Remote Learning: Senior School & Sixth Form

Should my son/daughter be attending every lesson?

Yes, for all the following reasons:

• Your son/daughter has a timetable to ensure teaching and learning takes place in all their academic subjects.

• Teachers are planning and providing structured lessons

• Teachers are arranging Google Meets with their students and all pupils should be there.

• The timetabled lessons help our pupils manage their workload by providing a defined time for work completion.

• Teachers are more likely to be able to respond to private comments during a pupil’s lesson.

Sometimes teachers will arrange non-interactive work or students may be set a longer independent project, in these instances, teachers will let their classes know, but it is still sensible to use the timetabled slot available as it enables pupils to create a manageable working day with realistic time frames to work within.

If your son/daughter has a music lesson and will miss a lesson they should as a matter of courtesy inform their subject teacher.

Are teachers setting ‘normal’ lessons?

It is impossible to replicate ‘normal’ whilst working remotely and yet normality is often what we crave in times of crisis. This is why maintaining a daily routine has been a priority for us.

We have committed to teach ‘as normal’ to provide the security and reassurance that our young people need and so CHS students can progress in their knowledge, understanding and skills. Unlike many schools across the country CHS students should not have significant ‘gaps in their learning’ as we have continued to deliver our syllabus’ and schemes of work; with the necessary adjustments to ensure progress can be made by all students.

We are following educational recommendations: quality teaching, utilising technology, encouraging peer interaction, supporting students to work independently and using different approaches to suit the needs of our students and the content we are delivering. These will ensure ‘normal’ learning will continue to take place in lessons albeit in a different guise.

Unfortunately all of these positive actions cannot negate the loss that we are all experiencing. It is important to acknowledge that we are now in a transition period where we are creating a new ‘normal’, with the CHS community, as always, at its’ heart.

What does greater interaction with my child’s teacher look like?

Various strategies are being explored and one singular approach is not conducive for sustained engagement with remote learning. This is why we continue to explore a variety of interactive and non-interactive approaches. For example,

• Teachers may use Google Meet at the start of a lesson to outline the lesson objectives, provide clear explanations, instructions and answer any questions your child might have.

• There is a ‘private comment’ facility next to each assignment where students can ask their teachers questions. Teachers will receive a notification of this message. We would request that all questions are asked politely.

• Teachers may use videos or detailed instructions within Google Classroom to explain core concepts.

• Teachers may also access students’ assignments ‘live’ during the lesson to give encouragement and feedback.

• Teachers may use Google Meet to arrange regular small group meetings.

What are the positives of remote learning for my child?

Taking ownership of learning is key for positive academic outcomes. We all, as teachers and parents desire that our young people develop life skills that will assist them in their future growth and advancement; by default remote learning has given our students ample opportunity to develop resilience, problem solving, independence and a love of learning.

Some of our students are relishing and flourishing through this opportunity to work independently. Remote learning has given them the time to think carefully about the work set; the opportunity to review and refine their work and pursue their quest for deeper understanding and mastery. This is something we must celebrate and build upon in our new future. A small group of staff have been tasked with reviewing the lessons which this period of remote learning may have for all aspects of school life.

What can I do if my child is struggling to adjust to working independently?

Teachers constantly use different strategies to develop students’ independence. It is understandable that a teacher’s presence is sorely missed. We are continuing to scaffold tasks, instructions and explanations to make this process easier and explore other strategies we could adopt to support all our students in their learning.

Students could also use their Student planners to record Google Meet times, notes from ‘live’ sessions and submission deadlines.

If your child is regularly struggling to understand the instructions given in lessons you may find it useful to look together at the Student Site’s Arete Learning pages on metacognition. Our regular advice to students is to use the 4Bs as outlined in our FAQ for Students sheet. Using a metacognition checklist and having a daily plan can be an invaluable support for these students.

How do I know that my child is learning?

Learning is a complex process and each child is different, your child will be learning if they are investing the time and thought to allow this process to happen which is why we are directing all our students to follow the timetabled School day. Teachers are constantly monitoring learning progress.

In response to student and parent feedback prior to Easter, teachers are endeavouring to set a realistic amount of work for an hour’s lesson, which is also appropriate for the age of the child and the stage of their educational journey. If students are completing work quickly one way you could assist us is to look at your child’s Google Classroom with them and review their work together.

