Montacute School

Remote Learning Expectations

Where a class, group or small number of pupils need to self-isolate, or there is a local lockdown requiring pupils to remain at home, The Department for Education expects schools to have the capacity to offer immediate remote education.

The expectations for remote learning are as follows:

• Set assignments so that pupils have meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects across the curriculum.
• Teach a planned and well-sequenced curriculum so that knowledge and skills are built incrementally, with a good level of clarity about what is intended to be taught and practised in each subject.
• Provide frequent, clear explanations of new content, delivered by a teacher in the school or through high-quality curriculum resources and/or videos.
• Gauge how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum, using questions and other suitable tasks and set a clear expectation on how regularly teachers will check work.
• Enable teachers to adjust the pace or difficulty of what is being taught in response to questions or assessments, including, where necessary, revising material or simplifying explanations to ensure pupils’ understanding.
• Plan a programme that is of equivalent length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school, ideally including daily contact with teachers.

If your child is isolating whilst the rest of their bubble are in school, the children at Montacute School can expect the following provision from school.

If your child’s bubble is isolating and your child’s class teacher is fit and well to work or if there is full lockdown and the whole school has to close, the children at Montacute School can expect the following provision from school.

Example Weekly Timetable 

The teachers will ensure that the learning planned, and the corresponding resources will replicate, where possible, what the day would be like if a child were still in school.

Teachers will use Curriculum Unit Plans delivered through chosen themes to ensure the learning is carefully sequenced and builds on the children’s previous knowledge.

Should you wish to, you can also access The Oak National Academy’s website Online Classroom with nearly 10,000 free video lessons, resources and activities, covering most subjects, from Reception to Sixth form.  Montacute also makes use of several online applications such as Lexia and Number Shark which will be valuable for the children to access whilst at home. You will be provided with your child’s login details in the event of them isolating.

Whilst it would be our preference for all children to be in school all of the time, the provision we are offering for remote learning is as close to the children being in school as possible. It will still provide children with the knowledge and skills they need to make progress, whilst keeping them engaged and motivated to learn.

Questions and Answers about Montacute  Remote Learning

Why is the provision different for children who are isolating whilst their bubble are still in school?

Whilst a child’s bubble are still in school, throughout the day, all teachers will be teaching their classes. The time teachers have to prepare high quality lessons and provide meaningful feedback along with their other duties within the school is finite. Therefore, it will not be possible for teachers to pre-record detailed explanations of the work set in these circumstances.

Is my child expected to do work at home when they are ill?

If your child is ill, they must take the time to rest and recover and are not expected to work from home. However, if a child no longer feels ill, but are still considered contagious (10 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms), parents and carers must phone the admin team to let the school know that teachers can begin posting work to their child’s Dojo account.

What if I don’t have access to the internet? Those families who do not have access to the internet can collect the work from school or if possible they will be delivered to  them. We will also ensure there is regular phone call feedback, which can be arranged between the parent/ carer and the teacher. Please speak to your child’s class teacher if you think you will need this provision.

Will my child receive a phone call from their teacher whilst they are isolating? The standard period for isolation is 14 days. As teachers are able to interact with their pupils through Dojo, staff will be communicating with families via DOJO. If you wish to book a phone call to discuss work, please DOJO your class teacher.  However, if a full lockdown occurs and children have to receive remote learning for more than two weeks, wellbeing calls will be made.

How do I keep my child safe whilst accessing remote learning?

Parents need to make sure that children are supervised whilst using the internet to ensure that they are only accessing content that is appropriate to them. Children have had online safety lessons in school and should be aware of how to keep themselves safe online and what to do if they don’t feel safe.

It would be a good idea to ask your child to tell you ways in which they can keep themselves safe while using the internet so that you as a parent can ensure that they understand. It is also important that you consider the amount of time that your child is spending online and sitting at a tablet/computer screen. Make sure that you build in time for breaks so that children are not looking at a screen for long periods of time.