Engagement and feedback

Whilst we are committed to providing the best remote learning that we can for all children, families must remember that their well-being is vitally important. Remote learning is not intended to add further stress to families in what is already a difficult time for many.

Parents and carers should be aware of the online learning opportunities provided by teachers and use an appropriate amount of the materials to engage pupils and support their learning without feeling pressured or overwhelmed.

That being said, we are grateful to all our families who continue to help the children make the transition to online and remote learning.

We aim to be flexible in our approach and understand the wide range of circumstances that families continue to encounter. We will not set deadlines but strongly recommend to our families that daily opportunities are built into each day to allow pupils to access the remote learning provided.

It is recommended that, on a day-to-day basis, families design a routine or timetable which suits them and builds in movement breaks and brain breaks during the child’s day. The children may choose to work through the online provision in a different order and this is not a problem – however we would encourage pupils to concentrate on getting through the Maths and English work set before moving onto other activities.

Where possible, children learning remotely should prioritise attending their class morning meeting each day. The meeting times are staggered throughout the school to allow for the availability of technology within a family. It is essential that children engage safely with the resources provided. When children are participating in Google Meets, it is vital that their setting and presentation is appropriate. Please consider the environment your child is in, and also that they are dressed appropriately, when your child participates in a Google Meet.

As a school, we will monitor pupil engagement with remote education provision. We will note participation and motivation levels. Parents are responsible for contacting the class teacher to report any difficulties or issues with their child completing or accessing their work.

Teachers will have a morning and afternoon Google ‘Meet’ with all children learning remotely. The morning meet is to introduce the daily work and keep children motivated. The afternoon meet is to review how the learning is progressing and provide further support when needed.

If a teacher has specific or significant concerns, for which it would be inappropriate to address as a whole class, teachers will arrange a telephone meeting with parents/carers. Please note that, if your phone number changes during this time, or if it has changed recently, the school office should be made aware so that we always have up to date contact information.

If a teacher notices a lack of engagement in the remote learning and online meetings, they will inform our school Learning Mentor who will contact the family and discuss any issues which may be impacting on the pupil’s ability to access the learning. Likewise, if a parent/carer has any concerns about a child’s well-being or engagement during a class or school closure, they should inform the class teacher who may choose to involve the Learning Mentor for additional support.

Teachers and support staff will support children by providing regular feedback and responding to the emerging needs of children throughout the tasks set each day.

Children will receive either individual and group feedback on a daily basis.

For example, work submitted individually through Google Classroom will receive individual feedback through Google Classroom unless whole class feedback has been given during the class Google meet.

Teachers can use quizzes or tests on core content as a regular feature for assessing pupils’ progress, asking pupils to complete these in a specified time and submit using Google Classroom. Consideration will be given to ensure availability for pupils without ready online access, including through the distribution of hard-copy versions.

Much of the work completed as part of the Oak Academy provision has answers provided so pupils should ensure that, where possible, their work is self-marked or marked by a parent/carer before submitting to their teacher. This allows for effective assessment and feedback by the class teacher.