Kaye's Academy

This information will help provide clarity to pupils and parents / carers about what to expect from our remote education provision if local or national restrictions require the whole school or ‘bubbles’ to remain at home.  

First day at home

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

In the event of restricted attendance or a bubble closure due to Covid-19, school will make contact via telephone, email, text and/or Class Dojo to confirm pupils must stay at home and access their education remotely.

Teachers will upload their planning as soon as possible so that pupils can continue their learning at home from their first day of absence. Pupils will be able to access DB Primary and sites such as White Rose Maths, Bug Phonics and TTRockstars immediately. Families will be able to communicate with school staff via Class Dojo.

Curriculum

We will teach the same broad and balanced curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever this is possible and appropriate.  However, we may need to make some adaptations in subjects such as P.E. and activities which would use resources that are freely available in school, but maybe not at home.

Our aim is that pupils will receive the same curriculum whether they are at home or in school. This will enable a smooth transition when the pupils are back together.

Structure of the Day

A daily plan will be shared by the class teacher at the start of the day (or in the evening of the previous day) which will include remote teaching and independent activities.

Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) pupils will receive approximately three hours of remote education provision.

Key Stage 2 (Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5) pupils will receive approximately four hours of remote education provision.

Early Years (Nursery and Reception) pupils will receive approximately two – three hours of remote education provision.

Accessing remote education

Our chosen digital platform is Microsoft Teams.  DB Primary, Class Dojo and our school website will also be used to by teachers and pupils to support and provide alternative access to our remote education provision.  Live sessions, plans, activities and resources will be available through Microsoft Teams.  Plans, activities and videos will be uploaded to Class Stories on Class Dojo.  Pupils will be able to upload their work to Teams or the Portfolio tab on Dojo.

Devices

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home.  Please contact school if you would like to borrow a laptop. We have a small number of devices which we can lend to families.

If you have any difficulties with accessing any of the online platforms, please contact school and we will try our best to support and offer guidance. 

We understand that not all families have access to a printer. We have tried to limit the need to print out worksheets etc.  To help, printed materials can be provided by school. Please contact the class teachers who will gladly organise this for you.  

Pupils can upload their work to their Portfolios on Class Dojo. Work can be completed electronically and saved in Class Materials on Teams.  Assessed pieces of written work may be handed in at school if this is more convenient for our families.  

Teaching and learning approaches to remote learning

We use a combination of approaches to deliver high quality remote learning.  This includes the following:

• Daily plans
• Live teaching on Microsoft Teams.  3 x 20 mins sessions for KS1 and KS2.  2 x 20 mins for EYFS
• Recorded teaching (Oak National Academy lessons and video recordings made by teachers/teaching assistants)
• Printed paper packs produced by teachers (eg worksheets)
• Workbooks and reading books for pupils to have at home
• Commercially available websites such as the BBC support the teaching of specific subjects, including video clips and interactive lessons
• White Rose Maths, Classroom Secrets, TTRockstars, Bug Phonics etc. which school pay a subscription

Engagement and feedback

We encourage pupils to fully engage with remote education.  Parents are responsible for supporting their children with remote learning, helping them to establish routines and complete work with increasing independence (depending on age of children).

Teachers will keep records of pupil engagement with remote education and will contact you by phone or digital message if they have any concerns.

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children.  Teachers will provide whole-class and individual verbal feedback during live sessions.   Work will also be acknowledged via digital platforms. Our approach to feeding back on pupils’ work will include positive comments, encouragement, and praise for effort. Teachers and teaching assistants will provide feedback on a regular basis.  Work set for assessment purposes will receive more detailed feedback from class teachers.

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

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 by providing differentiated work, more contact with class staff and additional Team sessions.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils                                

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school, remote education will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.

Individual pupils will receive planning from their class teacher and access to the same learning opportunities as those children in school, wherever possible.  This will help pupils return to their class at the end of their period of self-isolation without any significant gaps.  Class staff will keep in regular contact with pupils who are self-isolating and provide feedback on work whilst ensuring the pupil’s health and well-being is the priority during these difficult times.

Keeping in touch            

Class staff will maintain weekly contact, by telephone, with pupils who are not in school.  Staff will check in with families and ask to speak with the children.  Staff and pupils will be able to keep in touch through Dojo messages during the school day. Please note: Staff set ‘Quiet Hours’ so may not respond as quickly as usual.  If the matter is urgent, please ring school.

If you have any questions or concerns about remote learning or if you would like a chat about how it is going, please get in touch.   Mrs Spence is our trained mental health and well-being champion and she is always happy to listen and direct you to the right support.