Remote Learning Provision at Hildenborough CE Primary School

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to our school community about what to expect from remote education at Hildenborough CE Primary School. There are a few exceptional circumstances where remote learning may be necessary and can be divided into two broad categories:

• School closures or where school access is restricted for large groups of pupils.
• Individual cases where a pupil is unable to attend school for an extended period of time but is able to learn.

What to expect if there is a school closure or restricted school access:

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 for the first two days of remote learning?

For the first two days of a school closure, parents and carers will receive an email from the class teacher outlining suggested home learning. This will include:

• The usual home learning activities (e.g. reading, spelling practise and Times Table Rock Stars).
• Additional tasks where appropriate, such as:
  • Work set on Atom Prime or Ed Shed
  • A written task
  • A practical activity

What will happen if the school is closed for longer than two days?

If the school is closed for longer than two days, we will endeavour to provide an education as closely matched to our school curriculum as possible.

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

• live teaching (online lessons via Microsoft Teams)
• recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons Year listing | Oak National Academy)
• printed paper packs produced by teachers where this is possible (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
• commercially available websites, such as BBC Bitesize, supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
• long-term project work and/or practical activities that don’t require a screen.

From day 3 of a school closure, the school will host a daily Collective Worship via Microsoft Teams. We will also aim to deliver one live lesson each day. Links will be emailed to parents and carers via Arbor. It is an expectation that children attend all the live lessons offered. However, we do appreciate that this may not always be possible, e.g. if there is limited IT access. In these cases, class teachers will do their best to support the children in different ways.

The safety and wellbeing of all children is of paramount importance to us.

• Live lessons support both education and social interaction.
• They also allow staff to check on pupils’ welfare.
• Children should attend live lessons in a room with an adult present and with cameras turned on.
• Children will be muted during teaching but may unmute to ask or answer questions.

Class teachers and/or a member of the DSL team will make weekly phone calls to families whose children are not regularly accessing live lessons.

How long should my child be spending on work each day?

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly 3 hours each day.

How will you check that my child is engaging with remote learning and how will we receive feedback?

We will monitor engagement and provide feedback in the following ways:

• Attendance at live lessons is monitored daily, with follow-up calls where necessary.
• Verbal feedback will be given during live lessons.
• Teachers will monitor pupil performance on digital platforms (e.g. TTRS and Atom Learning) and provide specific feedback where needed.
• Parents and carers can email the class teacher for additional support or feedback where needed.
• Regular email updates will continue via Arbor.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, what will the school do to support their remote education?

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable digital access at home. To support them with their remote learning, we will:

• Provide paper-based resources where possible.
• For pupils unable to access live lessons, teachers will make weekly phone calls to discuss progress and provide guidance.

What to expect for individual cases where a pupil is unable to attend school for an extended period of time but is able to learn:

In exceptional circumstances where individual pupils are unable to attend school but are able to access learning, we will create a bespoke remote learning plan in collaboration with parents and carers. We will tailor the provision to match the individual needs and circumstances of the child.

Remote education during a suspension or permanent exclusion:

In the event of a child being suspended or permanently excluded, the school will ensure that work is set and marked during the first 5 days of suspension or permanent exclusion.

Provision for pupils with SEND:

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:

• We will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that the learning provided is appropriate and accessible for students with SEND.
• We will clearly track the engagement of students with SEND and calls home will be made when engagement is low.
• Our SENCO and/or Inclusion Manager will oversee pupils who are identified as vulnerable or require further support.

If you have any questions about the school’s remote learning provision, please contact either Miss Welch (Deputy Headteacher) or Mrs Ardrey (Headteacher).