Remote Education Provision: Information for parents

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, it may be necessary to make some adaptations in some subjects.

· Remote education, where and when required, will be of high-quality and aligned as closely as possible with in-school provision and curriculum content.

· Pupils will access and be taught our intended curriculum. This is well-planned and well-sequenced so that knowledge and skills are built incrementally and pupils have opportunities to retrieve and recall previously taught content.

· Clarity about what is intended to be taught and practised in each subject will be provided through individual and class assignments on Microsoft Teams. Heads of department will carefully monitor and adjust curriculum plans, where it is deemed appropriate.

· Frequent and clear explanations of new content will be provided, either delivered ‘live’ by teachers, through pre-recorded teacher videos or carefully selected high-quality curriculum resources (e.g. use of GCSE POD). Where pupils are in school and only a small amount of pupils are self-isolating, all relevant resources will be uploaded to the Teams channel for that subject and class, pupils have the ability to ask questions via the ‘posts’ section and, when convenient to do so, teachers will endeavour to respond.

· Microsoft Teams will be used across the school with all year groups to set pupils’ work and deliver lessons.

· On the ‘Virtual School’ area of the school website, parents/carers will find support guides for Microsoft Teams and for pupils so that they can access the platform easily.

· Homework will be set the usual way, via our Ashington Academy systems.

· Pupils who do not have suitable online access will be provided with printed resources until they have access to a suitable device.

• Microsoft Teams will be used across the school with all year groups to set work. Assessments and feedback to pupils will also be provided via Teams Assignments.
• Staff, pupils and parents will continue to receive training in the use of Microsoft Teams (where appropriate) via the ‘Virtual School’ section of the website.
• As of September 2020, all staff set homework for Years 7 – 11 via Microsoft Teams. Years 12 and 13 are also set independent study work via this platform too.

• Pupils who do not have suitable online access will be provided with printed resources until they have access to a suitable device.
• Please note that Teams live lessons can be easily accessed via a smartphone and devices such as Xbox/Playstation and internet-enable TV.
• If a parent or carer requires more information or feels their child has not got access to a suitable device, in the first instance they should contact their child’s Year Manager (via the school office on 01670 812166).
• We will make every effort to ensure all pupils have appropriate access to a suitable device / work packs so they do not fall behind with their studies. Again, any concerns, in the first instance, should be directed to the pupil’s Year Manager (via the school office on 01670 812166).
• For the small minority of pupils who are completing their work via printed work packs, the Engagement Team will make regular contact with students and parents to discuss progress. Where it is safe to do so, we will arrange for work be returned to school for teachers to assess.

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

• Microsoft Teams will be used across the school with all year groups to set pupils’ work and deliver lessons. Assessments and independent study tasks will also be set via this platform.
• Live teaching (online lessons) will be the main source for delivering learning; this provides pupils with curriculum continuity and the opportunity to be able to ask questions and speak to their subject teachers. All students will receive their full usual timetable.

Remote teaching will replicate effective classroom teaching as far as possible, including:

• providing frequent, clear explanations of new content
• providing opportunities for interactivity, including questioning, eliciting and reflective discussion
• providing modelling, scaffolded practice and opportunities to apply new knowledge
• enabling pupils to receive timely and frequent feedback on how to progress, using digitally-facilitated or whole-class feedback where appropriate
• using assessment to ensure teaching is responsive to pupils’ needs and addresses any critical gaps in pupils’ knowledge
• breaking content and tasks into smaller chunks to aid concentration

We recognise that different approaches suit different types of content and different pupils. In some cases, other methods of delivery may be used, for example pre-recorded lessons by teachers or use of lessons from other sources, e.g. Oak Academy.

Where printed resources are required, for example key texts or revision guides for exam preparation, these will be safely distributed to students to use at home.

• Class teachers ensure remote learning is accessible for SEND learners by clearly identifying each part of the lesson, chunking the tasks set, providing differentiated tasks, model answers and suggested time limits. This is done across all subjects and year groups.

• Where appropriate, support staff will make welfare calls to check the work is accessible and offer further support.
• Alternative work can be sent home to SEND learners who may struggle to access online learning. This can be in the form of paper-based work or alternative tasks to make the content more accessible for them.
• Advice is given to parents/carers on strategies known to work in school to help support the engagement of individual pupils. 
• Support is also given in terms of establishing a routine and realistic work expectations. 
• Any concerns can be raised through the SENDCO.