Remote education provision: 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 students are working remotely.  

Quick Help Guide for Accessing Microsoft Teams

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? 

You will be contacted by a member of your child's year team to check on wellbeing and assess your child's IT access. The staff member calling will be able to change passwords and talk you though accessing school emails. There is also a video explaining how to do this on the website. 

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.

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: 

Each subject will set an initial 1-2 hours of work each week which students must email back to us so that we can assess their progress and set further tasks which are appropriate. We are mindful not to overwhelm students who may be finding the change in routine challenging.

If you feel your child needs more work please contact us and we will send more.

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

Your child needs to access their academy emails which they can do by clicking the information tab and selecting ‘Quick Links’ and then ‘Office 365’. The login in details are the same as the ones they use in school. Please see the video guide for more information.

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:

Where parents/carers feel a paper pack of work is more appropriate we will endeavour to get this delivered to your home within 2 days of your child isolating.

All the videos recorded by staff can be accessed on a smartphone and then the work can be done on paper.

If you need to borrow a laptop or tablet this will be co-ordinated by your child’s pastoral team in the first instance who will liaise with our IT manager. Parents/carers will need to sign an appropriate use policy document as well as signing to acknowledge receipt of the laptop/tablet. The device needs to be returned to school when your child is no longer working remotely.

If your child is working on paper they must take photographs of their work regularly and email them to subject teachers using a smart phone. This is vital to allow us to log the work done and provide feedback.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• If your child is isolating after a positive test or because they have been in close contact with a confirmed case your child’s teachers will email them the work.
• If the majority of children in the year group are still in school as usual then the work is most likely to be tasks attached to an email, or links to online learning websites such as Oak National Academy, Mathswatch and Seneca.
• If there are whole classes/year groups working remotely (because they are isolating, there are staff shortages or if the site is closed) then staff will send links to pre-recorded videos where the work is explained by the class teacher. This means your child can watch them at the time that suits them best and can pause/rewind whenever they need to. These videos should also work on a smartphone. The videos will contain clear information about the work to be done and your child will need to pause at various points to complete the set tasks.

They may also be sent tasks and links to other sites.

 Maths work will be set using Mathswatch which your child will log into using their Mathswatch login. (If they have forgotten this then they need to email their Maths teacher or parents/carers can contact the school) They must watch the videos and complete the tasks assigned to them. Their teacher can see which videos have been watched and which tasks have been completed.

Live Interventions

Where possible we will invite students to participate in small group sessions on Microsoft Teams where they can receive bespoke support and guidance.

When these are scheduled you will be informed via email.

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

 We really appreciate your support in helping your child engage with the work set. We know it is very difficult to manage this at home amongst all the other challenges we are facing during this time.

• We want to be careful not to overwhelm the students with too much work at once as we know this can put them off. However please let the school know if at any time if you feel your child would benefit from more work being set and we will arrange this as soon as possible.
• Please encourage your son/daughter to communicate with their teachers by email to tell them what work they have done and to ask any questions they might have.
• If accessing emails is problematic (due to technology/passwords etc) please let us know by calling the school and we will find other ways to help your child access their work.
• If your child has access to a laptop/PC please encourage them to send the work as an attachment so that it can be marked and feedback and praise can be given.
• If your son/daughter is working with paper they must still email (maybe using a smart phone) their teacher to tell them what has been completed. Taking a photo of the work done and attaching it to an email is really helpful as it allows staff to see how your child is getting on.
• If you (as the parent/carer) are able to email the work to us this is also appreciated. If you aren’t sure who to email it to please send it to enquiries@sa.solihull.sch.uk and we will make sure it gets to the right person.

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

• When your child sends their work back to their teachers this is logged and collated weekly.
• Your child’s pastoral team will arrange a call a least once a week while your child is isolating and will inform you of the work that has been logged and let you know of any concerns.

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:

Where students have emailed their work to class teachers or sent photos of their work students will receive feedback via email.

Where the work was completed on an online platform (Seneca, Mathswatch, MS Forms etc.) feedback can be found by logging back into the site.

 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:

Please talk to the member of staff who calls weekly to let them know if you are facing challenges and need further support.

We will arrange additional phone calls from your child’s teacher to offer them further guidance and encouragement.

Where we have staffing availability we will offer Live Interventions to provide support.

Your child may be invited to participate in a live session led by academy staff. You will be informed by email of the details of the session.

Live Interventions Guidance

Below are some guidelines to help you manage live sessions at home.  The session will take place on Microsoft Teams which your child can access by logging into their onedrive account or by following the link in the email they have been sent.

1. Please talk to your child to ensure that they understand that if they cannot follow the behaviour guidance given by the staff member at the beginning of the session they will be asked to leave.
2. If your child chooses to have their camera on please can you ensure that other family members are out of camera shot and do not contribute to the discussion.
3. Your child will need paper and a pen if it is a subject based intervention.
4. We advise that pupils don’t join broadcasts from their bedrooms as this is a private space.
5. If the device is struggling to stream the session please plug in and close all other tabs: video-conferencing uses a lot of machine power. It's a good idea to keep devices plugged into the mains power. It’s also a good idea to minimise the number of devices online in the house whilst the broadcast is in session if that is possible.

 Behaviour expectations for Live Sessions on Microsoft Teams

1. At the start of the lesson students will told the rules for live sessions and must be respectful of staff and other students.
2. If students choose to have their camera on they must be dressed appropriately for the duration of the video session. This does not need to be school uniform.
3. Students may have to keep microphones muted and can use the ‘raise hand’ icon or the chat function to tell the staff member that they want to speak, they will be ‘unmuted’.
4. If this is a subject based intervention they must have some paper and a pen or a pencil ready before the session begins.
5. Students must not record the session or take any screenshots/photos of the screen.
6. Students should make sure they are in a public part of their house – living room or kitchen for example and not their bedroom.
7. Students should agree with the adults in the household where they will be for the duration of the session.