Below you will find our Remote Learning offer from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 through to July 2021. At this point, based on changes to Government advice and legislation for schools, we amended our provision/offer (as seen on the main page) to reflect current the most up to date requirements.
Our Remote Learning Offer - March 2020 to July 2021
At George Fentham we recognise that Remote Learning will not look the same for each of our families.
We know that their circumstances will differ greatly, whether it be their own working situation (and therefore their ability to support their children), access to technology/printers etc or any number of other variables in these challenging times.
Therefore, in recognising this, we know that we need to ensure that our provision meets the needs of ALL of our children and families. With this in mind, we conducted a Remote Learning survey to better understand each of our families circumstances, giving them the opportunity to share with us any specific needs or issues.
You can see the analysis and summary of this survey here.
Using this feedback we have developed a 4 Phase approach, to ensure that all of our children receive access to Remote Learning immediately, and that this is aligned as closely as possible to our in - school curriculum.
You can see this 4 Phase model here.
The information that follows is intended to provide clarity and transparency to children and parents/carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
It outlines exactly what our provision for each of the 4 phases will be, how we intend to support children/families to access online resources (as well as those without access to technology to support online learning) and what the expectations for both children and parents will be.
The remote curriculum: What is taught to pupils at home
What should my child expect, from immediate remote education, in the first day or two of them/all pupils in their bubble being sent home?
A pupil’s first few days 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 for an individual or a bubble.
This is covered by our Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 provision.
Phase 1 covers any short period (up to 4/5 days) whilst a child is awaiting the outcome of a COVID test (parent or sibling). A work pack will be provided, that is aligned to the Year Group curriculum, with activities/tasks that provide opportunities for pre-learning/consolidation. These packs will be held at the school office and sent out by email, or printed, on the first day of absence.
Phase 2 covers an individual child who is now self-isolating at home due to having been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, tested positive themselves, been contacted by NHS Track & Trace or is returning from a country on the quarantined list. Work will be provided, directly aligned to what is being taught in class. This will be prepared by the class teacher, emailed to Mrs Justice, and then emailed home on a daily basis for the duration of their isolation period.
(Please also see the section at the end of this document entitled:
'Additional support for pupils with particular needs - Remote education for self-isolating pupils')
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?
As stated above, Phase 2 work would be directly aligned to in-school learning ensuring that the child/ren do not miss out on any part of their Year group curriculum.
In the event of a Phase 3, or whole bubble, closure children would then switch to work that would be provided, directly aligned to the Year Group curriculum, via the school website and online platforms, or via printed copies on request.
This would also apply in the event of a Phase 4 (whole school closure due to a further National lockdown).
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
The DfE states that for:
Primary school-aged pupils
"When teaching pupils remotely, we expect schools to:
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Using our school website as a portal, teachers provide a bespoke set of learning for the children in their class that is directly aligned with the Year Group curriculum.
Each subject area (Maths, English [Reading, Writing, Phonics, SPAG], Science, RE, Computing, History/Geography, Music, MFL [French], PE, PSHE [Jigsaw], Art and Design Technology) is covered and lessons are provided which cater specifically for our children and their differing needs and abilities, with clear instruction/direction provided.
To access your child’s remote learning on the school website:
Further to this, teachers will also provide learning opportunities using a range of online platforms, such as:
2Simple Purple Mash, Charanga (Music), TT Rockstars (Times Tables), Activelearn Abacus Maths and Microsoft TEAMS.
Children are provided with unique usernames and passwords for these platforms, which have also been shared with parents/carers, to ensure that they have full access to the wide range of resources being utilised.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We fully recognise that some children/families may not have suitable online access at home.
Using the information gleaned from our Remote Learning Survey, we take the following approaches to support these children to access remote education:
Provision of printed copies
All work provided on the website will be provided to identified children/families. These will be sent home with children or can be collected from the school office.
Provision of workbooks
Workbooks, as appropriate, will be provided for identified children/families (SEND?). These will be sent home with children, posted out directly to homes or can be collected from the school office.
