Wadhurst CE Primary School & Nursery

Whenever we transition to remote education, we recognise the importance of continuing the children’s learning journey and maintaining high expectations of progress. Below is an overview to provide clarity and transparency to our pupils and parents/carers about what to expect from your remote education where national/local restrictions require bubbles or the whole school to work from home. 

We are committed to ensuring the very best outcomes for children and supporting their academic and social/emotional well-being throughout any remote learning period. Access to devices will be monitored and all children who need support will be offered a laptop where possible so that no child is left without remote access. Please contact your class teacher or the school office should you require further information on how to get your child online. We provide a number of videos and help guides to support parents and pupils with their access to Microsoft Teams and Tapestry

What should my child expect from their remote education? 

In the event of closure, teachers will be given one day of preparation time before Remote Learning begins as outlined below. Children will be expected to complete their usual home learning tasks on this day (such as: reading, Spelling, Times Tables Rockstars). On the first day of remote learning, the children in years 1-6 will receive online teaching that reflects the school day, via Microsoft Teams. Maths and English inputs are provided and children can continue to interact with their teacher beyond the lessons using the messaging system to receive further support as they would in school.  The children then receive another afternoon live lesson where they can drop in for extra support for the learning that day or for the teacher to guide them through the topic work for the afternoon.  Our staff share their screens to provide frequent and clear explanations of new content. Children are set daily assignments that are meaningful and ambitious in all subjects in order to maintain a broad and balanced curriculum. The children upload their completed work via Teams and feedback is given. Any family who does not have remote access will be provided with a school laptop to ensure that no child is left without support. 

Live lessons have multiple benefits for the children, including continuous monitoring and questioning, interaction and regular face to face contact with staff. Where children need additional support, extra intervention calls are provided to support maths, reading, writing and pastoral challenges. All children from years 1-6 are taught how to login to Teams as part of their computing curriculum. 

Children in EYFS use Tapestry to access their learning. They are provided with Pre-recorded videos so that parents can structure their learning day in a way that is age appropriate and supportive of their individual needs. Weekly Live Teams calls will allow children to touch base and socialise with their peers. 

Remote teaching and study time each day 

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: 

We recognise that many parents will be trying to work at the same time and therefore have tried to provide flexible working options where possible. 

• Video recordings of live lessons will be provided so that they can be watched at a later time.
• Assignments will be left open for those families that need to upload work beyond the day that it has been set.
• Work is available from the files section on Teams and Tapestry prior to the beginning of each working week so that families can get ahead.
• Adults available online throughout the day - just use the chat feature to get in touch.

We are here to help, please let us know the issues, and we will see what support we can provide. 

How will my child be taught remotely? 

Children in years 1-6 will be taught via live lessons and related online assignments that will then be submitted to teachers for feedback. Inspiring, exciting and innovative lessons are continually provided and we encourage the children to work creatively. We utilise the very latest Microsoft features and use Breakout Rooms and Flipgrid to enable group work, discussion and collaborative working. We know that children are spending significantly more time on screens, so to support this we have ensured that Screen-Free time has been planned in to each week where children are set tasks that encourage them to learn outdoors, be active and creative. In EYFS, the children receive a minimum of 1 weekly live call and 2 Daily pre-recorded videos which support their Phonics and Maths learning. They are then given practical activities to complete in conjunction with the videos. 

A key aspect of remote teaching is ensuring that we support our children’s mental health and well-being. We invest time for our staff, parents and children to engage with the Neuro Ninja Programme. Our staff team make individual calls to children and families who need additional support. We launch specific initiatives to engage and challenge our children so that they are encouraged to be outside such as Forest School tasks and ask them to send us photos or videos of them to celebrate their successes. 

Engagement and feedback 

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

Our expectation is that all children will attend their live lessons and take part in the corresponding assignments. The structure of the day mirrors that which they would receive in school. If a child is unable to complete work or needs extra support, this will be offered by the class teacher or teaching assistant so that each child is able to complete their work accordingly. We understand that these are challenging times for working families and ensure that we provide support for parents through continuous, open communication.

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

As part of each live lesson, attendance is checked by the class teacher and a record is kept via an app in Teams called ‘Insights’. In the event of a child regularly missing calls or not handing in assignments, the child will be contacted by the teacher to see if they need any help or support. If necessary, parents/carers will be contacted by the school to offer any support required.

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. Every piece of work that is handed in will be acknowledged by staff but not all pieces of work will have significant detail in their marking. Progress will be assessed by close monitoring of the work that your child submits and support will be given when there are gaps in your child’s understanding - this might be via a 1:1 video call, group call or through questioning within the lesson. In EYFS, teachers respond to children’s work through written feed back or voice notes. When the children return to school after a significant period of remote teaching, extensive assessments of where they are working will be conducted and work planned accordingly. 

Additional support for pupils with individual needs 

How will you support my child if they have additional needs? 

We recognise that some pupils may not be able to access remote education without additional support. We work with each child to support their individual needs and tailor their intervention accordingly, in the same way that we would if the child was in school. Extra intervention calls are provided to support Maths, Reading , Writing and Pastoral areas. If the child requires 1:1 support in school, this will be provided daily via Teams calls, to replicate the support they normally receive. 

If you think your child is in need of extra support, then please contact your class teacher. 

Remote education for self-isolating pupils 

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

In the event that your child is self-isolating while the majority of children are still in school, we will adopt a blended learning approach. Learning will be available on Teams/Tapestry the day after the school was informed of your childs absence. A member of staff will be in touch to agree a plan that best suits your family's needs and to offer twice weekly follow up calls to give any extra support that might be needed. Children will be expected to complete their usual home learning tasks prior to this (such as: reading, Spelling and Times Table Rockstars). We create an online environment which allows the children at home to make the same amount of progress as the children in school. Teachers will do their best to set the same work that has been planned for the children in the classroom so that they can continue their learning. Some work will need to be adapted to make it accessible at home.  Where posible, to the support the childrens learning, video content will be made available. Online video lessons do not necessarily need to be recorded by teaching staff at the school: Oak National Academy lessons or Whiterose videos for example, can be provided in lieu of school-led video content.

For more information on our remote learning offer please see out our remote learning Policy.