I am concerned that my child is not being stretched academically through their remote learning experience.

We would encourage your child to talk to their subject teacher, a teacher cannot support your child if they are unaware of the issues. We would recommend that you look at the good practice of students outlined to you in ‘what good practice should I expect to see in my child’s work?’ in the Guidance to Parental Support section.

We would advise that your child should be completing extension activities which are given by teachers and habitually reviewing and refining their work. We would also advise your child to visit the Extension Site where further extension opportunities and competitions are available; alternatively we recommend that they join one of the Co-Curricular activities running.

A valuable role that you can play during this time is to use elaborative interrogation! Asking your child “why this is true?” or “why might this be the case?” will help your child think about the material they are learning and make connections to previously learned information. This process is only possible if your child has a good knowledge base and it will help them identify if this is the case or whether they need to revisit their learning.

Remote learning has given an unusual opportunity for your child to explore their academic passions. The EEF guidance to parents recommends the importance of reading for your children. There are limitless opportunities for reading (reading lists for subjects can be found on the Extension Sites) the benefits of which are emphasised in numerous academic studies.

Can our approach to remote learning be sustained?

Remote learning is not new, if effective elements such as clear explanations, scaffolding and feedback are present, pupils could potentially learn just as effectively through remote teaching as they do during face-to-face instruction. However, it is not without its significant challenges with work intruding into our home lives in a way it has not done alongside the not inconsiderable challenge of daily guiding our young people towards adult behaviours and actions.

Our educational climate continues to change and please be reassured that CHS will continue to review our provision and make the changes we need to as we seek to equip your child for their successful and exciting future.

What is the priority for teachers when they prepare lessons?

Our priority is quality teaching. The Education Endowment Foundation (2020) emphasises that teaching quality is more important than the methods used for delivery. Therefore, if effective elements such as clear explanations, scaffolding and feedback are present, pupils can potentially learn just as effectively through remote teaching as they do during face-to-face instruction. We have spent considerable time ensuring elements of effective teaching are present in all our lessons. This is one of the reasons why it is essential for your child to be present in every lesson.

What good pedagogical practice should I expect my child to experience?

CHS is following all the best educational advice and pursuing a variety of approaches to engage all students. The Education Endowment report encourages teachers to use their professional judgement to decide which approach to distance learning best suits their content and pupils. This is because different approaches – e.g. the use of online games, self-quizzing and computer assisted instruction – have been found to be more or less effective depending on the task and content they are used for.

This is why CHS teachers will continue to choose the most suitable approach to use to suit the content they are teaching. This includes building in formative assessment and feedback into their teaching approaches through a mixture of quizzes, digital tools and modelling of good answers. For instance, using a variety of low-stake testing will help your child engage and over time continue to inform our teachers’ on student progress, whilst limiting the anxiety we know some of our students experience during testing periods.

How do we as teachers tackle any lack of motivation?

Motivating students is an integral, yet highly skilled part of a teacher’s role. Identifying a lack of motivation is more complex during this remote learning period and so CHS teachers are adopting a multi-faceted approach.

If students do not attend lessons or complete work we have systems in place to counteract the more obvious flags of disengagement. It is a basic requirement that all CHS students attend lessons, complete work and meet deadlines. Your support in upholding these standards will help provide an opportunity for your child’s teacher to tackle a lack of motivation.

Initial findings from Vienna University of 8,000 Austrian students under a month of remote learning during lockdown found that students were completing less work than they would in School. This is why CHS has from the start actively sought to ‘chunk’ the learning completed to ensure that work is manageable for our students. We have sought to use a variety of pedagogical methodology including interactive, independent and peer work to help encourage motivation.

CHS teachers are providing feedback in line with educational recommendations which seeks to be positive and affirming during this time to continue to motivate our students. We are acutely aware that negative feedback is a lot harder for students to manage and can be misinterpreted whilst working remotely. This makes maintaining high standards and managing students’ emotional wellbeing more complicated than usual.

Recognising and sustaining motivation is one of the reasons why CHS continues to invest time and thought into our pastoral care. Through our assemblies, Head of Year leadership, student managers’ dedication and regular contact with our committed Form Tutors we have provided all our students with access to a network of support to help them when motivation is difficult.