*Where children cannot submit work back to their teacher online/remotely it can be dropped off at school, where it will be quarantined for 48 hours before being looked at by the teacher*
Provision of laptops
We have a small number of laptops that we will make available to support identified children (these will remain the property of George Fentham School) to access remote learning.
Information has been/will be communicated directly to those identified as eligible.
We are not providing additional equipment (wireless routers/dongles etc) at this stage as 100% of our parents stated, in our survey, that they have internet access at home.
How will my child be taught remotely?
Using our school website as a portal, teachers provide a bespoke set of learning for the children in their class that is directly aligned with the Year Group curriculum.
Each subject area (Maths, English [Reading, Writing, Phonics, SPAG], Science, RE, Computing, History/Geography, Music, MFL [French], PE, PSHE [Jigsaw], Art and Design Technology) is covered and lessons are provided which cater specifically for our children and their differing needs and abilities, with clear instruction/direction provided.
As part of this bespoke provision, teachers may use a combination of any of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
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 accordance with our Remote Learning Policy -
Staff will expect pupils learning remotely to:
Staff can expect parents with children learning remotely to:
We would like to remind you about the ICT Pupil/Parent Acceptable Usage Agreements (AUP) which children/parents signed when joining George Fentham.
Children are expected to follow these whilst using any of the Online Learning Platforms provided by the school. You can view these on the school website (scroll down to policies):
www.georgefenthamschool.co.uk/statutory-information.html
Please also refer to the Home – School Agreement contract that you and your child signed when you started at George Fentham.
All online platforms provided to children at this time are monitored by the school and inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant policies (Behaviour, AUP, Online Safety, Home-School Agreements etc).
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Each teacher, alongside their provision of learning materials on the website, provides a clear expectation of how and when work should be submitted. This could be via Purple Mash (directly submitted or a photo sent), within an online platform (Charanga/TT Rockstars) or in an email. Staff are able to immediately see what has been submitted, and when, and will be monitoring this daily. Further to this, teachers will hold regular Microsoft TEAMS calls with the children in their class during any isolation period (Phases 1 - 4), allowing them to monitor any issues and address them directly (as appropriate).
This will usually consist of 'orientation' calls at the start of a period, establishing that children are ok, sharing information and explaining any work set this will then be followed up by 'catch-up' calls, which will happen as required (but usually midway through any absence) and focus on addressing any issues, misconceptions and provide opportunities for participants to ask questions. Finally, a 'reflective' call at the end of a given period will enable staff and children to reflect on the learning during that period, share examples and discuss what is next.
Part of the nature of these calls is to monitor engagement and identify any concerns about children's well-being/welfare.
Where there are any concerns, they would:
EYFS/KS1 (inc: Year 3) - Contact the parents directly by phone to establish whether everything is ok and how they can help to ensure that the child accesses remote learning successfully.
KS2 - Contact the child initially (age appropriate) using Purple Mash email to ask if everything is ok and establish how they can help. If they do not get a response or engagement is still a concern, then the teacher would then contact the parents directly by phone to establish whether everything is ok and how they can help to ensure that the child accesses remote learning successfully.
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 children's work is as follows:
We will use the provision within Purple Mash to offer direct comments/feedback to children, on any work submitted via that platform. This could be work done within the platform (2dos/activities) or emailed word documents/photos etc.
Staff can use the Purple Mash function to give personal comment/feedback and verbal (recorded) feedback can also be offered, allowing children to hear their teachers voice directly. Children can make their own comments, as well as seeing teachers comments, on all their work.
Further to this, we will utilise the Class Discussion Boards, on the school website, to offer more generic feedback, provide direct comments/feedback within Charanga and use Microsoft TEAMS calls to discuss both work and well-being.
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 have worked with these parents and carers to support these pupils in the following ways:
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?
