This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents and carers about what to expect from our remote education provision in the event of local restrictions, self-isolation, cohort bubbles having to remain at home, whole Academy closure or national lock down. Please see the Remote Education Plan available on the Academy website for full details of our remote education provision.

What work will be set and how long will this work last?

In any event that students are working from home students will continue to follow their timetable as usual with lunch taking place between period 3 and 4 from 12:30-13:00pm. We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, some practical subjects have adapted their curriculum due to students being unable to access materials at home. All instructions for work will be set via email or Ruler Classroom and students should expect to receive the same amount of work in accordance with their normal timetable, this should be equivalent to 5 hours a day, 25 hours a week for KS3 and KS4 and 5 hours per subject at KS5.

How will my child access any online remote education?

As an Academy we are using Microsoft 365 as our learning platform with work being uploaded to SharePoint and staff communicating with students via emails and Microsoft Teams. If your child is absent from the Academy, they will be able to complete all work from home via their Academy email address. Students use most of these platforms/resources regularly within the Academy and should be familiar with them. However, to help our students use these resources off site we have created a set of guides, these are available on our website. For physical resources such as textbooks and revision guides, students would be informed by their class teachers whether these are available or how to access them from home if needed.

How will my child be taught remotely?

On Microsoft SharePoint students can find sites for all of their subjects. Subject departments will upload work and instructions to their site for students to access and complete. Additionally, subject departments may choose to supplement this work through the use of Microsoft Stream videos. This may be of a practical activity where that activity has not been able to take place or where staff choose to record videos to explain new concepts and/or provide instructions to students. These videos will be uploaded to SharePoint and/or students will be sent a link to these videos via emails or Ruler Classroom.

In the instances where we have large numbers of students self-isolating, staff may choose to deliver live lessons via Microsoft Teams. This means that students will be able to watch their lesson at home and listen to their class teacher explain the work they need to complete at the time they would normally be in their lesson. During a live Teams lesson, students will be allowed to ask/answer questions in the chat box, however, students must be aware that this is a monitored educational resource and should be used with maturity and respect. We have the ability to record live Teams lessons, so if a student is sharing access to computers/laptops/tablets and is unable to watch the live lesson, they can watch the recording at a later time/date.

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

To ensure that students experience a varied curriculum we will be delivering lessons in a range of formats across Microsoft 365. Students will be instructed, by email, where their work can be found and where and when completed work should be submitted. We expect all students to complete the work set in the timeframe provided where possible. Teachers and tutors may send reminder emails for work, if work is not received without reason across multiple subjects then you may be contacted by a member of the pastoral team to discuss any concerns and offer support.

How will you asses my child’s work and progress?

To assess the progress students are making with their home learning, we are using Microsoft Forms and other digital platforms, to create quizzes that can be used as end of unit, mid-unit or end of lesson assessments. Students are sent links to quizzes that once completed are immediately submitted to their class teacher, allowing them to assess progress and understanding without students being in the classroom. Where it is appropriate, we will be continuing to follow our usual assessment schedules and students will receive their feedback electronically where possible.

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

We greatly appreciate any support you can give us in ensuring that your child completes work set for them while they are absent from the Academy, for example encouraging them to follow their normal school routine. This will mean that your child does not fall behind and is well prepared for when they are able to return to school. Please see the Remote Learning Behaviour Expectations Policy available on the Academy website for full details on how your child is expected to work remotely.

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

Where students have indicated that access to the internet is not possible, we will be sending work home via post. However, please be aware this would not be every day, but instead students would be sent work for the period of isolation or every 2 weeks if lockdown is reinstated. Any work completed at home must be returned to the Academy for assessment. If your child does not have access to any kind of computer/laptop/tablet computer then please contact the Academy and we can discuss Government allocation of resources with you. In addition, if your child requires any other specific support whilst working from home then you will be contacted by the appropriate link worker.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate in contacting the Academy.