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 if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
For details of what to expect where individual students are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home
A student’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 students being sent home?
We will endeavour to ensure that all students have lessons available remotely, following their timetable.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in college?
Yes – we teach the same curriculum remotely as would normally wherever possible and appropriate. However, it has been necessary to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, for subjects which have a lot of practical assessment or specialist equipment there is a need to postpone or delay certain activities. We are awaiting further information from each individual examining body about the way ahead with practical assessments and will update students directly with any news.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the college to take my child each day?
We expect our remote education hours to be in line with our normal timetabled hours, including independent study and maths and English.
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
We use the following platforms to deliver our online education:
- Microsoft Teams (video calls, screen sharing)
- Canvas (sharing of electronic resources, assignment & homework submissions)
- Onefile (apprenticeship portfolios)
- Century (English and Maths)
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 students may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those students to access remote education:
Students without a laptop or computer at home can apply to borrow one. Students should speak to their teachers in the first instance to arrange this application to go through the Director of Faculty for the area the student sits with.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach students remotely:
- live teaching (online lessons)
- recorded teaching (video/audio recordings made by teachers)
- printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
- textbooks and reading books students have at home
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or elearning packages
- long-term project work
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 with all online learning in the same way we expect students to engage with all face to face sessions. They should be ready to learn, answer questions and engage with the content and their peers. A good routine is important, encouraging students to follow their timetable will help with your child’s education.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Attendance is tracked and monitored in exactly the same way as face-to-face education. A register is taken at the beginning of each session and parents/carers will be notified if your child is absent. Where engagement is a concern, parents and carers will be contacted directly via phone call or email.
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 students. 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 student work is as follows:
Students will be assessed during each session, through multiple different methods such as questioning, quizzes and peer evaluation. Students should still receive regular feedback on their progress on their courses. Assessments linked directly to criteria set out by the awarding body will continue to be set and marked according to the individual awarding body policies.
Additional support for students 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 students 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 students in the following ways:
SEND students will still be able to access their learning, teachers will make accommodating changes in order for their learning to be facilitated. SEND students will also still have access to learning support if they previously had access to one.
Remote education for self-isolating students
Where individual students need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in college, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching students both at home and in college.
If my child is not in college because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
If a student needs to self-isolate, they will still be able to benefit from learning if they are fit to study. This could involve:
- a hybrid approach, whereby the teacher teaches face-to-face students and remote students at the same time using a webcam to stream their lesson
- a remote learning approach, where students are set challenging work which meets the sequencing of the curriculum