Our Phase 2 provision covers an individual child who is now self-isolating at home due to having been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, tested positive themselves, been contacted by NHS Track & Trace or is returning from a country on the quarantined list. Work will be provided, directly aligned to what is being taught in class. This will be prepared by the class teacher, emailed to Mrs Justice, and then emailed home on a daily basis for the duration of their isolation period.
Further to this, teachers may offer the opportunity, as appropriate, for children to join in with in-class learning via Microsoft TEAMS live lessons.
Further information
The information above can also be found within the range of documents that we have produced in response to the need for Remote Learning. These ensure that we are compliant with all DfE guidance/expectations and that all of our stakeholders (Children, Parents, Staff, Governing Body, LA etc) have access to the information they need.
- Sharing work in Purple Mash: Parent guide
- 2dos: Parent Guide
- Emails: Parent Guide
Our Remote Learning Offer - March 2020 to July 2021
At George Fentham we recognise that Remote Learning will not look the same for each of our families.
We know that their circumstances will differ greatly, whether it be their own working situation (and therefore their ability to support their children), access to technology/printers etc or any number of other variables in these challenging times.
Therefore, in recognising this, we know that we need to ensure that our provision meets the needs of ALL of our children and families. With this in mind, we conducted a Remote Learning survey to better understand each of our families circumstances, giving them the opportunity to share with us any specific needs or issues.
You can see the analysis and summary of this survey here.
Using this feedback we have developed a 4 Phase approach, to ensure that all of our children receive access to Remote Learning immediately, and that this is aligned as closely as possible to our in - school curriculum.
You can see this 4 Phase model here.
The information that follows is intended to provide clarity and transparency to children and parents/carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
It outlines exactly what our provision for each of the 4 phases will be, how we intend to support children/families to access online resources (as well as those without access to technology to support online learning) and what the expectations for both children and parents will be.
The remote curriculum: What is taught to pupils at home
What should my child expect, from immediate remote education, in the first day or two of them/all pupils in their bubble being sent home?
A pupil’s first few days 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 for an individual or a bubble.
This is covered by our Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 provision.
Phase 1 covers any short period (up to 4/5 days) whilst a child is awaiting the outcome of a COVID test (parent or sibling). A work pack will be provided, that is aligned to the Year Group curriculum, with activities/tasks that provide opportunities for pre-learning/consolidation. These packs will be held at the school office and sent out by email, or printed, on the first day of absence.
Phase 2 covers an individual child who is now self-isolating at home due to having been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, tested positive themselves, been contacted by NHS Track & Trace or is returning from a country on the quarantined list. Work will be provided, directly aligned to what is being taught in class. This will be prepared by the class teacher, emailed to Mrs Justice, and then emailed home on a daily basis for the duration of their isolation period.
(Please also see the section at the end of this document entitled:
'Additional support for pupils with particular needs - Remote education for self-isolating pupils')
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?
As stated above, Phase 2 work would be directly aligned to in-school learning ensuring that the child/ren do not miss out on any part of their Year group curriculum.
In the event of a Phase 3, or whole bubble, closure children would then switch to work that would be provided, directly aligned to the Year Group curriculum, via the school website and online platforms, or via printed copies on request.
This would also apply in the event of a Phase 4 (whole school closure due to a further National lockdown).
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
The DfE states that for:
Primary school-aged pupils
"When teaching pupils remotely, we expect schools to:
- set assignments so that pupils have meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects
- set work that is of equivalent length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school:
- primary: 3 hours a day, on average, for Key Stage 1 and 4 hours for Key Stage 2 pupils."
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Using our school website as a portal, teachers provide a bespoke set of learning for the children in their class that is directly aligned with the Year Group curriculum.
Each subject area (Maths, English [Reading, Writing, Phonics, SPAG], Science, RE, Computing, History/Geography, Music, MFL [French], PE, PSHE [Jigsaw], Art and Design Technology) is covered and lessons are provided which cater specifically for our children and their differing needs and abilities, with clear instruction/direction provided.
