As the Government response to the Coronavirus pandemic intensifies, I would like to reach out to the whole community regarding the challenging times that we are all entering. Some will be more directly affected than others, but this outbreak is going to fundamentally change our lives over the coming weeks and months, and its impact will last for some time. Our thoughts are with you and your families, and especially those who may fall ill in the coming weeks and months.
This is undoubtably a challenging time for everyone and it will need a commitment from us all to ensure that the impact of long term disruption to our children’s education is minimised.
What we’ll continue doing while your child is at home
Your child’s learning is of course important to us, so we’ll continue to help your child to learn. We will be using the online forum of Google Classroom and Tapestry to set our remote curriculum. This online private communication platform shares work and messages between the teacher, the children and their parents. It is a way of being able to keep in contact while your child is being educated at home so any work that has been completed, the teacher can see and help with.
Please look on the Curriculum tab to see our Curriculum information in more detail
We frequently review our policies and procedures to reflect the latest guidelines and advice from the Government and Public Health England. Below is a link to the latest Department for Education guidelines as well our latest risk assessment. We also include the working procedures that we use to inform all of our staff about the latest in school procedures. The flow chart section includes useful guidance on 'What to do if...' and are a useful tool to follow in different scenarios that may occur. In addition, the school closure policy that we will follow in the event of having to close one Bubble or the Whole school.
Priddy & St Lawrence’s Remote Learning
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or 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 document.
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?
In the event of the requirement for immediate provision of remote learning, work will be made available using Google Classroom and Tapestry. Children in each class will already have immediate access to this as it is the platform which is used for homework. Teachers will upload work onto their classroom linked to that being delivered face to face. There will also be links to online learning materials as well as guidance to practice additional skills such as reading.
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 Science, parents may not be able to source all materials and so alternatives will be provided.
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:
Key Stage 1: 3 - 5 hrs
Key Stage 2: 4 – 5 hrs
Our expectation is that each child should complete a piece of literacy or numeracy each day, plus an additional subject e.g. Science or Topic. Younger children will be expected to do less than older children. It is less about time and more about the quality of the learning opportunity.
Although for many children the structured approach to learning in a day is of benefit, it may be that for others it is more important that learning is done at appropriate points to fit in with the family situation.
Of course, the time that children take on work, in school or remotely, depends upon access to resources and available support. Work will be differentiated to suit differing needs and abilities. Additional daily practise of the following:
Key Stage 1:
Reading (daily – 20 minutes)
Key Stage 2
Reading (daily – 30 minutes)
TT Rockstars (daily – 20 minutes)
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Parents and pupils have access to Tapestry and Google Classroom for homework and daily activities.
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:
Much of the content created or adapted for Google Classroom is editable or can be editable.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers and narrated activities); power-points, editable worksheets and activities.
Some classes will have live face to face catch up meetings using Google Meet
Considerable research is being done into remote learning and it has been found that the mode of delivery is less important than the quality of delivery. In fact, there is no clear evidence to suggest that 'live' lessons are any better than work set or recorded videos.
As a Federation, we recognise the importance of the social aspects of learning through Google Meet and Zoom sessions and we are working hard to ensure that children maintain connection with their teacher and classmates.
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?
We ask you to ensure that your child engages with the work set on Tapestry or Google Classroom and that you offer support in order to access the work/activities. Please communicate with teachers via the platform if the work is too easy/difficult or if there are any challenges. We welcome communication between parent and teacher for the benefit of the child.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Teachers will monitor the work ‘turned in’ through Tapestry and Google Classroom during a working week and will raise concerns with the Head teacher, should work not be submitted or accessed within the week. The Head teacher will monitor the log ins to assess engagement.
Should concerns be raised, class teachers will contact parents initially through the platform or school email. A follow up phone call will be made if necessary.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback may be verbal or written as appropriate to the task. Teachers will aim to give feedback on the same day to inform children prior to their next lesson.
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 a number of 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 that this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
In situations where individual pupils need to self-isolate, but the majority of their class remain in school, the remote education will have less immediate teacher interaction. 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?
The teachers will upload and direct pupils to activities and work that matches what they would be doing in school as closely as possible. However, there will be some activities and some lessons for which this is not completely possible for reasons stated earlier e.g. access to certain resources or materials. Should this be the case, depending on the period of isolation, this learning can be facilitated when back in school.
Remote Education Lead: Lauren Durbin