Jan 2021 – All parents and carers would have been contacted with guidelines on the current restrictions.

This page contains our most up to date information in regards to the developing situation around the COVID-19 outbreak. We’re on hand to answer any questions you might have so don’t hesitate to give us call.

Click here for out Letter to all Parents and Carers – 19th March 2020

Remote education provision: information for parents and carers

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils 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.
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
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 young person expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?

All students will have access to Microsoft Teams, which is being used by the college during any periods of full or partial closure or during prolonged periods of online learning due to shielding, self-isolation etc.

Paper copies of work can also be requested via your child/young person’s 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?

During any period of prolonged online learning, all students will follow a group ‘virtual timetable’. This will include functional skills lessons (English, Maths, ICT) as well as vocational qualification work and pastoral/enrichment activities.

Remote teaching and study time each day

How long can I expect work set by the college to take my child/young person each day?

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils approximately 4 hours each day excluding break and lunch time. Our remote learning starts at 9.30am and finishes at 3pm Monday – Friday.

Our remote learning starts at 9.30am and finishes at 3pm Monday – Friday.

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Accessing remote education

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

All work and online teaching will be carried out and set using Microsoft Teams.

If my child/ young person 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:

Employ My Ability recognises that not all students will have digital or online access at home. Parents should contact the Education Co-ordinator or the Manager of Education (01929 405685) in the first instance to discuss what they might need (laptops/dongles etc).

We are also providing printed work packs on a fortnightly basis which are being sent home with a stamped return envelope, so work can be returned to enable tutors to provide feedback.

How will my child/young person be taught remotely?

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

• Worksheets/resources produced by class tutors and shared via Microsoft Teams
• Live teaching (online lessons)
• Printed paper packs produced by tutors (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
• Textbooks and reading books pupils have at home
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
• Long-term project work and/or internet research activities

Engagement and feedback

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

A number of students have now become familiar and confident with using Microsoft Teams and we would expect these students to follow their online class timetable each day.

Parents and carers can help their child/young person by organising their time, encouraging good study habits, and contacting us if they have any concerns.

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

Class tutors will monitor students’ engagement and completion of work. Where there are concerns regarding a students’ engagement the Tutor, Education Co-Ordinator or Manager of Education will contact home.

How will you assess my child/young person’s work and progress?

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children or young people. 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:

• Interactive quizzes
• Whole class feedback sheets
• Individual formative comments
• Summative grades
• Self-assessment

Tutors will aim to provide feedback on work every 2 weeks.

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:

• Tutors will ensure that all work is challenging and accessible for all
• Learning Support Workers will continue to offer support via Teams
• The Tutors, Education Co-Ordinator and Manager of Education are available to be contacted

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?

Tutors will ensure that work is set on Microsoft Teams for students who have to self-isolate.