Remote Learning Parent Q&As

Ormiston Denes Academy Remote Learning Provision from January 2021

Information for parents:

This information is intended to provide clarity to students, parents and carers about what to expect from remote education.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home

A student'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 learning. During this time, the academy will assess the IT requirements of those at home and put reasonable plans in place to ensure students can access the Google Suite of application used by the academy.

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of students being required to remain at home?

It is an aim of the academy to ensure that all students are able to access online learning via the Google Suite of applications used in the academy. To enable this, we maintain a list of students and families who have none or limited access to IT at home (if this becomes an issue for your family please contact the academy via email at info@ormistondenes.co.uk).

As we endeavour to arrange this IT support for families we will provide interim paper workpacks.

For those who have access to IT at home, teachers at the academy will initially post work to Google Classroom. This will follow the relevant scheme of learning, have clear instructions for students to follow and set out what work needs to be completed and how to submit the work for feedback. This will be followed by live lessons following the students normal school timetable.

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?

As an academy, we will be teaching the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. We aim to follow the normal school curriculum and deliver these lessons live using Google Meet. Students can access these by logging into their Google Classroom on the normal day and time of their lesson and clicking the link posted by the teacher.

However, we may need to make some adaptations in some practical subjects or where exam board rules prohibit this. For example, in some practical subjects, the learning may be more theoretical than if in the academy following normal circumstances or, in some BTECs subjects the work needs to be completed on a secure server and without access to the internet.

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

In line with government guidance, we expect that remote education will take students broadly the following number of hours each day:

Key Stage 3, Years 7-9, Minimum 5 hours*

Key Stage 4, Year 10, Minimum 5 hours*

Key Stage 4, Year 11, Minimum 5+ hours - as they are working towards a formal qualification this year.*

*This will not all be live lessons directed by teachers or online. It will also include time given to students to complete work or learning independently.

Accessing remote education

How will my child access any online remote education provided by the academy?

Remote learning at academy is provided through the Google suite of applications. Google Classroom is the main platform teachers will use to post work and resources to students. It is also that place where students will find the Google Meet link to join their live lessons. Students are expected to join live lessons as per their normal school timetable, using Google Meet.

All students have been trained to access their Google Classroom. However, if parents wish to learn how to support their child at home, either by logging on to or navigating Google Classroom, please follow this link to ODA parental support page where further information is provided to support remote learning.

Some teachers will use other digital tools or platforms to deliver online lessons, including the use of pre-recorded videos (accessed through a video application called “Loom”) or other third party resources, such as The OAK Academy, Kerboodle and MangaHigh. Instructions and guidance for students to log on will always be posted via their Google Classroom with further instructions on how they should complete and submit work for feedback.

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

As mentioned previously, we maintain a list of students and families who have none or limited access to IT at home (again, if this becomes an issue for your family please contact the academy). Using this information, we assess each period of remote learning and address the IT needs of individual students so they can access remote education. Where necessary, we will issue academy Chromebooks to students. Parents or carers will be required to sign an agreement for the care and proper use of the academy resource.

As more IT resources become available, the academy will adapt its procedures to further support families and enable remote learning. If an internet connection is required, the academy has some capacity to support and we are working with the DfE and OAT to be able to provide more. If parents or carers have issues with the connection to the internet, the academy will endeavour to support them and they should email mobiledatasupport@ormistondenes.co.uk

In the meantime, for those without IT access, the academy will provide and arrange delivery of the work pack. Instructions for returning the work pack for feedback will be provided in the guidance letter and will be dependent on the current tiered restrictions in place at the time.

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?

During wider restrictions, for example a full lockdown under the government's tiered system, we will provide IT for all students where it is required. In this case, we expect that all students engage in live lessons following their normal timetable.

However, though students are expected in live lessons as per their normal timetable, we know this is not always possible during remote learning. Hence, sections of live lessons, where possible will be recorded (in accordance with the academy GDPR policy) and/or all lesson resources will be posted to the Google Classroom to enable access at an alternative time.

