Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents
Welcome to our school’s remote education provision, where learning knows no boundaries!
At The Pines School, we use the online learning platform Class Dojo for our remote education provision. In addition to Class Dojo, we also utilize a range of school subscription sites, including Purple Mash, Discovery Education, Education City, Bug Club, Oxford Owl, and Time Tables Rock Stars.
Click on the link below for more information about Class Dojo our online learning platform:
Class Dojo
DetailClick on the links below to access our other school subscription websites:
Purple Mash
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Discovery Education
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Oxford Owl
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Time Table Rockstars
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Education City
DetailRemote Education Provision at The Pines School
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.
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?
At The Pines School, our remote education provision will be closely aligned with what your child would be learning in class. A timetable will be shared with you that ensures a broad and balanced curriculum is in place for your child. To support this:
- All pupils will receive a home-learning pack containing all of the resources they will need.
- All parents are contacted via telephone by a member of the class staff to find out individual circumstances, e.g. access to wifi, access to technology, food needs, etc.
- Relevant technology, resources, and food to be delivered or collected, as appropriate.
- There is a school expectation that all parents/carers are connected to and participate in Class Dojo. The school will support parents with this if needed.
- Daily learning activities will begin immediately and be shared via Class Dojo.
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?
- We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, adapting the learning activities to suit the arrangements and resources available at home and the teaching strategies.
- We aim to deliver the learning in a way that supports parents/carers to engage the children in their learning.
Remote Teaching and Study Time Each Day
The national expectation for Primary and Secondary aged children is to provide 3 hours of core teaching to EYFS and KS1 pupils, 4 hours of core teaching to KS2 pupils and 5 hours of core teaching to KS3 and KS4 pupils. The learning activities we will set for your child will align with this expectation. However, some children, given their SEN, may struggle to maintain focus for extended periods of time. We would encourage regular learning breaks and physical activity throughout the day.
As individual classes, we deliver an appropriate timetable of activities daily that are suitable for the needs of the children in each class. This can vary from class to class and aims to replicate the teaching that would go on in class.
Accessing Remote Education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
- As a school, we use Class Dojo as a communication platform between staff, parents, and pupils.
- Remote education will be delivered via Class Dojo on a daily basis. You and your child will need to check your class page, messenger, and your child’s portfolio each day and throughout the day.
- Some class teachers will also set personalised work through the messenger section of the class dojo or by posting work directly into your child’s portfolio.
- If you are unsure how to use Dojo please call the school and we will help.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them 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 education:
- In the event of a class shutting down or a National lockdown, a phone call is made to parents/carers to find out if they have the technology and wifi needed in order to engage in home learning.
- Where technology is not available we will loan out a device if we have one available- this will have all of the apps the child will need.
- Where wifi is not available at home we may:
- Be able to access resources to enable wifi at home.
- Offer your child a place in school, depending on circumstances.
- Signpost parents/carers to appropriate services that may be able to support this.
- Where digital/online learning is just not possible we will provide paper activities.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- Pre-recorded lessons from class staff are posted on to class dojo page.
- Videos modelling how to complete activities.
- Links to appropriate videos, websites, and games to participate in.
- Worksheets where relevant or appropriate.
- Pictures of activities that are developmentally appropriate for your child.
- Individual and differentiated tasks are posted in your child’s portfolio.
- Topics, research, fact-finding, and projects when appropriate.
Engagement and Feedback
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
- It is expected that your child will participate in and complete all of the provided lessons throughout the week.
- Because of the nature of our activities and the needs of your child, you will be required to support your child with some of their learning.
- School staff aim to support and encourage participation in all of the provided lessons and are happy to help when this proves difficult.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- Class staff check the class dojo each day and post the children’s completed work onto their class story.
- Class staff will call you twice a week and if you are not participating in any of the activities then this will be discussed.
- Class staff will let the Senior Leadership Team know, on a weekly basis, if they have any concerns- this includes engagement in work. Someone from the team may then contact you further to discuss any barriers to learning and ways to move forward.
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. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
Your child’s work will be acknowledged and celebrated on their class dojo page
- The class teacher will regularly assess the work your child has completed and this will inform any next steps of learning that the teacher will put in place.
- Dojo points will be awarded for each completed activity.
- You will receive regular communication and support throughout the week, this could be via a phone call or the messaging part of class dojo.
- The feedback aims to help parents/carers support their child’s learning and progress and offer strategies to continue to develop this.
- Formal assessments of your child’s progress will continue to be recorded in school, as will their progress against their termly EHCP targets.
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?
- A member of the Senior Leadership Team will contact parents/carers immediately and find out individual circumstances relating to home learning and digital access. An e-mail address will be taken from parents/carers.
- The class teacher will let the Senior Leadership Team know what levels that child is working at in English and Maths and the relevant links will be e-mailed to parents/carers with all of the week’s appropriate learning tasks.
- There will also be additional activities sent that will cover other areas of the curriculum, including Topic, art, life skills, music and physical development, etc.
- The class teacher will phone throughout the week to support your child and find out how the learning is going. The workbook sent home in the learning kit can be used to record this work.
Please visit our ‘Online Activities for Pupils’ page for links to online learning websites and videos:
