Remote Virtual Learning

This brief guide is to make parents and pupils aware of what they can expect from our academy during periods of school closure or pupil isolation as a result of coronavirus. Our approach to virtual learning in lockdowns and isolation of pupils or groups of pupils is the same: we provide teaching remotely and when pupils are well, we expect them to participate. 

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

For the most part yes, however there are some subjects and elements of subjects that are very challenging to learn virtually. Where this is the case, teachers are adapting the curriculum as necessary. Teachers are taking care to develop a curriculum that is as close to our normal curriculum as possible, while taking into consideration the challenges of learning remotely.  

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

Each student at Bexleyheath Academy will study for 5 hours and 40 minutes per day.  Students will follow their published timetable, following the normal pattern of the Academy day:

Students will receive a personalised virtual timetable at 08:00 every morning  to their Academy inbox, with direct links for each lesson, which will take them to their Google Classrooms to start their learning.  Our Virtual Assemblies are available on the Bexleyheath Academy YouTube Channel.

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

We are committed to making sure that every student at Bexleyheath Academy can learn, and will provide the equipment and resources students need to fully participate in virtual learning.  We have provided more than 500 pieces of equipment to support students at Bexleyheath Academy as they study from home.  Examples of the equipment and resources we are able to provide to support students are listed below.

Should you require any resources to support your child to study more effectively at home, please use this form to let us know and a member of our team will contact you within 24 hours.

How will my child be taught remotely?

We deliver our virtual classes in a very similar way to the way in which classes are delivered when students are attending the Academy as normal.   All of our lessons provide the opportunity for students to:

Our classes are delivered using a combination methods, to ensure that students get the very best learning experience, and support from their teachers and learning support assistances. 

Each lesson students will experience the following:

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

Students will receive an email from the Academy at 08.00am each day with their schedule for the day.  This email will include direct links our virtual assembly and to all of their virtual classroom.  Students will simply need to click on each of the links to join their teacher and the rest of their class to get learning. 

Bexleyheath Academy uses the Google for Education suite of resources to support virtual learning.  We use the following key resources to support virtual learning:


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

This will vary depending on the age of your child. All students are expected to attend any live virtual lessons and submit work so that our teachers can make sure that they are making good progress.   Engagement with virtual learning is important, and we know this is at it's best where parents/carers are able to support the Academy by making sure that students are logged in and ready to learn by 08.40am each morning.

We understand that students benefit from a clear daily routine, and would encourage parents/carers to adopt a normal school-day routine.  We have been encouraging students to wake up at the usual time, clean up, get dressed, eat some breakfast and prepare for school in the normal way.  Our Academy day follows the normal pattern of classes and breaktimes.  Given that our classes take place online, we are encouraging students to step away from their computer at breaktimes and lunchtimes, and we are providing some useful suggestions in our assemblies each day as to activities students could consider during these times.

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

If your child is well, we have the same high expectations of virtual attendance as we have of physical attendance in school.  We monitor virtual attendance in the same way that we monitor attendance normally. 

In addition to this, we will monitor the level at which your child engages with learning in each of their lessons.   Their teacher will report an 'Engagement Score' each lesson as outlined in the table here.

We will send parents/carers a daily update at 6.00pm each day, detailing the Engagement Scores your child has received.  This email will also include a link for parents/carers to request to speak to a member of our team about any concerns you have.  If your child does not attend virtual learning, or we have any concerns about their engagement we will contact you in the usual manner. We also have the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour online as we would in school.

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

Your child will be assessed on engagement with the online lessons and the quality of the work they complete. This is very similar to how things work in school. It is of paramount importance that pupils complete the work that is set, because teachers will be looking closely to see any misconceptions that are emerging or gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

There are key assessment opportunities within each lesson:

There are key formal assessment opportunities each term:


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

We know that every student needs additional support at different times, and to a greater or lesser extend.  Our Student Welfare team will provide ongoing support to every student at Bexleyheath Academy and check in with them each week to see how they are getting on.  We'll discuss things that are going well with virtual learning, how students are coping with studying at home and identify any support we can offer.  These discussions will take place by telephone, and we're grateful to parents/carers for helping us to facilitate this.

We know that some students require greater levels of support, and our team of teachers, learning support assistants, and mentors will provide direct support to make sure  that students are able to make the very best progress.  This will include direct support in virtual classes, where a student is supported by a key learning support assistant.  This may also include additional support classes where students are able to work with out team to develop particular skills, or focus on particular aspects of a course they are studying.

We also know that some students will find it difficult to study at home successfully.  Where this is the case, we will invite these students to attend the Academy to work with us.  We have COVID-secure measures in place, to ensure that everyone feels safe whilst attending the Academy.  

If you would like to talk to us about additional support for your child please use this form to request a call from a member of our team.

AET Virtual Learning Quick Links

Access more virtual learning opportunities here:

Information for Parents

Virtual & Remote Learning FAQs - Your questions answered

What is Google Guardian?


Online Safety

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Let's keep in touch...

How do I get technical support if my laptop or wifi doesn’t work?

If you are having any technical problems please give our team a call on 020 8303 5696, and we'll help you find a solution. 

Where can I find further resources to support me in understanding what my child is learning?

You will find all the information about what you child is studying on the curriculum section of our Academy website.

How do I report a concern about online learning?

If you are concerned about online learning, please complete this form and a member of our team will contact you.

How do I keep my child safe while learning online?

We have measures in place to ensure that all virtual learning is delivered safely.  It is important to ensure that your child is logged into their @bexleyheathacademy.org Google Account, where we can ensure that all of the material your child is accessing is appropriate.  We monitor the activity of all students using sophisticated safeguarding software, and will contact you if there is anything of concern.

Where can I find the latest updates from Bexleyheath Academy?

The Academy posts weekly updates on the Latest News page of the Academy website, and you will find our daily assemblies which includes key information on the Bexleyheath Academy YouTube Channel.