Aims

This remote learning policy for staff aims to:

• Ensure consistency in the approach to remote learning for pupils who are not in school
• Set out expectations for all members of the school community with regards to remote learning
• Provide appropriate guidelines for data protection

Use of remote learning

All pupils should attend school, in line with our attendance policy. Remote education is not viewed as an equal alternative to attendance in school.

Pupils receiving remote education will be marked absent in line with the Pupil Registration Regulations.

We will consider providing remote education to pupils in circumstances when in-person attendance is either not possible or contrary to government guidance.

This might include:

• Occasions when we decide that opening our school is either:
  
  • Not possible to do safely
  • Contradictory to guidance from local or central government
• Occasions when individual pupils, for a limited duration, are unable to physically attend school but are able to continue learning, for example because:   
• They have an infectious illness
• They are preparing for or recovering from some types of operation
• They are recovering from injury and attendance in school may inhibit such recovery
• Their attendance has been affected by a special educational need or disability (SEND) or a mental health issue

The school will consider providing pupils with remote education on a case-by-case basis.

In the limited circumstances when remote learning is used, we will:

• Gain mutual agreement of remote education by the school, parents/carers, pupils, and if appropriate, a relevant medical professional. If the pupil has an education, health and care (EHC) plan or social worker, the local authority (LA) will also be involved in the decision
• Put formal arrangements in place to regularly review it and identify how to reintegrate the pupil back into school
• Identify what other support and flexibilities can be put in place to help reintegrate the pupil back into school at the earliest opportunity
• Set a time limit with an aim that the pupil returns to in-person education with appropriate support

Remote education will not be used as a justification for sending pupils home due to misbehaviour. This would count as a suspension, even if the pupil is asked to access online education while suspended.

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 may be sent work packs for English and Maths in the first instance. We will provide access to remote learning as soon as is reasonably possible.

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?

Please see below some statements that may be helpful. In this section, please delete all statements that do not apply, and add details if appropriate:

• 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, practical subjects such as DT, Science and PE.

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 hours a day
Key Stage 2	4 hours a day

Work will be set by 4:30pm from the day before it is due to be completed.

Accessing remote education

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

We use Purple Mash to set tasks and a work blog for pupils to access.

Pupils can use Microsoft Teams to dial in to live lessons and details about these will be provided by your child’s class teacher.

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:

• contact school to see if we can issue a laptop or iPad
• we can provide printed material if you do not have online access. Contact your child’s class teachers about this via the office 
• pupils are welcome to bring this back in to school on return or parents are welcome to send work back to school for the teacher to see as it is completed

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• live teaching (online lessons)
• 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?

• Pupils are expected to engage with all of the remote education that is provided (as long as they are feeling well enough to do so)
• It is important to set a routine for your child so that they know what is expected. Consider setting up a timetable similar to one they would have at school

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

• Teachers are available during their normal working hours and they will routinely check that pupils are engaging. This may be through monitoring the tasks they are completing through Purple Mash, monitoring their attendance in live lessons. Teachers may call to check on your child while they are at home
• If teachers are concerned about a pupils engagement, they will contact you

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 will be given through marking the tasks or verbally during live lessons
• Teachers will submit feedback within 24 hours of the work being uploaded

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:

• Staff that may be able to offer additional support are the SENDCo and our Thrive lead
• Reasonable adjustments will be made for pupils with SEND to support them to access remote education
• Pupils in EYFS will be provided with tasks sheets and be invited to some remote teaching e.g. phonics which they would need to attend with their parent / carer

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.