CHS will continue to regularly review our academic provision and make timely adjustments if we believe they can help sustain student motivation and engagement with their learning.

What are teachers doing about the social interaction my child is missing?

One of the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) key recommendations for Schools emphasises the importance of peer interaction. This is a key ingredient which will help your child’s academic progress and ultimately help provide a positive outcome from this experience. This has become a key priority to us. We are encouraging our students to peer review, to collaborate on tasks and partake in ‘live’ discussions on the Class Stream. It is why we continue to invest in our Co-Curricular provision.

Research suggests that we need to take different approaches to peer interaction and our experiences have led us to the same conclusion. For example, we are having many highly productive and positive Google Meets with our Year 12 students who as older students and invariably smaller groups value the opportunity to work collaboratively with their teachers and peers. Our younger students have found it harder to engage in Google Meets in the same way and so teachers at CHS are exploring creative strategies to help them work collaboratively with their peers.

Is Technology the answer to remote learning’s success?

All the current research is stating that ensuring access to technology during remote learning is key. CHS pupils have an immediate advantage due to our BYOD approach to digital usage in school. It does not come without its own challenges; and for the hours you may have spent trying to resolve accessing a video, negotiating student Google Meet times alongside your own work commitments, all exasperated by an anxious child who may not be as grateful as you deserve, thank you.

In using any technology we need appropriate support and guidance. Our Technical Support Department continues to work tirelessly to provide technical assistance to both staff and students; whilst Mr Dunn our Director of Technology has seamlessly transformed staff and student technophobes into technophiles.

Why is the School using Google Classroom?

CHS keeps its use of digital technologies under constant review. Technology never stands still and neither can we. Currently we believe that Google’s range of productivity apps afford teachers and students the most ideal toolset for the creation of and collaboration on digital content. Their focus on the needs of teachers and on designing purely cloud-based, simple to use tools has drawn us to Google Classroom and its associated products. The transferable digital skills that students develop whilst using these tools will stand them in good stead for whatever the future holds. Departments make use of a range of other subject-specific resources but links to all these are being placed on Google Classroom to act as a hub for all remote learning activities.

Why is the School doing online registers twice a day?

Registers were introduced twice a day in response to student and parent feedback that revealed some pupils were struggling to structure their day. We also feel that it is important to replicate the structure of the School day as closely as possible and registering twice a day can help pupils establish a good routine. It also provides opportunities for us to support our pupils pastorally and provide activities which enrich their learning and go beyond their academic lessons e.g. through Assemblies, 1-2-1 conversations with Form Tutors etc.

Is an ipad enough to do all the work that has been set?

Generally speaking, yes. Our Y7-9 iPad policy was designed to afford pupils with a lightweight, reliable and powerful device to support learning both in and outside of school. That being said, if pupils do have access to a laptop or computer at home, they are very welcome to work on these too. Extended digital activities using an iPad can become a little uncomfortable so swapping to another device for a period of time is an advisable approach. Either way, we encourage pupils to take regular breaks and to do so away from screens and digital devices.

Why aren’t all lessons being done using video conferencing?

We are aiming to make our remote learning as interactive as possible. This may take the form of live lessons or it could be live text chat, a responsive email thread, pre-recorded videos, discussions, online learning packages, bespoke digital content etc. Our teachers are making a professional judgement about what the most appropriate digital tool to support learning is at any given moment and the decision over whether to use technology has to be dictated by the learning experience not the medium. Video conferencing is a hugely powerful option but it does present some barriers to pupils who are unable to attend a lesson or to staff with variable internet connections or home environments that lack a quiet space in which to conduct regular live lessons. Whilst we are all in the same storm, therefore, we are all in very different boats - and some are better suited to live lessons than others! We appreciate your understanding in this respect and will continue to make our remote learning as engaging and interactive as possible.

Where can my child find support materials?

Our Student Site has recently been updated to include a section called ‘Learning from Home’ that features all the documents, videos and guidance students need to engage with remote learning. In addition to this, our Arete Learning Site features a wealth of guidance to help students develop excellent, evidence-informed study habits, be they digital or analogue! Please ask your son/daughter to show you the Student Site, which can be accessed from the main School website by clicking on ‘Your CHS’ then ‘Students’.

The following FAQ for Remote Learning has been sent out to support your child.