Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

This information is intended to provide clarify and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.  Please see our  Remote Learning Policy Remote Learning Policy for further information.

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?

• Learning for the week ahead will be provided via your child's Google Classroom page and will be uploaded at the start of each day
• Each morning a short video will be uploaded which sets out the days learning, expectations and to try to motivate and engage the children.  Each video will go live at a different time in order that siblings within the household can access this:  Y2  9.00am;  Y1  9.15am,  YR  9.30am.
• Learning will focus on the core subjects of Literacy (Reading, Writing, Phonics) and Maths, plus one Foundation subject.
• Teachers will be uploading videos and signposting to The Oak Academy for Foundation subjects
• At least two pieces of learning per day will be expected to be returned to school for feedback and marking.
• During the day the teachers will monitor Google Classroom and year group e-mails between 8.30am and 4.30pm so that they are able to respond to questions from parents/carers and give feedback on returned work.

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 may need to make some adaptations in some subjects.  For example, you may need to use different resources to those available 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 aim to provide a minimum of three hours focused remote learning (including remote teaching and independent work) per day in all year groups.  Approximate timings are given beside activities to guide parents and carers on how long we would expect children to spend on tasks.

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

Learning for the week ahead will be provided via your child's Google Classroom page and will be uploaded at the start of each day.  Please contact the office on secretary@epinf.co.uk if you have forgotten your password or have difficulty getting online.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

If you do not have suitable online access at home, please call the school office so we can discuss ways in which we can support you.  This may include:

• Providing additional IT support to help you get online
• Providing you with an I-pad or desk top computer
• Making arrangements for paper copies of work to be available to you

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• practical and purposeful activities including real-life experiences
• recorded teaching (eg Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers)
• textbooks and reading books pupils 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 and carers should provide at home?

In order for remote learning to be as successful as possible, we will need to work closely together.  We recognise that our children come from a wide variety of family settings and that the pressures within these may vary significantly.

Due to the young age of our children, the vast majority will need a lot of guidance when working and cannot be left alone for long periods to complete tasks.  Many children wil not work for their parents in the same way as they work in school.  We will therefore endeavour to make the learning tasks short, practical and age/stage appropriate.  Tasks that do not require the internet or a device such as a laptop or tablet to access them are preferable as some families will not have internet access or more than one device to use.

We do not expect parents to be teachers and our advice would always be, 'do the best you can'.

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

Each morning a short video will be uploaded which sets out the days learning, expectations and to try to motivate and engage the children.  Each video will go live at a different time in order that siblings within the household can access this:  Y2  9.00am;  Y1  9.15am;  YR  9.30am.

During the day the teachers will monitor Google Classroom and year group emails between 8.30am and 4.30pm so that they are able to respond to questions from parents/carers and give feedback on returned work.

Teachers will make contact with families where children are not returning work in order that we can support them in doing so.

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.

Depending on the activity, teachers may give 'points' for learning criteria met or comments on the quality of work returned and possible next steps.

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.

We will try to accommodate the needs of all students, incuding those with SEND or those who are vulnerable and take into account different levels of learning however, teachers are not expected to provide bespoke individual lessons for pupils.

The Inclusion coordinator will liaise with those families where the child has an EHCP to discuss how their specific needs could be met during their absence from school.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

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

• Learning for the week ahead will be provided via your child's Google Classroom page and will be uploaded each Friday.
• There will be a weekly overview of the learning which is taking place in school and links to activities that focus on the core subjects of Literacy (Reading, Writing, Phonics) and Maths, plus one Foundation subject.
• At least one piece of learning per day will be expected to be returned to school for feedback and marking (this will be clearly identified as a red task).
• If a child is absent from school for more than 5 school days you will receive a 'keeping in touch' phone call to check-in with both the child and parent/carer.