Remote Learning at Applecroft:

To find out more about remote learning at Applecroft, please read our Remote Learning policy that can be found here. 

 

Feedback on our Remote Learning offer:

During the Spring 2021 lockdown, Applecroft School had an evaluation visit, from their Hertfordshire external advisor, focused on the school's Remote Learning offer. The visit was very positive and below are some comments taken directly from the written report that followed:

 

'It was clear from the initial discussion that the school has moved forward significantly in terms of its remote learning offer since the first national lockdown in March 2020. 'Embracing Technology' was already the school's mantra at the time of the first lockdown and work had begun on the development of a 3-year strategic plan to support this vision'

 

'The school was well placed to implement remote learning in January this year due to leaders' highly effective preparation and evaluation of the provision during the first period of national lockdown and in the autumn term last year'

 

'Senior leaders speak highly of all staff and acknowledge the hard work they have done collectively to provide the very best education for the pupils during this third lockdown'.

 

'The Headteacher's comment "We didn't shy away from the challenge. As a school community we did our bit to ensure the best learning provision for our children and we knew technology was a crucial part of this. Our main driver was having a 'can-do' attitude with the driving force being our sense of moral obligation to support our children, our families at this difficult time", exemplifies the level of commitment to ensuring that any disruption to pupils' education as a result of COVID-19 should be minimised as much as possible'

 

'Senior leaders know their next steps and have a clear plan for how to continue to embrace technology to enhance learning, engage parents, improve staff professional development opportunities and ultimately to further improve the experiences and outcomes for pupils.  Discussions during this visit highlighted the ability of leaders to reflect, to focus on the strategic direction of the school despite COVID and the day to day logistical challenges, and their constant drive to be the best they can be for the pupils at Applecroft'

 

 

Embracing Technology Survey Results:

During the most recent lockdown, we asked our parents and carers for feedback on our remote learning provision and below are are main findings. We were very pleased with the response rate which saw over 260 parents sharing their views. These findings have fed directly into our school's improvement planning for this, and the next, academic year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What aspects of our school's online and remote learning offer do you think worked well?

 

'I personally think the online and remote learning we have experienced this term has been exceptional. The learning was tailored to reflect the age of children in nursery, their attention span and concentration. I honestly think my son has thrived with online learning and I cannot thank the school staff enough'

 

'Daily registration, online lessons, online feedback and online parent consultations'

 

'Having the work set out clearly in subjects for him to work through'

 

'Live lessons with their teachers and peers'

 

'It was interactive and supportive'

 

'The live sessions were brilliant, it meant the children still got to see the teacher and pupils'

 

'Being able to interact with their teacher and classmates live'

 

'All work for key worker children completed in school. This has taken a huge amount of pressure off parents. Also, laptops loaned home'

 

'The teachers have made it very easy for parents, I must say! All the learning in Google Classroom was very organised'

 

'The recorded lessons have been great as we have been able to watch when it works well for our family. It has made it easier when teaching more than one child at a time. The mix of recorded and live lessons I think has been just right so the children can still see their teachers and friends'

 

'It was the same as 'in-class' activities'

 

Remote Education at Applecroft School:

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils, parents and carers about our remote education offer where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) with the exception of children who are either vulnerable or whose parents are critical workers, to remain at home.

During the first lockdown, a number of teachers developed remote learning and therefore we are in a strong position to provide this. Most year groups have someone experienced with this way of teaching but a few year groups are less experienced in their offer. We ask for parents to be patient initially while they become familiar with both online and remote learning.

At Applecroft School are aim is to deliver the curriculum that the children would have experienced in school, as far as possible, remotely.

 

What has the school decided to use for their remote learning:

Applecroft have chosen Google Classroom for all year groups (the EYFS use this alongside Tapestry). Each year group posts a timetable for each week on our chosen learning platform, Google Classroom. This organised approach means that children and their parents / carers know where to go to look for their work and keeps everything in one place.

The use of other Google features (Google docs, Google slides, Google Forms, Videos) within the lessons, means that they will work across a variety of devices, including tablets, smart televisions and games consoles.

It is important that children are provided with opportunities to review the learning they have already done, therefore many lessons will contain references to previous learning, as well as supporting children in helping to make new connections with their learning.

Each lesson will contain a task for the child to do as independently as they can, dependent on age. This could be continued practise of key skills or whether the child has understood the new knowledge they have gained from the lesson.

As children are able to ‘hand in’ work they completed on Google Classroom, teachers are able to feedback to their class, either as whole class feedback or individual comments.

 

The Remote Curriculum: What is taught to pupils at home?

Following the first lockdown we had a number of teachers who worked from home solely on developing remote learning and therefore for the current lockdown (January 2021) we were ready to begin remote learning on the first day.

 

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?

On the first day we expect that children will be taught the curriculum. Children will be provided with a weekly timetable and where possible they will receive a full curriculum offer.

 

Remote education for self-isolating pupils:

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in, our offer may differ slightly. We will aim to provide access to learning via Google Classroom in this instance but may also provide remote learning to tasks and assignments.

 

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 will teach the full curriculum remotely as we would do in school wherever possible.