To access your child’s remote learning on the school website:
- From the Homepage, click the tab on the menu bar that says ‘Information’.
- Scroll down to the tab that says ‘Curriculum’.
- Select your child’s Year group from the next list, where you will see 4 options.
- Scroll down to the fourth option, which will be titled ‘Year * Remote Learning Provision Autumn 2020’.
- Click this option and you will be taken to the appropriate page for the Year Group.
Further to this, teachers will also provide learning opportunities using a range of online platforms, such as:
2Simple Purple Mash, Charanga (Music), TT Rockstars (Times Tables), Activelearn Abacus Maths and Microsoft TEAMS.
Children are provided with unique usernames and passwords for these platforms, which have also been shared with parents/carers, to ensure that they have full access to the wide range of resources being utilised.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We fully recognise that some children/families may not have suitable online access at home.
Using the information gleaned from our Remote Learning Survey, we take the following approaches to support these children to access remote education:
Provision of printed copies
All work provided on the website will be provided to identified children/families. These will be sent home with children or can be collected from the school office.
Provision of workbooks
Workbooks, as appropriate, will be provided for identified children/families (SEND?). These will be sent home with children, posted out directly to homes or can be collected from the school office.
*Where children cannot submit work back to their teacher online/remotely it can be dropped off at school, where it will be quarantined for 48 hours before being looked at by the teacher*
Provision of laptops
We have a small number of laptops that we will make available to support identified children (these will remain the property of George Fentham School) to access remote learning.
Information has been/will be communicated directly to those identified as eligible.
We are not providing additional equipment (wireless routers/dongles etc) at this stage as 100% of our parents stated, in our survey, that they have internet access at home.
How will my child be taught remotely?
Using our school website as a portal, teachers provide a bespoke set of learning for the children in their class that is directly aligned with the Year Group curriculum.
Each subject area (Maths, English [Reading, Writing, Phonics, SPAG], Science, RE, Computing, History/Geography, Music, MFL [French], PE, PSHE [Jigsaw], Art and Design Technology) is covered and lessons are provided which cater specifically for our children and their differing needs and abilities, with clear instruction/direction provided.
As part of this bespoke provision, teachers may use a combination of any of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- Powerpoint presentations
- instructional guides/plans
- Purple Mash 2do activities/lessons/challenges (various subjects), TT Rockstars assigned tasks (Maths - times tables) etc
- recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, BBC links, video/audio recordings made by teachers)
- live learning (this may include: staff recorded presentations, links to online presentations and/or recordings, such as Oak Academy or BBC Bitesize online lessons, as well as some live lessons - however we are very aware that this is not necessarily the most effective way to teach all of our children)
- textbooks and reading books pupils have at home, or that are sent home to support learning
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences - e.g. Charanga (Music) sessions, TT Rockstars (Times tables)
- long-term project work and/or internet research activities (although these are used sparingly, and only as appropriate in alignment with in-school learning, as per the schools full opening guidance which states that 'schools are expected to avoid an over-reliance on these approaches')
- printed paper packs, produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets), for identified children
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 accordance with our Remote Learning Policy -
Staff will expect pupils learning remotely to:
- Be contactable at some point throughout the school day – although we acknowledge that they may not always be in front of a device the entire time.
- Make their best efforts to complete work to the deadline set by teachers.
- Seek help if they need it, from teachers or teaching assistants.
- Alert teachers if they’re not able to complete work.
Staff can expect parents with children learning remotely to:
- Make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise can’t complete work (for school records).
- Seek help from the school if they need it, including informing staff/school if they are unable to access ‘remote learning provision’.
- Be respectful when asking questions and/or making any complaints or concerns known to staff.
We would like to remind you about the ICT Pupil/Parent Acceptable Usage Agreements (AUP) which children/parents signed when joining George Fentham.
