Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents and Carers:
The remote education at St Thomas’ Moorside is as close to the classroom curriculum as possible. And, just like our classroom curriculum, it is carefully sequenced and ensures that children obtain the building blocks they need to move on to the next step.
The Remote Curriculum- The ‘remote curriculum’ is the broad term encompassing any learning that happens outside of the classroom, with the teacher not present in the same location as the children. The way in which our remote curriculum is delivered depends upon what content is being delivered and the age and stage of the children:
- Online learning where the curriculum is delivered via technology such as google meet. This can include ‘live’ lessons as well as pre-recorded videos and/or resources to support children’s learning to complete either online or in a paper-based exercise book at home.
- Work packs for pupils.
- Sign posting families to external apps and websites that would further support engagement in remote learning.
Timetable- Teachers will provide a timetable with a summary of each lesson that will take place. Links will be provided in this timetable to where parents and children can find the online teaching videos and resources for each lesson. The expectations of lessons each day will be:
- A maths lesson
- An English lesson and/ or phonic lesson (Foundation Stage and KS1)
The timetable will be shared with all parents and carers as well as a ‘remote learning pack’ which will consist of a resources needed to access and participate in the live lessons. These will be given to children as they isolate or will be delivered to homes and then collected at the end of the week for marking and feedback.
How your child will be taught remotely– In the event of full or partial closure teachers will use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- Have daily contact with pupils/parents via class emails or phone between the hours of 9am-3pm
- At least one live teaching session via google meet each day
- Printed work packs
Timings for Remote Learning- The expectations set out by The Department for Education require schools to set meaningful and ambitious work each day in several different subjects. Schools are expected to provide remote education that includes either recorded or live direct teaching and should be of equivalent length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school. As a minimum that is:
- 3 hours a day for Key Stage 1 (years 1 and 2 when pupils are aged between 5 and 7)
- 4 hours a day for KS2 (years 3-6 when children are aged between 7 and 11)
Those hours include both direct teaching and time for pupils to complete tasks or assignments independently.
Engagement and Feedback- Children are expected to attend online google meet sessions with their teachers and complete the work set. We follow up remote absences in the same way, in line with school policy on absence and attendance. A timetable is shared with all parents and carers setting out the expectations for the day. Children can contact their teachers via Google meets during live lessons, if further support is needed.
If a child is not engaging in remote learning the class teacher will contact parents via the class email address or a phone call. If it continues the teacher will forward concerns to their line manager. If a lack of engagement continues then this will be escalated to the Deputy Head Teacher and Executive Head teacher to see what else the school can do to support their learning and encourage engagement. If your child is struggling to access the learning materials online, please contact your child’s class teacher via the class email address.
Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
– During the live lesson, teachers will ask the class questions and will ask children to unmute
themselves to provide an answer or ask them to comment in the ‘chat’ function.
– At the end of a series of lessons, work packs are collected and marked. Feedback is sent to your child via their Doveshell email address.
It is important the children engage with the remote learning activities to continue their education during periods of self isolation however we do acknowledge that each family’s home circumstances are unique and there may be factors that affect engagement with home learning. These may include parents working from home or limited access to technology among other factors. Communication is essential and we ask that if parents are finding things difficult to get in touch with their child’s class teacher so we can support and put measures in place.
Access to technology at home– A recent survey completed by parents allowed us, as a school, to provide access to technology and the internet at home enabling us to provide appropriate resources and online learning. If children do require any printed materials please contact your child’s class teacher.
Logins to online learning resources- The school subscribes to a number of online learning resources which can be accessed at home. It is essential that children and parents have access to the relevant login details from the start of the school year so that they are immediately available in the event of a closure of self-isolation. The login details will be sent home inside the ‘remote learning pack’.
Login details that should be included are:
- Gmail email addresses
- Charanga
Online Learning Resources:
Charanga – Those using the Charanga platform are adopting Yumu to support their students’ music-making and learning at home. Yumu is a secure online space where students learn, play and develop their musicianship by:
- completing assignments that you set using your own favourite resources or Charanga’s.
- engaging in independent learning, chosen from a range of exciting Yumu Packages.
Website Links
Oak National Academy– Visit our online classroom to view all of Oak’s free lessons, searchable by key stage, year or subject. Or visit our About Oak pages to find out more about our work.
BBC Bitesize– Explore our best videos, articles and quizzes for primary and secondary students and discover new Primary Catch-Up Lessons to get back on track. BBC Bitesize covers all subjects.
Topmarks– Topmarks has a range of educational resources, games and links to other websites covering all subjects.
Toy Theatre– Toy theatre is a collection of interactive educational games covering a range of subjects.
ICT Games– Educational maths and English games aimed at 5-8 year olds.
ICT in Schools: Learning at Home – ‘ICT in Schools’ based at The Word in South Shields have collated a range of activities and resources that you will find useful for home learning. Resources are easy to find as they are divided into age groups.
English
Phonics Play– Some free phonic games.
Maths
Prodigy Maths Game – Sign up for free access to Prodigy Math Game world, where you answer maths questions to complete epic quests and earn in-game rewards. For children at all levels.
SplashLearn– is a free resource for children from Reception to Year 6. Sign up to have a personalised learning path fit for catching up, enrichment or regular practice. Full of fun, interactive maths games.
Foundation Subjects
PE:
Joe Wicks’ Workouts – Access a variety of different types of workouts to stay active on Joe Wicks’ youtube site: The Body Coach TV.
Cosmic Kids Yoga – Cosmic Kids Yoga are interactive adventures which build strength, balance and confidence – and gets kids into yoga and mindfulness early! Each episode is its own story, so you can enjoy the Cosmic Kids series in any order.
Go Noodle for Families– A wide range of fun dances for children to learn and help them stay active.
Geography:
National Geographic Kids – Discover cool fun facts about space, bugs, animals, dinosaurs, and so much more!
History:
Horrible Histories – Horrible Histories is a hit CBBC show that explores the side of history that they don’t teach you about in school! From the Vicious Vikings and Awful Egyptians to the Slimy Stuarts and Terrible Tudors, Horrible Histories covers the funniest, yuckiest and most gruesome bits of history for kids.
Science:
SciShow Kids – SciShow Kids explores all those curious topics that make us ask “why?” Whether conducting experiments, researching new questions, or talking with experts, there’s always something new to discover with SciShow Kids, no matter what your age!
Computing:
Hour of Code– Trying an Hour of Code is a simple and fun way to introduce students to computer science.
Blockly Games– Blockly Games is a series of educational games that teach programming. It is designed for children who have not had prior experience with computer programming. By the end of these games, players are ready to use conventional text-based languages.