Remote Learning Introduction

In the event of long-term closure or part-time attendance (due to coronavirus), staff at St. Dominic’s Catholic Primary School will continue to provide education and support to our pupils, using class teaching, remote learning and/or a combination of both. Remote learning will be conducted using the Seesaw Class app. This will ensure that the needs of all pupils are catered for and will allow staff to keep in daily contact and provide pertinent feedback to ensure that learning continues. Teachers will be able to schedule learning in a manner which does not overwhelm our pupils.

In line with Government Guidelines, teaching and learning can be tailored, changed and updated as time progresses, allowing for replication of classroom activity to the best of our ability. In all communications, we will hold true to our commitment to maintaining pupil well-being and will support parents and children where there is any need.

Flexibility

We realise that the circumstances which cause our school to adopt a ‘blended learning’ approach will affect families in a number of ways. In our planning and expectations, we are aware of the need for flexibility from all sides: parents may be trying to work from home and so access to technology as a family may be limited; teachers may be trying to manage their home situation and the learning of their own children as well as maintaining effective planning for both in school and remote learning opportunities; also technology systems may not always function as they should. On all sides, an understanding of and willingness to adapt to these difficulties is essential for success.

Expectations

In the case of long-term school closure, we believe it is in the best interests of our pupils that we continue to provide structured support to the best of our ability so as to minimise disruption to our children’s learning. Bearing in mind the need for flexibility, we understand that work may be completed ‘out of sync’. Work set on Seesaw is part of our curriculum offer and therefore an integral part of our current planning. It cannot be considered as optional as this approach would be detrimental to our children’s education and progress. Teaching staff will expect to receive all home assignments within a reasonable timeframe. Should families encounter any difficulties with this arrangement, in the first instance these must be discussed with the child’s class teacher.

Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if s/he was in school?

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school, wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, team games during PE, music making during music, group discussions or talk partner activities, science experiments where the teacher might demonstrate will be replaced with short videos to support learning or parents demonstrating where possible.  We are also mindful of the vocabulary we use to make sure that it is accessible to parents. Whilst we know that vocabulary use and grappling with new words deepens children’s understanding and supports their long-term memory, we are aware of the pressures on parents and have made things as helpful for parents as we can.

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: for children in key stage 1, this will be 3 hours and for key stage 2, this will be 4 hours.

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

We will be using Seesaw for every year group. Each child will have a unique, personal login.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support him/her 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:

• we have a few laptops currently which we are giving to parents and have applied for more through the DFE – we look forward to these arriving. We will issue or lend laptops to pupils, where possible, and we will work with our families to make sure that distribution is fair and appropriate. We are currently offering school places where we can to accommodate this need and ensure that all children can access learning. Parents or carers can find more information by contacting the school office directly admin@stdominics.hackney.sch.uk if parents are having difficulties with routers then they can contact the school office for support.
• children can submit work to their teachers via our online learning platforms and every effort will be made to ensure that all children have access to this either via a school place or by the school lending laptops to those in need.
• We are also providing work packs that mirror the work provided online. These work packs will consist of tasks from each curriculum area. The work packs are to be completed fortnightly and returned to the office for teachers to mark. When returned the parents can pick up another pack with new work.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers, videos from other educational resources).
• reading books pupils have at home.
• commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas including video clips or sequences such as Epic, Spelling Shed, Oak Academy, Oxford Reading Owl.
• Maths including timetables and English including phonics, spellings, reading, writing, grammar and punctuation will be set.
• We will also encourage children to be active and provide some keeping active sessions to support healthy bodies and healthy minds.
• We will continue to engage the children in all other curriculum subjects including science, geography, history, RE, PSHE, DT, art, Spanish and music.

What should I do if my child is too unwell to engage with remote learning?

If your child is too unwell to engage with remote learning (e.g. due to flu or other illness), then please inform the school admin@stdominics.hackney.sch.uk . When your child is better and restarting remote learning, again please inform the school.

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?

