Remote education provision: information for parents

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.

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

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at 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.

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

Parents will receive a copy of their child’s Personal Learning Plan. This document features all of the pupils’ individual targets in each of the 4 areas of need from their EHCP. A medium term topic plan will also be sent home with details of the current whole school topic and what is going to be taught and how in each area of the curriculum. 

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?

We endeavor to provide the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations for some learning activities. For example; much of our curriculum in school relies on the rich learning environment and resources we have onsite that may not be available at home; so we adapt these to make learning as accessible and meaningful as possible.

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

The Government have set out a minimum expectation for the number of hours pupils should be accessing remote provision per day for mainstream schools.  However, it is also understood that for many pupils with SEND, guidance may need to be adapted.  Teachers who know the needs of the individual children best, will work closely with families to ensure that pupils can continue to make progress wherever possible if they are not able to attend school. 

Accessing remote education

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

Each week you will receive a “Remote Learning Plan” with activities set out for your child.  Our online platform, “Evidence for Learning” will be used by the class teacher to upload videos, links to websites/resources and any other relevant work set.  Where there are links to resources on EFL these will be referenced/highlighted on the weekly plan. 

We are here to support you

Your child’s class teacher will arrange a weekly telephone call to support you with any questions or queries you might have as well as to work together to ensure we are providing the most appropriate remote provision for your child.  Teachers are also available to contact by email throughout the week to answer any questions you may have about the learning set out for that week or to provide any additional support with remote learning activities.  The remote learning lead is Faye James and she can also be contacted on 01388 459 721 or by email at fjames@evergreenprimary.co.uk.

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:

We will contact every parent initially to establish their position in terms of online access and access to technology.

We can provide hard copies of learning activities sent out to the home where online access is not available.

Your child’s class teacher and the remote learning lead is there to offer help and support with any technology issues. Please speak to them if you encounter any problems or issues and we will do our best to support you. 

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

This will vary, individualised planning will take into account the age and specific needs of your child. A variety of weekly learning activities will be planned across the curriculum so that you can support your child to do these, at a time that suits you best.

Teachers will use a range of specific approaches that are tailored to suit individual pupils:

• Technology and online resources will be used as and when appropriate such as RM EasiMaths, Lexia Core5 Reading and other subscription programs.
• You will be provided with instructions to access these where necessary.
• Evidence for Learning may be used to upload pre-recorded videos or activities. 
• Printed packs/practical and/or made resources provided online or alternatively posted home.
• The weekly remote learning plan will provide the basis for what is to be taught and how it can be accessed from home. 
• Ongoing dialogue with families will ensure that pupils’ needs can be most effectively met to ensure pupils continue to make progress wherever possible if they are not able to be in school.

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?

We understand that everyone’s circumstances at home will be different.  Some families may have only one child at home to support while others have several, parental work commitments, time constraints as well as some children requiring lots of support to engage in learning at home.  However, we ask that you work together with us to ensure the best possible remote provision for your child by:

• Engaging in weekly support conversations with your child’s teacher to provide feedback and discuss future planning.
• Supporting your child at home with the remote learning activities set out on the weekly plan.
• Alerting school to any problems or issues you may have with RL/technology or specific issues relating to the needs of your child so that we can provide you with the best support.
• Establishing a daily routine that suits your family dynamic and allows for time set aside to support your child in their learning.

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

School will monitor a pupil’s engagement in remote learning by weekly telephone conversations, email communications, engagement with Evidence for Learning. 

We recognise that there are many factors that may impact differently upon a child’s engagement with remote learning and we will endeavour to support every family in the best possible way.  If we had concerns about a child not engaging, we would have a discussion about this in person, by telephone and try to establish a support plan to move forward.  We are here to help and support you.  

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

Feedback will depend on the age, specific needs and the type of remote learning the pupil has engaged in. It may take one or more of the following forms:

• Verbal feedback – telephone calls.
• Written feedback – to work submitted on EFL platform or by email.
• Teachers will link any completed work that has been uploaded to EFL to the child’s relevant frameworks.

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, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?

Pupils who are required to self- isolate will immediately receive a copy of the medium term topic plan and Personal Learning Plan as set out above. Your child’s class teacher will then engage in a conversation to establish the best way to provide RL activities for your child for the time they will be absent from school, depending on individual circumstances and need.  As with other remote provision, learning activities will be set to match as closely as possible to the curriculum being delivered in school.