Remote Education at Avenue Primary Academy

The following information is to support you as parents/carers to understand what to expect from remote education during periods of school closure. This could be if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home; or where an individual pupil is self-isolating due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

This is where individual pupils need to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school.

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, what will be provided?

All year groups have a remote learning area of the website – with links to additional resources e.g. Oaks Academy, Oxford Owls, BBC bitesize

All pupils have access to Microsoft teams through their own unique log ins which are provided at the start of the year. On each pupils’ team they have access to their class. If a whole bubble is forced to isolate work will be  uploaded to this class areas.

For individual self- isolating pupils lesson slides and activities are provided via Teams or Tapestry. Pupils will be added to a “year x” Isolation team where work will be uploaded. Pupils will receive the same slides and sheets that are being taught in school. Pupils will submit their work for teachers to review. When a pupil is no longer isolating they will be removed from the team.

We also have a ‘How can we help?’ page set up on our website (under the parent’s tab), which contains learning support; social, emotional and behaviour support; family support; and personal care support. Each page contains useful videos and links to help parents and carers with their child at home.

In the event of a bubble closure:

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?

ASD Base:

Lions and Tigers base use Tapestry to deliver home learning.  On day 1 the child will receive 3 recorded lesson videos (mathematics English and a foundation subject) with accompanying resources and tasks.  They will also receive a schedule for the week which details a suggested timetable for the day, as well as key elements to the child’s special educational provision.  For example, movement break activities, sensory circuits, attention autism recorded sessions and social focus activities.

Explorers and Trailblazers base use Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) to deliver home learning. Parents have been provided with log ins and children have had the opportunity to practice logging in from school. On day 1, the child will receive 3 prepared lessons which will be posted as soon as possible after the bubble closure. Lessons for day 1 will include mathematics, English and a foundation subject and accompanying resources and activities. From day 2, parents will receive a full timetable of lessons.  They will also receive a schedule for the week which details a suggested timetable for the day, as well as key elements to the child’s special educational provision.  For example, movement break activities, sensory circuits, fine motor/handwriting activities and social focus activities.

Nursery and Reception:

Nursery and Reception use Tapestry to deliver remote learning. On day 1 the Reception children will receive prepared lessons that revisit  and consolidate previous learning in mathematics and phonics along with follow up activities for both. Nursery children will receive two recorded rainbow sessions also with follow up activities.

Years 1 to 6:

Pupils are using Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) to deliver their remote learning. The parents have all been provided with logins, a ‘How to Use’ video and have signed a parent/child agreement. In school, where possible, pupils have had the opportunity to practice using MS Teams.

For individual pupils:

The teacher will add that pupil to the self isolating team. The teacher will then assign the work for the pupil to do that day. For the following days the teacher will upload work at 5PM for the next day.  

For Whole bubble

Day 1 - each year group has a set of prepared lessons for the first day of isolation which will be posted on MS Teams as soon as possible following bubble closure along with detailed instructions for parents on how remote learning will work/be delivered.

The lessons for day 1 include: mathematics, reading/phonics and two other foundation subjects. From day 2 a full timetable of lessons for the week will posted on MS Teams.

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 teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school, wherever possible and appropriate.

ASD Base:

Throughout the period of remote education, Lions and Tigers pupils will receive 3 recorded videos per day (mathematics, English (including phonics) and a foundation subject) plus 2 additional recorded videos with sensory stories or Attention Autism sessions.

Explorer and Trailblazer pupils will receive 3 recorded videos per day (mathematics, English (including phonics) and a foundation subject) plus 2 additional recorded videos or MS TEAMS activities with fine/gross motor, Attention Autism or a sensory story. All videos for all base pupils are personalised to the curriculum they are working within.

A member of staff will telephone each family on a weekly basis to offer support as needed.  Parents are asked to upload observations of children’s learning to Tapestry at least once per day or engage in learning on MS Teams at least once a day.

Speech and Language and Occupational Therapists will also contact parents to arrange teletherapy sessions and the Head of Base will contact parents regarding delivery of activities to support towards pupils’ individual long term outcomes and personal targets.

