environment- in this case, a different learning activity will be set but the learning objective would remain the same.

 

Remote Teaching and Study Time Each Day

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

There will be a minimum of 3 hours of work set for KS1 pupils across the curriculum. There will be a minimum of 4 hours of work set per day for KS2 pupils.

 

Accessing Remote Education

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

Remote learning will be provided for pupils from Y2 to Y6 via Teams and the pupils in Reception and Year 1 will access online learning through Tapestry. Story time for all Reception and Infant pupils will be held daily through Zoom meetings.

If my child does not have digital on 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. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

Laptops will be made available to pupils who require them. Parents are able to inform school of difficulties relating to digital or online access at home via email (ebchester@durhamlearning.net) or telephone (01207 560349).

Paper copies of tasks and activities will be provided when requested. These will be dropped off and collected by school staff.

How will my child be taught remotely?

• Live teaching for all KS2 pupils (English and Maths)

• Recorded teaching (Oak National Academy lessons)

• Tasks set on Teams/ Tapestry by class teachers

• Printed paper packs

• Reading books that the children have at home

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

 

Engagement and Feedback

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

We will set daily work or activities which average 3 hours for KS1 and 4 hours for KS2. If the whole class is isolating (or the whole school in the case of a lockdown),the class teacher will be available each day to set and mark tasks, give advice and answer queries. If individual pupils are isolating, the teacher will still set work via Teams or Tapestry but will follow their normal school timetable. Work will still be checked daily.

We recommend that parents ensure that their child understand the tasks to be completed and know when they will have time to relax.

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

Teachers will monitor uploaded work on Tapestry or Teams, for pupils who are isolating. Whilst we recognise the need for some degree of flexibility (for example if you are working from home whilst caring for them) we will expect your child to engage with their learning activities regularly. If concerned by a perceived lack of engagement, Teachers will contact you via telephone.
If you child’s engagement does not increase, teachers will notify senior leaders, who will contact you directly.

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:

• If the whole class/bubble is isolating, your child’s work will be marked through comments on their uploaded work daily.

• For individuals who are isolating, feedback and marking comments will still be made, at the end of the day due to the teacher having timetabled teaching commitments.

 

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

• Reception pupils will mostly be set practical tasks which can be completed with carers in the home environment.

• Teachers will set differentiated work to meet the needs of identified children with SEND.

• The class teachers and headteacher will make regular welfare calls to parents of pupils with SEND.

 

Remote Education for Self-Isolating Pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remain 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 at school.

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

In the rare instance of a small number of pupils isolating due to being extremely clinically vulnerable, work will be set and marked through either Teams or tapestry and contact made at least weekly with home.