Remote learning refers to learning that is completed away from the physical school building. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, some children may be required to learn remotely during the academic year 2021-2022. At Brooke School, we understand the need to continually deliver high quality education, including during periods of remote working whether for an individual pupil, a specific bubble or for the whole school due to a local or national lockdown. We recognise the importance of maintaining high expectations in all areas of school life and ensuring that all pupils have access to the learning resources and support they need to succeed. Our ultimate aim is to try and follow the intended curriculum whether students are in school, working from home, or a combination of the two. This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day of pupils being sent 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. On the day your child is sent home it is unlikely any learning will be delivered – although they may be sent home with some items to support their learning. On the first day pupils will be able to access Bug Club Online to access their individual reading books and comprehension activities. The first day will be used by staff to plan learning activities that are appropriate for the range of learners in each class at Brooke School and ensure that these are accessible for individual needs. Sometimes it takes additional time for class teachers to prepare home learning resources, for example if individualised content needs to be prepared. In addition, it may be that teaching staff are unwell and additional arrangements need to be put in place to provide remote learning.
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?
Our main aim in this situation will be to keep the school day as close to normal as possible and enable your child to access input from their current class teacher or another familiar member of staff. We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. Some of this will be through pre-recorded online lessons and some will be through the use of alternative provision websites. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. All our pupils learn in different ways and as such our standard approach may need adapting for each individual pupils needs.
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 three hours per day. Our pupils have individual needs so this may vary depending on each pupils learning style and special educational needs. For some pupils the learning will need to be broken down and completed in short bursts of work and learning, followed by a physical break or reward, equating to three hours over the day. The class teacher will discuss individual remote learning needs and challenges with families. It is important that children and young people have breaks throughout the day.
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Our remote education platform is through Class Dojo. Students and parents/carers can access this using the dedicated app (available for all devices) or can sign in to www.classdojo.com. Class teachers will upload remote learning activities daily or throughout the week depending on the individual needs of pupils. This will be a combination of videos, differentiated lesson activity grids, physical break videos, signed sensory stories and where appropriate formal learning tasks. Daily reading of age appropriate texts, either those at home or on Bug Club Online, should also be carried out. You will be guided to this 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:
if there is an issue with access to a device to complete remote education, please let us know immediately by contacting your child or young person’s class teacher.
we will do everything we can to support remote education and have a number of laptops that we may be able to loan on a short term basis as well as helping to resolve any issues with connecting to the internet.
you will be asked to sign a loan agreement for any device lent from school. Once this is signed and approved, school can give you a device for the period with which your child is isolating.
if students are completing remote education on paper rather than computer they can always upload a photo of their work. Where this is not possible, we will work with you to find a solution.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
short pre-recorded online lessons providing clear video explanations of new content, delivered by a teacher in the school or through high-quality curriculum resources or videos.
setting appropriate written or practical activities following on from the pre-recorded lesson so that students have meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects.
regularly updating pupil’s Bug Club Online reading platform so that an appropriately levelled e-book can be accessed and read each day. This is followed by comprehension questions and reading activities where appropriate.
direction to appropriate tablet apps and websites to continue embedding and practising skills learnt throughout the week.
Engagement and feedback
What are you expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Try to set a routine for your child during the time they are at home. We do realise this is not always easy if you are ‘working from home’ but it will make the learning much easier if it is at regular, set times. If you have watched the pre-recorded online lesson, this will help you as parents and carers to understand the learning and expectations too. We will be keeping note of which pupils access the leaning and how much work they complete. If you are struggling to access the learning, please do not hesitate to contact school for additional support and guidance. We recognise that some pupils, 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 as we have done during the last year. We will continue to stay in close contact with any family requiring specific help and offer additional advice and support.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
We encourage parents and carers to support their child or young person to upload completed tasks or a photo of completed written or practical work. Work that is uploaded can be viewed by the class team and feedback given. Alternatively, work that children complete on paper should be kept safe and returned to school when safe to do so. Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. Your child or young person’s class teacher will phone home once a week to discuss remote learning, provide oral feedback and support you in accessing home learning. This telephone contact will ensure your child can ‘keep in touch’ with their class teacher throughout the period of isolation. Class teachers are available throughout the school week to communicate with on Class Dojo or through email communication.
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 or have chosen to remain at home (lockdown period only), how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
If your child or young person is self-isolating due to family circumstances or you have chosen to keep them at home throughout lockdown, we ask that you keep in close contact with school. We will provide the materials for remote learning, but will be unable to provide regular pre-recorded online lessons due to lack of available staffing. Where appropriate Maths and English will be provided by Oak National Academy, which match the curriculum we are teaching in school. Any work completed can be shared with school and your child will be offered feedback from their class team. If your child is unwell, we would only expect them to join in the learning when they are fit to do so.