Remote Learning: 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 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 page.

Remote Learning provides an opportunity for students to remain connected and engaged with their learning while not being able to attend school in person. At Mowlem Primary School, we use Google classroom for our Online Classroom, where children can access the same learning resources as they would in school, as well as stay in touch with teachers and classmates via a secure communication system. 

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?

All children have been given a remote learning book.

Maths and English will be provided on the first day of isolation. Work for the full curriculum will be provided from day two onwards.

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.

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 broadly follow the routine of the school day, taking a similar number of hours as those when in school.

Accessing remote education

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

The main platform for online learning will be Google Classroom.

Within all plans, teachers will set appropriate work in-line with our current curriculum, primarily supported by the following resources:

• White Rose Maths;
• Oak National Academy;
• Spelling Shed
• Numbots, TT Rockstars
• PurpleMash
• Google classroom

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 lend laptops or tablets to pupils. Parents should contact the main office to request a device.
• We will also provide support to parents to access an internet connection. This will be done in a range of ways, including through dongles, access to additional data through mobile providers, access to free wifi through issuing of codes. Parents who need support with access to the internet should contact the school office. We will then find the most appropriate route to meet your individual needs.
• Parents can contact the school to request printed materials if needed.
• Children can submit their work via the online platform. They are also able to submit hard copies of their work. All children have a remote learning book which they can use to record their learning. These should be returned to the school when your child returns.

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely. This will include:

• a daily registration session at the start of the day. This session will also include an overview of the learning to take place during the day.
• in-person live teaching (online lessons) delivered by your child’s teacher
• Pre-recorded live teaching delivered by your child’s teacher on google classroom
• recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers)
• printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
• commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
• a daily shared reading session in the afternoon. This session will also provide the opportunity for staff to provide whole class feedback, address misconceptions, answer questions and provide any further support children need.

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 expect children to engage with the remote education. Children should attend the daily registration and live sessions and submit their work.

• We have a timetable in place for each class to ensure children have a routine for their learning.
• We ask that parents support their child with their learning, following the timetable and establishing a routine for the children. Parents should contact the school to get additional support with routines and learning.

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

• We will check children’s attendance at the daily registration and live sessions. We will also check children’s submission of work through the day.
• Staff will monitor and respond to children’s messages in their google classroom throughout the day.
• We will contact you if children do not attend the registration and live sessions and if work is not submitted to see what support we can offer.

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:

• Whole class feedback in the live sessions
• Individual feedback on children’s submitted work
• Responses to children’s questions
• Feedback will be ongoing. Staff will aim to provide feedback on a daily basis as children submit their work. This may take the form of whole class, group or individual feedback.

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:

• We will provide your child with work that meets their individual needs
• We will work with wider professionals to provide remote sessions were possible e.g. speech and language therapy
• We will deliver additional intervention groups for your child
• Please contact the SENCO if you need any additional support or have any questions.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, 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 these circumstances work will be provided via Google Classroom and/or Frog platform. A member of the school team will contact parents by phone to discuss the arrangements, share the work and provide support for your child.  

The work provided will reflect the curriculum that the children in school are studying and children will be provided with meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects, including providing feedback.