Nursery and Reception:

Nursery children will receive 2 videos each day which will cover the content of their Rainbow sessions. Alongside the videos, the children will have follow up activities posted on Tapestry to consolidate and extend the learning from the videos and to cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

Reception children will receive videos for their phonics, mathematics and one other lesson each day. The additional lessons will cover Physical Development, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Each video lesson will have follow up activities.

For both Nursery and Reception: A member of staff will telephone each family on a weekly basis to speak to both parents and children and offer any support needed. Parents are asked to upload observations of children’s learning at least twice a week.

Year 1 to 6:

A full weekly timetable will be provided to parents and will ensure a broad and balanced curriculum and include some assembly provision. Pupils will also have two hours a day where they are able to chat with their teachers and ask questions. At least 4 pre-recorded lessons will be available each day as well as PowerPoints, resources and assignments or quizzes to submit. Each day the teachers will give feedback on at least one piece of work.

We have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example:

• In mathematics, because work is being submitted electronically, there will be less emphasis on drawing diagrams, as this is harder to achieve on some software. We may also encourage pupils to write their working out on paper, this may not be seen by the teacher.
• In writing, practical hook stimulus may not be possible (e.g. Alien spaceship crash in Year 5). Instead, we will use videos and pictures to create the hook rather than practical activities.
• The PE curriculum may be altered, as team sports are not possible for pupils to do at home. In this case, different activities will be selected for pupils to complete in order to remain active.
• In science, pupils will not have access to the equipment and resources to complete certain experiments at home. Therefore, we will be using videos to recreate the experiments or provide alternatives to the equipment required.
• In art, some pupils will not have access to certain resources (e.g. oil pastels, charcoal, paints). Therefore, accessible alternatives will be provided using equipment which is more easily available (pencils).
• Any activities, which require physical stimulus (trips, visitors) may not be possible, but alternatives will be provided where possible (virtual trips).

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Nursery and Reception:

The DFE have not set a specific number of hours per day for EYFS pupils – we are providing approx. 3 hours a day.

ASD Base:

We will provide work which meets the minimum expectations for their child’s age, as detailed by the DfE.  We will work with parents to provide a flexible, personalised approach to supporting engagement of pupils in remote learning so as to ensure it meets pupils’ individual needs and circumstances.

The guidance for Special schools and other Specialist settings states Specialist settings will need to work with parents and carers to agree an ambitious yet pragmatic approach to supporting children and young people with complex needs to access appropriate remote learning and support, where they are not able to be in school.

Furthermore, we will strive to continue to ensure the provision detailed in a child’s EHCP, as detailed in the guidance which states ‘Where a pupil has provision specified within their EHC plan, it remains the duty of the local authority and any health bodies to secure or arrange the delivery of this in the setting that the plan names. However, there may be times when it becomes very difficult to do so, for example, if they are self-isolating. In this situation, decisions on how provision can be delivered should be informed by relevant considerations.’

Accessing remote education

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

Children in Nursery, Reception, Lions and Tigers will use Tapestry.

Children in Years 1 – 6, Trailblazers and Explorers will use MS Teams.

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:

• Every parent was sent a letter explaining that the school has laptops (with dongles) available to borrow, with pupil premium and KS2 pupils being prioritised. If this applied to them then parents needed to contact the office immediately.
• Requests were processed within 1 day and laptops loaned (with an agreement) to families that needed one.
• The school will do their best to meet all requests.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

Nursery and Reception:

• Pre-recorded daily lessons covering the EYFS curriculum
• Practical follow up activities and daily tasks
• Pre-recorded story times
• Links shared to useful websites
• Oxford Owls reading website (Reception)
• Weekly phone calls
• Sharing comments on Tapestry

ASD Base:

     Lions and Tigers:

• Pre-recorded daily lessons covering the EYFS and National curriculum/Engagement Model, as well as areas of identified SEND.
• Practical follow up activities and daily tasks
• Pre-recorded story times, sensory stories and Attention Autism sessions
• Links shared to useful websites
• Oxford Owls reading website (Reception)
• Movement break, sensory circuit and fine motor activities
• Suggestions for social activities during free play time
• Weekly phone calls
• Sharing comments on Tapestry
• Teletherapy from SALT and OT

     Explorer and Trailblazer:

