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Remote Learning

Remote education provision: information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students, parents and guardians 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.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home

A student’s first day or two of being educated remotely will most likely look different from our standard approach. This is so that we can 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?

During the period immediately following a whole-school or partial school closure, we will endeavour to provide entirely remote learning in the first instance. This means that work will be set via Satchel:One (sometimes referred to as Show My Homework in school). Please be aware that this learning will most likely not be supported by “live” lessons or any “live elements” of lessons. However, your child’s teachers and Form Tutor will be available via email should additional support be needed. 

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?

Following the first few days of remote education, we will endeavour to provide a “blended learning” approach based on our experience and understanding of best practice gleaned from other periods of school closure. This means that learning will be a mixture of ‘non-synchronous’ (entirely remote) teaching using Satchel:One and ‘synchronous’ or ‘live’ teaching through MS Teams (where the teacher and students are engaged in the lesson at the same time and can interact in real time). 

When delivering our ‘blended’ learning approach, we will teach the same curriculum as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we will make some intentional adaptations in some subjects. For example, there will be a particular emphasis on clear explanations, and the amount of new information will most likely be reduced. Teachers will place particular emphasis on the importance of core concepts and strategies to enhance memory and retention. Teachers will build deliberately on students’ prior knowledge to support new steps in learning and students will be provided with opportunities to practice, reflect and review their learning. It is very likely that in subjects that are traditionally understood to be practical in nature, that the underpinning theory will be emphasised instead of the potentially resource-heavy practical components.

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. Students have 5 lessons during the course of the school day and will therefore spend approximately 5 hours working and learning at home. However, in order to support both staff and student wellbeing, we recommend that lessons will last 50 – 55 minutes in order to allow successful transitions and to accommodate comfort breaks

 

Key Stage 3

Work set in lessons should take no longer than 5 hours each day.   Homework will not usually be set at KS3 (but additional independent reading may be recommended).

Key Stage 4

Work set should take 5 hours, with some need for independent study additionally.

Key Stage 5

Post 16  Students will be expected to follow their usual hours of delivery – 9 hours per subject per fortnight, plus around 5 hours per subject of personal reading and study around the subject each week.

During a period of full or partial school closure, Year Group Assemblies will also be available via the same systems as subject-based lessons at times published by the school. Form Tutors will be completing important pastoral work during our normal period 6 sessions and so “form time” and strand sessions as traditionally experienced by the pupils will not be taking place. 

Accessing remote education

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

Work will be set, submitted and given feedback through a combination of the following online platforms:

• Satchel : One / ShowMyHomework

• Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaborative platform which allows for real-time communication and sharing of resources between teachers and their classes. Every staff member of the Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School has been set up on Teams and pre-registered to each of their classes. We have also created student / parent guides on the use of this software as a further means of support. Please see links shared on the school website.

The software has video and audio functionality which allows for a closer connection with students and students, and there is an expectation that staff should use this synchronous ‘live’ lesson facility as a regular part of their provision for each teaching group. It may be used by individual teachers for their own classes or used more collectively, where a department organises for one teacher to connect with more than one teaching group at a time.

Support Accessing Satchel:One 

For a general overview of how to use Satchel One, including how to download the app, please click here

If you have forgotten your password or need to reset it, please click here

If you want to understand more about how to submit your work online, please click here 

If you are a parent or guardian and want to be able to monitor and support your child's learning, please see this guide

Finally, if you have more than one child in the school and want to be able to maintain oversight of each child's work, please click here to learn more 

Support Accessing Microsoft Teams  

You will also need to ensure that you are able to access live lessons on Microsoft Teams. This video provides a clear tutorial regarding how to access your ‘live’ lessons during this period of time.  

If you are still struggling, this document provides an additional overview and some advice on tackling common problems and misunderstandings.

If you are still struggling, this document provides an additional overview and some advice on tackling common misunderstandings.

How To Access Student Resources

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 use Satchel : One / Show My Homework (a platform that students in the school use on daily basis) to set work and communicate expectations. 
  • “Live” Lessons on MS Teams will be recorded and made available via the same platform so that students who are unable to access them during the “live” period will be able to watch them at a later time / date. 
  • Depending upon the nature of the school closure, it might be necessary to lend devices such as laptops on a case-by-case basis to support students with their remote learning. If you would like to enquire about the possibility please contact your child’s Learning Coordinator by email.  
  • During previous periods of school closure (i.e. the COVID-19 national lockdowns) we were able to make provision to lend devices that enabled an internet connection. Please note that in order to do this we were actively engaged with wider support networks. It is unlikely that this is going to be necessary again, however, should the circumstances arise and you would like to enquire about the possibility please contact your child’s Learning Coordinator by email.  
  • If your family does not have internet access, please alert the school at your earliest opportunity and direct this communication to your child’s Form Tutor or Learning Coordinator. Where possible, we will make arrangements to provide printed materials so that all students can maintain access to the taught curriculum
  • If you have any further questions or queries about teaching and learning during a period of school closure, please contact Mr Hewitson (hewitsonj@jhn.herts.sch.uk).

