Remote Education Provision at Thornton

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils, parents and carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require whole cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.

For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this information.

The Remote Curriculum – what is taught to pupils at home.

A pupil’s first day of being educated remotely might look a little different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote learning. 

On day one expect to see – one Maths lesson, one English lesson and one afternoon lesson (Topic/Science/Art/RE/PSHE)

From day two onwards, the following will apply in each year group.  This is very similar to what we would usually deliver in school although some practical and physical activities are not always possible to deliver in the same form E.g. Music, Design Technology, PE. 

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

We would expect the work set to take the same amount of time as in a school day:

Reception

Phonics – 25 mins

Reading – 10-15 mins

Writing – 30 mins

Maths – 30 mins

Letter/Number Formation activities – 15 mins

KS1 (Broadly 3 – 4 hours per day)

Phonics – 25 mins

Maths – 45 mins – 1 hour

English – 45 Mins – 1 hour

Afternoon subjects  – 45 minutes – 1 hour

KS2 (Broadly 4 hours per day)

Reading comprehension (short sessions) 25 minutes

English 1 hour

Maths starter/arithmetic session 20 minutes

Maths lesson 1 hour

Afternoon subjects 1 hour

Individual children take different amounts of time to complete tasks. If your child is struggling to complete everything, don’t worry and just try to complete as much as they can.  It’s better to complete a smaller amount well.  If you are worried, please message your child’s classteacher on Weduc. 

Accessing Remote Education

At Thornton, we use Google Classroom for Remote Learning in Years 1 – 6.  Each child has their own account where their classteacher can provide work across most areas of the curriculum as well as regular feedback and assessment. 

In order to support children, parents and carers using Google Classroom, weekly homework is also regularly posted on the platform (every other week). Children are provided with one piece of English Homework and one piece of Maths.

Reception home learning is posted on Weduc. This is accompanied by worksheets to go with this learning as this is easier to access for younger children. Packs will be delivered when required. Reading books are also provided. 

If my child does not have digital or online access, how will school support 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 learning:

• Up to date lists are kept of pupils who may experience problems accessing remote learning due to lack of a laptop.  Where this is the case, parents/carers can then be contacted and offered the loan of a laptop and also assistance with internet connection where needed. In a period of school closure, we aim to do this by day 2. 
• If parents/carers prefer printed materials as opposed to using the online platform, these are provided, however the school’s aim is for all pupils to be able to access remote learning through Google Classroom. 

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches:

• Recorded teaching of lesson input and explanations.  These are a combination of recordings made by classteachers and also some online recorded teaching videos such as Oak National Academy lessons. 
• PowerPoint presentations
• Activities for children to record their responses straight onto the online platform
• Printed paper packs provided by teachers
• Text books (CGP books)
• Reading books provided by school
• Website links
• Access to extension materials on websites
• Differentiated activities to meet the needs of learners. 

Sometimes we may ask children to complete work in a written format as opposed to recording remotely. This is used particularly lower down the school to enable younger children to practise their writing skills.  In these cases, we will ask you to photograph your child’s written response and upload it onto the platform for the classteacher to mark and assess. 

Engagement and Feedback

We expect pupils to complete at least the daily Maths and English activities and at least one afternoon activity. Children are used to working in a set routine across the school. This typically follows a phonics session/reading comprehension session, one hour of English, break-time, Maths mental starter/arithmetic session followed by one hour of Maths in the morning.  After lunch, one hour of topic/science/art, a short break then usually followed by either RE,PSHE, Computing or PE.  We suggest you try to keep to this routine.  Children may need a little support initially with remote learning, but teachers have tried to design lessons where continuous support is not needed.

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

Your child’s classteacher will mark your child’s work on a daily basis and provide remote feedback.  If your child is not engaging with the work set, we will call you to discuss any possible difficulties accessing the work.  We will offer alternative resources if needed such as printed sheets. 

If you experience any problems with remote learning or you have any questions, please contact us by Weduc. Children are also able to ask their teacher questions through Google Classroom. 

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

Feedback can take many forms and may not always be written comments for individual children.  For example, whole class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital forms are also valid and effective methods amongst others.  The children at Thornton are used to responding to teacher comments and going back to re-edit work. They are also asked on occasions to self-assess their learning. 

Additional Support for pupils with particular needs

How will school support my child who needs support from adults at home to access remote education?

We recognise that some pupils, for example 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 place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:

• Provide guidance on how we support your child in school and things you can do at home to meet your child’s needs. The activities we suggest may be outlined on your child’s EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) or Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• We may provide work which is different to other children in the class which is individualised to meet your child’s educational needs.  If we feel using Google classroom is not suitable for your child, we will provide alternatives such as printed packs.  We will also provide extra resources which support their learning needs.
• Remote education for younger pupils may take the form of school providing some online platform provision but also printed materials.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

Where an individual needs to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote learning is provided will differ slightly from the approach to whole groups.  This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and at school.  For use in the first instance, school has provided a core bank of age appropriate activities on the class page of the school website for your child to select activities. School will then provide work set on Google classroom by day two or worksheets if preferred.  This work will follow what is set in class as far as possible but this is not always possible.  Where this is not possible due to, for example, the need for teacher input/explanation to be able to complete the task, the class teacher will select alternative work suitable for your child’s learning needs.  If your child requires a laptop, this will be delivered by day two.

‘The girls love the videos that the teachers do. It gets them motivated and more focused on the work they have to do.

I think you're all doing a great job and appreciate all you do. Thank you from the xxxx family.

"xxx really enjoys seeing you in your videos, and I’m finding they help me out a lot too! Thank you "

‘We feel that the new system is straight forward, concise, and much more easy to follow.’