Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or defined groups of pupils) to remain at home.

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

The Remote Curriculum

What is taught to pupils at home?

Your son/daughter should follow his/her usual timetable of lessons as soon as any period of remote learning starts. This will enable your son/daughter to maintain a regular work routine and will help to ensure his/her continuity and progress. The usual curriculum will continue to be followed by pupils. Your son/daughter will need to be able to access Microsoft Teams (which they can do via RMUnify), and they can expect to use their usual school materials including textbooks and workbooks. Their teacher will tell them where to complete work; this will normally be in their standard exercise book.
 

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

Yes. We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in School wherever possible and appropriate. However, we may need to make some adaptations to the curriculum in some practical subjects. Teachers may also need to alter assessment schedules, but any arrangements will be communicated to pupils. The School will contact a pupil’s parents if the pupil is not engaging with his/her assessments.
 

Remote Teaching and Study Time

How long can I expect work set by the School to take my son/daughter each day?

We expect all of our pupils to engage with a full day of learning following their usual timetable of lessons. This starts with registration at 8.45am. Pupils should attend all lessons via Microsoft Teams, and a register will be taken. It is our expectation that Sixth Form and Middle School students will follow the usual Homework Timetable when studying remotely. The Lower School will have different homework arrangements to reflect the demands of online working.
 

Accessing Remote Education

How will my son/daughter access any online remote education you are providing?

Your son/daughter will access their lessons through Microsoft Teams. Some Departments will use other online platforms such as IsaacPhysics, MyMaths and ActiveLearn (Modern Languages). The pupils are familiar with these platforms but can seek clarification from the relevant teacher if required. Live lessons (via Microsoft Teams) will be the usual offer, but pupils should expect to complete independent work during these lessons: it is not our expectation that a live lesson will feature 50 minutes of teacher exposition.
 

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

Our experience, since March 2020, has shown that very few of our pupils have faced difficulties due to insufficient digital or online access. However, we do recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to enable them to access remote education:

· if pupils do experience issues with online access, we encourage them to communicate the extent of their access difficulties by contacting their subject teachers and Progress Leaders. This can be done via email, but also by telephoning the School Office and asking to speak to the relevant Pastoral Office;

· pupils already have textbooks and workbooks in most subjects to support their learning and teachers will continue to make use of these resources during periods of remote learning;

· teachers will discuss arrangements with pupils regarding the submission of work in circumstances where the pupil is not able to fully access remote education;

· if a pupil has significant difficulty, the School can make arrangements to lend a pupil a laptop subject to the pupil’s parents signing an agreement. In certain circumstances, the School may be able to arrange the delivery of the laptop to the pupil.
 

How will my son/daughter be taught remotely?

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

· Live teaching (online lessons) via Microsoft Teams: The vast majority of our remote teaching and learning provision is delivered in this way. A typical lesson might include some brief teacher exposition and explanation, a segment where pupils will work independently, e.g. by completing some work from a textbook, and during which they can ask questions, and then a plenary section where the teacher checks learning (progress), summarises the content and ensures that the pupils have understood the material;

· Some pre-recorded teaching (particularly demonstrations) by teachers from WHSB;

· Printed workbooks and work sheets shared with pupils;

· Independent work from textbooks which the pupils already have at home;

· Setting learning activities from sites such as IsaacPhysics, ActiveLearn and MyMaths.
 

Engagement and Feedback

What are your expectations for my son/daughter’s engagement and the support that parents should provide at home?

As stated previously, we expect our pupils to undertake a full School day (8.45am–3.35pm). If pupils are too ill to participate in online learning, their absence from lessons should be notified in the usual way, i.e. through a parental phone call to the School.

It is essential that pupils maintain their usual School routines. For example, pupils need to get up in the mornings at a time which provides sufficient time for them to wash, dress and have breakfast before registration at 8.45am.

Parents can support progress by ensuring, where possible, that pupils have a quiet place to work.

We do not expect pupils to wear their School uniform. However, pupils should remember that a member of staff may ask them to switch their camera on if they need to speak to them individually. Dress should therefore be appropriate for these circumstances.

The online nature of remote learning, means that our pupils spend longer than we would ordinarily recommend in front of a screen. It is, therefore, worth encouraging pupils to take a walk during their lunch break where self-isolation permits. All pupils would benefit from a longer period of outside exercise at the beginning and certainly at the end of the day. Parents may also find it helpful to limit screen time in the evenings.

We expect pupils to go to bed at their usual times for a School day so that they can get the recommended number of hours’ sleep for their age bracket.
 

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

Teachers will register pupils in each lesson and for registration time in the morning and afternoon. Teachers will be able to see from the electronic register whether parents have contacted the School regarding absence.

Teachers will telephone home if they are particularly concerned about a pupil’s progress or engagement.

We would encourage all parents and carers to discuss with their son/daughter the work he/she has completed during the day.
 

How will you assess my son/daughter’s work and progress?

The School will continue to follow its Assessment Policy regarding written feedback. During periods of remote learning, written feedback will be given through Microsoft Teams. Pupils should then act on this feedback by correcting work, and printing and sticking work into their books where possible.

Feedback will be provided to pupils and parents in a variety of forms. For example, individual written comments, performance grades and attitudinal indicators, School Reports, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are effective methods, amongst many others.

Additional Support for Pupils with Particular Needs.
 

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

We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils 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 pupils in the following ways:

With the exception of those in self-isolation, pupils with an Educational Health Care Plan are able to attend School to access the remote learning provision detailed in the previous sections.

During an extended period of remote learning, pupils with special educational needs will be monitored by their Form Tutor who have daily contact. In addition, they will be contacted by a member of the Pastoral or SENDco Team at least once each fortnight to check on their progress and ability to access the remote learning provision.

Parents of pupils with special educational needs will be contacted if there are concerns raised by teachers, or the pupil. Pupils and parents will be able to raise any concerns by contacting the relevant Pastoral Office.
 

Remote Education for Self-Isolating Pupils

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

If your son/daughter is self-isolating, but the majority of this/her Year Group is attending live lessons, the provision previously outlined in this document will still apply. Teachers will make lesson appointments and self-isolating pupils will be expected to attend the lessons (online). If your son/daughter is too ill to attend the lessons remotely, we expect parents to advise the relevant Pastoral Office as usual.