Remote Learning

In order to ensure that learning is continued during periods of absence, Holy Cross Catholic Primary School has developed the following plan. This plan offers remote learning opportunities whilst also acknowledging that some households have limited access to devices and would require hard-copies of work and resources.

This plan will be applied in the following instances:

• school closures or restrictions on attendance, where school access for pupils is restricted

There are limited circumstances where a pupil is unable to attend school but is able and well enough to continue their education remotely. These circumstances should only involve a short-term absence and might include pupils:

• recovering from short- term infectious illnesses

• preparing for or recovering from some operations

• recovering from injuries where attendance might inhibit recovery

In some exceptional cases, these circumstances might also include pupils whose attendance has been affected by a special educational need or disability (SEND) or a mental health issue. In these circumstances, after the pupil’s absence from school has been established, we will consider providing pupils with remote education on a case-by-case basis. This would always be part of a plan to reintegrate back to school, and only when it is judged that providing remote education would not adversely affect the pupil’s return to school.

Guidance for schools on mental health issues affecting a pupil’s attendance has further support on dealing with mental health and attendance challenges.

Provision of remote education will be made as a short-term solution allowing absent pupils to keep on track with their education and stay connected to their teachers and peers. Pupils with long-term medical conditions or any other physical or mental health needs which affect attendance may need more support to continue their education.

Remote education should not be viewed as an equal alternative to attendance in school. Providing remote education during a pupil’s absence does not reduce the importance of bringing that absence to an end as soon as possible.

In the limited circumstances when we decide to use remote education for individual pupils when they are absent, we will consider the following:

• Ensuring mutual agreement of remote education with parents or carers, potentially pupils, and if appropriate a relevant medical professional. If the pupil has an education, health and care plan or has a social worker, the local authority will also be involved in the decision.

• Where remote education is being used as part of a plan to reintegrate back to school, a formal arrangement will be put in place to review its efficacy regularly, alongside identifying what other support and flexibilities can be put in place to help ease the pupil back to school at the earliest opportunity.

• Setting a time limit within which the period of remote education provision should be reviewed, with the aim that the pupil returns to in person education with the required support in place to meet their needs.

The school will also consider the following:

• • Provision being ready for pupils to access as soon as reasonably practicable, though in proportion to the length of absence and expected disruption to education.

Children will remain in contact with their class teacher through Google Classroom and Class Dojo (to share successes and communications).

Oak Academy has been selected to support remote learning for a number of reasons. The Oak Academy lessons are in-line with our teaching ethos – they encourage the use of retrieval practice, explicit teaching with high quality modelling, and the use of deliberate practice. The online lessons are free to all and offer a recorded taught session so that the children can access physical teaching from a teacher and then access work relating to that lesson within the same website. There are also hundreds of lessons specifically aimed at children with SEND needs and requiring additional support. Class teachers are to use the lessons in the classroom so children are familiar with the platform.