This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire 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 document.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils 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.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
When entire cohorts or bubbles have to unexpectedly remain at home, planning may be needed to establish remote education protocols. When this happens, communication will take place through eSchools. In these instances, parents, carers and pupils may be directed to the class pages on the school website, or eSchools, which contain activities that pupils can complete on the first day of remote education. These activities do not require any submission back to the teacher unless you are directed to by the class teacher.
It is vital that parents and carers are set-up and remain connected to eSchools to ensure communication can take place and allow a seamless transition into remote education.
The loaning of technology is available including laptops and routers. If parents and carers situation changes and they need help with technology, they should contact their class teacher through eSchools who will inform the computing lead and the senior leadership team.
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?
When remote education is fully established, which could be immediate from day 1 or at the latest day 2 pupils are required, wherever possible, to follow the normal school timetable which will be posted on eSchools each day. If this is not possible due to parents and carers individual situations, then they should discuss this with their child’s class teacher.
Class teachers will post work on eSchools which may take the form of Powerpoint presentations, recorded videos, links to websites and activities to complete. The type of delivery will depend upon the content being taught. Pupils should complete their work and resubmit this to their teacher in the way the teacher has recommended so that feedback can be given.
Remote education follows the same curriculum and timetable, wherever possible, as what would have been taught in school. The curriculum map can be viewed on the school website. However, curriculum subjects may be taught in blocks. For example, children may be set work relating to a particular science topic for the whole week and then complete a geography unit the next. We have matched some of our curriculum to the Oak National Academy, White Rose Maths Hub and other online providers and these resources will be used for particular subjects.
Remote education can be more difficult with certain subjects such as PE or practical elements within creative subjects or science so adaptations will be made in these cases. In PE, the planned unit of work may not be possible due to the need for equipment or if the unit focuses on team games. Because of this, PE may focus on various types of exercise that pupils can complete in the home environment. In science, Oak National Academy videos will be used instead of more practical elements and experiments which may happen in school. For creative subjects, adaptations may be made in the type of media that is used so that parents and carers do not have to purchase additional equipment.
Vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers, who are attending school, will be taught the same curriculum as those educating at home so we can ensure equality.
Pupils with SEND may be given adapted activities suitable for their needs. This would match their normal classroom routine.
Class teachers will monitor engagement on eSchools and will send personal messages, make telephone calls and send emails when there is a lack of engagement as it is the expectation that if pupils are not attending school then they are completing remote education.
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:
Early Years
Nursery – Pupils will be given a selection of activities to complete throughout the week which they can choose from as would happen during child initiated activity in school.
Pupils will also be given a focused activity to complete each day.
Minimum of 1.5 hours per day
Reception - Pupils will be given a selection of activities to complete throughout the week which they can choose from as would happen during child initiated activity in school.
Pupils will also be given focused activities to complete each day.
Minimum of 2.5 hours per day
Key Stage 1
Where possible pupils are expected to be online at their normal start time and follow their timetable of activities and lessons until the end of their normal finish time.
Y1 – (Minimum of 3 hours per day)
Y2 – (Minimum of 3 hours per day)
Key Stage 2
Where possible pupils are expected to be online at their normal start time and follow their timetable of activities and lessons until the end of their normal time.
Y3 - (Minimum of 4 hours per day)
Y4 - (Minimum of 4 hours per day)
Y5 - (Minimum of 4 hours per day)
Y6 - (Minimum of 4 hours per day)
When class teachers set work on eSchools, the deadline for each piece of work will be the Sunday evening of that week. This is to give you time to catch up with any work not completed and allows flexibility on your working week with the children.
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
eSchools is our main platform for remote education. Parents and carers should ensure they are connected to eSchools and read posts on our eSchools dashboard so that they are aware of key messages.
Pupils should be connected to eSchools so they can view their projects and homework during the day as this is where timetables and lesson resources will be posted.
Teachers will use other sites for remote learning and may provide links to these sites through eSchools. This may include links to the Oak National Academy, BBC Bitesize, Youtube and Maths Hub.
Live lessons are currently something that is not being explored in school. However, we have implemented weekly Zoom meetings that will give your child the opportunity to: engage with their friends, share what they have been doing at home, ask any questions they may have relating to the work being completed and learn what they will be completing the following week. eSchools will still be used to communicate with pupils, parents and carers about any live meetings that have been planned.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
In July 2020, a survey was completed with parents and carers to find out about technology in the home environment. We currently hold information about which families do not have sufficient home devices and which families do not have a broadband connection.
In the case of a whole school or bubble closure, the class teacher will contact parents/carers to find out whether a school device is needed to be loaned. If this is the case, a laptop will be made available to be collected from the school office.
The school is currently awaiting an order for broadband routers. These will be made available to families who have told us that they do not have a broadband connection.
Parents and carers must complete a Loaning Technology Agreement before the equipment can be loaned. This form can be completed when collecting your laptop from the school office.
We are not presently compiling paper packs for families and would rather work with parents and carers to get them connected online. Parents/carers should contact their child’s class teacher if they are experiencing problems with eSchools.
Children should submit their completed work through the way recommended by teachers on eSchools. There is no expectation for any work to be brought back into school. If parents/carers are experiencing any problems with this, they should contact their child’s class teacher via the messaging feature on eSchools or their year group email. However, eSchools is the preferred method of contact.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Pupils are required to complete remote education when they are not attending school other than times when they are unwell. It is the expectation, wherever possible, that pupils at Fens log onto eSchools at the time their school bubble would normally begin and follow their normal timetable throughout the day as this is when adults in school are online to support this remote learning.
Teachers are thinking carefully about the work that is set to pupils so that pupils can complete this work as independently as possible. We appreciate that parents and carers may want to support their child with their remote education and this is great. For some parents and carers, it may be difficult to support your child during the day because of your individual circumstances. If this is the case, your child should still log on and complete their work. If they need help with this, then a member of staff in school will be online to respond to any comments or questions.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Teachers will monitor engagement on eSchools on a daily basis as it is important that we know your child is engaging and also for safeguarding purposes. If there has been no engagement within a day, then a member of staff will message the parent/carer privately on eSchools. If there is no response to this message, a telephone call will be made. This will also happen the following day. If there continues to be no response, a representative from the local authority will be contacted who will visit the property to ensure the child is safe and well.
Staff may also message or ring when engagement has been sporadic. This will allow a conversation to take place to assess whether there are any barriers to remote education so support can be established if needed.
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, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
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 place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
Remote education for self-isolating 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.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
For the first day of isolation, pupils should look on their class page on the website which will show a list of activities that can be completed on day 1.
From day 2 onwards, work will be set for your child through eSchools that aligns with the work being completed in school as much as possible. This ensure that the child remains on track with the curriculum sequence so that when they return they have not missed any content. Feedback and support will be given through eSchools but this may not be immediate due to the class teacher teaching during the day. If you do have any concerns that are more urgent, please telephone the school office who will leave a message with the class teacher. However, please note, only contact the school office if it is an urgent enquiry.
Pupils are required to complete their work and send it back to their teacher so feedback can be given.
In this situation, the engagement with remote education will still be tracked and eSchool messages and phone calls will occur when there is a lack of engagement.