Remote education provision: information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
  

The RNC remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home

A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.

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

The college aims to ensure that students long term learning goals are not disadvantaged by the recent move to remote learning. We have worked hard to ensure that students have the equipment they need to work from home. This may take a couple of days in the first instance to dispatch via courier, however, if you experience any further delay or problems then please contact your child’s remote learning tutor.
   

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 college wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, Mobility and Independent Living Skills. We are currently assessing the impact of this on an individual basis and will look to increase resources in these areas when we return to face to face provision.
  
Timetables remain the same for all students, although you may find that not all teaching will be conducted on a live basis. This will ensure that students have a mixed approach to their learning and will provide adequate time for students to undertake teacher directed study activities.
  

Remote teaching and study time each day

 

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

For all students the college day will continue to run from 09:00 – 17:00 each day although we may adapt this in some instances to suit the needs of students. As with the normal college day some students will have free periods during the working day which can be used to complete independent study/homework tasks.
  

Accessing remote education

 

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

Teachers will communicate via the following methods:

• Microsoft Teams (for face to face group teaching and one to one additional support sessions)
• E-mail (for communication of tasks and some resources)
• Moodle (online learning platform that teachers may use as an additional teaching resource and the submission of work in some instances.

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:

• All students have been issued laptops, which have assistive technology installed
• If you are experiencing problems with your internet connection, please contact your Remote Learning Tutor who will liaise with the tech team to find a suitable solution
• If you require additional equipment/technology to support your learning, please contact your remote learning tutor in the first instance.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

• Microsoft Teams (for face to face group teaching and one to one additional support sessions)
• E-mail (for communication of tasks and some resources)
• Moodle (online learning platform that teachers may use as an additional teaching resource and the submission of work in some instances.
  
  

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?

Expectations in relation to attendance, punctuality and behaviour for learning remain the same whilst working remotely. However, we do understand that there are additional challenges when learning at home and each day can be different.
  
If you are experiencing difficulties, please contact your teacher as soon as possible. Where attendance is an ongoing concern, interventions will be put in place to support students. In circumstances where this does not bring about an improvement in attendance the college will apply its usual disciplinary process.

Can we ask where possible that parents/carers provide support in developing a positive routine to the college day?

 

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

• Each student will be allocated a Remote Learning Tutor who will liaise with students on a weekly basis – they will focus specifically on any concerns relating to their academic progress and achievement
  
  
• Each student will have a residential manager who will check on any student pastoral and safeguarding concerns
  
  
• Weekly tutorials will continue which will provide opportunities for students to raise any concerns and will also provide an opportunity for the college to pass on key information, advice, and guidance
  
  
• College managers will meet on a weekly basis to discuss emerging or ongoing concerns with student’s attendance and engagement. In these circumstances college managers will contact students either via their Remote Learning Tutor or directly. If students are under the age of 18, we will inform parents as an additional mechanism of support as part of our strategies for improving attendance and engagement. In some cases where students are over the age of 18, we may still contact parents if this forms part of a wider care plan.
  
  

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.
Feedback will provided on work submitted in the following ways:

• Face to face via Microsoft Teams (this will usually be more general feedback aimed at the group)
• E-mail (this will usually be individualised feedback in response to a piece of work)
• Moodle (this may be in the form of marked quizzes).
  
  

If you have any concerns relating to feedback, please contact your teacher in the first instance.