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

As already described, we will adopt a “blended learning” approach based on our experience and understanding of best practice gleaned from other periods of school closure. This means that learning will be a mixture of ‘non-synchronous’ (entirely remote) teaching using Satchel : One and ‘synchronous’ or ‘live’ teaching through MS Teams (where the teacher and students are engaged in the lesson at the same time). Where deemed appropriate we might “blend” the live lessons and live elements of lessons with:

·      recorded teaching (e.g. 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

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 will maintain our high standard and expectations when the children are working from home. Students are expected to:

  • Attend all lessons & Assemblies
  • Complete all work set for them and submit work promptly
  • Check emails, remote learning platforms and their calendars regularly and also read and respond to communication from the school when needed.
  • Proactively inform ICT support via helpdesk@jhn.herts.sch.uk where they experience IT problems.
  • Uphold the same standards of conduct and behaviour during live online lessons as they would be expected to in school. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Ensuring appropriate language is used in Teams comments or emails, and that any comment is on-topic and relevant to the task in hand.

• Ensuring full engagement with the tasks in hand, including submission of any required work by the deadline that has been set.

• Ensuring that clothing is appropriate, following the same guidance as a normal “Dress down” day in school.

We ask that parents and guardians endeavor to support their children in meeting our high-expectations by creating and maintaining an appropriate environment at home, conducive to meaningful home-learning and remote education.

Parents can support us and their children with their learning by:

  • Ensuring your child is up and ready for school at 8.45 am
  • Has a place to work, preferably with a table, and where it is quiet
  • Supporting them to take breaks at the designated times and to have snacks and lunch during the day
  • Encouraging them to join in the live sessions
  • Cameras should be on, as directed by the teacher
  • Supporting a routine for their work, ensuring time away from the screen after the school day and limiting access to social media during lesson times.

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

Your child’s teachers will monitor engagement with remote education. Attendance and the completion of assigned work will be monitored by class teachers in each lesson.  Those students that are not engaging with remote learning will initially be identified by their class teacher. This information will be shared with the student’s Form Tutor and Learning Coordinator. Where deemed necessary, contact will be made with the student’s parents or guardians in order to inform them and to see what further support can be provided. This contact will be made via email or telephone.   

Parents can also check their child’s engagement by using their own login to Satchel : One.  Here it is possible to see summaries of activity and instructions and guidance from teachers regarding what is expected in terms of remote learning.

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.

Your child’s teachers will set, assess, and return work to students as per the Assessment, Marking and Feedback policy. This is obviously complicated by remote learning and will need to be done by electronic means where appropriate. Feedback can also be given in a variety of forms, 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:

  Our approach to feeding back on student work during remote learning is as follows:

  • Feedback will be given in a wide range of ways. Often this will take the form of whole-class feedback during live lessons.   
  • Some of the online resources available (such as online quizzing platforms) provide their own feedback mechanism to students and teachers. 
  • We will use models, exemplars and marking tools to empower students to mark or peer mark their work and then the outcomes are shared with the teacher.
  • For some pieces of work students will be required to hand work in via MS Teams or by email and this will then be marked and returned by the teacher.  

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 students, for example some students 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 students in the following ways: 

  • Our SENCO, Ms Downing, speaks with all students with EHCPs regularly and also with their parents where appropriate to check access to their learning and also their progress. The task of communicating with these children and families will be shared across the SEND and Pastoral Teams.  
  • Our Core Studies provision will continue to be made available online in the same way as the rest of our curriculum. This programme will continue to support the children with the most prominent needs.
  • Some students identified by the SEND and Pastoral Teams will be offered a place in school as part of the vulnerable student provision. These students will follow the same teaching and learning provision as those children working remotely but will do so with the support of teachers and teaching assistants in school.
  • When the offer of an in-school place is not taken up, attendance will be monitored regularly with welfare checks will be made by our SEND Team with increased frequency to ensure students are able to access materials and to check that appropriate support is being provided as necessary.

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?

Where individual students 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 students both at home and in school and the individual circumstances of the child’s ill-health or other reason for not attending school.

If a child is self-isolating when school is in normal session, their work will all be accessed via Satchel : One. They will be able to follow the same planned and sequenced curriculum as their peers but the resources will need to be adapted for their circumstances. They will not be able, in most cases, to attend the lesson via a live stream, but can access all of the materials as if they were in school. Where deemed appropriate, additional resources will be provided to support independent learning.

Self-isolating students can and should communicate with their teachers via email but need to be aware that they will be unable to help them during the lesson as they will be engaged with the students working in school. Work for their lessons will be posted daily, but may not be at the exact time of the lesson. Depending upon the nature and time-frame of the period of self-isolation, it might be possible to submit work and receive feedback from teachers. However, in many instances it might be more appropriate to submit work once the child has returned to school and for each teacher to monitor and assess understanding of the curriculum covered. Recommendations in this regard will be made by the Learning Coordinator.