• We expect children to participate in the number of house set by the DFE.
• We expect children to complete remote learning as much as possible.
• If parents are struggling with the demands of work etc then please contact your child’s class teacher via email or Seesaw.

How will you check whether my child is engaging with his/her work? And how will I be informed if there are concerns?

• Learning will be checked throughout the day.
• If learning and engagement is a concern, school will contact parents to discuss this, and we will provide as much support as we can.

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, amongst many others, whole class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

• teachers and TAs will provide written feedback on at least one piece of work each day.

Additional Support for Pupils 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 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 present to families and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

• for children who have an EHCP, a school place will be available if parents feel that is appropriate and needed.
• our Teachers will be providing remote learning via Seesaw which is matched to individual needs and incorporates EHCP targets, where possible. If parents are struggling to engage their children in all of the activities then our SENCO will be on hand to provide advice.

Remote Education for Self-Isolating Pupils: When School is Open to All Pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school. Below details 2 scenarios and our plan to ensure learning takes place.

Two-Strand Approach to Self-Isolating

1. If a child is well but self-isolating and awaiting a test result or in self-isolation owing to a family member testing positive for coronavirus, his/her parents will be directed to the Oak Academy website: https://classroom.thenational.academy/schedule via Seesaw. Teachers will be contactable via Seesaw; however, understandably, they will not be able to provide immediate communication as they will already be teaching their own classes in school.
2. If an entire class has to self-isolate, the class teacher will provide home assignments using Seesaw and work packs. (N.B. If the class teacher is unwell, then his/her class will revert purely to Oak Academy/work packs, with any communication via the school office).

Teaching staff will…

• prepare resources to meet the needs of each child, where necessary, and where Seesaw cannot be easily accessed at home.
• share teaching and learning activities with their classes through Seesaw.
• continue providing work and support in line with current extensive planning which is already in place throughout the school.
• examples of the work set will include: Oak Academy Units, White Rose Maths videos, Letters and Sounds videos/worksheets alongside weekly spelling, reading and reading comprehensions.
• show understanding that learning remotely will be more difficult so tasks will be shortened and supported in smaller instructional steps to allow for this.
• reply to messages, set work and give feedback to move learning on.
• make allowances for delays in responses, understanding that current circumstances may affect families in a number of ways.
• if unwell, inform the Head Teacher and ensure cover by another staff member for sharing of activities and keeping in touch with parents.

Non-Teaching Staff will…

• support the class teacher to provide feedback.
• if unwell, inform the Head Teacher.
• support, where necessary, individual/small groups of pupils via the class teacher by providing tailored activities which can either be used in school or when learning at home.

Pupils will…

• adhere to all guidelines as directed by staff.
• be assured that their well-being is at the forefront of our minds – they should take regular breaks, get fresh air, exercise, and maintain a reasonable balance between online engagement and offline activities.
• undertake any tasks prepared for home learning.
• endeavour to keep up to date with daily teaching and learning, either in school or using Seesaw.
• only send messages and queries which are in relation to tasks set by the teacher or in response to questions the teacher may ask them directly.
• only access the material shared by their teacher and will ask for parental permission to use technology for anything beyond this.
• read daily, either independently or with an adult.
• consider learning a new skill, follow their own interests to discover more about the world around them or be creative (should an extended period of remote learning be required).

Parents will…

• support their child’s learning to the best of their ability.
• ensure their child completes tries to complete all work set.
• ensure their child engages with Seesaw activities set by the class teacher.
• not screenshot or copy any information, messages or posts to share on social media or any other platform outside of Seesaw.
• know they can continue to contact their child’s class teacher as normal through the Seesaw or by email, if they require support of any kind.
• check their child’s completed work each day and encourage the progress being made.
• be mindful of the mental well-being of both themselves and their child, encouraging their child to take regular breaks, play games, get fresh air and relax when working at home.
• be mindful of safe internet use and monitor their child’s internet use appropriately.

Please see our Seesaw-Parent-Guide for help accessing Seesaw.

Examples of children’s work using Seesaw:

Nursery Class

Reception Class

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6