Acklam Grange

Acorn Centre

Acklam Grange School

Remote Learning

Guidelines for September 2021

For remote learning all students will need to follow their normal school timetable, with tasks set by their teachers each day using our ClassCharts system. We also highly recommend for all students to complete at least 1 hour of personal reading each day.

Please be aware that teachers setting home learning will also be teaching those students still in the building; self-isolating students will receive work from each individual lesson by the following morning at the latest. Access to three online platforms has been arranged so that personalised, unlimited practice for key curriculum areas is immediately available to all students.

Full details are included in our Home Learning information booklet

For more information/support, please read the FAQs below, or contact learningsupport@acklamgrange.org.uk. If you do not have access to an email account, you can call the school on 01642 277700.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

From the first day of remote learning, students will be provided with work in line with their usual timetable. This will be supplemented by access to three online platforms – Tassomai, Hegarty Maths and Seneca Learning.

Where the entire school or whole year group bubble is working remotely, materials will be made available before the end of the hour each lesson would have taken place in school.

Where individuals or small groups within a bubble are self-isolating, lesson materials will be made available by the beginning of the following school day at the latest. This is to allow our staff adequate time to respond to the changing nature of student self-isolation and provide the highest quality of learning possible for those students.

In all situations, access to Tassomai, Hegarty Maths and Seneca is immediate.

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

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils around 5-6 hours each day. This includes 5 timetabled lessons, a recommended hour of personal reading, and any further independent study that students choose to undertake using any of our 3 online platforms.

This amount of time reflects the school day, including an hour of study support (Period 6) that is available each day to all students attending the school building.

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

For ease of access, all lesson materials and information regarding access to additional online platforms is provided via ClassCharts – the system also used in school to set homework and track achievement points.

All students have access via their own unique code, which is printed on the base of their timetable and available on request from any member of staff in school.

Parents can also sign up for their own account which allows for sharing of information. One parent account can hold the details of multiple students within the family. Parents have been informed of access codes via post and can request a reminder by contacting the school office or dedicated remote learning email address. 

In the event that whole school or year group bubbles are working remotely, students can also access a subject specific live ‘check-in’ during each hour of the school day, using Microsoft Teams. All students have immediate access to Teams using their school login details and instructions for how to access each check-in are included within the ClassCharts task instructions for each lesson on their timetable each day.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

  • worksheets and powerpoint slides – available in multiple formats (including pdf that can be accessed on any device), linked from OneDrive so that all students can access easily on a wide range of devices.
  • commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
  • online platforms, particularly Tassomai, Hegarty Maths and Seneca Learning.
  • assessment via survey taking software (MS Forms + others)
  • reading books pupils have at home

In the event of whole bubble isolation and/or partial school closure, we will also offer

  • video/audio recordings made by subject teachers – this will be available for every lesson
  • live check-ins – available every hour of the school day

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

On a lesson by lesson basis, teaching staff will use the messaging function on ClassCharts to remind and follow up on work yet to be submitted. These exchanges can take place between students, parents or both and can be easily accessed via the ClassCharts app.

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:

  • our ARC services staff support the Quality of Education team in monitoring work that is sent home to ensure that the quality first teaching that our learners receive in school is also in place to support their learning at home.
  • students who receive the support of a teaching assistant in lessons receive regular contact from their key member of staff.
  • resources are provided so that support from small group or 1-1 interventions can continue remotely.
  • telephone contact to conduct SEN ‘progress days’ which review any support that families need to accessing remote learning.

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, the practical PE curriculum cannot be appropriately recreated in a remote setting. We value physical exercise greatly, and encourage students to use this time to stay active as they prefer, but this time may also be used for students to:

  • catch up on or extend work from other timetabled lessons
  • complete indepedent study using Tassomai, Hegarty Maths or Seneca Learning
  • undertake some personal reading

at their convenience.

This does not apply to KS4 courses in GCSE PE or BTEC sport, where work will be supplied in line with the curriculum delivered in school.

In other practical-based subjects, re-sequencing of the curriculum may take place to allow students to consolidate key fundamentals of course content or rehearse for live performances to be arranged on their return to school.

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:

  • where available, laptops, internet dongles and other necessary hardware is available for loan. Parents can contact the main school office or dedicated remote learning email address to request support.
  • where families are identified from stakeholder voice surveys, contact from school will be made at the point of isolation to offer support.
  • where low student engagement is highlighted, contact from school will be made to identify potential barriers and offer solutions.
  • in the event that assistance with online access can not be provided and students are not able to attend school, printed materials will be curated by subject leaders, in line with the intended curriculum. Students can return this work on their return to school, or at the point that they receive the necessary hardware to get online.

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

Students are expected to work solidly for 45 minutes, without distraction, for each hour on their timetable. The remaining 15 minutes can be used to organise necessary equipment, share evidence of work completed with their teacher and make a comfortable transition to their next task, taking a break where required.

In addition to work set, students should actively pursue opportunities to read for pleasure. We recommend an hour per day at student convenience.

Our systems are designed with flexibility for home situation in mind. Where possible, parents should encourage their children to begin their first lesson at 9:15 each morning, with time taken from 8:30 to get organised and undertake some personal reading as they would do during form time in the regular school day. Where home situation dictates that students work asynchronously to the timings of the school day, parents should help to ensure that students can work, distraction free, for 45 minutes within each 1-hour scheduled lesson. This may require removal of mobile phones and other entertainment systems, and creation of a private study space where possible.

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:

  • teaching staff will signpost tasks which will be marked in detail, in line with each subject area assessment plan. The frequency of these tasks will echo the in-school curriculum and will occur at least twice per half term for core subjects and once per term otherwise.
  • feedback on these deep marking tasks will utilise a range of strategies, including auto-marking online assessment platforms and whole class feedback. All teaching staff will also adapt their planning and delivery in response to information garned by marking student submitted work. Where individual comments and guidance is applied, this is likely to take place via email or ClassCharts messaging on an ad hoc basis as and when it is required. 

You can also find useful information for parents via our Tips for parents.

AGS Share a story – All episodes of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ from our 50 books to read before leaving School

Home learning hints and tips for parents, during school closure.

We understand that many of our parents are adapting to becoming Headteacher of their own ‘Home School’ – just another annex of the AGS Family.

For advice, please watch the set of specially made videos below, or access the guidance of parenting and educational experts via the helpline, blog and video conferences shown below. 

Home Schooling Tips #1

Home Schooling Tips #2

Home Schooling Tips #3

Home Schooling Tips #4

Home Schooling Tips #5

Home Schooling Tips #6

Home Schooling Tips #7

Home Schooling Tips #8

Home Schooling Tips #9

Home Schooling Tips #10

Home Schooling Tips #11

Home Schooling Tips #12

You can also find the following list of episodes from our AGS Success Video Blog – Bringing the Science of Learning to you at home:

 

Open six days a week

0330 313 9162

StarLine is a national national partnership of education and parenting organisations offering expert information and advice to parents and carers. You can access their helplineblog and subscribe to their weekly YouTube video by clicking the blue links.

HM Government’s Skills Toolkit

Free digital and numeracy resources to help parents build their skills.

Want to learn a new skill while at home?
Find free, high quality courses in HM Government’s Skills Toolkit.