 

Remote teaching and study time each day:

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

In line with the DfE’s expectations we expect that remote education (online and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

 

Accessing remote education

How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?

Via Google Classroom – every child has their log on details for Google Classroom and this is used as our platform for live lessons, recorded lessons, individual tasks and home learning.

The children are directed to a wealth of resources and activities. They also have access to additional online learning through sites such as: TT Rockstars, Complete P.E., Charanga, Espresso and Purple Mash.

 

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

Before lockdown we identified, through a survey, those families who had limited devices/internet access to enable them to engage online. We have been able to provide Chromebooks to these families and those for whom access was more difficult e.g. due to the number of siblings sharing a device.

 

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

 

EYFS - Nursery & Reception:

• Reception access via Google Classroom and the class pages of the school website
• Daily register and ‘live meet’ to read story and set story challenge
• Nursery – live phonics session from 9:30am – 9:45am
• Monday afternoon – ‘Monday Me’ (incorporating our PSHE and Leadership curriculums ‘Leader in Me’)
• Any recordings and work are posted onto both Google Classroom class pages
• Each week there are 5 challenges set. Activities are set each day for children to access at their own pace – they include phonics, literacy, story reading and challenge, maths and topic
• Extra reading books are uploaded onto Tapestry 3x a week of varied levels for access at any time
• Any evidence of work completed is sent to Tapestry to ensure that each child has a complete Learning Journey of the year
• A suggested timetable is posted onto Google Classroom with 20-minute activity slots mixed in with large blocks of outside time / child initiated learning time as they would receive in school
• Teachers set work in line with the curriculum so that work children receive at home is identical to those children in school
• Work uploaded to Tapestry for teachers to comment on
• There is an end of day check in

 

Key Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2:

• A broad curriculum is delivered throughout the week including daily maths and English with a focus on other curriculum subjects in the afternoon sessions
• A weekly timetable is available in each child’s Google Classroom
• A series of daily live and pre-recorded sessions delivered
• Daily register and ‘live meet’
• Phonics are practiced through ‘live’ sessions daily
• English and Maths taught every morning
• Monday afternoon – ‘Monday Me’ (incorporating our PSHE and Leadership curriculums ‘Leader in Me’)
• Live feedback sessions take place daily with pupils
• English and maths are marked and feedback given
• Y1 - Work to be handed in by Sunday evening which marks the end of the week
• Y2 – English and maths is given feedback daily and therefore individual due dates are set according to task – some are for the next day others are set for completion by the end of the week (i.e. Sunday)
• Foundation subjects are viewed and feedback given where relevant
• At the end of the day the children can access a daily ‘read aloud’ session

 

Lower KS2 – Years 3 & 4:

• A broad curriculum is delivered throughout the week including daily maths and English with a focus on other curriculum subjects in the afternoon sessions
• A weekly timetable is available in each child’s Google Classroom
• A series of ‘live’ teaching and pre-recorded sessions delivered including use of the Oak Academy
• Daily register and ‘live meet’
• English and maths taught every morning
• Monday afternoon – ‘Monday Me’ (incorporating our PSHE and Leadership curriculums ‘Leader in Me’)
• Live feedback sessions take place daily with pupils
• English and maths feedback is given feedback daily and therefore individual due dates are set according to task – some are for the next day others are set for completion by the end of the week (i.e. Sunday)
• Foundation subjects are viewed and feedback given where relevant
• At the end of the day the children can access a daily ‘read aloud’ session

 

Upper KS2 – Years 5 & 6:

• A broad curriculum is delivered throughout the week including daily maths and English with a focus on other curriculum subjects in the afternoon sessions
• A weekly timetable is available in each child’s Google Classroom
• A series of ‘live’ teaching sessions with independent tasks set
• Daily register and ‘live meet’
• English and maths taught every morning
• Monday afternoon – ‘Monday Me’ (incorporating our PSHE and Leadership curriculums ‘Leader in Me’)
• Foundation Subjects are taught through ‘live’ sessions across the week with staff ‘team teaching’
• English and maths feedback is given feedback daily and therefore individual due dates are set according to task – some are for the next day others are set for completion by the end of the week (i.e. Sunday)
• Foundation subjects are viewed and feedback given where relevant with deadlines set for the end of the week
• At the end of the day the children can access a daily ‘read aloud’ session

 

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?

 

Engagement and Attendance:

We expect daily attendance, with a register being taken on Google Classroom at 9am. We expect the child’s parents/carers to contact the school if their child cannot attend with a valid reason.

 

Parental Support:

We expect our parents/carers to support their child’s learning by attending the register, live lessons and that assignments are completed and handed in. We ask that parent/carers support us by ensuring their child/ren are aware of the timetable for each day.

 

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

Teachers will be monitoring their class’s register and will be informing the office staff who will contact parents/carers if the school hasn’t been notified.

Teachers will regularly check that tasks are completed.

 

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 including whole class verbal feedback, assignments marked using a grading system on Google Classroom as well as written comments.

 

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?

Teachers will provide work for children with SEND that is appropriate to them.

Our Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion and Wellbeing also provides support and will ‘check-in’ with parents regularly.

Our PPG teacher sets work for the children she works with and makes regular contact.