Castleview
Remote education provision: information for parents
First and foremost, we as a school and all of us as individuals care deeply about our pupils. We are dedicated to providing the best possible education to our pupils – whether they’re learning in school or at home. We want to make sure they progress and achieve well, whether they are in school or learning at home. We want to help mitigate the disruption caused by COVID-19 and help our pupils stay engaged with their work and continue to enjoy their learning.
Castleview School has always strived to be creative, innovative and support our families and children in the best way possible to make learning purposeful and holistic. We seek to deliver a curriculum that is rich, relevant and imaginative. Our strategy for remote learning continues this.
The information provided is to ensure consistency in the approach to remote learning for all pupils who are not in school through the use of quality online and offline resources and teaching videos. We want to provide clear expectations to members of our school community with regards to the delivery of high quality interactive remote learning. It is imperative we provide continuous delivery of the school curriculum, as well as support the wellbeing of our pupils.
Castleview Remote Education:
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
At Castleview, remote education for children in Key Stage 1 and 2 will be set on Google Classroom and for children in Reception and Nursery, their work will be set on the homework page for the first day of remote education.
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, in line with our half-termly curriculum maps. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects.
The Department for Education (DfE) requires that the remote education provided should be equivalent in length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school and will include both recorded or live direct teaching time and time for pupils to complete tasks and assignments independently.
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day in Key Stage 1 & 2?
We expect that remote education in Key Stage 1 and 2 (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
| KS1 | 3 hours a day |
| KS2 | 4 hours a day |
Accessing remote education:
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
For children in Key Stage 1 and 2, their work will be set on Google Classroom and they will meet with their class and teacher for two live teaching sessions every day.
For children in Nursery and Reception, their work is set on the school website homework page. Teachers also meet with their children using Google Meet each day. Parents can upload their child’s work onto Tapestry and access the tutorials for learning.
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:
- If you are defined as a key worker and need a place for in-school lessons, please email us on parents@castleview.slough.sch.uk.
- If you are a parent of a child with an EHCP, and need a place for in-school lessons, please email us on parents@castleview.slough.sch.uk.
- If you are a parent of siblings and you require the use of a laptop, please email us on parents@castleview.slough.sch.uk. The number of laptops that we have is limited and these will be distributed on a priority basis.
How will my child be taught remotely?
At Castleview, we have chosen a model that allows teachers and children to have video contact totalling up to two hours. The rest of the time will be assigned for independent work as per DfE guidance. Remote teaching at Castleview includes:
- live teaching twice a day on Google Classroom
- recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons)
- work set on Google Classroom/homework page
- websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas e.g. Purple Mash, Education City, Oxford Owl
- reading sessions with a teacher and/or a Learning Support Assistant
To help parents and carers manage their child’s day, teachers will provide a weekly timetable of live lessons and set work, in advance, so that this can enable parents to schedule some of the learning activities at a suitable time. Teachers will upload work for the following day in the evening by 8pm. You will note that, as well as the Google Meets (scheduled each morning and afternoon) and the timetabled learning activities, each teacher will have a designated break from their laptop between 11.30am and 1.00pm. This is to enable staff some time to keep up with their online marking and assessment and, of course, to have a reasonable lunch break where they are not ‘on call’.
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?
Children will:
- be assured that wellbeing is at the forefront of our thoughts and the need for children to take regular breaks, get fresh air, exercise and maintain a reasonable balance between online engagement and offline activities
- only send messages and queries that are in relation to tasks set by the teacher or in response to questions the teacher may ask them directly
- only access the material shared by their teacher and ask for parental permission to use technology for anything beyond that
- read daily, either independently or with an adult
- complete the tasks set by the teacher either on Goggle Classroom or on the school website for children in Nursery & Reception.
Parents and carers will:
- support their child’s learning to the best of their ability
- encourage their child to access and engage with Google Classroom and Google Meet sessions
- refrain and prevent from screenshotting, recording or copying any information, messages or posts to share on social media or any other platform outside of the Google Classroom or Google Meet
- know they can continue to contact their class teacher as normal through Google Classroom and Class Gmail if they require support of any kind
- check their child’s completed work each day and encourage the progress that is being made
- be mindful of mental well-being of both themselves and their child and encourage their child to take regular breaks, play games, get fresh air and relax.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- Class teachers and the Senior Leadership Team will monitor pupil engagement with remote learning daily. This will be through attendance during live lessons, submission of work and communication with the pupil or their parents regarding the pupil's remote learning.
- If a child is not engaging with their learning, the class teacher and/or the Senior Leadership Team will follow this up initially with phone calls home to offer support, guidance and ways to accommodate and provide learning. This will be continually monitored and followed up.
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:
- Submitted work will be marked and commented upon
- Verbal feedback will be given during lessons
- Whole class feedback and self marking
All methods will support our formative assessments and contribute to our summative assessments.
We will have a 2 day cut off point, after which, work will not be marked (unless the child's parent or carer has emailed to give a specific reason why the child has been unable to complete/submit their work).
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
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:
- 1:1 Learning Support Assistants will attend Google Classroom lessons (if they are not already supporting their child in school).
- 1:1 Learning Support Assistants will have Google Meets with the child they work with to support areas of learning.
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 those individual pupils self-isolating whilst the majority of their peers are at school, the children will access their learning either through Google Classroom or via a direct email. The work set will reflect what is being taught in class and will follow a planned and well-sequenced curriculum across a number of different subjects. Feedback will be provided via Google Classroom or email. Where necessary, a paper pack will be provided to support the child's learning.