• Pre-recorded daily lessons for English (phonics/GPS/reading/ writing,) mathematics, and one other subject, ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum and following the ‘topic’ for that half term – science, history, geography, health and wellbeing, French, PE, computing, music, RE
• Practical follow up activities and daily tasks using assignments and quizzes
• Two pre-recorded assemblies and sensory stories each week.
• Links shared to useful websites
• Oxford Owls reading website
• Movement break, sensory circuit and fine motor activities
• Suggestions for social activities during free play time
• Weekly phone calls
• Use of outside recorded teaching (Oak National Academy lessons)
• Teletherapy from SALT and OT

Years 1-6:

• Pre-recorded daily lessons for phonics (KS1), mathematics, reading, writing and one other subject, ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum and following the ‘topic’ for that half term – science, history, geography, health and wellbeing, French, PE, computing, music, RE
• Two pre-recorded assemblies each week.
• Assignments set on MS Teams and are supported by videos, PowerPoints, worksheets and answer sheets, so pupils can self-mark. Pupils can turn in their assignments for teachers to see. Teachers leave feedback on at least one piece of work per day.
• Quizzes are also used on MS Teams (e.g. for arithmetic and spelling)
• Daily check in sessions on MS Teams. Pupils can send teachers comments about the work and ask for help. 9-10am and 1-2pm.
• Weekly phone calls where pupils can raise issues about work if needed.
• Use of outside recorded teaching (Oak National Academy lessons)
• Tournaments on Times Tables Rock Stars so pupils can compete against each other.
• Other useful websites such as BBC Bite Size.

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?

• Teachers will publish a weekly timetable with the recommended times that pupils should be completing various lessons. There will be at least one “off-screen” activity every day to ensure that pupils have a break. In addition, there are also scheduled breaks on the timetables.
• Parents should follow the recommended timings for their children. They can do this around their other family commitments.
• Pupils should be completing the assignments / quizzes posted on MS MS Teams every day and turning them in.
• Pupils can either turn in the worksheets electronically or do the work on a piece of paper, take a photo (or scan) and submit that.
• If parents are unsure of the work expectations, then they should talk to the teacher in the weekly phone call and they can also email the school office and a member of the team will call them.

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 feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

• Pupils will have access to answers so that they/parents can self mark their work (which the children also do in school for some lessons e.g. mathematics)
• Teachers can view all assignments and leave comments for pupils.
• Teachers will comment on one assignment per day (this will be for different subjects across a week).

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

• Pupils with additional needs who cannot access the same learning will be offered support by the school Inclusion team. Pupils within the main school will receive a plan from the school SENCO, detailing their long term EHCP outcomes, their short. term targets and the support to be provided during the remote learning period.  This will include pre-recorded interventions as well as planned sessions and resources.  Specialist equipment will also be available for loan through the school SENCO. In the base pupils are offered additional intervention sessions (pre-recorded) and suggested activities for parents to complete at home, as well as an overview of pupils’ targets.  Teletherapy will also be provided by therapists.
• Each pupil will receive a phone call each week and can send daily messages to the teacher via MS Teams
• Some pupils who need additional support will receive a pre-teach lesson (30 mins) in the subject that they are struggling with via video or phone call.
• If children follow a lower curriculum, then they will be added to an additional MS Teams group and will be set work at their level.
• Pupils within the base will be set personalised work, appropriate for the curriculum they are working within.  Pupils who are able to manage integration, will be supported in accessing appropriate work from main school, year group MS Teams.

We recognise that some pupils, for example 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:

In this section, please set out briefly:

• Pupils on a lower curriculum have been set tasks to meet their individual needs ensuring that they are still covering the topics set out by the class teacher.
• Pupils with Speech and Language needs have resources and speech and language targets set for them and explained to them by a member of staff/Speech and Language Teacher from Cognus.
• Pupils with an EHCP continue to have their Speech and Language and Occupational Therapies delivered virtually.
• Pupils with an EHCP can continue to meet their long-term outcomes set out on their plan. Interventions planned have been sent to parents and adults in school who usually deliver the intervention in school, call the parents to explain how to deliver these.
• An SEN lending library has been set up for parents.

Useful Links for Remote Learning

Oak National Academy:

https://www.thenational.academy/

BBC Bitesize:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Oxford Owl:

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/