Remote Education Provision: information for parents
The Senior Leader with responsibility for Remote Learning is Mr A Gibb (Senior Vice Principal)
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education at Colchester Academy if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home
Colchester Academy will provide work for all students on-line as soon as we are notified that a student is self-isolating. Where entire bubbles are self-isolating live lessons will be provided from the first full day of isolation.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
Work will immediately be available on “ClassCharts” as an announcement. The curriculum offered will match the curriculum available to each child in school. Where students do not have immediate access to on-line provision due to limited IT equipment or internet access, paper copies of work will be provided and can be posted or delivered. Our website (https://www.colchesteracademy.org.uk/StudentNet-Home/) details all our provision for remote learning and gives contact details for support if students or parents are unable to login to either ClassCharts or Google Classrooms. |
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?
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Remote teaching and study time each day
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 broadly the following number of hours each day:
Years 7,8 & 9 |
5 hours and twenty minutes per day consisting of:
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Years 10 & 11 |
5 hours and twenty minutes per day consisting of
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Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
All work and classes will be “announced” using ClassCharts to ensure visibility to parents and students. All lessons will be conducted on Google Classrooms. Every class on a student’s timetable has a matching Google Classroom that they are a member of, here they can access resources as well as live lessons using Google Meet. |
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:
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How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
We will use the following approaches to teach pupils remotely.
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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?
We expect all students to engage fully with full time on-line learning. On-line learning, including live lesson follow the same timings as the school day. By maintaining these routines students will be best prepared to return to school. Lessons are live and not recorded, students must follow their full timetable at the appropriate time. The full curriculum is delivered, students must engage to ensure they do not fall behind. |
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
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:
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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:
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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 students that are not self-isolating with a bubble the school will provide work for them as soon as we are notified that they are self-isolating, this usually is available from day one.
The work in these circumstances is set using ClassCharts as an “announcement”. The work will mimic the work being completed in the classroom as closely as possible, students will not have access to form time or live lessons but some subjects may set work using Google Classrooms.
Where a student does not have access to IT equipment or the internet, equipment, sim data cards and dongles can be loaned and delivered to them. In exceptional circumstances paper copies can be provided and delivered to their home.
Work can be returned to teachers either electronically via email for electronic documents or using photographs of completed work. Feedback will be provided in line with the guidance on feedback and marking. |