Remote education provision: information for parents/carers

The remote education at Oxford Grove mirrors the rich variety of our curriculum which is taught in school. Assignments on Teams are posted from the first day of isolation, including English, Maths and foundation subjects. Detailed curriculum maps are also available on our website, so you, as a parent/carer, can use these to see the curriculum that is being followed in school and also to plan any additional learning experiences or research projects around your child’s learning.

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of children being sent home?

At Oxford Grove, we have chosen to use Microsoft Teams to be the platform on which teachers assign work for children working from home.  We have chosen Teams as it has been recommended by the DfE and the Bolton Schools ICT unit, and is a safe place for children to access learning.  

During Day 1 of your child’s isolation, they will either be able to access our online resources (through Learning Links on the school website) or assignments provided on Teams. Workbooks for completing remote learning assignments have been sent home. These include logins for your child to access our online resources. However, if these books have been lost or damaged, please message your child’s class teacher on Teams and we will provide you with a replacement.

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?

The activities uploaded to Teams are created to mirror the learning that will be continuing in their class. The aim is that your child doesn’t accumulate gaps in their learning and they have the same access to education as their peers. However, we will sometimes make adaptations in some subjects due to practical elements which may not be available at home.

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 children at least 4 hours each day. The assignments will include daily English and Maths as well as foundation subjects.

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

At Oxford Grove, we have chosen to use Microsoft Teams to be the platform on which teachers assign work for children working from home.  We have chosen Teams as it has been recommended by the DfE and the Bolton Schools ICT unit, and is a safe place for children to access learning.  

Links to your child’s remote teaching and the tasks needing to be completed will be posted as ‘Assignments’ in Teams.

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

Please contact school if you need a device that you can use to support home learning with your child, and we will be able to loan you a device. You will need to sign a loan agreement, to confirm that the device will be used properly, only for your child’s home learning and that you will support your child’s online safety.

For families who do not have an internet connection, we have applied for 4G wireless routers through the government initiative, ‘Get help with technology’. The school will produce relevant printed materials for children who are unable to access remote learning online for them to complete in their workbooks. This should be returned to school following the period of isolation for marking and feedback from the class teacher.

How will my child be taught remotely?

Teachers will plan suitable activities that match the lessons being taught in school, including the use of teaching videos recorded by our teaching team and links to high-quality, pre-recorded curriculum videos such as those recommended by the DfE (including White Rose Maths and Oak National Academy).

All tasks needs to be completed in the workbooks provided by school. Reading books and reading records can also be used daily. Each lesson will have a day and time when it is due. It is important that the lessons are completed in order that they are assigned as they follow on from each other and support progression in learning, following the same learning journey as those being taught in class. Each day there will be one English lesson, one Maths lesson, and one foundation subject lesson.   

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents/carers should provide at home?

• Parents/carers understand that the use of innovative online technologies enables school to deliver learning opportunities during unprecedented circumstances. Parents/carers should ensure their children adopt safe use of the internet and digital technologies at home and will inform the school if they have concerns over their child’s online safety.
• Parents/carers should encourage and support their children to complete all assignments allocated to their child to a high standard, following the example of the work presented in the front of the Home Learning workbooks (completed in school).
• Parents/carers should ensure their child acts on feedback from their teachers related to assignments that have been completed and marked.
• School understands that supporting a child working from home will at times be complicated by parental work obligations but, wherever possible, parents/carers should try to set in place a good work routine to enable children to complete tasks within the times of the normal school day (8:30am – 3:00pm).
• Parents/carers should aim to ensure that all completed assignments are ‘handed’ by 3:00pm to enable teachers to view and mark this work.

• Parents/carers are encouraged to report any problems they may have to a member of staff. This can be through the channels on Teams. Teaching staff who are teaching within school whilst setting remote learning assignments may not be able to respond during the teaching day. Therefore, if the issue is preventing you and your child accessing the assignments, please contact the school office to enable the issue to be resolved.
• Parents/carers should be aware that expectations for teachers to respond to messages via Teams are between 8am and 6pm on school weekdays.
• Children should always use the internet and technology at home safely, and should inform their parent/carer if they are worried about anything online.
• Children should complete all of the assignments that their teacher sets carefully in their Home Learning workbooks, as neatly as you would do in school.
• Children should ensure they act on feedback from their teachers on their completed assignments once it has been marked.
• Children should try to follow the times of the normal school day (8:30am – 3:00pm), including taking a morning break and stopping for lunch.
• Children should ensure that all completed assignments are ‘handed’ by 3:00pm so that their teachers can view and mark this work.
• If there is a problem, children should inform their parent/carer. They may also message their teacher through the channels on Teams, but some teachers may not respond straight away as they may be teaching in school.
• Children should make sure all discussions on Teams are around their work, and not have personal conversations with other children, unless this is to share a worry with a teacher.

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

Teachers will check children’s engagement with work daily. If teachers have concerns regarding engagement, they will contact parents/carers on Teams or by phone. Our school’s Safeguarding and Wellbeing Officer is available for you to contact if you need any support.

How will you assess my child’s work and progress?

All completed work needs to be ‘handed in’ on Teams. At the end of each assignment, we would ask that you take photos of your child’s work in their workbook and add these to the assignment. Please be mindful of the flash so that we can see the work clearly. In some assignments, children may also be asked to complete a short ‘assessment quiz’ which will also help your child’s teachers to understand how well they have understood their learning. 

Assignments will be marked by school staff a minimum of 2-4 times per week, and feedback will be through teacher comments on completed Teams assignments.  Teachers will be available to mark assignments up until 6pm on the day that assignments are required to be handed in. Assignments need to be completed by 3pm on the day that they are set, so that teachers can mark them. Please do not allow assignments to ‘build up’ and submit these late.

Teachers will be available for messages on Teams between 8am and 6pm. However, during the day, teachers may not be able to reply to messages immediately due to teaching commitments.

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 children for example, some children with special education 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/carers to support those children.

For families to deliver remote education for children with SEND and for younger children (for example, those in Reception), this will still be accessed through assignments on Teams. These assignments will be differentiated by the school staff to ensure that they are accessible for all children and matched to their current learning stage.

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

Our remote learning offer is the same for individual children who are self-isolating and for those who are self-isolating as a class or group.