Where an individual is sent home to self-isolate we recognise that though some families have IT access, there are at times, high levels of competing demands for the resources where parents or carers or other siblings are also working remotely. As an academy, we will endeavour to support families where possible, by showing flexibility and support for individual students' levels of engagement during this difficult time. We aim to acknowledge all attempts/levels of engagement with work and students will not be at a disadvantage where a good attempt has been made to complete work.

We expect parents to provide a daily structure and routine to support your child’s education. This should include, but not be limited to:

• a quiet place for your child/children to work (this may require a rota system if there are more than one child in the house).

• give consideration to the demands of the key stage of each child, giving priority to any child in KS4, but appropriate time for those children in KS3 or lower to access and complete work. This may mean the normal school hours cannot be followed and flexibility will need to be shown as to when each child can complete work.

• monitor work progress, completion and submission - if at any time a parent or carer is unsure or concerned about progress or requirements, they should contact the school and ask for the class teacher or email them directly.

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

During periods of remote learning, where students are away from the academy for extended periods, teachers will take a register using Go4Schools tracking student’s attendance and engagement in remote learning. We will collate and review this information weekly. This information will form the basis of our calls to parents, both in praise of efforts and support for increased engagement.

Where an individual student has been sent home to self-isolate, the teachers are notified through a class register code and set and follow up on work completion individually. If a concern needs to be raised with a parent it will be either a class teacher or curriculum leader who will make the call in the first instance. This may be followed up by the head of year.

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

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feedback on students’ work is as follows:

• Teachers will prioritise verbal feedback in live lessons when students are in the process of completing work.

• Teachers will use a sample of student work during a live lesson to guide and improve students’ progress.

• Teachers will assess the work submitted and re-plan and re-teach key concepts in subsequent live lessons if it is not understood at the required level.

• Where there is a significant issue with learning, teachers will provide feedback via the Google Suite, either comments via Google Classroom, Docs or Sheets or a comment via a Google Extension, such as Mote.

• Teachers will find regular opportunities to praise good work and learning during live lessons, or post this material as examples in the Google Classroom.

Additional support for students with particular needs

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

We recognise that students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those students in the following ways:

• Teachers will endeavour to follow the academy individual learning support plans (ILSPs) when delivering live lessons - where the guidance is not adaptable to remote learning, teachers will seek support from the head of department and/or the SENCO.

For some students with special education needs or disability, it is likely that more individualised planning will be required, and that the support of parents or carers in the home will be a significant advantage where possible. To provide this support, the academy SENCO will arrange and coordinate, as per the academy remote learning policy:

• contact with families and liaise with the IT technicians to ensure that the technology used for remote learning is accessible to all students and that reasonable adjustments are made where required.

• ensure that students with Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) continue to have their needs met while learning remotely, and liaising with the headteacher and other organisations to make any alternate arrangements for students with EHCPs and IHPs.

Remote learning for self-isolating students

Where individual students need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in the academy, remote education will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching students both at home and in the academy.

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

It is an aim of the academy to ensure that all students absent from lessons or the academy can access a planned and well-sequenced online curriculum that follows their current scheme of learning via the Google Classroom. They should be able to follow their daily timetable, have clear instructions provided as to what is the focus on the learning and what work needs to be completed.

Teachers at the academy will post work to Google Classroom no later than the beginning of their scheduled lesson. If this is not the case, students should also check previous work as at times, the resources cover an extended period of time. If still in doubt, they should tell their teacher, form tutor or head of year when they call to check on the progress of the period of lockdown/self isolation.

If students wish to join the lesson via Google Meet, they should contact their teacher who can facilitate this via their Google Classroom. If IT support needs to be provided, this will be addressed prior to the student leaving the academy or within the first day of self-isolation.

If parents feel the academy is not providing remote education of a suitable quantity and quality, they are encouraged to in the first instance raise their concerns with the teacher or then Vice Principal for Teaching and Learning at info@ormistondenes.co.uk