Children are expected to follow these whilst using any of the Online Learning Platforms provided by the school. You can view these on the school website (scroll down to policies):
www.georgefenthamschool.co.uk/statutory-information.html
Please also refer to the Home – School Agreement contract that you and your child signed when you started at George Fentham.
All online platforms provided to children at this time are monitored by the school and inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant policies (Behaviour, AUP, Online Safety, Home-School Agreements etc).
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Each teacher, alongside their provision of learning materials on the website, provides a clear expectation of how and when work should be submitted. This could be via Purple Mash (directly submitted or a photo sent), within an online platform (Charanga/TT Rockstars) or in an email. Staff are able to immediately see what has been submitted, and when, and will be monitoring this daily. Further to this, teachers will hold regular Microsoft TEAMS calls with the children in their class during any isolation period (Phases 1 - 4), allowing them to monitor any issues and address them directly (as appropriate).
This will usually consist of 'orientation' calls at the start of a period, establishing that children are ok, sharing information and explaining any work set this will then be followed up by 'catch-up' calls, which will happen as required (but usually midway through any absence) and focus on addressing any issues, misconceptions and provide opportunities for participants to ask questions. Finally, a 'reflective' call at the end of a given period will enable staff and children to reflect on the learning during that period, share examples and discuss what is next.
Part of the nature of these calls is to monitor engagement and identify any concerns about children's well-being/welfare.
Where there are any concerns, they would:
EYFS/KS1 (inc: Year 3) - Contact the parents directly by phone to establish whether everything is ok and how they can help to ensure that the child accesses remote learning successfully.
KS2 - Contact the child initially (age appropriate) using Purple Mash email to ask if everything is ok and establish how they can help. If they do not get a response or engagement is still a concern, then the teacher would then contact the parents directly by phone to establish whether everything is ok and how they can help to ensure that the child accesses remote learning successfully.
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 children's work is as follows:
We will use the provision within Purple Mash to offer direct comments/feedback to children, on any work submitted via that platform. This could be work done within the platform (2dos/activities) or emailed word documents/photos etc.
Staff can use the Purple Mash function to give personal comment/feedback and verbal (recorded) feedback can also be offered, allowing children to hear their teachers voice directly. Children can make their own comments, as well as seeing teachers comments, on all their work.
Further to this, we will utilise the Class Discussion Boards, on the school website, to offer more generic feedback, provide direct comments/feedback within Charanga and use Microsoft TEAMS calls to discuss both work and well-being.
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 have worked with these parents and carers to support these pupils in the following ways:
- Initial communication to determine the best way to support each family (Phonecall with the Inclusion Lead)
- Identification of each families preferred method of receiving remote learning (online, hard copy or a hybrid of the two)
- Weekly (or more frequently if required) catch-up contact (by the Inclusion Lead, DSL and/or Class teachers) to ensure engagement and interaction and to offer any required support
- Provision of materials specifically tailored to the needs of the individual child/ren (this could be workbooks, video/audio instructions, printed packs, loan of a laptop etc)
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?
Our Phase 2 provision covers an individual child who is now self-isolating at home due to having been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, tested positive themselves, been contacted by NHS Track & Trace or is returning from a country on the quarantined list. Work will be provided, directly aligned to what is being taught in class. This will be prepared by the class teacher, emailed to Mrs Justice, and then emailed home on a daily basis for the duration of their isolation period.
Further to this, teachers may offer the opportunity, as appropriate, for children to join in with in-class learning via Microsoft TEAMS live lessons.
Further information
The information above can also be found within the range of documents that we have produced in response to the need for Remote Learning. These ensure that we are compliant with all DfE guidance/expectations and that all of our stakeholders (Children, Parents, Staff, Governing Body, LA etc) have access to the information they need.
- Remote Learning Policy
- Remote Learning Parents Guide
- Direct link to our Curriculum page (where you then access individual Class Pages to see provision)
- Microsoft TEAMS access
- Purple Mash:
- Sharing work in Purple Mash: Parent guide
- 2dos: Parent Guide
- Emails: Parent Guide
