Guidance

to parents and

carers to support learners to stay safe and stay learning (January 2021)

 

This year’s changing circumstances have required great flexibility and resilience as learning moves from home to school and back again. We are grateful to you for supporting your child’s learning offline or online at this difficult time. We will continue to provide work for your child to do, maintain contact and provide you with help along the way. Any encouragement and support you offer will be very helpful, but you are not being asked to be a teacher. We hope that this leaflet will provide you with some useful information about the way in which your child is currently being asked to learn.

 

 

 

 

 

Different approaches to delivering learning

It is important to note that schools and settings will take different approaches to delivering learning during this period. One model of delivery will not suit all schools or all learners and there are many forms of learning that will be undertaken during this period. It is not helpful to compare how one school approaches distance learning to another as the contexts will vary.

Your child(ren) will be in receipt of a variety of methods to engage them in their learning. This may include:

• Pre-recorded material from staff to explain and set the scene for learning (asynchronous).
• Some lessons may be delivered via live streaming (synchronous).
• Learning tasks which may need completing online, in books, reading books or creatively (building models etc).
• Shared learning where learners may be able to learn with their peers.
• Teachers may engage with your child(ren) through a messaging function within their learning platform, for example, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams to support them with their learning.
• Independent activities, for example: researching a subject or topic, completing a practice test or assessment, watching a TV programme for example, BBC have a range of programmes on offer to assist our teachers deliver learning.
• Your child(ren) may be asked to attend an online check in session which may referred to as an Assembly, Wellbeing Session, Circle-time, Story-time, for example.
• Engage in physical activities, for example: Joe Wicks fitness sessions, going for a local walk, outdoor play (in line with Government Guidance).

 

What can you expect from us?

 

1. Your children's teacher will set work on a daily/weekly basis with clear guidance and where appropriate support, for your child(ren) to complete and return their completed work to school for marking/feedback.
2. Your child may receive work directly from their school, again on a daily/weekly basis and indicate when your child needs to engage in learning and when to complete learning tasks independently.
3. We will provide work in paper format where there is no access to internet, hardware, revision textbooks or regular stationary (paper, pens etc.).
4. Our communication about distance learning to parents/carers will be simple and accessible to all.
5. We will continue to communicate with you using text messages, newsletters, school website and Google Classrooms,  
6. We will continue to ask you as parents/carers to provide views on our learning provision and will refine the learning giving consideration to your feedback.

 

 

How you can help us

1. It is important that you contact us if you have any questions, queries or concerns. 
2. Try to avoid comparing the approaches to learning that other children are receiving within other classes or within other schools. As a school we are trying hard to ensure that we provide the most appropriate approaches to learning that meet the needs of your child and the learning objectives of each activity. It is likely that these will be varied, as there is no ‘best way’ or ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to teaching in this way.