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 to remain at home.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home

For long periods of remote learning as we saw during the original COVID Pandemic, a pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach. This will be while we take all of the necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.

For short term periods of absence such as the school being shut by adverse weather or a maintenance issue then all lessons will be taught remotely immediately. These lessons will follow the original set timetable for each student.

In both cases pupils will access their ‘Live Lessons’ using Google Classroom as set out in the written instructions for pupils included later in this section. All pupils will be shown or reminded how to do this in their IT lessons and during tutor time when they start each academic year.

What should my child expect from remote education and ‘Live Lessons’ here at Swanmore College

Here, at Swanmore College we will deliver tutor time and all curriculum-based lessons as ‘Live lessons’ following the normal timetabled day and lessons as set out for each individual teacher or student. Each ‘Live Lesson’ can be accessed via a pupils Google Classroom. Teachers will open up their own classroom for pupils to join at the start of every lesson. Once pupils have joined a class the register will be taken on SIMS as normal, and attendance will be tracked as if the pupils were in school.

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we may make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, in the more practical based subjects like Physical Education, Food Technology, Music, Drama and Dance we may need to focus more on the theoretical content whilst away from school to then reintroduce the more complex practical tasks when pupils are back on site. This will be planned and shared at an individual level by each teacher.

Although we will follow the normal timings of the school day each lesson will finish five minutes early to allow pupils and teaching staff to have a screen break between classes. Should you have any issues accessing the ‘Live Lessons’ via Google classroom please contact the teacher directly via their published Gmail account or please contact the main reception by phone or email on Enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk and we will do what we can to help.

Teaching staff will expect pupils to interact during the ‘Live Lessons’ and they will ask pupils to complete online assessments or hand their work in via their Google Classroom page for them to mark and provide feedback where appropriate. During the lesson pupils are not required to have their cameras on but they are expected to take part verbally with the lesson and provide all work asked of them.

If you have any questions regarding ‘Live Lessons’ or online learning please contact the students classroom teachers directly or Mr Mosley via Enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Remote teaching and study time each day

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

Pupils and teachers are expected to follow the school timetabled day as if they were in College in person. The day will start with tutor time followed by six 55 minute lessons that include a 20 minute breaktime and a 30 minute lunch time. Tutor time starts at 08:25 and the school day ends as normal at 15:00.

Accessing remote education

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

All ‘Live Lessons’ including tutor time are accessed via Google Classroom. Each pupil has a separate Google Classroom for each subject they take as well as tutor time and any groups or activities they are part of during the school day.

Full instructions for accessing ‘Live lessons’ can be found here:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:a687ebcf-cad1-4b4d-9ec8-cf244581c7e4

Please note, this document will be updated where necessary as Google Classroom updates and access arrangements change.

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. If you do not have access to a device suitable to complete ‘Live Lessons’ at home for each student in your home please get in touch with the school on;

Enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

We will provide pupils where necessary with devices on loan to allow them to access ‘Live Lessons’. We will discuss with each family their requirements and we will provide devices and internet access as required. We will assess each case individually to ensure we can meet the learning needs of the pupils involved in all cases.

Pupils may be able to access printed materials through individual classroom teachers. This will be done, if required on a 1:1 basis. All pupils are expected, where possible, to complete work remotely and hand in assignments online via their Google Classroom or by email to their subject teacher or tutor directly.

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?

Pupils are expected to fully engage with their online learning. They will be registered in each class and attendance will be monitored as if they were in school. Low attendance will be dealt with as it would if pupils were onsite. Positive attendance will be rewarded.

Pupils should be able to access lessons and take part independently of support from home. If pupils are provided with extra support in class, then this provision should continue online. Teaching Assistants will be able to drop into classes to support individuals as they would in school and resources will be altered or adapted as required.

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

As a school we are expecting all pupils to follow their own timetable as they would in school. They are expected to log into and attend each lesson following the normal timings of the school day. This includes tutor time as well as the following five lessons each day.

A register will be taken each lesson to monitor attendance. Pupils who do not attend ‘Live’ lessons will be tracked as they would be if school were still taking place as normal. Pupils are expected to hand in their work done as and when requested by each individual teacher. Pupils are also expected to display positive behaviour whilst participating in live lessons creating a positive working environment for all.

In terms of parental support please can you ensure your child has a place to work that will allow them to fully focus on their lesson and is free from other distractions. Please support your child in following the timings of the school day and help them if needed to log on to each individual lesson as required. Please also monitor their behavior whilst online and ensure they are contributing in a way that allows themselves and others to learn whilst participating in live lessons.

To ensure all students have a break from their computer screens ‘Live’ lessons will be 50 minutes in length allowing a 10-minute break between each learning episode. Please ensure your child takes this opportunity to reduce the amount of screen time they are exposed to in a day.

If you as a parent or guardian have any questions regarding Live lessons then please get in touch with the school directly and we will do what we can to help.

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

As already stated, attendance will be tracked via SIMS as it is in school. Attendance will be monitored by our Heads of Year and Attendance Officer and dealt with as it would were we in school.

Teachers will be in direct contact with parents should they have any concerns about any individual and their engagement with online learning. Heads of Year and Deputy Heads of Year will be in contact with home should there be any pupil consistently missing from lessons or not engaging as required on a longer term basis,

You can contact teaching and support staff directly using their published Gmail accounts should you wish to start a dialogue or raise your concerns with a specific group or individual.

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. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work will be determined by each classroom teacher and set out to pupils within each lesson. If a pupil requires further information or feedback, again please contact the teacher directly using their published Gmail account.

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 wherever possible. Please contact us as required.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school, they will by arrangement, be able to provide ‘Live Lessons’ where individuals join the in-school lesson at home. This can only be done for individuals who have provided medical evidence to support the need for this provision by prior arrangement with their Head of Year or Senior Leadership Team member. Pupils will have access to all of the resources of the lesson whilst being able to be involved in what is going on live in a specific classroom or subject area.

Our remote education provision is there to provide pupils with as close an experience to lessons in school as possible. Teachers are available in all lessons for guidance and support and work will be collected and assessed as required. Please familiarise yourself with Google classroom and please ask via Enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk should you have any questions.