Although we are not currently in a national lock down situation and schools are open to all pupils, we must be prepared for that eventuality. During a period when local or national restrictions require entire cohorts or bubbles to remain at home, we provide a full remote curriculum for families to access at home. The information below is intended to provide clarity about what to expect from the school in these circumstances.

Will children be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?

At St Wilfrid’s, we teach exactly the same curriculum remotely as we do in school and aim to make our remote learning and exact replica of the education that a child would receive in normal circumstances. Each day, teachers upload a range of lessons to Google Classroom. In addition to core subjects like Maths, English and Science, we upload lessons in subjects such as History, Geography, Spanish, PE on a daily basis. The only difference being that children who access remote learning mostly complete their work on an interactive Google Doc or Google Slide as opposed to an exercise book.

How long are children expected to work each day?

In accordance with Government guidance, we expect our remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)	Approximately 3 hours per day: Maths, English and Guided Reading in the morning, followed by one foundation subject in the afternoon as well as phonics and PSHE.
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)	Approximately 4 hours per day: 3 hours are spent learning Maths, English, GPS and Guided Reading in the morning followed by a foundation subject in the afternoon. Teachers also expect children to spend an extra hour reading for pleasure and practising spellings using Spelling Shed.
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)	Approximately 4 hours per day: 3 hours are spent learning Maths, English, GPS and Guided Reading in the morning followed by a foundation subject in the afternoon. Teachers also expect children to spend an extra hour reading for pleasure and practising spellings using Spelling Shed.

 

Recommended time tables to help parents structure their child's learning have been shared on Class Dojo.

Below is an example from Upper Key Stage 2:

Remote Learning in EYFS

Dojo Portfolio is used in EYFS for both Nursery and Reception. In Nursery, daily phonics and maths activity are recorded for parents and children to watch at home. These activities are practical and can be carried out using everyday objects. Similarly in Reception,  Phonics, Maths and 'text-based' activities are posted as well as an individual reading activity for the children and parents to engage with.

These videos are pre-recorded and remain on the Class Dojo feed so parents can access these at a point in the day which suits them. We ask in Nursery and Reception that the children complete at least one of the selected activities; the teachers then acknowledge and engage with the children's work through Dojo Portfolio. Parents can take pictures and upload their child's work on this platform. All of the Early Years staff can click on a child's name and view their achievements at home. Teachers will 'like' or write a comment back to the children's work, offering praise or addressing any misconceptions.

How will children access the remote education provided?

All children from Year 1 to 6 have a Google Classroom account. All of the day’s work is uploaded to this platform for the children to complete. Google Classroom also provides children with a Google Meet link which they use twice daily for a live registration session with their class teacher. Being able to access all remote learning and live sessions on one platform is highly beneficial to children and parents. As mentioned above, EYFS complete their remote learning using Dojo Portfolio.

Please click on the video at the top of the page to see what Google Classroom actually looks like when accessed by a child.

If a child does not have digital or online access at home, how are they able to access their education?

At the end of last year, we provided 20 laptops to families who were unable to access online learning through a lack of devices. Most importantly, we have also allocated places in school for children who are unable to use online learning at home so that they can continue receiving a high quality education as normal.

Additionally, we have provided dongles to some families who have no broadband Internet available as well as free sim cards for extra mobile data.

If children are temporarily unable to complete work on the Google Doc provided on Google Classroom then they are able to work on paper and send a picture of this to their class teacher.

How will children be taught remotely?

As mentioned earlier, children from Year 1 – 6 are able to login to Google Classroom where all of their lessons for the day will be uploaded by their class teacher. Teachers put work into folders for each day of the week and schedule the lessons to upload at 5pm the evening before. This enables parents to familiarise themselves with the following days learning should they want to.

Teaching slides are uploaded which the children can work through independently. After this, they complete an accompanying interactive document. However, we ensure that all teachers provide at least one lesson per day with a pre-recorded voice-over or video clip to give children the experience of live teaching.

Expectations for children’s engagement

We expect children to complete all tasks set by the teacher. We also recommend that children follow a daily timetable to structure their learning (as seen above). We understand that children’s circumstances differ and there is a need for many to be flexible with their learning times but we want our parents to be aware that creating a working day as similar as possible to that which occurs in school is beneficial to the children. 

Work on Google Classroom is checked daily and attendance is monitored through two registration sessions that happen at the start of each day and at midday. Where there is a concern with a pupil’s engagement or attendance, parents are contacted by the class teacher.

How will the school assess and feedback on children's progress?

Our remote learning platform allows teachers to comment on and mark a child's work. Feedback will be provided by the class teacher on one piece of work each day, allowing pupils and parents to be aware of the progress they are making with their school work.

How will the school work with children who need additional support from adults at home to access remote education?

In accordance with our remote learning policy, SENDCos will liaise with all class teachers and Learning Support Assistants, if children have one, to support with coordinating the remote learning for children on the SEND register and for children with an EHCP. Check-ins will be carried out by the SENDCo, either by phone or Class DOJO to offer support to parents and to see if any additional resources are required. As well as this, teaching staff will check in with parents of the child regularly via Class Dojo to ensure their experience of remote learning remains positive. For children with an EHCP, when they are not in school, class teachers will provide opportunities for the child and their parents to meet the child’s Learning Support Assistant remotely and discuss their learning or carry out activities using Google Meet or Zoom.

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

When all children are allowed to attend school as normal but a child or small group of children needs to self-isolate, they will be provided with a 'self-isolation learning grid'. This will be shared on Class Dojo and can also be found on this website. This document provides links for parents to access online learning. Worksheets will also be placed on Purple Mash for children to complete during this period at home.

For more support with remote learning, please click on the tabs below for user guides, timetables, extra resources and more!

We also review our remote learning.  Please see the attachment below for our review.