Remote Education: Information for Parents

This information is intended to help pupils and parents or carers understand what to expect from remote education if pupils are required to remain at home for reasons related to Covid-19.

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?

Pupils will have learning uploaded to Dojo (our online learning platform) on the first day of their remote education. Learning packs may also be collected from the school office from the first day of remote learning. Live lessons will be scheduled shortly after bubble closure.

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 and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, in PE the children may be asked to follow a Joe Wicks workout / access a video uploaded to Dojo recorded by our PE development lead, Mr Driver. Also in Science, where our pupils may not have all the apparatus they require at home, we may have to alter the Science plans slightly.

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 take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Number of hours3 hours for EYFS (Pupils in Nursery & Reception)4 hours for KS1 (Pupils in Year 1 & Year 2)4 hours for KS2 (Pupils in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 & Year 6) Note that there is a minimum legal requirement for schools to provide at least of 3 hours of remote learning per day for KS1 pupils and a minimum legal requirement of 4 hours per day for KS2 pupils.
Breakdown of hoursEYFS
Writing = 30 minutes
Maths = 30 minutes
Reading = 10 minutes (x2)
Handwriting = 10 minutes
Phonics = 20 minutes
PE = 30 minutes
Continuous Provision (building skills in wider curriculum)
= 40 minutes

Key Stage One
English = 1 hour
Maths = 1 hour
Phonics = 30 minutes
SPaG = 15 minutes
Reading = 15 minutes
Foundation (including PE) = 1 hour  

Key Stage Two
English = 1 hour
Maths = 1 hour
Mental Arithmetic = 30 minutes
Reading = 20 minutes
SPaG = 10 minutes
Foundation (including PE) = 1 hour

Accessing remote education

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

We will be using Dojo as our online learning platform, from which your child can access all the resources they will need for their remote learning. This will include a digital copy of their learning pack (which will be uploaded daily) and pre-recorded lessons for English, Maths and Foundation (also uploaded daily). Once your child has completed their learning, this can be uploaded to their digital portfolio on Dojo. Your child’s class teacher will then mark the learning and provide feedback. Feedback will be provided daily.

In addition to pre-recorded lessons and digital/paper learning packs, there will also be live lessons scheduled on Microsoft Teams. To access live lessons on Microsoft Teams, your child will need to enter their username and password, provided by their teacher. Your child should receive a notification informing them that a lesson has been scheduled and sign in Microsoft Teams at this time, accessing the live lesson by clicking ‘Join’.

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. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

  • We will stagger the live lessons to ensure that siblings can attend all of their live lessons.
  • We will provide a parent survey for parents to complete to ascertain which families require additional/support to access technology/Wi-Fi.
  • We will place a bid with the DfE to request the number of devices required to ensure all pupils are able to access pre-recorded/live lessons.
  • Laptops received will be lent to pupils so that they can access their live/pre-recorded lessons. These will need to be signed out and returned to the school when pupils return to the school.
  • We will identify companies that are able to support our school community with free Wi-Fi connectivity and lend routers to parents (where our families require these)
  • Printed learning packs will be available for collection from the front foyer each Friday from 3pm onwards for the following week’s learning.

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

Some examples of remote teaching approaches:

  • live teaching (online lessons) via Microsoft Teams (which following parental consent and staff training, will be recorded for safeguarding reasons)
  • recorded teaching posted on Dojo (e.g. Recorded Lessons, 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 (as per the schools full opening guidance, schools full opening guidance, schools are expected to avoid an over-reliance on these approaches)

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?

Expectations for Pupils’ Engagement with Remote Education

  • To complete remote learning set by teacher (either online or using paper learning packs)
  • To attend all live lessons (where possible – technology allowing)
  • To attend all live lessons scheduled, appropriately dressed
  • To ensure they are well prepared with all resources required (if not learning pack, then at least a piece of paper and a pencil)
  • To remain respectful towards all pupils and teachers whilst online
  • To only use Microsoft Teams to access live lessons scheduled by teaching staff

Expectations of Parental Support:

  • Any persons seen in a live lesson is fully dressed
  • Complete the Parent Survey for access to technology for online learning
  • Encourage your child to follow the school timetable to help support routines
  • Children of statutory school age are expected to attend school and receive an education. As this is not possible, we expect your child to attend live lessons where they are scheduled and complete all learning uploaded to Dojo.
  • If engagement is not regular (this includes accessing and watching live lessons as well as completing paper learning packs/uploading learning), the school make welfare call to the family and offer help.

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

  • Engagement with remote education will be monitored through Dojo and Microsoft Teams daily by the class teacher who will make a record of this.
  • If engagement is not regular (this includes accessing live lessons and watching prerecorded lessons, as well as completing paper learning packs/uploading learning), we will make a welfare call to the family and offer help.
  • Where there is a difficulty accessing technology, which is hindering access to remote learning being completed, we will work with you to try to rectify this issue.

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:

  • Feedback for your child’s learning will be provided on Dojo, in the comment section of each piece of learning uploaded to their portfolio.
  • Feedback may consist of a brief comment, a developmental question or an extensive comment where misconceptions have been addressed with a detailed explanation.
  • Pupils will generally receive feedback on daily basis. However, where we have short staffing, or during a teacher’s PPA/NQT afternoon, feedback may be received every other day.

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 and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

  • Our teachers will continue to work closely with our SENCo, Mrs Blundefield, to identify key resources/differentiated learning to support your child.
  • Digital copies of differentiated learning will be posted on your child’s learning portfolio. Paper copies may also be collected from the office.
  • Pupils who receive specialist support, for example: Speech and Language, your child will receive specialist challenge and exercises to support them.
  • Our younger pupils (Nursery, Reception and Year 1) will receive pre-recorded lessons (posted on Dojo) as well as between two-three live lessons throughout the week. Links to websites we use in school will also be posted on our school website and on your child’s class Dojo page.

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?

If your child has to self-isolate, whilst the rest of their class is learning in school, your child will receive a digital copy of daily learning on Dojo (either by the class page or on their individual portfolio). You may also collect a paper copy of your child’s learning pack from the front foyer.

Further Information – Useful Websites