Remote Learning Provision: information for parents and carers

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote learning, where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.

For details of what to expect where individual students are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home

A student’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 learning.

What should my child expect from immediate remote learning in the first day or two of students being sent home?

A student’s teachers will set some work via 365 email, within two school days of a cohort changing to Remote Learning.  We will check that all students have remote access, and provide support for families where this may not be the case. We are able to provide paper copies of work, but this should only ever be seen as a temporary solution.

Following the first few days of remote learning, 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. However, we may need to make some adaptations in some subjects, particularly subjects with a practical focus.   Teachers may also supplement the scheme of learning with external resources, such as BBC Bitesize or the Oak National Academy. 

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

We expect that remote learning will take students broadly the following 4 to 5 hours each day.

Accessing Remote Learning

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

Students must access their Remote Learning via their school email account (Office 365) and MS Teams.  Work should be emailed back to the subject teacher for feedback, or students will be asked to respond online using MS Forms or via digital apps, such as Educake or Seneca.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote learning?

We recognise that some students may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those students to access remote learning:

• We are able to loan laptops and devices to enable internet connection (e.g. dongles) to students – please contact admin@ludlowschool.com if you require support
• We are able to provide paper copies of work, on request to your child’s Curriculum Learning Tutor or by contacting admin@ludlowschool.com
• Paper copies of work should be returned to school for feedback, or photographs taken on mobile devices and emailed back to teachers

How will my child be taught remotely?

We take a blended approach to Remote Learning.

The majority of lessons will be sent with a video/audio commentary, where the teacher teaches skills or subject knowledge, and explains the activities students need to complete. These videos will last around 15-20 minutes and can be replayed, if students need reinforcement.  Students can also email teachers with specific questions.  Good practice includes the use of shape differentiation to provide access and challenge, as this is just as important in Remote Learning as it is in the classroom. Rectangle tasks may be used to set more demanding and higher tariff workload.  The SEND team will be able to provide advice to ensure students with SEND, who may not be able to access remote learning without adult support, are able to make progress during a period of Remote Learning.

Once a week, subject teachers will invite students to join a live subject tutorial session.  This will be delivered via MS Teams, and a link will be emailed ahead of the meeting.  The student should be joining the session on their own, without family members present.  When joining the session, students will need to turn off their camera and microphone.  The Chat facility should be used to ask questions of the teacher.  Students can also use the “raise hand” icon to be invited to unmute and speak directly to the teacher.  Screen shots of any live meetings must not be taken  or shared on social media under any circumstances.

Students will also be invited to attend a weekly tutor time session on MS Teams.  The same protocols as for subject tutorials will apply.

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?

Students are expected to log into their mail 365 school email account each school day morning, and complete the work, as directed by their teachers, and email or send it back to school for feedback.  The remote learning must be completed, as with school-based learning.  If students are not able to complete the work, they should email the specific teacher for help.  Teachers will be in contact with students, if they do not hear from them.  Curriculum Learning Tutors will contact parents/carers if we have concerns that a child is not engaging with the remote learning provision, so that we can provide additional support to help them access their learning.

We would ask that parents/carers support their child in keeping to this routine, being up and ready to learn each morning, and discouraging their child from working and emailing teachers late into the evening, when they need to be having a break from screen time.

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

Subject teachers and tutors log all work received from students and engagement with live sessions on a weekly tracking spreadsheet.  This is reviewed by the leadership team, and contact made with directly with parents and carers by phone or email, when concerns are identified.  If contact cannot be made, the school will call upon the school’s Education Welfare Officer or Family Support Worker to make contact, with a home visit, if required.

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 student work is as follows:

• Where there are multiple lessons in one week, it is expected that work will build up towards a final piece, which will be marked in more detail. In these cases, teachers are not expected to mark every contributory piece; teachers can “like” an email, or send out a generic email to encourage students in their learning. Personalised feedback will provide a www/ebi, in line with the school’s Teaching and Learning Agreement.
• Teachers may set specific Response to Marking activities, if they feel it appropriate to the stage of learning.
• Students can be asked to review and mark their own work but this should supplement and not replace teacher feedback.  

Additional support for students with particular needs

How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote learning?

We recognise that some students, for example some students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote learning 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. The teaching should be significantly adapted, and our model of shape differentiation will support teachers in their delivery of appropriate learning.  However, in some specific cases, the SEND team will be required to work remotely with specific children, to help them access the learning and make progress.

Remote learning for self-isolating students

Where individual students need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote learning 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.

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote learning differ from the approaches described above?

Teachers will send work home to be completed in line with the work being undertaken in class – this can be via paper copies, with text books, or via email.